The Rap Music Plug Podcast

Video animation by: Big Flowers Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING (Go to 0:49 to skip the intro) When I think of MIKE, the words that come to mind are sincerity and honesty. In absolutely every album MIKE has released, he poured his heart out. On "Disco!", MIKE certainly leans into his soulful nature once again, but without getting overly consumed by it. In the past, MIKE would really exude the de...

Video animation by: Big Flowers Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING (Go to 0:49 to skip the intro) On the surface, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST sounds like Tyler flexing about how great his life is, with specific moments that reference a failed love he had with some girl. But in reality, this album mirrors a famous poem by Charles Baudelaire in many ways, but takes it a step further and comes to a conclu...

Video animation by: Big Flowers Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING (Go to 0:49 to skip the intro) On TIME, Your Old Droog shows he can paint lyrical pictures very well. However, the picture paints here is sometimes kind of dull in my humble opinion. What Droog is talking about on TIME is a far cry from the much deeper exploration that occurred related to his relationship with his Jewish and Ukraini...

Video animation by: Big Flowers Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING (Go to 0:49 to skip the intro) New York's Finest, Skyzoo, has returned with his latest studio album, All the Brilliant Things, just as Ottawa's Finest, The Rap Music Plug, has returned to continue taking the podcast game by storm. It feels great to be back! The way the lyrical themes play out on this album, is ultimately why I appre...

Video animation by: Big Flowers Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING (Go to 0:49 to skip the intro) Sleep Sinatra's recent run has been nothing short of amazing, culminating with the fantastic DIVINENATION that he dropped earlier this year. To discuss Sleep's impact and what makes him standout in the crowd, I joined the Freemusicempire and Camo Bucket Hats (@CamoBucketHats on Twitter) for a fantastic...

Video animation by: Big Flowers Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING (Go to 0:49 to skip the intro) Another day, another Navy Blue record has dropped. As one of the most essential voices in all of hip-hop, I absolutely had to talk about it. Navy knows how to name an album. Song of Sage, his 2020 opus, felt like a grand mission statement that perfectly captured what makes Navy... Navy. Similarly, this...

Video animation by: Big Flowers Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING (Go to 0:49 to skip the intro) Mach-Hommy teamed up with Westside Gunn to create the long-awaited Pray for Haiti, Mach's Griselda return.  Curated by Westside Gunn, this album is luxurious and smoother in sound than any other Mach album to-date. I really do love how Mach sounds over these more airy melodically smooth productions, bu...

(Go to 0:49 to skip the intro) AKAI SOLO and Navy Blue joined forces to create the highly-anticipated True Sky, a record that is surely to scratch your lyrical itch. AKAI explores themes of knowledge of self, spirituality, liberation from oppressive structures, and liberation from the ways modern society controls people mentally... which serves as the lens that AKAI uses to make observations about...

Video animation by: Big Flowers Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING (Go to 0:49 to skip the intro) The wonderfully multi-talented Big Flowers (Michael) joined the show to wax poetic on a number of topics concerning the hip-hop and art scene that he contributes great work towards. We start by discussing the conception of Big Smile, and where Big Flowers' mind has been at throughout the pandemic (1:39...

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro) In light of the recent release of Mello Music Group's Bushido, in a special bonus episode, I joined the Freemusicempire's #stateofthegame series as a guest to discuss what makes a compilation successful. We explored this topic through conversations on Bushido, Ryde or Die Vol. 1, and Anticon Label Sampler: 1999-2004. Enjoy! Join the Freemusicempire here: https://free...

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro) To discuss the highly polarizing J. Cole, and his latest album The Off-Season, I was joined by Jay El, the creator of The Bytown Blog, to better understand the perspectives of a true Cole Miner. We dive into some potential misconceptions related to Cole fandom, how Cole reminds me of The Weeknd (?), and of course... discuss our thoughts on this latest album from Jerm...

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro) Cities Aviv is an artist that I was introduced to through my exploration into Memphis rapper Lukah's music this year, who's amazing recent record I reviewed, and who I interviewed last month. And just like Lukah, Cities is one of the best musical discoveries I've had in a long time. From Memphis as well, Cities has been making cutting-edge hip-hop music for the past...

