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 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
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
Video animation by: Big Flowers
Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING
The Plug (0:55).
The Interview (2:26).
These days, homebase for me musically is calming, grounded music that allows me to weather some of life’s recent storms in my personal life. And so the music of sleepingdogs, the duo comprised of andrew and jesse the tree, has been some of my most played as of late.
The way they capture the blues, and articulate their existential thoughts and introspective musings is truly powerful stuff. On top of that, these impactful messages are packaged with a ton of melody, tender vocals, and rock-infused production that makes their songs hit that much harder.
andrew and jesse’s chemistry is remarkable; they are a match made in heaven, and they join the show to explain why their pairing works so well, how they approached the creation of their recent solo works, and their brand new sleepingdogs album, will we ever dance again?
sleepingdogs origin story (3:36).
The sleepingdogs creative chemistry (7:22).
How jesse and andrew are similar as people (16:49).
The sleepingdogs sound (23:32).
What andrew is most proud of with don’t forget me bluest. (31:01).
The intent behind Not Fade Away (36:49).
Not Fade Away’s production (39:08).
Key inspirations and topical focuses of will we ever dance again? (41:44).
How sleepingdogs’ chemistry grew creating will we ever dance again? (48:06).
The evolution of sleepingdogs’ sound on their new LP (51:33).
Favourite songs off will we ever dance again? (56:20).
Upcoming projects from sleepingdogs (58:32).
Stream/buy will we ever dance again? here: [link coming on March 14]
Follow jesse on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jessethetree401?lang=en
Follow andrew on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/andrewwwdotnet?lang=en
Follow jesse on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/jessethetree/?hl=en
Follow andrew on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/searchableandrew/?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 Feb 28, 2024
Wednesday Feb 28, 2024
Video animation by: Big Flowers
Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING
The Plug (0:39).
The Interview (2:07).
Throughout my life, music has consistently been a vital channel for me to process emotions and make sense of the world. Very few artists have allowed me to explore the darkness and melancholy swirling around in my head quite like Sadistik.
Since the moment I first heard Sadistik’s music over a decade ago, I was taken aback by his beautifully-poetic and vulnerable approach to creating hip-hop music.
He also had a knack for collaborating with producers who understand his artistic vision - creating moody, dark, and cinematic soundscapes for his words, working with the likes of Blue Sky Black Death, Kno of CunninLynguists fame, and most recently Maulskull, the producer for his latest opus, Oblivion Theater.
In today’s episode we dive into Sadistik’s affinity for the darker things in life, his writing process, and the makings of his great new album with Maulskull, Oblivion Theater.
Sadistik’s affinity for darker subject matter (2:36).
The personal experience of creating such emotional and heavy music (9:46).
Origins of Sadistik’s interest in horror, human psyche, and filmmaking (12:31).
How Sadistik discovered his signature sound (20:41).
Sadistik’s writing process (24:45).
Sadistik and Kno’s creative connection (30:45).
The production vision for Oblivion Theater (34:36).
Key inspiration behind Oblivion Theater (37:12).
Oblivion Theater’s messaging (40:17).
Major rap influences for Sadistik (46:46).
Upcoming projects / tour dates / merch (50:39).
Stream/buy Oblivion Theater here: https://sadistik.bandcamp.com/album/oblivion-theater
Support Sadistik here: https://www.sadistikmusic.com/
Follow Sadistik on Twitter here: https://x.com/IAMSADISTIK?s=20
Follow Sadistik on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/sadistik/
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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 Feb 14, 2024
Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
Video animation by: Big Flowers
Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING
The Plug (0:46).
The Interview (2:46).
Few things have been more important to me in my life than hip-hop music. Growing up, I lacked identity and a sense of community. So as I continued to listen to more and more hip-hop music in my teens and early 20s, it quickly became a key vessel for me to learn about the world and connect with a culture, and ethos that I resonated with.
And yet, as an Indian guy, it was rare that I ever saw someone who looked liked me that was contributing to this artform that I loved so much. It was hard to see how I fit in, if at all. This all changed once I heard the music of Heems, known for his work in Das Racist, Swet Shop Boys, and as a solo artist.
Hailing from Queens, NY, Heems has successfully injected his Indian roots into a brand of witty, thoughtful rap... and invariably helped me see that there was space for people like me in hip-hop after all.
So I’m pleased to welcome Heems, as well as Chicago-based producer Lapgan to the show, who produced the wonderful instrumental album History from last year, as well as the new collaborative album with Heems, LAFANDAR.
