Thirty years ago, on February 16, 1993, Flavor Unit, Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere’s musical crew dropped their inaugural compilation CD - “Roll Wit Tha Flava.” After years of making appearances on each other’s work, this was the first time out for the crew as a whole. This episode will chart Queen Latifah’s artistic pivot, the record that marked the shift and the unlikely rise of an R&B powerhouse - Zhané. #HipHop50

In the 1980s, Spike Lee showed young Black folks like DJ Sir Daniel and Jay Ray what was possible for us. Spike showed Black love and Black experience unapologetically on screen, and became an inspiration for many. Spike was also very connected to hip hop culture, and infused hip hop, Jazz and soul into every part of his films. On this episode we’re discussing the brilliant, Black, film history of Spike Lee through a music lens.

YEAAAAHHHHHHH BOYEEEEEEEEE! Public Enemy’s sophomore record It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back was a line in the sand for where rap music was heading in 1988. An album that defined an era for Def Jam and thrust conscious rap into the mainstream, Millions is the gold standard for golden era hip hop. For the start of Black History Month 2023, we’re revisiting the impact of this landmark album.

During our last episode we discussed the introduction of MC Skat Kat during Paula Abdul’s “Opposite’s Attract.” The inclusion of an animated, rapping cat was one of the signals of hip hop’s growing cultural influence. In fact, hip hop was showing up in cartoons throughout the 1980s.

During the 1990s rappers moved easily into cartoon stardom. From Kid ‘n Play to MC Hammer we’re revisiting the era of the rapping cartoon.