The Cobain 50

During KEXP’s fall fund drive, discover the variety of music podcasts we produce at KEXP and hear some of our favorite clips from each one. We’re thankful to the thousands of amplifiers who already donate to KEXP, building the foundation for our community of storytelling, and we want you to join them with a one-time donation or a recurring gift!

50 Years of Hip-Hop: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/50-years-of-hip-hop/

El Sonido: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/el-sonido/

Fresh off the Spaceship: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/fresh-off-the-spaceship/

Live on KEXP: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/live-on-kexp/

Sound and Vision: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/sound-vision/

Song of the Day: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/song-of-the-day/

KEXP Podcasts on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kexppodcasts

Donate today: kexp.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Janice Headley revisits 1992 with the track “Tennessee” by Arrested Development. It's a Grammy-Award-winning single inspired by grief on an immediate level — as well as an intergenerational level. 

Written and produced by Janice Headley.

Mixed and mastered by Roddy Nikpour. 

Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To celebrate Indigenous People's Day, Kevin Sur revisits 2014 with the album Sheplife by Briggs. Emily Fox talks with KEXP's Kevin Sur, host of Sounds of Survivance, to unpack the music and advocacy of this Aboriginal rapper. 

Produced by Emily Fox and Roddy Nikpour. 

Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Dusty Henry takes us back to 1982 with the track “Bam Bam” by Sister Nancy. Her story is one of innovation: how Jamaican tradition contributed to hip-hop stylings that are still popular today. It's also a story of unrecognized talent: how decades passed before Sister Nancy finally received the recognition she deserved. 

Written by Dusty Henry.

Audio production by Roddy Nikpour. 

Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Janice Headley takes us back to 1976 with an exclusive interview with graffiti artist Lee Quiñones. He and his crew, The Fabulous Five, made history by tagging a ten-car train in a single night. 

Written and produced by Janice Headley.

Mixed and mastered by Roddy Nikpour.

Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas revisit 1995 with the track “Shook Ones, Pt. II” by Mobb Deep, who we’ll hear from in this episode. After shaking off the commercial flop of their first album, their DIY mentality set them up for success with their sophomore album, which features one of the most recognizable rap songs in history. 

Written by Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas. 

Audio production by Roddy Nikpour. 

Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Larry Mizell Jr. revisits 2008, a pivotal year in the rise (and fall) of Kanye West. As a standout producer and Black icon, his gradual alignment with far-right ideologies has affected how we talk about hip-hop, Blackness, and mental health. 

Joining the conversation are Martin Douglas, Stas THEE Boss, DJ Yaddy, and Christy Karefa-Johnson (DoNormaal). 

Audio engineering and production by Roddy Nikpour. 

Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Isabel Khalili talks with two members of DAM, Tamer and Maysa, about their influences, the themes from Ben Haana Wa Maana, as well as the power (and limitations) of hip-hop as a tool for change. 

Audio production by Roddy Nikpour. 

Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Isabel Khalili revisits 2019 with the album Ben Haana Wa Maana by the Arabic hip-hop pioneers DAM. The group formed more than 20 years ago when they saw what hip-hop was doing in the U.S., tapped into its power, and used it as a vehicle for change in their home across the world in Palestine. 

Written by Isabel Khalili.

Audio production by Roddy Nikpour. 

Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vitamin D and Supreme La Rock join Larry Mizell Jr. to revisit 1984, a year so foundational in hip-hop history that we couldn’t focus on just one artist. 

Engineering assistance by Dusty Henry. 

Audio production by Roddy Nikpour. 

Support the podcast: kexp.org/50hiphop 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.