Category: New Music

Me and Consequence the day we recorded “Hip Hop Unpacked,” podcast. Damien DWI Williams,  Caiden the Crown Holder, and Consequence May, 2023 at listening party for earlier version of Nice Doing Business With You. I attended a listening party in May 2023 for Consequence’s studio album “Nice Doing Business With You,” at Platinum Sound Recording Studios in New York City. It was a fan’s, writer’s, and media coordinator’s delight. Here I was, getting an early listen to the album from one of the premier songwriters of our time — someone who has worked with Kanye West, Beyoncé, and a member of arguably the greatest hip-hop group of all time, A Tribe Called Quest. I took a liking to the album, with heat rocks including the Amerie-assisted “Blood Stain,” and a witty track that spoke to the difficulty of co-parenting with Sheek Louch, “Baby Moms.” He also provided social justice content on tracks like “Who Shot Jamal,” with his son Caiden the Crown Holder, which describes the impact of gun violence in inner-city communities, and a feature from Chuck D on “What Has America Done for Me?” which dives into effects of slavery and the history of racial oppression in the United States. The album felt necessary. It’s hip hop — entertaining, but also filled with commentary that challenges the status quo and moves the conversation toward change. You can imagine the joy I felt on Friday, September 27th, 2024, the day the actual album dropped — a whole year and four months after that listening party in New York City. I was hyped, finally going to listen to the official album from one of NYC’s elite emcees, an artist I had sung along to as a teenager on his epic standout appearance on “Stressed Out” off ATCQ’s “Beats, Rhymes, and Life,” album. This excitement turned into disappointment when several of the songs I heard weren’t on the album. I felt cheated. Hearing the album, which on first listen felt more R&Bish than the version I heard with several singing choruses gave me more New Edition vibes than Hip Hop, and had me confused. I shared this confusion with a well-respected media friend, and he shared that with Consequence. It was relayed to me that the Queens rapper respected my thoughts about the missing songs and that a deluxe version was actually coming out in a few weeks with some of the tracks I heard at listening party. He connected me to the rapper and  Consequence himself wanted to personally show me the video for the track with Chuck D, “What Has America Done for Me,” which will be included in the deluxe version of “Nice Doing Business With You.” And this is how I set up my first podcast interview ever with the illustrious Consequence. I asked my good friend Damien “DWI” Williams, to co-host, he is known as the pioneer of podcast production in hip-hop circles in New York City, and he provided his studio to watch the “What Has America Done for Me” video and interview Consequence. It had been a while since I interviewed anyone in person, and it was my first time having it recorded. I was a little nervous. I’m good at preparing questions and passionate about writing and booking artists for other radio shows, but I was not sure how I’d do on a podcast. I came up with the name of the pod the day before we recorded, “Hip Hop Unpacked,” because I wanted to create a podcast in which I delved deeper into the root and inspiration for creating hip-hop. Consequence showed up to the pod, and we were ready to rock. We spoke briefly, and I asked why the album took so long to be released, considering I had heard a version of the album in May 2023. He explained that he was taking his time to get the right distribution for the album. My follow-up question was, “What happened to all the other songs I heard at that listening party that didn’t make the album?” He said he would be releasing the deluxe album within a few weeks, with songs like “Who Shot Jamal” and “What Has America Done for Me.” Then he showed me the video for that song featuring Chuck D. The video is moving — an exposé of the atrocities and inhumane treatment given by the United States power structure to African Americans. We spoke with Consequence for an about an hour about different topics including the health scare he endured with lupus and diabetes, and how he had to change his diet which altered his outlook on life. He even selected an album cover to show him in a successful, celebratory state in a Maybach, wearing a Rolex, to show him living life fully when just a few years ago he was concerned about surviving. I quickly learned how passionate he is about his art. He recited his lyrics when explaining the meaning of songs like “Overdose.” On the track that features YNW Melly, you can hear the pain he lived through during the 80’s crack era. The album is full of mature content that makes you think about the effects of drug abuse, mass incarceration, and relationship struggles. I’m happy to see Cons get this moment. He has always been hungry and talented, but on this new album, he finally gets to shine as a solo artist as he and his son are the only ones who rap on the entire album. During the podcast interview, we spoke about how much his cousin Q-Tip liked the project, and how he had a full-circle moment — close to 30 years in the music business, and getting praise from his cousin was like Coach K awarding him the championship. After better understanding the challenges he’s overcome, and discussing his growth as an artist and human being, Cons is hard to root against. He’s tackled life, music industry hurdles, and is still competing for his proper place in the hip-hop pantheon. And next up for him is