The Best Podcasts on Spotify

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Dissect, hosted by Cole Cuchna, recently launched its tenth season and sees listeners being walked through a particular album of note at a one-song-per-episode rate. The latest journey focuses on Tyler, the Creator’s acclaimed IGOR, which Cuchna considers a “genre-bending bouquet of sonic arrangements exploring communication, honesty, and truth.”

Prior seasons have taken similarly in-depth looks at albums from Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, and more.

Guys We Fucked, now 500 episodes strong, invites listeners to take the more vulnerable path while routinely doubling over in laughter along the way. Comedians Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson serve as hosts, both offering personal perspectives on oft-revealing topics that consistently result in fascinating back-and-forths with their guests.

Highlights from the extended Guys We Fucked catalog include memorable conversations with Rachel Wolfson, Stephan Jenkins, and Alissa Bennett.

For listeners aiming to get the highest possible caliber of insight on the creative process from those whose work speaks for itself, Talkhouse provides an ideal platform for continuous inspiration.

In short, the weekly podcast’s format allows for artists to speak with other artists, inevitably spurring some real gems of particular value to other artists who may be tuning in. In a recent episode, for example, X and Pearl director Ti West was joined by composers Tyler Bates and Tim Williams for a remarkably detailed dissection of sound’s role in film.

Finding the right sports podcast can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack, but if you’re looking for the real spill from real athletes, look no further than All the Smoke. Hosted by NBA journeymen Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, All the Smoke highlights behind-the-scenes anecdotes about life in the league and never-before-told stories featuring A-listers like Dwyane Wade, Snoop Dogg, Shannon Sharpe, and more on topics ranging from race, relationships, and professionalism to fatherhood, on-court brawls, and cannabis advocacy.

Following its 2018 premiere with inaugural guest Kristen Bell, who’s married to host and co-creator Dax Shepard, Armchair Expert quickly grew into its own franchise. Joining Shepard for the weekly show is Monica Padman, who, like Shepard, has roots in the film and television world.

Notable guests have included Kristen Stewart, Dwayne Wade, Bryan Cranston, Zazie Beetz, and Barack Obama. Other AE-affiliated series include Armchaired & Dangerous, Flightless Bird, and more.

Part history, part politics, and always funny, You’re Wrong About will feed your inner pop culture junky and current-events nerddom at the same time. Hosted by Sarah Marshall and Michael Hobbes, You’re Wrong About recounts major events from the recent and distant past and ignores rumor, conspiracy, or common perception. If you want to see how good your memory is on Y2K, the D.C. sniper panic, or Marie Antoinette, give this show a listen, and find out just how much you know.

Looking for your rap fix without actually turning on music? The Rosenthal brothers have you covered. On A Waste of Time, real-life siblings Eric and Jeff Rosenthal invite a who’s who of hip-hop into their tiny apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for deep-dive interviews and never-before-heard stories. If you like what you hear, you should also check out the Rosenthals’ other podcast, 2 Jews and 2 Black Guys Review Movies, where Jeff and Eric are joined by Styles P and Sheek Louch of The Lox to break down the best and worst that Hollywood has to offer.

Tekashi 6ix9ine's rise and fall have been embedded onto timelines everywhere. Now, newly released and with his name bubbling in the streets again, it is time for listeners to revisit the Webby-nominated podcast Infamous: The Tekashi 6ix9ine Story. A Complex Original, this Angie Martinez-narrated, eight-episode series follows Daniel Hernandez's transformation from high school dropout to a witness to a federal racketeering and firearms case.

Justice In America is a news and politics podcast covering the criminal justice system from the perspective of the persecuted. With a focus on the country’s racist system of cash-driven policing and its broken prison industry, hosts Josie Duffy and Clint Smith III take on a new social justice topic every episode and feature in-depth interviews with activists and organizers that will help you better understand American mass incarceration and how we can protest it. Justice In America debuts new episodes every Wednesday.

