DISGRACELAND

Corey Woods, aka Raekwon, was addicted to the styles, sounds, and crimes of hip-hop street culture in the 1980s. He sold weed, coke, and later crack to fund his expensive taste in clothes and parties. But that life wasn’t all glamor. He was shot four times and nearly killed when he was caught in the crossfire. And times were changing. The NYPD launched a street-level anti-drug task force to target...

Bobby Diggs (aka the RZA) grew up on a steady diet of kung fu movies and hip-hop music. As a kid he hung around junkies and prostitutes in Times Square. As a teenager he hustled dime bags of weed to day traders on Wall Street. But on Christmas Eve 1991, in Ohio, he was caught up in a shooting that landed him in a fight for his life. To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at  www....

Jake dives in to the Wu-Tang Clan as DISGRACELAND embarks on a new season all on the group. Are they the best super group of all time? If not, who is? Plus, Bumblefest, Low Cut Connie, and your correspondence. Get in touch at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com , or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: ht...

Wu-Tang Clan made history with some of the most compelling hip-hop music of all time. They also made enemies with the NYPD, the ATF, and the FBI – the latter of which classified them as a "major criminal organization." The story of Wu-Tang's rise from the streets of New York to the world's stage is full of hustle, paranoia, bad drug deals, police shootouts, federal informants...and it's also the s...

This week's re-release of the second part of the Notorious BIG episode comes along with somenew developments in Tupac's murder case - and maybe related to BIG's murder. Who do you think killed BIG? What about Tupac? Jake also talks Prince's acting career, nü metal, new metal, and non-biopic music movies. Drop Jake a line about these topics at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com , or on socials...

In this installment of the After Party, we kick off our 50th anniversary of hip-hop by revisiting the two-part episode on The Notorious BIG. Jake asks about the biggest musical beefs of all time, he wants to know what job you're NOT doing while listening, and about your tattoo regrets. Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com , or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the Afte...

It's Velvet Underground week in Disgraceland, and Jake is wondering if they are the most influential rock band? Plus voicemails, texts, Keith Jarrett, FIDLAR, and the question: what are your favorite end-of-the-workday songs? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com , or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. To learn more about listener data and our privacy pr...

The Velvet Underground put a spike in the status quo. They sang candidly about heroin, speed, and S&M. Their members included drug dealers and junkies. Their stage show was so perverted that it offended even the most liberal of peacenik hippies. Their benefactor and so-called manager, Andy Warhol, was nearly killed in an assassination attempt that shocked the country. But their songwriter, Lou...

In Sonny Rollins week, Jake ponders the powers of talent and craft, and what makes musicians great. Plus, your voicemails, texts, and DMs. Who is the GOAT musician? What are the best duets? What's your desert island Dead album? And is talent or craft more important? Jake wants to know at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com , or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. To lea...

Sonny Rollins did time at Rikers Island twice: first for armed robbery and again for using dope. He was a fiend and a pickpocket. He nearly got himself killed when he ran to Miles Davis’ defense after a bloody scuffle with a cop outside Birdland. At the same time, Sonny Rollins was universally acknowledged as the greatest living tenor saxophone player. But he wanted to get better. He knew he could...

Jake connects his a-ha moment with country to the greats, specifically this week's DISGRACELAND subject Merle Haggard. Jake takes voicemails, texts, and DMs, and offers his best post-punk bands list. What are your top five music movies of all time? Introduce yourselves! Hit Jake up at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com , or on socials @disgracelandpod, and come join the After Party. To learn...

Merle Haggard was what authorities liked to call a “repeat offender.” He was arrested for riding trains, for skipping school, for stealing cars, for robbing gas stations, and for attempting to knock over a restaurant – during the Christmas Eve rush. He was committed to juvenile halls, correctional facilities, and reform schools 17 times, and 17 times he escaped. When he was...

On this week's After Party, Jake is talking the classic film Almost Famous, John Lee Hooker's baseball song Grinder Man, and taking your voicemails and texts. Who are the greatest English groups of the post-punk era? Does New Order make the cut? Jake wants to get to know you. Plus, what is "it" about your favorite artists? was 1994 the best year for music? Is Almost Famous the best movie about mus...

