Back Issue

Hey Back Issue listeners! Here’s a preview of a new podcast called The Wonder of Stevie, produced by our very own Josh Gwynn. You might think you know Stevie Wonder. You might think you know his music. But you’ve never heard it like this. Host Wesley Morris is taking you on a deep-dive through Stevie's Classic Period: five legendary albums back-to-back in less than five years. Hear about the recor...

In our season finale, Josh partners with coaches to put together a song to pump himself up when the world seems like too much. This episode is brought to you by our partner, Dove hair. Go to https://www.walmart.com/search?q=dove%20crown%20collection&typeahead=dove%20crown&cat_id=1085666 for more information and products. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://ww...

Multi-hyphenates raise your hands? Now put them down because we know you can't be talented in everything you think you are. In this episode, Josh and special guest Ashley C. Ford are talking about their favorite multi-hyphenates, what makes them great, whether or not they're underrated, and what it means to be good at everything, or maybe not. This episode is brought to you by our partner, Dove ha...

On today’s episode, @RegardingJosh examines our cultural understanding of home, talks to a citizen of the WORLD to see where he should be looking for home and looks at current landscape of the housing market to see how possible it is to even find a "home." Thank you to our incredible guests -- @mayasymonecade, creator and curator of @TheBlackFilmArchive and @libraryofconress scholar in residence;...

On a very special episode of Back Issue, our beloved host Josh Gwynn comes down with a mysterious illness. He cannot stop breaking out into song! Alongside guest host and Real Doctor, Matt Bellassai, Josh takes a journey through the world of musical theater. When did it become so central to the zeitgeist? Why do we inevitably cry at the song before intermission? Can Lea Michele read? And along the...

Do you have pop culture feelings you keep to yourself 'cause the world isn't ready for them? So do guests Hunter Harris, BA Parker, and Sam Sanders! On today's episode, they're bravely serving up their spiciest opinions in front of Judge Josh and making a case for their hottest takes in Josh's Court. This episode is brought to you by our partner, Dove hair. Go to https://www.walmart.com/search?q=d...

Why is gossiping sooo fun? And how has the world of celebrity gossip changed over the years? To answer these questions and learn the A to Zs of celebrities (from Ava Max to Zendaya), Josh and guest host Rachelle Hampton take a field trip inside the human brain, go back in time with a PhD gossip expert, Andrea McDonnell, and chat with Who? Weekly's Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber. This episode is br...

Do you remember the teen show that made you fall in love with teen shows? For Josh and special guest-host Amil Niazi, that show was Canadian soap, "Degrassi: The Next Generation." And let’s just say, this episode GOES THERE. Why’d they do JT like that? Where is the Grammy for Paige Michalchuk and the Sex Kittens? How did playing Jimmy launch Drake to superstardom? Whatever it takes, Josh and Amil...

Who amongst us hasn’t pretended our bottle of shampoo was an Oscar and thanked the Academy? Today on Back Issue, we talk through the most memorable acceptance speeches, from Sally Field’s often misquoted “You really like me!” speech to Halle Berry’s historic win to Sheryl Lee Ralph’s musical twist. With help from Aisha Harris and Wesley Morris, Josh unpacks the impact of acceptance speeches and wh...

We're Cheetah Girls, Cheetah Sisters and don't you EVER forget it! This week Josh and special guest-host Jazmine Hughes take a trip down a cheetah-spotted memory lane into the Cheetah Girls franchise. Most know the cheetah-licious girl group from their Disney Channel movies, but did you know this all stemmed from a children's book series? Or that two of the members were from the girl group 3LW? To...

In the first episode of Season 3, Josh and Tracy are talking about hair HAIR, but this isn't just any old hair talk. No discoveries on how to get a magical texture by slapping on ointments and berry juices. Today we're discussing the timeline textures, getting into the stigmas around certain styles, and talking about the gendered and queered politics of hair with special guest Carvell Wallace. Wha...

Back Issue is BACK, y’all! 🥳 We’re in our SZN 3 era, and once again, we’re taking you back to some of your favorite, formative pop culture moments. This time, we’re paying homage to sacred texts that taught us how to live, such as 'The Cheetah Girls' and 'Degrassi'. We’re having conversations that need to be had about Hair, Gossip, and Award Show Speeches. And Josh slips on a robe to take on a de...

