Get Off My Lawn

Part 2 of the Get Off My Lawn look at Shock G’s legacy and the Digital Underground’s first homage to the funk — Sex Packets!

HipHop has suffered quite a few losses in the past year with the deaths of MF Doom, Black Rob, DMX, and, most recently, Gregory Jacobs, aka Shock G, aka MC Blowfish, aka Pianoman, aka Rackadelic, aka Humpty Hump. In part 1 of this two-part episode J (@HipHopTaliban), Black Cloud (@AndreCole), and the Professor (@abjrphd) look at the legacy of Shock G and Digital Underground through the lens of the group’s classic first album, Sex Packets, examining the way Shock G used his reverence for Parliament-Funkadelic to craft a classic PFunk homage. Along the way, the fellas reach back and listen to some of the original funk and rock joints that set HipHop’s foundation! And the Professor gives a preview of his forthcoming book, For the Culture: HipHop and the Fight for Social Justice.

In this episode J (@HipHopTaliban), Black Cloud (@AndreCole), and the Professor (@abjrphd) get into a lively discussion on the recent Verzuz battle between Snoop and DMX and whether the matchups are fair contests. From there the temperature gets turned up as the fellas discuss the hypothetical dream Verzuz matchup between Prince and Michael Jackson. Also on deck is Talib Kweli getting banished from Twitter for harassing Black women and Black Thought continuing to make his case for the top spot on the all-time MC greats list.

In this episode J (@HipHopTaliban), Black Cloud (@AndreCole), and the Professor (@abjrphd) get into a lively discussion on the recent Verzuz battle between Snoop and DMX and whether the matchups are fair contests. From there the temperature gets turned up as the fellas discuss the hypothetical dream Verzuz matchup between Prince and Michael Jackson. Also on deck is Talib Kweli getting banished from Twitter for harassing Black women and Black Thought continuing to make his case for the top spot on the all-time MC greats list.

We would have let this early 2000’s battle between Eminem and Everlast slide off into the rap archives until Whitey Ford offered up some revisionist history in a recent interview with Kweli, forcing us to dig into what was a minor skirmish until Marshall went full scorched earth and created a HipHop classic.

In the second part of this episode The HipHop Taliban (@HipHopTaliban), Black Cloud (@AndreCole) and The Professor (@abjrphd) discuss the one album they would give to a non-HipHop Head that best represents the music and the culture — De la Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising, The Roots - Things Fall Apart, Rawkus Records - Soundbombing 2, and whether or not you can be the greatest MC having never had a high-profile battle or a dis record.

In part one of this episode The HipHop Taliban (@HipHopTaliban), Black Cloud (@AndreCole) and The Professor (@abjrphd) discuss the one album they would give to a non-HipHop Head that best represents the music and the culture. But on the way to that discussion they discuss the ups and downs of the recent Instagram producer battles featuring RZA, DJ Premier, Babyface, and Teddy Riley (aka OGs vs. The Internet), the Chicago Bulls documentary, and whether or not you can be the greatest MC having never had a high-profile battle or a dis record.

In Part 2 of the Get of My Lawn Podcast Quarantine Edition J (@HipHopTaliban), Black Cloud (@AndreCole), and The Professor (@abjrphd) dive into the recent Public Enemy controversy involving the firing of Flavor Flav and the Jay Electronica album that had been more than a decade in the making. And we inch closer to the beginning of the Battalog!

After a 22-month hiatus, it only took a global pandemic and forced quarantine to get The HipHop Taliban (@HipHopTaliban), Black Cloud (@AndreCole) and The Professor (@abjrphd) back in the studio and shaking’ fists at COVID-19, the Jay Electronica album, RZA vs Premier, D-Nice, Public Enemy, and getting into a beef over Beef! But the convo was too big for one episode, so be sure to catch part 2!

