Terry Gross

André Benjamin spoke to Fresh Air in 2006 about his music and his Outkast persona: " André 3000 ... just goes there and has a ball; André Benjamin is the person that goes to Whole Foods."

RZA got his first set of turntables when he was 11. He went on to co-found Wu-Tang Clan, the platinum-selling group whose name was inspired by martial arts movies. Originally broadcast in 2005.

Beastie Boys Mike Diamond, Adam Horovitz and Adam Yauch — aka Mike D, Ad-Rock and MCA — started a punk band in New York City in the 1980s, before moving into hip-hop. Originally broadcast in 2006.

Two of De La Soul's founding members, David "Trugoy" Jolicoeur and Vincent "Maseo" Mason, spoke to Fresh Air in 2000 about their 1989 debut, 3 Feet High and Rising, and their ironic, playful style.

Latifah established herself as a rap star with her 1989 debut album, All Hail the Queen. In this 1999 interview, she talked about giving herself her name, and why she decided to pursue acting.

"I call it reality-based rap," Ice-T says of the gangster rap genre. His '92 hit "Cop Killer" was controversial; he later played a police detective in Law and Order: SVU. Originally broadcast in 1994.

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.

McDaniels co-founded Run-D.M.C., the first rap group to have their videos played on MTV, to earn a platinum record and to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Originally broadcast in 1997.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.