Heat Rocks (MaximumFun.org)
Explore every episode of Heat Rocks
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Aug 2019 | 100th Episode Spectacular: Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings' "100 Days 100 Nights" (2007) | 01:02:51 | |
The Album: Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings 100 Days, 100 Nights (2007) On the occasion of our 100th episode, we decided to devote a Host’s Choice episode to talking about the breakout 2007 album from Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. Coming out hot on the heels of Amy Winehouse’s best-selling Back to Black (2007) which featured the Dap-Kings horn section, 100 Days, 100 Nights made it clear who the queen (and kings) of the retro-soul sound was. As their third album, that latest LP showcased the group’s growing prowess as songwriters and Jones was in top form with a voice able to bring heft and spark to the group’s stylings on Southern soul, uptempo funk and deep gospel. Morgan and Oliver are mostly excited to have made it to #100 and we wanted to thank all our listeners, guests and producers for their support of our show over its first two years. Here’s to 100 more! More on 100 Days, 100 Nights
Show Tracklisting (all songs from 100 Days, 100 Nights unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 01 Oct 2020 | Three Year Anniversary Special | 01:04:44 | |
This week, we're celebrating our three year anniversary (!!!) and talking about our personal favorite moments of the show. Thank you so much for listening and sending in your favorite moments! And here's to many more unforgettable episodes, scorching hot albums, and wonderful conversations. If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 20 Sep 2018 | Aurora Guerrero on the "Mosquita Y Mari" soundtrack (2012) | 00:45:06 | |
The Album: "Mosquita Y Mari" soundtrack (2012) Aurora Guerrero is a Chicana filmmaker whose 2012 sweet coming-of-age story about two young Chicanas falling in love in Huntington Park was hit at Sundance that year. The Hollywood Reporter called it "...a robust work of self-discovery for two girls at the most awkward and confusing years of their young lives, and a testament to Aurora Guerrero's storytelling prowess." Traditions and emotions merge as the Yolanda and Mari's relationship grows intensely over time. The narrative is underscored by a gorgeous soundtrack - the sound of East Los Angeles' eclectic underground music scene featuring indie artists across genres: ska, punk and hip hop with bands like Mexico 72, Pistolero, Viernes 13 and La Pobreska. We sat with Aurora to talk about her curation process, the music vibe of Huntington Park, what falling in love sounds like when you're 15 and how Mosquita Y Mari put Southeast L.A. on the map in a new way. More on Aurora Guerrero
Show Tracklisting (all songs from soundtrack unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many song as we can find there. If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 26 Dec 2017 | Bosco on Erykah Badu's "Mama's Gun" | 00:42:08 | |
Bosco was an artist that Morgan knew, from jump, she wanted to get on the show. A Savannah native who's now an L.A. transplant (by way of Atlanta), Bosco's been steady climbing the ranks in the music game and has had a breakout year in 2017, especially wiht the release of her full-length, b. For her pick, Bosco wanted to revisit one of the formative albums that shaped her imagination as a kid: Erykah Badu's sophomore album: Mama's Gun. If Baduizm helped put Badu on the map, Mama's Gun - which was produced by the same Soulquarian team also working on D'Angelo's Voodoo and Common's Like Water For Chocolate - firmly established her as the preeminent queen of what was then called neo-soul and these days seems better described as future soul. Our conversation touched on many aspects of how Badu and her sound landed on people's ears back at the turn of the century and how it continues to reverberate today. More on Erykah Badu's Mama's Gun
More on Bosco
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Mama's Gun unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 23 Jul 2020 | Regina Bradley on OutKast's "Aquemini" (1998) | 00:54:41 | |
In 1995, OutKast was booed by an angry crowd at the Source Awards after they won Best New Artist. During his speech, Andre 3000 famously declared "The South got something to say." Nowadays, ATL has a solid place in the history of rap, but OutKast had to fight for a seat at the table. OutKast becomes the newest member of the Triple Crown club here on Heat Rocks and we're talking to professor/scholar Regina Bradley about the duo's smothered, covered, diced, and topped LP, Aquemini. We discuss Andre's evolution as a rapper, the deep Atlanta love throughout the record, and where this album ranks in OutKast's discography.
More on Regina Bradley
More on Aquemini
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Aquemini unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there | |||
| 08 Mar 2018 | Brian "B+" Cross on Freestyle Fellowship's "To Whom It May Concern" | 00:37:56 | |
Brian Cross, better known to most as B+, is one of the most important photographers of the hip-hop generation to ever emerge out of the West Coast. A transplant from Ireland to California, Cross began documenting the L.A. rap community throughout the late '80s and early '90s, producing one of the great books about the region's hip-hop scene, It's Not About a Salary. He's also a founding partner of the music/events organization Mochilla. Just this year, Cross finally published his first book reflecting on his career in photography, Ghost Notes: Music of the Unplayed. For his episode with Heat Rocks, Cross took us back to 1991 and the release of To Whom It May Concern, one of the greatest West Coast hip-hop albums of all time...and one that most people never got to hear back in the day because of its limited distribution at the time. Better late than never; don't keep sleeping. More on Freestyle Fellowship and To Whom It May Concern
More on Brian "B+" Cross
Show Tracklisting (all songs from To Whom It May Concern unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 15 Apr 2021 | Jason King on Sylvester's "Living Proof" (1979) | 00:58:27 | |
Writer and musician Jason King sits down with Oliver and guest co-host Jocelyn Brown to discuss the Sylvester live album Living Proof. We talk about Sylvester's vision of wholeness and sharing good vibes, the countless gorgeous moments captured in the live setting, and the medley of genres he blended together. Please stick around to the end of the episode to hear a snippet of our past conversation with Shea Serrano about DMX. Rest in Power. More on Jason King
More on Sylvester
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Living Proof unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 13 Feb 2018 | Pharoahe Monch on Main Source's "Breaking Atoms" | 00:43:09 | |
MC extraordinaire Pharoahe Monch was no stranger to the trio known as Main Source (Large Professor + DJs K-Cut and Sir Scratch) back in the early '90s: Monch and Large Professor came up under the tutelage of the same mentor: producer Paul C. Though C was tragically murdered in 1989, both his proteges would go onto have banner years in '91 as Large Professor saw Main Source's Breaking Atoms released to critical fanfare while Monch enjoyed the same just a couple of months later when he and Prince Po released their debut, self-titled LP as Organized Konfusion. Pharoahe Monch sat down with us to talk about his experience of buying Breaking Atoms on tape from Hot Waxx in Queens and having it blow his mind on that first listen as well as what he's learned from the album in the 25+ years since. Listen to this episode live at your BBQ... More on Main Source and Breaking Atoms
More on Pharoahe Monch
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Breaking Atoms unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 01 Dec 2020 | Bonus Beats: Formative Songs with G Yamazawa | 00:19:21 | |
Oliver invites G Yamazawa back on the show to talk about three songs that shaped his life and rap style. Check out our full discussion with G Yamazawa and listen to his new album!
If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 14 May 2020 | Jarrett Hill on India.Arie's "Testimony Vol. 1, Life & Relationship" (2006) | 00:46:43 | |
When Testimony Vol. 1 dropped in 2006, India.Arie was still riding the success of her previous album, Voyage to India, which helped bring neo-soul and acoustic R&B to the forefront. She stood out from her contemporaries with deeply confessional and introspective songwriting. India's lyricism was somewhat polarizing when Testimony Vol. 1 was first released, but something about it hit different, especially for those of us in complicated relationships. Journalist Jarrett Hill (who cohosts FANTI here on Maximum Fun) joins us to talk about India's place in the neo-soul movement, what India's work meant to a college-aged Jarrett Hill, and what critics failed to understand when this album was first released. More on Jarrett More on India.Arie Song Tracklisting (all songs from Testimony Vol. 1, Life & Relationship unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 19 Feb 2021 | Take Two #8: Mary J Blige's "What's the 411?" with Naima Cochrane | 00:57:38 | |
We wrap up another edition of Take Two and discuss Mary J Blige's debut album What's The 411? We get into Mary's role in hip-hop soul, the story of Uptown Records, and Mary's image at the time. More on Naima
More on What's the 411?
