Back Issue

Now that the world is opening and closing...and opening, we’ve been thinking a lot about touch. This week, Tracy and Josh explore all the ways we greet each other – high fives! low fives! secret handshakes! – and what they say about us. They also get into a battle over whose hometown invented the high five. 🍿 And Barry White Jr. – no, not the crooner, but the teacher who went viral for memorizing...

Your summer just got a lot hotter, 'cause Back Issue is back in the habit! 🔥Season 2 is about to serve even more joy and pop culture nostalgia than before. We’re honoring Whitney THEE Houston, giving the folks who *actually* invented the internet their flowers, and fighting over whose hometown dreamt up the high five. All along the way, we continue to take the advice of our patron saint Tyra “Mov...

Before We Bid Season 1 Adieu, Did You Know Tracy Almost Got An Ankh Tattoo? This week, Josh and Tracy close out Back Issue's first season with one last trip, all the way back to the heyday of Neo Soul, from how the genre shaped them to their faves. They talk to Perry Fair, one of the creatives behind Coke’s iconic Nu Classic Soul ad. Then, they sit down with THEE Jill Scott (AHHHH!!!) to talk abou...

Without A Doubt, I Miss The Cookout This week, take a break from your solitary quarantine as Josh and Tracy take you waaay back to some of the baddest, Blackest functions of all time, like ATL's Freaknik and the Kentucky Derby. Then, travel back in time with Josh and organizer Mariah Moore (of The Transgender Law Center, House of Tulip) to the celebration of life and death that was Aretha Franklin...

Can You Hear It? I Know You Caught The Spirit This week, Josh and Tracy are taking you to church. First, they talk about their time in the pews, from the ways they've had to reconcile their faiths and identities to the music that has stuck with them. They hear about the deep, poetic roots of Gospel in Black identity from writer and professor Ashon Crawley. And they sit down with pastor and legend...

Day or Night, It's About To Be A What? Girl Fight!  This week, Josh and Tracy give you all things beefs, feuds, and squabbles. They explore one of the most formative feuds of their youth — Brandy vs. Monica — and get into where they were when one of the most shocking diss tracks of our time dropped (hint: it involves a pink diamond chicken wing chain). Then, rapper and talented multi-hyphenate Jea...

Give Me A Break, You Ain't No Ricki Lake This week, Josh and Tracy take you through the world of daytime talk shows and unpack the fun, the messy, and the hard-to-reconcile parts of shows like Ricki Lake, Oprah, Jerry Springer, and Jenny Jones. Then, they sit down with Sherri Shepherd, Emmy-winning former host of ‘The View,’ to discuss why being on that show was the best and most painful experienc...

Young And Free, I Want My MTV! This week, Josh and Tracy are talking all things MTV. From ‘The Real World’ cinematic universe to the boom boom kacks of ‘Making The Band,’ they take you through the channel’s best (and messiest) moments. Then, they get a sense of what it was like to work there from Erika Clarke, a former MTV producer who spent 10 years working on iconic shows like ‘Cribs’ and ‘Diary...

No Mary J., We're Searching For Real Love Today This week, Josh and Tracy are talking about love (*cue studio audience* oooooh). First, they unpack their conceptions of the term, from their overzealous prom expectations to some absolutely trash relationship models they found in media. Then, they sit down with Darnell L. Moore, writer, activist, and Director of Inclusion Strategy for Marketing and...

Sugar We're Going Down, Gotta Get Outta This Town This week, Josh and Tracy take you back to days of dark eyeliner and teen angst to give you all things Black and Alternative. First, they unpack the meaning and history of Alternative Music with help from cultural critic Hannah Giorgis. Then, they sit down with living rock legend Fefe Dobson to talk about her music, defying categorization, and forg...

Red Rover Red Rover, Bring 'Yes, Girl' Right Over This week, Josh and Tracy host a very special crossover episode. First, they talk all things Essence. From its legacy as a record of black existence to the recent round of layoffs, we're celebrating the work of black creatives, and pouring one out for the Yes, Girl pod. Then, they chop it up with Cori Murray and Charli Penn of 'Yes, Girl', talking...

Bring It Back, TV Used To Be Hella Black This week, in the first annual Blemmy Awards, Josh and Tracy look back on the Golden Age of Black TV and honor the best of the best, from the 'Amen' theme song to all of Khadijah’s boyfriends (*studio audience goes oooOooOoOOOOoo*). Then, Tracy sits down with TC Carson, the singer and actor known for playing Kyle on 'Living Single,' to discuss the show, tha...

Turn the Radio On, Where Have All The Girl Groups Gone? This week, Tracy and Josh talk all things girl groups. From the diva-era of Motown to the holy trinities of the early aughts, they debate the biggest and baddest girl groups of all time, and discuss what they have meant for the culture. Then Cindy Herron-Braggs, founding member of En Vogue, joins to discuss their era-defining legacy, and the...

It Should Have Been Bigger, #JusticeforGlitter This week...CATEGORY IS: opinions you're scared to tell your friends. Josh bravely confesses his love of Mariah Carey’s Glitter and tries to convert Tracy. They travel back to 2001 to figure out what was going through Mariah’s head at the time, why the movie was so universally panned by critics, and how history ended up shaping the film’s reception. T...

Face Crack! I Thought You Were Black! This week, Josh and Tracy revisit musical white folks who somehow scored an invitation to the cookout. Elvis, Bobby Caldwell, Teena Marie, Kenny Loggins, Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse, and Justin Timberlake have all made careers in music steeped in the sounds of blackness. Is there a proper way for a white artist to exist in a genre that Black artists originated,...

This week, Tracy and Josh celebrate the Queen, the legend, Ms. Texas Trill Herself: Beyoncé. They're joined by Crissle, co-host of The Read, who tells the story of how ‘Yoncé changed her life, and listeners share what Giselle means to them. Then, they a play game of song association with Matt Bellassai of Unhappy Hour, to find out who’s really hive. Additional Material By: Columbia Records, Lisa G...

The Show That Made You Wanna Holler; This Week, We Talk 'In Living Color This week, Tracy and Josh revisit the world of Fire Marshall Bill, Oswald Bates, and Benita Butrell (but you ain't heard that from us!) to find out the truth behind the cultural institution that was 'In Living Color.' Plus, they're joined by former cast member, Oscar Proud himself, Tommy Davidson. He gives them a behind the s...

In Case You Forgot, We Let Tyra Get Away With A LOT. This week, Josh and Tracy revisit moments from one of the most influential supermodels of all time: Tyra Banks. She has modeled, smized, booty-tooched, acted, and created businesses and brands. But throughout her career, there have been some messy moments. And we’re not just talking about ANTM contestant Dani’s tooth gap (RIP). We talk to Jay Ma...

Remember when Monica allegedly punched Brandy right before they performed live at the MTV Video Music Awards? When Freaknik took over Atlanta, and changed the game for parties everywhere? When tasteless critics panned Mariah Carey’s Glitter? (#JusticeforGlitter!) We do! Back Issue tells the stories behind formative moments in pop culture. In each episode, we look back at some of the moments that s...