All-Time Podcast

30 years ago today, September 24th 1991, is said to be the biggest day in music when it came to new music releases. Nirvana, A Tribe Called Quest, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers dropped albums that would not only mark their legacies, but would change and influence years of music to come. Join us this week as we discuss these albums and the very many great albums of 1991 turning 30 this year.

We almost missed an important anniversary this past summer, but because of a technicality, it's still relevant. This week we take the time to discuss the Strokes' debut album Is This It, and how it fuelled a rock revival that dominated the 2000s. We also discuss the HBO Max documentary Woodstock 99: Peace, Love and Rage; a cultural analysis on a music festival gone terribly wrong.

Drake's sixth studio album, Certified Lover Boy, released on September 3rd. After a week of tedious listening, we bring you our review of the Toronto rapper's latest effort. We also spend the latter portion of this chat revisiting Jay-Z's 20 year-old, magnum opus; the Blueprint, while discussing it's impact at the time, and it's still a masterpiece after all these years.

We needed a break is all. But we're back. Again. This week we ease back into it and chat about some big news we missed while away. Though some is old news, Donda certainly isn't. Be sure to stick around for our thoughts on Kanye's latest work. It's feels good to be back.

Last week, J. Cole dropped his sixth studio album the Off-Season. The album came under short notice following the release of a new track titled "Interlude". Being the first ever All-Time review episode, we invited a special friend Gi, the man in charge of making us look so sharp in our merch shots. Give him a follow @unframed.photographer and join us as we break down and evaluate the entirety of the Off-Season.

It's been a while but we're back to cover as much of what we missed. Join us as we cover as variety of topics from recent music releases, upcoming releases and the passing of DMX and Black Rob.

Five years ago Westside Gunn revived the underground hip hop sound by dropping one of the most important hip hop albums of the 2010s. Our dear friend Milenko sat in with us this week, to celebrate the anniversary of Flygod. Join us for a track-by-track breakdown and discussion on the sound and impact of this very important underground album.

This episode is for the music collectors out there. The people who do it the real way... or those who can't get their head around why we still do this. Listen and learn a thing or two. For a second time in All-Time history, we invited our friend Gap Boo who we met through music collecting. Hear us as we revisit our many years of buying music and discuss why we still do it.

...amongst other news in a rather slow year for music headlines. Bobby Shmurda is finally free and Toro y Moi's Underneath the Pine turns 10. Join us as we discuss these topics and more this week.

J Dilla passed away on February 10th of 2006. Only three days prior, he let the world hear an album he created from a hospital room; Donuts. It went on to immortalize him as one of the greatest and most influential beat makers in all of music. Although Donuts in particular has reached cult-status, the rest of Dilla's catalog remains to be discovered by many. Over the years collaborators and those influenced by Dilla like ?uestlove of the Roots and producer Madlib, advocate and promote his music with hopes that it continues reach new heights. To celebrate the 15 year anniversary of this historic week in music, hear us discuss everything from Dilla's beginnings with Slum Village, his production for artists like A Tribe Called Quest and Common, and the many solo and collaborative projects of his that even continue to be released posthumously. This is our tribute episode to J Dilla.

We're testing long distance recording in order to continue putting out episodes throughout this pandemic. There's no agenda or theme to this episode, nor is there anything new to discuss in the music world. Just enjoy our chat as we catch up, and please, excuse the audio quality on this one.

WITH JUST HOURS TO GO IN THE YEAR THAT WAS 2020, THE WORLD WAS INFORMED THAT DANIEL DUMILE, THE MAN BEHIND THE MOST ICONIC MASK IN MUSIC, HAD PRIVATELY PASSED AWAY ON OCTOBER 31ST 2020. HIS LEGACY WILL FOREVER LIVE ON THROUGH HIS MANY SUPERVILLAIN MONIKERS AND CONTINUE TO INSPIRE AND CHALLENGE THE WAY MUSIC IS CREATED AND RELEASED INTO THE WORLD. THIS IS OUR TRIBUTE EPISODE TO MF DOOM, METAL FINGERS, VIKTOR VAUGHN, KING GEEDORAH, ZEV LOVE X, DANIEL DUMILE.

