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A novel fusion of hip-hop and drama – podcasts of the week

Picks of the week

Here Comes the Break
A new concept from Def Jam Recordings and pod makers Double Elvis, Here Comes The Break fuses a fictional story about a hip-hop show with artist interviews and new music. Told from the perspective of the show’s host, struggling teenager Ruben (Asante Blackk of Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us), it also aims to put the spotlight on mental health conditions, and areas of stress for black men, and black people, in the US. If that sounds like a busy combination, the result is endearingly novel.
Hannah J Davies

St Elwick’s Neighbourhood Association Newsletter
Mike Wozniak’s low-key podcast has been providing buttoned-up witty fun ever since the budget for the Association’s print newsletter was cut a couple of years ago. Since then, the podcast “moves ever forwards like a great white shark … consuming local news in place of baby seals”. The joy of this news lies, of course, in the mundane, whether that’s a woman getting stuck in her duvet cover or a warning to stop feeding hedgehogs premium cat biscuits. Guests including Isy Suttie and Romesh Ranganathan pop up, the latter embracing his character of local vape-flogger.
Hannah Verdier

Producer pick: The Business of Fashion

Designer Rick Owens, who has been featured on the Business of Fashion podcast.
Designer Rick Owens, who has been featured on the Business of Fashion podcast. Photograph: Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images

Chosen by Hannah Moore

Although we all wear clothes, the fashion industry itself can often seem like a closed closet. This podcast lets us inside, and features interviews with high-profile designers like Virgil Abloh, Rick Owens, Kim Jones and Yohji Yamamoto.

But, more than that, it demonstrates how fashion affects – and is affected by – everyarea of our lives. Recent episodes have explored the industry’s response to anti-Asian hate crimesduring the Covid pandemic; how retailers should rethink their conception of ‘plus-sized’ ranges; and how multiplayer video games are becoming marketplaces for fashion brands.

Business of Fashion editor Imran Ahmed brings years of insight to his interviews with industry figures. Have patience with the audio quality (interviews are often recorded via glitchy video links, or using clip mics as part of onstage events), and you’ll be rewarded with discussions which help illuminate an industry that is at once innovative and archaic, maddening and awe-inspiring.

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