Microphone Check

On the day before Thanksgiving, Microphone Check hosts Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Frannie Kelley sat down in Los Angeles with Rick Ross. First things first, they talked about food, but quickly got into the Miami musician's early rap fandom, the importance of imagery in his work and what his mentors taught him about running a team.

Killer Mike and El-P, underground kings from Atlanta and New York respectively, met four years ago, made an album together, and then joined forces under the name Run the Jewels, something far beyond the sum of its parts. "We're a group comprised of two dudes who met at crossroads, who had come out of crossroads deciding to go out and hunt and kill," says El-P, who produces as well as raps. "When we met, we had both individually decided we were going to go for ours. Like, no more playing around." Microphone Check co-host Ali Shaheed Muhammad was moving on the only morning Jaime and Mike had time to sit down in New York City after they dropped their second album, Run the Jewels 2, so this interview was done by Frannie Kelley solo.

Dante Ross, A&R man extraordinaire, keeper of stories about everyone from ODB to De La Soul to Cypress Hill, the Beastie Boys, Queen Latifah and Pete Rock, sat down with Microphone Check to remember the old days and stare down the present.

"I want to be here because the people put me here," says the Atlanta rapper, actor and businessman. T.I. spoke to Microphone Check about being mentored by Andrew Young, taking Biggie to Atlanta and Outkast to NYC, using songwriting to talk to himself, as well as everybody else, and the death of his protege, Doe B.

While Frannie Kelley was in Atlanta reporting about OutKast weekend, she spoke to Killer Mike in the waxing room at his barber shop, V103 DJ Greg Street in a gold Impala parked behind the gas station at the West End Mall and to DJ Drama while they were both at the airport -- though he was at LAX and she was at Hartsfield. Less than 20 seconds of each of those interviews made it into the radio report, but here is way more: Killer Mike on flip-flops and socks, Greg Street on the OutKast brand and Drama on the days when New York stores thought Southern mixtapes wouldn't sell. And here's the story that aired on All Things Considered: http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2014/10/03/353516382/outkast-and-atlanta-until-they-close-the-curtain.

Andre 3000 — née André Benjamin, sometimes Three Stacks and always one half of the mighty OutKast — sat down with Microphone Check hosts Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Frannie Kelley before a screening of the just-released Jimi Hendrix biopic in which he stars. He spoke about his current work with the Queen of Soul, how and why OutKast and the Dungeon Family 20 years ago put the city of Atlanta on their backs and what young musicians now can learn from his group's early days.

On Sunday, Sept. 14, 20 years and one day after Biggie Small's debut album Ready to Die was released, Microphone Check gathered four of the musician's friends in Brooklyn to recall the man they knew. We called the event If You Don't Know, Now You Know: The Stories Of Notorious B.I.G. Hubert Sam went to elementary school with Chris Wallace and was his very first DJ. Donald Harrison, Jr., was a world-touring jazz musician when Hubert and Chris started going over to his house to talk about jazz and the industry. Matty C, whose job gave him access to all the latest hip-hop before anyone else, used to get hit up by Big for new tapes as he got off the subway. And dream hampton took Biggie with her to classes at NYU's film school. The story-telling happened at BRIC House on Fulton Street, just blocks from where the young man who would become the Notorious B.I.G. went to school, bagged groceries, hustled and freestyled. You can download the conversation above, or watch videos of the panel here: http://www.npr.org/blogs/microphonecheck/2014/09/18/349607102/microphone-check-live-the-stories-of-the-notorious-b-i-g.

The Brooklyn rapper spoke to Microphone Check about the music business, the old neighborhood, staying in the studio, the appeal of supergroups, the kids and a theoretical campaign to be Mayor of New York City.

A rap duo from New York City is being talked about as a continuation of the golden era of hip-hop — a time in the late '80s and early '90s when groups made songs that noted police brutality, elevated conversation and filled dance floors. Issa and AK are at a stage in their careers — three full length projects in — where they believe they've gained enough skill and experience to be able to make music that does what they want it to do: spark change, infuse the culture, help them see the world. They sat with Microphone Check cohosts Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Frannie Kelley this spring and received some grown man admonishment and one tip regarding a video location while telling stories about Australian fans and all their strategic moves.

20 years ago, Nas mentioned his friend Cormega on a song called "One Love," which was composed as a letter to someone in prison: "Night time is more trife than ever / What up with Cormega? Did you see him? Are y'all together? / If so then hold the fort down, represent to the fullest / Say what's up to Herb, Ice and Bullet." Those four bars inked Cormega's street credibility and forever tied him, for better and worse, to the crown prince of hip-hop. He spoke to Microphone Check cohosts Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Frannie Kelley about the career and life he's made beyond them.

