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 favorite artists and albums, one of the things that stands out is how hard celebrity and especially the music industry can be.

In 1998, Brandy was sitting on top of the world. She and Ma$e. But in 2026, she’s more known for the memories of what she’s done than anything she’s currently doing. Which is why, her memoir came out at the perfect time.

It was both a great reflection about who we remembered her as, as well as a look at how she got there and the steps she’s currently taking to live a fulfilling life.

On our Brandy playlist, Big Money gives you all the big hits and other songs that you may not be super duper aware of. You can listen on Spotify or Apple Music below.

Listen now:

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

Tracklist (20 tracks)

1. A Capella (Something’s Missing) — Brandy

2. I Wanna Be Down — Brandy

3. Sittin’ Up In My Room (from Waiting to Exhale - Original Soundtrack) — Brandy

4. Long Distance — Brandy

5. Angel in Disguise — Brandy

6. Full Moon — Brandy

7. Right Here (Departed) — Brandy

8. Who Is She 2 U — Brandy

9. Have You Ever — Brandy

10. Should I Go — Brandy

11. Almost Doesn’t Count — Brandy

12. When You Touch Me — Brandy

13. Top of the World (feat. Ma$e) — Brandy, Ma$e

14. It’s Not Worth It — Brandy

15. I Tried — Brandy

16. Slower — Brandy

17. Brokenhearted (feat. Wanya Morris) (Single Version) — Brandy, Wanya Morris

18. Missing You — Brandy, Tamia, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan

19. Best Friend — Brandy

20. I Wanna Be Down (feat. Queen Latifah, Yo-Yo & MC Lyte) (Remix) — Brandy, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Yo-Yo

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 daily workout.

With some artists, the music doesn’t really enhance my workouts in any way. Imagine me listening to Luther Vandross’ “Dance With My Father” while doing kettlebell swings. So when it was time for us to cover A Tribe Called Quest, my workouts were excited. I mean, I was excited to listen to something that would generally amp me up more than normal.

Big Money Mike put together an elite playlist of Tribe songs for your listening pleasure. You can check out those playlists on Spotify and Apple below.

Listen now:

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

Tracklist (20 tracks)

1. The Space Program — A Tribe Called Quest

2. Can I Kick It? — A Tribe Called Quest

3. Midnight (feat. Raphael Saadiq) — A Tribe Called Quest, Raphael Saadiq

4. Scenario (Edited Remix) — A Tribe Called Quest

5. We The People.... — A Tribe Called Quest

6. Excursions — A Tribe Called Quest

7. I Left My Wallet in El Segundo — A Tribe Called Quest

8. Find a Way — A Tribe Called Quest

9. Bonita Applebum (Hootie Mix) — A Tribe Called Quest

10. Electric Relaxation — A Tribe Called Quest

11. Vivrant Thing — Q-Tip

12. Hot Sex — A Tribe Called Quest

13. Conrad Tokyo (feat. Kendrick Lamar & Jack White) — A Tribe Called Quest, Kendrick Lamar, Jack White

14. Buggin’ Out — A Tribe Called Quest

15. Luck Of Lucien (Edit) — A Tribe Called Quest, Tom, Jerry, Yan Memmi

16. Jazz (We’ve Got) — A Tribe Called Quest

17. Scenario (feat. Busta Rhymes, Dinco D & Charlie Brown) (LP Mix) — A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, Dinco D, Charlie Brown

18. Check the Rhime — A Tribe Called Quest

19. Lost Somebody (feat. Katia Cadet) — A Tribe Called Quest, Katia Cadet

20. Believe — Q-Tip, D’Angelo

When it came time to choose our Top 5 (full episode below) for Luther Vandross, I had to figure out a way to show my love for the last two albums of Luther’s career, but also to not come off as a fake Luther fan. I know that most people would find Luther’s early career and his 80s run to be their favorite Luther, but there was just something about two songs on his last two albums that spoke to me.

Researching his 50 For 50 episode really was heart-wrenching for me as I explained in the episode. There was so much to him that because of the times, had to stay hidden, even in his lyrical expression. And when he passed, I did lean pretty heavy on “Dance With My Father” because I thought it was a beautiful song.

But Mike Joseph was there to properly place the correct songs on an ultimate Luther Vandross playlist, which is what we have below for you.

