When Black Sheep joined the Native Tongues family in 1989, they brought an irreverent and humorous tone to the hip-hop collective. Native Tongues had lighthearted rappers in the group to begin with, but Black Sheep took it one step further. The

Cam O'bi on Kanye West's "Late Registration" (2005)

Mar 19th, 2020 57m 58s

When Kanye West first announced the follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut, The College Dropout, the biggest question on everyone's mind was "can he do it again?" And Kanye proved without a doubt that he can. He enlisted composer/producer

Ann Powers on Madonna's "Like A Prayer"

Oct 17th, 2017 47m 54s

This week, Morgan and Oliver are joined by Ann Powers of NPR Music and author of the new book, Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black and White, Body and Soul in American Music. Together, the three dug into Like a Prayer, Madonna's critical breakout a

Phonte on Intro's 1993 Self-Titled Album

Oct 10th, 2017 48m

This week rapper, producer, and songwriter Phonte (Foreign Exchange, Little Brother) joins Oliver and Morgan to talk about the R&B group Intro's 1993 self-titled debut album. The trio's release was part of the changing tide of R&B music, when s

Joi on Betty Davis's "They Say I'm Different"

Oct 2nd, 2017 33m 54s

On the premiere episode of Heat Rocks, future soul artist Joi Gilliam joins Morgan and Oliver to talk about They Say I'm Different, the 1974 album by the unsung queen of funk, Betty Davis! It's really an obvious pairing: Betty Davis was one of

Shea Serrano on DMX's "It's Dark and Hell Is Hot"

Oct 24th, 2017 42m 1s

This week, we are joined by Shea Serrano, contributor at TheRinger.com, author of both The Rap Yearbook and the brand new Basketball (And Other Things). For his heat rock, he choose DMX's smash debut LP, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot. *woof* During

The Heat Rocks Appreciation Episode

Aug 12th, 2021 55m 55s

Well, we're finally here. After nearly 200 episodes, we're ending our run with Maximum Fun! We intend to come back sometime in 2022, and to celebrate this occasion, it's and Oliver, Morgan, and Producer Christian episode. We talk about our favo

Cat Zhang on Flo Milli's "Ho, why is you here?" (2020)

Aug 5th, 2021 43m 10s

Music writer and resident TikTok expert Cat Zhang sits down with us to discuss Flo Milli's 2020 debut mixtape Ho, why is you here? We get into what goes into making a TikTok hit, Flo Milli's unique voice, and her role in the current hip hop l

Music & Popcorn #7: Daphne A. Brooks on the "Waiting to Exhale" soundtrack (1995)

Jul 30th, 2021 54m 22s

We continue our Music and Popcorn miniseries, where we chat about some of our favorite movie soundtracks. This week, we're talking to professor and writer Daphne Brooks about the soundtrack to Waiting to Exhale. We get into Babyface's prolific

Music & Popcorn #6: '90s OSTs with Jocelyn Brown

Jul 22nd, 2021 1h 2m

We reboot our Music and Popcorn series, where we talk about some of our favorite movie soundtracks. This week, we invite our friend Jocelyn Brown to discuss a few iconic 90s OSTs, Love Jones, Boyz N The Hood, and Trainspotting. We get into what

Yola on Jill Scott's "Who Is Jill Scott? - Words and Sounds, Vol. 1 (2000)

Jul 15th, 2021 59m 47s

This week, we talk to singer/songwriter Yola about Jill Scott's debut studio album "Who Is Jill Scott? - Words and Sounds, Vol 1." We get into Jill's time with The Roots, how her poetry shaped her songwriting, and Jill's role in the neo-soul mo

Kris Bowers on Kendrick Lamar's "Section.80" (2011) [redux]

Jul 8th, 2021 32m 41s

In honor of Kendrick Lamar's Section.80 turning 10 years old this month, we are re-airing our convo with Kris Bowers on Lamar's debut studio album.[show notes from original post]To talk about Kendrick Lamar’s studio LP debut, we wanted to find

Benny Sings on Phil Collins' "Face Value" (1981)

Jul 2nd, 2021 47m 31s

This week, we talk to producer/singer Benny Sings about Phil Collins' solo debut album, Face Value. We get into the incredible drum fill of In The Air Tonight, it's iconic use on Miami Vice, and the real life issues Collins was going through wh

