The Cipher

We have a very special episode of Outside the Lines With Rap Genius for you. It’s been one year almost to the day since Kendrick Lamar’s instant classic good kid, m.A.A.d city was released, and RG’s …

This episode, author Adam Mansbach (Go the Fuck to Sleep, Rage Is Back) returns to the show to talk about his new book, a thriller called The Dead Run. He’s joined by Chicago poet Kevin Coval who, in…

This show, we bring you Umar bin Hassan of The Last Poets. Umar is a long-running and key member of the legendary group, and we talk to him about everything he’s seen. From his youthful adventures as…

To celebrate fifty episodes of Outside the Lines With Rap Genius, we’re bringing you a very special best-of show. Hear the most fascinating moments of our first fifty episodes. Guests include Nas, RZ…

This episode, we have a talk with one of hip-hop’s first superstars - Guy Williams, better known as Rahiem (of all the ladies’ dreams), from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The Five took thei…

This episode, we bring you an interview with writer T.M. Wolf. Wolf is the author of Sound, one of the most awesome novels we’ve seen in years. Check out an excerpt, annotated by the author, on Rap G…

This episode, we bring you a talk with one of our favorite up-and-coming emcees, Awkword. This rapper and activist doesn’t just talk about social issues — he has an extensive history of social activi…

This episode, we talk to Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Ron Isley of the Isley Brothers. Ron and his brothers got their start singing together in the late 1940s, but had their first giant hit with 1959’…

This episode, we talk to hip-hop impresario Michael Holman. Holman was instrumental in bringing the burgeoning culture in Uptown NYC in the late 1970s — the breakdancers, the DJs, the rappers, and t…

This episode, we bring you a career-spanning conversation with DJ, radio personality, and comedian Cipha Sounds. Ciph is best known for his on-air position at NYC’s Hot 97 but, as you’ll hear, he’s h…

This episode, we talk to Bill Adler. Bill is best-known for his time as director of publicity for Def Jam and Rush Management from 1984-1990. During that period, he helped to guide the careers of s…

This week, we bring you a convo with Michael P. Jeffries, author of Paint the White House Black: Barack Obama and the Meaning of Race in America, a fascinating examination of how we think about race …

This episode, we talk to R.A. the Rugged Man. The underground hip-hop legend has been making great music (and pissing off record labels!) since the 1990s. We talked to him about his brutally honest l…

This episode, we talk to Milk Dee. Along with his brother Giz, they formed the Audio Two, an influential duo whose biggest hit, “Top Billin’,” has been sampled or interpolated by pretty much every ra…

This all-Louisiana-everything episode has two special conversations from South by Southwest. First, we talk to Mystikal, and go through his whole trip from his early days in New Orleans to stardom to…

This week, we talk to hip-hop comedy duo Eric and Jeff Rosenthal, better known as ItsTheReal. The brothers began by making hilarious sketch comedy videos, moved on to podcasting, and now have just re…

This week, we talk to one of our favorite rising stars, Brooklyn rapper Sene.  His first big leap into notoriety was with 2009’s A Day Late & A Dollar Short, a collaborative album with Blu.  That was…

This episode, we talk to DJ and producer Mr. Len. Len is best known for his work with underground rap heroes Company Flow. In addition to his DJ duties there, he also has two superb solo projects to …

This week, we talk to author Adam Mansbach. While Mansbach is best-known for the satirical childrens book Go the Fuck to Sleep, his novels like Angry Black White Boy and The End of the Jews examine s…

This week, we have a conversation with A&R man, producer, and all-around Renaissance man Dante Ross. Ross has had an instrumental role in the careers of acts like Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Busta Rhymes, Bra…