The Birmingham Debate : It's Been a Minute : NPR

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For the next several weeks Brittany is hosting debates in cities and regions across the United States to find out who and what are the most influential things from those places. <br><br>This episode Brittany lands in Birmingham, Alabama, and debates with <a href="https://www.wwno.org/gulf-states-newsroom">Gulf States Newsroom</a> sports & culture reporter <a href="https://www.wwno.org/people/joseph-king-1">Joseph King</a> and AL.com culture reporter <a href="https://www.al.com/staff/cshort/posts.html">Cody Short</a>. There will be winners. There will be losers. There will be surprises.</b> </div> <div id="wrapper"> <header class="contentheader contentheader--one"></header> <section id="main-section"><article class="story"><a id="mainContent"></a><div class="slug-wrap"> <h4 class="slug-tag"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/perspective"> Perspective </a> </h4> <h3 class="slug"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510317/its-been-a-minute">It's Been a Minute</a> </h3> </div> <ul class="podcast-tools podcast-tools--510317"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 3000; --source-height: 3000; " > <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2023/02/27/ibam_tile-2023_sq-8be9968a8deb580001ff44c27f77dcc028095187.jpg?s=1100&c=15&f=jpeg" data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2023/02/27/ibam_tile-2023_sq-8be9968a8deb580001ff44c27f77dcc028095187.jpg?s=1100&c=100&f=jpeg" 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<input type="hidden" id="modelFullUrl1198684048" value="https://www.npr.org/2024/09/10/1198684048/its-been-a-minute-birmingham-smackdown" /> </div>  <div id="story-meta" class="story-meta has-byline"> <div class="story-meta__one"> <div class="story-meta__one-inner"> <div class="dateblock"> <time datetime="2024-09-10T03:00:19-04:00"> <span class="date">September 10, 2024</span><span class="time">3:00 AM ET</span> </time> </div> </div>  </div>  <div class="story-meta__two"> <div id="storybyline" class="storybyline-wrap linkLocation"> <div class="bucketwrap byline"> <div class="byline-container--block byline-container--block-nophoto"> <p class="byline__name--block">By </p> <div class="byline byline--block byline--has-link" aria-label="Byline"> <div class="byline__photo"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1123917129/brittany-luse" rel="author"> <picture><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2023/02/28/ibam_brittanyluse_3_sq-b0ff3ff32513742e0f6381555c5e43ad8b424a4f.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=webp" class="img" type="image/webp" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2023/02/28/ibam_brittanyluse_3_sq-b0ff3ff32513742e0f6381555c5e43ad8b424a4f.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="webp" /><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2023/02/28/ibam_brittanyluse_3_sq-b0ff3ff32513742e0f6381555c5e43ad8b424a4f.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg" class="img" type="image/jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2023/02/28/ibam_brittanyluse_3_sq-b0ff3ff32513742e0f6381555c5e43ad8b424a4f.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" /><img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2023/02/28/ibam_brittanyluse_3_sq-b0ff3ff32513742e0f6381555c5e43ad8b424a4f.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg" class="img" alt="new photo" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2023/02/28/ibam_brittanyluse_3_sq-b0ff3ff32513742e0f6381555c5e43ad8b424a4f.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" /></picture> </a> </div> <p class="byline__name byline__name--block"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1123917129/brittany-luse" rel="author"> Brittany Luse </a> </p> </div> <p class="byline__name--block byline__comma">, </p> <div class="byline byline--block" aria-label="Byline"> <p class="byline__name byline__name--block"> Joseph King </p> </div> <p class="byline__name--block byline__comma">, </p> <div class="byline byline--block" aria-label="Byline"> <p class="byline__name byline__name--block"> Cody Short </p> </div> <p class="byline__name--block byline__comma">, </p> <div class="byline byline--block byline--has-link" aria-label="Byline"> <div class="byline__photo"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/564899221/barton-girdwood" rel="author"> <picture><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/28/npr_barton_girdwood_001_sq-052121d799ed8ff35384bddd51a527d914f1312a.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=webp" class="img" type="image/webp" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/28/npr_barton_girdwood_001_sq-052121d799ed8ff35384bddd51a527d914f1312a.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="webp" /><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/28/npr_barton_girdwood_001_sq-052121d799ed8ff35384bddd51a527d914f1312a.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg" class="img" type="image/jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/28/npr_barton_girdwood_001_sq-052121d799ed8ff35384bddd51a527d914f1312a.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" /><img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/28/npr_barton_girdwood_001_sq-052121d799ed8ff35384bddd51a527d914f1312a.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg" class="img" alt="Barton Girdwood at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., May 21, 2019. (photo by Allison Shelley)" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/28/npr_barton_girdwood_001_sq-052121d799ed8ff35384bddd51a527d914f1312a.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" /></picture> </a> </div> <p class="byline__name byline__name--block"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/564899221/barton-girdwood" rel="author"> Barton Girdwood </a> </p> </div> <p class="byline__name--block byline__comma">, </p> <div class="byline byline--block byline--has-link" aria-label="Byline"> <div class="byline__photo"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1115896513/jessica-placzek" rel="author"> <picture><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2022/09/19/jessicaplaczek_sq-309df0dc88fba03e6a3178f7f939d9204e618bf3.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=webp" class="img" type="image/webp" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2022/09/19/jessicaplaczek_sq-309df0dc88fba03e6a3178f7f939d9204e618bf3.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="webp" /><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2022/09/19/jessicaplaczek_sq-309df0dc88fba03e6a3178f7f939d9204e618bf3.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg" class="img" type="image/jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2022/09/19/jessicaplaczek_sq-309df0dc88fba03e6a3178f7f939d9204e618bf3.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" /><img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2022/09/19/jessicaplaczek_sq-309df0dc88fba03e6a3178f7f939d9204e618bf3.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg" class="img" alt="Jessica Placzek headshot" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2022/09/19/jessicaplaczek_sq-309df0dc88fba03e6a3178f7f939d9204e618bf3.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" /></picture> </a> </div> <p class="byline__name byline__name--block"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1115896513/jessica-placzek" rel="author"> Jessica Placzek </a> </p> </div> <p class="byline__name--block byline__comma">, </p> <div class="byline byline--block byline--has-link" aria-label="Byline"> <p class="byline__name byline__name--block"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1143683347/corey-antonio-rose" rel="author"> Corey Antonio Rose </a> </p> </div> </div> </div>  </div> </div>  </div>  <div id="primaryaudio" class="storylocation linkLocation"> <article id="res1258506164" class="bucketwrap resaudio" aria-label="audio-module"><div class="audio-module"> <h4 class="audio-module-title">The Birmingham SMACKDOWN: Gucci Mane vs. Angela Davis vs. Sun Ra</h4> <div class="audio-module-controls-wrap" data-audio='{"uid":"1198684048:1258506164","available":true,"duration":1834,"title":"The Birmingham SMACKDOWN: Gucci Mane vs. Angela Davis vs. Sun 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class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 5323; --source-height: 2994; " > <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/09/09/smackdown-birmingham1_wide-e864292f9d2e9e20d706f8219d9e1d9e1e6a5a73.jpg?s=400&c=85&f=webp 400w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/09/09/smackdown-birmingham1_wide-e864292f9d2e9e20d706f8219d9e1d9e1e6a5a73.jpg?s=600&c=85&f=webp 600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/09/09/smackdown-birmingham1_wide-e864292f9d2e9e20d706f8219d9e1d9e1e6a5a73.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp 800w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/09/09/smackdown-birmingham1_wide-e864292f9d2e9e20d706f8219d9e1d9e1e6a5a73.jpg?s=900&c=85&f=webp 900w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/09/09/smackdown-birmingham1_wide-e864292f9d2e9e20d706f8219d9e1d9e1e6a5a73.jpg?s=1200&c=85&f=webp 1200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/09/09/smackdown-birmingham1_wide-e864292f9d2e9e20d706f8219d9e1d9e1e6a5a73.jpg?s=1600&c=85&f=webp 1600w, 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https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/09/09/smackdown-birmingham1_wide-e864292f9d2e9e20d706f8219d9e1d9e1e6a5a73.jpg?s=900&c=85&f=jpeg 900w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/09/09/smackdown-birmingham1_wide-e864292f9d2e9e20d706f8219d9e1d9e1e6a5a73.jpg?s=1200&c=85&f=jpeg 1200w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/09/09/smackdown-birmingham1_wide-e864292f9d2e9e20d706f8219d9e1d9e1e6a5a73.jpg?s=1600&c=85&f=jpeg 1600w, https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/09/09/smackdown-birmingham1_wide-e864292f9d2e9e20d706f8219d9e1d9e1e6a5a73.jpg?s=1800&c=85&f=jpeg 1800w" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/09/09/smackdown-birmingham1_wide-e864292f9d2e9e20d706f8219d9e1d9e1e6a5a73.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)" class="img" type="image/jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/09/09/smackdown-birmingham1_wide-e864292f9d2e9e20d706f8219d9e1d9e1e6a5a73.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/09/09/smackdown-birmingham1_wide-e864292f9d2e9e20d706f8219d9e1d9e1e6a5a73.