To wrap the year up we extend our year in review with a less formal episode. Hear us review late year releases by The Avalanches and Kid Cudi, and recap our year making All-Time episodes. We also offer a sneak peek on what's to come for the All-Time Podcast in 2021. We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday period, and a happy new year!

The one thing 2020 got right was the music. Join us as we talk about the albums that surprised us the most, some underrated gems you may have missed, and each of our top 10 albums of 2020. Be sure to check out all the All-Time Podcast's Best Hip Hop Of 2020 and the All-Time Podcast's Best Of Everything Else 2020 Playlists available on Spotify.

Although some time is spent discussing year-end lists put out by some of the biggest music press, we dedicate most of this week's episode to one of the greatest. Hear us chat about Jay-Z's catalog and what we consider to be his best work. Be sure to start submitting your personal year-end lists to us, next week's episode is our year-end review covering all the best new music in 2020.

Most of our time this week is spent discussing the Grammys' continuous struggle to recognize and reward the year's best music. It should come as no surprise that this year's nominee list is inconsistent and omits many artists deserving of recognition for their latest work. We break down the good, the bad and the snubs from the 2021 Grammy nominees list. In addition to that, hear us take questions from listeners and discuss some recent releases as usual.

10 years ago Kanye West dropped his magnum opus; My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It was met with critical praise and was instantly deemed a classic. It changed the way mainstream music lovers listened to music, but more importantly, it changed the way chart topping artists released records. The album continues to hold its own against the work that it inspired throughout the 2010s. It has undeniably aged graciously and earned its status as one of the greatest albums ever made. Here is our tribute to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

Like most things music, we don't need a sequel either. This week we discuss when it's appropriate and what works best when artists offer sequels to their best received work. We also get into how reviews can play a part in swaying the success of an album and what we look for in reviews from music press.

Here at the All-Time Podcast, we are firm believers that OutKast are both the greatest and most influential hip hop group of all-time. We've been quite vocal about that, having included them more than any other artist on our Greatest Hip Hop Albums of All-Time list in 2019. Given their masterpiece Stankonia turns 20 this week, we celebrate their entire catalog with another dissected episode. Join us as we discuss, evaluate and rank all their studio albums, and share our experience seeing them live on the OutKast 20 tour in 2014.

Radiohead's Kid A turns 20 today. It's an album that needs no introduction and its influence on all music that followed is well documented. To celebrate, we spend the entire episode revisiting and discussing the Radiohead catalog in full. Hear us share which of their albums mean most to us. We also come with bad news. An increase in COVID-19 cases in the Montreal region forces us to put a pause on new All-Time episodes for a short period of time. We will be back in late October to pick up where we left off. In the meantime, stay safe and do your part in these difficult times.

Who are the top 10 greatest MCs of all-time? This is the ongoing debate among hip hop heads. Truth is, everyone's got their 10. It's how it should be. On this episode we go back and forth, revealing who each of our top 10 favourite MCs are, and what their music means to us. Before that, we give you our thoughts on new music by Conway the Machine and Fleet Foxes.

We go way back with the Fuel Up boys. It was only a matter of time before we merged their expertise in the automotive industry with our musical knowledge, and got creative with a collaborative episode. Join us this week as we chat with Gio and Mass about the relation between automotive trends and hip hop culture, music to drive to, and how we grew obsessive over what we love. Be sure to check out their YouTube page for all video content, including this very episode (!!!), and follow them on Instagram @thefueluppodcast.

What comes to mind when you hear the term "double album"? Classic? Concept? Tedious? Releasing a double album to acclaim truly requires that the artist prioritizes quality over quantity. Not all artists have proven capable of this. History shows that the earliest double albums were a product of time restraints on a given medium. As new technologies prevailed, the double album is now regarded as a bold artistic statement, and no longer an obligation. We've often voiced our distaste for lengthy albums, let alone double albums. Listen to us go through the history of double albums and discuss which we find to be iconic, and which we feel needed a serious trimming.

This is our most personal episode to date. This is how the All-Time Podcast came to be. We felt it was important tell you more about our musical backgrounds, so we brought it back to day one. There is no subject. There is no theme. This is how our unlikely friendship came to be, and how we turned an obsession into a mandatory weekly chat we share with you.

