The Rap Music Plug Podcast is the remedy to the “I don’t have anything good to listen to” problem. Through in-depth artist interviews, album reviews, and general rap commentary on the best that the underground rap scene has to offer, this is your one-stop shop to knowing what to add to your queue, play next, or pop into your record player. Are you a rap music fan? And not just any fan... but a true rap music fan that wants to move past the surface level discussion, and get into the nitty-gritty of what makes rap music so great? Are you someone who loves the feeling of discovering new music, but find it hard to navigate through the thousands upon thousands of new albums that get released every single day? If any of this applies to you, this show is EXACTLY what you need. My absolute PASSION is music. So I gladly do the dirty work of virtual crate digging, searching for the next great rap album... so you don’t have to. My name is Rohan. I am The Rap Music Plug, at your service. -- Fiending for some more quality rap content? Visit the RMPP website: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/ Want to support and help us grow? Become a RMPP Patron, and gain access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/therapmusicplugpodcast Looking to connect? DM me @rapmusicplugpod on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com
Episodes
Wednesday Jul 24, 2024
Wednesday Jul 24, 2024
Music and art in general is special because it can’t be quantified, calculated, explained, or re-created through algorithms. Surely, through the rise of AI you can create technically accurate facsimiles of music. But that special IT factor that turns music from simply aesthetically pleasing to special, cannot be replicated by robots, and is often impossible to put into words.
With today’s guest though, Seafood Sam, a word does in fact come to mind to describe the IT factor that makes this Long Beach MC’s music connect so strongly. That word is cool. Blended into his sharp songwriting, smooth and confident raps, there’s a cool, calm confidence that draws you into his music. This special sauce made his latest album, Standing on Giant Shoulders, one of the absolute best records of 2024.
In today’s episode we try to uncover how Sam developed this cool that makes his music so damn good, and we dig into the making of the beautifully collaborative creation of his new album, and much, much, more...
The Plug (0:53).
The Interview (2:38).
Sam’s unique journey as a rapper and model (3:24).
Seafood Sam’s ideal listener (11:30).
The “cool” factor in music (17:05).
The clash between the old and the new in Seafood Sam’s art (20:07).
The Long Beach ethos within Sam (22:39).
The live instrumentation sound direction on Standing on Giant Shoulders, in collaboration with Tom Kendall (26:44).
How Sam guided the creation of the instrumentals on Standing on Giant Shoulders (32:49).
The songwriting and melodies on Standing on Giant Shoulders (38:41).
The cues Sam has taken from the legends, such as James Brown, Bobby Brown, and Miles Davis (44:21).
The “grown” messaging on Standing on Giant Shoulders (50:02).
The next sound for Seafood Sam (52:06).
Stream/buy Standing on Giant Shoulders here: https://seafood4sam.bandcamp.com/album/standing-on-giant-shoulders
Follow Seafood Sam on Twitter here: https://x.com/seafoodsam
Follow Seafood Sam on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/seafoodsam/?hl=en
Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING
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Fiending for some more quality rap content? Visit the RMPP website: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/
Want to support and help us grow? Become a RMPP Patron, and gain access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/therapmusicplugpodcast
Looking to connect? DM me @rapmusicplugpod on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com
Wednesday Jul 10, 2024
Wednesday Jul 10, 2024
Likely due to my incessant thirst for control and structure, whenever I take in a piece of art and consider how the creator approached the making of this thing I find so great, my mind immediately assumes that there was this rigid, almost scientific forethought put into every detail.
And while some artists work with more of a structure than others… as you will learn in this free-wheeling conversation with ShrapKnel and Controller 7, there is a serendipitous beauty that colours much of the creation of the new album from today’s guests, Nobody Planning to Leave.
Where a lifetime of artistic dedication, a genuine love for hip-hop culture, and happy coincidence all combined to make Nobody Planning to Leave one of the most captivating albums of 2024, serving as ShrapKnel’s most accessible, yet creatively challenging record to-date.
The Plug (0:50).
The Interview (2:23).
The Nobody Planning to Leave initial reception and RMPP Listening Party debrief (4:11).
The sense of camaraderie and connection within the current indie rap scene (6:57).
The central vision of Nobody Planning to Leave (11:11).
The influence of Castro’s diagnosis on the Nobody Planning to Leave creative process (20:56).
The dynamic sound and structure of Nobody Planning to Leave (30:17).
Why Controller 7 was the right producer to steward the sound for the 3rd ShrapKnel album (42:09).
How the ShrapKnel chemistry has evolved over the years (54:39).
Most interesting / fun track to create on Nobody Planning to Leave (1:05:17).
Upcoming projects / tour dates / merch (1:12:45).
