HipHop Talks Podcast
Introducing "Hip-Hop Talks Podcast/Media'' - a captivating experience that immerses hip-hop enthusiasts in the boundless world of the genre and its cultural impact. Join hosts Shawn, Coop, and Adriel as they pay homage to the foundations of hip hop, from its origins to the present day with a diverse take on Hip Hop. Shawn, takes you through the boroughs of New York, while Coop provides a provocative, yet daring take on the South’s stake in the Hip Hop game. Adriel brings the unique perspective of Hip Hop through the lens of those that cling onto the lifeline and purity of Hip Hop. Combining their thoughts and views, is liken to your favorite superhero team assembling to lean into each other’s strengths. Through insightful conversations, passionate debates, and meticulous breakdowns, they explore the intricate fabrics of hip hop, including its powerful lyrics, infectious beats, mesmerizing breakdancing, vibrant graffiti art, skillful DJing, and electrifying MCing. "Hip-Hop Talks" is the ultimate destination for fans seeking to deepen their understanding and appreciation of this influential art form. Tune in and become part of the unified community that celebrates the timeless legacy of hip hop.
HipHop Talks Podcast
BILLBOARD TOP 20 FEMALE MCs // Top 50 Albums of 2020s // Dreamville, Nas, King Shampz interview
Thank you for watching. It's been a long time. Shouldn't have kept you Without a dope pod to step to. What up AG? What up Coop? This is Hip Hop Talks. This is Hip Hop Talks, everybody. Make sure you click like subscribe to the page. Shout out to Sean prayers up to Sean right now. He's with his family right now, so you all actually have the misfortune of watching me have to just undress AG all night, unfortunately. I mean AG, if you're starting off with a pause that early?
Speaker 2:that sounds crazy. I'm about I feel sorry for you. We starting off with a pause that early, that sounds crazy.
Speaker 1:It's usually easier for you because you know you got your homie Sean with you. Now it's just you and I.
Speaker 2:It's definitely not easy for me.
Speaker 1:I feel violated in the first two minutes. Tree likes his own. You out here with me.
Speaker 2:Y'all keep Sean prayered up, Covered in prayer. Man for real, we appreciate y'all in the chat.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, no. I do believe in the power of prayer. I do believe when people touch and agree, miracles can occur. If we will all say a prayer for the homie and touch and agree, that would really be important to all of us here at the Hip Hop Talks family. And now we're going to proceed with the show with actually one of my favorite hip hop artists to talk about coincidentally enough, ag which is Will Smith. Where would you like to start? Would you like to start with his album or would you like to start with the drink champs? Let's start with the album, ok, well, if we're going to start with the drink champs, let's start with the album.
Speaker 2:okay, well if we're gonna start with the album. I'm gonna let you start. Hey, man, I actually liked it, you know it's. You know I didn't go into it with any expectations. You know what I mean, because I'm not looking for crazy wordplay or bars or anything like that, you know, it is just really one of those albums that you can put on and anybody can enjoy, like if you ever listened to a Will Smith album before, you can play them in. You know different settings. It was just a nice, cool dope project. It's probably like four or five joints on there I really like.
Speaker 2:My favorite joint is the creativity of the barbershop song where he took the video where he did the you know different characters like Eddie Murphy and coming to America. That was really creative and I really liked it that he got all the chatter and gossip out of the way on the first track, like he intended to do, and I think it was a cool project. You know what I mean. I mean, like I said, it's a, it's a Will Smith album. You know what I mean. I mean, like I said, it's a, it's a Will Smith album. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:So my standards wasn't super high on the bars or whatever, but it was. It was a nice, enjoyable listen and what I admire is just, it's funny how life works, you know what I mean, because this album seems very much like a side mission, like Will Smith is doing these side quests, but this is actually how we all came to know and love him, like people of our age demographic, you know what I mean. He started out as a rapper and then he's become more famous for his acting, but now, you know, in 2025, it feels like the rap is like, you know, a side mission. But you know it was a cool lesson. I mean it's not going to make our top albums of the year list or nothing like that, but it was a cool lesson.
Speaker 1:I'm going to push back a little bit. I think I rate him higher than you do. Because I rate him higher, I think I'm probably a little bit tougher on this project than you are, because for you you're like. Because for you you're like eh, it's Will. You're like, it's Will. So what? That's not how I feel. Ag Okay, I realized today when I woke up, before I even listened to this project at all at this point, I think he's the most underrated rapper of all time.
Speaker 1:I can't agree with you on that. How about this? How about this? Well, you can't give me like the az or the black thought thing anymore, like that's been like dead and gone for like a long time. Um, I think we live in an era, because of how the indies work, where we have guys who have been independent, like a Tech Nine, who get their due. We have an underground MC like Pharrell, march and Talib. They kind of get their due. Now it's like in terms of who hasn't gotten their due as being a credible MC, which is what I think defines underrated. No, I think he would be that guy, because how many guys think about this? How many guys have sold millions of rap records? One Grammys for rap records, have made one of the 50 best rap records of all time, have sold out stadiums worldwide, and they're not even considered a top 100 rapper, let alone a top 50 rapper. Now tell me, that's not the definition of underrated, though Maybe.
Speaker 2:Hammer, we'll be in that same category you just named.
Speaker 1:I mean and this is no disrespect to Hammer, and I'm being very serious when I say this Hammer's not the rapper that Will Smith is.
Speaker 1:He's not as good as the person at actual rapping at this actual bar works shit at this bar seminar. He's not as good as Will is, and that's what I'm saying. No, will is actual dope MC, and so that's what I mean when I'm saying he's underrated. Think about it. He's a multi-platinum rapper. He's a Grammy award-winning rapper, sells out stadiums and he's in nobody's top 100. He even talked about how the drums to Summertime are bigger than any movie he's ever done in the Drink Champs interview. Think about that, whether you like it, love it, hate it he made that record.
Speaker 1:He did make. Parents, just Don't Understand.
Speaker 2:So you think he underperformed on this album? I do In what way?
Speaker 1:Well, here's what I would have to tell you, ag. Actually, he's not even our demographic, he's our OG's demographic. He's like our older brothers and cousins. Demographic like, musically speaking, in terms of like the rap, like we didn't like a lot of people don't understand this like, if you're our age, ag, we just caught the beginning of the acting career like barely, like we're old enough to remember the beginning of the Fresh Prince, just like barely. That's like us at nine, ten years old old. Ag. You know, we really didn't catch Will Smith the rapper like that. I caught him on some secondhand smoke via my cousins who were 4 and 8 years older. But as far as rapping goes, he's always been pretty high level and I did think that this was a step down. And part of why it's a step down is like I hate to be the one to break this to people, but he's always been a hit maker. Ag.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't particularly hear any hits on this album.
Speaker 1:I think it definitely has a more faith driven. And you know, I've been raked through the coals and now I've risen again, and you know.
Speaker 2:But I could have did with all those, would did without all those skits, those reverend skits, like you know, he could have left some of those. I get it ties the theme of the album together but I mean to me it kind of broke momentum in the album a little bit e for effort, d for execution.
Speaker 1:So see overall. You know for that part of it.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean. But what really it lacks is that I'm going to give him credit for this. I feel like the subject matter and the rhetoric, and this is why I bring up how it's really not even for our age demographic. And this is what I mean our age demographic. I'm not joking when I say this. We are still in our 40s. Most of the people that listen to him musically are actually closer to 50 or older than 50 now.
Speaker 1:In terms of what his core musical fan base is okay, and so they might be in a different place in life and so this might be more their cup of tea. But he also has been a hit maker for his demographic and for his generation, for his duration, has a rap artist for the most part, and this does lack that. And you are right about the skits. I feel like the skits, even though they try to bring it together, because they are not poignant and as well connected as they should be, do break it apart a little bit. I do feel like the bar work is just like solid. There's nothing really special going on, and I've always loved it.
Speaker 1:And here's what I mean when I say there's nothing special going on, even on a record like Switch AG. You can hear the clarity of his voice, the way he can pound through a bass line and a track. You can hear his ability to catch a beat in the flip and to switch style-wise. You get what I'm saying. You can hear things that I feel make a good to great MC. I don't think this album necessarily provides any of that, and I think this is probably the first project I think that he's made that doesn't provide any of the qualities that even make him worthy of being the most underrated MC of all time. So I would tell you that it is a step down for him.
Speaker 2:What was your favorite joint on the project?
Speaker 1:I'm with you on the barbershop joint, to be honest with you. Yeah, I thought that was real creative.
Speaker 2:I like the joint he actually has with his son Jayden singing the hook. That was pretty solid. You want to?
Speaker 1:know, when I went back to the joint, the Lucas joint I enjoyed it much more than I did the first time that I heard it, the second time I heard it I thought I enjoyed it much more, so that's probably one that stuck out the most to me. I went around where I was like, okay, you want to know what I was like I'm getting with that record. I was like I can get with that and joining the Big Sean was cool too.
Speaker 1:The Big Sean record is just cool, but it's just cool to me. It's not something I'm going to go back to Like. The Joining Lupus record is the record probably back on here that I'll probably go back to and kind of try to throw in my algorithm to see if it kind of like doesn't throw me other joints or the artists like it to find like records like it. So you know. So the Joyner Lucas record the second time around stuck out, so that'd probably be the one that I would say that in the Barbershop intro.
Speaker 2:No doubt. But you set the bar higher for him because I don't consider him the most underrated MC of all time.
Speaker 1:How about this? We probably have this project rated as a three, but probably for totally different reasons.
Speaker 2:For different reasons. You have it as a three, though, don't you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I wasn't going in expecting, like you're happy with the three, I'm looking at the three like uh.
Speaker 2:I mean it's. Will you know what I'm saying? It's enjoyable, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:Look at what Will doing. Hold on real quick Before we go to the drink champs. What does it's Will mean to you, ag? Tell me what that means exactly Explain that?
Speaker 2:to me it's Will. I mean, like I said, he's the rap album seems like a side mission, like barring the situation with. You know, chris Rock and all that stuff. Will's just winning in life, you know what I'm saying. Like he's out here, you know, living his best life, doing his thing or whatever, and he's making a record. It is heavily themed in. You know, I was was down, but now I'm back up again. But anytime you put on a will smith record it just sounds like a fun record. You know what I'm saying. I mean, will's just being will man.
Speaker 1:He can't help himself, he's just entertaining, you know I guess okay, yeah, let's get to the drink champs interview what did you think of the drink? Champs interview. I haven't watched drink champss interview in a while. So like Noriega lost like 50 pounds, Like they got dreads, Like well, the little you know, I call those the baby Eskos. When I seen him I said did he just get the baby Eskos? Yeah, the little plant.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I thought the interview was really good. I mean, like I said about the album, will just seemed like a good time. You know, funny witty and him and Nori was, you know, made for good chemistry on screen, so I think it was good. And there was a lot of enlightening stuff in the interview that I didn't know. You would think we knew everything about Will at this point, but it was some things that I didn't know, like how um martin pitched bad boys to him, and that was the first time they met at martin's house.
Speaker 1:Did you know that? I didn't know that. But I then I thought to myself well, actually, if I'm not mistaken, bad boys came out in 1995, right, I believe so. So that. So that means it probably got pitched to Martin in like 93, 94. Right, and it was supposed to be Eddie with them. Well, listen, in 1993, 94, martin's a bigger deal than Wilson.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, cause a fresh Prince. See, that's. They were running neck and neck to me because the fresh Princeton and Martin are my two favorite shows of all time.
Speaker 1:But I think Martin still had the stand-up and Martin also was part of the house party.
Speaker 2:There you go.
Speaker 1:Culturally more connected to Martin at the time because of the house party and Def Comedy. Jam You're right. Martin's actually the showstopper in 93-94, more than Will. So actually, when the way he told the story, I was like that actually makes sense when he's saying it like that. But it's also one of those things about how life works where it's like he's like, yeah, martin's sister was like no, you should choose Will Smith. It's like what the hell made her say that.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying right, right, but it worked out and they lifelong friends after that, so that's crazy yeah, so I thought, um, some of the more poignant things.
