#PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF PETE STOP CALLING IT FORESHADOWING

[go-to-the-mirror]

good lord im so bad at the remembering to put everything in the ask. wanted to say that the cosy cabin statement is from jon's perspective, i feel, and that his own personal hell being rotting with the responsibility for the safety of someone he loves while the rest of the world suffers because of him and he listens to tapes of his dead friends is just... yeah, seems about right.

secondly, sasha saying she's unforgettable is not foreshadowing, it's dramatic irony, because we - the audience - know what has happened. Foreshadowing isn't about where it falls on the canonical timeline, it's about the audience. Therefore, Sasha saying something that brings to mind "oh, she was forgotten" is not foreshadowing, because it's not about something we find out later - that could be her telling Jon he knows her maybe. There's a lot of foreshadowing in this bloody podcast i can't think of just one. It is dramatic irony, because we, the audience, are just cringing and wanting to cry because she is forgettable. God damnit.

Greek and Shakespearian tragedies often rely a lot on the whole "audience knowing what the characters do not" thing. First thing off the top of my head is Romeo and Juliet. We know how that's going to go from the beginning, so the whole time we're just squirming in "we know how this goes!!" It's about the suspense!

That's why good stuff has rewatch/listen/read value. Like, The Magnus Archives is absolutely chock full of foreshadowing that on a relisten is just absolutely horrible because you're just sitting there squirming like "i see where this is going, why did you have to point this out, why does elias have to exist, like someone please for the love of god tell me why elias has to exist, he makes every relisten like 10000 times worse, why does jon have to say he trusts tim, mr sims please SHUT UP" and stuff like that!

anyway, yeah, if anyone calls Sasha calling herself unforgettable in the tapes foreshadowing, I'm going to bite them /nsrs (but still, it gets on my nerves)

@a-mag-a-day

[placetobenation]

RIP Jon Huber.

Words can’t do justice. To all that knew him, he was a devoted father, husband and wrestling superstar. Gone far too young at the age of 41 due to a non-COVID-19 lung issue. We’ll always remember Brodie Lee, Luke Harper and Jon Huber.

Kudos to All Elite Wrestling for a tremendous tribute Wednesday night on TNT. Extremely well done on every front.

This one's for you #BrodieLee pic.twitter.com/2wNFJEK82y

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 31, 2020

A tribute to #BrodieLee #AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/ZptMKH1Hst

— All Elite Wrestling on TNT (@AEWonTNT) December 31, 2020

The WWE also released a tribute after AEW’s show.

Husband. Father. Friend. Superstar. WWE Superstars & friends pay tribute to Jon Huber. (via @WWE) pic.twitter.com/8CUd1fQnwZ

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) December 31, 2020

RAW

RESULTS

Keith Lee defeated Sheamus to win shot at WWE Championship

Gran Metalik defeated The Miz

Shayna Baszler defeated Dana Brooke

AJ Styles defeated Elias

Mustafa Ali defeated Ricochet

Charlotte Flair defeated Nia Jax by DQ

The Hurt Business defeated The New Day, Jeff Hardy & Riddle

WHAT is @AlexaBliss_WWE thinking? WHAT is @RandyOrton thinking?!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/tBXlzsBHve

— WWE (@WWE) December 29, 2020

Alexa Bliss vs. Randy Orton

That was something I will say that. I didn’t know whether to love it, hate it or just walk away from it. Yes, it was some sight seeing Alexa Bliss call out Randy Orton, begging him to light her on fire as he did to The Fiend. Of course, we don’t know whether Orton dropped the match to a fully engulfed with gas Bliss as the show ended. It was indeed a true cliffhanger in that mode. But, do we really believe that Orton would now intentionally murder two people on national TV? I’m not quite sure, other than shock value, what the WWE is looking for with this angle. We’ll all see Monday night for the next episode of RAW.

