Call Out Culture

Recorded just before Game 1 of the OKC vs. Indiana matchup, check in with Thunder superfan Curly Castro on how and why his boys should secure the chip while Willie Green weighs in on a post-Coach Thibs future in NYC and Zilla seeks guidance on who the Sixers should draft at #3!

You can find all things Willie Green here:

This week we go back to the 1990s and get our dance on. We are joined by noted bracketologists Deep from 2 Hungry Bros, Jesse the Tree, Milc and a late appearance by bracket legend Alex Ludovico. Join us as we work our way through the sweat and ecstasy drenched memories of a better time.

This week we are bringing back the listener mailbag. We had a slew of questions from our patreon subscribers and our twitter and insta followers.

Castro is traveling but makes a valiant effort to chime in despite connectivity issues.

If you want to hear full episodes it is $1 a month at our patreon:

Never on schedule but always on time! Ball Out Culture is back with the honorable Willie Green and COC legend Jesse the Tree to talk potential Conference Finals matchups, the shocker of Dallas getting the #1 pick in the 2025 draft, and more!
*Note: this episode was recorded before the results of Knicks vs. Celtics Game 6.

You can find all things Willie Green here:

This week we brought on Sean Kantrowitz of the Making Illmatic podcast to discuss the Beastie Boys album Ill Communication. Once again we subjected Sean to the darkness by subverting the concept of his show. Instead of picking 10 songs of a bloated album to make the best version of said album, we picked the 10 worst songs, to make the worst version of the album.

It's Tournament Time! This week we tackle the monumental task of figuring out which hip hop movie soundtrack is the best hip hop movie soundtrack with help from our friends Alex Ludovico, Eff Yoo and MidaZ the BEAST.

You asked for it and you got it! The Wrestlemania 41/Monday Night Raw recap!

Once again we are joined by Deep from 2 Hungry Bros and Marcus Pinn to give our overall impression of mania, the best and worst moments of night 1 and 2, the biggest surprise, and biggest disappointment. Then we jump into our recap of the Raw after mania and discuss where we think things will go from here.

Gang Starr Foundation month comes to a close with our episode focusing on the featured production and remix work of DJ Premier! We discuss what made Premier so special during his epic run, we do some blind box action for his later less heralded work and the episode culminates with a bracket to find the best Premier feature/remix beat from 1990-1999.

We are joined by stand up comedian and hip hop trivia master Jim Search.

Call Out Culture Wrestling is back with a preview of this weekend's 2 night Wrestlemania extravaganza. Join us as Alaska, Deep from 2 Hungry Bros, Jason Griff and Marcus Pinn review the card as well as a slew of wildcard topics.

Gang Starr Foundation month continues! This week we are joined by Blockhead to discuss the 1994 Group Home classic Livin' Proof.

We discuss why the album is so beloved, whether or not the level of MCing hurt the project and we are joined by CHATCOC (see what I did there) for a round of AI generated Group Home related "Would you rather" questions.

We continue the GangStarr Foundation Month talking about one of the most incredible albums of 1994: Jeru the Damaja's "The Run Rises in the East" with first time guest Rob Cave (fka Spec Boogie) of Lessondary Crew!
We discuss the unorthodox beats from Premier that differed from his work with Guru, the unmistakable flows from Jeru, the unforgettable videos, and then unhinged rants on foods with gooey centers, the improbable success of Logic, and all of the revisions The Source made over the years to their 5 Mic ratings!

This week we are joined by PremRock to discuss his amazing new album "Did You Enjoy Your Time Here...?" and to dig into the high points and the low points in the Gangstarr discography.

We are joined by Ben Pedroche of Grown Up Rap and author of "Independent as Fuck" to do our latest fantasy draft, picking our favorite indie rappers of all time and placing them on records labels (both major and indie) to create the best alternate careers! Would RA the Rugged Man, Vordul Mega, and Tame One thrive in the major label system? Who goes to Def Jux, Backwoodz Studioz, and Rawkus? Tap in and find out!