Speaker 1:I thought it was really dope that will smith has a street named after him in front of his high school. I always think that, like you know, I always like to celebrate like uh excellence, black excellence in particular. Uh, I do remember hearing that fresh prince of bel-air is based on benny medina's life of moving from watts to uh to beverly hills. I thought it was hilarious how, um uh, he told the story about Quincy said Bel Air made Hollywood look like a housing development.
Speaker 2:It sounds right. I ain't trying to like you know what I'm saying, do a flex or nothing, but my great uncle used to hang with Quincy a lot. He was the jazz musician and used to live in France and travel and come over here a lot and he used to tell me stories uh, me and my cousin's stories about hanging with quincy. Like bill russell will chamberlain all these other people and how will describe quincy is how my great uncle always used to describe quincy like when he would talk about him.
Speaker 1:it's kind of funny well, you know, consistently bossy, consistently flossy. You know, I think sometimes you know what I really liked about this interview. I think people forget sometimes because you know, and he even speaks to it. It's like you know, it's Big Willie, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:He, like you know, everybody know what it is including him, that he lets you know in this interview that he know what time it is with him too and like what time to be on about him, and I like that. He was honest about that. But there was something about him that was still very Philly to me after all this time and I liked that. It's like you know, he's still very Philly, you know, but he's and Nori kind of pointed it out too but he's old school Philly though, Right, Right.
Speaker 2:Right. That's something that's always going to be in you though it's ingrained in you Correct, correct.
Speaker 1:So it's like I like how he brought up the whole cliff top point about how like you can reach the point of achieving so many things that you know the fall from that is very much to the fall when somebody hits rock bottom for that person that achieve. Yeah, I like that point. You know, it was one of the dopest things that I think I ever heard Nori say was like hey, before Will Smith started doing the Fresh Prince, all rappers ever did was just rap. And when he said that I was like oh shit, he right. I was like damn, that was powerful. I was like that really shit, he right. I was like damn, that was powerful. I was like that really is a genre and game-changing move. Think about that. Before Will Smith, all rappers really did was rap, right, yeah.
Speaker 2:He was first into the active part.
Speaker 1:He's the first to the party like how about this? Every rapper that talks about?
Speaker 2:like how they don't rely on rap money, it's like that's the guy that actually started that he just edged out Ice Cube and Pop right, because they were doing film and he was doing sitcom.
Speaker 1:Ice Cube, pop sitcom Latifah maybe Kid and Play all by like yeah because they're more like around 91-ish and Will was on by 90, correct? He literally beat everybody, maybe somewhere between the 3 to nine month gap. But you know that, you know you can be. You know 100 meter dash, you know first place, you know as a fact.
Speaker 2:You know it's crazy. I'm glad you brought up Nori when he said that. You know, nori do be wild and he gets so excited to cut people off but people don't give him enough credit for his interview skills. He said something else, though, during the interview that really gave Will his flowers, because he was talking about how, no matter what Will does, he still finds a way to put hip-hop in it, because Will himself is hip-hop, like how Will had the beatboxing alien talk in Men in Black you know what I'm saying and thought to bring in Biz Markie to do that conversation scene with him. So him just sprinkling hip hop in a little bit of everything he did to stay true to himself. You know I appreciated Norrie pointing that out.
Speaker 1:Will Smith is way more hip-hop oriented than people realize. I like the fact that he admits the fact that at his core he falls into the acting fray easier, and because he falls into the acting fray easier is why he is a greater actor than he is an MC. But because hip-hop is his passion AG, that's what he said. You know it's different when it's your passion, like your passions can push you to levels that are actually beyond the means of whatever your talent says that it is. And although he might be a more talented actor, has in the type of person that can literally walk into a sitcom with no training and by the time the sitcom is over six years later, be one of the most trained and accomplished actors at his craft. Like he's that kind of talented at that craft. Like even that type of pull off is hard to do. So he is that kind of talented.
Speaker 1:But he also is that type of passionate about something else and there's something great about that too. Like he's kind of like you know he's he's higher. Like he's not rudy, like as in, like rudy from notre dame, he's not that because he's better, like a better rapper, than rudy as a player, but he has kind of like a rudy mentality about rap, if that makes sense. I see what you're saying. Yeah, yeah, like he approaches it like because and he even brought it up on the show oh, no, like when he did what he did, that was selling out being corny, you whack, you ain't shit. Your career is over, you done.
Speaker 3:You sent. You ain't nothing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so he. So he dealt with a lot too. Dealt with a lot too. He didn't have Pac Street, cred. You know what I'm saying. He didn't have Latifah's. How about this? Coming from Philly back then and coming from Jersey back then, is coming from two different worlds in terms of being a lot of the New York and the East Coast hip-hop scene too. So you know, he didn't have a lot of even what his contemporaries has. I mean, you know, we all knew Cube from NWA on top of that. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:Right. All rappers talk about now is boycotting the Grammy still in 2025, and he was the first to do it.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying. I even like the honesty about the fact that he admitted that part of why he boycotted was because he wasn't expecting to win at all when he looked at his competition. I mean to be honest, if I'm up against OPP and Supersonic and all that stuff, I'm probably not thinking. Parents just don't understand who's going to win either.
Speaker 2:Yep, and it was just interesting hearing that how they all felt, because it was Kuma Odita ended up deciding to go and perform. You know what I'm saying. I think he performed, but you know how everybody else felt about him, you know, not choosing to take part in the boycott. So it was. You know, like I said, that was something I wasn't aware of.
Speaker 1:And you want to know what he was probably. I mean, he was probably OG at the time. He was probably looking at it like this this might be my last chance to You're right.
Speaker 2:Yeah because he had been in the game for a little bit, you know yeah.
Speaker 1:Like how about this? People have to understand this. Like Kubo D's prime is like. I mean, his real prime is like 83, 84, 85.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and rappers had running back years, then you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so the fact that he's even around still when this is going on was a testament to how big he actually was.
Speaker 2:truthfully, that's a good point. What do you think about him when he gave Esco all his flowers? You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:I mean, I think it took Kool Moe D a long time to get to a place of not being bitter about a lot of things. I think he feels like he got passed over by the masses when Rakim and KRS and Kane and Slick Rick and those guys popped up. I feel like he felt like he didn't get appreciated enough for his contributions, and so you know him saying some of the things that he has said has been, like you know, a nice change of pace.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but my fault. What I said was what do you think about him giving Nas his flowers? You know what I'm saying On the show Will on the Drink Champs, because he cleared up some of the you know ghostwriting speculation on you know, getting jiggy with it Miami and he writing speculation on getting jiggy with it Miami and he said that they wrote Cruisin' together and then he talked about how Nas makes him want to study the art of rap more.
Speaker 1:When he said that all he is speaking to is what all the rest of us feel as fucking rappers Good point. Like when he said it, I was like how about this AG? When he said it, I was kind of like, yeah, nigga me too. So what, that's what he does. Like he does that to everybody. Like welcome to the world. Like welcome to the world.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying, man, a rapper's rapper, g-o-d, s-o-n, they'll be none after that's what he?
Speaker 1:said I want to study the art of rap more. It's like, yeah, that's kind of his thing there we go, there we go.
Speaker 1:Overall, it was a dope interview I feel like there could have been more to the interview. There was obviously restrictions to what they were going to talk about and what was going to be edited and what was going to be kept. I did feel like overall, it was a solid interview. Norrie did bring some things out. It's just one of those things when it's like you don't know if you're going to get Will Smith coming back around again. So I feel like you should take all your shots, but also, too, we don't know what the parameters of the shots or that could be taken. So that's what I will say. I will also say here are my last thoughts.
Speaker 1:Look at will smith's face when he talks about friday night in colombia and everybody know why I keep talking about going to see my homie in menagee. All right, look at will smith. That's will smith. Will smith has been around this world probably like I'm not exaggerating 50 times ag. It's probably been around this world. Probably I'm not exaggerating 50 times AG. It's probably been around 50 times at least. When he talked about being in Columbia on Friday night, he literally said there's a lot of places in the world that Columbia on Friday night. When he said it, I was like I know. I've been there, I already know what you're talking about. You're talking about everything because Will Smith, think about what. Oh my God, it frightens me to think about what the Will Smith experience is like on Friday night in Columbia.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that level of clearance it's great.
Speaker 1:They're probably trying to convince you to buy a piece of the country right right, if you will wire this amount of money in, we will give you this part of the land probably, man probably but I thought it was a dope interview overall. So I know we got another interview we actually need to get to right now. Is King Champs already like in back room, chilling in the VIP, ready to go?
Speaker 2:We keeping it Philly West.
Speaker 3:Philly.
Speaker 2:Oh, shout out to Doug.
Speaker 3:Yo, what's good? What's going on, fellas? What's happening, man? I was just sitting here cracking up about the whole Will Smith breakdown of the interview. I just was watching that, john, the other night, with my brother too, so I was just like laughing at what y'all take was on that, john, man.
Speaker 1:How about this? How about this? Shams, you're from Philly. Like. What's your take on the interview? Like, are you a fan?
Speaker 3:of.
Speaker 1:Will Smith. What do you feel like Will Smith's contributions to the rap community is like to Philly.
Speaker 3:Well, first and foremost, I appreciate y'all brothers having me on number one. I appreciate y'all and yeah, I definitely fuck with Will. You know what I mean. Will, from West Philly, like I am, you know what I'm saying. So I'm always going to give him his flowers and give him his respect for what he's done for the city and what he did for the genre. I mean, he is one of the first he is the first rapper to win a Grammy. You know what I'm saying. You know he was able to translate and make a lot of moves off of music and still he comes back and he shows hip hop love. So I definitely respect him for that, because we have so many people that's in our culture that are culture vultures, man, and never really even come back you know what I mean and even have discussions about. You know the different things that they were able to do within the culture. So it's dope to see him still up there and at it. You know what I mean.
Speaker 3:And, of course, like y'all said, you know what I mean, it was restrictions. We know that. You know what I mean. You know Will Smith, come up there. It's a whole hell of a lot of restrictions up there, john, you know what I'm saying. You're glad to have the interview, and that's what Norrie was doing. He was tap dancing around him like Sammy Davis Jr, that's what's up?
Speaker 2:that's what's up, and we'd like to say welcome to you, king champs. You know I'm saying all right, friend of the show, friend of the show, um, you know, we're glad to have you here. So tell us a little bit about yourself. You told us you're from west philly. Like will smith, you've been in the game you know I'm saying the underground space for a little while now. So tell us a little bit about coming into the game as an artist in your origins oh man, that's a.
Speaker 3:That's a great question. I mean, me and my brother started this thing when we were young bulls man, you know what I mean, real young guys. And um, you know, we feel that we have to keep the culture going, not only for, you know, just hip-hop in general, but just philadelphia in general. We have such a rich history, not only with you know hip hop music, but you know music in general, so we feel like we have a duty to kind of go on again and push you know shit forward. You know what I'm saying, and the music that we write, the music that we put together, we feel like, is a prime example of that. You know what I mean we want to make elite music, not just elite hip hop, mean we want to make elite music, not just elite hip-hop, but we want to make elite music and, um, the last few projects we dropped, probably in the last, I'll say, like year or two, have really, um, started to move us within the underground and go to you know eventually where we want to go, which is to start putting like this kind of sound on the mainstream.
Speaker 3:You know what I'm saying and I thank God that a lot of these different opportunities are popping up, so we can, you know, be allowed to do that and really show a whole nother genre of rap. You know what I'm saying. So, yeah, we've been doing it for a minute, but now we're finally, like I said, starting to hit our stride with our projects. You know, I dropped Roz and Corleone last year. The Beginnings Murder Files dropped a couple of videos as well, and they've been doing really well. You know, for the organic users you know what I mean Ain't no bots and shit involved, it's actual people commenting and liking and sharing and subscribing. So it's been a dope experience, man.
Speaker 2:Dope. Now is this all dead wrong records? Is that Gotcha, gotcha? Yeah, the Rise of Coleon was was. You know, um, when you hit me in the dm like that was my first introduction to you, that was a solid project, um, I appreciate that um, yeah, it was dope.
