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Heat Rocks — Arts
Heat Rocks

Scorching guests and sizzling records: join music writer Oliver Wang and music supervisor Morgan Rhodes each week as they invite their favorite artists, critics and scholars for in-depth conversations about the albums that shape our lives. Each week our special guests will take you deep into their heat rocks from the world of hip-hop, soul, dance, jazz, funk and more. Get with us!

Latest Episodes:

Egyptian Lover on Cameo's "Cameosis" Apr 20, 2018

Show notes

Guests: Egyptian Lover

The album: Cameo: Cameosis (1980)

Egyptian Lover is one of the pivotal figures in shaping the sound of Los Angeles funk and hip-hop beginning in the 1980s. As a teen, he became a core member of the all-powerful Uncle Jamm's Army party crew and by the mid-80s, he was an artist in his own right, releasing a series of key electro albums that would help pave the way for the emergence of other L.A. groups like the Dream Team and N.W.A.

For our episode, Egyptian Lover wanted to take us back to the formative moment before all that had happened, when he was still in high school, hustling pause tapes of the latest funk jams to his classmates. Cameo's Cameosis was the group's fourth album in three years, the first to finally hit #1 on the charts, and the source of the monster hit, "Shake Your Pants."

During our discussion, we got into everything from the genius of Cameo's Larry Blackmon to what made the group different from other funk outfits (hint: the horns) to how one properly programs a slow jam within a mix of party funk songs.

More on Cameosis

Craig Lyles review of the album (AllMusic.com)
Interview with group co-founder Tomi Jenkins and engineer Henry Falco (Wax Poetics)

More on Egyptian Lover

"7 Things You Should Know About Egyptian Lover" (Red Bull Music Academy)
Ned Raggett's interview and profile of Egyptian Lover (The Guardian)
Facebook | Twitter

Show Tracklisting (all songs from Cameosis unless indicated otherwise):

"Cameosis"
Egyptian Lover: On the Nile "Egypt, Egypt"
"Why Have I Lost You"
Rick James: Come Get It! "Mary Jane"
"Shake Your Pants"
"We're Goin' Out Tonight"
Diana Ross: Diana "Upside Down"
George Benson: Give Me the Night "Give Me the Night"
Zapp & Roger: Zapp "More Bounce to the Ounce"
One Way: Who's Foolin' Who "Cutie Pie"
Cameo: Secret Omen "I Just Want to Be"
"Shake Your Pants"
Cameo: Secret Omen "I Just Want to Be"
"On the One"
Parliament: Mothership Connection "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)"
"Why Have I Lost You"
"I Care for You"
The Sugarhill Gang: Sugarhill Gang "Rapper's Delight"
Cameo: Word Up! "Word Up"
"Please You"
Egyptian Lover: Back from the Tomb "I Need a Freak"

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Nite Jewel on Kraftwerk's "Computer World" Apr 12, 2018

Show notes

Guest: Nite Jewel

The album: Kraftwerk: Computer World (1981)

When we invited L.A.'s own Nite Jewel to join us, it probably shouldn't have been a surprise that she picked Kraftwerk's Computer World; after all, she's toured the world performing the album. In sitting down with us, NJ (aka Ramona Gonzalez) broke down how she first became obsessed with the album, walking the streets of Berkeley, thinking about German philosophy (no, really!) and why the LP is such a masterpiece of fusing a variety of musical elements all colliding in the early 1980s.

More on Computer World

How the album invented "computer funk" (Rolling Stone)
The "sampling legacy" of the album (The Vinyl Factory)
DJ Food's appreciation (Clash Music)

More on Nite Jewel

Nite Jewel on performing Computer World (Pitchfork)
2017 interview (Bandcamp)
Interview with KALX (aka the best college radio station out there, according to O.W.)
Website | Facebook | Twitter

Show Tracklisting (all songs from Computer World unless indicated otherwise):