Listen now:

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

Tracklist (25 tracks)

1. Never Too Much — Luther Vandross

2. The Glow of Love — Change

3. Better Love — Luther Vandross

4. The Best Things In Life Are Free — Luther Vandross, Janet Jackson, Bell Biv DeVoe, Ralph Tresvant, Steve Hodge

5. Shine — Luther Vandross

6. Religion — Luther Vandross

7. Your Secret Love — Luther Vandross

8. Don’t You Know That? — Luther Vandross

9. Take You Out — Luther Vandross

10. Any Love — Luther Vandross

11. Searching — Change

12. A House Is Not a Home — Luther Vandross

13. Can Heaven Wait — Luther Vandross

14. If This World Were Mine (with Luther Vandross) — Luther Vandross, Cheryl Lynn

15. Promise Me — Luther Vandross

16. Don’t Want to Be a Fool — Luther Vandross

17. For You to Love — Luther Vandross

18. Give Me the Reason — Luther Vandross

19. Heaven Knows (Classic Radio Mix) — Luther Vandross, David Morales, Frankie Knuckles

20. Make Me a Believer — Luther Vandross

21. If Only for One Night — Luther Vandross

22. Here and Now — Luther Vandross

23. So Amazing — Luther Vandross

24. Dance With My Father — Luther Vandross

25. Superstar / Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do) — Luther Vandross

If you haven’t heard our episode of The Cool Check-In on The New Kids On The Block, definitely check it out. Mike and I talked about how we became fans of the New Kids when it wasn’t necessarily the cool thing for male teenagers to do. We also talked about their insane popularity, their fall, and then their comeback.

We did a short version of the Top 5 in that episode, so as we do based on all of our Top 5 discussions, Mike created a playlist for NKOTB. It includes all of our Top 5 tracks and other songs that Mike added to make it a classic New Kids playlist.

Enjoy.

Listen now:

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

Tracklist (25 tracks)

1. Step by Step — New Kids On The Block

2. Games (The Kids Get Hard Mix) — New Kids On The Block, Robert Clivillés, David Cole

3. 80s Baby (feat. Salt-N-Pepa, Naughty By Nature, Tiffany & Debbie Gibson) — New Kids On The Block, Salt-N-Pepa, Naughty By Nature, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson

4. Please Don’t Go Girl — New Kids On The Block

5. Baby, I Believe In You — New Kids On The Block

6. Single (2023 Remaster) — New Kids On The Block, Ne-Yo

7. Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time) — New Kids On The Block

8. Click Click Click — New Kids On The Block

9. My Favorite Girl — New Kids On The Block

10. Give It Up — Joey McIntyre

11. The Way — New Kids On The Block

12. You Got It (The Right Stuff) (7” Version) — New Kids On The Block

13. Keep On Smilin’ — New Kids On The Block

14. Summertime — New Kids On The Block

15. Girls — New Kids On The Block

16. Keepin’ My Fingers Crossed — New Kids On The Block

17. Never Let You Go — New Kids On The Block

18. 2 In The Morning — New Kids On The Block

19. If You Go Away — New Kids On The Block

20. I’ll Be Loving You (Forever) — New Kids On The Block

21. Stare At You — New Kids On The Block

22. This One’s for the Children — New Kids On The Block

23. Still Sounds Good — New Kids On The Block

24. Never Gonna Fall In Love Again — New Kids On The Block

25. Give It To You — Jordan Knight

Whitney Houston’s career of hits spanned from her debut album in 1985 all the way through her last album in 2009. While the quality of her albums and their consistency could be debated, what isn’t an argument is the amazing number of hit records that she had and a similar amount of songs that weren’t necessarily hits but stayed with people because of that signature voice.

Mike and I have different Whitney favs, but that’s why we have this playlist. All of our favorites are included as well as other songs that Mike picked to make it complete.

Enjoy our Whitney playlist on Spotify and Apple Music below.

Listen now:

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

Tracklist (25 tracks)

1. I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) — Whitney Houston

2. I’m Your Baby Tonight — Whitney Houston

3. Just the Lonely Talking Again — Whitney Houston

4. You Give Good Love (Extended Dance Version) — Whitney Houston

5. I Belong To You — Whitney Houston

6. Fine — Whitney Houston

7. Heartbreak Hotel (feat. Faith Evans & Kelly Price) — Whitney Houston, Faith Evans, Kelly Price

8. Miracle — Whitney Houston

9. Exhale (Shoop Shoop) (from “Waiting to Exhale” - Original Soundtrack) — Whitney Houston

10. Lover for Life — Whitney Houston

11. Saving All My Love for You — Whitney Houston

12. Where Do Broken Hearts Go — Whitney Houston

13. All The Man That I Need — Whitney Houston

14. I Will Always Love You — Whitney Houston

15. Why Does It Hurt So Bad (from “Waiting to Exhale” - Original Soundtrack) — Whitney Houston

16. I Learned from the Best — Whitney Houston

17. For the Love of You — Whitney Houston

18. Thinking About You (Bruce Forest Dance Remix) — Whitney Houston

19. Something In Common — Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown

20. So Emotional (Extended Remix) — Whitney Houston, Shep Pettibone

21. Million Dollar Bill — Whitney Houston

22. Step by Step — Whitney Houston

23. My Love Is Your Love — Whitney Houston

24. One Of Those Days — Whitney Houston

25. It’s Not Right But It’s Okay (Thunderpuss Mix) — Whitney Houston

Has anyone transitioned from young artist to star to everyone’s favorite auntie better than Mary J. Blige. I remember when she hit the scene in the early 90s and wore the ball cap and jersey better than anyone. Snap your fingers and she’s wearing gowns and selling millions. Today, she’s gracefully evolved into an artist who is now over 30 years into the game and still making music.

