Dissect

The Season 6 team answers listener submitted questions about Beyoncé, Lemonade, and more. Stay in touch over the break by following us on social media @dissectpodcast. Limited S6 merch can be purchased at shop.dissectpodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We continue our serialized analysis of Beyoncé’s Lemonade by dissecting its final song and video “Formation.” The track is Beyoncé’s clarion call to the sisterhood of black women we’ve seen throughout Lemonade. She encourages them to “get in formation” -- to unite and take a stand against injustice and discrimination through unity, excellence, and harnessing Black Girl Magic. A visual guide for th...

We continue our serialized analysis of Beyoncé’s Lemonade by dissecting its eleventh and final chapter “Redemption,” which features the song “All Night.” Beyoncé marks the conclusion of her personal journey and the redemption of her marriage. She has triumphed over the curse that plagued her and her family throughout the film, and she celebrates having turned lemons into lemonade. A visual guide f...

We continue our serialized analysis of Beyoncé’s Lemonade by dissecting its tenth chapter “Hope,” which features the song “Freedom.” Beyoncé gathers her sisterhood at a former slave plantation to deliver an empowering message of hope and transcendence over oppressive forces. A visual guide for this episode can be found at dissectpodcast.com. Follow us on social media @dissectpodcast. S6 merch can...

We continue our serialized analysis of Beyoncé’s Lemonade by dissecting its ninth chapter “Resurrection,” which features the song “Forward.” Having restored her relationship, Beyoncé turns her attention to social action and communal healing, beginning with a moving portrait of the Mothers of the Movement. Support the ongoing fight of systemic racism and equality for all by visiting these links: tr...

We continue our serialized analysis of Beyoncé’s Lemonade by dissecting its eighth chapter “Forgiveness,” which features the song “Sandcastles.” Beyoncé finally opens herself up completely, requires her husband to do the same, and forgives. As a result, Beyoncé breaks the curse of broken male-female relationships in her family. A visual guide for this episode can be found at dissectpodcast.com. Fo...

We continue our serialized analysis of Beyoncé’s Lemonade by dissecting its seventh chapter “Reformation,” which features the song “Love Drought.” Beyoncé extends an olive branch to her husband, expresses the potential of the love they share, and entertains the idea of reconciliation. A visual guide for this episode can be found at dissectpodcast.com. Follow us on social media @dissectpodcast. S6...

8 minutes and 46 seconds. The amount of time Officer Derek Chauvin's knee was pressed into George Floyd's neck. We encourage our listeners to use this time of silence to remember the Black lives lost to police brutality, reflect on the Black lives affected every day by systemic injustice and discrimination, and how we can individually and collectively fill this silence with sustained action. Visit...

We continue our serialized analysis of Beyoncé’s Lemonade by dissecting its sixth chapter “Accountability,” which features the song “Daddy Lessons.” Beyoncé looks to her past to better understand the history of broken male-female relationships in her family. She realizes that the “gun” she inherited from her father must be disarmed if she wishes to reconcile with her partner. A visual guide for th...

We continue our serialized analysis of Beyoncé’s Lemonade by dissecting its fifth chapter “Emptiness,” which features the song “6 Inch.” We find Beyoncé wielding her sexuality for profit in a powerful anthem for working girls. But is there something else beneath her external show of dominance? A visual guide for this episode can be found at dissectpodcast.com. Follow us on social media @dissectpod...

We continue our serialized analysis of Beyoncé’s Lemonade by dissecting its fourth chapter “Apathy,” which features the song “Sorry.” The inside of the Madewood Plantation big house in Louisiana becomes the backdrop for Beyoncé’s apathetic dismissal of her partner. A visual guide for this episode can be found at dissectpodcast.com. Follow us on social media @dissectpodcast. Learn more about your a...

We continue our serialized analysis of Beyoncé’s Lemonade by dissecting its third chapter “Anger,” which features the song “Don’t Hurt Yourself.” Beyoncé flips stereotypical gender roles to command the respect of her partner and reclaim her agency. But how long can her anger sustain? A visual guide for this episode can be found at dissectpodcast.com. Follow us on social media @dissectpodcast. Lear...

