Fat Joe & Jadakiss' BEST DEBUT RAP ALBUMS: Biggie, Nas, Jay-Z, DMX, 50 Cent, N.W.A., OutKast & MORE

28:251990. Drive called Quest. There you go. People's instinctive travels in the paths of rhythm. Now that right there was totally different. The production on that album, they probably had the best quality that we heard till that moment. they had the first like audio like them drums and snares was hitting that shit was crazy yo I might have played that album 1000 times bro 2000 when Biggie says my tape pop tell my tape pop that shit that album was such a work of art Q-Tip 5-Dog 5-Dog was one of my favorite rappers although he was simple he was one of my favorite rappers ever in the history and what they started Tribe Called Quest.

29:17To this day, musically, I believe we should ask some producers that. To this day, I think producers study that first album and how they put that shit there. They were so futuristic. They had guys doing the robot voices back then. This and this and that. They was far ahead of their time. Salute Q-Tip. Ali Shahid. Scarface, Mr. Scarface. I don't know who the fuck is Fred. So Scarface is before the Ghetto Boys because I got their album as the classic. Oh, shit, I missed it. Ghetto Boys is 1989. Okay. Rip it on that other level. Ghetto Boys with Tribe in there. Ghetto Boys with Tribe.

30:13That ain't mine playing tricks. Liza Can't Sleep. Nah, that's on that album. That first album. That song alone changed my life. It let us know that there was guys in the South kicking gangsta shit. Everything cinematically from the videos to the music was crazy. I remember, what's the video with Scarface's The girl's counting money. He goes in her bra and pulls out the money like she stole the money. Know what I'm saying? In the video. I mean, Scarface is every rapper's favorite rapper. He's Jay-Z's favorite if we asked him. You know what I'm saying? Besides B.I.G. Scarface, him and the Ghetto Boys, Willie D., Bushwick Bill.

30:59I used to hang out with Bushwick Bill. Were you? Yes. Where were you at? The Fever? Man, I've been around a long time. Maybe the Fever. It might have been the fever. I'm the first guy. I took Scarface in the Bronx. I took him to the projects. He was like, you guys live like this? Because, you know, Texas, even to this day, is all spread out. He couldn't believe that we had 20 floors of dudes living in the Jax. I took him to the Wedge. The Wedge in Hunts Point. I mean, I'm a ghetto. At that time, I was straight ghetto. So you wasn't going to get nothing but ghetto from me. I'll never forget he asked me a Biggie song came on one of the first Biggie songs he was like yo who's that guy man I like Biggie Swans he was like yo he's fire he was like yeah that guy dope you know what I'm saying so the ghetto boys shout out Jay Prince we always try to shout out Texas rap a lot Houston Dallas I just came from Dallas Fort Worth San Antonio Austin 1991 then now is Mr.

32:06Scarface 1991 Scarface is back that's when that came Scarface is back what kind of impact Scarface had to you was you too young or it was around you nah we I mean heard of the ghetto boys first then face it seemed like he just gravitated to what I was doing and what I wanted to do you know what I mean besides the ghetto boys some of the first shits we've seen from Houston for me was Scarface video. He's a legend of Mr. Mr. Scarface, huh? You know what happened with that album right there? I think it was the first time I went down to the ATL. And you remember, what is it, New Jack City? Remember the brown-skinned girl dancing to I Wanna Sex You Up?

32:58that shit never like man I fell in love with that song from that girl dancing and she was like Keisha from Belly the girl remember they was fighting over her man you remember that I went in the ATL strip club for the first time and there was some girl up there dancing to that Mr. Mr. Scarface I drove back to New York I played that song 10 ,000 times just thinking about that girl dancing to that shit. And that's how influential we watch videos and shit like that. You might love a visual, and then you start to gravitate and love that song. Shout out to Scarface. Another one in 1991, Tupac, Tupacalypse Now.

33:48I don't really know too much about that one. Yeah, it was very early. You know, we talk about the greatest debut albums. You know what I'm saying? So Tupac, you know, All Eyes on Me, all that other work was more prolific than the first album. Not can't tell you much. What was on the first album? Brenda's Got a Baby? Tupacaloobs Now is the first album. Brenda Got a Baby. You know, that was legit. I think I could have did that. Stop. You know, Brenda's Got a Baby was like very, it resonated. You know, in my projects, I've seen a lot of shit, man. and I seen... Don't tell me you seen a baby in the golf.