Thumbs Up:

Keith Lee vs. Sheamus was as good as expected. I really did think it was going to be Sheamus going over in this one, but I do think it works better having Lee get another shot at McIntyre while Sheamus stews the defeat and puts off an encounter with his BFF for a bit.

.@AliWWE: "Join RETRIBUTION. What is your decision?@KingRicochet: #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/PJcAGuQDjs

— WWE (@WWE) December 29, 2020

AJ Styles vs. Elias was very good. Good to see two “bad guys” go at it and just get after it without the old heel cliches. Mustafa Ali vs. Ricochet was its usual good stuff. I wish they would come to a resolution to the matter as its not helping either side with the same ol’ story each week. I’d like to see a darker side or Ricochet in my mind. Take off the masks from RETRIBUTION and form a true stable that has a chance to do something.

They were right all along…@mikethemiz is ONCE AGAIN Mr. Money in the Bank! #WWERaw @TheRealMorrison pic.twitter.com/Xvt6T6VHYl

— WWE (@WWE) December 29, 2020

The Miz getting his Money In The Bank briefcase back is a good thing. Having him lose to Gran Metalik to bring him down wasn’t needed. It only would’ve made sense to bring The Miz down if they had dragged it out for a couple of weeks. Having him down for about an hour or so did nothing. They need to build The Miz up to more than a cartoon character of comedy to truly be a challenger worthy of Drew McIntyre’s WWE Championship.

Thumbs Down:

Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax – I just can’t get behind anything that Nia Jax is doing these days. Charlotte Flair is The Queen, but there’s no flow or chemistry when these two get together. Why waste it? And another thing. Let Shayna Baszler be a bad ass by herself. It would work better for her.

Angel Garza. Please, I’m begging them to stop the romancing the rose storyline. It’s been old since they started it back around WrestleMania. It’s even older now. It’s doing nothing to move Garza forward. At least he got the 24/7 Championship victory over R-Truth on Tik Tok!

NXT

RESULTS

Bronson Reed defeated Isaiah “Swerve” Scott

Grizzled Young Veterans defeated Breezango

Mercedes Martinez defeated Valentina Feroz

Pete Dunn defeated Roderick Strong

Lucha House Party defeated Legado del Fantasma

NXT North American Championship Match: Johnny Gargano defeated Leon Ruff to retain the title

.@Lady_Scarlett13 likes what she sees.

#WWENXT @WWEKarrionKross @ArcherOfInfamy pic.twitter.com/mUjkxY9r29

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) December 31, 2020

Thumbs Up:

Pete Dunne vs. Roderick Strong. The rivalry continues between the Kings of NXT and The Undisputed Era. Dunne’s look really good the past couple of weeks in singles competition against TUE. As for Roddy, well, he continues to be Strong.

The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is back!#WWENXThttps://t.co/JJ72EIWNb1

— WWE (@WWE) December 31, 2020

Another year of the Dusty Rhodes Classic. Adam Cole and Roderick Strong make an interesting entry. I’d love to see WWE bring in a few teams from outside NXT to make things interesting too.

"It means something to me. To me, it's proof. Not only proof that I belong in the ring with you, but proof that I belong at the top of #WWENXT." You deserve it, @KORcombat. #WWENXT #NXTAwardMatch @FinnBalor #NXTYearEndAwards pic.twitter.com/JyI8HPBvse

— WWE (@WWE) December 31, 2020

A wild brawl just broke out between @WWEKarrionKross & @ArcherofInfamy on #WWENXT! pic.twitter.com/bVm6lB7sHt

— WWE (@WWE) December 31, 2020

Balor vs. O’Reilly. That’s about as good as it gets on the mic with these two. You could feel the passion, the reality, the urgency and yes, we’re ready for round 2! Adding Karrion Kross into the mix with Scarlett just puts it over the top. Doomsday is here. Tick. Tock. Oh, hi Damien Priest. That was a very good segment!

