Hip Hop World Cup

In the final episode of this series, we’re giving The Notorious B.I.G.’s 1997 double album Life After Death a Play-Off post-mortem to decide which of its two discs is the best.

Life After Death is Biggie’s second and final album, released a mere 16 days after his murder, and continues right where his revered debut Ready To Die left off. The beats are smoother, the hooks are catchier and the suits are shinier, but does Big Poppa’s brand of street-smart lyricism still blow us away?

Recorded live at a special event to celebrate Biggie’s life and work – attended by an all-star line-up of hip-hop greats, as well as P. Diddy – this episode sees us diving deep into B.I.G.’s bloated blockbuster and work out if it’s a misfire or masterpiece.

Also, stay tuned until the end as we attempt something that’s never been done before in the history of British podcasting. Don’t miss this one!

About HIP HOP WORLD CUP: THE PLAY OFFS  

It's the podcast that pits golden-age rap albums against each other in a fight for sonic supremacy! 

In each episode, die-hard hip-hop heads Danny, James and Steve rate and debate two albums from rap music’s golden era (’88-‘96) to decide which one is best. 

Using the patented TruSkore™ system, tracks are assigned numerical values – ‘ratings’ if you will – which the trio will use as a guide. 

After the hosts vote for their favourite album, the winning LP claims the coveted Hip Hop World Cup tie and blazer badge combination pack and a trophy made of solid plastic. 

This podcast is brought to you by TruSkore™, the world’s number one music evaluation system. 

 ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE NOW ON YOUR PODCAST APP OF CHOICE: 

In our first episode of 2024, we take a trip back to the early noughties for a battle of the backpack rap classics!

We put ‘Question in the Form of an Answer’ by People Under The Stairs (2000) up against J-Live’s debut album ‘The Best Part’ (2001) to decide which takes home the HHWC trophy.

Widely regarded as two of the new millennium’s best hip-hop LPs, they helped usher in a new age of beat-making and rhyme-saying, bringing a fresh forward-thinking approach to the familiar tropes and traditions of hip-hop’s golden age.

It’s a departure from our usual early-to-mid-90s milieu but these two albums are heavily influenced by (and some even recorded during) hip-hop’s golden age so we figured they were perfect candidates for the Hip Hop World Cup arena.  

But here’s The Best Part – we are now officially the only hip-hop podcast to be monitored by VAR technology, which should ensure that none of our opinions are ‘clear and obvious errors’ (in theory anyway).

So sit back and strap in – this is one that PUTS and J-Live fans won’t want to miss. About HIP HOP WORLD CUP: THE PLAY OFFS  

It's the podcast that pits golden-age rap albums against each other in a fight for sonic supremacy! 

In each episode, die-hard hip-hop heads Danny, James and Steve rate and debate two albums from rap music’s golden era (’88-‘96) to decide which one is best. 

Using the patented TruSkore™ system, tracks are assigned numerical values – ‘ratings’ if you will – which the trio will use as a guide. 

After the hosts vote for their favourite album, the winning LP claims the coveted Hip Hop World Cup tie and blazer badge combination pack and a trophy made of solid plastic. 

This podcast is brought to you by TruSkore™, the world’s number one music evaluation system. 

 
ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE NOW ON YOUR PODCAST APP OF CHOICE: 

In this epic episode (epicsode?), it’s all earz on 2Pac’s 1996 diamond-selling double album ALL EYEZ ON ME.

Fresh outta jail and bursting with ‘thug passion’, 2Pac banged out this 27-track opus in double-quick time, backed by the physical/financial might of Death Row head honcho Suge Knight and a luxury line-up of the West Coast’s finest producers – including a certain Dr Dre, who produced the smash hit ‘California Love’.

The hype was huge and when it was released in Feb ‘96 the double album made a massive splash in the hip-hop world, with many considering it to be the late lyricsmith’s finest album – the last to be released in his lifetime.

But is it all it’s cracked up to be? And which of the two albums is better? Well, in this episode we finally put those age-old questions to bed.

In an historic podcasting first (probably) we put Book 1 up against Book 2 in a Death Row death match to find out once and for all which one takes the crown. It’s the battle commentators are already calling ‘utterly specPACular’.

Danny, Steve and Larry rate and debate each track in detail – employing the globally trusted TruSkore™ technology to ensure 100% scientific accuracy – and vote for their winner.

The trio trade war stories, share some skandalouz hot takes and get their minds made up about this unique, remarkable and historic hip-hop record.

Joining the lads in their purpose-built bunker beneath FIFA headquarters in Zurich is the usual gang of greats of the football world, including a certain England winger who’s no stranger to having 'all eyez on him’. This is one you won’t want to miss!

About HIP HOP WORLD CUP: THE PLAY OFFS  

It's the podcast that pits golden-age rap albums against each other in a fight for sonic supremacy! 

In each episode, die-hard hip-hop heads Danny, James and Steve rate and debate two albums from rap music’s golden era (’88-‘96) to decide which one is best. 

Using the patented TruSkore™ system, tracks are assigned numerical values – ‘ratings’ if you will – which the trio will use as a guide. 

After the hosts vote for their favourite album, the winning LP claims the coveted Hip Hop World Cup tie and blazer badge combination pack and a trophy made of solid plastic. 

This podcast is brought to you by TruSkore™, the world’s number one music evaluation system. 

 
ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE NOW ON YOUR PODCAST APP OF CHOICE: 

PUBLIC ENEMY 'APOCALPYSE '91: THE ENEMY STRIKES BLACK' (1991) vs 'TERMINATOR X AND THE VALLEY OF THE JEEP BEETS' (1991)

This is the big one! After an unsuccessful tenure at TruSkore HQ in Qatar, Larry has been lured out of retirement by the only album that could do it - Public Enemy's fourth and sorely under-discussed LP 'Apocalypse '91: The Enemy Strikes Black'!

In this episode, we thrown PE's album into the lion's den against PE DJ Terminator X's 1991 debut solo album 'Terminator X and the Valley of the Jeep Beets'.

Larry reunites with Danny and Steve - the UK's answer to the S1Ws - to dissect both albums track by track, then vote to decide which one is the overall winner.

Along the way the trio debate the merits of Flavor Flav and Sister Souljah, and ponder what the rest of the Casino Brothers were up to during the making of this album.

Throw in an interview with a genuine England football legend it'll take a nation of millions to hold this episode back!

You won't find any other podcast talking about these classic albums! So if you have a love for 1990's golden-age hip-hop, this is the podcast for you. About HIP HOP WORLD CUP: THE PLAY OFFS 

It's the podcast that pits golden-age rap albums against each other in a fight for sonic supremacy!

In each episode, die-hard hip-hop heads Danny, James and Steve rate and debate two albums from rap music’s golden era (’88-‘96) to decide which one is best.

Using the patented TruSkore™ system, tracks are assigned numerical values – ‘ratings’ if you will – which the trio will use as a guide.

After the hosts vote for their favourite album, the winning LP claims the coveted Hip Hop World Cup tie and blazer badge combination pack and a trophy made of solid plastic.

This podcast is brought to you by TruSkore™, the world’s number one music evaluation system.
ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE NOW ON YOUR PODCAST APP OF CHOICE:

Time to don the helmets and prepare for what we're calling the 'HIT SQUAD HEADBANGER'! That's right - Danny and Steve take a trip back to 1992 as EPMD's 'Business Never Personal' knocks heads with K-Solo's 'Time's Up' in a two-way tussle.

In this episode, we discuss the delicious irony of EPMD's 'Crossover', throw shade (business) on Parrish Smith's rap capabilities and question whether K-Solo really did have a 'Household Maid' - before totting up the scores and deciding whch album is the best.

Plus we're joined on the line by an England football legend who is no stranger to banging heads. You don't want to miss this one!

About HIP HOP WORLD CUP: THE PLAY OFFS  

It's the podcast that pits golden-age rap albums against each other in a fight for sonic supremacy! 

