Terry Gross

LL Cool J made his recording debut in 1984 when he was 16. He's then, since won two Grammys, had several platinum recordings and starred in NCIS: Los Angeles. Originally broadcast in 1997.

Rodgers' "Good Times" guitar groove was later sampled in the Sugar Hill Gang's 1979 hit "Rapper's Delight," widely considered the first crossover hip-hop song. Originally broadcast in 1996.

DJ Kool Herc is considered the first DJ to isolate the breaks --the most danceable beats in a record — and repeat them, to keep the dancers going. Originally broadcast in 2005.

Grandmaster Flash was one of the first DJs to make successful records. In 2002, he spoke to Fresh Air about how he discovered that he could use turntables as instruments.

Melle Mel was the rapper on the 1982 hit "The Message." He spoke to Fresh Air in 1998 about the early days of rap, music with a social message and how the genre and his life had changed.

It's been 50 years since Bowie performed as his alter ego Ziggy Stardust. The film, Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars, has recently been reissued. Originally broadcast in 2002.

Growing up in the South, Faust rejected the narrative she was fed about slavery and the Civil War. She writes about her journey to activism and becoming the president of Harvard in Necessary Trouble.

Podcast hosts Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael say despite the misogynoir that has plagued the genre, hip-hop is poised for change. "The girls and the gays are running things," Madden says.

Sterlin Harjo says society has a tendency to be "very precious with Native people." The third and final season of the irreverent series dropped recently. Originally broadcast Sept. 19, 2022.

Nolan's film tells the story of Robert Oppenheimer, the man who spearheaded the development of the atomic bomb. "Of all of the subject matter I've dealt with, it's certainly the darkest," he says.

The U.S. used atomic weapons against Japan 78 years ago. We listen back to archival interviews with psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton and journalists Lesley M.M. Blume and Evan Thomas about the decision.

Andrew Leland started losing his sight 20 years ago. He's now legally blind, although he still has a narrow field of vision, which allows him to see about 6% of what a fully-sighted person sees.

Moran talks jazz and plays selections from his latest recording, which borrows from the music of James Reese Europe, the composer and musician who led the Harlem Hellfighters regiment band during WWI.

We remember Reubens, who died July 30, by listening back to a 2004 interview with him, and to archival interviews with Laurence Fishburne and S. Epatha Merkerson, who appeared on Pee-wee's Playhouse.

Dubus III talks about the injuries he faced when he was a carpenter, and how his relationship changed with his father after the senior Dubus was struck by a car and never walked again.

New York Times congressional correspondent Annie Karni says if Republicans choose to retaliate, and not pass spending bills, it could cause a government shutdown this fall.

The legendary crooner, who died July 21, told Terry Gross in 1991 he never got tired of singing "I Left My Heart in San Francisco": "I'm very grateful for that song."

"My early '70s New York is dingy and grimy," the Pulitzer Prize-winning author says. Whitehead's sequel to Harlem Shuffle centers on crime at every level, from small-time crooks to Harlem's elite.

Watts, who died July 12, was born in Germany to a Hungarian mother and an African American father. He became famous at age 16 after performing with Leonard Bernstein. Originally broadcast in 1985.

Rapinoe has been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights, pay equity and the BLM movement. She recently announced that she will retire after the 2023 Women's World Cup. Originally broadcast in 2020.