Show Tracklisting (all songs from What's the 411? unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 19 Dec 2017 | Jay Smooth on Run DMC's "Raising Hell" | 00:40:50 | |
Jay Smooth was always on our list of "people who we gotta get for Heat Rocks." His cultural and political commentary, much of which he does through his pioneering Ill Doctrine videos, have positioned him as one of the hip-hop generation's leading pundits and he's also hosted one of the longest running rap shows in the world: The Underground Railroad on WBAI. For this show, Jay wanted to revisit Raising Hell a paradigm-shifting rap album that, as we discuss, has seemingly become underrated through the passage of time though it is unquestionably one of the most important hip-hop releases, ever. We get into the moment in which Run DMC first arrived, how they changed the game for rap artists (for better and for worse) and of course, all our fire track and sleeper jam picks off this LP. More on Run DMC's Raising Hell
More on Jay Smooth
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Raising Hell unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 05 Apr 2018 | Brother Ali on Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life" | 00:49:01 | |
Guest: Brother Ali The album: Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life (1976) As part of the two week MaxFun Drive, we wanted to save two of our best shows to share with you. This first week, it's rapper Brother Ali, a long time MaxFun favorite, and he picked one of the greatest albums of all time: Stevie Wonder's majestic Songs in the Key of Life, recorded when the artist was still in his 20s(!). Brother Ali, of course, has his own string of modern classics, including Shadows on the Sun (2003), The Undisputed Truth (2007) and most recently, last year's All the Beauty In This Whole Life. In choosing Stevie's masterpiece, Brother Ali took us back to his childhood, growing up with listening to Stevie in the house, and then later, as a teenager, buying Stevie albums to bring home and study. During our conversation with him, we got into the musical, social and cultural threads that Songs In the Key of Life has helped unwind over the years. More on Songs In the Key of Life
More on Brother Ali
Show Tracklist (all songs fromSongs in the Key of Life unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 28 Jun 2018 | Benjamin Booker on William Onyeabor's "Who is William Onyeabor?" | 00:36:15 | |
The Album: William Onyeabor: Who Is William Onyeabor? (2013) Benjamin Booker rocks. His soulful blend of blues, rock soul and punk, together with hella honest lyrics and an inimitable voice has moved folks across his self titled debut and latest album Witness. He joined us to talk about his discovery of Luaka Bop’s World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who Is William Onyeabor? It was love at first listen. He loved the moog and the drums, the minimalism and the disco elements. He loved the message. We talked about William Onyeabor's reclusiveness, foreshadowing in lyrics, African music across many genres and the coolness of a white cowboy hat. More on William Onyeabor and Who is William Onyeabor :
More on Benjamin Booker:
| |||
| 07 Feb 2018 | King on Outkast's "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" | 00:42:58 | |
The Grammy-nominated ladies of King are Anita Bias alongside sisters Amber and Paris Strother and it seems only right to have a super-sized guest talk about a super-sized album: Outkast's massive double LP from 2003: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Amongst other topics, we talked about how each of the three women first crossed paths with Outkast, what the group meant for the rise of the South in the 1990s, and revisited the endless debate over whether this as an Outkast album or a pair of Big Boi/Andre 3000 solo albums packaged together. More on Outkast and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
More on King
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Speakerboxxx/The Love Below unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 30 Jan 2018 | Bardo Martinez on Eugene McDaniels' "Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse" | 00:38:15 | |
When we approached Bardo Martinez of Chicano Batman, we figured he'd go with a left-field album choice and he did not disappoint. Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse was a cult LPs for years, one of the most overtly political albums of the entire '70s (least of all on Atlantic Records!) and might have been wholly forgotten if not for '90s hip-hop producers rediscovering it and using it as sample fodder. However, all groovy groove aside, Headless Heroes is also an astonishing album in regards to McDaniels' explicit politics regarding everything from the U.S. treatment of Native Americans to blue eyed minstrels to Watergate. It was supposedly blacklisted by no less than the Vice President of the U.S. (Spiro Agnew). As Chicano Batman are no strangers to merging message and music, it was the perfect LP for Bardo and us to dig into, least of all in this current political moment. More on Eugene McDaniels and Headless Heroes
More on Bardo Martinez and Chicano Batman
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Headless Heroes unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 07 Nov 2017 | Ill Camille on Common's "Like Water for Chocolate" | 00:38:00 | |
This week, we are joined by Los Angeles rapper, Ill Camille. She picked Common's Like Water For Chocolate from 2000, a moment that marked the Chicago's turn towards becoming a hip-hop elder statesman, backed by the production might of the Soulquarians crew. Camille's love for the album runs deep and during the course of our taping, she'd bust out Common's rhymes, line for line. More on Common and Like Water For Chocolate:
More on Ill Camille:
Show Tracklisting:
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 03 Oct 2019 | Luz Mendoza on Nina Simone's "To Love Somebody" (1969) | 00:51:56 | |
The Album: Nina Simone To Love Somebody (1969) Nina Simone's discography is vast and full of true fire, but To Love Somebody often gets overlooked. Perhaps it's because it was released right after 'Nuff Said and Nina Simone and Piano, both fantastic albums in their own right. And although the album contained almost all covers (Revolution 1 and 2 were credited to Simone and Weldon Irvine), she found a way to make every single song truly her own. Luz Mendoza of Y La Bamba joins Oliver and Morgan in the studio to discuss the chances Nina took on this album, the smaller, quieter moments in the music, and what Nina told us about herself throughout this LP. This is an episode you definitely do not want to miss. More on Y La Bamba
More on To Love Somebody
Show Tracklisting (all songs from To Love unless indicated otherwise)
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts do it here! | |||
| 15 Oct 2020 | Hanif Abdurraqib on The Beach Boys' "Surf's Up" (1971) | 00:47:59 | |
The Beach Boys are often regarded as one of the most prolific and influential American bands of all time. However, the group has has its fair share of missteps and controversies over the years. They found early commercial success with songs like "Surfin' USA" and "I Get Around" and critical success with the album Pet Sounds. As time went on and the musical landscape changed, the band struggled to find their voice. Their follow up albums flopped commercially and critically, inner turmoil created division in the band, and rumor was that they were on the brink of breaking up. In 1971, The Beach Boys released Surf's Up , their most socially-aware and emotional album up to that point. Gone were the band's matching outfits and singing about girls and surfing, and in it's place were more downtempo tracks about the environment, protests, and taking good care of your feet. Writer and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib sits down (remotely) with us to discuss one of the weirder entries in the Beach Boys' discography. We talk about the sudden shift in image for the band, The Beach Boys' place in American pop music, and why they struggled to keep up with music trends.
More on Hanif Abdurraqib
More on Surf's Up
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Surf's Up unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there. | |||
| 17 Sep 2020 | Syreeta Gates on Cardi B's "Invasion of Privacy" (2018) | 00:51:34 | |
When Cardi B dropped her first single Bodak Yellow back in the summer of 2017, it was a bit of a slow burn. It spent a few months moving around in the charts, but eventually became a number one single and one of the biggest hits of her career. She quickly followed up with a few more singles "I Like It" and "Bartier Cardi" which showed her versatility as a rapper, incorporating wildly different genres of music like trap, Latin boogaloo, and R&B. Cardi was hungry and made it clear through her honest lyrics and fiery delivery. Scholar and archivist Syreeta Gates sits down with us to discuss Cardi's move from Love & Hip-Hop: New York to one of the most powerful voices in rap music, the distinct New York vibe of the entire record, and what makes Cardi so charismatic More on Syreeta Gates More on Cardi B
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Invasion of Privacy unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there. | |||
| 26 Sep 2019 | Jason Woodbury on Karen Dalton's "In My Own Time" (1971) | 00:57:09 | |
The Album: Karen Dalton In My Own Time (1971) In My Own Time was the second and final studio album by Karen Dalton, a musician who preferred to stay out of the spotlight. She didn't enjoy much commercial success when she was here with us, but the impact she left on the world is immeasurable. Artists like Joanna Newsom, Nick Cave, and Bob Dylan have cited her as an influence (Dylan would even back her up on harmonica in live performances). Her unique voice, often compared to Billie Holiday, was a blend of bluesy, world-weary, and haunting, but warm. Music writer James Woodbury joins Oliver and Morgan to discuss Karen's voice in the world of strangely captivating voices, the value of reissue labels, and Karen's interpretations of popular songs. Join us as we leave for the country and take a deep dive into this forgotten classic. More on Jason Woodbury
More on In My Own Time
Show Tracklisting (all songs from In My Own Time unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts do it here!
| |||
| 07 Jan 2021 | Brittany Spanos on Mariah Carey's "The Emancipation of Mimi" (2005) | 00:53:55 | |
By 2005, Mariah Carey had been through the wringer. Her debut film Glitter bombed at the box office and the accompanying soundtrack performed poorly, at least in comparison to Mariah's previous efforts. Her intended comeback album Charmbracelet received some praise but still failed to bring her back into the limelight. Mariah took a break from music for three years to focus on herself and came back with The Emancipation of Mimi. She worked with top producers in hip-hop like The Neptunes, Jermaine Dupri, and Kanye West, but still featured her signature ballads with that unmistakable whistle register. It was a much more personal album, but with enough jams to succeed in the clubs. Music writer Brittany Spanos sits down with us remotely to discuss the tough road that led to this album, the timelessness of some of the singles, and where Mariah belongs in the current music landscape. We are selling custom 45 adapters with the proceeds going to the Downtown Women’s Center. You can find a link to preorder here More on Brittany More on The Emancipation of Mimi
Show Tracklisting (all songs from The Emancipation of Mimi unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 04 Oct 2018 | Women Behaving Boldly #1: Oliver & Morgan on Millie Jackson's "Caught Up" (1974) | 00:43:49 | |
The Album: Millie Jackson: Caught Up (1974) Some months ago, Oliver and Morgan kicked around the idea of celebrating women over the course of a few Heat Rocks episodes. We decided we'd package it as a series and Oliver came up with the name "Women Behaving Boldly". Gotta love it. To kick off the series, we chose the incomparable, ahead-of-her-time, OG provocateur Mildred Virginia Jackson known professionally as MILLIE JACKSON. Millie Jackson is the Queen of Raunchy Rap. She spent much of the seventies singing about relationships and situationships. Her lyrics and conversations in the interludes of songs talked about complicated adult dramas like infidelity and divorce. Her words were raw and honest but also grown and sexy. 1974's Caught Up, her fourth release was a concept album which dealt with the before during and aftermath of an affair told from varying perspectives. Oliver and Morgan sat down to talk about all the elements that make this album fire - a heat rock. More on Millie Jackson
More on Caught Up Show Tracklisting (all songs from Caught Up unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 20 Aug 2020 | Wu-Tang Clan Special | 00:54:50 | |
In honor of GZA's birthday and the release of multiple members' solo debut albums, we're recutting and remastering our episodes on the Wu-Tang Clan. If you like what you hear, please listen to the full conversations in the archives!
Show Tracklisting: Open Mike Eagle (ODB's Return to the 36 Chambers)
David Ma (GZA's Liquid Swords)
Havoc episode (Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx)
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there | |||
| 13 May 2021 | Kemp Powers on De La Soul's "De La Soul Is Dead" (1991) | 01:07:05 | |
It’s #MaxFunDrive and if you like what we’re doing here on Heat Rocks, please consider supporting us and our network and help keep the show going!