In each episode, die-hard hip-hop heads Danny and Steve rate and debate two albums from rap music’s golden era (’88-‘96) to decide which one is best. 

Using the patented TruSkore™ system, tracks are assigned numerical values – ‘ratings’ if you will – which the duo will use to decide on the winner. 

The winning LP claims the coveted Hip Hop World Cup tie and blazer badge combination pack and a trophy made of solid plastic. 

This podcast is brought to you by TruSkore™, the world’s number one music evaluation system. 

 
ALL PREVIOUS EPISODES AVAILABLE NOW ON YOUR PODCAST APP OF CHOICE: 

With the Qatar World Cup 2022 in full swing, we thought it was high time to post this bonus beat tape episode featuring all the music from the Hip Hop World Cup podcast - as well as a world exclusive interview with two prominent figures from the world of football. Enjoy!

ALL PREVIOUS EPISODES AVAILABLE NOW ON YOUR PODCAST APP OF CHOICE:

INTELLIGENT HOODLUM ‘TRAGEDY: SAGA OF A HOODLUM’ (1993) vs ORGANIZED KONFUSION ‘ORGANIZED KONFUSION’ (1991)

In this episode, two ‘90s hip-hop gems go toe-to-toe!

Your hosts Danny, James and Steve size up two superb albums by Organized Konfusion and Intelligent Hoodlum, breaking down the beats and rhymes, the bangers and the clangers – then vote for their winner, guided by the tried and trusted TruSkore™ system.

What will they think? Which album will be crowned champion? Will Steve’s preferred album finally win? More importantly, has TruSkore™ stopped accessing its users’ bank accounts? Listen to find out!

About HIP HOP WORLD CUP: THE PLAY OFFS

It's the podcast that pits golden-age rap albums against each other in a fight for sonic supremacy!

In each episode, die-hard hip-hop heads Danny, James and Steve rate and debate two albums from rap music’s golden era ('88 - '96) to decide which one is best.

Using the patented TruSkore™ system, tracks are assigned numerical values – ‘ratings’ if you will – which the trio will use as a guide.

After the hosts vote for their favourite album, the winning LP claims the coveted Hip Hop World Cup tie and blazer badge combination pack and a trophy made of solid plastic.

This podcast is brought to you by TruSkore™, the world’s number one music evaluation system.

ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE NOW ON YOUR PODCAST APP OF CHOICE:

ILL BISKITS ‘CHRONICLE OF TWO LOSERS’ (1996) vs CAPITAL TAX ‘THE SWOLL PACKAGE’ (1993)

In the first episode of series 2, two lesser-known 1990s rap albums step in the arena!

It’s a voyage of discovery for Danny, James and Steve, who are checking these slept-on LPs for the very first time. They went under the boys’ radars in the 90s, but can they impress these three jaded 40-somethings in the year 2022? 

Our hosts discuss the beats, rhymes, best tracks and more, then express their opinions numerically using the tried and trusted TruSkore™ system.

What will they think? Which album will be crowned champion? More importantly, is it OK to have a urinal in your house? Listen to find out!

About HIP HOP WORLD CUP: THE PLAY OFFS 

It's the podcast that pits golden-age rap albums against each other in a fight for sonic supremacy!

In each episode, die-hard hip-hop heads Danny, James and Steve rate and debate two albums from rap music’s golden era (’88-‘96) to decide which one is best.

Using the patented TruSkore™ system, tracks are assigned numerical values – ‘ratings’ if you will – which the trio will use as a guide.

After the hosts vote for their favourite album, the winning LP claims the coveted Hip Hop World Cup tie and blazer badge combination pack and a trophy made of solid plastic.

This podcast is brought to you by TruSkore™, the world’s number one music evaluation system.

ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE NOW ON YOUR PODCAST APP OF CHOICE:

Episode 10: BEST OF THE REST

In this BONUS episode we round up the best ‘honourable mentions’ from our first nine episodes and throw them into battle! These eight albums didn’t quite qualify for our regular World Cups, but they were too damn DOPE not to discuss! But which one will lift the coveted Hip Hop World Cup trophy? Listen and find out…

Round One Draw:

1. Diamond and the Psychotic Neurotics ‘Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop’ (1992) v Redman ‘Whut? Thee Album’ (1992)
2. Kurious ‘A Constipated Monkey’ (1994) v Nine ‘Nine Livez’ (1995)
3. Grand Puba ‘2000’ (1995) v AZ ‘Doe Or Die’ (1995)
4. Group Home ‘Livin’ Proof’ (1995) v Dr Octagon ‘Dr Octogonecologyst’ (1996)

Plus, we gasp as Larry gets his ‘backpack rap club’ membership revoked, wince as Danny struggles to say ‘Octogonecologyst’ and weep as we lament the lack of a full MC Froggy Frog album.

ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE NOW ON YOUR PODCAST APP OF CHOICE:

In the final episode of the series, we’ve blown the budget on a corporate box at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena and invited some fans round for a hot buffet lunch. The occasion? Only the biggest and most brutal Hip-Hop World Cup yet!

The winners from the ‘round of 16’ in the previous episode now compete in the QUARTER FINALS. Eight albums remain, including some of the finest works of hip-hop known to man. It ain’t hard to tell this one’s a BRUISING encounter, and the climax is carnage – you won’t believe who wins!

Plus a football LEGEND joins us to discuss our winning album – provided the tech holds out – and Larry discusses an earth-shattering development in the world of Tru-Skore.

For our series finale, we bring you a two-part special celebrating the greatest year in hip-hop history – 1994. With so many great hip-hop albums released in this year, we’ve expanded the competition to 16 albums and thrown them into battle!

In this first episode we take a look at the ‘round of 16’ – yep that’s 16 albums split into two groups – and separate the wheat from the chaff. We’ll discuss the eight winners in our next episode.

Round of 16 Draw

GROUP ONE

1) Casual ‘Fear Itself’ vs Coolio ‘It Takes A Thief’

2) Gang Starr ‘Hard To Earn’ vs The Beatnuts ‘The Beatnuts’ (aka ‘Street Level’)

3) The Notorious B.I.G. ‘Ready To Die’ vs Jeru The Damaja ‘The Sun Rises In The East’

4) Common Sense ‘Resurrection’ vs Thug Life ‘Vol 1’

GROUP TWO

1) Paris ‘Guerrilla Funk’ vs Warren G ‘Regulate… The G Funk Era’

2) Murder Was The Case v Pete Rock & CL Smooth ‘The Main Ingredient’

3) OC ‘Word… Life’ v Nas ‘Illmatic’

4) House of Pain ‘Same As It Ever Was’ v Method Man ‘Tical’

Plus we wonder why Everlast doesn’t get enough props, discuss Warren G’s spelling skills (or lack thereof) and ponder the out-of-time loop at the start of ‘Bury Me A G’.

In this episode we take it back to the old school and preside over a battle of the best hip-hop albums released in 1988 and 1989! Who will be crowned champion?

Round One Draw

1) Eazy-E ‘Eazy Duz It’ (88) vs Ultramagnetic MCs ‘Critical Beatdown’ (88)

2) Big Daddy Kane ‘Long Live The Kane’ (88) vs Ice-T ‘The Iceberg’ (89)

3) De La Soul ‘3 Feet High And Rising’ (89) vs The DOC ‘No-one Can Do It Better’ (89)

4) NWA ‘Straight Outta Compton’ (88) vs Public Enemy ‘It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back’ (88)

Plus we explain why the hell we combined these two years and wonder if Dr Dre really did forget to bring his drum machine to the studio.

In this episode we shave our heads, don the Tims and big jackets and get rowdy as 1993’s best albums enter the Hip-Hop World Cup stage! Who will be crowned champion?

