In our Season 6 finale, B. Cox is joined by Mac from MacTasticTV to review Chicago lady emcee Da Brat's debut album Funkdafied as it turns 30. Hailing from the west side of "The Chi", Da Brat got her chance at a deal when she won a Chicago rap contest and met the teen group Kriss Kross, who were signed to Jermaine Dupri's So So Def record label based in Atlanta. At the urging of the group, Dupri listened to her music and signed her to a deal.

The debut album, produced entirely by Dupri, is packed with funk based beats driven by heavy bass lines and punctuated by Da Brat's sharp witted rhymes and barbs on record. The short album was carried by two popular radio singles: The title track "Funkdafied" featuring Dupri and "Give It To You".

The public took to Da Brat and what she had to offer. The album went platinum making her the first solo female emcee to achieve that feat, setting the stage for the rest of the decade and other female counterparts who would follow in her footsteps. It is also the first major rap album from a rap artist from Chicago that broke into mainstream success.

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Show Notes

Medium: Revisiting Da Brat's Groundbreaking 'Funkdafied'

https://medium.com/micro-chop/revisiting-da-brats-groundbreaking-funkdafied-3d618b603dcb

Albumism: Celebrating 30 Years of Da Brat's Debut Album 'Funkdafied'

https://albumism.com/anniversaries/da-brat-funkdafied

B. Cox is joined by Mac of MactasticTV to review Bone Thugs N Harmony's debut EP Creepin On Ah Come Up as it turns 30.

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B Cox reviews Jeru The Damaja's classic debut album The Sun Rises In The East As It Turns 30.

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B. Cox reflects on OutKast's classic debut album Southernplayaisticadillacmuzik turning 30 in the aftermath of the passing of Rico Wade, Dungeon Family leader and 1/3 of the production trio Organized Noize, which produced the album in full. He also examines how OutKast's emergence in the Atlanta rap changed the scene of the city and the region forever and also how the industry and the audience nationwide would pay attention to what "the South had to say"

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B. Cox is joined once again by Miguel and Christina of TROY Podcast to discuss Nas's iconic debut album Illmatic turning 30. They discuss its standing among hip-hop's all-time great albums, how it affected Nas's career in the aftermath, some of the most memorable bars and their favorite songs.

To listen to our 2019 review of Illmatic at 25, please listen here!

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B. Cox is joined by special guests Christina & Miguel of TROY (They Reminisce Over You) Podcast to discuss the cult-classic basketball film Above The Rim as it turns 30. Written by Barry Michael Cooper and the late director Jeff Pollack, the film starred the likes of Duane Martin, Leon, the late Tupac Shakur, Marlon Wayans and the late Bernie Mac among others in a tale a high school basketball star who is caught between two worlds and must make the best choice for his future. The film became a cult classic and also served a launching pad for many of the stars in to continued success in film and television.

The trio also discuss the critically acclaimed motion picture soundtrack released on Death Row Records. It featured artists such as Shakur, Warren G, the late Nate Dogg, SWV, 2 II None, Naughty By Nature, Al B. Sure, H-Town, Tha Dogg Pound and Lady of Rage among many more. The soundtrack was also wildly commercially successful, becoming double platinum certified and being recognized as one of the best black and urban film soundtracks of the 90s.

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Show Notes

SPIN: Above The Rim at 30: Warren G Talks About making Hip-Hop Best Film Soundtrack

https://www.spin.com/2024/03/above-the-rim-at-30-warren-g-and-more-on-making-hip-hops-best-film-soundtrack/

Medium: Above The Rim: A 30-Year Old Classic Basketball Movie That Continues To Captivate Audiences

https://medium.com/@ShamarieKnight/above-the-rim-a-30-year-old-classic-basketball-movie-that-continues-to-captivate-audiences-4575fce60c0c

B. Cox and Domo review Usher's Confessions as it turns 20. After his successful third album 8701, Usher underwent a number of changes in his life including his breakup from his girlfriend Chili from TLC and he was soon to become a father. In crafting his follow up, he wished to craft an album that was a well rounded album that touched man influences: from traditional classic R&B, throwback R&B, jazz and hip-hop.

He worked with all star cast of producers and writers. Among them were Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox, Dre & Vidal, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Lil'Jon, Just Blaze, Robin Thicke, Sean Garrett among others. He also has high profile features from the likes of Ludacris and Alicia Keys.

Noted for its powerful punch, consistency and star power, the album was a monumental success. It was powered by five singles: "Yeah!" with Lil Jon and Ludacris, "Burn", "Confessions Pt. II", "My Boo" with Alicia Keys and "Caught Up". The former 4 were all #1 hits on the Billboard Top 100. The album was also boosted by fan favorite album cuts such as "Superstar", "Bad Girl", "Can You Handle It" and "Seduction" (from the expanded version.

Since being released, it's been RIAA certified 14x platinum and is the best selling album by a black artist in the 21st century and is routinely discussed among fans and critics alike as both Usher's magnum opus and one of the best R&B albums of all-time.

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Show Notes

Shatter The Standards: Reflecting On 20 Years of Usher's "Confessions"

https://www.shatterthestandards.com/p/reflecting-on-20-years-of-ushers

Metro UK: Usher's "Confessions" Is The Greatest R&B Album Of All Time

https://metro.co.uk/2024/02/11/ushers-confessions-greatest-r-b-album-time-20248757/

B. Cox reviews Gang Starr's classic fourth album Hard To Earn as it turns 30. After the critical success of 1992's Daily Operation, Guru and DJ Premier took a brief hiatus to pursue individual projects. Guru launched his Jazzmatazz series and Premier became one of the most sought after producers in industry, working with the likes Jeru the Damaja, The Notorious B.I.G., Nas and KRS-One. Coming back to record their fourth, the group wanted to prove that they were versatile and wanted to show that they could stray from their jazz-sampled sensibilities on their previous album and could rock with a different sound.

Heavily involved with the project was the Gang Starr Foundation, a collective that was aligned with the duo that included the likes of Jeru, the hip-hop duo Group Home, Big Shug, Freddie Foxx (Bumpy Knuckles), Afu-Ra among others. The project featured Jeru, both Lil Dap and Melachi the Nutcracker and Big Shug. Unlike Daily Operation, the album was produced under a wider variety of musical influences.

The album featured two classic singles: "DWYCK" with hip-hop duo Nice & Smooth (which was supposed to be originally on Daily Operation and "Mass Appeal". The album was critically acclaimed upon release and reestablished Gang Starr as a force within hip-hop. It also served as a forerunner to a number of different albums over the next 18 months that were credited as being pivotal to the New York hip-hop scene being a power center once again in the hip-hop landscape.

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Show Notes

UDiscoverMusic: "Hard To Earn": Gang Starr's Statement of Purpose

https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/gang-starr-hard-to-earn-feature/

Albumism: Gang Starr's 'Hard To Earn' Turns 25 | Anniversary Retrospective

https://albumism.com/features/gang-starr-hard-to-earn-turns-25-anniversary-retrospective

Billboard: DJ Premier talks about Gang Starr's 'Hard To Earn' 25 Years Later: "That Album, I Had A Chip On My Shoulder"

https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/gang-starr-moment-of-truth-dj-premiere-interview-8501991/