We did it, Joe! We made it to the end of year and not going to lie, 2021 had us in the first half…and maybe the second half, too. But, ’tis the season to reflect on all its ups and downs, and we’re coming at you with a once-in-a-2021 worldwide event—a special Back Issue bonus episode. Tracy and Josh look back at 2021 with their latest game “Was that This Year?,” and really put their pop culture kn...

This week, we're popping back into your feeds to share an extra special episode from one of our favorite pop culture rewind podcasts: ''Okay Now Listen,' hosted by Scottie Beam and Sylvia Obell! On this episode, Scottie and Sylvia share the excitement of their new series  'Get You A Me," their brand new series on Netflix's 'Still Watching Netflix' YouTube channel. Then, they dive into all the baby...

In our final episode of Season Two, we had to “end” it just right, by doing what we do best— looking back at it (aye!) — so we’re backing thangs up with a conversation on booty. That’s right: Tracy and Josh are investigating the history and trends around round, plump posteriors, butts, dumps and humps. They invite writer and podcaster Nichole Perkins to help define terminology around Black women a...

Racers, start your engines ‘cause this week’s maxi challenge is gonna leave you gagging (don’t worry; that’s a good thing). Josh and Tracy tackle the good, the bad, and the ooooh girl of RuPaul’s Drag Race, from favorite moments like Valentina’s prophetic mask and Trinity K. Bonet’s un-bey-lievable comeback, to concerning trends like how access to money and designers have become more important tha...

This week, we’re taking a moment to breathe, shoop shoop, and exhale. Tracy and Josh explore mental health with our favorite therapist, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast! With Dr. Joy’s guidance, our hosts tackle huge questions like: How do we take care of ourselves when it feels like The End Times™️? How do we bounce back from burnout? And how do we stop thinking of r...

It’s game night, so get your "Draw 4" cards ready 'cause it's about to go down! Josh and Tracy invite the very special and highly competitive hosts of the For Colored Nerds podcast, Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings, to share their favorite game night memories, some game night horror stories, and play an original game Tracy invented called Aight Bet! Will they still be friends afterward? Gotta listen...

Welcome to the Fifty-Eleventh Back Issue Video Music Awards! Join Josh and Tracy as they honor their favorite music videos of the ‘90s and 2000s in categories you might expect (Most Iconic Look in a Music Video) and some you absolutely won’t (Best Use of Water in a Music Video & Best Music Video Sponsored by Old Navy). Spoiler alert: our Blifetime (nope, that’s not a typo) Award goes to THEE Direc...

Reality TV dating shows are a subgenre of “reality” that seem to get weirder by the year. Josh and Tracy have watched their fair share of trash reality TV but could never get into nor get the appeal of the most popular reality dating hell show franchise of all: The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. Why do shows like this exist and what keeps people coming back for 25 seasons straight? We’ll hear from...

Glamour. Sass. Unadulterated talent. What makes a diva? Podcast divas of the universe Tracy and Josh go deep in their diva bags and unpack the origins and evolution of divas as well as the politics around diva-dom. They invite Wayne Isaak, former Executive Vice President of Music Programming and Talent for VH1 and Co-Producer of VH1’s Divas Live ’98 and ’99 to explain all things diva, and he gives...

Grab your sporks and your doggy bags! This week, Josh and Tracy dig in and dig deep about their mutual love of food and its way of connecting people, places, and stories. Joining them is founder of Herb ‘N’ Cooking and Food Network's "Chopped" finalist Chef Mustapha Abdul-Rahiim. He breaks down food’s ability to socialize us and its inherent connection to memory. To learn more about listener data...

Music has a way of scoring life’s big and small moments, and this week, Josh and Tracy team up to create the ultimate mixtape that ushers in all the feels. They discuss their musical influences, test their knowledge on R&B and pop groups we thought we remembered, and maybe—just maybe, reveal that one of them is secretly a recording artist. Together, we are reminded why music makes us lose control,...

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to pay tribute to this thing called Beyoncé’s internet. No, not today’s digital hellscape, but the one we first fell in love with way back in ye olde days of AOL, Napster, and LiveJournal. *dial up bings and gurgles* This week, Josh and Tracy reminisce on how being online once had the potential to affirm us. How did we go from that to *gestures at the ent...

This week, Josh and Tracy put together a mixtape of love to unpack Whitney Houston’s career and legacy -- from her gospel beginnings and becoming America’s princess, to that infamous Wendy Williams interview and Being Bobby Brown. What can Whitney’s life teach us about the tension between mental health and success? And how can we learn from what she went through to do better? P.S. If any of your r...