The Hip Hop Diaspora

  At its core, hip hop is a vessel for narration. During this episode, we highlight some of our favorite hip hop tales and the MCs who brought us into the room with them through their descriptive lyrics and infectious melodies.  Playlist: Children’s Story  - Slick Rick I Gave You Power - Nas (1996) Milly Pulled A Pistol on Santa - De La Soul (1991) Love is Blind - Eve (1999) My HomeBoy’s Girlfriend - 8Ball (1998) Ms. Fat Booty - Mos Def (1999) Cocaine - Royce da 5'9 (2018) T.R.O.Y. -  Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth (1992)  

Forget what the calendar says, with the weather breaking and BBQs popping, summertime is in full swing as well as music that reminds us of summer. This episode is dedicated to the freshly waxed cars, family reunions and day parties associated with summer; a summer soundtrack if you will. Enjoy!

Join Lesley and Dare as they discuss the art of the mixtape and recount some of their favorite of the past decade. Feel free to hit us at @VerseCast with some of your favorites as well!

Missy Elliott Appreciation Day! Today we close out season one of The Verse by paying homage to the hip hop icon who is Missy Elliott. From her solo debut in the 1990s, Missy Elliot made and continues to hold a special place in the hearts of hip hop lovers everywhere.  Thank you for listening, we'll catch you in April! 

Hip hop has become a global art form, and shows no signs of slowing down at all. This week, we highlight some dope hip hop artists from throughout the diaspora of hip hop music and culture.

In this installment of The Verse, we dive into movie soundtracks that doubled as hit hip hop compilation albums. Show Corrections: 1. The Fat Boys were NOT cast in Who's The Man, but over 20 major hip hop artists were cast in the film. 2. “Ghetto Superstar” was on the Bullworth soundtrack, not Dead Presidents. Bullworth also included That's the Joint by Black Eyed Peas. Enjoy!

 In this episode of The Verse: Hosts Daré (@dareamyson), Lesley (@hiphopheadmistress) and our FIRST featured guest: Moonrock Mont (@moonrockmont), who was recently ''hacked'' and forced to release a new playlist of 6 songs.  So we invited him in to the studio to hang and chat about his music as well as our topic of the day: pure party songs. Listen in for an explanation and a short but carefully curated playlist. Our Highlighted Songs  “Pitch in on a Party” - DJ Quik “Grove Street Party” - Waka Flocka  Produced by Lex Lugar “The Jumpoff” - Lil’ Kim f. Mr. Cheeks “Feel Me Flow” - Naughty by Nature Clear My Throat- DJ Kool The Verse is produced by Dare Amyson and Lesley Gwam at Birdcage Studio & Engineered By Falcon 

Listen up! As @hiphopheadmistress and @DareAmyson discuss the dopest hiphop crews/labels/collectives of the 90s. They take a trip down memory lane and remind everyone of the greatness we heard back in the day that inspired the greatness we hear today. Track listing: CREW 1 - NATIVE TONGUES Ladies First - Queen Latifah & Monie Love Butter - A Tribe Called Quest(mostly Phife) Excursions - A Tribe called Quest CREW 2 - DEATH ROW Check out time - Tupac, korupt, Psych, etc.. CREW 3 - NO LIMIT Bout it Bout it - Master P & Mia X Down for my niggas(instrumental) - C-murder, Mr. Magic, Snoop dogg CREW 4 - WU-TANG CLAN It's Yours - nearly the entire Wu-Tang Clan CREW 5 - BAD BOY All about the benjamins - Puff Daddy, Notorius BIG, The LOX, Lil Kim In closing: Dungeon family: In Due Time - Outkast, Cee-lo ----------