Allah B is a longtime member of the Nation of Gods and Earths, formerly known as the Five Percenters. He grew up in Harlem in the 1950s and 60s, a time when the Nation of Islam had huge influence thanks to its minister, Malcolm X. Clarence 13X Smith was an NOI member who became disenchanted with the group around 1963, and formed his own organization the following year. Clarence quickly became known as “Allah” or “The Father,” and most of his early disciples were teenage boys, Allah B among them.

The group, originally known as the Five Percenters and now as the Nation of Gods and Earths, grew steadily until Allah’s murder in June 1969. It would have a rebirth in the 1980s and 90s, as many of the young children raised in the group’s beliefs would go into hip-hop and spread Five Percenter beliefs, slang, and practices far and wide.

If you’ve ever listened to Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, or the Wu-Tang Clan, said “Peace” or “word,” or stood in a b-boy stance, you owe a huge debt to the Gods and Earths, whether you realize it or not. Allah B has been there for the group’s whole history, and shares it with us in this interview.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/151/ for full show notes and comments.

Elzhi got his start as an emcee in the now-famous Detroit rap scene of the 1990s, going to shows and open mics alongside some of the city’s great talent like Guilty Simpson, Royce da 5’9”, Phat Kat, Invincible, Proof, Eminem, and Slum Village. In 2001, Elzhi would join Slum Village after J Dilla left the group. He would remain with them for nearly a decade, leaving in 2010 amidst drama with the other members and their record label.

In 2011, Elzhi released an album-length reinvisioning of Nas’ Illmatic, entitled Elmatic, which met great critical and popular success. His brand new album, inspired by his struggles with depression, is called Lead Poison.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/152/ for full show notes and comments.

Krizz Kaliko first became known to hip-hop fans in the early 2000s as the ever-present hookman and onstage foil to Tech N9ne and other Strange Music artists, lacing tracks with both singing and rapping. His solo career would begin in 2008 with the album Vitiligo, and each record after that would reveal a diverse musical personality, equally comfortable with double-time raps, r&b hooks, and even Sinatra-style crooning.

Krizz’ latest album, released this past April, is called GO.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/153/ for full show notes and comments.

Dame is a producer who has sold tens of millions of albums in his storied career. He got his start working with The LOX, and had his first big hit with their tribute to Biggie, “We’ll Always Love Big Poppa.” After giving The LOX several of the biggest songs on their debut album Money, Power, Respect, Dame started working with another member of the Ruff Ryders camp, DMX. He produced almost the entirety of X’s 1998 debut It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, beginning a working relationship and friendship that continues to this day.

That album sold over five million copies, and moved Dame into the ranks of superstar producers. He made hits for Cam’ron, Nas, Noreaga, Freeway, and countless others. Then he moved on to a whole sound, helping Max B and French Montana define their “wave” movement. Today, he’s still making songs at a record clip – and we do mean that literally.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/154/ for full show notes and comments.

Sput is a drummer, keyboardist, and producer who consistently plays with the top acts in the world. Hip-hop fans have heard his work with Snoop Dogg, Timbaland, and Kendrick Lamar. But in addition to that, the Dallas native has played with everyone from Erykah Badu to Celine Dion to his main gig, the instrumental powerhouse band Snarky Puppy.

But back before all that, Sput got his start as a part of Kirk Franklin’s Grammy-winning group God’s Property, which he played in as a teenager - and whose lineup, incidentally, was a who’s-who of future star musicians.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/155/ for full show notes and comments.

Keith is best-known as a member of the Bomb Squad, the historic production team that changed hip-hop in the late 1980s and early 90s with their incendiary work for Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Slick Rick, Bel Biv DeVoe, and countless others – not to mention their hit remixes for pop stars like Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson.

But before Keith was helping to create some of the greatest rap albums of all time, he was part of a successful mobile DJ crew called Spectrum City, based out of his hometown of Roosevelt, Long Island. The crew consisted of most of the people who would go on to form the core of Public Enemy and the Bomb Squad.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/156/ for full show notes and comments.

F.A.B. is a Bay Area rapper who has been a key part of his region’s scene for well over a decade. His albums like Son of a Pimp and Da Baydestrian, as well as his successes as a freestyle rhymer and a battle rapper, have showed him to be an incredibly versatile artist. He’s equally at home writing tearjerking songs about his family, improvising for ten minutes at a time to whatever beat is thrown at him, or attacking an opponent with a vicious battle rhyme. He was also a key part of the Bay Area’s hyphy movement, which had a moment in the national spotlight in the mid to late 2000s.

