If it's possible to sum up the television universe of SBS's Viceland channel, it might be in two shows which may make little sense next to each other but, at their heart, line up neatly.

Noisey sets out to understand major centres through the intersection of music, politics and the sometimes fractious relationships between communities and police. If it reaches any conclusions, it is that change will be a collective effort.

F*ck That's Delicious is a food show about eating rather than cooking, gusto rather than technique, with the emphasis on a shared experience.

It's true, rappers figure in both: with the controversial figure of Chief Keef in Chicago the way in for reporter Zach Goldbaum's exploration of that city's human culture in Noisey; and Action Bronson is the eater-in-chief in F*ck That's Delicious. But in both shows that's in a way the least important bit.

"[Keef] is very much a product, a manifestation of these things that are happening. He's been blamed for so much but he is just the figurehead in many ways," says Goldbaum. "The goal of the show is using these artists as entry points to talk about everything that is going on in the city and then allow the city to become a character itself."

Music reflects the city – in Chicago with the police and inter-racial harmony, employment and violence – but is not the city. By the end of each episode it is the background noise almost.

"Each episode is really different because it's dictated by the city and what's happening right now," Goldbaum says. "Obviously in places like Chicago things are changing rapidly but, not to compare the show to The Wire – it's a lofty comparison, the greatest television show of all time – but in The Wire you see the politicians, the police, the drug dealers, these intertwined cogs in what makes the city function as well.

"So we meet community leaders, religious leaders, we meet the artists, and the music is a great way to start these conversations. It is the perfect way to wrap it all together because in many ways it is what connects all these different facets of the city."

If those lofty goals and comparisons to The Wire aren't in Bronson's wheelhouse – asked how he convinced people to fund this show with him and his mates chowing down, the one-time cook from Flushing, New York, jokes "I'm f---ing cute; I'm a smooth talker" – he is not without philosophy.

"There's an underlying theme of friendship. It's all about bonding with your boys, blowing in with the fellas and getting into mischief and exploring all the little things that life has to offer, not being stuck in one spot," Bronson says. "Coming from where we come from a lot of people don't make it out to see the rest of the world. I feel like a lot of people are living through us and it's a beautiful thing."

As Bronson says, not everyone gets a chance to get out but not everyone who stays is in dire straits and Noisey is an attempt to get past the outsider cliches.

"With the first episode we shot, Compton [in south Los Angeles], I think it set the tone for the rest of the series in how I started to see people," Goldbaum says. "As I got to know people who are often written off as criminals, gangbangers, you start to paint a fuller picture of people's lives. Breaking down certain cultural barriers that existed, whether I like to admit that or not, it made me aware of those barriers that I had subconsciously."

And the response, while not always easy – in the Chicago episode Goldbaum is taken to task for perceived errors in a previous documentary on the city – is surprisingly positive in terms of access and communication.

"A lot of the people we meet want their story to be heard. They are in communities that are overlooked and their stories go unreported," Goldbaum says. "I think that alone, saying we are going to let you tell your story, get your music out there, that's always a great starting point."

In a similar, though less combative way, F*ck That's Delicious opens up some not always explored corners, such as the Indigenous foods in Western Australia ("Perth is a hidden jewel," says Bronson) and the discovery that he could get "next level" fried chicken in Sydney.

"I would have fried chicken and natural wine every motherf---ing night, there's nothing like it."

F*ck That's Delicious, SBS Viceland, Monday, 8.30pm; Noisey, SBS Viceland, Tuesday, 8.30pm.