Dad Bod Rap Pod

A few weeks go a crazy, awesome, unexpected thing happened to us. We were contacted by Siah, an excellent but mysterious underground rapper who made one exemplary EP in 1996, then a few singles and scattered guest appearances, then seemed to disappear from the rap world altogether. That's the legend anyway. The Visualz EP, released on vinyl on indie label Fondle Em Records, is a one-of-a-kind exhibition of pinpoint lyricism, jazzy beats, and outre imagery. Siah and rhyme partner Yeshua Da Po ED wove dense verses into a beautiful tapestry of a record... and then they stopped. Siah went on to pursue other passions, but he is still interested in hip-hop, and one day he had an impromptu jam session with his children and ended up recording a new song, and he sent it to us, in order to thank us for appreciating his older music. We quickly arranged the interview you will hear on this episode and at the end of the show you can hear the world premiere of the brand new song "Nitro Fresh 2021." We're extremely flattered and honored to play a small role in telling the story of this singular artist. DBRP is brought to you by the podcast network equivalent of Fondle Em, Stony Island Audio.

This week we are pleased to have the opportunity to speak with Rob Sonic, a talented MC/producer who has been active in independent hip-hop for decades as a solo artist and in groups like Sonic Sum and Hail Mary Mallon. In this wide-ranging conversation we cover his influences, writing style, and recently-released album Latrinalia. DBRP hosts Nate and Dave are huge fans of Rob's early work in Sonic Sum and the textured, poetic take on underground hip-hop that the group represented. This episode, like the others, is brought to you by Stony Island Audio, which feels kind of an indie hip-hop label in that we do this for the love of the culture but occasionally get mentioned in a magazine or a Spotify wrapped list.

It's the DBRP Thanksgiving special! A little personal tray of stuffing to help you through the holiday weekend. We are joined by the hilarious standup comic David Gborie, who you may know as the voice of Comedy Central or from his excellent long-running podcast All Fantasy Everything. David is such a hip-hop head that he literally did not listen to any other kinds of music until his mid-20's, and he joins us today as we give thanks for hip-hop moments we are grateful for. David Gborie chose the anthem "Everyday" by G. Dep, Dave Ma is thankful for the Ego Trip collective, Nate praises Kool Keith's plastic wig period, and Demone is stuck on Mach-Hommy's masterful "26th Letter." We also talk obscure bay rap, the wacky world of public transportation, and the effortless flyness of Larry June. We are deeply thankful for the deep fried turkeys over at Stony Island Audio.

This week we have a conversation with journalist, author and label head S.H. Fernando, who recently released From The Streets Of Shaolin: The Wu-Tang Saga. The book is an insider's account of the Wu's rise to the top of the rap industry, full of fly-on-the-wall observations and sections on every major group and solo project op to We-Tang Forever. Fernando also ran WordSound Recordings, a left-field record label that released hip-hop and electronic music around the turn of the century. Next up we have dual interviews with Producer Tall Black Guy and MC Ozay Moore. The pair recently released a collaborative album called Of Process And Progression. TBG is a prolific producer who works in a variety of tempos and textures but always with an underlying soulfulness to the beats. Ozay, formerly known as Othello, is a hip-hop educator and veteran MC with an observational rap style. DBRP is a proud part of Stony Island Audio, one of those pristine record shops that's in a nice neighborhood and only sells expensive import dance records.

We are joined at the round table by friend of the program Curly Castro to chop it up about Jay-Z's recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, worldwide DOOMSDAY celebrations, and much more. Castro recently released an album entitled Little Robert Hutton on Backwoodz Studios, make sure to give that a listen. Next up we have a talk with DJ Abilities, who recently released his debut solo album Phonograph Phoenix, which marks a stylistic shift for his sound. Abilities talks about his growth and development as a person and an artist and how that feeds into the new project. DBRP is a proud part of the Stony Island Audio podcast network, a series of cans connected by strings with rappers and journalists at either end.

On a beautiful, sunny fall day in San Francisco we were able to sit down with one of our favorite producers, Blockhead. We talked about his upcoming full-length collaborative album with Aesop Rock, Garbology. We also got into touring in this odd time of the pandemic, the state of the rap scene, and some basketball talk. Really fun interview, Blockhead is an engaging, funny dude with a long track record of excellent albums. Brought to you by Stony Island Audio, a podcast network that understands the difference between a beat tape and an instrumental album.

Great talk this week with rapper Chip Fu of Fu-Schnickens. The Fu were a groundbreaking act in many regards, and we talk through their history, their unique rap style, and yes, the Shaq connection. Chip is a great storyteller, taking us back to the golden era, inside Battery Studios, when some of the greatest music ever was being produced by him, his peers, and his label mates. We also talk about the recent Verzuz battle and propose a few intriguing matchups. brought to you by Stony Island Audio the true Fu-Schnick of podcast networks.

Where we're from, in the Bay Area of California, DJ culture is ingrained in our experience of hip-hop. Legend has it that sometime in the ate 90's, turntables began to outsell guitars. I've never been able to see any kind of documentation on that apocryphal stat, but if it's true then a lot of those turntables must have been sold in a 50-mile radius from San Francisco. We grew up seeing DJs at school, talent shows, battle, house parties, basically everywhere. When the so-called Turntablism era popped off, we were paying close attention. Our guest this week, Rhettmatic, was a participant in that important time in hip-hop culture where the DJ took center stage as party rocker, musician, band member, and much more. Rhett is a member of The World Famous Beat Junkies and The Visionaries and has been around music and hip-hop his whole life. On the show he schools us on the history of LA hip-hop, talks about his long career, and about the Beat Junkies DJ School and record pool and much more. DBRP is the broken light on the otherwise perfectly working Technics 1200 of Stony Island Audio.

What makes a song an underground anthem? Is it more important to have an iconic beat that soundtracked a generation? Is a big, hooky chorus the most important thing? Perhaps lyrics with inspiring levels of wordplay. We discuss all that and more, name some of our personal picks, and then turn our attention to Time's Up, the signature track and underground anthem from our guest this week, the legendary rapper O.C. The DITC member has released over 20 albums full of knotty lyrics and street wisdom with a wide range of collaborators. He joins us to tell some stories about his come up, his working relationships with cats like Pharoahe Monch and Lord Finesse, and to talk about his career, including revelations that longtime fans will not want to miss. DBRP is but one of the excellent podcasts on the Stony Island Audio podcast network.

This week we are joined by prolific rapper, producer, writer and podcaster Blueprint. Print is a foundational figure in the independent rap world, from his work in groups Soul Position and Greenhouse to his vast solo catalog. He has also written multiple books and hosts the phenomenal podcast Super Duty Tough Work right here on Stony Island. SDTW is a forum for Print and frequent collaborator Illogic to dispense advice about art making, marketing, social media, longevity, creativity, and much more. Blueprint chats with us about the midwestern approach to hip-hop, his origins as an MC and producer, and some of his collaborative works. DBRP is a proud part of The Stony Island Audio podcast network.