In today’s episode, we talk about incorporating Indian culture into hip-hop, Heems’ new venture Veena, and the making of this incredibly creative new album, LAFANDAR.
Heems’ experience ingratiating himself in hip-hop culture (4:00).
Importance of desi representation (7:37).
Heems’ legacy (13:52).
The inspiration behind Heems’ new venture, Veena (20:04).
The features on LAFANDAR (28:58).
Inspiration behind Lapgan’s 2023 instrumental album, History (32:28).
The untapped potential of Indian music in hip-hop sampling (36:30).
The LAFANDAR listening experience (43:21).
The musical direction behind LAFANDAR (52:09).
Heems’ witty, often hyper-referential, raps on LAFANDAR (56:46).
The natural creative relationship Heems and Lapgan (59:21).
The political focus in Heems’ music (1:00:48).
Upcoming projects / merch / tour dates (1:03:26).
Support Veena and LAFANDAR here: https://www.veena.nyc/
Support The Olive Tape (feat. Heems), which was compiled to raise funds for humanitarian aid in Palestine here: https://theolivetape.bandcamp.com/album/the-olive-tape
Follow Heems on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/HIMANSHU
Follow Lapgan on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/lapganMusic
Follow Heems on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/nehrujackets/?hl=en
Follow Lapgan on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/lapganlapgan/?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 Jan 31, 2024
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
Video animation by: Big Flowers
Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING
The Plug (0:21)
For me, 2023 was the year of “oh wow, thank you”. This was a refrain I found myself more or less saying, time and time again. It signified a genuine gratitude for whatever nice thing some other person said to me, virtually, or IRL… but also signified that I was genuinely taken aback by the love, and that it has been an odd thing to adjust to.
It’s one thing to receive praise for something you’re successful at. It’s another thing entirely to receive praise for something you’re successful at that also actually means a lot to you. This has been my experience with this podcast this year. Thank you for listening… words cannot describe my gratitude.
In the spirit of gratitude, I will dive into detail into defined my 2023… through the lens of my favourite music, and hand out some awards along the way.
Welcome to the 4th Annual RMPP Awards!!!
The 4th Annual RMPP Awards intro (1:59).
Best Rap in a Supporting Role (3:13).
Hook of the Year (6:57).
Beat of the Year (8:39).
Producer of the Year (10:45).
Rapper of the Year (12:52).
Top Albums of the Year structure (16:06).
The RMPP 25: my top 25 albums, inclusive of all genres (18:49).
- The full categorized list of the RMPP's Top 100 Albums of 2023 can be found here: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/episodes/163-4th-annual-rmpps
Final reflection (36:15).
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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 Jan 17, 2024
Wednesday Jan 17, 2024
Video animation by: Big Flowers
Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING
The Plug (0:48).
The Interview (1:53).
The living embodiment of all that is great about Detroit hip-hop - distinct sound and originality in spades - represents Bruiser Wolf to a tee.
Bruiser Wolf is part of the Danny Brown-led collective, Bruiser Brigade, home of some of the most forward-thinking hip-hop coming out of Detroit. Wolf is known as one of the funniest rappers alive, with a voice unlike anyone else’s.
In today's episode we discuss the creative decisions involved in his distinct artistic approach, having faith in his career as an artist, Bruiser Brigade, and how he created his excellent new album, My Story Got Stories.
Bruiser Wolf's writing process (2:52).
Bruiser Wolf’s approach to humour (7:57).
Bruiser Wolf’s faith in his music career (17:00).
How Bruiser Wolf connected with Bruiser Brigade (24:18).
Influence of Danny Brown (26:24).
The Bruiser Brigade environment (30:31).
Bruiser Wolf’s initial reaction to finally dropping My Story Got Stories, 36 hours after its release (33:21).
The My Story Got Stories listening experience (40:20).
The stories Bruiser Wolf wanted to share on My Story Got Stories (45:18).
How Bruiser Wolf improved on his craft through creating My Story Got Stories (48:19).
Upcoming music / tour dates / merch from Bruiser Wolf (50:59).
Bruiser Wolf’s Rams-Lions NFC Wildcard prediction (that was eerily accurate) (55:41).
Support Bruiser Wolf and buy My Story Got Stories here: https://bruiserwolf.com/
Follow Bruiser Wolf on Twitter here: https://x.com/theebruiserwolf?s=20
Follow Bruiser Wolf on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/_bruiserwolf/?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