XL Middleton Presents The PADcast

Guess who didn't make it to record the PADcast again? Shout out to Kevin Hustlehoff! We gave our review of the Summertime In The LBC festival even though none of us actually went. The crew tells some more stories from the old days, living at The Slacker Pad, drinking soda and passing kidney stones. Rev talks about why maybe not every rapper who people scream to "Free!" should necessarily be free.

The crew finally has a much-delayed discussion about songs they don't like that are considered to be "classics." Much hip hop blasphemy ensues. We had no idea Rev was such a big KRS-One fan. Who woulda thought? We found this out after he told us about the time he got kicked off stage after freestyling at Project Blowed. XL tells us about all the pro-Trump propaganda he witnessed while on tour driving through the rural Midwest. This episode's a fun one, which is cool because we thought it was trash after we recorded it!

It's amazing that it took 19 episodes to have an on-air conversation about our favorite childhood cereals but we finally did just that. Kevin Hustlehoff is back on the PADcast after befriending a crackhead and catching a ride from Matix aka Jonimal. We talked about all the creeps in Long Beach and gave our review of the Drake album. We also talked about the new Skillz album (compilation?) and played metal from R.I.P. (album mixed by our good homie Brian Ellis).

Will auto-tune be around forever? The Slacker Pad discusses right before going into a deep dive about Permit Patty, other white people calling the cops on black people doing things that aren't crimes, and gentrification at large. Getting back to the music, the crew reminisces on the audio pain of the Limp Bizkit era. XL complains about Snapchat filters & Rev complains about people going live on Instagram. Bitching about stuff has never sounded so fun!

Be sure to listen, this might be our GOAT episode so far!

Music featured on this episode:

R.I.P. - "Street Reaper"

R.I.P. - "Unmarked Grave"

Fevah - "West Coast Lovin"

We started this one off by vibing to some of the fresh sounds from the new Sven Atterton album...and ROASTING Kevin Hustlehoff for missing yet another episode! A lot of music got covered, including the forthcoming Moniquea release on Omega Supreme Records (shout out Gwizski!). We had to talk about the Nas album again after having some time to really digest it more, and to let Matix get his thoughts in (28:46) before going into the Jay-Z/Beyonce album (36:25). Gears shift abruptly to a discussion on XXXtentacion and things get a little more serious (RIP). The bigger picture at hand - How crazy is it that people feel the need to go on the internet and cheer over someone being murdered? We particularly had to go in on the double standard coming from 'real hip hop heads' on the subject. Naturally the conversation moved towards conspiracy theories - why are people so eager to believe in them? (49:49). XL drops his GOAT list (56:24) which somehow leads into a conversation about LA's most prolific direct-to-consumer artist/CD seller, Won G (57:30). Finally we discussed the new Chromeo album (1:27:48) which got mixed reviews from the crew.

Aside from music, we reminisced about chirp phones (22:45) and listened to Rev's theories on why there's heavy traffic in LA (27:04) - Here's a hint: Rev says it's because everyone is on their way to the club. Riiight. What's the proper protocol if your woman is beating you up? How do you defend yourself without crossing the line? (53:30). A short talk about parents brawling at a softball game leads into a deep dive on parenting culture (1:16:50). We tackled the subject as well as 3 guys with no kids possibly can!

Music featured on this episode:

Sven Atterton - Reunion

Moniquea - I Didn't Mean To Turn You On (coming from Omega Supreme Records August 3)

Jay-Z - Change Clothes (XL Middleton Remix)

XL Middleton - Wintertime In Cali

XL & Rev handle this episode as a duo - We had to record on an off night due to last weekend's Modern Funk Fest so Kevin & Jon couldn't make it. We tried to be nice and not roast them for flaking, with mixed results! We started out with a recap of MFF (5:10) at Chinatown's Grand Star Jazz Club where we discussed the peculiar lack of jazz there. XL finally had a Lyft driver ask if he wants to hear his mixtape (11:16), which naturally leads into a fresh round of Uber war stories from Rev. XL & Rev listened to the new Nas RIGHT before recording the podcast so they offer their very fresh takes on the album (26:45). XL drops a stunning revelation about Star Wars (35:27) before launching into a 20-year late discussion about the "Suge shot me" moment on the Makaveli album (39:00).

We talked about the Jay-Z/Beyonce project/photo series (?) (40:30) and speculate on it with no real knowledge, because that's how we do! Rev brings up a classic Slacker Pad topic - should the only NBA players to get paid be the ones who win the championship? (45:06) We reminisced on some of west coast rap's weaker moments (56:11) and had a few laughs before pondering a more serious question - what if you could see all the alcohol you've ever consumed in one container? (1:11:35) The World Cup inspires Rev to go into a tirade about soccer and soccer fans (1:14:57). Considering that we were still recovering from Modern Funk Fest when we recorded, this episode is jam packed with jokes and musings on music and life!

Music featured on this episode:

Throwback Zack - Teezy's Groove III

Moniquea - All The Time (Unreleased, dropping June 29!)

XL & The Slacker Pad check in on Kevin Hustlehoff after the rough weekend that caused him to miss out on the last episode. Plenty of music & music issues get discussed: Daz's new video dissing Kanye, the evolution of Snoop, did DJ Quik give Jay-Z a dud on The Black Album? Drake taking the "L" from Pusha T, and more. XL plays new music from the homie/world famous popper Kid Boogie/Kay Bee and reflects on going to high school together. What the hell is up with producers calling themselves "Such & Such On The Beat"? Is the combination of rap & rock just something that doesn't work? What was up with the mid-to-late 90's hip hop obsession with cowboys?

