This week, we bring you a convo with Michael P. Jeffries, author of Paint the White House Black: Barack Obama and the Meaning of Race in America, a fascinating examination of how we think about race in a supposedly “post-racial” America.

Jeffries is also a huge hip-hop head, and has written about rap music and culture for The Guardian, The Atlantic, and more. We talk to him about Tupac and “thuggin’,” Rick Ross’ controversial “U.O.E.N.O.” lyrics, the changing meaning of being multi-racial, and lots more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/42/ for full show notes and comments.

This episode, we talk to Bill Adler. Bill is best-known for his time as director of publicity for Def Jam and Rush Management from 1984-1990. During that period, he helped to guide the careers of some of hip-hop’s most legendary artists, including LL Cool J, Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, and more. He shares stories about many of those groups with us today.

In addition to his work at Def Jam, Bill has written several books, worked on TV documentaries, ran an art gallery, and, in his early years, worked closely with the famous hippie leader John Sinclair. We talk about all of that and more in this epic conversation.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/43/ for full show notes and comments.

This episode, we talk to hip-hop impresario Michael Holman. Holman was instrumental in bringing the burgeoning culture in Uptown NYC in the late 1970s — the breakdancers, the DJs, the rappers, and the aerosol artists — to a Downtown crowd and, shortly afterwards, to the rest of the world. He wrote books, made short films, hosted TV shows, made albums, managed breakdance troupes, acted in movies, hosted live shows, you name it. Holman also co-founded the band Gray, whose members have included the legendary artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and film director Vincent Gallo.

He is perhaps best known for Graffiti Rock, a TV show he created and hosted in 1984, which was a Soul Train-style show for hip-hop. While it only aired for one episode, its influence is still being felt. In fact, Holman is currently putting together a documentary on the making of Graffiti Rock. You can find out more about the project, and help him make it, here.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/45/ for full show notes and comments.

This episode, we talk to Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Ron Isley of the Isley Brothers. Ron and his brothers got their start singing together in the late 1940s, but had their first giant hit with 1959’s “Shout.” They rode an incredible streak of success through their time with Motown, and then revamped their lineup in the 1970s, adding younger members to create classic jams like “It’s Your Thing,” “That Lady,” and “Between the Sheets.” More recently, Ron played “Mr. Biggs” in a series of fantastic duets with R. Kelly. His newest project is Dinner And A Movie.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/46/ for full show notes and comments.

This episode, we bring you an interview with writer T.M. Wolf. Wolf is the author of Sound, one of the most awesome novels we’ve seen in years. Check out an excerpt, annotated by the author, on Rap Genius.

The book tells the story of Cincy, a former grad student who returns to his Jersey shore hometown for a summer and falls in love and into a mystery. But it’s how the book is written that’s a kicker. Wolf uses techniques he learned from hip-hop (layering, repetition with variation, and more) to create a book that looks different from anything we’ve ever seen. Listen to find out more!

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/48/ for full show notes and comments.

This show, we bring you Umar bin Hassan of The Last Poets. Umar is a long-running and key member of the legendary group, and we talk to him about everything he’s seen. From his youthful adventures as a shoeshine boy to being forced out of his hometown on pain of death; from being a veritable prince of Harlem to his battles with drug addiction; from Gil Scott-Heron to Miles Davis — we travel through it all.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/51/ for full show notes and comments.

This episode, author Adam Mansbach (Go the Fuck to Sleep, Rage Is Back) returns to the show to talk about his new book, a thriller called The Dead Run. He’s joined by Chicago poet Kevin Coval who, in addition to his awesome poetry, also runs the largest youth poetry festival in the nation, Louder Than A Bomb. Join us as we talk rap, race, Judaism, Chief Keef, which KRS album is the greatest, and what “hackles” really are.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/52/ for full show notes and comments.

We have a very special episode of Outside the Lines With Rap Genius for you. It’s been one year almost to the day since Kendrick Lamar’s instant classic good kid, m.A.A.d city was released, and RG’s very own Nicole Otero sat down with K. Dot to get inside the record. Get the behind-the-scenes scoop on what inspired one of the most heralded albums of recent years, straight from the artist himself.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/53/ for full show notes and comments.

This episode, we talk the best of old-school NYC life and hip-hop with two folks who know it better than almost anybody. MC Serch is best known for his work with 3rd Bass, but has also executive produced classic albums (including a little one called Illmatic), hosted TV shows, and more.

