In 2025, hip hop didn’t move loud — and that was the point.

If you were waiting on the album of the year to explain what happened, you already missed it. The biggest moments in hip hop didn’t come with rollouts, release dates, or apology videos. They came with presence.

Jay-Z didn’t drop off. He just existed.
Dr. Dre didn’t need an album.
LL Cool J trended off reputation alone.

On this year-end episode of Grown Man Bars, Chad and Big Absoloot step back from “best of” lists and viral moments to talk about what 2025 actually meant — especially for Gen X hip hop fans who grew up valuing albums, catalogs, and longevity over clicks.

The conversation covers:

• Who really had the biggest year without releasing music

• Why silence became a flex again

• Hits vs longevity for grown fans

• Owning masters vs chasing streams

• How attention spans, platforms, and metrics reshaped the culture

• Why legacy artists still stay present without explaining themselves

This isn’t nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake — it’s a grown-man look at how hip hop ages, adapts, and survives when the noise fades.

Pull up a chair. This is Grown Man Bars.

Hip Hop in 2025: Quiet Domination and the Year in Review00:00 Introduction: The Silent Impact of 202500:51 Grown Man Bars: Year-End Review01:36 The Biggest Year Without an Album03:32 Generational Differences in Hip Hop05:15 Owning Masters and Mogul Status08:31 The Evolution of Music Consumption12:58 Versus Battles and Cultural Shifts15:37 Gen X Heroes and Nostalgia21:37 The Absolute Truth of 202526:16 Final Thoughts and Farewell

Hip hop has always celebrated success —
but what happens after the rap career peaks?

In this episode of Grown Man Bars, Chad and Big Absoloot break down the 9 rappers who successfully transitioned from artists to moguls, ranking them based on business impact, longevity, ownership, and cultural power — not record sales alone.

This episode explores:

• Why Jay-Z redefined what winning after rap looks like

• How Dr. Dre built infrastructure, not just hits

• Ice Cube’s shift from artist to executive decision-maker

• Will Smith’s early escape from being boxed in

• 50 Cent’s mastery of attention and intellectual property

• The quiet dominance of LL Cool J and Queen Latifah

• And how Snoop Dogg turned personality into a business model

We also dig into:

• Why the DMV doesn’t get the credit it deserves in hip hop history

• What separates entertainers from builders

• And why some artists stay rich while others stay famous

This isn’t gossip.
It’s grown-man conversation about money, power, and legacy.

🎧 Listen, then build your own Top 5.00:00 Introduction to Mogul Rappers02:26 Common: From Rapper to Actor and Intellectual05:32 Snoop Dogg: The Coolest Brand in Hip Hop10:52 LL Cool J: The Master of Longevity13:36 Queen Latifah: Breaking Barriers in Entertainment16:59 Will Smith: The Fresh Prince of Hollywood20:40 Ice Cube: The Visionary Entrepreneur22:58 50 Cent: The Emperor of Petty27:21 Dr. Dre: The Sound Architect29:48 Jay-Z: Rap's First Billionaire33:13 The DMV: Hip Hop's Hidden Gem36:36 Top 5 Hip Hop Legends39:21 Final Thoughts and Viewer Interaction

Was T.I. vs Ludacris ever really a beef — or was it just competition done the right way?

On this episode of Grown Man Bars, Chad and Big Absoloot break down the catalogs round by round, putting T.I. and Ludacris head-to-head in a structured 9-round battle.

Each round focuses on a different lane:

• Early breakout records

• Hood vs club anthems

• Feature kills

• Bar-heavy deep cuts

• Emotional storytelling

• Cultural moment records

• Timeless classics

No hype. No revisionist history.
Just grown-man perspective, real disagreement, and respect for the era.

By the end, you decide who wins — because in hip hop, there are no ties.

