U-God was raised by the streets of Staten Island, where getting beaten up was a rite of passage that made you stronger. He was busted for driving a stolen car and assaulting a police officer. He dealt crack, and narrowly avoided a police raid on the apartment building he dealt from. He also dealt vengeance – he once came within seconds of killing a rival dope peddler. And when he finally put the violent life behind him and found freedom and joy in the music he made with Wu-Tang Clan, the ghosts ...
Oct 03, 2023•37 min•Season 13Ep. 147
Cappadonna may have taught a lot of the guys in Wu-Tang Clan how to rhyme, but he wasn’t around when the group first formed and released their incredible debut album. Because Cappadonna was in Rikers Island, doing time for someone else’s crack rocks. When Cap was released, the Clan welcomed him as the honorary tenth member of the group. But he brought someone else into the fold, too. A shady character who, unbeknownst to Cap and the rest of the guys, wasn’t what he seemed … a federal informant t...
Sep 28, 2023•37 min•Season 13Ep. 146
At just 15 years old, Inspectah Deck had to learn how to hold his own against older, more dangerous convicts when he was sent to jail for selling crack to an undercover cop. It wasn’t the first time he did hard time. Multiple stints behind bars gave him nothing but time – to reflect, to strategize, to learn how to rap, and to take that new skill and use it to turn his life around on the outside. But years later, the bad decisions of his youth were just some of the reasons why the the NYPD, the A...
Sep 26, 2023•35 min•Season 13Ep. 145
The After Party returns this week while DISGRACELAND takes a break from our full season on the Wu-Tang Clan, and Jake is talking the Wu's influences, Ringo Starr, Bruce and Brandon Lee - and of course your voicemails, texts, and DMs. What other artists are worthy of a full season in Disgraceland? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.au...
Sep 21, 2023•25 min•Season 13Ep. 144
Ghostface Killah allegedly tried to steal three thousand dollars from a parking lot attendant. They said he was shot in the neck and shoulder in Steubenville, Ohio, shortly before the RZA went on trial for attempted murder. Or so the story goes. And it is true that he was busted with a .357 Magnum, hollow-point bullets, and a bulletproof vest during a routine traffic stop. It was stories and transgressions like these that led the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to dig deep into Wu-Tang ...
Sep 14, 2023•38 min•Season 13Ep. 144
As a teenager, Method Man won $800 on a $5 bet in a dice game. He used those winnings to set himself up as a crack dealer on Staten Island. Dealing was dangerous. Meth was chased by drug squads and dragged down the street when a potential buyer stole his product. His life was saved by a friend who pulled him out of the wrong place at the right moment – a moment in which he literally dodged a bullet. To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com. To learn mor...
Sep 12, 2023•37 min•Season 13Ep. 143
Corey Woods, aka Raekwon, was addicted to the styles, sounds, and crimes of hip-hop street culture in the 1980s. He sold weed, coke, and later crack to fund his expensive taste in clothes and parties. But that life wasn’t all glamor. He was shot four times and nearly killed when he was caught in the crossfire. And times were changing. The NYPD launched a street-level anti-drug task force to target low-level dealers – dealers like Raekwon, who found life as he knew it was about to suddenly change...
Sep 07, 2023•39 min•Season 13Ep. 142
Bobby Diggs (aka the RZA) grew up on a steady diet of kung fu movies and hip-hop music. As a kid he hung around junkies and prostitutes in Times Square. As a teenager he hustled dime bags of weed to day traders on Wall Street. But on Christmas Eve 1991, in Ohio, he was caught up in a shooting that landed him in a fight for his life. To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.a...
Sep 05, 2023•38 min•Season 13Ep. 141
Jake dives in to the Wu-Tang Clan as DISGRACELAND embarks on a new season all on the group. Are they the best super group of all time? If not, who is? Plus, Bumblefest, Low Cut Connie, and your correspondence. Get in touch at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices...
Aug 31, 2023•29 min
Wu-Tang Clan made history with some of the most compelling hip-hop music of all time. They also made enemies with the NYPD, the ATF, and the FBI – the latter of which classified them as a "major criminal organization." The story of Wu-Tang's rise from the streets of New York to the world's stage is full of hustle, paranoia, bad drug deals, police shootouts, federal informants...and it's also the subject of the 13th season of DISGRACELAND. The first serialized season of DISGRACELAND starts Tuesda...
