Super Duty Tough Work Podcast

On your journey to be the best version of yourself, there comes a time when it seems like the more money you make, the less healthy you are. This is what we like to call The Money Health Paradox. In this week's episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down the four different levels of the Money Health Paradox and give advice on how to avoid it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch...

As artists who have been releasing music for over 20 years, Blueprint and Illogic are used to going against the grain. In this episode, they take going against the grain further than ever by listing their most unpopular opinions about production.  If you've ever made beats, there is a lot to laugh at and get pissed off about in this episode.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

A recently published study has determined that it's incredibly difficult for people to learn about new music as they get older, a grim diagnosis for music lovers. In this episode, we break down the results of the study and what you can do to ensure you remain as passionate about music in your later years as you were when you were younger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi...

An article recently surfaced that spoke about the impact that the emerging Artificial Intelligence tools are having on sampling, revealing how Google's AI engine has been used to correctly identify sample sources. And while this may not have an immediate impact on sampling producers, there may be a time when getting away with uncleared sampling becomes much more difficult. In this episode, we brea...

With the recent passing of Dave (aka Trugoy) and the streaming release of De La Soul's catalog to streaming services, the group's name has been abuzz for the several weeks. Since music fans are finally able to listen to their catalog again, we thought it would be a great time to discuss what makes De La Soul so great. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic breakdown the traits that made De La Soul...

As more and more artists contemplate becoming full-time artists, they realize that it may difficult to pursue their craft fully and have a real professional career. However, there are many jobs that lend themselves to artists who are trying to make decent money but not have their jobs run their lives. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic discuss ten jobs they think are ideal for people who are t...

After the first health is wealth challenge in 2021, Blueprint and Illogic both got into great shape. Unfortunately, both of them fell off in 2022 and gained most of that weight back. In this episode, they explain why they are fed up with being out of shape and start a brand new 90-Day Health is Wealth Challenge for themselves and invite their listeners to participate as well. Learn more about your...

One of the most rewarding feelings an artist can having is the moment when you finish making an album. Unfortunately, there are a lot more unfinished albums than finished. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down ten reasons artists have a hard time finishing their albums. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Although we push our listeners to be as ambitious as possible, we understand that there are downsides to always going above and beyond. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down eight real reasons why some people choose to not be ambitious. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Blueprint sits down with his former Greenhouse Effect partner in rhyme, Ron "Buster" Cunningham, aka Mr. Inkwel about his new book "Unwrapped Gifts" and what it took to write and publish it.   If you've ever considered writing a book, this episode is for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our first live call in show in celebration of our 300th episode. Live Q&A, Hood Tales, and more... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In last week's episode with special guest Cryptic One, he stated that he didn't believe in inspiration anymore and instead practiced discipline. And although agree with him, we know there are many artists who still cling to inspiration to power their creative output. In this episode, we break down the issues with inspiration and why being disciplined is the better approach. Learn more about your a...

As one of the founding members of the legendary NYC underground hip-hop crew The Atoms Family, MC/Producer Cryptic One has been a part of a lot of classic material. From his guest appearance on Cannibal Ox’s “Cold Vein” to engineering Aesop Rock’s “Labor Days” he was primed to take a big leap as a solo artist. But a series of bad breaks shut down his label and caused him to disappear for six years...

After Twitter laid off thousands of employees this week, rumors started to circulate about whether the website would survive or go out of business. As a result, many artists, who spent years creating content and cultivating their followings on the platform started to panic, wondering what to do if twitter was no more. In this episode, we speak about the chaos at twitter and why having your own web...

You would have to be living under a rock to have not heard about Kanye West's controversial comments that led to the termination of several brand deals and have likely cost him tens of millions of dollars. As they say, loose lips sink ships. In this episode, we break down how this entire situation could have been avoided if Kanye would have followed a principle we speak about frequently, which is...

With the internet making the world more connected than ever, it's never been easier to access prominent people. However, this access has also given rise to many people abusing that access in the name of networking. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down ten truths about networking that can save you a ton of wasted time and energy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...

Despite the rare number of rappers who have been able to turn their passion into a profession, the vast majority of rappers have day jobs. However, it is very rare to hear them actually speak about it. In fact, it seems like they do their best to keep it a secret. Why is that? In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down why the majority of rappers almost refuse to speak about their day jobs....

Three months ago, we started our annual 90 days of discipline challenge, where we choose three goals and try work at them for 90 days straight. This week, Blueprint and Illogic break down their results and play the voice mail messages from listeners who participated in the challenge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this era where being successful locally isn't a requirement for success and many artists can get a lot done by themselves, the temptation is to go it alone. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down the benefits of a crew and why being in one might be key to your success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No matter what kind of art you create, you will likely have to use social media to bring awareness about it. It is there that you will run into some of the most confusing behavior you've ever witnessed from people. Some are crazy and vocal about your art, while others follow you silently. In this episode we break down the biggest differences between fans and followers so you can move properly out...

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Kraftwerk drummer surprised many stating that the same technology that made the group so popular ruined their creativity. With technology playing a larger role in music than ever, we decided to break down what artists can do to stop computers from ruining the beauty of music. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Due to the strong feedback on last week's episode on song composition, we decided to do a follow-up episode with more content for music producers. In this week's episode, we break down 8 more tips for music producers to speed up their workflow and quality of their production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether you play an instrument or chop up samples, there will be a time when you feel like your song ideas aren't being produced to their fullest potential. The answer is to tighten up your composition skills. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down ten song composition tips they've learned over their years producing hip-hop, so you don't have to the same time they did. Learn more about...

No matter what your dreams are, there will be moments when things appear to go off track, and where it appears that you failed. But what if you hadn't actually failed and your dreams just look a little different than you planned? In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down the importance of being flexible in chasing your dreams and why you may have already achieved many of them without know...

It's that time of the year again, where we challenge ourselves and our listeners to set goals and focusing on achieving them for 90 days. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic share their goals for the challenge and give instructions for how listeners can participate in the challenge and results show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices