Liner Notes | Kendrick Lamar’s “DNA.”
Artist: Kendrick Lamar
Song: DNA.
Producers: Mike WiLL Made-It
Album: DAMN.
Label: Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment, Interscope Records
Release Date: April 14, 2017
Who has the best alter ego in all of hip hop?
Kris: Shock G aka Humpty Hump
Devin: Shock G aka Humpty Hump
What are your favorite bars from “DNA.”?
Kris:
And I'm gon' shine like I'm supposed to, antisocial extrovert
And excellent mean the extra work
Devin:
You ain't shit without a ticket on your plate
You ain't sick enough to pull it on yourself
Links/Videos mentioned in this episode:
Watch Kris and Devin’s live recording of this episode on YouTube:
FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
Devin Dabney 00:00
Hi I'm Devin Dabney.
Kris Hampton 00:09
I'm Kris Hampton.
Devin Dabney 00:10
And this is Hip Hop Taught Me Everything.
Kris Hampton 00:21
So we're going to start this one a little different because it's the last episode of the season. And actually, I think it's pretty appropriate that we're ending on a Liner Notes and on an episode about duality, because that's sort of how this podcast is. There's like the Lessons and the Liner Notes, and they're two totally different animals. And the Liner Notes weren't even a part of the entire original planning of this podcast. It was like, two days before episode one is coming out and we're like, we should do this thing, you know. So how are you feeling about how the season went?
Devin Dabney 01:04
I think it was awesome. I mean, just from a creative standpoint, it was super fun to work on. I only wish that I could have done more. I could have written more episodes, you know, but that's not, just, I just don't, I mean, you know, this... I just don't have the time for it right now. But other than that, dude, like I have zero, no regrets, as the tattoo says, you know, like it was. It just keeps... I mean, I was just telling you, right, right before we started recording, listening to the Kendrick episode, that's the one we're talking about now, and then going back to the first episode, it's just like a league above, you know, like, we're improving each time. Like, I mean, it's just been such a great outlet for production for me, you know, even though I'm not writing episodes, like, I'm still making music for it. And yeah, I don't know, it's been such a great time. I wish this were my job.
Kris Hampton 02:01
Yeah, no doubt, maybe, maybe one day it will be. And we're definitely going to get you more on in Season 2, in terms of your Lesson episodes. We'll have some time there, so...
Devin Dabney 02:14
Right.
Kris Hampton 02:16
We'll get you in there more. But yeah, one of the most fun things for me has been like going through your beats folders. And, you know, trying to match up the feel of your beats to the the piece that I've written. And then when you send over the mixed versions of the beats, and the stems, and you know, getting to break them down and hear the individual parts, and how they all work together has been really fun. For me, that's one of my favorite parts of this whole thing.
Devin Dabney 02:46
Wow, I didn't even think about that, that you're, you're getting like a deconstructed version of everything. And you're, you're hearing it at its most basic components. Yeah, that's a, that's really cool. I guess I hadn't even considered that component of it. I was just like, 'Yep, it's just the beat, but all chopped apart,' you know?
Kris Hampton 03:05
I think we take that for granted, too, like I think all of us do, even people who are steeped in music that, you know, there are going to be these little parts that are seemingly hidden, like they, they just fall into the background, a little bit of these beats. But then when you hear them all broken apart and exploded out, they make a lot of sense. And you're like, 'Whoa, I didn't I didn't even realize that sound was there.' But when I go back and listen to the full mixed beat, now I can hear it. So I love that. I go by just feel when I'm going through your beats folder. Just like okay, this one feels right, this one feels right, this part of this one feels right. And, and then when you send those over, I listen to all the individual parts as I'm putting it together to see, you know, what I can drop out, what I can bring in, things like that. So...
Devin Dabney 03:57
That's, that's also I guess, from my perspective, been a really cool part of this is, I mean, even just this episode, listening to how you use the beats, and like how, like, it'll sound familiar, but then you'll, you'll have a different permutation like, you'll use two or three, you'll isolate two or three elements that I didn't isolate in the original production, and it'll work really well with what you're saying. And I'm like, 'Shit, I wouldn't have done that for a song,' you know, but like, I also can't picture this moment any other way, you know? So it's, it's also kind of like a fun experience for me to listen to how you take the beats and modify them, like and arrange them, I guess is what I want to say, to better suit your, your performance as, you know, reading the essay.
Kris Hampton 04:49
I'm doing that more and more, too. Like you said, you know, we've grown from episode one to now, and doing that more and more, and, you know, learning more about how to match the beats up with what I'm saying and vice versa, you know, rerecord what I'm saying so that it matches the beat better and landing on certain, you know, moments in the beat and... Just so much fun, man.
Devin Dabney 05:16
It's really not that different than - when we're talking about the performance aspect of it - it's really not that different than like learning how to rap. You know, like...
Kris Hampton 05:26
Yeah.
Devin Dabney 05:26
...it's a, it's more than just writing good words, like you have to learn... because I think like, these episodes have their own rhythm, you know, like, the way you say things. It's not like you're on a metric, or like a meter of some kind, but there's rhythm to it. I mean, it's spoken word, right? And there's a rhythm to it. And so, I don't know... it's just very clear to me, if I listened to episode one and then I listened to this one, just like - and episode one's good! I'm not saying that we weren't doing a good job back then but it's just like, even better now.
Kris Hampton 05:59
Yeah, one thing that's interesting, and I'm sure you know this about me since we've collaborated on songs together, is that kind of when I was first learning to rap, you know, late 80s/early 90s, when it was... You know, like we talked about Ludacris has that special quality in his voice, that 'huh' quality? That's kind of how rapping was back then, you know, and, and I learned in that way, where it's a little more aggression in my voice. And it's harder for me to like, just lay back. That's something I've had to really work on and learn to do here is modulate between laying back and getting a little more aggressive. So that's been really fun for me to learn.
Devin Dabney 06:53
Yeah, and to underline what you're saying, I think the ability to sound relaxed on like, recording is actually a lot harder than it seems like, like, like when a rapper sounds like they're just talking to you. They're really not just talking, you know, there's still some control there. There's still some thought in the delivery. So even just, yeah, I guess just to emphasize what you're saying, it's not as easy as it sounds to sound like you're not trying, you know, or that you're just talking to somebody.
Kris Hampton 07:26
Yeah, totally.
Devin Dabney 07:27
This has been such a cool, like, creative experiment, you know?
