We begin this week's episode paying tribute to the recently passed Saafir. The Saucee Nomad is a Bay Area legend, an actor, and an MC with a unique sense of rhythm. DBRP hosts Demone Carter, David Ma and Nate LeBlanc share memories from Saafir's career, a few personal run-ins, and discuss his legacy as an undeniably interesting rhymer.

Our interview is a one-on-one conversation between Nate and Dutch journalist and author Jaap Van Der Doelen about the soon-to-be-released book Kill Your Masters: Run The Jewels and the World That Made Them from University of Georgia Press. We delve into El-P and Killer Mike as MCs, musicians and cultural figures. The book is dropping December 1st, make sure to grab a copy.

This episode of Dad Bod Rap Pod was produced by Nate LeBlanc. Theme song by DEM ONE and Cutso. Image by David Ma. Part of the Stony Island Audio network. If you like what you hear please visit us at www.patreon.com/dadbodrappod

For many hip-hop heads of a certain vintage, the first Wu-Tang record and the subsequent solo albums represent the pinnacle of musical grittiness, lyrical density, and impressive business acumen. Watching RZA and the supremely talented Clan members take over the world with an uncompromising sound and vision was extremely impressive and brought some undeniable classic records into being. During this period, RZA's basement studio was flooded, and that event impacted a few of the albums' final versions. Tical is one of those records, and this week Dad Bod Rap Pod hosts Demone Carter, David Ma, Nate LeBlanc guest Cutso gather to share their thoughts on Method Man's debut.

Method Man was poised to be the breakout star from the Wu, and Tical is perhaps not the album that the market expected from this undeniably charismatic and dynamic rhymer. We discuss the lyrics, the beats, the tone, and the circumstances surrounding this release 30 years ago. As you will hear, our opinions on this record are somewhat divided, which always makes for a more interesting discussion.

This episode was produced by Paolo "Cutso" Bello. Theme song by DEM ONE and Cutso.

Brought to you by Stony Island Audio.

Dad Bod Rap Pod is back with a double dose of interviews. We kick off this week's show with some thoughts on the passing of the legendary music producer and raconteur Quincy Jones. Then we have an interview with Prince Po, one half of the almighty Organized Konfusion. We had a chance to interview Pharoahe Monch a few years back, and we have been looking forward to completing the cypher on this legendary group for some time. Po was kind enough to join us for a conversation, and we discussed his influences, the changes between albums that led to the making of the legendary Stress: The Extinction Agenda, as well as his ties to our hometown of San Jose.

On the back half of the program we have a chat with friends of the program Fat Tony and Fatboi Sharif, who recently released a project with Steel Tipped Dove called Brain Candy. We get into how these underground stalwarts originally connected, the importance of in-person recording, and more.

Please note that this episode was recorded before we knew the results of the election. Like many of you, we are trying to make sense of the dark reality of this political moment. Hopefully our show can help provide a moment of solace in these trying times.

DBRP is hosted by Demone Carter, David Ma, and Nate LeBlanc. Theme song produced by Cutso and DEM ONE. Brought to you by Stony Island Audio.

It's a good idea to check in with your favorite works of art as you get older. You may find that you have outgrown certain albums, or that they haven't aged well. Maybe the meaning will deepen over time, as certain aspects of a record mean something different as you move through life with a different perspective. That is the goal with our occasional retrospective episodes... we take a look back at records after 30 years and see what we make of them as adults. This week we are apply9ng that lens to Gravediggaz masterpiece, the misunderstood 6 Feet Deep.

DBRP hosts Demone Carter, David Ma and Nate LeBlanc are joined by collaborator Cutso to dissect the album that kicked off the horrorcore movement accidentally. 6 Feet Deep (known by a title we're not at liberty to type in Europe) is one of Prince Paul's masterworks, a theme album about resurrecting rappers who suffered from mismanagement by adopting horror film atmospherics, wild sing song flows, and razor sharp lyrics from his collaborators. Of course, we all know that RZA would go on to change the sound and business environment of hip-hop with Wu-Tang, but fellow Diggaz Frukwan and Too Poetic were perhaps the group members most committed to the bit. The resulting album is one of the most unique in the genre and we're happy to detail why we feel that way.

For further discussion on this topic please check out DBRP 77 which contains an interview with Frukwan and any of our previous episodes with Prince Paul interviews as well.

This episode was produced by Paolo "Cutso" Bello and we deeply appreciate his involvement.

Theme song by DEM ONE and Cutso. Episode art by David Ma.

Brought to you by Stony Island Audio, the only podcast network with shows that have featured interviews with both Jerry Seinfeld and Boom Bap Project.

