The Rap Music Plug Podcast

Few artists have a career as unique and prolific as today’s guest, Richmond Virginia’s own, Nickelus F. Over multiple decades, F has dazzled listeners with his ridiculous technical skills as an MC, the authenticity and honesty in his subject matter, and his production chops that feature a degree of stylistic variety that was always impressively pulled off.

With that said, he’s recently taken aim at carving out what will eventually be known as the “Nickelus F sound”. And in this episode, he talks about this pursuit through the lens of his terrific new album, The Undisputed, dives into his artistic process as an MC and producer, and reflects on key lessons he’s learnt from previous chapters in his career.

You rarely hear such wisdom, honesty, and genuine excitement from one of rap’s OGs. Don’t miss this.

The Plug (1:01).

The Interview (2:34).

Formative hip-hop connections (2:59).

Current chapter of F’s career and lasting legacy (7:03).

Learning from earlier eras of F’s career (14:42).

Improving as an MC over time (22:00).

Writing process (26:09).

Richmond music scene (33:47).

The Undisputed as Nickelus F’s “North Star” (41:35).

Honing in on the fundamentals of rap on The Undisputed (44:57).

The “Nickelus F sound” (47:37).

Upcoming projects / tour dates / merch (59:53).

Support Trick Dice Records here: https://www.trickdice.co/ 

Buy/stream The Undisputed here: https://nickelusf.bandcamp.com/album/the-undisputed 

Follow Nickelus F on Twitter here: https://x.com/NickelusF 

Follow Nickelus F on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/nickelusf/?hl=en 

Edited by: Alyssa Rodriguez

Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING

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Fiending for some more quality rap content? Visit the RMPP website: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/

Want to support and help us grow? Become a RMPP Patron, and gain access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/therapmusicplugpodcast 

Looking to connect? DM me @rapmusicplugpod on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com

Separating the art from the artist is a conversation that has bubbled up a lot lately, with the release of the Michael movie, as well as recent albums from ye, JPEGMAFIA, and the focus of this episode, Drake.

A lot of this discussion revolves around the validity of separating the art from the artist, and I’m here to say that the conversation around this is a psy-op. Especially for artists that demand investment in their personal lives to engage with their art to the degree of a Drake, your opinion on them as a person is a direct factor in the process of engaging with their art.

The world and life of an artist, in which their art exists within, is precisely what makes art special… and unlike anything else in the world. The meta of it all is fascinating.

In this episode, I’ll be exploring this dynamic through my feelings on Drake and his trifecta of new albums, primarily focusing on the main course, ICEMAN.

Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING

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Fiending for some more quality rap content? Visit the RMPP website: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/

Want to support and help us grow? Become a RMPP Patron, and gain access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/therapmusicplugpodcast 

Looking to connect? DM me @rapmusicplugpod on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com

Today’s guest, New Jersey rapper, and co-host of radio show, Strangers LIVE, '89 the Brainchild, is as distinct an artist as they come - occupying a space in rap entirely of his own making.

But despite his singular style, he embraces collaboration tremendously, bringing in different voices into his take on rap that integrates influences of jersey club, electronic, pop, and more.

This all creates a special concoction of music that we are blessed with on his latest album Not Who I Thought I was: the evil who brought us joy.

And in this episode, we dive into the long road 89 took in creating this new album, the lessons he learnt along the way, and how he developed his eclectic sound.

The Plug (1:10).

The Interview (2:23).

Releasing NWITIW after a long wait (4:06).

‘89 the Brainchild’s eclectic sound (7:20).

‘89’s songwriting process (17:43).

The recording process of Not Who I Thought I Was (24:14).

What ‘89 learnt from creating Not Who I Thought I Was (33:58).

The connection between Night Lives and NWITIW (39:31).

The sound of Not Who I Thought I Was (44:47).

The genesis of the Gangsta Boo feature (49:48).

Upcoming projects / merch / tour dates (1:00:08).

