The Latest
Mike Joseph and Garrett Gonzales welcome you to their podcast project celebrating their 50 years on earth. 50 albums for 50 years.
Recent
Sept. 19, 2026
Usher's Rise, Reinvention & the Making of an R&B Classic | 50 For 50
The best-selling R&B album of the 21st century almost didn't happen the way we know it — twice. On this episode of 50 for 50, hosts Garrett Gonzales and Mike Joseph trace Usher's path from a nine-year-old church choir kid in Chattanooga to the man behind Confessions, the Diamond-certified 2004 album built on a breakup, a Napster leak that forced him to scrap and rename an entire record, and a marketing strategy so effective it made the whole country think it was his literal autobiography. In th
Sept. 19, 2026
Notorious B.I.G.'s Top 5 Songs (+ Our Dream Collaborator Pick)
We're ranking Biggie's catalog — but first, our Dream Collaborator: Nas, and the "Gimme the Loot" remix verse that almost happened. Nas was booked for the session and it fell apart for the most Nas reason imaginable — as he told The Breakfast Club in 2020, "I got too high." It's the closest thing hip-hop had to a heavyweight unification match that never got made. In this episode: Our Dream Collaborator pick for Biggie — Nas, and the real story behind the "Gimme the Loot" remix verse that never
Sept. 16, 2026
Best Notorious B.I.G. Songs: From Juicy to Hypnotize | Top 5
Our Dream Collaborator for Biggie, Rock With It or Stop With It, and our Top 5 Biggie songs
Sept. 14, 2026
Life After Death & The Notorious B.I.G. Story: A Full Career Deep Dive | 50 For 50
He was an honor-roll kid from Fulton Street who dealt crack out of necessity, got discovered through a magazine column, and became — in a recording career that lasted barely three years — one of the two or three greatest rappers who ever lived. This week we trace the whole arc: Christopher Wallace's Brooklyn origin story and the Source "Unsigned Hype" break that led Puffy Combs to him, the Tupac friendship that curdled into the defining rivalry of '90s hip-hop, the marriage to Faith Evans, the c
Sept. 13, 2026
Best Madonna Hits: From Into the Groove to Vogue | Top 5
Ranking Madonna's best songs, plus Rock With It or Stop With It on five more classics
Sept. 12, 2026
Life After Death: The Notorious B.I.G.'s Rise, Reign & Legacy | 50 For 50
He recorded two albums, lived barely three years as a star, and is still argued over as the greatest rapper who ever lived. On this LIVE episode of 50 for 50, hosts Garrett Gonzales and Mike Joseph use Life After Death — Biggie's sprawling, Diamond-certified 1997 double album — as the centerpiece for a full career deep dive: the Brooklyn origin story, the Tupac friendship that turned into the era's defining rap rivalry, the album's chaotic and brilliant making-of, and the murder that cut it all
Join the Email List
Subscribe On:
Recent Blog Posts
Aug. 4, 2026
Brandy's Biggest Hits: The Playlist That Reminds You Why She Was Everything
It's hard to imagine that Brandy is in her late 40s. Yes, I know, we don't necessarily need to talk about someone's age. But 50 For 50 is about aging and growing and doing so with grace and wisdom. As Mike Joseph and I talk about some of our favorit…
July 18, 2026
A Tribe Called Quest Playlist: The Ultimate Discography Mix for 50 For 50
As I've said on many episodes of 50 For 50, when we start our research on an artist and the album we're going to discuss, I try and listen to that artist's entire discography. The easiest way for me to listen to music attentively is during my dail…
July 9, 2026
A Tribe Called Quest: The Low End Theory Review — 5 Reasons It Still Reigns Supreme
A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory is consistently lauded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. I certainly regard it as a high water mark for its era, even though it’s not even my favorite Tribe album. Here are five reasons why …
About the Hosts
Mike Joseph
Author and Podcaster
Mike Joseph has been a music obsessive almost his whole life. The New York native was honored by Billboard Magazine in 2020 as a "Pride Power Player", celebrating a career in the music industry that's lasted over three decades. Mike has also worked as a music journalist, a radio announcer, and since 2020 has produced and hosted the podcast "Detoxicity", which shines a light on men's mental health.
Garrett Gonzales
Podcaster
GG is first and foremost, a husband, father, and son. He runs both Fight Game Media and BSPN Media in addition to doing podcasts for the Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline. He's also one of the co-founders of the neighborhood social media website, Nextdoor.com.