220 episodes

Scorching guests and sizzling records: join music writer Oliver Wang and music supervisor Morgan Rhodes each week as they invite their favorite artists, critics and scholars for in-depth conversations about the albums that shape our lives. Each week our special guests will take you deep into their heat rocks from the world of hip-hop, soul, dance, jazz, funk and more. Get with us!

Heat Rocks MaximumFun.org

    • Music
    • 4.9 • 38 Ratings

Scorching guests and sizzling records: join music writer Oliver Wang and music supervisor Morgan Rhodes each week as they invite their favorite artists, critics and scholars for in-depth conversations about the albums that shape our lives. Each week our special guests will take you deep into their heat rocks from the world of hip-hop, soul, dance, jazz, funk and more. Get with us!

    The Heat Rocks Appreciation Episode

    The Heat Rocks Appreciation Episode

    Well, we're finally here. After nearly 200 episodes, we're ending our run with Maximum Fun! We intend to come back sometime in 2022, and to celebrate this occasion, it's and Oliver, Morgan, and Producer Christian episode. We talk about our favorite moments from the show, the things we appreciate about the show, and we have a few good laughs.

    • 55 min
    Cat Zhang on Flo Milli's "Ho, why is you here?" (2020)

    Cat Zhang on Flo Milli's "Ho, why is you here?" (2020)

    Music writer and resident TikTok expert Cat Zhang sits down with us to discuss Flo Milli's 2020 debut mixtape Ho, why is you here? We get into what goes into making a TikTok hit, Flo Milli's unique voice, and her role in the current hip hop landscape.

    • 43 min
    Music & Popcorn #7: Daphne A. Brooks on the "Waiting to Exhale" soundtrack (1995)

    Music & Popcorn #7: Daphne A. Brooks on the "Waiting to Exhale" soundtrack (1995)

    We continue our Music and Popcorn miniseries, where we chat about some of our favorite movie soundtracks. This week, we're talking to professor and writer Daphne Brooks about the soundtrack to Waiting to Exhale. We get into Babyface's prolific career, Whitney Houston's presence on both the soundtrack and the movie, and the mystery surrounding DJ Theo Mizuhara.

    • 54 min
    Music & Popcorn #6: '90s OSTs with Jocelyn Brown

    Music & Popcorn #6: '90s OSTs with Jocelyn Brown

    We reboot our Music and Popcorn series, where we talk about some of our favorite movie soundtracks. This week, we invite our friend Jocelyn Brown to discuss a few iconic 90s OSTs, Love Jones, Boyz N The Hood, and Trainspotting. We get into what makes these soundtracks so memorable, the shift in tone from 80s and 90s OSTs, and proper record care etiquette.

    • 1 hr 2 min
    Yola on Jill Scott's "Who Is Jill Scott? - Words and Sounds, Vol. 1 (2000)

    Yola on Jill Scott's "Who Is Jill Scott? - Words and Sounds, Vol. 1 (2000)

    This week, we talk to singer/songwriter Yola about Jill Scott's debut studio album "Who Is Jill Scott? - Words and Sounds, Vol 1." We get into Jill's time with The Roots, how her poetry shaped her songwriting, and Jill's role in the neo-soul movement.

    • 59 min
    Kris Bowers on Kendrick Lamar's "Section.80" (2011) [redux]

    Kris Bowers on Kendrick Lamar's "Section.80" (2011) [redux]

    In our conversation with Kris, we got deep into how he put together both the song and video for his version of “Rigamortis,” whether or not Kendrick has a jazz sensibility in his style, and what it’s like to see a hometown kid become the Greatest Rapper Alive.

    • 32 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
38 Ratings

38 Ratings

Ling_Ling24 ,

Soulful, insightful, & exquisite

Came across The Heat Rocks podcast while Googling Brandy’s Full Moon album. As a huge 90s R&B fan, what a serendipity! Note: this is my first ever review of any podcast, so this podcast is special! The background and instrumental and musical analysis of the albums makes me appreciate the artists and their music even more! The other episodes I’ve listened to are: Boyz II Men, Destiny’s Child, and the 2 back to back Janet Jackson albums. I enjoyed listening to these episodes just as much and I can appreciate R&B on a whole new level. Love the voices of Morgan and Oliver—they speak to my sonic sensibilities. ;) And I love the very informed and insightful guests who come on the show! - Elaine Lin

Gamastak (George Stak) ,

Authoritative (and a lot more)

The content provided by Robin, Oliver, and guests on the albums, always provide a great perspective. I find the podcasts are a great prelude to going back and listening to that album again, or in many cases listening for the first time and being introduced to something amazing to listen to and take in.

Really enjoying following this series of podcasts and would highly recommend to any type of music lover. Be forewarned, even if r

Richniques1 ,

Music history with cool

You all have presented albums I knew, some I did not but always enlightening. The intros , your guest and little know facts. All fire.
Bless up.

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