In this episode of “People’s Party With Talib Kweli”, Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with members of hip hop supergroup Mount Westmore, rappers E-40, Too Short, and Ice Cube:
Here’s what they got into:
- How all four members of the group elevate one another
- Breaking down Mount Westmore’s track, “Free Game“
- Too $hort’s pioneering of the independent hustle
- $hort and Cube going back to the days of opening for Run DMC
- E-40 and $hort referring to each other by their government names
- The amazing legacy of Suave House Records founder Tony Draper
- Fun facts and “did you knows” of hip hop history and shared B-days
- Snoop Dogg doing it all and his secret to productivity
- Breaking down the 40 Water lingo and how it changed the game
- 40’s lack of props from the East Coast while he topped the charts
- The dynamic of the Bay’s “emcees” and “game spitters”
- Talib’s trip cross-country to check out Cali’s hip hop culture
- Who might be worthy of a Mount Eastmore and Mount Southmore
- How the West Coast’s underdog attitude bleeds into Mount Westmore
- What went into Cube’s impactful and influential album, ‘Death Certificate’
- Rap’s bad rap and the never-ending controversy over its lyrics
- The importance of understanding the origins of hip hop culture
- $hort’s earlier positive songs getting the biggest push from the labels
- The groups evolution in writing and themes as they have matured
- Recognizing fact from fiction and how that line has been blurred today
- Youngsters not living long enough to gain the wisdom needed to survive
- Discussing the production side of Mount Westmore and Rick Rock
- 40 sitting on the beat for “Blow The Whistle” before $hort made it his own
- 40 sharing all his terms for money and defining “Callipygian”
- How touring has changed at their age and groupies getting turned down
- Snoop embracing the sci-fi themed music video for “Big Subwoofer“
- The group making millions from their first hit single and what it proved
- 40 witnessing 2Pac’s impeccable work ethic while recording ‘All Eyez On Me’
- $hort being by Cube’s side when he broke away from N.W.A.
- Cube getting to know Pac while he was still rolling with Digital Underground
- Pac’s eagerness to touch people with his words and having wisdom beyond his years
- Showing love for Boots Riley, Lil Jon, Hi-Tek, Dilla, MC Breed, and others
- Advice on how to grow old gracefully and mottos to live by
“People’s Party With Talib Kweli” is also available to give a listen via Spotify | SoundCloud | Google Play | Apple | Luminary