It's been a long time.... Two and a half weeks to be exact, but we are back! Hope y'all had a safe and pleasant holiday break. Your favorite rap nerds have reconvened for Season 6 of the Dad Bod Rap Pod and we are starting on a good note with episode 251. Side A of this episode starts with the original kings of content David Ma, Demone Carter, and Nate Le Blanc talking about their New Year's Eve debauchery/resolutions. Then, the bros welcome Brooklyn-bred rapper AKAI SOLO to the program. Spirit ...
Jan 12, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 251
You ever meet a person for the first time and they seem like one of the homies? We had a chance to virtually chill with author and Bay Area Hip Hop head Hua Hsu. His bylines include The Atlantic, Slate, The Wire and The New Yorker. His new book Stay True: A Memoir, is out now via Doubleday Publishing. We talked to him about his writing career and what is was like when he was was cutting his teeth in Berkley's hip hop scene of the mid nineties. Given Hua is from our neck of the universe we spent ...
Dec 22, 2022•47 min•Ep. 250
DOUBLE QUIBBLE! In part two of Quibble Jam your humble host Nate LeBlanc, David Ma, and Demone Carter talk about the best rap records of 2022. The imaginary awards dispensed in this episode include Best album, Best song, rookie of the year and much more! If you like what you hear please like, rate, review, and subscribe on your platform of choice. If you really down with the team please subscribe to our Patreon (patreon.com/dadbodrappod) Big ups to Stony Island Audio massive! Joints used in this...
Dec 15, 2022•1 hr 53 min•Ep. 249
LETS GET READY TO QUIBBLE! I think it was the great Nate Le Blanc who once said arguing is the 6th element of Hip Hop. It's in this spirit that we present Quibble Jam 2022 our annual breakdown of the year in rap. On part one of the Quibs Nate, Dave, and Demone vigorously debate about the best instrumental albums, best album cover, best non rap album and more! If you like what you hear please like, rate, review, and subscribe on your platform of choice. If you really down with the team please sub...
Dec 08, 2022•56 min•Ep. 248
Daddy Kev is multi-hyphenate mastermind who's has put to together an astonishing body or work across several artistic disciplines. He is a dope ass producer, DJ, sound engineer, party promoter, label head, and now author. His new book Audio Dynamics: Compression Techniques for Modern Mixing and Mastering is a distillation of his vast knowledge of mixing and mastering. Oh and also he was recently nominated for a Grammy for his mastering work on Freestyle Fellowship's To Whom It May Concern re-rel...
Nov 29, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 247
Dyed in the wool backpackers will remember the pitched battle between the keep it realists and the shiny suit mafia that took place in the mid/late-nineties. At that time there was a tangible sense that the ethos of "real" Hip Hop was being subsumed by corporatist tendencies (we weren’t entirely wrong about that). Many emcees stepped forward to defend the art form we all know and love, few the zealotry of Cap D of the Chicago based rap dou All Natural. Together with producer Tone B Nimble, Cap D...
Nov 17, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 246
Real weirdos are hard to find. Sure there are rappers who attempt to project strangeness but the vast majority come across inauthentic or unlistenable (or both). Every so often a true eccentric grabs the mic and reorients our ideas about how wavy this art form can be. Fatboi Sharif is one such artist. Verbose, macabre, and enigmatic the New Jersey rapper has amassed a devoted following over the past couple years by releasing a string of authentically weird joints with producers like Roper Willia...
Nov 10, 2022•48 min•Ep. 245
What's in a name? Producers are hella cool because often times you know their name long before seeing thier face (or in some cases faces). This allows for the imagination to run and conjure up images who (or what) made this dope ass beat. In the run up to this interview your humble hosts were a bit confused about who is (or isn't) Child Actor and why did the name start popping up in the production credits on all our favorite rap records. Max from Child Actor (yes its a group) came on the pod to ...
Nov 03, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 244
FRIENDS! How many of us have them? In this era of collaboration via internet the magic of actual freinds making music together is criminally underrated. Producer L'Orange and emcee Solemn Brigham have a 15+ year friendship that has served as fertile soil for the creation of the Marlowe song collection. The third installment entitled Marlowe 3 drops October 28th via Melo Music Group. L and Solemn talk with host Nate Le Blanc about their friendship, respective creative processes, getting their mus...
Oct 27, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 243
Not to get all ageist in here but one of the unique joys of being a Gen X'er is knowing what the world was like before the internet. Back in the halcyon days of the early 90's building a"buzz" wasn't a matter clicking and scrolling on a page. Marshalling people's attention back then meant putting your boots on the ground and fliers on windshields. This week we talked to Sunspot Jonz of Mystik Journeyman who took the Bay Area's "out the trunk' ethos to whole other level. From selling tapes hand-t...