Mistah F.A.B.’s brand new album is Son of a Pimp, Pt. 2.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/157/ for full show notes and comments.

Greg Nice and Smooth B came together to form a group in 1986. By then, the Bronx rappers already had music business experience that belied their young ages. But when they joined forces, things really took off. Their self-titled 1989 debut and its 1991 follow-up Ain’t A Damn Thing Changed are generally regarded as classics, and spawned hits like “Funky For You,” “Hip Hop Junkies,” and of course “Sometimes I Rhyme Slow.”

Nice & Smooth are currently celebrating three decades as a group with a 30th anniversary tour.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/158/ for full show notes and comments.

Ms. Jade is a Philadelphia-based rapper who first came to most peoples’ attention as a protege of Timbaland. She, along with other artists including Tweet and Bubba Sparxx, were part of the producer’s Beat Camp collective. Ms. Jade also worked closely with another one of Timbaland’s frequent collaborators, Missy Elliott, appearing on several of Missy’s hits like “Funky Fresh Dressed” and “Slap Slap Slap.”

Shortly after the release of her debut album Girl Interrupted, Jade parted ways with Timbaland and released several mixtapes that showed her rapping with an aggression and power that wasn’t always there during her time in the spotlight. Ms. Jade has released a bunch of recent freestyles, and is finishing up a new album entitled Beautiful Mess.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/159/ for full show notes and comments.

Adisa Banjoko is the founder of the Hip-Hop Chess Federation, a non-profit organization that fuses music, chess, and martial arts to promote unity, strategy and non-violence. He has a new book about the history and philosophy behind the organization called Bobby, Bruce & the Bronx: The Secrets of Hip Hop Chess. The book was originally titled Bobby, Bruce & Bam, but Adisa changed it – and very publicly resigned his years-long membership in the Zulu Nation – in light of the accusations of sexual abuse against Afrika Bambaataa.

With the Hip-Hop Chess Federation, Adisa has put on tons of workshops, seminars, and lectures to help children learn not only chess, but entrepreneurship, performing arts, and more. He has even worked with the World Chess Hall of Fame to put on one of their most successful exhibits ever.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/160/ for full show notes and comments.

Robert Aguilar, a.k.a. Rob Swift, grew up in Queens, New York and was already DJing by the age of 12 thanks to the influence of his father and older brother. In 1991, he was recruited to join a prestigious Harlem-based DJ crew called The X-Men. In 1992, Swift won the prestigious DMC East Coast title, and gained recognition within the DJ community. He soon started recorded with artists like Fat Joe, Akinyele, and Chi-Ali.

The X-Men eventually changed both their personnel and their name. They became The X-Ecutioners and narrowed down to Rob, his longtime friend Roc Raida, and Mista Sinista. That lineup released successful albums like Built From Scratch and Revolutions, toured the world, and worked with artists like Linkin Park, Big Pun, Everlast, Rob Zombie, and even the Blue Man Group.

Since leaving the X-Ecutioners, Rob has continued his experimentation. He’s worked with jazz artists like Herbie Hancock and Bob James, released an album inspired by classical music, and even started teaching DJing at the New School in New York City.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/161/ for full show notes and comments.

David “Chino” Villorente is not only one of the foremost graffiti artists ever to pick up a spray can, he’s also a true historian of the art form. His work has been seen on television, in magazines, and in galleries. He has also written numerous books about different aspects of graffiti culture (including several with our Episode 124 guest Sacha Jenkins) , and served a huge role in popularizing the culture as the editor of The Source’s influential “Graf Flix” column.

To see all of the art we talk about during this episode, check out this episode’s image gallery.

In addition, Chino gave us a very special playlist of music that inspired him during his writing days. You can check it out on our YouTube page.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/162/ for full show notes and comments.

!llmind first gained notice for making beats for some of underground rap’s best talent like Little Brother, Akrobatik, Heltah Skeltah, and two-time Cipher guest Skyzoo. But it didn’t take long for him to break into the mainstream, creating songs for Kanye West, Drake, J. Cole, Ludacris, and more.

!llmind also has a group of businesses aimed at helping aspiring producers, from his B.L.A.P. beat battles to his Blap-kits drum sound packages to personal mentorships. In addition, he’s an accomplished educator, and now a label head with his Roseville Music Group.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/163/ for full show notes and comments.

