Culture Podcast

PLEASE NOTE: We had some minor technical difficulties. We apologize for the quality of the episode. For EP. 19 - This. Is. The. Remix., we were joined by Bianca's cousin, Fox. Hailing from The Bronx she joined in on the conversation as we give our review on Drake's Scorpion album, whether Comeback Season is the best version of Drake and how the public has slowly turned on Kanye. The biggest talk of the past weekend was Ella Mai's Boo'd Up Remix, we touch on it's initial response, artists taking advantage and who was responsible for the effort which thus leads to this focus on remixes. We give our thoughts on remixes, whether we prefer them to be original or new instrumentals, who deserves credit for the remix, our favorite & best remixes, some artists who shine on remixes, remixes vs original records, whether there was a point the remix was overdone, whether the remix is dead & is DJ Khaled to blame for it? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support

In the next installment in our Artist Analysis Series we discuss the career of Nicki Minaj. We start off with when we were first introduced to her, we then jump into her discography as well making predictions on what to expect from her upcoming, Queen album. We discuss what is her best body of work, whether she has a classic & if not, does it tarnish her legacy; whether her star has diminished & whether she is overrated and if her previous status was based on true skill or filling a void. We question whether she can regain her status, has the introduction of newer acts made her show her true colors & lastly we ask what is her legacy & whether she is a great or merely just another rapper. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support

For EP. 17 - Let's Link, we give a little recap on some topics in the culture, we touch on the end of the Drake & Pusha T beef, our review of the Kanye/G.O.O.D Music releases, along with Jay-Z & Beyonce's Everything Is Love album & lastly the murder of XXXTentacion. But the focus this week is on collaborative efforts, we start off with what we feel is the purpose of collaborative projects & whether our goal aligns with what we believe is the artists' goals, are they more hype than quality, if the projects are created genuinely, who we feel backs the project more, if producer/rapper projects are to be considered, most notable collaborative projects over the years, what is the best collaborative album ever, how & why Jay-Z is the king of collaborative projects & lastly some collaborations we would like to see or never saw the light. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support

For our next episode in our Artist Analysis Series, we discuss Aubrey Drake Graham. We start off with our first introduction to Drake & his meteoric rise in the game, we look back on his discography & our predictions on his upcoming Scorpion album, the credit he is owed for continuing the legacy of freestyles, deciphering his best body of work his various rap beefs, whether he has a classic, if there is an asterisk on his name for the reference tracks, how his popularity trumps everything, whether he is this generation's Jay-Z & lastly what is his legacy, man or greatest of all time. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support

With the war of words between Pusha T & Drake, it only made sense to do an episode focused on rap battles/rap beefs. We define what a rap beef truly is, whether these exchanges are more personal or industry related, whether we prefer subliminal or direct messages, the difference between beefs in the past & current generations, when beefs go too far, whether there is a difference between male & female rap beef, we run down some rap beefs throughout history, whether the current generation cares for rap beefs now & lastly we mention some rappers who should be left alone when it comes to beef. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support

In the next installment in our Artist Analysis series we talked all things Kanye Omari West. We discuss our first introduction to Kanye and his impact on our lives at a young age, we revisit his discography, debate on his best body of work from his catalogue, the musical evolution of Ye, whether he is the best producer rapper of all time, whether we believe in the Kardashian curse and if he is truly in the sunken place, how we miss the old Kanye, our issues with the new Kanye & lastly discussing his legacy and whether he is a man or one of the greatest of all time. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support

For EP. 13 - Where Have You Been, we focus on artists & how they handle their fame and celebrity. We start off by discussing how artists maintain their celebrity through the different eras of music, we give our opinion how we prefer our favorite artists to handle being public figures & how they should ideally handle their fame, whether it is a double edge sword with artists wanting their privacy, who's more unfair in that scenario the artist or the fans & are listeners actually listening. We discuss the left wing artists to stay away from the public eye, the right wing artists who embrace the fame & the artists who do a little of both; whether record labels have become obsolete & how they have shifted who they pursue as talent & lastly whether overexposure can push away the public and whether isolation can make the public forget about you. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support

"Pop a molly, I'm sweatin" For EP. 12, we focus on drugs in hip hop, we briefly give our viewpoints on drugs in hip hop music & it's effect on society, whether it's just music or does drug references truly hold weight, some stats on the mention of various drugs in rap music, whether artists should be more aware of their content, should they feel they need to be more socially responsible, why alcohol is not frowned upon like drugs, the various drug areas in hip hop music, J. Cole's KOD album, whether Cole's album have an impact on the younger generation & lastly who's more to blame, the labels, the artists or the consumer. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support

The focus for EP. 11 involved art versus the artist. We discuss the ideology behind it, whether we should separate the art from the artist, why we have continued supporting artist after their scandals, whether an artists' output outweighs their behavior, we briefly touch on artists who have been in the news, how should we look at consumers who still support certain artists & lastly we address who's more an issue the artist & their behavior or the consumer & their continued support. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support

For EP. 10, we direct our focus to white rappers. We give our opinions on them in the world of hip hop, if we have a favorite, whether white rappers are as good as black/hispanic rappers, the authenticity factor, the gimmick aspect, cultural appropriation, black influence & black backing, how well they have mastered their "blaccent", whether we judge them differently because they are white, the various white rappers over the years, will we ever keep white rappers in a high regard, if there is a bit of white privilege with their success and the reasons why people from our culture may collab with white rappers. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support

