Diggin' In The Digits

The story of 2 Live Crew is one of response. Response to reactionary pearl-clutching over their work which dared to talk out *checks notes* eating ass, among other things. This lead 2 Live Crew to lean all the way into being the flagbearers of the Miami Bass subgenre whilst getting everybody to free up their sexual inhibitions. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:54) Ben: da beatminerz - Stifled...

We finish our five-part miniseries on the Little Brother universe with Part 2 of our 9th Wonder retrospective, looking at a Blog Era Mixtape, a solo album bursting with features, another - albeit odd choice of - Remix album and a Supergroup EP. Capping off a beginner's guide to one of the best "Death, Taxes & (Artist Name) dropping" careers in recent memory. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup -...

With Little Brother now explored, we can now get into the work of the distant 3rd member: Producer 9th Wonder who has spent a couple decades now letting his music do the talking, with many of collaborators in tow. In the first of two parts, we do something a little different and pick out two projects each that exemplify 9th and his legacy. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:29) Ben: Yelawolf -...

We continue our LB miniseries with an exploration into the solo work of Rapper Big Pooh who - unlike Phonte - has dropped a lot of solo work in the past 20 years. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:20) Ben: Dave East x Mike & Keys - APT 6E Big Hit x Hit-Boy & Alchemist - Black & Whites Crimeapple x Big Ghost LTD - Bazuko Charlie: Wretch 32 - Moments of Silence Ian Kelly - ART Oddise...

After exploring the music & story of Little Brother, it's time to get into the breakaway works. We begin with Phonte who spends the 2010s sporadically dropping works with a style not too distant from LB and with familiar names in tow. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:52) Ben: Juicy J - Mental Trillness 2 Charlie: Halima - EXU Vince Staples - Dark Times Shenseea - Never Gets Late Here Opek...

We head to North Carolina where a trio blooms out of a larger collective to become one of the biggest "if you know, you know" acts of the 00s: Little Brother with Phonte, Big Pooh and for a time, 9th Wonder. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:52) Ben: Rapsody - Please Don't Cry Mach-Hommy - #RICHHAXXHAITIAN A Boogie - Better off Alone Rio Da Yung OG - Rio Circa 2020 Cities Aviv - Bernadette Lea...

Ras Kass presents a discography that is vast, two iconic albums in the 90s, then a litany of mixtapes in the 00s and then continuing his consistent output in the 10s with a return to studio albums. So with such a gap between his 2nd & 3rd solo albums, does his story provide context? TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:42) Ben: Conway the Machine - Slant Face Killer Ghostface Killah - Set the...

We return for Part 2 of our retrospective of Ice-T, where we left him off the back of his legendary four album run and the "Cop Killer" controversy; where would Ice take his art as he leaned more and more into other forms of media? TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:53) Ben: LeeV - Shadow Demon Boldy James - Trapper's Alley Partynextdoor - 4 Ahmad Anonimis - Mnt. Snug 4Batz - u made me a st4r B...

In conjunction with "What's Good?", this is a special DITD episode where Charlie heads to West London to talk with Garage pioneer and co-founder of Heartless Crew: MC Bushkin. In anticipation of his film "The Story So Far" premiering @ Genesis Cinema the same day this episode drops, Bushkin talks his beginnings, notable moments in his Heartless Crew years but more broadly, get into the connections...

For this Hip-Hop Neighbours - linked to our Ice-T exploration - we cover the self-titled album Body Count and we also get into the first album from the UK based collective SAULT: "5". TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:57) Ben: Backwood Sweetie - Burn One Berner - The Farmer's Market Gangrene - Heads I Win, Tails You Lose Hus KingPin - In a State of Nirvana Baby Rose x BADBADNOTGOOD - Slow Burn...

We stay in the West Coast AND the late 80s/early 90s to do a two-parter on one of the most authentic voices to ever represent Hip-Hop: Ice-T. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:55) Ben: NappyHigh - Burgundy Future x Metro Boomin - We Still Don't Trust You Charlie: DRAGG - Mixed Feelings NappyHigh - Burgundy Nia Archives - Silence Is Loud Terri Walker & Zed Bias - My Love Story (Zed Bias Rem...

This week, we celebrate DITD's 5th birthday with a pop quiz from Ben, thoughts on the Pod in general and yes, we talk about the Cole response to Kendrick. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:46) Ben: J.Cole - Might Delete Later GloRilla - Ehhthang Ehhthang Chris Patrick - The Calm Doja Cat - Scarlet 2 Claude Charlie: Dizzy Wright - Harsh Reality Khruangbin - A LA SALA Keen - Feel Good. Do Better...

After exploring The Conscious Daughters last week, it seemed fitting to explore the career of their biggest advocate and one of the most controversial voices in 90s Hip-Hop: Paris. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:01) Ben: Beyoncé - COWBOY CARTER Bfb Da Packman - Forget Me Not Rico Nasty - HARCORE DR3AMZ Roc Marciano - Marciology Charlie Paolo Baldini DubFiles - In The Shell Super Helpful Kwa...

