Once Upon a Beat

Wondery, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible

Wondery, Tinkercast

Get ready to hear your favorite stories remixed with beats and hooks that you can’t find in books! In May, Wondery premiered “Once Upon a Beat,” a brand-new original podcast series for kids & family co-created with Tinkercast. In the podcast, host DJ Fyütch and his trusty turntable Baby Scratch drop the needle on classic stories, spinning them hip-hop style. The folktales get flipped, the fables remixed, and the stories are told with a clever new twist.

For example, the first two episodes offer a modern musical take on the beloved classics: Goldilocks and The Three Bears gets updated as "Goldilocks & The Three Beats'' where Goldi finds her voice, and the folktale of John Henry becomes "John Henry, Steel Drivin' MC'' featuring a battle with a rapping AI. Later in the first season, which consists of 12 episodes, listeners can also check out remixes of beloved tales such as “The Funky Duckling,” “3 Goats and a Bully,” and “RAPunzel.”

“Once Upon a Beat” is hosted by Harold "Fyütch" Simmons II, a Grammy-nominated producer and musical artist dedicated to social justice. Fyütch, also an educator with expertise across multiple disciplines, boasts a rich creative history. In 2017, he combined his love for music and teaching by crafting engaging songs for classrooms, which gained popularity on YouTube, earning praise from educators and parents. Using hip-hop, spoken word, and visual narratives, he advocates for racial equality and liberation. Fyütch’s distinctive style features compelling social justice themes, including Black History, Indigenous Peoples, empathy, and sustainability.

“Once Upon a Beat” centers hip-hop in fun audio adventures, and is about more than just retelling stories; it's about reinventing and updating them to celebrate natural hair, individuality, and creativity. More kids can see themselves reflected in these tales, while being able to laugh and learn along with the characters.

Simply put, “Once Upon a Beat” is turning the tables on your favorite fables. Where hip hop and fables meet, It's “Once Upon a Beat!”