00:00 Introduction and Initial Debate01:02 Welcome to Grown Man Bars01:50 Setting Up the Versus Battle03:00 The Kick Off05:54 Round 1: Hood Credibility vs. Club Credibility08:44 Round 2: The Hit Records10:51 Round 3: The Feature Kill14:36 Round 4: The Bar Fest15:14 Round 516:58 Round 6: Club Smash 19:53 Round 7: Emotional Moment22:39 Round 8: Cultural Moment25:58 Round 9: Timeless Tracks28:05 Final Thoughts

Round 1 — First Impression / Breakout Records

• Ludacris: What’s Your Fantasy
• T.I.: Rubber Band Man
Club formula vs Atlanta street identity — who introduced themselves better?

• T.I.: I’m the King
• Ludacris: Southern Hospitality
Locker-room energy vs worldwide chant — dominance vs movement.

• Ludacris: Stand Up
• T.I.: Whatever You Like
Radio saturation vs female-driven crossover appeal.

• T.I.: Swagger Like Us (with Jay-Z & Kanye)
• Ludacris: Stomp (feature verse)
Holding your own with giants vs stealing the whole record.

• Ludacris: War With God
• T.I.: ASAP
Cadence control vs nonstop punchlines — pure rap round.

• T.I.: 24’s
• Ludacris: Move B***
Rolling anthem vs chaos anthem — the floor vs the fight.

• T.I.: The Amazing Mr. F**up*
• Ludacris: Runaway Love (feat. Mary J. Blige)
Grown-man vulnerability vs social storytelling.

• Ludacris: Area Codes
• T.I.: Motivation
Catchphrases and hooks vs horns, hustle, and stadium energy.

• T.I.: Front Back (feat. UGK)
• Ludacris: Georgia (feat. Field Mob & Jamie Foxx)
Cookout classic vs Southern anthem.

Round 2 — Hood Credibility vs Club CredibilityRound 3 — Certified Hit RecordsRound 4 — Feature KillRound 5 — Bar FestRound 6 — Club SmashRound 7 — Storytelling & EmotionRound 8 — Cultural MomentRound 9 — Timeless Cut

90s hip hop laid the groundwork for everything that came after it — but who really bent the decade?

In this episode of Grown Man Bars, Chad and Big Absoloot break down their real top six MCs of the 90s based on impact, not sales:

• Ice Cube – the West Coast political hammer and war reporter

• Rakim – the lyricist who rewired the entire rhyme book

• Scarface – the Southern storyteller who put the South on his back

• Nas – the street poet who turned albums into movies

• Snoop Dogg – the cool gangster who made G-funk global

• Method Man – the gateway to Wu-Tang and king of the pockets

They lay out clear criteria — blueprint impact, cultural power, regional expansion, style innovation, and longevity — and argue why these six MCs changed rap forever.

BA drops an Absoloot Trooth segment on EPMD and the slow-flow blueprint, while Chad explains why after Illmatic, everybody spent a decade chasing their own “’Matic.”

If you’re a Gen X (or Gen X-adjacent) hip hop head who still rewinds verses in your head, this one’s for you.

Drop your six in the comments or reviews:

If you need more than six… that ain’t a list. You in your feelings.

00:00 Introduction to 90s Hip Hop

02:31 Setting the Criteria for Top MCs

04:15 Ice Cube: The West Coast Pioneer

07:08 Rakim: The Lyricism Innovator

10:55 Scarface: The Southern Storyteller

14:45 Nas: The Street Poet

16:47 Nas: Bridging the Gap Between Street and College

17:47 Nas's Dual Success in the 90s

18:42 The Influence of Illmatic

20:24 Snoop Dogg: The Cool Gangster

25:48 Method Man: The Gateway to Wu-Tang

29:22 EPMD: The Smooth Hardcore Pioneers

32:43 Top Six MCs of the 90s

33:33 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Most people talk about diss tracks like they’re memes. Funny moments, quick jabs, something to repost. But the real ones—the truly disrespectful ones—did more than win a beef. They changed careers. They shook regions. They rewired the power structure of hip hop.

