Our special guest is WNYC’s audio reporter Christopher Johnson, co-host of ‘The Realness’. Christopher alongside co-host Mary Harris created a 6 part health podcast about rap superstar Prodigy, his music, and his battle with the rare blood disorder Sickle Cell Anemia. Using never-before-heard audiotape of Prodigy discussing life with sickle cell and exclusively-obtained medical records, “The Realness” reveals how the disease touched almost every aspect of his life: from the sound of his rhymes to the circumstances of his death in 2017. The series goes beyond Prodigy’s story to explore the broader issues surrounding sickle cell anemia – a condition that overwhelmingly affects black Americans and is chronically underfunded.

In this interview we learn more about Christopher, his career as a reporter, and of course we get into his dope show “The Realness”

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This episode was mixed Mark Byrd

This episode was co-produced by Danielle Hogerty

Music produced by Richie Quake

Be sure to checkout our other show Silent Giants which highlights the superstars behind the scenes of popular culture. LISTEN NOW on Spotify and Apple

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