Big Money Mike Joseph put together a Mary J. Blige mixtape that spans many of those years.

Listen now:

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

Tracklist (25 tracks)

1. Love No Limit (Remix) — Mary J. Blige, Diddy, Daddy ‘O’

2. All That I Can Say — Mary J. Blige, Ms. Lauryn Hill

3. I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need To Get By (Puff Daddy Mix) — Method Man, Mary J. Blige

4. I Love You (Remix) — Mary J. Blige, Smif-N-Wessun

5. Survivor — Mary J. Blige

6. You Remind Me — Mary J. Blige

7. Mary Jane (All Night Long) — Mary J. Blige

8. I Don’t Want To Do Anything (Live From Uptown MTV Unplugged/1993) — Mary J. Blige

9. My Life — Mary J. Blige

10. Everything — Mary J. Blige

11. Ain’t Nobody — Mary J. Blige

12. Real Love — Mary J. Blige

13. Nobody But You — Mary J. Blige

14. No More Drama — Mary J. Blige

15. No One Else — Mary J. Blige

16. Sexy — Mary J. Blige, Jadakiss

17. Willing & Waiting — Mary J. Blige

18. I’m In Love — Mary J. Blige

19. Fade Away — Mary J. Blige

20. Not Gon’ Cry — Mary J. Blige

21. I’m Goin’ Down — Mary J. Blige

22. Need Someone — Mary J. Blige

23. I Never Wanna Live Without You — Mary J. Blige

24. One — Mary J. Blige, U2

25. Come To Me (Peace) — Mary J. Blige

There are few artists who came around in the 2000s who have connected with me as a music fan like the artists of my youth did. One who did is Shaffer Chimere Smith, better known as Ne-Yo.

Ne-Yo’s strength was as a song writer for others, but I’d say that his first three albums show that the song writing was just his ticket in; similarly to how Kanye West used his producing chops to get his album deal.

Mike and I talked about our Top 5 Ne-Yo faves and Mike used that as the basis for the playlist that you’ll see below.

Kick back and enjoy some Champagne Life.

Listen now:

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

Tracklist (20 tracks)

1. Closer — Ne-Yo

2. That Girl — Marques Houston

3. Miss Independent — Ne-Yo

4. Champagne Life — Ne-Yo

5. Stay — Ne-Yo, Peedi Peedi

6. Part Of The List — Ne-Yo

7. Let Me Love You — Mario

8. Single — New Kids On The Block, Ne-Yo

9. Sexy Love — Ne-Yo

10. Miss Right — Ne-Yo

11. So Sick — Ne-Yo

12. One In A Million — Ne-Yo

13. It Just Ain’t Right — Ne-Yo

14. Jealous — Ne-Yo

15. Hate That I Love You — Rihanna, Ne-Yo

16. Mad — Ne-Yo

17. Fade Into The Background — Ne-Yo

18. So You Can Cry — Ne-Yo

19. Go On Girl — Ne-Yo

20. Because Of You — Ne-Yo

At one point, Kanye West was near the top of my mountain of music artists. Kanye was the underdog, the up and comer, the guy who had to produce first to get a chance to rock the mic. His big brother Jay-Z was pretty much a titan of the game since his debut in 1996.

Jay-Z had some dustups early in his career of being famous and his even-more-famous wife did “out” him (kind of) in her music and we all saw that elevator video. But he’s been able to stay above board and not tap out to that submission specialist called celebrity. As for Kanye, that has not been the case. While his music is still wildly popular, Kanye the human has said so many foul things that a lot of his day ones have peaced out.

If you heard our episode of 50 For 50 on Watch The Throne, as well as the Top 5 episode on them, Mike and I still have trouble listening to his stuff pre-fallout.

But Mike sucked it up and still put out a playlist for both artists; albeit, I’m sure it was more fun to search Jay-Z’s catalog.

Enjoy.

Jay-Z

Listen now:

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

Tracklist (20 tracks)

1. Public Service Announcement (Interlude) — Jay-Z

2. Kingdom Come — Jay-Z

3. So Ghetto — Jay-Z

4. 22 Two’s — Jay-Z

5. Money Ain’t A Thang — Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri

6. Can’t Knock The Hustle (Live On MTV Unplugged / 2001) — Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige

7. Part II (On The Run) — Jay-Z, Beyoncé

8. Brooklyn’s Finest — Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G.

9. Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)... — Jay-Z

10. I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me) — Jay-Z

11. D’evils — Jay-Z

12. American Gangster — Jay-Z

13. What More Can I Say — Jay-Z

14. Hard Knock Life — Jay-Z

15. Song Cry — Jay-Z

16. This Can’t Be Life — Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, Scarface

17. Meet The Parents — Jay-Z

18. Lucifer — Jay-Z

19. No Church In The Wild — Jay-Z, Kanye West, Frank Ocean, The-Dream

20. 99 Problems — Jay-Z

Kanye West

Listen now:

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

Tracklist (20 tracks)

1. Slow Jamz — Twista, Kanye West, Jamie Foxx

2. Good Life — Kanye West, T-Pain

3. Brand New (feat. Kanye West) (Dirty) — Rhymefest, Kanye West

4. Cops Shot The Kid — Nas, Kanye West

5. Fade — Kanye West

6. Welcome To Heartbreak — Kanye West, Kid Cudi

7. All Falls Down — Kanye West, Syleena Johnson

8. Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix) — Kanye West, Jay-Z

9. Two Words — Kanye West, Mos Def, Freeway, The Boys Choir Of Harlem

10. Heard ‘Em Say — Kanye West, Adam Levine

11. Gold Digger — Kanye West, Jamie Foxx

12. Get Em High — Kanye West, Talib Kweli, Common

13. Heartless — Kanye West

14. Southside — Common, Kanye West

15. No More Parties In LA — Kanye West

16. All Of The Lights — Kanye West

17. Hey Mama — Kanye West

18. Never Let Me Down — Kanye West, Jay-Z, J. Ivy

19. Big Brother — Kanye West

20. Through The Wire — Kanye West

One thing I marveled at when we did our 50 For 50 deep dive on Alanis Morissette was her longevity. While she didn’t keep making the same juggernaut albums from her younger days, she kept making music. A lot of it. And I got to listen to it; a lot of it for the first time.

Now, Mike Joseph’s playlist is going to be mostly songs from those first three albums, but I do think it is important to note that if you think of Alanis as only that young woman who took the world by storm, she’s more than that. She made music that grew with her throughout, including the married with kids version of her, which is still going by the way.

Check out Mike’s playlist below.

Listen now:

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

Tracklist (15 tracks)

1. You Oughta Know — Alanis Morissette

2. Reasons I Drink — Alanis Morissette

3. Eight Easy Steps — Alanis Morissette

4. You Learn — Alanis Morissette

5. Hands Clean — Alanis Morissette

6. Hand in My Pocket — Alanis Morissette

7. Right Through You — Alanis Morissette

8. Thank U — Alanis Morissette

9. King of Pain (Live / Unplugged) — Alanis Morissette

10. Head Over Feet — Alanis Morissette

11. Can’t Not — Alanis Morissette

12. All I Really Want — Alanis Morissette

13. So Unsexy — Alanis Morissette

14. Uninvited — Alanis Morissette

15. Your House (Live at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, 2020) — Alanis Morissette

Mike and I have known each other for almost half our lives. We met in the early 2000s through the internet. Now, that might not sound like a big deal in 2026, but back in the day, it wasn’t that casual to consider someone you’d never met in person to be a friend.

Mike and I have had thousands of conversations about music from artists to trends to history, and everything else in between. So he may not even remember this conversation I’m about to tell.

When Alicia Keys’ “Songs In A Minor” dropped, Alicia the artist was like no one I’d ever seen. She was young and attractive and straddled the line between a street smart and classy look. It was a crossover of styles. She seemed like the ultimate home girl.

I remember constantly telling Mike about her like you’d talk about a crush. I may have been crushing on Alicia just a little bit, but her entire being as an artist was something I really dug. I loved the album, but I loved who I perceived Alicia the artist to be even more.

She wasn’t really the same home girl for the rest of her career, but for that time and place, she was something like an R&B unicorn.

Mike put together our Top 5 favorite Alicia Keys songs and mixed in others that would create a great playlist. Enjoy.