This week, we are recapping our experience attending History Of The Bay, an event organized by fellow Bay Area hip-hop podcaster Dregs One. While it did not result in any usable interviews, DBRP co-hosts David Ma and Nate LeBlanc were glad to spend an afternoon immersed in the Bay Area's unique musical culture and to see performances from rappers such as Rappin' 4-Tay, B-Legit, and Kamaiyah.

For this week's interview, DBRP host Demone Carter caught up with recurring guest and brilliant rapper Nappy Nina. Getting to know Nina and watching her level up her career has been one of the highlights of creating our show. We have been checking in with her in person and online for the past few years, and we are excited about her new collaborative project with producer Swarvy Nothing Is My Favorite Thing, out now.

Dad Bod Rap Pod is produced by Demone Carter. Theme song by DEM ONE and Cutso. Brought to you by the good homies at Stony Island Audio

We must begin this week by paying tribute to Ka, a truly great rapper and producer who made uncompromising music for the real heads. May he rest in peace. The first segment of the show this week acts as a real-time processing of the incredibly sad news of Ka's passing. DBRP hosts Demone Carter, David Ma and Nate LeBlanc share some thoughts on Ka's music, his legacy, and the distinct unfairness that he released his art at a time when it will only be appreciated by a niche audience.

After that we are joined for a second time by rapper Kurious. We are discussing his new record Majician, which drops October 18th on MF DOOM's Metal Face Records via Rhymesayers. Kurious really opens up here, detailing his previous struggles with overthinking, his decades-long friendship with DOOM, and even at one point has to pause the interview to resume parenting duties, something Demone can relate to!

Majician finds Kurious, who has always had a refined flow, in a deeply creative space, playing off of sample based beats from producer Mono En Stereo with a freewheeling nature not heard since his earliest work in the 90s. DOOM's presence looms large, on the record and in this conversation, which gives the entire affair a distinctly bittersweet edge.

If you like what you hear, please consider giving us a 5-star review on the podcast app of your choice, we would really appreciate it! We also have a Patreon www.patreon.com/dadbodrappod where we post exclusive segments, review records, make playlists, and interact with our audience in a more direct way than other social media platforms.

DBRP is produced by Demone Carter. Theme song by DEM ONE and Cutso. Our show is one of the many great podcasts on the Stony Island Audio network.

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Even though we have dedicated quite a few episodes of this show talking about contemporary hip-hop, especially the left field, intensely wordy variety, we have not been able to settle on a name for what we see as a movement of like-minded artists at its cutting edge. One of our struggles in talking about this kind of music is that it defies easy categorization. Sure, it is "underground hip-hop" in the broadest sense, but that term has little meaning in the streaming economy, and is a somewhat outdated term aesthetically as well. As we were beginning to learn the lay of the land of who were the best abstract or "thoughtful" rappers of this era were a few years ago, we started calling the cluster of Backwoodz-associated rappers and their affiliates The Vanguard. The name didn't stick, it's probably too generic to describe the florid and intricate music that is being made. Pretty much everyone got mad when it was referred to as "Art Rap" in a piece in Complex written by friend of the program Shawn Setaro

that quoted DBRP host Nate LeBlanc several times. That leaves us, who pride ourselves on a keen ability to describe this music, without an effective banner term. And frankly, these artists are too independent-minded to fall into easy categories, that is part of the reason why we fuck with them.

However you try to define this sound, this scene, ELUCID is one of the premier artists of our time, a leading voice in this indescribable tangle of abstract MCs and Producers making challenging, interesting music that pushes hip-hop forward. We have interviewed ELUCID multiple times on DBRP in the past, and we have always found him to be engaging and willing to discuss his art on a bit of a deeper level than most other artists. Today we're talking to him about his new album, Revelator. The album drops October 18th, and in fact we conducted the first interview about it, kind of an unofficial kickoff of the rollout of the record. We look forward to many more listens to this album soon, to unlock its mysteries. Hopefully this interview provides some helpful context for you to consider when you are able to hear it upon release.

This week's episode also has a surprise bonus interview with the Previous Industries crew. DBRP hosts Demone Carter and David Ma were able to catch up with Open Mike Eagle, Video Dave, and Still Rift at their show in San Francisco recently for a very loose conversation about their recent album Service Merchandise, one of our favorites of the year thus far. The rest of the audio can be found on our Patreon: www.patreon.com/dadbodrappod

DBRP is produced by Demone Carter. Theme song by Cutso and DEM ONE. Brought to you by Stony Island Audio

Real heads know J Sands as a true vet who’s built a solid, no-compromise career. Hailing from Cincinnati and making waves with the group Lone Catalyst, he’s back with a new project called Cash Flow, Buddha, and Shelter. This time, he’s leaning into classic 90s boom-bapery. We chopped it up with him about how the game’s evolved, his adventures making a name for himself in New York, and what he thinks about today’s rap scene.