Oct 20, 2022•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 242
This week is dedicated to our trip down to Ontario, California recently for The Happiness of Pursuit Festival, which focises on lyrical, classic, and underground hip-hop. We spent the day at the festival recording the first half of this episode "backstage" and caught up with some of the dopest MCs working today. **WARNING** the sound here is rough. We were in a tent about 10 feet from the main festival stage, and the music is audible in the background, as is the crowd and the various folks walki...
Oct 13, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 241
On his last album Anime, Trauma, and Divorce Chicago-bred/LA-based rapper Open Mike Eagle gave us rare a glimpse into his innermost thoughts and feelings. As the album title suggests he was processing quite a bit in the midst of a pandemic. Having bared his soul Mike now seems to be signaling he's back to rappin' rappin' on his latest release Component System With The Auto Reverse, which drops Oct. 7th via Auto Reverse Records. CSWTAR features stellar bars from Open Mike Eagle and his comrades V...
Oct 06, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 240
Everything about M.E.D.'s demeanor says he's just one of the homies. Despite sharing track space with bonafide rap legends he comes across chill and down to earth. On this weeks episode of the Dad Bod Rap Pod hosts Demone Carter, David Ma, and Nate LeBlanc talk to M.E.D. about working with hip hop royalty like Madlib and MF Doom as well as his new collaborative project LMD with LMNO and Declaime. During the intro segment Demone and Dave talk about the winds of controversy surrounding Madlib, Ego...
Sep 29, 2022•46 min•Ep. 239
Once an interview starts you are never really sure where its going to go. Some artist can be understandably closed and guarded preferring to only talk about themselves in terms of their artistry. In a handful of cases an artist gives us a window into their personal journey. This week's conversation with Louis Logic is one of those interviews. After gaining traction in the early/mid aughts and working with legends like MF DOOM Louis Logic seemingly fell off the rap radar for several years. He fil...
Sep 22, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 238
SPECIAL EPISODE!! Your intrepid hosts Demone Carter, David Ma, and Nate LeBlanc ventured out to Oakland on Labor Day for the annual Hip Hop block party known as Hiero Day. Although it was a sweltering hot day the Dad Bods stayed hydrated and were able to get backstage interviews with Keak Da Sneak, Opio, and A-Plus. There are some clips of live performances by Hieroglyphics, Kool G Rap, and Masta Ace included in this episode as well. One of the key organizers of Hiero Day (and the DBRP hat plug)...
Sep 19, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 2375
This week on DBRP we have not one but two dope interviews. First, host Nate LeBlanc talks to UK based rapper Sonnyjim about his career, his influences, and his new album White Girl Wasted (which features verses from MF DOOM and Jay Electronica). In our second interview Demone and Nate talk to DBRP favorite Lukah. The Memphis based rapper is set to release his newest offering Raw Extractions on Friday, September 16th. He talks about the science behind the album and debuts a track called Rawderves...
Sep 15, 2022•2 hr•Ep. 237
As time keeps slippin into the future we are talking to more and more artists who grew up in "hip hop households". Miami native YUNGMORPHEUS is one such artist. After being baptized into the culture via his fathers DMX albums Morph has gone on to create music that is equal parts smart and dangerous. His latest album Up Against A Wall; A Degree of Lunacy has every bit of edge YUNGMORPHEUS fans have come expect. Host Nate Le Blanc flies solo this week and has an enlightening convo with Morph about...
Sep 08, 2022•39 min•Ep. 236
Queens native Meyhem Lauren is a walking enterprise. From the booth to the kitchen he is always cooking up something interesting. His latest album Black Vladimir, a collaboration with Griselda beat smith Daringer, is full of wit and menace. Hosts David Ma, Demone Carter, and Nate LeBlanc were fortunate enough to catch Meyhem as he hopped into an uber en route to an undisclosed location. In this weeks interview Meyhem talks about his new album, his eating habits, and his long standing friendship ...
Sep 01, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 235
After recording 200+ episodes of the Dad Bod Rap Pod we can say with confidence that women are the best interviewees. Our conversation with CMG of Conscious Daughters is definitive proof. CMG was witty, engaging, and gave us great insights into the Bay Area rap scene of the mid-nineties which birthed Conscious Daughters. After a chance meeting with Paris which led to a record deal with his Guerrilla Funk imprint, Conscious Daughters created an all-time Bay Area classic joint (Something To Ride T...
Aug 25, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 234
We are blessed to be joined this week by some old and new friends of the program that are making vital rap music right now. First up we have a group interview with Wrecking Crew, a conglomerate that consists of producer Small Professor and MCs Zilla Rocca, Curly Castro and Prem Rock. They are all return guests on DBRP and are here to tell us a bit more about their recent album Sedale Threat. Make sure to tap in with the Wrecking Crew and all of their affiliated projects including their podcast C...
