Dad Bod Rap Pod

Another rap year is in the books! In part 2 of Quibble Jam 2024, the three bad brothers you know so well hand out more fictional awards and share big, sincere laughs. This is the last Dad Bod Rap Episode of 2024. On behalf of the squad, I would like to thank everyone for their time, attention, and support this year. We will return in early 2025 with new episodes and a new format! We are proud members of Open Mike Eagle's terror cell, also known as Stony Island Audio. Dave does the booking. Nate's the cute one. I be producing. That's me and DJ Cutso on the theme song with some help from Don Newkirk (R.I.P) -DEM

2024 was an amazing year for this podcast and rap as an art form. After a brief hiatus, the best fake awards show in Hip Hop is back. It's Quibble Jam 2024, and the bros have created a gang of hilarious categories and figurative trophies to hand out. Did your favorite albums from this year get mentioned? Tune in and find out. It's the first episode of a two-parter! Dad Bod Rap Pod is a proud member of the podcast crime family known as Stony Island Audio. The theme song is by DEM and Cutso, with help from the late great Don Newkirk

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. Add reaction

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.

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 1- Subcultural Exchange 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 corss-cultural conversation between our hometown of San Jose and the creative center of Vietnam, Saigon. We are thrilled to note that breakbeat DJing and B-Boying are alive and well in Southeast Asia, and in this episode we will introduce you to DJ Style D, an extremely influential DJ, record collector, and venue owner who is helping keep the elements of hip-hop at the forefront of the city's culture one record at a time. While we were abroad, we were able to book a DJ gig with Style D at a really cool restaurant along the river and to bring our brand of curated funk, soul and hip-hop musical taste to a completely new audience. We also participated in a few more relatively minor acts of cultural exchange, including an odd experience trying to buy records which gave us some insight into the gargantuan effort that hip-hop producer Onra put into crafting his masterpiece, Chinoiseries. We also briefly discuss Sublime Frequencies' reissue of incredibly rare 45s by Phuong Tam, a talented and courageous rock n' roll singer who began her career in Saigon and now resides in San Jose. Huge thanks are due to the City of San Jose OCA, as well as our Patreon subscribers for their continued support. Shout out to all of the scooter drivers, kindly grandmothers, sullen teens, and clueless tourists who helped make this trip special. 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 one of the many great hip-hop related podcasts on the Stony Island Audio network. Please tune in next week for Part 2 of Đặc Biệt Rap Pod, with a focus on Saigon's justifiably legendary street food. Cảm un!

On this week's episode, DEM chops it up with Ant, the producer half of the iconic rap duo Atmosphere. His debut instrumental album, Collection of Sounds Vol.1, is the first release of a four-part series dropping via Rhymesayers Entertainment on September 6th. Ant talks about DJing, his obsessive record-collecting habit, and how he stays healthy on tour. During the banter segments, we learn about Nate's L.A. food journey, the patron saint of lost wallets, and Nebraskan Reggae. Dad Bod Rap Pod reps Stony Island Audio to the fullest. Birthday twins DEM and Cutso linked up on the theme song. That's the late great Don Newkirk at the top of the song.

We'll be the first to admit it... the rumors are true, we do have a Patreon. Behind the paywall there is a shadow universe of exclusive audio segments, record reviews, polls, discussion, and one very special fake radio show. DBRP co-host Nate LeBlanc will occasionally reach into the record shelves to play some jams and talk about them a little. Today we pull back the curtain to bring the eclectic selections to the main pod feed. On this episode, we are focusing on features, sharing some songs with notable guest verses. In what was meant to be a clever twist, the show itself features guest appearances from the rest of the Dad Bod conglomerate. David Ma drops by to talk about the all time classic guest shots on Cuban Linx, while Demone Carter leads us on a reconsideration of a monster EPMD joint. If you like what you hear this week, please consider joining the Dad Bod Rap squad at patreon.com/dadbodrappod DBRP is produced by Demone Carter. Theme song by Dem One and Cutso. We are in cahoots with Stony Island Audio in a podcast network type of way.

