What's Good About The Rap Podcast Era?
There's a lot that's wrong with rap podcasting. Joe Budden, Akademiks, and their clones have famously supplanted the shamelessly gossipy hip-hop blogs as well as discernibly more credible sites that slid downwards into stan service and clickbait traps. Their namesake shows/streams thrive via personality-driven programming and ostensibly topical discussions, conjuring controversies both real and ephemeral to an audience size that text-based media outlets could only dream of nowadays.
Hip-hop journalism this ain't, a distinction made more glaring when shows like New Rory & Mal try to weigh in with nonsensical non-starters like "ArE JoUrnALists BiGGer ThaN ARtiSts?" to drive their convos and boost engagement rates. Neither beholden to institutional ethics nor versed in newsroom rigor, most of these media personalities have to do verbal calisthenics to convince their consumers, and perhaps themselves, otherwise.
Of course, some of new new media's sins extend well beyond hip-hop content more broadly into the so-called podcast space. Though not necessarily a new trend, far-right politics and ideas permeate and dominate comedian-led shows to the point where several experts contend that ostensibly apolitical entertainment pods had a quantifiable influence on the 2024 elections. This whitewashing of social conservatism via edgy yuk-yuks seems particularly alarming, knowing some of America's biggest right-wing political podcasters got exposed as paid Russian shills. And as more people lose faith in or shun traditional news media, for reasons both understandable and utterly absurd, we'll likely see more and more turn to YouTubers, Twitch streamers, and Rumblers to help form their opinions.
As No Jumper and VladTV arguably exploit the culture they purport to represent, a number of hip-hop podcasts and creators are concurrently doing some admirable work. Interview-based shows across the genre spectrum are doing what the aforementioned websites and, before them, rap magazines used to: let rappers and producers speak. Drink Champs does it exceptionally well, bringing on guests who represent a vast spectrum of hip-hop figures. Duos from 3rd Bass to 8Ball & MJG to the Insane Clown Posse have all sat in the same seats opposite N.O.R.E., DJ EFN, and crew. Though their episodes tend to cross the unfathomable three hour mark more often than advisable given modern attention spans, they make even partial consumption worthwhile by inviting cultural notables like Uncle Luke, Ed Lover, and Steve Rifkind to their table.
Even if the questions don't necessarily rise to the level of, y'know, journalism, the format holds an inherent value to those who actually care about what these artists have to say. In line with their Southern roots, Big Bank and DJ Scream pull acts like David Banner, Trina, and the recently freed Ralo for their Big Facts show. Despite being a Barstool Sports product, Million Dollaz Worth Of Game deserves credit for consistently spotlighting both hip-hop legends and contemporary talents alike, with recent interviewees including Ice Cube, Tony Yayo, and Rio Da Yung OG.
On the indie side, shows like Dad Bod Rap Pod and The Next Movement go for artists outside of the major labels' reach, a class of interviewees largely orphaned in the current media landscape. Capitalizing on our collective love of movies, Reel Notes and our very own CABBAGES bring rappers and producers on to talk about film, the former more broadly than the film-specific latter. Admittedly, some interview programs exhibit certain sophomoric or toxic traits alongside their chats, but at least their audiences might learn something from and about the artists along the way.
It's not just podcasters in the strictest sense either doing this work. SiriusXM's Shade 45 channel, for instance, recently brought Kool Keith on The Punchline Academy with host Da Inphamus Amadeuz. While the satellite radio show often crops up on hip-hop heads' Instagram For You pages with video of freestyles recorded in their studios, the clips making the rounds from the Ultramagnetic MC's co-founder contained wisdoms gleaned from his decades-long career.
Topically driven pods aren't inherently bad or evil, either. UK-based Breaking Atoms plays nicely in that space with its "Weekly Rap Up" episodes, yet still finds time to talk directly with the likes of Godfather Don, Philmore Greene, and Slum Village. Benefiting greatly from having MC Eiht as co-host, Gangster Chronicles lends its criminally-minded subject matter an uniquely empathetic perspective, a stark contrast with, say, DJ Akademiks.
Yet chasing the story of the moment isn't always the best course. On Call Out Culture and The Crate 808 Podcast, the hosts regularly cover hip-hop through a lens unbound by calendars. Defying the anniversary industrial complex that drove their blog predecessors, they use their talking heads to sound off on classic album runs and engage in bracket-style rankings. Both shows also make it a point to bring guests on too, including rappers, journos, and hip-hop media types. (Full disclosure: I've guested on both shows.)
Ultimately, the medium is not the issue. Bad actors, narcissists, and bullies may hold the mic more than seems fair, yet as consumer technology becomes more affordable there are considerable opportunities for budding podcasters and content creators to find their own hip-hop niche. More so than in the storied blog era, the barriers to entry are lower than ever for those willing to enter and do the work. Furthermore, a broad base of hip-hop talent and projects await such coverage.
Ghais Guevara, Goyard Ibn Said
Across self-released mixtapes like BlackBolshevik, Philly rapper/producer Ghais Guevara revealed an irreverent, impish humor and a political mindfulness matched only by his undeniable flyness. Divided into conceptual halves, each side creatively exploring aspects of contemporary hip-hop stardom, his album debut Goyard Ibn Said brings that insightful activist mischief to another level. Beginning with a playfully meta intro skit, the album's first section covers a range of familiar styles and themes–albeit with an omnipresent subversive bent–from the orchestral trap of "The Old Guard Is Dead" to the turnt n' faded "Yamean." Via the Goyard character, a Portnoy to his Roth, he packs references galore into the wondrous "Leprosy" and the unsettling "I Gazed Into The Trap With Ambition," foreshadowing a violent turn beyond its Evil Empire and Chappelle's Show nods. Once the stormy second act switch occurs, the struggle gets real. "4L" and "Branded" disrupt pain rap tropes from within, exposing something rawer and more vulnerable. Mindful indie rap phenoms ELUCID and McKinley Dixon appear in these chilling chapters, each existentially venting on "Bystander Effect" and "The Apple That Scarcely Fell," respectively. Yet when Chekhov's gun finally goes off on "You Can Skip This Part," Guevara's listeners might catch the strays.
Fines Double, Espejismo
Hip-hop producer showcases aren't guaranteed to be good, even if the featured rappers happen to be. Yet when the stars align, and a consistently solid beatmaker gets with some of the underground's deffest and baddest emcees, you end up something special. Assembled over the past few years, Espejismo (that's Spanish for Mirage, friendo) finds an assortment of supreme spitters like Old Grape God, Semiratruth, and Sleep Sinatra engaging with Portland Oregon's Fines Double unobtrusive yet original instrumentals. It begins with fellow Pacific Northwesterner AJ Suede ministering over the loping strings and bass of "Misantrophic Optics." The rest of the tracks travel cross country like a mileage run, with Brooklyn's billy woods rubbing his third eye on "Levant," Detroiter Mic Write schooling listeners on "Second Line," and Defcee out of Chicago finding his frequency on "Slow Crawl." Both members of ShrapKnel get their licks in too, with Curly Castro readying for war on "Sundown Science" and PremRock conjuring local color on "Good Credit." All the while, Fines Double matches their energy accordingly, a quality that can feel rather rare nowadays.
Three new tracks to snack on...
Pan Amsterdam, "Day Out"
Damon Locks, "Holding The Dawn In Place (Beyond Pt. 2)"
Tony Bontana, "Keenan & Kel"