Director and screenwriter Kemp Powers sits down with us to discuss De La Soul's sophomore effort, De La Soul Is Dead. We get into DLS's shift in image and tone, the growth of Prince Paul as a producer, and Kemp's very , ahem, special connection to the song "Let, Let Me In" And stay tuned to the very end for a short bonus beats on Kemp's love of dancehall music! More on Kemp
More on De La Soul Is Dead
Show Tracklisting (all songs from De La Soul Is Dead unless otherwise indicated):
If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 18 Mar 2021 | Megan Pattison on Teena Marie's "It Must Be Magic" (1981) | 00:49:17 | |
DJ and record collector Megan Pattison AKA DJ Mamabear sits down with Oliver and guest co-host Jocelyn Brown to discuss Teena Marie's It Must Be Magic. They get into Teena's growth as an artist and producer, the growing rift between her and Motown Records, and how roller skating was the best way to get into new music More on Megan Pattison More on Teena Marie Show Tracklisting (all songs from It Must Be Magic unless otherwise indicated)
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 28 Jan 2021 | Valerie June on Etta James' "At Last!" (1960) | 00:47:13 | |
In January 1960, 22 year-old Etta James began recording her debut album, At Last! It would go on to be her best selling record and the title track is undoubtedly one of the greatest songs ever to be put on wax. Etta lived the blues and effortlessly moved through pop, R&B, and rock. She went on to release countless more records, but never reached the commercial success of At Last, partially due to the changing musical landscape and her struggles with addiction throughout her life. Singer/songwriter Valerie June sits down with us to talk about the legacy of Etta James, what separated Etta's voice from her contemporaries, and how khakis introduced Oliver to an Etta classic. More on Valerie June
More on Etta James Show Tracklisting (all songs from At Last! unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 27 Aug 2020 | Tiffany Johnson on Lupe Fiasco's "Food & Liquor" (2006) | 00:47:49 | |
Chicago has given us plenty of great artists: Noname, Chance the Rapper, Common, and of course today's focus, Lupe Fiasco. Lupe might not have known it at the time, but his debut album helped usher in a new era of rap. This new class of freshmen were raised by videogames, skateboard culture, and anime, but also addressed issues that affected them like systemic racism and gun violence. Filmmaker Tiffany Johnson sits down with Oliver and Morgan to discuss Food & Liquor, the interesting production choices made on the album, and how Lupe's style influenced the Odd Futures and Cool Kids of today.
More on Tiffany Johnson
More on Lupe Fiasco
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Food & Liquor unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there. | |||
| 06 Aug 2020 | Duckwrth on Blue Magic's "Thirteen Blue Magic Lane" (1975) | 00:56:21 | |
We are in the final stretch of the #MaxFunDrive! If you like what we do, please consider becoming a member and supporting our show. maximumfun.org/join Rapper/songwriter Duckwrth joins us to talk about Philly soul group Blue Magic and their spooky soul LP Thirteen Blue Magic Lane. We discuss the band's place in the Philly soul scene, pillow talk in music, and we invent a new subgenre of music #pinkysoul More on Duckwrth
More on Blue Magic Show Tracklisting (all songs from Thirteen Blue Magic Lane unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there. | |||
| 04 Jul 2019 | Art of Sampling #2 with Thes One on Nas's "Illmatic" (1994) | 01:05:08 | |
The Album: Nas Illmatic (1994) In our first episode from our four-part Art of Sampling series, we focused on one of the classic sources of samples from the mid-80s: the James Brown anthology, In the Jungle Groove. For #2, we wanted to turn our attention to an album whose use of samples helped influences sampling culture and for that, we went with a giant celebrating its 25th anniversary this year: Nas's debut album, Illmatic. So much has been said about this LP over the years, we shouldn’t need to make a case for it but here’s the short version: it’s not simply considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time but it’s universally lauded as one of the greatest debut albums in any genre, least of all given the intense hype around Nas leading up to it. Befitting that anticipation, Illmatic drew, really for the first time, a Dream Team-esque assemblage of some of New York’s finest producers including Q-Tip, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor and L.E.S. Their production decisions, including the samples that powered their now iconic tracks, marked one peak in hip-hop’s golden era of sample-based production. To help us break all this down, we invited one of Los Angeles’s finest: Thes One, half of People Under the Stairs (and composer of our theme song!) While Thes generally doesn’t like talking about other producers’ work, as a 16 year old hip-hop head hyped for Illmatic when it dropped in ’94, Thes brought his insights as both a producer and fan, and we touched on everything from the use of nostalgia in sample choices, how Nas’s flow worked with different beats, and why DJ Premier’s “bubba chip” drum programming was a game changer. More on Thes One
More on Illmatic
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Illmatic unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 13 Dec 2019 | Father Amde of The Watts Prophets on Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" (1971) | 00:51:30 | |
What's Going On? On May 21, 1971, Marvin Gaye released his eleventh studio album asking this simple question. It was a risky move, for sure. Gaye was at the height of his career and this new album was heavy, focusing on things affecting his community like drug abuse, poverty, injustice and the Vietnam War. People might not have been expecting this, but it was what he wanted to make. Fortunately, the gamble paid off. What's Going On went on to sell over two million copies and is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, and it's not hard to see why. It's a timeless record, as true back in 1971 as it is now. Father Amde of The Watts Prophets sits down with Morgan to talk about why this album was so groundbreaking, how he got to know Marvin Gaye when he was was still with us, and what Marvin might be talking about if her were here now. More on The Watts Prophets
More on What's Going On
Show Tracklisting (All songs from What's Going On unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 16 Jul 2020 | Ali Shaheed Muhammad on Public Enemy's "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back" (1988) | 00:57:50 | |
We are in the middle of our annual #MaxFunDrive! If you like what we do, and are in a good financial spot, please consider becoming a member of the network and supporting our show.
Public Enemy's debut album Yo! Bum Rush the Show enjoyed critical and commercial success back when it first landed in 1987, especially considering how controversial the album was. In fact, DJ's refused to play PE on the radio because of Chuck D's politics. Chuck and the group started working on the next album right away. It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back was released in 1988 and is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential albums of all time. No one was doing what PE was doing. Together with Hank Shocklee and the Bomb Squad's chaotic, sample heavy production, Public Enemy started a movement. The one and only Ali Shaheed Muhammad of Tribe, Lucy Pearl, and countless other projects sits down with us to discuss Public Enemy's sophomore album, the use of samples all over the place, and Flava Flav's mastery of the art of the hypeman.
More on Ali Shaheed Muhammad
More on Public Enemy
Show Tracklisting (all songs from It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 30 Apr 2020 | Nelson George on Stevie Wonder's "Innervisions" (1973) | 00:44:00 | |
Innervisions marked a significant transition in Little Stevie Wonder's career. He began to move away from the Motown romantic ballads and towards a more conscious and experimental sound. He talked about poverty, racism, drugs, and Richard Nixon. It's an album filled with social justice anthems, made almost entirely by Stevie himself at 23 years old. Culture critic and writer Nelson George sits down with us (remotely) to talk about Stevie embracing of new musical technology, the changing landscape of black radio at the time, and Stevie's own transformation as an artist during the early 70s More on Nelson George
More on Innervisions
Show Tracklisting (All songs from Innervisions unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 10 Jan 2019 | Chani Nicholas on Cyndi Lauper's "She's So Unusual" (1983) | 00:47:13 | |
The Album: Cyndi Lauper She's So Unsual (1983) She's So Unusual dropped October 14th, 1983, and introduced much of the world to Queens' pop punk tough girl Cyndi Lauper. She presented as a colorful character with colorful hair and colorful homies and charmed her way into pop culture with ten tracks recorded for CBS at the Record Plant, NYC. The former front woman for rockabilly band Blue Angel took a demo written by Philly rocker Robert Hazard and retooled it to become an anthem for her and the Eighties. "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" was the hit single that launched She's So Unusual and Cyndi Lauper into fame and led the album to platinum success, with six singles, two Grammy Awards, and critical acclaim for days. She's So Unusual was the pick of astrologer/activist Chani Nicholas, who joined us to break down the relevance and resonance of the album in her life, Cyndi's star appeal, the queer gaze present on the album, Cyndi's quirky Cancerian coolness, and the her impact on music and the masses. More on Chani Nicholas
More on She's So Unsual
Show Tracklisting (all songs from She's So Unsual unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 16 Jan 2018 | Vernon Reid on Jimi Hendrix's "Band of Gypsys" | 00:38:34 | |
Vernon Reid is one of rock's greatest guitarists, having rising to stardom in the 1980s as a member of Living Colour. It's not surprising, therefore, that he'd choose an album by one of rock's othergreat guitarists: Jimi Hendrix and his final album, Band of Gypsys, recorded live at the Fillmore East and released in the spring of 1970. Reid gave us an amazing lesson into what exactly made Hendrix so brilliant, least of all on this album. More on Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys
More on Vernon Reid
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Band of Gypsys unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 18 Apr 2019 | Sy Smith on Meshell Ndgeocellos "Plantation Lullabies" (1993) | 00:55:14 | |
When Plantation Lullabies first hit the scene back in 1993, there wasn't anything really like it. Meshell Ndgeocello was a bald, badass, and bold woman with bars talking about sexuality, racism, and gender relations while paving the way for neo-soul music and artists. Plantation Lullabies gave us many, many things, and Sy Smith (who has played alongside Meshell for years) came by the studio to talk to us about it. We discuss the impact it had on neo-soul, the shades of funk and go-go throughout the record, and the freedom it offered to black America. Settle in, because this episode and this album are essential to any Heat Rocker. More on Sy Smith
More on Plantation Lullabies Show Tracklisting (all songs from Plantation Lullabies unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 20 Dec 2019 | Cristela Alonzo on A Tribe Called Quest's "We Got It From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service" (2016) | 00:59:30 | |
2016 was a hard year, to say the least. We lost Prince, David Bowie, Phife Dawg, Sharon Jones, and many others that year. And on top of that, we here in the US had to reckon with the results of the presidential election. On November 11th 2016, A Tribe Called Quest dropped their final album, We Got It From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service, with verses from Phife himself. It came at a time we needed Tribe the most. It went Gold and was widely regarded as one of the best albums of the year. Comedian Cristela Alonzo sat down with us to talk about We Got It From Here and why it quite literally changed the course of her life. We talk about the use of samples and how Tribe was able to update their sound for a modern audience without compromising the mission statement and production style that made them famous all those years ago. More on Cristela Alonzo
More on We Got It From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service
Show Tracklisting (All songs from We Got It From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 31 May 2018 | Taura Stinson on Minnie Riperton's "Adventures in Paradise" | 00:45:23 | |
Guest: Taura Stinson The Album: Minnie Riperton's Adventures in Paradise (1975) 2018 has been a breakout year for this weeks guest, Taura Stinson. "Mighty River", the song she co-wrote with Raphael Saadiq for Dee Rees' critically acclaimed film Mudbound was nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award. She is a singer's singer who understands the nuances of song creation, production and arrangement. We couldn't have asked for a better guest and a better album to discuss and were thrilled to have her wax poetic about Minnie Riperton's 1975 Adventures In Paradise. We dug deep on this one - discussing both Minnie's supreme vocal prowess and the sonic and lyrical legacy she left us when she left us just four years after this album was released. With production help from The Crusaders, Stewart Levine and Leon Ware, this peek into Minnie's world is quite the adventure. Get thoroughly into our chat with Taura Stinson and then revisit Adventures in Paradise for the culture. About Taura:
Taura's book Taura's Oscar & Golden Globe Nominated song "Mighty River" Taura's single "Gossypium Thorns" Show Tracklist (all songs from "Adventures in Paradise" unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 31 Jan 2019 | Lindsay Zoladz on Bryan Ferry's "These Foolish Things" (1973) | 00:47:41 | |
The Album: Bryan Ferry, These Foolish Things (1973) Bryan Ferry first came to notice in the early 1970s thanks to the art rock group, Roxy Music, that he helped form. Most other artists would have focused their energies on their budding, hit band but Ferry, throughout his career, has never been one to be like "most other artists." Even as Roxy Music was blowing up, Ferry used time between those albums to record his own solo works and though his voice might bridge the two, his solo debut album, These Foolish Things was unlikely to be confused for a Roxy Music project. Ferry, at heart, is a crooner and so it's only fitting that this album would inspired by his eclectic interpretations of different rock, pop and soul standards, including everything from Erma Franklin's "Piece of My Heart," to The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" to the Beach Boys' "Don't Worry Baby." We talk about an artist trying to "make a song their own" whenever we discuss covers and it's hard to argue that when it comes to Ferry here, he's putting his own, distinct stamp on these hits. These Foolish Things came to us by way of our guest, music critic Lindsay Zoladz, who's spent the last ten years stocking up clips for everyone from Pitchfork to New York Magazine to The Ringer, where she's been a staff writer for the last several years (alongside the likes of previous Heat Rocks' guests, Shea Serrano and Chris Ryan). Zoladz shared with us how she discovered this particular album (especially as someone who wasn't even born in the 1970s), what she hears in Ferry's interpretations and whether or not he lives up to the title of being a "bobby dazzler." More on Lindsay Zoladz
More on These Foolish Things
Show Tracklisting (all songs from These Foolish Things unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there. If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 25 Mar 2021 | MF DOOM Special with Dante Ross | 01:06:11 | |
This week marks the 17th anniversary of Madvillainy and we invited A&R man and producer Dante Ross to discuss working with KMD, Dumile's move from Zev Love X to MF DOOM, and the stories behind the production of Mr. Hood and Black Bastards. Buckle up, we go deep on this one. Rest in power, Villain More on Dante Ross More on DOOM
Show Tracklisting:
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 10 Oct 2017 | Phonte on Intro's 1993 Self-Titled Album | 00:48:00 | |
This week rapper, producer, and songwriter Phonte (Foreign Exchange, Little Brother) joins Oliver and Morgan to talk about the R&B group Intro's 1993 self-titled debut album. The trio's release was part of the changing tide of R&B music, when slow jams were giving way to more uptempo hits and singers were exchanging suits for Timbs and jeans. Phonte shares about what Intro's brand of new jack swing meant to him as a teenager growing up in Greensboro, North Carolina. Don't get him wrong: he was a hardcore hip-hop head, but he grew up in an R&B household and in church where singing became a big part of his musical formation. Phonte breaks down the group's influence on his understanding of songwriting, lyrics, and the balance between uptempo and down-tempo songs. He also discusses the album's mature themes, crediting them for helping a young brother's macking game. | |||
| 30 Aug 2018 | serpentwithfeet on Björk's "Homogenic" (1997) | 00:41:46 | |
The Album: Björk: Homegenic (1997) Josiah Wise aka serpentwithfeet joined us to talk about one of his biggest influences: Björk and 1997 album, Homogenic. First introduced to her as a child, serpentwithfeet found a kindred spirit in the eclectic creativity of the Icelandic star. That especially extends to Homogenic, which, thanks to Björk and producer Mark Bell, would mark a hard turn from the more pop-friendly sounds of Post towards a new, baroque, electronic majesty. Our conversation touched on the mesmerizing nuances of Björk's voice, the album's heavy embrace of dance music, and what it's like to be a fan of an artist when you don't even know what they look like. More on serpentwithfeet
More on Homegenic
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Homogenic unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many of the songs as we could find on there If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 05 Jul 2018 | Star Spangled Banner Special | 00:50:24 | |
The Song: Francis Scott Key's "Star-Spangled Banner" (1814) For this July 4th week, Morgan and I wanted to do something special and tackle the Great American Heat Rock aka "The Star-Spangled Banner." As Oliver notes during the episode, this is both the oldest song that most Americans know (partly) by heart and the one that we'll hear the most versions of across our lifetimes. Some versions are transcendent. Some are historically groundbreaking. Some are by Fergie. Choose accordingly. More about "The Star-Spangled Banner":
Show Tracklisting (all songs are renditions of The Star Spangled Banner unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 30 Jul 2021 | Music & Popcorn #7: Daphne A. Brooks on the "Waiting to Exhale" soundtrack (1995) | 00:54:22 | |
We continue our Music and Popcorn miniseries, where we chat about some of our favorite movie soundtracks. This week, we're talking to professor and writer Daphne Brooks about the soundtrack to Waiting to Exhale. We get into Babyface's prolific career, Whitney Houston's presence on both the soundtrack and the movie, and the mystery surrounding DJ Theo Mizuhara. More on Daphne A. Brooks
More on Waiting to Exhale
Show Tracklisting (all songs from the Waiting to Exhale OST unless otherwise indicated):
Hey Heat Rockers, if you have an appreciation for the show, we’d love to play some of them during our Aug 11th appreciation episode. You can either send use a voice memo to heatrockspod@gmail.com OR you can phone in a voicemail to (310) 986-3340. We just need them all in by August 8th (Sunday), thanks! Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there
| |||
| 20 Jun 2019 | Comeback Albums and Mailbag Special | 00:57:31 | |
We here at Heat Rocks took a break from recording episodes in order to recharge our batteries. We thought we'd celebrate our return with an episode partly dedicated to our favorite comeback albums. In the second half, we rummage through the Heat Rocks mailbag and answer listener questions about great debut albums, summer jams, the weirdest record sleeve finds, and more! Show Tracklisting:
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 29 Apr 2021 | Nite Jewel on Kraftwerk's "Computer World" (1981) [redux] | 00:39:06 | |
In honor of Computer World's 40th anniversary (!!!) we decided to rerun our episode with Nite Jewel discussing this classic album. [show notes from the original post] When we invited L.A.’s own Nite Jewel to join us, it probably shouldn’t have been a surprise that she picked Kraftwerk’s Computer World; after all, she’s toured the world performing the album. In sitting down with us, NJ (aka Ramona Gonzalez) broke down how she first became obsessed with the album, walking the streets of Berkeley, thinking about German philosophy (no, really!) and why the LP is such a masterpiece of fusing a variety of musical elements all colliding in the early 1980s. More on Computer World
More on Nite Jewel
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Computer World unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 29 Mar 2018 | P.J. Morton on Brandy's "Full Moon" | 00:41:57 | |
Guest: P.J. Morton The album: Brandy's Full Moon (2002) Grammy winning singer/songwriter and producer PJ Morton knows production. A keyboardist and vocalist for Maroon 5, PJ Morton also knows lyrics. And vocals. PJ Morton joined us to share what he knows about Brandy's 2002 Full Moon and why it is for him, a certifiable heat rock. We talked about the brilliance of producer Rodney Jerkins and what he created on this project, Brandy's prodigious talent as a child actress and singer, the evolution of her voice over time and the respect she rightfully deserves and has earned as a premiere vocalist. PJ Morton, knows a good album when he hears one. Check out this week's episode to find out more and also check out Gumbo Unplugged, his latest album.More on Full Moon
More on P.J. Morton
Show Tracklist (all songs from Full Moon unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 08 Aug 2019 | Mark "Frosty" McNeill on Nina Simone's "It Is Finished" (1974) | 00:54:46 | |
The Album: Nina Simone It Is Finished (1974) It Is Finished is an ominous title, least of all given where Nina Simone was in her personal life at the time. Much of the early ‘70s had seen the High Priestess of Soul escaping to Barbados, first to avoid a troubled marriage, then to avoid the IRS. But RCA Records lured her back to New York to tape a live show, much of which would go into It Is Finished alongside a few tracks from an earlier studio session. One of those vault cuts, “Funkier Than a Mosquito’s Tweeter” would become an unlikely hit on the funk/soul dance floor circuit but It Is Finished was far more than one-tracker, especially as Simone dipped into Afro-Caribbean spirituality via the (under-credited) participation of Exuma on much of this album. Our guest, Mark “Frosty” McNeill is the co-founder of the long-running Dublab internet (now terrestrial) radio station and together, we got deep into Nina’s public and personal tribulations of that era, how the album reflects a particular moment in black cultural identity and a spirited debate about Tina vs. Nina. More on Mark McNeill More on It Is Finished
Show Tracklisting (all songs from It Is Finished unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 01 Aug 2019 | Summer Spectacular feat. Quetzal (redux) | 00:52:05 | |
Guests: Quetzal The Albums:
Note: This is a rerun of an episode from 2018 that has been re-edited and remastered. We wanted to dedicate an episode to talking about the music of summer, easily the one season that people have the deepest sonic associations with. To that aim, we invited the two founding members of L.A.'s Quetzal, Martha Gonzalez and Quetzal Flores. Since 1992, the group has melded the son jarocho tradition into all manners of other genres, resulting in seven albums (and counting), including 2017's The Eternal Getdown. Together, each of our quartet got to pick an album that we associate with the summer and as you see above, we covered a whirlwind of styles and eras that bring up all manners of thoughts and feelings for us. Summer love may be fleeting but it lingers, always. More on Quetzal
Show Tracklisting:
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 07 May 2020 | Comfort Music #3: Audience Picks | 00:50:39 | |
The Albums: Erykah Badu: New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) Peabo Bryson: Crosswinds De La Soul: De La Soul is Dead Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson: Winter in America Gino Vannelli: Brother to Brother We wrap up our Comfort Music miniseries with picks from you, our audience. Thank you all so much for sending in your picks and testimonials. We couldn't possibly get through every submission, but know we read every recommendation and loved all of your albums. We hope you're staying safe and find some solace in the music we've discussed throughout this series.