34:30What I'm going to tell you is that I watched dudes jump off the roof on angel dust. Oh, yeah, I seen that over there. No. The other day, somebody was on dust and jumped off the roof? Yeah. Damn. They still doing that? Y.O., somebody... How about this? Somebody in Y.O., what kind of day is this? Somebody went outside to smoke a cigarette. somebody jumped off the roof and landed on him. Yo, come on. What kind of comments? Yo, yo, yo. Yo, yo, yo, yo. That's no cat. That's wild. Yo, let me go to. Let me go blow a bogey. With a purse. So he's done too, right? Double dead. Double dead. No way. Way. Holy shit.

35:22I heard everything. You ever think about when they say the plane crashed? That shit really fall down on somebody's house. And motherfucker, imagine you in your house and a plane falling. You're gone. That's it. A plane. What kind of fucking luck is that? Double dead. Uzi, your hearse. Uzi, your hearse leave you double dead. Huh? I'm a bubble head. I never listened to nothing my mama said. Yo. 1992. But what I was going to tell you is that that was happening in the hood. Like, girls couldn't come home, unfortunately, and tell their parents they were pregnant. They had to get through some disposal to baby, huh?

36:03Leaving at the Chinese spot. We're not telling them to do that. We never said that was right, but they was doing that. That's what Brenda Got a Baby was about. Poor Brenda. 1992, man, UGK. Too hard to swallow. Rest in peace. Pim C. Shout out to my brother, Bun, man. On B. Got any UGK stories? Yeah, I was there when Pimp C got locked up in the ATL. He pulled the choppers out the trunk. He was about to shoot the place. And I was there. At a boxing match. Yes, sir. Pimp C was different. He was one of them guys, just don't give a fuck. And if he felt the way about you, he'd tell you right to your face, right then and now.

36:50He really, I used to really see him walking around with white furs and shit like that. Like the video. He was like a pimp. He was Pimp C. Yeah, that's it. And he was, and he's far from pussy. And if you fucked with him, he was going to do what he had to do. What you got next, brother? 1992. Why are we going through the years, man? Just call out the most incredible. That ain't a classic. First of all, you get a life flag and you get two flags. What'd I do now? Oh, my God. He should be fucking punished, the guy who sent this stupid-ass op-ed. He only put his greatest debuts on there. That's why everything is fucked up.

37:35Those are the songs that he believe is his greatest debut. Yeah, why were y 'all touching that, man? Like, I'm touching... No, no, Slick Rick's Great Adventures. Slick Rick is definitely the great adventures of Slick Rick is by far one of the greatest new albums of all fucking times. I don't give up in any genre of music. Not even just rap and music in general. Motherfuckers. I was living in a crackhead hotel. Oh, shit. I came out. True story. Left my mother's house when I was like 14. Hustled the same day. So it's the most disrespectful shit you can think of in the world. Imagine your kid leaves your house at 14.

38:20You look out the window. He's selling crack. Deadass an hour later, he's outside like little Joey is outside. And although I used to act tough for my age group, I had to actually sleep in a crackhead hotel. It was like$35 for the night. when I tell you they was busting dudes heads open with 40 ounces on all night all you heard was the cops they busting dudes heads open I opened my hotel door and women were shooting heroin in the AIDS epidemic opened the door they shooting dope in my face meanwhile I'm staying here by myself and all I'm playing is slick rake music in my headphones to get me through the night.

39:11So he gave me the courage to even just make it to the next day and get back on my shit. So even though I was living that type of life, I was terrified. Slick Rick's music is what got me through that time. What else you got for me, brother? You don't even want to add nothing for me, huh? So I did Nas. It don't matter way too early, huh? That shit's out. I mean, he made it a time. There ain't no timeline. Reasonable doubt. Okay, I want to say Juke Now. Buckshot Shorty. Fucking Black Moon. Into the stage is fucking crazy what it did for me. The flows. The beats. The flows. The beats. Anything. Into the stage is one of the greatest debuts.

39:58Is this debut? Yeah, that's his first album. If we go on there, we got to go to the original. We got to go to Gangstar. Hey, Stubb. Guru, Primo. What's their first album? Shit. Jesus Christ. Gangsta on yo, Primo. One of the greatest producers of all time. Him, Guru. Guru to me was like a professor. He was like a Malcolm X of hip hop. He was talking that shit, that consciousness, but in a slick tone way ahead of his time. Let me tell you, I'm going to go back to the South. I'm going to say Outkast, Southern Player Listic. This is what we hear about. Outkast and Southern Player Listic. This is the first time I ever saw them videos in the backwoods and all that.

