Joe Budden first came to prominence in the mixtape scene of the early 2000s, due to an affiliation with DJ Clue’s Desert Storm crew, which also included Fabolous, the A-Team, and more. His 2003 debut self-titled album yielded a smash hit with “Pump It Up,” but the record’s sales didn’t match expectations, and led to problems between Joe and his label Def Jam - problems that would play out across the rapper’s increasingly popular and well-regarded Mood Muzik mixtape series.

Joe’s introspective, heavily personal style won him a devoted fanbase – one that he reached out to directly via the Internet, well before that became the standard thing to do. He nurtured those fans by continuing to release superb projects like Padded Room, A Loose Quarter, and No Love Lost. But he also expanded into new realms by appearing on the TV shows Love & Hip Hop and Couples Therapy. He has also moved into podcasting with his popular show I’ll Name This Podcast Later.

Joe’s new album, out this coming Friday, October 21st, is a collaboration with the producer AraabMuzik called Rage & the Machine.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/172/ for full show notes and comments.

Monica Lynch is a woman who truly was at the center of it all during hip-hop’s Golden Age.

Monica started out in late 1981 as the very first employee of a small record label called Tommy Boy, which was releasing early rap and electro singles by the likes of Afrika Bambaataa and the Jonzun Crew. She quickly worked her way up to becoming the label’s president, and oversaw its most fertile period during hip-hop’s golden age of the late 1980s and early 90s. Under her tenure, the label released classic albums by Queen Latifah, De La Soul, Naughty By Nature, Stetsasonic, Paris, Digital Underground, CNN, House of Pain, and many more.

Monica was a key part of bringing Tommy Boy to the attention of the masses. She oversaw the label’s clothing line, its successful compilation albums, and also played a key role in the development of careers of artists, executives, and more ranging from The RZA to Dante Ross to Prince Paul.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/171/ for full show notes and comments.

Suga T is a rapper best known as a member of the influential Bay Area group The Click. The group consists of her cousin B-Legit and her brothers D-Shot and E-40. The Click has been making music together since the 1980s, and released their debut album Down and Dirty in 1992. Suga T’s solo career quickly followed, with her album It’s All Good in 1993.

Since then, she has released music solo, with The Click, and in collaboration with E-40, appearing on such hits as “Hurricane,” “Sprinkle Me,” “Captain Save-a-Ho,” and more. But she has also found a second life as a singer, releasing albums of gospel, jazz, and soul music. Suga T was most recently one of the honorees for VH1’s Hip Hop Honors 2016.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/170/ for full show notes and comments.

Martha is the founder of the Hip-Hop Education Center, but that’s only the latest venture in a lifetime full of advocating for and advancing the culture. She began her career on the set of Yo! MTV Raps, and hasn’t looked back.

Martha is the creator of the H2O International Film Festival, a documentary filmmaker, a social entrepreneur, and, most importantly, a tireless advocate for hip-hop education.

Whether she’s working with institutions like Cornell University to archive hip-hop’s past; or keeping track of, connecting, and enhancing current efforts in hip-hop education with the Hip Hop Education Center, Martha is always playing a key role in advancing the culture, and in helping people learn while using tools they know and can relate to.

Martha also brought along a special guest for this episode, Sommer McCoy. Sommer is the founder of the Mixtape Museum. The Mixtape Museum is an archive project dedicated to advancing public understanding and appreciation of the art, history, and technique of the mixtape.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/169/ for full show notes and comments.

Slim Thug has been at the center of his city’s rap scene since he started his career in the late 1990s. He was one of the first artists on the iconic label Swishahouse. After years of success both on Swishahouse and independently, Slim found himself at the epicenter of a Houston rap explosion, caused in no small part by his memorable performance on Mike Jones’ hit “Still Tippin’.”

Around the time that song became a hit, Slim signed to Interscope Records. While there, he worked closely with Pharrell Williams, released the album Already Platinum, and jumped on songs with Beyoncé, Gwen Stefani, and more.

After his time in the majors, Slim moved back to independence, and has continued to release music at a steady clip. His latest album is Hogg Life Vol. 4: American King.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/168/ for full show notes and comments.

Jermaine Dupri got his start in hip-hop very young. As a pre-teen, he was a dancer on the Fresh Fest tours of the mid-1980s. He went from there to rapping himself, but quickly found that his real talent lay in writing and producing hits for others.

J.D. had his first real success with the group Kriss Kross, who he discovered in 1991. He formed So So Def Records, where he guided the careers of Xscape, Da Brat, Jagged Edge, and Bow Wow. He also had many hits as a producer with the likes of Mariah Carey, Destiny’s Child, and Usher. Dupri is now a key part of two unscripted TV shows, The Rap Game and Music Moguls.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/167/ for full show notes and comments.

Scott Harding, better known as Scotty Hard, is a producer, engineer, and musician who has been behind the scenes for some of the most notable and boundary-pushing albums in hip-hop and beyond. He has worked on seminal albums by the Gravediggaz, Wu-Tang, the Brand New Heavies, Ultramagnetic MCs, Prince Paul, BDP, Tim Dog, De La Soul, and many, many more — and that’s not to mention his work with jazz, rock, and unclassifiable acts like Medeski, Martin and Wood, the Crash Test Dummies, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and tons of others.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/166/ for full show notes and comments.

Jarobi White is the mysterious fourth member of A Tribe Called Quest. He was a founding member of the group with his childhood best friend Phife Dog. Jarobi appeared on the group’s debut album People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, introducing the world at large to the group’s revolutionary vision. After that, his role in the group was intermittent - contributing ideas in the studio, showing up for some performances, and generally keeping people guessing about what he was up to.

During that whole period, and continuing until today, Jarobi was also pursuing his other passion, food. He is an experienced cook who has worked as a private chef and in Michelin-starred restaurants. He currently runs an events company called Eats, Rhymes & Life that brings together his passions for food and music in live events.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/165/ for full show notes and comments.

David Banner is a Jackson, Mississippi-raised rapper who started in the duo Crooked Lettaz, but first came to most peoples’ attention with his 2003 solo hit “Like A Pimp,” and the record that contained it, Mississippi: The Album. That LP, which also contained the hit “Cadillac on 22’s,” cemented Banner’s name and style in the minds of rap fans nationwide.

But there’s a whole lot more to Banner than a couple of hits. He is an accomplished producer who has made beats for T.I., Trick Daddy, RZA, and Lil Wayne. He’s also an actor who has been in the films Black Snake Moan and This Christmas. He has even recently hit the lecture circuit with his “God Box Lecture Series.” But most importantly, he has continued to challenge himself and his listeners with thoughtful, important music. His new album The God Box is coming soon.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/164/ for full show notes and comments.

!llmind first gained notice for making beats for some of underground rap’s best talent like Little Brother, Akrobatik, Heltah Skeltah, and two-time Cipher guest Skyzoo. But it didn’t take long for him to break into the mainstream, creating songs for Kanye West, Drake, J. Cole, Ludacris, and more.

!llmind also has a group of businesses aimed at helping aspiring producers, from his B.L.A.P. beat battles to his Blap-kits drum sound packages to personal mentorships. In addition, he’s an accomplished educator, and now a label head with his Roseville Music Group.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/163/ for full show notes and comments.