50 For 50: 50 For 50 Podcast

50 For 50 Podcast: Prince's Purple Rain

GG — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 06:09:21 GMT

This was the “let Mike cook” episode of 50 For 50. I asked Mike if he knew Prince’s career and life story second best only to Michael Jackson, and he said he knows Prince, MJ, and Stevie Wonder best.

I explained why I wasn’t a big Prince fan growing up, mostly having to do with how young my ears were for his fairly adult music. But the best thing about 50 For 50 for me is this project gives me the chance to go through albums of music that I hadn’t listen to before, or hadn’t listened to in a very long time.

I liked Purple Rain. But I don’t think I understood its incredible appeal. After this episode, I do now.

Listen above or find us everywhere else below.

🌐 Website: 50for50.net
🎙️ Apple Podcasts: 50 For 50: Life, Music, Friendship
🎧 Spotify: 50 For 50
📺 YouTube: @50_For_50
✍️ Mike’s Substack: Curmudgeonly Yours
✍️ GG’s Substack: The Cool Check-In

50 For 50 Podcast: John Mayer's Continuum

GG — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 06:09:41 GMT

I remember when Mike told me that I had to listen to this album. I stopped off at Rasputin Music after work and bought the CD (remember those?) so that I could listen to it in my car.

John, as an almost 30-year-old dude, was speaking to me as a 30-year-old dude, thinking about similar things that I was thinking about. It’s been one of my go-to albums over the years.

Mike and I had fun with this one.

You can listen above, or check us out at all the places below.

Website: https://www.50for50.net

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50

50 For 50 Podcast: SZA's Ctrl

GG — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 05:11:57 GMT

SZA is an interesting artist for us to cover on 50 For 50. For one, she’s still young in the game and usually, we are covering artists with many albums under their belt. But when it comes to the best artists of the last ten years or so, she’s on a short list.

I personally didn’t know her history well, so the deep dive was fun. We go through Ctrl and compare it to SOS.

I also talk about how good she was in One of Them Days and how if she ever gets tired of the music stuff, I’m buying stock in her as a comedic actress.

Listen above or find us everywhere else below.

🌐 Website: 50for50.net
🎙️ Apple Podcasts: 50 For 50: Life, Music, Friendship
🎧 Spotify: 50 For 50
📺 YouTube: @50_For_50
✍️ Mike’s Substack: Curmudgeonly Yours
✍️ GG’s Substack: The Cool Check-In

50 For 50 Podcast: The Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death

GG — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 05:46:56 GMT

We saved this episode for much later in the season of 50 For 50, both to distance it from our episode on Tupac Shakur, and also because only had a couple of albums to his name, and just one released while he was still alive.

But Mike and I have had the Biggie and Tupac conversation over the years being that we ourselves are physically on opposite coasts. Pound-for-pound (and I’m not talking about his physical weight), no rapper has had as big of an impact as The Notorious B.I.G.

We went deep on his short career, but even in the little time he with us, his impact was B.I.G.

Listen and watch: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj

More from the show: https://www.50for50.net/

50 For 50 Podcast: Madonna's Confessions on a Dance Floor

GG — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 05:24:24 GMT

We made this hard on ourselves.

50 albums for 50 years; that’s it.

We decided, okay maybe I decided, that the hook would be that we can’t do more than one album per year. So that’s how we get to a Madonna episode from a 2005 album that I think is very well regarded, but maybe not a top three pick for most Madonna fans.

But because of the way that Mike and I do our show, it kind of fits. Why? Madonna was the queen of the comeback. And this was yet another comeback album for her. It was a third decade album doing what she loves doing which is dance floor stuff.

So while this wouldn’t have been our top pick of Madonna albums to dig into, it still allows us to tell her story.

In this episode, we get into:

Her real origin story:
The MTV era
Her movie career
The full Confessions on a Dance Floor breakdown
A Grammy Redux
Our Dream Collaborator, Album Tiers, and GG's hot take

Listen and watch: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj

More from the show: https://www.50for50.net/

50 For 50 Goes Live: Madonna's Confessions on a Dance Floor

GG — Sun, 06 Sep 2026 23:57:40 GMT

On Monday at 10:00 a.m. Pacific/1:00 p.m. Eastern, Mike and I are going live with our next episode of 50 For 50. We’re covering Madonna’s career, specifically through the lens of her 2005 album, Confessions on a Dance Floor.

If you can’t join us live, you can watch the episode on our YouTube channel or listen on our audio feeds on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

50 For 50 Podcast: Solange's A Seat at the Table

GG — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 05:47:38 GMT

Mike Joseph and I are back covering Solange’s A Seat At The Table.