40:51We had some brothers in the ATL putting it down who love hip-hop. That was like real, pure hip-hop too as well. And that started, if we think about all the shit that ATL brought after that, they kicked that bitch off. then we get the Goody Mob and everything else with Southern Player Listic. I want to go to Juvenile's 400 Degrees. You heard they mention the verses Yeah. Cash Money and No Limit. Juvenile 400 Degrees. That album's crazy. That whole movement when they came out just took the world by storm. The pronunciation of words is everything. They shifted shit. He shifted shit. Shout out to Judy.

41:36Judy's still active. I know I'm all over the place, but we gotta go Mobb Deep, first album. The first album is not the infamous of your real Mobb Deep thing. It's not the first Mobb Deep album. Ha ha! That ain't their first album. Yo, yo, yo, what was their first album? Juvenile Hell is their first album. Hell is hot? Little kids. Juvenile Hell. They was little. They was young. Well, they don't make the list then. Because they ain't the first two. I'm just going off court of law. The debut album. Yeah, their debut album was Juvenile Hell. Their debut to the world on a bigger. So they can't make that.

42:19But the infamous still. The infamous. To the world ain't thought that was the first. Holy grail of hip hop. Infamous is holy grail. Some people say the best album ever made. some people say that I drove around like a couple of months ago with Rich the barber he knew every word and we just drove around with ice grill people we was on our shit we felt tough yo we felt tough but that ain't their debut so that's not what we talking about we talking about the debut we talking about your man DMX stalking hell is hot shit shit up crazy and a lot of that shit's all old how about that he came out sold 5 million with old rhymes that's crazy because I get mad at people who want to bring back old shit like I be like yo get in the studio work right now he took records and rhymes we heard him before years before the world heard and it still went 5 wasn't the same beat wasn't the same rhymes though not all of them just a nice percentage of that first album we heard it before in YL it was still powerful what was that like to see him he was already a star for us X was already like he was already a star in YL when he come through he used to do shows in school 12 he had a big battle he had an infamous battle He had two battles, but one of them is more better than all.

43:59With another iconic dude rapper from Y.O., Bill Blast. Mega Blast. Him and X had a big battle. It was crazy. That shit was over like five in the morning. Everybody spent the night at my house. I almost got my ass killed because my mom's came in. You was out there at the battle. You was watching. Yeah, I couldn't miss that. That was part of it. I'd rather did anything than to miss that shit. I don't care what the consequences was. You couldn't miss that if you was from YL. You were actually to get Paint Staff versus DMX. You know what I'm saying? Shit was dope. Man. Shit was history and YL. You know, Big Pun, Capital Punishment.

44:42My executive producer debut. I feel like Pun was ahead of his time. A lot of those guys that we got featured on his album and all that was like, they came on the strength of me. they didn't even know who Pum was. But I also knew that the minute I pressed play and they started hearing the music, that they were going to want to get on the album. So everybody you hear on that Capital Punishment album, they came, most of them even thought they was doing songs with me. I already had two albums out. And when they came, I was like, nah, you got to hear my man. And man, that album was speaking for itself.

45:21Since the first day we went in there, it just kept getting better and better and better and then the song The Dream Shatterer had an illa beat it was like a victory like a biggie victory it was like the beat was too fucking you know a lot of minds are known and it's it was crazy but it was just a beautiful joint effort and you know first soloist Latino artist to sell 2 million records changed the game. I think we had 10 ,000 platinum parties. Everywhere we went, there was a platinum party. I think Punta had the same people bringing the same plat. We'd be in the tunnel anywhere. Yo, it's platinum.

46:08They just start reincarnating the fucking platinum shit. You know, he was witty. He was incredible, lyrically phenomenal. And he put some hits out the park, man. That capital punishment, when it sets off with that, I gave you fair warning. Beware. And man, and you know what's crazy is being that I'm part of this album. You know, it's hard for me to be from the outside in. I always wonder what rappers felt like when they heard Pun's first album and you hear Beware. And what that felt like when you pressed play on that thing. No, I already knew what was going on with Pun. Me and Pun was on the first, me and Pun albums came out together.

46:54My first album in Capital Punishment. We was on a lot of promo together. Back then they would, you know, the labels would, we was on planes together. That's the first time I seen somebody with an extra buckle, an extra seatbelt. Pun was the first person that he get on, they give him a stendo. And he said, oh, Pun, what's there? Nah, Jada ain't got to give me the thing, me. that's some that's just ill so when he get on they hand him an extra stendo seat buckle but yeah I knew Pun was my nigga you know what I mean we had Pun was that nigga man I used to be he used to be snapping on you snapping on DJ IROC Pun was crazy IROC IROC was the best he was up upstate your man Pun we did the Apollo around this time and we went and got We went 5 ,001.