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

Tracklist (20 tracks)

1. Girlfriend — Alicia Keys

2. You Don’t Know My Name — Alicia Keys

3. No One — Alicia Keys

4. If I Was Your Woman / Walk On By — Alicia Keys

5. Unbreakable (Unplugged Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY - July 2005) — Alicia Keys

6. Fallin’ — Alicia Keys

7. Diary — Alicia Keys, Tony! Toni! Toné!, Jermaine Paul

8. In Common — Alicia Keys

9. Teenage Love Affair Part II — Alicia Keys, LL Cool J

10. My Boo — Usher, Alicia Keys

11. Un-thinkable (I’m Ready) — Alicia Keys

12. Karma — Alicia Keys

13. Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart — Alicia Keys

14. Heartburn — Alicia Keys

15. A Woman’s Worth — Alicia Keys

16. Like You’ll Never See Me Again — Alicia Keys

17. That’s How Strong My Love Is — Alicia Keys

18. Troubles — Alicia Keys

19. Lesson Learned — Alicia Keys, John Mayer

20. If I Ain’t Got You — Alicia Key

    s

It’s funny which artists you gravitate to when you’re young. I don’t know why Huey Lewis & The News was my cup of tea as a youngster in the mid-80s. I know my dad played Huey a bit inside the house. He recorded their videos on MTV and VH-1. But he did that with a lot of music acts, including ones I never really rocked with.

If I were to guess, I think what made them cool in my eyes, and thus, their music as well, was that they were fans of my favorite sports teams. The band would often sing the Star Spangled Banner at important 49ers, Giants, and Warriors games and I’d alway associated them with Bay Area sports. You can even see Joe Montana and crew perform on “Hip To Be Square” in Oakland in 1986. There’s even some bad choreography.

Once I knew they were good with my teams, they were good with me. I must’ve played Fore! a thousand times.

Mike and I put together our Top 5 lists for the band and then Mike sprinkled in some other songs to make a full playlist. Enjoy.

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

Tracklist (20 tracks)

1. We’re Not Here for a Long Time (We’re Here for a Good Time) — Huey Lewis & The News

2. The Power Of Love — Huey Lewis & The News

3. Stuck With You — Huey Lewis & The News

4. It’s All Right — Huey Lewis & The News

5. If This Is It — Huey Lewis & The News

6. Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do — Huey Lewis & The News

7. Perfect World — Huey Lewis & The News

8. I Want A New Drug — Huey Lewis & The News

9. Tell Me A Little Lie — Huey Lewis & The News

10. Don’t Ever Tell Me That You Love Me — Huey Lewis & The News

11. Heart And Soul — Huey Lewis & The News

12. Tattoo (Giving It All Up For Love) — Huey Lewis & The News

13. Walking With The Kid — Huey Lewis & The News

14. Small World (Single Edit) — Huey Lewis & The News

15. Doing It All For My Baby — Huey Lewis & The News

16. While We’re Young — Huey Lewis & The News

17. Couple Days Off — Huey Lewis & The News

18. Do You Believe In Love — Huey Lewis & The News

19. Hip To Be Square — Huey Lewis & The News

20. The Heart Of Rock And Roll — Huey Lewis & The News

I was a young teenage hooper playing one-on-one against my buddy George in his drive way. Even though we were the same age, physically George was two years ahead of me. Just dipping his shoulder and going through my chest. He had his boom box out and was playing “It Takes Two” by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock. That’s a great song to hoop to.

Then, the song changed and if my memory serves me right, it’s the first time I heard “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer. I knew of Hammer a little from his previous album. But this was a little different, and a little too familiar at the same time. And then there was this moment that George seemed to be waiting for. As the song was going, George picked up the ball and stopped the game all so he could say, “Stop, Hammer time,” right as Hammer did. He was so proud of himself.

George and I would hoop a lot over the years and he got the best of me pretty much all the way through high school. But then, he stopped growing. And I got bigger and stronger. And when we were adults, it was my turn for hammer time. He never beat me again.

It’s amazing where music and memories can meet. Mike and I dedicate this MC Hammer playlist to George.

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

Tracklist (15 tracks)

1. Let’s Get It Started — MC Hammer

2. It’s All Good — MC Hammer

3. 2 Legit 2 Quit — MC Hammer, Saja

4. Turn This Mutha Out — MC Hammer, James Earley, The Lone Mixer, D.J. Redeemed

5. This Is The Way We Roll — MC Hammer, Benito

6. Don’t Stop — MC Hammer

7. U Can’t Touch This — MC Hammer

8. Pumps and a Bump — MC Hammer

9. Pump It Up (Here’s The News) — MC Hammer

10. They Put Me In The Mix — MC Hammer

11. Sultry Funk — MC Hammer

12. Help The Children — MC Hammer

13. We’re All In The Same Gang — King Tee, Digital Underground, Young MC, MC Ren, Dr. Dre, ICE-T, Above The Law, Tone-Loc, Michel’le, Def Jef

14. Nothing but Love - A Song for Eazy — MC Hammer

15. Pray — MC Hammer

As I said on our episode about The Beastie Boys, I learned so much about a group that I knew so little about. So much so that I would consider myself a huge fan now. I love their story. I love their place in history. And I love how they took accountability for their younger selves.

