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It's Been a Minute

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Each week, It's Been a Minute features people in the culture who deserve your attention. Plus weekly wraps of the news with journalists in the know. Join us to make sense of the world through conversation.

If you can't get enough, try It's Been a Minute Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/itsbeenaminute

Most Recent Episodes

Presenting 'Pop Culture Happy Hour': Beauty & pain of 'Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel'
HBO

Presenting 'Pop Culture Happy Hour': Beauty & pain of 'Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel'

In this special episode from our friends at Pop Culture Happy Hour, guest host Aisha Harris talks with journalists Tre'vell Anderson and Jarrett Hill about stand-up comedian Jerrod Carmichael's new HBO special Rothaniel where Carmichael comes out publicly as gay for the first time and talks about secrets that have haunted his family for multiple generations.

Presenting 'Pop Culture Happy Hour': Beauty & pain of 'Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel'

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From Odd Future to The Internet, Syd

Syd Tha Kyd of The Internet performs at the 2019 Governors Ball Festival at Randall's Island on May 31, 2019 in New York City. Getty Images hide caption

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Getty Images

From Odd Future to The Internet, Syd

In this encore episode from 2018, former host Sam Sanders speaks with singer-songwriter Syd about her work with the hip-hop collective Odd Future and now with her own group – The Internet. The two discuss how she produced The Internet's fourth album, Hive Mind, and how she incorporates songwriting her sexuality.

From Odd Future to The Internet, Syd

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The 'End of Roe' and your digital search history; plus the villain of 'Selling Sunset'

Abortion-rights protesters wave flags during a demonstration outside of the U.S. Supreme Court, Sunday, May 8, 2022, in Washington. AP hide caption

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AP

The 'End of Roe' and your digital search history; plus the villain of 'Selling Sunset'

With the anticipated repeal of Roe v. Wade, it's unclear how Americans will access abortion and other reproductive care. Will tech platforms continue to provide the same information about services in states where the procedure is outlawed? And what risk does your digital footprint create, if you seek information about abortion or other reproductive health care? Guest host Elise Hu talks it out with Rachel Cohen, senior policy reporter at Vox News and Lil Kalish from CalMatters.

The 'End of Roe' and your digital search history; plus the villain of 'Selling Sunset'

Listen · 25:06
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A new 'Dawn' for Yebba

Yebba's standalone album is called Dawn. RCA Records hide caption

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RCA Records

A new 'Dawn' for Yebba

Yebba had a huge year in 2016. The singer and songwriter's career was taking off. But 2016 was also the year that something awful happened: Yebba's mother died by suicide. And that changed everything in her life. In this encore chat from 2021, former host Sam Sanders and Yebba discuss the emotional toll it took to make her recent album Dawn, growing up in the church, and shedding old beliefs while making room for new ones.

A new 'Dawn' for Yebba

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The consequences of losing Roe v. Wade, plus Summer of Books

Pro-choice and anti-abortion activist rally outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on May 02, 2022 in Washington, DC. In an initial draft opinion obtained by Politico, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the cases Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey should be overturned, which would end federal protection of abortion rights. Getty Images hide caption

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The consequences of losing Roe v. Wade, plus Summer of Books

Protests erupted across the nation this week in the wake of a leaked Supreme Court brief suggesting the landmark "Roe v. Wade" abortion ruling will be overturned. The decision could endanger people seeking medical care and set a precedent for challenging other reproductive rights. Guest host Elise Hu discusses patients' concerns with health and gender reporter Shefali Luthra of "The 19th" and Dr. Jennifer Kerns, an OBGYN and associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco.

The consequences of losing Roe v. Wade, plus Summer of Books

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What makes Drake's 'God's Plan' a hit pop song

Charlie Harding and Nate Sloan host the podcast Switched On Pop and are co-authors of the book Switched On Pop: How Popular Music Works, and Why it Matters. Switched On Pop hide caption

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Switched On Pop

What makes Drake's 'God's Plan' a hit pop song

Attention to all the music lovers out there! All month, we're revisiting our best music episodes from It's Been a Minute. In this episode from February 2020, former host Sam Sanders is joined by Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding, co-hosts of the podcast Switched On Pop. They break down what makes a song: why certain pop songs become ear worms and what their form and structure mean for the future of music. Sloan and Harding deconstruct songs in their 2020 book, Switched On Pop: How Popular Music Works and Why It Matters.

What makes Drake's 'God's Plan' a hit pop song

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Anti-trans legislation; plus Broadway is back

MONTGOMERY, AL - MARCH 30: Sydney Duncan holds a sign during a rally at the Alabama State House to draw attention to anti-transgender legislation introduced in Alabama on March 30, 2021 in Montgomery, Alabama. There are so far 192 anti-LGBTQ bills under consideration in state legislatures across the United States. Of those, 93 directly target transgender people. Getty Images hide caption

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Anti-trans legislation; plus Broadway is back

Legislation targeting transgender Americans and trans children has increased sharply in the last year. Guest host Ari Shapiro speaks with the Florida mother of a trans daughter about how their family is coping with that state's new, more restrictive policies. Then, Ari discusses how this wave of law-making differs from so-called "moral panics" of past decades — and why that matters — with historian Jules Gill-Peterson, of Johns Hopkins University.

Anti-trans legislation; plus Broadway is back

Listen · 37:06
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The power in owning your 'Big Feelings'
Liz Fosslien

The power in owning your 'Big Feelings'

Guest host Juana Summers speaks with co-authors Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy about their new book, Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay. In the book, Liz and Mollie explore seven emotions that they found particularly difficult to overcome — uncertainty, anger, burnout, comparison, perfectionism, despair and grief. With hopes to normalize conversations on these "big feelings," they talk about the power in owning and sharing their emotions and what they've gained in the process.

The power in owning your 'Big Feelings'

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COVID travel mask mandates drop; plus 'Oprahdemics'

Mask mandates on public transportation are no longer in effect following a ruling by federal judge on April 18, 2022. AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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AFP via Getty Images

COVID travel mask mandates drop; plus 'Oprahdemics'

With travel mask mandates dropping, increasing cases, and more COVID variants, precaution exhaustion is real, but the pandemic is far from over. Guest host Juana Summers talks with science writer Katherine J. Wu of The Atlantic about how the U.S. has moved from a collective approach to an individual-focused mindset in its handling of the pandemic.

COVID travel mask mandates drop; plus 'Oprahdemics'

Listen · 33:57
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Danyel Smith highlights Black female artists who defined pop music in 'Shine Bright'

Danyel Smith, author of Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop. Drew Allyn hide caption

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Drew Allyn

Danyel Smith highlights Black female artists who defined pop music in 'Shine Bright'

Guest host Juana Summers talks with Danyel Smith about her new memoir, Shine Bright: A Personal History of Black Women in Pop. As a previous editor-in-chief for both Billboard and Vibe magazines, host of the Black Girl Songbook podcast, and longtime music reporter, Danyel uses her expertise to spotlight the stories of pop powerhouses like Gladys Knight, Mahalia Jackson, Whitney Houston, and more. Danyel crafts a love letter to Black women in pop, capturing the intimate details of who they were, their influence on her, and how their music changed pop forever.

Danyel Smith highlights Black female artists who defined pop music in 'Shine Bright'

Listen · 31:18
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