In 2024, Kendrick Lamar pulled off what seemed impossible: winning hip-hop's biggest rap battle in recent history, securing the Super Bowl halftime show, and dropping GNX, a surprise album that might be the year's defining pop record. But this triumphant return wasn't guaranteed. Two decades into his career — well past the average life expectancy of a rap ca ... Show More
Nov 18
Is there a Disney curse?: Demi, Selena, and Miley
This year, there were a few records that delivered less-than-optimal returns on either the Hot 100 or the Billboard 200 – and they all came from former Disney pop stars.
Demi Lovato’s latest album peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200, where it spent one week and then fell ... Show More
48m 6s
Nov 11
Rosalía's 'LUX' brings the symphony to the club
Spanish pop star Rosalía is back with her new album, Lux. Over eighteen tracks, she trades in the dembow beats that filled her last record Motomami for maximalist orchestral sounds more in line with Björk than Bad Bunny. The album is dense: there's four movements, thirteen langua ... Show More
44m 2s
Nov 4
Lily Allen and Tate McRae revive the revenge anthem
They say the best revenge is living well, but if you’re a pop star going through a break up, that’s false. The best revenge is releasing a searing scorched-earth revenge banger that calls out your ex and, ideally, rides that vengeance to the top of the Billboard charts. That’s ex ... Show More
33m 50s
Dec 2024
Best Bars of 2024. Plus: Drake vs. Kendrick Retrospective
Dissect's Cole Cuchna is joined by Touré, King Green, and James Francis to reflect on the historic year in hip hop. They begin by revisiting the Drake and Kendrick battle, nominating their favorite song, lyrics, and quotable that came from the beef. Then they award and dissect th ... Show More
1h 51m
Feb 2025
Top 10 Rap Features of the 2020s (So Far)
<p>In today's episode, we're reacting to each other’s lists of our Top 10 features from the 2020s so far. We included songs from Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, André 3K & more. </p><p><br /></p><p>-</p><p><br /></p><p>LIVE ALBUM REACTIONS<a href="https://go.nfrpodcast.com/Patreon ... Show More
27m 20s
May 2024
Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and the Benefits of Beef
<p>The rap superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar have been on a collision course for a decade, trading periodic diss tracks to assert their superiority—but earlier this month the long-simmering beef erupted into a showdown that said as much about the artists as it did about the art ... Show More
46m 16s