Rhea vs. Raquel vignette. The Last Woman Standing match is going to be awesome. Let’s just say that New Year’s Evil is stacked folks!

Highway Robbery:

Shotzi Blackheart over Pat McAfee for Breakout Star of the Year. There’s no bigger Shotzi fan than me, but even I can admit that McAfee took NXT by Storm and is a star in the making. He proved it on the mic, behind the scenes and yes, even in the ring during WarGames. Here’s hoping the WWE doesn’t keep him on the shelf too long.

Lucha Like!

Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado showing up to take on Legado del Fantasmo was a cool surprise. Long live Lucha Libre! Pretty cool week for Gran Metalik with wins on both RAW and NXT over 48 hours.

Meh:

Year-end awards presentation. They were kind of just there. Obviously, the tie-in with Balor vs. O’Reilly for the match of the year was a home run to set up their in-ring promo. All the rest, I could’ve done with online.

Johnny Gargano’s curse-breaking win over Leon Ruff did what it needed to do. That’s about all.

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

Non-title Intercontinental Championship Match: Big E defeated King Corbin by DQ

Big E & Apollo Crews defeated Sami Zayn & King Corbin

The Riott Squad defeated Tamina & Natalya

Carmella & Bayley defeated Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair

Otis & Daniel Bryan defeated Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura

Kevin Owens defeated Jey Uso

Another level:

.@WWERomanReigns just sent @FIghtOwensFight crashing inside the #WWEThunderDome!!!#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/Xz2e8JCqqH

— WWE (@WWE) January 2, 2021

Sure, on its face, another Kevin Owens vs. Jey Uso match seems like filler. But, oh no. Not when the Head of the Table is involved! First off, Owens and Uso beat the snot out of each other with KO getting the expected knockout victory. Then, and you could see Roman Reigns foreshadow it earlier in the show by saying “they” don’t understand, “they’re” trying to take away what we have, Reigns was going to get Owens for making a match against Reigns’ wishes. Every week, they take the best angle in the WWE up a notch! It’s the very first attack through the ThunderDome crowd! I’ll be honest though, I thought Adam Pearce was in danger of an attack too. Maybe that’s next week?

Thumbs Up:

.@WWEBigE and @WWEApollo pick up the win on #SmackDown! pic.twitter.com/5tXhcI6UqE

— WWE (@WWE) January 2, 2021

I like the way they are bringing a lot of people into the mix for Big E’s Intercontinental Title run. Sami Zayn as former champ, King Corbin as first challenge and now Apollo Crews as friend and Open Challenge acceptor for next week will keep it fresh. Zayn is awesome no matter what and making Big E look strong out of the gate will eventually make him a contender for Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship.

The Riott Squad keeps winning. After months of going nowhere, it’s good to see Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott on a winning streak even if it is beating Tamina and Natalya with the help of the annoying one, Billie Kay. There’s got to be a better way to use Billie, right?

#SmackDown Women's Champion @SashaBanksWWE has encountered an obstacle in this tag team match… a negative one! pic.twitter.com/9lqE7jV4Om

— WWE (@WWE) January 2, 2021

Sasha. Carmella. Bianca. Bayley. Getting them all together in the same ring makes Friday night a winner for all of us. Loved that Carmella gets the pin to get her some juice back after losing at TLC. Damn, Reggie has some moves! Can’t wait to see him in a ring soon too!

WOAH. @SonyaDevilleWWE is BACK on #SmackDown! pic.twitter.com/AcId1KWFDV

— WWE (@WWE) January 2, 2021

Sonya Deville is back! That’s good for business although we do need an explanation as to how one loses a loser leaves town match and then returns back so soon. We know the reality of it due to her stalking case, but how the WWE plays it on TV will be interesting.

I could’ve done without the drums and the predictions, but that was one helluva beatdown by Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler on TSP. The Dirty Dawgs deserve some gold in their future!

