The Cipher

This episode, we talk to one of hip hop’s most honored rappers — Rakim Allah, the God MC. Rakim was only a teenager when... Read more

Allah B is a longtime member of the Nation of Gods and Earths, formerly known as the Five Percenters. He grew up in Har... Read more

Skeff is a producer and engineer who worked on some of the best hip-hop to come out of New York in the 1980s and 90s. He... Read more

An in-depth interview with rap icon Talib Kweli. We talk to the veteran emcee about Black Star, similes, the Occupy mov... Read more

Oscar “Paris” Jackson Jr. is a rapper, songwriter, and producer who has been a militant voice for justice in the rap wor... Read more

Fred is a rapper who can say that hip-hop is in his blood, literally. Not only is he from the home of hip-hop, the Bronx... Read more

The Seattle-based producer Jake One got his start as an in-house beat-maker for the influential local label Conception R... Read more

This episode, we have a two-fer. We begin with a really awesome interview with a true West Coast legend, DJ Quik. He has... Read more

Jarobi White is the mysterious fourth member of A Tribe Called Quest. He was a founding member of the group with his chi... Read more

Our interview with the enigmatic Divine Styler starts with him present, via his DJ father, at the very beginnings of hip... Read more

This episode, we have a wide-ranging convo with Gene “No Malice” Thornton of Clipse. No Malice (formerly just Malice, be... Read more

Eligh Nachowitz and Corey Scoffern, a.k.a. The Grouch, are rappers best known for their affiliation with the Living Lege... Read more

Tom is the “Tommy” in Tommy Boy Records—he founded the label in 1981. After several early hip-hop and dance records, the... Read more

!llmind first gained notice for making beats for some of underground rap’s best talent like Little Brother, Akrobatik, H... Read more

This episode, we talk to hip-hop impresario Michael Holman. Holman was instrumental in bringing the burgeoning culture ... Read more

Live from Bed Stuy’s Restoration Plaza, we bring you a very special event with Buddha Monk and Mickey Hess, authors of a... Read more

Shea Serrano is a Houston-based writer and illustrator whose funny, insightful work on rap, sports, and even action movi... Read more

Jack Thriller is a comedian who most people know from his time doing funny—and often outrageous—interviews on 50 Cent’s ... Read more

This episode, we talk to author Brian Coleman. Coleman has written three volumes of what he calls “invisible liner notes... Read more

Jermaine Dupri got his start in hip-hop very young. As a pre-teen, he was a dancer on the Fresh Fest tours of the mid-19... Read more