Today, Insight revisits Dissect podcast producer Cole Cuchna, who took his project from a passion project he created on nights and weekends to an internationally acclaimed show that dives into the most important hip hop albums of our time. Through his podcast, Cuchna analyzes the music's construction, lyrics, history and message by tracing the life and trajectory of the artist — and of course, the impact the music had. During each season of the show, Cuchna joined Insight to dive into the backstory behind classic albums by Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Frank Ocean and Tyler the Creator. Without further ado, let’s Dissect.
We Gon’ Be Alright — Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’
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In 2016, Sacramento resident Cole Cuchna launched a longform musical analysis podcast that walks listeners through a single album note by note, line by line, to examine the deeper meaning of an artist’s work. To Cuchna’s surprise, “Dissect” exploded in popularity, earning spots on iTunes’ Best Of podcast list and its Editor’s Choice section.
The first conversation with Cuncha happened in February 2017, after he wrapped up Season 1. That season, he focused on rapper Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-winning rap album, “To Pimp A Butterfly.” The album traces the journey of a man transforming from caterpillar to butterfly, where he accepts his role as a leader and model for the community as he becomes more famous and influential in the hip hop community.
No One Man Should Have All That Power — Kanye West’s ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’
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Some people may recognize rapper Kanye West more for his antics than his groundbreaking music. Cole Cuchna wanted to take a look at both.
In season 2 of ‘Dissect,’ Cuchna went back to Kanye’s 2010 album, ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.” Cuchna joined Insight on Aug. 1, 2017, the day Dissect season 2 premiered. He discussed the link between West's personal life and his music, and about the podcast’s growing popularity. He also got into that infamous event at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards that kick started this album, and influenced a decade of pop culture with it.
That’s The Way Every Day Goes — Frank Ocean’s ‘Blond’
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The ‘Dissect’ podcast had gained a significant following by the time when creator Cole Cuchna wrapped up Season 3, which focused on the work of Frank Ocean. In each episode, Cuchna walks listeners through Ocean’s second studio album, ‘Blonde.’
In this conversation from September 2018, Cuchna returns to discuss the buzz around the podcast, which Quartz named 2017 Best Podcast of the Year. He also talks about his partnership with Spotify, which allowed him to leave his day job to host and produce ‘Dissect’ full time.
Find The Words To Say — Tyler, The Creator’s ‘Flower Boy’
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In Dissect’s latest season, creator Cole Cuchna turned his attention to Tyler, The Creator’s 2017 album “Flower Boy.” Tyler, The Creator is better known as the producer and rapper who founded the alternative hip hop collective Odd Future.
Last December, New York Times selected Dissect as one of the Five Great Podcasts From 2018. Cuchna joined in April 2019, and talked about Tyler, The Creator’s demonstrated maturity in “Flower Boy,” and his coming out as gay in the album.
