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  June 30, 2025

  Episode 86 Tupac Shakur: Poetic Justice

  In our last episode, we broke down the music of 2Pac, now we're flipping the script (see what we did there?) and diving into the film career of Tupac Shakur. We rewatched his entire filmography and reviewed every role, from the iconic to the...not so great. From his chilling performance as Bishop in Juice to his nuanced portrayal of heroin-addicted jazz musician in Gridlock'd, we cover all six of his films. We're discussing favorite scenes, favorite characters and favorite lines. We also get into what roles made famous by others that we would have liked to have seen Tupac play, and which of his characters that we could be friends with.This episode is filled with spoilers, but these movies came out over 30 years ago, so, you've had time.🙂

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  June 16, 2025

  Episode 85 2Pac: Me Against The World

  On this episode, we're getting into the musical evolution of 2Pac, one of hip hop's most complex and controversial voices. From the militant and revolutionary 2Pacalypse Now through the paranoia and revenge themes of The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. We get into our favorite songs and talk about how each album reflected who 2Pac was at that particular moment. Join us on a journey through the music that defined the legacy of one of the all-time greats.

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  May 30, 2025

  Episode 84 Next Stop, Uptown

  In this episode, we're discussing how Uptown Records reshaped that sound and style of a generation. From the rise of new jack swing with Teddy Riley and Guy, to Mary J. Blige and Jodeci redefining what R&B could be, Uptown didn't follow trends, it set trends. Uptown also helped to bring Black culture to both big and small screens with the film Strictly Business, and New York Undercover tv show. With the Uptown MTV Unplugged special, they proved that hip hop and R&B could hold its own in the same arena as pop and rock legends. Uptown was more than just a record label, and was the blueprint for pretty much every urban record label that followed.

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  May 9, 2025

  Episode 83 White People Jams

  Teena Marie. Jon B. Lisa Stansfield. Bobby Caldwell. What do these people have in common? Yes, they're white, and they made some jammin' ass songs. In this episode, we're diving into our favorite "White People Jams." The kind of songs that you can slide into a playlist between Mary J. Blige and Janet Jackson without skipping. Joining us on this mission is our fam from the Queue Points Podcast, Jay Ray and DJ Sir Daniel. We break down what qualifies as a "White People Jam," run down some of our personal favorites that stay in rotation, share which artists we didn't know were white, and close out the episode by handing out the "Teena Marie Awards."

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  Apr 25, 2025

  Episode 82 Thank God It's Friday

  On this episode, we’re talking about the 1995 classic Friday, starring Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. A film that’s still serving up laughs and quotables 30 years later. We get into what set Friday apart from the other so-called “hood” movies of the ’90s and early 2000s. While most leaned into violence and heavy drama, Friday took a different route, spotlighting the humor and everyday moments of life in the hood. Plus, we give a quick, spoiler-free review of One Of Them Days, a new release that share the same comedic DNA.

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  Apr 04, 2025

  Episode 81 Where Are My Background Singers?!?!

  A lot of people that we now call stars, were once background singers and backup dancers. If you listen to some of your favorite songs or watch some videos you’ll recognize some voices and faces that you may have never noticed before. But not all of these stories have a superstar ending. A lot of people were able to carve out solid and recognizable careers, even if they weren’t household names. You definitely remember them, though. That's what we're discussing on this episode, some of your favorite hook singers like Tammy Lucas, Vinia Mojica and LaToiya Williams, as well as video and tour dancers like Oaktown's .357 (MC Hammer), Str8 Ahead (Bell Biv DeVoe) and Hot Dog (Chubb Rock).

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  Mar 21, 2025

  Episode 80 Bell Biv Devoe: Hip Hop Smoothed Out...

  This week we're discussing three brothers from Boston, Massachusetts, who were able to bridge the gap between hip hop and R&B in a way that hadn’t been done up until that point. Their music was “mentally Hip Hop, smoothed out on the R&B tip, with a Pop feel, appeal to it.” We're talking about Bell Biv Devoe. Made up of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe—all members of New Edition—they branched off and blew up in 1990 with Poison, an album that defined the "new jack swing" era, and this week just happens to be the 35th anniversary (damn!) of its release, so we decided to get into that and more!

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  Mar 06, 2025

  Episode 79 Sumthin' Sumthin'

  We are having a conversation about the golden era of Neo Soul on this episode. We get into some of our favorite albums and artists, discuss some lesser known acts, as well as talking about the non-musical influences on fashion, movies and television. We close the episode by putting together a hypothetical tour with 4 different acts from the era, and try to put together our Mount Rushmore of Neo Soul.

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