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When George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police on Memorial Day, pain and anger blasted like a shock wave across the Twin Cities and the world. Floyd’s death was followed by a week of protests, marches and sometimes destructive unrest. In this episode, KFAI’s Melissa Olson takes us to the intersection of 38th and Chicago Ave, where Native jingle dress dancers offered a ceremony of healing. We also hear from Twin Cities hip-hop artist Tall Paul, who recounts his experience patrolling south Minneapolis and protecting local businesses during the uprising. Then we take a gritty walking tour of unsanctioned artwork, hosted by graffiti artist Peyton Scott Russell.

We’re still social distancing and we’re still making stuff. Some artists have changed what they make. Others have changed how they make it. KFAI’s Barb Abney hosts from home and shares an uplifting interview with Twin Cities hip-hop artist Nur-D, who just dropped an EP recorded entirely from his bedroom. We also hear a tender, slightly gloomy audio diary from Minneapolis poet Ed Bok Lee, who discusses skeletons and shares knock-knock jokes with his young daughter. It’s adorable and, you guessed it, poetic.

Hear stories of Minnesota artists making it work in this time of social distancing. Barb Abney hosts the Season 4 launch from her daughter's bedroom while social distancing at home. In an audio diary, Haitian dancer Djenane Saint Juste fields a robocall from a bill collector, shares intimate scenes sheltering in place with her mother, then hosts a series of boisterous dance lessons in her apartment. We make a house call to Hmong chef Yia Vang who looks to his parents' experience as refugees to guide him through the pandemic.Support for MinneCulture on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. This podcast was produced by Nancy Rosenbaum with Anna Stitt and Emily Bright, edited by Ryan Dawes and Melissa Olson.

For our Season 3 finale, stories about the late, great Prince Rogers Nelson. You'll hear from the guy credited with "discovering" Prince, what it was like to get phone calls from Prince at 3 a.m., and we take of tour of "Purple Places" that mark Prince's roots in North Minneapolis. This episode was produced by KFAI’s Nancy Rosenbaum. Support for MinneCulture comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

There are often parts of a job no one else understands or even knows about. We're talking about the unheralded tasks that are executed in the shadows, after hours, void of glory. On this episode, we meet two Minnesotans, an elementary school principal and the CEO of a hip-hop record label, each fulfilling the last line of their job description: "Other Duties As Assigned."

Minnesota's oldest auctioneer reflects on rural life, the Kim Loo Sisters face discrimination in the jazz scene during the 1930s and 1940s, and a rusticly bunking historian sheds light on the history of slavery in Minnesota. The episode was produced by KFAI's Emily Bright.

For some artists, sickness can fuel their creativity. But for others, illness can drain the inspiration right out of them. In this episode, musician P.O.S and radio producer Katie Thornton discuss the ways chronic illnesses has affected their lives. This episode was produced by KFAI's Sophie Nikitas.

In this episode, we meet Minnesota musicians that take old music, and put their own twist on it. Host Jumondeh Tweh goes backstage at a Saint Paul jazz club with Debbie Duncan who’s known as the Twin Cities’ “First Lady of Song.” We travel to South Minneapolis, where Minnesota’s oldest African American drum corps is keeping an old musical tradition alive. And we hear from some passionate classical musicians at the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra about the album that won them a Grammy in 2018.

Immigrants are spicing up Minnesota food. In this episode of the MinneCulture podcast, host Jumondeh Tweh gets cooking tips from his Liberian mother and listens in on stories about Hmong and Somali food. KFAI's Emily Bright produced this delicious audio treat.

In Minnesota, freezing winters and big snowfalls come with the territory. But three feet of snow on Halloween? That was a day to remember. In the premiere of Season 3, Jumondeh Tweh plays a documentary produced by Britt Aamodt about the Halloween Blizzard of 1991, which remains one of the largest and most memorable storms in Minnesota history.

Fresh Fruit is the longest running queer radio program in the US. It has aired on KFAI Community Radio in Minneapolis, Minn. for over 40 years. MinneCulture host Jumondeh Tweh speaks with KFAI’s Dixie Treichel, who produced a radio documentary on this legendary radio show, tracking down former hosts and gathering the history of Fresh Fruit.

