Slate Culture

When Kendrick Lamar took the Super Bowl halftime stage in 2025 and had the stadium chanting along to “Not Like Us”, it was clear: diss tracks had gone stratospheric. The Kendrick vs. Drake beef echoes legendary rap rivalries like Biggie vs. Tupac and Jay Z vs. Nas—but diss tracks stretch back through a century of American pop, long before hip-hop, all the way to the days of Tin Pan Alley. From Eddie Cantor and James Brown, to John Lennon and Carly Simon, to Kool Moe Dee and Lauryn Hill, artists have been turning personal grudges into hits for over a century. Step this way and join Chris Molanphy as he traces the history of answer records, diss tracks and rap beefs that shaped the charts and the culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim parse through the annoying practice of logging in [https://embedded.substack.com/p/stop-making-me-log-in-to-everything] and downloading apps. From hiking in the woods to brushing our teeth [https://bsky.app/profile/robmesure.bsky.social/post/3lqcn6kq5oc26], it seems like we can’t do anything online these days without being prompted to make an account or download an app. Why do tech companies pressure us to log in all the time? And if we log out, why do they shame us into downloading apps for fast food places and refrigerators? But first, what’s the “Gen-Z Stare [https://www.tiktok.com/@trevonwoodburyy/video/7526263930897878302]” and is this simply TikTok creating another intergenerational conflict?  Get more of ICYMI with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of ICYMI and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the ICYMI show page on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/icymi/id1554115325] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6bo1EK9sElQV8DqzO0HLac]. Or, visit slate.com/icymiplus [https://slate.com/podcast-plus?utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=plus_pod&utm_content=ICYMI&utm_source=show_notes] for access wherever you listen. This podcast is produced by Vic Whitley-Berry, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

In this episode we’re opening our mailbag to answer three fascinating questions from our listeners. How did “ass,” a word for donkeys and butts, become what linguists call an “intensifier” for just about everything? How do pharmaceuticals get their wacky names? And why do we all seem to think that aliens from outer space would travel to Earth just to kidnap our cows? In this episode, you’ll hear from linguistics professor Nicole Holliday [https://nicolerholliday.wordpress.com/], historians Greg Eghigian [https://history.la.psu.edu/directory/greg-eghigian/] and Mike Goleman, and professional “namer” Laurel Sutton [https://catchwordbranding.com/team/laurel-sutton/]. This episode of Decoder Ring was produced by Willa Paskin, Max Freedman, and Katie Shepherd. Our supervising producer is Evan Chung. Merritt Jacob is Slate’s Technical Director.  If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, please email us at DecoderRing@slate.com [DecoderRing@slate.com], or leave a message on our hotline at 347-460-7281. Get more of Decoder Ring with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of Decoder Ring and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Decoder Ring show page on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decoder-ring/id1376577202] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3vYNA0Ki5sUHnYC9QwQnKl]. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus [https://slate.com/podcast-plus?utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=plus_pod&utm_content=Decoder_Ring&utm_source=episode_summary] for access wherever you listen. Sources for This Episode Bengston, Jonas. “Post-Intensifying: The Case of the Ass-Intensifier and Its Similar but Dissimilar Danish Counterpart [https://tidsskrift.dk/lev/article/download/125257/172074/263732],” Leviathan, 2021. Collier, Roger. “The art and science of naming drugs [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4188646/],” Canadian Medical Association Journal, Oct. 2014. Eghigian, Greg. After the Flying Saucers Came: A Global History of the UFO Phenomenon [https://global.oup.com/academic/product/after-the-flying-saucers-came-9780190869878], Oxford University Press, 2024. Goleman, Michael J. “Wave of Mutilation: The Cattle Mutilation Phenomenon of the 1970s [https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3098/ah.2011.85.3.398],” Agricultural History, 2011. Karet, Gail B. “How Do Drugs Get Named? [https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/how-do-drugs-get-named/2019-08]” AMA Journal of Ethics, Aug. 2019. Miller, Wilson J. “Grammaticalizaton in English: A Diachronic and Synchronic Analysis of the "ass" Intensifier [https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/dr26xz79k],” Master’s Thesis, San Francisco State University, 2017. Monroe, Rachel. “The Enduring Panic About Cow Mutilations [https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-southwest/the-enduring-panic-about-cow-mutilations],” The New Yorker, May 8, 2023. A Strange Harvest [https://www.amazon.com/Strange-Harvest-Linda-Moulton-Howe/dp/B09Q3NDMQ1], dir. Linda Moulton Howe, KMGH-TV, 1980. “United States Adopted Names naming guidelines [https://www.ama-assn.org/about/united-states-adopted-names-usan/united-states-adopted-names-naming-guidelines],” AMA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

