The Rap Music Plug Podcast

In recent years, the Canadian hip-hop scene, particularly in Montreal, has been growing in size and quality. Backxwash, today’s guest, may be the scene’s most captivating act. Sporting an eclectic sound that pulls from metal, industrial noise, trap, horrorcore conscious hip-hop, and pop... Backxwash can, and really has done it all. Her latest record, Only Dust Remains, showcases the latest evoluti...

Nothing gets me more psyched than an artist maximizing their potential, fulfilling the promise of their talent. A notable thing about this dynamic is that, in the vast majority of times, these times when I get amped that an artist finally delivered the project they were capable of, typically comes years and years into an artist’s career. This is precisely what separates today’s guest, shemar, from...

Today’s guest Real Bad Man, is an artist who has caught my attention in recent years because he checks two important boxes for what I typically gravitate to in music. The first box is that I’m an album guy. And when it comes to the type of albums I prefer, I’m a cohesiveness whore. I love it when an album has a consistent musical identity, with thoughtful sequencing and transitions that make the e...

When you have a catalog as deep and renowned as billy woods, finding a way to top your past work can be a difficult thing. But as has been the case with woods for many years now… the man did it again. It’s not like woods has reinvented himself on this latest album. His wry wit, sharp storytelling, and great ear for production are still present on this record. But now these elements are funnelled t...

Today’s guest, Fly Anakin, is no stranger to delivering albums that leave a distinct imprint on the listener. As seen on past records like Frank that envelop you in dusty old soul records and introspection, and FlySiifu’s that welcomed you into this record shop concept with two homies who enjoy trading bars over some sick jazz rap instrumentals. But on his latest album, (The) Forever Dream, Fly An...

Few artists epitomize the word, ‘prolific’, quite like today’s guest, Blu. Hailing from Los Angeles, this West Coast legend has truly done it all, delivering countless records that span the sounds of soulful boom bap, lo-fi, avant-garde electronic hip-hop, and more. And in 2025, Blu is not letting up… expecting to drop another 3 albums this year. The first of which is titled, Forty, and is fully p...

The fiery no hold-barred spirit that today’s guests, Infinity Knives and Brian Ennals, showcase in each and every track of theirs, is something that you can expect to hear in this conversation. As fierce truth-tellers and creators of bold clashes of sound, we had a sprawling conversation that covered everything from bad faith criticism, their ambitious sound and unique group dynamic, the difficult...

Listening to the latest album of today’s guest, PremRock, is more than just a great experience. It feels like spending time with an old friend. That saying, coined by the great Dan-O of Freemusicempire , couldn't be more spot on a descriptor for PremRock’s latest opus, Did You Enjoy Your Time Here…? PremRock’s lyrics are immaculately written, treating the listener with melancholic existential refl...

Fat Ray is a true Detroit hip-hop OG, who embodies everything that makes this scene so special. The grit, distinct style, and appreciation of hip-hop is always on display when you put a Fat Ray track on. Having created music for multiple decades now, Fat Ray has been a mainstay in Detroit’s scene dropping certified heat, collaborating with the likes of Elzhi, Dilla, his fellow Bruiser Brigade bret...

Pink Siifu has been on a mission to create some of the most forward-thinking art in all of music. His eclectic ear had led him down some incredibly fruitful rabbit holes. And on his latest record, BLACK’!ANTIQUE, his latest masterstroke pushes his GUMBO'! genre-fluid ethos to new extremes. With another terrific album under his belt, Siifu’s legacy is on a special trajectory. In today’s episode, th...

Few artists embody the full spectrum of rap, quite like today’s guest on the show - Ghais Guevara. Through breakout records in Black Bolshevik and There Will Be No Super-Slave, Ghais has made a name for himself with fiercely political lyricism, and a bold left-field sound. On his latest album Goyard Ibn Said, Ghais expands his scope, incorporating sounds of trap music and drill, flexing his songwr...

2024 was a year of maintenance and solidifying the foundation. While the show didn’t 5x in year over year growth, as it did from 2022 to 2023, the arrow has still been pointing up with some big artists joining the show, increased viewership and positive feedback. In particular, the RMPP patron group has grown to the largest its ever been, which has honestly been the biggest one of my most proudest...