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro) Wiki is a New York rapper, once part of the experimental hip-hop group Ratking, who is certainly a unique voice in the game. Teaming up with experimental producer NAH seemed like a natural fit for the left-field MC. NAH's production here is very skeletal, but by no means dry. It draws from a distinctly 80s 90s sound pallet, infusing these instrumentals with pop, elec...

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro) The enigmatic Kincee BabyFace Pearlis joins the show for a conversation that I hope demystifies the incredibly talented Jennings, Louisiana MC... as he gives us rare insight into his unique lyricism, artistic approach, and business model. I have been ADDICTED to Kincee's music for the last few months, so I hope you all enjoy this conversation and tap in to this man's...

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro) My first main takeaway from La Maquina is that, as Griselda transitions further into the commercial space, Conway is better suited to thrive in this space than Benny the Butcher. The reason is that Conway’s larger-than-life boss king persona fits well with the luxurious more clean sound. It's the reason why people respond differently to a Conway rapping over a beat l...

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro) With all of Hus' music, his poetic outside-the-box lyrical approach consistently impresses and sets him apart. It doesn't matter what he's rapping about, whether it be some street content, braggadocio, or some romance talk like on this EP. No matter what, Hus always find a way to communicate in an interesting way, through clever turns of phrase, and strong wordplay....

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro) Episode 49 welcomes Lukah, Memphis MC, producer, and current rising star in the game. Lukah is responsible for When the Black Hand Touches You, one of the best albums to come out in 2021 so far. Getting hip to Lukah's music has been one of the best things to happen to me in 2021, as Lukah is wise beyond his years, giving us lots of food for thought and lyrical abilit...

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro) Psychological Cheat Sheet 2 feels like controlled chaos. August Fanon created a soundscape that was maybe less diverse in terms of the variety of sounds, in comparison to Cheat Sheet 1. But I think that's for the best because the sound here is incredibly focused and consistent, yet still so remarkably textured and engaging the whole time. August honed in on the hazy...

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro) A CONSTANT CONDENSATION goes inward into amani's mind, and features some gorgeously intimate raps that feel like you’re reading his journal on wax. Production handled by amani himself, is very soulful and adds to the intimacy of the record. It features this consistent analog feel that makes the record sound very warm. After being introduced to amani on An Unknown Inf...

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro)  Famed underground hip-hop duo Armand Hammer, comprised of billy woods and ELUCID, teamed up with hip-hop producer heavyweight, The Alchemist, for the highly anticipated Haram collaborative album. On Haram, Alc blended all of the Alchemist eras of sound into one. There are pieces of his more traditional hardcore hip-hop sound from the 90s/2000s, as well as hints of h...

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro)  Westside Gunn and Mach-Hommy, two underground hip-hop heavyweights that have attained widespread acclaim in recent years, have officially ended their feud and dropped "Easter Gunday 4. Easter Gunday 4 being the 4th instalment of the Easter Gunday series of tracks West has put out. In Ep. 45, we discuss the reasoning behind how their feud manifested, what this newly...

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro)  In Episode 44, we are joined by a special guest, the hilarious and clever 2 Dolla Will who is a member of The Blicky Boyz, and is legitimately one of the funniest artists I have ever heard. With a prolific work ethic boasting many projects under his belt... most notably Red Snow 5, an album that was released on March 26th, 2021... co-starring the Blicky Boyz and Ice...

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro)  The Plugs I Met 2 is the sequel to 2019's highly acclaimed Plugs I Met, which to me was where Benny the Butcher went from already dope as hell lyricist to ELITE-level lyricist. Up until Burden of Proof, this was my favourite Benny project. The magic of Plugs was in the all killer, no filler approach. At just 25 minutes, it was gritty rapping with tough as nails prod...

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro)  You know that feeling when you just KNOW you’re witnessing the start of something great? That’s how I felt with Lukah when I heard When the Black Hand Touches You. Memphis MC Lukah has the lyrical sophistication of a seasoned veteran, and the perspective of a middle-aged man with a lot of life experience, stemming from the tough life lessons he learnt from the stree...

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro)  *DISCLAIMER: Apologies to Morph and ewonee for saying Thumbing Thru THE Foliage throughout this review. My bad! LA-based YUNGMORPHEUS teamed up with talented producer ewonee, to drop Thumbing Thru Foliage, a project I was anticipating since I wanted to see if Morph displayed the artistic growth I was hoping for, since his very recent album in States of Precarity. As...