Speaker 2:And then another one of your earlier uh works was um, I want you to explain that to me. If that's like a compilation, it's called the beginnings, yeah, soundcloud. So did you compile like all of your old, old work and then put it together in an album form to give to people who might not have been tapped in on SoundCloud? Is that what came about? You're right on it. You want it like I want it, baby, it's a billion percent.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's a billion percent. That's what it was. You know what I mean. We wanted to get people familiar because, again, like I said once, we saw that a lot of people started tapping in with the work. We was like, well, shit, we got a bunch of records that a lot of people didn't hear. You know what I mean. We got how many billion people in this world and I feel like a lot of artists need to start doing that, especially if you're coming from the underground or whatnot.
Speaker 3:Not everybody has heard that music from you. You know what I mean has heard that music from you. You know what I mean. It's a new experience for somebody else. So I feel like it's a good way to market your music and kind of push it back out. You know what I mean to this algorithm, analytics, shit. You know what I'm saying. But it was really, really dope work and we was like yo put that out there, man, let the people kind of tap in and really see the origins of everything, basically the beginnings of everything. How my voice was different, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:How the sound was different.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know what?
Speaker 3:I mean, I aged like fine wine on that, john First of all.
Speaker 1:We know you from Philly because you keep saying John.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, he's a big fan.
Speaker 1:Philly slave. You were saying, john, with the ease that only a Philly cat could um, you know when, when, when, when I was listening to your early stuff, I was actually chilling with my cousin who, like, he kind of like has the file in the catalog of like my whole team stuff and he was talking about artists and how you know she had pulled up to get her catalog and I was like what'd she pulled up for? He's like to put it on streaming platforms. He's like, shit's different now. He's like you know. So when you just said that, I realized he's like, yeah, he's like nobody's heard this stuff. He handed me my shit too and then he gave me some ideas about what to do with my stuff. Dude did like the way that the music like and the way that music is made, changing like kind of reinvigorating. You as a more seasoned artist has kind of been through maybe the process of being an artist at a different time, where it moves the needle and what moves the people and what gathers attention is different absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 3:I feel like you have to be able to adjust if you want to win and succeed. You know what I mean. I don't care um, your age, your gender, your race, whatever. If you want to succeed, if you want this thing to rock out, whatever it is, then you're going to have to be able to adjust. And streaming is out. You know what I mean. It's no longer you know big ass cds and cassettes and shit, so you can't really move with them like that. You know what I'm saying. You have to be able to adjust, you have to be able to understand playlisting and you know I'm doing what I'm doing now Touching the people more with interviews and engaging organically so you can get people to actually fuck with what you're doing. So I feel like it's different ways. You can go on ahead and get things rolling, and that's one of the ways.
Speaker 3:If these people haven't heard the music, rebrand it. Rebrand it. I mean we see so many of the top artists doing it, because it's so much music that's coming out consistently that music kind of can get. You know it can fall by the wayside, so to speak. You know what I'm saying. I remember you know it could fall by the wayside, so to speak. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:Um, I remember seeing somebody like a bruno mars, who was a mainstream mainstream artist. One of the records that he did I think it was the finesse record he had, like cardi b or something one year. That record was like three years old off of his album, but he rebranded it, put a little spit shine on that you know what I'm saying and and was able to get the recognition that that record deserves. So I'm looking at him. I'm like, well, shit, what stops me from doing that? You know what I'm saying and what stops any other artist from doing it, especially if you had a quality of work that the people need to hear.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, you definitely got to. You know, jump out here and actually look at the different ways. You out here and actually look at the different ways. You can't go by radio. You got to go by playlist, you got to go by podcasting. You know what I'm saying. You want to be able to be tapped into everything so you can succeed. So, yeah, everything that you can get your shit played on, we on. That's just how it is, you know what I mean. And we're finding different ways to take advantage of the system that they're trying to basically suppress us with. So you know we're moving within the system.
Speaker 2:Right, right, I like that marketing. Now, hopefully we could be a vehicle. You know what I'm saying. It gets the name to more people. That's dope. I'm glad you. I'm glad you brought up your voice, because I was I was going to bring that up in the question. When I was listening to that project, I did notice that your voice was different, but now, hearing you talk like your, your rapping voice is very unique, right, but your rapping voice and style now is more closer to your speaking voice than your older work. So I'm tripping, trying to figure out. So, on your older work, you was. You know, I'm figuring out now that you changed it in the beginning and now it seems like you're leaning more into your natural, unique voice with your style. Is that true?
Speaker 3:One billion percent Y'all's bad brothers. Man, y'all actually got questions. You know what I mean Like question questions. I appreciate that man?
Speaker 1:Yeah, we got some wrapping ass rap questions I respect that I respect it.
Speaker 3:That's why I respect this show. That's why I was like yo, let me get on the show. I'm like what's up? What's up To answer the question? I feel like I'm 32 now.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:So I was like 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. That's like what you're hearing. So I'm literally trying to figure out what I want to be as an artist. I think you're hearing a lot more of my influences then you know what I'm saying Of, like I'm a big Nas guy, I'm a big Jay guy, I'm a big Wu guy. You know what I'm saying. Like those are the guys for me. Mob D Prodigy you know what I mean. Prodigy from 95 probably stops on anybody. You know what I'm saying. I'm like he was different then Listening to Scarface and UGK, and I'm heavily influenced by those guys as well. So you're hearing a lot of that.
Speaker 3:Now you're hearing somebody that, like you said, is more seasoned, has the understanding of my strengths, has the understanding of my weaknesses and I'm making those weaknesses my strengths. If you're actually listening to you know my journey, my musical journey, and I feel now, like I said, I'm more comfortable. You know it's almost like when you saw Jordan. You know what I mean. Refined.
Speaker 3:I feel like I'm like 92 Jordan in a way where I still got the athleticism but I still like got crazy IQ, like I'm not 87, 88 Jordan. That's just chomping all over the place. No, I understand how to slow the game down there. You know what I'm saying. The game slowed to me for a minute. It's like a top quarterback. You know I'm not making them same throws anymore. You know I'm saying I can make every throw now. You know what I mean. So yeah, it's definitely a lot of um maturity that came from that man and, like I said, just being comfortable as an artist, that's fine in that pocket so I think, when you bring up 92 jordan, that's like for me, like that guy, that's the guy that could get 50 with his athleticism.
Speaker 1:Still, we could also get 50 with his iq, like whatever. Whatever way you needed to get 50, it's like oh no, he could just go to the hole all night and get 50, but he could like break you down and get 52 at that point.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm cutting off the mid-range. You know what I mean. I'm getting some threes there. I'm getting to the lane. You know what I mean? I'm using leverage. I'm seeing where your body is. It's a nuance man and and I want to kind of bring those kinds of things back to hip-hop, because it's a nuanced sport and these motherfuckers ain't playing it right. We gotta show people how to play with nuance. Again. What's the details about? You know?
Speaker 1:I'm saying okay, so I do have a couple of like, like, like. They're two real quick questions, questions. And I'm to let AG jump back in Does your record no Lesson? Flexin sample the Take it Easy from Supercat.
Speaker 3:See, you would have to ask my brother that and you already know producer's secrets, so you're not going to get that answer from him. Number one yeah, just being honest.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm about to say no, no no, my cousin, who is like my brother, is like my producer too. If I was to ask him something like that, he wouldn't tell me, and it could be my beat yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, never mind, no samples Mitchell.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I wouldn't even be able to tell you One thing. I will tell you, and you know what. Y y'all gotta get him on the show and try to get some answers out of him.
Speaker 3:Y'all need to get him up there and just see but one thing I will say about my brother is he's always blending different sounds. You're not, he's not the kind of producer that samples from a perspective where it's just like I got one sound, it's a, it's a collage of sounds. So, indeed, it could be a record. Indeed, it could be a record like that. It could be a hundred other different records, though, being totally honest, because he'll play me some shit, I'll be like this is real, pete Rock-ish, how you found this shit. You know what I mean. You're kind of expanding a two-second joint and making it a whole record. You know what I'm saying. He gets busy. He definitely gets busy. Like I said, I couldn't even answer that, john. For real, I ain't even going to hold you. I know the record go. I know that people need to go check it out on them streaming platforms. I know that much.
Speaker 1:No, lexington record is hard.
Speaker 2:That's one of my favorites. That's one of my favorites.
Speaker 3:I appreciate that. I appreciate that.
Speaker 2:What other questions did you have, Coop?
Speaker 1:The other one is what's the inspiration behind like that? Because I don't know. Okay, so you're 32 years old, so I'm to my. First of all I want you to talk about are there any rap differences, you feel like, between West Philly, south Philly and North Philly? Because I know North Philly often gets attached with a more New York style because the proximity says they're closer to New York, correct? And so I want to know where somebody that's. And when you said that you were 32, the record like that started making more sense to me because I feel like there's like a break in the philly, like hip-hop sound, where it's always had more of an east coast aesthetic, specifically like the bronx and brooklyn, you know, aesthetic, and then now it has more of an aesthetic that maybe has more of a southern influence or cadence at times, like Can you talk about that and speak to that perspective?
Speaker 3:Yeah for sure. Again, most of my influences come from down South. My people are from down South. If you listen to me talk long enough, you'll hear it. I'm from West Philly, born and raised, but all my people from north carolina, south carolina, alabama, mississippi. You know what I'm saying. So I'm listening to eight ball and mjj, I'm a fan of screwed up click. You know what I'm saying. Like I listen to that shit just as much as I'll go listen to it was written, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:So those styles I decided, and we decided, me and my brother, to blend it together because it's like yo, this is a part of us. It kind of goes back to us finding ourselves right when it's like yo. We're artists, we're trying to figure out what sound works for us and it's like yo, we can bounce with the rest of them. I can rap just as well with the cadence of a Pimp C as I can do a jizzle of a pimp, see, as I could do a jizzer. You know what I'm saying. So it's just like being able to have that balance and being able to attack records differently and we're blending a whole new sound. That's like the new sound to us where it's the east coast bars, the east coast lyricism, and may have the southern origins of like, maybe hooks and bridges and different flows and cadences and things like that. And then we're doing the same thing from the production standpoint as well, where you'll still hear, like those East Coast boom bap drums, but the samples and everything are used in a way where it's a little bit more accessible Because, let's just be honest, until we start to destroy this infrastructure, now you got to move within the system. So we found a way to blend the sounds, put together our own sound and, kind of, you know, move within the system until it's like yo, I can drop what I want to drop.
Speaker 3:Now you know what I'm saying. If I decide to drop five, it was written in a row, so fucking be it. But at the same time I can drop a stank on you, fucking be it. But at the same time I can drop a stank on you, I can drop. You know what I mean. A Mr Scarface too. You know what I'm saying. Like I can blend those things. So, yeah, like when you hear like that, that's what you're hearing, that's something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. You feel me? I do feel you.
Speaker 2:I do feel you yeah, we got a few more things before we let you slide. Brother, you brought up Jordan and I'm glad you did, because the cover art for one of your latest singles is no Complaints. Yeah, you got Michael Jordan on it. You know famous shrug moment. Thanks For the YouTube cover art. So let's talk about your two most recent records.
Speaker 3:You know no Complaints and Sophisticated Hustlers out there for the people if they want to check them out. You want to walk us through those two records? Oh, yeah, for sure, for sure. It just shows my versatility as an artist and our versatility as artists. Again, where no complaints is more of a smooth record, you know what I mean. It comes from that kind of um, bad boy, because we're heavily influenced by them as well. Like that bass, bass, biggie, you know what I mean. Like Flo's being able to get on records and still talk that talk, you know what I mean, but still make it in a way where the ladies can fuck with it as well. And just Sophisticated Hustles is just like a straight up East Coast hip hop back and forth, back and forth between me and my brother. Where's the Bar shit where we not only can give you those songs that you can go in there and play because it's funny?
Speaker 3:No Complaints is doing really good on Canadian radio right now. It's killing overseas being streamed real well. But Sophisticated Hustlers got like the motherfuckers is like yo nigga. All I really want to listen to is Buckshot, nas and Mob Deep, all fucking dead. If you ain't got no fucking bars, I don't want to hear you, and I respect that too. So it's like yo, we're bridging the gap. You know what I'm saying. We selling pizza, we selling cheese sticks. We got ice cream in the bag too, nigga, if you need it. You know what I'm saying. Whatever you need, we got it all. You feel me. So it kind of shows that versatility from those two records Because, like I said, no Complaints is a record that's a lot smoother.