Kris Hampton 07:31
Already looking forward to Season 2. Yeah, this is the last episode of Season 1, and you all already know this by now, but if you haven't listened to this week's Lesson episode, "Kendrick Lamar Taught Me Duality", go do that. It's a Music + Talk podcast so it's only available on Spotify. With Spotify Premium, you can listen to the full song, in this case, "DNA." -a fucking mind-boggling song - immediately after the episode. We have, however, decided that for those folks who are listening on other platforms, we'll be creating both a YouTube playlist - with each Lesson episode followed by the song, or the official video, wherever possible. And, frankly, listening to these with the song immediately after is the way to do it. Yeah, that's, I've, I love it so much hearing the song come after these little, like, setup episodes. But we'll also be dropping two episodes on this podcast channel soon, each with four Lesson episodes in one chunk, so that you can hear what you've been missing on those other platforms.
Devin Dabney 08:44
Yeah, and I just want to underline that I know I've said this in previous episodes, but it's like, like listening to the Lesson and then hearing the song? It's like, it's like what Kris was describing with my instrumentals. Like, it's like deconstructing, it opens up this whole new layer of, of like experience. It's like wine tasting, you know, like you have them describe the wine to you, and all these like, facts and things about it. And then when you sip it, you have all that in your mind. So it totally changes the experience. Yeah, I just, yeah. Even as someone who's creating the podcast, I think that's true that it just entirely changes how I listen to the song. And it's super cool.
Kris Hampton 09:27
Yeah, and I've mentioned this before, but you and I don't actually hear this episode with the song immediately after it until it comes out. And then we both listen to it that way. Those days feel so exciting for me when there's always like a little bit of anxiety, some anticipation of, you know, as that Lesson episode is ending, and the song is about to start. I'm always like, 'Did I do it? Did it work? You know, did we get it?' And then, and then it comes in and I'm like, 'Fuck, that sounds amazing.'
Devin Dabney 10:01
Seriously. Yeah, in some ways it's this weird space... and I don't want it to sound like arrogant or egotistical, but it's almost like I'm a fan of my own podcast, where like, yeah, I'm excited to like, I was excited to hear the Liner Notes this morning like from the previous episode. Like I got up and that's the first thing I did this morning is listen to it. And like, and yeah, on Tuesday, when the Lesson episode came out, same thing, like I was excited to hear the completed product, you know? And so, I don't know, I've never had that sort of experience with another creative thing, where I didn't have... that it came out 95% done, and then the other five was like, I didn't even get to see it. It's super cool, man.
Kris Hampton 10:46
Yeah, very fun. Alright, before we get into this thing, who in all of hip hop has the best alter ego?
Devin Dabney 10:56
Okay. This was a hard choice.
Kris Hampton 10:59
Yeah, me too.
Devin Dabney 11:01
Very hard choice. And I chose mine based off of not just, not just it being an alter ego, but what I think is a distinct alter ego, because a lot of rappers have these. But I think they don't do a good job of making it like clear who is who. So my favorite of these is Shock G's alter ego...
Kris Hampton 11:24
That's mine, too!
Devin Dabney 11:27
What a way to end this! Dude, you cannot tell me that that is not, not the most iconic alter ego. Like without a doubt. Dude, like he, like not many rappers even change anything about their appearance and their alter ego. I mean, like, the closest, second closest thing I could think of is Eminem dyeing his hair blonde for Slim Shady. But rappers usually don't change their appearance, you know. But yeah, like, I mean, that look, like the glasses, the Groucho Marx disguise whatever, like..
Kris Hampton 12:03
The nose.
Devin Dabney 12:04
It's so yeah, like, it's so iconic. And what's cool about it is that anyone can put those on. It's kinda like, the Batman mask, you know? Like, it just, it was so, it was such a viral thing back in the 90s. And yeah, I will just, it had a huge impact on me as a hip hop fan, so I could go on and on about it, but Humpty Hump is definitely my choice.
Kris Hampton 12:29
Yeah, man, absolutely. It's interesting, because that's how he's most well known, right? Most people know him as Humpty Hump. A lot of people wouldn't even know that his name is Shock G. RIP, by the way, and as Shock G, he's like this musical encyclopedia and just this savant. You know, he's, he's really brilliant. And then Humpty Hump is this like, wild, larger-than-life weird character. I love it. Man. That was mine. I was sure you were gonna go a different direction.
Devin Dabney 13:10
What did you think I was gonna pick?
Kris Hampton 13:11
I have my honorable, I have my honorable mention - and this is what I thought you were gonna go with - was DMX and Damien.
Devin Dabney 13:17
I thought about it. I thought about it. Yeah.
Kris Hampton 13:21
I also would like to say that Lil Yachty has an alter ego that's named Lil Boat. I don't know how I feel about how exactly on the nose that is, so he doesn't make my honorable mentions.
Devin Dabney 13:37
Yeah, that's, uh, that's kind of what I'm talking about, is I think rappers have gotten, they've kind of taken the alter ego thing for granted. You know? Because, yeah, it's like, rappers always have done that, where they named themselves like, Biggie has like seven things he calls himself you know?
Kris Hampton 13:53
Right. Andre 3000 does. Big Boi does, you know. Those are more, I think, more like nicknames than alter egos. What do you think about Doom? Is Doom an alter ego in himself?
Devin Dabney 14:10
Yeah, I struggled with that. Because in my mind, like his rap persona - period - is an alter ego. Like it's not like his, it's not like he as a rapper has an alter ego it is literally, Doom is an entirely different person from Daniel Dumile.
Kris Hampton 14:26
Yeah, I mean, he was Zev Love X before with KMD and, and was a radically different rapper at that point. And then when he came out as Doom, it was like his alter ego just took over. And yeah, you know, and he's got several others as well. But they're also very close to the Doom character.
Devin Dabney 14:48
Yeah, to me, Doom is not so much, like it's too much of its own person. Like alter ego, to me, implies that there there is a shared experience there - that like there's an Eminem and a Slim Shady, there's a Tyler and there's a Wolf Haley. But this, Doom is like, that is, that is an artist. Like that's, that's a totally different thing as opposed to like any of the other examples I mentioned. Or like a T.I. versus T.I.P., you know? And yeah like Damien and DMX, that was one that I thought about for a while because I, what I love about that on the records is for the longest time I didn't even know that was DMX. It sounds like Mos Def, I thought that was Mos Def that was doing the Damien parts but it's just DMX with some voice modification. So that alone was like, 'Wow, this is, that is a distinct sound from what DMX sounds like.'
Kris Hampton 15:45
DMX and Damian maybe have the best, like alter ego battling each other songs.