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" class="img" alt="" loading="lazy" /> </picture> <div class="enlarge-options"> <a class="enlargelink" href="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/09/09/smackdown-birmingham1_wide-e864292f9d2e9e20d706f8219d9e1d9e1e6a5a73.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg">Enlarge this image</a> </div> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> <p> 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Sun Ra. Gucci Mane. Angela Davis. <b class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Getty Images </b> <b class="hide-caption"><b>hide caption</b></b> </p> </div> <b class="toggle-caption"><b>toggle caption</b></b> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Getty Images </span> </div> <div class="enlarge_measure"> <div class="img_wrap"> <picture> <source data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/09/09/smackdown-birmingham1_wide-e864292f9d2e9e20d706f8219d9e1d9e1e6a5a73.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=webp" type="image/webp"> <source data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/09/09/smackdown-birmingham1_wide-e864292f9d2e9e20d706f8219d9e1d9e1e6a5a73.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg" type="image/jpeg"> <img data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/09/09/smackdown-birmingham1_wide-e864292f9d2e9e20d706f8219d9e1d9e1e6a5a73.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg" alt="" /> </picture> </div> </div> <div class="enlarge_html"> <div class="image_data"> <p class="caption">16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Sun Ra. Gucci Mane. Angela Davis.</p> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Getty Images </span> </div> </div> </div> <p>Who will win today's cage match?<br/><br/>Welcome to The Smackdown! For the next several weeks Brittany is hosting debates in cities and regions across the United States to find out who and what are the most influential things from those places. <br/><br/>This episode Brittany lands in Birmingham, Alabama, and debates with <a href="https://www.wwno.org/gulf-states-newsroom">Gulf States Newsroom</a> sports & culture reporter <a href="https://www.wwno.org/people/joseph-king-1">Joseph King</a> and AL.com culture reporter <a href="https://www.al.com/staff/cshort/posts.html">Cody Short</a>. There will be winners. There will be losers. There will be surprises.</p> <aside id="ad-backstage-wrap" class="ad-wrap backstage" aria-label="advertisement"> <div class="ad-header "><span>Sponsor Message</span></div> <div id="ad-backstage-podcasts_It_s_Been_a_Minute" class="ad-config ad-backstage has-refresh-enabled" data-ad-config='{"network":"\/6735\/","site":{"desktop":"n6735.NPR","mobile":"n6735.NPRMOBILE"},"zone":"podcasts_It_s_Been_a_Minute","targets":{"testserver":"false","isPodcastEpisode":"true","storyId":"1198684048","orgId":"1"},"location":"backstage","deferred":false,"isBetweenContent":false,"overflowCount":null,"hasRefreshEnabled":true,"isOutstreamVideoEnabled":true}'></div> <div class="ad-footer "></div> </aside> <p class="contributors-text"><em>This episode was produced by Barton Girdwood, with additional support from Corey Antonio Rose, Liam McBain and Alexis Williams. This episode was edited by Jessica Placzek. Our Executive Producer is Jasmine Romero. Our VP of Programming is Yolanda Sangweni.</em></p> </div> <div class="tags"> <ul> <li><a class="tag tag--story"href="https://www.npr.org/tags/811779095/sun-ra">sun ra</a></li> <li><a class="tag tag--story"href="https://www.npr.org/tags/1258499795/sweet-tea">sweet tea</a></li> <li><a class="tag tag--story"href="https://www.npr.org/tags/1258499716/angela-davis">Angela Davis</a></li> <li><a class="tag tag--story"href="https://www.npr.org/tags/536845577/windshield-wiper">Windshield wiper</a></li> <li><a class="tag tag--story"href="https://www.npr.org/tags/530153712/gucci-mane">Gucci Mane</a></li> <li><a class="tag tag--story"href="https://www.npr.org/tags/509596012/16th-street-baptist-church">16th Street Baptist Church</a></li> </ul> </div>  <div class="share-tools share-tools--secondary" aria-label="Share tools"> <ul> <li class="share-tools__service share-tools__service--facebook"><button class="fbStory1198684048" data-share-facebook='{"storyId": "1198684048" }' data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"share","action":"share","clickName":"facebook"}' ><b class="share-tools__service-name">Facebook</b></button></li> <li class="share-tools__service share-tools__service--flipboard"><button class="story1198684048" data-share-flipboard='{"storyId": "1198684048" }' data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"share","action":"share","clickName":"flipboard"}' ><b class="share-tools__service-name">Flipboard</b></button></li> <li class="share-tools__service share-tools__service--email"><button class='share-tools__email-link' data-story-id='1198684048' data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"share","action":"share","clickName":"email"}' ><b class="share-tools__service-name">Email</b></button></li> </ul> </div>  <div id="newsletter-acquisition-callout-data" data-newsletter="{"newsletterId":"news","title":"Up First","marketingHeader":"Sign Up For NPR's Up First Newsletter","frequency":"every day","shortDescription":"The stories you need to start your day, hand-picked for you every weekday. 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