Dissect

Our season-long dissection of Yeezus by Kanye West begins now! After revisiting the album’s polarizing impact in 2013, we set up our song by song analysis of Yeezus with a brief discussion of how Kanye uses his albums to tell larger stories about his life. We then document the real life events that inspired the creation of Yeezus, including Kanye’s struggles breaking into the fashion industry, his...

Our special mini-series on Beyonce’s BLACK IS KING concludes with an examination of “BLACK PARADE.” Released on Juneteenth 2020, “BLACK PARADE” is Beyonce’s final call to action and a prideful celebration of the African motherland. Shop our limited merch for this series at shop.dissectpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @dissectpodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastch...

Our special mini-series on Beyonce’s BLACK IS KING continues with an examination of “Otherside,” “My Power,” and “Spirit.” Simba returns to the river to be reborn, reclaims his royal identity, and reunites with his father in heaven. Assisted by powerful women, Simba defeats Scar and reclaims his throne. Simba then raises his own child into the air, just as his father before him, completing his jou...

Our special mini-series on Beyonce’s BLACK IS KING continues with an examination of “Water,” “Brown Skin Girl,” and “Keys to the Kingdom.” This act of the film introduces the divine feminine, Nala, who heals Simba through her loving affirmation. Simba learns to give all of himself in marriage, symbolizing the ideal balance between divine masculine and feminine energy. Shop our limited merch for th...

Our special mini-series on Beyonce’s BLACK IS KING continues with an examination of “MOOD 4 EVA,” “Ja Ara E,” and “Already.” After fleeing the Pride Lands, Simba is rudely awakened from his fantasy of the American Dream by the nightmare of his past. His ancestral guides encourage Simba to remember his true royal identity and reclaim his throne. Shop our limited merch for this series at shop.dissec...

Our special mini-series on Beyonce’s BLACK IS KING continues with an examination of “Don’t Jealous Me,” “Scar,” and “Nile.” After Mufasa is murdered by Scar’s henchmen, Simba flees his home to live in denial of his true royal identity, setting off his journey outside the Pride Lands. Shop our limited merch for this series at shop.dissectpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @dissectpodca...

Beyonce’s BLACK IS KING is a love letter to Africa, and we’re dissecting its story, music, and many visual symbols in a special seven part mini-series. We begin with the film’s opening two songs “Bigger” and “Find Your Way Back,” where we meet the film’s central protagonist, Simba, and his ancestral spirit guide played by Beyonce. Shop our limited merch for this series at shop.dissectpodcast.com....

We conclude our season long analysis of Because The Internet with a sweeping recap of the album and script’s central narrative. We then outline and analyze the world’s main themes and symbols before hearing from Dissect listeners directly. Shop limited Season 7 merch: https://bit.ly/36ClxIV Dive deeper into the world of Because The Internet with our episodic visual guides (https://bit.ly/30EKbF1),...

Cole and S7 co-writer Camden Ostrander have a conversation about Childish Gambino, Because The Internet, 3.15.20, Glover as an artist, and more. Then they answer a handful of questions submitted by Dissect listeners (yes, they address those mysterious alien videos). Shop limited Season 7 merch: https://bit.ly/36ClxIV Dive deeper into the world of Because The Internet with our episodic visual guide...

Because The Internet concludes with a retrospective wherein Gambino and Glover look back at the world’s main narrative and provide insights with a newfound freedom and clarity. After expressing the inherent irony of life -- that we’re all dying from the day we are born -- Gambino’s plea at the end of the album expresses his ultimate call to action and leap of faith. Shop limited Season 7 merch: ht...

We continue our season-long examination of Because The Internet with “Earth: The Oldest Computer.” Gambino and The Boy grapple with the meaning of life and our time on Earth at The Boy’s moment of death in the BTI screenplay. Shop limited Season 7 merch: https://bit.ly/36ClxIV Dive deeper into the world of Because The Internet with our episodic visual guides (https://bit.ly/30EKbF1), where you can...

We continue our season-long examination of Because The Internet with “Urn” and “Pink Toes.” Gambino continues to grapple with the loss of his father and spreads his ashes in Stockholm. Then after returning home, he meets a girl and falls in love. But how long can this euphoric bliss last? Shop limited Season 7 merch: https://bit.ly/36ClxIV Dive deeper into the world of Because The Internet with ou...

