With it being the last episode of the year, we do our customary look through the Metacritic Album Score Review, looking at the works that were highly acclaimed and the works that were roasted into oblivion. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:02) Charlie: Novine - Daydreaming Sophye Soliveau - INITIATION SOUFSIDE KATHLEEN - Everything Under My Sun Kneecap - Fine Art Liana Flores - Flower of the soul The Review - (5:38) Lighter Note - (1:33:53) Thanks for listening. Below are the Social account...
Dec 31, 2024•1 hr 45 min
The story of Coolio is... a lot. But you know what isn't a lot? The variety in his discography once the 00s came around! Tracks appearing in more than one body of work and derivative tropes plaguing that weird decade would severely taint his first three albums that were bursting with personality and obviously "Gangster's Paradise". Lucky for him, it didn't. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (2:02) Ben: Charlie: Diani - Deion Vic Spencer - Being The Bigger Person Sucks Iman Europe - Moneymorphos...
Dec 24, 2024•1 hr 14 min
We finish our Westside Connection miniseries with WC who is definitely the more humorous of the three and is an underrated influence on where the West Coast went in the 00s and beyond. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:45) Ben: Snoop Dogg x Dr. Dre - Missionary Roc Marciano x The Alchemist - The Skeleton Key Charlie: Iotosh - FOR THE PEOPLE Kota The Friend & Statik Selektah - Once In A Blue Moon Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre - Missionary Vic Santoro - Clean Shoes Dirty Trainers Amahla - Ooooh...
Dec 17, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Before WC went solo and became one third of the Westside Connection , he was head of WC and the Maad Circle which featured a pre-solo Coolio, Big Gee and DJ/Producer Crazy Toones. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:54) Ben: Rossy - Milwaukee Made Me / Wisconsin Worldwide Charlie: Janset & IKHANA - PROBLEMS Shabaka - Possession Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (4:47) Ain't a Damn Thang Changed - (12:39) Curb Servin - (26:35) Lighter Note - (36:41) Thanks for listening. Below are the Soci...
Dec 10, 2024•1 hr 14 min
After covering Westside Connection last week, it was only right to get into the two artists not named Ice Cube. This week: Mack 10 whose easy style was good enough to make a pretty decent discography considering half the output was during the dreaded 00s. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:52) Ben: duke deuce - tribe Ice Cube - Man Down Pete & Bas - Mugshot Boldy James - The Bricktionary Charlie: Treasure Bloom - Passing Time Nejma Nefertiti, Double A.B. & Dub Sonata - Animal Barz II ...
Dec 03, 2024•1 hr 27 min
The trio of Ice Cube, WC & Mack 10 comprised the group Westside Connection that dropped two albums filled with aggressiveness, anyone-can-get-it dissing and mentioned "Mount Westmore" before Cube, Snoop, Too $hort & E-40 got around to finally make that a reality. Whilst production was okay, their chemistry and lyrical ability raised the tide immensely. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:55) Ben: Cordae - The Crossroads Kendrick Lamar - GNX Charlie: Eva Gadd - I Don't Talk Zino Vinci -...
Nov 26, 2024•1 hr 10 min
It's time for another Contemporary Cool in which Ben makes a YouTube video with his pick of Ab-Soul's "HERBERT" and Charlie gives love to Garage with DJ Spoony-led "Garage Classical". TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:57) Ben: Ab-Soul - Soul Burger ASAP Ferg - DAROLD Real Boston Richey - Richey Rich Natty - The Divine Trinity Charlie: Common Saints - Cinema 3000 Joshua Idehen - Mum Does The Washing Nectar Woode - Head Above Water Vibbar - Gyal Thoughts Mark Kavuma & The Banger Factory - ...
Nov 12, 2024•1 hr 17 min
With the Young Thug/YSL RICO trial done & dusted, we invited Music Journalist & 5EPN Alum Brandon Hill to come through to talk about the trial, sentencing; the wider ramifications of this trial to Hip-Hop (& more specifically Lil Durk) and the implied silencing of Young Thug through his future musical content. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:17) Brandon: Freddie Gibbs - You Only Die 1nce Joe James - BEAST LIVING EarthGang - Perfect Fantasy Ben: Freddie Gibbs - You Only Die 1nce...
