Shots Fired Podcast

Stones Throw rapper Jonwayne & Hellfyre Club rapper Milo join MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss this week to talk about everything independent. Milo and Jonwayne discuss being influenced by independent rappers such as MF DOOM & Open Mike Eagle, the benefits of being on an independent label, and the pros and cons of coming up in the digital age of rap music. Also, Nocando tells us a funny Australia story, we learn why gangsters love Dragon Ball Z, and we are treated to some music from Jonwayne & Milo.

Producer Paul Salva and rapper Marcel Carrion join MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss to discuss the greatest and worse dance songs in rap history. They talk about Rapper’s Delight, Planet Rock, Egyptian Lover, 2 Live Crew, N.W.A’s “Panic Zone,” Good Vibrations, Deee-Lite’s “Groove Is In The Heart,” The Jungle Brothers, Technotronic, The Dogs’ “You Mama’s On Crack Rock,” Missy Elliot’s “Lose Control,” Kanye West’s “Stronger,” The Black Eyed Peas, and Azealia Banks. The guys also talk about Hip house, G-funk, the rise of trap music, and of course the Harlem shake. Plus, Jeff tells us about going to a porn star attended funeral. Don’t go into a K-hole!

Chicago Reader’s Tal Rosenberg and Chicago bred rapper Open Mike Eagle join MC Nocando and Jeff Weiss this week to discuss everything Chicago. The guys talk about the history of Chicago rap starting with rappers like Common & Twista all the way to Chief Keef & King Louie, how House & R&B music dominated Chicago radio, and why rappers rarely blow up in Chicago. Plus, Open Mike Eagle defines words from the Urban Dictionary and we learn how to do the percolator.

Battle rappers Dizaster & Cadalack Ron join MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss today to talk about the art of battle rap. They discuss the origins of battle rapping, the transition between battling over beats to battling acapella, and how YouTube brought battle rapping to a world wide audience. Dizaster & Cadalack Ron also tell us about how they got into battle rapping, their most important moment in their battle rap careers, and their thoughts on ghostwriters.

Dan Weisman (Elitaste Inc. and former manager of Wale & Mike Posner) and Leeor Brown (FoF Music and manager of Salva & Shlohmo) join MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss to talk about the record industry. The guys discuss why it takes time for certain artists to gain a following, why having copycats is good promotion, and the ways the internet has drastically changed the music industry. Dan tells us how he started to work with Wale, Leeor tells about his first time meeting Salva, and they both explain why it’s harder today to get up on artists early. Plus, Nocando & Jeff talk about the music of Ronaiah Tuiasosopo.

This week Jeff Weiss and MC Nocando explore the connection between Hip-Hop and African music. The duo talk about the history of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, rappers who have sampled Fela Kuti songs, and finally play a Wale track. Legendary Afrobeat star Femi Kuti stops by to discuss the formation of Afrobeat, how he now must find a balance between Facebook, Twitter, and practicing his instruments, and the Afrobeat influence on Hip-Hop.

Fellow Earwolf podcaster Andrew Ti joins MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss this week to talk about racial issues in Hip-Hop. The guys discuss rappers of other races using the n-word, who can rap about what, and the idea of a post-racial America. They also look at Ice Cube’s “Black Korea,” Blood of Abraham’s “Niggaz & Jewz,” Professor Griff’s departure from Public Enemy after making anti-Semitic remarks, Action Bronson’s “Growin Up,” and ScHoolboy Q’s performance of “Blessed” at the Pitchfork Music Festival. L’Chaim!

NY based producer Blockhead & rapper Open Mike Eagle join MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss this week to talk about alter egos in a special episode taped from Jeff’s apartment. The guys discuss Rammellzee, Positive K’s female vocals on “I Got A Man,” Bushwick Bill’s “Chuckie,” Kool Keith as Dr. Octagon, Eminem’s evil alter ego Slim Shady, the super villain MF DOOM, Madlib’s high pitched rapping alter ego Quasimoto, and Blockhead’s Party Fun Action Committee. Plus, they talk about the more recent alter egos such as Serengeti’s Chicago Bears fan alter ego Kenny Davis, Flying Lotus as the cartoon rapper Captain Murphy, and Snoop Dogg’s Rastafarian awakening as Snoop Lion.

LA based rapper Speak, Westside Ty, and Young Corey join MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss today for a very rare discussion about the Based God himself, Lil B. The guys talk about how he has influenced a number of rappers including Soulja Boy, Riff Raff, SpaceGhostPurrp, Kreayshawn, Odd Future, and Trinidad Jame$. Plus, they talk about why it’s hard to hate on Lil B, give their definitions of based & based freestyles, and explain what the task force & bitch mob are. TYBG.

Paul Iannacchino, the director of "Adult Rappers," who is also one of the founding members of rap group Hangar 18 (under the name DJ paWL) joins MC Nocando and Jeff Weiss this week to discuss why rappers fall off. They talk about which rappers they think have fallen off, the issue with branding, and which rappers have stayed relevant over time. DJ paWL also tells us how he got the idea to create his documentary “Adult Rappers,” what his definition of an adult rapper is, and why Hip-Hop is a genre that doesn’t age well.

This week on Shots Fired, Jeff Weiss & MC Nocando wind down 2012 with their favorite songs of 2012. The duo talk about their choices for Epic Fail of the year, countdown their Top Ten Hip-Hop songs of 2012, and the best producers of the year. It will get turnt up.

Ben Westhoff (LA Weekly Music Editor) and rapper Marcel Carrion join MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss to celebrate the dub anniversary of the classic West-Coast album The Chronic. The guys discuss what the album means to them, the cultural impact it had on fashion, and the never ending quotable lines such as that “Deeez Nuuuts.” They also talk about the iconic ”Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang” video, how the album captured the reality of L.A. after the riots, and why some people still don’t like it.

BEeff (Bertran, Evan and every fucking female) join MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss this week to talk about the great beefs in Hip-Hop history. They discuss the historic showdown between Kool Moe Dee and Busy Bee, KRS-One firing shots at The Juice Crew, Ice Cube annihilating N.W.A, Eazy-E & Dr. Dre’s West Coast feud, Canibus recruiting Mike Tyson for “Second Round K.O,” 2pac’s most insulting diss, Eminem taking down Benzino & The Source, 50 Cent ruining Ja Rule’s career, and Jay-Z’s “Takeover” versus Nas’ “Ether.” Plus, they talk about the real beef between Gucci Mane & Young Jeezy, the multimedia beef between 50 Cent & Rick Ross, and the light skinn'ded beef between Common & Drake.

Detroit DJ/producer House Shoes and LA rapper Busdriver join MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss this week to discuss white rappers. The guys talk about the origins of the white rapper with Blondie, Beastie Boys being the white Run-DMC, 3rd Bass dissing Vanilla Ice, rapping actors, and Eminem’s long lasting impact. They also explain why white rappers getting a co-sign is important, describe what differentiates white rappers and black rappers, and vent on why certain white rappers get to places that they don’t deserve.

On this week’s episode of Shots Fired, Jeff Weiss & MC Nocando discuss the phenomenon of ratchet. The duo talk about the many definitions of ratchet, Lil Boosie’s connection to the origin of ratchet, and countdown the Top 10 Greatest Ratchet Rappers of All Time. Plus, Jeff tells us his most ratchet story from his time covering Boosie’s murder trial in Baton Rogue. Free Boosie.

This week Jeff Weiss and MC Nocando explore the epidemic of Sad Robot Music. The duo talk about Kanye West being the Christopher Columbus of the Sad Robot, how T-Pain branched the Sad Robot into R&B, and ask who will kill the Sad Robot. Dam-Funk, the ambassador of modern Funk stops by to talk about the origin of Funk, what lead him to the Funk, which artists are funky, and plays some tracks of his latest EP “I Don’t Wanna Be A Star!”

Welcome to the first episode of SHOTS FIRED, a weekly look into what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s weird in the world of hip-hop, hosted by music journalist Jeff Weiss and underground hip-hop star MC Nocando. Today the duo explore the meaning of the word “Fanute” coined by French Montana, talk about the history of Swag Dracula, and discuss the possibility of Nas using ghostwriters. Underground DJ (and co-founder of L.A. hip-hop mainstay The Low End Theory) the Gaslamp Killer drops by to tell us how he met Gonjasufi, describes getting his life together after hitting rock bottom, and plays some tracks off his latest album “Breakthrough.”