Episode 110 - Ballon d'Or

This week, we review two UK rap albums that recently dropped: 'HOME?' by Wretch 32 and 'Keep The Change' by Youngs Teflon. We dive into our likes and dislikes and where the albums leave both artists. Later, we do some fantasy rap booking and play a game of 'Guess Who Won A Grammy.'Chapters1:15 Wretch 32 'HOME?' album review36:11 Youngs Teflon 'Keep The Change' album review1:06:56 Fun topicFollow Rhymes Like Dimes: https://linktr.ee/rhymesdimespodFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhymesdimespod Follow us on X: https://x.com/rhymesdimespod Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rhymesdimespod

We’re joined by Newham-based rapper Zino Vinci, one of the fastest rising artists in the UK rap scene, blending youthful exuberance, razor-sharp wordplay, piercing observation and a love of comic books and superheroes to create his own immersive musical world.He's a few projects deep and his latest, ‘The Late Bloomer,’ is out now. He's had everyone from Complex to Dazed saying his name and he's only getting started.Zino opens up about his journey, finding himself through comic books and superheroes, how experimental his music is, his new project and more.Chapters3:42 Zino’s favourite rappers ever15:37 Zino’s Mount Rushmore of Newham rappers28:33 Zino’s journey through music1:24:31 Zino ơn new project ‘The Late Bloomer’Follow Zino:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zinovinci/X: https://x.com/ZinoVinciFollow Rhymes Like Dimes: https://linktr.ee/rhymesdimespodFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhymesdimespod Follow us on X: https://x.com/rhymesdimespod Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rhymesdimespod

We're joined by the amazing Darcus Beese. Darcus is one of the most distinguished and successful record label executives in the UK, signing and developing the likes of Amy Winehouse, Jessie J, Florence + The Machine and Sabrina Carpenter, having also played a role in introducing the likes of Drake, Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande to UK audiences.He is the son of the honourable British Black Panthers Darcus Howe and Barbara Beese and brought that revolutionary zeal with him to Island Records where he begin his career in the late 1980s, moving up the ranks to eventually become the president and CEO of the legendary label, the first black person to do this, and he now heads up his own label Darco Artist Partnerships (DAP) and his memoir 'Rebel With a Cause,' a detailed telling of his story is out now.Darcus breaks down his career in music and the machinations and major record labels, working with Amy Winehouse, his favourite rappers ever, his thoughts on the Drake-Kendrick Lamar beef, his time in America, DAP and much more.Chapters4:31 Darcus' favourite rappers11:05 Darcus on the Drake-Kendrick Lamar beef25:09 Darcus on the current state of music43:26 Darcus on Amy Winehouse51:26 Darcus on why the UK hasn't produced a superstar in years1:04:14 Darcus on gatekeeping1:11:54 Darcus on what a typical record label deal is1:27:52 Darcus' beginnings as an A&R and time in America2:07:03 Darcus on his parents, his book 'Rebel With A Cause' and DAPFollow Darcus and DAP:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darcuscbInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/darcoartistpartnershipsFollow Rhymes Like Dimes: https://linktr.ee/rhymesdimespodFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhymesdimespod Follow us on X: https://x.com/rhymesdimespod Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rhymesdimespod

We’re joined by the incredible Tiffany Calver. Tiffany is one of the most recognisable DJs, broadcasters and personalities in the UK with over 10 years in the game, having gone from music journalism to becoming the host of her very own radio show ‘The Tiffany Calver Show’ on BBC Radio 1Xtra, having made history when she became the first woman to host Radio 1's ‘Rap Show.’ She throws parties and releases records under the No Requests banner and has DJ'd for the likes of Jay-Z, Beyonce and Drake.Tiffany breaks down her career, from uploading her first mixes on Soundcloud and navigating the industry in the mid 2010s to landing at the BBC, via finding herself as a DJ and a commentator. She names her favourite rappers, has her say about the Drake-Kendrick Lamar beef, reminisces about growing up in Telford and pinpoints the biggest no-nos she’s seen from DJs. Later, we play another game of hip-hop trivia, with CONTROVERSIAL results.Chapters2:54 Tiffany’s favourite rappers and thoughts on Drake-Kendrick and the new grime renaissance50:15 Tiffany’s journey from Telford to the BBC1:35:13 Tiffany on making music, her radio show and being a woman in the industry1:41:07 Tiffany’s proudest career moments1:46:09 Tiffany’s ‘No Requests’ party and record label and working with major labels1:56:38 Tiffany’s thoughts on gatekeepers in the music industry + future plans2:04:08 Hip-hop triviaFollow Tiffany:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffanycalverFollow Rhymes Like Dimes: https://linktr.ee/rhymesdimespodFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhymesdimespod Follow us on X: https://x.com/rhymesdimespod Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rhymesdimespod