Aug 29, 2023•4 min
This week's re-release of the second part of the Notorious BIG episode comes along with somenew developments in Tupac's murder case - and maybe related to BIG's murder. Who do you think killed BIG? What about Tupac? Jake also talks Prince's acting career, nü metal, new metal, and non-biopic music movies. Drop Jake a line about these topics at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. To learn more about listener data and our privacy p...
Aug 24, 2023•39 min
In this installment of the After Party, we kick off our 50th anniversary of hip-hop by revisiting the two-part episode on The Notorious BIG. Jake asks about the biggest musical beefs of all time, he wants to know what job you're NOT doing while listening, and about your tattoo regrets. Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com...
Aug 17, 2023•36 min•Season 13Ep. 1
It's Velvet Underground week in Disgraceland, and Jake is wondering if they are the most influential rock band? Plus voicemails, texts, Keith Jarrett, FIDLAR, and the question: what are your favorite end-of-the-workday songs? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https...
Aug 10, 2023•36 min
The Velvet Underground put a spike in the status quo. They sang candidly about heroin, speed, and S&M. Their members included drug dealers and junkies. Their stage show was so perverted that it offended even the most liberal of peacenik hippies. Their benefactor and so-called manager, Andy Warhol, was nearly killed in an assassination attempt that shocked the country. But their songwriter, Lou Reed, wanted more than shocking headlines and offensive stage shows. He wanted to be a rock ‘n roll sta...
Aug 08, 2023•37 min•Season 12Ep. 140
In Sonny Rollins week, Jake ponders the powers of talent and craft, and what makes musicians great. Plus, your voicemails, texts, and DMs. Who is the GOAT musician? What are the best duets? What's your desert island Dead album? And is talent or craft more important? Jake wants to know at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy...
Aug 03, 2023•41 min•Season 12Ep. 139
Sonny Rollins did time at Rikers Island twice: first for armed robbery and again for using dope. He was a fiend and a pickpocket. He nearly got himself killed when he ran to Miles Davis’ defense after a bloody scuffle with a cop outside Birdland. At the same time, Sonny Rollins was universally acknowledged as the greatest living tenor saxophone player. But he wanted to get better. He knew he could kick dope and kick petty crime. He also knew that in doing so, he could improve his own playing. So...
Aug 01, 2023•39 min•Season 12Ep. 139
Jake connects his a-ha moment with country to the greats, specifically this week's DISGRACELAND subject Merle Haggard. Jake takes voicemails, texts, and DMs, and offers his best post-punk bands list. What are your top five music movies of all time? Introduce yourselves! Hit Jake up at 617-906-6638, [email protected], or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Le...
Jul 27, 2023•34 min•Season 12Ep. 10
Merle Haggard was what authorities liked to call a “repeat offender.” He was arrested for riding trains, for skipping school, for stealing cars, for robbing gas stations, and for attempting to knock over a restaurant – during the Christmas Eve rush. He was committed to juvenile halls, correctional facilities, and reform schools 17 times, and 17 times he escaped. When he was arrested for the final time, he was sent to do hard time at San Quentin. He turned 21 in prison. And it was in prison that ...
Jul 25, 2023•39 min•Season 12Ep. 138
On this week's After Party, Jake is talking the classic film Almost Famous, John Lee Hooker's baseball song Grinder Man, and taking your voicemails and texts. Who are the greatest English groups of the post-punk era? Does New Order make the cut? Jake wants to get to know you. Plus, what is "it" about your favorite artists? was 1994 the best year for music? Is Almost Famous the best movie about music? And what is so appealing about Jon Bon Jovi? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmai...
Jul 20, 2023•39 min•Season 12Ep. 137
New Order proved that a rock band could make dance music and actually become cooler in the process. The musical hybrid they created helped define the sound of the 1980s. It also defined the growing subculture in their hometown of Manchester, England, specifically at the Haçienda, the nightclub they owned. But beyond a fine time, the club scene brought gang violence, a notorious crime family, cocaine, ecstasy, a mental breakdown, and an arrest at the height of New Order’s fame. For the full list ...
Jul 18, 2023•36 min•Season 12Ep. 137
After a week's break from the After Party, Jake catches up on voicemail, wraps up our musical mashup conversation, and explores Billboard's top rap groups kerfuffle. We get into season two of The Bear, Fourth of July songs, and Jake offers some insight into his own history. What is your favorite hip hop group? Can you recommend some weird, obscure 90s hip hop? Leave a message for Jake at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. To learn more about listener data...