Nov 05, 2024•1 hr 18 min
For the final UKBHM retrospective of this year, we look at the career and solo discography of sonic nomad Neneh Cherry who has traversed the UK music landscape from the 80s onwards to now with a penchant for always doing it differently than her peers. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:58) Ben: Kembe X - it's not that deep Nappy Nina - Nothing is my Favourite Thing DeJ Loaf - End of Summer Payroll Giovanni - Hustle Muzik Charlie: Imperial & Awon - On Tempo The Doppelgangaz - G Pack, Vol. ...
Oct 29, 2024•1 hr 29 min
Before he was Congo Natty, he was Rebel MC and it is genuinely tough to decide which alter ego of dual threat Michael West is the most influential. As a Hip-Hop Pod, we cover Rebel MC and the three album run under that name, mixing Hip-Hop, House, Dance & Pop with samples from every Jamaican music genre to date. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:51) Ben: Benny The Butcher x 38 Spesh - Stabbed & Shot 2 Yeat - Lyfestyle ian - Goodbye Horses DJ Rude One - Upper Space Charlie: Protoje - ...
Oct 22, 2024•1 hr 14 min
When UK Hip-Hop zigged, Demon Boyz zagged. Whilst they managed to get two albums out before their split, boy did they make effort to do it differently and incidentally became a key connection between Hip-Hop and Jungle. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:54) Ben: Rome Streetz - Hatton Garden Holdup XV & Mike Summers - Blog Era Is Dead Iglooghost - Tidal Memory Exo Charlie: Layfullstop - RUGGED (Part 2) Nilla Allin - NILLAWOOD CHERISE - Butter Deema - C4LL MY PHONE Äyanna - About Ä Boy Mat...
Oct 15, 2024•1 hr 25 min
In our 2nd UKBHM retrospective for the '24 crop, we get into the group Hardnoise, (Now known as Son Of Noise) who - along with temporary label mates Hijack - brought an antagonistic edge to UK Hip-Hop. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:47) Ben: Tee Grizzley - Post Traumatic The Voidz - Like All Before You Jamie xx - In Waves Charlie: Mark Kavuma - The Dandy Lynda Dawn - 11th Hour Suni MF - yellow gold Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad - Jazz Is Dead 021 Master Peace - How To Make A(nu...
Oct 08, 2024•1 hr 7 min
For a bonus episode, an interview for you to step to! Charlie talks to UK DJ/Production duo The Allergies, talking their beginnings, how they gained/cultivated their taste; their new album "Freak The Speaker" and their Top 5. If you haven't spun a WG interview, here's a good gateway for you! Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved. Music - "Hold Please" & "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use) HHBTN (Twitte...
Oct 02, 2024•39 min
We begin our 2024 edition of our UK Black History Month series with one of UK Hip-Hop's earliest success stories in MC Duke who was the guy in the late 80s, culminating in two albums of varying quality and the American vocal inflections that was plaguing the early years of UK Hip-Hop. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:47) Ben: Tara Lily - Speak In The Dark Charlie: Vacatixn - GEMINI FLOW Kamaiyah - Before We Party 9th Wonder & Give Em Soul - ONE FORTY SEVEN A-F-R-O - AFRODEEZEAK 2 The Ho...
Oct 01, 2024•1 hr 2 min
The duo of Method Man & Redman seemed like an unofficial duo. They did a lot together in the late 90s/early 00s including "How High", two TV shows that got prematurely cancelled and of course the two "Blackout!" albums. But even with all that, it seemed like their partnership was more an "in the moment between friends" thing than genuinely building a musical legacy as a duo. Catch Up: Ep.128 - Redman Ep.149 - Method Man: The Book Of Wu - Chapter 4 TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:24) Be...