Blake “KEO” Lethem is a true hip-hop Renaissance man. From being an influential graffiti artist to arguably the first white rapper to designing album covers for the likes of MF DOOM, Blake has seen and done it all, and shares much of it with us here. We talk nightlife, stardom, graffiti’s TRUE relationship to hip-hop, and that time Hammer put out a hit on 3rd Bass.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/55/ for full show notes and comments.

Complex calls Paul Stewart “an unsung hero of L.A. hip-hop,” and this interview shows just how true that is. From his early days breaking Tone-Loc and Young MC to guiding Coolio and the Pharcyde to the heights of success to overseeing the music in movies like Hustle & Flow, Stewart has seen and done it all, West Coast-style.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/57/ for full show notes and comments.

Returning guest Bill Adler is many things — music archivist, gallerist, head of PR for Def Jam at its creative apex — but he’s also a well-known Christmas music nut. After marrying into a Christian family, he started finding the best, most under-appreciated Christmas music he could, and putting it together into a compilation. He’s been sending his Christmas Jollies mixes to family and friends every year since the early 80s.

His mixes, despite having a relatively small circulation, have gotten tons of attention over the years. So we decided to talk to him about seasonal tunes, including his very important role in creating a certain holiday standard. He gave us insight into some key Christmas samples (Run DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis”, to name one), his own Christmas favorites, and more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/58/ for full show notes and comments.

Lance Scott Walker began his journey to document the Houston rap scene and surrounding culture with photographer Peter Beste in 2004, quickly discovering just how much there was to learn. But Houston rap - and the layers of community and culture that surround it - goes so much beyond the music. The book engages with the community surrounding the music just as much as the music and artists themselves, providing insight into the great changes brought upon some of the city’s most historic neighborhoods through gentrification and how those changes affect the city’s people.

In our conversation with Lance, we talked the significance of the local and national success of groups like Geto Boys, the long lasting influence of DJ Screw, the city’s obsession with syrup, gentrification overtaking old historical neighborhoods, and much more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/59/ for full show notes and comments.

Beginning with a hometown crew and a particular style of chopped and screwed remixes, Michael Watts successfully turned regional mix tape distribution into a record label empire - turning the national hip hop scene onto the Houston rap community. As we heard from our talk with Houston Rap author Lance Scott Walker, the Houston rap landscape is an incredibly rich one - widely defined by the rappers, producers, and DJs who have never and will never truly leave the city. No one knows that better than Watts.

We talked to the legendary DJ, founder and CEO of Swishahouse Records about the origins of chopped and screwed music, his “fuck action” mixtapes, the hype behind Mike Jones, the beginnings of Swishahouse, and much more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/62/ for full show notes and comments.

Hailing from Harlem, Loaded Lux is considered a true pioneer and legend in battle rap. Lux grew up surrounded by battle rap culture, where cyphers were popping off around every corner in Harlem. He began his professional battle rap career featured on the early SMACK DVD’s in the mid 2000’s, and went on to go undefeated 7 weeks straight on 106 & Park’s Freestyle Friday to be inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2007. He released his mixtape “You Gon’ Get This Work” in 2013 after his famous slogan, and is prepping his sophomore album set to release in 2014.

Loaded Lux is no ordinary battle rapper, counting Jay Z, Diddy, and Busta Rhymes as fans. His powerful delivery, nasty wordplay, and deep bars that cut into his opponents have racked him up countless wins — most notably in a recent high stakes battle against Hollow.

We talked why successful people love competition, the magic of history, the Black Panthers, Harlem’s battle rap scene, Illmind, and more with Lux.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/63/ for full show notes and comments.

This episode of OTL is a special one. We got the incredible opportunity to sit down with the Don, Nas, to engage him in a back and forth about his iconic album, Illmatic. The debut album of Nas and a landmark album in both its regional scene and in the overarching hip hop landscape, Illmatic is a work that continues to hold the same poignance, genius, and relevance today.

Hosted by OTL host Shawn Setaro and Nicole Otero at the Rap Genius Ranch at South by Southwest, the conversation included questions from the hosts themselves, RG users, and even members from the audience who were able to participate in their own Q&A. Nas answered candidly with answers that inform some of the deepest thematic chords that run throughout the album, along with stories of his childhood and come up in the Queensbridge, New York.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/67/ for full show notes and comments.