Aug 18, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 233
From his work with Ultimate Force in the late 80s to his production on the new Open Mike Eagle single 'I’ll Fight You' Diamond D has had an unparalleled run as producer/emcee. The one time Best Kept Secret was gracious enough to join hosts Nate Le Blanc and David Ma for a wide ranging conversation about his stellar career including the origin story of the mighty DITC. Stunts, Blunts, Hip Hop, Hatred, Passion, and Infidelity are all on the table in this interview. Nate, Dave, and Demone also talk...
Aug 11, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 232
Those who listen to the podcast regularly may notice that we have a deep affinity for all things Chicago hip hop. Last week we checked in with Chi-town's king of living Vic Spenser and this week we talk to Windy City producer Maker. If you have heard the theme song to the hit sitcom Abbott Elementary you have heard Makers work but he has been a fixture in the underground for a couple of decades now. He talked to us about getting this huge beat placement as well as his approach to creating immacu...
Aug 04, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 231
Dynamic duos have always held a special place in rap history. We needn't rattle off the iconic rapper/producer combos because we all know the potential alchemy that exist between rhyme spitter and the beat maker. On their newest collaboration Mudslide, Chicago rapper Vic Spencer and Philadelphia producer Small Professor come together and tap into that legacy of one rapper one producer magic. We were fortunate to have both Vic and Small Pro on the show this week to talk about the new album, annoy...
Jul 28, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 230
As rap music continues to mature as an art form more rappers are telling their stories on the page as opposed to just on the mic. We were fortunate to have Chicago-based rapper Psalm One join us this week to talk about her new book Her Word Is Bond (which is out now via Haymarket books). Part memoir, part music journalism, Her Word is Bond takes an unflinching look at underground hip hop culture through the eyes of a queer Black woman. Psalm talked to us about the process of making the book and ...
Jul 21, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 229
A love letter to the city of Los Angeles? A ode to the letter J? J Rocc's new album "A Wonderful Letter" is both of these and more. Hosts Demone Carter and David Ma chop it up with the world famous Beat Junkie about his incredible career and his first new album in over a decade. J Rocc has been a fixture in the worlds of turntablism and beat making for some time. The Stones Throw stalwart talks about his relationships with the late great J Dilla and Madlib as well as nurturing future DJs at The ...
Jul 14, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 228
WE MAAADE IT to 227 episodes, and while we have talked about Ghostface Killah's masterpiece Supreme Clientele at various times, we have not devoted a full episode to discussing what makes it such a vital and influential rap album. DBRP hosts Demone Carter, Nate LeBlanc and David Ma share favorite tracks and sequences on the album, and reflect on the massive impact of the styles that Ghostface debuted in the year 2000. We also have a special guest this week, music writer and musician Sasha Frere-...
Jul 07, 2022•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 227
We are very excited to speak with returning guest E L U C I D, who recently dropped the challenging and excellent album I Told Bessie with a stellar cast of producers. We are huge fans of E L U C I D's work both solo and as part of the mighty Armand Hammer and we always want to interrogate his procedures and intentions as he crafts experimental (some might say psychedelic) underground rap music with intricate flows and incredible word choices and emotional resonance. In the opening segment we di...
Jun 30, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 226
As Willard Smith once famously said, it's summertime. It was just the summer solstice, but more importantly, today I had a peach so juicy I had to eat it over the sink. How does a hip-hop head mark the changing of the seasons? In our case, we switch up the playlist. In the intro segment our hosts recommend some summery songs. Next up we have an interview with Bay Area underground rapper L*Roneous Da Versifier, who has been in the rap game for decades and remains a vital artist. Tune in to hear a...
Jun 23, 2022•55 min•Ep. 225
Normally we have an interview with a rapper, producer, or a writer. On this week's episode we are talking to Namir Blade, a performer who rejects such limiting labels and prefers to be referred to as an artist. He just released a new album, Metropolis on Mello Music Group and we are intrigued by his utilization of multiple vocal techniques, his production prowess, and his general swag. In the opening segment we begin to reckon with ELUCID's massive new album I Told Bessie. Demone in particular h...
Jun 16, 2022•58 min•Ep. 224
On this week's episode we run down our favorite rap records of the year so far. We recommend probably a dozen or so albums to listen to if you want to understand what is relevant, what is dope, and what this time period sounds and feels like. Special attention is paid to work by Quelle Chris, billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Pusha T, Lekeili 47, Defcee and more. Beat submitted by friend of the program Rob Sonic and we appreciate the contribution. DBRP is a proud part of the Stony Island Audio netwo...
Jun 09, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 223
