Podcast

Welcome to Dad Bod Rap Pod, a years-long hip-hop related conversation between three 40-somehting friends. This week the fellas Nate LeBlanc, David Ma and Demone Carter re-listened to Dare Iz A Darkside by Redman and were somewhat surprised by what they heard. In the 30 years since this record was released, Red has gone on to become a beloved character even outside of the rap realm, and we are huge fans of him and his work. That said, listening to this album with fresh ears, we found that we were not really able to tune into its very specific frequency. We digest all of this and discuss some of this challenging work's peculiarities over the course of a nuanced conversation. And in the second segment, we debut a new game we are working on to see how well we know each other after seven years of working together on the show. Please feel free to tell us how wrong we are @dadbodrappod on IG and Twitter, or to attain truly next level hating credentials, you can subscribe to our Patreon www.patreon.com/dadbodrappod and tell us that we are idiots to our digital face behind the paywall. Dad Bod Rap Pod is brought to you by Stony Island Audio, which is named after a street in Chicago but I always picture it like a bunch of rappers and rap writers all getting high together on a stereotypical desert island like the ones from the Far Side cartoons.

It's pretty rare for a rapper of Skyzoo's caliber to perform live in downtown San Jose where our podcast is based, so we made sure to not only attend the show but to hang out in the green room a bit and have a conversation with one of NY's finest. Dad Bod Rap Pod hosts Demone Carter and David Ma chat with the gifted lyricist about his recent record The Mind Of A Saint (Deluxe), a fascinating concept album that is based on the television program Snowfall. This is our second time interviewing Skyzoo, please check out DBRP 180 for an in-depth conversation about his great album All The Brilliant Things. We here at Dad Bod Rap Pod are huge proponents of artists swinging for the fences, and this record is a great example of a mid-career MC doing something a little different and succeeding. We encourage you to check out the album whether you have seen the TV show or not, it works as a standalone project, and we imagine it would be all the more enjoyable if you're well versed in the lore of the show as well. In the bracketing banter segments we review the album, talk about Skyzoo's live show, and delve into a near tragedy with co-host Nate LeBlanc's air pod headphones, which he insists on calling the Dad Bod Air Pods.

DBRP is a Stony Island Audio experience, please make sure to check out the other fine programs on the network.

This week we stagger in the gathering to discuss Common's classic 1994 release Resurrection. This is an important record for DBRP hosts David Ma, Demone Carter, and Nate LeBlanc, who collectively cannot believe this album is 30 years old. We discuss the incredible synergy between rapper Common Sense (as he was then known), producer NO I.D. and scratchmaster Mista Sinista, as well as the relative merits of Common's father's outro contributions, some of the samples used, and so much more. Common was on the rebound from the reception to his debut album Can I Borrow A Dollar when he was creating Resurrection, so we spend a bit of time discussing the reception to that misfire and how he came back hard with this album, which all of us view as an unimpeachable classic. Time has been pretty kind to almost all of this record, with the possible exception of its best known track, the narrative masterwork "I Used To Love H.E.R." We also get into Com's beef with Ice Cube, which is interesting to look back on given the current state of blockbuster rap rivalries at the moment.

As you will probably notice, we recorded this episode from the Harmony Hotel in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City in the beautiful country of Vietnam. We will be rolling out a miniseries documenting more of our travels and experiences there soon, be on the lookout for that.

DBRP is mixed by Taylor Weng, contains a theme song by Cutso and DEM ONE and is produced by Demone Carter. You would not be hearing this without the efforts of Stony Island Audio.

To our comp we're a ton, we get amped like stones on an island. Our patreon is a commodity so buy it: www.patreon.com/dadbodrappod

T3 and Young RJ of Slum Village join us this week to talk about their new album F.U.N, their extensive history, their Detroit MC Mount Rushmore, and much more. Along the way we dive into the mythology of them rhyming to a click track early in their career, the musical fullness of the new record, and modern day roller skating jams.

In the banter segments, we talk about the new LL Cool J song produced by Q-Tip, which winds into a long digression about Tip's musical legacy and who may be hip-hop's version of Stevie Wonder, should such such a thing exist. We also get into the ideal grown man short length, beach activities, and the first of what is sure to be many breakdancing competitions at the Olympics. We also spend some time talking about dreadlock etiquette, cooking shows, and of course plug our Patreon, which you can find at www.patreon.com/dadbodrappod

DBRP is mixed by Taylor Weng. Theme song by Cutso & DEM ONE. Produced by Demone Carter. Brought to you by Stony Island Audio.

*Note: This episode originally dropped on June 18th, 2020*

This week we have a rangy interview with billy woods and Elucid, the members of group Armand Hammer, whose new record Shrines is among the year's best. They provide insight into the album's origins, artwork, and their trusted circle of collaborators among many other topics. In the second segment the fellas discuss the best rap records of the year so far, a check-in on the state of the art as we reach the halfway point of this chaotic but increasingly inspiring year. Beats for this week's show were submitted by Controller 7 and we thank him for the contributions. Our theme song is composed by DJ Albert Jenkins.