Our first certified mixtape on Used Records is an opus from G-Unit brought to you by Mark of Top Shelf Premium, an elite mover-and-shaker in the NYC indie scene AND the vintage fashion space for over 10 years!

It's tourney time! This week we gathered noted bracketologists Alex Ludovico, Jason Griff and Sam Hoyas from the band Playing Dead/Red River Podcast to figure out what the best hair metal song of all time is.

This week we hosted a movie watch along for the 1985 hip hop classic Rappin, fka Rappin Hood, starring Mario Van Peebles in the title role!

We are joined by the illustrious font of movie knowledge Marcus Pinn.

This week the gang revisits Lil Wayne's and Juelz Santana's legendary lost mixtape I Can't Feel My Face.

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This week we are joined by Mic King and Antwan Staley who is the NY Jets beat reporter for the Daily News for our Rocafella Recods Fantasy Draft.

Each member of our panel will draft one Rocafella Records song for the following categories:
Solo songs (1 from each artist)
Jay
Beans
Freeway
Cam'Ron
Kanye
Memphis Bleek

Best Just Blaze beat (from a roc album)

Rocafella Posse cut song (min of 3 members of roc) 

Roc artist guest feature in a non Roc album

Scarface feature on a roc song 

Let us know who you think picked the best roster!

This week we are joined by legendary bracketologist Jesse the Tree and first time Bracket walker Yak Ballz for the Sub-genre Olympics! What are the Sub-genre Olympics? It is the latest in bracket technology in which each conference is its very own sub-genre. In this inaugaral Sub-genre Olympics we explore the greats of early 2000's garage rock, one hit wonders, new jack swing/early 90s R&B and artists that young Alaska had a crush on.
Tune in to find out who will earn a spot in the eventual tournament of tournaments - Tournamania!

Castro and Zilla check-in now that the most ludicrous and jampacked NBA trade deadline in history has officially passed! Topics include The Luka Trade, why Jason Kidd is a snake, the continued OKC disrespect, Kyle Kuzma as a Buck (LOL), Kings and Bulls making moves and non-moves, and more!

For exclusive content and all sort of perks support our patreon:

This week we are joined by Kevin Beacham and Doseone to discuss the history of the Scribble Jam festival which was one of the largest hip hop festivals of the late 90s and early 2000s.

ALASKA and Zilla look back at the nominees and winners at The 2000 Source Awards and try to guess the winners of each category. You'll hear how many snubs peak Jay-Z received, the obligatory Cash Money nominees when they first took over the industry, the guaranteed payola from Aftermath/Interscope Records, and many more Y2K albums, singles, and groups that were a real indicator of the culture!

For exclusive content and all sort of perks support our patreon:

We kicked off 2025 with our year end mailbag for 2024! The fellas discuss favorite rap albums, best catalog discoveries, books we enjoyed the most, best personal realizations, favorite sports moments, illest plates of food, and more highlights at the request of our dutiful listeners!

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This week we are joined by Eddie Meeks for the Now That's What I Call Call Out Culture Fantasy Draft, in which we each create out own version of a Now That's What I Call Music compilation!

This week Castro is on the road and Zilla and Alaska decided to talk movies and offer up an in depth discussion on HBO's Yacht Rock documentary and the Clerks trilogy.

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For our third episode in the Scarface series we explore 2002's The Fix and we are joined with our dear friends Alex Ludovico and Defcee

It is spooky season and we are proud to present the Best Horror Movie Bracket. We are joined by our friends Fatboi Sharif, PremRock and Sam Hoyos from the band Playing Dead and the Red River Podcast.

You can find Sharif here:

It's tournament time! This week are sorting through the history of rap to figure out who dropped the greatest debut album of all time. We are joined with legendary panelists Blockhead, Eddie Meeks and Milc.
As you listen, the Frankenberry artwork will make sense.

You can find our guests at the links below:

This week the boys dig into the career of the diggity Das Efx.

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This week we dig into the career of 1980's hip hop wunderkid Special Ed.

