SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://smarturl.it/8rjx39 As some of you may know, Can't Knock the Shuffle host/creator Sean Kantrowitz also hosts a live hip hop trivia game show called The Questions – and now that show is available in podcast format. Each week, Sean connects with hip hop's biggest fans – rappers, DJs, producers, writers, comedians, actors, and everything in between – to test their rap trivia skills, discuss their careers, and talk about how the music changed their lives. Subscribe/follow wher...
Feb 16, 2022•1 min
Dante Ross isn't an artist in the traditional sense, but the music industry exec/A&R/producer/engineer had a hand in dozens of classic records and is responsible for helping to cultivate the careers of some of hip hop’s biggest names. In the 90s, Dante was hired by Elektra Records as the first hip hop A&R man – not just Elektra’s first, but the record industry’s first. Dante signed artists such as Brand Nubian, KMD, Leaders of the New School, Busta Rhymes, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, to name ...
Jun 14, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Season 2Ep. 10
As a member of the Newark, New Jersey group Artifacts alongside Tame One and DJ Kaos, El Da Sensei is responsible for some bona fide 90s hip hop classics, including "C'mon with the Git Down” and "Wrong Side of da Tracks," the group’s homage to the art of graffiti. After Artifacts split up following their second album 'That’s Them' in 1997, El went on to have a prolific solo career, releasing nearly a dozen projects and consistently touring the globe on his own as well as with Polish hip hop duo ...
Jun 07, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 9
In this episode I’m joined by Sage Francis, a rapper who was independent before claiming indie was cool. A veteran of the underground battle scene in which he won the Scribble Jam emcee battle in 2000, Sage was early in adopting a tour-heavy business model that found him relentlessly doing shows and hitting smaller markets in the 2000s. From the jump, Sage has never been afraid to occupy his own unique space in the landscape of rap music, incorporating influences from different genres of music, ...
May 31, 2021•50 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Simply put, Tre Hardson aka Slimkid3 is a legend. Hip hop was forever changed in 1992 when his group the Pharcyde emerged onto the scene with their classic debut album 'Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde.' The group brought a decidedly animated and imaginative element to their songwriting and presence on the microphone – and Tre definitely stood out with his distinct melodic voice; you could really even say that a lot of these rappers who sing owe a bit to Slimkid3. The Pharcyde’s second album Labcabi...
May 24, 2021•53 min•Season 2Ep. 7
We're back with the rest of the conversation with singer/songwriter Esthero. In this episode, we talk about her work with Kanye West on his 808s and Heartbreak album, the making of her classic debut Breath From Another, and how she decided to only release a trailer of her new music on streaming services rather than put the whole thing online – a seriously revolutionary move that definitely caught the media’s attention in 2019. Songs discussed in this episode: "Streetlights" (Kanye West, '808s an...
May 17, 2021•47 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Since the release of her debut album Breath from Another - which she co-produced with producer Doc McKinney in 1997, Esthero has definitively held the title of “your favorite singer’s favorite singer,” inspiring audiences and artists alike with the seamless blending of musical styles in her music as well as her captivating, incredible voice. Her second album Wikked Lil Grrls continued to explore different genres and found Esthero steering the ship by herself; by this point, she was fast becoming...
May 10, 2021•50 min•Season 2Ep. 5
After first making noise on a national scale through early collaborations with Danny Brown, Quelle Chris kicked off a prolific solo career of his own, including acclaimed albums such as Innocent Country with producer Chris Keys, his 2018 album ‘Everything’s Fine’ with his wife and fellow polymath Jean Grae, production work for some of indie rap’s finest, and most recently contributing to the score for the film Judas and the Black Messiah. Songs we discuss in this episode: "Ohsh" feat. Hannibal B...
May 03, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Originally hailing from the Netherlands, Nicolay launched his career as we know it in the early 2000s, when he was sharing files over the Internet with Phonte Coleman from Little Brother. Their remote international collaboration resulted in the group Foreign Exchange, an ahead of its time side project that eventually brought Nicolay to the states and would lead to several albums, consistent touring around the globe, his own Foreign Exchange Music record label, and a Grammy nomination for the gro...
Apr 26, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Houston rapper Fat Tony popped onto my radar in the early part of the last decade from his appearances on mixtapes by both ASAP Rocky and Das Racist, and since then he’s had a wildly prolific career, dropping albums at a steady clip and constantly tweaking his sound. His most recent album – 2020's Exotica – finds Tony embracing the role of the griot with a concise collection of storytelling songs. I first connected with him when he appeared on an episode of my hip hop game show The Questions las...
Apr 19, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Masta Ace is one of hip hop's greatest storytellers. After making his debut on the Juice Crew's classic posse cut "The Symphony," Ace has many amazing accomplishments throughout his 30+ year career, including membership in hip hop supergroup Crooklyn Dodgers, classic concept albums, full album collaborations with producers like MF DOOM and Marco Polo, and so much more. In this episode we break down the following songs from his catalog: "Think I Am (feat. Big Daddy Kane and MF DOOM)" ('MA_DOOM: S...
