Super Duty Tough Work Podcast

When people think about hip-hop music's contribution to society, one of the first things they speak about is how it brings people together, enabling them to learn more about each other. And while we have definitely gotten that from hip-hop, we've also gotten a lot more from it. In fact, we've been able to pick up many skills that we otherwise would have never learned that have helped us in every o...

Although we've spoken about various books over the years that have helped us as artists, we've never done an episode compiling all of our favorites over the years. In this episode, we do exactly that. We break down ten books that have helped us over the years artistically and why we recommend you read them. Interestingly enough, none of these books are actually about making art, but that's what ma...

When it comes to our chosen craft, we all know the importance of improving our skill level. However, when it comes to the soft skills that enable us to navigate the world outside of our creative spaces, many of us fall short. Artists in general have to be particularly careful about not developing their soft skills because they have to spend so much time alone practicing their craft. In this episod...

Over the last month, the internet has been abuzz with conversation about the "Last Dance" documentary, which chronicles Michael Jordan's final championship run with the Chicago Bulls. One of the biggest conversations has been about Jordans relentless will to win and his drive to push everybody around him to their fullest potential. Some have praised it, others have criticized it, but over here we...

Any fan of hip-hop understands that bragging and boasting has been a part of the art form since the beginning. From Special Ed bragging about owning Islands on "I Got It Made" to Puff Daddy bragging about having cars he hasn't even driven yet, bragging and boasting is accepted as normal. However, over the years we've noticed that there are also rappers who have started bragging about things that t...

Since the onset of this pandemic, one of the reoccurring conversations that we've been having with other members of the creative community is about how different the landscape will be once this ends. It will be very different, if and when, things return to normal, and this will require us to focus our attention on developing a different skillset that will allow us to be successful. In this episode...

Due to the fallout of the corona virus, we are living in a very special time. A time where people are spending more time at home than ever and where online content is being consumed more than ever. On the heels of the DJ Premier vs the Rza battle, live-streaming has captured artist and fans attention and now more artists are going live to broadcast for their fans. It begs the question: is live str...

While we have both had successful careers as independent artists, there have certainly been a lot of ups and downs along the way. There were also many situations and realities that we probably could have avoided or handled much better if we had an OG to pull our coattails and put us up on game earlier. In this episode, we pull all you newer artists to the side and break down ten lessons, as your B...

This week on Super Duty Tough Work, we bring the second part of Blueprint's conversation with the "rapper with the most chords", none other than Count Bass D! Since the first part of our interview got so much love and we reviewed his new album "CBD" on last week's episode, it felt like the perfect time to drop the second half of this conversation. In this part of the conversation we break down mob...

After doing our first album reviews episode a few months back, we were told by our listeners that they would like to see us doing them more frequently. Well, the most infamous podcast on planet earth is back again with more album reviews. In this episode we review the new albums from Royce the 5'9, Jay Electronica, Count Bass D, Boldy James, and Midaz the Beast. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad cho...

Considering the events taking place around the world in relation to the corona virus and all the fear and uncertainty that already exists, we decided to go the opposite direction. This week, we will be talking about the silver lining in all of this. We believe that there are actually a good number of positives to come out of this that many people aren't talking about. Information is good, but the...

This week on Super Duty Tough Work, we're joined by none other than "the rapper with the most chords" himself, Count Bass D. On the heels of his brand new album "CBD" that was released this week, Blueprint and Count Bass D sit down for a dope conversation about being signed during the golden era of hip-hop, how he learned production, and the musicality that's played such a huge role in his career....

Since our recent episode about branding received so much positive feedback that we figured it's time to talk about the next logical step, which is making money. What many people fail to understand is that it's much easier to make money when your brand is built. So this episode is for those who understand the concepts we presented in Episode #196 The Truth About Branding, have consistently applied...

In this era of social media and its constant distractions, most people have a very difficult time focusing on what needs to be done. This is because all the competition for our attention has left our minds all over the place, divided amongst too many different things to ever work effectively. In this episode we talk about how to quiet your mind so that you can work better, socialize better, and ev...

If there were one concept that has become cliche in the music industry and hip-hop artists, its the word brand. Once only a concept spoken about only be marketers and salesmen, the concept of branding has now been adopted into the lexicon, leaving artists and publications always talking about their "brands." Naturally, most artists are annoyed by this, and mostly with good reason. In this episode,...

Everyone knows what it's like to have creative passion that you care deeply about and a job that you don't particularly care about. In most instances, these jobs drain our creative energy until our desire to pursue our craft outside of work is completely gone. To avoid this we must allow our art to help push us through these down periods so we can stay motivated. This episode is about small things...

Last week there was a lot of commotion on social media when pop singer Billie Eilish featured a quote of her pointing out that she personally knows a lot of rappers constantly who lie about their lives and having things they don't really own. Many people were upset about her statement, firing back at her. In this episode we give our reaction to her statement and breakdown ten reasons why rappers l...

Although New York producer Blockhead originally emerged on the hip-hop scene as one of Aesop Rock's main collaborators, he has since established his own career as an instrumentalist, releasing albums on legendary label Ninja Tune and many others. While on tour in Columbus, promoting his new album Bubble Bath, Blockhead stopped by the Super Duty studio for a dope conversation about his production p...

Although we've had artist managers on the show before, we've never really went into depth about the pluses and minuses of having a manager. In this episode of the most infamous podcast on planet earth, we break down how managers help and hurt artists, so that anybody thinking about procuring one can know the best case and worst case scenarios ahead of time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

No matter how perfect we strive to be as humans, there will be times in our lives when we feel insecure about where we are in life. It is at these moments that we are visited by the green-eyed monster, jealousy. And even if we don't feel it towards others, we are on the receiving end of it. In this episode, we break down ways to deal with jealousy, both internally and externally. This is a deep ep...

One of the most fascinating and frustrating careers in hip-hop is the career of Queens rapper Nas. While his debut album Illmatic was considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, his fans have been routinely disappointed by his subsequent albums, and wondered why he wouldn't just go back to the style he employed on Illmatic. In this episode, we break down why Nas has never revisited...

In November, with several creative projects unfinished, we decided to create the 30 Days of Discipline Challenge, in hopes of locking in and getting more done. We also invited our listeners to participate in this challenge and call in with their results a the end of the year. In this week's episode, we share our results, and play the calls of our listeners who also participated in the challenge. H...

In this episode of the most infamous podcast on planet earth, Blueprint sits down for an interview with hip-hop artist and professional illustrator Adam "Illus" Wallenta. Adam has done artwork for a who's who of hip-hop artists like Public Enemy and Craig G, published award winning Children's books, as well as illustrating all three of Blueprint's books. We break down his journey to become a profe...

Being producers and MCs ourselves, we are always excited about hearing well-produced hip-hop albums. But as fans, we've had to admit that some of our favorite MCs have often released albums where the production didn't match their level of rhyming. In fact, some of the best rappers have frequently had some of the worst production. In this episode we break down our list of the Best rappers who've ha...

On our journey to create great art there will inevitably come points where we lose our momentum. It is at these moments when our level of anticipation takes a huge hit and we are no longer excited about our next step in the process. In this episode, we break down the three phases of the artistic journey and explain the points where you should be able to get your excitement back again. Let's go! Le...