Saul Williams is man who can wear many hats: actor, rapper, poet. For Williams, the line was never cut between fields; instead, he was always trying to blend, to collaborate, to draw from one medium to influence another. In third grade, Williams was rapping in Shakespearean English and French — simply because that’s what he was learning in school. By the time he was 16, he was writing one of the first hip hop operas — or “hip hopera”. Williams most recent role sees him taking on the legacy of Tupac Shakur in the Broadway musical, ‘Holler If Ya Hear Me’, based on the songs of the legendary MC. The musical doesn’t shy away from tough topics, tackling issues such as gun violence and racism head on — through the lens of a community that fights against outside pressure together, that feels its pains together.

We talked to Williams about the influence Pac had on him, his role in ‘Holler’, rhymes, racism, home grown terrorism, when comes the time to stop “turning the other cheek”, and much more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/71/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, we talk with Todd Kreidler, the writer behind the Broadway musical based on the life and music of 2pac, ‘Holler If Ya Hear Me’. Kreidler was tasked with taking on the legacy of legendary MC 2Pac Shakur, an initially daunting prospect. Through his use of 2Pac’s songs, spirit, and description of the world around him, Kreidler crafted a musical that doesn’t shy away from tough topics, that tackles issues such as gun violence and racism head on — through the lens of a community that fights against outside pressure together, that feels its pains together. Kreidler saw the musical as a chance to take the “I” away from the music and take a look into the universe of characters that lived within 2pac’s songs. Comparing 2Pac to Shakespeare, Kreidler spoke of the worlds 2Pac created with his lyrics — ‘Holler If Ya Hear Me’ gets the chance to give pieces of 2Pac’s dialogue and story to many characters, building a community around them similar to the one 2Pac himself got to experience and absorb in his own life

We talk with Kreidler about the process of writing the play, the similarities between Pac and Shakespeare, why certain songs were chosen and certain songs left out, and more

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/72/ for full show notes and comments.

From Broadway stars to legendary DJs to the best of the battle rappers, OTL has hosted a spectrum of voices — each with an individual story to tell. This episode takes us through the very best of OTL — its highs and lows, its most memorable soundbites, and its most resounding voices. Join us as we take you through Part 1 of OTL’s best.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/74/ for full show notes and comments.

From Broadway stars to legendary DJs to the best of the battle rappers, OTL has hosted a spectrum of voices — each with an individual story to tell. This episode takes us through the very best of OTL — its highs and lows, its most memorable soundbites, and its most resounding voices. Join us as we take you through Part 2 of OTL’s best.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/75/ for full show notes and comments.

This episode, we have a wide-ranging convo with Gene “No Malice” Thornton of Clipse. No Malice (formerly just Malice, before a religious epiphany several years back) and his brother Terrance, a.k.a. Pusha T, form one of rap’s greatest duos. Their smart, vicious raps — often about their real-life experiences dealing cocaine — first brought them to prominence with the massive hit “Grindin’” back in 2002. The group quickly became a critical and commercial favorite, thanks to the brothers’ rhymes and some production help from The Neptunes.

But after some label issues and legal problems, Clipse went on hiatus. No Malice released his solo debut and a memoir, while his brother joined forces with Kanye West. We talk to No Malice about God, going solo, the past (and future) of Clipse, which lyric he regrets most, and more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/78/ for full show notes and comments.

Lisa Leone has lived a life for the ages. She began photographing some of the most important figures in the early days of hip-hop culture (who were also her friends) as a teenager. Then she took some of the best, most revealing photos ever of musical icons like Snoop Dogg, Nas, The Fugees, Mary J. Blige, and tons more. Lisa moved from there into working on music videos, before her career took an unexpected left turn.

She turned a short research photo assignment for a friend into four years working closely with film legend Stanley Kubrick on his final film, Eyes Wide Shut. Then she took that experience and co-directed the iconic documentary on sneakers and sneaker heads, Just for Kicks.

A gorgeous book of Lisa’s hip-hop photos, Here I Am - Photographs By Lisa Leone, is available now. An exhibit of that name is running through January 11th at the Bronx Museum of the Arts. You can view a slideshow of some of her photos over at Complex.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/79/ for full show notes and comments.

This episode, we talk to author Brian Coleman. Coleman has written three volumes of what he calls “invisible liner notes” — blow-by-blow accounts of the making of classic hip-hop records from the people who were there. The newest entry in the series is Check the Technique, Vol. 2, which you can (and should!) cop here.