Show Tracklisting:
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 01 Apr 2021 | Xenia Rubinos on Abbey Lincoln's "Abbey is Blue" (1959) | 00:51:45 | |
Multi-instrumentalist & songwriter Xenia Rubinos joins Oliver and guest co-host Jocelyn Brown to discuss Abbey Lincoln's underrated jazz LP, Abbey is Blue. We discuss Abbey's melancholy voice, her work in the civil rights movement, and how her work has influenced Xenia's own music. More on Xenia Rubinos More on Abbey Lincoln
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Abbey is Blue unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 15 Dec 2017 | "The Prequel Episode" Loren Kajikawa on Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" | 00:40:16 | |
This is a special "prequel" episode, originally taped in December of 2016. Back then, Heat Rocks was just a mere glint in the eye Morgan and Oliver. All we had was a basic concept: how about a podcast devoted to doing deep dives into an album? We invited Univ. of Oregon musicologist Loren Kajikawa, author of Sounding Race In Rap Songs, to help us tackle one of the most important albums of the last 25 years: Dr. Dre's The Chronic, which just so happens to celebrate its 25th release anniversary today (hence why we timed to put it out now). For our listeners, you'll notice that while this episode shares some familiar aspects with our regular Heat Rocks shows, there are some differences. For one, we hadn't come up with our format yet, especially in having our guests pick a hot track, sleeper jam, etc. We had also toyed with a little "Context" section - complete with its own jingle! - that we eventually abandoned because it was superfluous (Oliver did have fun making the jingle though). But overall, we think you can easily see the seed of Heat Rocks even in this very early attempt. Hope you all enjoy it and we're so happy to finally share this, one year later. More on Dr. Dre's The Chronic:
More on Loren Kajikawa
Show Tracklisting (all songs from The Chronic unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 14 Jun 2018 | Marcus Moore on Mos Def's "Black on Both Sides" (1999) | 00:46:18 | |
Show: Heat Rocks Guest: Marcus Moore The Album: Mos Def's Black on Both Sides (1999) Writer Marcus Moore, currently a senior editor at Bandcamp, happened to be coming through to Los Angeles for his first time ever and we took advantage by inviting him to join us to talk about Mos Def's debut album, Black on Both Sides. Coming out just a year after Mos and Talib Kweli created a new generation of conscious hip-hop fans with their Black Star collaboration, Black on Both Sides was also the culmination of a coming-out party for the Brooklyn rapper/actor that began earlier in the decade as he began racking up all manners of outstanding cameo spots. During our convo with Marcus, we got into Mos' portrait of Brooklyn, how his singing took everyone for a (pleasant) surprise, why "Ms. Fat Booty" wasn't necessarily representative of the album as a whole and whether or not Mos ever was able to exceed the excellence of his debut. More on Mos Def and Black on Both Sides:
More on Marcus Moore:
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Black on Both Sides unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 06 Sep 2018 | Sidibe on Joni Mitchell's "Court and Spark" (1974) | 00:43:56 | |
The Album: Joni Mitchell: Court and Spark (1973) In 1973, Joni Mitchell was in the midst of one of the greatest pop music runs of the decade. By that time, the Canadian-turned-temporary-Angelino had already put out Ladies of the Canyon, Blue and For the Roses, establishing her as one of the very few women that the rock establishment of the era would deign to even recognize. But with Court & Spark, Mitchell showcased her abilities beyond just the folk-rock world by minting a pop album that would become a defining statement of the time and her most successful LP of all time. To talk about Court & Spark, we had in another transplant to L.A.: singer/songwriter Sidibe. Since moving out here 10 years ago, she's steadily raised her profile, especially after the release of her 2014 EPs, Metaphysical and Soul Siren. Alongside the likes of Anita Baker and Sade, Joni has been a longtime influence and inspiration on Sidibe and during our convo, we discussed Mitchell's vocal gifts, her jazz-rock collaborations on Court & Spark plus a tangential discussions on how bagging groceries might help one get discovered. More on Sidibe
More on Court & Spark
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Court and Spark unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there. If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 23 Apr 2020 | Comfort Music #2: Oliver's Picks | 00:50:10 | |
We continue our Comfort Music series with Oliver and discuss his five favorite comfort albums. We talk about the often overlooked genius of Labi Siffre, the intimacy of Duke Ellington's compositions, and how Tribe helped Oliver get through the tough times. Show Tracklisting:
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 28 May 2020 | Felicia Angeja Viator on Cypress Hill's "Cypress Hill" (1991) | 00:47:29 | |
In August of 1991, the LA rap scene was transformed by a trio of Latino rappers from South Gate. Cypress Hill was riding hot off the success of How I Can Just Kill A Man and found a huge audience in LA. DJ Muggs' production fit in perfect with B-Real and Sen-Dog's flow and together they helped create the blueprint for a more laid-back and smoked-out style of gangsta rap, a full year before Dre's The Chronic dropped Professor and author Felicia Angeja Viator sits down with us to discuss the LA rap scene, B-Reals unique singsong delivery, and Muggs' talent for finding the perfect loops. More on Felicia
More on Cypress Hill
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Cypress Hill unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 01 Nov 2018 | Women Behaving Boldly #5: Joan Morgan on Lauryn Hill's "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" (1998) | 00:49:39 | |
The Album: Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) On August 25, 1998, Lauryn Hill, the breakout rapping/singing star from The Fugees released her first (and only) solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. On August 25, 2018, exactly 20 years later, the Heat Rocks crew invited author Joan Morgan to join us to talk about that album and her new book about that album, She Begat This. Call it a happy coincidence, call it kismet but either way, call it an amazing conversation. It's difficult to overstate the singular importance of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. This was a generation before artists like Drake made singing + rapping into a popular form; Lauryn was wading into unknown waters when she put this together. As we discuss, her own label had to be pushed to even put the album out but once they did, it became an instant smash: multi-platinum sales, the first "Best Album" Grammy award for a hip-hop album, and it elevated, for better or for worse, Lauryn - still in her early 20s - to becoming one of hip-hop and R&B's most important figures. Of course, in the years since, controversy has dogged her, especially regarding her live shows and two decades later, her legacy is a complicated one, as we get into. Joan Morgan would have been an ideal guest even if she hadn't written a book about the album; her bonafides as one of the great cultural critics to emerge in the 1990s were already well-established, least of all in her 1999 collection of essays, When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost. Joan's based in New York, finishing up a PhD at NYU, but she happened to be in town on that fateful 20th anniversary day to come chat with us. More on Joan Morgan
More on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Show Tracklisting (all songs from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 14 Apr 2020 | Bonus Beats: Heat Rocks Mailbag II | 00:12:19 | |
Oliver answers a couple of questions from fans on this special mid-week minisode! If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 02 Apr 2020 | Trackademicks on Sade's "Lover's Rock" (2000) | 00:56:57 | |
After the amazing success of Sade's previous album, Love Deluxe, fans were eagerly awaiting the band's next album. Fans had to wait for 8 long years before Lovers Rock dropped in the fall of 2000. And the wait was most definitely worth it. As the title suggests, the band moved more towards soul, R&B, and, well, lovers rock. Producer/Remixer Trackademicks sits down with us to discuss Lovers Rock on its 20th anniversary. We get into the crazy amount of Sade remixes, (including Trackademicks' own remixes), Sade's impeccable voice, and the space and patience throughout the album. More on Trackademicks More on Lovers Rock
Song Tracklisting (all songs from Lovers Rock unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there
| |||
| 21 May 2024 | Introducing Primer, MaxFun’s Newest Music Podcast | 00:49:16 | |
Hello Heat Rockers! This is Producer Christian, I edited Heat Rocks and you might've heard my voice on a few episodes with Oliver and Morgan! So we've been working on a new music podcast here on Maximum Fun and I'm so excited to finally share it with you! Primer focuses on genres of music from outside the English-speaking world. This first season we're talking about Japanese City Pop and I will be hosting alongside Yosuke Kitazawa. If you like what you hear, please subscribe to Primer! I think you're really gonna love what we've made here. :) On November 5th, 1979, Miki Matsubara’s debut pop single “Mayonaka no Door/ Stay with Me” was released in her home country of Japan. It was a huge hit and remained her biggest and most beloved work throughout her entire career. Over 40 years after its original release, it soared in popularity once again when a whole new international audience discovered the song through TikTok. Its catchy hook and incredible vocals still resonate with listeners today and has become a staple in the City Pop genre. If you’ve heard one City Pop song, it’s probably Stay with Me. On our inaugural episode of Primer, radio/tv presenter Linda Marigliano joins us to discuss City Pop icon, Miki Matsubara and her debut record, Pocket Park. We get into the unexpected renewed interest in Mayonaka no Door, the story behind Miki’s sudden departure from the music scene, and Linda’s personal connection and discovery of City Pop. Check out our Spotify playlist for this episode! Follow Linda: Instagram | Twitter | Tough Love | Love Language | |||
| 12 Feb 2021 | Take Two #7: Mary J Blige's "Mary" with Naima Cochrane | 00:50:06 | |
Take Two is back again with another couple of iconic albums from an iconic artist. This time, Morgan is talking about Mary J Blige's album "Mary" with music industry vet Naima Cochrane. We get into Mary's shift in tone on this album, the production and talent behind the scenes, and what Mary means to New York. More on Naima
More on Mary Show Tracklisting (all songs from Mary unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 12 Jul 2018 | Meshell Ndgeocello on Prince's "Purple Rain" (1984) | 00:55:58 | |
The Album: Prince: Purple Rain (1984) I was dreaming when I wrote this, forgive me if it goes astray. But when I woke up this morning and realized that Oliver and I spent an hour or so talking with Meshell N'degecello about Prince's seminal "Purple Rain" album, I was beside myself with hype. We spoke about the album's forward thinking musicianship and arrangements, Prince as a visionary, his Messiah-like presence and the extended version of Computer Blue. She told us about keeping "I Would Die 4 U" on elevated decibels and repeat and the pure dopeness of "When Doves Cry". We all revisited the moment we first experience Purple Rain. Simply put, we talked to one genius guitar hero about another. It gets no better than that. Throw on your best purple garments and get up on this. "Hey, take a listen. Tell me do you like what you hear..." -Prince More on Prince and Purple Rain:
More on Meshell Ndegeocello:
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Purple Rain unless indicated otherwise):
