Behind The Boards

New Music Drop on Behind the Boards!

On this episode, we’re breaking down Gemini Jams, the brand new album from Ricca Razor Sharp, a true lifer in Canadian hip-hop with over 20 years in the game.

This is Ricca’s 6th album released on May Long (started in 2020) and once again, Gemini Jams is 100% self-produced and self-recorded, crafted from top to bottom by Ricca himself. It’s raw, personal, and layered. It’s the kind of album that hits harder the closer you listen.

You’ll hear features from both fresh voices and longtime allies, including familiar names from the Audible Intelligence crew. There’s a deep sense of evolution here (specifically production wise), but also a nod to the roots.

As always, the show’s packed with comedy, current events, and sharp insights, all delivered with Ricca’s trademark blend of simplicity and depth.

I listen to the album live during the interview, we talk about the stories behind the songs, and get a taste of what’s coming May 24th at East Town Get Down, where Ricca will be lighting up the stage live.

This album will light up the CJSW charts so get ahead of the curve and get your fix of Ricca!

Playlist:

• Ricca Razor Sharp - Gemini Jams (Intro)
• Ricca Razor Sharp - Tales and Tales and Tales
• Ricca Razor Sharp - For the Whole World
• Ricca Razor Sharp, featuring King Lou, Wyzaker, Iron Lion - Rap Flair
• Ricca Razor Sharp - I Like America (But I Don't Wanna Be It)
• Ricca Razor Sharp, featuring Sabo Forte - Sharp Climbs
• Ricca Razor Sharp - Ledda Riddum Hiddum
• Ricca Razor Sharp - At the Ship Y'all
• Ricca Razor Sharp, featuring MEdz, Redfoot & Little Chief - Monday Night (Bring It Live)
• Ricca Razor Sharp - I Sell More Rhymes Than David Langille Sold Computers
• Ricca Razor Sharp, featuring ustBen & Jay Cameron - Release Myself
• Ricca Razor Sharp - We're All Kanye
• Ricca Razor Sharp, featuring Save the West - Call the Plumber
• Ricca Razor Sharp - Get On the Go Train
• Ricca Razor Sharp - 15 Smokes
• Ricca Razor Sharp, featuring Jambuster - Albertascotian Albertatobin
• Ricca Razor Sharp - Baseball Rap Rant
• Ricca Razor Sharp, featuring Iron Lion & Wyzaker - Hot For You

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I loved showcasing Canadian music so much that I brought it back down to Local Ambient / Experimental / Neo-Classical.

Enjoy!

This one's for M.C.!

Playlist:

• Pedro Monkeyfinger - go return
• Pedro Monkeyfinger - september eighty-one
• Ariel Ulysses - The car we drove in on
• Ariel Ulysses - Leaning into spirituality
• buq - Rstr
• Ghost Cartridge, featuring Mantrakid - Summer
• Peter Gagliardi - A Million Hearts
• Ghost Cartridge, featuring Mantrakid - Old Man's Story
• Ghost Cartridge - Nostalgia
• Ghost Cartridge, featuring Mantrakid - Peace
• POSTNAMERS - Ezekiel's Angel
• POSTNAMERS - Better Angels
• Ghost Cartridge, featuring Mantrakid - Interdimensional White Coat Hypertension
• Peter Gagliardi - Edge of the Solar System
• Peter Gagliardi - Journey to Pluto V_ Charon
• Peter Gagliardi - Journey to Pluto VI_ God of the Underworld
• POSTNAMERS - The Withdrawing
• POSTNAMERS - The Sadness of Yellow Morning
• POSTNAMERS - The Best Little Disco in Texas
• Wayne Patrick Garrett - Marine Life
• Wayne Patrick Garrett - Reflections
• Wayne Patrick Garrett - After Party
• Wayne Patrick Garrett - Cumulonimbus
• Wayne Patrick Garrett - Mystic Grotto
• Wayne Patrick Garrett - Something About Us
• Hermitess - Green Blade

It’s time to turn the spotlight on the incredible talent we have right here in Canada! From the serene shores of Vancouver Island to the vibrant streets of Nova Scotia, and with a special nod to Calgary, we’re bringing you a dynamic, diverse, and totally homegrown music lineup. This episode is dedicated to showcasing the richness of Canadian music across various genres... a true testament to the creativity and passion flowing across our beautiful country.