Speaker 3:Sophisticated Hustlers has more of like we're just going at it. You know what I mean for the love of hip-hop type shit, and both have had really, really good responses. So again, like you said, it's on streaming platforms. Razzle Corleone's on there, the Label Project as well, murder Files is the one there. Go check that out, and that's kind of a continuation of the sound. You know what I'm saying. So you can kind of see like where everybody else from the label is doing their thing too.
Speaker 2:And you got another collab joint King of Kings, volume 1.
Speaker 3:Right oh, my lord, that project, that project is a that is the beginning for real. That's the beginning yeah. I appreciate that. Yeah, nah, again you're hearing young kids. I may have been like 1920 21 on there.
Speaker 2:That was solid though it was dope. But yeah, shout out to your brother, he was dope too. Couple things while I got you here, I'm gonna go ahead and tell you you know I'm saying why you on the show some of my favorite joints you know, definitely no complaints. Sophisticated hustlers like we talked about half a brick murder arts one of my joints can't get enough arm and hammer supply and demand, um, live from the dope spot. I like Interstate 95, and then Coop mentioned no Reason, flexin'. Those are all my favorite joints from you, man.
Speaker 3:Word. That's a hell of a list I'll fuck with it.
Speaker 1:There were some joints. You remember Lord have Mercy from Flip Mode, oh yeah yeah, there were some things that you were doing like cadence wise and bar wise and vocally like at the same time.
Speaker 3:that reminded me of lord have mercy, and I mean that in a good way, because I always fucked with lord have mercy like he was a member in flip mode no, I feel like, with your voice, especially as a rapper, I look at it from a perspective of because I'm a big jazz fan, right, so I look at it from a perspective of because I'm a big jazz fan, right. So I look at it from the perspective of how Miles Davis and Coltrane and Ahmad Jamal broke shit down where it's like I'm using these notes to my advantage, I'm using my voice to my advantage. This is my instrument, so I can go in and out of flows really quickly, I can use cadences really quickly. You know what I mean. It's just like a wide receiver going in and out of breaks, like he has to be able to like time, shit at a certain time. You know what I mean. In order for the shit to be, you know what it is. It's either going to be a touchdown or incompletion, and with us we're going for touchdowns. So I appreciate that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, again, it goes back to that versatility myself one head student of the game man just studying the greats. Study the greats, yeah, no doubt. No doubt, since you're a student of the greats. Uh, the last two questions I got for you are fun questions. First question will be name your top five philly rappers as far as philly influence. And then the last question if we got anybody in the chat that's going to slide through philly you know visiting or they're there now name your number one cheesesteak spot that's going to slide through Philly you know visiting or they're there now name your number one cheesesteak spot that they need to go to to go get them a cheesesteak. So that's the last two questions.
Speaker 3:Okay. So let me answer the first one, I mean the second one, the last one, the last one, the last one about the cheesesteak. So that's where I'm at with it. Right, you come to the city to just get a cheesesteak and chill and stay out the whack. You ain't coming for the bullshit to come into the city because I know a lot of niggas will throw mats out. You know what I mean. A lot of different people will throw shit.
Speaker 3:Mats is in the middle of the hood. So if you ain't got your strap on, you don't go over there. That's just a yeah. I'm not going to sit there and tell people oh yeah, just stand on over there and get robbed. If you ain't rolling, you don't know where you're at, you don't need to be there. Take your ass to Pat's and Gino's. You know what I mean. Go right down there, okay, get yourself a solid cheese stick. And if you want to go somewhere in the daytime, go to Della Sandro's, go there. Or Ishka, it's your bibbles, it's a couple spots. It's a couple spots for the cheese sticks.
Speaker 3:And if you talk about top five Philly rappers, bane's gonna be one. Um Overthought, yeah for me, yeah for me. And Black Thought is a phenomenal rapper. It's just.
Speaker 3:I grew up during the era where, like, bane's was running the city. You know what I mean. Like you know what I mean like. I grew up during that era so I got to respect what I saw and I was outside you know what I'm saying Everything that was going on Beans and them was running shit. So I got to go with Beans. Black Thought would be too. I got to give Black Thought his respect. He's going to have to be there just because he's an incredible lyricists. He's put out incredible work. The Funk Freestyle joint should be a national monument for real.
Speaker 3:That nigga was rapping words. He was just rapping words. That was just making sense, if that makes sense. He just is that good at writing. You know what I'm saying. He's an incredible lyricist, so I'm going to put him at two. Damn, now I'd have to probably go underground, underground, underground, for like top five. Quilly probably would have been like three or four for me. Quilly Mills from like back in the day, meek Mills from back in the day too. You know what I mean. They'd probably be like three and four, cause, again, I'm from like that era, like when Reed Dollars and all them was like you know what I mean. What about'd probably be like three and four, because again, I'm from like that era, like when Reed Dollars and all of them was like.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean. What about Freeway and Young Chris?
Speaker 3:Young Chris was about the. That was the next person I was coming to. Young Chris is Young Chris, definitely. You know what I mean. Ask Jay about him.
Speaker 1:Ask Jay about him. I gotta ask you this. No, no, no, no, like this is off the books right here, okay yeah all Philly and New York niggas swear by young Chris so hard, so like. Break it down for me, like what it is, because it's like I like them. In New York niggas talk about young Chris. Y'all talk with this glow, it's like.
Speaker 2:I think it's the swag man.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm waiting for him to pop back. He popped out, we're waiting on him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you go ahead and answer the question, bro. I think he has some technical difficulties. But yeah, why do they hold young Chris so high? There you go.
Speaker 1:Why do they hold him so high?
Speaker 3:My daughter. It's all good. Family first man. We got to make sure everybody I mean. The reason why, to be honest, is because and I'm a big Hov guy, but Hov is known for taking different cadences and taking different flows it is what it is. You know what I mean If you're a guy that studies rap. It is what it is.
Speaker 1:It's just like you know, I love.
Speaker 3:Listen, I love Kobe, listen, I love Kobe. But Kobe took all Mike's moves.
Speaker 2:It is what it is.
Speaker 3:I mean we don't have to like discredit somebody just because somebody did X, y, z At least that's how I look at things. So young Chris, with the flows when he came over Hov was taking them flows. It gave Hov an extra three or four years with the young Chris flow, the whispering, the dipping and the Listen to Hove through that whole little phase of state prop days. He's rapping like Philly niggas. He is Because again, when you're sitting around Oskino, okay, because Oskino never gets brought up for those flows and cadences either. Young Chris, those guys from State Prop that had that rapping thing. If you listen to Matter of Fact, here's a prime example of it. Dirt Off your Shoulder. When did Hov ever say any of those things? We listen to Hov from Reasonable Doubt.
Speaker 2:He never had that in his bag To me when it was the most prevalent, when it was like eye-popping, like yo he's definitely doing, was the Murder Marcyville record and a lot of people might not even know that because that's like was the mixtape circuit. But when Jay was on the Murder, murder, marcyville record, I was like, yeah, that's Chris.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like you hear that young Chris in there all the time.
Speaker 2:And again.
Speaker 3:Let's keep it 100. Young Chris, bar for bar, can't fuck with Ove. Let's not be disrespectful.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean.
Speaker 3:But I know a lot of people will try to push agendas. You know how I go right.
Speaker 1:But you are saying is that he did Jacket Style for a few years. Oh yeah, for sure that's a fact that extended the shelf life of his prime, because that did happen during his prime yeah, that's a fact.
Speaker 3:Them flows are there. And if you listen to Dirt Off your Shoulder 2, you hear Pimp C. Go Go, listen to Murder. Go listen to the first verse of Murder and then play it back. Listen to them flows. You know what I'm saying and that's just being real. He was a UGK guy.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and making that adjustment and being that versatile keeps you moving, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:Beans talked about that. Beans talked about how Jay's real gift is his ability to absorb.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's still a skill set that could be used for good and bad. Yeah, it could be used good and bad, but it still is a skill set. You know what I'm saying. I can say, even with myself as an artist, I sit back and study those guys, you know. Know, if you listen to some of my earlier work, I was listening to illmatic and it was written damn near every day, so a lot of those multi-syllable joints, same thing with, like, cool g rap. I was listening to four or five sets every day. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:So, like, when you're hearing different records or things like that, you can hear those things. Those are my influences and nothing's wrong's wrong with that. These are great artists, these are legends. You should learn from the legends. I'm just a person where I don't want it to be obvious. You know what I'm saying. I want it to be my creativity being shown, as opposed to motherfuckers breaking my work down like damn, he's not just like, or that record is just not. It's not Now if you said, am I influenced by these people? Absolutely, but it's not like. It's no father to my style, like A-Sign, unique that's what's up?
Speaker 2:Well, tell the people where they can find you at man.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure, For sure. You can find me on Instagram and Twitter at Kean Shamps K-I-N-G-S-H-A-M-P-Z. That's on Twitter and Instagram. You can go on in here to check the music out as well, man. We're on all streaming platforms, all streaming platforms.
Speaker 3:So don't make no bullshit. You know what I mean. Don't beat yourself. Treat yourself to some excellent music. You know what I'm saying. We got Raza Corleone out. We got Murder Files out, we got the Beginnings that's out as well. And then, like I said, Murder Files is the joint project and we got Workout right now, the single game. We've been killing all from last summer and we're doing it this summer as well. So go check out Sophisticated Hustlers, All of the work, the catalog. You know what I mean. We put a catalog together for the people.
Speaker 3:When you say, well, damn, I like the way that bull talk, like Ken Shams, he talking a lot of heavy shit. Let me go check his music out. You will not be disappointed, man. You will not be disappointed at all. Man. Please check me out. Man. Check these brothers out too. Now you know what I mean. They're doing a hell of a job for the culture. They don't have to be doing this shit. Make sure y'all subscribing and tuning in and commenting too. Y'all want the whole West Philly to come out of me tonight.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to chill. Okay, so that was my last question. What's the difference between the West Philly Cat and North Philly Cat, south Philly Cat?
Speaker 3:The difference to me is I feel like we have more of a fashion sense on shit. I feel like we hustle differently. Like North Philly niggas will trunk you quicker than we will. You know what I'm saying. Like that's more of they shit. Our shit was more like hustling, robbing. You know what I mean too. But it's like two different types of Grammys, if that makes sense, you know what I mean too, but it's like two different types of Grammys, if that makes sense. Like West Philly. Like West Philly Grammy is more like a Harlem.
Speaker 3:Grammy, if that makes sense, whereas you know what I mean. Like we like to dress, we like to go out with the girls, but like we'll still put you in the trunk too. North Philly is like no, you know, when you get on one of their blocks. Or South Philly, that's the time they on. You know what I'm saying. Like that's just the time they on. To be honest, to keep it 100, being from West, a lot of my old years that was like hustler, hustlers. They wouldn't even like drive down South Philly for real. They'd say like yo, like I'm going to have a good time, I don't need to have like my nine on me driving through these neighborhoods. Like I'm cool, you know what I'm saying. So like that's like the difference, it's just like the difference. Levels of ground anywhere in the city is out of pocket, to be honest. But like those are like the, the differences. You know what I mean how we walk, maybe, how we talk and shit no, no, I get it, I'm, I was raised in the cater.
Speaker 1:Like we like the polos and logos of the zones okay, yeah, like we slide, but we not like considered to be as grimy as, like the dudes from the south side of the west side necessarily like like the motion is different in terms of how we set you up. Like we might, we might send, we might send one of our girls a dance to come get you you know what I'm saying like that's how you know what I'm saying?
Speaker 1:like that's, that's the way, yeah the dude from the south side and west side just gonna slide on you like we're we gonna send our best girl like to come get you yeah because I want to be able to get a better understanding of you and how you like to move and how we can move real in and out.
Speaker 3:You know what I mean, Like I wasn't rapping all my life you know what. I'm saying Say less.
