Hey guys! Remember the podcast we did for five years straight where all of your favorites would stop by our apartment for a 90-minute deep dive conversation? Well, the pandemic brought that to an end... as we're sure you noticed! But ever since then, we've been quietly and dutifully at work on a larger concept - an elevation of A Waste of Time... called The Blog Era. It's a fascinating look into how the music superstars of today were put on by a small group of kids behind keyboards. This 10-part docu-style audio series - which traces the rollercoaster ride of 2007-2012, when hip-hop met the internet - features stories from 150 influential voices, including Wiz Khalifa, Curren$y, Joe Budden, Bun B, The Cool Kids, and many, many more! If you liked A Waste of Time, you're going to love The Blog Era! The first two episodes are available RIGHT NOW - search The Blog Era wherever you listen to podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on A Waste of Time with ItsTheReal, we get on the phone with our best friend, musical partner and third creative partner in ItsTheReal, Greg Mayo! Greg discusses growing up in a creative household, the son of a painter mother and a touring musician father (who played with, among others, Hall & Oates, Foreigner, Aerosmith and Peter Frampton, most famously on Frampton Comes Alive), how he initially shunned his musical side to focus on baseball, what it meant when his parents divorced, how listening to ONYX, Cypress Hill and LL Cool J informed his rhythmic thinking, how being competitive with his brother took his learning guitar into overdrive, how he focused his musical ambitions through high school bands and into studying jazz composition in college, and the unforgettable weekend his dad flew in to feature on a handful of tracks on Greg's first solo album. Greg takes us back to the phone call he got his sophomore year at Purchase College informing him that father passed away in Europe on tour, how he's moved forward in living life, the advice that his dad left that carries through to everything both work and personal, and how he's since responded when dealing with the loss of other close family members, including his brother. We reflect on our collaborations through the years, from writing and recording mixtapes as teenagers in Greg's basement to dreaming up sketches to give to the internet to stepping on stages we never could have imagined, the core values and good energy that surrounds that creativity, and how that same passion to make each other laugh is what we strive for today. All that, plus how's Greg's gotten into doing film scoring, how he became a staple at NYC clubs like Rockwood Music Hall and The Bitter End, who he leans toward between The Neptunes and Timbaland, why he didn't attend his high school reunion, where life could have taken him in a sliding doors moment, another classic Greg Mayo car story and so much more! Wanna collaborate with Greg? Go to GregMayo.net Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on A Waste of Time with ItsTheReal we welcome back podcaster, businesswoman and NYT best-selling co-author of Big Friendship, our friend Aminatou Sow! With Amina on the phone, we discuss the expectations when signing a book contract, the relationship between authors and the publisher's editor, the benefits of bringing on an additional editor, who exactly Ann and Amina wrote their memoir for, what they learned about friendship overall and specifically in a quarantine, and the feelings that come with presenting art to the public. We talk about Trump's disastrous response to COVID-19, his disastrous presidency and his meaningless game show Celebrity Apprentice, the pod family Amina has lived with over the last six months, the must-watch elements of Tik Tok, how NYC has changed during this crisis and how disappointing Bill De Blasio has been as mayor. All that, plus DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, Logic, MTV, Nick Cannon and much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode of A Waste of Time with ItsTheReal, we speak with Yusuf Abdul-Qadir, Director at the New York Civil Liberties Union, who recently went viral, thanks to his powerful message about police policies, spending and officer accountability concerning his hometown of Syracuse, NY. We speak about bringing meaningful change to the local level, the national level and the transnational level, how a message is disseminated and the role media should play, and whether Syracuse's current leadership can be trusted with enacting forward movement. Yusuf discusses growing up the youngest of eight children, the differences in being raised in The Bronx vs. Rockland County, the full effect his father's loss had on his life, and the joy he's found in raising his own young daughter. We get into Yusuf's time as an undergrad at Syracuse University, the Islamic faith's belief that one should lead when called upon, how he found activism and took it global, and why he came back to raise his family in the city of Syracuse. All that, plus the challenges in running for high school and collegiate office, whether this country will ever even the playing field for children regardless of where they grow up, if there's any light fare he can watch to get his mind off of things, and much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on A Waste of Time with ItsTheReal we're celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Rick Ross' classic album Teflon Don by reliving the making-of with Rozay and his collaborators Jadakiss, Styles P, Lex Luger, Spiff TV and Chris Atlas as well as analysis from The New York Times pop critic Jon Caramanica! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on A Waste of Time with ItsTheReal we call up our friend Sheek Louch, the Silverback Gorilla, 1/3 of The LOX and 1/4 of 2 Jews & 2 Black Dudes Review the Movies for a super dope and meaningful conversation about Bad Boy, Ruff Ryders, D-Block, Yonkers, Harlem, The Hamptons, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, Puffy, Biggie, DMX, Swizz, Suge, Heavy D, Carl Thomas, The Neptunes, The LOX's group projects and solo deals, the joys of fatherhood, growing up in YO, working at Burger King, working the street corners, playing football, breakdancing, watching his mother get a masters degree and invest money in different businesses while raising her son as a single parent, suffering the loss of his mother to cancer far too young, signing to Bad Boy and buying into the Shiny Suit energy, the thinking behind the Let The LOX Go campaign, how Suge Knight tried to sign the group, how Dame Dash offered to sign the group, giving Swizz his name, why we've waited so many years for a long-form LOX album, and much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on A Waste of Time with ItsTheReal, we make two phone calls to Atlanta legends, chopping it up with Big Boi and Sleepy Brown to discuss their collaborative project The Big Sleepover and their individual journeys from Savannah to A-Town to international funk superstardom, as well as stories about Organized Noize, TLC, Jay-Z, Puff Daddy, Pimp C, George Clinton, Missy Elliott, Jermaine Dupri, Bobby Brown, Ludacris, Bubba Sparxxx, Dr. Dre, Pharrell, Sade, Brick, The Source Awards, The Grammys, Andre 3000's driving, the International Players Anthem video shoot, who came up with the double-CD idea for Outkast, owls, bengal tigers, sharks, and so much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on A Waste of Time with ItsTheReal, we call down to Atlanta to connect back with the premier mix engineer in the business, the multi Grammy Award-winning Leslie Brathwaite! Leslie, who would go on to be the trusted man behind the boards for Beyoncé, Pharrell, Jay-Z, Outkast, TLC, Madonna, Lil Uzi Vert, Jack Harlow, Rick Ross, Jeezy, Cash Money, Monica, and so many more talks about growing up in the U.S. Virgin Islands, falling in love with music by deep-diving into his father's record collection, the three months his mother wouldn't speak to him because he was he was focused on studying music in college, the guidance counselor who led him to Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida, the balance he found between technical prowess and pure feeling, what trial and error meant to his early career, how he scored an internship at Dallas Austin's elusive studio, the long-lasting friendship he's had with T-Boz of TLC, what their recording sessions were like, how Creep was written over a 30-minute car ride to dinner, how his time working with Dallas came to an end and allowed for new collaborations, and where he was when he got the call that Left Eye had passed away. Leslie discusses his thoughts on superstar auras, the one voice that he could listen to - a cappella or with instrumentation - for ever and ever, his shocking choice of whose voice is criminally underrated, the mixes that caused Andre 3000 and Beyoncé to stop in their tracks in satisfaction, the one mix that bothers Leslie to this day, and the one mix that he's completely pleased with. And most importantly, we discuss race, privilege in the music business, having to work twice as hard to get half the reward, how important it is to speak your truth, how Leslie explained to his children why people harbor hate, how he feels as a Black man in America in the middle of 2020, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on A Waste of Time with ItsTheReal we call our longtime friend and VP of Promotions at Atlantic Records Sam Crespo to discuss growing up in The Bronx in the 80s, falling in love with illustrations and music, traveling all around New York City to be a part of the hip-hop, metal and punk scenes, going to college and briefly studying to be an accountant, a professor's advice that changed his career path and ultimately his life, starting in the music business in Relativity Records' warehouse, moving into their sales office, meeting fellow Bronx native/Puerto Rican/hip-hop head Fat Joe, making a name for himself as a street promotions leader for Tommy Boy Records, what it was like to meet Kevin Lyles in interviewing for a job at Def Jam at the turn of the century, his friendship with N.O.R.E., meeting DMX the weekend Sam was about to get married, working Joe Budden's first album and the difference between Focus and Pump It Up, why Freeway's Flipside took 20 years to fully impact, moving over to Atlantic Records and working with T.I., DJ Drama, Wiz Khalifa, Lupe Fiasco, Lil Uzi Vert, Jucee Froot, how he's kept such a high level of respect around the business through his entire career, how he and his wife Shawnte have raised their 14-year old daughter, how Sam was diagnosed with cancer, fought it and has been in remission for five years, how each of his record companies have supported him through both personal ups and downs, his favorite moment in visiting Hot 97 with Angie Martinez, and so much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on A Waste of Time with ItsTheReal, it was only right to celebrate episode 310 by getting on the phone with Los Angeles' own, the Grammy Award-winning and Academy Award-holding director and storyteller Calmatic! Cal, a new father, talks about where his heart, soul and being are at after the last two weeks, where his mind's been since Nipsey Hussle's tragic passing last year, and what kind of hope he has for his son's generation in America. Cal takes us through growing up in Inglewood, his love for the West Coast, his obsession with baseball and his dreams of playing college ball, how music started speaking to him and he