In the wake of the “manosphere” dominance that has flooded online spaces, many of us are faced with questions like “should men have podcasts” or statements like “keep the men from mics at all cost”. To be real, there has been a surge of online male spaces that have focused on men’s issues and unfortunately, often misogyny. While I don’t want to highlight the more unsavory podcasts, I’ve thought a lot about why there are so many and why they’re popular. I’ll get to that, but more importantly, there is never enough discourse about who are the positive male leaders in the space. Who is sharing their perspective without belittling others, who is hilarious without the need to punch down and who has been successful making their own way, not just doing what’s popular. There are so many, but I’ll highlight a few who I admire.

I’m sure this isn’t a surprise to most, but today’s men do not commonly have large, nor emotionally deep communities. Plenty of men, myself included, spend a majority of their time alone or with partners but not with platonic (re: male) friends. Growing up, the most common male groups outside of school I found were in team sports. Most of my friends to this day I’ve met hooping. But as I’ve gotten older, I find less opportunities to maintain these relationships and the ways we used to gather have changed often due to new priorities and responsibilities.

Unfortunately, the pandemic exacerbated this issue. No longer were men able to go to the barbershop, which as the fellas AND the ladies know, is literal therapy. No longer were we able to just play ball in the park. My partner can recall how unsettled I was early in the pandemic as we were unable to play any team sport. When I was able to start playing pickup again that summer, it felt like someone was breathing life into me again.

In the absence of these spaces, we really started to see an increase in the two men with mics format. Before it was really clear what was happening, these manosphere types started popping up with conversations on relationship dynamics, gender roles, and everyday advice; conversations we’ve been having since it all started.

What a lot of these podcasts have in common, even the manosphere ones (bear with me!), is that they seek to create a space where men feel like they can be themselves. I always go back to the feeling you get as a young man where you’re finally invited to the men’s table at the function. You get to hear the old heads go back and forth on trials and tribulations. Some of it is factual and some of it is outright lies, but these spaces can be downright powerful and to help us relax and recharge to face our problems in life.

So how do we keep the good and do away with the bad? I’ll do my part and highlight podcasts from black men that I admire in their approach to culture, relationships and the everyday struggle. I’ve selected these four but there are many more. Links are below. Please take some time to listen if you can!

• The Jenkins and Jones Podcast: Hosted by two brothas that I follow on the app formerly known as Twitter. They tackle sports, culture with a funny perspective in a way that only black men from NYC can do. What I most admire is their ability to relate to black men’s struggles in a way that is progressive and creates space to be vulnerable.
• Dear Culture: Hosted by the talented Panama Jackson, who I’ve had the privilege of meeting in person. A dope, down to earth, DC native, Panama has been holding it down for black folks in media since before I was allowed to leave the house. My favorite episode thus far is his very nuanced analysis of the box-office flop “The American Society of Magical Negroes”
• Stadio: A Football Podcast: Hosted by two of my favorite UK football (re: soccer) writers/pundits. Musa and Ryan never shy away from the cultural and political context that casts a shadow over the football world. Overall, they’re just great male role models.
• NO SKIPS with Jinx and Shea: Hosted by Brandon Jenkins and Shea Serrano who combine humor and amazing musical taste give the historical and cultural context of the best albums in hip-hop history. A few of my favorite episodes are on “Ready to Die”, “good kid, m.A.A.d city” and “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).”

As I get further into my 30s, I’m constantly faced with the question of what I can do to provide these opportunities for us. Whether it’s a book club, a party, a brunch or just some time to watch a game, I recognize how valuable and rare these spaces can be as we get more isolated. With media it can often be overwhelming to see how any one person can make an impact, but it starts with your community. So I say go ahead my brothas, start a (good) podcast, host a men’s club, organize your friends. All I ask is it’s about creating space for men to be ourselves and be a positive force for your community. We can figure out the rest.

Take care,

Sean the Architect