Interesting:

Otis & Daniel Bryan teaming up was fun. Chad Gable + the YES movement sure is inspirational. Will it be more than a one-time effort? Even Otis looks better with Bryan, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura in the same ring. The three amigos salute at the end was hilarious!

Annoying:

Billie Kay’s gimmick.  

Parting Shots:

With so many tag teams forming on the fly in the WWE these days, I’d love to see an old-school Crockett Cup tournament in the WWE. Take it across all three brands, maybe bring in some indy teams as well and I think it would be a fun event for 2021. There’s absolutely room to make some odd and unique pairings and match-ups instead of the old and tired matches.

Coming up this week:

RAW Legends Night WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Keith Lee

NXT – New Year’s Evil hosted by Dexter Lumis NXT Championship: Finn Balor vs. Kyle O’Reilly Damien Priest vs. Karrion Kross Fight Pit Match: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher Last Woman Standing: Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Gonzalez NXT Cruiserweight Championship: Santos Escobar vs. Gran Metalik

SMACKDOWN Intercontinental Championship Match: Big E vs. Apollo Crews

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at jcrowe567@gmail.com. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND

[shoutdontwhisper]

In the past 6 months i’ve gone from thinking there is no way Robert is the father of Rebecca’s baby, to resigned to the fact he is but hating it and now i’m back at the baby isn’t Rob’s + the ONS never happened.

I’ve done the one thing i was trying so hard not to do and that is get my hopes up of an ending to this storyline that i’d love/accept. I can’t ignore what my gut told me back in April and what it is telling me now.

I’m not trying to convince anyone or get anyone’s hopes up so they can be dashed later.  I just wanted to articulate the main reasons i’m on board team Theory™ (copyright Theory queen @itwasjustmisplaced).  Something may happen next week or in 3 weeks that makes me change my mind again but for now these are the signs i’ve seen.

This became a bit of an essay so read after the break.

The weirdness of the ONS and the morning after

Lets start with the simple fact that Robert was drunk the night of the one night stand.  I don’t think it matters if Ryan didn’t act ‘drunk enough’  for you in this scene. You can compare it to others where he was stumbling or slurring his words but that’s not the point. Rebecca herself says multiple times that night that he has had too much to drink. When he admitted the ons to Chas he said “I got really, really drunk. And …i slept with Rebecca”. When Aaron asks him what he was thinking that night, he said “I wasn’t, I was drunk”. The writers have established multiple times he was drunk that night. I don’t think we are suppose to argue this.

What else do we know about that night? Not much was shown. There was no morning after scene and we learn later on that Robert had passed out, Rebeca left and he woke up alone.

The next morning Rebecca leaves this voice message

“Hey its me. Hope your head is ok this morning, you’d had a few. Things got a bit intense last night. I hope your not um…i just hope you’re alright this morning. Breaking up with Aaron can’t be easy. I’m here if you need me, anyway i’ll call again later.”

OK, this message will probably haunt many people. Honestly it seemed a lot weirder to me BEFORE we learnt that she left that night (but why would she leave him passed out?). Again, she points out he was drunk but the rest is so vague. The consistent and only interpretation of the ONS we have ever gotten from Rebecca was that she was a victim and Robert used her.

For the most part she’s showed no hesitation in saying her and Robert slept together - you could easily argue that the odd looks and pauses or the “i can’t…it’s yours” are all signs she’s lying and whilst they do contribute to the weirdness of the whole storyline i don’t want to focus on that too much.

Robert himself seemed to show no hesitation in saying they slept together when he admitted it to Chas. He even described the sex as “empty”  to Aaron which suggests he remembers something/it.  So why would he admit to it if it never happened?

Thinking you’ve had sex when you haven’t

Since the ONS the show has shown 3 instances of characters thinking they had sex with someone when they didn’t. In June Marlon thought he slept with Lydia, he even confesses to Laurel before Lydia corrects him. In August Faith also wasn’t sure what happened when she spent the night with Rodney. He had to tell her they only kissed and literally says “i didn’t take advantage of you”. Marlon and Faith was mostly played for laughs & there was nothing onscreen except the morning after when we saw them trying to sneak out.