Here's the Spotify playlist of as many of the songs above as we can find on there. If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 02 Jan 2020 | Our Heat Rocks of the 2010s | 00:57:28 | |
Oliver's albums Erykah Badu's New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) (2010) Laura Mvula's Sing to the Moon (2013) Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly (2015) Frank Ocean's Blonde (2016) Tyler, The Creator's Flower Boy (2017) Morgan's albums Thundercat's The Golden Age of the Apocalypse (2011) Robert Glasper Experiment's Black Radio (2012) Beyoncé's Beyoncé (2013) D'Angelo's Black Messiah (2014) Kamasi Washington's The Epic (2015) Oliver and Morgan are kicking off the new decade and talking about their favorite albums from the 2010s. They discuss their own personal journeys through the decade and the changes in the music industry in general. Happy new year, Heat Rockers. Hope you all have a great one! Show Tracklisting:
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 07 Jun 2018 | Adrian Younge on Jeru's "The Sun Rises In the East" (1994) | 00:41:50 | |
Show: Heat Rocks Guests: Adrian Younge The Album: Jeru the Damaja's The Sun Rises In the East (1994) Since he started putting numbers on the board with the soundtrack to Black Dynamite, artist/composer Adrian Younge has become the hip-hop maestro for creative collaborations. Through the years, he's worked with Souls of Mischief, Ghostface Killah and DJ Premier/Royce the 5'9" as well as continuing to release his own solo work. For our episode, Younge reached back to the golden era of hip-hop for us to talk about one of the most "impervious" MCs around: Brooklyn's Jeru the Damaja and his 1994 debut album, The Sun Rises in the East. We tackled everything from the contradictions of rappers talking about both consciousness and doing dirt to the brilliance of DJ Premier's production to the intricacies of Jeru's freaky freaky freaky flow. More on Jeru and The Sun Rises in the East: More on Adrian Younge:
Show Tracklisting (all songs fromThe Sun Rises in the East unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 17 Jun 2021 | Celebrating Lil' Kim's "Hard Core" (1996) | 00:50:22 | |
This week, Oliver and Morgan are discussing Lil' Kim's debut studio record "Hard Core" which is turning 25 years old this year. We get into Lil' Kim's role in Bad Boy and Junior M.A.F.I.A., the effect she had on the Megan Thee Stallions and Cardi B's of today, and what made this record so unforgettable. More on Hard Core
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Hard Core unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 02 Oct 2017 | Joi on Betty Davis's "They Say I'm Different" | 00:33:54 | |
On the premiere episode of Heat Rocks, future soul artist Joi Gilliam joins Morgan and Oliver to talk about They Say I'm Different, the 1974 album by the unsung queen of funk, Betty Davis! It's really an obvious pairing: Betty Davis was one of the most original and fascinating figures of the 1970s, and Joi is an artist very much cut from Betty's cloth, but a generation later. We had a super fun conversation about the importance and uniqueness of Betty and what she's meant, especially, to waves of Black women artists who've followed in her path in the 40+ years since. Watch for Joi's new album, Rebekkah HolyLove Salvation Symphony, this fall! | |||
| 21 Feb 2019 | Garth Trinidad on the Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band's "The Serpent's Mouth" (2018) | 00:44:03 | |
The Album: The Bacao Rhythm and Steel Band: The Serpent's Mouth (2018) Steel pan/drum music emerged out of Trinidad and Tobago over the course of the 1950s. Its tinny yet melodious timbre was unique and it soon became a signature style within the diverse soundscape of Afro-Caribbean music. The tourism industry compelled steel drum bands to adapt pop hits into their repertoire and by the late '60s and early '70s, it was common to hear soul and funk tunes being given a steel pan makeover. Even Morgan's stepfather, Bob Sharpe, got in the action as part of the Salt N' Pepper Steel Band, whose lone album includes covers of the Jackson 5 and Johnny Nash (and Oklahoma too!). The Bacao Rhythm and Steel Band, formed by Germany's Bjorn Wagner after a few years living in Trinidad & Tobago, is directly influenced by that earlier era. Across their two albums, 55 (2016) and last year's The Serpent's Mouth, Bacao tackle any number of surprising hits, many of them drawn from hip-hop as well as soul/funk, plus their own original compositions. If you ever wanted to hear Gang Starr deep cuts get the steel pan makeover, you came to the right place. The Serpent's Mouth was the album pick of DJ Garth Trinidad, whose been a radio fixture in Los Angeles since the mid-90s, when he first started at KCRW and rose to fame on his weeknight Chocolate City show. He continues to hold down a 8-10pm slot when he's not busy music supervising or hosting concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. More on Garth Trinidad
More on The Serpent's Mouth
Show Tracklisting (all songs from The Serpent's Mouth unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there. If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 11 Jun 2021 | Vijay Iyer on Prince's "Sign O' The Times" (1987) | 00:59:21 | |
This week, we discuss Prince for the SIXTH time on Heat Rocks with musician/scholar Vijay Iyer. We get into Prince's love of the drum machine, Vijay's love of the 80s, and the many sides of Prince we see on this record. More on Vijay Iyer More on Sign o' The Times
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Sign o'The Times unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 19 Jul 2018 | Jesse Thorn on The Coup's "Steal This Album" (1998) | 00:58:30 | |
The Album: The Coup: Steal This Album (1998) Jesse Thorn, host of Bullseye and the MaximumFun podfather, has long been one of our biggest fans and we were delighted to have him come in to talk about one of his favorite albums: The Coup's stellar 1998 Steal This Album. The Coup, by then made up of Boots Riley and DJ Pam the Funkstress, had already established a reputation as one of hip-hop's most outspoken and unapologetically radical groups out there. Their 1993 debut, Kill My Landlord was a revelation. 1994's Genocide and Juice catapulted them onto the national stage. But by 1998, hip-hop's political era seemed distant in light of the era of jiggy rap yet in strode The Coup, resplendent in socialist ideas and that Oaktown funk, to mint a masterpiece devoted to defending the underdog and shedding light on the struggles of working class peoples. More on Jesse Thorn
More on Steal This Album
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Steal This Album unless indicated otherwise):
Here's the Spotify playlist of as many of the songs above as we can find on there. If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 10 Dec 2020 | Take Two #6: Drake's "Scorpion" (2018) | 00:42:22 | |
In this installment of Take Two, we’re looking at two albums from the one and only Drake. Last week, we talked about Nothing Was The Same and this time around, we're chatting about the 2018 double album Scorpion. As mentioned in the show, we are selling custom 45 adapters with the proceeds going to the Downtown Women’s Center. You can find a link to preorder here Show Tracklisting (all songs from Scorpion unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there. | |||
| 27 Jun 2019 | Kier Lehman on Steely Dan's "Aja" (1977) | 00:41:17 | |
The Album: Steely Dan Aja (1977) If you love the music on Insecure, you'll love the fact that Heat Rocks had an opportunity to sit down with the brainchild behind in. Kier Lehman, well known for his work on Insecure, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Being Mary Jane, Entourage, Love Is, sat down with us to talk about the seminal 1977 album that is a tastemakers dream and beloved across generations. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen and 36 of the best and brightest musicians and vocalists in the business assembled on the west coast to produce seven tracks which dripped with jazz, rock, punk, soul and fire! Music writers and critics across publication and decades all agree that Aja is a masterpiece and belongs in the canon of great albums. What happens when two music supes sit down to unpack it? Tune in to find out. More on Kier Lehman
More on Aja
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Aja unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 01 Mar 2018 | DJ Monalisa on D'Angelo's "Brown Sugar" | 00:41:02 | |
DJ Monalisa Murray is an O.G. on the L.A. scene, having made the transition from working in marketing and promotion for record labels to working for herself as one of the Southland's premier selectors, down with everyone from Umoja Hi-Fi Soundsystem, to Footlong Development, to the KPL All-Stars. For her album choice, she wanted to spin us back to the emergence of D'Angelo and his debut album, Brown Sugar. We talked about how D'Angelo struck a different note than R&B in that era, how his style played to and against hip-hop, and just what exactly "brown sugar" refers to. Spicy. More on D'Angelo and Brown Sugar
More on DJ Monalisa
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Brown Sugar unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 09 Jan 2020 | Wendy & Lisa on Prince's "Around the World in a Day" (1985) | 01:00:23 | |
We here at Heat Rocks talk a lot about Prince, and this marks the FIFTH episode where we're discussing an album of his. Around in the World in a Day incorporated more psychedelia and a wider variety of instruments, which made for a much more eclectic and unconventional album. This is also Morgan's favorite episode, so we couldn't be more excited to talk about this magnificent album. Wendy & Lisa of the Revolution come down to the studio to talk about creating this record with Prince, the funkiness of the record, and what life was like working alongside his purpleness for all those years. This is a very special episode you definitely do not want to miss. More on Wendy & Lisa
More on Around the World in a Day
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Around the World in a Day unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there. If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 15 Nov 2018 | Chris Molanphy on George Michael's "Faith" (1987) | 00:51:44 | |
The Album: George Michael: Faith (1987) In the fall of 1987, it wasn't a foregone conclusion that George Michael's solo debut, Faith, would be a hit. As successful as Michael had been as half of the Wham! duo, going solo was always going to be a risk but as it turns out, it was one worth taking. Faith turned out to be a runaway hit, not simply a #1 album but spawning four different #1 singles, including the lively title song which became the best-selling song of 1988 in the U.S. It wasn't without controversy however, especially with conservative outcries against the song, "I Want Your Sex," and its video for being too racy or explicit, all the while Michael, as we learned later, was insinuating hints about his own changing sexual identity into different verses. These were all topics of discussion that came up with our guest, Chris Molanphy, creator and host of the Hit Parade podcast which analyzes chart histories to provide incredibly in-depth discussions about pop music. Chris takes on the sometimes arcane peculiarities of music charts and uses them as a way to jump into far broader discussions about pop trends, figures and transformations. Chris had previous taped an episode of Hit Parade devoted to the parallel careers of Michael and Elton John and he brought that wealth of knowledge to our conversation. More on Chris Molanphy
More on Faith
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Faith unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there. If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 31 Dec 2020 | Our Heat Rocks of 2020 | 00:52:45 | |
Oliver and Morgan discuss their personal favorite records of 2020 and talk about their hopes for the new year. Thanks for sticking with us through this year, Heat Rockers! We are selling custom 45 adapters with the proceeds going to the Downtown Women’s Center. You can find a link to preorder here Show Tracklisting
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there.