David Banner is a Jackson, Mississippi-raised rapper who started in the duo Crooked Lettaz, but first came to most peoples’ attention with his 2003 solo hit “Like A Pimp,” and the record that contained it, Mississippi: The Album. That LP, which also contained the hit “Cadillac on 22’s,” cemented Banner’s name and style in the minds of rap fans nationwide.

But there’s a whole lot more to Banner than a couple of hits. He is an accomplished producer who has made beats for T.I., Trick Daddy, RZA, and Lil Wayne. He’s also an actor who has been in the films Black Snake Moan and This Christmas. He has even recently hit the lecture circuit with his “God Box Lecture Series.” But most importantly, he has continued to challenge himself and his listeners with thoughtful, important music. His new album The God Box is coming soon.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/164/ for full show notes and comments.

Jarobi White is the mysterious fourth member of A Tribe Called Quest. He was a founding member of the group with his childhood best friend Phife Dog. Jarobi appeared on the group’s debut album People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, introducing the world at large to the group’s revolutionary vision. After that, his role in the group was intermittent - contributing ideas in the studio, showing up for some performances, and generally keeping people guessing about what he was up to.

During that whole period, and continuing until today, Jarobi was also pursuing his other passion, food. He is an experienced cook who has worked as a private chef and in Michelin-starred restaurants. He currently runs an events company called Eats, Rhymes & Life that brings together his passions for food and music in live events.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/165/ for full show notes and comments.

Scott Harding, better known as Scotty Hard, is a producer, engineer, and musician who has been behind the scenes for some of the most notable and boundary-pushing albums in hip-hop and beyond. He has worked on seminal albums by the Gravediggaz, Wu-Tang, the Brand New Heavies, Ultramagnetic MCs, Prince Paul, BDP, Tim Dog, De La Soul, and many, many more — and that’s not to mention his work with jazz, rock, and unclassifiable acts like Medeski, Martin and Wood, the Crash Test Dummies, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and tons of others.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/166/ for full show notes and comments.

Jermaine Dupri got his start in hip-hop very young. As a pre-teen, he was a dancer on the Fresh Fest tours of the mid-1980s. He went from there to rapping himself, but quickly found that his real talent lay in writing and producing hits for others.

J.D. had his first real success with the group Kriss Kross, who he discovered in 1991. He formed So So Def Records, where he guided the careers of Xscape, Da Brat, Jagged Edge, and Bow Wow. He also had many hits as a producer with the likes of Mariah Carey, Destiny’s Child, and Usher. Dupri is now a key part of two unscripted TV shows, The Rap Game and Music Moguls.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/167/ for full show notes and comments.

Slim Thug has been at the center of his city’s rap scene since he started his career in the late 1990s. He was one of the first artists on the iconic label Swishahouse. After years of success both on Swishahouse and independently, Slim found himself at the epicenter of a Houston rap explosion, caused in no small part by his memorable performance on Mike Jones’ hit “Still Tippin’.”

Around the time that song became a hit, Slim signed to Interscope Records. While there, he worked closely with Pharrell Williams, released the album Already Platinum, and jumped on songs with Beyoncé, Gwen Stefani, and more.

After his time in the majors, Slim moved back to independence, and has continued to release music at a steady clip. His latest album is Hogg Life Vol. 4: American King.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/168/ for full show notes and comments.

Martha is the founder of the Hip-Hop Education Center, but that’s only the latest venture in a lifetime full of advocating for and advancing the culture. She began her career on the set of Yo! MTV Raps, and hasn’t looked back.

Martha is the creator of the H2O International Film Festival, a documentary filmmaker, a social entrepreneur, and, most importantly, a tireless advocate for hip-hop education.

Whether she’s working with institutions like Cornell University to archive hip-hop’s past; or keeping track of, connecting, and enhancing current efforts in hip-hop education with the Hip Hop Education Center, Martha is always playing a key role in advancing the culture, and in helping people learn while using tools they know and can relate to.

Martha also brought along a special guest for this episode, Sommer McCoy. Sommer is the founder of the Mixtape Museum. The Mixtape Museum is an archive project dedicated to advancing public understanding and appreciation of the art, history, and technique of the mixtape.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/169/ for full show notes and comments.

