
Pop Pantheon
The podcast where DJ Louie XIV and guests completely overanalyze all your favorite pop stars, then rank them in the official Pop Pantheon.
Latest episodes

Jan 2, 2025 • 54min
Sabrina Carpenter Hits the Short 'n Sweet Spot (Originally Published on Patreon on 9/2/2024)
Happy New Year! Before we get back to new episodes and our regularly scheduled programming next, we're unlocking one of our favorite All Access episodes from this past year in which Russ and Louie dig into Sabrina Carpenter's surprisingly awesome 6th studio album, Short 'n Sweet, released last summer. To hear more episodes like this every single week, gain access to our Discord channel and so much more, subscribe to Pop Pantheon: All Access at the Icon Tier. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

Dec 30, 2024 • 11min
Reacting to MORE of Your Unpopular Opinions About Dua Lipa, Katy Perry & More! (Patreon Preview)
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, we hope everyone is having a lovely holiday! For our last All Access episode of 2024, Russ and Louie got together to react to more of your unpopular opinions about Ava Max, Katy Perry, Dua Lipa, Mariah Carey, live pop shows & more. 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. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

Dec 24, 2024 • 1h 49min
Second Spin: BEYONCÉ PART 3 (with Dr. Daphne Brooks)
In anticipation of Beyoncé's much anticipated return to the stage at tomorrow's halftime show for some football game, we're republishing an episode from our Beyoncé series which originally aired back in August of 2022 in the ramp up to that year's Renaissance. This episode features Yale University's Dr. Daphne Brooks, discusses Queen B's work from her 2013 self-titled visual album through just before Renny dropped and is one of the most moving in PP's history. If you haven't listened to the whole series, check out Parts One, Two and Four. If you have, we hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane. Happy Beyoncmas! Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous Presents: Y2GAY! The New Year's Eve Party in BrooklynJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreGIFT a Pop Pantheon: All Access subscription to your friends and fam!!!Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on Instagram

Dec 23, 2024 • 10min
2024 Rap Up: Doechii, GloRilla, Meg Thee Stallion & more (with Clover Hope) (Patreon preview)
Clover Hope, journalist and author of The Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop, joins Pop Pantheon All Access to discuss the state of the female rap game in 2024. Clover and Russ revisit Meg Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj’s beef, discuss Doechii’s recent string of breakthrough performances, and dig into Alligator Bites Never Heal, Megan, GloRilla’s Glorious and more.

Dec 19, 2024 • 1h 8min
What Pantheon Rankings Did We Get Wrong in 2024?
For our final main episode of 2024, Louie and Russ look back at all the artists ranked in the Pop Pantheon this year— from Demi Lovato to Frank Ocean to Adele, Tina Turner, Pink and so many more— and, with the help of calls from our dedicated and very passionate listeners, assess whether any tier adjustments need to be made. Did Brat Summer make us overzealous on Charli XCX? Was it cruel to put Hillary Duff in Tier 5? With the blockbuster success of Wicked, has Ari finally made it to Tier 2? All that and more! We'll be publishing a couple little treats on 12/24 and 1/2 and will be back to our regularly scheduled programming on 1/9 with new weekly episodes! Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous Presents: Y2GAY! The New Year's Eve Party in BrooklynJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreGIFT a Pop Pantheon: All Access subscription to your friends and fam!!!Shop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on Instagram

Dec 16, 2024 • 11min
Our Best and Worst Concerts of 2024 (Patreon Preview)
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Russ saw over 20 (!!!) live concerts in 2024. Louie saw a few too. Today, they're getting together to rank them all— from Charli & Troye to Missy Elliott to Tate McRae to Usher to Madonna— from worst to best. 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. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

Dec 12, 2024 • 1h 34min
The Best Pop Albums of 2024 LIVE! (with Sam Murphy, Larisha Paul & Nora Princiotti)
Nora Princiotti, a staff writer at The Ringer, joins music journalist Sam Murphy and Rolling Stone’s Larisha Paul for a lively discussion about the best pop albums of 2024. They dive into the emergence of new female voices in pop, contrasting commercial success with cultural impact. The trio debates the influences of artists like Beyoncé and Billie Eilish, exploring themes of melancholy and emotional depth in their latest works. Expect humor and spirited opinions as they finalize their top five albums and celebrate the evolving landscape of pop music.

Dec 9, 2024 • 11min
Top of the Flops 2024! (with Omri Rolan) (Patreon Preview)
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, over on the main feed, we're rolling out our best songs and albums of 2024 by some of the premier pop acts in the world. But what about some of the pop girlies who got.... less attention from mainstream audiences and critics? For our 2nd Annual Top of the Flops, Friend of the Pod Omri Rolan is back to count down the biggest and best flops of 2024 with Russ and Louie. 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. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app.

Dec 5, 2024 • 1h 13min
The Best Pop Songs of 2024 LIVE! (with Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Jason P. Frank & Nora Princiotti)
Live from Parkside Lounge in New York City, DJ Louie is joined by Hearing Things' Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Vulture's Jason P. Frank and The Ringer's Nora Princiotti to countdown each of their favorite top ten pop songs of the year, before hashing out the definitive Pop Pantheon Top Ten Pop Songs of 2024. Check out a Spotify Playlist of Louie, Julianne, Jason & Nora's Favorite Pop Songs of 2024Come to Gorgeous Gorgeous Presents: Y2GAY! The New Year's Eve Party in BrooklynCome to Gorgeous Gorgeous LA on Dec. 7 at Los GlobosCheck out Pop Pantheon's Adele Essentials Playlist on SpotifyJoin Pop Pantheon: All Access, Our Patreon Channel, for Exclusive Content and MoreShop Merch in Pop Pantheon's StoreFollow DJ Louie XIV on InstagramFollow DJ Louie XIV on TwitterFollow Pop Pantheon on Instagram

Dec 2, 2024 • 10min
A Convo About Kendrick Lamar's GNX But Also Taylor, Drake, Jack Antonoff & More (with Tom Breihan) (Patreon Preview)
In a preview of this week's Pop Pantheon: All Access episode, Tom Breihan is here to talk about Kendrick Lamar's surprise 6th album, GNX, which surprise dropped last week in the wake of his triumph over Drake in their highly publicized battle from this summer. But Tom and Louie also get caught in the broader GNX Nexus, going off on tangents about Drake's future, Taylor and Jack Antonoff's creative collaboration and more. 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. You can also subscribe for the audio only directly in the Apple Podcasts app. Buy tickets to Pop Pantheon: Best Pop Of 2024 LIVE IN NYC on Dec. 2 AND Dec. 3