This brings us to what Robert did to Lawrence. When I first watched this episode I was so angry but after re-watching i’m convinced it was foreshadowing or highlighting what happened that night in March. This was a turning point for me…A drugged Lawrence is confused but easily convinced that he and Robert had sex. Robert immediately plays the victim and tells Lawrence he took advantage of him “I was barely awake. You knew I was upset about Aaron. You should never had let me go along with it”. Once the confusion fades Lawrence apologises multiple times to Robert for what he “did”. 

Sound familiar?  

3 similar instances in 6 months feels like more than a coincidence to me. I can’t remember any in 2016 (please tell me if i’m wrong).

Rebecca’s missing pregnancy POV

Rebecca’s pov throughout the pregnancy has been almost non-existent. Before the ons reveal she did have a little but it’s a joke compared to other characters. I wrote about this more here.

It is actually ridiculous that we have not been shown one scene of Rebecca with a medical professional throughout this storyline. Either at her abortion appointment, during her miscarriage scare or at any of her scans.

Not only has Rebecca’s pov been missing but the details around the dates of the pregnancy are also vague. I wrote about this here.  

After the ons reveal her pov regarding the baby has gone from minimal to non-existent. The pregnancy has been told from the pov of Robert, Aaron and Victoria.

Everyone is taking her word for it that Robert is the father. THERE HAS BEEN NO DNA TEST. Again please, can someone tell me of another time on a soap when a character slept with 2 men and one was claimed to be the father without any dna test or twist?  

Rebecca’s naivety around Robert’s scheming

If you think Rebecca was a horribly written character before then it *seems* to have gotten worse since Robert started scheming the Whites.

After everything Robert did she was so quick to trust him and believe he wanted to be there for her and the baby. I struggle to believe Emmerdale would write her character like this unless for a reason. Her role has been reduced to nothing more than talking about the baby and worrying about her dad. She never gets any focus in a scene, no closeups etc. And the longer Emmerdale continue to write her as naive and insignificant the more suspicious i become. 

Just like I was suspicious when Moira was offscreen for long periods of time after sleeping with both Cain and Pete. It reminds me of a thriller/horror film. Always look out for the inconspicuous character.

Also, since the scheming what little dialogue Rebecca does have feels like she’s testing Robert. She always wanted the family he promised her years ago and she doesn’t want to push him too far too soon but she is testing his intentions and needing constant reassurance from him and he keeps giving it to her as part of his scheming. Some recent examples:

After Liv confronts them

Rebecca: Because i can do this on my own. If you think you can sort things out with Aaron then do it. I won’t stop you from seeing the baby.         Robert: No it’s a non starter with Aaron. Besides you and the baby are my priority right now.

Booking birth class

Rebecca: Well you want to come don’t you? You’ve been so supportive recently and i know it’s not very you but i don’t really wanna go on my own Robert: Try keeping me away. You know you’re not on your own for any of this

After birth class

Rebecca: Even though everyone thinks you’re my boyfriend are we cool?Robert: Ah yeah, yeah it’s no big deal

If she is lying then her lies are now paying off. This is a woman who thinks she is getting everything she’s always wanted- raising a baby with the love of her life.  

Ok so those are the main reasons/signs. But here are some more details:

Rebecca to Liv “The thing about secrets is, you have to be comfortable keeping them.”

Aaron’s extreme reaction to the baby meant the show has no intention of a Robron/Rebecca co-parenting situation

Rebecca claimed she wanted to raise the baby on her own, but was quick to drag Robert into it

It would literally be the most boring pregnancy and baby sl on Emmerdale if there was no twist

The Whites are the characters leaving and yet they are currently writing them as victims to big bad Robert (who is staying). Why? Maybe because ultimately we will learn the things they have done to him are far worse than what he has done i.e. destroying his marriage, lying about becoming a father

Rebecca has tried to split Robron up multiple times. Before the ons and after. “Can you handle this Aaron…Leave him…this is what he does to people” 

“Oh, he’s not the…”

[airadam]

Episode 92 : Signals

"...make you feel as if the Bill of Rights was counterfeit."