We go over Solange’s musical journey from Solo Star and Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams years, her independent turn with the True EP, through her last two works (at least currently).

We cover A Seat at the Table itself in full detail. Listen here, or you can also find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50

George Michael's Top 5 Songs + a Discussion about his Passing

GG — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 06:03:45 GMT

George Michael's catalog spans solo albums, Wham!'s full run, and a long list of one-off duets, so narrowing it down to five songs apiece is no easy task. On this episode of 50 for 50, hosts Garrett Gonzales and Mike Joseph each bring their Top 5 George Michael songs to the table and defend their picks — a mix that spans "One More Try," "I Want Your Sex," "They Won't Go When I Go," "Careless Whisper," "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)," "Freedom! '90," and more.

From there, the guys run a "Rock With It, Stop With It" round pulling deep cuts from both George Michael's solo catalog and Wham!'s discography — the songs that hold up versus the ones that haven't aged as well. The episode closes with a real conversation about George Michael's death: the coroner's finding of dilated cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, and a fatty liver, and just how much his health had actually deteriorated in the years before, from a near-fatal bout of pneumonia in 2011 through a string of hospital stays that followed.

This episode pairs with our full Faith deep dive, where Garrett and Mike cover George Michael's entire career: the Wham! years, the making of Faith, the Grammy history, and a full track-by-track dive on the album itself.

Listen and subscribe: Website: https://www.50for50.net Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50

Faith & the George Michael Story: A Full Career Deep Dive

GG — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 06:17:28 GMT

Long before Faith made him a solo superstar, George Michael was the shy new kid at Bushey Meads School who fell in with a classmate named Andrew Ridgeley. On this episode of 50 for 50, hosts Garrett Gonzales and Mike Joseph trace that whole path — a teenage ska band called The Executive, the meteoric rise of Wham! with Fantastic and Make It Big, the duo's historic 1985 tour of China, and the amicable split that closed out with "The Final" at Wembley Stadium in 1986.

From there, Garrett and Mike dig into Faith itself: recorded largely in Denmark for privacy, written and produced almost entirely by George Michael himself, and packed with seven singles — including four #1 hits, a feat matched at the time only by Michael Jackson's Bad. They cover the making of the record, the censorship fight over "I Want Your Sex," studio stories from the musicians who were actually in the room (including the Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis remix that reshaped "Monkey"), and a full track-by-track breakdown.

The back half covers George Michael's Grammy history — the Faith Album of the Year win and the surprising snubs that followed — plus a look at his real-life collaborations with Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Queen, Whitney Houston, and more, and the debate over who his ideal dream collaborator would have been.

Justin Timberlake's Top 5 Songs (+ Our Favorite *NSYNC Track)

GG — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 06:27:31 GMT

Justin Timberlake's solo catalog spans six albums and two decades, so narrowing it down to five songs apiece is no easy task. On this episode of 50 for 50, hosts Mike Joseph and Garrett Gonzales each bring their Top 5 Justin Timberlake songs to the table and defend their picks — a mix that spans "SummerLove," "Mirrors," "Love Never Felt So Good," "Rock Your Body," "Not a Bad Thing," "Can't Stop the Feeling!," "Cry Me a River," "Until the End of Time," "Suit & Tie," and "My Love."

It's less a definitive ranking and more a real argument about what actually makes a Timberlake song great — the Timbaland-and-Danja futurism of the FutureSex/LoveSounds era, the Neptunes' funk-pop chemistry, or the raw vocal moments that don't need a big beat to land. Mike and Garrett also run through the songs that just missed their lists, and — because no Justin Timberlake conversation is complete without it — each names his favorite *NSYNC song.

This episode pairs with our full Man of the Woods deep dive, where Mike and Garrett cover Timberlake's entire career: the *NSYNC years, the Justin-vs-JC Chasez solo race, the Pharrell/Timbaland production breakdown, and a full track-by-track dive on Man of the Woods itself.

Man of the Woods & the Justin Timberlake Story: A Full Career Deep Dive

GG — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 06:27:00 GMT

When *NSYNC went on hiatus in 2002, Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez were the two co-lead singers everyone expected to go solo and thrive. Only one of them did.

On this episode of 50 for 50, Mike and Garrett trace Timberlake's full arc: the surprising Brian McKnight songwriting credit on Justified, the Timbaland-powered run through FutureSex/LoveSounds and The 20/20 Experience, and a full production face-off between Pharrell/The Neptunes and Timbaland across Timberlake's entire catalog — who produced more, who produced better, and where the two overlap.