On this week’s show, Dana and Steve are joined by guest host Isaac Butler to talk truth, justice, and the American way via James Gunn’s Superman. They discuss the latest incarnation of the man of steel and the cultural discourse he’s generating that has become as volatile as kryptonite itself. Next, they hop to another cultural lightning rod: Lena Dunham. They get into her new series Too Much which she created with her husband Luis Felber. Finally, they report back from Viola’s Room, an immersive theater experience by the creators of Sleep No More. In a bonus Slate Plus episode, they respond to the news that Scott Rudin—famous Broadway megaproducer and infamous alleged abuser—is mounting a comeback. Endorsements: Isaac: The Criterion Channel special Brian Cox: The Craft of Acting [https://www.criterionchannel.com/brian-cox-the-craft-of-acting], hosted by yours truly Isaac Butler. Also, Ari Aster’s newest film Eddington [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31176520/] before the discourse begins! Steve: Finishing 2666 by Roberto Bolaño [https://bookshop.org/p/books/2666-roberto-bolano/8772677?ean=9780312429218&next=t] and Agnes Varda's breakout Cléo from 5 to 7 [https://www.hbomax.com/movies/cleo-from-5-to-7/71a51a00-b94b-44bf-8e5c-b3b6d2d2e44b?utm_source=universal_search]. Dana: Critic Walter Chaw's essay on the new Superman [https://filmfreakcentral.net/2025/07/superman-2025/]. Want more Culture Gabfest? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Culture Gabfest show page. Or, visit slate.com/cultureplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Jordan is mired in a bitter war over off-leash pups at an unofficial dog park. With pro-leash forces deploying fake signage, ambush videos, and questionable zip-tie tactics in a campaign of shame aimed at her fellow dog owners, Jordan is ready to take matters into her own hands. In this first installment of How To’s guide to becoming an antihero, Courtney Martin brings on writer, storyteller, and comedian Matthew Dicks [https://matthewdicks.com/] to counsel Jordan in the art of getting even. (Read Slate’s ⁠Revenge Week⁠ [https://slate.com/tag/revenge-week] spectacular.) A little treat: ⁠Jordan's pup, Ziggy! ⁠ [https://compote.slate.com/images/23972e7f-b4b2-4c46-a8ce-5e7865217c2b.jpeg?crop=1040%2C694%2Cx0%2Cy173] Next week: How To Be an Ethical Hater. (Can’t wait for antihero guidance? Check out How To Be the Next Erin Brockovich [https://slate.com/podcasts/how-to/2020/11/erin-brockovichs-advice-tackling-environmental-issues] and How To Confront a Crazy Neighbor (Featuring Tig Notaro) [https://slate.com/podcasts/how-to/2020/08/comedian-tig-notaro-advice-on-dealing-with-crazy-neighbors]. Are you carrying a petty grudge? Don’t get over it—we want to hear your story! Send us a note at howto@slate.com [howto@slate.com] or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-with-charles-duhigg/id1469631127], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2sTpPBvpoGHZlDwgSKI7EZ?si=bD7WdR-vTjuCva13Wdn5qw], or wherever you listen. The show is produced by Rosemary Belson, with Kevin Bendis. Our technical director is Merritt Jacob and our supervising producer is Joel Meyer. Special thanks to Sophie Summergrad. Get more of How To! with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of How To! and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the How To! show page on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to/id1469631127] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2sTpPBvpoGHZlDwgSKI7EZ]. Or, visit slate.com/howtoplus [https://slate.com/podcast-plus?utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=plus_pod&utm_content=How_To&utm_source=episode_summary] for access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]