DiggingTheGreats

Kendrick Lamar’s Storytelling Masterclass | good kid, m.A.A.d city

Today I'm breaking down Kendrick’s “good kid, m.A.A.d city” one track at a time. We’re going to get into the lyrics, Kendrick’s style, the production, recreate a few songs, and see the narrative of the album unfold. This is one of the mo...

Coming January 27th: The Break Room

(Look, I could call it a "Patreon Livestream DJ Set Where I Play Bass and Also Chat and Hang Out With People" OR I could call it something cool and mysterious sounding like "The Break Room" - I chose the latter.)

Last month we had...

FULL EDIT: How Outkast Set Southern Hip Hop Free

I've covered a lot of Hip Hop based in New York, but this week we're heading to the South - specifically diving into Outkast's 1996 album "ATLiens"

We'll see how their style and flow changed between their first album and this one, what happe...

Streaming Playlist: Digs, Vol. 2

I'm back again with another streaming playlist for you! I got such a positive response from last month's playlist, "Digs, Vol. 1" that I'm back with more - Digs, Vol. 2. 

It's a mix of some stuff you know, some stuff you don't, and some...

FROM THE VAULT - The Brandon Shaw Show

Today I'm sharing something completely different from a past project - a musical comedy sketch. In this video I explain what this past project was, but ultimately, it never really materialized. The only thing I have to show for it is this sketch. ...

Sample These Records for FREE in 2024

We need more creativity in the world - here's a few tools to help.

Library of Congress National Jukebox: https://www.loc.gov/collecti...

NYE 2024 - Livestream Radio Announcement

Happy New Year!

The NYE Livestream was so much fun! Thanks to everyone who tuned in, commented, and hung out! If you missed the Livestream - the replay is still up! But even better than that, I've got an awesome announcement...

New Years Eve with Digging The Greats!

Let's welcome 2024 right - with good music and good people - say what's up in the chat!  I'll be going live at 5pm PST - don't worry if you miss it - I'll put the replay up here on Patreon right after! 

(This is an unlis...

2023 Was Crazy! Let's Review

Thank you for an incredible year, see you on the NYE Livestream - Right here on Patreon 🪩 

Making Of: The MF DOOM "Mm..Food" Video

My recent video breaking down MF DOOM's album "Mm..Food" is unlike any other video I've done. If you haven't seen it - definitely go watch that first!

But in this bonus Patreon-only video, I show you how I did it. We'll get into how I came u...

Figuring Out "What's Going On" - FULL EDIT

Today I'm breaking down Marvin Gaye's song and album "What's Going On" - the story behind it, the incredible bass work courtesy of James Jamerson, seeing how the songs on this album flow directly into each other, and how this album marks the end o...

NYE Livestream Party!

Mark your calendars - the Digging The Greats New Years Eve Livestream Party is coming 👇

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31st - 5pm PST - Exclusively for Patreon Members

As a part of the DTG Patreon, I'm hosting exclusive DJ Live...

Extended: Dissecting MF DOOM's "Mm..Food"

I tried breaking down "Mm..Food" by MF DOOM, but then things got weird. 

STREAMING LISTENING GUIDES

SPOTIFY - 2023-12-15 16:00:11 +0000 UTC View Post

Free SmartPhone Wallpaper

I've got a fun bonus for you today - a Digging The Greats wallpaper for your smartphone!

Here's a direct link to download it:

2023-12-14 16:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post

EXTENDED - The NEW Plan to Make “This Christmas Hit No. 1 feat. Lalah Hathaway

Last year I started a campaign to get “This Christmas” by Donny Hathaway to go number 1 on Billboard. I made a video breaking down the story of the song, brought on my friend Jonte Moore to help break down the chords, and anno...

Lalah Hathaway | 5X Grammy Winning Vocalist

Lalah Hathaway is an incredible vocalist - not only because she has an incredible voice, but because she’s a great musician. She’s released many solo albums, won 5 Grammys, and collaborate with everybody from Robert Glasper to Joe Sample, Kend...

