The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip Hop

When Ice-T speaks, smart people listen. The streetwise veteran has wisdom to pass on, whether it be in his music or interviews. As you are about to hear, Ice proved to be the master storyteller as he ran down various critical moments in his long career, like why he was scared to do New Jack City or the deeper meaning behind the iconic POWER album cover. He even revealed the rapper who influenced him when writing the theme song to the L.A. gang-banger film, Colors. All that, plus how he survived being canceled over the “Cop Killer” controversy.

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Call it a homecoming. Minya shares her fond memories of traveling back home to Chicago from NYC (where she worked at The Source) and playing an advanced copy of Illmatic for her longtime friend Common, who in turn, used it as inspiration for his career-altering second album, Resurrection. Common also breaks down the unique aspect of Chicago street life, in which gangsters and scholars commonly cross paths. There’s also several fascinating exchanges between Nas and Common in this episode, where they reveal their respective creative process. It’s a rare glimpse into the way artists' minds work.

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The undisputed King of Crunk knows what it’s like to party like there’s no tomorrow. Lil Jon also knows a thing or two about making monster hit records. Go back with the mega producer / world class hype man as he explains why the original beat for Usher’s “Yeah!” ended up on Petey Pablo’s “Freek-A-Leek” and what he liked most about attending Freaknik at its peak. He also discusses what he truly thought about those Dave Chappelle skits and why he picks Las Vegas over Ibiza as the premier destination for getting your groove on.

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Graffiti legend LEE stops by to reminisce about the making of Wild Style and the special connection that film has with Nas’ debut, Illmatic. He also paints a vivid picture of the outlaw days of old school New York when hip-hop was just forming and he was considered public enemy #1 by the MTA vandal squad. All this, plus his time spent with Basquiat, being a DJ assistant as a teen in the Lower East Side, and the immeasurable value graffiti art has today.

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Cypress Hill broke all the rules. From the beginning, they were staunch advocates for the legalization of marijuana and they bumrushed the scene with the shocking, chaotic sounds of “How I Could Just Kill a Man.” B-Real and Sen Dog had a blast going back down their stoned path to success, detailing step-by-step what happened that infamous night that led to them being banned from SNL, and how they refused to let the industry exploit their Latin heritage. Sen also talked about the physical and mental strain of touring the world while B-Real broke down his high-pitch vocal style and the influence Rammellzee had on him.

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In the early ‘90s, Yo-Yo emerged on the West Coast as a strong female voice, a tough and witty counterpart to her mentor Ice Cube. In this episode, Yo-Yo is straight up honest about her career ups-and-downs. She tells Nas and Minya how she had to make sure her money was right, her relationship with other women MCs, and her reasoning for doing Reality TV.

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Nas pays respect to his “big sister” Roxanne Shanté, who encouraged him at an early age to strive for greatness. In this often moving conversation, Shanté shares her incredible story of setting the rap world on fire at only 14 years old by battling anyone and everyone, all day every day. She also breaks down her troubled relationship with her father, getting cheated at the New Music Seminar, and gives an emotional tribute to her dearly departed friend and Juice Crew partner Biz Markie.

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You can’t fit Teddy Riley into just one category. The producer extraordinaire is not only synonymous with an entire genre of music (New Jack Swing), he’s made countless R&B classics. For those not up on his extensive resume, this episode will be a revelation. The producer extraordinaire (who has deep, deep ties to Harlem) talked with Nas and Minya about his time producing records for Kool Moe Dee, Doug E. Fresh and Big Daddy Kane. He also revealed the unique working relationship he had with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, as well as going into detail about the Guy and New Edition tour that ended in tragedy.

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Today, hip-hop is loved the world over. But that wasn’t always the case, as legends MC Sha-Rock (The Funky 4 + 1) and Grandmaster Caz (The Cold Crush Brothers) can attest. Travel back in time with these true believers who knew way back when that hip-hop was not a fad. Hear Sha-Rock speak about her triumphant rise as the first woman MC, while Caz details how hip-hop had to fight for respect during the disco era. And there were more battles to be waged, as Sha-Rock had to sue to get her financial dues and Caz had to finally come to grips with his lyrics being ripped off and used on Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight.” This is an episode rich in hip-hop history and a lesson in lost riches.

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From an early age, Allen Hughes was bitten by the filmmaking bug. On this episode, we flashback to the accomplished auteur’s early days when he and his twin brother Albert would film local crack dealers and make home video recreations of gangster classics like Scarface. Making the jump to music videos, Hughes credits hip-hop with opening the door to make movies like Menace II Society and Dead Presidents possible. Not one to bite his tongue, Hughes also reveals how his family background inspired American Pimp, and shares with Nas and Miss Info the deep psychological aspect of his upcoming Tupac documentary.

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