Chris Molanphy and Amy Coddington give Milli Vanilli props as himbo forefathers of rap and pop cross-pollination. In this mini-episode of Hit Parade, host Chris Molanphy is joined by Amherst pop-music professor Amy Coddington to provide some context on how Milli Vanilli helped change the sound of pop music at the turn of the ’80s [...] Read more

Deceitful as they were, Milli Vanill’s blend of rap and dance-pop topped the charts and made a lasting impression. <iframe title="Blame It on the Feign Edition" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=SLT6661168618&amp;light=true" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%" ></iframe> View Transcript <iframe title="Blame It on the Feign Edition" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=SLT5262506574&amp;light=true" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%" ></iframe> View Transcript Advertisement Listen & Subscribe Choose your [...] Read more

Chris Molanphy and Brittany Spanos discuss Taylor Swift’s enduring appeal for fans of all ages. Listen & Subscribe Choose your preferred player: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts TuneIn Spotify Stitcher Overcast RSS Feed Get Your Slate Plus Feed Copy your ad-free feed link below to load into your player: copy link copied! For questions about subscriptions [...] Read more

At the turn of the ’10s, Taylor Swift pulled off a masterful country-to-pop crossover, ruling two genres at once. <iframe title="Taylor’s Version of Country Edition" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=SLT8513901857&amp;light=true" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%" ></iframe> View Transcript <iframe title="Taylor’s Version of Country Edition" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=SLT6004911516&amp;light=true" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%" ></iframe> View Transcript Taylor Swift’s new album is a reboot of [...] Read more

Chris Molanphy hosts a remote pop quiz about pop, exclusively for Slate Plus members. In this special episode of Hit Parade’s “The Bridge,” it’s like you’re sitting at the end of the bar for the ultimate pop-music pub quiz: On Tuesday night, March 30, host Chris Molanphy quizzed eight different Slate Plus listeners on trivia questions [...] Read more

Sam Cooke was a hit-maker, soul pioneer, label boss … and a social activist, well before that One Night in Miami. <iframe title="Don’t Know Much About History Edition" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=SLT1346097821&amp;light=true" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%" ></iframe> <iframe title="Don’t Know Much About History Edition" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=SLT8149266298&amp;light=true" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%" ></iframe> Advertisement Listen & Subscribe Choose your preferred player: [...] Read more

Chris Molanphy talks to Slate’s own Jack Hamilton about misunderstood soul legend Sam Cooke. View Transcript Get More Hit Parade Slate Plus members get extended, ad-free versions of our podcasts—and much more. • Exclusive episodes of Slow Burn, Hang Up and Listen, and Trumpcast. • Members-only series like Dana Stevens’ Flashback and Chris Molanphy’s Hit [...] Read more

From Back in Black to Born This Way, follow-up albums often do better on the charts than more-loved classics. <iframe title="The AC/DC Rule Edition" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=SLT2926526396&amp;light=true" class="slate-megaphone__megaphone-player" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%" ></iframe> View Transcript <iframe title="The AC/DC Rule Edition" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=SLT2959441166&amp;light=true" class="slate-megaphone__megaphone-player" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%" ></iframe> View Transcript Quick, what was the only No. 1 album [...] Read more

Chris Molanphy talks to hip-hop journalist Mosi Reeves about Chic, the Sugarhill Gang, and disco and rap’s parallel histories. Get More Hit Parade! Slate Plus members get extended, ad-free versions of our podcasts—and much more. • Exclusive episodes of Slow Burn, Hang Up and Listen, and Trumpcast. • Members-only series like Dana Stevens’ Flashback and [...] Read more

How the sleek disco group Chic spawned hip-hop and new wave and shaped acts from Diana Ross to Duran Duran. <iframe title="These Are the Good Times Edition" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=SLT7951580838&amp;light=true" class="slate-megaphone__megaphone-player" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%" ></iframe> View Transcript <iframe title="These Are the Good Times Edition" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=SLT3492624205&amp;light=true" class="slate-megaphone__megaphone-player" frameborder="no" height="200" scrolling="no" width="100%" ></iframe> View Transcript How can you [...] Read more