47:48We got the matching furs. We had like the gray furs. And inside it said big pun. Inside it said fat Joe. I'm sure somebody got that somewhere. And I ain't going to lie to Apollo gave us like$20 ,000. That was a big deal. When I was doing Flojo, we was getting 500 in the show. Your man pun. That's the first money we ever got like that. $20 ,000. Brand pack. I'll never forget E-World was there. your man pun dig in his pockets and throw the whole 20 grand in the crowd. No. I wanted my 2 ,000. I wanted my 10%. I almost jumped in the crowd after the money. I was standing next to him. He's like, fuck that.

48:34He throw the money. We just spent 10 ,000 on first. I'm like, yo, I try to jump back in there and grab the money. It was over. He was a true rock star. Like we seen the guy at the game yesterday. He was a Roddy Roddy Piper. He was a Ric Flair. He was a Roddy Roddy Piper, real flair. He was an artist, artist. You know, he would pull up the DMX album signing in a limo and start throwing$100 bills at DMX's fans and his crowd. Like he was just different. I'm going to go, you know, I'm always all over the place. I'm going to say Wu-Tang 36 chambers. Yeah, that was, that's another world shifter. Nine dudes from Shaolin.

49:18Damn, was there only nine? I thought it was like 30. 13? 13 of them, right? It's nine originals. Might be 100 add-on dockets. Bro, I almost smacked my son one time. He did get back, but this back in the days, he's a grown man now. But I asked him when he was like 14 or 15, yo, give me all the members of Wu-Tang. He couldn't say their name. Yo. I was about to smack. I was like, yo, my man, I smacked the shit out of you. You don't know all the members of Wu-Tay. No, that was very. They shifted the world. You got off or something like that. Yo, I was dumb type. Nine members, Shaolin, different slang.

49:56Adding other karate flicks. They just took over the world. The RZA production. that shit was like a breath of fresh air to the hip hop culture that and then they just planted mad seeds with meth, ghost, ray dirty, jizzle rizzo specter deck probably nothing like that will ever be done ever again how hard it is to make nine seven and a half eight stars solo, but nine stars together. The new edition of hip hop. Facts. They all went on to sell millions of records solo. You know, to this day, I got people who argue about Ghostface. You know, he might be the greatest. His first album might be the greatest.

50:51I mean, you got the purple tape. You got Raekwon. You got anything met the man. Let me tell you something. I honestly used to think that the greatest record ever made was a, it's sitting in morning blue. It took me about a good 15 years to get up off that. Huh? You're all I need. It took me 15 years to figure out, like, all right, you know, this might not be the greatest song ever made. Like, I thought it was great. Yo, they playing that shit. Anywhere that shit came on, it was like the tension. Like, this shit's number one. What about the first Brand Nubian debut? That was not. The Brand Nubian.

51:36Shit was crazy. No, no, no. Grand Poobah was the best. Beats was crazy. Grand Poobah was the best. Grand Poobah was the best. Grand Poobah's the only rapper I ever watched a whole entire club that's dancing, doing the real shit. It was that dance era that the DJ said, brand new Grand Poop, I watched everybody go to the speaker, stop dancing just to hear what the fuck he was going to say. He had that mean bars with the voice, with the cadence and he was talking. One time let me tell you, let me guess that. Let me tell you a story. So, um, my wife got two brothers from her father. They older and they had kids and they move around and live.

52:25Well, one day one of the nieces came with us. They came to our crib for the weekend. Had a nice time. Now it's time to bring her back on Sunday. So it was like Sunday evening. We get the new row. I'm like, nah, I'll walk her in. It's dark, you know what I mean? I'll take her in. Ask her what door it is. They bring me to the door. Hey, ding dong. Open the door. It's Puba. Hey, it's the wrong door. Yo, Puba, what happened? the kids. What's up, man? Me. She lived with them. I got back in the car like, you didn't fucking tell me she lived with Grandpa Poole. What was you going to tell me? That was his wife.

53:08He was the guard. I guess his girl was raising her. Yeah, know what I'm saying? Well, they could have at least told me. Poole with my hands in the door when you go there. I took it. I'm like, yo, what? Grandpa. Sorry. Nah, she live here. Me, Poole? Yo, what's up? He like, what's up, my man? That shit was aired. You know, Grand Poobah took a chance with me. You know, my first album. Shout out to the Nasia. Before that. And the man, he showed up, Jazzy J Studio. He kicked the verse with me in Diamond. I don't know how I met Poobah, but ever since we kicked it off, we was family, we was friends. He shot the video.