So now it’s time to share our mix-tapeologist Mike Joseph’s playlist featuring our Top 5 as well as other songs by the Beasties. You can listen on either Spotify or Apple Music. Enjoy.

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

• B-Boy Bouillabaisse: Hello Brooklyn — Beastie Boys

• Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun — Beastie Boys

• Sabotage — Beastie Boys

• Brass Monkey — Beastie Boys

• Intergalactic (Remastered 2009) — Beastie Boys

• Sure Shot — Beastie Boys

• Egg Man — Beastie Boys

• So What’Cha Want — Beastie Boys

• Make Some Noise — Beastie Boys

• Alive — Beastie Boys

• Remote Control (Remastered 2009) — Beastie Boys

• Gratitude (Remastered 2009) — Beastie Boys

• Get It Together — Beastie Boys, Q-Tip

• Pass The Mic (Remastered 2009) — Beastie Boys

• Shadrach — Beastie Boys

• Hey Fuck You — Beastie Boys

• Root Down — Beastie Boys

• Hold It Now, Hit It — Beastie Boys

• Triple Trouble — Beastie Boys

• Hey Ladies — Beastie Boys

• Boomin’ Granny — Beastie Boys

• Squat! — De La Soul, Mike D, Ad Rock

• Slow And Low — Beastie Boys

• An Open Letter To NYC — Beastie Boys

• Shake Your Rump — Beastie Boys

Trying to condense LL Cool J’s career into a podcast was hard, but I think Mike and I did a great job at telling our story as it relates to our LL fandom alongside his journey.

What was also hard was putting together a list of our favorite LL songs. My top 5 list could’ve been a top 50. The mix-tape master, Mike Joseph put our top 5s and added a list of other LL must-haves to create our playlist on LL Cool J’s songs. Enjoy.

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

• “Headsprung” – LL Cool J

• “Rock the Bells” – LL Cool J

• “Flava in Ya Ear” (Remix, feat. The Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes) – Craig Mack, Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, Rampage, The Notorious B.I.G.

• “I’m Bad” – LL Cool J

• “Rampage” – EPMD, LL Cool J

• “Saturday Night Special” (feat. Rick Ross & Fat Joe) – LL Cool J

• “I Shot Ya” (Remix) – LL Cool J, Keith Murray, Prodigy, Fat Joe, Foxy Brown

• “The Boomin’ System” – LL Cool J

• “Luv U Better” – LL Cool J

• “I Can’t Live Without My Radio” – LL Cool J

• “Kanday” – LL Cool J

• “Ill Bomb” (Funkmaster Flex & Big Kap feat. LL Cool J) – Funk Flex, Big Kap, LL Cool J

• “Wanna Get Paid” – LL Cool J, Lost Boyz

• “Fast Peg” – LL Cool J

• “I’m That Type of Guy” – LL Cool J

• “Jingling Baby (Remixed but Still Jingling)” (Remix) – LL Cool J, Marley Marl

• “Fa Ha” – LL Cool J

• “Illegal Search” – LL Cool J

• “Loungin’ (Who Do Ya Luv)” (Remix) – LL Cool J, Total

• “Doin’ It” – LL Cool J, LeShaun

• “Back Seat” – LL Cool J

• “Hush” – LL Cool J, 7 Aurelius

• “Don’t Be Late, Don’t Come Too Soon” – LL Cool J, Tamia

• “Going Back to Cali” – LL Cool J

• “Mama Said Knock You Out” – LL Cool J

Since Bruno Mars doesn’t have a greatest hits album, which Mike Joseph said would probably sell forever, we decided to do the work for him. We let The Ultimate Mix-o-logist Mike Joseph put together the ultimate Bruno Mars Playlist.

Check it out below on Spotify and Apple.

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

• “Risk It All” – Bruno Mars (The Romantic)

• “It Will Rain” – Bruno Mars (from The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1)

• “Love’s Train” – Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic (An Evening with Silk Sonic)

• “Nothin’ on You” (feat. Bruno Mars) – B.o.B, Bruno Mars (B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray)

• “Smokin Out the Window” – Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic (An Evening with Silk Sonic)

• “Leave the Door Open” – Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic (An Evening with Silk Sonic)

• “Grenade” – Bruno Mars (Doo-Wops & Hooligans)

• “Just the Way You Are” – Bruno Mars (Doo-Wops & Hooligans)

• “Marry You” – Bruno Mars (Doo-Wops & Hooligans)

• “Count on Me” – Bruno Mars (Doo-Wops & Hooligans)

• “Locked Out of Heaven” – Bruno Mars (Unorthodox Jukebox)

• “Gorilla” – Bruno Mars (Unorthodox Jukebox)

• “Treasure” – Bruno Mars (Unorthodox Jukebox)

• “Moonshine” – Bruno Mars (Unorthodox Jukebox)

• “When I Was Your Man” – Bruno Mars (Unorthodox Jukebox)

• “Money Make Her Smile” – Bruno Mars (Unorthodox Jukebox)

• “24K Magic” – Bruno Mars (24K Magic)

• “Versace on the Floor” – Bruno Mars (24K Magic)

• “Too Good to Say Goodbye” – Bruno Mars (24K Magic)

• “Why You Wanna Fight?” – Bruno Mars (The Romantic)

TLC was so cool.