Sep 24, 2024•1 hr 13 min
The trio of Naughty By Nature walked the tightrope better than anybody... Mainstream appeal but still Hip-Hop to the core; everybody and their grandmother has swayed to "Hip-Hop Hooray" and Naughty By Nature had the recipe for a few albums. But the tightrope walk didn't last forever. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:57) Ben: Paris Hilton - Infinite Icon Charlie: Ian Kelly - A Summer Pack With Love Amethyst - Daydreaming LARA' - Luvology Terrace Martin - Nintindo Soul Talib Kweli & J. Ra...
Sep 17, 2024•1 hr 32 min
It's time for another edition of Contemporary Cool! For this one, we get into the Griselda project that arguably put them on the map in Benny The Butcher's "Tana Talk 3" & the absurdly stacked "D.I.T.C. - The Remix Project". TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:52) Ben: LL Cool J - THE FORCE Ransom x Conway - Chaos Is My Ladder 2 Sleazyworld Go - More Than a Shooter Charlie: Slowly Rolling Camera - Silver Shadow Marquis Hill - Composers Collective: Beyond The Jukebox Will Kobus - the marble...
Sep 10, 2024•1 hr 17 min
For the solo career of Guru, it is one that is - compared to Gang Starr - everything but consistent; mix it in with debates about how his relationship with Solar was in truth and you have a bit of a sad end to the life & career of one of the most distinctive voices in Hip-Hop. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:40) Ben: Big Sean - Better Me Than You Juicy J - Ravenite Social Club Doechii - Alligator Bites Never Heal Mozzy - Brash Dummies Ocean Wisdom - Fight Club Charlie: Audrey Powne - F...
Sep 03, 2024•1 hr 37 min
The phrase "One of the Best Yet" has never been so apt. Maybe THE quintessential Golden Age Hip-Hop duo, Gang Starr started off with multiple iterations but once it was just the twosome of DJ Premier & Guru, it was over and it all culminated in projects from the late 80s to the late 2010s with the 90s work providing a shining example of what Hip-Hop was in the Golden Era. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:23) Ben: Planet Asia - Trust the Chain II Eminem - The Death of Slim Shady Charlie:...
Aug 27, 2024•1 hr 26 min
Brooklynite Jeru The Damaja is a rapper that practiced what he preached. Whilst dropping two iconic "All Killer, No Filler" albums of the 90s, he watched Hip-Hop go commercial and made a point to not get swayed. Instead, he continued as an independent voice and cultivate a dedicated fanbase that love him to this day. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:56) Ben: Denzel Curry - King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 38 Spesh - Mother & Gun Charlie: Awon & Phoniks - Golden Era 2 OneDa - For...
Aug 20, 2024•1 hr 17 min
Twista is a fascinating case study. With his first four albums that drastically aim in different directions - only to settle on riding the wave of the 00s Hip-Hop sound - (for better or worse) it creates a frustrating picture of one of the most talented deliverer of words that instead made a full-throated push for the mainstream. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:54) Ben: MAVI - shadowbox Benny the Butcher - Summertime Butch BIGBABYGUCCI - Baby 5 Charlie: Phonte - Pacific Time 2 Ambré - i do...
Aug 12, 2024•1 hr 26 min
Chino XL passed away at the age of 50 last week. So we pushed back the others to celebrate the career and artistry of one of the most respected names in the New York underground. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:48) Ben: JPEGMAFIA - I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU Q Da Fool - King George Charlie: Elsy Wameyo - Saint Sinner Badbadnotgood - Mid Spiral Samm Henshaw - For Someone Somewhere Who Isn't Us Moses Sumney - Sophcore Cecily - Awakening Pt. II Caoilfhionn Rose - Constellations Essa & Pit...
Aug 06, 2024•1 hr 20 min
The story of Ja Rule is one that can only be described as a contextual nightmare. Whilst we can boil it down to "He had hits then 50 took his soul " and call it a day, there's so much under that surface that deserves a look, including music that perfectly exemplifies how fucking weird the 00s were. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:07) Ben: Mustard - Faith of a Mustard Seed Rakim - G.O.Ds NETWORK - REB7RTH Ice Spice - Y2k! Vic Spencer - The Apes That Was Left Behind DJ Muggs x Raz Fresco - T...