We discuss KMD, the differences between the two emcees in Black Star, the reason Licensed to Ill never made it into his books, why first or second albums are always a group’s best, and plenty more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/80/ for full show notes and comments.

Nino Bless got his start in the NYC mixtape scene in the mid to late 2000s. He first came to many fans’ attention with a killer verse on Joe Budden’s 2008 song “Slaughterhouse.” From there, he released a string of increasingly personal and powerful projects that revealed a true artist with a unique vision. His R.O.A.M. series of records, three albums deep, are complex, varied, and like nothing else out there. His latest project is Illuminati Reject.

We talked to “the Chomsky of Ebonical speech” about getting encouragement from your idols; how he made “Rhyme of the Year (MK Ultra),” his epic “response to the response” to Kendrick Lamar’s “Control” verse; how New York City has changed; how Drake is truly the realest rapper out; and much more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/82/ for full show notes and comments.

Live from Bed Stuy’s Restoration Plaza, we bring you a very special event with Buddha Monk and Mickey Hess, authors of a new biography of the Wu’s Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Occurring only blocks from Dirty’s childhood home, this conversation features not only the authors, but also special appearances from the Wu member’s family and friends. Buddha Monk was Dirty’s close friend since they were children, and had a front row seat to the artist’s rise and fall. His book, co-written with Rider professor Mickey Hess, is The Dirty Version: On Stage, In the Studio, and In the Streets With Ol’ Dirty Bastard, published by Harper Collins. You can buy it here.

If you like this episode, be sure to check out our recent article on the Wu for Radio.com

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/83/ for full show notes and comments.

Our 2nd annual Christmas episode features former Def Jam exec and noted Christmas music obsessive Bill Adler. We discuss the 30th anniversary edition of his yearly Christmas mix (available EXCLUSIVELY from us — visit here) and his part in the new holiday music documentary Jingle Bell Rocks.

We also find time to talk about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, protest movements past and present, and plenty more. Happy holidays from The Cipher! Again, you can listen to Bill Adler’s 30th anniversary Xmas Jollies mix ONLY on our Soundcloud page.

P.S. We’re honored to have been chosen as one of Slate’s “Best Podcasts About Music” this year. You can see the complete list here. And, as mentioned in the show’s introduction, you can find Cornell University’s online exhibit of Bill’s Def Jam materials on the university’s website.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/86/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, we celebrate the new year by bringing you an improved, remixed version of our talk with Ron Isley. Isley is the legendary lead singer of The Isley Brothers, and a soul music icon who has been a vital force in popular music for over half a century.

The Isley Brothers first reached the charts with the 1959 hit “Shout,” and had an amazing run all the way through 1983’s oft-sampled “Between the Sheets.” Ron’s career was revitalized by a series of collaborations with R. Kelly starting in 1996, including 2001’s memorable hit “Contagious.” His most recent solo album, released right around the time of this conversation, was This Song Is For You, which featured the single “Dinner and A Movie.”

We talked to Ron about his whole career, from his early years singing gospel straight through to today, with stops in Motown, his influential songs of the 1960s and 70s, the inside scoop on working with R. Kelly, and lots more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/87/ for full show notes and comments.

Our interview with the enigmatic Divine Styler starts with him present, via his DJ father, at the very beginnings of hip-hop. He then became a part of Ice-T’s Rhyme Syndicate crew, which included a pre-House of Pain Everlast. His second album, Spiral Walls Containing Autumns of Light, drastically expanded the range of what a hip-hop artist could do with its spoken word-industrial-rock hybrids.

His latest record Def Mask comes after a 15-year hiatus. From NYC park jams to getting arrested the day after signing a record deal to having a front-row seat for “Jump Around“‘s massive success to pushing musical boundaries to making pilgrimages to Mecca, Divine Styler shares his whole fascinating story.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/88/ for full show notes and comments.

Lisa Cortés lives up to her self-description as a “hip-hop Zelig.” She began her career in 1986 as one of the first employees of a then-tiny record label called Def Jam. From there, she went on to manage legendary producers; discover hit rap, reggae, and r&b acts; and even run a label herself.

After her time in the music industry came to an end, Lisa re-invented herself as a successful film producer, starting at the bottom and working her way up to playing a key role in the Oscar-winning movie Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire. She is currently producing, writing, and directing a number of fascinating film projects, which we discuss here.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/92/ for full show notes and comments.