started speaking through music, why the blogs weren't his community of choice, how he broke the news to his parents that finishing college wasn't going to be the move, how he hustled his art and design career while holding down jobs such as a park ranger, how a chance encounter with Spike Jonze and seeing how he operated inspired a new path in life, the crazy story of how he got his first DSLR camera, how he leveled up his productions, what directing a Vic Mensa music video meant for his budget, his legacy-building work as part of OverDoz., how he first met Chris Rock, the entire experience directing Lil Nas X's Old Town Road video, what winning a Grammy means, understanding what he's brought to the table for the last decade as an LA artist, what the future holds, and much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on A Waste of Time with ItsTheReal, we call up our friend Bun B to listen. Bun speaks on his experiences in Minneapolis protesting the murder of George Floyd, his time in Houston spent alongside the Floyd family, the courage, compassion and leadership that Stephen Jackson has shown, living everyday with your head on a swivel, fighting for the younger generations, the duty to speak up, what allies mean in this day and age, and so much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on A Waste of Time with ItsTheReal, we phone our friend Styles P The Ghost to discuss his brilliant new album Ghost Your Enthusiasm, our two appearances on the project, his great sense of humor, DMX's witty sense of humor, how he can laugh now at throwing a chair at Puff or not getting on Benjamins, the NYC energy he appreciated at The Tunnel, the differences between Ruff Ryders Studios, D-Block Studios and Daddy's House, the crazy circumstances in which he first met Lil Jon, what he and his mother found when they returned to South Africa, how nostalgia informs his musical self, how he works together with his producer son Noah, what Poobs brings to D-Block, his appreciation for Rick Ross, what Uptown Records meant to young David Styles and so much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on Episode 51 of Quarantine Radio, we make calls from our Upper West Side apartment, first to Los Angeles to check in on Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig - Ezra talks how his decade-long friendship with Dave 1 of Chromeo took them from the campus of Columbia University to the stage of Staples Center as Grammy award winners, what it was like when Larry David stopped by his internet radio show, how he compares Seinfeld and Curb, how the lockdown has affected his creativity, how fatherhood has affected his creativity, how much he can stay away from social media, what he thinks of the Upper West Side, and much more! We then dial over to Astoria, Queens to connect with Parks from the Joe Budden Podcast - Parks discusses how the JBP team has found their way back to A+ audio for their remote shows, whether he'd considered being on camera during this time, how he uses the JBP lights and background to increase the quality of his personal Zooms, what it was like to save the day during the Premier and RZA Verzuz battle, what DJ sets he's impressed by on IG, how he prefers to use compression on a recording, and much more! And finally, we ring up Brooklyn to catch up with filmmaker Joseph Patel - Joseph reminisces on his groundbreaking MTV series My Block, going to the strip club with Three 6 Mafia, going to Houston to meet UGK, and missing out on a Toronto trip featuring Drake, how editing his current project has allowed his mind to stay away from the heaviness outside, how the current film landscape changes expectations for releases, the joy of artists sharing their music and their stories for free on IG live, attending Questlove's incredible movie-themed birthday party a few months back, and much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on Episode 50 of Quarantine Radio, we make calls from our Upper West Side apartment to Miami to check in on Dipset's Capo Jim Jones - Jimmy talks about his what drives him in his daily workouts, ending his beef with French Montana, helping inmates keep their cells as COVID-19-free as possible, why the streets will live on through and after the pandemic, his nerves about teaching his son how to drive, thinking back on what kind of driver Jim is, where his head's at creatively these days, how quiet his Florida neighborhood is, a little chat with his dog and much more! Then we call down to New Jersey to catch up with our friend, Atlantic Records SVP of Marketing, Marsha St. Hubert - Marsha discusses how Mother's Day went and what she was looking from her loved ones, what exactly pushes her to body her work while the rest of the world is in a panic, what she expects from her artists, how the days can feel both hurried and super-slow at the same time, how she's switching up her family's at-home menu, what Summer Fridays mean now, what kind of family vacation she's thinking of taking this winter, how to sign off your emails during these uncertain times, and so much more! And finally, we dial out to the Hamptons to connect with Kevin Durant's business partner at Thirty 5 Ventures, Rich Kleiman - Rich breaks down the company's recent run of dope projects, from the Steph Marbury film A Kid from Coney Island, to Showtime's upcoming series Basketball Country: In The Water, reminisces on what could have been with his high-concept restaurants, his involvement with the seminal Jay-Z documentary Fade To Black, how he's filling his days without sports, his thoughts on Michael Jordan, whether Charles Smith got fouled in Game 5 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals against the Bulls, how his family's feeling, how Kevin's feeling, and