Round One Draw

1) Eazy-E ‘It’s On (Dr Dre) 187um Killa’ vs Snoop Doggy Dogg ‘Doggystyle’

2) Wu-Tang Clan ‘Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’ vs Kam ‘Neva Again’

3) Souls of Mischief ‘93 Til Infinity’ vs A Tribe Called Quest ‘Midnight Marauders’

4) Ice Cube ‘Lethal Injection’ vs Black Moon ‘Enta Da Stage’

Plus we ask why Kam is such a grumpy bugger and discuss the prevalence of shouty choruses in 1993.

In this episode we light the blue touch paper and stand back as the best hip-hop albums of 1996 explode into battle! Who will be crowned champion?

Round One Draw

1) 2Pac ‘All Eyez On Me’ vs Jeru The Damaja ‘Wrath Of The Math’

2) Jay-Z ‘Reasonable Doubt’ vs Sadat X ‘Wild Cowboys’

3) Ghostface Killah ‘Ironman’ vs Nine ‘Cloud 9’

4) Mad Skillz ‘From Where???’ vs Nas ‘It Was Written’

Plus we ask if anyone really knows what the hell Ghostface Killah is going on about and reveal Prince Philip’s favourite hip-hop album (RIP).

In this episode the best hip-hop albums of 1995 go toe-to-toe in our tournament! Who will be crowned champion?

Round One Draw

1) Tha Dogg Pound ‘Dogg Food’ vs Raekwon ‘Only Built 4 Cuban Linx’

2) Mobb Deep ‘The Infamous’ vs Big L ‘Lifestyles Ov Da Poor And Dangerous’

3) Smif-N-Wessun ‘Dah Shinin’’ vs DJ Quik ‘Safe + Sound’

4) Masta Ace Incorporated ‘Sittin’ On Chrome’ vs GZA ‘Liquid Swords’

Plus we reduce Steve to tears over the ongoing absence of 2Pac from the Hip-Hop World Cup and discuss the art of fitting an album on one side of a C90 cassette by leaving out the shit tracks.

In this episode we curate a clash of the hip-hop titans from 1991! Who will be crowned champion?

Round One Draw

1) Del Tha Funkee Homosapien ‘I Wish My Brother George Was Here’ vs KMD ‘Mr Hood’

2) Ice Cube ‘Death Certificate’ vs Black Sheep ‘A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing’

3) A Tribe Called Quest ‘The Low End Theory’ vs NWA ‘Efil4zaggin’

4) Ice T ‘OG Original Gangster’ vs De La Soul ‘De La Soul Is Dead’

Plus we celebrate the legacy of Admiral Dancehall, discover why this is Danny’s favourite year in hip-hop and learn how Tru-Skore tech is now infiltrating webcams.

In this episode we put the best hip-hop albums of 1990 under the microscope! Who will be crowned champion?

Round One Draw

1) EPMD ‘Business As Usual’ vs Ice Cube ‘Amerikkka’s Most Wanted’

2) BDP ‘Edutainment’ vs Brand Nubian ‘One For All’

3) Eric B & Rakim ‘Let The Rhythm Hit ‘Em’ vs LL Cool J ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’

4) Public Enemy ‘Fear Of A Black Planet’ vs A Tribe Called Quest ‘People’s Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm’

Plus we examine Steve’s Ice Cube issues, question the wisdom of Flavor Flav’s disdain for the emergency services, and wonder why Danny can’t say the name of Tribe’s album properly.

In our first episode, the best hip-hop albums of 1992 do battle! Who will be crowned champion?

Round One Draw

1) Das EFX ‘Dead Serious’ vs Da Lench Mob ‘Guerrillas In The Mist’

2) Kool G Rap & DJ Polo ‘Live And Let Die’ vs Ice Cube ‘The Predator’

3) Pete Rock and CL Smooth ‘Mecca And The Soul Brother’ vs The Pharcyde ‘Bizarre Ride To The Pharcyde’

4) Eric B & Rakim ‘Don’t Sweat The Technique’ vs Dr Dre ‘The Chronic’

Plus we ask what Eric B and DJ Polo actually do (answers on a postcard), discuss the legacy of Das EFX and air some unpopular opinions about CL Smooth.