A tightly-framed headshot of Joakim Noah is the very first result you get when you do a Google image search for “French Montana +NBA.”  I’m not sure what formulas or algorithms Google’s software employs to return these results, but that seems about right to me.  Now I can’t recall hearing Frenchie ever make reference to the Bulls’ center, but a peculiar pattern I’ve noticed leads me to believe that it would be bad news for the big man if he did.

By now, had the amount of time I’ve spent listening to coke rap and sports talk radio been channeled into Rosetta Stone or even Muzzy, I would easily be fluent in enough languages to guarantee a position at the UN. That sort of thinking can be devastating at times, so instead I focus on flimsy conspiracy theories and minor coincidences.  With that disclaimer, I present this thesis:  French Montana is the Madden Curse of professional basketball.

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Hard to believe, but yesterday marked the one year anniversary of For All Masters!  Since the very first post featured an interview with Snaggapuss of the Bounce Squad, it felt timely to revisit my favorite verse of his.  If you’ve been here from the beginning, you may remember I actually played this freestyle for Snagg during our conversation. Well I thought you all deserved to hear this classic verse in a slightly better sound quality than played over my iPhone on a 128 kbps podcast.  Plus, I threw in that Budda Marination verse you’ve all been clamoring for.  Thank you to everyone for listening, surely appreciated!

Snaggapuss - The Promise Freestyle (Feat. Budda Marination)

Back at you with another conversation with one of rap’s most illustrious producers!  Dame Grease made a name for himself right out of the gate as the man behind some of the biggest rap records of the late ’90s.  He looks back on how it all started, from “If You Think I’m Jiggy” to “Get at Me Dog” and the landmark It’s Dark and Hell is Hot album.  Dame talks about his experiences working with the likes of Slick Rick, French Montana and even Tricky!  Plus, he updates us on the status of Max B and DMX.  Something for everybody in this interview, not one to miss!

Download the Interview Here

Have we not talked about Papoose yet?  I made a mental note of dude when I first heard him in ‘98, on “Thug Connection” alongside Kool G Rap & AZ.  But like Jesus as a teenager, there’s a mysterious silence surrounding the period between then and his next appearance on Kay Slay’s Addicted to Beef (no homo) 6 years later.  Not to compare him to our savior or anything; although Busta Rhymes did once state that Pap has “a cult following, that worship the ground the young God walk on.”  Nevertheless, I distinctly recall doing a double-take when I saw his name on that tracklist in 2004. All it took was one listen to this freestyle to confirm that this was definitely the same cat Giancana introduced to the world.  I mean, what would be the odds 2 rappers would actually choose to call themselves that? 

Papoose - Threat Freestyle

New York City and beyond!  Do you miss the days when every mixtape was guaranteed to have at least 3 cuts from The Firm album?  How do some slightly sped up tracks from the clean version of In My Lifetime Vol.1 sound right about now? Or maybe you’ve never heard the Bobby Brown/Marley Marl/Tragedy Khadafi collaboration before? Whatever your individual needs are, this tape is guaranteed to put you in that ‘97 mentality.  All that, plus an exclusive Rawcotiks freestyle to close things out!  One side only, what up Tape!

Download D Demo - Money Talks 2 (Side A)