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PODCAST · music

Rhythm and Rhymes

by Rhythm and Rhymes

Rhythm & Rhymes is your global hub for all black music.From discussing new releases and trends to exploring the business side of music, we provide dynamic & enlightening perspectives.Join us as we explore the connections between the past and present, unearthing the stories that have profoundly shaped our diverse musical landscape. Get ready to embark on a rhythmic journey that celebrates black music's powerful legacy and evolving influence worldwide.

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Episodes

  1. A 9AM Party, Spotify Superfan Shows, NoCap & Asake

    What happens when a party starts at 9AM? AJ recaps 9AM Banger, from the music and open bar to the ticket prices and the crowd. He and Antonio also talk about Spotify’s intimate Lagos show for selected Premium listeners, Seyi Vibez’s streaming-led No. 1 in Nigeria, NoCap’s Heaven on Mars, what...

  2. The Hip Hop Police, Where Conscious Rap Went & Tiakola's WpointM

    Listen everywhere: https://linktr.ee/RealRandR AJ and Antonio go from COINTELPRO to the hip hop police to rap lyrics on trial, and ask who decides what gets pushed. Plus the debunked 1991 "secret meeting" letter, where conscious rap went, and a review of Tiakola's WpointM. 0:00 Cold open 0:45...

  3. Afrobeats, the CIA & the Politics of Popular Music

    Is Afrobeats’ global rise a story of talent, label investment, political influence, or overlapping forces? AJ and Antonio debate the Chocolate City/CIA claim, what counts as evidence, and how soft power might operate through music. Plus: AI tributes to deceased artists and a BXKS discovery....

  4. UMG's AI Remix Deal, Jay-Z In 8, Jhené Aiko & Unknown T

    Antonio breaks down UMG's licensing deal with ElevenLabs for a fan remix platform, what it could mean for DJs, and whether AI is a boost or just ease. Then: Rick Rubin's Jay-Z In 8 and whether song by song beats start to finish, AJ plays Antonio his first Bouyon, Jhené Aiko's Westside Whimsy, Rio...

  5. Afro+ Fest, Kanye’s Reunion & Beyoncé’s B’Day at 20

    Join the R&R newsletter: https://open.substack.com/pub/rhythmandrhymes We wanted to be at Afro Plus Fest. Then we saw how the weekend unfolded. AJ and Antonio discuss the storm, entry problems, and attendee reactions—and why criticizing one festival shouldn’t become an indictment of Black-led...

  6. The House Whitney Built: Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston & “I Will Always Love You” | EP 150

    Subscribe to R&R on Substack: https://substack.com/@rhythmandrhymes Dolly Parton refused to give Elvis Presley’s team half the publishing rights to “I Will Always Love You.” Years later, Whitney Houston transformed the song into a global phenomenon—and reportedly made Dolly roughly $10 million in...

  7. Notting Hill Carnival Turns 60. Can London Keep It Alive?

    What allows Black music and cultural institutions to last? AJ and Antonio discuss Notting Hill Carnival’s 60th anniversary, Machel Montano’s new Brooklyn exhibition, Victony avoiding the sophomore slump, Ransom’s late-career consistency and whether Anderson .Paak and Cordae have lost creative...

  8. Does Music Really Have No Borders?

    Does Afrobeats still describe a musical genre, or has it become an umbrella for nearly every globally visible African artist? AJ and Antonio discuss Ayra Starr’s StarrGirl, a controversial Dominican-Haitian collaboration, Erykah Badu’s return, and the Ghana-Jamaica connection on Junction. 0:00 –...

  9. Who Owns the Music No One Preserved?

    Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/RealRandR AJ and Antonio dig into who really owns African music that Western labels and collectors traveled in to digitize and distribute — walking through Analog Africa in Benin, the Éthiopiques series, and PMG in Nigeria — then argue out what "fair" even means when...

  10. Mood > Genre: Why Music Is Becoming Genreless

    See where music's going, and why: https://substack.com/@rhythmandrhymesGenres are getting harder to define.Artists like Don Toliver, Rico Nasty, Playboi Carti and Ken Carson are pulling from rap, punk, metal, electronic music, R&B and hyperpop, sometimes within the same record.But the bigger…

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  11. Jermaine Dupri and the Hidden Math of Royalties

    Modern radio for global Black sounds

  12. Shake It to the Max, the Grammy Rules, and Who Gets to Bet on Africa

    Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/RealRandR AJ and Antonio dig into why the "Shake It to the Max" remix — a billion streams, the first Ghanaian video past 200M on YouTube — was ruled ineligible for a 2026 Grammy, and what Gamma CEO Larry Jackson's fight to overturn it says about whether the stamp…

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  13. Top 10 Albums of 2026 (So Far)

    Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/RealRandR AJ and Antonio run their ten favorite albums of the year — Tierra Whack, Drake, Vince Staples, Jules, Uncle Waffles, Alex Isley — then get into why the year felt dead: no anticipation, no mega-artists, and hip-hop becoming one crayon in a much bigger box.…

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  14. Government Plants: From CIA Jazz to Today

    📩 Join the R&R newsletter: https://open.substack.com/pub/rhythmandrhymes 🎧 Listen everywhere: https://linktr.ee/RealRandR If the State Department once used jazz musicians to sell American values abroad, who's doing that work today? AJ and Antonio play a game of "who's a plant" — Live Nation…

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  15. The Fine Print: Suno's Grant Program, Ghost DJs & the Jay-Z Rollout

    Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/RealRandR AJ and Antonio break down Suno's new "Spark" grant program for unsigned artists — including the "good vibes only" gag clause and the name/image/likeness language buried in the fine print. Then they get into ghost DJs and prerecorded sets, Jay-Z's marathon...

  16. Christian Rappers vs. Christians Who Rap

    📩 Join the R&R newsletter: https://open.substack.com/pub/rhythmandrhymes 🎧 Listen everywhere: https://linktr.ee/RealRandR AJ and Antonio get into Christian rap — and the line one of them draws between a "Christian rapper" and a "Christian who raps." Chance, Malice, Lecrae, Andy Mineo: who's...

  17. Asake's Money & the Afrobeats Monotony Debate

    📩 Join the R&R newsletter: https://open.substack.com/pub/rhythmandrhymes 🎧 Listen everywhere: https://linktr.ee/RealRandR AJ and Antonio break down Asake's new album "Money" and use it to ask a bigger question: is Afrobeats getting monotonous, or is that just an outsider's ear? One of us thinks...

  18. Is Music in Better Hands with Private Equity?

    Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/RealRandR AJ and Antonio dig into Harborview Private Equity quietly amassing 41,000+ songs and $3.8B in catalogs — from Quincy Jones and T-Pain to Stefflon Don and Shenseea — and what it means when funders, not labels, start writing the checks. The conversation widens...

  19. The Harvard Report That Decided Who Owns Black Music

    Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/RealRandRAJ and Antonio pull up the 1972 Harvard Report — the study that taught major labels to see Black music as supply chains — and trace its logic from Black Music Month to the World Cup stage to Vince Staples going independent.0:00 – Cold open0:45 – Black Music...

  20. Jazz, Propaganda, and the Government Plant Theory

    Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/RealRandRAJ and Antonio trace the CIA's Cold War Jazz Ambassador Program — where Black artists were sent abroad as freedom symbols while denied rights at home — and follow that thread straight into today, asking who the government might be using now. They also break...

  21. Miami Bass, Baile Funk & the Labels That Won't Die

    AJ and Antonio trace the direct line from Miami bass record shops to DJ Marlboro's Funk Brasil (1989) — the origin story of baile funk — then pivot to the business: Ed Sheeran's amicable Warner exit, why major labels are still too big to fail (73.3% of all streams are catalog), and what Spotify's...

  22. Is Drake One Away from Michael? Breaking Down Drake Week

    Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/RealRandRAJ and Antonio break down Drake's surprise triple release — Iceman, Made of Honor, and Habibti — tracking the bars, the pettiness, and the global pop instincts that still make him undeniable. They also get into the UMG deal exit theory, Drake's DJ-first music...

  23. The Artists Are Talking, But Are You Listening?

    Subscribe for weekly conversations on Black music, culture, and the diaspora: https://www.youtube.com/@realrandrLucki has been hiding his influences in plain sight, referencing Lil' Kim, DMX, and Chief Keef on his album covers. Chris Brown dropped 27 songs and titled his album BROWN. Isaiah…

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  24. Who Owns the Michael Jackson Story?

    Subscribe to Rhythm FM: https://www.youtube.com/@realrandr AJ went to see the Michael Jackson biopic — and left with more questions than answers. Not about Michael. About who's telling the story and why. We break down why the film feels surface level, what gets left out (The Wiz, Janet Jackson,...

  25. Why Afrobeats Is More Profitable Abroad Than at Home?

    Is Afrobeats being extracted from Africa the same way natural resources are? AJ and Antonio break down why the sound is more profitable in the West than at home, the infrastructure gap, the buying power problem, and what it means when artists can make the beat without the culture. Then the Burna...