Buy Nobody Planning to Leave here: https://backwoodzstudioz.com/collections/shrapknel-nobody-planning-to-leave
Follow PremRock on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/PlanetPremRock?s=20&t=Y_WTB0pKsxoDf4YvG4pItg
Follow Curly Castro on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/Curly_Castro?s=20&t=Y_WTB0pKsxoDf4YvG4pItg
Follow Controller 7 on Twitter here: https://x.com/controllerseven?lang=en
Follow PremRock on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/premrock/?hl=en
Follow Curly Castro on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/curlycastro/?hl=en
Follow Controller 7 on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/controllerseven
Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING
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Fiending for some more quality rap content? Visit the RMPP website: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/
Want to support and help us grow? Become a RMPP Patron, and gain access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/therapmusicplugpodcast
Looking to connect? DM me @rapmusicplugpod on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com
Wednesday Jun 26, 2024
Wednesday Jun 26, 2024
The Plug (0:58).
The Interview (2:36).
As purely a consumer of music, one of the most rewarding and genuinely valuable things to me is to be able articulate why a particular piece of art resonated with me. It’s a big reason why I started this podcast. Even without being a creator of the music myself, I think there’s a lot of insight and provocative thought that someone like me can provide, that can hopefully colour your experience with the music.
But that being said, there’s nothing that can replace the perspective of the artist themselves - particularly those that really live and breathe this rap s***. Nosaj of New Kingdom and Height Keech comprise the group known as Wave Generators, and they certainly fall under this category.
There are many times during this interview in today’s episode, where they beautifully illustrate the intrinsic beauty of the creative process, somehow putting into words such an abstract concept with ease.
This was a fascinating conversation that detailed the organic connection within Wave Generators, and how they conjured such an impactful feeling with their debut record, After the End.
The inspiration behind the formation of Wave Generators (3:20).
What Height Keech and Nosaj admired about each other’s craft (9:35).
Nosaj’s songwriting approach (16:13).
What Height Keech learnt through his work with Hemlock Ernst on The Fall Collection (24:41).
The heavy rock influence in After the End’s sound (28:05).
The recording process for the dynamic song structure of After the End (32:11).
The desired takeaway from listening to After the End (43:45).
Upcoming projects / tour dates / merch from Wave Generators (47:47).
Stream/buy After the End here: https://wavegenerators.bandcamp.com/album/after-the-end
Follow Wave Generators on Twitter here: https://x.com/wavegenerators?s=21&t=DkPXjJ9qakGNY3urv-rL4A
Follow Wave Generators on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/wavegenerators?igsh=YjU3dTlmMWt6aXp1
Video animation by: Big Flowers
Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING
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Fiending for some more quality rap content? Visit the RMPP website: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/
Want to support and help us grow? Become a RMPP Patron, and gain access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/therapmusicplugpodcast
Looking to connect? DM me @rapmusicplugpod on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com
Wednesday Jun 12, 2024
Wednesday Jun 12, 2024
The Plug (0:21).
The Interview (2:37).
In a VERY special bonus episode of the RMPP, I joined the latest installment of Freemusicempire's State of the Game series to discuss all things Mach and #RAH with the FME boys, Kam of Crate 808... AND AUGUST FREAKING FANON!!!
Video animation by: Big Flowers
Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING
Join the Freemusicempire here: https://freemusicempire.com/%C2%A0
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Fiending for some more quality rap content? Visit the RMPP website: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/
Want to support and help us grow? Become a RMPP Patron, and gain access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/therapmusicplugpodcast
Looking to connect? DM me @rapmusicplugpod on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com
Wednesday May 29, 2024
Wednesday May 29, 2024
The Plug (0:57).
The Interview (3:12).
'Black sheep' is an idiom used to describe a member of a group who doesn’t fit in with the rest. Now while this is often used with a negative connotation, I feel there’s a flipside to this concept that can be a positive. Where not exactly fitting into any one group can allow you to pull from many different influences, and combine that all together into something one-of one.
This is a dynamic I spoke about with today’s guest, Cakes da Killa, who is a prime example of how this dynamic works as a positive. In this episode, we discuss Cakes' journey as an artist, his approach to blending different sounds together, and how he approached the creation of his super entertaining and well-executed new album, Black Sheep.
Cakes da Killa’s MC journey (3:36).
Openness in Cakes’ music (8:06).
Blending dance genres with hip-hop (9:41).
How Cakes’ queer identity manifests in his music (14:04).
Advice Cakes would give to aspiring musicians (19:29).
How visuals are integrated in Cakes’ creative process (24:07).
Cakes da Killa’s black sheep’ identity (25:54).
How Cakes and Sam Katz approached the sound for Black Sheep (34:32).
Upcoming music / tour dates / merch from Cakes da Killa (39:23).