Marzz on Kierra Sheard's "This Is Me" (2006)

Jun 25th, 2021 40m 31s

Singer/songwriter Marzz sits down with us to discuss Kierra Sheard's gospel album This is Me. We get into the secular production of this album, Kierra's place in the Clark Sheard family, and Marzz's own experience in the church. More on MarzzCh

Celebrating Lil' Kim's "Hard Core" (1996)

Jun 17th, 2021 50m 22s

This week, Oliver and Morgan are discussing Lil' Kim's debut studio record "Hard Core" which is turning 25 years old this year. We get into Lil' Kim's role in Bad Boy and Junior M.A.F.I.A., the effect she had on the Megan Thee Stallions and Car

Vijay Iyer on Prince's "Sign O' The Times" (1987)

Jun 11th, 2021 59m 21s

This week, we discuss Prince for the SIXTH time on Heat Rocks with musician/scholar Vijay Iyer. We get into Prince's love of the drum machine, Vijay's love of the 80s, and the many sides of Prince we see on this record. More on Vijay IyerFloati

Patrick Paige II on The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Ready to Die" (1994)

Jun 3rd, 2021 52m 29s

Bassist/producer/rapper Patrick Paige II joins Oliver and Morgan to discuss Biggie's debut studio album Ready To Die. We get into Big's knack for storytelling, Patrick's very cool math teacher, and what Biggie's career might've looked like if h

Steve Arrington on Heatwave's "Too Hot To Handle" (1976)

May 27th, 2021 50m 46s

Musician/producer/minister Steve Arrington sits down with Morgan and guest co-host Jocelyn Brown to discuss Heatwave's debut scorcher, Too Hot To Handle. We talk about the music scene in Dayton, Rod Temperton's prolific career, and Heatwave's a

Pell on N.E.R.D's "In Search Of..." (2002)

May 20th, 2021 55m 47s

Rapper/producer Pell sits down with us to talk about N.E.R.D's "In Search Of..." We get into the sex, drugs, rock & roll of it all, The Neptunes' prolific career, and N.E.R.D's influence on Pell's own work.More on PellWebsiteCheck out glbl wrmn

Kemp Powers on De La Soul's "De La Soul Is Dead" (1991)

May 13th, 2021 1h 7m

It’s #MaxFunDrive and if you like what we’re doing here on Heat Rocks, please consider supporting us and our network and help keep the show going!https://maximumfun.org/join Director and screenwriter Kemp Powers sits down with us to discuss De

Karriem Riggins on A Tribe Called Quest's "Midnight Marauders" (1993)

May 6th, 2021 1h

It's #MaxFunDrive and if you like what we're doing here on Heat Rocks, please consider supporting us and our network and help keep the show going! https://maximumfun.org/join Drummer and producer Karriem Riggins sits down with us to discuss a b

Nite Jewel on Kraftwerk's "Computer World" (1981) [redux]

Apr 29th, 2021 39m 6s

In honor of Computer World's 40th anniversary (!!!) we decided to rerun our episode with Nite Jewel discussing this classic album.[show notes from the original post]When we invited L.A.’s own Nite Jewel to join us, it probably shouldn’t have b

Joshua Abrams on Arthur Verocai's "Arthur Verocai" (1972)

Apr 22nd, 2021 39m 53s

Bassist/composer Joshua Abrams sits down with Oliver and guest co-host Jocelyn Brown to discuss Arthur Verocai's underrated self-titled debut record. We discuss the rediscovery of this album via sampling, the texture of Arthur's synth work, and

Jason King on Sylvester's "Living Proof" (1979)

Apr 15th, 2021 58m 27s

Writer and musician Jason King sits down with Oliver and guest co-host Jocelyn Brown to discuss the Sylvester live album Living Proof. We talk about Sylvester's vision of wholeness and sharing good vibes, the countless gorgeous moments captured

The Twilite Tone on Stevie Wonder's "Hotter Than July" (1980)

Apr 8th, 2021 57m 30s

Producer and DJ The Twilite Tone sits down with Oliver and guest co-host Jocelyn Brown to discuss Stevie Wonder's 1980 comeback album, Hotter Than July. We get into Stevie's foray into country western and reggae, his return to All I Do, a song