53:50He's in the Flojo video, Grand Poobah. Him, Diamond. He's one of them niggas, bro. Especially from Westchester. Puba. Puba's that nigga. Alright. Once again, you're not really trying to hear me because I've been saying, I said it like two, three times and you really like almost ignoring. I'm hearing you. You say he's in the flow of your videos. Know the best? You know how there's some guys out there that argue with everybody talking about Jadakiss Top 5 Dead or Alive? He's somebody's top five dead or alive. As he should be. He was the best. Grand Poo Bar. Sadat X. My nigga. Worked that shit to the table.

54:35Wild Cowboys. Wild Cowboys, your man. Sadat X. He was one of my favorite rappers at the time. I remember when Poo Bar, who was that? Dante Ross. Somebody signed him over there at Elektra. It's the biggest talk in the world. You know, the brand new... Your man, short. Don't be talking to me. You're wrong. That's what it's supposed to be. Check it out now. Check it out now. Shut up the Lord, you're ma 'am. Yeah, okay.

55:04Hey, I'm Hoda Kotb, host of the podcast Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb. Okay, if you know me, you know this. I'm always searching for inspiration, for support, and useful tools to help maximize joy. So this podcast lets us uncover all of that together. We're going to have these meaningful conversations with the world's most fascinating people. Like when actress Olivia Munn shared how she overcame fierce health challenges that she never saw coming. I've gone through breast cancer and then helped my mother through breast cancer. And that was more difficult. There's a lot of people who understand postpartum depression.

55:40I was not prepared for postpartum anxiety. Olympic champ Shawn Johnson revealed why she had no choice but to be a gymnast. There was something about gymnastics that was intoxicating to me. It's given me a belief that we all have one of those treasures inside of us. We just have to find it. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, everyone. It's the Jonas Brothers. If you haven't heard, our new podcast is called Hey Jonas. And this week, we're hanging out with someone we're really big fans of. Millie Bobby Brown. That's right.

56:14Eleven herself. We talk about her new movie, Enola Holmes 3, Family Life, and all the amazing things she has going on right now. This blew my mind when I saw this, Millie Bobby Brown. You have over 60 animals. First of all, how do you even keep track of everybody? And second, do you have favorites? Who are they and why? Yeah, I need to know about this. Okay. I don't know where the number's 60. I've really got to figure that out. And I could actually have over 60. I just need to really know that number. There have been plenty of sheep in my bed. It's a big bed. In the bed. Literally sleeping in the bed.

56:47Yeah. Plus, we find out what she really feels about Stranger Things ending. Five seasons, almost 10 years of your life. I could have never have guessed it. I started when I was 10 years old. Our conversation with Millie Bobby Brown is out now. Go check it out. Listen to Hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The World Cup is underway, and it's been incredible. On our podcast, The Away End, with Daniel Alarcon and John Green, we're talking about the games that have delighted us, the teams that have inspired us, what we're loving and what surprised us, all through the lens of being massive fans of the world's most beautiful game.

57:19Daniel, this tournament has been magical so far. The expanded field of teams has created some incredible matchups that have already made this World Cup one to remember. And now things get even more exciting with the intensity of the knockout rounds as the field is whittled down to one World Cup champion on July 19th. When you say it like that, I get a pain in my heart that the tournament is over. but there's a lot of soccer yet to go. And if the first few games of the round of 32 are any indication, anything is possible in the lead up to the final. We've got it covered from an ultra's perspective here on the away end.

57:53So listen to the away end with Daniel Alricone and John Green on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

58:04You said to me, yo, you know, keep at it. Cause you let me rap for you. It was magical for all of us. We made it, we made it I'm like we? I'm like I know these guys but who are you? I'm MC Jin And this is Laugh But Not Lease I'll be chatting with guests from all walks of life About the power of humor when it comes to Facing difficult times Like the co-founder of Rough Riders Darren D. Dean Talking about as a kid Do you remember that we met even way before that? Let me think, did you walk up to the gate? That was me D That was you? That was me The day we found out that you and the whole crew was at Hit Factory The mission was to get me to go to the gate, start freestyling, and see if I could get in the studio.

