Dad Bod Rap Pod

This week we have a bit of a schizophrenic show. In the first segment we have a long conversation about Lil Wayne and on the back half we have a special interview with Yesh aka Yeshua DapoEd who created an indie rap masterpiece in 1996. The Visualz EP is legendary among backpack rap aficionados for its intricate wordplay, brazen song construction, and jazz-inflected beats. It is a personal favorite of Nate and Dave and they were excited to catch up with Yesh and talk about the independent era and what he’s been up to since.

This week we have a very special interview. Our guest is MC Tree from Chicago. He does not normally grant interviews or play shows or do any of the promotional tasks one might associate with being a rapper. He simply records and releases his incredible Soul Trap music on his own terms. Tree had a monster year in 2019, releasing three full length records. We get to hear a bit about each of them and news about what’s coming next.

Great interview this week with author Adam Mansbach who provides insight on the life and career of the beyond-legendary hip-hop pioneer Phase 2. Adam has written several novels centered around hip-hop culture and written for and edited influential hip-hop publications but is best known for writing the “childrens’ book for adults” Go The Fuck To Sleep. In the other segments the fellas talk about the fact that rap songs seem to be getting shorter, and share some examples of hot tracks that don’t waste any time as well as some contributions solicited on Twitter.

This week we are joined by the versatile and productive MC/Producer Evidence. Fresh off tour with Brother Ali (he produced Ali’s most recent album Secrets & Escapes) he talks through his career up to this point. Ev arrived on the scene as a member of Dilated Peoples, and has released a string of solo albums and collaborations since then. His 2018 release Weather Or Not was among his most acclaimed. Stay tuned until the end of the interview when he drops some hints about the direction of his next project. In the first segment Demone, Dave and Nate discuss high fashion. Our theme song “Pyramids” is produced by friend of the program DJ Albert Jenkins.

Short episode this week. The fellas discuss whether there should be a term for the most creative MCs pushing the genre forward. We workshop calling them The Vanguard. In the second segment we interview Vanguard member, MC/Producer Elucid. He is a creative force, in his solo work and his collaborations he is one of the most creative people in hip-hop and we were very pleased to be able to speak with him. Beats for this week’s episode were supplied by Albert Jenkins and Th’ Mole and we appreciate their contributions.

We are celebrating the milestone of reaching 100 episodes of Dad Bod Rap Pod by focusing our attention on one of the greatest rap groups of all time, A Tribe Called Quest. They are monumentally important to the development of hip-hop music and culture in general but also in our personal lives.

First up, we have an in-depth interview with Hanif Abdurraqib, author of Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest. The book is one of the few books on the the golden age of rap that takes the listener’s perspective into account and spends a lot of time talking about how this brilliant and important music made the author feel. We appreciate the very busy Mr. Abdurraqib for taking the time to speak with us.

Next we have not one but two ATCQ trivia games that you can play along with at home! The first is based on 10 questions about facts from Tribe’s career. The second is based on recognizing audio snippets from Tribe sample sources. We are joined for this segment by friends of the program Albert Jenkins and DJ Cutso. Our brand new theme song, “Pyramids” which we are debuting on this episode, is produced by the talented Mr. Jenkins. You’ll be hearing more from him soon!

Last but not least we have an interview with legendary producer Prince Paul (returning for his second appearance on DBRP). He was present for the earliest days of Tribe’s career and provides valuable insight on their sound their era and the Native Tongues collective.

Thank you all for listening and supporting the show! Here’s to another 100 episodes.

We’ve got 99 episodes but a satisfactory accounting of the decade in rap isn’t one. This week each of our three co-hosts pick their top 5 albums of the decade. Tune in to hear what made the cut.

Very special episode this week, we go long on the year in hip-hop and hand out our 2019 Dad Bod Awards for our favorite releases of the year. After that we are joined by the intriguing MC billy woods, who released two of the best records of the year Hiding Places with producer Kenny Segal and Terror management. woods possesses a ferocious intellect and a reflective demeanor, and is answers are full of insight into his year as a person and an artist. Huge thanks to all of the friends of the program who contributed ballots with their best-of lists. Stay tuned to until the end of the program to hear our thoughts on the best song and album of the year among other categories!

It’s a good old fashioned banter episode, the first time in a while we haven’t had a guest. Dave called in sick, so Nate and Demone discuss IRL interactions with hip-hop artists, whether podcasts are filing the void left by the disillusion of many hip-hop magazines, and the fiasco that was the Source Magazine’s Benzino years. Listen now, watch the movie we start writing the script for at some point in the future. Beats for today’s show were provided by Jumbled, you can find more of his work at: jumbled.bandcamp.com

Every year we try to do a special episode for Thanksgiving and this year we landed on the theme of stories. We are all storytellers in some regard, and each DBRP co-host picked a song to tell a personal story about. Nate talks about his family through the lens of Action Bronson’s “9-24-11,” Dave reminisces about a particularly fruitful time in his career by discussing Lord Shafiq’s “My Mic Is On Fire,” and Demone recounts a personal and somewhat tragic tale revolving around Aceyalone’s “Book Of Human Language.” We are very grateful for all of our listeners, the community that has formed around the show, and the artists and writers who have joined us as guest. Happy Thanksgiving from the Dad Bod Rap Pod family to yours.