Photographer Eric Johnson is responsible for some of hip-hop’s most iconic images including several enduring album photos from the likes of Cam’ron, De La Soul, Biggie, and Lauryn Hill. Eric joins the pod to discuss his experiences working with some of these artists and to tell the story of his involvement in L-Boogie’s classic solo debut.
We teamed up with the fellas from the Serious Rap Sh*t Podcast to discuss our favorite albums of the year. We were each tasked with picking three albums and found surprisingly little overlap, which led to a diverse convo about these great bodies of work. 2020 sucked. But this music didn’t. Instead, it sustained us, gave words to our feeling, and made our feelings into sound. And sometimes it just banged hard as sh*t.
DJ/producer/label head Chong Wizard shares the story of his progression from hip hop journalist to executive producer and gives us a look behind his new project with emcee Zilla Rocca, including the story of how that guest verse from the late great Malik B. ended up on the album. And then a thoughtful discussion about the far out sounds of Dr. Octagon.
Michelle Willems is an art director/designer who generously shared some of her experiences working at Sony Music, Tommy Boy, and the MTV Networks. Highlights include the photo shoot for Big L’s debut album, that one time she was asked to meet Kool G Rap in a secret location, and the story behind the Stakes is High cover image. All that and a discussion with Michelle about her relationship with De La Soul and 3 Feet High And Rising.
While literally walking the streets of Baltimore, ILL Conscious talks about his latest work, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and his upcoming project with producer Mute Won called Acres of Diamonds (the lyrics to which were actually lost earlier this year!). Hear that story and more, including ILL’s love for Little Brother and their second album. And make sure you listen until the end for a special cameo from another Baltimore spitta!
As the purveyor of “weaponized media” at PTP (Purple Tape Pedigree) and thru a history with storied NYC underground crews like Atoms Family, Geng has contributed to and been a witness of the full spectrum of sound in hip-hop. We explore some of those experiences with discussions on being a teacher, using art to build and better community, his excellent album An Unknown Inifite with fellow New Yorker Amani, and the enormous influence of Company Flow’s Funcrusher Plus.
Extensive sit down with Detroit legend House Shoes who provides his customary no bullshit perspective on beer, politics, beat flips, ownership, Street Corner Music, Danny Brown, 8 Mile, and much much more including thoughts on his favorite album of any genre - Mobb Deep’s classic sophomore effort.
L.A. based producer Kenny Segal has contributed to some of the most unique and creative projects in the “art rap” scene, including recent albums Purple Moonlight Pages with R.A.P. Ferreira, Ajai with Serengeti, and Hiding Places with billy woods. Kenny tells us about his intro to Project Blowed, his work with Team Supreme, honing the craft of building intricate soundscapes for dense lyricism, and much more. And we ask Kenny to educate us about his album of choice - the omid produced Project Blow...
Filmmaker Darby Wheeler is best known stateside for his directing on the most excellent Netflix series Hip-Hop Evolution. He drops some jewels about his experience creating the show, gives us a preview of the in-progress D&D Studios documentary, and chats a bit about Scenario Media and their upcoming projects. And, of course, we all swap stories about Darby’s album of choice - Outkast’s ATLiens.
The second installment in a two-part collab with Nate and Demone from Dad Bod Rap Pod. The first part of the discussion takes place on their pod, where we talked about the soundtrack to the film Juice. Here the four of us discuss music from the motion picture Boyz N The Hood. Does Compton’s Most Wanted have the best cut? Has Tony Toni Tone’s “Me and You” aged better than Nate wants to admit? Is this the last lap for Ice Cube’s militant gangster persona? Listen for our thoughts and more. And be s...
By 1999 Mos Def had already made a name for himself as a freestyle wizard in New York, a gifted MC that held crowds captive with Lyricist Lounge, and as one half of Black Star. Still he crafted a solo debut that seemed to ignore the hype yet managed to blow us away with its genre bending optimism at a time when hip hop was losing its golden luster. Black On Both Sides delivered a love letter to Blackness that is just as excellent and relevant 20 years later.
The poet/singer/activist/recording artist Ursula Rucker brings us needed inspiration as she shares how she is meeting the current reckoning for our country (and our city). True to form, she also challenges us to “do the work” and create the nation that we long to live in. And for the first time on the show we discuss an album from a singer, Frank Ocean, in our attempts to follow Ursula’s mandate - “Don’t limit hip hop...ever”
In 1991 Main Source dropped some game changing science in the form of Breaking Atoms. Yes, it gave us the first recorded verse from Nas (and one of the illest posse cuts of all time). Yes, it featured ground breaking sample-based production. But it also touched on just about every aspect of the life of young Black men including the still relevant and infinitely clever take on police brutality Just a Friendly Game of Baseball. We’re gonna talk about it all but give that track and our current pers...
