Songs To Live By

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through the shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times and places, to share the songs that shaped their lives. In this episode Soul II Soul's Jazzie B and saxophonist YolanDa Brown share their Songs to Live By.

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through the shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times and places, to share the songs that shaped their lives. In this episode writers Malorie Blackman and Liv Little swap their songs to live by.

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through the shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times and places, to share the songs that shaped their lives. In this episode Bloc Party's frontman, Kele Okereke, and Kenya Hunt, the first Black editor of Elle UK, to swap their songs to live by.

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through a shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives.

In this episode, Vick is joined by singers Cat Burns and Shakka to talk about self acceptance, honesty and owning your truth, hypermasculinity and rejecting musical stereotypes, all soundtracked to India Irie, Kanye West, Tori Kelly and Daft Punk.

Cat Burns is a former BRIT school student who went from busking on the Southbank to garnering a huge following for her music on TikTok in lockdown which landed her a record deal. Shakka is a two-time MOBO Award winner who over the last decade has gifted us silky, smooth R&B tracks. You’ll recognise his pitch-perfect vocals from his summer hits ‘Man Down’ and ‘Too Bad Bad’.

Producer: Abla Klaa

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through the shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives.

In this episode, Vick is joined by the poet Malika Booker and singer songwriter Samm Henshaw.

Producer: Abla Klaa

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through a shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives.

In this episode, Vick is joined by music producers Swindle and Roni Size to talk about the importance of music history in making music of the future, bringing unity through music, the merits of getting kicked out of school and being a music pioneer.

Swindle is a musician, record producer and DJ who produces grime, dubstep, and garage with a heavy dose of funk. His CV reads like a Who's who of the UK MC scene. Roni Size, is an English DJ and record producer. He came to prominence in 1997 as the founder and frontman of Roni Size & Reprazent, a drum and bass collective, who that year won the Mercury Prize for their debut studio album New Forms.

Producer: Cecile Wright

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through a shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives.

In this episode Vick is joined by radio host Remi Burgz and comedian Angie Le Mar to talk about loud black women, finding your own path, close dancing, and how to make the right entrance into heaven, all sound tracked to music from Aswad, Althea and Donna, Burna Boy and McFadden and Whitehead.

Remi Burgz is the host of BBC 1Xtra's Weekend Breakfast Show. Angie Le Mar is one of the pioneers of black British Comedy who appeared in iconic productions like ‘The Real McCoy’ and ‘Get Up, Stand Up’, as well as a writer, actor and theatre director.

Producer: Cecile Wright

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through a shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives.

In this episode, Vick is joined by rapper Avelino and poet Roger Robinson to talk language, lyrics and learning to love poetry, Fidel Castro, and who wears the crown - Biggie or 2pac?

Avelino is noted for his lyrical, melodic approach to rapping. Roger Robinson is a poet and musician. His book A Portable Paradise won both the 2019 T. S. Eliot Prize for poetry and the Royal Society of Literature’s Ondaatje Prize 2020.

Producer: Cecile Wright

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through a shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives.

In this episode Vick is joined by singers Enny and Pauline Black to talk about listening to pirate radio in the night-time, what's in a name, and Black music in 1970s Britain sound-tracked by Sweet Female Attitude, Billie Holiday, BeBe and CeCe Winans, and Steel Pulse.

Enny was catapulted to international fame with her song Peng Black Girls. Pauline Black is the lead singer of the two-tone band, The Selecter, and has been described as the Queen of British Ska.

Producer: Cecile Wright

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through the shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives.

In this episode, Vick is joined by DJ Seani B and singer David Hinds to talk about bootlegging, Jamaican patois and Marcus Garvey, all soundtracked by John Holt, Desmond, Dekker, Burning Spear and Case.

Seani B is a DJ, Remixer and Producer and host of BBC 1Xtra's reggae and dancehall show. David Hinds is the lead singer and guitarist of reggae band Steel Pulse, whose 1978 debut album, Handsworth Revolution, is regarded as a landmark in the history of British reggae.

Producer: Cecile Wright

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through the shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives.

In this episode Vick is joined by George the Poet and Leeds-based rapper Graft. They chat about family values, social aspiration, what music and art really means to them, and how it has shaped their views today. All soundtracked by iconic music from Nas, 2Pac, Chipmunk and Little Brother.

George the Poet is a poet, rapper, and host of the award-winning podcast Have you heard George's Podcast. Graft is a Leeds-based rapper, a recipient of the MOBO award for unsung artist, and winner of The Rap Game on BBC3.

Producer: Cecile Wright

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through the shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives. Each guest brings two songs and each episode is a journey into their lives, our history and some great music - new and old.

In this episode Vick is joined by Fatman Scoop and Guvna B. Fatman Scoop is an American rapper, a hip hop promoter and radio personality famed for his on-stage rough, raw loud voice. He's collaborated with some of music's biggest names including Mariah Carey, LL Cool J, Whitney Houston, Sean Paul and Missy Elliott. Guvna B is a Christian rapper from London. He's the recipient of two MOBO Awards for Best Gospel Act and is the first rapper to top the Official Christian and Gospel Charts with his 2013 album Odd1Out.

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through the shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives. Each guest brings two songs and each episode is a journey into their lives, our history and some great music - new and old.

In this episode Vick is joined by actor Paterson Joseph and journalist and writer, Niellah Arboine. Paterson Joseph is an acclaimed theatre and TV actor who has performed for the RSC and the National Theatre. He appeared as Alan Johnson in Peep show and starred in the BBC adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s novel Noughts & Crosses. Niellah Arboine is a founding member of gal-dem, the award-winning online magazine run by women and non-binary people of colour.