In this episode of Grown Man Bars, I’m breaking down my five most disrespectful diss tracks ever and why they still matter:

• DJ Quik – “Dollaz & Sense” (surgical disrespect)
• Nas – “Ether” (a spiritual cleanse disguised as a diss)
• Ice Cube – “No Vaseline” (one-man firing squad)
• 2Pac – “Hit ’Em Up” (not just disrespectful—dangerous)
• Kendrick Lamar & Metro Boomin – “They Not Like Us” (a movement, not just a moment)

And then we go deeper, because the most devastating kill shot of this whole era wasn’t even a diss track at all. It was Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance—a live thesis on art, power, race, and what it means to stand above the game instead of just playing it.

This episode is for Gen X hip hop heads and anyone who still cares about what this music means, not just how it trends.

Drop your own Top 5 most disrespectful diss tracks, and tell me this:

After the Super Bowl, is Kendrick the most dangerous live performer in hip hop?

00:00 Introduction to Disrespectful Diss Tracks

00:30 Welcome to Grown Man Bars

01:15 Rules for Ranking Diss Tracks

02:09 DJ Quik's 'Dollars and Sense'

04:23 Nas's 'Ether'

06:51 Ice Cube's 'No Vaseline'

07:58 Tupac's 'Hit 'Em Up'

09:37 Kendrick Lamar's 'They Not Like Us'

11:43 Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Performance

15:19 Recap and Conclusion

Let’s stop pretending.
If you’re over 35, you’ve said it: “Rap fell off.”
But in this episode we’re putting the nostalgia goggles in the trash and grading hip hop before 2005 vs after 2005 with real criteria:

• Lyrics
• Production
• Cultural Reach

Chad and Big Absoloot break it down the only way grown hip hop heads can:

Rakim, Nas, Black Thought and 16-bar architecture vs Kendrick, Cole, Future, Wayne, Lupe, Killer Mike and the algorithm era.
Did lyricism die… or did we stop doing the work to find it?

Why post-2005 production might actually wash the golden era — even if we don’t want to admit it.
And how technology changed the way rappers create songs and the way we consume them.

Pre-2005: the Black American cultural earthquake.
Post-2005: the global takeover — from Wu-Tang in Asia to rap as protest music in Afghanistan.
Who really had more influence?

Chad breaks down one of the most surgically constructed verses of the 2000s to prove lyricism didn’t die — we just stopped listening as hard.

BA gives flowers to X Clan, Afrocentric hip hop, and the revolutionary energy that shaped a generation.

Trap, Illmatic, streaming, regional identity, and whether Gen-X can truly judge modern rap.

By the end of this episode, only one truth survives:
Either rap fell off… or we did.

If you’re a grown hip hop head who rewound cassettes with a pencil, hit follow and share this with somebody who still swears “rap died after 96.”

🔥 LYRICS: Golden Era Writers vs Modern Vibes🔥 PRODUCTION: Samples → Big Studio → Trap 808s🔥 CULTURAL IMPACT: Local Roots → Global Reach🎤 LYRICAL AUTOPSY — Kendrick Lamar (“Sing About Me”)✊ ABSOLOOT TROOTH — X CLAN🔥 BOOK IT OR COOK IT — Rapid-Fire Takes

00:00 Introduction: The Great Hip Hop Debate

00:50 Setting the Stage: Hip Hop Before and After 2005

02:56 The Lyrics: Golden Era vs. Modern Vibes

14:15 Production Evolution: From Samples to Trap

22:48 Lyrical Autopsy: Kendrick Lamar's Genius

25:50 Cultural Impact: Local Roots to Global Reach

27:53 Cultural Impact of Hip Hop: Pre and Post 2005

30:02 Snoop Dogg and Flavor Flav at the Olympics

31:04 The Evolution of Hip Hop and Its Global Influence

34:18 The Legacy of X Clan3

8:09 The Future of Hip Hop: Concerns and Predictions

42:38 The Role of Streaming and Playlists in Modern Hip Hop4

8:46 Book It or Cook It: Hip Hop Debates

51:49 Final Thoughts and Reflections

Who really ran 90s hip hop?
Grown Man Bars breaks down the decade coast by coast — East Coast (1990–1994), West Coast (1994–1997), and the South (1998–2000) — to finally crown the true winner of the 1990s rap era.

