The Rap Music Plug Podcast

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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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 [email protected]

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

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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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

As soon as I first heard a beat from today’s guest, GAWD, off of MIKE’s Burning Desire… I was immediately intrigued.

I needed to hear more of this nutty, oddball, and infinitely creative sound. So over the past few years since, I’ve dove into GAWD’s catalog as both a producer and a rapper and mined some real gold, within a stupidly prolific discography under various artistic monikers (GAWD, 65 Cent, Trick Racer, and many more).

In this episode, we discuss the unique world-building in his art, his sense of humour and affinity for geese, his prolific output that has slowed in recent years, and some of his recent marquee releases in ONCE IN A PINK MOON as 65 Cent, and collaborating with the electric WiFiGawd on their latest collaborative album, Hot as Hell 3.

The Plug (0:56).

The Interview (2:36).

GAWD’s affinity for Quasimoto dolls and geese (2:45).

GAWD’s Virginia upbringing (7:32).

GAWD and Iceland (10:48).

World-building in GAWD’s music (14:08).

GAWD’s nutty production sound (16:37).

GAWD’s influence on Rage, and other high-distortion rap styles (18:58).

GAWD’s loose, unstructured style of rapping (23:52).

GAWD’s prolific creative output (31:33).

Inspiration for the 65-track opus, ONCE IN A PINK MOON (35:51).

Collaborating with WiFiGawd (43:40).

The sound and vibe of Hot as Hell 3 (48:14).

Upcoming projects / tour dates / merch (52:07).

Buy ONCE IN A PINK MOON here: https://poswrkspc.bandcamp.com/album/once-in-a-pink-moon 

Stream Hot as Hell 3 here: https://open.spotify.com/album/5z7rsu7bSReqnmhqNanBvt 

Stream GAWD's music here: https://soundcloud.com/ohmygawd-5 

Follow GAWD on Twitter here: https://x.com/6512GAWD 

Follow GAWD on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/6512gawd/ 

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 [email protected]