It's the end of the year, so it's time to get reflective. Ben, Charlie and the rest of the 5EPN come through for this two-hour special, reviewing their 2020. Be sure to give the other shows under the network a spin. Thanks for rocking with us this year and we'll see you on the other side. TIMESTAMPS: Same 12 Notes - (4:12) "What's Good?" - (42:00) In Search Of Sauce - (1:12:08) Diggin' In The Digits - (1:35:05) Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved. Be sure...
Dec 31, 2020•2 hr 7 min
It's time for another edition of "DITD Bites" to end 2020 on! In this one, we talk about disrespecting Kid Cudi, the relationship between Journalism & "Hip-Hop Twitter" and since it's our last recording of the year, (5EPN Special dropping 31st Dec) we give our Top 5 DITD episodes of this year & guess each other's Top 5. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:22) Topic Intro - (15:33) Kid Cudi & Travis Scotts - (16:45) Journalism & HHT - (35:35) Top 5 DITD eps of 2020 - (56:39) Lig...
Dec 22, 2020•1 hr 36 min
After three weeks of consuming all of Jay-Z's (solo) catalogue, we finally reach the last third of our Jay-Z retrospective and this is the most fun, the most confusing and the most enlightening stretch, all at the same time. We get into the masterpiece* that is "Kingdom Come", all the way to the future classic "4:44". TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:04) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (18:18) Kingdom Come - (24:32) American Gangster - (31:47) The Blueprint 3 - (44:11) Magna Carta, Holy ...
Dec 15, 2020•1 hr 43 min
The Jay-Z retrospective continues with part 2. In this ep, we go from "The Dynasty" to "The Black Album" and it's from here that we start to notice patterns in Jay's methods, how he attempts to break those patterns (with varying results) and how if his career truly ended, it would've been a solid catalog. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:25) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (21:06) The Dynasty - (24:01) The Blueprint - (36:10) Blueprint 2 - (52:55) The Black Album - (1:11:12) Lighter Note...
Dec 08, 2020•1 hr 35 min
It is finally here. Noted Jay-Z scholar, Ben. And Charlie, just along for the ride, finally get into the (just music) retrospective of Jay-Z. In the first of three parts, we tackle his late 90s output, from "Reasonable Doubt" to "Vol. 3", discussing how a weak commercial result for his debut set a tone for what came after it. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (2:36) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (22:58) Reasonable Doubt - (36:12) In My Lifetime Vol. 1 - (47:50) Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life - ...
Dec 01, 2020•1 hr 49 min
This is probably the most free-flowing episode we have ever done. What began as a simple episode about artists falling off became a wide ranging conversation about falling off in the Social Media age where it's... Kind of, impossible to fall off??? It's so free-flowing we're not even going to add super-specific timestamps because why perform such a futile task? TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (3:13) Topic intro (& everything else) - (22:01) Lighter Note - (1:13:18) Thanks for listening. B...
Nov 24, 2020•1 hr 26 min
The list of people that Pete Rock has worked with over the decades is astonishing. The list gets even crazier when you peep the artists he's remixed! But when you get into his solo work, you not only get a glimpse at how many fire rappers he can get to go over his beats, but you also see Pete Rock dipping into his often forgotten rapping ability! Pete Rock has an outstanding career that embodies the cultural elements of Hip-Hop, doing it just for the art and creating heat with other people. An u...
Nov 17, 2020•1 hr 26 min
It's time for another Volume of DITD Bites! This time we talk about the place Hip-Hop has in a "Post-Truth" world, how to go about removing an artist from your listening habits and jumping at the chance to shit on The Grammys once again. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (2:28) Hip-Hop & "Post-Truth" - (19:06) How to 'cancel' - (44:10) Grammys continue bullshitting - (1:01:22) Lighter Note - (1:21:35) Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved. Be sure to l...
Nov 10, 2020•1 hr 30 min
Kano was a lyrical prodigy from day 1. Everyone knew he had the talent and he could've easily cashed in and spat all the bars known to man. But he decided very early in his career that he wanted to be an album artist. This gave him the room to experiment and while the results vary in quality, it is now clear that he's put in the work to become a better artist than his talent initially showed. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:13) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (26:39) Home Sweet Home - (...
Nov 03, 2020•1 hr 51 min
Continuing our #UKBHM miniseries, we go to an artist that has been doing it for over 20 years, evolving every facet of his artistry, even though his style was unique from day 1. Roots Manuva takes his earthy London voice, laces it with patios, writes dense, poetic bars and drops it all on Hip-Hop/Dub Reggae beats with electronic elements. Wacky right? We go through his discography, explaining how 1 of 1 Roots Manuva truly is. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (4:10) Topic Intro/Ben's Research H...