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Fresh off its 15th year anniversary, the gang talk Raekwon's sequel to our pick for best album in rap history (non-corporate list edition) with MidaZ the Beast and Defcee, high definition rhymers and master disciples of all things Wu-Tang. Does this album hold up? Was 2009 secretly the WORST year in rap? Is RZA to praise or blame for the Cuban Linx canon? Find out NOW!

This week we are joined by Steel Tipped Dove to discuss Reverberations of a Dead Man's Ego to discuss his new record with our very own Alaska! Other topics include: face tattoos on school officials, Linkin Park's revamped lineup, the consciousness of Pause Culture, and Eminem's new cool raps on the LL Cool J album! Tap in!

You can get the vinyl for Reverberations of a Dead Man's Ego here:

This week, we’re blasting back to 2000 with Screwball's wild ride, "Y2K." We’re diving headfirst into the Tunnel-approved beats and unapologetic rhymes that made this album a minor classic before the new century even had a chance to screw up. It's a no-holds-barred breakdown of why these tracks still bump from Zilla, ALASKA, and Dan O and why "Y2K" might just be the best rap time capsule you didn’t know you needed!

For exclusive content and all sort of perks support our patreon:

This week we are joined by luminaries in the field of smooth - Chris Maestro, Jesse the Tree, Eddie Meeks and SteelTippedDove to once and for all determine which Yacht Rock banger is the smoothest of them all!

This week we talk about our favorite closing verses off all-time.

Call Out Culture Wrestling is back! Today we recap the 2024 Summer Slam and the Raw that followed. We are joined by everyone's favorite DJ, Marcus Pinn.

This week we talk about our favorite opening verses off all-time. Opening Verses Playlist here:

And we're back with one of our longest episodes to date celebrating the Top 5 Anti-Corporate Rap Albums Ever! We talk about Tribe, Mobb Deep, De La Soul, Public Enemy, Wu-Tang, and some shocking selections that you WILL NOT EXPECT!

For exclusive content and all sort of perks support our patreon:

Alaska and Myke C-Town discuss the highly contentious season of the latest Star Wars television series The Acolyte and dip their toes into upcoming horror movies.

When normies all pick Illmatic, Blueprint, The Chronic, and Miseducation of Lauryn Hill as the best rap albums ever, we go the other way and give each our personal lists for the 10 greatest rap albums with our own criteria: autobiographical impact, albums at least 10+ years old, overlooked pioneers that influenced decades of work, and breakthrough technical achievements that Billboard, Apple, and Rolling Stone never highlight!

For exclusive content and all sort of perks support our patreon:

DJ Chong Wizard stops by on Used Records to talk about the excessively packaged 1997 album from CRU "Da Dirty 30" which included 30 TRACKS and features from The Lox, Ras Kass, Black Rob, and Slick Rick!

It's tournament time again! This week we are joined by Alex Ludovico and friend of the pod Seaforeex.

You can find the Call Out Culture Nü Metal Playlist here:

In this electrifying episode, we dive into the dynamic duo of SHARPKNEL in their epic journey of crafting their latest opus "Nobody Planning to Leave" alongside first time guest Controller 7!

 From the very first beat to the final mix, hear how Shrapknel meshed with Controller7's sonic sorcery to create a symphony that would make Prince Paul and De La Soul jealous!

ALASKA and Zilla take it back to 2007 after rewatching VH1's "The White Rapper Show" with MC Serch, John Brown (Hallelujah Holla Back!), $hamrock, G- Child (number 1 fan of Vanilla Ice), Persia (who said the N Word AND pulled out a dildo), and Jus Rhyme (the original anti-racist grifter). Blockhead and MILC swing by to talk Best Rapper of the bunch, Best Hang Out, how uncomfortable NORE was, and why Serch kept saying "Ma". This is a new classic Call Out Culture episode!

You can find all things Blockhead here:

This week we are joined by Hangar 18 (our very own Alaska, paWL and Windnbreez) to discuss their debut album on Def Jux, the Multiplatinum Debut Album which was released. 20 years ago on 6/15/2004.