Suga T is a rapper best known as a member of the influential Bay Area group The Click. The group consists of her cousin B-Legit and her brothers D-Shot and E-40. The Click has been making music together since the 1980s, and released their debut album Down and Dirty in 1992. Suga T’s solo career quickly followed, with her album It’s All Good in 1993.

Since then, she has released music solo, with The Click, and in collaboration with E-40, appearing on such hits as “Hurricane,” “Sprinkle Me,” “Captain Save-a-Ho,” and more. But she has also found a second life as a singer, releasing albums of gospel, jazz, and soul music. Suga T was most recently one of the honorees for VH1’s Hip Hop Honors 2016.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/170/ for full show notes and comments.

Monica Lynch is a woman who truly was at the center of it all during hip-hop’s Golden Age.

Monica started out in late 1981 as the very first employee of a small record label called Tommy Boy, which was releasing early rap and electro singles by the likes of Afrika Bambaataa and the Jonzun Crew. She quickly worked her way up to becoming the label’s president, and oversaw its most fertile period during hip-hop’s golden age of the late 1980s and early 90s. Under her tenure, the label released classic albums by Queen Latifah, De La Soul, Naughty By Nature, Stetsasonic, Paris, Digital Underground, CNN, House of Pain, and many more.

Monica was a key part of bringing Tommy Boy to the attention of the masses. She oversaw the label’s clothing line, its successful compilation albums, and also played a key role in the development of careers of artists, executives, and more ranging from The RZA to Dante Ross to Prince Paul.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/171/ for full show notes and comments.

Joe Budden first came to prominence in the mixtape scene of the early 2000s, due to an affiliation with DJ Clue’s Desert Storm crew, which also included Fabolous, the A-Team, and more. His 2003 debut self-titled album yielded a smash hit with “Pump It Up,” but the record’s sales didn’t match expectations, and led to problems between Joe and his label Def Jam - problems that would play out across the rapper’s increasingly popular and well-regarded Mood Muzik mixtape series.

Joe’s introspective, heavily personal style won him a devoted fanbase – one that he reached out to directly via the Internet, well before that became the standard thing to do. He nurtured those fans by continuing to release superb projects like Padded Room, A Loose Quarter, and No Love Lost. But he also expanded into new realms by appearing on the TV shows Love & Hip Hop and Couples Therapy. He has also moved into podcasting with his popular show I’ll Name This Podcast Later.

Joe’s new album, out this coming Friday, October 21st, is a collaboration with the producer AraabMuzik called Rage & the Machine.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/172/ for full show notes and comments.

TC is a DJ, emcee, and producer who began his career as a teenager in the mid-1980s, releasing several singles. But even back then, he was already an important member of the Zulu Nation, and eventually became a surrogate son, confidant, and musical collaborator of the organization’s leader, Afrika Bambaataa.

TC’s main musical contribution is combining hip-hop with dance music to create a unique hybrid he calls “hipstep.” Hipstep, which has its roots in both UK dance music and Bambaataa’s early experiments with electro, takes the tempos and sounds of drum and bass, jungle, and other dance genres, and brings them together with TC’s inimitable rhymes and song concepts.

The Zulu Nation, of course, has been rocked by scandal ever since a former member, Ronald “Bee Stinger” Savage, came forward this past spring with allegations of sexual abuse against Bambaataa. We’ll get TC’s comments on that as well, and his thoughts on the inner workings of the organization.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/173/ for full show notes and comments.

Robert is a pianist and producer who has straddled the worlds of jazz, r&b, and hip-hop his entire career. He has toured and recorded with the likes of Q-Tip, Kanye West, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Lupe Fiasco, and countless others. He has also been a key collaborator with his college buddy, the singer Bilal, and has won several r&b Grammys. But he first earned his musical stripes as a jazz player, releasing albums on the iconic jazz label Blue Note Records.

But no matter what genre he’s playing in, or what band he’s working with, Glasper brings his unique style, knowledge, and passion to anything he’s working on. His most recent album, with the Robert Glasper Experiment, is ArtScience.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/174/ for full show notes and comments.

Jerome “J-Roc” Harmon is a Grammy-winning musician and producer best-known for his work with Timbaland. He got his start in Texas, playing gospel and jazz with people like Fred Hammond, Kirk Franklin, and Wayman Tisdale, while producing the occasional hip-hop record. But once he met Timbaland about ten years ago, his career took off.