58:44I'm rapping, and then suddenly I hear a voice. Hey, open the gate. Let him in. The gate slowly went. Come, come, come, come, come, come. They all, they're watching this, and they watch me walk into there. And that is a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life. Listen, and last but not least with MC Jen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

59:07Come on, don't go there. Now go there, because if we go there too much, I'm going to have to save 50 Cent, get Rich and Die Tribe. We're turning it up real quick. Gee, unit. Boom! We can get the drama popping, nigga. Boom, boom, boom! That probably might be arguably one of the best debuts. That's like up there with Snoop. 50 should have up there with Doggy Style, if you ask me. For the East Coast, for the World Coast, it had the same kind of effect as doggy style. Man, that shit was everywhere when it came out. Some nigga shit is semi-everywhere. Both of them shits was everywhere. Everywhere you could think of.

59:50White people everywhere. Every commercial, every spring break, every, when you open your door, your window, you saw that shit. It riches, I try and doggy style. Imagine you got beef with him shortly after that. And they playing that shit. We was beating up every DJ allegedly did not play the shit. Yeah, the beef wasn't. When niggas had beef with 50, it was after Get Rich and I tried. It wouldn't work bad. No, no. It wasn't really bad. It was still the residue. It was the other album, man, Biggie Bank. Yeah, it was down there. It cooled off a little. Not a lot, but a little. Enough to be all right.

1:00:33Yeah, that was a different kind of fourth feel. We don't play that. We don't play that. That shit was crazy. And when you create music, 50 Cent was giving you like three songs in one song. Three different hit flows and hooks. It's just crazy. Bro, that album could have really been three albums, four albums. The way he was doing all that shit, oh, G-Unit, we don't play around. He was like, yo, it was too easy for, I don't know what kind of zone he was in, but everything was too easy for him. He had the bars. He had the beats. He felt like my back right now. It was killing shit. Yeah, man. It's a difference.

1:01:19There's a difference between street park bars. At your leisure, you can have a nice pop. You come down. When we see him in the videos in the street park, he can jump out and have a coconut. it's different when you're in jail doing bars in the bars. I did the least pull up. Because that's what they did to him. He was trying to compete with them. You ain't doing like him. Don't do that two times a time. You ain't doing bars like Jadakiss. Get out of here, man. The nigga doing where he going up like this shit. Doing all type of shit. You ain't doing all that. Don't stop. Please. Just because you did jail time don't mean you know how to do the they don't know how you pedal the bike don't do that Jay Z reasonable doubt crazy crazy crazy shit crazy he taught me cause I was a street dude what he taught you man I was a street dude but I didn't really so much really get into like the business darn drug dealer shit to like my second album The first album was I Stick You Up, I Smack You Up, you know, all that type of shit.

1:02:32But that reasonable doubt showed me you could talk like I could live my real life in music. I'm listening to shit and I felt like it was my life. I felt like, yo, you could rap about your life in music. So in videos, I'm wearing the army fatigues, but I'm going to my man's party with the sky blue suit on, with the gaiters, with the this, this, this. Now we can rap about it and put it in the video and do that. I felt like Reasonable Doubt did that for me. And I remember driving back and forth from New York to Miami, just playing that one album, back to back to back to back. That's another one right after Illmatic that kind of changed my life to where it was like, all right, if you're going to rap, this is where you need to be.

1:03:24You need to talk more about your life. If you need to talk that shit, you need to die. That pushed me more towards me being the Don Cartagena, like publicly. I was already the Don Cartagena behind the scene. But publicly, it said, you can do this. And I don't know what the fuck Onyx first album was, but them two, they changed Fat Joe's whole life. Slam. Because I just, pick them up, get one shot. I was like, oh. Back the fuck up. Onyx Unsung Heroes Some of the greatest music I ever heard was Onyx Sticky just sent me something Still not Right now 2025 he sent me something I'm telling Are you listening to me?

1:04:13Sticky just sent me a song that's crazy Last week Crazy They knew how to pick beats No, the beat is crazy They knew how to pick beats they had some mean one of them Onyx I think it's the second one the beats on the second Onyx album is probably some of the best beats I be trying to revisit those shit's great yo, huh? Fred Joe nobody write that Joe Rimes I seen you, you my brother, I love you I see you on the video he said this? yeah he said, you know, Joe got ghostwriters this and that. Yo, you're delusional. Nobody can write my life, write my rhymes, nothing like that. And I love you, Frejo. Frejo's a good guy.

1:05:01I've just bigged you up on another level, but I seen you the only person in history on a video talking about, yeah, Joe, we know. Joe got, please, brother. You got me fucked up 37 years of doing this shit. I do this in my sleep, bro. You know what I'm saying? But Frejo produced all that. Let me tell you something. He's a genius. Carolina Herrera. Them guys, them guys was different and they changed my life. So, Frejo, when you look at my interviews about you, they always say you changed my life. Do. Documentary The Game. Crazy. Is that an album? Game is the first rapper that if you didn't tell me, but he says it a million times, but if you didn't tell me he's from Compton, I would think he's from New York.