The back half of the episode is a deep dive on the featured album, Man of the Woods — Timberlake's "modern Americana with 808s" experiment named after his son Silas. The guys go track-by-track, share studio stories from producer Danja and Chris Stapleton, cover the album's #1 debut despite mixed reviews, and close with Grammy wins, Grammy snubs, and the tiers — where does Man of the Woods actually rank against Justified, FutureSex/LoveSounds, and the rest of the catalog?

Whether you're a day-one *NSYNC fan or just here for the Man of the Woods discourse, this one's got the receipts.

Wu-Tang Clan's Top 5 Songs — And Where the Clan Is Now

GG — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 05:24:19 GMT

Wu-Tang Clan's catalog spans nine solo careers and eight different record labels, so picking just five songs is no small task. On this episode of 50 for 50, hosts Mike Joseph and Garrett Gonzales each bring their Top 5 Wu-Tang songs of all time to the table — pulling from group classics and solo records alike — and go head-to-head defending their picks.

Expect the obvious contenders in the conversation — "Protect Ya Neck," "C.R.E.A.M.," "Liquid Swords," Method Man and Mary J. Blige's "All I Need" — alongside a few deeper cuts Mike and Garrett think deserve more credit. It's less a definitive ranking and more a real argument about what actually makes a Wu-Tang song great: the chemistry of the full Clan trading verses, or a member's solo record hitting its own singular groove.

In the back half, Mike and Garrett zoom out to where the Wu-Tang story stands today, more than 30 years after Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). That includes the group's farewell "Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber" tour, RZA's pivot into filmmaking, new albums from Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, Method Man's run as a working actor, and how Ol' Dirty Bastard's son has stepped in to carry his father's legacy onstage.

This episode pairs with our full Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) deep dive, where Mike and Garrett cover the group's origin story, the business plan behind their historic multi-label solo deals, and a full breakdown of the 1993 debut.

Wu-Tang Clan's $60K Deal That Built 9 Solo Careers (Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers)

GG — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 06:01:43 GMT

In 1993, nine rappers from Staten Island signed to a brand-new label called Loud Records for just $60,000 — with one unheard-of catch: every member was free to sign his own solo deal with a different label. On this episode of 50 for 50, hosts Mike Joseph and Garrett Gonzales dig into Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), the album that launched one of the smartest business plans in hip-hop history.

Mike and Garrett trace the origin story of RZA, GZA, and Ol' Dirty Bastard — three cousins who built an entire mythology out of kung fu movies, Five Percent Nation teachings, and Staten Island street life — before walking through RZA's "Five-Year Plan": the strategy that placed Method Man at Def Jam, GZA at Geffen, Ghostface at Epic, and more, turning nine solo careers into a coordinated, multi-label takeover of the industry.

From there, it's a full deep dive on 36 Chambers itself: the making of the album on a shoestring budget at Firehouse Studio, the studio stories behind tracks like "C.R.E.A.M." and "Bring da Ruckus," a track-by-track breakdown, and the album's lasting cultural impact — from its Library of Congress preservation to its Grammy snub history.

Whether you grew up on 36 Chambers or you're discovering Wu-Tang for the first time, this one's got the history, the business story, and the deep cuts.

The Cool Check-In: Why Physical Media Still Matters (Vinyl & 4K Discs)

GG — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 05:12:31 GMT

On this episode of The Cool Check-In, Mike Joseph and Garrett Gonzales dig into their love of physical media — vinyl albums for both, plus 4K DVDs for Garrett. They cover why owning your media beats licensing it, how buying physical puts more money directly in artists' pockets, and vinyl's ongoing comeback.

Keywords: vinyl records, physical media, 4K DVD collecting, supporting musicians, vinyl comeback, record collecting podcast

Find 50 For 50:

🌐 Website: https://www.50for50.net/ ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj 📩 Contact: GG@BSPNMedia.com

Frank Ocean's Channel Orange: The Album That Influenced R&B Forever | 50 For 50

GG — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 06:52:03 GMT

Frank Ocean didn't just release an album with Channel Orange — he changed what R&B could be. On this episode, we go deep on Christopher Breaux's origin story, his songwriting-for-hire days (Bieber, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys), the Odd Future years, the Tumblr letter that shook hip-hop, and the making of Channel Orange itself with producer Malay. We break down the album track by track, cover its chart performance and Grammy wins (and snubs), and trace its influence on SZA, Khalid, Daniel Caesar, and the genre-fluid R&B generation that followed.