We're joined by Ceebo, a South London-based rapper with bags of wordplay, storytelling and an expansive rhyming style that has marked him out as one on the rise. His 2024 project 'LAMBETHNOTLA' was celebrated as one of the strongest to come out of the UK, portraying his experiences with love, nostalgia and the anxieties of being a young Black man existing in South London.Ceebo shares his journey through music, how he started rapping, his writing process, his favourite rappers, putting together 'LAMBETHNOTLA,' his thoughts on the UK rap scene, critical acclaim and more!Follow Ceebo:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theceebogram/X: https://x.com/CeeboSWeezyFollow Rhymes Like Dimes: https://linktr.ee/rhymesdimespodFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhymesdimespod/Follow us on X: https://x.com/rhymesdimespodFollow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rhymesdimespod

We start by giving our flowers to Kendrick Lamar who won five Grammys for Not Like Us, including the coveted Record of the Year and Song of the Year. We give our thoughts on the track now and our feelings about a diss track becoming the most awarded song in Grammys history.We then pay our respects to the one and only Irv Gotti, the founder of Murder Inc who sadly passed away at the age of 54. Providing a home for the likes of Ja Rule and Ashanti, we assess his impact on the game. Then, we break down the curious case of Joey Bada$$ and the smoke he’s been on since the start of the year. We end with a CONTROVERSIAL game of hip-hop trivia.Chapters1:00 Kendrick Lamar sweeps the Grammys18:13 R.I.P. Irv Gotti28:00 Joey Bada$$ is on smoke!54:40 Hip-hop triviaFollow Rhymes Like Dimes: https://linktr.ee/rhymesdimespodFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhymesdimespodFollow us on X: https://x.com/rhymesdimespodFollow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rhymesdimespodListen to our weekly playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5UgEmgPF1WEVPGywTWI7HA?si=58b59e4496f34cde

This week, we gave our instant reaction to one of the most anticipated UK rap albums in years, Central Cee's 'Can't Rush Greatness,' giving our first thoughts on the project and reacting to Aitch's clap back to Cench. We then have a bit of fun and draft rap lineups with rappers that use 'Young' in their names and rappers who use their real names. Chapters 0:00 Intro 2:04 Central Cee 'Can't Rush Greatness' Album Instant Reaction 43:53 'Young' Rappers Draft 48:28 'Real Name' Rappers Draft 56:58 Outro Follow Rhymes Like Dimes: https://linktr.ee/rhymesdimespod Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhymesdimespod Follow us on X: https://x.com/rhymesdimespod Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rhymesdimespod Listen to our weekly playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5UgEmgPF1WEVPGywTWI7HA?si=58b59e4496f34cde

We're running it back with Kendrick Lamar's latest album, GNX, after recently listening to it together for the first time and giving our instant reactions. We're joined by Abiade as we take a deeper dive into the album, it's significance for the West Coast and where it ranks in Lamar's discography. Peep our instant reaction to GNX here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2KkTRhjpUNv5cksp8tWtGa?si=uxWgmKAgRAaRpD4Z3NBqPw Follow Abiade: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abiade/ Follow Rhymes Like Dimes: https://linktr.ee/rhymesdimespod Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhymesdimespod/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rhymesdimespod Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rhymesdimespod Listen to our weekly playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5UgEmgPF1WEVPGywTWI7HA?si=58b59e4496f34cde

It’s time to wrap up 2024 with our end of year episode! We’re joined by Chris The Capo as we recap our favourite albums and rappers from the UK and USA, our most disappointing albums, our favourite non-rap albums, how our predictions for the year panned out and our predictions for 2025. There’s Nas commentary, a SCORCHING HOT take about Rapsody, CONTROVERSY about Westside Gunn and a lot more! Chapters Intro (0:00) Review of 2024 in rap (9:04) Favourite UK albums of 2024 (15:07) Favourite UK rappers of 2024 (44:35) Favourite US albums of 2024 (54:36) Favourite US rappers of 2024 (1:31:16) Most disappointing albums of 2024 (1:37:55) Favourite non-rap albums of 2024 (1:58:26) Were our 2024 predictions correct? (2:15:04) Predictions for 2025 (2:17:50) Outro (2:25:58) Follow Chris The Capo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christhecapo/ X: https://x.com/ChrisTheCapo Follow Rhymes Like Dimes: https://linktr.ee/rhymesdimespod Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhymesdimespod Follow us on X: https://x.com/rhymesdimespod Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rhymesdimespod Listen to our weekly playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5UgEmgPF1WEVPGywTWI7HA?si=58b59e4496f34cde

Fresh off a resounding defeat in his beef with Kendrick Lamar, Drake has gone where no rapper has gone far: the legal route. He has filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify accusing both of artificially boosting streams of Lamar's 'Not Like Us.' In a second lawsuit solely against UMG, the Canadian accuses them of defamation, claiming it could have halted the release of a song "falsely accusing him of being a sex offender". We had plenty of thoughts about this, and Drake's status in rap right now. Follow Rhymes Like Dimes: https://linktr.ee/rhymesdimespod Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhymesdimespod/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rhymesdimespod Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rhymesdimespod