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The Almanac of Rap

The Almanac of Rap

Donwill/Okayplayer 52 Episodes Oct 8, 2026

The Almanac of Rap is a two-time Webby Award-winning show that examines trends in hip hop and their impact over time. Each week, host Donwill asks a question, presents a theory, and finds a guest to come to some sort of consensus about it. It's a show about rap, by a rapper who loves rap music.

Episodes

Blowout Comb feat Ladybug Mecca
Blowout Comb feat Ladybug Mecca Oct 8, 2026 2071 Before Digable Planets helped redefine the sound of alternative hip-hop, Ladybug Mecca was a young artist absorbing Brazilian music, jazz, and the rhythms of her family's home. Three decades after Blowout Comb became a cornerstone of jazz-inflected hip-hop, the pioneering MC joins Donwill to discuss her latest chapter as a recipient of Harvard University's Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship. Her resea
Blow the Whistle feat. Too $hort
Blow the Whistle feat. Too $hort Oct 1, 2026 5068 Did you know that the Almanac of Rap is up for 3 Signal Awards? Vote for Donwill today, click the links below and let your voice be heard 🏆🏆🏆: Type Beats feat Jake One| The Almanac of Rap in the Genre - Conversation Starter Category Official Listing Rap Snacks feat Bun B| The Almanac of Rap in the Genre - Music Category Official Listing Rap Snacks feat Bun B| The Almanac of Rap in t
Rock Steady feat Ken Swift
Rock Steady feat Ken Swift Sep 24, 2026 2314 Before breaking became a global industry, and long before it became an Olympic event, Ken Swift was helping define what the dance could be. A longtime Rock Steady Crew member and one of the form’s most important second-generation B-boys, Swift joins Donwill on The Almanac of Rap to revisit the late-’70s and early-’80s New York scene where DJs, concrete floors, gymnasiums and neighborhood crews tur
Precious Cargo feat Maiya the Don
Precious Cargo feat Maiya the Don Sep 17, 2026 3952 Maiya the Don spent three years figuring out what she actually wanted to say. After Hot Commodity introduced a Brooklyn rapper capable of moving between drill, pop and straight-up bars, touring with Flo Milli and building an audience that first knew her as a beauty creator, Maiya found herself confronting a harder question: what does her music sound like when she's no longer trying to prove she ca
Pan Amsterdam feat Leron Thomas
Pan Amsterdam feat Leron Thomas Sep 10, 2026 2514 Before Leron Thomas became the left-field rapper Pan Amsterdam, he was a Houston jazz prodigy sharing classrooms with Robert Glasper, touring with Bilal and building a reputation as a trumpeter willing to wander far outside jazz's borders. In this episode of The Almanac of Rap, Thomas traces that journey from Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts to New York's jazz scene, and ex
Skiddle Bandana feat La Reezy
Skiddle Bandana feat La Reezy Sep 3, 2026 3688 On this episode of The Almanac of Rap, Donwill heads south to explore the past, present and future of New Orleans hip-hop with rising rapper, producer and 2026 XXL Freshman La Reezy. La Reezy shares how filming run-and-gun videos around his hometown helped him build an audience outside Louisiana, how a viral streetcar performance caught PJ Morton’s attention, and why he considers himself a “leade
Embers To Ashes feat Everlast
Embers To Ashes feat Everlast Aug 27, 2026 2635 On this episode of The Almanac of Rap, Donwill sits down with multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning artist Everlast for a wide-ranging conversation about reinvention, longevity and a career that has consistently refused to stay inside one genre. Everlast reflects on returning to music with Embers to Ashes after nearly eight years, an album shaped by the pandemic, divorce, losing his home in the Wo
AOR Throwback: Hip House ft Dave Gilles II
AOR Throwback: Hip House ft Dave Gilles II Aug 20, 2026 1430 On this throwback episode of The Almanac of Rap, Donwill sits down with Grammy Award-winning songwriter and Chicago native Dave Giles II for a deep dive into Hip House, Chicago house music and the city's evolving relationship with hip-hop. Dave, co-writer and producer of Beyonce’s hit song “Cozy” from her #1 album Renaissance, remembers growing up in a Chicago where house music wasn't a separate
Native Tongues feat The Jungle Brothers
Native Tongues feat The Jungle Brothers Aug 14, 2026 3470 On this episode of The Almanac of Rap, Donwill sits down with hip-hop pioneers The Jungle Brothers to revisit the friendships, records and unlikely moments that helped shape one of rap's most influential eras. The Jungle Brothers take Don back to their teenage years, from high school talent shows and homemade cassette recordings to basement studios, legendary New York clubs and their earliest enc
Chika Day feat CHIKA
Chika Day feat CHIKA Aug 6, 2026 2632 On this episode of The Almanac of Rap, Donwill sits down with GRAMMY-nominated rapper, singer, and actor CHIKA for one of the funniest and most wide-ranging conversations of the season. From going viral on Instagram and signing with Warner Records to launching her career during the COVID-19 pandemic, CHIKA reflects on the unexpected highs and difficult realities of becoming one of hip-hop's most c
The Lean feat Durand Bernarr
The Lean feat Durand Bernarr Jul 30, 2026 2359 On this episode of The Almanac of Rap, Donwill sits down with Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, and internet icon Durand Bernarr for a conversation that blends music history, creative identity, and plenty of laughs. From growing up in a household filled with instruments, vocal coaching, and Earth, Wind & Fire tour buses to becoming one of R&B's most distinctive voices, Durand refl
AOR Throwback: DJ R-Tisitc
AOR Throwback: DJ R-Tisitc Jul 23, 2026 2144 On this throwback episode of The Almanac of Rap, Donwill revisits his conversation with DJ R-Tisitc, one of Los Angeles' most respected DJs and music curators. From his early days producing for The Game's Black Wall Street to becoming a sought-after DJ for artists including Stevie Wonder and Issa Rae, DJ R-Tisitc reflects on his unconventional path into DJing and how studying regional music scenes

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