Devin Dabney 15:52
"Damien 2" I think is like one of my favorite hip hop songs period. It's such a good song. Yeah, this one, that was a really, that was a fun one and like, like I said, it was a hard choice like combing through but then once I thought of Shock G I was like there can't really be another answer besides that.
Kris Hampton 16:13
Can't be. I used to, I used to do that rhyme way back like holding my nose so I get real nasal.
Devin Dabney 16:19
Hahahaha. Oh my god.
Kris Hampton 16:25
So good, man.
Devin Dabney 16:26
It's, it's fantastic. And I also just want to double up on what you said about him as a person. I didn't really realize how smart and how, like, how much of a musical genius he was until I watched "Hip-Hop Evolution" and got to listen to him talk and I was like, 'Holy shit.' Like this dude is like, yeah, like he was something else. I really, I remember watching that show and thinking like man, there's not too many times that I hear a rapper talk and think I want to hang out with him but Shock G, like I would have legit loved to have spent time with him. He just seemed like a good dude. And just like really obviously really brilliant.
Kris Hampton 17:05
Yeah. RIP Shock G. Yeah. Alright, let's get into this thing before we, before we go a whole hour talking about Shock G and Digital Underground - we could do it. The first thing about this song "DNA." that really hits me is the beat so I really want to start there. It's produced by Mike WiLL Made-It and I remember texting you a while back before this podcast was even an idea that I had gone down this Mike WiLL Made-It rabbit hole and was shocked at the bangers he'd produced. I just hadn't really been checking on who was producing what, I would just hear songs, mostly actually from my wife playing them. Otherwise I'd be stuck in my own little world, you know, and I would hear the songs and I would just think, 'Wow, that beat is fucking amazing.' But there are, you know, 8 million different producers out there now and people are finding beats on SoundCloud and all sorts of places, so keeping up with producers didn't even make sense to me anymore. But I went down this Mike WiLL Made-It rabbit hole because of a video I saw, a Pitchfork video which I'll have links to in the show notes here, but when I saw that he'd made not only this song, but also... actually I'm just going to play some of these, some of his like, the biggest bangers that blew my mind when I realized he made 'em. Let's start and build up.
recording 18:40
** "Move That Dope" by Future playing **
Devin Dabney 18:44
Didn't know that one.
Kris Hampton 18:46
So, Future - "Move That Dope".
Devin Dabney 18:50
I love that Pusha can rock this cadence.
Kris Hampton 18:53
Pusha T is so good. And we're just getting started with that one. We're gonna build it here.
recording 19:04
** "Mercy" by Kanye West playing **
Devin Dabney 19:05
He did this?
Kris Hampton 19:07
He did this.
Devin Dabney 19:08
Shit. I thought this was Kanye.
Kris Hampton 19:13
My god.
Devin Dabney 19:15
Oh man. It's a great beat and Kanye got the best part of this beat.
Kris Hampton 19:19
2 Chainz went off on this beat though, I'm not gonna lie.
Devin Dabney 19:22
Yes, he did.
Kris Hampton 19:25
He's not just for rappers, this one is fire.
recording 19:33
** "Nothing Is Promised" by Rihanna playing **
Devin Dabney 19:35
Oh, wow. Not just for rappers, like you said.
Kris Hampton 19:51
I almost just can't with this next one.
recording 19:57
** "Formation" by Beyonce playing **
Devin Dabney 20:02
I know the song but I still don't know what it is.
Kris Hampton 20:06
Beyonce - "Formation"
Devin Dabney 20:08
"Formation". There we go.
Kris Hampton 20:14
This video is crazy, too. If I didn't end it there I was just gonna play the whole damn song. So...
recording 20:24
** "Humble" by Kendrick Lamar playing **
Kris Hampton 20:29
And of course, Kendrick - "Humble".
Devin Dabney 20:32
It's actually super similar to "DNA."
Kris Hampton 20:38
Yeah. Yeah. And of course, he makes the beat for "DNA." So, I mean, some absolutely iconic songs of the last handful of years, of a bunch of different styles. I mean, he's made hits for Miley Cyrus. And I watched a video of him talking about working with Miley Cyrus and getting her to stop trying to sound like a, like a rapper, you know? Or like a diva and just be her, like, country self.
Devin Dabney 21:13
Right, right.
Kris Hampton 21:14
Really great. I talked about, in the episode, when I first heard this song. And I know exactly, it's one of those songs, we've talked about it before, I know exactly where I was driving when the beat switch happens in this song, driving on this mountain road. And I just couldn't believe what the fuck just happened when the beat breaks down and changes. And while I was in my Mike WiLL Made-It rabbit hole, I watched a video of him talking about how that part came about. He had originally just given Kendrick the first half of the beat. And then the second part comes later. So I'm gonna, I'm gonna let him tell us about how that came about.
Devin Dabney 22:00
Heck, yeah.
Mike WiLL Made-It 22:01
Next thing you know, he tells me to come to the studio. And he's like, 'Bro, I love this beat. But like, man, listen to this.' and he played it. And then like it just cut off and he just kept rapping. Know what I'm saying, he had a whole 'nother part where he was rapping acapella. And he was like, 'Man, all I want you to do is just put 808's behind it.' So I was, I was messing with the 808's, know what I'm saying, I wanted them to be moving. I'm thinking about like, if he's performing this... I wanted to, I wanted to bring that beat where it sounds like we're like damn near battling each other.
Kris Hampton 22:36
I love that. I love the battling each other idea. When I first heard it, it was like, the 808 seemed a little distorted, Kendrick was just going as hard as he could go, and it felt so chaotic and aggressive, that that's how it felt. It felt like a battle between that "Gimme some ganja" sample, the 808, and Kendrick. Yeah, amazing.
Devin Dabney 23:08
Yeah. And like, I mean, Kendrick clearly has an affinity for the, the hip-hopera style of making music where it's like, Movement One and then like, the beat is totally different in the Second Act, you know? So he loves to do that. And it doesn't surprise me that he was the one that was like, 'I like this, but I want to do a whole other episode on the same song.' But I think what, what even further, why I love the production of this song is because really the, the ingredients don't change. It's not like it's an entirely different genre, or even an entirely different instrument kit. It's the same kit, but what's different is obviously the, the rhythm of the beat. And Kendrick goes from rapping on like a four, like quarter bars, you know, like in quarter notes to triplets, you know. So it, it further enhances like the urgency of it, you know? That it's like, it's not such a straight delivery. It comes in like yeah, bursts, like machine gun bursts basically. So yeah, it just shows you like good production isn't always, you don't always have to change everything to make it distinct. You can change, you can have the same ingredients and do something entirely different.