Speaker 1:Statute of limitation is passed, but still go ahead.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, oh no, I'm good, I'm super good. I'll never Vlad myself. Y'all will never catch me doing any of those things.
Speaker 2:I'll never.
Speaker 3:Vlad myself. That's wild to me, but the differences, like you said, that right there is right on the head, like how we move with certain shit, so it can be a lot more of a clean thing. If this is what we decided to attack on, that's the angle we going to be on. You know what I mean, because a nigga can't keep his mind focused when a pretty woman around. We all know that. So you know it's a whole nother stream of emotion. Like you said, with North Philly, south Philly, they just super grimy. And we've argued back and forth Like I hope you saw. I told them I'm like bro, like y'all just be on some dirty shit. Like it just is what it is. The niggas can be mad all they want, but like it just is what it is. Like y'all be on some dirty shit. You know what I mean. Y'all be on some shit.
Speaker 2:Yo, we appreciate you coming on here, bro, and then yo we'll still be in touch man For sure.
Speaker 3:I appreciate y'all fellas man. I appreciate y'all having me again. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter at King Shamps. Go check out all of the projects and, like I said, make sure y'all like and subscribe. Subscribe these brothers because they putting in a lot of work, man, and I appreciate y'all having me on man for real peace and love man, peace all right it was.
Speaker 1:We need to get to some super chats right quick um let's do it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, dub man shout out to double yeah, double spam.
Speaker 1:I got it okay cool double barrel with the $2 super chat. Sean's fam is our fam, you guys. Prayers from the prayers from the chat love CJ, the kid with the $5 super chat. Peace, guys. Please tell Sean, keep his head up, please. Bless awesome. Yeah, mad Max Cooper, I apologize to you. Keep his head up, please. That's awesome. Yeah, mad Max Cooper, I apologize to you after seeing the female list. First, because I was tight on your whole show when you tried to put Kim over Kane that I trolled you and I lied that Nikki greater than Kim, because I don't know if Nikki is my top 20.
Speaker 2:Hey, mark down this moment when Mad Max says he's apologizing to you, Coop.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Look, it happened on April 5th 2025.
Speaker 2:Not April 1st.
Speaker 1:April 5th.
Speaker 2:Not.
Speaker 1:April 1st, 10.04 pm. Cj the Kid with another $5 Super Chat. Appreciate you, cj. In your opinion, what is Will Smith's highest-rated mic album and how many mics would you give it? Probably his first album and I'd probably give it four. Ag. I would agree Our man with the $4.99 Super Chat. Peace, great soup stories, episodes, for I Am AG. I think you are incorrect. Complete with J jeru was primo's first lead single outside of gangsta, if you're talking about. If you're talking about lead single, yes. If you're talking about song outside of the camp, no yeah, well, I, I did correct myself.
Speaker 2:you know, appreciate the super chat if you go back in the video and look in the youtube comments. I did correct myself because after the show I thought about it. I thought about MCs act like they don't know and I thought which come clean with? Which both predate Nas' likes? So I was like yo, I was wrong on that, but you know what I'm saying. I corrected myself in the chat but I got you all to fact check me. So I said, if I'm not mistaken, in which I was mistaken, so appreciate it.
Speaker 1:MCs act like they don't know and rappers are in danger and come clean. Yeah, that, yep, yep, but those are the only three, though, that I can think of off the top of my head.
Speaker 2:Correct. Yeah, they predate 99.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 88th Fence with the 999 Super Chat. The Fresh Prince was dope rocking the party at Central. With the 99, 999 super chat, the fresh Prince was dope Rocking the party at central, the wine and the plat. People don't know how hip hop Philly was in the eighties and pushing the culture forward, it's true.
Speaker 2:I'm a representative here, spence.
Speaker 1:Right, philly in the house Night. Ill city. Salute King champ Dope For real Ill city. Salute King Champ Dope for real Ill City. Shout out to the Chi-town. Y'all really need to holler at us. We were serious about that whole play. We're doing something up in the Chi. Yeah, I need to get with you and Rufus soon. Is that all for the Super Chats? Think we're all caught up. Ag, I got to do business for like two seconds. Ag, you want to jump in right quick and cover your start on the Drake leaks and tell people what you think while you give me some tips?
Speaker 2:Yeah, let's do it Alright. So for more new music, a few Drake songs leaked onto the internet in the past couple days, one being named Cheerios. I think it's a dope record. It was supposed to be on For All the Dogs. To my understanding, for All the Dogs wasn't the best album. I like this song. I think it's a dope record. It was supposed to be on For All the Dogs. To my understanding, for All the Dogs wasn't the best album. I like this song. I think this song could have really helped the album out a lot if it had been left on there, but for whatever reason it was taken off.
Speaker 2:Another joint that leaked out is called Shopping Spree. That joint was just okay to me. I wasn't really feeling that one too much. But another one that leaked out is Waiting to Exhale with 21 Savage. This was supposed to be on her loss and I like this record a lot as well, and although her loss was a dope record to start with, I think Waiting to Exhale would have fit nicely on there. But you know, it's interesting to see like, over the past year, drake's been leaking a lot of records. I don't know if he's been leaking them directly or if they've been leaking through other avenues. But you know it's, they're not getting quite the traction that uh drake stuff usually gets. But I think you know this little two out of the three joints was really dope. Uh kop, did you get a chance to hear him?
Speaker 1:No, no, no, I listened to the music. The records are dope. I just don't know where we are in relationship to saying that a Drake record is dope right now. Yeah, and this is what I mean about in relationship to it, and this is where the Kendrick effect really has taken a hold of even Drake. Well, if it's not reversing any of this damage, how good is the record? Right, and so are the records dope. Yeah, they're dope, I mean, but it's not really changing anything at this point, and so there's still not moving the needle Correct, and so there is still that kind of lingering effect.
Speaker 1:It's like, okay, is it going to do numbers? Yeah, it's going to do numbers. It's Drake, it's going to do numbers. Okay, like we understand that. Is it moving that needle that you're talking about? Well, no, it's not doing that. And then those questions are going to start to slowly creep in real, real soon. Is it over? Are his days of moving the needle over? Did Kendrick kind of put the nail in the coffin?
Speaker 1:Ag, you and I have been having conversations, you know, for a minute now, like even before we were doing this show, about the relevancy of his songs, right, and how he really was the cachet of his name. I mean, if we are seeing that as astute hip-hop listeners and podcasters, then we might be more astute and poignant than the average person that listens to hip-hop listeners and podcasters, and we might be more astute and poignant than the average person that listens to hip-hop music. But so is kendrick. You know what I'm saying. So it's like, oh no, I mean kendrick might have seen, like, how about this? Like, people may not want to acknowledge some of the things that I poignantly said about Kendrick that are accurate. But you know I'm going to say that he has pointed out some things about Drake that you know, the average person outside of us really wasn't pointing to, which means he was paying on the level that we were, because you know well, he's a head and he's a fan on the level that we are, it's not more.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, it's a cerebral guy level that we are, if not more so Kendrick's, a cerebral guy.
Speaker 1:No, but this is what I mean. You don't have to be like, okay. So there's a difference between me. For me, him being cerebral is only in the application of the battle. What I'm saying is inherently, he's a head, so he's watching. That's what you do when you're a head. You can't help but watch and be in tune and want to hear something and catch something and see what the vibe and the wave is looking like. It's part of like who we are, like we can't help it. We were fiends before we became a team.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying, right? So Kendrick is also that way as well, but you know, also extremely cerebral Also. You know, competitively speaking in his stratosphere and also like asserting himself in this battle, and you know. You know what I'm starting to think about. I'm starting to think about pushing T on what dreams are made of when he said need a way out, like Nas needed an ether. And then I start realizing how important ether is, because this is like like imagine if this happens to Nas and Nas doesn't respond with the ether and he's not like the record and the hit making and the record breaking, chart topping artist that Drake is. His career probably is over because look at what's happening with Drake.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. In an alternate universe it would be interesting, wouldn't it man?
Speaker 1:Glad I don't got my O. Be interesting, wouldn't it, man? Glad I don't got my OVO jacket now Looking bad for you.
Speaker 2:Speaking of being in a bad place, you want to slide to the music anniversary With the other guy in the big three.
Speaker 1:I really don't. I was about to say this is perfect. Well, on March 5th of last year, april 5th, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm about to say this is perfect. Well, on March 5th of last year.
Speaker 1:April 5th, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm sorry, april 5th of last year. J Cole might delete later and he should just want to delete this whole month. It was a dope album killed by the worst and most inappropriate apology ever it might have been. It know, it is crazy Like Kendrick may have won this by these two fools missteps, not even by his own assertion and the assertion is there because not like us is like that. But I'm still thinking to myself a year later why would you drop this album right now and why would you apologize right after you drop this album right now at Channel Festival AG? Go ahead and go.
Speaker 2:This. Why would you apologize right after you drop this album right now at your own festival? Ag, go ahead and go. This is all. I couldn't have said that any better. Man Cole, with that whole apology, was like Houston in the last possession, a couple possessions of the NCAA championship game, like I couldn't get a shot off, couldn't get a shot. You know what I'm saying. So you know we're a year removed from that. So that was my next question. We're one year anniversary I might delete later and we're one year anniversary from last Dreamville where the infamous apology happened. And before we get into this year's Dreamville Festival, let me ask you, coop does time heal all wounds? After a year later, are we over the apology?
Speaker 1:No, it's making me emotional. I need some water right now. I'm not over it. I thought I was over it. It's literally drying me up on the inside because it's like why would he do this? It's like having a bad flashback. I didn't realize how much I had suppressed this from my memory until this very, very moment in time, right now. It's ridiculous.
Speaker 2:But you want to know what's funny? I'm going to go ahead and say it so we can move on to this year's Dreamville Festival, which is the last Dreamville Festival. That's how they marketed it. Look here. Look here I'm going to say when your label is called Dreamville Festival, that's how they marketed it.
Speaker 1:Look here I'm going to say when your label is called Dreamville and you do what you did last year, trust me, last year was the last year, right?
Speaker 2:And that's what I'm alluding to. He fumbled the bag this year because if you come on stage, you had two different opportunities. Kanye has been throwing shots at him, you know what I'm saying and he got on stage and said pretty much God bless him. Favorable stuff about Kanye, like at some point, j Cole, you're going to have to make an example out of somebody. You didn't want to do it to Kendrick, but you could have made an example out of Kanye and gave him some bars. So that's one fumble bag. The second fumble bag is what I mean by Tom heals all wounds At this year's Dreamville Festival. Everybody remembers what happened last year and the stain that that was.
Speaker 2:Somebody's talking the whole thing. He could have really made some waves and went viral if he could have just got on stage and performed like two joints off the fall off. He's still gatekeeping this album Like why not and I know sometimes it's hard to perform new records in front of, like you know, crowds, but why not get them excited and perform two or three records off the fall off just to make up for the BS that you did last year?
Speaker 1:Hey, you want to know what AG Cole and Drake deserve everything that they're getting. I'm going to tell you what man Before last year, for the previous five years, if Kendrick was in pole position, these guys have done a masterful job about making up ground and literally in one year they made both of them subsequently, at separate times, made some of the poorest decisions and poorest moves that you could ever make at the peak of your rap career, and that's what I mean. It's like did Kendrick assert himself? Did Kendrick do what he was supposed to do? He absolutely did, but in him doing that, you can see how those guys didn't even do what they were supposed to do.
Speaker 1:It's like this is what just happened. This is like having your three best students. Okay, like these guys literally are your three best students. They're always getting 97, 98, 99,. Alright, like these guys literally are your three best students. They're always getting 97, 98, 99. All right, it's like the guy that was getting 97 the last five years you know what I'm saying and it looked like the guys were getting 98, 99. It's like, literally in one year, it's like those guys started getting 75s. It's like when this guy shows back up and gets a 97,. That's when you want to start giving us a 75. You've literally. It looks like you're going to be a nuclear physicist for the rest of your career. No, it looks like you were going to be a janitor at a McDonald's. That is what the drop off has been.
Speaker 1:That is what it looks like I don't even see the point in having this festival. I think it's in very poor taste. I'd rather talk about you and Sean on Stoop Stories for another anniversary. We can move on. We can move on. Kiss my black ass. Ag, I don't give a damn about this anniversary. Did Sean put you up to this?
