We're bringing 2025 to close with a special episode. We invited several friends of the pod to share some words about three of their favorite hip hop albums from the past year. You'll hear from a variety of voices about a wide range of albums, including favorites from Rob and E.

Philadelphia’s own Wiles Martyr joins us! His most recent project is called “Circa Wealth 2” and was created with Krouse. While five years have elapsed since the first installment, “Circa Wealth 2” maintains the creative spirit that the two artists found back in 2020 and Wiles has been intentional about paying tribute to his Philly roots and influences. Whether it’s the packaging design, the subject of the songs or his flow itself, Philly is front and center and we talked with Wiles about how all of it came together. Then we discuss his album pick for this episode - “Reasonable Doubt” by Jay-Z.

Purchase "Circa Wealth 2" here:

https://wilesworldweb.com

Merkeba’s latest project “a Metal Snake” is the product of years of transformation, intentional study and an artist challenging himself as a producer. He spoke with us about the many influences that led to the album, the layers of symbolism it involves and the ways in which it is, in some sense, neverending. Then we talked about his album pick for this episode - the breakout “In a Major Way” by E-40.

Purchase "a Metal Snake" here:

https://merkebaworld.bandcamp.com/album/a-metal-snake