808s & Podbreaks

Resident clipping. connoisseur Vaughn provides an in-depth introduction to the experimental horrorcore trio from Los Angeles. Join us for a brief survey of horror in hip hop and stick around for a complete dissection of the group's magnificent discography. Sometimes you can get your rap, horror, cinematic scores, slam poetry, noise music, and social and political discourse all in one place. That's the kind of special group clipping. are, singular, yet always paying homage both to the cinema and the music of the past.

Our dear friend Cormac joins Kevin for a one-on-one interview about the anointed future of hip hop. Everyone is listening. We explore the deeply felt interiority of the work, her emergence as an artist of upmost importance, and what makes her the most curious artist of the moment. Find out why Kendrick Lamar said she might be "one of the illest doing it right now."

Complex hip-hop figures Kendrick Lamar & Future release thorny new albums full of strife and audience-challenging dynamics. After a five year break, we take our time with the complexities of Pulitzer Prize Winner Lamar's Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. Meanwhile, Future remains a problematic sales juggernaut with I Never Liked You. You know what's not problematic? Cypress Hill just smoking a lot of weed and inviting you to watch them doing that. That's what the new Cypress Hill documentary Insane in the Brain proposes, now showing on Showtime. We review all three works and give our takes. If we're wrong, we're not your saviors.

It's feasting season! Many of the year's biggest Hip Hop releases are landing within a few weeks of one another. First on the docket are two fantastic new releases from rappers who are at the height of their powers. Vince Staples' Ramona Park Broke My Heart is a pure vibe album soaking in sunny Long Beach beats, yet with the kind of interiority Staples is making his name on, in this greatly satisfying sort-of-sequel to his self-titled titular album from last year. Meanwhile, Pusha T does what Pusha T does best: creates brilliant rap songs about cocaine! And nothing else! With terrific production and features, It's Almost Dry is a finely crafted follow-up to 2018's Daytona. 2018? Seriously? Now imagine Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. (2017) is ringing in its fifth year of release. Damn is right. Ahead of Lamar's hotly anticipated new album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, we evaluate one of the masterpieces of our time.

It's a mega 808s special about that good old country twang and that new age dance club mix that's invading the charts. New Country also isn't especially new, but remains a star making vehicle that across generations creates images as broadly marketable as Elvis and as spectacularly individualistic and talent driven as the great Angel Olsen. We rant about Baz Luhrmann's divisive new film, celebrate our half-year favorite of Angel Olsen's Big Time, and explore the curiously interlinked dance soundscapes of new Drake and Beyonce records (one of them is even pretty good).

Kevin & Jack discuss the life and times of Hip Hop's producing wunderkind J Dilla, explaining how he emerged and created a whole new sound that radically changed the game. With Jack's background in producing, he brings knowledge and perspective to a figure worthy of significant study.