  26. Usher vs. Chris Brown, Bill Ackman Targets UMG & Rap's Next Problem | R&R Ep. 132

    Bill Ackman targets Universal Music Group — and it might change your Spotify bill. We break it down, then go record-for-record on Usher vs. Chris Brown. Plus: Red Bull Records shuts down, Kanye's UK ban, Isaiah Rashad's album incoming, TDE's roster problem, rap's "who's next" crisis, and two…

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  27. The Producer Who Built the 90s, Omah Lay's Return & The Spotify Docuseries

    This week AJ and Antonio go deep on Teddy Riley, the man behind New Jack Swing, Don't Be Cruel, Remember the Time, and No Diggity — and why he still doesn't get the credit he deserves. They review Omah Lay's long-awaited sophomore album Clarity of Mind, break down the Unknown T and AJ Tracey...

  28. Why Erykah Badu & D'Angelo Reject Neo Soul Entirely

    Subscribe to Rhythm FM: 👉 https://tinyurl.com/dr43zvte AJ and Antonio Hughes discuss how Motown executive Kedar Massenburg coined “neo-soul” as a marketing term to distinguish artists like Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, and Lauryn Hill from 1990s R&B, and why artists such as D’Angelo and Raphael Saadiq...

  29. Top 10 R&B Songs of All-Time

    🎧 Rhythm FM — DJ Sets & Mixes:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvQ6HdlN59e5fRIcs4E_kSzDh0spqw2o3We tried to guess the Top 10 R&B songs of all time by the numbers — and the list will surprise you. One Dance made it. Happy by Pharrell made it. Are those even R&B? We debate the list, break…

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  30. Who Are the REAL New Leaders of Hip-Hop? Spotify's List vs Ours

    🎧 Tune into Rhythm FM: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvQ6HdlN59e5Na-MNTaYUPeb8pmhGOpkLSpotify dropped a "New Leaders of Hip-Hop" list — and we've got opinions. On Episode 125, Andre & Antonio break down who made the cut, who got snubbed (JID, we're talking about you), and whether…

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  31. Willie Colón & The Origins of Salsa | R&R 123

    Subscribe to Rhythm FM: 👉 https://tinyurl.com/dr43zvteOn this episode Hosts AJ Hughes & Antonio Hughes discuss The Legacy of Willie Colón, the origins of salsa, and more. 00:00 Podcast Intro and Loss00:12 Willie Colon Legacy01:42 How Salsa Was Born04:07 Fania Records and Global Reach05:22...

  32. What Really Happened to Shyne?

    🎧 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFItqWQx8ts6Fg_yErvXsrA Exploring global music, culture, and power through conversation. Most people know the name Shyne — but not the story. In this episode of Rhythm & Rhymes, we go back and unpack what actually happened: how Shyne went from being...

  33. Is 2026 About to Feel Like 2016 Again? + J. Cole Fall Off

    Subscribe to Rhythm FM: 👉 https://tinyurl.com/dr43zvteRadio for the global diaspora. Is 2026 about to feel like 2016 all over again?-Revisiting the legendary 2016 rap year-Are Drake, Kendrick & J. Cole all dropping this year?-Full breakdown of J. Cole’s The Fall Off-Why Bad Bunny’s halftime show...

  34. Modern Radio: Why the Playlist Era Failed Global Music | R&R 120

    Subscribe to Rhythm FM: 👉 https://tinyurl.com/dr43zvteRadio for the global diaspora. New mixes every week.

  35. When Music Became Too Cheap

    Streaming gave us access to everything — but at a cost. In this episode, we explore how music became more available than ever while being valued less than ever. From subscription economics to the myth of independence, we break down why most artists can’t win inside today’s systems — and why a few...

  36. Black American Culture Wasn’t Lost — It Was Interrupted

    Are we seeing the results of a 400-year propaganda campaign designed to keep the African diaspora disconnected?

  37. AI Music, Real Feeling & the Missy Elliott vs Nicki Minaj Debate

    Is AI actually capable of making real, usable music — or does it still miss the feeling? In this episode of Rhythm & Rhymes, we experiment with AI music tools while trying to create a new podcast intro. Some of the results are awful. A few are surprisingly decent. Most still sound unmistakably...

  38. Which One Are You? A 2025 Music Review by Vibe | R&R 116

    Everyone wraps their year in music the same way:Top artists. Top songs. Top albums.For this episode of Rhythm & Rhymes, we decided to flip it.Instead of ranking music, we broke the year down by listener identity.If you love lyricism, this one sounds different than if you live in the club.If…

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  39. Music Is a Global Sport Now

    Music is officially a global sport. In Episode 115 of Rhythm & Rhymes, we explore the growing globalization of music — from major label expansion into Africa and emerging markets, to The Weeknd’s reported $1B catalog deal, and what it reveals about music as an asset class. We also react to recent...

