It's Been a Minute

Today we have a special drop from our friends at NPR's Alt. Latino ! The show just welcomed Anamaria Sayre as a new co-host alongside Felix Contreras. In this conversation, Anamaria chats with Spanish musician Rosalía about her recent album Motomami , how she uses the album to play in different genres, and why she embraces change. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@n...

When folks think about where to get the latest in hip-hop, NPR doesn't usually come to mind. But that's changing, thanks to the team at the Tiny Desk Concerts, which was just nominated as the Best Hip-Hop Platform for the 2022 BET Awards. Since 2008, Tiny Desk Concerts have delighted millions of listeners and viewers on YouTube with stripped-down performances from their favorite artists. Now the s...

Julissa Arce used to think that the secret to fitting in was to "sound white" — to speak English perfectly, with no accent. And for years after her family came to the U.S. from Mexico, she did all the things immigrants are "supposed" to do to assimilate: she went to college, got a job at Goldman Sachs and became an American citizen. It wasn't enough. So Arce decided that the solution was to stop t...

We talk TV REBOOTS. Guest host Elise Hu chats with Judy Greer about her role in the new Hulu series Reboot; her work as a comedic actress, and the state of television. Then, Elise talks with Daniel Herbert, associate professor of film and TV at the University of Michigan and co-editor of the book Film Reboots , about why so many old shows are being remade now. Plus, a special reboot-themed "Who Sa...

HBO gave us some of the most iconic television shows of our time: Sex and the City. The Sopranos. Game of Thrones. But is the era of HBO coming to a close? Earlier this year, HBO's parent company, Warner Media, merged with Discovery. By next year, the new Warner Bros. Discovery will combine HBO Max with Discovery Plus into an as-yet unnamed umbrella streaming service. The merger raises questions a...

King Charles III doesn't enjoy the same popularity as his mother. In the face of mixed feelings towards the new king, some are asking: Is this the beginning of the end of the British monarchy? Guest host Elise Hu talks to Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, lawyer, activist and author of This Is Why I Resist about this new era for the British royals, the power they hold and the potential opportunities for t...

To celebrate their 15th anniversary, the K-pop group Girls' Generation put out their newest album, 'Forever 1.' Today, we're taking a look back at their career and how they changed the standards for K-pop through music, choreography and beauty. Their impact doesn't stop at that — Girls' Generation's debut song is now being used to change the world, just not in the way they planned. Guest host Elis...

Serena Williams just played her last U.S. Open. In the historic two-plus decades of her tennis career, she's won 23 Grand Slams and four Olympic gold medals — all while becoming a mother, dealing with injuries and health crises and facing more scrutiny and downright bias than her peers. Guest host Elise Hu talks to Alex Abad-Santos, senior correspondent at Vox , about her legacy in sports and beyo...

The Russian pop duo t. A.T.u released their smash single "All The Things She Said" 20 years ago this week. To this day, the bop is a queer staple, but should it be? From t. A.T.u to Britney Spears and Madonna, the early 2000s were full of straight women dabbling in queerness for profit. In this episode, senior producer Barton Girdwood sits down with author Jill Gutowitz ( Girls Can Kiss Now ) to t...

For a long time, Dungeons & Dragons was stereotyped as a game for nerdy young white guys in their parents' basement. But not anymore — the game has exploded in popularity and players of all backgrounds are joining in. Guest co-host Andrea Gutierrez talks to Jasmine Bhullar and Persephone Valentine, both content creators and dungeon masters, about how D&D has become an exciting medium for marginali...

What is culture, where does it come from and why does it change? W. David Marx , author of the new book Status and Culture: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion, and Constant Change , says the answers come from our desire for prestige. Marx tells guest host Elise Hu how status has historically worked to drive trends like gourmet cupcakes or dark wash jeans, how the...

BeReal may be the hottest new social media app on the market, but can it live up to its promise to be a more authentic alternative to other platforms? Guest co-host Elise Hu talks with writers Haley Nahman and Ryan Broderick about how BeReal signifies a shift in what we want from our apps and why social media always barrels towards its worst self. They also flex their pop culture knowledge in a ga...

