Diggin' In The Digits

Eric "Eazy-E" Wright was a shrewd operator in everything he did. And though we may not think of him as an early leader in the inevitable evolution of business in Hip-Hop, maybe it's worth seeing Eazy in that lens, although it's very enticing to see his iconic persona and stop there. Weekly Music Roundup - (1:48) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (13:33) Eazy-Duz-It - (36:13) It's On (D̵r̵.̵ ̵D̵r̵...

It is very easy to see Xzibit as the "Pimp My Ride" guy. But look past the glorious relic of 00s America and you find a rapper that could hang with the best of them, tooled up with top tier lyrics and an unmistakable voice. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:32) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (19:29) At the Speed of Life - (30:49) 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz - (37:26) Restless - (43:32) Man vs....

We continue of "Book Of Wu" series with one of the objectively lesser consumed of the group but with one of the most fascinating stories. Join us as we dig into the man that puts the "U" in "Wu": U-God. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundups - (2:14) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (24:23) Golden Arms Redemption - (38:19) Mr. Xcitement - (47:09) Dopium - (52:49) The Keynote Speech - (59:07) Venom -...

Welcome to a brand new DITD miniseries, Hip-Hop Neighbours. Similar to "Contemporary Cool", we pick an album each to talk about but what's unique about "Hip-Hop Neighbours" is that we pick albums from non-Hip-Hop genres that have some form of connective tissue to Hip-Hop. And in an effort to provide openings for you to explore past your regular tastes, it'll also tell you about how, in some way, a...

Happy New Year one and all! We kick off the New Year by taking one more quick look back at 2021 and talking about our two favourite albums of '21. TIMESTAMPS: Planet Her - (10:21) Pink Noise - (25:45) We're All Alone In This Together - (37:59) Sometimes I Might Be Introvert - (1:00:53) Lighter Note - (1:18:56) Additional reading - Charlie's Top 10 Albums of 2021 Thanks for listening. Below are the...

To end the year, hosts of the various 5EPN podcasts come together to reflect on the year that has been 2021, the podcasts themselves and finish with a fun team exercise. To everyone that has listened to a 5EPN Podcast this year, on behalf of everyone in the 5EPN, we thank you for your listenership, your time and we hope we can join you as you begin your journey through 2022. The music was "Nothing...

We finish 2021 with our 2nd chapter of "The Book Of Wu" (which hasn't been used as a name before so... Trademark pending.) which is all about the enigma, Ason Unique, the Ol' Dirty Bastard. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:14) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (14:22) Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version - (30:19) N☆☆★a Please - (41:54) Further storyline - (49:37) Lighter Note - (1:0...

We finally begin what we are calling "The Book Of Wu". Basically, retrospectives on the original members of the Wu-Tang Clan, starting with the eldest and the only one to have some form of a career before Wu. GZA, The Genius. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:30) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (11:25) Words from the Genius - (27:15) Liquid Swords - (37:55) Beneath the Surface - (49:06) Leg...

We get into one of our most debated & enlightening DITD Bites yet. Talking end of year lists before the year even ends, Adele allegedly jacking from an independent artist and what constitutes a 'rapper'. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (2:16) End of year lists - (21:50) Adele jacking? - (40:10) What is a 'rapper' - (54:43) Lighter Note - (1:26:58) Thanks for listening. Below are the Social...

One conversation that is considered consensus is that Dr. Dre's "The Aftermath" is, to put it lightly, not good. It's gotten to the point that you hear the negative thought about it and will most likely never spin it. So, we did the opposite, went ahead and listened to it. So is it really as bad as people say? TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:05) Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (16:25) Tra...

After doing Slum Village last week, it was easy to be like Ben and go into this episode on eLZhi thinking that you would get the same stuff you heard on SV records, for better or worse. But this is why solo careers are exclusive from group endeavours. Especially so in this case because solo eLZhi is a whole different kettle of fish. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:15) Topic Intro/Ben's Resea...

Slum Village is a group that has gone through many many lineups to the point where it's frankly surprising that so much change didn't dramatically affect the end product. So what can we owe the consistency to? And are there actual Slum Village fans or fans of J Dilla that just listen to SV as part of Dilla's universe? TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:32) Topic Intro - (17:45) Dilla Era - (27:...

It's time for another Contemporary Cool where we highlight albums from the past 10 years that deserve some shine. For this edition we get into the works of Janelle Monáe, Yugen Blakrok, CyHi Da Prynce & Blue Lab Beats. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:07) The ArchAndroid - (13:50) Return of the Astro-Goth - (37:45) Black Hystori Project - (54:19) Xover - (1:08:41) Thanks for listening. Be...

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...