”Computer Love”
Nite Jewel: Real High “2 Good 2 Be True”
Roger Troutman: The New Zapp IV U “Computer Love”
”The Dance”
Derrick May: “The Dance”
Moodyman: Forevernevermore “(logo)”
The Egyptian Lover: Electro Pharaoh “Electro Pharaoh“
20 Fingers: 20 Fingers “Short Dick Man”
Afro-Rican: “Give It All You Got”
”It’s More Fun To Compute”
”Numbers”
”Artificial Intelligence”
”Home Computer”
”Pocket Calculator”

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Brother Ali on Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life" Apr 05, 2018

Show notes

Guest: Brother Ali

The album: Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life (1976)

As part of the two week MaxFun Drive, we wanted to save two of our best shows to share with you. This first week, it's rapper Brother Ali, a long time MaxFun favorite, and he picked one of the greatest albums of all time: Stevie Wonder's majestic Songs in the Key of Life, recorded when the artist was still in his 20s(!). Brother Ali, of course, has his own string of modern classics, including Shadows on the Sun (2003), The Undisputed Truth (2007) and most recently, last year's All the Beauty In This Whole Life. In choosing Stevie's masterpiece, Brother Ali took us back to his childhood, growing up with listening to Stevie in the house, and then later, as a teenager, buying Stevie albums to bring home and study. During our conversation with him, we got into the musical, social and cultural threads that Songs In the Key of Life has helped unwind over the years. More on Songs In the Key of Life

Jordan Runtagh's revisit of the album for Rolling Stone.
Alan Light's review of the album for Pitchfork.
The original 1976 Newsweek feature on the album.

More on Brother Ali

Donna Claire's 2017 interview with him for Passion of the Weiss.
Mike Schiller's review of All of the Beauty for Popmatters.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Show Tracklist (all songs fromSongs in the Key of Lifeunless indicated otherwise):

”Isn’t She Lovely”
Brother Ali: All The Beauty In This Whole Life “Own Light (What Hearts are For)”
”Summer Soft”
”I Wish”
”Black Man”
”Pastime Paradise”
”Village Ghettholand”
”Love Is In Need of Love Today”
”Sir Duke”
”Knocks Me Off My Feet”
”Saturn”
”Another Star”
”As”
George Michael: Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael “As Feat Mary J. Blidge”
Coolio: Gangsta’s Paradise “Dangerous Minds”
Jay-Z: 4:44 “Smile”
”Isn’t She Lovely”

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P.J. Morton on Brandy's "Full Moon" Mar 29, 2018

Show notes

Guest: P.J. Morton

The album: Brandy's Full Moon (2002)

Grammy winning singer/songwriter and producer PJ Morton knows production. A keyboardist and vocalist for Maroon 5, PJ Morton also knows lyrics. And vocals. PJ Morton joined us to share what he knows about Brandy's 2002 Full Moon and why it is for him, a certifiable heat rock.

We talked about the brilliance of producer Rodney Jerkins and what he created on this project, Brandy's prodigious talent as a child actress and singer, the evolution of her voice over time and the respect she rightfully deserves and has earned as a premiere vocalist. PJ Morton, knows a good album when he hears one. Check out this week's episode to find out more and also check out Gumbo Unplugged, his latest album.

More on Full Moon

B.Slade on Brandy and the importance of Full Moon.
The Boombox.com's 5 best songs fromthe album.
The QH Blend's 10 year retrospective review of the album.

More on P.J. Morton

PJ's interview with NPR's All Things Considered.
Review of Morton's Gumbo Unplugged on SoulTracks.com.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Show Tracklist (all songs from Full Moonunless indicated otherwise):

“Full Moon”
PJ Morton: Emotions “How We Were (Remix)”
PJ Morton: Gumbo “Religion”
Ashanti: Ashanti “Foolish”
Truth Hurts: Truthfully Speaking “Addictive”
Usher: 8701 “U Don’t Have To Call”
Glenn Lewis: World Outside My Window “Don’t You Forget It”
Amerie: All I Have “Why Don’t We Fall In Love”
Kim Burrell: Everlasting Life “I’ll Keep Holding On”
Brandy: Brandy “Brokenhearted”
Brandy: Never Say Never “Top of the World Feat. Mase”
“It’s Not Worth It”
“What About Us”
Aaliyah: One In A Million “One In A Million”
“He Is”
“When You Touch Me”
“What About Us”
“Die Without You Feat. Ray-J”
PM Dawn: Boomerang “Die Without You”
“It’s Not Worth It”
“Full Moon”
“Like This”
SWV: It’s About Time “It’s About Time”