🎧 Listen everywhere: https://www.50for50.net 🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50

Top Five: Boyz II Men

GG — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 06:58:17 GMT

Garrett and Mike each rank their top five favorite Boyz II Men songs. On the table: "On Bended Knee," "Motownphilly," "Doin' Just Fine," "Water Runs Dry," "Please Don't Go," and "Thank You in Advance." Then it's time for Rock With It / Stop With It — where "End of the Road," "I'll Make Love to You," "A Song for Mama," and "One Sweet Day" all have to defend themselves. Spoiler: nothing is safe.

🌐 https://www.50for50.net

🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432

🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50

🐦 X: https://x.com/roheblius

🦋 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/roheblius.bsky.social

📸 Garrett: https://www.instagram.com/roheblius/

📸 Mike: https://www.instagram.com/detoxpodguy/

Boyz II Men and the End of an R&B Era | The Cool Check-In

GG — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 20:04:56 GMT

We're not doing a full 50 for 50 on Boyz II Men — but with them recently finishing The New Edition Way Tour alongside New Edition and Toni Braxton, the timing felt right for a Cool Check-In. We cover the origin story (sneaking backstage to sing for Michael Bivins is still one of the best origin stories in R&B), the full discography with tiers, the Michael McCary chapter, why there's been no new original album since 2014, and Shawn Stockman's podcast On That Note. Best-selling R&B group of all time. Let's talk about it.

🌐 https://www.50for50.net

🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432

🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50

🐦 X: https://x.com/roheblius

🦋 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/roheblius.bsky.social

📸 Garrett: https://www.instagram.com/roheblius/

📸 Mike: https://www.instagram.com/detoxpodguy/

Top 5 ATCQ Songs: Scenario, Check the Rhime, We The People & More

GG — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 05:38:23 GMT

Mike Joseph and Garrett Gonzales make their case for the Top 5 A Tribe Called Quest songs of all time — and the debate is real.

The ATCQ catalog is deep enough that leaving a song off the list hurts. In this episode, Mike and Garrett each defend their picks across the full catalog — from the immortal posse cut "Scenario" and the call-and-response perfection of "Check the Rhime" to the politically charged "We The People," the infectious energy of "Buggin' Out," the criminally underrated "Find a Way," and more.

Every pick gets a case made for it. Not everyone agrees. That's the point.

50 for 50 is a deep-dive podcast covering the greatest albums and artists of all time — one episode at a time.

🌐 Website: https://www.50for50.net

🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50

📸 Instagram (Mike): https://www.instagram.com/detoxpodguy/

📸 Instagram (Garrett): https://www.instagram.com/roheblius/

🐦 X: https://x.com/roheblius

🦋 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/roheblius.bsky.social

ATCQ's Low End Theory, the Rapaport Doc, Phife's Death & Their Final Album | 50 for 50

GG — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 05:51:46 GMT

A Tribe Called Quest's The Low End Theory is one of the greatest albums ever made — and on this episode of 50 for 50, we treat it that way.

We cover the full ATCQ story: two childhood friends from Queens, a Native Tongues collective that changed hip-hop's culture, and a second album that stripped the genre down to bass and jazz and rebuilt it from the ground up. We get into the making of The Low End Theory — including jazz legend Ron Carter playing live upright bass, Pete Rock's fingerprints on "Jazz (We've Got)," and the Neve console John Lennon once recorded on.

We also get into the harder stuff: Phife Dawg's diabetes diagnosis, the creative tensions that pulled Q-Tip and Phife apart after Midnight Marauders, why the group went quiet for 18 years after The Love Movement, and what a Tonight Show performance in 2015 sparked — and what they lost before it was finished.

Plus: the Michael Rapaport documentary the group tried to block, full album tiers, trivia, and Grammy history.

50 for 50 is a deep-dive podcast covering the greatest albums and artists of all time.

Find everything at 50for50.net.

Brandy Top 5: Brokenhearted, Sittin' Up in My Room, Long Distance & More

GG — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 23:57:05 GMT

What are the greatest Brandy songs ever recorded? Mike Joseph and Garrett Gonzales rank their Top 5 favorites and defend every pick.

Before the list, they play Rock With It/Stop With It on two of Brandy's most iconic tracks — "The Boy Is Mine" and "Baby" — forcing some tough choices. Then it's straight into the countdown, featuring "Brokenhearted," "Top of the World," "Sittin' Up in My Room," "Long Distance," and more.

If you love Brandy, R&B, or just two people who take their music opinions very seriously — this one's for you.

🌐 Website: https://www.50for50.net/

🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj