Merrick Studios Debuts with Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and a Full Lineup of Culture-Driven Podcasts

Houston legend Bun B is already a hall-of-famer in rap, an educator at Rice University, a sneaker collaborator, and a burger kingpin with Trill Burgers; you’d think his plate is full. But today, he’s adding another title to his resume: podcast boss. Bun has teamed up with music industry veteran Jeffrey Sledge, a proud Morgan State University alum, and marketing executive Tom Frank to officially launch Merrick Studios, a culture-forward podcast network that’s trying to flip the script on how people create and share shows.

Most podcast networks? They start with one or two hosts, pray they can find an audience, and try to scale up. Merrick? They came in day one with a full lineup of shows, big-name guests, and a creator-first system that feels more like a community than a company.

“We’re not just building a network, we’re building a family,” Bun told Complex. “When you’re part of this, you've got a squad behind you. Production, promo, monetization, plus other dope creators to collab with. That’s how conversations get bigger.”

That “family” framing ain’t just lip service. Bun’s been in the game long enough to know independent creatives often burn out recording in home studios, teaching themselves how to edit, hustling social media algorithms. Merrick is built to take that stress off. They’re plugging creators into AI-powered production tools, experienced editors, and a cross-promotional engine that makes shows feel bigger out of the gate.

And having Jeffrey Sledge steering the ship alongside Bun matters. A Brooklyn native and longtime music exec, Sledge got his start grinding in A&R, working with major artists while navigating an industry that didn’t always welcome Black voices in positions of power. He credits his Morgan State HBCU experience with shaping that mindset: “At an HBCU, you learn the value of community. Everybody’s invested in your growth, but they also expect you to deliver. That’s the energy I’m bringing into Merrick, we’re building something together, and we’re holding each other accountable to make it excellent.”

It’s not just talking. The lineup already proves Merrick isn’t chasing clout, they’re curating culture:

Unglossy - Bun B, Sledge, and Frank in conversation with cultural heavyweights like playwright Keenan Scott II, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, former Adidas exec Eric Liedtke, and NFL Hall of Famer Andre Reed.
Mixed and Mastered - Sledge breaking down the music business with execs, producers, and visionaries who shape what we hear.
Pitch Lab - Entrepreneurs bring their ideas to the table and get unfiltered critique.
The Love/Hate Relationship with Comic Culture - Pete Rock, Mickey Factz, and Tat Wza nerding out (and arguing) about comics, movies, and fandom.
Pendulum Podcast - A classroom for lyricism, featuring some of the greatest rappers alive, powered by Pendulum Ink.
PlaceShaper - Where design, real estate, and culture meet to shape the future of communities.
The Juniata Men’s Basketball Show - A rare look inside one of D3’s standout hoops programs.
Two Mothers, One Aché - A raw, healing dialogue on grief and love with Yvette Dávila and Dionne C. Monsanto.
The Grey Area - Dante Ross holding space for artists across every genre and walk of life.

That mix is deliberate. It’s not just “two dudes with mics” talking into the void; it’s conversations rooted in music, food, sports, grief, comics, community, and culture. It reflects what podcasting could be if you stop treating it like an individual grind and start treating it like a cultural ecosystem.

And here’s why this move matters beyond the tech and the roster: representation. Too often, mainstream media paints hip hop as destructive instead of constructive. Kendrick Lamar captured that tension perfectly on DAMN., when he opened the album with a Fox News clip of Geraldo Rivera saying, “This is why I say that hip-hop has done more damage to young African-Americans than racism in recent years.”

Merrick Studios feels like a direct rebuttal to that narrative. Here’s a hip hop icon, Bun B, teaming up with an HBCU alum and respected music exec to build something positive, collaborative, and future-facing. It’s the kind of infrastructure that shows young people of color, especially HBCU students, that hip hop isn’t just about beats and bars, it’s about building platforms, communities, and futures.

Tom Frank put it plain: “Podcasting can feel lonely. We’re changing that. This is about giving creators resources, reach, and community.”

For Bun B, the Houston connection is key, too. H-Town has been exporting culture for decades, rap, chopped and screwed, sneakers, food, and Merrick Studios feels like another extension of that. But instead of just repping the South, Bun’s building a space that’s broad enough to touch every corner of culture while still being rooted in authenticity.

And with Jeffrey Sledge’s Morgan State background woven into the DNA, Merrick also carries that HBCU spirit, resilience, community, and elevation of Black voices in every episode.

With podcasting hitting a saturation point, Merrick Studios is betting on collaboration over competition, culture over clout. And for young people watching? It’s proof that hip hop doesn’t just move culture, it builds it.