Pop Pantheon

For the final episode of our epic series, it's Reanna on Rihanna! Reanna Cruz is back on the pod to field all your burning Rihanna questions, before we dig into Rih's tier ranking, hearing from all our past guests on the series before placing the bad gal in the official Pop Pantheon.

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, The 69th annual Grammy Nominations will be announced one week from today. In today's episode, Louie and Russ predict all the major categories and who— from Olivias Dean and Rodrigo, to Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Tame Impala, Noah Kahan and more— will get nominated.

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

Note for iOS users: Subscribe using your desktop or mobile browser, not the iOS Patreon app, for cheaper rates on Pop Pantheon: All Access.

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store

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In the fourth and final installment of our Rihanna series, The New Yorker’s Doreen St. Félix joins DJ Louie to discuss the superstar’s final two albums, her transformation from hitmaking machine to critically acclaimed auteur, and her near-total retreat from music over the last decade. First, they unpack 2012’s Unapologetic, Rihanna’s first number one album, its blockbuster singles “Diamonds” and “Stay,” and the controversies surrounding her renewed relationship with Chris Brown. Then, they explore the long, messy road to 2016’s Anti, a daring, genre-defying left turn that traded Rihanna’s signature radio-ready bangers for something stranger, moodier, and more personal, ultimately becoming the most acclaimed album of her career. Finally, they consider Rihanna’s reinvention as a billionaire beauty mogul, her enduring stranglehold on pop culture despite a decade away from the album cycle, and the question that continues to haunt her fans: Will we ever get another Rihanna album? And do we even need one?

Buy tickets to our Best Pop of 2026 Live Show on 12/1!

Buy tickets to our Best Pop of 2026 Live Show on 11/30!

Listen to our Rihanna Essentials Playlist

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store

Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram

Follow Russ on Instagram

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ talk Tinashe live in Brooklyn, Jay-Z picking himself to headline the Super Bowl, rumors of Dua Lipa, SZA, and Tame Impala headlining Coachella, the success of Tate McRae's new single "Housewife" and more.

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

Note for iOS users: Subscribe using your desktop or mobile browser, not the iOS Patreon app, for cheaper rates on Pop Pantheon: All Access.

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store

Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram

Follow Russ on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The New York Times' Joe Coscarelli joins Pop Pantheon for part three of our Rihanna series, digging into Rih's imperial era as the biggest hitmaker in pop. Joe and Louie explore her return to bright, carefree pop following the darkness of Rated R with 2010's Loud, which spawned three #1 hits, including “Only Girl (In the World),” “What's My Name?” and “S&M.” Then they tackle her rapid-fire follow-up, 2011's Talk That Talk, which featured her biggest hit yet, the EDM era-defining “We Found Love,” and pushed her sound and persona in increasingly sexually provocative directions. Finally, they discuss Rihanna's controversial reunion with Chris Brown on the “Birthday Cake” remix and how her relentless string of hits cemented her place at the very top of the pop hierarchy.

Join us next week when we'll dig into 2012's Unapologetic, Rihanna's then-unprecedented four year hiatus from solo albums, her return with 2016's magnum opus, Anti, and the ups and downs of the decade-long drought since then.

Buy tickets to our Best Pop of 2026 Live Show on 12/1!

Buy tickets to our Best Pop of 2026 Live Show on 11/30!

Listen to our Rihanna Essentials Playlist

Tickets to Gorgeous Gorgeous Halloween on 10/30

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store

Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram

Follow Russ on Instagram

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In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ take more listeners calls about the sound of the 2020s so far, generation bias, Lady Gaga's Mayhem, which Gen Z pop girl will be relevant in 10 years and MORE! Thanks to everyone who sent in mailbag questions and reminder we'll be doing a special monthly mailbag just for the QUEEN TIER. Spots in the Queen Tier tier open Nov 1!

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

Note for iOS users: Subscribe using your desktop or mobile browser, not the iOS Patreon app, for cheaper rates on Pop Pantheon: All Access.

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store

Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram

Follow Russ on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lauren Michele Jackson returns to Pop Pantheon for part two of our five part Rihanna series. Lauren and Louie dig into Rih’s blockbuster third album, 2007's Good Girl Gone Bad, which turned her from a tentative aspirant into a full-fledged diva via signature hits like the house-laced “Don’t Stop the Music” and “Umbrella." They then turn to her relationship with fellow budding pop star, Chris Brown, the domestic violence incident between them that forever changed Rihanna’s career and image, and the album that followed, 2009’s Rated R.

Join us next week, when we’ll break down Rihanna's Imperial Era with 2010's Loud and 2011's Talk That Talk.

Buy tickets to our Best Pop of 2026 Live Show on 11/30!

Listen to our Rihanna Essentials Playlist

Tickets to Gorgeous Gorgeous Halloween on 10/30

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store

Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram

Follow Russ on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Xtra Magazine's KC Hoard joins Russ to tackle Canadian pop queen Carly Rae Jepsen's recent double album Day and Night. KC and Russ debate the creative merit of Carly's prolific release strategy, then dig into the evolution of her artistry on Day and Night, which features some of her best work in years.

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

Note for iOS users: Subscribe using your desktop or mobile browser, not the iOS Patreon app, for cheaper rates on Pop Pantheon: All Access.

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store

Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram

Follow Russ on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NPR Music’s Sheldon Pearce joins Pop Pantheon for the first in our new five-part series on BadGalRiri herself, Rihanna. Sheldon and Louie dig into Rih’s early life in Barbados and how she was discovered then signed by Jay-Z and L.A. Reid. Then they discuss her breakout with “Pon De Replay” and the Caribbean sounds that defined 2005’s Music of the Sun before tackling her quick return with 2006’s A Girl Like Me, a more genre expansive record that spawned enduring hits like “SOS” and "Unfaithful" and set the stage for her global chart takeover.

Join us next week as we explore the second leg of Rihanna’s 2007's Good Girl Gone Bad and 2009's Rated R.

NOTE: An earlier version of this episode included a minor audio editing error around 12:25-12:40 that has now been fixed. If your podcatcher downloaded the episode, delete it from your library and refresh the feed for the corrected version.

Listen to our Rihanna Essentials Playlist

Tickets to Gorgeous Gorgeous Halloween on 10/30

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store

Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram

Follow Russ on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Louie and Russ gather to break down Troye Sivan's 4th studio album, She's the Best, which sensually explores the middle ground between queer lust and longing.

To hear the rest of the this episode plus receive weekly bonus episodes of Pop Pantheon, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

Note for iOS users: Subscribe using your desktop or mobile browser, not the iOS Patreon app, for cheaper rates on Pop Pantheon: All Access.

Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and More

Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's Store

Follow Pop Pantheon on Instagram

Follow DJ Louie XIV on Instagram

Follow Russ on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.