Shots Fired Podcast

Rapper extraordinaire Freddie Gibbs joins MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss to discuss athletes trying to rap. They talk about the Chicago Bears’ “Super Bowl Shuffle,” the LA Rams’ “Ram It,” Darryl Strawberry’s “Chocolate Strawberry,” Shaq’s “You Can’t Stop The Reign,” B-Ball’s Best Kept Secret, Kobe Bryant failed attempt at rap, Deion Sanders’ “Must Be The Money,” Tony Parker ft. Fabolous, Chris Webber ft. Kurupt, Allen Iverson’s “40 Bars,” Metta World Peace’s “Afghan Women,” Kevin Durant’s “Wired,” The Hyperizers’ “Don’t Criticize,” and Delonte West’s KFC Freestyle. Plus, the guys give their reasons for not going to SXSW this year.

Self Jupiter of Freestyle Fellowship & Fatlip of The Pharcyde join MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss this week to talk about their lives, their music, and what they’re doing now. Self Jupiter and Fatlip discuss early beginnings, the Good Life Cafe, and play some classic/current tracks. Plus, they talk about Drake’s trip to the strip club and MTV’s Hottest MC List.

British musician/producer/DJ Bonobo aka Simon Green joins MC Nocando and Jeff Weiss to talk about the electronic music scenes in the UK, how Hip-Hop was his introduction into exploring other genres of music, and learning how to operate a dance floor by playing a bunch of shows in a jazz room in Brighton. Bonobo also tells us why he chose to name himself Bonobo, the birthplace of the original dub-step, and plays a couple tracks from his upcoming album “The North Borders.” Plus, Jeff gives us a quick lesson on moon rocks.

Stones Throw rapper Jonwayne & Hellfyre Club rapper Milo join MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss this week to talk about everything independent. Milo and Jonwayne discuss being influenced by independent rappers such as MF DOOM & Open Mike Eagle, the benefits of being on an independent label, and the pros and cons of coming up in the digital age of rap music. Also, Nocando tells us a funny Australia story, we learn why gangsters love Dragon Ball Z, and we are treated to some music from Jonwayne & Milo.

Producer Paul Salva and rapper Marcel Carrion join MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss to discuss the greatest and worse dance songs in rap history. They talk about Rapper’s Delight, Planet Rock, Egyptian Lover, 2 Live Crew, N.W.A’s “Panic Zone,” Good Vibrations, Deee-Lite’s “Groove Is In The Heart,” The Jungle Brothers, Technotronic, The Dogs’ “You Mama’s On Crack Rock,” Missy Elliot’s “Lose Control,” Kanye West’s “Stronger,” The Black Eyed Peas, and Azealia Banks. The guys also talk about Hip house, G-funk, the rise of trap music, and of course the Harlem shake. Plus, Jeff tells us about going to a porn star attended funeral. Don’t go into a K-hole!

Chicago Reader’s Tal Rosenberg and Chicago bred rapper Open Mike Eagle join MC Nocando and Jeff Weiss this week to discuss everything Chicago. The guys talk about the history of Chicago rap starting with rappers like Common & Twista all the way to Chief Keef & King Louie, how House & R&B music dominated Chicago radio, and why rappers rarely blow up in Chicago. Plus, Open Mike Eagle defines words from the Urban Dictionary and we learn how to do the percolator.

Battle rappers Dizaster & Cadalack Ron join MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss today to talk about the art of battle rap. They discuss the origins of battle rapping, the transition between battling over beats to battling acapella, and how YouTube brought battle rapping to a world wide audience. Dizaster & Cadalack Ron also tell us about how they got into battle rapping, their most important moment in their battle rap careers, and their thoughts on ghostwriters.

Dan Weisman (Elitaste Inc. and former manager of Wale & Mike Posner) and Leeor Brown (FoF Music and manager of Salva & Shlohmo) join MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss to talk about the record industry. The guys discuss why it takes time for certain artists to gain a following, why having copycats is good promotion, and the ways the internet has drastically changed the music industry. Dan tells us how he started to work with Wale, Leeor tells about his first time meeting Salva, and they both explain why it’s harder today to get up on artists early. Plus, Nocando & Jeff talk about the music of Ronaiah Tuiasosopo.

This week Jeff Weiss and MC Nocando explore the connection between Hip-Hop and African music. The duo talk about the history of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, rappers who have sampled Fela Kuti songs, and finally play a Wale track. Legendary Afrobeat star Femi Kuti stops by to discuss the formation of Afrobeat, how he now must find a balance between Facebook, Twitter, and practicing his instruments, and the Afrobeat influence on Hip-Hop.

Fellow Earwolf podcaster Andrew Ti joins MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss this week to talk about racial issues in Hip-Hop. The guys discuss rappers of other races using the n-word, who can rap about what, and the idea of a post-racial America. They also look at Ice Cube’s “Black Korea,” Blood of Abraham’s “Niggaz & Jewz,” Professor Griff’s departure from Public Enemy after making anti-Semitic remarks, Action Bronson’s “Growin Up,” and ScHoolboy Q’s performance of “Blessed” at the Pitchfork Music Festival. L’Chaim!