Ep.317 - Will Smith

On July 2nd we will be exactly halfway through the 2020s! And whilst it's been an objectively terrible decade in many ways, there are some Hip-Hop gems that have come out. So, we decided to make our individual Top 5 Hip-Hop Albums of the Half-Decade and for once, we have NO overlapping works! So buckle in as we gush over 10 albums in a nearly 2 hour special!TIMESTAMPS:Honourable Mentions - (3:54)Charlie's No. 5 - (15:53)Ben's No. 5 - (23:54)Charlie's No. 4 - (34:33)Ben's No. 4 - (42:31)Charlie's No. 3 - (51:42)Ben's No. 3 - (59:08)Charlie's No. 2 - (1:05:58)Ben's No. 2 - (1:15:26)Charlie's No. 1 - (1:27:24)Ben's No. 1 - (1:37:20)Lighter Note - (1:46:51)

One of the mainstays of the burgeoning Hip-Hop Underground of the 00s and beyond, Sean Price was a reality rapper with plenty of humour, iconic one-liners and a discography that have aged pretty well.TIMESTAMPS:Weekly Music Roundup - (0:49)Ben:Memphis Bleek - Apt 3DChe Noir - The Color Chocolate 2Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon - Come As You AreDave East & Young Chris - Fine DiningDaz Dillinger - Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back 2Charlie:Ric Wilson - AMERICA RUNS ON DISCOJanset - Disruptivekwn - with all due respectChe Noir - The Color Chocolate 2Samara Cyn - backroadsLoyle Carner - hopefully !Nick Grant - I Took It PersonalTerrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon - Come As You Are Cam Be & Neak - a film called blackYaya Bey - do it afraid Marshall Allen - New DawnJoe Armon-Jones - All The Quiet (Part II)Robert Glasper - Let GoTopic Intro/Ben's Research House - (20:13)Monkey Barz - (26:35)Jesus Price Supastar - (35:06)Mic Tyson - (47:48)Imperius Rex - (55:57) Lighter Note - (1:06:56) Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUKChillHop (Twitter) - @ChillhopdotcomBonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:"What's Good?" W/ Charlie TaylorIn Search of SauceBlack Women Watch...5EPN RadioThe Beauty Of Independence

At 60 years old, Slick Rick dropped his 5th Studio Album and his 1st since 1999. He's a master storyteller, respected by everyone. So how TF is he still underrated?!TIMESTAMPS:Weekly Music Roundup - (1:07)Ben:Lil Tecca - DopamineCharlie - Karl Benjamin - To What End?MRCY - VOLUME 2Jords - Mixtape Jedbl - Archives MixtapeSyf of Talking Knots & Sir Nebula - GravityA-F-R-O - Crimson FuryKamaiyah - Fired UpNubiyan Twist - NT SoundsystemAJ Tracey - Don’t Die Before You're DeadTheo Croker - Dream ManifestBrandee Younger - Gadabout Season Juicy J & Logic - Live And In Colour Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell - We Insist 2025!Slick Rick - VictoryTopic Intro/Ben's Research House - (14:19)The Great Adventures of Slick Rick - (23:23)The Ruler's Back - (36:24)Behind Bars - (43:11)The Art of Storytelling - (52:05)Victory - (1:01:12)Lighter Note - (1:15:31)Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUKChillHop (Twitter) - @ChillhopdotcomBonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:"What's Good?" W/ Charlie TaylorIn Search of SauceBlack Women Watch...5EPN RadioThe Beauty Of Independence