Kris Hampton 24:24
Yeah, totally. And another thing I really like about this is that he kind of sets up why that urgency and that aggression is coming. While the beat is like being torn apart and breaking down and being rebuilt, we hear this clip from Fox News:
recording 24:43
** news anchor speaking ** 'This is why I say that hip hop has done more damage to young African Americans than racism in recent years.'
Devin Dabney 24:51
Damn.
Kris Hampton 24:52
Geraldo Rivera, ridiculous, talking out of his ass about shit he doesn't know about. But that's why, I mean that sets up this like, 'now I really have to go for it' section of the song. Kendrick is maybe the best rapper working today, I think we can make that argument. A part of being the best rapper working is that he's saying something all the time. Like, yeah, not only is he really technically good at rapping, but he's also telling you something and you could spend, you could spend a lifetime breaking down just Kendrick's lyrics.
Devin Dabney 25:33
Yeah. A hundred percent. Yeah, there's a, there's a lot of like - whether, whether he wants it or not, sometimes he says he doesn't want it - like, there's a lot of responsibility that comes with being a gifted rapper and being looked at as like, as this like, savior, almost, of hip hop. You know, it's really interesting, because, you know, in retrospect, I don't really think hip hop needed saving, quote, unquote, but yet, that is how we look at him, you know, as a culture, is like, he's the, like, the last Renaissance poet, you know, like, he's the, he's the last surviving, you know, artist, and he's supposed to guide us to this future. And yeah, it's just like, an interesting thought. But that is, yeah, to your point, like, if you want to be called the best anymore - and I say that universally, right? Like, not just being the best in terms of popularity, but also having people who love hip hop respect you - you gotta say something, you know, you have to have a message. So that's the mantle he wears.
Kris Hampton 26:39
You know, because he's got that message and because there's so much hidden and woven into what Kendrick is saying, and you know, how the music is put together, I really enjoyed making this part of the Lesson episode. You know, I tried to make it chaotic, with the same urgency and aggression that Kendrick has. And I, I went down a rabbit hole and found all of the original samples that were used in there and tried to weave them in and use them along with some other things. This one I thought was really interesting, actually, that it builds the... it builds the anticipation up so well. And I think it was pulled directly from a Keith Murray song called "Countdown". But the actual original sample of this,
recording 27:34
** male voice saying "5... 4... 3... 2... 1" **
Kris Hampton 27:39
That comes from the launch of the Freedom 7 rocket. And then, of course, we hear over and over - and actually when I first heard this, I was like, that's really heavy-handed with the, with this sample from, it's from a Rick James concert. It's like a throwaway moment. He just, he says it one time and then they go into a song.
recording 28:02
** Rick James's voice saying "Gimme some ganja!" **
Kris Hampton 28:05
But now I can't imagine the section of the beat without that.
Devin Dabney 28:11
Yeah, well, it gets to a point where... You know, you know that sensation you get when you look at a word, and you repeat it too many times and it loses its meaning? I think that's what they did with the sample, where we hear it so many times that it stops becoming the words and it becomes an instrument. Because yeah, I agree. Like the first time I heard it, it was a lot, but the by the time like Kendrick's in full stride, and he's like rapping without stopping basically, like that sample becomes basically percussion, you know? Like, it's not even words anymore. And so it's like, I think it's an interesting, like... they were taking advantage of that phenomenon in our brains where something repeated over and over just kind of melts into nothing, you know. Really interesting.
Kris Hampton 29:03
Yeah, absolutely. I threw in a sample in this section of the Lesson episode that was a reference to Kendrick, a connection to Kendrick, I guess. Did you catch what that was?
Devin Dabney 29:18
Are you talking about in, towards the crescendo like the end of the, of the, of the episode? I honestly was so overwhelmed. You really like, you really did a good job of overwhelming me. I didn't even, I didn't even hear it.
Kris Hampton 29:33
I'll play the sample and tell me if you can make the connection.
Devin Dabney 29:37
Okay.
recording 29:38
** male voice saying "This should be played at high volume, preferably in a residential area." **
Devin Dabney 29:43
It's um, well the reason I know that sample is because it was on "The Chronic". I think, I'm like seventy percent sure it was "Lyrical Gangbang". Yeah, that sounds right. Because then it has that, it has the, the classic gangster whistle, comes in like two thirds of the way through. That's a good beat.
Devin Dabney 29:53
Yeah, they're, they're all good beats on that album, I think.
Devin Dabney 30:05
Yeah, that's true. It's not, not out of the ordinary for Dr. Dre, I suppose but, and I actually wonder what that, what it was originally for, right? Like, it sounds like some scientists in a lab and like, did they just have some old white guy record that for "The Chronic" or is it... I don't know?
Kris Hampton 30:23
I believe, and this is the earliest I could find it, was from a Grand Funk Railroad song. But I'm not sure that that's even the original.
Devin Dabney 30:34
Oh, shit. Yeah, I did hear that very clearly now that you say that, I just, there was so much happening. I mean, you did a good job of, of replicating the urgency of the original song. Maybe even dialed it up some.
Kris Hampton 30:52
My first few versions of it were really chaotic. Like working on that, moving parts around, I had to take a lot of breaks because it was giving me headaches.
Devin Dabney 31:03
Oh my god. Yeah, I can't imagine.
Kris Hampton 31:05
Having it playing loud in my headphones and trying to move the parts around to the right places, and it just, it feels so heavy. So I had to take a lot of breaks working on that. But yeah, that was just a shout out to, to Kendrick and Compton, and the lineage that comes from "The Chronic" to Kendrick now constantly reshaping what we think about hip hop and how it's supposed to sound, how it's supposed to feel. So...
Devin Dabney 31:36
The other thing I love about the song and, and you know, a sample that you lifted from it was the, the use of dissenting opinions on hip hop, as a sample for hip hop songs. There's so much beautiful poetic justice in that. Of like, yeah, like, having some dumbass Fox News anchor talk about hip hop who doesn't know shit about hip hop, you know? And, I don't know, hip hop has a, has a way of, hip hop has a way of making lemonade out of lemons. I mean, that's literally what hip hop is, I suppose. But, I mean, even - this isn't related at all but - it also reminded me of how like rappers are now using like breakup voicemails as their intros for their samples. And I will tell you that I myself have done this. I've used, I've used voicemails in my recordings, and actually - full circle - that was because of Kendrick. I had heard "good kid, m.A.A.d city" and I loved how he used voicemails to tell a story. And so I did that with this project I did back in 2014 that maybe is still on Bandcamp somewhere. But I love that. I love the idea of taking some bitter, uninformed thing, or some negative experience and literally just like making it iconic, out of irony almost.
