The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip Hop

Whenever you speak with the RZA, expect some mental jewels to be dropped. Join this fascinating discussion in which RZA goes in depth about how his young life changed once he acquired knowledge of self—and how his beliefs were in conflict with his pre-Wu-Tang activities on the streets. RZA also talks about growing up on Staten Island amongst mob-connected residents and how his own large family actually prepared him for leading his brothers in rhyme. And rap nerds won’t want to miss the Abbott gush over his never ending love of kung fu movies and comic books.

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The remarkable career of Joey Bada$$ has seen him go from teenage underground sensation to accomplished, hard-working actor. And if there’s anything he’s learned during this whole time, it’s that integrity is worth more to him than anything else. In this honest conversation, Joey opened up about his feelings towards his fans who demand he stick to his original sound. He also spoke about how he made it his mission to compete with the hip-hop greats, and revealed his somewhat surprising goals outside of making music.

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Before he was a success in the business world at large, Steve Stoute was Nas’ manager. But one thing that hasn’t changed from then until now is Stoute’s vision for artists to utilize all of their potential. During this candid convo, Stoute recalls how he went to Queensbridge looking for Nas, hoping to convince him to partner up and take over the rap world. Other topics include the formation of the supergroup The Firm, and the serendipitous moment when Stoute and Nas knew that they had to get Ms. Lauryn Hill on “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That).”

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Hip-Hop might not be the first thing you think about when you hear the name Idris Elba. But the distinguished actor has deep ties to the culture, whether it’s his time spent DJing and dropping the occasional rhyme, to making beats and signing none other than the legend, Slick Rick, to his record label. Idris even schooled Nas and Minya on the early hip-hop scene in the UK. Idris also discussed what The Wire means to him, his portrayal of Nelson Mandela, and the need for more heroic African stories on the big screen.

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Today, Swizz Beatz is more known for Verzuz and his numerous endeavors in the art world. But on this episode, we take it back to the Ruff Ryders era when Swizz was making some of the most on-fire records for the streets. Before long, Swizz was reminiscing about the life and times of the great DMX. And since Nas reps QB all day and Swizz came up in the Bronx, the longtime friends ended up giving their personal breakdown of the famous Bridge Wars, one of the most iconic moments in hip-hop history.

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If you were a hip-hop fan in the ‘90s, Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Garcia had the ultimate and craziest college radio show to ever live. Before everyone had social media, Stretch and Bob were the go-to source for the next up-and-coming rap artist. Biggie, Jay-Z, Wu-Tang, Eminem, Big Pun, Big L, Mobb Deep—and, yes, even Nas—are just some of the unsigned names who rhymed on the air to the delight of rap fans lucky enough to be listening. Nas, Minya, Stretch and Bob had a blast reliving those wild hip-hop nights. Bobbito and Stretch even surprised Nas by reciting some of his old rhymes that never appeared on any album.

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One thing that separated Salt-N-Pepa from their contemporaries is that they didn’t tone down their femininity in order to compete with their male counterparts. They were able to be themselves. But it did take some struggle. As they explained to Nas and Minya, Salt and Pepa had to break from the artistic control of their mentor Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor in order to be able to feel completely free. They also talked about “Let’s Talk About Sex,” and why they felt the need to turn the hit song into a PSA about AIDS, and how they dealt with being called “sell-outs” when their music crossed over in a major way.

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One of the most in-demand artists of the last few years, Burna Boy has taken the world by storm with his special brand of Afro-fusion. Yet his swagger is undoubtedly rooted in hip-hop. The self-proclaimed African Giant took time from a busy touring schedule to speak with Nas and Minya about growing up being a huge DMX fan and how that contrasted with being the grandson of a former radio DJ, who also happened to be the manager of international superstar Fela Kuti. The Nigerian native also went into how moving to London helped shape him into the man he is today, why Lagos has so much New York energy, and why it was so important to win a Grammy, not just for him, but for his continent.

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For decades, Snoop Dogg has been doing it big… and there’s no signs of him stopping anytime soon. Whether performing at the Super Bowl alongside his mentor Dr. Dre or returning to Death Row (only this time as the owner), Snoop is, simply put, a legend. There was a lot of mutual respect in the air as Snoop broke down his love for East Coast hip-hop and hinted strongly at a future music-and-film collaboration with Nas. Of course, this historic conversation would not be complete without hearing a Pac story or two, and you’ll be stunned to hear what happened back in the day when Nas and Snoop randomly met in L.A. for the first time.

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Everybody knows DJ Khaled is inspirational. But what we have here is something bordering on a motivational speech. In this high energy interview, Khaled speaks about his early roots in both New Orleans and Florida, how he has unreleased records with big name artists stashed in the vault, and why it meant so much to him to orchestrate a Nas and Jay-Z collabo.

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