G-Funk pioneer one of the most consistent dual artists in Hip-Hop history, it could be said that DJ Quik hasn't gotten the props his peers has, even though his quality of production and bars has (for the most part) been great, just as long as you jump over the mines labelled "Songs with oddly detailed sex bars".TIMESTAMPS:Weekly Music Roundup - (0:49)Ben:Lil Wayne - Tha Carter 6Little Simz - LotusUntilJapan - tromp l'oeilCharlie:Common Saints - EquinoxIan Kelly & DJ D Sharp - Concrete OCEANVic Spencer & Bucky Luger - Interstate PotluckLittle Simz - LotusTopic Intro/Ben's Research House - (15:14)Quik Is the Name - (21:35)Way 2 Fonky - (30:38)Safe + Sound - (33:42)Rhythm-al-ism - (37:37)Balance & Options - (42:20)Under tha Influence - (45:33)Trauma - (52:26)The Book of David - (56:15)The Midnight Life - (59:12)Lighter Note - (1:03:15)Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUKChillHop (Twitter) - @ChillhopdotcomBonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:"What's Good?" W/ Charlie TaylorIn Search of SauceBlack Women Watch...5EPN RadioThe Beauty Of Independence

Whilst MC Shan spends a lot of his recent days lamenting the past in some form, he actually has a leg to stand on! Just not in the ways he thinks...TIMESTAMPS:Weekly Music Roundup - (0:44)Ben:Rome Streetz & Conductor Williams - TrainspottingBruiser Wolf - POTLUCKMasta Killa - BalanceCharlie:Silas Short - LUSHLANDRebecca Vasmant - Who We Are, BecomingOddisee - En RoutePremo Rice - Bad Muf*ckaObongjayar - Paradise NowGrand Puba - The OriginPoldoore - Chroma DreamLady Donli - This Feels Like An InterludeChillHop Music - Chillhop Timezones NigeriaYugen Blakrok - The Illusion of BeingEmma-Jean Thackray - WeirdoXzibit - KingmakerTopic Intro/Ben's Research House - (16:52)Down By Law - (23:40)Born To Be Wild - (33:27)Play It Again, Shan - (41:38)Bars Over Bullshit - (51:18)Lighter Note - (1:02:36)Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUKChillHop (Twitter) - @ChillhopdotcomBonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:"What's Good?" W/ Charlie TaylorIn Search of SauceBlack Women Watch...5EPN RadioThe Beauty Of Independence

The legacy of dead prez - for better or worse - has been condensed down to their classic track in "Hip Hop". Zoom out a little and you'll find a classic song on a classic album that is definitely not talked about enough. Zoom out even more and you find... Actually, let's just stay at that first zoom out...TIMESTAMPS:Weekly Music Roundup - (1:00)Charlie:Syf of Talking Knots & Moe Town - 2 Sides to Every StoryJay Prince - SHINENādt Orchestra - DualismDon Glori - Paper Can't Wrap FireAaron Taylor - Yours AlwaysLizzie Berchie - Night ShiftScienze & NappyHigh - PRAISESEstelle - Stay Alta Queen Kaltoum - At PizzaExpress Live - In LondonPola & Bryson - OvergrownTopic Intro/Ben's Research House - (14:03)Let's Get Free - (21:46)Revolutionary But Gangsta - (36:11)Information Age - (45:58)Lighter Note - (59:48) Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUKChillHop (Twitter) - @ChillhopdotcomBonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:"What's Good?" W/ Charlie TaylorIn Search of SauceBlack Women Watch...5EPN RadioThe Beauty Of Independence

After calling it a day being "The Fresh Prince", Will Smith went under his own name for his solo stint. The results are mixed; proving that Hip-Hop could go Pop, but even then managing to have frequent misfires within his music, creating a frustrating discography that gives more questions than answers...TIMESTAMPS:Weekly Music Roundup - (1:10)Ben:Amine - 13 Months of SunshineXzibit - KingmakerRico Nasty - LethalChuck D - Chuck D Presents Enemy Radio: Radio ArmageddonCharlie: Deema - 5Junii - JINX!MyCompiledThoughts - Kouri flowerovlove - summerovlove setlistChuck D - Chuck D Presents Enemy Radio: Radio ArmageddonTanika Charles - Reasons To StaySavannah Ré - FormedReuben James - Big People MusicTopic Intro/Ben's  Research House - (14:28) Big Willie Style - (20:15) Willenium - (31:28) Born To Reign - (40:56)Lost And Found - (50:32) Based on a True Story - (59:38)Lighter Note - (1:14:32) Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUKChillHop (Twitter) - @ChillhopdotcomBonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:"What's Good?" W/ Charlie TaylorIn Search of SauceBlack Women Watch...5EPN RadioThe Beauty Of Independence