We’ve got something for every listener (leaning experimental), whether you’re into ambient soundscapes, hard-hitting lyrics/beats, or funky grooves. It's a musical journey that stretches from coast to coast, with a local focus.

Playlist:

• Pedro Monkeyfinger - go return
• Ghost Cartridge & Mantrakid - Summer
• Wyzaker - 3221
• Peter Gagliardi - Journey to Pluto V: Charon
• T. Gowdy - Courante
• King Eddy - 7
• Brock Geiger - Evidence
• The Harpoonist - Good People
• Holy Void - In The End I Am Nothing Anyways
• Tumbleweed Dealer - A Plant That Thinks It's Human
• Wayne Patrick Garrett - Reflections
• Carter Felker - Piece Of Time
• Aladean Kheroufi - All The Same
• Septembryo - Haunted Planet (Slowed Down)
• King Lou, featuring Ricca Razor Sharp - Swaggabond
• Cypher77, featuring Wyzaker, Iron Lion, Ricca Razor Sharp & yntelligent - Keep It 100
• King Lou - Resonance
• Daniel Son & Ghost Notes - T.O.
• SAFRON BEATS, featuring Halfcut - Stack It Up
• BLVD NOIR, featuring Mr Maph - Ready or Not
• Tumbleweed Dealer, featuring Ceschi - Ghosts Dressed in Weeds
• The Luvmenauts - Follow Your IC 1805
• Wayne Patrick Garrett - Something About Us
• The Luvmenauts - Doing Jazz
• Joni Void, featuring Sook-Yin Lee - Vertigo
• T. Gowdy - Strewn
• buq - Haz
• Rich Aucoin - Moog
• Various Artists, featuring Fire At Will - Fire At Will & Funkinright

I repurposed an old episode! In June 2024, I featured Aladean Kheroufi... I took that same interview and outtakes (some audio extracted from YouTube) but I replaced all the songs with THE INSTRUMENTALS!!!!!!!!!!

Because those were released recently and INSTRUMENTALS ARE THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What if there was new music coming out from Aladean? Would you be as excited as I am?

Playlist:

• Aladean Kheroufi - Why Do U Call For Rain? (instrumental)
• Aladean Kheroufi - Sleep Tight (instrumental)
• Aladean Kheroufi - LOVE! (instrumental)
• Aladean Kheroufi - Now & 4ever (instrumental)
• Aladean Kheroufi - Arab Brother Rap #1 (instrumental)
• Aladean Kheroufi - Joshua (instrumental)
• Aladean Kheroufi - Here w/ Me (instrumental)
• Aladean Kheroufi - Sinking Ship (instrumental)
• Aladean Kheroufi - Every Girl (instrumental)

This week on Behind the Boards, we're diving deep into the (mostly old school) hip hop influences of last week’s guest, The Dirty Sample, a producer and emcee from Calgary!

The show is a live-mixed session, we were given a range of tracks but I chose to go heavy on the underground hip-hop and experimental side of things… favouring Canadian of course!!

Expect to hear gritty, raw beats, experimental & futuristic flows, plus some classics & true old school joints! The beats are typically sample driven, with banging drums - the lyrics are often thought provoking and of the conscious variety - but the whole thing comes together as a mixed bag - just like the producer we’re spotlighting!

