Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

W. Kamau Bell's 'Awkward Thoughts' On Racism And Black Comedy:Feeling out of place is a fact of life for Bell, who describes himself as a "black and proud ... mama's boy." He celebrates his outsider status in the new memoir The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell.

Kendrick Lamar Extends His Vocal And Emotional Range On 'DAMN.':Emotions like lust and love serve as metaphors for social and political struggles on Lamar's new album. Critic Ken Tucker says the music on DAMN. signals the artist's bold refusal to back down.

For 'New York Times' Obit Writers, 'Death Is Never Solicitous Of A Deadline':Bruce Weber and Margalit Fox have written obituaries for thousands of people, ranging from heads of state to the inventor of the Etch-a-Sketch. They are featured in the new documentaryObit.

You can listen to the original interviews here:

W. Kamau Bell's 'Awkward Thoughts' On Racism And Black Comedy

Kendrick Lamar Extends His Vocal And Emotional Range On 'DAMN.'

For 'New York Times' Obit Writers, 'Death Is Never Solicitous Of A Deadline'

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