Jul 13, 2023•44 min•Season 12Ep. 136
On May 22, 2017, a terrorist detonated a bomb outside Ariana Grande’s performance at Manchester Arena. The blast killed 22 people. It injured over a thousand more. The attack remains one of the most heartbreaking events in music history. Parents were terrified. Younger fans suddenly feared going to concerts. But Manchester’s story doesn’t end on May 22, or in the days that followed. It ends with one woman organizing the One Love concert, healing a new generation of young pop devotees. This is th...
Jul 11, 2023•37 min•Season 12Ep. 136
On this week's After Party, Jake is digging into why he loves and hates Aerosmith with a dive into a personal story from his way back machine. We ask the question: is it worth it to meet your heroes? More Hüsker Dü, more Fidlar, and more of your voicemails, texts, and DMs. Leave a message for Jake at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod and come join the After Party. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more abou...
Jun 29, 2023•34 min•Season 12Ep. 135
At their peak, Aerosmith was sex, drugs, and rock and roll in the flesh, wrapped up in spangly scarves and jumpsuits. They crossed target practice with black tar heroin. Trained roadies how to feed them cocaine onstage. Frontman Steven Tyler claims he spent $6,000,000 on coke alone. Their chemical highs launched them to career highs that were equally staggering, until addictions and attitudes splintered the band into solo projects and a shadow of the band they once were. No group ever lived on t...
Jun 27, 2023•37 min•Season 12Ep. 135
On this week's After Party, Jake is ready to dive into this week's Disgraceland episode on Lil' Kim, and to talk about how her career thrived after she was released from prison. A Disgo shares a literal heartbreaker of a story about the 2004 Red Sox, Jake talks Hüsker Dü and FIDLAR, and so much more. Jake also wants to know which musician had the best post-prison career - Lil' Kim, Merle Haggard, Lil Wayne, or Paul McCartney? Send a message at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod and come...
Jun 22, 2023•36 min•Season 12Ep. 134
Lil’ Kim is the queen of hard core. She practically invented hard core sex positivity with her raunchy raps and head-turning getups. She survived a hard core beef that ended in a spur-of-the-moment shootout. Then she became the first female rapper to serve hard core time in prison…and release a full-length album from her cell. As Lil’ Kim blazed through the 1990s and early 2000s with searing bars about what she did in the bedroom, listeners idolized her unpolished and truthful takes on feminine ...
Jun 20, 2023•34 min•Season 12Ep. 134
This week on the After Party, Jake is sharing an interview he did with Foo Fighters' guitarist Chris Shiflett at this year's Boston Calling Music Festival. They're talking about how inaccurate guitar tutorial videos inspired Chris's new podcast, "Shred With Shifty", about Chris's beginnings in the Santa Barbara punk scene, and so much more. Leave your own message for Jake at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod and come join the After Party. To learn more about listener data and our priva...
Jun 15, 2023•27 min•Season 12Ep. 133
Jimi Hendrix spent much of his life pursuing a great escape. Escape from his abusive childhood home. Escape from his court-ordered time in the Army. Even an escape from his own band, the Experience, who he felt limited his groundbreaking sound. But when two wannabe mobsters lured Jimi into a hostage situation with the promise of heroin, Jimi came face to face with the most extreme – and rarely discussed – escape of his life. For the full list of contributors, visit disgracelandpod.com To learn m...
Jun 13, 2023•39 min•Season 12Ep. 133
This week in the After Party, Jake is ready to dive into the latest Disgraceland episode on Jeff Buckley, and to talk about his crazy influences, like Nina Simone, Edith Piaf, and more. We're also talking your Paul Simon album recommendations, why working out to disco is so great, and much more. If you wanna let Jake know what your favorite disco song is, or why you don't like disco, send a text or leave a voicemail at 617-906-6638 and come join the After Party. To learn more about listener data...
Jun 08, 2023•40 min•Season 12Ep. 132
Jeff Buckley released his only studio album, Grace, at the height of grunge rock. But it didn’t sound like grunge. It sounded like nothing else out there. It defied categorization. It was full of originals and covers, some complex and cerebral, others straight-up pop. From the pissed-off punk takes to the Eastern-influenced meditations, the constant was Jeff’s voice. A voice unlike any other. A voice that could do anything. A voice that was singing out loud on May 29, 1997, when Jeff Buckley, ju...
Jun 06, 2023•37 min•Season 12Ep. 132