much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on Episode 49 of Quarantine Radio, we make calls from our Upper West Side apartment to check in on super producer TM88, who discusses his and Southside's new single with Future, Young Thug and Moneybagg Yo, his classic work on Gucci Mane's World War mixtape series, his collaborations with Southside, Metro Boomin and Sonny Digital, the surprise of ending up on Drake's album, how Taylor Gang's Will Dzombak picked him up from the airport, what he expects of DJs on the other side of quarantine and much more! We then call out to Chicago to catch up with our longtime friend and founder of Fake Shore Drive, Andrew Barber. We talk Andrew's recent COVID concerns, Lil Durk's great successes and influence, interactions with Juice Wrld, the upcoming Nelly vs. Ludacris #Verzuz battle, Nelly and Luda's monster careers, whether the Three 6 Mafia and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony battle will ever happen, what the future of live shows may look like, some of the great venues we've been lucky enough to see concerts at, the amazing FSD SXSW Chicago show featuring French Montana, and much more! And finally we connect with Audiomack's Kim Chanel to break down how her career took her from Philly to NYC, interning at Epic Records when Bobby Shmurda was signed, her first thoughts when she heard that this year's South By Southwest was cancelled, where she finds her focus during these uncertain times, the most important social media tool for her, seeing Kanye perform on New Years almost ten years ago, Facebook birthday reminders and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on Episode 48 of Quarantine Radio we pay tribute to the late legend of music, taste, aspiration and culture, Andre Harrell, with our friends DJ Clark Kent, Naima Cochrane and Jeff Sledge. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on Episode 47 of Quarantine Radio, we make calls from our Upper West Side apartment to celebrated audio engineers Leslie Brathwaite, Alex Tumay and Anthony Cruz! First we jump on the phone with legendary mix engineer and multiple-Grammy Award winner Leslie Brathwaite to discuss his work with TLC, Beyonce, The Carters, Pharrell, Outkast, Jeezy, Lil Uzi Vert, Jack Harlow, Madonna, Cardi B and more, how he rests his ears and his soul, his relationships with artists and executives, what album made him sit up straight and open his eyes, what he believes sets Michael Jackson's Thriller album apart from the rest, the incredible creativity he's applying to his mixing environment since quarantine went into effect, the bird that attacked him while we were recording this very episode, and so much more! Then we call to the Lower East Side to catch up with the great Alex Tumay to discuss his bout with COVID-19, how crippling it was, his efforts in combating it, how it's changed the way he operates even after recovering, how it effected his work, why he and Kenny Beats collaborate so perfectly together, what a terrific experience it was to mix with 40 and PartyNextDoor on his latest project, and so much more! And finally we dial up Meek Mills' personal engineer Anthony Cruz to break down how he's spent the last two months, how fatherhood has been treating him, what it was like when he and Meek first listened to Jay Electronica's album in the studio, being a resource for artists who are at home learning to engineer themselves, trying to skip out on Zoom birthday parties, order studio equipment to his in-law's place and much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this Mother's Day edition of ItsTheReal Classic, we revisit our 250th episode of A Waste of Time with ItsTheReal, featuring our mom, who through resolve, strength, commitment, curiosity, love and generosity, has made her way through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. We're thrilled - once again! - to share her incredible journey, and know you'll enjoy this milestone episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a week of calling on three friends a day, we wanted to take time to check in on ourselves: Saturdayz with the Indoor Boyz, where we examine the past seven days and over the course of time, see how we progress - or regress - week to week! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on Episode 46 of Quarantine Radio we make calls from our Upper West Side apartment to check in on the director of ESPN's Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance, Jason Hehir - we talk about growing up in Newton, Massachusetts mimicking Jordan's moves and listening to Rakim and LL Cool J tapes and all these years later combining those loves on a worldwide stage, how he approached his conversations with MJ and with Isiah Thomas, the philosophies of the documentary's editing team, the tiny details that bring context to a gigantic story, whether after spending so much time with Jordan he's more relatable or other-worldly, or both, and so much more! Then we get on the phone with our friend Jadakiss to discuss some of his Michael Jordan stories, his appreciation for Patrick Ewing and the 90's Knicks, his personal friendship with Carmelo Anthony, the best and worst courtside experiences, how his Ramadan has been going, a very important hair update, a dance challenge for Alchemist, and much more! And finally, we get on the horn with ESPN personality and commentator Pablo Torre to break down his Linkin Park viral video, which sports celebrities turned down an opportunity to sing along, how Pablo chose where in his apartment to set up his work camera, how fatherhood has been since welcoming his daughter in February, some fond - and not-so fond - memories as captain of Regis High School's Debate Team captain, and so much more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.