Video animation by: Big Flowers

Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING

The Plug (0:21).

Main Body of Discussion (2:29).

Styles of music such as jazz, R&B, soul, and funk, have all been inseparable elements in the fabric of hip-hop production since its inception.

One particular form of music that has not played nearly as much of a significant role though, is rock music.

That brings us to the subject of today's episode, Ritual, an album by Topeka Kansas rapper Stik Figa, and producer The Expert based in Dublin, Ireland, who’s production features a healthy dose of psychedelic rock samples that are executed brilliantly. The Expert puts those sounds into a blender with traditional golden-age and jazz sounds that rap purists will surely appreciate.

The sound, however, is not all that makes Ritual notable since it is a project that may have ended up being the last album hip-hop veteran Stik Figa would ever create.

To learn more about Ritual, Stik Figa and The Expert join the show to dive deep into how this album was made, as the next instalment of the Album Alchemy series.

Stik Figa and The Expert created Ritual without ever even seeing each other’s faces (2:46).

The collaborative process used for Ritual (9:31).

Ritual was originally supposed to be Stik Figa’s last album (18:33).

The musical landscape of Ritual (24:04).

What drew Stik towards these unconventional beats (34:52).

The challenge of rapping over The Expert’s beats (39:36).

Key themes in Ritual (43:04).

Ritual’s noteworthy features (49:53).

Upcoming work to expect from Stik Figa and The Expert (57:53).

Buy/Stream Ritual here: https://theexpert.bandcamp.com/album/ritual 

Follow Stik Figa on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/STIK_FIGA 

Follow The Expert on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/itstheexpert 

Follow Stik Figa on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/stik_figa/?hl=en 

Follow The Expert on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/itstheexpert/ 

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