Diggin' In The Digits

Before he was Congo Natty, he was Rebel MC and it is genuinely tough to decide which alter ego of dual threat Michael West is the most influential. As a Hip-Hop Pod, we cover Rebel MC and the three album run under that name, mixing Hip-Hop, House, Dance & Pop with samples from every Jamaican music genre to date.

TIMESTAMPS:
Weekly Music Roundup - (0:51)
Ben:

• Benny The Butcher x 38 Spesh - Stabbed & Shot 2
• Yeat - Lyfestyle
• ian - Goodbye Horses
• DJ Rude One - Upper Space

Charlie:

• Protoje - The Jamaican Situation
• BINA. - Chaos Is Her Name
• Alfa Mist & Amika Quartet - Recurring (Live At King's Place)
• Ashley Henry - Who We Are
• Homeboy Sandman - Turns Out I Can Tell A Few of These After All
• Roy Hargrove - Grande-Terre

Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (10:07)
Rebel Music - (21:41)
Black Meaning Good - (30:29)
Word, Sound and Power - (37:51)
Lighter Note - (50:04)

Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.

Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)

HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers
5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUK
ChillHop (Twitter) - @Chillhopdotcom
Bonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
"What's Good?" W/ Charlie Taylor
In Search of Sauce
Black Women Watch...
5EPN Radio
The Beauty Of Independence

When UK Hip-Hop zigged, Demon Boyz zagged. Whilst they managed to get two albums out before their split, boy did they make effort to do it differently and incidentally became a key connection between Hip-Hop and Jungle. 

TIMESTAMPS:
Weekly Music Roundup - (0:54)
Ben:

• Rome Streetz - Hatton Garden Holdup
• XV & Mike Summers - Blog Era Is Dead 
• Iglooghost - Tidal Memory Exo

Charlie:

• Layfullstop - RUGGED (Part 2)
• Nilla Allin - NILLAWOOD
• CHERISE - Butter
• Deema - C4LL MY PHONE
• Äyanna - About Ä Boy
• Matt Wilde - It's A Delight
• Hak Baker - Nostalgia Death Act 2
• Curren$y & DJ.Fresh - The Encore
• BigXthaPlug - TAKE CARE
• Dua Saleh - I SHOULD CALL THEM 
• Amaria - Free Fallin'
• Avery*Sunshine - So Glad to Know You
• Bnnyhunna - ECHOES OF PRAYER
• 7xvethegenius - Death of Deuce
• Sans Soucis - Circumnavigating Georgia
• SamRecks - BALANCE
• Shocka - Vulnerability is the New Cool
• XV & Mike Summers - Blog Era Is Dead 

Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (23:30)
Recognition - (30:17)
Original Guidance (The Second Chapter) - (44:42)
Lighter Note - (58:43)

Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.

Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)

HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers
5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUK
ChillHop (Twitter) - @Chillhopdotcom
Bonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
"What's Good?" W/ Charlie Taylor
In Search of Sauce
Black Women Watch...
5EPN Radio
The Beauty Of Independence

In our 2nd UKBHM retrospective for the '24 crop, we get into the group Hardnoise, (Now known as Son Of Noise) who - along with temporary label mates Hijack - brought an antagonistic edge to UK Hip-Hop.

TIMESTAMPS:
Weekly Music Roundup - (0:47)
Ben:

• Tee Grizzley - Post Traumatic
• The Voidz - Like All Before You
• Jamie xx - In Waves

Charlie:

• Mark Kavuma - The Dandy
• Lynda Dawn - 11th Hour
• Suni MF - yellow gold
• Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad - Jazz Is Dead 021
• Master Peace - How To Make A(nuva) Master Peace
• Awon & High John - Odyssey Disco
• Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - Heavier Yet (Lays The Crownless Head) 
• Thee Sacred Souls - Got a Story To Tell
• Leon Bridges - Leon
• Kofi Stone - A Man After God's Own Heart 
• Filah Lah Lah - ON AIR

Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (18:37)

The Mighty Son of Noise - (25:57)

Access Denied: Bullshit and Politics Pt 1 - (32:55)
Lighter Note - (44:47)

Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.

Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)

HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers
5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUK
ChillHop (Twitter) - @Chillhopdotcom
Bonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
"What's Good?" W/ Charlie Taylor
In Search of Sauce
Black Women Watch...
5EPN Radio
The Beauty Of Independence

For a bonus episode, an interview for you to step to! Charlie talks to UK DJ/Production duo The Allergies, talking their beginnings, how they gained/cultivated their taste; their new album "Freak The Speaker" and their Top 5. If you haven't spun a WG interview, here's a good gateway for you!

Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.

Music - "Hold Please" & "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)

HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers
5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUK
ChillHop (Twitter) - @Chillhopdotcom
Bonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
"What's Good?" W/ Charlie Taylor
In Search of Sauce
Black Women Watch...
5EPN Radio
The Beauty Of Independence

We begin our 2024 edition of our UK Black History Month series with one of UK Hip-Hop's earliest success stories in MC Duke who was the guy in the late 80s, culminating in two albums of varying quality and the American vocal inflections that was plaguing the early years of UK Hip-Hop.

TIMESTAMPS:
Weekly Music Roundup - (0:47)
Ben:

• Tara Lily - Speak In The Dark

Charlie:

• Vacatixn - GEMINI FLOW
• Kamaiyah - Before We Party
• 9th Wonder & Give Em Soul - ONE FORTY SEVEN
• A-F-R-O - AFRODEEZEAK 2
• The Hoodies - NOBODY BIGGER THAN WE
• Mysie - CONTROLLA
• Monaleo - Throwing Bows
• Amahla - Enough: The Collection
• Tara Lily - Speak In The Dark
• Bilal - Adjust Brightness
• Nines - Quit While You're Ahead
• TSHA - Sad Girl
• Ezra Collective - Dance, No One's Watching

Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (18:55)
Organised Rhyme - (28:47)
Return of the Dread-i - (38:35)
Lighter Note - (51:42)

Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.

Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)

HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers
5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUK
ChillHop (Twitter) - @Chillhopdotcom
Bonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
"What's Good?" W/ Charlie Taylor
In Search of Sauce
Black Women Watch...
5EPN Radio
The Beauty Of Independence

The duo of Method Man & Redman seemed like an unofficial duo. They did a lot together in the late 90s/early 00s including "How High", two TV shows that got prematurely cancelled and of course the two "Blackout!" albums. But even with all that, it seemed like their partnership was more an "in the moment between friends" thing than genuinely building a musical legacy as a duo.

Catch Up:

• Ep.128 - Redman
• Ep.149 - Method Man: The Book Of Wu - Chapter 4

TIMESTAMPS:
Weekly Music Roundup - (1:24)
Ben:

• MC Lyte - 1 of 1
• Future - MIXTAPE PLUTO

Charlie:

• Jourden - Straight, No Chase
• Lady Blackbird - Slang Spirituals
• Adanna Duru - stuck in a record deal
• Paris Nights - Full Package: Act 2
• Jeryh Luz - Luz
• The Alchemist - The Genuine Articulate
• Xenia Manasseh - LOVE/HATE Pt. 2
• Jaz Karis - SAFE FLIGHT
• Sarina - What U Didn't Know
• Blu & Exile - Love (the) Ominous World
• MC Lyte - 1 of 1
• Alemeda - FK IT
• Nubya Garcia - Odyssey 

Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (28:53)
Blackout! - (37:39)
Blackout! 2 - (46:52)
Lighter Note - (1:00:41)

Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.

Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)

HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers
5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUK
ChillHop (Twitter) - @Chillhopdotcom
Bonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
"What's Good?" W/ Charlie Taylor
In Search of Sauce
Black Women Watch...
5EPN Radio
The Beauty Of Independence

The trio of Naughty By Nature walked the tightrope better than anybody... Mainstream appeal but still Hip-Hop to the core; everybody and their grandmother has swayed to "Hip-Hop Hooray" and Naughty By Nature had the recipe for a few albums. But the tightrope walk didn't last forever.

TIMESTAMPS:
Weekly Music Roundup - (0:57)
Ben:

• Paris Hilton - Infinite Icon

Charlie:

• Ian Kelly - A Summer Pack With Love
• Amethyst - Daydreaming
• LARA' - Luvology
• Terrace Martin - Nintindo Soul
• Talib Kweli & J. Rawls - The Confidence Of Knowing
• RAYE - Live at Montreux Jazz Festival

Independent Leaders - (14:21)

Naughty by Nature - (22:16)

19 Naughty III - (31:42)

Poverty's Paradise - (40:13)

Nineteen Naughty Nine: Nature's Fury - (47:15)

IIcons - (54:22)

Anthem Inc. - (1:01:45)
Lighter Note - (1:10:14)

Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.

Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)

HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers
5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUK
ChillHop (Twitter) - @Chillhopdotcom
Bonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
"What's Good?" W/ Charlie Taylor
In Search of Sauce
Black Women Watch...
5EPN Radio
The Beauty Of Independence

It's time for another edition of Contemporary Cool! For this one, we get into the Griselda project that arguably put them on the map in Benny The Butcher's "Tana Talk 3" & the absurdly stacked "D.I.T.C. - The Remix Project".

TIMESTAMPS:
Weekly Music Roundup - (0:52)
Ben:

• LL Cool J - THE FORCE
• Ransom x Conway - Chaos Is My Ladder 2
• Sleazyworld Go - More Than a Shooter

Charlie:

• Slowly Rolling Camera - Silver Shadow 
• Marquis Hill - Composers Collective: Beyond The Jukebox
• Will Kobus - the marble n' the sculptor
• LL Cool J - THE FORCE
• Laila! - GAP YEAR!
• Nala Sinephro - Endlessness
• The Doppelgangaz - G Pack, Vol. 5
• Demae - Deliver Me

Tana Talk 3 - (16:02)
'D.I.T.C. - The Remix Project' - (34:41)
Lighter Note - (53:21)

Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.

Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)

HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers
5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUK
ChillHop (Twitter) - @Chillhopdotcom
Bonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
"What's Good?" W/ Charlie Taylor
In Search of Sauce
Black Women Watch...
5EPN Radio
The Beauty Of Independence

For the solo career of Guru, it is one that is - compared to Gang Starr - everything but consistent; mix it in with debates about how his relationship with Solar was in truth and you have a bit of a sad end to the life & career of one of the most distinctive voices in Hip-Hop.

TIMESTAMPS:
Weekly Music Roundup - (0:40)
Ben:

• Big Sean - Better Me Than You
• Juicy J - Ravenite Social Club
• Doechii - Alligator Bites Never Heal
• Mozzy - Brash Dummies
• Ocean Wisdom - Fight Club

Charlie:

• Audrey Powne - From the Fire
• Juicy J - Ravenite Social Club
• Stephon Alexander - Spontaneous Fruit
• Joya Mooi - Open Hearts
• LESiA - Affirmations To Reality
• K.A.A.N. & DJ Hoppa - In Due Time
• K.A.A.N. & DJ Hoppa - Delusions Of Grandeur
• Tank and The Bangas - The Heart, The Mind, The Soul
• Doechii - Alligator Bites Never Heal
• Curren$y & DJ.Fresh - The Tonite Show The Sequel 
• Big Sean - Better Me Than You 
• Ocean Wisdom - Fight Club

Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (23:17)

Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 - (32:31)

Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality - (43:35)

Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 3: Streetsoul - (52:29)

Baldhead Slick & da Click - (58:19)

Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures - (1:02:21)

Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 4: The Hip Hop Jazz Messenger: Back to the Future - (1:05:23)

Guru 8.0: Lost and Found - (1:07:51)
Lighter Note - (1:19:48)

Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.

Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)

HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers
5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUK
ChillHop (Twitter) - @Chillhopdotcom
Bonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
"What's Good?" W/ Charlie Taylor
In Search of Sauce
Black Women Watch...
5EPN Radio
The Beauty Of Independence

The phrase "One of the Best Yet" has never been so apt. Maybe THE quintessential Golden Age Hip-Hop duo, Gang Starr started off with multiple iterations but once it was just the twosome of DJ Premier & Guru, it was over and it all culminated in projects from the late 80s to the late 2010s with the 90s work providing a shining example of what Hip-Hop was in the Golden Era.

TIMESTAMPS:
Weekly Music Roundup - (1:23)
Ben:

• Planet Asia - Trust the Chain II
• Eminem - The Death of Slim Shady

Charlie:

• Hamzaa - 25!
• Rachel Chinouriri - Live From KOKO
• JWords - Beauty In Everything
• Mad Skillz - The Seven Number Ones
• Thee Heart Tones - Forever & Ever

Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (9:48)

No More Mr. Nice Guy - (18:15)

Step in the Arena - (27:12)

Daily Operation - (36:15)

Hard to Earn - (44:47)

Moment of Truth - (51:56)

The Ownerz - (1:01:41)

One of the Best Yet - (1:08:18)
Lighter Note - (1:19:29)

Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.

Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)

HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers
5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUK
ChillHop (Twitter) - @Chillhopdotcom
Bonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92

Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:
"What's Good?" W/ Charlie Taylor
In Search of Sauce
Black Women Watch...
5EPN Radio
The Beauty Of Independence