Dad Bod Rap Pod

Latest Episodes:

Episode 204- Business Casual with guest Casual Jan 27, 2022

Show notes

This week we are pleased to be join by one of the coldest MCs to ever emerge from the Bay Area, Casual. He is a monster freestyler, has crafted classic albums, and is a foundational member of the influential Hieroglyphics crew. We touch on his recordings, his legendary radio battle with Saafir, his extracurricular pursuits such as the new cryptocurrency Hierocoin, and much more. We also talk about rap collectives more generally, and take listener feedback about the enormous impact of Hieroglyphics on the independent hip-hop community. For a deeper dive on Casual's great debut album Fear Itself, seek out Episode 52 with guest Domino, who produced several of the tracks. DBRP is brought to you by Stony Island Pods, a storytelling company specializing in hip-hop podcasts.

Episode 203- Proof Of Concept with guest Shea Serrano Jan 20, 2022

Show notes

This week we are joined by author, podcaster and cultural commentator Shea Serrano. You may know Shea's work from Grantland, The Ringer, or his recently-released New York Times best-selling book Hip-Hop (And Other Things). Shea has an inspiring hustle and career arc, but at the end of the day he's just a dude that loves rap music. We talk with him about his various exciting projects, his interactions with his fans online, and his journey in journalism. In the intro segment the fellas dissect Earl Sweatshirt's new album Sick! an early contender for hip-hop album of the year. Beats on this week's show are from producer Brycon, instrumentals from the Diamond Lung album Jeweler's Loop and we appreciate the contribution. DBRP is a dot on the map in the archipelago known as Stony Island Audio.

Episode 202- The Quad with guest Lukah Jan 13, 2022

Show notes

Our guest this week is South Memphis rapper Lukah, who put out two excellent records in 2021 and is one of the more interesting MCs to emerge recently. Lukah's music is tough to classify, he doesn't belong to any particular sub-genre or scene, but his vivid writing and fluid delivery are winning him fans and critical acclaim nationwide. We enjoyed talking to him and are looking forward to his next record this summer, which will complete a 4-album cycle he refers to as 'The Quad.' In the intro segment we discuss Nas's recent surprise album Magic and in the outro we take listener feedback on albums that folks tried to get into but couldn't. Beats this week are from producer Medium Zach and we appreciate the contribution. DBRP is a proud part of the Stony Island Audio podcast network.

Episode 201- A Guy Who Needed Attention with guest Shawn Setaro Jan 06, 2022

Show notes

We're back with a fascinating interview with author Shawn Setaro, a reporter for Complex who has written the definitive account of the life, times, and trial of Danny Hernandez, better known as 6ix9ine. Shawn's dogged reporting, clean prose, and empathetic viewpoint make his new book Complex Presents Dummy Boy: Tekashi 6ix9ine And The Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods a fascinating read. Fans of DBRP should also take some time to listen through the archives of Shawn's masterful hip-hop podcast The Cipher. This is Shawn's third time joining us and it will not be the last, he is a thoughtful and entertaining guest. This week we are also launching our new artwork by Dewey Saunders and theme song from producer Cutso and our very own DEM ONE. Beats for this week's show are by the homie Small Pro and we appreciate the contribution. DBRP is brought to you by Stony Island Audio, a podcast network by and for hip-hop storytellers.

Episode Too Hundred with special guest Too $hort Dec 23, 2021

Show notes

For our 200th full-length episode we are proud to present an interview with legendary Bay Area pioneering rapper Too $hort. DBRP hosts Demone, Dave and Nate grew up listening to Too Short's music and watching his steady ascent in the music industry. We are very excited to bring you this deluxe examination of $hort's career with contributions from friends of the program Cutso and Controller7. Too $hort is personable, funny, and has a deep recall of his career as well as a keen understanding of his place in the hip-hop ecosystem. From his earliest recordings on independent label 75 Girls, through his triumphant run on Jive Records in the 90s, to the soon-to-be released super group Mt. Westmore, $hort is a titan in the rap game and continues to live by his simple but crucial life motto "Don't Stop Rapping." DBRP is brought to you by the players at Stony Island Audio, whose very existence proves that there is money in the ghetto.