The Starz hit series P-Valley takes audiences to a strip club in a fictional town in the Mississippi Delta. Part soap opera, part Southern Gothic, the show focuses on the interior lives of the Black women who work at the club — and the complex social dynamics that shape their lives. On this episode from our friends at Code Switch , co-hosts Gene Demby and B.A. Parker speak with series creator and...

Bad Bunny is the biggest pop star in the world, so what does he believe in? Guest host Tracie Hunte and political anthropologist Yarimar Bonilla look at the politics of Bad Bunny, and his vision of a Puerto Rico for Puerto Ricans. Plus, Tracie talks to James Beard award-winning author Michael W. Twitty about his new book, "Koshersoul," how we connect to our histories through food and what makes a...

In FX's Reservation Dogs , Dallas Goldtooth plays the character "Spirit" — a Native American warrior in feathers and buckskin who curses and makes dirty jokes. Dallas also brings his irreverence to the frontlines of protests against oil pipelines. He talks to guest host Tracie Hunte about merging his passions for comedy and organizing, and how he's changing stereotypes with heaps of joy. You can f...

What does Brittney Griner's hypervisibility as a tall, queer, Black woman have to do with her 9-year sentence in a Russian prison? A lot, according to historian Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon, who studies race and Blackness in Russia. She chats with guest host Tracie Hunte about what Griner's detainment means for Black queer folks who travel and the antagonism surrounding the case. Then, Tracie talks...

In HBO's Industry, Myha'la Herrold plays Harper, a ruthless young trading floor analyst working for a bank in London. We've seen characters like her before — think of the power-obsessed personalities in shows like Billions and Succession . The big difference? The stakes are much higher for a young Black woman like Harper. Myha'la talks to guest host Tracie Hunte about the new season of Industry ,...

What do we expect from women rappers? Guest host Tracie Hunte and music and culture journalist Naima Cochrane discuss HBO's Rap Sh!t — and how it portrays women in hip hop walking the line between sexuality and respectability. Then, Tracie talks to NPR TV critic Eric Deggans about recent shake-ups in late-night TV. They look at the genre's influence on comedy and what the future looks like for wom...

After years of covering HIV and AIDS, journalist Steven Thrasher knew that the hardest hit communities were almost always the poorest and most marginalized ones. Then COVID-19 struck, and he saw that the same groups of people were suffering the most. In his new book The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide, Thrasher explores how this pattern plays out in communities...

Beyoncé's new album is here! Guest host Anna Sale chats with Dan Runcie, founder of the hip hop site Trapital , and Joey Guerra, music critic for the Houston Chronicle . They talk about Renaissance , what Beyoncé means to us and how this album meets the moment. Also, It's Been a Minute producer Liam McBain talks to culture writer Crispin Long about their shared obsession with reality dating shows....

In this episode from our friends at The Limits with Jay Williams , host Jay Williams speaks with Colman Domingo, the ultimate character actor, known for stealing scenes in films like Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Selma and If Beale Street Could Talk . He embodies every character he takes on, most recently earning an Emmy nod for his role as father-figure Ali to Zendaya's Rue on HBO's Euphoria. You can...

These days, following the news can be utterly demoralizing. How do we deal? Guest host Anna Sale talks to Amanda Ripley, journalist and anchor of the Slate podcast How To!, about strategies for staying informed without stressing out (too much). Then, Anna chats with author, educator and producer Tananarive Due about the history of the Black horror genre ahead of the release of Jordan Peele's Nope...

From guest host Anna Sale 's other podcast Death, Sex & Money , we bring you this story about Mary Gundel, whose journey from manager to labor activist starts out on TikTok, during a bad day at work, and ends with her losing her job —but finding her power. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of...

Starting July 16, anyone in the US experiencing emotional distress or a mental health crisis can call the phone number 988 and reach a crisis counselor. Guest host Anna Sale talks to Hannah Wesolowski, chief advocacy officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, about bringing local call centers into this network, what challenges they're facing and how it will reshape how we view mental heal...

In 2017, author Erika L. Sánchez was making her dreams come true, her young adult novel I'm Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter earning critical acclaim. But even as she rose to fame, Sánchez found herself struggling with her mental health. Her new memoir, Crying in the Bathroom , captures the tension between her public success and her private suffering — and more. Sánchez talks with guest host Anna...