A lot of HipHop happenings have occurred since the end of the last podcast. East Coast Dre (@AndreCole) and The Professor (@abjrphd) are in the house with J (@HipHopTaliban)for part two of what ended up being a nearly 3-hour episode covering topics including Nasir, Black Thought, Childish Gambino, domestic abuse, Kanye, Pusha T vs. Drake, Bill Cosby, Big Pun, and determining just how many luxury accommodations are required to get an old HipHop head out to a show!

A lot of HipHop happenings have occurred since the end of the last podcast. East Coast Dre (@AndreCole) and The Professor (@abjrphd) are in the house for part one of what ended up being a nearly 3-hour episode covering topics including Nasir, Black Thought, Childish Gambino, domestic abuse, Kanye, Pusha T vs. Drake, Bill Cosby, Big Pun, and determining just how many luxury accommodations are required to get an old HipHop head out to a show!

It's been a long time coming but not only have East Coast Dre (@AndreCole) and The Professor (@abjrphd) returned to the podcast, but we FINALLY come up with the rules for the long-anticipated battle of HipHop catalogs ... aka the Battalog! But along the way to the rules we hit topics from superheroes, graffiti writers, and Movie Pass to face tattoos, The Chi, and the TR-808. We also get into a debate over whether Large Professor is a victim or a villain in the Main Source classic Looking at the Front Door.

The Get Off My Lawn podcast's most controversial segment, Busted His Nut is back! This time we look at Snoop Doggy Dogg and identify the exact moment when he exhausted his lyrical reservoir. Plus, in the wake of Best Buy's decision to kill off CDs, J reminisces on the dawn of the dawn of free music. And we discuss 50 Cent's brutal Rick Ross deathbed diss.• 04:07 — 50 Cent• 10:41 — RIP CDs• 30:15 — Busted His Nut: Snoop

It's been too long, but the Get Off My Lawn podcast is back, and J (aka @HipHopTaliban) is reflecting on the two greatest HipHop things he's ever heard, the most gangsta cinematic outro of all-time, paying some overdue respect, and catching up on five months worth of fist shaking!

In this episode, the Black Cloud (@AndreCole) gets the last laugh as J (@HipHopTaliban) takes his Jay-Z L like a man as Professor Belk (@abjrphd) joins in to break down Sean Carter's brilliant piece of HipHop art, 4:44, track by track.  Also: 360 record deals, the lost art of sampling, the end of ATCQ?

When comedian Bill Maher brought in a Black panel to slap his wrists over a joke in which he called himself a “house ni--a,” HipHop heads took note as lifelong ni--a (the word) advocate, ni--a (the word) promoter, and serial ni--a (the word) abuser Ice Cube decided to be HipHop’s ambassador in the spectacle, despite the fact that it is a word he has singlehandedly done more to promote and popularize among white people than anybody. In this episode, JC (@HipHopTaliban), East Coast Dre (@AndreCole), and the Professor (@abjrphd) tackle the controversy, the history, the pain, the hypocrisy, and the complexities of the most the most explosive word in the English language and HipHop’s most common … and we do jump all over white privilege. So sorry cool non-Black people, no “ni--a passes” will be issued!

What was initially intended to be just a quick, fairly typical mix in honor of Malik Taylor, aka Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest evolved into "I am Phife: His Words + His Rhymes," a 2-hour tribute to the 5-foot Assassin that includes all of (and only) Phife's verses from the 3 classic ATCQ albums, along with interview clips and the genre-spanning music used to create the Quest soundscape HipHop heads fell in love with more than 25 years ago! — Provided exclusively to the Get Off My Lawn Podcast from DJ Boolix (@DJBoolix)

As the college basketball world gears up for the Final four, the Get Off My Lawn Podcast is preparing for its own March madness with the first ever Battalog — The Battle of HipHop Catalogs! In this episode J (@HipHopTaliban) and Professor Belk (@abjrphd) engage in a little HipHop bracketology as they set the seeds for the first Battalog! We also pay respect to Big Poppa, discuss the perils of sampling, sample some Hamburger Helper heat, and find out what happens when the professor catches you on the phone. 00:03:33 — Remembering B.I.G. and record industry shadiness; 00:17:45 — Hamburger Helper heat; 00:37:33 — Battalog Bracketology

