Audio Programs

Hip Deep Angola 4: The Cuban Intervention in Angola
Hip Deep June 10, 2021

Hip Deep Angola 4: The Cuban Intervention in Angola

This Hip Deep program delves into the complex history of Cuba's intervention in Angoa's civil war.
Hip Deep Angola Part 3: A Spiritual Journey to Mbanza-Kongo
Hip Deep May 13, 2021

Hip Deep Angola Part 3: A Spiritual Journey to Mbanza-Kongo

In this Hip Deep program, Ned Sublette takes a deep dive into Mbanza-Kongo spiritual tradition and music.
The Money Show
Hip Deep May 6, 2021

The Money Show

In this episode we look at the business side of African music, through a series of vignettes from around the continent and diaspora that illuminate the deep connections between musical creation and the economies that sustain it.
“Something Deep Inside,” Pana-Soul Crooner Ralph Weeks’s Enduring Classic
Closeup September 1, 2020

“Something Deep Inside,” Pana-Soul Crooner Ralph Weeks’s Enduring Classic

"Something Deep Inside" has passed through various renditions over the years and, in this podcast, Pana-Soul singer Ralph Weeks lifts the hood on the creative process that led to a classic, with enthusiasm and an easy laugh.
Ancient Text Messages: Batá Drums in a Changing World
Hip Deep August 13, 2020

Ancient Text Messages: Batá Drums in a Changing World

Ancient Text Messages: Batá Drums in a Changing World” explores an endangered tradition of drum speech in Nigeria, and how that tradition changed and thrived in Cuba, where large numbers of enslaved Yoruba arrived in the 19th century.
Africa and the Blues
Hip Deep July 9, 2020

Africa and the Blues

In this Hip Deep edition, Banning Eyre and Gerhard Kubik explore the connections between Africa and American blues.
Edo Highlife: Culture, Politics and Progressive Traditionalism
Hip Deep April 16, 2020

Edo Highlife: Culture, Politics and Progressive Traditionalism

In this Hip Deep program, we'll hear how Edo highlife musicians have found sustainable careers by simultaneously rooting their music in their local communities and appealing to diasporic enclaves in Europe and the United States.
Diaspora Encounters: The Indo Caribbean World
Hip Deep February 20, 2020

Diaspora Encounters: The Indo Caribbean World

In this Hip Deep program, Peter Manuel reveals Indian music incorporated into the multi-cultural mix of the Caribbean.
Bolsonaro Is and Isn't
Closeup September 10, 2019

Bolsonaro Is and Isn't

On this week's season finale CloseUp, we step out of the American bubble, and look at who Bolsonaro is, who his targets are, and how he rose to power.
Closeup: French Afro-Colonial Memory and Music
Closeup August 20, 2019

Closeup: French Afro-Colonial Memory and Music

In this CloseUp we look at the legacy of French colonialism in West Africa, Cameroon in particular, and the musicians who are uncovering what some wish to forget.
Barrio Colón to Brooklyn
Closeup August 6, 2019

Barrio Colón to Brooklyn

This podcast is a deep dive into New York City's Afro-Cuban rumba scene in Brooklyn.
Doing it For the Art: Manolo Raps in Cape Verde
Closeup July 23, 2019

Doing it For the Art: Manolo Raps in Cape Verde

At the 2019 Atlantic Music Expo in Cape Verde, Afropop's Sebastian Bouknight met Manolo, a longtime rapper who is trying to find a foothold in the country's overcrowded music scene.
Afropop Goes to the Grammys
Closeup July 9, 2019

Afropop Goes to the Grammys

Visit the 2019 Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles and hear from the nominees in the World Music category, Fatoumata Diawara, Bombino, The Soweto Gospel Choir, Seun Kuti and Yiddish Glory.
Cuban Counterpoint of Tobacco and Sugar: Sacred Musical Spaces in Western Cuba
Hip Deep August 2, 2018

Cuban Counterpoint of Tobacco and Sugar: Sacred Musical Spaces in Western Cuba

Ned Sublette takes a group of travelers, including you, to multiple sites in western Cuba to analyze the musical impact of what Ortiz called the "Cuban counterpoint" of tobacco and sugar.
Reggae Takes Root in Germany
Closeup July 3, 2018

Reggae Takes Root in Germany

Afropop Closeup: Season 3
The Nature of Trance
Hip Deep June 14, 2018

The Nature of Trance

In this program, we explore the phenomenon of trance through a survey of musical and spiritual traditions, discover how different cultural and spiritual ideas are expressed musically, how the mathematical complexity of mbira dzavuzimu music may lead to Shona spirit possession, and how experiments in neural imaging give us insight into how the brain works in a state of trance.​