Speaker 2:Not at all. I'm not even going to blame that on Sean. I just wanted to know if we was over it or not. Evidently we're not.
Speaker 1:I told you niggas last year. I said I might need to talk to a therapist about this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it hurt Because Cole was my favorite out of the three. I was putting all chips in like betting on Cole.
Speaker 1:Do you understand that the best MC in the game was from North Carolina and it was this close to happening and it almost happened for the home team, ag. And then this nigga. That's ridiculous. It's so ridiculous. So on April 6th 1999, nas released I Am, and you and Sean actually Released your first soup stories on YouTube, chronicling all the Fodder History, mystery Release tracks, unreleased tracks, bootlegging concerning the project. What is your synopsis of you and Sean's hoop stories? Ag.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, if you haven't got a chance to check it out, go ahead and check it out. That's actually our second. Our first one was on Supreme Clontel. But yeah, I don't want to belabor the point, but I think this is one of the albums. I can't think of another album with more lore surrounding it, whether good, bad or indifferent. You know what I mean. I can't think of one album that just had so many things surrounding it. So that's why we wanted to do a show highlighting those things. But you know, history played out how it was supposed to, but me and Sean covered alternate universe. If things would have went as intended, what does that look like? I think it's definitely an interesting conversation around that album.
Speaker 1:I'm going to be brief when I say this. I feel like this album, although lyrically not what it was written was, song-wise was put together better than it was written. I feel like yeah, I feel like that's heavy praise, though I do I feel like it's comparable to what it was written in its quality and I think, because of that, the original version, I feel, because of that, the original version, I feel, because of that it would make it the greatest three album rap run in history. Actually, had it actually came out Illmatic it was written in the original version of I Am You'd be the greatest three album rap where I'm not like period, like doesn't matter, rapper, soloist, duo, group, as far as three consecutive albums, because I do think that that would exceed the Pac run, the Rock M run.
Speaker 1:In terms of the quality of the third project, because I do think that the original version of I Am is better than Machiavelli and let the rhythm hit them or follow the leader, depending on how you feel. You know that's a fair assessment. So I think that is what we lost. In losing that, I think you and Sean did an appropriate and a proper job of kind of like commemorating that ethos In addition to your own personal synopsis. I enjoyed the episode.
Speaker 2:Appreciate it man. Thank you, Y'all check it out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, definitely need to check it out. Definitely worth a dig. Pieces of a man from AZ. March 7th, I mean April 7th. I don't know why I keep saying March. Why is March on my mind, April 7th 1998.
Speaker 2:Where do you rank this one Coop for AZ's catalog? I personally have it.
Speaker 1:third, I've thought about this. What did you think of Nine Lives? Do you count Nine Lives? Yes, I went and listened to Nine Lives today and there was part of me that thought Nine Lives might be better than this AG.
Speaker 2:I don't think so, but I do have AZ Attic over this okay.
Speaker 1:So here's where I'm at. I think I got Doer Diet 1 right. I think I got. I personally like Asiatic more than Doer Diet 2, but I do think Doer Diet 2 is better than Asiatic because I think Asiatic always suffered from trying to cross over a little too hard and it's been a mixed bag of results.
Speaker 2:I think Asiatic is his best production because that was the sole sample album.
Speaker 1:I love I'm Back. I'm Back is my joint, the Essence Fan Mail. Fan Mail is one of my favorite A-joints. Matter of fact, I might put Asi cover Doerr, that's who you might be right, ag, I think he just convinced me I can go with you. But I think, doerr, that too is better than Pieces of a man, though I think Pieces of a man production-wise doesn't do much.
Speaker 1:I think AZ is very, very much stellar on there. At times he does like when he stays in his pocket in his zone, like when he does stuff like I'm Known and Sosa. I feel like those are pockets. Sosa's a top 10 AZ joint for me. Sosa's crazy. Yeah, sosa's my favorite joint on there. But I do think that it's, like you know, it's a little bit underrated, but it's mostly because A that it's like you know, it's a little bit underrated, but it's mostly because A that it's underrated. The production should have been much better. I would probably put it at fourth. It's between that and Nine Lives for fourth or fifth. But also when I say this, that makes A's catalog pretty strong. When you start talking about your top five is Doer Die, you know as Addict Pieces of.
Speaker 2:Rain. You didn't even mention AWOL. I think AWOL is pretty strong.
Speaker 1:AWOL probably has what is arguably my favorite A record, which is the Come Up. I love the Come Up with Preem and AZ. How about this? The way cats feel about Royce and Preem on Boom, I feel the same way about Preem and A on the Come up. It's Boom, it's up there.
Speaker 2:And I tweeted Sean tweeted out the anniversary of Pieces of a man. How you Livin' is my favorite Nas and AZ collab record. I'll put that over. It doesn't have the impact that the others have, but I just love that record, man.
Speaker 1:As soon as it comes on.
Speaker 2:I get the vibe.
Speaker 1:How about this? I realize everybody has their vibe, even with the Nas and AZ thing. It's so surprising. I think we all know Life is a Bitch is the best record but we all got our favorite record Mine is Phone Tap. Yours is how you Livin'. It's perfectly okay, AJ, it's perfectly healthy.
Speaker 2:Yep, own tap. Yours is how you live and it's perfectly okay, angie, it's perfectly healthy. Yep, yep, and I do like whatever happened with RZA as well, but it's a solid album. Start or fourth maybe I wasn't that big on it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's in its top five, but great career by A, the fact that we just bought up six AZ albums off the top of our head. You know Facts, yeah. So up next Still Standing my Goody Mob, which, by the way, came out on the same day, the same year. It's one of those underrated days in hip hop. I was thinking about this when I realized these albums came out on the same day. I said this is what I mean when I when I tell these young whippersnappers that there used to be a time where you could go to the Wreck-It-Stone and there would be all types of hip hop available to you depending on what your preference was. It. And there would be all types of hip hop available to you depending on what your preference was. It's like oh no, if he was the East Coast guy, chances were an East Coast guy dropped that you probably like If there was a Southern artist or act that you like chances are they dropped, and this is just kind of like the embodiment of that.
Speaker 1:I think Still Standings is a great album. It is soul food, but soul food, in my opinion, is one of the five best rap albums that ever even come out of the South, so it's hard to top those types of things. I think it's an excellent job of a follow-up, to be honest with you and in a lot of ways more popular and made them a bigger name than its predecessor.
Speaker 2:I got one question for you from my analysis of this album because I think very highly of this record for sky. High right Black ice sky black ice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what about it?
Speaker 2:How high does that record rank out of singles to come out of ATL Cause? I'm thinking it's pretty high singles. Yes, I'm thinking. I'm thinking it might be top 10, bro, but you're the ATL guy, so correct me if I'm wrong.
Speaker 1:I'm saying it's top 10 for ATL. It's very, very strong. Because the first thing I thought when you got TI, what you know, you got future with March Madness. I'm trying to think how about this AG? That's one of those records. We love that record, but there are so many records down here from them that are bigger in our opinion.
Speaker 2:That's why I'm asking you, because you're the native.
Speaker 1:It would probably. I'll tell you this it would crack the top 25. Okay, it would crack the top 25. It would crack the top 25. I don't think it would crack the top 10, though. There's been too much of this going down. You can't put this seems crazy to say you really can't put Black Ice over. Get Love from the Ying Yang Twins. You feel me?
Speaker 2:I don't agree, but I see what you're saying for the area.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like in Atlanta it's like we'll know cause I'm thinking more of a quality perspective.
Speaker 2:You're thinking about impact in the city.
Speaker 1:I'm thinking about like one of the best oh, if you're talking quality, if you're talking about one of the 10 best rap records that come out of Atlanta, yeah, that's what I was saying oh yeah, it's arguably that I would tell you still top 20.
Speaker 1:Because what I will tell you is is that here's the problem with black eyes thought process and get up, get out or better, and so were the standout performances in terms of the bar seminars on the record. Even within the relationship of the first couple of records that they all kind of are on, together it's better than some of them, but it's still not at the top of the list. Like CeeLo on get up, get out is more memorable than anybody is on black ice. You know what I'm saying. And Andre and CeeLo on thought press are more memorable than anybody is on black ice. So even though black ice is great and you got to think about Dirty South on Soul Food with Big Boi on it, you get what I'm saying. So it's like, oh, no Record is great, but it's like it might even fall. That's what I'm saying. It might be close to top 20, top 25, because it might fall fourth, fifth or sixth just within the camp.
Speaker 2:Once you start pulling outcast records and stuff. Yeah, that's fair, that's fair, yeah.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, but that's a dope. That's a great question, though, ag, and it's a valid one. Andre's verse on there is pretty special. It is, yeah, it's one of his ten best verses. How about that?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, for sure, for sure. He went crazy yeah.
Speaker 1:All oh, yeah, for sure, for sure. He went crazy. Yeah, all right, uh, what? What are your thoughts on?
Speaker 2:still standing, though ag like what do you think of the album like? I agree wholeheartedly with everything you said. I think it's a great follow-up. It's not the classic that soul food is, but it's definitely a great follow-up. You know what I mean. There's some great records on there, so no sophomore slump, no sophomore slump at all there.
Speaker 1:No sophomore slump, but the third album. Anyway, going to the next thing. So on an album that shouldn't have, quite frankly, made this music anniversary list at all, the last bit by Jada Kiss.
Speaker 2:I think, Sean put that there for me because I'm a Jada guy.
Speaker 1:I was actually thinking okay. So my thought was that did AG put Sean up to this or does Sean just love AG so much that he knew AG would want to talk about this? But either way, I deem this behavior to be unacceptable because Sean's looking out man. I appreciate Sean for looking out. This guy was just not that good, ag. But I'm going to let you talk no, it's not.
Speaker 2:It's not. If we're going one, two, three, four, this might be Jada's fourth best. No, yeah, fourth best album, if anything but the two stand out.
Speaker 1:That's very problematic.
Speaker 2:Right, but I mean another major crossover commercial attempt. But I do love the record Letter to Big. I love that record. And to have Faith on there, and what If with Nas, I do love that record and that concept. But it's really not a whole lot to pull from this album. Not a whole lot to pull. I got to be honest. As a Jadakiss man, I would rank this fourth behind Kiss the Game, goodbye, kiss of Death and Ignatius. I would rank this fourth.
Speaker 1:Now we're not certain if he has a rap classic, but we're talking about his fourth best album, correct? Okay, we're going to edit Sean on the list from now on. Sean, you're getting edited when you come back.
Speaker 2:I take the blame man.
Speaker 1:It's probably there because I'm the Jada guy, so we're going to blame you, we're going to blame Sean, we're going to blame everybody. I'd like to apologize to the people that you had to spend the last talking about this project. That had no business making our list today. I love Jada Kiss. This album was not good, and that is all I have to say On to news. So Billboard and their attempts, I guess, to keep pace with the list being made about females in the hip-hop space has released their top 25 best female rappers of all time. Now, ag. I am not a glowing fan of this list and I'll tell you why. I was immediately able to name eight MCs who deserve consideration for this list, at a bare minimum. That didn't even make this list.
Speaker 2:Who was number one on it? Because I got one glaring omission. That's like nasty.
Speaker 1:Is it Chase? And when I thought about it, no, I mean Chase should be on here. Chase is not the glaring omission to me. I can understand leaving some of the newer people off.
Speaker 2:Half of this list is newer people. Well, that would be some of the problem. They picked the the newer people off.
Speaker 1:Half of this list is newer people. Well, that would be some of the problem. They picked the wrong newer people and some of the older people didn't get their due. I'll tell you, the glaring omission is actually Yo-Yo, not making this list. Ag, that's a good pull. Yeah, you're right. The glaring omission to me was Yo-Yo Mia X.
Speaker 2:Mia X is not on here, rod Digger, rod needs to be towards the top Top half Jean Grey, right Bahamadia. A lot, yeah, you up to five.
Speaker 1:Shauna yeah, that's fair.
Speaker 2:Lady.
Speaker 1:Luck, lady Luck.