In this episode J (@HipHopTaliban) and Andre “East Coast Dre” Cole (@Andre Cole) discuss their differing opinions on the 2016 releases from A Tribe Called Quest, Common, and De la Soul; Yasiin Bey’s middle finger to the City of Angels; the discography battle royale; and some fu-k him thoughts going out to America’s new president. Check the Al Dunbar page at Tha Liberator.com for throwback audio to a classic Mos Def show.

In part two of this special episode J (@HipHopTaliban) takes a look at HipHop's greatest album, Ice Cube's Death Certificate, on the classic's 25th anniversary. The episode is an audio companion to J's multimedia article at GreatestHipHopAlbum.com.

In part one of this special episode J (@HipHopTaliban) takes a look at HipHop's greatest album, Ice Cube's Death Certificate, on the classic's 25th anniversary. The episode is an audio companion to J's multimedia article at GreatestHipHopAlbum.com.

In this episode J (@HipHopTaliban) and East Coast Dre (@Andre Cole) tackle HipHop's growing generational divide, with a focus on the recent beef between legendary HipHop producer Pete Rock and new school rappers Young Dolph and Lil Yachty, and how the revelation of boxer and serial abuser Floyd "Money" Mayweather's illiteracy is both a reflection of and a cautionary tale against what's happening in HipHop. Plus we deal with alpacas, Obamas, extra credit, The Magnificent 7, Tarantino, Digable Planets, and surprises and disappointments from the BET HipHop Awards.

Just how many things can three old angry HipHop heads hate on in one podcast? In this episode Andre Cole (@andrecole) and Dr. Adolphus Belk Jr. (@abjrphd) join J (@HipHopTaliban) to look at 1994 and wrap up their investigation of when HipHop went off the rails. And along the way we get a laundry list of things the fellas hate, including, but not limited to, instructional dance, Juvenile, Bill O'Reilly, Regulators, Slavery, the death of Freddie Gray and much, much more. All of this along with an in-depth look at the Rich Homie Quan/Lil Kim debacle on the VH-1 HipHop Honors show. Did Quan actually do Kim a favor? 00:07:35 — Kim, Quan & VH-1 00:51:06 — 1994 02:11:36 — The DNC, Michelle Obama, Slavery, Freddie Gray, & Justice

In this episode J (@HipHopTaliban) gives his thoughts on Kanye's latest album; rappers rappin like robots; tracking down Pete Rock & CL Smooth; the romanticization of the Golden Era by old heads; the peddling of poison 40oz at a time; and a tribute to a funk legend! 00:05:49 — Kanye & Robot Rap 00:28:40 — Pete Rock & CL 00:40:01 — HipHop Spellcheck 00:48:30 — Peddling Poison 01:58:00 — Bernie Worrell

In this episode J (@HipHopTaliban) and East Coast Dre (@AndreCole) tackle an array of HipHop topics, including why so many MCs are averse to paying taxes, a new You Big Dummy candidate emerges from the winter spat between Neil Degrasse Tyson and B.o.b., Water in Watts, and we introduce Oldtron, Defender of the HipHop Universe. 00:07:26 — Photoshootin' 00:14:13 — Watts Water 00:29:48 — You Big Dummy 00:46:54 — 2016 vs. 1991 01:17:35 — Introducing Oldtron 01:41:50 — Taxin' 02:02:16 — De la Soul, "Nuff Said"

In this episode J (@HipHopTaliban) and East Coast Dre (@AndreCole) pay tribute to Malik Taylor, aka Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest, with the first ever Phifeography — an examination of every verse ever spit by the the 5-Foot Assassin on ATCQ’s 3 classic albums. We also discover one of East Coast Dre’s dirty little HipHop secrets! 00:19:10 — Weatherman Tribute 01:33:45 — Hit me on the hip 01:49:59 — Hot Sex, Lies, and Videotape 02:47:30 — Phife and Dilla