A tech podcast with heart, Reply All tackles the personal side of the internet age. Hosts PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman will investigate where songs go once scrubbed from the internet, the Great Momo Panic of 2019, and solve unsolvable tech support questions from listeners around the globe. If you want technology talk that’s light on jargon and puts humans first, Reply All is right up your alley.

Hosted by late-night TV writer and comedy Twitter all-star Ian Karmel, All Fantasy Everything treats any and all subjects like they are players in a fantasy draft. Anchored by co-hosts David Gborie, Sean Jordan, and a series of hilarious guests, AFE takes a hilarious hierarchical look at topics like ad jingles, secondary Seinfeld characters, and words that make you sound smart. All Fantasy Everything debuts new episodes every Thursday.

Skateboarders aren’t typically known for their linguistic skills, but Vent City is here to change your mind about those who ride our favorite four-wheeled wooden toy. Hosted by pro skater Ryan Lay, Thrasher writer Ted Schmitz, industry insiders Kristin Ebeling and Alex White, and a rotating cast of notable skate figures, Vent City shines a light on the less-heralded aspects of skateboarding, and features interviews and discussions about women and trans skaters, the financial side of the skate industry, and plenty of shit-talking that will feel familiar to anyone who’s lurked in a skate shop.

Jemele Hill, an award-winning journalist, is part of an elite group of podcast personalities whose success with the platform has seen them expand their presence by way of launching their own network. With her Spotify Original Jemele Hill Is Unbothered, Hill has been doing exactly that since 2019.

Unbothered guests have included RZA, Amber Ruffin, Bree Newsome Bass, and MC Lyte, who’s often referred to as the “godmother of hip-hop.” In August 2022, Hill kicked off the fourth season of the hit show.

If you like a little celebrity with your love stories, look no further than the New York Times’ Modern Love. Taken straight from the Gray Lady’s romance column of the same name, it features celebs like Greta Gerwig, Terry Crews, and Jake Gyllenhaal reading essays about love, dating, sex, and relationships that will have you nodding your head, laughing, scoffing, and, eventually, binge-listening. Modern Love debuts new episodes every Wednesday.

National Public Radio was one of the last remaining vestiges of storytelling on the sound waves before podcasts came about, and now that radio shows have gone digital, NPR has kept its foot all the way down on the podcast gas pedal. A health podcast for both body and mind, Life Kit has everything from tips to getting therapy while under quarantine to episodes about planting your own garden and in-depth details on how to navigate birth control.

Are you working long hours or attending classes full-time, leaving you little time to read the news? Every Monday through Friday, Sean Rameswaram takes a hot button topic and makes it clear and accessible. In-depth and 20 minutes in length, Today, Explained is a great way to elevate your small talk and refine your political discussions.

You're never at a loss for true crime podcasts on Spotify; the reliable, classic go-to's are My Favorite Murder and Serial. But if you want to hear something a little newer and more twisted, check out Dr. Death, a six-part malpractice tale about Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgeon sentenced to life in prison after killing two of his patients and maiming four others.

If you enjoy ESPN’s 30 for 30, check out the podcast version of the show, which takes a deep-dive into the people, teams, and events that shaped modern sports. The most recent episode: a reflective look at the wildly popular documentary, The Last Dance, which has restarted the GOAT talks about Jordan and his Chicago Bulls and recently raised stocks of Jordan Brand to impressive levels.

Former multi-time world champion wrestler Chris Jericho interviews veteran and current wrestlers about the backstage politics behind the weird, often controversial business. Talk Is Jericho often branches outside of wrestling, as well; Jericho interviewed filmmaker and celebrated nerd icon Kevin Smith as they watched Damien: Omen II for the show's 666th episode.

Humorous and always conversational, The Rewatchables analyzes the movies that we tend to watch and re-watch, over and over, even as our Netflix queue continues to pile up. Movies like Back to the Future, Draft Day, and Groundhog Day get the in-depth discussion you never knew you wanted.