Kris Hampton 32:59
Yeah, actually, the first time I heard, or the first time I remember hearing that technique used I think was Everlast - "Whitey Ford Sings the Blues". And he's got a bunch of answering machine messages on there of people who called him after they heard he had a heart attack. And, and those, those messages are just sprinkled throughout the album, which I think is, I thought it was brilliant at the time. And I don't know if I'd heard it before then.
Devin Dabney 33:35
I mean, I don't really think it's that common. The earliest version of this that I can think of is "Country Grammar", you know?
Kris Hampton 33:44
Oh, yeah, that's right.
Devin Dabney 33:46
Because Cedric the Entertainer, was leaving Nelly voicemails. But those aren't, I think those aren't real.
Kris Hampton 33:53
They aren't. They aren't. Yeah, they were recorded.
Devin Dabney 33:56
But it sounds, it's like plausible in the context of the album, right? But that's, that perhaps is like what, that definitely is what cemented my appreciation for it was like, how it was used as this mechanism to drive the album forward. And that was back when like, skits were more like, like more important to how albums developed. I mean, there were still like, an emphasis on the album as a whole. And skits were like this thing that rappers did for a while, actually, I think like 15-20 years, to kind of move things forward. But yeah, it's like we're just seeing the evolution of that mechanism in terms of, you know, now we're going to use this to tell a real story. And it's not going to be funny, it's going to be, it's going to be real life.
Kris Hampton 34:42
Yep, yep. Another thing Kendrick does, or did, really well is... Have you seen the video for the song? Surely you've seen the video for this song?
Devin Dabney 34:54
It's been a long time but yes. I've seen, like, I mean, Kendrick's one of my favorite artists.
Kris Hampton 34:58
And Don Cheadle stars in this video - one of my favorite actors of all time, period. And I think what Kendrick did so well was, there was a period of time where rappers were just like making these really lazy videos. Like, I mean look at - Lil Wayne for, you know, a decade was just him rapping in front of the camera. Like that, that was the whole video. And, and there was nothing bigger about it. And I remember like back when, you know, Michael Jackson's "Black or White" video came out or, you know... those days it was like, videos were this big event, and they were like short little films. And, and then it kind of went the way of like, 'Oh, we just need a thing for YouTube. And we're just gonna make this lazy ass thing and put it out there.' Kendrick makes videos that are movies, jaw-dropping, you know? And this is one of them.
Devin Dabney 36:09
Oh, yeah.
Kris Hampton 36:11
Don Cheadle plays a cop who's interrogating Kendrick and Kendrick is just sitting there in his like, Kung Fu Kenny costume chained to a table.
Devin Dabney 36:23
Kung Fu Kenny!
Kris Hampton 36:25
And it amazes me that Kendrick keeps like a straight, neutral face when Don Cheadle walks into the room. And I listened to an interview with Don Cheadle and he said, or I read an interview with Don Cheadle, and he said the whole beginning of this video wasn't scripted at all. First off, he had two days to prepare. He hadn't heard the song, the song wasn't out.
Kris Hampton 36:53
He was just like 'Hey, you want to, you want to be in a video? We're shooting in two days. Here's the song. Learn it.'
Devin Dabney 36:53
Wait, really?
Devin Dabney 37:02
Yeah, I was gonna say he raps it. Like, and, I mean, that's a lot of words. Dude, this isn't like, this isn't like "Mary Had a Little Lamb", you know, this is a complex rap.
Kris Hampton 37:15
And in the interview, he talks about like, learning, learning lines as an actor, you're sort of learning this scene and what's happening with these interactions so it's this linear thing. And Kendrick's mind doesn't necessarily work in a linear fashion.
Devin Dabney 37:31
Right.
Kris Hampton 37:31
So he's kind of jumping all over the place. And, and Don Cheadle said he had a really hard time learning it. But when they, when he walks into the interrogation room in the beginning of the video, this is what we first hear:
recording 37:51
** Don Cheadle's voice saying "Kendrick Lamar. Two first names, huh? The fuck is up with that? You know what DNA. stands for? Dead Nigger Association." **
Devin Dabney 38:02
**laughing** I forgot about that. Hahaha!
Kris Hampton 38:08
Yeah.
Devin Dabney 38:08
I totally...hahaha. How did I forget? Oh, goodness.
Kris Hampton 38:11
I know!
Kris Hampton 38:12
Cheadle says that that was all improvised.
Devin Dabney 38:12
Whoo!
Devin Dabney 38:13
No way!
Kris Hampton 38:13
It wasn't scripted.
Devin Dabney 38:14
Of course, it was [improvised]. He's a good actor.
Kris Hampton 38:15
And that was his first take. He just walked in and said that, and Kendrick was like, 'Oh, shit, we're keeping that.'
Devin Dabney 38:27
Yeah. How did he, how did Kendrick keep a straight face, you know, like?
Kris Hampton 38:30
I know!
Devin Dabney 38:32
Oh, shit. Yeah. How do... you can't! I know I would have, I would have either... I wouldn't have laughed. I'd have been like, 'What? What did you just say?' Oh, man, what a shocking thing to say. And then, for him to not react? Like, that's the thing, like rappers are just, rappers are good actors, dude. Like they're, they, I mean, you know, a lot of rap is acting even if you're telling the truth.
Kris Hampton 38:57
Yeah, absolutely.
Devin Dabney 38:57
It's yeah, a lot of it is. Yeah, I mean, acting is a very big part of being a rapper. So that's cool.
Kris Hampton 39:05
Yeah, I love it. I love hearing the backstories. I mean, that's something we've talked about in these Liner Notes a lot. And you know that, that moment is such an integral part of that video and to know that, to know that it was basically just freestyled. And yeah, you know, Don Cheadle is so good at what he does.
Devin Dabney 39:28
It's incredible, you know. And I'm - like you - I really, I really missed the era where music videos were productions, you know? Like when it wasn't just... I don't know, I'm gonna sound like a Fox News anchor, but it was like the same music video over and over again. It's like the rapper, there's some scantily-clad women, you know, they're in a club... And don't get me wrong, you know! I enjoy the occasional ass-shaking video just as any other anybody else, but like when I was growing up, Michael Jackson was my favorite artist growing up. And one of, one of the things I loved about Michael Jackson was that his music videos were like these other worlds, you know? Like, the music video for "Bad" where he's like in the train station? Like, I'm like, 'I want to fucking be this dude!' Or even like his music video - obviously the video for "Thriller" is an easy example but - even the music video for "Ghosts", which is, still may be the second longest music video ever. Only to unfortunately have to mention R. Kelly, but "Trapped in the Closet" is the long, I think the longest music video... but, but yeah, "Ghosts" is like this 40 minute music video. It's a movie, basically, it's literally a movie, but I loved that shit as a kid. And yeah, rap didn't really do that until... I don't know, I think in the, in the 2010's it started to become more like, 'Okay, let's make like a unique music video.' And like, honestly, like Lady Gaga was like who I would, whose music videos I would want to watch because she did make these like 10 minute movies, basically. And I just, I don't know, that's a part of music that I really missed. And I'm glad it's more common to do that again.