Harmon has produced, co-produced, or performed on projects by Timbaland, Nas, Chris Brown, Robin Thicke, Jennifer Hudson, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Jay Z, Michael Jackson, and many more. He has won Grammys for his work with gospel icon Fred Hammond, Chris Brown, Justin Timberlake, and Beyoncé, and was a key player in albums like Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience, Jay Z’s The Blueprint 3 and Magna Carta…Holy Grail, and Beyoncé’s self-titled LP.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/175/ for full show notes and comments.

Sophia is a longtime music business power player who has guided the careers of many of your favorite rappers and singers, including a healthy percentage of the Wu-Tang Clan. She started in the music business working for a Graceland-era Paul Simon, but quickly moved into top positions at labels like Atlantic and Jive. But it was in artist management that she really found her stride. Sophia managed Q-Tip and A Tribe Called Quest, Blackalicious, Organized Noize, D’Angelo, and Raphael Saadiq. But the real heart of her career has been with the Wu-Tang Clan. She worked with RZA, GZA, and ODB, managed RZA’s label Razor Sharp Records, and even ran the USA Shaolin Temple. She now works with the company MedMen, a leading cannabis firm that just opened a flagship dispensary in Los Angeles’ West Hollywood neighborhood, and keeps a busy schedule lecturing at prestigious colleges and universities. Sophia’s fascinating new blog about her life and times is Raised By Wu-Tang.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/176/ for full show notes and comments.

Ben Westhoff is an award-winning journalist and hip-hop contributor who has worked for almost every major media outlet: the Guardian, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Vice, NPR, L.A. Weekly, the Wall Street Journal, and more. He wrote the 2011 book Dirty South: OutKast, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and the Southern Rappers Who Reinvented Hip-Hop.

But none of that is why we wanted to talk to him. Westhoff’s new book is Original Gangstas: The Untold Story of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and the Birth of West Coast Rap. As the title implies, it tells the whole story of rap in Los Angeles and beyond, from the birth of the scene in the 1980s through the tragic deaths of Tupac, Biggie, and Eazy-E over a decade later. The book is fascinating and exhaustive, with tons of never-before-reported information about the lives and careers of the scene’s key players.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/177/ for full show notes and comments.

Sean “Slug” Daley of Atmosphere is a proud son of Minneapolis whose devotion to that city shines through not only in his music, but also in the label he co-founded in large part to help bring shine to his city’s scene, Rhymesayers.

Atmosphere started when Daley was in high school (see above), but the group really started making waves in the early 2000s, with the release of music that would be collected on the album Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EPs.

The introspective, personal songs on Lucy Ford and follow-up projects like God Loves Ugly and Seven’s Travels struck a chord with a huge audience, and Atmosphere’s constant touring, of a kind much more akin to rock bands than rap acts, helped the group’s following grow to a point where they received airplay on MTV2, performed at large festivals, and received serious attention from big record labels. Rhymesayers, meanwhile, released well-regarded projects from the likes of Brother Ali, Eyedea and Abilities, Blueprint, MF DOOM, and many others.

Atmosphere’s latest album, released this past August, is Fishing Blues.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/178/ for full show notes and comments.

J.Period is one of the best mixtape DJs in the world and worked closely with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Questlove on the just released Hamilton Mixtape, a companion to the smash hit musical that mixes new versions of songs in the show, reinterpretations, and demos.

He’s also been the music supervisor for the Brooklyn Nets, helped launch the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, composed for TV and film, and was even the DJ Spike Lee called at 10 am the day Prince passed to come play the filmmaker’s block party that night.

J.Period’s work is very far from a standard mixtape. Instead, he makes musical documentaries, mixing songs, interview and news footage, sample sources, and guest artists to create a unique, multilayered picture of the work of icons like Nas, Lauryn Hill, Q-Tip, James Brown, Michael Jackson, and more. He has even taken this approach to the stage with his “live mixtape” series, which he has performed at the Smithsonian Museum, The Roots Picnic, the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, and more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/179/ for full show notes and comments.

Tech is a Kansas City rapper who has started an empire with his label Strange Music. He began his career back in the mid-1990s, landing several record deals with the likes of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and Quincy Jones.

But it wasn’t until Tech N9ne let all of that go and started his own label Strange Music in 1999 with his partner Travis O’Guin that things really took off. Tech came back with a new, rock-influenced sound and a sharper creative vision. He spent years touring hard behind it, building a devoted fanbase that sustains him and the label to this day.