New Order proved that a rock band could make dance music and actually become cooler in the process. The musical hybrid they created helped define the sound of the 1980s. It also defined the growing subculture in their hometown of Manchester, England, specifically at the Haçienda, the nightclub they owned. But beyond a fine time, the club scene brought gang violence, a notorious crime family, cocai...

After a week's break from the After Party, Jake catches up on voicemail, wraps up our musical mashup conversation, and explores Billboard's top rap groups kerfuffle. We get into season two of The Bear, Fourth of July songs, and Jake offers some insight into his own history. What is your favorite hip hop group? Can you recommend some weird, obscure 90s hip hop? Leave a message for Jake at 617-906-6...

On May 22, 2017, a terrorist detonated a bomb outside Ariana Grande’s performance at Manchester Arena. The blast killed 22 people. It injured over a thousand more. The attack remains one of the most heartbreaking events in music history. Parents were terrified. Younger fans suddenly feared going to concerts. But Manchester’s story doesn’t end on May 22, or in the days that follow...

On this week's After Party, Jake is digging into why he loves and hates Aerosmith with a dive into a personal story from his way back machine. We ask the question: is it worth it to meet your heroes? More Hüsker Dü, more Fidlar, and more of your voicemails, texts, and DMs. Leave a message for Jake at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod and come join the After Party. See omnystudi...

At their peak, Aerosmith was sex, drugs, and rock and roll in the flesh, wrapped up in spangly scarves and jumpsuits. They crossed target practice with black tar heroin. Trained roadies how to feed them cocaine onstage. Frontman Steven Tyler claims he spent $6,000,000 on coke alone. Their chemical highs launched them to career highs that were equally staggering, until addictions and attitudes spli...

On this week's After Party, Jake is ready to dive into this week's Disgraceland episode on Lil' Kim, and to talk about how her career thrived after she was released from prison. A Disgo shares a literal heartbreaker of a story about the 2004 Red Sox, Jake talks Hüsker Dü and FIDLAR, and so much more. Jake also wants to know which musician had the best post-prison career - Lil' Kim, Merle Haggard,...

Lil’ Kim is the queen of hard core. She practically invented hard core sex positivity with her raunchy raps and head-turning getups. She survived a hard core beef that ended in a spur-of-the-moment shootout. Then she became the first female rapper to serve hard core time in prison…and release a full-length album from her cell. As Lil’ Kim blazed through the 1990s and early 2000s...

This week on the After Party, Jake is sharing an interview he did with Foo Fighters' guitarist Chris Shiflett at this year's Boston Calling Music Festival. They're talking about how inaccurate guitar tutorial videos inspired Chris's new podcast, "Shred With Shifty", about Chris's beginnings in the Santa Barbara punk scene, and so much more. Leave your own message for Jake at 617-906-6638 or on soc...

Jimi Hendrix spent much of his life pursuing a great escape. Escape from his abusive childhood home. Escape from his court-ordered time in the Army. Even an escape from his own band, the Experience, who he felt limited his groundbreaking sound. But when two wannabe mobsters lured Jimi into a hostage situation with the promise of heroin, Jimi came face to face with the most extreme – and rarely dis...

This week in the After Party, Jake is ready to dive into the latest Disgraceland episode on Jeff Buckley, and to talk about his crazy influences, like Nina Simone, Edith Piaf, and more. We're also talking your Paul Simon album recommendations, why working out to disco is so great, and much more. If you wanna let Jake know what your favorite disco song is, or why you  don't  like disco, send a text...

Jake has been basking in the New England sunshine and listening to some John Coltrane. But first, we're talking about how moved 15-year old Jake was when he heard Eazy-E for the first time and going through your top three Disgraceland episodes. What artists moved you when were 15 years old? Let Jake know via text or voicemail at 617-906-6638 or on socials @disgracelandpod and come join the After P...

Long before he created a paradigm-shifting hip-hop supergroup, Eazy-E lucked into life as a Compton drug dealer when he discovered a dead man’s hidden stash of money and cocaine. He used the lessons of hustling on the streets when he went legit and became a media mogul. He also became a target. He was extorted. His life was threatened. And it was later discovered that he was on the kill list of a...