Episode 199- Quibble Jam 2021 Year In Review Dec 16, 2021

Show notes

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Whether you call it list season, a banquet of blurbs, or time for top 10s, this is when we sit back and survey the year in hip-hop music and culture. If you only listen to one of our episodes this year, this one is the most intentional about recommending new music to listen to. We call it Quibble Jam because we are all bringing our unique perspectives to the year end list and sometimes disagreeing about what are the best selections. Tune in to hear our picks for the year's best songs, albums, producers, rappers, and many more categories. Beats this week are from the homie QM and we appreciate the contribution. One indisputable fact that cannot be quibbled with is that we appreciate the constant support of our podcast network Stony Island Audio.

Episode 198- Self Mythologizing with guest Siah Dec 09, 2021

Show notes

A few weeks go a crazy, awesome, unexpected thing happened to us. We were contacted by Siah, an excellent but mysterious underground rapper who made one exemplary EP in 1996, then a few singles and scattered guest appearances, then seemed to disappear from the rap world altogether. That's the legend anyway. The Visualz EP, released on vinyl on indie label Fondle Em Records, is a one-of-a-kind exhibition of pinpoint lyricism, jazzy beats, and outre imagery. Siah and rhyme partner Yeshua Da Po ED wove dense verses into a beautiful tapestry of a record... and then they stopped. Siah went on to pursue other passions, but he is still interested in hip-hop, and one day he had an impromptu jam session with his children and ended up recording a new song, and he sent it to us, in order to thank us for appreciating his older music. We quickly arranged the interview you will hear on this episode and at the end of the show you can hear the world premiere of the brand new song "Nitro Fresh 2021." We're extremely flattered and honored to play a small role in telling the story of this singular artist. DBRP is brought to you by the podcast network equivalent of Fondle Em, Stony Island Audio.

Episode 197- Sonic Boom with guest Rob Sonic Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

This week we are pleased to have the opportunity to speak with Rob Sonic, a talented MC/producer who has been active in independent hip-hop for decades as a solo artist and in groups like Sonic Sum and Hail Mary Mallon. In this wide-ranging conversation we cover his influences, writing style, and recently-released album Latrinalia. DBRP hosts Nate and Dave are huge fans of Rob's early work in Sonic Sum and the textured, poetic take on underground hip-hop that the group represented. This episode, like the others, is brought to you by Stony Island Audio, which feels kind of an indie hip-hop label in that we do this for the love of the culture but occasionally get mentioned in a magazine or a Spotify wrapped list.

Episode 196- Cigarettes For Dinner with guest David Gborie Nov 24, 2021

Show notes

It's the DBRP Thanksgiving special! A little personal tray of stuffing to help you through the holiday weekend. We are joined by the hilarious standup comic David Gborie, who you may know as the voice of Comedy Central or from his excellent long-running podcast All Fantasy Everything. David is such a hip-hop head that he literally did not listen to any other kinds of music until his mid-20's, and he joins us today as we give thanks for hip-hop moments we are grateful for. David Gborie chose the anthem "Everyday" by G. Dep, Dave Ma is thankful for the Ego Trip collective, Nate praises Kool Keith's plastic wig period, and Demone is stuck on Mach-Hommy's masterful "26th Letter." We also talk obscure bay rap, the wacky world of public transportation, and the effortless flyness of Larry June. We are deeply thankful for the deep fried turkeys over at Stony Island Audio.

Episode 195 with guests Skiz Fernando, Tall Black Guy & Ozay Moore Nov 18, 2021

Show notes

This week we have a conversation with journalist, author and label head S.H. Fernando, who recently released From The Streets Of Shaolin: The Wu-Tang Saga. The book is an insider's account of the Wu's rise to the top of the rap industry, full of fly-on-the-wall observations and sections on every major group and solo project op to We-Tang Forever. Fernando also ran WordSound Recordings, a left-field record label that released hip-hop and electronic music around the turn of the century. Next up we have dual interviews with Producer Tall Black Guy and MC Ozay Moore. The pair recently released a collaborative album called Of Process And Progression. TBG is a prolific producer who works in a variety of tempos and textures but always with an underlying soulfulness to the beats. Ozay, formerly known as Othello, is a hip-hop educator and veteran MC with an observational rap style. DBRP is a proud part of Stony Island Audio, one of those pristine record shops that's in a nice neighborhood and only sells expensive import dance records.

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