Can HipHop shape political consciousness and social awareness? The studies say no, but my old Africa medallions say yes. Even if we accept that HipHop has that power, it damn sure doesn't seem as though it's being exerted today. Andre Cole (@andrecole) and Dr. Adolphus Belk (@abjrphd) join J (@HipHopTaliban) to take a look at the (alleged) power of HipHop to raise a generation of rebels. And they say you can't fight City Hall, but you can certainly use it to get a punk park employee in hot water! 01:43:29 — J & Da Mayor 02:02:10 — Political 3 - Three songs that shaped us

On the heels of his arrest in South Africa for overstaying his visa and trying to pass a "World Passport," and his announcement that he is retiring from the music biz, we wonder aloud if Mos Def/Yasiin Bey is the Matt Cassel of HipHop — a guy whose career had some brilliant early moments that he could never manage to live back up to. Plus, the OG iPod makes its return, serving up 5 randomly selected songs for J (@HipHopTaliban), East Coast Dre (@AndeCole) and MJ (@MJXM) to review. And we get schooled on snowblowers, refrigerators, sewer taxes and the wacky world of New Jersey homeownership. 12:20 - Too$hort - The Ghetto 22:35 - Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 40:00 - Killer Mike - Monster 48:28 - Sticky Fingaz - Thug Like Fingaz 01:04:32 - BDP - Ya Know Tha Rules 01:17:50 - Mos Def 02:14:30 - Jersey Real Estate

In part 2 of our multi-part investigation into what went SO wrong with HipHop, when it happened and who was responsible, Andre Cole (@andrecole) and Dr. Adolphus Belk (@ abjrphd) join J (@HipHopTaliban) to take a look at 1993, the year HipHop began to take a definite turn (for the worst, depending on your perspective). And along the way we also take on Fatherhood and Fat Gooses ... ooh ooooooh!

The best laid schemes of Podcasters and men often go awry. And that has been the case over the past few months. In this episode J (@HipHopTaliban) explains the reason for the unexpected hiatus and lays out the plan for 2016. We take a look at the Biggie Blockbuster Mash-up and send a tribute out to a fallen HipHop friend.

In this Episode East Coast Dre (@AndreCole) and MJ (@matthewjxmalady) aka Thurgood join J (@HipHopTaliban) to discuss whether HipHop is still palatable to the middle-aged members of Generation X. Based on the eight volumes of smooth jazz remixes issued by Hidden Beach Records, the answer may be "no." Forget the Whip It Nae Nae, the most impressive dance move is the Moonwalk Mos Def performed as he retracted the battle challenge he issued to the entire HipHop universe. We also acknowledge the enduring popularity of lemonade. 07:54 — Lemonade 42:27 — HipHop Unpalatable? 01:23:19 — The Mos Def Moonwalk

History is written by the winners. Apparently biopics are written by the billionaire as the NWA movie, Straight Outta Compton, produced by Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, minimizes and marginalizes the contributions MC Ren made to the seminal rap group. Despite having writing or co-writing credits on 32 of 43 songs on the most significant NWA/NWA-related albums, the movie treats the Villain in Black like a central casting extra who just happened to be along for the ride ... and free Raiders' gear. And we also look at the reshaping of Dre's image, the blatant omission of any acknowledgement of his violence toward women, and MC Ren's reprehensible response to Dre's most violent assault. 01:13:09 — Dee Barnes