The legendary duo of Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince have been somewhat locked into this singular thought ever since their run ended in '93: That their music is squeaky clean, completely devoid of edge. But when you actually listen to some of the lyrics and subject matter told in the litany of storytelling tracks, they broach some interesting ground.TIMESTAMPS:Weekly Music Roundup - (1:07)Ben:MIKE x Tony Seltzer - Pinball IIKey Glock - Glockaveli: The DonRoc Marciano x Knowledge the Pirate - The Round TableCharlie:Gaidaa - YARNNayla Savannah - Be FreeDARGZ - Friends & FamilyTopic Intro/Ben's Research House - (8:18)Rock the House - (16:00)He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper - (26:26)And in This Corner... - (37:17)Homebase - (49:36)Code Red - (1:01:32)Lighter Note - (1:15:16)Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUKChillHop (Twitter) - @ChillhopdotcomBonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:"What's Good?" W/ Charlie TaylorIn Search of SauceBlack Women Watch...5EPN RadioThe Beauty Of Independence

The discography of Schoolly D is one of the most diverse and lengthy that we've ever covered on DITD. Where he begins providing the seeds of what eventually becomes known as "Gangsta Rap", he then goes through a more pro-Black phase in the 90s and nowadays operates as a relative experimentalist for somebody whose debut came out in 1985.TIMESTAMPS:Weekly Music Roundup - (1:15)Ben:Benny the Butcher - ExcelsiorYung Lean - JonatanJPEGMAFIA x Flume - We Live in a SocietyCharlie:Jericho Jackson - I Am HimAntsLive - Carpe Diem1999 WRITE THE FUTURE & The Pharcyde - TimelessRyder - RYDERHOODAlex Isley - WHENKatalyst - SpeakeasyVinocio - TostadosNejma Nefertiti - Jayne Wayne The JuggernautMychelle - Good DayWretch 32 - HOME?Topic Intro/Ben's Research House - (14:40)Schoolly D - (23:50)Saturday Night! – The Album - (30:37)Smoke Some Kill - (33:20)Am I Black Enough for You? - (35:41)How a Black Man Feels - (40:39)Welcome to America - (44:45)Reservoir Dog - (50:22)International Supersport - (53:41)Cause Schoolly D Is Crazy - (57:27) Lighter Note - (1:04:22) Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUKChillHop (Twitter) - @ChillhopdotcomBonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:"What's Good?" W/ Charlie TaylorIn Search of SauceBlack Women Watch...5EPN RadioThe Beauty Of Independence

In what is probably our shortest retrospective in DITD history, we cover another Treacherous Three member in Spoonie Gee who is apparently a precursor to Gangsta Rap but when listening to his work, it seems to paint a different picture...TIMESTAMPS:Weekly Music Roundup - (0:49)Ben:Wu-Tang - Black SamsonVinnie Paz - God Sent VengeanceCharlie: Bishop Nehru - TrapbapUwade - FlorilegiumCoco Jones - Why Not More?Ray Vaughn - The Good The Bad The Dollar MenuFemi Kuti - Journey Through LifeWu-Tang Clan & Mathematics - Black Samson, the Bastard SwordsmanTopic Intro/Ben's Research House - (9:16)The Godfather of Rap - (13:28)Lighter Note - (25:13)Thanks for listening. Below are the Social accounts for all parties involved.Music - "Pizza And Video Games" by Bonus Points (Thanks to Chillhop Music for the right to use)HHBTN (Twitter & IG) - @HipHopNumbers5E (Twitter & IG) - @The5thElementUKChillHop (Twitter) - @ChillhopdotcomBonus Points (Twitter) - @BonusPoints92Other Podcasts Under The 5EPN:"What's Good?" W/ Charlie TaylorIn Search of SauceBlack Women Watch...5EPN RadioThe Beauty Of Independence