Tech’s new album, out December 9th, is The Storm.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/180/ for full show notes and comments.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—if you love soulful Christmas music! We sit down with Bill to talk about the 2016 edition of his world-famous ‘Xmas Jollies’ mix, which you can stream EXCLUSIVELY from us here.

We also discuss Paul Simon, vaudeville, Atlanta, record shopping in Bayou country, the raunchiest Christmas song of all time, and much more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/181/ for full show notes and comments.

Adam Mansbach is a novelist and, of course, the author of the “children’s book for adults” Go the F to Sleep. But his new project is not a book—it’s a screenplay. Adam wrote the new movie Barry, available now on Netflix. The film is a fictionalized examination of Barack Obama’s first months in New York City, as he arrives at Columbia University in 1981.

The film stars Ashley Judd, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Mitchell, Ellar Coltrane, Avi Nash, and the fantastic newcomer Devon Terrell as Obama. It’s been getting rave reviews and has garnered a bunch of award nominations, including NAACP Image Award and Independent Spirit Award noms for Adam. We talk to Adam about writing and filming Barry, but we also catch up about the election, his new TV show, Henny Youngman’s joke-telling philosophy, and a whole lot more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/182/ for full show notes and comments.

Salaam is a producer who is behind some of the most popular hip-hop, r&b, pop, and dancehall songs of the past several decades. His work with icons like Nas, Amy Winehouse, and The Fugees has been on the airwaves and on the charts consistently since the 1990s.

Salaam is the son of a musician, and got his start early, working on songs with the likes of Kurtis Blow as a teenager in the mid-1980s. By the early 90s, he was already producing hip-hop and dancehall. He did some remixes for an under-appreciated rap group called The Fugees whose first album was on the verge of flopping, and that quickly led to him producing the song “Fu-gee-la” on their monster hit follow up album The Score.

But it was in the early 2000s that Salaam really hit his commercial stride, as he began working closely with Nas on, including many others, the iconic single “Made You Look.” And Remi began working closely with a young singer from London named Amy Winehouse on her 2003 debut Frank, and also produced five songs on her smash hit follow up Back to Black. Miraculously, that’s only the beginning of Salaam’s track record as a producer, musician, composer, and executive.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/183/ for full show notes and comments.

Saba is a young rapper and producer from the West Side of Chicago who has been making a huge impact with his latest album, Bucket List Project. He got his start at open mics around Chicago thrown by Young Chicago Authors and YOUmedia, a scene that also produced talents like Mick Jenkins, Vic Mensa, Noname, and Chance the Rapper.

Saba really came into his own with his 2014 album ComfortZONE, a project that saw him get away from standard brags and boasts and develop a more personal and intimate style. Bucket List Project finds that style fully developed, and people have noticed. Rolling Stone even chose the record as one of its top rap albums of the year.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/184/ for full show notes and comments.

Andre “Doctor Dré” Brown is best-known for his time co-hosting Yo! MTV Raps with Ed Lover, a job he held down from 1989 to 1995. He and Ed used their chemistry and comic sensibility to bring hip-hop, and the artists who made it, to a worldwide audience.

But, as you’ll hear, there’s much more to Dré than his time at MTV. He was a key part of the group Original Concept, one of Def Jam’s early signings. He played a key role in the lives of some other early Def Jam acts, Public Enemy and the Beastie Boys. He’s made movies, worked in radio, and done pretty much everything else you can imagine.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/185/ for full show notes and comments.

Ras Kass is a California-based rhymer who is one of the most well-respected and critically beloved artists in the genre. He has been wowing rap fans with his dense, complicated, literary lyrics - often packed with historical references - since the mid-1990s. His now-classic debut Soul on Ice was released in 1996, and he has put out a slew of extremely well-regarded solo and collaborative projects since then.

But right along with his talent has been a near-equal amount of record label issues - and occasionally legal ones. Several of his early-aughts albums remain unreleased to this day, and he also spent some time behind bars in 2008-9 for issues relating to a DUI. But all that is behind him, and today Ras is stronger than ever. His latest album is Intellectual Property, and Soul on Ice 2 is coming soon.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/186/ for full show notes and comments.

Thirstin is a Brooklyn rapper who came on most rap fans’ radar during the underground hip-hop boom of the late 1990s. His comic songs like “I Still Live With My Moms” and “How Many Babee Muvas” caught the attention of listeners who liked their lyricism and tales of New York City street life with a side of humor.

