Omar Little, Jimmy McNulty, Stringer Bell, Snot Boogie. If you recognize these names, you are probably a fan of the HBO series The Wire. June 2022 marked 20 years since the series premiere. It ran for five seasons, following the lives of the cops, criminals, political players, and everyday folks caught up in Baltimore's often futile war on drugs. Many argue that The Wire is the best television show ever created and has earned praise for its realistic, humanizing, multi-dimensional portrayal of Black characters. But 20 years on, the conversation about policing in Black communities has changed. The deaths of Freddie Gray, George Floyd, and many others after encounters with police and the rise of the Black Lives Matter Movement have brought about more public scrutiny, debate, and criticism of the police.

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Does HBO's 'The Wire' still hold up after 20 years?

Welcome to a collection of some of NPR's best podcast episodes and features from across the Black experience. Some might make you laugh. Some might make you feel inspired. Others might make you uncomfortable. And some might make you feel all of that in the same five-minute span. This is NPR, noir.

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Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Martin Luther King Jr. was relatively unpopular when he was assassinated. But the way Americans of all political stripes invoke his memory today, you'd think he was held up as a hero. In this episode, we talk about the cooptation of King's legacy with Hajar Yazdiha, author of The Struggle for the People's King: How Politics Transforms the Memory of the Civil Rights Movement.

Listen to more Code Switch at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.

Everyone wants a piece of Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy

A civil lawsuit has been filed against rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs by his ex-girlfriend and former protégé Cassie Ventura. She alleged to have suffered years of emotional and physical abuse during the course of their relationship. Diddy denied the allegations and settled the suit quickly, but other damning claims have resurfaced in its wake. 

His reputation seems to have been tarnished — at least for the moment. And it has us wondering: Is this a crucial turning point for a long-awaited reckoning within the music industry? Or merely a blip in the routine of business as usual?

Listen to more Pop Culture Happy Hour at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.

We unpack Diddy, hip-hop, and #MeToo

The prince of pranks, Eric André, changed the comedy landscape with his long-running series on Adult Swim, The Eric André Show. After a 3-year hiatus, the show is back. Brittany Luse sits down with André to talk about the new season, his pranks on Amber Rose and Jaleel White, and why his humor seems to always flip the script of figures of authority and create heroes out of average Joes.

Listen to more It's Been A Minute at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.

Eric André on pulling a prank in late stage capitalism

Juneteenth commemorates the day that enslaved Texans found out — more than two years after Emancipation Day — that they were free. It's also a day known for celebratory meals and red drinks. And the holiday, originally celebrated mostly in Texas, is gaining popularity around the country; in fact, on June 15, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bill that would make Juneteenth a legal public holiday. 

But as the Juneteenth becomes more widespread, we wondered: Is there a risk that certain people (and corporations) will try to keep the food and lose the meaning?

Listen to more Code Switch at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.

A Taste of Freedom

Tracee Ellis Ross is an icon. From playing the premiere Black bachelorette, Joan Carol Clayton, on Girlfriends to becoming America's mom as Bow Johnson on Black-ish, she's spent the past two decades portraying a paragon of Black womanhood on screen. More recently, Tracee's turned her focus toward uplifting the stories of real people – on her Hulu documentary Hair Tales, and with her new podcast, I Am America. 

Host Brittany Luse talks with Tracee about her long and varied career, how she tackles storytelling through documentary and what it means to have rich auntie energy.

Listen to more It's Been A Minute at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.

Does HBO's 'The Wire' still hold up after 20 years?

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