It wouldn’t be a Minnesota podcast if we didn’t take you outside. It’s cold outside, baby, with rabid Minnesota Wild fans and anglers who won’t let a little ice get in their way. The MinneCulture crew bundles up and hits the ice to tell the unfrozen stories of the cold, bold North.

Despite the sizable Somali community in Minneapolis, Somali art hasn’t broken through to the mainstream. Known as a “nation of poets,” those who seek out the oral traditions of Somalia through poetry and music are greatly rewarded. Meet Nimo Farah, a Somali poet and activist, who is working to keep Somali oral traditions alive in America. In this episode, you’ll hear from Somali poets—in both English and Somali. We also bring you the music Dalmar Yare, a big deal musician in the Somali community where he’s highly sought after to sing at weddings and other social celebrations.

Forget the Spoonbridge and Cherry—these are landmarks that have secrets to tell, even when they’re gone. In this episode, we explore one that fell to the forces of urban renewal; one that closed because of the owner’s health issues; and one that is stuck between a rock and a hard place of history and gentrification. Host Jumondeh Tweh checks out Minneapolis’ nearly forgotten Skid Row, the recent loss of Arnellia’s (“the Apollo of St. Paul”), and Al’s Breakfast, a Twin Cities landmark withstanding the test of time.

What does it mean to “break the mold”? A hard-boiled lesbian detective breaks through the lavender ceiling, a Sudanese model refuses to lighten her skin to fit in and an Ojibwe rapper wants to be the spark that ignites the fire in his people. Nyakim Gatwech is the “queen of dark,” a Sudanese model in Minnesota with unapologetically dark skin. She has a major Instagram following, too. Ellen Hart is the author of a series of (24!) mystery novels about lesbian detective Jane Lawless. Her work on the series won her an Edgar Award in 2017. She is the first openly gay writer to receive the award. And Baby Shel, an Ojibwe rapper from the Red Lake Reservation, doesn’t care if he becomes the most popular rapper in the world—he just wants to open the door for people like him.

How has immigration, migration, and connection to the rest of the world shaped the sights and sounds of Minnesota? Meet Siama Matuzungidi, a Congolese soukous musician. He moved to Minnesota in the late 90s after having a prosperous career in Congo, Uganda, and Kenya. His life and music flow like his native Congo River, and today, the Mighty Mississippi. Doug Little and his band Charanga Tropical bring the traditional music of Cuba to Minnesota. Charanga orchestras are mainly popular in Florida, New York, and California. But Minnesota is home to one of the only Charanga orchestras in country.

Andrew Moore’s front yard used to host an enormous political art installation. His front yard installation was steeped in political turmoil and showed images of poverty, police brutality, and racism. But it cost him over $38,000 in city fines, his renter’s license, and eventually, his home. But he’s he didn’t let it strip him of his artistic identity; now he wears it. Moore’s installation work may be lost forever, but he continues to express himself and his views through clothing he makes from items found at thrift shops.

Why do people dress a certain way? What does dress say about who we are, and what connects us? People pick their uniforms for various reasons, but often it’s to fit in to a group. For the Minnesota Dandies—a group of sharply dressed black men—it means dressing for success and respect. For one Minnesotan women during the Civil War, it meant disguising herself as men in order to serve her country. Host Jumondeh Tweh looks at why uniforms matter—and what it says about how we express ourselves.

When is love an art form in and of itself? Like art, true love comes in many forms. A Congolese couple, separated by the ocean, sing to each other over the phone to stay connected. An all-grrrl punk band sing through a telephone (repurposed as a microphone) to the community that supports them. Corrie Harrigan (drums), Laura Larson (bass), and Liz Elton (vocals), are Kitten Forever. The three-piece punk band blazes minimalist dance punk in their underwear, trade off on instruments frequently, and love each other.

Backyard chicken coops are on the rise. But setting up your first egg operation isn’t without its challenges. Our producer Xan Holston found this out the hard way. Plus, a vigilante bike-law enforcer has taken to the Twin Cities streets and he’s causing quite a stir. Theme music by Javier Santiago. Support for Minneculture is made possible by a grant from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.