| |||
| 29 Aug 2019 | Allen Thayer on João Gilberto's "João Gilberto" (1973) | 00:55:50 | |
The Album: João Gilberto João Gilberto (1973) Before the summer got away from us, we wanted to record one more episode for the season and we invited a guest to pick the perfect LP for the end of the summer. We were not disappointed... João Gilberto was as integral to Brazil’s bossa nova movement as Ray Charles was to soul or Run DMC was to hip-hop; it’s impossible to imagine its sound and style without his touch. By 1973, Gilberto was largely living outside of Brazil and on a stint in the U.S, he rolled through New Jersey with just a single accompanying musician, percussionist Sonny Carr. Together, they crafted what’s considered a minimalist masterpiece of the genre, Gilberto’s equivalent to the Beatles’ White Album. Parts of it sound like a dream, others like a lullaby, but at the heart, it’s the soothing voice of Gilberto and his nimble guitar playing that anchors all of it. Our guest Allen Thayer, aka The Ambassador, is no stranger to Brazilian music. Though he hails from the Pacific Northwest, he’s long been fascinated with south Atlantic sounds. Author of last year’s 33.3 book on Tim Maia's Racional Vol. 1 & 2, Thayer also hosts the weekly “Brazilian Beat” radio show on KMHD and you can find him spinning Brazilian grooves (amongst other tasty treats) in and around Portland on the regular when he’s not penning articles for Wax Poetics. More on Allen Thayer
More on João Gilberto
Show Tracklisting (all songs from João Gilberto unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 05 May 2020 | Bonus Beats: Quincy Jones' "Summer in The City" with Thes One | 00:25:29 | |
Producer Thes One of People Under The Stairs talks about one of the most iconic samples of all time, "Summer in the City" by Quincy Jones. We discuss why the record is so ripe for sampling, how different artists have flipped this sample to fit different moods, and if that fantastic intro is off limits after The Pharcyde used it.
If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 08 Apr 2021 | The Twilite Tone on Stevie Wonder's "Hotter Than July" (1980) | 00:57:30 | |
Producer and DJ The Twilite Tone sits down with Oliver and guest co-host Jocelyn Brown to discuss Stevie Wonder's 1980 comeback album, Hotter Than July. We get into Stevie's foray into country western and reggae, his return to All I Do, a song he cowrote over a decade prior as a teenager, and the impact Disco Demolition Night had on black music. More on The Twilite Tone More on Hotter Than July
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Hotter Than July unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here!
| |||
| 09 Apr 2020 | Remembering Bill Withers with Joey Dosik | 00:48:19 | |
(This episode originally aired 03/28/2019) The Album: Bill Withers: +Justments (1974)
More on +Justments
Show Tracklisting (all songs from +Justmentsunless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there
| |||
| 23 Aug 2018 | Tiffany Gouché on Destiny's Child's "The Writing's on the Wall" (1999) | 00:46:24 | |
The Album: Destiny's Child "The Writing's on the Wall" She sings about love and about longing. Hometown heroine and triple threat (singer/songwriter/producer) Tiffany Gouché (Inglewood, CA) sang her way into our playlists with silky smooth vocals and a production style that reminds us of R&B’s glory days in the 90s, mixed with the eclectic futuristic sound LA music has come to be known for. She was therefore the perfect person to talk Destiny’s child platinum smash Heat Rock “The Writing’s On The Wall”. We revisited an album that was full of anthems, an album that Tiffany experienced on cassette tape! Tiffany spoke to us about the layers of inspiration she got from this album as well as what made “Writing’s On The Wall” classic 90s R&B. More on Tiffany Gouché
More on The Writing's on the Wall
Show Tracklisting (all songs from The Writing's on the Wall unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 23 Feb 2018 | Ishmael Butler on Lightnin' Rod's "Hustlers Convention" | 00:40:16 | |
Ishmael Butler aka Butterfly of Digable Planets aka one-half of Shabazz Palaces joined us to take us on a trip back to the blaxploitation era and one of the greatest soundtracks-in-search-of-a-movie: Hustlers Convention, the spoken word/funk album by Jalal Nuriddin of The Last Poets. Backed up musicians that included Kool and the Gang, Eric Gale and others, Hustlers Conventiontook listeners on a trip into the world of pimps, players, police and other street characters in a vivid, cinematic story that would go onto inspire rappers the world over. More on Lightnin' Rod and Hustlers Convention
More on Ishmael Butler
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Hustler's Conventionunless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 05 Mar 2020 | Music and Popcorn #5: Drea Clark on the "High Fidelity" soundtrack (2000) | 00:53:32 | |
We have reached the end of the Music and Popcorn series, where we invite folks from the world of TV and film to discuss their favorite soundtracks! This week, Drea Clark of Who Shot Ya (here on MaxFun) joins us to talk about the High Fidelity OST. We discuss how the film has aged over the past 20 years, the absolute absurd amount of placements in the film, and our favorite unexpected music moments in other films. More on Drea More on High Fidelity
Show Tracklisting (all songs from the High Fidelity soundtrack unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there | |||
| 25 Jun 2021 | Marzz on Kierra Sheard's "This Is Me" (2006) | 00:40:31 | |
Singer/songwriter Marzz sits down with us to discuss Kierra Sheard's gospel album This is Me. We get into the secular production of this album, Kierra's place in the Clark Sheard family, and Marzz's own experience in the church. More on Marzz
More on Kierra Sheard
Show Tracklisting (all songs from This Is Me unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 10 Oct 2019 | Gerrick Kennedy on Whitney Houston's "My Love Is Your Love" (1998) | 00:56:43 | |
The Album: Whitney Houston My Love Is Your Love (1998) What was initially supposed to be a greatest hits compilation ended up being a full-on album. Whitney got everyone on this record. Babyface, Kelly Price, Faith Evans, Missy, and even Mariah Carey, all came into the studio to help create a true heat rock; four times platinum, six Grammy nominations, and the Oscar for Best Original Song/ Writer and critic Gerrick Kennedy joins Oliver and Morgan in the studio to talk about Whitney's move to hip-hop, her growth as an artist from her last studio album, and how this record helped celebrate black womanhood in a way that was so rarely heard at that time. More on Gerrick Kennedy
More on My Love Is Your Love
Show Tracklisting (all songs from My Love Is Your Love unless otherwise stated)
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there. If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 05 Dec 2019 | Van Hunt on The Sensational Nightingales' "It's Gonna Rain Again" (1972) | 00:54:59 | |
We've talked a ton of gospel here on Heat Rocks, but this episode marks the first time we've discussed a full gospel album on the show, and from none other than one of the very first gospel quartets, The Sensational Nightingales. The group was formed in 1942 as simply The Nightingales, but it wasn't until 1946 and the introduction of the sensational singer Julius Cheeks when the band really began to hit their stride. The quartet still tours to this day, albeit with a slightly different lineup, but the soul and tradition of Southern black gospel music is alive and well. Singer/songwriter Van Hunt joins us in the studio to talk about his personal connection to gospel music, the influence of the Sensational Nightingales, and how artists can make the move from gospel to secular music. More on Van Hunt
More on The Sensational Nightingales
Show Tracklisting (All songs from It's Gonna Rain Again unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there. If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 17 Dec 2020 | Heat Rocks Holiday Music Special 2020 | 01:01:36 | |
Oliver and Morgan sit down with music supervisor Jocelyn Brown to discuss their favorite holiday songs, Christmas trap music, and the tightrope novelty songs must walk to become a great holiday classic. More on Jocelyn We are selling custom 45 adapters with the proceeds going to the Downtown Women’s Center. You can find a link to preorder here Show Tracklisting:
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there. | |||
| 29 Nov 2018 | EP62: Iman Omari on J*DaVeY's The Beauty in Distortion (2008) | 00:34:19 | |
The Album: J*DaVeY The Beauty in Distortion (2008) Heat Rocks co-host Morgan Rhodes is a huge fan of J*Davey and a huge fan of Iman Omari. Naturally she was beyond thrilled when Iman accepted an invitation to come on Heat Rocks and chose J*Davey's 2008 brilliant debut album "The Beauty In Distortion" to discuss. J*Davey's breakout project was one of the jewels in LA's emerging future soul scene a decade ago. Their sound, a fusion of soul, synth, funk and pop gained a million fans and caught the ear of tastemakers everywhere. This album had a profound influence on his production choices pushing him in the direction of avant-garde soul. More on Iman Omari
More on The Beauty in Distortion Show Tracklisting (all songs from The Beauty in Distortion unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there. If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 09 May 2019 | Moby on Joy Division's "Closer" (1980) | 01:05:12 | |
The Album: Joy Division Closer (1980) Moby has been in the game for over three decades, making punk, electronic, alt-rock, dance, and everything in between. When we heard he was coming on Heat Rocks, we had no idea what album he'd pick, but we knew it was going to be some absolute fire. Joy Division were pioneers, blending genres and helping create and popularize the sound that would become post-punk. Unfortunately, Closer would be Joy Division's final album. On May 18th 1980, just weeks before Joy Division's first tour in America, lead singer Ian Curtis took his own life. Factory Records released the album a few months later, and the remaining members would go on to form New Order. We sat down with Moby to talk about post-punk, the wildly varied music scene on the East coast in the 80s, and the shift from Joy Division to New Order. We chat about Ian's deteriorating mental wellness and Moby's own experiences playing with New Order and covering Joy Division songs. Grab a chair, this conversation goes deep. Moby's new book, "Then It Fell Apart" is out now. Cop it at your local bookstore. More on Moby
More on Closer
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Closer unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there. If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 21 Mar 2019 | Heartbreak Radio on the "Chungking Express" soundtrack (1994) | 00:54:53 | |
The Album: Chungking Express Soundtrack (1994) Legendary Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai has long been known for how he integrates pop songs into his films and soundtracks. Chungking Express, Wong's breakout international hit, was no exception as he worked in everything from '60s folk pop to '70s reggae to '90s alternative in the mix, alongside an original score by longtime composer partners Roel Garcia and Frankie Chan. To discuss the melding of sound, image and story in Wong's fanciful tale of two cops and the women who (may or may not) love them, we brought in the hosts of Heartbreak Radio, Lady Imix and DJ Phatrick. Heartbreak Radio which began as an internet show devoted to the sounds of "beautiful sadness" and now it broadcasts every two weeks on KQBH LP, 101.5 FM, a micro-transmitter station out of Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. Imix (aka Sol) and Phatrick (aka Patrick) are now old hands at the sounds of love and longing and it was obvious why they'd want to muse on the music of Chungking Express. Together we talked about how Wong Kar Wai's movies use pop, how the right song can enhance a character and whether or not Oliver is bugging out when he says that he can't stand to hear "California Dreamin'" anymore. The MaxFunDrive is in full swing! If you like what we do, please consider becoming a monthly supporter. We love making this show and we are able to make it because of your support! Head over to maximumfun.org/donate now! More on Lady Imix and DJ Phatrick
