Rap Reviews

Ti esrever dna ti pilf nwod gnaht ym tup i. The first single from Missy Elliott's 2002 album Under Construction. The track has Missy throw shade at the mistreatment of artists in the music industry whilst flexing both her ability to rap and simultaneously  be a symbol for sex. Not only is this track remembered for it's reversed lyrics but also for popularising the term 'badonkadonk'.

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A track released for the stoner comedy flick 'How High' that Meth and Red star in, 'Part II' is a merry affair not concerned with artistic pursuit, quite like the movie.

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Poached? Soft boiled? Scrambled? Sunny side up? Over easy? This track by underground NYC MC kingpin Wiki, produced by Madlib, has little to do with eggs. Tune in as we attempt to poach and unscramble its meaning.

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The humble N95. A class of a face mask that become an essential accessory since 2020.

What metaphor is Kendrick attempting to draw here? Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe listening to this episode will help you form a thesis.

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We hop across the pond to East London and an MC that has been a part of the grime scene since the beginning. In this track, Ghetts and friends implore people not to fall victim to following blindly.

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An OG of the Soundcloud Rap microgenre, Playboi Carti's lyrics don't offer us the usual rich tapestry of lyrics to annotate. Tune in as we stumble through the mumble rap.

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T and Ye. The powerhouse collaborators need no intro. In this track off his newly released fourth album, Pusha T reflects on his current position in rap's hierarchy in a typically boastful but amusing fashion.

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Mr. Baklava comes under the microscope this week as we look at his petty breakup song 'Baby Blue'. Featuring a verse from none other than Chance the Rapper, the duo rap about the stage of a breakup marked by revenge and ill-wishes.

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What is "that thing"? Is it sex? Is it power? Is it money? Is it an extraterrestrial entity from a 1982 John Carpenter film? Listen in and make up your own mind.

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For our 50th episode, we decided to wind the clock back into hip hop's ancestral history and look at a much beloved track by one of the forefather's of MC'ing. If you want to know where rap's conscious messaging became more widely known, look no further than Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.  

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