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Jack Davey on Digable Planets' "Reachin'" Mar 22, 2018

Show notes

Miss Jack Davey's contribution to LA's alternative soul scene began over a decade ago with her work as one half of the group J*Davey. Their debut project, "The Beauty In Distortion" a mix of punk, funk, synth and soul, was a must have for tastemakers and made a splash both in Los Angeles and around the world. When she's not writing songs and producing, she can be found at a myriad of cool spots around the city, spreading the good news of good music as a DJ and selector.

Davey wanted to get into Digable Planets' debut album, now celebrating its 25th anniversary: Reachin' (a new refutation of time and space). Coming out at the height of hip-hop's love affair with jazz, Reachin' has been lauded as "an album about freedom—from convention, from oppression, from the limits imposed by the space-time continuum."

We had a chance to talk with Davey about Digable Planets' "Rebirth of Slick" and its cool factor, Brooklyn and its relationship to the album, Ladybug Mecca's butter voice, and what's it's like to be cool and not know it. More on Reachin'

Sheldon Pearce's 25th anniversary revisit/review for Pitchfork.
Oliver and Joseph Schloss' "After Further Review" revisit of the album from 2013.
Chris Read's 25th anniversary mixtape.

More on Jack Davey and J*Davey

Hope Tea's interview with Jack Davey.
Jacqueline Whatley's profile of the group for LA Weekly.
J*Davey Wiki | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Show Tracklisting (all songs from Reachin' unless indicated otherwise):

“Rebirth of Slick”
Georgia Anne Muldrow: Olesi: Fragments of an Earth “Wrong Way”
Sy Smith: The Syberspace Social “Aquarius Rising”
Sa-Ra: The Hollywood Recordings “Glorious”
Flying Lotus: Los Angeles “Roberta Flack (Feat Dolly)”
Dam-Funk: Toeachizown “Searching 4 Funk’s Future”
J*Davey: The Beauty in Distortion / The Land of the Lost “No More”
“La Femme Fetal”
Guru: Jazzmatazz “Loungin’”
Young Deciples: Road To Freedom “As We Come (To Be)”
“Jimmi Diggin Cats”
Digable Planets: Blowout Comb “Graffiti”
“Where I’m From”
Fugees: The Score “Fu-Gee-La”
UTD: Manifest Destiny “Manifest Destiny”
“What Cool Breezes Do”
“Last of the Spiddyocks”
“Swoon Units”
“Escapism (Getting Free)”
“Nickel Bags”
E-40: My Ghetto Report Card “Yay Area”

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Denaun "Mr." Porter on A Tribe Called Quest's "Low End Theory" Mar 15, 2018

Show notes

Producer/MC Denaun Porter aka Mr. Porter is one of the founding members of the Detroit crew, D12. It was none other than ATCQ's "Bonita Applebaum" that inspired him to get into hip-hop and not surprisingly, when we invited him to the show, he wanted to talk about one of the all-time great hip-hop albums: ATCQ's sophomore effort, Low End Theory.

During our convo, we discussed the production techniques and sample choices, how good the album's sequencing was, and why Q-Tip and the late Phife Dawg went together like peanut butter and jelly. We also got into the fight-provoking question of: Low End Theory or Midnight Marauders?

More on A Tribe Called Quest and Low End Theory

Vibe's "20 Facts about Low End Theory"
Angus Batey looks back on the album for its 25th anniversary for The Quietus.
The Source's original 5 mic review from 1991.

