Christmas Rappin'
What We’re Up To
We’ve hit the busiest time of year, and that’s no different at TROY Podcast HQ. This month’s newsletter was delayed by a few days because we just got back from seeing the last of Usher’s My Way: The Vegas Residency shows. It was amazing, and even better than we anticipated. Did any of y’all get to see it? What were your thoughts? Let us know in the comments!
Speaking of Usher, here’s a clip of him in 2004 talking about possibly doing a residency in Las Vegas.
Video via @Coolness941 on Twitter X
He didn’t lie. It was exactly as he predicted. He ran through 2 hours of hits, interacted with the crowd in a “Vegas lounge” kind of way, and left us wanting more. You can check out a couple of videos from the show on our YouTube channel.
Anyway, we dropped a new episode on Friday, you can check it out here:
What We’re Watching
May The Lord Watch: The Little Brother Story on YouTube
Starting at their beginning as classmates at North Carolina Central University, this film gets into the Little Brother origin story and the bonds that were formed by Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh & 9th Wonder and how those bonds were broken over several years leading to their eventual breakup.
Inspired by hip-hop groups like De La Soul and Public Enemy, rappers Phonte and Big Pooh, and producer 9th Wonder, based in Durham, North Carolina, formed Little Brother to carry on the tradition of developing hip-hop music set forth by their "big brothers." Now, a new documentary tells their story-May The Lord Watch: The Little Brother Story follows the rise, breakup, and reunion of Little Brother.
Very little time is spent on discussing the music, but instead focuses more on the relationships between the members and how Phonte and Pooh were able to put aside their differences to fix their friendship, leading to a Little Brother reunion in 2019, minus 9th Wonder.
The Choice Is Yours on Paramount+
Another hip hop doc that should be on your radar is The Choice Is Yours.
A story of rapper and artist Dres, part of the iconic 90's hip hop duo Black Sheep, and his amazing journey from the top of the game to struggling with civilian life and confronting the canyon of his last chance at success.
If you’re a fan of 90s hip hop, or just hip hop in general, then this needs to be on your watch list.
What We’re Reading
Fantasia discusses The Color Purple in Variety.
Janelle Monáe is one of Harper’s Bazaar’s Women of the Year.
This Pitchfork article is discussing how “Regional Rap Classics Are Slowly Disappearing From the Internet.”
Usher closes out 100-show Las Vegas residency in tears.
What We’re Listening To
New Blue Sun by André 3000
We’ve waited years for 3 Stacks to finally release his first solo album. When I found out that he was about to drop something I was as excited as I’ve ever been for anything. Then I kept reading and saw that it was actually an instrumental album that has him playing the flute and other woodwinds. This was me:
I was still willing to give it a chance, because I think André has earned at least that much. Honestly, it isn’t a bad album. If you’re looking for something to have on in the background while you’re working or trying to get some rest, this album is perfect. Describing it as something that will put you to sleep is not a bad thing in this sense. It’s very soothing and relaxing, and it’s about to go platinum in the yoga studios and spas.
Everybody Gettin’ Sump’n by They Reminisce Over You
If you don’t have the time or just don’t feel like doing it, we’ve curated the soundtrack to your holiday get togethers this year. You can turn this on and let it rock for a couple of hours, then let it loop and play again. We’ve got something for every generation on here, from Nat King Cole and The Temptations for our grandparents, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston for us, to Jhene Aiko and DaniLeigh for the youngins.
“In my mind…”
You Down Wit’ O.P.P.? (Other Peoples Podcasts)
Class of ‘88 by Will Smith & Wondery
I was excited when I first saw the announcement of this happening, and it did not disappoint.
Through the unique perspective and personal experiences of host Will Smith, Class of '88 reveals the milestone moments, albums and artists that inspired a sonic evolution and secured 1988 as hip hop's most important year.
This podcast took me back to when I decided that I was all-in on hip hop. All of the classics albums and songs, tv shows and magazines are represented in this show.
Will spends time talking about these days with DJ Jazzy Jeff, Public Enemy, Salt-N-Pepa, Rakim, DMC and more.
Listen to Class of ‘88 on Wondery.
Random Internet Shenanigans
TikToker Arabia Little has remade this Everest College commercial and it is hilarious. Which got me to thinking, what ever happened to the guy from the commercial? Wonder no more, because I found an interview that he did last year.
Shameless Plugs
If you enjoy the content that we're making and you're looking for ways to support our independent podcast, here’s a little something that you can do:
Please leave us a 5 star rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podchaser or Goodpods.
You can also drop a few coins in our tip jar here: https://ko-fi.com/troypodcast if you're feeling generous.
Spread the word about the show to your friends and family.
Check out our online store, Nuthin’ But A Tee Thang.👇🏾
However you choose to support, know that it is greatly appreciated as always. 🫡
Closing Time
Have a happy holiday and we’ll see y’all next year!