Oct 27, 2020•1 hr 36 min
" I'm that same little girl that grew up next door to you / Went through all the things a teenage girl goes through " Ms Dyamite's debut album "A Little Deeper" made two waves. The first was immediate: The critical & commercial praise, making her a unique voice in UK music. Just from the first lyrics on her breakout song "Dy-Na-Mi-Tee", you knew she was keeping it real from the beginning. The second wave was delayed but is now crystal clear. It's undoubted that the female artists of the UK d...
Oct 20, 2020•1 hr 38 min
Dizzee Rascal was a trailblazer & early champion of UK Rap and the genre that would eventually be known as Grime. But Dizzee didn't just stop with what Charlie calls the "Illmatic of Grime/UK Rap", he sought to push boundaries, help sow the seeds of making rapping mainstream and even collab with US Hip-Hop legends YEARS before it became common practice. We explore Dizzee's music ahead of his new album "E3 AF" coming October 30th. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:23) Topic Intro/Ben's Re...
Oct 13, 2020•1 hr 31 min
It's October, which means it's UK Black History Month! We decided to celebrate with five retrospectives on five legends of UK Black Music. We begin in the true roots of UK Hip-Hop, a bridge between the Windrush Generation, their children and their children's children, all through the prism of music. We begin our celebration with the Godfather of UK Hip-Hop, Rodney P and chart the links between the genres you know of and may not know of. Extra Credit: Tim Westwood's 1987 BBC Documentary "Bad Mean...
Oct 06, 2020•1 hr 30 min
Big Sean has been one of the biggest rap stars in the past decade. Regardless if you think his bars are corny or whatever. Sean's status is solidified. But listening back to his work; from the objectively cringe but subjectively funny "Finally Famous" & "Hall of Fame", to the more mature "I Decided" & "Detroit 2". A lot of opinions change, a lot of opinions are solidified, and our technology gets weird. It's all happening this episode. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (3:17) Topic Intr...
Sep 29, 2020•1 hr 37 min
Another Bites session is in full effect ladies & gentlemen! Three topics on deck for this one. First: Mashups. Why they're so cool as a concept but also why they're not seen as events more. Second, TDE. As of recording, TDE is seemingly holding some of their artists back when their new albums are ready to go. Let's ponder why. And lastly. Past Kanye pissing on his Grammy, there's another reason for us to talk about Major Labels. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (2:41) Mashups - (22:57) TDE...
Sep 22, 2020•1 hr 29 min
Capone-N-Noreaga is that duo that you've heard of but rare that you've listened to their work post-War Report. (Depends on your age, of course.) But the story behind the duo is one of loyalty, keeping each other in the loop no matter what and doing a decent job at evolving as artists whilst keeping their unique style & motifs. We get into their albums and ask a question that could've been a game-changer for them. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (3:08) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (1...
Sep 15, 2020•1 hr 33 min
Nas' new album "King's Disease" is an interesting piece of work from someone that has nothing really to prove. The themes, whilst widespread, are very surface level. Black excellence, money, cars, all wrapped up in his new package the 'King's Disease' and 'The Cure' to said disease. (And he still finds time to shit on black women whilst also calling them 'Queens'...) We break down the themes of the album and how he manages to keep his bars box-fresh after all these years. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Musi...
Sep 08, 2020•1 hr 34 min
Def Jam WAS Hip-Hop for nearly 2 decades. Starting off with Russell Simmons & Rick Rubin, nobody could've predicted the heights Def Jam were going to reach. They were in lockstep with the growth of Hip-Hop itself. But once the new millennium came through, Def Jam started to lose grip of the rocket that was Hip-Hop, they started to miss out and eventually get left behind. Now Def Jam is just another sub-label with SUB-sub-labels under them. Where did it all go wrong? We try to find out. TIMES...
Sep 01, 2020•1 hr 23 min
The Nas/Jay-Z beef is one of the most notable beefs in Hip-Hop history. But for some reason, nobody talks about how *deep* the beef actually goes, and how, depending on who you are, it is technically still going! On one side at least. It's a popular beef but below the surface, its certainly an odd and at times, grim one. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (3:30) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House (He's upgraded!) - (19:04) Memphis Bleek enters the ring - (30:28) The R-O-C clique up - (41:39) Ether...
Aug 25, 2020•1 hr 36 min
It has been nine years since Jay-Z & Kanye West did the collab album we could only dream of in years prior. Whilst some consider it a classic and some don't, it's undeniable that this is an important album for both artists. A fork in the road for both artists. We dive into the album, track by track, with WORLD EXCLUSIVE statistics from Ben. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:40) Topic Intro/Ben's Research Corner - (21:44) No Church In The Wild - (35:36) Lift Off - (40:44) Paris - (42:55) ...
