Morgan continues the alphabet soup series and talks about her favorite albums that begin with the letter B

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When Black Sheep joined the Native Tongues family in 1989, they brought an irreverent and humorous tone to the hip-hop collective. Native Tongues had lighthearted rappers in the group to begin with, but Black Sheep took it one step further. They were witty, they teased, and they flipped some iconic samples. And oh yea, and they released one of the biggest hits of the '90s, The Choice is Yours (Revisited).

Writer Adam Mansbach sits down with Oliver to discuss Black Sheep's debut record, the gangsta rap blacklash happening at the time, and the more problematic parts of the record.

Show Tracklisting (all songs from A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing unless otherwise indicated):

• Try Counting Sheep
• Flavor of the Month
• To Whom It May Concern
• Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass: In A Little Spanish Town
• Flavor of the Month
• U Mean I'm Not
• Tim Dog: Fuck Compton
• U Mean I'm Not
• Butt in the Meantime
• McCoy Tyner: Impressions
• The Choice is Yours (Revisted)
• Freddie Hubbard: Povo
• Black with NV (No Vision)
• Gary Bartz: Celestial Blues
• To Whom It May Concern
• Black Sheep: Without A Doubt
• L A S M
• Gimme the Finga
• Have U.N.E. Pull
• Shades of Brown: The Soil I Tilled For You
• A Tribe Called Quest: Excursions
• Have U.N.E. Pull
• The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)
• Strobelite Honey
• Are You Mad?
• The Choice Is Yours
• KMD: Humrush
• De La Soul: A Rollerskating Jam Named "Saturdays"
• De La Soul: Skit 2

Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there

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In August of 1991, the LA rap scene was transformed by a trio of Latino rappers from South Gate. Cypress Hill was riding hot off the success of How I Can Just Kill A Man and found a huge audience in LA. DJ Muggs' production fit in perfect with B-Real and Sen-Dog's flow and together they helped create the blueprint for a more laid-back and smoked-out style of gangsta rap, a full year before Dre's The Chronic dropped

Professor and author Felicia Angeja Viator sits down with us to discuss the LA rap scene, B-Reals unique singsong delivery, and Muggs' talent for finding the perfect loops.

More on Felicia 

• Pick up her book "To Live and Defy in LA"
• The Show Must Go On: Felicia Angeja Viator on “To Live and Defy in LA: How Gangsta Rap Changed America” and “The Batterram” (US History Scene)
• Website |Twitter

More on Cypress Hill

• 25 Years Later, Cypress Hill's Debut Album Remains an Ahead-of-its-Time Classic (LA Weekly)
• Oliver's breakdown of How I Can Just Kill A Man

Show Tracklisting (all songs from Cypress Hill unless otherwise indicated):

• Break It Up
• Latin Lingo
• The Phuncky Feel One
• Pigs
• Hand On The Pump
• Real Estate
• The Phuncky Feel One
• How I Can Just Kill A Man
• The Funky Cypress Hill Shit
• The Village Callers: Hector
• The Funky Cypress Hill Shit
• Hand on the Pump
• Gene Chandler: Duke of Earl
• Born to Get Busy
• Hand on the Pump
• Above the Law: Livin' Like Hustlers
• The Psycho Realm: The Big Payback
• Ice Cube: We Had To Tear This Mothafucka Up

Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there

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On this week's bonus beats, Morgan plays her favorite music geek game and talks about her favorite albums that start with the letter A

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Professor and DJ Michael Barnes joins Oliver to talk about Sly & The Family Stone’s final album, “Small Talk” and in particular the Time for Livin’ drum break that can only be found on a specific Canadian pressing of the album. Michael also gets into the tiny but significant differences between this version and the mainstream LP. Be ready, crate diggers, this is a deep dive.

When the Wu released their debut album back in 1993, fans were eagerly awaiting every member's solo record. Method's Man's Tical and ODB's Return to the 36 Chambers came out over the next two years and did not disappoint. Raekwon the Chef was up next , but no one was really prepared for what he was about to drop. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx stood out from from the crowd, not only because of the signature purple cassette tape, but because of its influence  on mafioso rap, the introduction of Wu-Gambinos and the popularization of Cristal in rap. 

The one and only Havoc of Mobb Deep sits down with us to talk about this groundbreaking album, RZA's masterful production and use of samples, and the New York rap scene at the time. Get ready, folks, this right here is a true heater of an episode.

