Show Notes
When Ice-T speaks, smart people listen. The streetwise veteran has wisdom to pass on, whether it be in his music or interviews. As you are about to hear, Ice proved to be the master storyteller as he ran down various critical moments in his long career, like why he was scared to do New Jack City or the deeper meaning behind the iconic POWER album cover. He even revealed the rapper who influenced him when writing the theme song to the L.A. gang-banger film, Colors. All that, plus how he survived being canceled over the “Cop Killer” controversy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip Hop
Whenever you speak with the RZA, expect some mental jewels to be dropped. Join this fascinating discussion in which RZA goes in depth about how his young life changed once he acquired knowledge of self—and how his beliefs were in conflict with his pre-Wu-Tang activities on the streets. RZA also talks about growing up on Staten Island amongst mob-connected residents and how his own large family actually prepared him for leading his brothers in rhyme. And rap nerds won’t want to miss the Abbott gush over his never ending love of kung fu movies and comic books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The remarkable career of Joey Bada$$ has seen him go from teenage underground sensation to accomplished, hard-working actor. And if there’s anything he’s learned during this whole time, it’s that integrity is worth more to him than anything else. In this honest conversation, Joey opened up about his feelings towards his fans who demand he stick to his original sound. He also spoke about how he made it his mission to compete with the hip-hop greats, and revealed his somewhat surprising goals outside of making music. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Before he was a success in the business world at large, Steve Stoute was Nas’ manager. But one thing that hasn’t changed from then until now is Stoute’s vision for artists to utilize all of their potential. During this candid convo, Stoute recalls how he went to Queensbridge looking for Nas, hoping to convince him to partner up and take over the rap world. Other topics include the formation of the supergroup The Firm, and the serendipitous moment when Stoute and Nas knew that they had to get Ms. Lauryn Hill on “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That).” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Hip-Hop might not be the first thing you think about when you hear the name Idris Elba. But the distinguished actor has deep ties to the culture, whether it’s his time spent DJing and dropping the occasional rhyme, to making beats and signing none other than the legend, Slick Rick, to his record label. Idris even schooled Nas and Minya on the early hip-hop scene in the UK. Idris also discussed what The Wire means to him, his portrayal of Nelson Mandela, and the need for more heroic African stories on the big screen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Today, Swizz Beatz is more known for Verzuz and his numerous endeavors in the art world. But on this episode, we take it back to the Ruff Ryders era when Swizz was making some of the most on-fire records for the streets. Before long, Swizz was reminiscing about the life and times of the great DMX. And since Nas reps QB all day and Swizz came up in the Bronx, the longtime friends ended up giving their personal breakdown of the famous Bridge Wars, one of the most iconic moments in hip-hop history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices