Here Are 11 Black Podcasts That Will Make Your Commute More Enjoyable

Skip the radio and turn on a podcast!

If you’re anything like us, commutes are for listening to something. Earbuds or wire, whichever you choose, you have to plug up to something to get through those long morning and evening commutes and unless it’s an audiobook, a book just won’t do! That’s why we recommend podcasts. Whether you’re looking for something informative, funny, spiritually grounding or thought-provoking, there’s a little bit of everything to go around nowadays. More importantly, it’s easy and no hassle; just turn it on and get going. To get you started, we’ve created a list of 11 Black podcasts that will make your commute more enjoyable, courtesy of our favorite platform, Spotify. But feel free to listen wherever podcasts are available! Check them out below:

Dear Culture with Panama Jackson

“Welcome to Dear Culture, the podcast version of the conversations you’re already having with the people you don’t even realize you know.  Every week, cultural commentator and editorialist Panama Jackson will be a tour guide through some intersection of Blackness and culture. Bringing his years of experience writing and commentating on the culture from an educational and entertaining viewpoint, Dear Culture will engender everything Don King meant when he uttered the words, “…and that’s the Blackness.” We might not know where we’re going when we start, but what we do know is that by the time you get to the end, you will undoubtedly say, that was Black and that was the culture. Dear Culture is the podcast for all of the people who know the appropriate call-and-response for when somebody enters the room and says, ‘God is good…’ because that is the culture.”

Questlove Supreme

“Questlove Supreme is a fun, irreverent and educational weekly podcast that digs deep into the stories of musical legends and cultural icons in a way that only Questlove and Team Supreme can deliver. Each episode is driven by conversation ranging from the guest’s origins (along with a few never-before-revealed secrets to their success) to their life passions and current projects. This is not your typical interview show. This is about legends and legends in the making bringing their legacy to life in their own words. Previous guests have included Usher, Michelle Obama, Chris Rock, Steve Miller, Maya Rudolph, Weird Al, Chaka Khan, Babyface and many more.”

Finding Our Way with Prentis Hemphill

“Finding Our Way is a podcast hosted by writer, healer, teacher, and Somatics practitioner, Prentis Hemphill. Prentis dives into topics of embodiment, boundaries, harm, creativity, and more with people who are working to reshape this world. This isn’t a podcast about answers. It is an exploration into ourselves, and the skills we need to create and embody the world we want.”

Stuck with Damon Young

“Award-winning author Damon Young is joined by the brightest and Blackest writers, comedians, and critics he knows to explore the hilarious and hideous absurdity of our behavior – and how race, gender, and class converge to make everything messy AF.

Stuck with Damon Young is a Spotify Original Podcast from Gimlet and Crooked Media. New episodes drop every Tuesday.” 

The Read

“Join bloggers Kid Fury and Crissle for their weekly podcast covering hip-hop and pop culture’s most trying stars. Throwing shade and spilling tea with a flippant and humorous attitude, no star is safe from Fury and Crissle unless their name is Beyoncé. (Or Blue Ivy.)

As transplants to New York City (Kid Fury from Miami and Crissle from Oklahoma City), The Read also serves as an on-air therapy session for two friends trying to adjust to life (and rats) in the big city.

The Read is part of the LoudSpeakers Network and is published every week on iTunes, iHeartRadio Talk, Soundcloud & Stitcher.”

The R Spot with Iyanla

“Each week, New York Times best-selling author and famed spiritual life coach, Iyanla Vanzant, invites callers to share their personal relationship issues during live sessions to help inspire, grow and guide them and other listeners to ‘do the work’ toward healing.”

All The Smoke

“ALL THE SMOKE pairs two of the most outspoken and controversial players of their time. Known as fiery, intense competitors during their on-court careers, Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson are now two of the most widely respected voices by today’s crop of NBA stars. Serving as mentors to numerous players throughout the league and with their hands firmly on the pulse of the game, they have first-hand insight into the minds, lives and pressing issues facing today’s players. Barnes and Jackson, who have played alongside two generations of All-Stars, will dish on the latest news and drama from on and off the court without boundaries.”

Therapy for Black Girls

“The Therapy for Black Girls podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible version of ourselves.”

Therapy for Black Girls

“The Therapy for Black Girls podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible version of ourselves.”

Jemele Hill is Unbothered

“Emmy Award-winning journalist and Webby Award winner Jemele Hill shares her unbothered, nuanced opinions on news, pop culture, politics, and sports. She also conducts intimate interviews with some of the biggest names and most thought-provoking contributors to culture, music, and entertainment. New episodes air every Monday.”

Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay

“Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay dissect the biggest topics in Black culture, politics, and sports. Two times per week, they will wade into the most important and timely conversations, frequently inviting guests on the podcast and occasionally debating each other.”

Happy listening!

11 Black podcasts that will make your commute more enjoyable. Photo Courtesy of @panamajackson/Instagram/TheGrio Black Podcast Network