Follow @thedirtysample on IG

Playlist:

• Gruf - The Plants
• Josh Martinez - Uphill Climb
• Ira Lee - Little Japanese Girl
• Buck 65 - BSC.
• Abstract Rude & Aceyalone - Who Framed Tha A-Team?
• Masta Ace - Big City
• Swollen Members, featuring Aceyalone - Consumption
• Roc Marciano - 76
• The Visionaries - If You Can't Say Love
• Tash, featuring B-Real, OutKast & Phil the Agony - Smokefest 1999
• Rascalz - Dreaded Fist
• Kool Keith - Black Elvis
• DJ Moves, featuring Birdapres - In My Life
• Pharoahe Monch, featuring Common & Talib Kweli - The Truth
• Black Moon, featuring Busta Rhymes - The Onslaught
• Jaylib - The Red (Remix)
• Madvillain, Madlib & MF DOOM - Figaro
• Lootpack - Crate Diggin'
• Heltah Skeltah - Operation Lock Down
• Mountain Brothers - Galaxies the Next Level
• Ghetto Concept - Ez on the Motion
• 2Mex & The Mind Clouders - Paranoia Sheik (feat. Rakaa Iriscience of Dilated Peoples)
• Tha Alkaholiks - The Next Level
• Naughty By Nature - Yoke the Joker
• Moka Only - Vermilion
• Governor Bolts - The Idodyssey
• Dilated Peoples - Clockwork
• Nine - Whutcha Want
• 3rd Bass - The Gas Face

This week on the show, we sat down with The Dirty Sample, a local legend who has been contributing classics to the music scene for over two decades. In the past few years, he's dropped an impressive string of projects, each unique, and each showcasing his evolution and elevation of beatmaking. As a producer, his dedication to creating fresh yet vintage sounds continues to impress, proving that after all these years, he’s only now getting started. In his words, “the second I started making music for just myself is the moment I fell in love with it again”.

The main focus of our conversation was his recent work, including Cold Camp, a collaborative rap album he produced the beats for, which dropped in November 2024 on Mo Gravy (Sargent X Comrade, Bobby Henderson). Cold Camp stands out for its eerie, sinister production that complements the album's grimy & authentic, raw vocals. The album highlights The Dirty Sample's ability to blend chilling samples with bangin’ drums, creating a classic sound that’s both nostalgic and forward-thinking. Along with Cold Camp, we also dive into Beats to Murder Rappers 2, released in October 2024. This album continues his tradition of delivering crunchy, ominous, sample-driven beats, but on this project, laced with a menacing and mysterious twist.

Both of these albums have already received a lot of CJSW love, and there is another project already released (just Feb 25 2025) with Kaboom Atomic titled “2 Cents” - we dive into the lead single from that album, which is getting love from Radio on both sides of the ever important border.

As per usual, we also explore the beatmaking process, focusing on the (recent) use of an MPC Live. He shares how this chosen tool has reinvigorated his approach, helping him enter a Flow State at times where beats are created almost intuitively… sometimes with little to no recollection of the process after the fact! We talk about his Ol’ Gorilla Bones sampling techniques, especially his approach of pulling from obscure VHS horror tapes, and the unsettling, cinematic results that emerge from these unconventional sources.

The homie is really hitting his stride after already putting in a marathon of work. It’s amazing to witness LIVE the undying inspiration that continues to pour out of one of Calgary’s most talented and prolific producers in the underground hip hop community. Follow @thedirtysample on IG to stay on top of the inevitable future flow!

Playlist:

• Cold Camp - Freezin Out Here (Intro)
• Cold Camp - Live A Good Life
• Cold Camp - Blessed
• Cold Camp - On The Block
• Cold Camp - Excellence
• The Dirty Sample - Easy Prey
• The Dirty Sample - No One Is Left up Top to Get Us out of the Cave
• The Dirty Sample - Get Inside
• The Dirty Sample - Die in the Deep
• The Dirty Sample - Slow Drip Torture Method
• The Dirty Sample - The Darkness
• The Dirty Sample - Among Us
• Kaboom Atomic & The Dirty Sample - Are You High?