Stream/buy Black Sheep here: https://cakesdakilla.bandcamp.com/album/black-sheep
Follow Cakes da Killa on Twitter here: https://x.com/CAKESDAKILLA
Follow Cakes da Killa on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/cakesdakilla/?hl=en
Video animation by: Big Flowers
Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING
Photo in artwork by: Matt Nelson
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Fiending for some more quality rap content? Visit the RMPP website: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/
Want to support and help us grow? Become a RMPP Patron, and gain access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/therapmusicplugpodcast
Looking to connect? DM me @rapmusicplugpod on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com
Wednesday May 15, 2024
Wednesday May 15, 2024
The Plug (0:56).
The Interview (2:40).
Making a name for yourself as an artist with a unique perspective, and a unique sound is impressive in its own right. But doing so outside of a major hub for hip-hop, Edmonton, a city in Western Canada, is an even more impressive achievement. This is what today's guest, Cadence Weapon has done.
Cadence Weapon is here to discuss the making of his new album, ROLLERCOASTER, and gives his take on hot-button issues surrounding Canada’s unique musical and political landscape, industry plants, and much more!
The health of the Canadian hip-hop scene (3:03).
The unique challenge of enacting social change in Canada’s political landscape (11:28).
The importance of using your platform for social change (18:02).
Social media use as an artist (23:13).
Important lessons Cadence Weapon has learnt throughout his career (29:21).
Cadence Weapon’s 2023 book, Bedroom Rapper (34:22).
Inspiration behind the social media age theme of ROLLERCOASTER (38:35).
Will society have its “Press Eject” moment? (43:16).
The cutting-edge sound of ROLLERCOASTER (55:15).
“Industry plants” (59:14).
Upcoming projects from Cadence Weapon (1:04:07).
Stream/buy ROLLERCOASTER here: https://cadenceweapon.bandcamp.com/album/rollercoaster
Follow Cadence Weapon on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/cadenceweapon
Follow Cadence Weapon on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/cadenceweapon
Video animation by: Big Flowers
Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING
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Fiending for some more quality rap content? Visit the RMPP website: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/
Want to support and help us grow? Become a RMPP Patron, and gain access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/therapmusicplugpodcast
Looking to connect? DM me @rapmusicplugpod on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com
Wednesday May 01, 2024
Wednesday May 01, 2024
Video animation by: Big Flowers
Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING
The Plug (0:57).
The Interview (2:30).
Throughout my experience listening to music, one of the most important life lessons I’ve learnt is that of patience.
I’ve had too many instances of an album initially not grabbing me, but then as I continued to revisit it and give it an open and curious mind… I fell in love with it months, and sometimes years after I initially heard it.
Art has a way of connecting you to the present. No better example than the new album from today's guest, Cavalier, titled Different Type Time.
In this episode, Cavalier and I have a sprawling conversation covering the creative thinking behind the rich audio visual experience of Different Type Time, what informed his unique career path as an artist, the meaning of participating in hip-hop culture, and much much more...
You do not want to miss this!!
The approach behind pricing Different Type Time vinyl (4:38).
The gap between the release of Private Stock and Different Type Time (12:36).
Being a “rapper’s rapper” (17:43).
How Cavalier views his role as an artist (24:54).
Breaking down the implications of legalized weed (30:56).
Impact of Quelle Chris on Cavalier’s career and artistic development (42:41).
Partnering with Backwoodz Studioz for Different Type Time (48:31).
The main intention behind Different Type Time (56:32).
Cultivating the sound for Different Type Time (1:13:35).
The audio and visual experience of Different Type Time (1:19:55).
The features on Different Type Time, including the Unhoused Brothers (1:26:00).
Upcoming Cavalier projects with Quelle Chris & Denmark Vessey, Raz Fresco, and Child Actor (1:31:43).
Stream/buy Different Type Time here: https://backwoodzstudioz.com/collections/different-type-time
Support Cavalier here: https://cavwins.com/different-type-time
Follow Cavalier on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/Cavwins
Follow Cavalier on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/cavwins/?hl=en
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Fiending for some more quality rap content? Visit the RMPP website: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/
Want to support and help us grow? Become a RMPP Patron, and gain access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/therapmusicplugpodcast
Looking to connect? DM me @rapmusicplugpod on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Video animation by: Big Flowers
Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING
The Plug (0:43).
The Interview (1:49).
As a longstanding champion of the music from today’s guest, it’s been such a rewarding experience to witness the growth and incredible artistic vision found on Temple Needs Water. Village Needs Peace, a new collaborative album by Real Bad Man and Lukah.
This highly conceptual record left a huge mark on me, providing brilliant moving lyricism, and dazzling with its wonderous musical palette.
Lukah joins the show to illustrate how him and Real Bad Man crafted his magnum opus, and one of the frontrunners for Album of the Year.
Knocking out Permanently Blackface on the heels of finishing Temple (2:17).