Joseph Schloss is the author of two of the definitive scholarly works on hip-hop culture. Making Beats: The Art of Sample-Based Hip-Hop is a look inside the insular world of hip-hop producers, showing us their rules, worldview, and day-to-day lives. Foundation: B-boys, B-girls and Hip-Hop Culture in New York investigates the history and practice of hip-hop dance, as seen by the b-boys and b-girls themselves.

In our wide-ranging talk, we discuss the influence of West Side Story on hip-hop; what the “b” in “b-boy” really stands for; why having rap records at all wasn’t always a sure thing; and much more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/95/ for full show notes and comments.

Bishop Lamont is one of the West Coast’s premiere lyricists. He first came to rap fans’ attention with his 2004 mixtape Who I Gotta Kill To Get A Record Deal. The title proved prophetic, as shortly afterwards he was scooped up by Dr. Dre.

During his time on Aftermath, Bishop released a ton of fantastic free “street albums,” but not a proper debut, and he left the label after several years in limbo. His latest release is The (P)Reformation, and his long-awaited album The Reformation will be out later this year.

We talked to the often-controversial rapper about his relationships with Dilla and Proof, how he was rhyming about Selma before it was cool, his pre-rap life as a stuntman – and, of course, cartoons. Plenty of cartoons.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/96/ for full show notes and comments.

Mr. Lif has had a key role in a number of music success stories, from the rise of the Boston hip-hop scene to the reign of underground rap empire Def Jux to the continued worldwide popularity of Thievery Corporation. We explore his entire career, from the very first songs and freestyle sessions to his newest group, Terra Bella.

We make plenty of stops along the way at his key moments – his fiery 9/11 response “Home of the Brave,” the powerful 2002 concept album I Phantom, his development into a celebrated live performer, and more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/97/ for full show notes and comments.

“Prince” Paul Huston is one of hip-hop’s most notable producers. He began in the mid-1980s as a teenage DJ with Stetasonic, “the hip hop band.” But his career really took off in 1989 when he produced De La Soul’s classic debut 3 Feet High and Rising.

Paul helmed the group’s first three albums, and went on from there to release a wide variety of projects under his own name, as a producer, and as part of a group. Just a short list of his collaborators reads like a who’s-who of musicians and comedians: RZA, Queen Latifah, Bernie Worrell of P-Funk, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Big Daddy Kane, and even Cat Power, to name only a few.

In the first half of our conversation, we talk about Stetsasonic, De La Soul, his relationship with a pre-Wu-Tang RZA, his surprising-sounding 2003 solo album Politics of the Business, and much more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/98/ for full show notes and comments.

In Part 2 of our epic sit-down with Prince Paul, we talk Psychoanalysis and A Prince Among Thieves; making records with Everlast, MF DOOM, MC Paul Barman, and Dino-5; and even the cult tv show that cemented his bond with Dan the Automator. 

We also find out what was behind his most disturbing song, what it’s like at the lows between career peaks, and, of course, the kind of presents John Waters sends to his daughter. Plus, he shares his reaction to the “Blurred Lines” verdict, and gives us an exclusive peek into his upcoming projects.

If you missed Part 1 of our interview with Paul, you can find it here.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/99/ for full show notes and comments.

Our special 100th episode finds us with a flood of special guests. We have Metermaids, an NYC rap duo signed to Sage Francis’ Strange Famous label. Their newest album We Brought Knives is a powerful examination of fatherhood, legacies, changing times, and the awesomeness of Bruce Springsteen.

They’re followed by Gabriel Roth. Roth is the co-founder of Daptone Records, a Brooklyn-based label that has released some of the finest soul, funk, Afrobeat, and other roots music of this generation. The band he leads, The Dap-Kings (who normally back the powerful singer Sharon Jones), played a key part in one of the most popular records in recent memory, Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black.

This being an anniversary party, we start the show with a special surprise guest.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/100/ for full show notes and comments.

Oliver Wang is a writer, critic, audio blogger, and DJ. He is best-known among hip-hop fans for his features and reviews for LA Weekly, Urb, NPR, and basically everywhere else. We discuss his new book Legions of Boom: Filipino American Mobile DJ Crews in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The fascinating book looks at a previously unexplored and nearly forgotten scene from the late 1970s through the early 90s. Young people in the Bay Area, almost entirely Filipino, were inspired by the disco craze to form DJ crews and start throwing parties. At its height, there were scores of crews throughout the entire Bay. Some of the scene’s most prominent alumni were QBert, Mixmaster Mike, and Apollo. The three of them would form the Invisibl Skratch Piklz and go on to invent an entirely new kind of DJing, where virtuosic scratching took center stage.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/103/ for full show notes and comments.

John Lydon, a.k.a. Johnny Rotten, is a true punk legend. He was the singer of the Sex Pistols, the ground-breaking British punk band. The Pistols formed in 1975, and their raw sound combined with Lydon’s powerful, unfiltered lyrics taking shots at the Queen, the music industry, and the system as a whole created something entirely new – a sound, look, and attitude that would quickly be picked up and copied by legions of bands to follow, and would spark the punk rock revolution.

The Sex Pistols broke up in early 1978, and Lydon went on to form the influential group Public Image Limited, or PiL. The group went in an entirely different direction, making often-danceable, experimental music. Their second album, 1979’s Metal Box, is generally regarded as a landmark release, and was chosen as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone.

Lydon’s new memoir, which covers the entirety of his life and career, is called Anger Is An Energy: My Life Uncensored (Dey Street).

We were joined by legendary photographer Janette Beckman (soon to be a Cipher guest herself), who took some pictures – the first time she had photographed Lydon since she took now-famous shots of him with the Sex Pistols and in the early days of PiL, like the image you see above.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/106/ for full show notes and comments.

Al “Blueprint” Shepard is a Columbus, Ohio-based emcee and producer. He got his start in that city’s vital scene in the late 1990s, along with talents like RJD2, Copywrite, and Camu Tao. However, most rap fans first heard his unique voice, freestyle skills, and creative, melodic beats either via his work on the influential Rhymesayers label, or in his duo with RJ called Soul Position.

Blueprint has been all over the map musically – from straight ahead boom-bap to electronic experimentation to jazzy instrumentals to full-length tributes to his favorite bands. But he’s brought his unique musical sensibilities and inquisitive, ever-searching nature to all of it.

His latest album, released this past April, is King No Crown.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/110/ for full show notes and comments.

Mikel “Lil Slim” Pettis began his rap career as a teenager in New Orleans in the early 1990s, performing in nightclubs around the city. He was discovered by a then brand-new record label called Cash Money Records. Slim signed with them and became a key part of the first generation of artists on that label - acts like UNLV, PxMxWx, Pimp Daddy, Ms. Tee, Mr. Ivan, and many more, who would quickly turn Cash Money into a regional powerhouse just as the city was inventing a rap style of its own, a raunchy, call-and-response based approach called “bounce.”

During his tenure on Cash Money, Slim discovered a young kid from his neighborhood who, despite being only 10 or 11, already had a notebook full of memorable raps. Slim hooked that kid up with his label, and thus began the career of Lil Wayne.

Lil Slim left Cash Money after his 1995 album Thuggin and Pluggin, citing concerns over his label’s business practices that sound like they could be ripped from today’s headlines. He’s released several projects since then, including most recently the third volume of his Platinum Edition EP series.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/113/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, our guest is Benjy Melendez, founder, President, and singer of the Ghetto Brothers. He is joined by his co-author and friend, Amir Said.

The Ghetto Brothers were one of the largest and most powerful street gangs in the Bronx in the late 1960s and early 70s - a time when the borough, and New York City as a whole, had plenty to choose from. At its height, the organization had around 2,000 members city-wide.

But after one of their key figures got killed by rival gangs, Benjy devoted his efforts to peace, and held a now-famous peace treaty meeting at the Hoe Avenue center in the Bronx in 1971 - a gathering that set the stage for the ending of the gang era and the beginnings of hip-hop.

In addition to being a powerful organization, the Ghetto Brothers were also a rock and roll band. They only released one album, 1971’s Power Fuerza, but it became a prized collectors item, notable for its surprisingly sweet lyrics and Beatle-esque melodies, Latin percussion, and unique backstory.

While parts of Benjy’s story have been shared in the new documentary Rubble Kings and even in a graphic novel, the new book by Benjy and Amir Said, Ghetto Brother: How I Found Peace in the South Bronx Street Gang Wars, is the first place Benjy shares his entire life story.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/114/ for full show notes and comments.

Luther Campbell needs no introduction. Since starting his career as a DJ in Miami in the late 1970s, he’s been an innovator musically, culturally, business-wise, and even legally. As the mastermind behind 2 Live Crew, Campbell guided the group’s change from a California-based conscious rap group into a pioneering Southern crew who popularized Miami bass music, and whose raunchy lyrics were often imitated.

It was those same raunchy lyrics that would land Campbell and the group in repeated legal hot water. Luke fought and won legal battles not only for his group’s right to be, as his most popular and controversial record would have it, “as nasty as they wanna be,” but also for record stores’ right to sell his work. He also took a battle to parody songs all the way to the Supreme Court - and won. Simultaneously, he was running the fiercely independent Luke Records, which was for a time the largest black-owned record label in the country, and discovering acts like Poison Klan, Trick Daddy, and Pitbull.

Luke has also been fiercely devoted to the children of his native Liberty City neighborhood, starting a popular youth football league, coaching teams himself, and even running for Mayor of Miami in 2011. His latest venture is a memoir (with Tanner Colby) that covers his wild life and times, as well as the history of his hometown. It’s called The Book of Luke: My Fight for Truth, Justice, and Liberty City, published by Amistad.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/116/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, we talk to MF Grimm, along with his producer and group-mate Drasar Monumental. Grimm is a rapper, producer, and now an award-winning comic book writer, who is just now making some of the greatest music of his long and storied career.

After growing up in the New York City of the 70s and 80s - and making a short stint as a child actor on Sesame Street - Grimm began his hip-hop career on the city’s battle scene. He quickly gained attention, started ghostwriting for more successful acts, and was on the verge of solo stardom when he was shot and paralyzed in 1993, in an incident that also killed his brother.

Grimm recovered, and even executive produced his friend MF Doom’s 1999 solo debut Operation: Doomsday, which was recorded in the basement of Grimm’s Rockland County house. Starting in 2001, he began releasing a string of powerful solo albums that molded the ups and downs of his life into powerful artistic statements. He also moved into another medium, writing the autobiographical graphic novel Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm.

Since 2012, he has been working on the Good Morning Vietnam trilogy of albums with our second guest, producer Drasar Monumental.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/123/ for full show notes and comments.

Paul Wall is the Houston-based rapper - and sometimes jeweler - who rose to fame after his appearance on Mike Jones’ 2004 hit “Still Tippin’.” That tune, and Paul’s own hit songs that followed, moved his hometown from hip-hop’s periphery to its center - a shift which still reverberates today, as you can hear in the heavy H-Town influence on newer rappers like Drake and A$AP Rocky.

Paul got his start as part of a group with his childhood friend Chamillionaire. After two albums as a duo, Paul went solo in 2004. He found solo success the following year on his city’s famed Swishahouse label, with his album The Peoples Champ, which contained the hit “Sittin’ Sidewayz.”

Paul has continued to make music true to his city’s roots, while keeping a hand in any number of side hustles, from custom grills to clothing to his brand-new strain of marijuana. His brand-new album is Slab God.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/126/ for full show notes and comments.

Raquel Cepeda is an author, journalist, filmmaker, podcast host, and a whole lot more. She grew up in both the Dominican Republic and the New York City of the 1980s. In 2001, she became the Editor-In-Chief of Russell Simmons’ One World magazine. She left the magazine in 2004, just in time to edit the definitive anthology of rap writing, And It Don’t Stop: The Best American Hip-Hop Journalism.

Raquel would go on to make the documentary Bling: A Planet Rock, where she took Paul Wall, Raekwon, and Tego Calderon to Sierra Leone in order to learn the truth behind the country’s diamond trade. Her most recent book is a memoir, Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina, and she’s also a “co-discussant” on the podcast Our National Conversation About Conversations About Race.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/127/ for full show notes and comments.

Darlene Ortiz is best-known for her iconic pose on the cover of Ice-T’s 1988 album Power, a shot that no one who has seen it has ever forgotten. But there’s far more to her than bathing suits and guns.

She was right by Ice-T’s side during his rise to the top of the rap game. The two met when Darlene was a 17 year old hip-hop obsessive, and she and Ice quickly became rap’s first power couple. She appeared on his album covers and in his videos, and was right by his side for tours, TV appearances, movie roles, and the infamous “Cop Killer” controversy.