We dive deep into the golden era of New York lyricism (Nas, Biggie, Wu-Tang, Rakim, Tribe, De La, Big L), the West Coast G-Funk takeover (Dre, Snoop, Tupac, DJ Quik, Ice Cube, Death Row Records), and the rise of the South (OutKast, UGK, Scarface, Three 6 Mafia, Cash Money, No Limit, Dungeon Family).

From blueprint albums to regional dominance, culture-shifting movements, and the birth of trap, we lay out real criteria and real receipts to figure out once and for all:

Which coast owns the 90s?
Who set the tone, who ran the nation, and who built the dynasty?

This episode hits everything Gen-X hip hop heads love:
✔️ Lyrics
✔️ Production
✔️ Impact
✔️ Regional pride
✔️ Classic albums
✔️ Raw barbershop debate energy

Drop your top 5 albums from each era in the comments — only one coast walks away with the crown.

Grown Man Bars: No nostalgia goggles, no soft takes — just real hip hop.

00:00 Introduction: The Battle for the 90s Rap Crown

01:35 Setting the Stage: East Coast Dominance (1990-1994)

02:15 The Golden Era: New York's Reign

11:21 West Coast Takeover: G-Funk Era (1994-1997)

16:26 The Birth of the South: 1998-200018:08 

The South's Rise in Hip Hop

19:52 The Evolution of Southern Hip Hop

22:20 The Trap Era and Its Impact

25:37 Debating Hip Hop's Golden Eras

30:36 Iconic Rap Records: Ice Cube's 'It Was a Good Day'

33:45 Book It or Cook It: Hip Hop Debates

36:45 Conclusion and Viewer Engagement

Jay-Z said, “Nobody can stand on that stage with me.” Tonight we test it for real—Verzuz rules: 20 songs, 20 rounds. In classic barbershop fashion, Grown Man Bars lines up the catalog kings across eras and asks who actually has the ammo to beat Hov: LL Cool J, Nas, Ice Cube, Lil Wayne, Drake, Kendrick, Scarface, Rakim, Kane, KRS-One and more. We break down why 20-for-20 is a different sport than “best career,” how crowd, city, and sequencing decide close rounds, and why Wayne and Drake are Hov’s toughest modern matchups—while LL and Cube bring decades-deep problems.

Plus: Absolute Truth on Def Poetry Jam as hip hop’s bridge to spoken word; Lyrical Lockdown dissects LL’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” (don’t call it a comeback); Rap News (Kendrick off the Top 40, RIP Young Bleed, Jeezy’s 101-piece orchestra record); and Book It or Cook It lightning takes (DMX’s impact, Redman today, 1988’s importance, Dungeon Family vs the field).

Pull up a chair, Gen-X—we’re scoring it round by round.

Welcome back to Uncle Willie's Barbershop — where Gen-X hip hop heads still rewind with a pencil and argue like it’s ’96. Today, Chad (resident rap nerd) and Big Absoloot break down CeeLo Green — from Dungeon Family roots to Goodie Mob, solo “Soul Machine” brilliance, and global takeover with Gnarls Barkley. Why did his voice and versatility (yeah, take a shot every time we say it) make him one-of-one?