The Los Angeles rapper spoke to Microphone Check co-hosts Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Frannie Kelley about his early days playing house parties all over the county, DJ Mustard's start, his friendship with ScHoolboy Q and how his mother yelling at him ended up on his debut album.

The renowned producer attributes his creativity to another legend: "I was musically charged, man. I had some adrenaline going on then. I'm serious, ever since I — I think after I met James Brown as a kid. I was seven years old," says Pete Rock. "I wasn't the same since." The man who made "T.R.O.Y." and "The World Is Yours" spoke with Microphone Check hosts Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Frannie Kelley about shaking the hand of the Godfather of Soul and attending his funeral, crawling through a dog door to practice on Heavy D's equipment, the effects of 9/11 on music and J Dilla. "I'm like, 'Yo, this guy's gonna have me out of a job.'"

Ab-Soul, the most philosophical member of the by now vaunted Top Dawg Entertainment, met Microphone Check hosts Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Frannie Kelley in Los Angeles two weeks before the release of his latest album, called These Days ... After only one listen to the album, the three of them had a conversation about Ab's high expectations of his audience and what he's trying to make for them. "I've learned the bulk of what I know from hip-hop music. You understand what I'm saying? Like I learned — from listening to hip-hop music, I learned about things that I would soon learn about as an adult, from listening to it as a child," he says. "That's what I got from hip-hop, and so I just want to give that right back."

Mannie Fresh, the legendary New Orleans producer and DJ, was our guest for the first live episode of Microphone Check. We taped at NPR's headquarters in Washington, D.C. at the end of May, and the conversation was predictably warm, sharp and funny. Mannie regaled the crowd with stories about Cash Money Records, the making of Juvenile's 400 Degreez, Lil Wayne's career, Mantronix and his dad. And he played us a new song from what he's working on now: an album with Brooklyn rapper Mos Def. What we didn't anticipate happened after we said our thank yous, when Mannie stood up, walked over to the decks and unleashed a spontaneous set of bounce remixes of everything from Hall & Oates to Earth Wind and Fire. You can watch video of the evening here: http://www.npr.org/event/music/316698148/mannie-fresh-live-real-talk.

In the middle of our live interview with Mannie Fresh at NPR's headquarters in D.C. (http://www.npr.org/event/music/316698148/mannie-fresh-live-real-talk), Ali asked Mannie how he approaches DJing — does he play what he wants to hear? Or does he feed the crowd? "When I want you to understand something, I remix it," Mannie said. "If it's Earth Wind and Fire, and you not getting it, I'ma make you get it." Laughing, and speaking for everyone in the room, Ali then asked if he could get a couple of those Mannie Fresh special remixes. "I got you!" said Mannie, and no one in the crowd let him forget it. After we had finished our conversation, and said our thank yous, he walked over to the decks. For the next 20 mins he put New Orleans behind songs by Kenny Chesney, Hall & Oates and Trouble Funk — leading off with his remix of "September," which somehow makes the warm embrace of Earth Wind and Fire's song even more cushy, homey and right on time. Set List: "September," Earth Wind and Fire "Beat It," Michael Jackson "Showtime at the Apollo Theme" "Boogie Down Bronx," Man Parrish "California Love," Tupac feat. Dr. Dre "Let's Wait Awhile," Janet Jackson "(Lay Your Head On My) Pillow," Tony Toni Tone "Somewhere With You," Kenny Chesney "One More Night," Maroon 5 "Funky Soul Makossa," Nairobi "Billie Jean," Michael Jackson "Back That Ass Up," Juvenile feat. Mannie Fresh and Lil Wayne "I Can't Go For That," Hall & Oates "Good Life," Kanye West feat. T-Pain "Friends," Whodini "Trying Girls Out," The Persuaders (used by Kanye West for "Girls, Girls, Girls (Part 2)," Jay Z) "That's How Long," The Chi-Lites (used by Just Blaze for "December 4th," Jay Z) "A Dream," DeBarge (used by Daz for "I Ain't Mad At Cha," Tupac) "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City," Bobby "Blue" Bland (used by Kanye West for "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)," Jay Z) "Sunrise," The Originals (used by Kanye West for "Guess Who's Back," Scarface feat. Jay Z, Beanie Sigel and Kanye West) "Start This Off Right Tonight (Remix)," Trouble Funk