Darlene has a brand-new memoir called DEFINITION OF DOWN:My Life with Ice T and the Birth of Hip Hop, published by Over the Edge Books.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/131/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, we talk to April Walker. She’s the founder of Walker Wear, a clothing brand that was worn by all of the top entertainers and athletes of the early 1990s, from Tupac to L.L. to Mike Tyson to her neighbor Biggie Smalls.

Walker began her career with a small custom shop in Brooklyn. But early on, she started attracting hip-hop’s elite, and she soon began a styling division that dressed artists in countless videos, motion pictures, album covers, tours and photo shoots.

She began her own line, Walker Wear, in 1992. It became a huge success, and a favorite brand of many, many stars. Walker Wear ended in 1998, after the oversaturation and subsequent collapse of the urban fashion world. But in 2013, Walker brought back her eponymous company, and now sells both retro and new pieces online.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/133/ for full show notes and comments.

It’s that time of year! We sit down with Bill to talk about this year’s edition of his world-famous Christmas music mix Xmas Jollies 2015, which you can stream EXCLUSIVELY from us here.

We also discuss how Bill’s extensive hip-hop archives ended up at Cornell University, despite the wishes of his pal Lyor Cohen; why you’ll soon see his photos at the Smithsonian; and the story of how a noted civil rights activist was outed as an FBI spy.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/134/ for full show notes and comments.

Mack Wilds is best known for his acting work on TV shows like The Wire and 90210, and most recently his starring role in Adele’s “Hello” video. But he’s also a Grammy-nominated singer and rapper who is putting his own spin on r&b and rap. He brought his passions for acting and hip-hop together in VH1’s upcoming TV movie about the music industry in 1990, The Breaks, which airs on January 4th. Mack plays Dee Vee, an aspiring producer and DJ who finds a talented artist to work with, but may have bitten off more than he can chew in the process.

We sat down with the Staten Island native on the eve of The Breaks to talk about acting, music, his home borough, and much, much more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/135/ for full show notes and comments.

Quelle is a rapper and producer who originally hails from Detroit – though he’s also passed through St. Louis, Los Angeles, Chicago, Brooklyn, and more. He got his start with Detroit’s Wasted Youth crew, teaming up with artists like Denmark Vessey, Big Tone, and even Danny Brown, the last of whom used two of Quelle’s beats on his breakthrough album XXX.

Quelle’s music runs the gamut from banging rap beats to experimental synth pop, and his subject matter from raunchy humor to conversations with God. His most recent solo album, last year’s Innocent Country, is his most powerful and wide-ranging work yet.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/141/ for full show notes and comments.

Saul Williams is a man of many talents - an actor who has starred in hit movies and Broadway shows; a poet who made a huge impression on the spoken word and poetry slam scenes and has published multiple volumes; and a musician who has recorded five albums with collaborators like Trent Reznor and Rick Rubin.

It is this last talent that brought him to us for this episode. Saul has a brand-new album called MartyrLoserKing that brings together many of his career-long themes into its story. The record, along with an accompanying graphic novel and film, both in the works, tells the story of the titular character, a cyber hacker living in the East African country of Burundi. He builds a Frankenstein’s Monster-like super-computer from the parts of abandoned desktops, teaches himself how to code, and develops an online cult following. He’s in love with a transgender woman named Neptune Frost and hosts a cryptic and anarchist podcast. His eventual hacks into Google and the Pentagon turn him into Public Enemy No. 1, a kind of militant Edward Snowden. We talk to Saul about how the story came about, where it’s going, and his thoughts on recent events from David Bowie’s passing to the Paris terrorist attacks.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/142/ for full show notes and comments.

Eligh Nachowitz and Corey Scoffern, a.k.a. The Grouch, are rappers best known for their affiliation with the Living Legends crew. The group, which also included our recent guest Murs, were pioneers in the independent West Coast rap scene in the 1990s. Eligh began his career with Murs and fellow future Living Legend member Scarub in a group called Three Melancholy Gypsys while still a teenager. That crew joined with another group called Mystik Journeymen, picked up a few members including The Grouch, and formed the Living Legends. Their lo-fi albums, made initially on four-tracks, plus their self-booked international tours, set a template that independent rappers follow to this day.

Eligh and The Grouch began releasing music as a duo in in 1998, and have released a number of albums together, most recently 2014’s triple album The Tortoise and the Crow. Together, separately, and with the rest of the Living Legends, their sprawling discography is one of the finest of the era.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/143/ for full show notes and comments.