1:05:50He was the first. You know, the West Coast, they got their own sound. Heard he said he was the first Yonk rap. Compton nigga with a Yonkish flow. Out of Bronx. A Yonkish flow. Look it up. Compton nigga with a Yonkish flow. I repeat. Still New York. Yonkish. And we agree. No, listen. I agree with him. Get out of here. Yo, where you want me to go? Yonkers fucking locks are some of the greatest rappers that ever lived. I'm not disrespecting that. Who said that? No, he said that. He got a Yonkers flow. Okay, I'll give you that. What I'm trying to say is Martin Luther had a dream. Yeah. Dream. He didn't love it.

1:06:43Crazy. He had nuclear missiles on both of them and all of them documentaries. To this day. The first one, the debut though, is a smoker. Nobody can front me. The numbers prove it. Four or five million, right? I don't know why nobody's saying ready to die. That niggas is over here playing around like ready to die. Just floating all over. He's floating over. Stop floating for a minute. Ready to die. He came in and switched the old way niggas was rapping back then. Who? B.I. Biggie Smalls changed the whole entire rap game. We're talking about debut albums. His flow, his cadence to this day don't make sense.

1:07:30He died when he was like 26, 27. He only did two years of damage. And it's fucking phenomenal. That's not a day, not a day in my blessed life that God has given me that I do not hear Biggie Smalls song. What he was able to do to take rap underground music and commercialize it changed my life and every other rapper's life. He was 24 years old when he died. A fucking baby. 25 or 26 or 27. Pac was 26? Oh, it was Pac. Pac was young too. 26. But. Man, 25 and 24 is crazy, man. rest in peace he can barely get in the club I think that's some bullshit but Biggie Smalls to this day his flows, his cadence you know I help get the song together with him and Bone Thugs in Harmony that's another album look up the first Bone Thugs in Harmony first album sold 30 million records it's 1999 for the love of money gotta get that money baby money, baby.

1:08:49Gotta get that money, baby. Let me tell you something, boy. I miss my Uncle George. Call him George. Miss my Uncle George. It's Uncle Charles. It's Uncle Charles. Call him Uncle George.

1:09:11I miss my Uncle George. At least, yo.

1:09:19Uncle George You know Yo listen You know how you go You know how you go to the AA meeting and be like Hi I'm Joe I'm an alcoholic He's like Hi I'm Fat Joe I'm a fuck up I'm a bug out I change all the words that's why we gonna have a problem Rich We put it back Rich do it back to I can't even memorize my own Robbs so imagine memorizing your rhymes and somebody else's rhymes I fuck everybody's shit up but I got that bone and biggie done biggie hit me up said Joe I want to rock with your mans I know they're your mans we on the same label I'm hanging out with them every day then he had a relationship with Bob I had to really really convince them and I know to this day they're happy I convinced them Steve Lobel brought them to the studio the rest is history But that boning biggie, biggie, boning.

1:10:15And nobody in New York was thinking about Armand Dangerous. Ain't too many can bang with us. Sing up, we know Angel Dust. Notorious. So-called beef with you know who this. Nobody was thinking about that flow at that time. When he did it, it was like, you know, big with somebody that is like you. I mean, damn, man, we got a big this thing. I'm right over here. I absolutely salute the man. Biggie was like you in the very way of you never said a whack verse. Every time Biggie could rhyme on 112, he could rhyme on fucking a girl's TLC shit, whatever. Say not, it's commercial. Say not, anything that we would listen to him, we would listen to the new verse and be like, damn, Biggie did it again.

1:11:05He was super nice. He did this and this and that. It was crazy. You know what I'm saying? B.I.G. that Ready to Die, that shit to this day is one of my favorite, you know what I mean? From the slaves, shit's from the same life. In the two vaults. Yo, Biggie, I had my homie's Total Buster shit. Every record. It wasn't just Total. I don't know if it was a fan, but as a rapper, every verse, similar to you, every verse Biggie ever spit, we would analyze it immediately and be like, Like, yo, he did a song with Total. You know, everything. You be like, damn, you bodied that shit again. It's not easy to body every single verse.

1:11:51You know, J.D. Kiss, you know, he's really good at that. You know what I'm saying? We be listening for every verse. Like, oh, shit. J.D. gonna spit that shit right now. Who else you put in that, in that category of every verse they ever spit You would listen to it like, oh, shit, he about to spit that shit. Black Thought. Huh? Black Thought. Black Thought is superiorly nice. We all agree. Lauren's debut. Tell me about Lauren Hill, brother. Because I always. The miseducation. She's tired of me big enough. Like, you got. Miseducation. You know what I'm saying? Lauren Hill. I got me and Lauren Hill about the same birthday.