More on Denaun Porter

Adam Graham's profile of Denaun in Detroit News.
"Producer's Corner" profile for HipHopDX
Mr. Porter on his "classic records" for Complex.
Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp

Show Tracklisting (all songs from Low End Theory unless indicated otherwise):

“Scenario”
“Denaun Porter: Porter Shops Glasper “jUsT 4 dA hAwAiI eVeNiNg
“D12: Devil’s Night: “Purple Hills”
““Excursions”
“Cannonball Adderley: The Black Messiah “The Steam Drill”
“Jackie Jackson: Jackie Jackson “Is it Him or Me”
“Queen Latifah: Nature of a Sister “Latifah’s Had It Up to Here”
“MC Lyte: Act Like You Know “Act Like You Know”
“Skypager”
“Check The Rhime”
“The Infamous Date Rape”
“What?”
“Jazz (We’ve Got This)”
“Buggin Out”
“Migos: Culture II “Motorsport Feat. Cardi B and Nicki Minaj” “Butter”
“Weather Report: Mr. Gone “Young and Fine”
“A Tribe Called Quest: Midnight Marauders “Lyrics to Go”
“Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers: Buhaina“A Chant for Bu”
“Everything is Fair”

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Brian "B+" Cross on Freestyle Fellowship's "To Whom It May Concern" Mar 08, 2018

Show notes

Brian Cross, better known to most as B+, is one of the most important photographers of the hip-hop generation to ever emerge out of the West Coast. A transplant from Ireland to California, Cross began documenting the L.A. rap community throughout the late '80s and early '90s, producing one of the great books about the region's hip-hop scene, It's Not About a Salary. He's also a founding partner of the music/events organization Mochilla. Just this year, Cross finally published his first book reflecting on his career in photography, Ghost Notes: Music of the Unplayed. For his episode with Heat Rocks, Cross took us back to 1991 and the release of To Whom It May Concern, one of the greatest West Coast hip-hop albums of all time...and one that most people never got to hear back in the day because of its limited distribution at the time. Better late than never; don't keep sleeping.

More on Freestyle Fellowship and To Whom It May Concern

Kevin Beacham's review of the album for Fifth Element.
Patrick Taylor's review of the album for Rap Reviews.

More on Brian "B+" Cross

Oliver's interview with Cross from 2011.
Max Bell's interview with Cross for Noisey in 2018.
Mochilla's Website | Twitter | Ghost Notes website

Show Tracklisting (all songs from To Whom It May Concern unless indicated otherwise):

”Here I Am”
Cypress Hill: Cypress Hill “How I could Just Kill A Man”
AMG: Bitch Betta Have My Money “Bitch Betta Have My Money”
”Good Life”
”7th Seal”
”120 Seconds”
”Jupiter’s Journey”
”For No Reason”
”We Are The Freestyle Fellowship”
”Sunshine Men”
”Dedications”
Ornette Coleman: This Is Our Music “Humpty Dumpty”
”5 o’Clock Follies”
Gang Starr: No More Mr. Nice Guy ”Manifest”
Jon Hendricks: Freddie Freeloader “Freddie Freeloader”
”Convolutions”
”7th Seal”
”Legal Alien”
”We Will Not Tolerate”

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DJ Monalisa on D'Angelo's "Brown Sugar" Mar 01, 2018

Show notes

DJ Monalisa Murray is an O.G. on the L.A. scene, having made the transition from working in marketing and promotion for record labels to working for herself as one of the Southland's premier selectors, down with everyone from Umoja Hi-Fi Soundsystem, to Footlong Development, to the KPL All-Stars. For her album choice, she wanted to spin us back to the emergence of D'Angelo and his debut album, Brown Sugar. We talked about how D'Angelo struck a different note than R&B in that era, how his style played to and against hip-hop, and just what exactly "brown sugar" refers to. Spicy.

More on D'Angelo and Brown Sugar

Michael Gonzales' reflections on Brown Sugar for Mass Appeal
Cheo Coker's original 1995 review of the LP for Rolling Stone.
Dan Buyanovsky's oral history of D'Angelo for Noisey.