They would stay cool after their second album sent them into superstardom, but it would be a different kind of cool; like a famous person cool. When Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip dropped, they dripped with the type of coolness that makes high schoolers want to do everything they do.

To paraphrase what Mickey told Rocky in Rocky III, success made them civilized. What Mickey meant was that as Rocky became successful, he had other things to think about than boxing. He became less hungry as a boxer because he had more responsibilities to consider.

CrazySexyCool was the better album and the better selling album of course, but when I think of TLC, I think of the girl group who would’ve been the most popular kids in my high school because of how charismatic and entertaining they were.

The Mix Tape Master himself, Mike Joseph put together the playlist of all playlists for TLC fans. Enjoy.

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

• “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” – TLC

• “Girl Talk” (Radio Mix) – TLC

• “Diggin’ On You” – TLC

• “What About Your Friends” – TLC

• “Get It Up” (from Poetic Justice) – TLC

• “Creep” – TLC

• “No Scrubs” – TLC

• “Kick Your Game” – TLC

• “This Is How It Works” (from Waiting to Exhale) – TLC

• “Hat 2 da Back” – TLC

• “I’m Good at Being Bad” – TLC

• “Red Light Special” – TLC

• “Baby-Baby-Baby” – TLC

• “Let’s Do It Again” – TLC

• “Unpretty” – TLC

• “Waterfalls” – TLC

• “Damaged” – TLC

• “Sumthin’ Wicked This Way Comes” – TLC

• “Silly Ho” – TLC

• “FanMail” – TLC

Janet Jackson’s career spans so many years, that if she was coming out with an album this year, she could literally call it “40 Y.0.”

Just like most artists, her discography is up and down. She has iconic, must-have, era-defining albums, and she has albums that only the hardcore fans still dig into.

But what she has are hits. Mike Joseph put together this fantastic 25-song playlist that’s great for Janet-heads, but also for fans of R&B music, ‘80s & 90s jams, and just overall fans of the work of an artist who set the stage for all who came after her.

You can listen on Spotify and Apple Music.

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

• “Rhythm Nation” – Janet Jackson

• “All for You” – Janet Jackson

• “Escapade” – Janet Jackson

• “That’s the Way Love Goes” – Janet Jackson

• “No Sleeep” (feat. J. Cole) – Janet Jackson

• “Got ‘Til It’s Gone” – Janet Jackson, Joni Mitchell, Q-Tip

• “The Best Things in Life Are Free” (Classic 7” with Rap) – Janet Jackson, Luther Vandross, Bell Biv DeVoe, Ralph Tresvant

• “The Knowledge” – Janet Jackson

• “The Pleasure Principle” (Long Vocal Remix – Shep Pettibone Mix) – Janet Jackson

• “Come Give Your Love to Me” – Janet Jackson

• “Alright” (7” Remix) – Janet Jackson, Heavy D, Shep Pettibone

• “SloLove” – Janet Jackson

• “If” – Janet Jackson

• “What Have You Done for Me Lately” – Janet Jackson

• “Night” – Janet Jackson

• “Come On Get Up” – Janet Jackson

• “Empty” – Janet Jackson

• “Velvet Rope” – Janet Jackson, Vanessa-Mae

• “I Get Lonely” – Janet Jackson

• “Nasty” – Janet Jackson

• “And on and On” – Janet Jackson

• “Making Love in the Rain” – Herb Alpert

• “Lonely” – Janet Jackson

• “Broken Hearts Heal” – Janet Jackson

• “Miss You Much” – Janet Jackson

You can separate Michael Jackson’s career into a few different buckets. There’s the Jackson 5 portion of his career. Then, with the move away from Motown, the Jacksons part of his career. But that part of his career also coincides with his adult solo career, even though there are solo Michael Jackson albums before “Off The Wall.” And then of course, anything post “Thriller” is sometimes put into a different bucket. And so on.

This playlist, put together by the mix tape master himself Mike Joseph, features the post-Motown Jacksons era with some Randy Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, and Marlon Jackson sprinkled in. It also features all of the songs in our top 5.