Then we get into the underrated battle rappers who never needed a record to be dangerous: AV (Shark City haymakers), Chilla Jones (the pen), DNA (longevity & adjustments), and the Bar God Danny Myers (do-it-all chameleon). Chad also nerds out with a Lyrical Lockdown on Tech N9ne’s “Worldwide Choppers” — triple cadence shifts, breath control, internal rhyme stacks — why that verse is controlled chaos done right. BA brings The Absoloot Truth on Queen Latifah: crown, U.N.I.T.Y., and a career that turned royalty into mogul. We close with Book It or Cook It: Neptunes vs Timbaland in the 2000s, Reasonable Doubt vs Ready to Die, producer-led debuts shaping eras, and whether post-2005 rap is “different but not better.”

Tap Follow, Save this episode to your library, and Share with the one friend who swears ’94 washes every year. Who you got?

Chapters
0:00 Welcome + Message to a friend
3:10 CeeLo Green — The Soul Machine (Dungeon Family → Gnarls)
17:45 CeeLo’s voice = a weapon (hooks, sermons, and switches)
28:30 Goodie Mob without CeeLo — why it felt one-note
36:20 Underrated Battle Rappers: AV, Chilla, DNA, Danny Myers
57:10 URL/KOTD eras, punchers, and pen talk
1:07:40 Lyrical Lockdown: Tech N9ne “Worldwide Choppers”
1:18:25 The Absoloot Truth: Queen Latifah’s reign
1:28:10 Book It or Cook It (Neptunes vs Timbaland, RD > RTD?)
1:41:50 Wrap-up + Call to Action

What’s CeeLo’s single most underrated moment — verse, hook, or performance?

Grown Man Bars (Chad & Big Absoloot) dive into the golden era of rap soundtracks—from Krush Groove and Wild Style to Above the Rim, Menace II Society, Belly, and the Straight Outta Compton score. We break down why 1988–1996 changed hip hop, how soundtracks launched careers, why labels (Def Jam, Death Row, Loud) used them as hit factories, and why the streaming era killed the format. Then: Book It or Cook It on producer legacies (Mannie Fresh, Organized Noize, Mike Dean, Pimp C, T-Pain, Lil Jon) vs DJ Premier & The Alchemist; Rakim’s impact on the 16-bar blueprint; Jay-Z’s 98–03 run; and whether The Source 5-Mic system did more damage than the Grammys. We salute Digable Planets (cool like that), react to Havoc’s “hip hop is a contact sport,” talk Nas and the Super Bowl, Bun B’s new project, the Rolling Stone x Vibe merger, and the Paid in Full Foundation honoring Kool G Rap & Grand Puba. It’s barbershop talk for Gen-X rap heads—no industry speak, just grown man truth.

Grown Man Bars dives into 1996 in hip hop—a year stacked with all-timer albums and larger-than-life moments. We unpack how Tupac’s Death Row run turned him into a myth, why ’96 vs ’06 might be a draw if you only judge the pen, and how Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown rewired mainstream expectations from Brooklyn.

In this episode

• Album wave: All Eyez on Me, The Score, Reasonable Doubt, It Was Written, ATLiens, Ridin’ Dirty, Beats, Rhymes and Life, Ironman, Hell on Earth, Muddy Waters, Hard Core, Ill Na Na, and more.

• Absolute Trooth: Kim vs Foxy—different lanes, same destination: power, respect, history.

• Era vs Era: 1996 lyricism vs 2006 (Dedication 2, King, Hell Hath No Fury, Food & Liquor, Fishscale, Donuts).

• Book It or Cook It: Is 1996 the GOAT year? Did Dre’s producer tree shape modern rap more than any other camp? Does ghostwriting matter if the record is a classic?

Notes & shout-outs

• Personal RIP to Reggie—love to the neighborhood crews.

• Remembering D’Angelo and his cultural impact.

Call to action
If you’re a cassette-with-a-pencil alum, follow the show, rate us 5 stars, and share your Top-5 from 1996. Hit us on YouTube for visuals and comment debates.

