Planetary — one half of OuterSpace and a longtime member of Army of the Pharaohs — becomes the first guest to make a return trip to Pop the Trunk, picking up round two of tour stories with Vinnie and the guys. Between promoter run-ins that still don't make sense, road food battles, and shows nobody saw coming, this one's for anyone who's ever wondered what actually happens between the van and the stage.

Of course, with two decades of shared stages behind them, Planetary fits right into the guys' banter like he never left — Episode 30, Pop the Trunk with Vinnie Paz.

Vinnie and the guys revisit Legacy of Blood, JMT's fourth album, 22 years after it dropped. Vinnie walks through building the record from the ground up in Philly — the studio flood that nearly wiped out the sessions, the cover art story, and how the loop-hunting obsession shaped the sound.

Billy and Brendan dig into the details with him — the almost-censored track that nearly got them dropped from the industry, how the featured verses came together, and the road stories from a 26-year-old still figuring out if anyone outside Philly and New York was listening.

Vinnie and the guys dig into the anniversary of Visions of Gandhi, tracing how the record came together. From a makeshift studio to Chung King in New York, it's a rare look at the making of a record straight from the source. The group also gets into the usual off-topic detours, so stick around for the stuff that has nothing to do with the album too.

Vinnie and the guys tackle one of hip hop's most loaded accusations: what actually makes someone an "industry plant"? They lay out the real definition, argue over where the line is between a plant and a straightforward nepo baby, and put some names under the microscope to see who holds up.

The conversation swings from the self-made billionaire myth to Malcolm Gladwell to comedy's own version of the plant debate. Tune in for it all on Episode 27 of Pop the Trunk!

Comedian Joe DeRosa joins Vinnie and the guys for Episode 26, and the group digs into Joe's early days of hip hop — including who his "cheat code" was, the one that got him hooked on the culture in the first place. From there the conversation moves into Joe's early comedy days, the influences that shaped him, and how he found his own voice on stage. As always it wanders well beyond that too, hitting career stories, some unexpectedly honest reflection, and a run through the Five Spot questions to close it out.

Of course, Joe joins right in on the typical banter with no topic being too ridiculous.

Check out Joe’s new special, Never Promised You a Rose Garden, on Netflix.

Episode 25 gets into where Vinnie's fascination with the occult and conspiracy theories actually started, how deep it pulled him in over the years, and how it eventually found its way into his writing. It's a rare look at the research behind the references fans have picked up on for years, told from the source. From there the conversation wanders through everything from childhood habits to internet rabbit holes and heated debates that go nowhere, plus another Dear Vin reading that goes about how you'd expect.

Today’s episode is a full breakdown of how "Uncommon Valor" actually got made — twenty years after it dropped, still one of the most talked-about concept records in hip hop. The making of that song, the friendship with R.A. the Rugged Man that had to exist before it could happen, and the real history and personal stakes behind the writing. Plus the usual detours you come here for.

In Loving Memory of Kristine Barlam aka “Krissy”.

Before diving into the main event, Billy has some explaining to do after coming back from a three-day meditation retreat. Then, the guys jump into Jay-Z's record-breaking Yankee Stadium residency, the surprise guests, an old beef finally squashed, and what it means for hip-hop's legacy artists getting their touring moment. Plus: Michael Bay movies, crying at Armageddon, and whether Wu-Tang can still sell out anywhere.

Pop the Trunk with Vinnie Paz streaming on all DSPs and your favorite podcast app. @popthetrunk.pod

Episode 22 is a summer heat wave of hip-hop history. The crew runs down the classic albums that dropped between May and September across the decades — the records that defined car windows down, block parties, and the last day of school. Expect deep cuts on why summer releases hit different, some contested "greatest ever" arguments.

Pop the Trunk with Vinnie Paz streaming on all DSPs and your favorite podcast app. @popthetrunk.pod

The boys are back and the crew opens up talking hoops, the World Cup, and why American sports broadcasts hit different. From there it's straight into a milestone: Vinnie's debut solo album, Season of the Assassin, just passed its 16th anniversary, and the guys sit down to break down how it actually came together.

Vinnie gets into why he waited as long as he did to go solo, the uncertainty of stepping out from Stoupe and the JMT sound , and the real story of the album's original title before it became Season of the Assassin. He walks through building the record from scratch, tracking down producers he grew up idolizing, and a session at a legendary New York studio that made the whole thing feel real. They dive into how the features and production actually got picked and, sixteen years later, we get Vinnie's take on what it means to him today.

Pop the Trunk with Vinnie Paz streaming on all DSPs and your favorite podcast app. @popthetrunk.pod