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

• “Can You Feel It” – The Jacksons

• “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” (7” Version) – The Jacksons

• “Show You the Way to Go” – The Jacksons

• “This Place Hotel (a.k.a. Heartbreak Hotel)” – The Jacksons

• “Wait” – The Jacksons

• “Lovely One” – The Jacksons

• “Tell Me I’m Not Dreaming (Too Good to Be True)” – Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jackson

• “Torture” – The Jacksons

• “Castles of Sand” – Jermaine Jackson

• “Good Times” – The Jacksons

• “Push Me Away” – The Jacksons

• “One More Chance” – The Jacksons

• “Your Ways” – The Jacksons

• “Walk Right Now” – The Jacksons

• “She” – The Jacksons

• “Let’s Get Serious” (Single Version) – Jermaine Jackson

• “Blame It on the Boogie” (John Luongo Disco Mix) – The Jacksons

• “Enjoy Yourself” – The Jacksons

• “Find Me a Girl” (7” Version) – The Jacksons

• “Destiny” – The Jacksons

• “Even Though You’re Gone” – The Jacksons

• “Don’t Go” – Marlon Jackson

• “Nothin’ (That Compares 2 U)” – The Jacksons

• “Love You Honey” – Randy & the Gypsys

• “That’s What You Get (for Being Polite)” – The Jacksons

Trying to whittle down your favorite songs of one of your favorite artists to just five can be torturous. Obviously, not physically torturous, but maybe mentally so.

Mike isn’t the biggest Tupac Shakur fan, though he did enjoy a lot of his music. Me? Sheesh. He was the singular rap artist I resonated with through college and even after he passed away. There was just something about that dude.

As someone who is nearly twice the age Tupac was when he passed, I can look at him, and his music a little differently now. I may not blast it as loudly, and as irresponsibly for that matter, as I did when I was younger, but there are still songs that definitely sit with me like they once did.

The Mix Tape master, Mike Joseph, has put together songs that consists of both of our Top 5 lists as well as other songs he felt were necessary for the classic Pac playlist. Enjoy.

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

• “California Love” (Original Version) – 2Pac, Roger, Dr. Dre

• “Holler If Ya Hear Me” – 2Pac

• “If My Homie Calls” – 2Pac

• “Same Song” – Digital Underground

• “I Get Around” – 2Pac, Digital Underground

• “How Do U Want It” – 2Pac, K-Ci & JoJo

• “All About U” (feat. Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg, Fatal, Yaki Kadafi) – 2Pac

• “Are U Still Down?” – Jon B.

• “Temptations” – 2Pac

• “Wussup Wit the Luv” (Single Version) – Digital Underground

• “Keep Ya Head Up” – 2Pac

• “Old School” – 2Pac

• “Brenda’s Got a Baby” – 2Pac

• “I Ain’t Mad at Cha” – 2Pac, Danny Boy

• “So Many Tears” – 2Pac

• “Until the End of Time” (RP Remix) – 2Pac, Richard Page, R.L. Huggar, Sam “Tone” Barnes

• “Changes” – 2Pac, Talent

• “Dear Mama” – 2Pac

• “Thugz Mansion” (7 Remix) – 2Pac, Anthony Hamilton

• “California Love” (Remix, feat. Dr. Dre, Roger Troutman) – 2Pac

Our Amy Winehouse podcast was the hardest one from an emotional perspective so far. After watching the A24 documentary (really good) and the biopic that came out a couple of years ago (pretty bad), and listening to all of her music, I was just sad that she was gone. And after talking to Mike about what her 2010s would’ve been like had she been able to overcome her addiction, her story is as much about what was to come as it was what she left us with. Because what she left was near musical perfection.

Mike put together a 50 For 50 playlist of his favorite Amy songs. We didn’t actually do a Top Five episode on her because she only made two albums. But those albums were so good, it wasn’t hard to put together the must-listen list of Amy Winehouse songs. Enjoy.

🍎 Listen on Apple Music

• “In My Bed” – Amy Winehouse

• “Cherry Wine” – Nas, Amy Winehouse

• “Me & Mr Jones” – Amy Winehouse

• “Rehab” (Remix) – Amy Winehouse, JAY-Z

• “Back to Black” – Amy Winehouse

• “Like Smoke” – Amy Winehouse, Nas

• “You Know I’m No Good” – Amy Winehouse, Ghostface Killah

• “Moody’s Mood for Love / Teo Licks” – Amy Winehouse

• “He Can Only Hold Her” – Amy Winehouse

• “Tears Dry on Their Own” – Amy Winehouse

• “Fuck Me Pumps” – Amy Winehouse

• “Cupid” (Deluxe Edition Version) – Amy Winehouse

• “Valerie” (feat. Amy Winehouse, Version Revisited) – Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse

• “Love Is a Losing Game” – Amy Winehouse

• “Our Day Will Come” – Amy Winehouse