Aug 18, 2020•1 hr 37 min
Mount Vernon, NY was never a hotbed when it came to Hip-Hop talent. If you were about Hip-Hop, you were usually born & bred in the Five Boroughs. But Pete Rock & CL Smooth were an anomaly. Their work, while slim pickings next to other duos such as OutKast & GangStarr are some of the highest quality works you can ask for. Two albums & one EP of wonderful Hip-Hop that epitomises the Golden Age. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (2:25) Topic Intro/Ben's Research Corner - (18:12) Me...
Aug 11, 2020•1 hr 29 min
For this DITD Bites, we conversate on some recent phenomena. This year, labels have been implementing Deluxe Editions weeks, sometimes days after the initial album release, why are they doing this and why is it working? Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has commented on wax his opinions on the lack of streaming pay for artists and his answer, whilst unsurprising, are really worrying coming from him. Lastly, how much weight do we put on a rapper being "quotable"? TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:26) Del...
Aug 04, 2020•1 hr 28 min
The Streets, headed by Mike Skinner, is a British institution. Never has a musical concept gone so far as a poetically blunt force in commentary about regular life. Over the past nearly two decades, Mike Skinner has built a discography that covers all facets of life. From the colourful moments to the greyest monotony. From going clubbing and doing drugs to watching telly with the wife & kids. The Streets covers everything with wide-spanning production influences and endless Quotables through...
Jul 28, 2020•1 hr 35 min
Is 50 Cent a sociopath? A genius? An asshole? A troll? A trailblazer? Someone who changed the game as we know it? Let's just say that by the end of this episode, you'll say 'All of the above' and then some. Strap in, it's a wild one. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:26) Topic Intro - (11:21) Ben's Research Corner - (13:28) 50's Beginnings in Music - (23:11) Get Rich Or Die Tryin' - (40:06) The Massacre - (49:13) Curtis - (59:09) Before I Self Destruct - (1:05:14) Animal Ambition - (1:11:11)...
Jul 21, 2020•1 hr 36 min
Yasiin Bey/Mos Def is an enigma in every sense of the word. Who else chooses jail in a foreign country instead of just flying out? Who else pushes to talk about the current issue of the day instead of his career history? He's so principled, it's a surprise that he has four Studio Albums! Yasiin's career is a lightning rod for everything that's wrong with the music industry and through all the BS, has stuck with being a true artiste. For better or worse. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (2:28) ...
Jul 14, 2020•1 hr 30 min
In our 2nd edition of "DITD Bites", we only get into two topics out of the four we had and you'll understand why we only got to two, considering how bulky the topics are. The Five Elements of Hip-Hop (& their prevalence in the current landscape) and the good ol' conversation about misogynoir in Hip-Hop, after Janelle Monae tweets about it in depth. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:03) The Five Elements - (17:43) Janelle vs the "Not ALL men" crowd - (47:54) Lighter Note - (1:20:38) Thank...
Jul 07, 2020•1 hr 31 min
Please, just listen to this one and make our pain worthwhile... TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:23) Topic Intro - (14:32) BEP's beginnings, "Behind The Front" & "Bridging The Gap" - (18:54) "Elephunk" & "Monkey Business" - (32:22) "THE E.N.D", Charlie's meltdown & no acknowledgement of the other one - (48:06) The slap in the face that is "MASTERS OF THE SUN VOL. 1" - 1:01:04 Lighter Note - (1:11:35) Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved. B...
Jun 30, 2020•1 hr 22 min
Lamont "Big L" Coleman could have been one of the greatest MCs in Hip-Hop history, he had the potential to be. That's a word you're going to hear a lot from the DITD duo as they look at what could've been for the Harlem born & raised spitter. He didn't just have the potential to have one of the greatest careers we've seen, he showed signs early that he could've been a top tier Hip-Hop businessman, dedicated to putting his people on and not just being about the bars. Unfortunately, all we hav...
Jun 23, 2020•1 hr 28 min
Warren G. We all know him for that one song, that one, amazing song. But when you look deeper than "Regulate", you start to notice that Warren G is one of the most underappreciated pioneers in Hip-Hop history and his story is worthy of its own film. Despite being one of the biggest architects in the moulding of celebrated West Coast subgenre "G-Funk", his calm persona along with a preference in being behind the scenes made him look smaller compared to the Gods around him; most notably, Dr Dre, S...
Jun 16, 2020•1 hr 25 min
Eric B & Rakim were the gold standards of Hip-Hop for a good chunk of Hip-Hop's early years. They struck the first $1M deal for any Hip-Hop act. They got the first "5 Mics" rating from The Source and that's without getting into the actual music itself. We get into their beginnings, their incredible four albums that broke ground in their own unique ways, their breakup & temporary reunion and the controversy that spans their entire career as it pertains to production credits. TIMESTAMPS: W...
Jun 09, 2020•1 hr 26 min