00:00 Introduction and Nostalgia

01:17 Remembering Reggie

02:10 1996: A Year in Hip Hop

06:09 Brooklyn's Finest: Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown

11:44 Era vs Era: Lyricism Showdown

14:41 Red Man and the 1996 Hip Hop Scene

15:17 The Evolution of Lyricism in Hip Hop

19:29 The Influence of Southern Hip Hop

21:27 Recent Rap News and Tributes

24:45 Book It or Cook It: Hip Hop Debates

29:16 Conclusion and Sign Off

Run-DMC x Aerosmith changed the game. Tonight we unpack the true story behind “Walk This Way,” how MTV turned rap from underground to unavoidable, and why crossovers—from Fat Boys & Chubby Checker to Jay-Z & Linkin Park, Nelly & Tim McGraw, and Lil Nas X—keep reshaping the culture. Plus: BA’s Absolute Truth, a Lyrical Autopsy of “Peter Piper,” our Top 5 Hip Hop Crossovers, and a quick rap news rundown.

Chop it up with the old heads in the barbershop—Grown Man Bars. Smash that like & subscribe so we can hit that 1K! 💈🎤

⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Cold Open & Banter (one-year of GMB)
03:10 Book It or Cook It: Did Run-DMC make rap mainstream?
12:40 The Making of “Walk This Way” (Rick Rubin, Tyler & Perry, studio story)
22:55 BA’s Absolute Truth: The Fat Boys’ underrated crossover impact
29:10 Other Classic Crossovers (PE x Anthrax, LL “I Need Love,” Beastie Boys, Jay-Z x Linkin Park)
38:25 Era vs Era: Pre-MTV underground vs Post-MTV brand power
46:40 Lyrical Autopsy: Run-DMC — “Peter Piper” (1986)
55:20 Top 5 Hip Hop Crossovers (our list & debate)
1:04:10 “What the F***” Segment: Pitchfork’s Top 100 takes
1:12:00 Quick News: Wu-Tang tour wrap, Nas & Dre event, headlines
1:16:30 Your Turn: Drop your Top 5 crossovers

🎯 What you’ll get
• The real origin of “Walk This Way” and why DMC almost said “nah”
• How MTV visual branding (Adidas, buckets, ropes) flipped rap’s trajectory
• Why some “pop” collabs actually protected the culture’s longevity
• Bar-for-bar breakdown of “Peter Piper” (recontextualization, chain rhymes, Jam Master Jay’s role)

🗣️ Join the debate
What’s the greatest crossover in hip hop history? Put your Top 5 in the comments (and bring receipts).

Mixtapes built more legends than radio. Chad & Big Absoloot unpack the mixtape economy that beat the industry: 50 Cent’s rise, DJ Drama’s Gangsta Grillz, DJ Clue, K Slay, Green Lantern, Dipset, Jeezy’s Trap or Die, Big KRIT, Wiz Khalifa’s Kush & OJ, Fabolous, J. Cole’s Friday Night Lights, Meek Mill Dreamchasers. We debate Lil Wayne’s Dedication/No Ceilings vs the Carter albums, perform a Lyrical Autopsy of Pimp C’s “High Life,” and run Era vs Era (2000s mixtape circuit vs modern streaming) before naming our Top 5 greatest mixtapes.

00:00 Introduction and Greetings

00:45 High School Memories and House Parties

02:31 The Mixtape Era in Hip Hop

03:36 50 Cent's Rise Through Mixtapes

05:29 Early Mixtape DJs and Their Impact

11:12 The Influence of Mixtapes on Regional Hip Hop

14:19 Lyrical Autopsy: Pimp C's Verse from 'High Life'

