Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond

Wyclef Jean may just be the most wide-ranging rapper, producer, performer, and composer of his time. As the lead producer and MC of The Fugees, he helped craft their 1996 landmark album The Score, one of the best-selling hip-hop albums of all time. The following year he released his debut solo album, The Carnival, which included hits like "Guantanamera" featuring Celia Cruz, and the platinum-certified single "Gone Till November."
As a writer and producer for other artists, Wyclef is behind Whitney Houston's "My Love Is Your Love," Santana's chart-dominating "Maria Maria," Shakira's global smash "Hips Don't Lie," and Destiny's Child's breakout single "No, No, No."
This spring, Wyclef is releasing Clef Notes, Volume One of Quantum Leap — an ambitious seven-album solo project that unfolds over the next year. Each installment is seven tracks and zeroes in on a different genre, ranging from country and reggae to jazz, hip-hop, Haitian kompa, and beyond.
Today, we're bringing you a special episode: a live conversation recorded at the On Air Podcast Festival, where Justin Richmond was joined by special guest host Sam Sanders to sit down with Wyclef. They get into what it was really like in the studio with Whitney Houston, how The Fugees shaped their sound while recording The Score, and the wisdom Wyclef would pass on to his younger self about what makes a great creative collaboration.
You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite songs from Wyclef Jean HERE.
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Jessie Ware has always moved between worlds. She's a British soul singer who spent the early part of her career making intimate, understated records. Then, in 2020, she released What's Your Pleasure? and morphed into a full-blown disco goddess. The record received widespread critical acclaim, earned Jessie her first top-three album on the UK charts, and was nominated for British Album of the Year at the BRITs. Today Jessie traces that sonic evolution back to an especially ripe creative period in her life, when she launched Table Manners, the podcast she hosts with her mom Lennie. Table Manners has become one of the UK's most beloved shows, racking up over 60 million listens, and in turn gave Jessie a new kind of confidence.
This month Jessie is releasing Superbloom, her sixth album. As she has since What's Your Pleasure?, Jessie A&Rs the record herself, staying carefully in control of every creative decision. Her production team included core collaborator James Ford, the producer behind landmark records with Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode, Florence and the Machine, and Blur. As well as three-time Grammy winner Stuart Price, best known for producing Madonna's Confessions on a Dance Floor and The Killers' Day & Age.
On today's episode, Leah Rose talks with Jessie Ware about how Superbloom was born after a particularly difficult year filled with illness and loss, and how that led to an album that sounds like pure joy. Jessie also talks about channeling Grace Jones to slip into a sexy persona to record sultry new songs like "Ride" and "Sauna," and she explains how Minnie Riperton and Stevie Wonder inspired her to make her private life public like never before.
You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite songs from Jessie Ware HERE.
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Patrick Watson first came to international attention in 2007 when his album Close to Paradise won the Polaris Music Prize, Canada's most prestigious award for a Canadian album. Over the course of his career, the Montreal-based singer and composer built a devoted following through his orchestral pop arrangements, his remarkable voice, and live performances that blend intimacy with a theatric sensibility.
Watson's music has found a second life far beyond his core fanbase. His song “Je te laisserai des mots" became a viral phenomenon years after its release, accumulating over a billion streams after being discovered by a new generation on social media. His film and television work has brought his sound to audiences worldwide, including his score for the acclaimed French-Canadian series Les Pays d'en haut.
Today Bruce Headlam talks to Patrick Watson about making his playful and adventurous new record, Uh Oh—an album he recorded after recovering from a vocal chord hemorrhage on tour. Because of his injury, Patrick chose to feature a ton of guest artists on his new album in the style of hip-hop features. Patrick Watson and Ariel Engle, also known as La Force, kick off the episode with a beautiful live performance of the song, House On Fire.
You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite songs from Patrick Watson HERE.
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There are a few artists we wish could've come on Broken Record, people who were sometimes misunderstood or hassled by the press and would have had the opportunity to be heard. One such artist is George Michael. Since that's unfortunately not a possibility, we're doing the next best thing—sharing a preview of a new podcast, Big Lives, and a special episode about George Michael. Every week on Big Lives, hosts Kai Wright and Emmanuel Dzotsi dig into the BBC archive to explore the story behind the icons who shape our culture—trailblazers like David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, Muhammed Ali, and Tina Turner—and better understand how each legend set the stage for our contemporary cultural landscape.
George Michael was more than scandal headlines and tabloid punchlines. He was one of the defining pop artists of his generation. Kai and Emmanuel trace his transformation—teen heart‑throb, closeted superstar, grieving partner, activist, and ultimately a gay icon who reclaimed the narrative with wit, rage, and dazzling talent. If you like what you hear, find more episodes of Big Lives wherever you get podcasts.
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Charlie Puth is a meticulous songwriter whose knowledge of pop music runs deeper than your average chart topper. Charlie, who studied music production and engineering at Berklee College of Music, first gained widespread attention in 2015 with "See You Again," his collaboration with Wiz Khalifa for the Furious 7 soundtrack. The song earned him his first three Grammy nominations.
Since then, he's released hits like "Attention," "We Don't Talk Anymore," and "One Call Away," while also writing and producing for other artists, including co-writing and co-producing "Stay" for The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber. His fourth album, Whatever's Clever!, comes out next month. It's his most honest work to date, and as he'll reveal on this episode, the songwriting is far more personal than anything he's released in the past.
On today's episode, Justin Richmond talks to Charlie Puth about making Whatever's Clever! and the process of recording a song with Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. He discusses the clever way he convinced Kenny G to appear on the album. And he sits down at the piano to demonstrate how gospel chords always find their way into pop music, revealing the harmonic foundations that shape his songwriting.
You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite songs from Charlie Puth HERE.
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