Heat Rocks

This week, we're celebrating our three year anniversary (!!!) and talking about our personal favorite moments of the show.  Thank you so much for listening and sending in your favorite moments! And here's to many more unforgettable episodes, scorching hot albums, and wonderful conversations. If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here!

The long awaited third installment of The Art of Sampling series is finally here and we're talking about one of the most influential beat tapes in the history of hip-hop and producer Christian's favorite album of all time, J Dilla's Donuts .  Music writer Nate Patrin sits down with us (remotely) to discuss the cult following of J Dilla after his passing, the emotionality of the sample flips, and h...

When Cardi B dropped her first single Bodak Yellow back in the summer of 2017, it was a bit of a slow burn. It spent a few months moving around in the charts, but eventually became a number one single and one of the biggest hits of her career. She quickly followed up with a few more singles "I Like It" and "Bartier Cardi" which showed her versatility as a rapper, incorporating wildly different gen...

Our second episode of the Take Two miniseries focuses on Janet Jackson's risqué and introspective album, The Velvet Rope . We discuss Janet's move to a more neo soul sound, how she matured as an artist when creating this record, and how Janet's gone underappreciated in the last decade.  More on The Velvet Rope ‘The Velvet Rope’: How Janet Jackson Tied Herself In Controversy (uDiscoverMusic) The Ve...

This week, we are kicking off Take Two, a new miniseries where we look at two seminal albums of one artist. First up, we're discussing Janet Jackson's third studio album "Control" We talk about Janet's changing image at the time, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis' production techniques that helped usher in New Jack Swing, and this album's influence on artists like Beyoncé, Britney Spears, and Taylor Swift...

Chicago has given us plenty of great artists: Noname, Chance the Rapper, Common, and of course today's focus, Lupe Fiasco. Lupe might not have known it at the time, but his debut album helped usher in a new era of rap. This new class of freshmen were raised by videogames, skateboard culture, and anime, but also addressed issues that affected them like systemic racism and gun violence.    Filmmaker...

In honor of GZA's birthday and the release of multiple members' solo debut albums, we're recutting and remastering our episodes on the Wu-Tang Clan. If you like what you hear, please listen to the full conversations in the archives!   Show Tracklisting: Open Mike Eagle (ODB's Return to the 36 Chambers ) Damage Shimmy Shimmy Ya Intro Baby C'mon Brooklyn Zoo Thelonius Monk: Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Ar...

You'd think being dropped from a major label would hurt your career, but in Emily King's case, it helped fuel her success. In 2008, she left a major label, J Records, and began working on an independent record. With the help of producer/composer Jeremy Most, she created "Seven" a seven-track EP filled with soulful ballads and heartfelt lyricism.  Singer/saxophonist Braxton Cook joins Morgan to dis...

We are in the final stretch of the #MaxFunDrive! If you like what we do, please consider becoming a member and supporting our show.  maximumfun.org/join Rapper/songwriter Duckwrth joins us to talk about Philly soul group Blue Magic and their spooky soul LP Thirteen Blue Magic Lane. We discuss the band's place in the Philly soul scene, pillow talk in music, and we invent a new subgenre of music #pi...

We are in the middle of our annual #MaxFunDrive! If you like what we do, and are in a good financial spot, please consider becoming a member of the network and supporting our show. maximumfun.org/join "Every one of us is worthy" This is the mantra that permeates throughout all of India. Arie's 2019 album, Worthy . It had been six years since she last released a proper LP, and India didn't miss a b...

We are in the middle of our annual #MaxFunDrive! If you like what we do, and are in a good financial spot, please consider becoming a member of the network and supporting our show. maximumfun.org/join Morgan continues the Alphabet Soup series and discusses some of her favorite albums that start with the letter D The Albums J Dilla: Donuts Quincy Jones: The Dude Pastor T.L Barrett: Do Not Pass Me B...

In 1995, OutKast was booed by an angry crowd at the Source Awards after they won Best New Artist. During his speech, Andre 3000 famously declared "The South got something to say." Nowadays, ATL has a solid place in the history of rap, but OutKast had to fight for a seat at the table.  OutKast becomes the newest member of the Triple Crown club here on Heat Rocks and we're talking to professor/schol...

