Pop Pantheon

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, as we gear up for Justin Timberlake's sixth studio album Everything I Thought I Was, due in March, DJ Louie and writer Rachel Brodsky gather to reflect on his debut, 2002's Justified. The two parse out how Justin's public profile nosedive has impacted the public's experience of this music, whether it's possible to enjoy this album in vacuum, and If perhaps there's been an overcorrection on Timberlake in recent years that ignores some of delights of his peak work. 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.

Writer Natalie Weiner joins Pop Pantheon to unpack Sheryl Crow’s “winding road” to pop superstardom. Natalie and Louie trace back Sheryl’s early days in the music business, from her gig singing backup on Michael Jackson's blockbuster Bad Tour to writing songs for Celine Dion and Tina Turner, then discuss the roots rock infused pop of 1993's Tuesday Night Music Club that made Sheryl a star and won her Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards. From there, they break down her signature 1996 self-titled album, 1998’s The Globe Sessions, her status as a tabloid celebrity, Sheryl’s second wave of hits like “Soak Up the Sun” and “Picture,” her continued output of varied and critically acclaimed records, and the massive influence she's had on contemporary acts from HAIM to BoyGenius to Kacey Musgraves and more. Finally, they rank Sheryl Crow in the Official Pop Pantheon. Listen to Pop Pantheon's Sheryl Crow EssentialsJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 2/17 at Los GlobosCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 3/8 at Sultan RoomFollow Natalie Weiner on TwitterFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Beyoncé dropped two singles plus announced her new album! Usher performed at the Super Bowl Halftime Show! Variety's Steven J. Horowitz joins Louie and Russ to discuss it all, plus a new music speed round featuring Justin Timberlake, Kacey Musgraves & Ice Spice. 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.

In anticipation of Usher's Super Bowl Halftime performance on Sunday, we're re-sharing our episode on him from September 2022. Music writer and Assistant Professor at Syracuse University, Rawiya Kameir, is back on the show to discuss the career and confessions of the great Usher. DJ Louie and Rawiya break down Usher’s musical origins singing in the church, the failed boy band he fronted in the early ‘90s, Nu Beginnings, and how his deal with the storied LaFace Records and subsequent “flavor camp” with Sean “Puff Daddy’ Combs set the stage for his self-titled debut record in 1994. They then dive into his breakthrough sophomore album, 1997’s My Way, how it solidified Usher’s persona as a smooth, sensitive, emotionally-conflicted lover boy as well as one of the most dexterous R&B singers of his generation, its blockbuster follow up, 2001’s 8701, which furthered Usher’s thematic fascination with the complexities of and distress caused by love and sex and of course, his magnum opus, 2004’s Confessions, a hit-packed concept album about the aftermath of infidelity that sold over 20 million copies worldwide and stands today as Usher’s signature artistic and commercial achievement. Next, Louie and Rawiya debate Usher’s latter period output, from swings at trendiness on 2008’s Here I Stand and 2010’s Raymond Vs. Raymond to more rewarding experiments on 2012’s Looking 4 Myself and 2016’s Hard II Love. Finally they rank Usher in the official Pop Pantheon.Check out Louie's Usher Essentials Playlist on SpotifyJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 2/17 at Los GlobosCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 3/8 at Sultan RoomFollow Rawiya Kameir on TwitterFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

The long-simmering beef between Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion recently exploded from our streaming services with the release of their respective diss tracks "Big Foot" and "Hiss" and onto social media, where Nicki vented her ire for her rival for days, then, thanks to the rapper's most ardent fans, onto some people's front doorsteps and even to the gravesite of Megan's mother. This beef is yet another moment where the ferocity of stan armies and their relentless defense of their pop star favs went from fun and games on the internet to doxxing, threatening people's families and more. Rolling Stone's Mankaprr Conteh is here to discuss the beef, the role stans have played in it, our increasingly cloistered internet bubbles and realities, what we lose artistically and personally when stanning dominates our cultural discourse and why it may be time to seriously rethink the stan ecosystem, for all of our sakes. Read Mankaprr's breakdown of Nicki and Megan's beef from Rolling StoneWatch Ryan Ken's Tik Tok on stanningJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 2/17 at Los GlobosCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 3/8 at Sultan RoomFollow Mankaprr Conteh on TwitterFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, it’s been 25 years since a Black woman won Album of the Year. If neither Beyonce or SZA can do it, who can? Louie + Russ ponder that question with Variety’s Chris Willman as they walk through the good, the bad + the infuriating from the 2024 Grammys.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.

