As an ardent supporter of all things Nas—only a fool wouldn’t include King’s Disease II among the best releases of the year—it’s brought me tremendous joy to watch the greatest rapper of all time (I said what I said) expand his influence beyond just music as his career continues to evolve. And now, with hip-hop’s 50th anniversary drawing near, the Illmatic rhymer is fortifying his roots; commemorating this momentous occasion with a new podcast that will treat us to a trip down memory lane.
Following in the footsteps of his recently announced hip-hop storytelling course in partnership with MasterClass—in addition to his forthcoming documentary on the cultural impact of the groundbreaking hip-hop series Video Music Box, the Grammy-winning artist is joining forces with radio personality Miss Info for The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip-Hop, a new podcast “that will feature lively conversations with a plethora of guests ranging from iconic rappers, producers, to today’s popular artists to explore the ways in which hip-hop influenced society,” according to a press release provided to The Root.
Here’s what else is in store, courtesy of that same press release:
The podcast will take listeners on a time-traveling audio journey of Hip-Hop. Guests will represent all facets of the genre from past to present including musicians, political leaders, athletes, writers, and actors. They will recount stories on their connection to Hip-Hop, their musical careers, and will offer relevant insight on various topics including the art of MCing, regional identities (West Coast versus East Coast rap culture), the digital era, sub-genres of Hip Hop, global expansion and much more. The premiere episodes feature hosts Nas and Miss Info in conversation with some of the biggest names in hip-hop, including Ice Cube, Mary J. Blige and Cordae. Additional all-star guests for Season 1 will be revealed soon.
“There’s nothing more fulfilling and, honestly, more fun than being able to ride shotgun with Nas on this journey,” Miss Info said in a statement provided to The Root. “Of course, The Bridge brings our paths full circle as friends and colleagues, but the most special thing about this podcast are the conversations that listeners will get to sit in on. Our guests open up to Nas and I about the way they approach life, the way they reconcile their pasts, and in many cases, the shared history between Nas and these fellow artists. We’re having a blast and I think it shows.”
Sounds like a win to me—and thankfully, we won’t have to wait much longer for its debut. The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip-Hop is set to premiere on Tuesday, Nov. 16, with new episodes releasing weekly, exclusively on Spotify.