Apr 12, 2021•56 min•Season 2Ep. 1
It isn't exaggeration to say that Sean Daley – better known as Slug – has played a pivotal role in the evolution of underground hip hop since the turn of the century. His group Atmosphere truly carved their own lane out in the indie scene dating back to the '90s with the DIY-approach of his label Rhymesayers Entertainment and the vulnerability in the group's songs. Over the years, Slug's style as a writer has also evolved, from the "underground battle rap" space to his development of the silly-s...
Dec 02, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Nikki Jean is a hip hop artist through and through, but her music may not always appear that way from a distance. A singer/songwriter who got her start in the extended family of the legendary Roots crew as a member of the band Nouveau Riche, Nikki’s big breakthrough came when she wrote and sang the hook on Lupe Fiasco’s hit single “Hip Hop Saved My Life” in 2007. She’s collaborated with Lupe throughout his career ever since, but that was only the beginning for her. Her debut solo album ‘Pennies ...
Nov 25, 2020•57 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Blueprint is someone who knows a thing or two about multitasking. The producer/emcee played a pivotal role in the emerging underground scene in the Midwest during the late 90's/early '00s, with his own Weightless crew and also amongst the artists that would eventually comprise the rosters of indie juggernauts Rhymesayers and Definitive Jux. He's continued to put out a steady clip of music since then (both as a solo artist as well as one half of Soul Position with RJD2), but music isn't where his...
Nov 18, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Bahamadia has been captivating listeners with her unique style and lyrical skills since the 90's, when she released her major label debut 'Kollage.' Philadelphia's Hip Hop Queen has kept busy since then, releasing projects via indie labels, collaborating with some of hip hop's greatest practitioners, touring the world, hosting her own radio show, and forming her own record label B-Girl Records LLC. Self-describing herself as shy, Bahamadia rarely does interviews. So when she agreed to come on th...
Nov 11, 2020•55 min•Season 1Ep. 6
After the past decade and change, rapper Homeboy Sandman has built a career that's been defined by marching to the beat of his own drum. He's released albums on labels like Stones Throw and Mellow Music Group, and has collaborated with artists for full projects such as Aesop Rock, Edan, and most recently Quelle Chris, who produced the entirety of Sandman's latest album 'Don't Feed the Monster.' The Ivy League-educated emcee also had a stint as a blogger, publishing a series of essays and think-p...
Nov 04, 2020•57 min•Season 1Ep. 5
For nearly two decades, producer/musician RJD2 has put his own unique spin on the genre of instrumental hip hop. RJ's music has always been a compelling listen, with or without vocals – but he's also collaborated with a gang of artists, including rapper Blueprint (under the Soul Position moniker), as well as projects with singer Aaron Livingston (pka Son Little) and underground legend Aceyalone. Along the way, RJ has produced songs for commercials and TV shows – in fact, an instrumental of one o...
Oct 28, 2020•56 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Open Mike Eagle has never been shy about getting personal with his music. After emerging from LA's Project Blowed collective, the rapper/producer released his first solo album in 2010 and has been dropping projects at a steady clip ever since. With a comedic wit and quirky eclectic nature to his songs, Mike has also been equally proficient in the worlds of comedy and television. He co-created comedy and music showcase 'The New Negroes,' first as a live event and later as a show for Comedy Centra...
Oct 21, 2020•59 min•Season 1Ep. 3
J-Live is unparalleled as a writer in the craft of hip hop. He first got his start in the mid-90s with 'The Best Part,' a classic debut that was shelved and eventually bootlegged to the masses. Since then, he's also developed more as a DJ and producer over the course of a dozen independent projects that he's since released. A true student of the game, J-Live's attention to detail makes him the perfect candidate to dive into the stories behind songs in his catalog. In this episode, we explore: "Y...
Oct 14, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Murs has been consistently releasing music since the late 90s, repping his home of Los Angeles the entire time. He's incredibly prolific, with a catalog ranging around 600 songs, and he's worked with practically everybody in the business, from Kendrick Lamar to El-P (Run the Jewels) to Snoop Dogg to Slug from Atmosphere. In this episode, he shares the stories behind these songs: "My Story" (Good Music, 1999) "Are You Ready?" (Sweet Lord, 2008) "Doing Me" (Melrose w/ Terrace Martin, 2011) "Signs"...
Oct 07, 2020•47 min
Music lovers and hip hop nerds alike, take heed! Can't Knock the Shuffle is a podcast that takes a different spin on the all-too-familiar "story behind a song" format. In this show, producer/host Sean Kantrowitz (The Questions Hip Hop) sits with an artist, throws their entire catalog on shuffle, and then asks them the stories about whichever song the algorithm selects. Get ready for in-depth anecdotes and a peek into the creative process with some of hip hop's most prolific artists, talking abou...
Sep 29, 2020•1 min