More on the music of Chungking Express
Show Tracklisting (all songs from the soundtrack of Chungking Express unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 26 Dec 2019 | Holiday Music Special with Alonso Duralde redux | 00:40:11 | |
The Albums: Vince Guraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) Andy Williams' The Andy Williams Christmas Album (1963) Stax Records' Christmas in Soulsville (2007) Heat Rocks was hyped to have film critic Alonso Duralde (The Wrap), one of the hosts of Maximum Fun's movie podcast Who Shot Ya? guest with us to talk about our favorite Christmas songs, holiday fare, songs that should play when it's cold outside, baby. We visit the canon of Christmas music over the years (Andy Williams 1963 The Christmas Album, Vince Guaraldi Trio's A Charlie Brown Christmas and Stax Record's 2007 compilation Christmas In Soulsville and across genres and styles - crooners, sweeping orchestral cinematic pieces, summer songs vs. winter songs, modern Christmas traditions, etc. Alonso broke down the power of nostalgia as it relates to Christmas music and how our tastes in music are informed by tradition. Don't be a grinch. Listen to this wintery wonderland of an episode about favorite Christmas tracks. More on Alonso Duralde Show Tracklisting
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 22 Nov 2018 | Jeff Weiss on Drakeo the Ruler's "Cold Devil" (2017) | 00:43:16 | |
The Album: Drakeo the Ruler: Cold Devil (2017) When we invited L.A. music writer Jeff Weiss to join us, he was adamant that there was only one release he wanted to talk about: Cold Devil, the full-length, acclaimed mixtape that the upstart Los Angeles rapper, Drakeo the Ruler, dropped nearly a year ago. Drakeo is part of the Stinc Team and is helping lead a wave of emergent talents that also includes 03 Greedo, Ketchy the Great and Ralfy the Plug. The longtime writer behind The Passion of the Weiss music blog, Jeff has been championing Drakeo for several years now and in particular, he's written extensively on the rapper's tumultuous legal challenges, including first interviewing Drakeo when he was locked up. Our conversation touched on Drakeo's legal situation, the rapper's gift of slanguistic gab and the current state of West Coast rap music. More on Jeff Weiss
More on Cold Devil
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Cold Devil unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 26 May 2020 | Bonus Beats: Alphabet Soup - A | 00:17:36 | |
On this week's bonus beats, Morgan plays her favorite music geek game and talks about her favorite albums that start with the letter A If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 28 Nov 2017 | The Shacks on The Sapphires' "Best Of" | 00:39:19 | |
This week, we are joined by The Shacks, the NYC-based duo of singer Shannon Wise and producer Max Shrager. Maybe you heard their cool cover of The Kinks' "This Strange Effect" on that Apple adthis fall? Or maybe you were already up on them from their EP, released by Big Crown? Either way, Max and Shannon threw us a curveball with their choice: a 1994 compilation of nearly two dozen sides recorded in the mid-1960s by The Sapphires, the obscure-ish R&B trio of Carol Jackson, George Gainer and Joe Livingston that recorded with Swan and ABC-Paramount before dissolving circa 1966. We talked about the unique sound of The Sapphires, the roots of Philly soul, and what it's like to dig through the crates to figure out your own sound. This episode was both the first time we had a group in the studio, which was fun, and the first time we tackled an album from the 1960s. Hopefully, it won't be the last, for either. More on The Sapphpires and their Best Of anthology:
More on The Shacks:
Show Tracklisting:
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 09 Jan 2018 | Bahamadia on The Kay-Gee's "Keep On Bumpin' & Masterplan" | 00:34:37 | |
We invited Philly hip-hop star Bahamadia to join us and she kept things tri-state by picking the 1974 debut album by New Jersey's The Kay-Gee's, originally an off-shoot of Kool and the Gang. The Kay-Gee's may not be household names in the same manner as Kool and the Gang or the Ohio Players but especially on this debut, they cooked up an impressively diverse and surprisingly eclectic set of tracks that defy simple expectation. What other band ends their album with their own "greatest hits montage"? More on the Kay-Gee's Keep On Bumpin' & Masterplan
More on Bahamadia
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Keep On Bumpin' & Masterplan unless indicated otherwise):
If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 03 Dec 2020 | Take Two #5: Drake's "Nothing Was The Same" (2013) | 00:52:11 | |
In this installment of Take Two, we're looking at two albums from one of the biggest and most prolific rappers of the 2010s, Toronto's very own Drake. Next week, we'll be diving into his 2018 double album Scorpion, but for now, we're talking about Nothing Was The Same from 2013. As mentioned in the show, we are selling custom 45 adapters with the proceeds going to the Downtown Women's Center. You can find a link to preorder here More on Nothing Was The Same
Show Tracklisting (all songs from Nothing Was The Same unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there. | |||
| 08 Oct 2020 | The Art of Sampling #3B with Dan Charnas on Slum Village's "Fantastic, Vol. 2" (2000) | 00:59:47 | |
This week, we're wrapping up the third edition of The Art of Sampling and talking about Slum Village's album Fantastic, Vol. 2 with music exec and writer, Dan Charnas. We discuss J Dilla's sampling techniques, the great lengths the label went through to keep this project under wraps, and the influence of Dilla on future beatmaking. More on Dan Charnas More on Fantastic, Vol 2
Song Tracklisting (all songs from Fantastic Vol. 2 unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there.
| |||
| 19 Sep 2019 | Jeff Chang on the "Wild Style" soundtrack (1983) | 00:54:57 | |
The Album: Wild Style soundtrack(1983) Wild Style began as a low budget but ambitious film project, centered around Zoro, a young graffiti writer swashbuckling his way through the style wars of early ‘80s New York. Directed by Charlie Ahearn and starring Lee Quinones as Zoro, Wild Style would become more of a quasi-documentary of hip-hop’s on its cusp from South Bronx street culture into the global phenomenon we know today. Filled with MC, graffiti, DJ and b-boy performances from a host of now legends, Wild Style would inadvertently spread the hip-hop gospel to a generation of youth around the world, enraptured with how it depictions of an explosive, impossibly colorful subculture that few had laid eyes on outside of the five boroughs. Its soundtrack, overseen by Fab Five Freddy and Blondie guitarist Chris Stein, was largely built off an exclusive disc of original breakbeats that became the sound bed for various live performance scenes throughout the movie. Electric, dynamic and fly as hell, the Wild Style soundtrack helped capture the sound of early hip-hop’s energy and flair from A to motherf—ng Z. For a young Jeff Chang, growing up far away from the Bronx in Honolulu, Wild Style was like a secret cypher that he and his friends could pass around and decrypt. Long before the days of streaming video, if you didn’t catch a theatrical screening of this tiny, indie flick, you had to rely on nth generation bootleg dubs on VHS but as crappy as the images might have been, the inspiration was no less dimmed. This put Chang on the path to eventually become one of the most accomplished hip-hop critics in the formative ‘90s era, eventually culminating in his award winning Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation (2005), which, among other things, digs deep into hip-hop’s earliest days preceding even the Wild Style era. He’s since followed that up with Who We Be: The Colorization of America (2014) and most recently, We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation (2016) which became the inspiration behind the digital video series of the same name which just debuted this year. More on Jeff Chang
More on The Wild Style soundtrack
Show Tracklisting (all songs from The Wild Style soundtrack unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find there If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 14 Feb 2019 | Tre'vell Anderson on the Dreamgirls soundtrack (2006) | 00:38:02 | |
The Album: The Dreamgirls soundtrack (2006) Former LA Times Editor and Out Magazine's Director of Culture and Entertainment Tre'vell Anderson, joined us to talk Jennifer Hudson and the Dreamgirls OST. Dreamgirls won two Academy Awards - one for Best Sound Mixing, the other, Best Supporting Actress for Jennifer Hudson's star-making portrayal of Effie White. The single disc-version of the soundtrack spent two weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 and was nominated for the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album. One of the songs, "Love You I Do" won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture or Television. The soundtrack, a certified banger, and Tre'vell's personal heat rock, was certified platinum. A fan of Jennifer Hudson's since American Idol Season 3 (his favorite), the film and soundtrack resonated with him because of the all too familiar narrative of the most talented person in the room having to contend with implicit bias preventing them from living their best life. We talked about the glory of Jennifer's journey from losing American Idol to winning at the Oscars, the difference between singers and sangers, Detroit vs. Chicago as a backdrop for the film, and what it sounds like when a Cadillac commercial get's "Pat Booned" (an Oliver Wang original saying). Why did the film propel Jennifer Hudson to the stardom possibly meant for Beyonce (AT THAT TIME). Who knew Eddie Murphy had this sort of vocal range? Who's version of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" was better: the original J.H. or the new J.H.? Tre'vell helped us answer those questions and more! More on Tre'vell Anderson
More on the Dreamgirls OST Show Tracklisting (all songs from the Dreamgirls OST unless indicated otherwise):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there. If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here! | |||
| 28 Apr 2020 | Bonus Beats: Old Music Reviews and James Gadson | 00:11:32 | |
On this minisode, Oliver goes back to a few of his old reviews and discusses the extremely underrated and overlooked session musician James Gadson. Ask us a question on Facebook or Twitter @heatrockspod and we might answer it in a future Bonus Beats episode! | |||
| 25 Feb 2021 | Samm Henshaw on Kirk Franklin's "The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin" (2002) | 00:58:24 | |
Singer/songwriter Samm Henshaw sits down with us remotely to discuss Kirk Franklin's gospel masterpiece, The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin. The blending of secular music and gospel, Kirk Franklin's role in the gospel music scene, and how his own work has been influenced by Kirk's work. More on Samm Henshaw
More on Kirk Franklin Show Tracklisting (all songs from The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin unless otherwise indicated):
Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there If you’re not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here!
| |||
