May the 4th be with you!
That was corny, but honestly, we just needed a reason to use this gif of Billy Dee Williams.
What We’re Up To
Hey y’all. We’re back! Thanks for checking out this month’s newsletter. We know that there are a lot of places that you could be spending your time, but you’re here with us, and we appreciate that!
We’ve been working on a couple of projects, one of which led us to SoCal for a couple of weeks, so, we had to pause recording for a little bit. But we’re back home now, so we’ll be in your earholes with a new episode in a couple of weeks! In the meantime you can check out the back catalog, or interact with us on social media. Let’s get to the goods!
What We’re Watching
Swarm (Amazon Prime Video)
This is a story about Beyoncé Ni’Jah and one of her obsessive fans, Dre. While this story could have been told about any topic, basing it on “Stan” culture and parasocial relationships makes it a lot more relevant in 2023. Even though it isn’t about her, the writers managed to incorporate a LOT of Beyoncé and other pop culture references into these episodes, and they are hilarious. Those lighter comedic moments are needed especially when a lot of the other content is rooted in very dark humor.
Beef (Netflix)
What starts as a road rage incident leads to a bitter, revenge-fuelled feud. At the same time, Beef slowly develops into a story about two people who are more alike than it seems on the surface. While it is a comedy, it also tackles a lot of serious issues that we can’t into here without spoiling it. Come for Ali Wong’s glasses, stay for Steven Yeun playing guitar and singing “Drive” by Incubus.
Have you watched Swarm or Beef yet? Let us know what you thought of them!
What We’re Reading
Dilla Time by Dan Charnas
I’m a fan of Dilla’s work. Since the days when he was going by Jay Dee and producing tracks for The Pharcyde. I’m not a “J Dilla Changed My Life” type of fan, but I do love the stuff that he did as part of The Ummah (along with Q-Tip & Ali Shaheed Muhammad) as well as his solo productions. That’s why I was interested in getting this book. It dives into his process and how he was able to make his unorthodox style work. On the Dilla Time website, there is a listening guide for the book that contains links to all of the songs referenced in it if you’re interested in checking that out as well.
Here are two articles from Interview and Vibe with Curren$y and Jermaine Dupri giving some background on their collaborative EP, For Motivational Use Only, Vol. 1, which we will talk about later.
Rolling Stone interviewed legendary producer Large Professor.
A fight broke out at a Monica concert, and she tried to mediate. “I ain’t singing ‘Knuck If You Buck.’”
What We’re Listening To
For Motivational Use Only, Vol. 1 - Curren$y & Jermaine Dupri
This one has consistently been in rotation for us since it dropped last month. It’s a quick listen, only 7 songs, but they all slap. You only get one verse from JD, but he has a lot of ad-libs and high level shit talking. Curren$y does the bulk of the work when it comes to the bars, although 2 Chainz and T.I. pop in on a couple of songs. “Essence Fest” will have you bopping like this:
You Down Wit’ O.P.P? (Other Peoples’ Podcasts)
Over here, we’re all in on Prince content, so this new podcast from CNN is right up our alley. Hosted by Nichole Perkins, this show takes look at his life and career. Featuring interviews with Prince himself, his family, friends, fans and people who worked with him over the years. If you’re a fan like we are, this is a pod that you should check out.
Random Internet Shenanigans
Saw this on the bird and immediately knew that it needed to be shared…and then this happened.
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.
If it’s merch that you’re looking for, check out our store, Nuthin’ But A Tee Thang.
Spreading the word about the show to your friends and family helps too.
However you choose to support, know that it is greatly appreciated as always. 🫡
Closing Time
It’s time for us to tap out. If you enjoyed this month’s newsletter, then let’s meet back here around the same time next month, okay? Until then,