- Cuban Link

This month has just been hitting us over the head with "WTF?" moments on a daily basis, but in between I managed to put the show together - as you can tell, the finishing touches only made it in close to the end-of-month buzzer! While this is an all-Hip-Hop episode, I feel fairly confident that there won't be many people who know every track, so there'll be at least one new gem here for everyone. Let's run down this month's crate excavations...

Twitter: @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Fat Joe ft. The Terror Squad : The Hidden Hand

It's bleak, but it's life. The whole Terror Squad weigh in on this cinematic cut (produced by Spunk Bigga) from the "Don Cartagena" album. Packed with cautionary tales, observations on the state of society, and ending with a touch of advice, this very much has the air of the person that's been through a lot trying to stop someone else going down the same road. In my opinion, this is a very much underrated deep album cut.

Oddisee : No Rules For Kings (Inst)

From the "The Beauty In All" album we get this lovely instrumental, heavy on the cymbals and drum fills.

3rd Bass : Gladiator

I've just realised that I've only played 3rd Bass once before on the podcast, so there are some great tracks in their small catalogue still for me to share with you. Here's one I think you probably won't know - their contribution to the soundtrack of the 1992 boxing-themed film "Gladiator". DJ Daddy Rich makes the beat boom, and whoever it is on the hook is battling me in the low voice stakes :)

J-Live : Worlds Apart

"The white man's burden still the brown man's backache"? That's just fire. The amount of clever, insightful quotes on this track is just unbelievable. It's well worth sitting and listening carefully to this one a few times - nothing but facts right here from J-Live on this Oddisee-produced piece from his "Around The Sun" album. 

Melanin 9 ft. Roc Marciano : White Russian

Melanin 9 is a UK MC who had somehow escaped my notice up to now but I stumbled upon this track with Long Island's street rhyme specialist Roc Marciano and knew I had to include it! The production by Anatomy channels the feel of the SP1200/S950 90s golden age; I love it, apart from the awkward 5-bar intro ;) Melanin and Roc go stream-of-consciousness in fine style on this one, taken from the "Magna Carta" LP.

Apollo Brown & Skyzoo ft. Joell Ortiz : A Couple Dollars

"The Easy Truth" was one of the picks of 2016 and the combination of Skyzoo, a real lyric fan's choice, and Apollo Brown's soulful production is a match made in Hip-Hop heaven. Adding Joell Ortiz to this story of the lure of money when you start off broke just takes the track over the top. The album is definitely worth checking!

Kappah : Supafly

Kappah from the Beatfonics crew flips some Curtis Mayfield inside out right here and adds some solid bass underneath for a highlight from the "Beatxploitation" beat tape. Heavy business as usual coming out of Italy.

Nas : Thief's Theme

A dark favourite, and an appropriate one as we see the dawn of a new kleptocracy! This was a great single from the "Street's Disciple" album - there might have been a radio mix, but you couldn't call this a radio record. Salaam Remi harnesses the "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" sample (as played by the Incredible Bongo Band) while Nas goes full crime rhyme for three verses - and on the hook, re-using some of his own famous lines from "The World Is Yours". The video for this one is well worth a watch too!

Camp Lo : A Piece Of The Action

The recently released "On The Way Uptown" is the demo album Camp Lo recorded that got them their record deal and paved the way for the classic "Uptown Saturday Night". Well worth picking up if you're a fan, as you can hear early versions of some tracks that made the official album as well as others that were borrowed from or reworked. There's also a scattering of "lost tracks", and what later became B-sides. This tune, I believe, has been out on white label but is a tough one to get so I was very happy to find it included. Geechi and Sonny Cheeba showcase their back-and-forth skills on a great foreshadowing of killer records to come, while Ski gives us some boom-bap drums over a cleverly-chopped, sneaky sampling of a jazz classic. Heavyweight.