Kris Hampton 41:25
Do you like the music video technique - I can't say when it was popularized, Missy Elliott used it a lot, and Kendrick uses it - where the song is playing, like you're into the music video, the song is playing, and then it cuts and something else is happening. Or a scene in this little movie that's playing is happening. And then the song will start again. Do you like that technique?
Devin Dabney 41:52
It depends on how it's done. Like, there are times where I like it. If the story of the video is compelling, I don't, I don't mind it at all. Like it, sometimes it doesn't even like faze me, because for me like a music video is different, is a different experience than the song itself. And so I'm okay with, I'm okay with the song being different or even stopping, provided that the story is good. But yeah, yeah, I don't know. What are your thoughts?
Devin Dabney 41:52
Sort of the same for me? There are some situations where I really love it. And then others where I'm just like, 'Wow, you ruined that.'
Devin Dabney 42:29
Yeah. I mean, timing's everything, obviously, right? But also, I mean, you just have to have a good music video. Like there's no getting around that.
Kris Hampton 42:37
A hundred percent, dude. It's not like, it's not like you have to spend a lot of money or time to make a good music video. Like, it just has to be unique. You know, one of my favorite music videos of the 2010's is Lil Dicky - "$ave Dat Money". Where he...
Kris Hampton 42:37
Yeah, and I understand the, like, the YouTube era of, you know, we're gonna put all the songs on YouTube anyway, because it's the world's largest or second largest search engine. So better to have me just rapping in front of a camera than to put the audio up with a, with an image. So I get that. But I think there was definitely a time period where it was just lazy video making.
Kris Hampton 43:23
** laughing ** Yeah, man.
Devin Dabney 43:25
For those of you who have not seen... Well, first of all, if you've not listened to Lil Dicky, like do that right now. But that music video is fantastic because it, he's, I mean, obviously the song is about being super cheap. And the music video is made, like it shows him like renting out a mansion and like, he literally like bombs T-Pain's music video for a different song and records his video at T-Pain's music video shooting! And that probably didn't cost, I mean, it didn't cost very much at all, you know? Like it was a, you know, as far as music videos go, was pretty frugal. So it's just, and it's not like these beautiful, like cinematic shots or anything. I don't know. It doesn't... just that that excuse of like, 'Oh, well, we're just gonna put it up on YouTube. Let's do something real quick.' I don't know, I think that we should hold artists to a higher standard than that. Because it isn't that hard...
Kris Hampton 44:23
Yeah, I'm with ya.
Devin Dabney 44:24
...to be inventive if you're an artist. If you're an artist, right, like your job is to invent. And I don't want to be super hard on artists, but you get what I'm saying though.
Kris Hampton 44:32
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Question for you: Since we're going down this rabbit hole of, you know, holding artists to a higher standard, are you... I mentioned in this episode that I'm an album person - I like listening to albums front to back. It's, it's one of the things I prefer to do, especially on first listen. But, but oftentimes, you know, like, I have a hard time listening to "The Chronic" or "Doggy Style" individual songs - I want the whole damn album, you know? It's like that with a lot of things. I want all of "Illmatic", right? I'm curious how - because you're, you know, you're the generation after me, and consuming music is different now, so - how do you interact with albums? Or songs?
Devin Dabney 45:26
It depends on who made the music. So in general, like probably 95% of my music listening is playlists that I've created. So I'm very intentional about my playlists, like, I will group things by like, specific sounds or feelings or emotions. And so like, I'm very, like, I put them in an order that I want them to go in. And so like, I don't listen to albums usually. But when a new album comes out from an artist that I love, like a Kendrick or an Adele, or a Miley Cyrus, you know, like, comes out with an album, I create the space for me to listen to it, you know, like the whole thing. I don't... and there's a lot of artists who make music that I don't think sounds, it doesn't sound as good out of context. Like I would not listen to "4:44" shuffled. It would, I have to listen to it in order. So it's kind of like a mixture where, if I'm being honest with myself, most of my music consumption is some form of a shuffle, you know, like, it's a, it's a random, not a random order, but it's an order of different artists and songs that I've created. But in general, like if you, if it's like, 'Oh, J. Cole came out with a new album,' I'm gonna like, you know, sit down, pour myself a drink and listen to it, or I'll go on a drive and listen to it. Yeah, that's still very important to me as a music lover, you know?
Kris Hampton 46:54
Yeah, I'm all for a DJ who, who knows how to stack songs and put things in an order that makes sense - I'm all for that. But fuck shuffle, man! As far as I'm concerned, fuck shuffle. Remove that function from everything. I just don't like it.
Devin Dabney 47:15
I can respect why you don't like it, though. I think it's just, it, again, it cheapens what it means to be an artist and to create something with an intentional sequence. And we've let, we've let artists do that. Like we've, we've made a music industry where it's incentivized to create a bunch of singles. Like, you know, like, most albums are just a bunch of, a bunch of good songs put together. It isn't necessarily a work in itself, it's just like, 'I painted 10 things. Now let me release them as a series.' We wouldn't do that with paintings, right? Like, we wouldn't just, I mean, I mean, maybe we do, but like, you wouldn't just release a bunch of like, you got like a cubist thing over here, and then like a dystopian surrealism thing over here, and then postmodern, like... you wouldn't just do that and be like, 'Alright, here, here's 10 paintings that go together.' People would be like, 'No, the fuck they don't.' But we allow that with music. You know, one of my favorite things, I don't know if they ended up approving this or not, but I remember when Adele released her new album, that she was trying to make it so that you couldn't shuffle her album. And I loved that actually, like, I had so much respect for that. Because again, like Adele is an artist, like, you know? Like she's making something that goes in a certain order, it has a story, you know, and you shouldn't be able... the artists should be able to, to a degree, like let us know how they want the art experienced. I mean, once it leaves your hands you know that's it's on the, the listener to do what they want with it, but I don't know. I just, I would love to have some more respect for what it means to be an artist and to appreciate work in that way.
Devin Dabney 47:20
Yeah, well here, here's a really interesting thing: As I tend to do, I went down a rabbit hole, and... the name of this podcast should just be "Hip Hop Rabbit Hole".
Devin Dabney 49:10
"Hip Hop Taught Me Rabbit Holes".
Kris Hampton 49:14
So that one line in the Lesson episode where I say I'm an album person, and I'm talking about that's one of the dualities of me - is that I'm an album person, but as soon as the song was over the first time I heard it, trying to listen straight through, I ran it back. Like, 'I gotta hear that again.' And I never do that, you know? I wanted to know why "album"? Where does that term come from? Why do we call it an album? And it turns out that originally vinyl records only had enough room for three minutes, okay?
Devin Dabney 49:53
Wow.
Kris Hampton 49:54
The first vinyl had room for three minutes. So basically, one song per side, essentially. So if you were an artist who wanted to release 12 songs on a project, you put them in an album.
Kris Hampton 50:10
So an actual physical record album. Yeah, just like a photo album. And that's how my generation kept CD's in cars, right? Like, we rode around with this big bag of CD's in our passenger seat or on our floorboard. So in that situation, people weren't really making these cohesive or concept albums that needed to be listened to in a specific order. Because people would just pull out a disc and put it back in wherever and there was no order necessarily. Eventually, we get the LP: long player, which has room for all of the songs. And now the artists can start to dictate the order, since there's no more need for an album in the physical sense, but the term stuck with us. And that's how the idea of more cohesive and conceptual projects became more and more accepted and expected. So, and I think that continues through tapes and CD's, or there's a physical thing that we're going to listen to, and like a tape, you know, it's hard to, hard to skip through a tape. Hitting rewind and waiting and hoping you can find the right spot or fast forwarding through a song was a pain in the ass. So that's how I learned to listen to music - was on tapes. CD's, it became a little easier to skip through. But still the term album stuck with us. And nowadays, with the advent of streaming and YouTube and Tiktok, and, you know, however the hell else people are finding their music, is there much of a reason to make cohesive albums? Or do we just make a collection of singles that are going to go out and be consumed that way, you know? I think it's really interesting that we started as singles, and now we're pretty much back to singles. I'm still an album person, but, you know, I'm damn near 50 years old, so...
Devin Dabney 50:10
Ohhh.
Devin Dabney 52:17
The one quote I always think of when I think of this subject is from "Johnson Family Vacation" where Cedric the Entertainer is explaining to Lil Bow Wow that they didn't have skip buttons back then, that you couldn't skip on a vinyl. And I, but it's true, though. Like, that's why order was important back then, is because you literally can't change the order. And like, you, if you're really good, and you know your record super well, you can find the groove where songs are, but you'd have to know the record pretty well. So it just, and even as you talked about, like CD, like CD books, you know, like, I, I remember, I still have the book, obviously, like my album, but I would put the albums in a specific order - not for listening purposes - but just so that I always knew, like, "College Dropout" was always the first thing. Like it was the first one in the book. And then like, you know, like, I don't even remember the order other than that, I think, yeah, but just order was very important to me as a, as a music person. And I guess, like, what I'm realizing is order just is different now, where it's not necessarily the order of the album always - for me, it's ordering things by feel and like, and consistent, like, tempo or like purpose. You know, like I'm working out, I'm gonna listen to my, my, like, heavy rap playlist, or I'm, I'm writing so I'm going to listen to my lo-fi hip hop playlist. And so yeah, order, order has changed for me. But I don't think there will ever be a time where I don't want to listen to an artist's album the way it was intended. That's just always going to be a part of me.
Kris Hampton 54:02
I'm glad people still do that. Kendrick, obviously does that, you know. His - especially this album, "DAMN." - there's all sorts of theories. And Kendrick has confirmed some of these theories: that you can, you can listen to it backwards and it tells a different story than if you listen to it forwards. Really, I love when an artist puts that much thought, that much of their energy, that much of themselves, into these projects. And I feel like I'm just not doing them justice if I don't listen to it that way.
Devin Dabney 54:40
That's totally fair. I mean, you just kind of made me think of Radiohead. Radiohead was my favorite, one of my favorite music groups ever. But I listened to them a lot as a teenager and that was one of the reasons I love them so much, is that they would do these insane things with their albums where like, like, to the point where I think... I can't even remember, I think it's "In Rainbows" and "Kid A" - albums that are decades apart - that if you play them, if you play the first song of one and then the first song of the other, second song, second song, it makes a completely different cohesive feel. It sounds like an album. And like they would like, they would hide like messages and shit that you'd have to decode in their albums. Like, they, they would, they do some like, Illuminati-level, like, Charlie from "It's Always Sunny..." with the board, you know, like, that level of detail in their albums. And I was obsessed with that. And they had, and they also had, like, literally 1000's of songs, but yeah, that's, um, that's to me, that's never gonna go away. And I guess the question of whether you make an album versus a collection of singles is 'What's your goal as an artist?' I mean, obviously, if you want to be famous, like it's the, the money is in making a bunch of hit two-minute songs. But if you want to create something that's unique and has like a story that people, less people will probably appreciate, but the people who do will really appreciate it, then that's your answer.
Kris Hampton 56:15
Yeah. And I love that. Kendrick, at least so far in his discography, every project has changed.
Devin Dabney 56:24
Oh my god, yeah.
Kris Hampton 56:25
It's a departure from the one before and, and he's totally comfortable doing that. Even though as fans we're all like, you know, 'I want another "DAMN.", I want another "good kid", I want another, you know, whatever, "Butterfly", that's what I want.' But he just keeps changing. He keeps growing. He's not concerned at all with, 'I need to make that same thing that was popular.' You know, with his most recent release, I've seen all these headlines like 'Kendrick's Album Flops', you know...
Devin Dabney 57:00
Really?
Kris Hampton 57:00
...and I'm like, it didn't it didn't do as well as "DAMN." did.
Devin Dabney 57:05
But "DAMN." was like the best, by far, in terms of like success, you know?
Kris Hampton 57:09
Exactly. It was huge. And, and also, who cares?
Devin Dabney 57:14
It doesn't matter. Yeah. So what?
Kris Hampton 57:15
He's making the thing he wants to make and putting it out there. And he put five years of effort into it, you know? And it's a beautiful piece of work. It's just not what people wanted from him, necessarily, not what everybody wanted from him. But my guess is in four or five years, we're gonna be like, 'Oh, shit, that was actually a classic.'