Buy/stream Not Who I Thought I Was here: https://89thebrainchild.bandcamp.com/album/not-who-i-thought-i-was-the-evil-who-brought-us-joy 

Follow '89 the Brainchild on Twitter here: https://x.com/89thebrainchild 

Follow '89 the Brainchild on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/89aintonthegram 

Edited by: Alyssa Rodriguez

Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING

--

Fiending for some more quality rap content? Visit the RMPP website: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/

Want to support and help us grow? Become a RMPP Patron, and gain access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/therapmusicplugpodcast 

Looking to connect? DM me @rapmusicplugpod on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com

When I first heard that two leaders in the experimental rap space, in rapper Fatboi Sharif and producer Child Actor, were joining forces on an upcoming album, Crayola Circles, the stylistic fit was obvious. I knew immediately that Sharif’s unique vocal style would pair well with Child Actor’s decadent psychedelia. But what I wasn’t prepared for was just how much of a beautifully tender emotional experience this record would be.

I’m truly blown away by Crayola Circles, and so I’m pumped that I was able to chat with both Fatboi Sharif and Child Actor about the recording process, Sharif’s introspective lyrical focus, Child Actor’s delicate masterpieces of production, and much more.

Cannot stress enough how special this album is, so make sure you listen on to learn more about what inspired it!

The Plug (1:20).

The Interview (2:40).

Audience response to Crayola Circles (3:55).

The genesis of the Sharif x Child Actor collaboration (8:33).

The emotional lyricism of Crayola Circles (13:16).

The serene sound of Crayola Circles (17:33).

Sharif’s creative ethos (28:26).

Child Actor’s production process for Crayola Circles (34:57).

Impact of Child Actor’s beats on Sharif (42:18).

The power of art (47:20).

The circular structure of the album’s closer (56:15).

Upcoming music / tour dates / merch (1:02:36).

Buy Crayola Circles here: https://backwoodzstudioz.com/collections/fatboi-sharif-child-actor-crayola-circles 

Follow Fatboi Sharif on Twitter here: https://x.com/fatboyprospect 

Follow Fatboi Sharif on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/fatboi_sharif/ 

Follow Child Actor on Twitter here: https://x.com/chldactr 

Follow Child Actor on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/chldactr/ 

Edited by: Alyssa Rodriguez

Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING

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Fiending for some more quality rap content? Visit the RMPP website: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/

Want to support and help us grow? Become a RMPP Patron, and gain access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/therapmusicplugpodcast 

Looking to connect? DM me @rapmusicplugpod on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com

Today’s guest, New York's yaya bey, is as talented as they come. Her unique take on R&B is propelled by a gorgeous voice, and the ability to shift to smooth effortless raps whenever she feels like it. But it’s the intangibles with her music that really make her art special to me.

Throughout her entire catalogue, she carries a grounded, worldly perspective to her music that feels both intelligent and authentically her own. She possesses an innate ability to infuse so much soul, vulnerability, and emotion into her songs - she really gets me in my feels to say the least.

In this episode, we discuss lessons she’s learnt about the industry so far in her music career, the public perception of her art, and the making of 2025’s do it afraid, and her brand new album, Fidelity, dropping April 17... two albums serving as companions to one and other, that are surely some of the best R&B I’ve heard in recent memory.

The Plug (1:20).

The Interview (2:49).

yaya’s musical background (4:12).

Most important lessons about the music industry (8:10).

yaya’s political consciousness in her art (13:01).

Key R&B inspirations (19:37).

Conveying emotion in music (24:28).

Finding her voice (28:09).

yaya’s rap abilities (33:09).

yaya’s headspace when creating do it afraid (37:43).

The mission statement guiding Fidelity (46:16).

Expressing ‘fidelity’ on Fidelity (49:47).

The bright and lively instrumentation of Fidelity (54:18).

One thing yaya is grateful for from her music career (56:17).

Upcoming tour dates / merch (57:52).

Buy/stream Fidelity here: https://yayabey.bandcamp.com/album/fidelity 

Follow yaya bey on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/yayabeybay/ 

Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING

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Fiending for some more quality rap content? Visit the RMPP website: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/

Want to support and help us grow? Become a RMPP Patron, and gain access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/therapmusicplugpodcast 

Looking to connect? DM me @rapmusicplugpod on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at qlctv.podcast@gmail.com