For part two of our Black Eyed Peas series, writer and critic Julianne Escobedo Shepherd returns to Pop Pantheon to dissect the brief but remarkable reign of the Duchess of Pop, Fergie. Louie and Julianne break down Fergie’s brushes with child stardom via Peanuts and Kids Incorporated and her failed 90s girl group, Wild Orchid. Then they explore the sonic melange of her debut solo album,  2006’s The Dutchess, which traded in everything from camp pop-rap to 80s hip house, mid-century pop-soul and A/C rock. Next they tackle Fergie’s follow-up more than a decade later, 2017’s Double Dutchess, her disappearance from pop, her ongoing presence as a meme queen and, finally, rank Fergie in the Official Pop Pantheon.Listen to Pop Pantheon's Black Eyed Peas Essentials Playlist on SpotifyJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 2/3 at Sultan RoomCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 2/17 at Los GlobosFollow Julianne Escobedo Shepherd on TwitterFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

Ringer music critic and host of 60 Songs That Explain the '90s Rob Harvilla returns to Pop Pantheon to discuss one of the most derided – and successful – pop acts of the 21st Century, The Black Eyed Peas. Louie and Rob trace the group’s roots as an optimistic, politically progressive “conscious rap” crew, starting with their first two pre-Fergie records, 1998’s Behind The Front and 2000’s Bridging the Gap. Then they tackle the Peas’ reinvention as a garish, craven, operatically tacky band peddling radio pop on 2003’s Elephunk and their doubling down on big-tent pop maximalism on 2005’s Monkey Business. Next, Louie and Rob chart the Peas’ ride into the rising EDM wave on 200’s The E.N.D., their break-up, re-assembly and post-Fergie output. Finally, they rank the Black Eyed Peas in the Official Pop Pantheon. Join us next week where we'll be tackling the career of breakout Peas star, Fergie. Listen to Pop Pantheon's Black Eyed Peas Essentials Playlist on SpotifyJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 2/3 at Sultan RoomCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 2/17 at Los GlobosFollow Rob Harvilla on TwitterFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter

In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, when it came out in 2020 at the height of Covid19 lockdown, Dua Lipa's sophomore album Future Nostalgia made her a superstar. Now, nearly four years later and on the eve of a new Dua era, Senior Editor at Pitchfork Anna Gaca, who reviewed the album when it dropped, is here to talk about the record, how it's held up, how Dua's dance revival set the terms for pop and where it all positions her in the pop landscape as she verges on new music. 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. 

Olivia Rodrigo's Guts, Harry Styles' Harry's House, Lizzo's Special, Adele's 30, Miley Cyrus' Endless Summer Vacation. What's one thing all of these albums have in common? They're each major releases by pop superstars in the last few years that churned out one massive hit single and then struggled to find a second to match it. They also serve as slightly counterintuitive representations of the state of the modern pop blockbuster in which, unlike past eras, putting together a string of massive singles might be less important than ever for a pop icon's era. Billboard's Andrew Unterberger and music writer Eric Bennett join DJ Louie to discuss this new one-hit-wonder phenomenon amongst pop's elite. Join Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous NYC on 2/3 at Sultan RoomCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on 2/17 at Los GlobosFollow Andrew Unterberger on TwitterFollow Eric Bennett on TwitterFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on InstagramFollow Pop Pantheon on Twitter