Living for the City
Hosted by Hanif Abdurraqib · Side Stage
4.6from 44 ratings
- 24
- Episodes
- 20
- Transcribed
- 44
- Ratings
- Weekly
- Cadence
- 2026
- First episode
About Living for the City
Before Detroit gave the world Motown, techno, and hip-hop, it gave the world something harder to name: a feeling that music made in basements and backrooms and borrowed spaces could become the soundtrack to an entire generation's life. That is the story Living for the City is here to tell, and nobody alive is better equipped to tell it than Hanif Abdurraqib. MacArthur Fellow. New York Times bestselling author. The most gifted writer working at the intersection of music, memory, and American identity today. Hanif brings his singular voice to a new video podcast series that goes inside the streets, venues, and neighborhoods where iconic sounds are born, talking with the artists, DJs, producers, and community architects who built these movements from the ground up. Season One is Detroit. Eight episodes. The full arc of how one city became the unlikely origin point for some of the most influential music ever made, told by the people who were actually there, and the writer who understands better than anyone what it meant. This is not a music history lesson. This is a front-row seat to the moments that mattered. Living for the City premieres May 13th, with new episodes dropping weekly. Subscribe now on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@LivingfortheCityPod Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5KYTveuTY4nydCKG8yTxjJ?si=c184740e2d9f43b5 Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/living-for-the-city/id1895831267 Stay connected! 📸 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/livingforthecitypod/
- Publisher
- Side Stage
- Category
- music
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 10 May 2026
- Latest episode
- 14 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
20 of 24 episodes have a transcript.
14 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
Andrey Douthard on Paramita, House Shoes, and Detroit Records | Living for the City Full Interview
7 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
Liz Warner on Electrifying Mojo and Detroit Techno | Living for the City Full Interview
30 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
Don Was on Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, and His Own Voice | Living for the City Full Interview
Inside a recent episode
Andrey Douthard on Paramita, House Shoes, and Detroit Records | Living for the City Full Interview
Published 14 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] So records, records were the vehicle for relationships for Paramita. It's the way in which we we bridge the gap, right? I always thought when I opened Paramita, the biggest thing that I learned, it was because of that scene that I came through and witnessed and was a part of, that generational connections was what the goal of this place was gonna be about. I knew it from the jump. And I always believed that something, especially at that time in 2014, that something tangible was the best way to go about building that relationship The record has lived forever, right? The record shows how much you care about something, shows how much you're interested in something, shows how you can care for something, shows your intention, shows there's so much involved in that medium. […]
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See plansWho has been a guest on Living for the City
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
- Andrey Douthard
- Liz Warner
- Don Was
- Guilty Simpson
- Bill Blackwell
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 4.5 / 5
- 38 ratings
- Spotify
- 5.0 / 5
- 6 ratings
Contact Living for the City
- Guest appearances
- Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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Questions about Living for the City
Who hosts Living for the City?
Hanif Abdurraqib host the show. Published by Side Stage.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Living for the City take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
20 of 24 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
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