You might know Levar Burton as that cool guy on The Big Bang, or as Geordi LaForge on Star Trek: The Next Generation. But you definitely know him as the children's television host of Reading Rainbow. Burton is a fantastic storyteller, and on his podcast, Levar Burton Reads, he recites short fiction written by everyone from Kurt Vonnegut to Toni Morrison.

Code Switch, which began as an offshoot of NPR race and culture outlet of the same name, is full of smart, multi-faceted commentary on race, led and hosted by journalists of color Gene Demby, who previously worked for the New York Times and the Huffington Post, and NPR correspondent Shereen Marisol Meraji. The diverse representation is essential to the podcast's appeal; Demby and Meraji’s approach is both intimate and pragmatic, which other podcasts often lack. The most recent episode follows two Los Angeles-based capoeira instructors who fight to keep their dream alive in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Million Dollaz Worth of Game is where street credibility meets lighthearted clownery as rapper Gillie Da King and social media personality Wallo267 come together and talk about what’s going on in the culture to drop life hacks and OG gems. Sprouting from Gillie’s “million dollars’ worth of game” Instagram clips, the podcast has been a place where both music and street veterans can inform the younger generation of artists about the different pitfalls of both arenas, and do so in an entertaining way. Gillie and Wallo have carved out a distinct lane for themselves and created one of the go-to rapper interview podcasts out right now.

Hosted by N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN, Drink Champs has delivered some of the best moments and stories of any rap podcast. Supplying guests like Nas, Diddy, Busta Rhymes, and others with a variety of alcohols throughout each interview, N.O.R.E. and EFN make viewers feel like they’re listening to a grill-side chat among uncles as the barbeque winds down. The two hosts’ chemistry is undeniable, and their ability to extract iconic hip-hop tales from their guests, who range from behind-the-scenes figures to outright legends, and tell their own while getting progressively more intoxicated is both entertaining and impressive.

Conan O’Brien’s uniquely inspiring career trajectory, which includes everything from writing for The Simpsons to spending decades carving out his own lane on late-night TV, took another successful turn in 2018 with the launch of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.

While fellow comedians, expectedly, are often featured as guests on the show, the host also welcomes everyday people on for conversations about their life. Conan’s show is also among the variety of podcasts to have welcomed Barack and Michelle Obama. The setup for these conversations is gleefully self-billed as being “free from FCC regulations.”

Kevin Durant continues to show that his talents aren’t limited to the basketball court with his podcast, The ETCs with Kevin Durant. Along with host Eddie Gonzalez, KD welcomes guests from different areas of the media to discuss topics ranging from music to sports, entertainment, and culture. Guests thus far have included the likes of Jerry Lorenzo, Draymond Green, J. Cole, and more. From discussions that dive deep into Cole’s pursuit of a basketball career and choice to play overseas to ones that see KD find common ground with former teammate Draymond Green, The ETCs is another way for Durant to express himself, demonstrating his ability to seamlessly weave conversations together as well as he handles himself on the court.

The tragic loss of Pop Smoke sent ripples across the hip-hop world. Hosted by his longtime friend DJ Pvnch, Complex Subject: Pop Smoke aims to provide a more detailed look into the young rapper’s life and death, as told by some of the people who were closest to him. The six-episode series features a wide variety of guests and, as Pvnch explained to Complex, “divulges a side of Pop that the world did not get to see. The world got to see the street guy who loves to rap, and we got to see the guy who also likes high fashion, dancing, and the fun life. But I don’t think people really got to see how funny Pop was outside of the aggression.” Complex Subject: Pop Smoke humanizes the late legend, contextualizing the imprint he left on rap—and illustrating exactly why his music will continue to ring out.

YNW Melly’s story is as tragic as it is captivating. After his two best friends were murdered, Melly became the prime suspect in a case that risked taking his life. This was also happening while his music exploded on the charts and he became a larger and larger rap star. A Complex Original, hosted by Ace Hood, Infamous: The Story of YNW Melly over eight episodes chronicles the tumultuous life of YNW Melly, exploring where the rapper came from and where he might go from here.