We are in the middle of our annual #MaxFunDrive! If you like what we do, and are in a good financial spot, please consider becoming a member of the network and supporting our show. maximumfun.org/join   Morgan and Ali Shaheed Muhammad quickly geek out over Earth Wind and Fire's "All 'n All"  If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here!

We are in the middle of our annual #MaxFunDrive! If you like what we do, and are in a good financial spot, please consider becoming a member of the network and supporting our show.  maximumfun.org/join   Public Enemy's debut album Yo! Bum Rush the Show enjoyed critical and commercial success back when it first landed in 1987, especially considering how controversial the album was. In fact, DJ's re...

Chaka Khan proved she was more than capable of holding her own when she released her debut solo album, Chaka back in 1978. Before that, she was in the band Rufus and stood out from her contemporaries with her powerful voice and ability to swing from one genre to the other while still being unmistakably Chaka. She continued working with Rufus, but started venturing out and doing more solo work, and...

Oliver continues the Alphabet Soup series and talks about his favorite albums that begin with the letter C If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts,  do it here!

It's part 2 of our listener specials where we invited fans of the show to talk about their personal Heat Rocks. This time, Phillip Merritt AKA Lost In Williamsburg, comes down with our first official disco album, Bad Girls by Donna Summer.   More on Phillip Merritt Phillip's podcast, Lost in Williamsburg Twitter | SoundCloud More on Bad Girls Donna Summer’s Bad Girls Turns 40 (Albumism) BBC's revi...

When jazz trumpeter Chet Baker began to sing on his records, his voice received a polarizing response, to put it lightly. At first, critics despised his light and dreamy voice paired with minimal accompaniment. However, audiences loved it, and Chet became a household name.  This album, Embraceable You, was recorded in the middle of his success, but wasn't released until 1995, about 40 years after...

Oliver and Morgan discuss their favorite father/child songs, whether it be duets, a father's song about a child, or a child covering their father's music. Happy Father's Day! Stay safe and  tell us about your dad's favorite records. Show Tracklisting Michael Kiwanuka: Love & Hate Michael Kiwanuka: Rest Michael Kiwanuka: Cold Little Heart Michael Kiwanuka: Father's Child Donny Hathaway: The Ghetto...

Today's episode is the first of two where we invited listeners of the show to talk about their personal Heat Rocks. This week, listener Jason Randall Smith sits down with us to talk about "In Visible Silence" by The Art of Noise. We discuss the prolific use of the Fairlight Sample in this album, the extremely 80s feel of it all, and its questionable placement in a certain ABC made-for-TV movie.  ...

Morgan continues the alphabet soup series and talks about her favorite albums that begin with the letter B If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts,  do it here!

When Black Sheep joined the Native Tongues family in 1989, they brought an irreverent and humorous tone to the hip-hop collective. Native Tongues had lighthearted rappers in the group to begin with, but Black Sheep took it one step further. They were witty, they teased, and they flipped some iconic samples. And oh yea, and they released one of the biggest hits of the '90s, The Choice is Yours (Rev...

In August of 1991, the LA rap scene was transformed by a trio of Latino rappers from South Gate. Cypress Hill was riding hot off the success of How I Can Just Kill A Man and found a huge audience in LA. DJ Muggs' production fit in perfect with B-Real and Sen-Dog's flow and together they helped create the blueprint for a more laid-back and smoked-out style of gangsta rap, a full year before Dre's T...

On this week's bonus beats, Morgan plays her favorite music geek game and talks about her favorite albums that start with the letter A If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts,  do it here!

Professor and DJ Michael Barnes joins Oliver to talk about Sly & The Family Stone’s final album, “Small Talk” and in particular the Time for Livin’ drum break that can only be found on a specific Canadian pressing of the album. Michael also gets into the tiny but significant differences between this version and the mainstream LP. Be ready, crate diggers, this is a deep dive.