22:07 Discussion on Lil Wayne's Mixtape Legacy

27:59 The Mixtape Era: A New Millennium

28:58 2000s Mixtape Circuit vs. Modern Streaming

29:25 The Decline of Album Construction

31:46 The Role of Executive Producers

34:41 Greatest Mixtapes of All Time

39:26 Book It or Cook It: Hip Hop Debates

42:19 Hip Hop News and Updates

44:42 Conclusion: The Evolution of Mixtape Culture

Chad (your favorite rap nerd) and Big Absoloot pull up the barber chairs to answer a simple question with a messy history: did the South take over rap—and did it ever give the crown back? We trace the shift from ’88 foundations to the 1995 Source Awards “South got something to say” moment, then ride through the club/strip club/skating-rink circuit that broke records across Atlanta, Houston, New Orleans, Memphis and beyond. We get into crunk’s explosion, chopped & screwed’s influence, the rise of trap, and how moguls like Master P, Cash Money, Rap-A-Lot and Suave House built systems that moved the whole culture.

Plus: the Absolute Truth on why crunk unified the South, the real story behind UGK on “Big Pimpin’,” and an Era-vs-Era showdown—2005 South vs 1995 East. We close with our Shop Top 5 greatest Southern MCs (Face, Wayne, 3 Stacks…and some spicy picks).

Chapters
0:00 Cold open & banter
5:10 From ’88 to ’94: setting the stage
12:40 1995 Source Awards & Andre’s moment
20:30 How the South breaks records: park, strip, rink
30:05 Crunk & chopped/screwed change the game
39:50 Labels, moguls & “farm systems”
48:20 The “Big Pimpin’” UGK/Jay-Z story
55:00 Era vs Era: 2005 South vs 1995 East
1:05:00 Shop Top 5 Southern MCs
1:14:00 Wrap & next week’s teaser (Mixtape Era)

If you’re rocking with the show, follow, rate ★★★★★, and drop your Top 5 Southern MCs in the Q&A. New episodes every Friday. 🎙️💈

1994 changed everything. In this episode of Grown Man Bars, Chad and Big Absoloot break down why 1994 is the most important year in hip hop history. From Nas’ Illmatic and Biggie’s Ready to Die to Outkast putting the South on the map, 1994 was the year rap went global. East Coast, West Coast, and the Dirty South all dropped classics that shaped the culture, while MTV and worldwide tours took hip hop from the streets to the world stage. Tap in for the stories, the music, and the legacy of the year that made hip hop a global movement.

00:00 Introduction

00:52 The Impact of 1988 on Rap

01:13 The Significance of 1994 in Hip-Hop

03:56 Top Albums of 1994

08:25 Fashion and Cultural Influence of Hip-Hop

11:45 The Absoloot Trooth

12:15 The Absolute Truth: Warren G and Def Jam

17:51 Lyrical Autopsy: Andre 3000's Genius

20:41 Talking That Shit: Illmatic vs. Ready to Die

27:08 Shop Top Fives: Best Debut Albums

29:01 Debating the Top Five Albums

29:51 MC Lyte's Impactful Debut3

0:53 Feeding the Baby Birds: Top Debut Albums

33:54 Forgotten Kings and Queens: 1994's Hidden Gems

39:14 Final Thoughts and Community Shoutouts

The summer of 1988 wasn’t just another season — it was the moment rap music grew into hip hop culture as we know it today. In just 90 days, the genre went from underground blocks to global stages.

Join Chad (the resident rap nerd) and Big Absoloot (the OG with first-hand knowledge) as they break down why ’88 is still called the greatest year in rap history.

We’re talking:

• Rakim’s “Follow the Leader” and the new rules of lyricism

• Public Enemy’s “It Takes a Nation of Millions” shaking up politics and sound

• Slick Rick’s storytelling blueprint that every MC stole from

• KRS-One’s Grammy protest vs. Will Smith’s big win

• How these albums and moments created the foundation for 90s rap dominance

This isn’t nostalgia — this is the origin story of rap’s empire, told barbershop style, with laughs, debates, and raw respect for the craft.

💈 Grown Man Bars — Where hip hop history lives.