Speaker 2:I'm glad you're bringing these names, coop, because this is coming off of a week ago, when we talked about the best female feature versus. That list was really spot on. It was right you could disagree with the order, but the joints they pulled was spot on.
Speaker 1:You want to know what I realized when I was making the list about the MCs. To do the guest verse list is so easy because the space for Black women in hip-hop has been so marginalized that they really only had about 10 to 15 female MCs to pull from for all those verses. So it wasn't hard to parse it out and most of those verses think about it. I mean I'm not exaggerating when I say this I mean about eight of those verses belonged to Fox and Kim. It wasn't hard.
Speaker 2:Right, that's true, but I'm going to still give them credit where credit's due.
Speaker 1:I'm just saying. The degree of difficulty is that this is different, because now you're actually talking about the actual MCs. Oh, I'm not finished yet. Ag, we got Heather B, we got Che, that's 10.
Speaker 3:That's 10 MCs on the list of 25.
Speaker 1:Like, I just gave you 10. I just gave you 10. Oh, and that's not bringing up Boss from Detroit, remember, boss, I don't know.
Speaker 2:I don't know if Boss, I don't know if she makes it, but once you named all the other 10 that you named, I don't know if she gets on, because that's what I was going to ask you. Do you think, with all these new names on the list, like the Lottos, the Glorillas you know what I'm saying the Cardi B, megan you know what I'm saying Doja Cat, even, and a lot of these are ranked up high, do you?
Speaker 1:think it's because of a shortage of notable female MCs that they had to pull all these fairly new names, or they just overlooked everybody that you just named effortlessly off the top of your head. I mean, the yo-yo thing was just like OK, like I don't know how you all miss yo-yo.
Speaker 2:Open hands, clap, I'll play my by.
Speaker 1:Yo-Yo, yeah, yo-yo's the most glaring omission to me, yo-yo and Rod Digger not being on here.
Speaker 2:For me it would be Rod Digger.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think Yo-Yo is bigger and more important, even though Rod Digger's the better MC If we talk about the Kraft MC, and Rod Digger's probably better Yo-Yo's more important. Think about it Yo-Yo's down with Ice Cube on Bonnie and Clyde on her first album.
Speaker 2:She does that on.
Speaker 1:Crime Cube. She has a bigger single. Think about it. She's in Boys in the Hood, she's on Martin, she's on the I Wanna Be Down remix. She's been a TV personality, she's been a radio personality.
Speaker 1:It's Yo-yo, yo-yo not being on this list. Thinking that there are 25 female MCs that deserve to be ahead of yo-yo is pretty egregious to me, and so that's what comes to my mind. And then, just like on some rap shit, then I go to Diga Bahamadia and then Mia X as far as Southern representation, and I would tell you this, and this is just like some harsh truth that some people are going to have to deal with, and this is what I mean. Well, I understand who Cardi B is. So Cardi got one album, just like Mahamudia got one album. Do you know who Mahamudia is like in her world? Cause, like she's Cardi in her world, like in terms of how female MCs look at her, it's like oh, no, that's that motherfucker. Oh, the way she rhymed and put the words together and it's so slick and eloquent. And so we just kind of got to be fair. I think Rhapsody could have been higher. I do like the fact that Trina made the list.
Speaker 2:I love the fact that they put Left Eye on this list Right. I don't like how they put Salt-N-Pepa as one. You know what I mean. They took up one slot and gave it. That's a group.
Speaker 1:I didn't love that, but when I thought about it can't leave them out of the top ten.
Speaker 2:What do you think about number one? That's the burning question. What do you think about number one?
Speaker 1:I don't, I would reorder it. I would tell you this you can't put it's not fair to Latifah, light, missy and Nikki and Kim to put Lauren ahead of them. If you want to put Lauren ahead of everybody else, I'm OK with it Kim at number one, ahead of Lauren, ahead of Light, ahead of Latifah and ahead of Missy. I did realize today that those same rules applied to Nikki, and so, although personally the list would probably look different, objectively I would have it restructured Kim, nikki, missy, Light, latifah, lauren, foxy, salt-n-pepa, roxanne, shante and the Bratz. That would be my 10.
Speaker 2:And putting Lauren that low was more predicated on output than actually skill set. Correct I just you. It's not fair to the andre 3000 argument right.
Speaker 1:I'm giving her more credit than andre because you have more rap stuff than andre done more guests versus have put more rap product out on an album per se in terms of actually doing rap songs. But it's not fair to the other women that have made the solo rap contributions that they have that you don't have a rap solo album and we're putting you ahead of Light and Latifah who, like, think about this. Light just made an album, like the other year. Ag she's been making rap albums since we was five years old, dude Right.
Speaker 2:That was a good album. It was a good album it was a good album.
Speaker 1:That's what I'm saying. But MC Light has been making rap albums since we were like five, six years old. She's been making rap albums for almost 40 years. Lauryn Hill hasn't given us one full rap album yet. No, we can't put Lauryn Hill ahead of MC Light when Lauryn Hill hasn't given us one full rap album and MC Light been making rap albums since we were literally in first grade. Fair is fair.
Speaker 2:Fair is fair.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that shit don't make no sense, it don't, it's not right, it's not right. That's like saying how about this? Like AG, I'm as big as a Grant Hill fan as there ever was. But that's like me running around and saying well, you know Grant Hill better than LeBron and Kobe, and da-da-da. It's like oh, no for about five, six years he was.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you just can't do it.
Speaker 1:I don't got enough to go off of to say that what I've seen, oh no, what I've seen is just as good as, but what I've seen ain't enough. What I've seen is just as good as, but what I've seen ain't enough, right, yeah, so, but I would. I would redo the list mostly because of those things, just because there's so many people that could be included.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the ones you named. You know the only one who I would object like, and there's no disrespect, but once you named a boss, that was the only one. I could find replacements for a lot on this list. For everybody you named that's not on this list, but I think Boss would be the one that wouldn't make the cut.
Speaker 1:I gave you 10 names, though. So that means I gave you 10 names. So that means you could put nine people in this 25 that they made. That means their 25. Ain't that good?
Speaker 2:No, it's not. It's not, but it's billboard. But we just wanted to highlight that, yeah.
Speaker 1:I went, andre Miller, I took into Brad over Yo-Yo too.
Speaker 1:But Yo-Yo's on the list is what I'm saying, yo-yo's, at least Like Yo-yo on my list. I have yo-yo at 17 on my list, like, and I think that's fair, fair enough, yeah. So um, now, um, let's go to, uh, this mass appeal snippet, the legend has it snippet. That's been kind of like uh, floating around the last couple days, some cryptic meshes, seven albums from seven legendary groups. So I think, um, in the video, ag, if I'm not mistaken, is that goody mob I'm seeing no, uh, and I don't know that for a fact.
Speaker 2:This, uh, I don't know for a fact that they're all albums. It might be other projects like documentary, yeah, so it might be something like that, but our people that are, you know, savvy on the internet and crack codes, towards the end of the video it was some dates, and all the dates corresponded with a legendary acts, you know, one of their classic album debut. To let us kind of clue, let us have a clue on the artists that are involved, and those artists were, you Were, you know, nas, of course, with Nas and Premiere album, ghostface, raekwon, mobb Deep, big L and De La Soul, you know. So, whatever they announce coming forward, you know, if it's, five of them Are albums and two of them are documentaries, or what have you, if this is what the third and fourth quarter is going to consist of? I saw somebody I wish I knew the person named to quote it. They said this is the old heads Disneyland, that's what they say.
Speaker 1:And for third and fourth quarter. They're doing snippets for something they're not going to drop for another two, three months. Is that what you're telling me?
Speaker 2:Oh well, maybe second, maybe second, third and fourth quarter, because I'm figuring, guessing this is going to span the rest of the year. So you know, let's just say they drop one thing a month.
Speaker 1:Stop playing with me and giving me my music.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we'll see. We'll see what the release dates are. If I was a Batman, I would say the Nas and Premiere album would be the grand finale. I don't, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Here's the thing history has taught me that these rollouts, the way that they happen. Word to Kanye it's better to go first than last.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the Kanye EP album rollout and stuff like Pusha T with Daytona. My thing is this I would rather the Nas and Premier album jump it off than to be the grand finale, because if everybody doesn't, you know that is making an album. That is everybody else that's making an album. If they don't, you know that that is making an album. That is everybody else is making an album. If they don't meet their deadlines, does that mean the nasa premiere album would get pushed back? I don't want anything else holding up that album process. That's my thing. So I would rather them just go first and jump it off I ain't heard no records from none of these projects.
Speaker 1:Ag, I don't believe these guys.
Speaker 2:We gonna see what happens. They ain't doing the promo for nothing. This is the slow old school rollout, cause it's old school X man these Negroes. Coop, just reserving his excitement these.
Speaker 1:Negroes out here singing Wade in the Water when they supposed Coop just reserving his excitement. These Negroes out here singing Wade in the Water when they're supposed to be singing Open my Heart by Yolanda Adams. It's ridiculous. We got anything to talk about.
Speaker 2:Nah, nah. We don't know enough, yet we don't know enough.
Speaker 1:We don't know enough AG, and that's what I'm saying. I get that they want to have us in the old school, traditional format and not give us anything. But it's like I mean, can a brother get a? I'm not joking, can a brother get a beat with you rapping over it for 15 seconds? It's a little snippet, something legitimate to look forward to, like cause, here's my thing. I don't know. I do not give a shit about your vision board on your favorite producer's birthday. Like I'm not, I don't give a shit about that board. That's all that board is.
Speaker 2:I don't give a fuck about your board, man that was just a play I'm recording in the bahamas right now look here, look here, man I know how I bought a life being.
Speaker 1:When I took my daughter car shop to the day but my car I parked my car on the side. I had plans to get shit down to my car. By the time I got done looking my daughter's car, I looked mechanic. I was like, don't look like I'll be getting anything done in my car today. That's how the mission board be working and shit. That's not why I'm not trying to hear that shit. Give me no fucking word on somebody's birthday Spoon. Feed me some bullshit. Hear the beats that nigga. What are we doing?
Speaker 2:Yo, that's wild. Put a beat in the backdrop with the calendar, is what you're saying? Yo, ab, put a beat in the backdrop with the calendar is what you're saying.
Speaker 1:Yo A beat man. I'm gonna go join an elevator and tell my hey, let's play our A game tonight and like, bring A game. It's like like no, nigga, don't give me a board, give me A beat. Like any beat, like A beat.
Speaker 2:You couldn't put A beat behind the backdrop with it that's what we doing out here, taking the 15 second beat and looping it up behind the backdrop with it. That's what we're doing out here. Niggas be on the internet taking the 15 second beat and looping it up.
Speaker 1:Reading the goddamn Vorden silence, I gotta put on my glasses and zoom in on it. It's ridiculous.
Speaker 2:You said where's the album?
Speaker 1:Speaking of albums, some wack-ass publication has done the top 50 rap albums of the decade. Speaking of albums, some um some whack ass publication has done the top 50 rap albums of the decade who's throwing shots. That's crazy no hot new hip hop list. How hot is this list?
Speaker 2:nah, but I will give them credit. They said in their opening statement they are open to all criticism because they're sure that people won't agree with it. So I give them credit that they already know that the list is disagreeable.
Speaker 1:But I don't believe. I don't believe in people who are like hey look, I'm right here, you can shoot at me with your gun if you want to. No, I don't like people like that.
Speaker 2:What's interesting is their rubric. They said that this list was based off impact, ethos and the reception by the public.
Speaker 1:Impact ethos reception yes, okay, I'm fascinated Impact ethos Reception. Yes, okay, I'm fascinated Impact Ethos Reception.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:Fascinating. Some of the dumbest shit I've heard, but keep going so.
Speaker 2:I mean I could go through a lot of the lists but I have my gripes with the list, but they might be biased gripes. Please don't know AJ.
Speaker 1:I'd like if you'd highlight some of the things on the list. Tell me, AJ, what's number one on the list.
Speaker 2:Number one on the list is Playboy Cardi A Whole Lotta Red the best 50 albums. We're talking about the best 50 albums of the 2020s decade, and number two is Coop's favorite album, Mr Morale and the Big Steppers.