More on Havoc

• The Infamous 25th Anniversary available now
• The Making of The Infamous (Complex)
• Twitter | Instagram

More on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

• David Ma talking to Raekwon about Only Built (WaxPoetics)
• The Making of Only Built (XXL)
• Raekwon the Chef Has The Hip Hop Recipe (The LA Times)

Song Tracklisting (all songs from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx unless otherwise indicated):

• Can It Be All So Simple (Remix)
• Spot Rusherz
• Mobb Deep: Eye For A Eye (Your Beef is Mines)
• Incarcerated Scarfaces
• Criminology
• Striving For Perfection
• Mobb Deep: (The Infamous Prelude)
• Ice Cream
• Earl Klugh: A Time For Love
• Incarcerated Scarfaces
• Verbal Intercourse
• Criminology
• Knuckleheadz
• Rainy Dayz
• Shark N***** (Biterz)
• Wu-Tang Clan: Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber
• Heaven & Hell
• Wisdom Body
• Spot Rusherz
• Guillotine
• Ice Cream
• Ghostface Killah: Poisonous Darts
• Mobb Deep: Shook Ones, Pt. II
• Ghostface Killah: Buck 50

Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there

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When Testimony Vol. 1 dropped in 2006, India.Arie was still riding the success of her previous album, Voyage to India, which helped bring neo-soul and acoustic R&B to the forefront. She stood out from her contemporaries with deeply confessional and introspective songwriting. India's lyricism was somewhat polarizing when Testimony Vol. 1 was first released, but something about it hit different, especially for those of us in complicated relationships. 

Journalist Jarrett Hill (who cohosts FANTI here on Maximum Fun) joins us to talk about India's place in the neo-soul movement, what India's work meant to a college-aged Jarrett Hill, and what critics failed to understand when this album was first released. 

More on Jarrett

• FANTI on MaxFun
• A selection of Jarrett's writing
• Twitter | Instagram

More on India.Arie

• I Am Not My Hair video
• India on NPR
• India and Oprah go Soul to Soul

Song Tracklisting (all songs from Testimony Vol. 1, Life & Relationship unless otherwise indicated):

• Private Party
• Heart of the Matter
• India.Arie: Video
• Wings of Forgiveness
• *NSYNC: Selfish
• I Choose
• Better People
• India'Song
• I Choose
• I Am Not My Hair
• CeCe Winans: Let Them Fall In Love
• India'Song
• Nas: Bye Baby
• Tweet: Complain
• India.Arie & Joe Sample: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
• Anita Baker: Been So Long

Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there

If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here!

On this week's Bonus Beats, Oliver talks about covers that are more famous than the original song and tells us his favorite crate digging story.

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The Albums:

Erykah Badu: New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)

Peabo Bryson: Crosswinds

De La Soul: De La Soul is Dead

Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson: Winter in America

Gino Vannelli: Brother to Brother

We wrap up our Comfort Music miniseries with picks from you, our audience. Thank you all so much for sending in your picks and testimonials. We couldn't possibly get through every submission, but know we read every recommendation and loved all of your albums. We hope you're staying safe and find some solace in the music we've discussed throughout this series.

Show Tracklisting:

• Erykah Badu: Umm Hmm
• Erykah Badu: Window Seat
• Wings: Arrow Through Me
• Erykah Badu: Gone Baby Don't Be Long
• Fabulous Souls: Take Me
• Erykah Badu: Love
• Erykah Badu: Out My Mind Just In Time
• Erykah Badu: I Want You
• Erykah Badu: Green Eyes
• Erykah Badu: Sometimes
• Erykah Badu: Out My Mind Just In Time
• Erykah Badu: 20 Feet Tall
• Peabo Bryson: I'm So Into You
• Peabo Bryson: Point of View
• Peabo Bryson: Crosswinds
• Peabo Bryson: Smile
• Peabo Bryson: Love is Watching You
• Minnie Riperton: Here We Go
• Regina Belle & Peabo Bryson: A Whole New World
• De La Soul: Ring Ring Ring
• De La Soul: Bitties in the BK Lounge
• De La Soul: Oodles of O's
• De La Soul: Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa
• De La Soul: Kicked Out The House
• De La Soul: A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays"
• Jungle Brothers: Behind the Bush
• Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson: Peace Go With Your Brother
• Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson: Your Daddy Loves You
• Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson: Rivers Of My Fathers
• Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson: Your Daddy Loves You
• Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson: H2OGate Blues
• Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson: The Bottle
• Gino Vannelli: Brother to Brother
• Gino Vannelli: Appaloosa
• Gino Vannelli: Brother to Brother
• Gino Vannelli: Wheels of Life
• Gino Vannelli: Living Inside Myself
• Gino Vannelli: Love & Emotion

Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there

If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here!