Devin Dabney 57:37
Yeah, yeah. It's, it's weird, because there's these extremes, right? Like you have people that are basically implying that Kendrick is declining, which is not true. But then you'll have people that just like, like, a day after the album came out, like 'Classic, it's a classic.' And I'm like, 'Can we like, hold on before we call it?' Like, we haven't even like let this album marinate yet, you know, like, you know, we don't know what classic means. And so I always feel conflicted because like, I do love his music. But again, like, let's not call it a classic until at least, you know, five years out. Like really, we should be waiting, you know, 10-20 years but that... again, it's like: what is your metric of success as an artist? It only makes sense to me that the album isn't as commercially successful because it is, to me it's much more of an album than the predecessor. I'm not saying "DAMN." wasn't an album but this is like, there's no like hit singles, you know, there's no...
Kris Hampton 58:35
It doesn't have TikTok songs on it.
Kris Hampton 58:37
Same.
Devin Dabney 58:37
Right, right. I guess like "N95" is the closest one to a TikTok song. I mean, my favorite song on there, I told you, is "Rich Spirit" and like...
Devin Dabney 58:38
...no one else I know, except you, says that's their favorite song. Everyone has a different favorite song. So I don't know, that, that's such a silly, non- like... a false corollary of like, 'Oh, he's on the decline because more people didn't buy his album.' Like, bro? You couldn't hold a candle to Kendrick Lamar's worst verse. Right now.
Kris Hampton 59:11
Absolutely. Absolutely. And speaking of Kendrick's worst verse, what are your favorite bars from from this song?
Devin Dabney 59:20
Oh, shit. Um, man, I don't know, dude. There are a lot of bars and I, um, I really, I'm gonna fuck it up. I should look it up but I... really one line that really sticks out to me from this is at the end where he's basically saying, like, you're nothing without, without help. Like, it's 'You ain't shit without a ticket on your plate. You ain't sick enough to pull it on yourself.' Like, I don't know why but that always just stuck with me because it was like... I don't know, it just seems so powerful of like you're, you're nothing. Like, like you, without any sort of help, you couldn't do what I do. And it's kind of like, you know, in retrospect, why I like that is because he's kind of setting the stage with the Fox News thing of like, of... because of common belief in that train of thought is that like rugged individualism of like, 'Oh, black people should just pull themselves out of poverty by their bootstraps,' and like, yeah, he's basically saying, like, 'If you were in this situation, you would have already died. Like, and here I am. So don't talk to me about like, what...' And I think he means it different in the context of the verse, but it's, it rings that way for me personally, of like, 'Sure. Without a, without, without help, you're not getting as far as I got.'
Kris Hampton 1:00:41
Yeah. My favorite - and I use this one in the Lesson episode - it's 'And I'm gon' shine like I'm supposed to, antisocial extrovert. And excellent mean the extra work.' I love that. It's, I am absolutely an antisocial extrovert. You know, I, I much prefer to be at home and in small groups, but hand me a microphone, and I'm totally comfortable being in front of everybody, you know? I love it. And I'm so glad he puts the line 'And excellent mean the extra work.' in there. You know, it's not, he's not Kendrick Lamar just because he was born that way - he puts the work in, you know. And I think we all have to do that. Even if you have natural-born talent at whatever it is, it's never going to be what it could be if you don't put the extra work in.
Devin Dabney 1:01:36
Yeah, I mean, in some ways, talent can be a curse, you know?
Kris Hampton 1:01:40
Absolutely. Rest on your laurels.
Devin Dabney 1:01:45
Yeah, being gifted at something, like, and not having to work to be good at it can be a curse. Because I mean, I don't know, I'm not the best rapper in the world, but I wasn't good when I started, but that's why I worked at it really hard, you know? And I would say that rapping is probably the best skill that I have now. But it's not because I woke up and could do it, it's because I really wanted to do it. And I studied a lot. And I wrote 10's of 1000's of lines. And yeah, it just like, I think things that, at least for me, things that I am naturally good at, I don't feel compelled to push it further. I'm like, 'Oh, well, that's boring, because I already know that I can do it. So let's find something I can't do.'
Kris Hampton 1:02:26
Yep. Embrace the challenges. Such, it's such an important part of life. And I'm proud of the work we've put in on this thing. And, and what it's become. So you know, thanks for, thanks for doing this with me this season. And next.
Devin Dabney 1:02:41
Yeah, thank you! Yeah, this, it shows. I mean, the work definitely shows. Like I said, if you listen to this all the way through, the evolution is so clear. And yeah, it just makes me excited for how, to see how this continues to evolve. And like, you know, as we... Yeah, just as we keep branching out and music keeps changing. And like, hopefully, I don't know, who knows? We may not be the only two on the show ever, maybe we'll get someone else to do a guest thing or... I don't know, there's so many possibilities.
Kris Hampton 1:03:11
That, that is in the plans. In the works. If you've been listening anywhere but Spotify, you've been hearing the Lessons episodes, or you haven't been hearing the Lessons episodes, but like we mentioned at the top, you'll be hearing those soon in the form of YouTube playlist, and as two episodes coming soon on this channel, next week, if you're listening to this when it drops. If you are on Spotify, though, check out the Season 1 playlist that I made that includes all of the songs we've covered in this season, plus a bunch of things to tie them together stylistically. Like we said, we like order, we like reasons - it's not just a bunch of singles. It was a lot of fun to put together. It's become my favorite gym playlist, and I'm not a big playlist person. So check it out. Links are in the show notes.
Devin Dabney 1:04:01
Heck, yeah.
Kris Hampton 1:04:02
We are planning some between-season episodes to answer some fun questions, talk more history, explore the nooks and crannies of hip hop. And we're gonna be doing a Best Rapper Alive bracket voted on by Instagram. So we'll see how that goes. I think I'm gonna be trying to veto a lot of choices there.
Devin Dabney 1:04:25
We're gonna flip some chairs.
Kris Hampton 1:04:30
Like Devin mentioned, we're also going to be working on a few guest submissions for the upcoming seasons. So, if there's a lesson you've learned from hip hop, and you want to tell us about it to feature on a future episode, hit us up at hiphoptaughtmeeverything.com/mystory . The link is right there in your show notes as well. We'll get back to you about making it happen. And while you're there at the website, look around. We've got full transcripts, we've got links, videos, lots of bonus material at the blog posts for these episodes. hiphoptaughtmeeverything.com Find us on Instagram and Twitter. And please share this podcast with your friends who also love hip hop. And we'll see you again soon with some of these extra between-season bonuses.
Devin Dabney 1:05:15
Heck, yeah. That's a wrap! Good work, y'all!