It's a tale of two halves on Dad Bod Rap Pod this week. In the intro segment we take a look back at The Fugees' first album Blunted on Reality, released 30 years ago in the thick of one of hip-hop's best overall years, 1994. For now, let's charitably call it an uneven debut from a group still finding its voice. Please click play on the episode to hear a lot more of our thoughts. This album is full of baffling decisions, yelling, and very few cool moments. After the break, hosts Nate LeBlanc, Demone Carter and David Ma turn our frowns upside down and discuss some of our favorite underground hip-hop releases of 2024 thus far, kind of a halfway through the year check in. We have nuanced takes on and praise for Heems' album LAFANDAR, Mach-Hommy's brilliant RICHAXXHATIAN, and Schoolboy Q's occasionally floaty Blue Lips.

If you're reading this please consider supporting DBRP by joining our Patreon, where for a few dollars a month you get exclusive access to a steady stream of bonus audio segments, eclectic and well-researched playlists, as well as tons of music recommendations from us as well as our community of homies.

www.patreon.com/dadbodrappod

DBRP is mixed by Taylor Weng, produced by Demone Carter, explained via theme song by Cutso and DEM ONE, has art by Dewey Saunders, is booked by David Ma, contains the high pitched and extra loud laughter of Nate LeBlanc, and is heard via the mighty Stony Island Audio podcast network.

You wanna see a dead body? All you need to do is listen to this week's guest, one of hip-hop's most unique MCs, Brotha Lynch Hung. Hailing from the under-discussed rap bastion of Sacramento, California, Lynch is the creator of his own unique brand of horror-centric rap music, which he calls Ripgut. Lynch's music is extremely popular in the Bay Area where we grew up, and while we may not be everyday listeners to the music, we certainly respect his consistency, hustle, and vivid writing style. For those unfamiliar with Lynch's output, be warned, it can be extremely graphic and maybe even a somewhat disturbing for the uninitiated. That said, we respect the fact that BLH has created his own musical universe, self-producing and releasing many of his landmark albums. This is one of our most unique interviews to date, and a must-hear for fans of Lynch's horror movie-inspired art.

Speaking of horror films, that is the topic for this week's intro segment, as DBRP hosts Demone Carter, Nate LeBlanc and David Ma discuss their takes on the ubiquitous genre, from formative experiences as kids, to a predilection for psychological thrillers nowadays. In the outro, we dig deeper into the so-called "horrorcore" hip-hop subgenre, a style that is often discussed but one that no prominent artists seem to self-apply to their music. Along the way we touch on such artists as Viper, ICP, Esham, and a few others you may not be expecting us old head classical rap fans to mention.

DBRP is mixed by Taylor Weng. Theme song by Cutso and DEM ONE. Brought to you by the letter 'S' which stands for Stony Island Audio, a gut-rippingly good podcast network.

There are few people who have contributed as much to hip-hop culture and received as little recognition as our guest this week, Breakbeat Lou. He was born in the Bronx, steeped in hip-hop culture from the moment it was created, and eventually went on to develop a record series called Octopus Breaks. That series morphed into the mighty Ultimate Breaks & Beats, a hugely formative series for DJs, Producers, and listeners to familiarize themselves with the canonical breaks, or open drum parts, on which hip-hop is built. Lou has some great memories to share, including stories about the legend Scott La Roc, Afrika Islam's role in break record history, and more recent tales about touring with Sous of Mischief. For true fans of hip-hop culture, this interview is not to be missed.

In the intro segment, DBRP hosts Demone Carter and Nate LeBlanc (David Ma is on assignment this week) discuss breakbeats and break culture. As an MC, Demone has been tracking down and trying to unlock the secrets of the breaks for decades. LeBlanc has an extensive record collection that includes some of the holy grail break records, though he is conflicted about hoarding them when perhaps they could be better used by someone who actually, you know, makes beats.

DBRP is mixed by Taylor Weng. DBRP has a theme song produced by Cutso and rapped by our very own DEM ONE. DBRP guests are booked by David Ma. DBRP is produced by Demone Carter. Most if not all of the puns on the show are provided by Nate LeBlanc. We are down with Stony Island Audio, the finest hip-hop podcast network in all the land.

This week we are going to the movies... actually we're discussing rap portrayals in the movies, a somewhat fraught subject. We were inspired to think about rap on the silver screen by our guest, Marv Won. Among other accolades, Marv was famously part of the movie 8 Mile. We enjoyed our conversation with this Detroit battle rap mainstay who recently signed with Mello Music Group and has a new album entitled "I'm Fine, Thanks For Asking. " One of the highlights of our chat was Mar's lightning-quick assembly of his all-time Detroit MC Mount Rushmore. In the intro segment, DBRP hosts David Ma, Demone Carter and Nate LeBlanc riff about rap movies, verisimilitude, decrepit warehouses, strange bedfellows, and much much more.

Big thanks to our theme song composer Cutso.

DBRP is mixed by Taylor Weng.

Dad Bod Rap Pod is probably the 4th or 5th most popular podcast on the Stony Island Audio network.

"you can tell that the East Bay was his home." 

Spice One doesn't have the wealth and accolades that some of his West Coast contemporaries like E-40, Too Short, and Snoop have, but he has maintained every bit of his respect in the rap game for over 30 years. The Hayward, California rapper came to prominence in the early nineties, pioneering a dark new gangster arch type that is still mimicked today. Tune in to hear him talk about rolling with Tupac, almost being cast in a major motion picture, and why he is still going so hard in 2024. 

The Dad Bod Rap Pod is a production of the Stony Island Audio Podcast Network. Shout out to the honorable Open Mike Eagle. The theme song was created by DEM ONE and DJ CUTSO. Taylor Weng is on the mix (c'mon, kick it!)