Jul 30, 2024•1 hr 38 min
King Tee's legacy is an underrated one. A West Coast darling, respected by his peers that put on a fair share of artists; you'd think his music would be more known? Especially when it's great for the most part! So was it a case of his peers just making better music or something deeper? TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:56) Ben: L'Orange - The Manipulation Charlie: Amindi - Luvr Chenayder - Maybe In Another Life (EP) Lakecia Benjamin - Phoenix Reimagined (Live) Tha Dogg Pound - W.A.W.G. (We A...
Jul 23, 2024•1 hr 24 min
We head to the West Coast to cover the story of Tha Alkaholiks, a fun, don't-take-too-serious group that produced some of the most underrated gems of the 90s and managed to drop albums well into the 00s. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:18) Ben: Rema - HEIS Juicy J x Xavier Wulf - Memphis Zoo Blu x Evidence - Los Angeles Zacari - Bliss Jay Worthy x Dam Funk - Magic Hour Isaiah Falls - Drugs n Lullabies Demrick x DJ Hoppa - Stoney Point 4 Common x Pete Rock - The Auditorium Vol. 1 Charlie: T...
Jul 16, 2024•1 hr 26 min
Albeit a bit late, we take stock of 2024 in Hip-Hop so far, trying not to talk about the whale in the room for as long as we possibly can and instead talk about literally anything else. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:29) Ben: 42 Dugg - 4eva Us Neva Them The Streets - Fabric Presents Charlie: Gary Clark Jr. - JPEG RAW Tyler Daley - Son of Zeus Stefflon Don - Island 54 Headie One - The Last One NappyHigh & Maggie Kiing - Enigmatic Adia - Stubborn Nature SAULT - ACTS OF FAITH 0.0 Ben's A...
Jul 09, 2024•1 hr 37 min
We kick back with another edition of Hip-Hop Neighbours, getting into the album that sent Jamiroquai into the stratosphere and a 90s UK Big Beat album from The Wiseguys, using both albums as foundations for a bigger conversations for music that's rooted in Black origin. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:35) Ben: Lupe Fiasco - Samurai Boldy James x Conductor Williams - Across the Tracks Lil Yachty x James Blake - Bad Cameo Charlie: PRICE & Kota The Friend - SANCTIONED VOL. 1 OTG - No Scri...
Jul 02, 2024•1 hr 23 min
The story of 2 Live Crew is one of response. Response to reactionary pearl-clutching over their work which dared to talk out *checks notes* eating ass, among other things. This lead 2 Live Crew to lean all the way into being the flagbearers of the Miami Bass subgenre whilst getting everybody to free up their sexual inhibitions. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:54) Ben: da beatminerz - Stifled Creativity Charlie: John Glacier - Duppy Gun CJ Fly - baited CJ Fly & NasteeLuvzYou - thePhaRaO...
Jun 25, 2024•1 hr 31 min
We finish our five-part miniseries on the Little Brother universe with Part 2 of our 9th Wonder retrospective, looking at a Blog Era Mixtape, a solo album bursting with features, another - albeit odd choice of - Remix album and a Supergroup EP. Capping off a beginner's guide to one of the best "Death, Taxes & (Artist Name) dropping" careers in recent memory. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:12) Ben: Moby - Always Centered at Night $uicideboy$ - New World Depression Normani - DOPAMINE LU...
Jun 18, 2024•1 hr 32 min
With Little Brother now explored, we can now get into the work of the distant 3rd member: Producer 9th Wonder who has spent a couple decades now letting his music do the talking, with many of collaborators in tow. In the first of two parts, we do something a little different and pick out two projects each that exemplify 9th and his legacy. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:29) Ben: Yelawolf - War Story Open Mike Eagle - Sir Rockabye KAYTRANADA - TIMELESS Vince Staples - Dark Times Charlie: K...
Jun 11, 2024•1 hr 33 min