  40. Why Your Spotify Wrapped Is Wrong

    Your Spotify Wrapped might not be telling you the truth — and in this episode we explain why. We break down the hidden metric behind Wrapped (weighted streams), how 30-second listens distort your rankings, and why your true top artists might look completely different once you recalculate them. We...

  41. How Did 50 Cent Get the Diddy Documentary?! | R&R 113

    Episode 113 — This week, we react to the wild news that 50 Cent is executive producing the new Diddy trial documentary for Netflix. How did he get the footage? Why would Diddy’s team approve this? We break down the business, the beef, and the strategy behind it. We also dive into Suno AI…

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  42. Tyler’s Artist of the Year + UK Ticket Ban & Juke Revival

    Episode 112 | Rhythm & Rhymes This week we get into Tyler, The Creator being named Apple Music’s Artist of the Year — did he really earn it, or were there stronger contenders? We also break down the UK’s proposed ban on ticket resale markups, Chicago Juke making a comeback, and some of the best…

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  43. Wale, Summer Walker, & The Return of Hip-Hop&B

    Episode 111 breaks down Summer Walker’s Finally Over It, Wale’s Everything Is A Lot, and whether Hip-Hop&B is officially back. AJ & Antonio also talk A Boogie’s influence, the state of Black love, rising artists, and whether listeners can still tell the difference between AI-generated and...

  44. Grammy Confusion: Leon Thomas, Doechii, and More | R&R 110

    🎧 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFItqWQx8ts6Fg_yErvXsrA

  45. The Death of the Song of the Summer: TikTok, Concert Prices & Culture Shifts

    The Rhythm & Rhymes Podcast is back with another cultural deep dive — this time we’re breaking down why the “song of the summer” doesn’t exist anymore and how TikTok changed the entire music economy without boosting streams. We also react to Live Nation’s CEO claiming concerts are “underpriced”,...

  46. Def Jam’s Pivot, Hip Hop at the Vatican & Cardi B’s Album Rollout

    In Episode 104 of the Rhythm & Rhymes Podcast, AJ & Tone dive into major cultural stories: – Def Jam’s new CEO Tunji Balogun and the label’s pivot toward Afrobeats & global sounds – The Clipse making history as the first hip hop group to perform at the Vatican – Jacksonville’s place in music...

  47. Why YouTube Is the Best Gauge of Artist Popularity

    Spotify monthly listeners only tell part of the story. On this Rhythm & Rhymes Episode 101 clip, we dive into why YouTube is a better gauge for true global popularity — and the surprising names leading the charts. Artists mentioned: Doechii, Drake, J. Cole, Rema, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Nicki...

  48. Young Thug’s Pain, Gunna Fallout, Amapiano Debates & Drake’s Iceman

    🎧 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFItqWQx8ts6Fg_yErvXsrAIn Episode 103 of the Rhythm & Rhymes Podcast, AJ and Tone break down some of the biggest conversations in global Black music and culture:-Young Thug’s Interview — the trauma in his upbringing, the Gunna fallout, and how the…

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  49. How to DJ in the TikTok Era

    This week on Rhythm & Rhymes, AJ and Tone get into DJ culture — from learning how to DJ at home to the rise of TikTok DJs and what it means for live shows, mashups, and internet-driven music scenes. We also dive into Apple Music’s latest playlist moves, Spotify testing DMs, and Joey Bada$$’s new...

  50. EP. 101 – Who Really Runs Music? YouTube vs Spotify, Skepta & Global Artist Stats

    In Episode 101 of the Rhythm & Rhymes Podcast, host AJ Hughes explores the global music landscape and asks the question: who really runs it — YouTube or Spotify? AJ breaks down why Spotify may never reach one billion users, while YouTube already dominates across Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin...

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

Rhythm & Rhymes is your global hub for all black music.From discussing new releases and trends to exploring the business side of music, we provide dynamic & enlightening perspectives.Join us as we explore the connections between the past and present, unearthing the stories that have profoundly shaped our diverse musical landscape. Get ready to embark on a rhythmic journey that celebrates black music's powerful legacy and evolving influence worldwide.

HOSTED BY

Rhythm and Rhymes

CATEGORIES

music

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Rhythm and Rhymes have?

Rhythm and Rhymes currently has 157 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Rhythm and Rhymes about?

Rhythm & Rhymes is your global hub for all black music.From discussing new releases and trends to exploring the business side of music, we provide dynamic & enlightening perspectives.Join us as we explore the connections between the past and present, unearthing the stories that have profoundly...

How often does Rhythm and Rhymes release new episodes?

Rhythm and Rhymes publishes regularly with 157 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.

Where can I listen to Rhythm and Rhymes?

You can listen to Rhythm and Rhymes on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Rhythm and Rhymes?

Rhythm and Rhymes is created and hosted by Rhythm and Rhymes.
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