Hear S6 co-host Titi and Cole in conversation about their experience traveling together to the Louisiana sugar plantations seen throughout the visuals of Lemonade. We’ll also learn more about Titi, her educational background, and both Cole and Titi’s history with Beyoncé’s music. Listen to Titi’s podcast Dope Labs: https://open.spotify.com/show/3pCF6hcNsAHKlKAillCOuZ?si=DZ-hYwjPQ0OS5oW39bjODQ. Lea...

We continue our serialized analysis of Beyoncé’s Lemonade by dissecting it’s second chapter “Denial,” which features the song “Hold Up.” After unsuccessfully attempting to change for her husband’s sake, Beyoncé channels the Yoruba water goddess Oshun to deliver a spiteful message. A visual guide for this episode can be found at dissectpodcast.com. Follow us on social media @dissectpodcast. Learn m...

Surprise! Season 6 is dedicated to Beyoncé’s masterwork Lemonade. Through in-depth, highly researched analysis, we follow Beyoncé on her transcendent journey from subjugation to freedom. Today we unpack the visual album’s opening chapter “Intuition,” which features the song “Pray You Catch Me.” We’ll come to understand the curse that looms over Beyoncé and how she must take a leap of faith to over...

We conclude our season on DAMN. by recapping the album’s narrative in standard track order before speculating on an alternative narrative when listening in reverse track order. Finally, we present a new theory about the album’s track listing (did someone say “chiasm”?). Stay connected over the break by following @dissectpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. Purchase Dissect merch at https://shop.disse...

DUCKWORTH. tells the remarkable true story of the chance encounter between Kendrick’s father Kenny Duckworth and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith. Kendrick uses this story to illustrate the album’s central message: the (unpredictable) blessings that come from choosing weakness. Say hi @dissectpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. Purchase Dissect merch at https://shop.dissectpodcast.com/. Listen to original...

After receiving guidance from Cousin Carl on FEAR., Kung Fu Kenny expresses the joyous feeling of being filled with the spirit of GOD. Say hi @dissectpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. Purchase Dissect merch at https://shop.dissectpodcast.com/. Listen to original Dissect themes on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2k8BsZM. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In part two of our analysis of FEAR., we come to understand how fear has been the primary motivating factor in Kung Fu Kenny’s life. Kenny consolidates the album’s major themes into one extremely dense final verse, which unlocks many of the album’s mysteries. Finally, we dissect Cousin Carl’s voicemail that explains the reasons behind Kenny’s tumultuous emotional journey over the course of DAMN. S...

FEAR. is the pivotal track in the narrative of DAMN. We begin our two part analysis by dissecting the song’s virtuosic use of samples before digging into the appearance of Kendrick Lamar’s two real life cousins: Carl and Charles. Finally, we unpack the song’s first verse, which is rapped from the perspective of Kendrick’s mother. Say hi @dissectpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. Purchase Dissect me...

In part two of our analysis of XXX., we discover the dramatic twist in the narrative of DAMN. Say hi @dissectpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. Purchase Dissect merch at https://shop.dissectpodcast.com/. Listen to original Dissect themes on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2k8BsZM. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

XXX. is a multipart suite that begins to reveal the deep-rooted themes of DAMN. We find Kung Fu Kenny seemingly under demonic influence as he portrays himself as a heartless, bloodthirsty killer. By the song’s second half, we discover the event that triggered such ruthlessness. Say hi @dissectpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. Purchase Dissect merch at https://shop.dissectpodcast.com/. Listen to or...

Coming off the heels of LUST., LOVE. presents the flipside of the coin as Kung Fu Kenny explores the youthful, romantic love he felt as a teenager. As we’ll discover, this isn’t the first time Kendrick has explored the love/lust dichotomy in his music: it was actually the basis for his major label debut good kid, m. A.A.d. city. Say hi @dissectpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. Purchase Dissect mer...

When DAMN. released just months after Donald Trump was elected president, many were anticipating the moment Kendrick Lamar -- the greatest rapper of our generation -- addressed the election on the album. LUST. presents that moment, but not in a way many people were expecting… Say hi @dissectpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. Purchase Dissect merch at https://shop.dissectpodcast.com/. Listen to orig...

We continue our season-long analysis of DAMN. with the album’s hit single HUMBLE. Coming off the heels of PRIDE. in which Kung Fu Kenny admitted his imperfections, we are puzzled to find Kenny egotistically lifting himself up by putting down others. But as we’ll hear, this mentality embodies the central biblical theme that powerful rulers and nations often become corrupted by pride. Say hi @dissec...