This episode represents the first in a multi-part series exploring the question, When did HipHop go from a predominantly creative outlet for artistic and cultural expression to a commercial tool wielded by jackasses for the glorification of ignorance, pathology, and conspicuous consumption? Using, the Billboard Rap charts as a guide, J (@HipHopTaliban), East Coast Dre (@AndreCole), and Professor Adolphus Belk Jr. (@abjrphd), examine HipHop music, Month-by-month, year-by-year, from the Golden Era to the Trap — Along the way, identifying a list of suspects to later be charged with the high crime of attempting to kill HipHop! Listeners can follow along with the discussion by downloading a pdf document containing 26 years of Rap music charts HERE. We also say a fond farewell to West Coast Dre and pay respects to Sean Price. 26:32 — 1989 - 1990 43:15 — 1991 51:18 — 1992 01:09:32 — RIP Sean Price

In this episode J and Dre check out some current selections from some apparently popular rappers, and try to determine whether Rich Homie Quan, Young Thug, Gunplay, and Future are even speaking English! Considering the content, most of the lyrics are probably best left undecipherable. Also featured are reviews of selections from Rawkus stalwarts Company Flow, Daz Dillenger and Kurupt Young Gotti, Demigodz, The GZA & DJ Muggs, and some unexpected fire from Fresh "Will Smith" Prince & DJ Jazzy Jeff. And this episode's You Big Dummy candidate is perhaps one of the most blasphemous rap songs ever made. English? — 17:50 Company Flow — 47:49 Tha Dogg Pound — 56:23 DJ Muggs & GZA — 1:08:04 Demigodz — 1:13:18 DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince — 1:19:36 You Big Dummy (King Los) — 1:31:24

Somewhat unintentionally, another part of the Native Tongues Collective finds itself in the Get Off My Lawn crosshairs as Dre and J debate when exactly A Tribe Called Quest officially peaked out and then fell off in a brand new segment ... yeah, that's the name! A HipHop legend attempts to dethrone O.T. Genesis as the you Big Dummy World Heavyweight Champ. We learn some things about the death of a soul singer that we wish we could unlearn. And J goes Linda Tripp on his local Ford dealer and HAM on his fellow moviegoers. Plus old man reviews of music by Ghostface Killah, Young Roscoe, Jean Grae, Mr. Akil, and Weezy F. Baby. Ford Fiasco — 08:26 BHN — 24:23 Ghostface Killah — 1:06:10 Young Roscoe — 1:17:36 Jean Grae — 1:27:14 Lil Wayne — 1:38:52 Mr. Akil — 1:51:30 You Big Dummy (Tupac) — 2:00:18

While some real-life old grown man business delayed this episode by a few weeks, like the Geto Boys, the Get Off My Lawn Podcast can't be stopped! In this episode J and Dre tackle the HipHop-specific question of "How old is too old to be attending rap concerts?"; Pass some much needed performance wisdom on to a HipHop legend; Scratch their heads over Sprite's bizarre choices for a HipHop Mt. Rushmore; debate the best rental car to use to go wizarding; and wonder what the Hell a soft piano solo and delicate crooning are doing in the most popular rap song of the day. Plus, old man reviews of music from Clockwork Indigo, Mystic, Jadakiss, Dub C, and the Jigmastas. And somebody owes someone a watermelon. How old is too old for HipHop shows? — 14:01 Drake in Sprite's HipHop Mt. Rushmore? — 1:00:28 Clockwork Indigo — 1:06:05 Mystic — 1:14:27 Jadakiss — 1:22:21 WC — 1:33:22 Jigmastas — 1:42:03 Wiz Khalifa — 1:50:51 Arrested Development — 2:01:30

J & Dre discuss De la Soul's Kickstarter campaign and the star-studded launch of the Tidal streaming service. Are these new music business models or a way for artists to dupe loyal fans into subsidizing their ventures. Plus, special guest @AndreCole reps hard for the NYC, threatening to reduce the number of hosts by 50%. Reviews of music from Heavy D, classic Blackmoon, turntable wizardry from MixMaster Mike, and remixes from A Tribe Called Quest and Pete Rock and CL Smooth. The first You Big Dummy award is given out to a most deserving candidate. And how to tell the difference between a B-boy and a B-man!