Talib Kweli : Gutter Rainbows

I think the world "lush" would fit this one when it comes to the production! M-Phazes brings a dramatic 70s flair to the title track to Talib's 2011 album, and Talib sounds thoroughly amped to be on it. You've all seen a gutter rainbow in the literal sense - the colours formed when oil spills onto the street, and while Kweli does point to that in the lyrics he also gives a more poetic alternative definition.

Pete Rock ft. Little Brother and Joe Scudda : Bring Y'all Back

"...catch a fist and a elbow"...Richard Spencer, come on down! Three very dope verses from LB and Joe Scudda over a Pete Rock beat; I think Phonte's is my favourite, but you can't go wrong with any of the three. Check this one on Pete Rock's third producer-driven compilation, "NY's Finest".

[Context] Maylay Sparks : Legacy (Inst)

One of those random independent 12"s that makes a DJs vinyl collection individual, rather than just an "essential hits" compilation! Context of the Danish crew "Nobody Beats The Beats" provides a quintessentially early-2000s instrumental.

WC & The MAAD Circle : Ghetto Serenade

RIP DJ Crazy Toones. This is a beat I've always loved since I heard it on MTV back in the day, and as Toones had his hands in the production (alongside Sir Jinx and Chilly Chill), I thought this was a good time to play the track. This is played from the 12" single which is itself taken from the 1991 "Ain't A Damn Thang Changed" album. You may not find the story as told by WC to your taste, but you can't deny that funk!

Main Source : Atom

Taking it back to '89, we have one of the first recordings from the Main Source crew. This is the B-side of the "Think" single and for me, a perfect case of "B Side Wins Again"! The mixing and engineering was done by the legendary Paul C, who sadly would be killed before Main Source released their debut "Breaking Atoms" album; his influence lived on, and not just in the name of Large Professor's publishing company. 

Mega Ran & Storyville ft. Wise Intelligent : I Know Who I Am

It's been great over the last couple of years to see Mega Ran's profile climbing. He's an extremely talented artist and on the "Soul Veggies" album he reunited with long-time friend Storyville, who both took the mic and produced on the project. For this knowledge-packed track, it was only right that both of them connected with Wise Intelligent of the Poor Righteous Teachers; in fact, it was actually him who got on the DJ Seedless track first and then brought them in! The production is funky, jazzy, African...the whole pot, a perfect home for some excellent rhymes.

DJ Quik ft. Mausberg and James DeBarge : Change Da Game

The "Balance & Options" album from the legendary Compton DJ/MC is a must-own for me, with some absolute killers on it - this one being the opening, a statement of intent from Quik and the late Mausberg. The timing and dynamics on the rhythm part of the track gives it a certain bounce that is harder to duplicate than your average beatmaker might think, and as always with Quik, the musicianship is right there for you to appreciate.

[DJ Premier] Gang Starr : Skills (Instrumental)

You could do a mix of just DJ Premier instrumentals and it'd be a satisfying hour! This is from the 12", one of the four singles from "The Ownerz", the final Gang Starr album. Check the full version if you don't already know it - personally, I'm really missing that trademark Guru monotone style.

Heltah Skeltah ft. Starang Wondah & Doc Holiday : I Ain't Havin' That

I decided to finish the episode on a seriously energetic note, with this banging track getting a well-deserved outing. The Boot Camp crew rip the beat from A Tribe Called Quest's "Hot Sex" and you can almost hear them falling all over each other to get their rhymes in - the session in D&D Studios must have been insane! Topping it off with the Redman sample from "Pick It Up" just seals the deal. This is a 12" well worth having but you can also find the track on the "Magnum Force" album.

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!