SEASON ONE
The first iteration of Black Noise highlights 10 of the most iconic and influential albums by Black artists in contemporary popular music, spanning a 40 year time frame and a range of musical styles. Each album chosen has been praised for its longstanding artistic, socio-cultural, and/or industrial impact.
01.05.2026
Songs in the Key of Life
A look into Stevie Wonder's all-encompassing 1976 concept album that remains timeless half a century after its release. We explore Stevie's musicianship, lyricism, and technological advancement.
01.12.2026
Thriller
Discussing the 1982 release that took the entertainment industry by storm, becoming the most commercially successful album of all time and making Michael Jackson into the King of Pop. We analyze the social barriers broken and the connection between music and visual media.
01.26.2026
Purple Rain
A dive into Prince's artistic genius with his 1984 album that grew from being a film soundtrack to the soundtrack of the 80s as a whole. We talk about Prince's development of the 'Minneapolis Sound' and his lasting effect on rock music and popular culture.
01.29.2026
Straight outta compton
Tracing the history of hip-hop and defining West-Coast gangsta rap with N.W.A's game-changing 1988 album. We give a history of the group's formation and engage in a nuanced analysis of the music's reflection of and influence on culture.
02.02.2026
the velvet rope
Listening to the iconic 1997 release by Janet Jackson that crossed boundaries both musically and socially. We discuss the album's long-lasting sonic impact on R&B and pop as well as its radicalism in response to patriarchal norms.
02.09.2026
the miseducation of lauryn hill
Joined by a special guest, Jane Simone, to talk about Ms. Lauryn Hill's groundbreaking 1998 grammy-winning record. We identify the ways in which Hill expands the scope of what hip-hop could be from a sonic, lyrical, and vocal perspective to create an album that today is recognized as the greatest of all time.
02.23.2026
full moon
An exploration of one of the most impactful R&B albums of all time released in 2002 by Brandy. We discuss her creative partnership with producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and the display of skill on this album that earned Brandy the title of 'The Vocal Bible.'
03.02.2026
channel orange
Venturing into the world of Frank Ocean with his generation-defining 2012 album. We discuss his lyricism, social impact as a queer Black man, and unique sound that defined the sceneand sugenre of 'Alternative R&B.'
03.09.2026
to pimp a butterfly
Analyzing Kendrick Lamar as a voice for the culture with his 2015 release. We place it within the socio-cultural context of a soundtrack to the Black Lives Matter music as well as a lyrical and sonic counter to the prominence of trap in hip-hop.
03.16.2026
lemonade
An extended finale in which we go through Beyoncé's 2016 magnum opus from front to back, analyzing each song musically and socially. We are walked through each phase in a journey of Black womanhood, discussing the genre ecclecticism and lasting social impact.
SEASON TWO
The current season of Black Noise focuses on genre as a medium for understanding the history and development of Black music. Listeners are taken on a sonic journey spanning over a century that highlights 10 of the most significant aesthetic traditions and movements within Black music that have had universal impact on popular music.
03.30.2026
The Blues
Beginning the history of African-American music in popular culture with the most foundational genre: the Blues. We discuss the common attributes of the Blues and its different styles, including rural, urban, and vaudeville blues as well as the proto--R&B of Boogie Woogie and Jump Blues.
04.06.2026
rhythm & Blues
Continuing our journey with the development of the Blues into Rhythm & Blues through its infusion of Jazz, Gospel, and theatrical styles. We discuss the different flavors of R&B and their roles as the progenitors of Rock & Roll as well as the "pop" genre.
04.13.2026
GOSPEL
Covering the vast tradition of African-American sacred song with the genre of Gospel. We discuss its beginnings in negro spirituals, its transitional phases, its traditional style, and its modern iterations, with special emphasis placed on the reciprocal influential relationship between sacred and secular Black music.
04.20.2026
Diving into the development of traditional Rhythm & Blues into the Soul Era, which defined Black life in the 1960s to early 70s. We discuss the increased sonic influence of Gospel on the music and its relation to the political and social unrest of the time period, also detailing its different substyles and its role as proto-funk and proto-disco.
SOUL
04.27.2026
Funk
Journeying into the genre of Funk, discussing its emergence from Soul music in the 70s as well as the influence of Jazz and Rock on its creation. We dissect its musical elements and its lasting influence on modern music and culture. Additionally, we cover its metamorphosis into Electro-Funk in the 1980s and its role as the sound of the Afrofuturist aesthetic
05.04.2026
Disco
Covering the decade-defining sound of Disco music as a child of Soul and a sister to Funk. We discuss the musical components making the genre as well as the important cultural context for its development: Black Queer nightlife and resistance. We also emphasize Disco's role as the parent to the entirety of Electronic Dance Music, focusing on House and Techno as its two main developments. Â
05.11.2026
Diving into the vast cultural phenomenon that is Hip-Hop and Rap music. We begin by detailing it's emergence from Funk & Disco and tracking all of its iterations from Old School to Electro, to Gangsta Rap to modern Trap. Emphasis is placed on regionality and the contributions various American cities have made to the genre, including New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami, New Orleans, Houston, and Memphis.
Hip-Hop
05.18.2026
Exploring the sub-genre of R&B known as New Jack Swing that came to be in the late 80s and dominated the industry until the mid 90s. We discuss its role as the first ever R&B/Hip-Hop hybrid that informed the development of contemporary Black music, also touching on the essential role that producers played in creating the sound as well as its important association with fashion and media.
New Jack Swing
06.01.2026
Discussing the form of modern R&B known as Neo Soul that began in the late 90s. We dissect its revitalization and continuation of the Soul aesthetic both sonically and culturally as well as its defining musical features that have influenced today's Rhythm & Blues. We also give special focus on the essential role that Afrocentricity had in the genre.
Neo Soul
06.08.2026
In an extended finale episode, we explore the broad styles of music that encompass what is known as Modern R&B. We detail its three essential components: Soul, Pop, and Hip-Hop, dissecting the various different combinations of those influences from the 90s to today. We also define particular substyles and developments in the genre such as Alternative R&B, Trap-Soul, and the Diasporic Invasion.