More on DJ Monalisa

Her "Paths of Rhythm" show on Dublab.
Facebook | Twitter | Mixcloud

Show Tracklisting (all songs from Brown Sugar unless indicated otherwise):

“Brown Sugar”
“Jonez In My Bones”
Billy Preston: Music is my Life “Will it Go Round in Circles”
”Cruisin
D’Angelo: Voodoo “Feel Like Making Love”
”Me And Those Dreaming Eyes of Mine”
J Dilla: A.K.A. J. Yancey “Me And Those Dreaming Eyes of Mine Remix”
”Shit, Damn, Motherfucker”
”When We Get By”
”Alright”
Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers “Brown Sugar”
D’Angelo: “She’s Always In My Hair”
D’Angelo: Black Messiah “Really Love”

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Ishmael Butler on Lightnin' Rod's "Hustlers Convention" Feb 23, 2018

Show notes

Ishmael Butler aka Butterfly of Digable Planets aka one-half of Shabazz Palaces joined us to take us on a trip back to the blaxploitation era and one of the greatest soundtracks-in-search-of-a-movie: Hustlers Convention, the spoken word/funk album by Jalal Nuriddin of The Last Poets. Backed up musicians that included Kool and the Gang, Eric Gale and others, Hustlers Conventiontook listeners on a trip into the world of pimps, players, police and other street characters in a vivid, cinematic story that would go onto inspire rappers the world over.

More on Lightnin' Rod and Hustlers Convention

Documentary about the album and other street poets of the early '70s.
Graeme Thompson's story about the album for The Guardian
Red Bull Music Academy's feature on the album.

More on Ishmael Butler

Oliver's profile of Shabazz Palaces for Bandcamp.
Tim Larew's interview with Butler for Pigeons and Planes.
Twitter for Shabazz Palaces | Instagram for Shabazz Palaces

Show Tracklisting (all songs from Hustler's Conventionunless indicated otherwise):

”Sport”
Digable Planets: Reaching’”The Rebirth of Slick”
Curtis Mayfield: Superfly “Superfly”
”Hamhock’s Hall Wa Big”
”Spoon”
”The Shit Hits The Fan Again”
”The Break Was So Loud It Hushed The Crowd”
”Sentenced To The Chair”
”Brother Hominy Grit”
Shabazz Palace: Lese Majesty “Forerunner Foray”
Dr. Dre: Deep Cover “Deep Cover Feat. Snoop Dogg”
Raekwon: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx”Heaven & Hell”

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Pharoahe Monch on Main Source's "Breaking Atoms" Feb 13, 2018

Show notes

MC extraordinaire Pharoahe Monch was no stranger to the trio known as Main Source (Large Professor + DJs K-Cut and Sir Scratch) back in the early '90s: Monch and Large Professor came up under the tutelage of the same mentor: producer Paul C. Though C was tragically murdered in 1989, both his proteges would go onto have banner years in '91 as Large Professor saw Main Source's Breaking Atoms released to critical fanfare while Monch enjoyed the same just a couple of months later when he and Prince Po released their debut, self-titled LP as Organized Konfusion.

Pharoahe Monch sat down with us to talk about his experience of buying Breaking Atoms on tape from Hot Waxx in Queens and having it blow his mind on that first listen as well as what he's learned from the album in the 25+ years since. Listen to this episode live at your BBQ...

More on Main Source and Breaking Atoms

Stephanie Smith-Strickland's interview with the group on the occasion of the LP's 25th anniversary, for HighSnobiety.
Andrew Winistorfer's breakdown of the album's samples for VinylMePlease.
The original 4.5 mic review of the album in The Source.

More on Pharoahe Monch

An interview with Monch in The Believer.
Monch discussing his PTSD album with Red Bull Music Academy
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook |Bandcamp

Show Tracklisting (all songs from Breaking Atoms unless indicated otherwise):

“Large Professor”
Pharoahe Monch: Internal Affairs "Simon Says"
“Vamos A Rapiar”
“Looking At The Front Door”
“Just A Friendly Game Of Baseball”
Lou Donaldson: Pretty Things Pot Belly”
“Just Hanging Out”
The Honeydrippers: "Impeach the President"
Sister Nancy: One, Two “Bam Bam”
Jesse Anderson: Thomas “Mighty Mighty”
“Peace Is Not The Word To Play”
“He Got So Much Soul”
Bob James: One “Nautilus”

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