Life topics that get discussed on this episode: What really constitutes sexual harassment? Is it mean to laugh from a safe distance when you see your ex's new relationships going south? Are vape olympics really a thing?

Modern Funk Fest going down Saturday, June 16 at Grand Star in Chinatown. Pull up!

Music featured on this episode:

Beath - Dreams From Last Night

Bus Crates - You Got Me (feat. Laura Benack)

Kay Bee & Kzyboost - We Came To Bring The Funk

Michele Manzo - Movin' On (feat. Moniquea)

Kevin Hustlehoff called out sick again for this episode (nice job Hustling), and the Slacker Pad wasn't having it, in spite of his triple-pronged arsenal of excuses. After going in for a good 15 minutes, it was time to talk music. Yes, even old farts like us have opinions about the Pusha T & Drake beef. We also discussed the Kanye album even though not everybody in the room listened to it. Eh, you can piece together enough info from memes to make educated guesses on any subject these days. We covered a few current events too, such as Roseanne getting canceled and a bizarre story about a dude jacking off on a plane. We'll blame Rev for bringing that one up.

A few debates came up during this episode too, and the opinions shared may surprise you. The Chronic or Doggystyle? LA Mexican food or San Diego Mexican food?

We played another exclusive, unheard joint from the Zackey Force Funk album. Bodyrock Shotgun dropping July 20 on MoFunk Records!

Music featured on this episode:

Stimulator Jones - "Water Slide"

Koolade - "Reminisce Sunshine"

Zackey Force Funk - "Part Time Lover" (prod. by Throwback Zack) EXCLUSIVE UNRELEASED

The title of this week's episode centers around making fun of people in our 'old fart' age range (mid 30's that is) who sit on social media complaining about new music, with special regard to trap/mumble rap. We cover a lot of other ground too, including a wide range of music, from Pusha T & Black Thought to new joints being teased on IG from Dam Funk, Moniquea, and more. We also played some exclusive music as well, including XL Middleton's song from the forthcoming Modern Funk Fest 7" (don't miss Modern Funk Fest June 16 at Grand Star!) and XL's long-lost collaboration with Jon B.

Music featured on this episode:

XL Middleton - "In The Middle Of The Night" (to be included on the 2018 Modern Funk Fest 7" vinyl)

XL Middleton & Jon B. - "Whatever U Want" (EXCLUSIVE UNRELEASED)

The crew is in full force this week with the entire Slacker Pad proper - XL Middleton, Rev, Kevin, & Jonimal. Topics discussed include the new DJ Quik joint and a deep dive into his musical evolution (9:26). Does it sound right when legacy artists do the "now" sound in rap? The lady who called the cops on the BBQ in Oakland had to get discussed (20:50), as did the movement to pull certain controversial artists off Spotify (32:37). Rev fills the crew in on the serial date skipper who takes women on dates, orders food and drink then disappears before the bill comes (40:23). A different take on the Childish Gambino video is offered (45:58). While the Pad agrees that the message is great and necessary, are people still basic for being wowed by the visual? This leads into a potentially controversial conversation about white people appointing themselves as 'gatekeepers' of black culture (50:18). XL shares his original arrangement of a track he did with Dogg Master at the end of the podcast.

Music featured on this episode:

The Slacker Pad - "If" http://cavisounds.com/track/if

XL Middleton / Dogg Master - "Dance With A Dog" (Original Version) - Unreleased

On this special episode of The PADcast, XL Middleton is joined by Rev, on the road for XL's mini tour through central and northern California. Recorded at their hotel in San Jose, XL & Rev detail the weekend turn-up-in-progress and go into life rants on various subjects, including why they dislike being addressed as "big man," why Medieval Times sucks (if you don't live near LA, you've probably got a comparable attraction in your area so you'll be able to relate), and the art of smuggling your own alcohol into the club. A few theoretical scenarios also get discussed, including what would happen if vintage guns became trendy in hip hop culture, and kids developing gambling problems at Chuck E. Cheese's. XL shares another exclusive track, never before heard publicly outside of a 15-second Instagram clip.

Music featured on this episode:

XL Middleton - "Sessy Kind Of Girl" (Unreleased Exclusive)

With Kanye's recent comments about "choice," we couldn't help but wonder if this episode's title is a little...basic? But nah, it's deeper than rap. Every day we're faced with choices...and "shituations." On this episode, XL, Matix, & Rev (sans Kevin) look back on their ill-fated, seldom-viewed imitation of The Game & Lil Wayne...paying tribute to Gary Coleman. WTF, we know, right? They uploaded it to YouTube 7 years ago and it still hasn't cracked 1,000 views. Gotta love it! But yo, XL's Game & Weezy voices are kind of scarily on point. XL talks about getting sampled on the latest DJ Fresh / Tonite Show mixtape and the Slacker Pad gets into sample theory at large. Rev seems to have controversial opinions on all the news this week. Don't get mad - Enjoy!

Music featured on this episode:

The Slacker Pad - The Game & Lil Wayne Gary Coleman Tribute

XL Middleton - Can't Help The Way I Feel

DJ Fresh/Mitchy Slick/Jay Worthy - Drakko