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through the shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives. Each guest brings two songs and each episode is a journey into their lives, our history and some great music - new and old.

In this episode Vick is joined by poet and former model Yrsa Daley-Ward and Chanté Joseph. Yrsa is known for her debut best-selling book, Bone, and for being an "Instagram poet". Chanté Joseph is a social media creative, host and writer. She also presented Channel 4's online series 'How Not To Be Racist' which examines racism and misconceptions about race.

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through the shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives. Each guest brings two songs and each episode is a journey into their lives, our history and some great music - new and old.

In this episode Vick is joined by Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu and sportswoman Khadijah Mellah. In 2019 Khadijah Mellah became the first hijab-wearing jockey in a competitive British horse race. She won the Magnolia Cup. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu is an activist, political commentator, author and lawyer, with qualifications from both New York and England. She is a regular speaker on women's rights and diversity.

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through the shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives. Each guest brings two songs and each episode is a journey into their lives, our history and some great music - new and old.

In this episode Vick is joined by stand-up comedian, writer and presenter Dane Baptiste, and poet performer Sophia Thakur. Dane made comedy history in 2014 as the first Black British act to be nominated for a comedy award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for his debut stand up show Citizen Dane. Sophia Thakur has been performing since the age of 16 and has a wide reach across social media. She has presented two TEDxTalks and her debut collection of poems 'Somebody Give This Heart A Pen' was published in 2019.

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through the shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives. Each guest brings two songs and each episode is a journey into their lives, our history and some great music - new and old.

In this episode, Vick is joined by rapper Hardy Caprio and actor and writer Akemnji Ndifornyen, known for the BBC3 comedy sketch show Famalam. Hardy Caprio broke onto the UK rap scene in 2017 with the hits Unsigned and Super Soaker.

Producer: Cecile Wright

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through the shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives. Each guest brings two songs and each episode is a journey into their lives, our history and some great music - new and old.

In this episode, Vick is joined by DJ Tiffany Calver and singer Mica Paris. They pick songs by India Arie, Marvin Gaye, Tom Browne and Nas. Tiffany is a Radio 1Xtra DJ who is known for being the first female host of ‘The Rap Show’. Mica Paris is a singer, actress and presenter known for singles such as ‘My One Love’.

Producer: Olivia Cope

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through the shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives. Each guest brings two songs and each episode is a journey into their lives, our history and some great music - new and old.

In this episode writer and rapper Ben Bailey Smith (aka Doc Brown) and blogger Zeze Millz chat about music, skipping church and the early days of a thing called the internet. With songs by Gospel superstar Kirk Franklin and Nas.

Doc Brown is an actor, comedian, rapper and author of children’s books. Zeze Millz is a social media influencer, known for her no nonsense approach to interviews in The Zeze Millz show. These two go back and forth on culture, growing up in Black and mixed race households, and how music can propel them to new heights. A passionate conversation from passionate people.

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through the shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives.

In this episode Vick is joined by comedian Sophie Duker and Lady Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, founder of UK Black Pride. They talk about big personalities, Halle Berry's Oscar win, and the joy of coming out. With Songs from Ms. Dynamite and Boney M.

Coming up on Songs To Live By...

Writer and rapper Doc Brown and blogger Zeze Millz chat about music, skipping church and the early days of a thing called the internet. With songs by Gospel superstar Kirk Franklin and Nas.

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating different generations of Black culture through the shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, who grew up at different times, to share the songs that shaped their lives.

In this episode, Vick is joined by Rizzle Kicks singer Jordan Stephens and poet Benjamin Zephaniah. They pick tracks by The Streets and The Meditations and talk about spoken word, lyrics and life (and why Jordan has a fanboy crush on Benjamin).

They chat about their work and their passions and go back and forth on what music and art really means to them, and how it has shaped their views today.

Benjamin is a writer, poet and musician with talents aplenty and never one to bottle his thoughts and views. Jordan is one half of the Hip Hop group ‘Rizzle Kicks’, writer, poet and presenter of the show ‘Don’t Hate The Playaz’.

Songs To Live By is a podcast celebrating Black culture through the shared love of music. Host Vick Hope is joined by two guests, from different generations, to share the songs that shaped them. Each guest brings two songs and each episode is a journey into their lives, our history and some great music - new and old.

That’s guests like Doc Brown, Mica Paris and Tiffany Calver; all picking tracks and swapping stories about themselves and their experiences growing up. These are the songs that make us who we are. Songs that help us tell our stories. Songs that express our struggles. Songs that celebrate Black excellence. These are Songs To Live By.

Coming up on Songs To Live By…

Rizzle Kicks' Jordan Stephens and poet Benjamin Zephaniah pick tracks by The Streets and The Meditations. They chat about spoken word, lyrics and life (and why Jordan has a fanboy crush on Benjamin).

Comedian Sophie Duker and Lady Phyll, founder of UK Black Pride, talk about big personalities, motivation and what made them tick as a child. With songs by Boney M and Ms. Dynamite.

Writer and rapper Doc Brown and Blogger Zeze Millz chat about music, skipping church and the early days of a thing called the internet. With songs by Gospel superstar Kirk Franklin and Nas.

Plus, comedian Dane Baptiste and poet Sophia Thakur, actor Paterson Joseph and gal-dem writer Niellah Arboine; activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu and jockey Khadijah Mellah; rapper Hardy Caprio and actor Akemnji Ndifornyen.