As I get closer and closer to my 30s, mortality, the future outlook of society. and my fading youth are consistently ideas that are occupying my mind. So art that speaks to these topics in a thoughtful and insightful way have been especially appreciated as of late.

But unlike other genres out there, rap is still quite young. Therefore, there isn’t necessarily a ton of artists out there who are even old enough to provide such an aged perspective. And among those who are, many of whom are the likes of Jay-Z, Nas... who’s primary wisdom seems focused more on wealth-building and respectability politics.

That’s why the album we will be spotlighting in today’s episode, Reverberations of a Dead Man’s Ego, is such a breath of fresh air.

The mature perspectives we get from Alaska on this album are thoughtful, provocative, and remarkably honest. And they are accompanied by some of the best production we’ve heard from producer steel tipped dove to-date.

Listen on to learn about the making of this new album, the generational divide between Gen X and Gen Z, maturing with age, a sober outlook on the future of our society, and much more.

The Plug (0:45).

The Interview (3:10).

Aaron Rodgers’ broken COVID brain (5:01).

How Alaska and steel tipped dove’s relationship first formed, and what inspired it (7:58).

The shared worldviews between Alaska and dove (15:59).

Alaska breaks down a poignant line on “I Don’t Care No More” (19:46).

The overarching sentiment of the heavy subject matter on ROADME (26:09).

The future outlook for younger generations (31:16).

The inspiration of the Reverberations of a Dead Man’s Ego title (38:13).

Alaska and dove go back and forth on if ROADME is improvement on their debut (40:19).

Favourite songs on ROADME (51:29).

Upcoming projects / merch from Alaska and steel tipped dove (54:04).

Buy Reverberations of a Dead Man's Ego here: https://thatrapperalaska.bandcamp.com/album/reverberations-of-a-dead-mans-ego

Follow Alaska on Twitter here: https://x.com/Alaska_Atoms

Follow steel tipped dove on Twitter here: https://x.com/steeltippeddove

Follow steel tipped on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/steeltippeddove/?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

The Plug (0:21).

The Conversation (2:01).

NxWorries’ Why Lawd came to me at the perfect time in my life. A time where I find myself in the best most healthy and rewarding relationship I’ve ever had with a remarkably beautiful and smart woman, who is sweeter than [insert sweet substance]. So the thought of it ever coming to an end feels mortifying.

It’s for all these reasons that Why Lawd has had a profound impactful on me. It is an ode to appreciating the special person I have in my life… that is masquerading as one of the most beautifully crafted, most gorgeous-sounding albums I’ve heard in a long long time.

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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