The Rap Writers Show

The Rap Writers Show

THE RAP WRITERS SHOW is the show no one asked for, where writers talk about rappers. Hosts Reed, Eric and Manny are former and current rap journalists who love spewing their opinions. Shows are a blend of talk, music and takes, featuring guests from the industry. Recorded at Red Bull Studios NY.

  1. 01/01/2020

    Words Matter

    Jermaine Hall, editor-in-chief for Level, joins the show. Recorded on Combat Jack Day, the veteran editor shares stories on his early days interning for VIBE, running things at King, his favorite era of VIBE, and more. Manny, Reed, and Eric discuss Jermaine’s latest endeavor – launching the Medium vertical Level – and what it means to black and brown men in their 30s. The guys talk best hip-hop and R&B albums of the 2010s, and #DiepThoughts bids a final (?) farewell to our Rap Ryders.

    55 min

  2. 12/26/2019

    Ooh, That’s Spicy

    Gary Suarez, freelance journalist and music critic, joins the show. Gary shares his untraditional journey of getting into professional music writing, building up bylines at esteemed publications through “hustle and luck” before specializing in música urbana. Manny and Eric get the 4-1-1 on music’s most important wave, and Gary shares his takes on why Rosalía stirs so much controversy. Afterwards, the guys break down Bad Bunny as the artist of the decade and the show wraps with fireball takes in The Spice Rack.

    1h 1m

  3. 12/18/2019

    We Don't Bend, We Don't Fold

    Shawn Setaro, senior staff writer for Complex, joins the show. Recorded before the sentencing of Tekashi 6ix9ine, Shawn discusses with Reed and Eric about his journey into music writing — from being the EIC for Rap Genius to launching the hip-hop podcast The Cipher. Later, Shawn shares his experience covering the 6ix9ine Nine Trey trial, and we predict the rapper’s future career in hip-hop. Good/Bad is on Fivio Foreign and Dai Burger. Eric and Shawn trade horror stories in The Darkest Hour.

    1h 3m

  4. 12/04/2019

    Do You Hate Hip-Hop??

    Alphonse Pierre, staff writer for Pitchfork, and Regina Cho, a freelance journalist with bylines on Billboard, DJBooth, and more, join the show. In this special episode, the pair discuss with Reed and Eric about Twitter being a tool for music journalists and when hot takes go too far. Later, we do a round of mini year-end lists on unexpected favorites, guilty pleasure songs, and albums we still have on repeat. Finally, Manny, who was on vacation, checks in from Bali.

    1h 11m

  5. 11/21/2019

    I Like Kissing My Teeth

    Michelle Kim, staff writer for Them., joins the show. We discuss the reemergence of Frank Ocean and the purpose of his PrEP+ parties in New York, getting first-hand accounts from Reed and Michelle. Later, we ask ourselves if we really need a Frank Ocean rap album right now. Eric returns with #DiepThoughts and it gets extreme. We also do Good/Bad on Lord Apex, BEAM, MC Kevin O Chris, and Tinashe. The Spice Rack is back to give spicy takes ranking Frank’s discography.

    1h 10m

  6. 11/13/2019

    God Save The Queens

    In the Season 4 premiere, TRWS returns as a trio. Veteran journalist and author Kathy Landoli joins the show to talk about her new book ‘God Save the Queens,’ the Nubian Goddess vs. Sex Kitten complex, and the women who are moving hip-hop forward now. In Good/Bad, we review songs by JT, Westside Gunn, Future, and that Joyner Lucas/Eminem leak. Manny rants about the news he clicks on in Random Noise.

    1h 5m

  7. 06/21/2019

    Creamy

    On the final episode of Season 3 , we visit Spotify's NY headquarters to record a mailbag episode. We field questions about rap regionalism, the rise and fall of Fetty Wap and what it means for pop culture now that Drake has won the NBA Finals MVP. Eric shares existential #DiepThoughts about the sustainability of a career in rap writing and we rate songs from Polo G and Pop Smoke.

    1h 3m

  8. 05/07/2019

    Diplo Gotta Eat Too

    Hunter Harris, staff writer at Vulture, breaks out of Twitter jail to join the show. We do a deep dive on Hunter speaking her truth about "A Star Is Born" and Taylor Swift's #Mayochella. We also discuss Lizzo's reaction to a lukewarm Pitchfork review and the importance of critics in today's media landscape. Finally we rate songs from Beyonce, Young Nudy and Rico Nasty.

    1h 10m
See All (26)

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

THE RAP WRITERS SHOW is the show no one asked for, where writers talk about rappers. Hosts Reed, Eric and Manny are former and current rap journalists who love spewing their opinions. Shows are a blend of talk, music and takes, featuring guests from the industry. Recorded at Red Bull Studios NY.

Information

  • Creator
    The Rap Writers Show
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2020
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Rap Writers Show
  • Show Website
    The Rap Writers Show