*DISCLAIMER: WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE SLIGHT TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY WE HAD DURING THE EPISODE* For EP. 9 - Ladies Night, we focus on female mc's. We give our opinions on the state of women in hip hop, if we have a personal favorite, the importance of the ghostwriting factor, why do men not hold female MCs in the same light of their male counterparts, why is it so hard to have a "regular" female MC, why are female MCs hyper-sexualized, is it a requirement for upcoming female MCs, thoughts on female MCs over the years and lastly will women in hip hop ever get the prosper respect. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support

"Young Money militia and I am the commissioner / You no wan' start Weezy, cause the F is for finisher." "Yes I do it big, call me little astronomical / Weezy F. Baby and the F is for phenomenal." You can google all the things what "the F is for..." but after 20 plus years in the game Lil' Wayne has shown he is not going anywhere. For EP. 8 - Weezy F. Baby, we discuss the New Orleans MC, his extensive discography in the mixtape and commercial circuit, determining his best body of work, answering whether Tha Carter III is a classic, whether anybody can surpass his runs from 2009-2013, whether he is the king of the feature, does he still got it, has he overextended himself, whether the people still want to hear from him and lastly we determine his legacy and whether he is a man or goat. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support

Loso in case you aint know so. Funeral Fab. Young OG. Whatever moniker John Jackson likes to use, the BedStuy, Brooklyn MC has had a pretty long run in the game. For EP. 7 - F-A-B-O-L-O-U-S, we revisit Fab's career, we give our input on him as an artist, we look back on his mixtapes and commercial albums, determining his best body of work, whether he has a classic commercial album, whether he is the King of R&B features, his importance when it comes to fashion, whether his gift is also his curse & we sum up his legacy and whether he is more man or goat (greatest of all time). We also respond to feedback from episode 6 on Who's The Best MC? specifically why we failed to mention Tupac. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support

Whether it's personal preference or who the culture puts on pedestal, one of the biggest debates in the barbershop or on the corner is who is the best mc. For EP. 6 - Who's Da Best MC?, we discuss the number one spot, we start off with how bragging in rap started, why the top spot is so coveted, we review Complex's list of best rappers from 2008-2017, Jay-Z vs Biggie vs Nas, Drake vs Kendrick vs Cole, why artists like Big Sean, Wale & Meek get overlooked in the discussion, whether the competitive nature of the game has gone away, how money & social media diminished the top spot, if new rappers aim for the top spot and lastly if not chasing the top spot makes you less of an artist. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support

For EP. 5 - Transcendence, we were joined by friend of the show, NYC photographer David White as we discussed transcending the game & transcending eras. We define what it means to transcend eras & reinventing yourself, we list a slew of artists that have been able to transcend eras like Fabolous, 2Chainz, Nore etc., some artists who have struggled to do so like Eminem, we then ask which golden era artists would flourish in this era & vice versa, if current artists care about their longevity & lastly are record labels to blame for artists fizzling out. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support

For EP. 4 - Hit Song vs. Great Song, we tackle songwriting in the frame of hit songs vs great songs. We define the difference between a hit song & a great song, how sometimes they can be completely different or one in the same, we reference notable hit records & great songs over the years, determine whether some artists are hit makers, great songwriters or both, how the general public & streaming changed what is a hit record is and how artists go about song making and lastly we ask does an artist truly need a hit record. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support

Prior to giving it an official name, EP. 3 - Year Of The Mouse, became our first installment in what we call our Artist Analysis Series. AAS, is an hour long convo focused on an artist & their career. A la "giving people their flowers while they can still smell them" How is it that arguably the most important voice in Hip-Hop has not spit a bar in over 800+ days? For this episode, we discuss all things Joe. Joe Budden has been the ultimate chameleon in the game, from rapper (now retired) to internet sensation to reality star to podcaster and media personality, Joe has had a lot of moments. And who had a better 2017 than Joe Budden? The rise of his podcast, the success & departure from Everyday Struggle and the birth of his son (shoutout to Cyn). So we revisit him as a rapper, his mixtape run, briefly touch on his rap beefs, his various transitions in the game, how it became "easy" to hate Joe budden, whether we prefer Joe the rapper vs Joe the entertainer & lastly we discuss his legacy. --- Suppor

Hip Hop & R&B are the only genres where you can see people constantly trying to determine an artist's worth. You can sell a bunch of records but you can still be an afterthought. When the people decide they're done with you, there's nothing you can do about it. For EP. 2 - Legacy, Steven & Bianca discuss artist legacy. What actually defines an artist's legacy, the differences between a GOAT vs Legend, some clear cut legends, what categories make you a legend, whether you need to hit the entire criteria, separating the art from the artist, whether they need an unquestionable classic album, commercial album impact vs mixtape impact, do current acts care about their legacy, is longevity in the game dead & lastly where must an artist's legacy be more impactful. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support

Welcome to Culture Podcast. Steven & Bianca Bey are long time friends who decided to take our numerous rap debates & convos to audio format. Steven being born & raised in Brooklyn and Bianca being from Philly while spending some of her younger years in the city as well, it only made sense for the two to unite on creating this content. For the pilot episode, both parties gave background on who we are as individuals & how we came together, the purpose of the show, how Taxstone (#FreeTax), Combat Jack (RIP) & Joe Budden inspired us to do this show, our musical upbringing, how they felt about the landscape of music. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/culture-podcast/support