The Vault: Classic Music Reviews Podcast

Taking a little bit of a shift away from the norm, B. Cox sits down for a candid chat with educator, author/poet and inspirational speaker Ann-Marie Maloney (of About This Life Podcast) for a conversation centered around Caribbean-American culture, heritage and identity. They talk about their specific Caribbean backgrounds, their shared experiences living dual lives as individuals of Caribbean Heritage in American life, the unique markers of the cultures in food, music, dance and the overall struggles, challenges and triumphs endured by the preceding generations that led us them here to carry the banner and weight of the culture in an ever-changing society. Show Notes Ann-Marie's Website and info about her upcoming book "It Soon Come" About This Life Podcast (Preview) on YouTube About This Life Podcast Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

After a lengthy absence, B. Cox returns to review hip-hop legend T.I.'s explosive fourth album King as it turns 20. After stepping onto the scene and making himself known with his debut album, 2001's I'm Serious, the Atlanta rap star made further waves and saw larger success with his sophomore and junior albums, 2003's Trap Muzik and 2004's Urban Legend, respectively. He was looking to take the next step with this effort and make a claim as the professed "King Of The South" at a time when Atlanta hip-hop made its way to being at the epicenter of the industry. The album featured an all-star cast of producers and featured artist. It was produced by the likes of DJ Toomp, Mannie Fresh, Jus Blaze, The Neptunes, Kevin Mack, Nick Fury, Kevin "Khao" Cates and Swizz Beats while featuring artists such as UGK, Young Jeezy, Common, Young Dro, B.G., Young Buck, Pharrell and Jamie Foxx among others. The album's release coincided with the release three days later of the feature film and cult classic ATL, which was T.I.'s feature film debut and it also served as the de facto soundtrack. The album had four power-packed singles including the smash lead single "What You Know", which served as the movie's default theme. It was a huge success commercially, selling over 500,000 units the first week and is RIAA-certified 2x platinum. It solidified T.i. as a megastar and a major player in not only Atlanta's rap atmosphere, but the industry at-large for years to come. Show Notes OkayPlayer: The Once and Expeditious King: T.I. on 'King' 20 Years Later, His Latest Album and More https://www.okayplayer.com/the-once-and-expeditious-king-ti-on-king-20-years-later-his-latest-album-and-more/1426138 Yahoo: T.I. says it's 'wild to think that' his album 'King' is 20 years old https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/music/articles/t-says-wild-think-album-100000151.html WSB 95.5 Atlanta Talk & Music: Atlanta icon T.I. celebrates 20th anniversary of King album and its undeniable impact https://www.wsbradio.com/news/local/atlanta-icon-ti-commemorates-20th-anniversary-king-album-its-undeniable-impact/XD322ZV6JBHI5FJRHTJQOSPU5Y/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

B. Cox reviews Common's classic sixth album Be as it turns 20. In light of the commercial failure and mixed critical reviews, Common found some common ground in aligning with fellow Chicago hip-hop royalty Kanye West and his GOOD Music imprint on Geffen Record. A former pupil of No. ID, who produced the majority of Common's second and third albums (Resurrection and One Day It'll All Make Sense, respectively), West proved to be a good match to get Common back on tracks and back to his hip-hop roots in the Windy City. Largely solely produced by West (with minor assists from J. Dilla, James Poyser and Karriem Riggins), Common showcased in depth lyricism marked by poignant stories about life in Chicago and themes of the streets, love, feminism, ambition and knowledge of self. Joined by collaborators such as The Last Poets, John Mayer along with label mate John Legend and West himself, the album was a well layered effort that served towards Common's strengths. The album featured many singles, highlighted by "The Corner", "Go!" and "Testify". The album was Common's 2nd album to be certified gold and is often thought to be his "comeback album". It is also regarded along with Like Water For Chocolate as his best work. Visit The Vault Classic Music Reviews Online www.vaultclassicpod.com Buy Exclusive The Vault Podcast Merchandise! www.vaultclassicpod.com/store Support The Vault Classic Music Reviews on Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vaultclassicpod Build Your Own Amazing Podcast Website In Less Than 5 Minutes! https://www.podpage.com/?via=ivecre8 Show Notes OkayPlayer: Common's 'Be' Getting 20th Anniversary Re-Release with 11 New Tracks https://www.okayplayer.com/common-be-20th-anniversary Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

B. Cox returns with a look back at Common's landmark fourth album, Like Water For Chocolate as it turns 25. After his breakthrough sophomore album 1994's Resurrection and his acclaimed third album 1997's One Day It'll All Make Sense, the Chicago emcee picked up his roots and moved to New York City and linked up with Questlove, The Roots and other creatives who were working within the Electric Lady Studios. There he collaborated with the aforementioned, D'Angelo, super producer DJ Premier, musicians such as keyboardist James Poyser, famed bass player Pino Palladino and horn legend Roy Hargrove among others. The catalyst for this collaboration, however, came from producer Jay Dee (bka J Dilla) who produced the lion's share of the album's tracks. The album was widely acclaimed up on release. It is has been RIAA certified gold and is considered along with 2005's BE as is his best work. Visit The Vault Classic Music Reviews Online www.vaultclassicpod.com Buy Exclusive The Vault Podcast Merchandise! www.vaultclassicpod.com/store Support The Vault Classic Music Reviews on Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vaultclassicpod Build Your Own Amazing Podcast Website In Less Than 5 Minutes! https://www.podpage.com/?via=ivecre8 Show Notes Albumism: Common's "Like Water For Chocolate" Turns 25 | Album Anniversary https://albumism.com/features/common-like-water-for-chocolate-album-anniversary#google_vignette Stereogum: 'Like Water For Chocolate' Turns 20 https://www.stereogum.com/2077724/common-like-water-for-chocolate-review/reviews/the-anniversary/ Grammy | Q&A: Common Tells Stories Behind 'Like Water For Chocolate' https://www.grammy.com/news/qa-common-tells-stories-behind-water-chocolate-its-20th-anniversary Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As we open 2025 to continue Season 7, B. Cox reviews The Game's debut album The Documentary as it turns 20. After coming up with a rough upbringing which led him to gang life, the drug game and shooting that left him in a coma, the Compton native embarked on a journey to become a rap star, studying the classic albums of his youth and adolescence as a blueprint to pattern himself after. After he got started and released mixtapes on Get Low Records with Bay area star, JT the Bigga Figga, he was discovered by Dr. Dre who signed him to Aftermath and he was placed with G-Unit Records and partnered with 50 Cent. His debut album was a costly experiement, but one that was destined to make a mark. An all-star cast of producers (Dre, Timbaland, Just Blaze, Scott Storch, Kanye West, Hi-Tek, Eminem, Mark Elizondo and more) laced his freshman effort with a fresh sound for a West Coast Emcee. Paired with Game's flow and reality rap bars that spoke of his hard knock life, ambitions and dreams, it made for a true soundtrack of what the new West Coast hip-hop scene would like in this era. The album was boosted several successal chart topping signals, most notably "How We Do", "Hate It Or Love It" (both featuring 50 Cent) and the Kanye West produced "Dreams". In total 5 singles all saw at least some success with the best charging the album towards a double platinum effort within two years. It has sold over 5 million copies worldwide and is recognized by many as The Game's best work and a notable album in the 21st century West Coast hip-hop scene. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy