This is the Rosetta Stone of how we built the idea for this podcast. We encourage you to listen to this first so you get the full breakdown of how we took a new approach to talking about music. Enjoy!By Bill Farrow & David Grunfeld

One of the Yay-area's finest; and an emcee whos' style, personality, and lingo are foundational to Hip-Hop. We're leading off our first official season strong with the legend himself; E-40. EnjoyBy Bill Farrow & David Grunfeld

Pro sports have a draft every year...so we had a draft. Let's see who put out the best lineup as we wrap up The Minor Leagues. We appreciate any and all listeners through this unofficial official season 1 of the HCP. We'll be back in Season 2 with podcasting equipment, new prospects, and some new creative ideas for you. But for now, enjoy.…

UGK is the first ever group we evaluated on the HCP so we had to call in back up. Our good friend, southern Hip-Hop savant, and UGK historian Seth Goldman joins us to discuss the immortal Pimp C and Bun B.By Bill Farrow & David Grunfeld

Before the 10 (and counting?) Fast & Furious movies, Ludacris had one of the most interesting visual and sonic styles in Hip-Hop. This listen through was pretty nostalgic and Bill might have had rose tinted glasses on his grades. Let's talk about one of ATL's biggest rappers.By Bill Farrow & David Grunfeld

The final prospect in our Minor League season is the one and only Queen Latifah. Inarguably one of the most important emcees of all time who transcended beyond music into global stardom. Let's dive in and see how she stacks up in our grades.By Bill Farrow & David Grunfeld

One of the west coast's finest. Also, the episode that is probably going to get Bill banished from Oakland because of some of his grades. Forgive him because it's all love. Happy huntingBy Bill Farrow & David Grunfeld

We took some time to correct some mistakes and get a little better at this podcasting thing. Also, I think this is the episode where we officially named the podcast? Look how far we've come. Happy listeningBy Bill Farrow & David Grunfeld

This is the first ever recording of what would become the HitCycle Podcast. Lupe Fiasco is one of the main emcees that inspired hosts Bill and David to start writing their own music. This was before we had podcasting equipment so the audio might sound a little bit rough but we still want y'all to hear us at our very beginning stages. Happy Listenin…

Gucci Mane needs no explanation. Be warned if you re-listen to his catalog. It's a lot of music. But we had a lot of fun talking about his contributions to hip hop. EnjoyBy Bill Farrow & David Grunfeld

MF DOOM is another favorite artist of ours. We weren't going to talk about him originally because we felt his contributions to hip hop speak for themselves but when he passed, we wanted to honor his memory. Rest well DOOM. Thanks for everything you gave us. Happy ListeningBy Bill Farrow & David Grunfeld

Lil Kim is one of the most notable women in hip-hop and so, we had to show our love. This was the HCP's first look into a female emcee. Her music is as great as we remember. EnjoyBy Bill Farrow & David Grunfeld

T-Pain doesn't fit the mold of a traditional emcee but his influence on hip-hop and popular music is undeniable. Naturally, we dove in and had a nostalgic listen through of one of the most interesting and polarizing artists ever. Happy huntingBy Bill Farrow & David Grunfeld

Slick Rick is maybe the single most influential rapper when it comes to storytelling. He was before our time so we brought in our good friend and hip-hip historian, Shau B to discuss the legendary emcee. We hope you enjoy hearing three voices instead of the usual two this time aroundBy Bill Farrow & David Grunfeld