The Questions Hip-Hop

Latest Episodes:

RPM: Mobb Deep 'The Infamous' feat. Big Twinz, Big Noyd, House Shoes, & More (Live at Beat Junkie Institute of Sound) Aug 25, 2025

Show notes

Recorded live at the Beat Junkie Institute of Sound, Sean joins the Beat Junkies (DJ Babu, DJ Rhettmatic) for their RPM listening series, this time diving deep into Mobb Deep's classic 'The Infamous' with Rapper Big Noyd, Big Twinz, House Shoes, and Schott Free.

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Making Illmatic - Clipse 'Lord Willin' w/ Kap Kallous Aug 11, 2025

Show notes

Making Illmatic returns from a hiatus to The Questions Hip-Hop, as Sean Kantrowitz and MidaZ the BEAST are joined by emcee/artist Kap Kallous to explore Clipse's debut album 'Lord Willin' and attempt to trim the album down to its 10 best songs. How do you trim this LP down to 10 songs and does doing so help or hurt the album?

8:16 - 'Lord Willin' Background 20:55 - Album Ratings 28:33 - Intro 33:26 - Young Boy 40:23 - Virginia 48:51 - Grindin' 59:18 - Hot Damn feat Ab-Liva and Rosco P. Coldchain 01:04:44 - Ma I Don't Love Her feat Faith Evans 01:11:31 - FamLay Freestyle 01:16:56 - When the Last Time 01:21:29 - Ego 01:27:18 - Comedy Central feat Fabolous 01:30:56 - Let's Talk About It feat. Jermaine Dupri 01:37:43 - Gangsta Lean 01:43:52 - I'm Not You feat. Jadakiss, Styles P, & Rosco P. Coldchain 01:49:07 - Grindin' Remix feat. Birdman, Lil Wayne, & N.O.R.E./Grindin' (Selector Remix) feat Sean Paul, Bless, & Kardinal Offishall 01:52:31 - Final Ten/Outro

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RPM: Blu + Exile on 'Below the Heavens' (Live at Beat Junkie Institute of Sound) Aug 04, 2025

Show notes

Recorded live at the Beat Junkie Institute of Sound, Sean joins the Beat Junkies (Mr. Choc, DJ Babu, DJ Rhettmatic) for their RPM listening series, with Blu and Exile sitting in for a conversation and breakdown of their debut album 'Below the Heavens.'

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Shawn (Setaro) + Sean (Kantrowitz) on Sean ("Diddy" Combs) Jul 28, 2025

Show notes

Sean Kantrowitz connects with journalist/author/hip-hop podcast OG Shawn Setaro to talk about the ins and outs of covering the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial for Complex.

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Esthero (Can't Knock the Shuffle Classic) Jul 21, 2025

Show notes

Originally broadcast on May 10 and May 17, 2021

Can't Knock the Shuffle features Sean Kantrowitz exploring the discography of an artist, and leaving it to an algorithm to choose which randomly-selected songs to ask the artist about. This classic episode features singer/songwriter and artist Esthero.

Songs:

"O.G. Bitch" (2003)

"Junglebook" feat Andre 3000...kind of ('Wikked Lil Girls,' 2005)

"Everything is Expensive" ('Everything is Expensive', 2012)

"Streetlights" (Kanye West, '808s and Heartbreak', 2008)

"Amber and Tiger's Eye" ('We R in Need of a Musical Revolution!', 2004)

"Breath From Another" ('Breath From Another,' 1998)

"Gimme Some Time" (2019)

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Zilla Rocca (Questions Classic) Jul 07, 2025

Show notes

Originally broadcast on August 26, 2021.

Zilla Rocca (Call Out Culture podcast, Wrecking Crew) hops in the hot seat to talk all things hip-hop/music and puts his trivia skills to the ultimate test.

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Independent as F***: Ben Pedroche (Grown Up Rap) Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

Sean Kantrowitz speaks with London-based author Ben Pedroche, whose book 'Independent as F***: Underground Hip-Hop from 1995-2005' offers a comprehensive overview of the albums, artists, 12" records, and labels that shaped the genre in its arguably most-potent decade.

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2005 Draft w/ Justin Hunte and The Last MJ Jun 16, 2025

Show notes

The second Draft episode of The Questions Hip-Hop podcast takes an in-depth deep dive into the year 2005. Sean Kantrowitz, MidaZ the BEAST, Justin Hunte (The Company Man) and The Last MJ (Don't Quote Me podcast) comb through the year 2005, selecting their picks for Best Mainstream Album, Best Independent Album, Best Beat, Best Emcee, Best Verse, Best Guest Feature/Verse, Best Producer, Best Album Cover, and Best Video. Buckle up and get ready for some hot takes, debates, and a thoughtful look back at what was happening in hip-hop 20 (!) years ago.

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El Da Sensei (Can't Knock the Shuffle Classic) Jun 09, 2025

Show notes

Originally broadcast on June 7, 2021.

Songs:

"Speakin'" ('Relax, Relate, Release', 2003)

"Live Noise" feat. Akrobatik (w/ The Returners, 'GT2: Nu World', 2010)

"Wrong Side of Da Tracks" (Artifacts, 'Between a Rock and a Hard Place', 1994)

"It Takes Two" (w/ Sadat X, 'XL,' 2018)

"Money" feat Roc Marciano and Reef the Lost Cause ('The Money EP', 2009)

"Got Fire" (w/ The Returners, 'Global Takeover', 2008)

"31 Bumrush" (Artifacts, 'That's Them,' 1997)

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Gifted Gab (Questions Classic) Jun 02, 2025

Show notes

Originally broadcast on January 13, 2021.

Sean is joined by Seattle's self-proclaimed "Queen of Rap," Gifted Gab for a hilarious and insightful conversation about her career – as well as a game of hip-hop trivia.

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