But as much as for rap, Thirstin is also well-known for his long-running obsession with Polo. As a teenager, he played a key role in uniting two disparate Brooklyn crews into the Lo-Lifes, a group that would become notorious for both their boosting sprees and their fashion. Thirstin has a new book documenting the worldwide reach of the Lo-Lifes, called Bury Me With The Lo On.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/187/ for full show notes and comments.

Stretch and Evan are the co-authors of the new book No Sleep: NYC Nightlife Flyers 1988-1999. The book, as its title suggests, is a collection of flyers from the prime years of New York City nightlife, mixed with recollections from people who were there.

But both guests are known for far more than the book. Evan was the driving force behind Evil Empire mixtapes, and currently runs the popular Up North Trips, which has a website, Twitter, and Instagram devoted to hip-hop memorabilia, anniversaries, and history.

Stretch, of course, was the co-host of one of the most influential radio shows of all time, the Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito show. The show, co-hosted by Bobbito Garcia, ran on WKCR starting in 1990, and defined the sound of underground rap. Just a short list of artists who appeared on that show in the early years of their career would include Nas, Common, Jay Z, Eminem, Busta Rhymes, Big Pun, Big L, the Notorious B.I.G., and the Wu-Tang Clan. Many of those artists, and a ton more, revisited their experiences in the 2015 documentary Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/188/ for full show notes and comments.

Brothers Eric and Jeff Rosenthal have been merging comedy and hip-hop since 2007, when they began by making short sketch videos poking fun at (and, in short order, with) rappers. They took their comedic vision and love of hip-hop culture through a bunch of different projects: sketches, absurdist interviews with artists, podcasts, and even their own original music.

Most recently, the brothers have their own podcast, A Waste of Time With ItsTheReal. They also have a brand-new album called Teddy Bear Fresh, and an upcoming live show at the New York City nightclub SOBs on February 23rd.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/189/ for full show notes and comments.

Paradise Gray began his career in hip-hop under the tutelage of masters like Pete DJ Jones and Disco King Mario. However, he really hit his stride when he began booking hip-hop acts and hosting in 1986 at a nightclub in the heart of Times Square called the Latin Quarter. While at the club, he would have a front row seat to the introduction of a new generation of hip-hop artists—the key acts in what would come to be called the genre’s Golden Age.

After the club closed in 1988, Paradise would form the group X-Clan with some friends, and deliver some of the most powerful, conscious rap records of all time.

Paradise has a new book about his time at the LQ called No Half Steppin’: An Oral and Pictorial History of New York City Club the Latin Quarter and the Birth of Hip-Hop’s Golden Era.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/190/ for full show notes and comments.

Faith Newman is a longtime music executive who got her start—while still in college—at Def Jam Records in 1987, back when you could count the number of employees on one hand. But she is most remembered for her time at Columbia Records in A&R, where she discovered and signed a young rapper from Queensbridge who had all of New York City buzzing. She then played a key role in creating that artist’s debut album. That rapper—Nas—and the album—Illmatic—would change hip-hop forever.

But that’s only part of Faith’s story. In addition to playing a key early role in Def Jam, she also signed or oversaw albums by the likes of LL Cool J, Slick Rick, Jamiroquai, Big L, and even Miles Davis. She is now the Senior Vice President of A&R and Catalog Development at Reservoir Media, a music publishing company.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/191/ for full show notes and comments.

Stef “P.O.S” Alexander is a rapper from Minneapolis who has long affiliations with both the Doomtree collective and the Rhymesayers label. He began his musical career as a punk rock kid, and he’s kept both the sound and the do-it-yourself spirit of punk rock in his moves into the rap world. He has released a number of albums that are diverse and fascinating in sound, topic, and theme, both on his own and as a part of Doomtree.

P.O.S has a new album, his first in five years. It’s called Chill, dummy.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/192/ for full show notes and comments.

G Koop is your favorite producer’s secret weapon. In addition to being a successful beatmaker on his own for artists like Gift of Gab and Nelly, Koop has carved out a successful career as the go-to guy for sample replays. He can re-create nearly any song, from any era, and has done so for artists like Drake, Ice Cube, MF DOOM, Scarface, and countless others.

Lately, he has taken that one step further, and begun creating his own compositions for other producers to sample. That music has been the basis for songs by Future, 21 Savage, 2 Chainz. and even Migos’ recent number one smash hit “Bad and Boujee.”

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/193/ for full show notes and comments.

