Episode 493 features guest Brotha2daKnight joining the New Old Heads to debate American sociologist Tricia Rose's recent claim that hip hop now does more harm than good. We unpack whether the culture is truly toxic or if corporate capitalism is to blame for the aesthetics pushed to the forefront. We also discuss independent rapper Prof getting disqualified by Billboard after selling 30,000 physical albums and debate if the charts are rigged for major labels. Later, we react to a viral clip suggesting the NBA is actively trying to phase out hip hop-centric players to enforce corporate discipline, and we break down Cam'ron's statement about elite talent getting to do whatever they want.
NOH 490 | "Ruthless to systems."
Episode 490 features guest Brotha2daKnight. The crew debates Soulja Boy’s controversial new move to open up a "Rapper University," questioning if it's a blatant cash grab or a legitimate educational platform for aspiring artists in the streaming era. We also unpack the intense backlash Jay-Z is facing for releasing the 30th-anniversary white vinyl of Reasonable Doubt exclusively at Target, exploring the realities of capitalism, boycotts, and selective outrage. Finally, we break down Lord Jamar's appearance on a Hip Hop-style Jubilee, analyzing his four major claims about Hip Hop: the shift from community to corporations, the death of MC talent shows for viral popularity, the debate over who actually created Hip Hop, and the true history of positive messaging in the golden era.
NOH 489 | "God loves ugly."
On episode 489 we talked about The Knicks and Donald Trump, Fat Joe comparing the Knicks' NBA Finals Run To 9/11, ReedMySole saying our culture's timeline is a mess, Jay Electronica not showing up to his tour dates, Future saying Jay-Z was a non factor in 1996, and more.
NOH 488 | "The jig is up."
This week we had a few different discussions on Jay-Z's Roots Picnic freestyle, Dame Dash's response, Talib Kweli calling out Tiny Desk, Conway The Machine airing out Griselda, andd more.
NOH 487 | "Make them pay."
This week, we catch up on Memorial Day weekend travels before diving deep into how record labels are hijacking political playbooks to manufacture virality through a paid "clipping economy." We also discuss DJ Akademiks officially entering Drake's inner circle with an OVO chain, what that means for the integrity of hip-hop journalism, and Drake's reported Grammy boycott for his latest project, Iceman. Plus more on our Uncut episode exclusively for our Patreon and YouTube Members, we share some Indy 500 experiences and pay tribute to Hip Hop legend Rob Base.
NOH 486 | "Such a nefarious action."
Episode 486 is the Iceman episode. Discussion on if he lived up to the hype, if he grew at all, what we thought about the three project drop, if this means Kendrick will reply, and more. We also talked about Black Milk and the hard path indie artists have to compete in the algorithmic world of the attention economy.
NOH 485 | "Don't believe the hype."
Episode 484 of the New Old Head had discussions on Jermaine Dupri defending himself for keeping publishing on Kriss Kross records, Akademiks being #1 on Hip Hop media list, the Best Hip Hop producer every year since 1979, and more.
NOH 482 | "You was using it wrong."
Episode 482 features guest Brotha2daKnight. Discussions dive into Boosie Badazz disrespecting Indianapolis, refusing to apologize, and getting his shows canceled by local promoters. The episode also unpacks Drake gearing up to release his new "Iceman" project and whether fans will judge him critically after the Kendrick Lamar battle. Finally, we debate the ethics of Jay-Z allegedly stealing songs and concepts from Roc-A-Fella artists without giving them credit, and takes a deep dive into remembering the best underground artists from the mixtape blog era.
An extra, uncut hour is available in video format for all $5 monthly members on YouTube and Patreon.
NOH 474 | "Why you wanna?"
Episode 474 of the New Old Heads features guest Brotha2daKnight and had discussions on the latest from the 50 Cent and TI beef, Baby Keem's new Casino album and if he's left Kendrick's shadow, if Larry June has reached his ceiling, if The Alchemist is oversaturated, a full react to the new On The Radar cypher, and more.
NOH 473 | "Culture or clickbait?"
Episode 473 features guest Andy Skinner of Indy CD & Vinyl. Discussions analyze LaRussell's internal conflict regarding Lil Wayne's legacy and the negative impact of music that mirrors community downfall. The episode also critiques DJ Vlad's controversial "joke" about Roc Nation bribing him to frame Tory Lanez, debating when trolling crosses into exploitation.
Episode 473 of the New Old Heads podcast, a hip hop talk show, was recorded on 2/17/26. The edited one-hour episode was released on YouTube and all podcast apps on 2/21/26. If you want to watch the full, uncut show, which features a deep dive ranking the Top 12 Music Marketing Strategies for 2026 (from playlisting to influencer seeding), you can do so by becoming a Patreon member.