What makes a spy creamy? How important is it for lyrics to make grammatical sense? Has any record ever had a better vibe than this one? These among many other questions are answered by Dad Bod Rap Pod hosts Demone Carter, David Ma, and Nate LeBlanc on this week's look back at Digable Planets' 1994 album Blowout Comb. This record was the last official release for the Planets after their hit debut, Reachin' changed the sound of hip-hop briefly a few years earlier. Blowout Comb is another animal (insect?) entirely, a reflective, subtly swaggering tribute to Trouble Man-era Blaxploitation suffused with Panther politics and a warm, analog sonic palette. While reaction to the album was somewhat muted at the time, this album has become something of a cult classic for folks who like their rap records thoughtful and adventurous. Join us as we reconsider the themes, design, lyrics, beats, and messaging of an excellent slab of Brooklyn bohemianism. DBRP is produced by Demone Carter and released by Stony Island Audio, a swell group of hip-hop know-it-all's. Theme song produced by Cutso, who is in our hearts this week. Love you, P.

Welcome to Dad Bod Rap Pod, a years-long hip-hop related conversation between three 40-somehting friends. This week the fellas Nate LeBlanc, David Ma and Demone Carter re-listened to Dare Iz A Darkside by Redman and were somewhat surprised by what they heard. In the 30 years since this record was released, Red has gone on to become a beloved character even outside of the rap realm, and we are huge fans of him and his work. That said, listening to this album with fresh ears, we found that we were not really able to tune into its very specific frequency. We digest all of this and discuss some of this challenging work's peculiarities over the course of a nuanced conversation. And in the second segment, we debut a new game we are working on to see how well we know each other after seven years of working together on the show. Please feel free to tell us how wrong we are @dadbodrappod on IG and Twitter, or to attain truly next level hating credentials, you can subscribe to our Patreon www.patreon.com/dadbodrappod and tell us that we are idiots to our digital face behind the paywall. Dad Bod Rap Pod is brought to you by Stony Island Audio, which is named after a street in Chicago but I always picture it like a bunch of rappers and rap writers all getting high together on a stereotypical desert island like the ones from the Far Side cartoons.

It's pretty rare for a rapper of Skyzoo's caliber to perform live in downtown San Jose where our podcast is based, so we made sure to not only attend the show but to hang out in the green room a bit and have a conversation with one of NY's finest. Dad Bod Rap Pod hosts Demone Carter and David Ma chat with the gifted lyricist about his recent record The Mind Of A Saint (Deluxe), a fascinating concept album that is based on the television program Snowfall. This is our second time interviewing Skyzoo, please check out DBRP 180 for an in-depth conversation about his great album All The Brilliant Things. We here at Dad Bod Rap Pod are huge proponents of artists swinging for the fences, and this record is a great example of a mid-career MC doing something a little different and succeeding. We encourage you to check out the album whether you have seen the TV show or not, it works as a standalone project, and we imagine it would be all the more enjoyable if you're well versed in the lore of the show as well. In the bracketing banter segments we review the album, talk about Skyzoo's live show, and delve into a near tragedy with co-host Nate LeBlanc's air pod headphones, which he insists on calling the Dad Bod Air Pods. DBRP is a Stony Island Audio experience, please make sure to check out the other fine programs on the network.

This week we stagger in the gathering to discuss Common's classic 1994 release Resurrection. This is an important record for DBRP hosts David Ma, Demone Carter, and Nate LeBlanc, who collectively cannot believe this album is 30 years old. We discuss the incredible synergy between rapper Common Sense (as he was then known), producer NO I.D. and scratchmaster Mista Sinista, as well as the relative merits of Common's father's outro contributions, some of the samples used, and so much more. Common was on the rebound from the reception to his debut album Can I Borrow A Dollar when he was creating Resurrection, so we spend a bit of time discussing the reception to that misfire and how he came back hard with this album, which all of us view as an unimpeachable classic. Time has been pretty kind to almost all of this record, with the possible exception of its best known track, the narrative masterwork "I Used To Love H.E.R." We also get into Com's beef with Ice Cube, which is interesting to look back on given the current state of blockbuster rap rivalries at the moment. As you will probably notice, we recorded this episode from the Harmony Hotel in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City in the beautiful country of Vietnam. We will be rolling out a miniseries documenting more of our travels and experiences there soon, be on the lookout for that. DBRP is mixed by Taylor Weng, contains a theme song by Cutso and DEM ONE and is produced by Demone Carter. You would not be hearing this without the efforts of Stony Island Audio. To our comp we're a ton, we get amped like stones on an island. Our patreon is a commodity so buy it: www.patreon.com/dadbodrappod