We also talk about some of our favorite new(ish) rap albums. If you’re digging the vibras, it’s the perfect moment to join our Patreon fam at [www.patreon.com/dadbodrappod](www.patreon.com/dadbodrappod). Rap Nerds Of The World Unite!

DadBodRapPod is proudly part of the Stony Island Audio Elks Lodge.

The theme song is a DEM ONE x Cutso collabo

Since dropping his debut album Hazardous in 1991, Godfather Don has been popping periodically and reminding us that his sword remains sharp. His latest project, Thesis, is a testament to the enduring power of hard beats and straight-ahead rhymin'. Not content with just killing it lyrically, GFD has also become a saxophonist of note in the NYC scene. The Godfather took a break from his gig in Brooklyn to chat about his long career, and rapping and playing sax feed off each other.

In the intro, the crew goes deep on the best rapper second acts and what they’d do if they ever had to trade in the super glamorous podcast life.

Big shoutout to everyone who still tunes in to our humble little show. If you're feeling generous, hit up our Patreon at www.patreon.com/dadbodrappod, where just $5 a year unlocks a treasure chest of content and an exclusive membership in the most elite rap nerd club on the internet.

Oh, and because rolling with the posse is the only way to do it, DadBodRapPod is proudly part of Stony Island Audio. P.S. Cutso and I, the birthday twins, made the theme song.

Xiên chào, welcome to Đặc Biệt Rap Pod, a miniseries about music, food, and travel. Dad Bod Rap Pod hosts Demone Carter, David Ma and Nate LeBlanc recently traveled to Saigon, also known as Ho Chi Minh City, in Vietnam. We received a grant to participate in a cultural exchange program, and since we are a hip-hop podcast, we decided to seek out the DJ and b-boy culture in District 1, Saigon. And here is what we found.

Part 3- A Saigon Travelogue

We were lucky enough to be able to make this trip and create this 3-episode miniseries thanks to a grant from the City of San Jose's Office Of Cultural Affairs. We flew halfway around the world in search of hip-hop in an unlikely location and to learn more about the cross-cultural conversation between our hometown of San Jose and the creative center of Vietnam, Saigon.

Today on the thrilling conclusion to our travel miniseries, we are back in our hometown of San Jose, California reflecting on our experiences, with some tips and tricks that may help you plan an excursion to this fascinating part of the world.

We are extremely grateful to everyone who assisted us in any way on our travels, especially DJ Style D, a true gentleman and a very good DJ who helped us gain insight into how the indomitable hip-hop culture is expressed in Ho Chi Minh City. Please check out our interview with him on Episode 1 of the miniseries for more on that.

We will be back to our regular programming next week, with a good interview with an underground MC/producer legend and some conversation about notable hip-hop second acts.

DBRP host Demone Carter spearheaded this entire trip, David Ma curated our experiences and translated things as they were occurring, and Nate LeBlanc produced this miniseries.

DBRP is merely a single stone on the island that gives Stony Island Audio network its name. Perhaps next time you're looking for a good rap podcast you'll give one of the others a try.

Xiên chào, welcome to Đặc Biệt Rap Pod, a miniseries about music, food, and travel. Dad Bod Rap Pod hosts Demone Carter, David Ma and Nate LeBlanc recently traveled to Saigon, also known as Ho Chi Minh City, in Vietnam. We received a grant to participate in a cultural exchange program, and since we are a hip-hop podcast, we decided to seek out the DJ and b-boy culture in District 1, Saigon. And here is what we found.

Part 2- The Lady In The Alley Is A Mind Reader

Welcome to the second of three parts of our special miniseries about travel in Vietnam from a hip-hop perspective. This week we are diving deep into the endless wonders of South Vietnamese cuisine. We were in Saigon for a little under two weeks, and spent much of the time exploring the incredible street food, tropical fruit, juices, coffee, and restaurants that define the bustling city. Here we share some of the highlights of our trip, including some of the best versions of pho, vermicelli bowls, broken rice plates, and soft shell crab that we have ever tasted, and much more.

We hope you enjoy this thematic left turn for the show. Hip-hop heads have to eat too, and there are still the rap puns, camaraderie and banter that you have come to expect from DBRP tucked within all the food talk.

This miniseries would not possible without a grant from the City of San Jose's Office of Cultural Affairs. Huge thanks to everyone behind the scenes who helped us make this journey possible. Huge thanks to our Patreon homies! Join the squad at www.patreon.com/dadbodrappod for much more content from our trip abroad as well as regular music review segments, exclusive playlists, and the only fake radio show that matters, Fly Sporadic.

DBRP host Demone Carter spearheaded this entire trip, David Ma curated our experiences and translated things as they were occurring, and Nate LeBlanc produced this miniseries.

We ride with Stony Island Audio, a fine purveyor of hip-hop storytelling.