Kount Fif is the co-owner of Man Bites Dog Records and the producer behind projects like Uncommon Nasa’s City As School and the upcoming release from Baltimore’s Sinista Daniro. He drops by the pod to give us his take on the historic protests happening across the nation, the history of his relationship with Man Bites Dog, his approach as a producer, and his thoughts on an album that prolonged Wu-Tang’s relevance - the second solo joint from Ghostface Killah.
Queen Latifah’s third album, bolstered by a successful hit TV show, brought her the most commercial hit of her career, won her a Grammy, and spoke for all women of color. “Who you callin’ a bitch???” might just be as relevant a question today as it was in 1993. We dig into that question and more with a long look at Black Reign.
David Lotwin, co-owner of the famous D&D Studios and co-founder of D&D Recording, blesses the pod with his wealth of insight into NYC hip hop. From the studio’s beginnings recording reggae to its work with Deee-Lite to becoming a destination for just about every New York hip hop artist you can think of (Nas, Biggie, Jay-Z, KRS-One, Gang Starr, Jeru the Damaja, Smif-N-Wesson, Black Moon, Lord Finesse, Fat Joe and many many more) D&D played a huge role in shaping the culture. David giv...
Chris Skillz is an artist who wears his emotion on his sleeve. His lyrics are laced with unparalleled vulnerability and at times such sensitive subjects as depression, suicidal thoughts, and surviving sexual abuse are openly addressed. The Delaware MC gives us an in-depth look at his creative process, his vision as an artist, and his admiration for 2Pac’s Me Against The World.
In these wild times we turn to Wildchild, DJ Romes, and Madlib to help us get thru. The trio known as Lootpack debuted in 1999 on Stones Throw Records and set the label on a trajectory for greatness. Stay home and take a listen as we ponder the mystery of Madlib’s mastery, give props to the underrated Likwit Crew, and much much more.
As the COVID-19 pandemic begins to impact the U.S., Los Angeles native XP the Marxman joins the show to talk about the impact its already having on artists. He also goes in depth about the influence East Coast artists have had on his career, his upcoming project with Roc Marciano, his work with L.A.’s homeless population, and his album of choice - GZA’s legendary Liquid Swords.
By the year 2000 the Golden Age was over and rap was flooded with over-commercialized music. But in Philly the trio of Vinnie Paz, Stoupe The Enemy of Mankind, and Jus Allah crafted an incredibly unique album that became legendary for the city and significant for the entire indie circuit of that era. This episodes examines the sophomore effort from Jedi Mind Tricks.
Delaware based emcee All Hail Y.T. comes thru to talk about his latest collab with producer Tone Beatz - The Spoils Babylon. Y.T. also shares about the growth that led to his name change (formerly Yung Texxus), the importance of learning all aspects of the business of music, and the most influential artist/album of his lifetime - 2Pac’s classic double LP.
Awon is the co-owner of Don’t Sleep Records, co-star of the documentary Underdogs and an ill emcee based out of VA. He joins The Next Movement to talk about his beginnings, his approach to his art and business, being a part of a hip hop family, and the album that many say is the best of all time.
Busta Rhymes released his sophomore effort in 1997 and instantly became a household name. The albums singles and associated videos elevated the art of hip hop to new heights. But does Busta get the respect he deserves? Is crowning him the “jester” of hip hop a fair title?
Estee Nack comes thru to talk about Carpe Noctem, living in the present, using rap as a means to a greater end, raiding his uncle’s closet as a kid, the current scene in Lynn, MA and Mobb Deep’s classic third album.
Rapper/producer/recording engineer/writer Uncommon Nasa drops in to talk about his latest project City As School, social media, Staten Island, legacy, and one of his favorite albums - Gang Starr’s classic fourth full-length.
Talking about all of our favorite things from 2019 - favorite albums, favorite tracks, favorite beats, favorite moments from the show...you get the idea.
German-based producer Superior joins the pod to talk about growing up with hip hop in Germany, his evolution as a beat maker, teaming up with Eto for Long Story Short, his latest project - Baladas with Estee Nack, and his favorite Wu-Tang album - the instantly classic debut from Raekwon.
Stacey “Flygirrl” Wilson is an artist, designer, curator, event producer, and Philadelpha Creative Ambassador who embodies hip-hop culture. She’s co-hosted Tastytreats w/Questlove - a weekly hip-hop party that saw some of the most legendary emcees and DJs in the game come thru weekly for 13 years. She’s thrown private parties for Prince. She’s had art published in Jill Scott’s book of poetry and in a documentary about J Dilla. There’s much more but not enough space here to continue. Flygirrl fil...
“Highly loved by Chicago hoods” and “highly hated by the Chicago scene” - Vic Spencer talks his latest release, his record label, his work with Chicago’s youth and one of his favorite albums...Redman’s classic sophomore effort.
The D.O.C. helped pen iconic, grounding breaking, raw tales of violence and anger and “street knowledge” for N.W.A. But his own debut was something completely different, with a barrage of word play and charisma that few in 1989 could match. And with Dre helming the boards there was no way to deny its greatness.