Earnestness is a hard thing to pull off in music. As much as listeners like to think we know the artists we listen to as actual people, we don’t. Most of the time, we’re simply left to whatever we hear in the music, to get a feel for if someone is being honest and authentic with how they think and feel. In the social media and AI age, it’s getting harder and harder to have trust in the media we co...

In the 11th edition of the Conversation Pieces series, which aims to shine a light on some inspired gems of creativity in hip-hop that I’ve encountered, we discuss what I'm calling 'pure creative inspiration'. This is the precise feeling I got when I recently first listened to Da Devil's Playground, and discovered the alchemy of Memphis rap. This discovery catalyzed an ensuing series of events tha...

As soon as you press play on Genuine Dexterity, the new album by k-the-i??? and Kenny Segal, released on Backwoodz Studioz, you immediately hear why this album was indeed called what it was called. k-the-i???’s raw technical skill was put on full display, as he delivered crazy rhyme schemes, intricate flows, and strong moments of personal reflection. On the production side of the coin, Kenny Segal...

On paper, the combination of Cavalier and Child Actor felt like a match made in heaven. Child Actor’s dynamic psychedelic production is a natural fit for Cavalier’s malleable rap delivery and cerebral lyrical approach. But for a collaboration to really work, and be something that is special, more than just the measurables have to align. There needs to be a like-minded musical philosophy and innate...

In the wake of the recent passing of Brownsville’s Ka, I’ve decided to go against my policy and publicly share what was previously a RMPP patron-only review that I recorded for the last album within his storied career, The Thief Next to Jesus. It only feels right to share this with the world, with the hope that Ka’s wonderful art becomes essential listening to any and all hip-hop lovers. Since he’...

One of the best things about starting this podcast has been the genuine connections I’ve been able to make with the artists that soundtrack so much of my life. A most recent example of this is can be found in my most recent trip to Chicago, where I had the pleasure of spending time with today’s guest, Frankie Jax No Mad. The warm and thoughtful personality that I witnessed in my time with Frankie...

On the heels of their first Euro trip, today’s guests, phiik and Lungs/LoneSword, have seen their brand of innovative one-of-one rap garner its most success yet. They have impressed new crops of listeners with each and every passing day, who are spellbound by their lyrical wizardry, sharp sense of humour, and unique production choices. On their latest album Carrot Season, the phiik & Lungs wor...

If I had to think of one word to describe today’s guest, E L U C I D, and his latest album, REVELATOR, it would be “fearless” in every sense of the word. Fearless in its sonic direction that infuses industrial noise, South Asian / Middle Eastern instrumentation and more, into this one-of-a-kind take on hip-hop. Fearless in its boundaryless, ultra-poetic vocal stylings. And also fearless in its sub...

When thinking about today’s guest, it reminds me of that famous Shakespearian saying, “what’s in a name?” Since for certain artists, their name can be completely meaningless, having no bearing on the kind of music they make, or has no insightful backstory for how the name came about. But for ØKSE, our guest in today’s episode, their name actually says a lot about their art, and what they stand for...

The worlds of electronic and ambient music have been guests within the world of hip-hop for a long time now. Artists like Travis Scott have successfully integrated these two previously separate guests into hip-hop to great effect. Though at its core, the music of a Travis was hip-hop first, with other ambient and electronic sounds added into the mix on top of that. But with the music from today’s...

Bruiser Brigade has been slowly but surely building a killer crew and catalogue of work - with us today are two of its rising stars. J.U.S is an entertaining and distinctly unique lyricist, producer, and engineer. Squadda B, formerly of Main Attrakionz fame, helped shape the dominating 2010s psychedelic cloud rap scene, and is still innovating and pushing his craft to new places as a solo rapper a...

As I get closer and closer to my 30s, mortality, the future outlook of society. and my fading youth are consistently ideas that are occupying my mind. So art that speaks to these topics in a thoughtful and insightful way have been especially appreciated as of late. But unlike other genres out there, rap is still quite young. Therefore, there isn’t necessarily a ton of artists out there who are eve...

The Plug (0:21). The Conversation (2:01). NxWorries’ Why Lawd came to me at the perfect time in my life. A time where I find myself in the best most healthy and rewarding relationship I’ve ever had with a remarkably beautiful and smart woman, who is sweeter than [insert sweet substance]. So the thought of it ever coming to an end feels mortifying. It’s for all these reasons that Why Lawd has had a...