In a conversation regarding one's top 5 MC's, it's common to include Nas. Given the recent release of his 13th studio album, King's Disease, we felt it was important to revisit the artist's catalog, chronologically, and reevaluate it. After an underwhelming mention of him while discussing Illmatic in our podcast's debut episode, we spend this entire episode elaborating on what makes and breaks Nas' reputation as a top-tier MC. The albums taken into consideration are his 13 studio albums, 2 Lost Tapes compilations, and his collaborative album with Damian Marley.

The All-Time Podcast is back with a new format. No more seasons! Just free-flowing, as up-to-the-minute as possible conversations on current music headlines and topics. This week's episode has us playing catch-up and discussing some of the best music of 2020. We then take some time to weigh in on the 50 vs T.I. discussion, and how many classics the two rappers actually have. Thanks to the many classic album submissions on your part, we also got the chance to go back and forth on many albums that we love, and others that we don't, and whether or not they are actually classics. Last but not least, we give you a quick and long-overdue review of Run The Jewels 4. We had hoped to do so much sooner. Enjoy!

The year 2020 has been unpredictable in the worst of ways thus far. We decided to take it upon ourselves to pour out whatever positivity we can though a more free-flowing season 3. This week we cover the recent coronavirus pandemic and its immediate impact on the music industry. We'll also bring you up to speed on some releases you may have missed between January and March 2020. New to our format, we ask you to send in any questions, topics, or themes you'd like to hear us talk about in upcoming episodes through our Instagram; @alltimepod.

This week we recap 2019 concluding our decade review, and therefor, season two. With a little less to discuss in what was a less busy year for music, we dedicate a large part of the episode to share each of our top 10 albums of 2019, and discuss some releases that we thought fell flat. Be sure to submit your lists for the first ever All-Time Podcast Listener's Poll by December 31st!

The year 2018 was a big year for changes in popular music. Arguably the biggest female rapper of all-time has caught everyone's attention. Latin artists are taking over the pop charts and collaborating heavily with the most successful pop artists of the decade. The hip hop album is also changing as some of the biggest names in the genre are releasing much shorter bodies of work, to critical acclaim. The biggest beef in the genre also reaches its boiling point. Be sure to stick around for our ten recommendations that expand beyond these major topics as we approach the end of the decade.

2017 was yet another great year for music. New trends are being exploited in mainstream hip hop and pretty much dictates the sound of young artists coming up. While others get creative by avoiding the trends, a legend also finds new sounds to release his most mature effort yet. Be sure to tune in for all that and our ten recommendations that highlight the year 2017 in music.

Where to begin with 2016? How about with the Heroes we lost? Many left us with a final piece of work and some even got together with their groups for a final run. Join us this week as we talk about a variety of releases and, well, more Kanye, as we recap what was arguably the best year in music this decade. Be sure to tune in till the end to hear our recommendations of albums you may have missed from the year 2016.

The year 2015 was arguably the peak year for hip hop this decade. Having discussed To Pimp A Butterfly and its impact in our 2010s episode of season 1, we shift the attention to two other rappers who dropped some of their best work, including a collaborative album with each other, and even a shared tour. Meanwhile in alternative music, Australia is having a moment as two of Sydney's biggest artists release classic albums. As usual, stay tuned for our 10 recommendations that made 2015 a key year in music this decade.

Though 2014 wasn't necessarily innovative in sound, influential rock artists reached new heights in the ways they'd release new material. On the hip hop side, an up and coming rapper delivers a much anticipated breakout project, kicking off his stellar career. A group of legends however, deliver their weakest, most disappointing effort to date. As usual, stick around for 10 album recommendations that we had on heavy rotation while closing out the half-decade.

Major comebacks, smash hit singles, massive summer tours and surprise albums took over music headlines in 2013. While other genres of music continue to follow their trends from previous years, we sum up the year 2013 using one word; pop. Tune in this week to hear us discuss it all and stick around, like usual, for 10 great albums we suggest you revisit from the year 2013.

Before the earth folded in on itself in December, there was an entire year of great music. To sum up 2012, hip hop collectives were on the rise, indie rock enters the world of fuzz and distortion creating a post-punk revival, and by the end of it all two albums are unanimously crowned album of the year by all significant music press. Join us this week as we cover these topics and more. Stick around for our 10 recommendations from the year 2012 as well.

