Diggin' In The Digits

It's practically consensus that AZ is one of the most overlooked lyricists in Hip-Hop history. But why is that? Is it for cynical reasons or is it simply because his best stuff is just that damn good? We go through his album discography and find an answer. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundups - (1:16) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (20:04) Doe Or Die - (29:48) Pieces of A Man - (39:47) 9 Lives &a...

On the 10th DITD Bites, we talk about dudes going out of their way to say they don't listen to female artists; asking whether TikTok is ushering in a new version of Ringtone Rap and asking whether cover art has gotten worse or not. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:29) Females Vs The "keep it lol" dudes - (24:25) Ringtone Rap 2.0 - (39:11) Cover Art - (57:25) Lighter Note - (1:25:19) Thanks fo...

For the final instalment of our '21 UKBHM celebrations, we peep every album from the Godfather of Grime, Wiley. (With one omission that will be made clear at the end.) TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:55) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (19:54) Treddin' on Thin Ice - (28:57) Da 2nd Phaze - (36:38) Playtime Is Over - (40:00) Grime Wave - (44:28) See Clear Now - (47:15) Race Against Time - (...

Akala is arguably one of the most intelligent people in this world we call Hip-Hop. From the lyrics to the concepts, to the lectures & books outside of the music. It's hard to even encapsulate how deep his philosophical brain goes in the music, but we give it a damn good go. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:50) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (19:18) It's Not A Rumour - (30:17) Freedom...

There are those artists that are right on the frontlines of cultural phenomena. But there aren't many that have been in several like Skepta. From the growth of Grime, to the gold rush of the late 00s/early 10s, to the complete cultural reset of Black British music. Skepta was there for all of it. Weekly Music Roundup - (1:40) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (13:11) Greatest Hits - (23:09) Micro...

Happy UK Black History Month dear listener! If you weren't about last October, we will spend this month doing retrospectives on black UK artists only and for this episode, we cover a UK artist that went to the US and managed to blend Hip-Hop of the time with the soulful dance Black Brits like Soul II Soul were known for. We cover the career of Monie Love. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:19)...

It's rare you have a group that doesn't just stick to their morals but go deeper into them as they go. But here's Brand Nubian, dropping critically loved albums throughout the 90s and half of the time without a key founding member. Mix that with the 5 percenter elements & their production chops as a collective and you have a very interesting group. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:52) Top...

This is one of those retrospectives where we thought we were just going to big up one of the least talked about legends in Hip-Hop. But once we got into that discography, we found much more than a great MC. Give more flowers to Redman.  TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:20) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (16:10) Whut? Thee Album - (25:31) Dare Iz A Darkside - (37:46) Muddy Waters - (46:34)...

This is probably our first retrospective where the artist in question is on the fringe of what is considered "Hip-Hop". But as with all elements of art, it is always worth getting out of our comfort zone now and again. And DJ Shadow is a perfect subject to do so. And his creative narrative isn't too shabby either. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:41) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (12:31)...

In the light of Your Old Droog & Mach-Hommy having words with the likes of lyric hub Genius, Ben has been mulling over how protective (or unprotective) artists are with their work. Potentially causing a slippery slope where the extreme is something like a Yasiin Bey putting out an album in a museum for a limited time, never to be heard again after that. In a world where everyone can make a mem...

We get into Part 2 of our Bad Boy retrospective, getting more testimony from more notable names, and some lesser-known names you may have never heard of before. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:08) Ma$e - (11:43) Faith Evans - (24:16) Dawn Richard & Danity Kane (30:11) 'Lightning Rounds' - (35:18) Sauce Money - (50:20) Final Thoughts - (1:04:35) EDITOR NOTE: We had Lighter Note on Kanye b...

Bad Boy Records was a key cog in making Hip-Hop what it is today, for better or worse. But what about the many artists that were under Bad Boy? And how did they fare under it? Was it *really* a family? Or just another label being a label. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:23) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (19:40) Craig Mack - (25:20) B.I.G. - (31:40) Total & 112 - (39:15) LOX & Bl...

The LOX are one of the strongest groups in Hip-Hop history. Their bond is unbreakable, their chemistry is top-tier and their bars throughout their album discography illuminate all of that, even through all the beefs & disputes. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:20) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (11:43) Money, Power & Respect - (24:45) We Are The Streets - (33:45) Filthy America......