1:12:38It's big up. That's it. We A-likes. Education is one of the most classic albums. They gave her the best album. I got the same birthday as Lauren Hill, Three Stacks. Somebody call it. Lauren Hill and Three Stacks. Me and me, we all share the same birthday. Need I say more? We A-likes. Miss Edutainment of Lauren Hill. Groundbreaking album. Phenomenal because she can sing incredible. and she got the bars. I felt cheated as a hip-hop fan that she retired so quick. Like, I think we would have had multiple albums of greatness. You know, I think we got Rob from Lauryn Hill, you know, walking off the game because she would have had four or five classic albums.

1:13:31I can't see her making whack shit. And definitely where she left the game at that time, she was just, she just still to this day. All these girls are great. I love them all. You know, Remy gets a little upset because she wants me to cheat and say Remy's the greatest. Can't nobody fuck with Lauryn Hill. Lauryn Hill's in the fucking lane of her home. Nobody. That's a fact. And so, what, Lil' Kim's first album are we talking about females? Hardcore, crazy. Lil' Kim's first album was crazy. Hardcore. Everybody, that shifted. Sis Amelia. That shifted the way females wanted to present themselves. After Lil' Kim.

1:14:20Foxy first album, El Nana, crazy. You see Elliot for the rain. I Can't Stand the Rain. The brat shit. Funk the fat. Big by numbers than everybody. Funk the fat? Yes. The fucking brat was the first to crack open that gate. Her shit, she had real fans, minor shit, platinum. But Foxy and Kim, man, that's like Brandi, Monica. That was a time. You know what I mean? I think, you know, it's very hard for a man to really be bumping a girl's album like that, driving in your car like the whole album, riding around like you think you're playing the shit. You got Foxy, you got Kim. Recently, I listened to that Cardi B album about 10, 20 times.

1:15:14Cardi B, she got some balls in there better than dudes. It's really incredible the way they put that album together recently. Cardi B's album is Phenom. And the girls is eating it up. They, hello. They going crazy to that shit on Instagram. I'm not comparing the album to Lauryn Hill or Foxy or Kevin's Days. I ain't saying one. But I'm just saying you got that Uncle Grady eyes. You know what I'm saying? You giving me the eyes like wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait. You giving me that. I'm telling you, our album right now is better than most guys in 2025. Cardi B got that shit right now. Listen, this ain't that.

1:16:00That ain't this. It's cracking. Kiss you bastards. Bitch!

1:16:12Hey, this is Chuck from Stuff You Should Know, and we're submitting our most science-y episodes for your peer review with our new Stuff You Should Know doing science playlist. Out now. You want to know about Occam's Razor? The simplest explanation is usually the right one. We got you covered. Wondered what chaos theory is ever since the first time you saw Jurassic Park? Well, come on down. So distill a nice pot of tea, everybody. Turn down the gas on your Bunsen burner and slip into your most comfortable lab coat and listen to the Stuff You Should Know Doing Science playlist on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

1:16:46Can superstars even exist the way they used to? 2016 was sort of that last era of monoculture where we still consumed things in community. Everybody wanted to be Beyonce at that point. I don't think we'll ever see another Riyadh. What does it mean to be black and eat in America? You will never make me feel bad for being a black girl, for being a black American girl, ever. From music to food to the conversations shaping black culture right now, Therapy for Black Girls is bringing it all to the mic. Listen to Therapy for Black Girls on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

1:17:21Hey, it's Alec Baldwin. This season on my podcast, Here's the Thing, I talk to composer Mark Shaman. It's about the hang. It's the pleasure of hanging out with the people that you're with. You know, Rob and I was always a great hang. And director Morgan Neville. Film school teaches you all the wrong things about making documentary. What do you want to say? Documentary is all about your ear. What do you hear? I feel like my job is listening really, really hard. Listen to Here's the Thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It just came out. Jeremy, what did you just do?

1:17:56You just set yourself up for failure. I've never heard you tell this story. I've never told this story. This must have been tucked deep, deep in the Jeremy Lin file. My name is MC Jin. I'm excited to tell you about Laugh But Not Lease. I'll be chatting with guests from all walks of life about the power of humor when it comes to facing difficult times. These will be conversations that remind us all life is hard. Laugh harder. Listen to Laugh But Not Lease with MC Jin on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.