To finish our Women's History Month celebrations, we stay in the West Coast to talk about a duo that oozed chemistry and confidence, only to be washed out by the industry changing direction. We talk The Conscious Daughters. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:48) Ben: Future x Metro Boomin - WE DON'T TRUST YOU SiR - HEAVY Elbow - Audio Vertigo Joyner Lucas - Not Now I'm Busy Charlie: Summers Son...

We continue our WHM celebrations with a trip to the West Coast, but not Oakland or Los Angeles. For the first time, we head to Sacramento for the story of Marvaless and the litany of Sac Town representers that come with her through her discography. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:56) Ben: yeat - 2093 Kembe x Hippie Sabotage - Sleep Paralysis Tierra Whack - WORLD WIDE WHACK Four Tet - Three K...

Continuing our WHM celebrations during the month of March, we get into another artist with one solo album, no longer with us after her passing in 2022: Hurricane G TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup: (1:17) Ben: MIKE - Pinball ScHoolboy Q - Blue Lips Cookin Soul x Raz Fresco - Bakin' Soul Kaiser Chiefs - Easy Eighth Album MGMT - Loss of Life KYLE - Smyle Again Skyzoo & The Other Guys - Mind of a...

Happy March one & all! You know what that means... Women's History Month on DITD is back and to kick off this year's set, we begin with the one & done Sister Souljah who took the political climate of her time to produce one of the most honest & politically scathing records in Hip-Hop history. No timestamps for this episode as we don't have a WMR or a substantial Lighter Note, reason be...

LIVE FROM LONDON, we get into one special work from a true "If you know, you know" group: Cymande. We also get the low down on Ben's 1st week in London. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:39) Charlie: Jordan Mackampa - WELCOME HOME, KID! dreamcastmoe - MOLLY'S SON The Silhouettes Project - The Silhouettes Project, Vol. 2 Joel Ross - nublues Kelela - RAVE:N, The Remixes John Glacier - Like A Rib...

We finish our Public Enemy three-parter with their most recent output with more friction from the inside and the outside but somehow, Public Enemy still continue to drop and tour the world; never dead, never deterred. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:00) Ben: Yeat - 2093 Conway x Big Ghost - Speshal Machinery the Chronic Edition 2nd Generation Wu x Dom Archey - This May Sting! Charlie: Fatima...

In our 2nd part of the Public Enemy retrospective, we see how PE should have imploded and become one of the many groups in the 90s to break up; but not only did they not break up, they kept dropping (to mixed results) and predicting the future of the music industry still to come to fruition. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:09) Ben: Little Simz - Drop 7 Fivio Foreign - Pain & Love 2 Dizze...

In part one of three, we get into the beginnings of Public Enemy and their first three albums, two of which considered to be consensus classics and some of the most authentically Hip-Hop albums ever made. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:39) Ben: Skelbeats - What goes on in the Dark Lee "Scratch" Perry - King Perry Icewear Vezzo - Live from the 6 Hit-Boy x Alchemist - THEODORE & ANDRE The...

TW: Lyrics/talk referencing Sexual Assault. After last episode's foray into the solo career of Kool G Rap, we now look into the work that he did before with DJ Polo: Three albums of ground-breaking work for KGR and his peers. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:31) Ben: Zaddytc - A LOT Fredo Bang - Yes, I'm Sad Elcamino - Here You Go Eldorado Red - 48 Hours in San Francisco Hus KingPin x 9th Won...

Kool G Rap: The ultimate "If you know KGR, you know ball". Whilst KGR never got the commercial success, his legacy as a lyrical pioneer is rooted deeply in your favourites and your favourites' favourite. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (1:07) Ben: Kid Cudi - INSANO C-Scripture - Penalty of Leadership Teezo Touchdown - How Do You Sleep At Night Deluxe Unknown T - Blood Diamond DJ Booker x NLE Ch...

The King Asiatic Nobody's Equal. Brooklynite Big Daddy Kane came through the 80s as one of the best freestylers in the Five Boroughs and once he got with Cold Chillin' and the Juice Crew, Kane would prove that he is one of the most complete rappers of all time. TIMESTAMPS: Weekly Music Roundup - (0:56) Ben: Westside Gunn, Conway, Alchemist - Hall & Nash 2 The Game x Big Hit - Paisley Dreams Uf...

Happy New Year one and all! We hope that your year is full of progression, growth and 52 episodes of DITD! But before we go forward, we look back one more time to 2023, talking about our Top 2 albums of 2023. Ben's No.2 - (3:25) Charlie's No. 2 - (26:20) Ben's No. 1 - (39:08) Charlie's No. 1 - (1:00:11) Lighter Note - (1:11:27) Charlie's Top 10 Albums of 2023 Thanks for listening. Below are the So...