The main themes of Temple Needs Water. Village Needs Peace. (5:47).
The emotional centerpiece of Temple, “The Burial” (16:57).
How Real Bad Man crafted the sound for Temple, incorporating live instrumentation (22:07).
The greatness of Real Bad Man (30:44)
Collaborations on Temple (32:22).
The elevated songwriting and singing on Temple (37:25).
Lukah’s upcoming albums with Preservation and Statik Selektah (40:55).
Buy Temple Needs Water. Village Needs Peace. here: https://realbadman.bandcamp.com/album/temple-needs-water-village-needs-peace
Follow Lukah on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/biglukah?lang=en
Follow Lukah on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/biglukah/?hl=en
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Fiending for some more quality rap content? Visit the RMPP website: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/
Want to support and help us grow? Become a RMPP Patron, and gain access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/therapmusicplugpodcast
Looking to connect? DM me @rapmusicplugpod on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com
Wednesday Apr 10, 2024
Wednesday Apr 10, 2024
Video animation by: Big Flowers
Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING
The Plug (0:40).
The Interview (2:08).
An iconic rap album is more than just beats and rhymes. It’s the interludes, the cover artwork that set the foundation for the image we as listeners associate with the music.
All of those elements combined, when done exceptionally well, are the ingredients to leaving a true lasting impact on the game.
Today’s guests, DøøF and NCL-TM, are determined to leave a similar level of imprint on the underground with their series of NCL-DØØFUS albums.
In this episode, we get insight into what sparked this duo to form, why they mesh so well creatively, and learn about how their new album, BULLETPROOF KUFFLINX, further builds on NCL-DØØFUS world they have created.
The spark for the NCL-DØØFUS pairing (2:53).
The secret sauce that makes the NCL-DØØFUS work (8:19).
The musical world of NCL-DØØFUS (13:02).
How being in Barcelona impacted what DøøF (18:39).
The vintage sound signature of BULLETPROOF KUFFLINX (25:16).
How BULLETPROOF KUFFLINX connects to the other NCL-DØØFUS records (38:57).
Upcoming projects / merch / tour (51:44).
Buy BULLETPROOF KUFFLINX here: https://safdoofus.bandcamp.com/album/ncl-d-fus-3-bulletproof-kufflinx
Follow DøøF on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/757doofus
Follow NCL-TM on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/UNCLETiMband
Follow DøøF on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/757doofus/
Follow NCL-TM on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/ncl_tm/
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Fiending for some more quality rap content? Visit the RMPP website: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/
Want to support and help us grow? Become a RMPP Patron, and gain access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/therapmusicplugpodcast
Looking to connect? DM me @rapmusicplugpod on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com
Wednesday Mar 27, 2024
Wednesday Mar 27, 2024
Video animation by: Big Flowers
Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING
The Plug (0:49).
The Interview (3:31).
Nourished by Time is an artist who is on pace to becoming one of my favourites… of all time.
After dropping Erotic Probiotic 2, an album that made my top 5 of 2023, Nourished by Time’s stock has risen tremendously. And not just in my personal musical world. On the heels of recently signing to XL, his unique blend of retro synthpop, classic R&B, rock and hip-hop flavours has been growing in popularity by the day.
I was blessed to have Marcus of Nourished by Time on the show, just a day after his new EP, Catching Chickens, just released. In this episode we discuss his approach to songwriting, thoughts on his current rise in recognition, the impact of Erotic Probiotic 2, and his incredible new EP, Catching Chickens.
Nourished by Time is quickly shaping up to be a generational talent, so you do not wanna miss this episode.
Marcus’ self-belief in his art (3:38).
The political consciousness in Nourished by Time’s music (7:28).
The emotional impact of creating music (17:26).
Nourished by Time’s musical ear (20:07).
How hip-hop informs Nourished by Time’s music (27:17).
How musical schooling helped Marcus’ artistic development (33:04).
The lasting impression of Erotic Probiotic 2 (40:24).
What Nourished by Time’s music says about himself as a person (43:19).
Marcus’ mindstate creating Catching Chickens (47:07).
The recording process of Catching Chickens (56:53).
The sound direction of Catching Chickens (58:40).
Nourished by Time’s upcoming album, The Passionate Ones (1:02:28).
The Super Bowl chances of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2024-25 season (1:06:00).
Support Nourished by Time's music here: https://nourishedbytime.bandcamp.com/
Follow Nourished by Time on Twitter here: https://x.com/nourishedbytime?s=20
Follow Nourished by Time on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/nourishedbytime_/?hl=en
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Fiending for some more quality rap content? Visit the RMPP website: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/
Want to support and help us grow? Become a RMPP Patron, and gain access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/therapmusicplugpodcast
Looking to connect? DM me @rapmusicplugpod on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com