Some rappers got the spotlight, others got forgotten. In this episode of Grown Man Bars, Chad and BA pull up the barber chairs to salute the underrated MCs of the 80s and 90s — the ones who had bars, impact, and style, but never got their flowers.

We’re talking AZ, MC Ren, K-Solo, Vin Rock, Fife Dawg, Masta Ace, Craig G, Lord Finesse, Grand Puba, Mr. Cheeks, Young Bleed, and more. These are the voices that defined the golden era from the shadows.

If you grew up with the tapes, this one’s for you. If you didn’t, consider this a history lesson in slept-on greatness.

What happened to the story in hip-hop? On this episode of Grown Man Bars, Chad and Big Absoloot break down the greatest storytellers in rap history – from the Golden Era to today. We’re talking Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story,” Nas’ “Undying Love,” Ghostface’s “Shakey Dog,” Ice Cube’s “Ghetto Vet,” Scarface’s “Mind Playing Tricks on Me,” and even J. Cole’s “Lights Please.”

We dig into what makes a great rap storyteller – vivid imagery, emotional honesty, lyrical structure – and why some MCs like Pharoahe Monch are criminally underrated. We debate whether Nas is truly the GOAT of rap storytelling or just the default answer, why Scarface might actually be #1, and how J. Cole carries the Golden Era torch in today’s rap climate.

If you love hip-hop history, lyricism, and Golden Era nostalgia, this one’s for you. Two Gen X rap heads, keeping it barbershop real about the art of the story in rap.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:48 Shoutout to Black Writers Weekend

01:53 The Decline of Storytelling in Hip Hop

03:51 Slick Rick: The Golden Era Storyteller

07:44 Nas: The Street Poet16:05 Ghostface Killah: The Poetic Fragmenter

18:09 Ice Cube: The Cinematic Storyteller

20:01 Underrated Storytellers: J. Cole, Scarface, and Pharoahe Monch

28:06 Conclusion and Call to Action

How Public Enemy's 'It Takes a Nation' Redefined Hip Hop | Grown Man BarsWelcome back to the Barbershop with Grown Man Bars, where Chad and Big Absoloot dive deep into the impact of Public Enemy's groundbreaking album 'It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.' This episode celebrates and examines how the 1988 album brought political consciousness to hip hop, changed the industry's perception of the genre, and influenced major rap artists like Nas and Kendrick Lamar. From the album's powerful sound produced by the Bomb Squad to its global resonance, Chad and Absoloot break down why this album was a pivotal moment in hip hop history. 🎤00:00 Welcome to Grown Man Bars00:38 Diving into the Titan Submersible Incident01:43 Public Enemy's Impact on Hip Hop08:42 The Sound of 'It Takes a Nation of Millions'10:25 The Legacy of Public Enemy13:33 1988: A Landmark Year in Hip Hop16:22 Closing Thoughts and Viewer Engagement

What Was the Best Rap Album of 2000?In this episode of Grown Man Bars, Chad and B.A. dive into the iconic rap albums of the year 2000. They discuss standout records like Ja Rule's 'Rule 3:36', The Lox's 'We Are the Streets', Outkast's 'Stankonia', Ludacris's 'Back for the First Time', and Eight Ball & MJG's 'Space Age 4eva'. The hosts explore the influence and legacy of these albums, reminiscing about the unique sounds and unforgettable tracks that defined an era. This is the first part of a two-part series dedicated to celebrating the best hip hop albums from 2000.00:00 Best Rap Album of 2000 Introduction00:58 Podcast Announcements and Introductions01:31 Discussing the Best Rap Albums of 200003:14 Ja Rule's Dominance in 200004:50 The Lox and 'We Are the Streets'07:43 Xzibit's 'Restless' Album09:51 Outkast's 'Stankonia' Impact12:22 Ludacris' 'Back for the First Time'16:35 Eight Ball and MJG's 'Space Age 4eva'19:24 Mystikal's 'Let's Get Ready'