Streaming Playlist: Digs, Vol. 1

As an added Patreon bonus, on all tiers, I'm excited to share Streaming Music Playlists every month. These could be themed around the time of year, an event, a genre, or just generally good music.

First up: Digs, Vol. 1. This is a mix of so...

Daft Punk X De La Soul Mashup

I opened the 300k Livestream with this mashup - combining the "Drumless Edition" of Daft Punk's "Give Life Back to Music" with Drums and Vocals from the "Native Tongues Decision" version of "Buddy" by De La Soul. And here it is for you, enjoy!

300k Livestream Mix

Note: on this stream I had a technical issue at the beginning, and ended up running the mic directly through my DJ Mixer. That worked fine for the stream, but that means I wasn't able to separate the commentary mic from the main mix, so it's just ...

300k YouTube Subscriber Party

This was so much fun! Thanks for everyone who tuned in! Attached is a setlist, and you can also download the audio mix from the link below. Note: on this stream I had a technical issue at the beginning, and ended up running the mic directly throug...

EXTENDED CUT - Why Did 90s Nickelodeon Music Slap SO HARD?!

The music of Nickelodeon in the 90s was SO GOOD - I had to get some answers.   

Thanks to Heath Seifert and Kevin Kopelow! Go check out Good Burger 2 on Paramount Plus!

EXTENDED CUT - The SECRET to Bill Withers’ “Lightning in a Bottle” Groove

Stream the Spotify Listening Guide: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2bk3EGxkwOODeGJEcIPiWh?si=28146c15d270496a

SOURCES &n...

Bob Power (A Tribe Called Quest, Erykah Badu & SO Many More)

Bob Power is a legendary Engineer and Mixer who's known for his work with A Tribe Called Quest on ground breaking albums like "The Low End Theory" and "Midnight Marauders", having also worked with more artists than I can name (De La Soul, Jungle B...

EXTENDED CUT - A Tribe Called Quest’s Hip Hop MASTERCLASS

Today I'm breaing down "Midnight Marauders" by A Tribe Called Quest - recreating some of the legendary beats from the original samples, talking with mixer and engineer Bob Power on the creation of this album, and seeing 4 distinct ways that this a...

Music History, STARTING with "This is How We Do It"

Let's trace the sample, the interpolation, the inspiration, the reaction to, the cover, the footsteps followed, and back again through multiple evolving genres, through music history, beginning with Montell Jordan's classic hit "This is How We Do ...

Madvillainy’s Secret Ingredient: INDIFFERENCE

How is it that an MC who "doesn't listen to hip hop" and a producer who was BORED with hip hop ended up making one of the best hip hop albums of all time?   

RIP to the Supervillain

Stream the Spotify Listening Guide: 2023-11-30 05:50:41 +0000 UTC View Post

The D'Angelo Song That's 100% REAL

D'Angelo's "Really Love" is one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded, so I decided to dissect every aspect of it to find out why. The main reason? It's all REAL  

Stream the Spotify Listening Guide: 2023-11-30 05:45:25 +0000 UTC View Post

Kanye’s UNEXPECTED Sophomore Album Changed My Life

Stream the Spotify Listening Guide: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6E3dtlDwB54msDHhhPG3t7?si=5f81d9882a6c4477

SOURCES 2023-11-30 05:39:14 +0000 UTC View Post

What this Deep Cut MJ song is ACTUALLY About

Spotify Listening Guide: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/61zhBwOkSd59CeEnPjXXqq?si=4365436b00224618

SOURCES &nb...

Afrika Baby Bam - Jungle Brothers, The Native Tongues

Afrika Baby Bam, or as he’s also known, Bam - is a member of the Jungle Brothers - an incredibly influential hip hop group who were part of the Native Tongues Collective. I've talked about the Native Tongues in multiple Digging The Greats videos...