The Slate Culture Gift Guide

The Slate Culture Gift Guide

Up next

Hooked to the Silver Screen Edition Part 1

If you need confirmation of Hollywood’s vast influence on mass culture, look no further than the pop charts. From the 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs through this year’s KPop Demon Hunters, soundtracks have launched hits, defined genres—and sometimes even eclipsed th ...  Show more

Pour Some Sugar on Me Edition Part 2

When you hear the term “superproducer,” names like George Martin, Quincy Jones, Max Martin, Pharrell Williams or Missy Elliott might come to mind. But … Robert “Mutt” Lange? Probably not. Yet Lange was by some measures the biggest hitmaker—the producer of more top-selling albums ...  Show more

Recommended Episodes

The Umbrella Effect: How Rihanna’s Breakout Hit Changed Pop Music Forever
Switched on Pop

In 2007, a 19-year-old Barbadian pop singer released the lead single off her third album. By doing so, she didn't just give us a timeless, undeniable banger -- she changed the way pop music is made, and became the global superstar that we know Rihanna to be today. In this episode ...  Show more

“Umbrella”—Rihanna
60 Songs That Explain the '90s

Rob celebrates pop icon Rihanna while looking back at her smash hit “Umbrella.” While combing through Rihanna’s expansive career, Rob also discusses whether Jay-Z’s guest verse on “Umbrella” is the worst of his career. Later, Brittany Spano joins the show to answer the difficult ...  Show more

Dua Lipa, Bob Dylan, Rosalía, PartyNextDoor & More
First Stream Live

Billboard breaks down the biggest releases in the music world for the week of March 27, 2020, including drops from Dua Lipa, Bob Dylan, Rosalía, PartyNextDoor (featuring Rihanna), Pearl Jam, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

Tinashe’s “Nasty” takes on Janet and Beyoncé + Are songs getting simpler?
Switched on Pop

If you've spent any time on the internet this summer, you may have encountered a certain refrain accompanying particularly fierce dance videos—"I've been a nasty girl. Nasty, nasty, nasty." This track, "Nasty" by the R&B singer and songwriter Tinashe, is a jam in its own right. F ...  Show more