We continue our season-long examination of Because The Internet with “Zealots of Stockholm.” After waking up from a drug overdose, Gambino is told that his father died. Lost and alone, he travels to Stockholm, Sweden to collect his remains, and attempts to connect with one of his online followers. Shop limited Season 7 merch: https://bit.ly/36ClxIV Dive deeper into the world of Because The Interne...

We continue our season-long examination of Because The Internet with “Death by Numbers” and “Flight of the Navigator.” After attempting to take his own life, Gambino’s drug overdose sends him to a dreamy, intermediate world where he flies over everything and sees the connection and unity among all life on earth. Shop limited Season 7 merch: https://bit.ly/36ClxIV Dive deeper into the world of Beca...

We continue our season-long examination of Because The Internet with “The Party” and “No Exit.” Here Gambino’s existential crisis comes to a head. After going berserk at a party at his house and kicking everyone out, he goes on a late-night drive to clear his head and gain clarity. Stuck in a loop and unable to break free, he attempts to take his own life at the end of Act 3. Shop limited Season 7...

In one of the more creative pieces of the Because The Internet world, Donald Glover created a secret track that fans had to assemble by connecting various pieces of the world together, including passwords, computer coding, acapella tracks, and more. We unpack this process and examine the song itself. This episode is part of our larger dissection of “3005” that includes an analysis video, web guide...

We continue our season-long examination of Because The Internet with “3005.” Commonly mistaken as a love song, “3005” is a desperate plea for connection amidst an overwhelming feeling of existential loneliness. View our 3005 music video analysis on YouTube or Instagram. Dive deeper into the world of BTI with our episodic visual guides, where you can also read the BTI screenplay in full. Follow us...

We continue our season-long examination of Because The Internet with “Sweatpants.” After being rejected by a past girlfriend, Gambino’s defense mechanisms kick-in, triggering an ego-fueled barrage of boasts and brags. But by the song’s end, Gambino breaks down, revealing the chinks in his armor. Shop Season 7 Merch: https://bit.ly/36ClxIV Dive deeper into the world of BTI with our episodic visual...

We continue our season-long examination of Because The Internet with “Telegraph Ave.” Gambino takes a long drive from LA to Oakland to visit a past girlfriend, only to be rejected immediately upon arrival. Dive deeper into the world of BTI with our visual guides , where you can also read the BTI screenplay in full. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcas...

We continue our season-long examination of Because The Internet with “The Worst Guys” and “Shadows.” Since witnessing the murder outside a nightclub, Gambino begins questioning everything in his life, including his friends and his past girlfriends. He’s coming to realize his life so far has been one long meaningless party. Dive deeper into the world of BTI with our visual guides , where you can al...

We continue our season-long examination of Because The Internet with “Worldstar” -- a song with more than a few hidden secrets and surprises. We reveal all of them. Dive deeper into the world of BTI with our visual guides , where you can also read the BTI screenplay in full. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We continue our season-long examination of Because The Internet with the album’s opening song “Crawl.” Here we meet the album’s protagonist The Boy - a Black, rich internet troll who lives in a glass-walled mansion on top of a hill. Dive deeper into the world of BTI with our visual guides , where you can also read the BTI screenplay in full. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram . Learn more about yo...

Our season-long analysis of Because The Internet by Childish Gambino begins with a brief overview of Donald Glover’s rise to fame and his debut album Camp. Then we cover some of the main ancillary components of the transmedia world of Because The Internet before dissecting the connection between the end of Camp and the beginning of BTI. Dive deeper into the world of BTI with our visual guides , wh...

We follow up our season long analysis of Lemonade by examining Jay-Z’s 4:44 and The Carter’s Everything is Love. With 4:44, Jay-Z offers his perspective on the couple’s marriage crisis while Everything is Love celebrates the restoration of their marriage. When taken in totality, the three albums create a narrative trilogy, an extremely unique musical offering. Follow Dissect on social media @disse...

We conclude our season-long analysis of Beyoncé’s Lemonade. We begin with a sweeping summary of the album’s narrative, followed by a detailed investigation of its major themes and recurring symbols. Finally, we hear from YOU - Dissect listeners -- sharing their biggest takeaways from the album and season. Stay in touch over the break by following us on social media @dissectpodcast. Limited S6 merc...