Speaker 1:I'm out, I'm out when we at, where we at, where we gonna be at on these moments.
Speaker 2:Yo go check them out over at Hot New Hip Hop. But you know what I will say Coop and this is a biased thing.
Speaker 1:How old are they? 11? No-transcript. Are they 11 and 13?
Speaker 2:I have no idea. I have no idea, but what I will say, you're past the curfew. They can't be watching this show right now. What I will say is Nas Kings of these Three, you know how high we hold that album that made number 20 of the 2020s. And I ask you this, like without even knowing the whole list Is it biased to? I'm just talking about your personal like. You know what would you think would be the top 50 albums since 2020 came around? Would it be too biased to think that all six albums from the Hit-Boy run belong in that list? And if not six, maybe all, with the exception of Magic 2.
Speaker 1:Definitely four, probably five.
Speaker 2:That's what I was thinking, but KD3 is the only one that made this list. Definitely four. Yeah, kd3 is the only one that made it.
Speaker 1:I would have thought, if this is the type one that made it. I would have thought if, like this is the type of publication where it's like young men who are auditing it, I would think that Kings Disease 1 would have made it too, because that's actually the one. Kd1 and 2 is actually more like they had a lot of notoriety huh, they had a lot of notoriety.
Speaker 1:Kd1 well, they both had records on there that fit both sides of the coin of his fan base, like for the younger fan base, more palatable. So I would think that all of the King's disease would make it I think Magic would make it. Off of its inherent hip-hop nature, I do think that those four would be shoe-ins for a top 50 list. But think about what they said Impact ethos, but here's the important part reception yeah, reception.
Speaker 2:People act like the Nas albums didn't happen.
Speaker 1:Correct. So that affects some of this in that regard. What are some other fascinating things that they did in making this?
Speaker 2:This was probably the thing that I was most fascinated about. One thing that will make you is like you know how, when somebody says I got good news and I got bad news, I'm going to deliver the good news first. Freddie Gibbs' Alfredo is number four on this list.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is, yeah, it is Okay.
Speaker 2:Here's the bad news that might be right. Soul Soul Separately is nowhere to be found in this 50.
Speaker 1:Okay, they don't know what they're doing. It's time to send them home.
Speaker 2:That was the most fascinating thing to me.
Speaker 1:How can you have Alfredo at four and have Soul Soul Separately not even on the list. It's a gap. It's not that big a gap. No, it's like if you think Alfredo is the fourth best album of the 2020s, it's like if you think Alfredo is the fourth best album of the 2020s, then that means you think Soul Soul separately at worst is like 16, 17, like at worst. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, while you're in that range of 16, 17,. One of your favorite albums of the 2020s Pray for Paris is number 18.
Speaker 1:I think it needs to be closer to the top of the list. I listened to Pray for Paris For the first time in a long time, about a week ago. It's still beautiful.
Speaker 2:Yep, another one of your favorite albums Black Thought and Danger Mouse. Cheat Code At number 22. Cheat Code is up there, shortly followed by GNX at 24. Cheat code at number 22. Cheat code is up there. It is Shortly followed by GNX at 24.
Speaker 1:That's not right, but okay.
Speaker 2:I was trying to get you triggered. You didn't fall for it.
Speaker 1:Okay, it's just not okay at this point. Killer Mike.
Speaker 2:Michael, where do you think that's at Just wild? Guess 35. 29. Where do you think that's at Just wild?
Speaker 1:guess 35, 29 Because a lot of people.
Speaker 2:Raved about that album. But, Kanye's Donda, where you think that falls at.
Speaker 1:Okay, should be falling off a cliff and not on this list.
Speaker 2:It's at number 38. It's close enough To the cliff of being off this list.
Speaker 1:It's at number 38. It's close enough to the cliff of being off this list.
Speaker 2:Let's go with some recency. Future Metro we Don't Trust you. Where do you think that falls?
Speaker 1:Number 7. 43. Fascinating.
Speaker 2:And one of my favorite albums of the 2020s. I know you are not as high on this album, but I love it. It's Benny's. Burden of Proof is at 39.
Speaker 1:Has no business on those lists at all. It's ridiculous.
Speaker 2:Pusha T Almost Dry 15.
Speaker 1:34. We'll disappoint.
Speaker 2:We were all a fan of Blue Lips by Schoolboy. Where do you think it landed at?
Speaker 1:I'd put it in the 40s.
Speaker 2:Number eight.
Speaker 1:Blue Lips is number eight. Yep, they got a funky way of looking at things, but I can see some of the rationale.
Speaker 2:A couple more. You know Tyler is becoming one of the media darlings. Where do you think that Tyler called me If you get lost, which was a really good album? Where do you think that fell?
Speaker 1:For me in this era, I would probably have that album right at the end of my back 20. So I probably have it at like 19, which means they probably have that album right at the end of my back 20,. So I'd probably have it at 19, which means I'd probably have it at 5.
Speaker 2:You're the winner right at number 5. You guessed that, spot on. See, you get an algorithm in your head right.
Speaker 1:I'm seeing how they're moving.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm a big fan of this next album, but I don't think it should be like.
Speaker 1:Call Me If you Get Lost does deserve a lot of praise. I don't know if it deserves number five out of 50 albums in the last five years.
Speaker 2:No, yeah, it's a good album, but I don't think it's that good Top 20. The JID Forever Story.
Speaker 1:I like that it made the list, because it deserved to make the list. I'll tell you it's 27. Three, it's way too high.
Speaker 2:It's a great album, but it's not that great.
Speaker 1:I gave it a four and a half, but it doesn't deserve to be three. Yeah, hold on.
Speaker 2:We were really high on.
Speaker 1:Doji's album. Oh, go ahead. What's number two If that's number three?
Speaker 2:Hold on, we were really how Dochi's out, what's number two?
Speaker 1:If that's number three, your favorite album, mr Morales? Morales number two, playboy, cardi's number one and then JID's number three. How can they come like okay, they picked two terrible albums for one and two and then they went to a really good album.
Speaker 2:Now Tyler's on here twice. Chromacopia is number 26.
Speaker 1:Chromacopia is not good enough to be on here, but if it is, it'd be like literally one of the last five albums to make it.
Speaker 2:So Dochi has made waves. She's had the impact. We were high on her album. You and Andrew did a dope show on Dochi. Where do you think Alligator Bites Never Heal landed?
Speaker 1:10. 28. I like that. It made the list though.
Speaker 2:Yeah, j Cole to offseason. Where would you think that landed? Off this list, number 41. Okay, off this list, number 41. Okay, a couple notable ones, then we'll slide up out of here Drake and 21 Savage her loss. What do you think?
Speaker 1:Shouldn't be on this list either, but it's probably at 22.
Speaker 2:It almost didn't make it 47. Okay, we got some sense. Travis Scott Utopia that made the list. It did 39. Barely 49.
Speaker 1:Good.
Speaker 2:It's terrible. Oh no, I got one for you. I got one for you In the early 2020s and you wrote an article on this piece.
Speaker 1:A written testimony actually, I do think that deserves to be on this list, and I will tell you that it's at 40 damn Coop.
Speaker 2:You're good, you got it. 40 on the money. You got two right on the money. You got JLX right on the money. Call me if you get 40 on the money. You got two right on the money. You got JLX right on the money, you got Call Me If you Get Lost right on the money. But yeah, go over to Hot New Hip Hop. Check out that list. Salute to them. I don't know why Coop called y'all.
Speaker 1:Even if he doesn't agree with us. I'm sorry for calling y'all whack. I don't know who y'all are.
Speaker 2:I invite you. You were just saying shit.
Speaker 1:I told everybody the gloves is coming off in 2025. Nobody's safe. Hot new hip hop. I'm going to come up with my list and I'm going to challenge you to a duel of the Iron Mike. You're going to take this duel and whoever- loses is going to have to get open hand slapped. You're gonna take this duel and whoever loses is gonna have to get open hand slapped in front of their YouTube audience.
Speaker 2:Yeah speaking of hip hop platforms. Before we get up out of here, there's just one thing I want to speak to real quick. Tomorrow, april 11th, will be our one year anniversary that we have been on YouTube as far as the Hip Hop Talks brand and platform. So I just want to thank everybody out there everybody in the chat, everybody in our Discord for coming on this ride with us, you know, for supporting us. We appreciate you all, the team out there. You know who you are. You know Ep L. Appreciate you all, the team out there um, you know who you are. You know ep lb, iran jack, like you know everybody. You know I'm saying salute to y'all. Um, we're you would. You would think. You know we got over 2 000 subs for a year and I'm grateful and I think we're blessed because I don't think a lot of independent you know, grassroots pods get over 2000 subs in one year, real, organically, like that. But you know, coop, you was in the space Early on.
Speaker 2:We had this conversation behind the scenes, you know, saying like you came into it in 2020. Behind the scenes, you know what I'm saying Like you came into it in 2020. And what I told you was a lot of pods had their comeuppance and they blew up during that timeframe, during the COVID year, because everybody, frankly, was at home with nothing to do. You know what I'm saying Just sitting around. You know what I'm saying, watching and subscribing to YouTube videos.
Speaker 2:But you know I will say something that I'm proud of in this space, we come along and, frankly, in a rap, hip hop podcast space, that's all but dried up and it's oversaturated, and I feel like we've made a mark in a short amount of time with our 2000 subs and just a year's time. So I appreciate everybody. And if you're somebody who believes that we should be growing beyond that, that we should be bigger than what we are, then you need to take foot to pavement and like, share and subscribe with people, tell a friend to tell a friend to sift through everything else, to come pull up on us. But I just wanted to say, like you know, being a part of the hip hop talks team, I'm grateful and you know we'll talk more about this. Uh, we can wax poetic when Sean is on here, cause I don't want to delve in too much without him here. But you know, I just want to say like I appreciate everybody that's been on this ride with us for a year. You know what I'm saying, um super humbled and super grateful.
Speaker 1:It seems crazy I have. I've been a lot, I've been through a lot personally behind the scenes in this space. The five years that I've been doing this, this place has been a safe haven for me, for me, and I think that one of the things that you know a lot of shit that happened was supposed to happen a long time ago. It was just a safe haven for me because I didn't have another safe place to land to do what I'm passionate about and what I love to do, and so what Hip Hop Talks, and so what Hip Hop Talks? What you all offered me was a safe landing space. So I really was comfortable with leaving my situation because I had somewhere safe to land and continue to do what it is that I love to do, and so I'm thankful for that. I'm humbled by that. You know this past year has probably been one of the more bigger life changing years for me. You know this past year has probably been one of the more bigger life-changing years for me. I'm thankful that the changes that have happened for me behind the scenes have occurred, with you and Sean and Andrew and Taj behind me because of that, and so really thankful and humbled to be here.
Speaker 1:I actually am one of those people that would like to run the numbers up more, but that's just because I'm a hustler like that. I like to put numbers on the board. But I'm happy with what we've done and what we've contributed to the space. When people really hit me up and talk about what we've done and what we are doing for the culture, that still does mean something to me, even after five years of doing it. What you and Sean have going on with Stoop Stories is great. What Andrew and I have going on with mirror music is great. I'm about to ask for a very, very big favor to get unwrapped with Coop. Start off claiming and praying that it will be great and feel happy to be in this space. So you know, shout out to us for a year, shout out to how it all came together, and peace and blessings to everybody in the chat.
Speaker 2:So thank you, wax poetic, man, and shout out, you know, uh to sean. Once again, our prayers are uh with you, thoughts are with you and your family. And you know, when he joined us again we'll wax poetic more about our anniversary and how you know everything kind of came together, how we became the dream team, so you know, but uh, we probably got to slide up out of here because the homie andrew, you know saying you gotta. You know gotta hit the bed. You know gotta teach the, teach the youth in the morning. So we appreciate y'all for pulling up uh like share, subscribe to the channel. You know, tell a friend to tell a friend. You know, if you're not yet and they're the realest in the space, tell them to come holler at us. We'll see y'all again next week, peace.
Speaker 1:You better tell them. I kick rhymes from the Cerebellum.
Speaker 2:Peace y'all.