The year is 2011. Young up and coming artists are catching most of the attention on the hip hop and r&b side of music, an alt-rock favourite releases yet another album under very short notice, and two hip hop icons get together for arguably the biggest collaboration in all of music this decade. Be sure to hang around for our 10 recommendations that sound just as great, if not better, than they did in 2011.

This week we visit the year 2010. Tune in to hear us discuss the power of indie culture entering the new decade, the state of hip hop prior to its new commercial breakout, and a prized local band that exploded into the mainstream. Stick around till the very end to hear about 10 albums from the year 2010, that we believe stood the test of time.

Surprise! Surprise! Your favourite Stevens are back in business! Listen in to find out what we've been up to and what comes next for the All-Time Podcast. Season 2 might be coming sooner than you think...

SURPRISE EPISODE! We thought we'd expand on the fun with an uncut bonus episode. Listen this week as we briefly recap our list of 100 Best Hip Hop Albums Of All-Time with quick stats, honorable mentions and our personal Top 10s. Be sure to stick around till the end to hear about some upcoming plans for the All-Time Podcast.

Our goal is to throw out the cliches in hip hop culture. That being said, so many great albums didn't make it onto our list in order to highlight the importance of these albums from this very decade. Sure, they haven't had the opportunity to age like the rest and it is always possible they don't stand the test of time. Possible, but unlikely. Join us this week for the season finale. Celebrate the albums from this very decade that have arguably already attained classic status, and complete our list of 100 Best Hip Hop Albums of All-Time.

The 2000s was arguably the most important decade for hip hop. The constant change in sounds found artists trying to reinvent the game at a rapid rate. The very impressive underground scene is finally being recognized as an alternative to the commercial club bangers that still serve as anthems to this very day! Join us this week as we revisit the 2000s with a very special guest and friend.

The 90s, otherwise known as the Golden Era of hip hop, sees the young genre of music make its first push towards the mainstream. For better or for worse, the media's got all its eyes on hip hop artists. Despite the often negative effects of the press, the talent of the 90s reigns supreme. This week we revisit the decade that truly put hip hop on the map by discussing 10 more of the greatest hip hop albums of all-time.

The sounds of the 80s may not have aged as finely as we'd have like them to. The limited production and simplified MCing shows it's age despite them being the origins of hip hop. One thing is for certain though. The ten albums discussed in this week's episode are exceptions to the previous statement. In fact they've aged better than many albums that left their mark in decades to come.

The timeless hip hop sounds and albums to emerge from the West Coast have left their mark as some of the most influential. Take a trip to L.A. and the Yay Area this week, as we revisit ten albums that stamped hip hop using funky synthesizers, serious gang talk and some new slang. Don't be surprised if a gem from this very decade makes its way onto the list.

Prior to being the benchmark for a new hip hop sound, a very proud André 3000 made one thing clear at the 95 BET Awards; “the south's got something to say”. The talent found in southern hip hop has been continuously growing and given it's resurgence in recent years, it is our pleasure to discuss and inform those unfamiliar with some of the greatest hip hop albums to come from the south. Be sure to tune in this week and hear us cover everything southern, including a very passionate discussion on the meaning of the word “trap”.

An extension to our second episode highlighting group albums, we now celebrate smaller ensembles. More specifically, duos. Whether a collaboration between two MCs or a producer and an MC, these albums are known to have left a mark on hip hop and are staples in influencing later sounds to come.

There should be no introduction needed here. Episode 3 is fully devoted to all things Wu-Tang. That alone explains how colossal this group and it's many members have been in hip hop culture. Be sure to tune in this week as we enter the Wu-Tang.

When done well the verbal exchange between multiple MCs over beats, often by a single beat-maker, showcases how diverse hip hop can be. In episode 2 we discuss some of the most influential group albums and how they've either had a global impact, or inspired us as individuals. Be sure to tune in and find out what the next 10 albums are as we continue to countdown the 100 Greatest Hip Hop Albums of All-TIme.

The only way to celebrate the debut All-Time Podcast episode is to talk debut albums. Chronologically we'll discuss ten debut albums that marked hip hop history and continue to be heavily celebrated within the culture. Be sure to listen in on how our list took shape and how each episode of Season 1 will be broken down.