It's time for Vol. 4 of "Contemporary Cool". A wide range for this one. Ben picks two albums that go over an hour, whilst Charlie picks two projects that are 20 minutes combined. But there's more to these projects than just how long they are... TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:15) Whack World - (18:15) Dirty Gold - (32:17) 1 Minute Of Your Time - (50:51) Top 5 Dead Or Alive - (1:00:34) Lighte...

Biz Markie was not the "Just A Friend" rapper. And he should not be known simply for the sample case. Because Biz Markie was so much more. A multi-talented artist that made music. Funny, inviting, energetic and vulnerable music with great storytelling and underrated sample chops. We do our best in highlighting the unique nature of Biz. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:29) Topic Intro/Ben's Re...

It's time for another DITD Bites and for this one we get into the recent Kanye "DONDA" announcement and predictable non-drop. And then we get into how we individually listen to music. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (2:01) Kanye, process & self-editing - (22:24) How we listen to music - (47:02) Lighter Note - (1:12:12) Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties invo...

On this episode of DITD: Half the year has been & gone and we thought it was worth taking stock of the releases, overriding stories on our minds and what we're looking forward to for the rest of the year. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (6:29) Death of legends - (19:59) "A good, not great year" - (32:44) What to look forward to - (56:40) Lighter Note - (1:04:17) Thanks for listening. Below...

We continue our two-part series on LL Cool J, going through the rest of his discography from Mr Smith all the way to Authentic. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:55) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (11:16) Mr Smith - (16:44) Phenomenon - (23:04) G.O.A.T - (30:27) 10 - (36:23) The DEFinition - (43:18) Todd Smith - (52:01) Exit 13 - (56:54) Authentic & Final Thoughts - (1:04:47) Lighter N...

LL Cool J is more known for his acting and hosting duties these days. But LL has a catalogue that spans decades and that shouldn't be overlooked in the career of Mr Smith. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:44) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (15:57) Radio - (25:28) Bigger And Deffer - (38:22) Walking With A Panther - (48:29) Mama Said Knock You Out - (57:04) 14 Shots To The Dome - (1:05:00)...

Sometimes your audience is not explicitly in your backyard. Sometimes, it's across the pond and on the other side of the world. That's what happened for a Jurassic 5 that were gaining popularity in the UK & Japan before they even dropped an album. After that hot promise, Jurassic 5 put together a solid body of work that shows outstanding group chemistry, great bars and top tier DJ-oriented pro...

It's time for another volume of "Contemporary Cool" and for this one, we get into two debut albums, an underrated gem & an album from a clear-headed vet. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:47) Based on a T.R.U. Story - (19:51) Mega Philosophy - (38:05) Mr Wonderful - (50:34) A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons - (1:02:25) Lighter Note - (1:17:20) Thanks for listening. Below are the Social ac...

The placement of DAS EFX in Hip-Hop history is an interesting one. They started off being inspired by Hip-Hop itself and after just one album, inspired several of their peers in the years after. So much so, that it could be said that while DAS EFX has a place in Hip-Hop history, they maybe deserve a larger pedestal and more recognition as a highly lyrical duo. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (2...

Digable Planets weren't the first Hip-Hop group to use Jazz as a foundation for their Hip-Hop musical explorations, but there aren't many artists that took the essence of Jazz as seriously as Butterfly, Doodlebug & Ladybug Mecca did in their brief but beautiful two album stretch. We get into their story and the music that offers so much, the more you listen to it. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roun...

The Pharcyde was another significant member of the "Alternative" Hip-Hop scene of the early/mid-90s, with back-to-back classics right out of the gate. But behind the scenes, the group bond wasn't the tightest. And once that thin ice broke, it immediately messed up the very acute alchemy they had in the beginning. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (4:13) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (21:36)...

The term "Stimulus Package" has been implemented in two ways in recent years. The first, the money people have received during the pandemic. The second? When mainstream artists hop on lesser-known artists' songs, giving the lesser-known artist a listenership they have never gotten before, and sometimes, may never get again. We discuss the second definition, getting a light-bulb moment right at the...