Boldy James is a Detroit rapper who first came to many peoples’ attention in 2009 after appearances on songs by his cousin Chuck Inglish’s group, The Cool Kids. But Boldy took that initial burst of interest and ran with it, releasing a slew of mixtapes and guest appearances leading up to his 2013 debut album My 1st Chemistry Set, produced entirely by The Alchemist.

Just over a year later, Boldy was signed to Nas’ then-new label Mass Appeal Records. Boldy’s latest project, out this past February, is House of Blues.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/194/ for full show notes and comments.

Bill Stephney grew up playing in bands, but found his real intro to the music business in college, when he got involved in Adelphi University’s radio station WBAU. He became the music director as well as an on-air personality, overseeing a crew that included a young Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Doctor Dré, and more. Out of those connections, he became a key member of the legendary production collective The Bomb Squad, best-known for their game changing work with Public Enemy.

After college, Bill went to work as the first employee of a new record label called Def Jam, co-founded by his longtime friend Russell Simmons. Bill’s job was to get the label’s artists on the radio—something that sounds comparatively simple today, but was bordering on impossible back in 1985.

After his time at Def Jam, Bill went on to found two record labels, produce albums for comedy legend Paul Mooney, act as music supervisor for movies like CB4 and Boomerang, and even partner with Chris Rock on a humor newspaper.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/195/ for full show notes and comments.

DJ EFN has done it all in hip-hop: hosted mixtapes, put out albums, managed acts, owned a clothing store, run a marketing company, been on the radio, and more.

But now, there are two major projects that have vaulted EFN into the spotlight. First, there’s his Coming Home documentary series, where he travels around the world and discovers different countries through the lens of their hip-hop scene. The newest edition in the series is Coming Home: Vietnam.

Second, EFN created and co-hosts with Nore the wildly popular Drink Champs podcast. The show has wild, booze-fueled conversations with hip-hop’s elite, including Diddy, 50 Cent, Ice T, and dozens of others.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/196/ for full show notes and comments.

Martin is the brains behind the website Rap Analysis, and the author of the upcoming book The Artistry of Rap Music. He’s a trained composer and musician who looks at rapping from a perspective that should be common but sadly is all too frequently missing from discussions around hip-hop: as music.

Martin’s examinations of rappers’ deliveries, phrasing, and styles are second to none, and will have you listening to your favorite artists in a whole new way.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/197/ for full show notes and comments.

Skeff is a producer and engineer who worked on some of the best hip-hop to come out of New York in the 1980s and 90s. He started out as the in-house engineer for the label Strong City Records and its associated recording studio, both of which were run by the legendary Bronx DJ Jazzy Jay.

Skeff has worked on records by Brand Nubian, De La Soul, Mos Def, Heavy D, MC Serch, D-Nice, Busy Bee, Diamond D, Tragedy, and countless others. But he is perhaps best known for his work with A Tribe Called Quest. On the group’s classic second and third albums, The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders, Skeff was one of only two non-group-members to produce songs—the other one was Large Professor. Skeff also worked very closely with the late Phife Dawg in the vocal booth, helping to turn Phife into the iconic rapper he is remembered as today.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/198/ for full show notes and comments.

Shawty is an influential producer best-known for his work with Jeezy and Gucci Mane. He has been one of the most important beatmakers ever to come out of Atlanta, and he played a key role in developing the sound of trap music - a sound that is as now close as the nearest radio station or passing car.

Shawty started out as a part of Atlanta’s bass music scene, but his diverse influences (and a mistake in the studio) changed his sound, and he developed a new style that would blossom into trap. While you can hear the beginnings of his style early on, it was his work with Jeezy, starting back when the rapper was still called Lil’ J, that pushed Shawty into the spotlight. In addition to his work with Jeezy and Gucci, Shawty Redd has made beats for Lil Jon, Pastor Troy, Snoop Dogg, Pusha T, and many more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/199/ for full show notes and comments.

Jay is the host of the longest-running hip-hop radio show ever, The Underground Railroad on New York City station WBAI. He’s had the show since 1991, and helped create the template of what an underground mix show is supposed to be. He also had arguably first hip-hop blog way back in 1997 with hiphopmusic.com.

But Jay is perhaps best known as a pioneering video blogger. His video series Ill Doctrine, which deals with hip-hop, politics, cats, and lots more, has garnered millions of views, and many of the entries have gone viral, including now-classic video essays like “How To Tell Someone They Sound Racist.”

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/201/ for full show notes and comments.