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Jul 2018
30m 16s

Episode 1: This Sunny Day Right Here

Wnyc Studios
About this episode

Prodigy and Havoc first begin laying down rhymes together in high school. When their first album flops, they come up with a new sound that's directly influenced by P's sickle cell, and it helps defines a generation of hip hop. Plus: Big Twins talks about the sickle cell attack he’ll never forget.

The Realness by Only Human is produced by WNYC Studios, a listener-supported producer of leading podcasts including Radiolab, Snap Judgment, Death, Sex & Money, Nancy and On the Media.

Up next
Jul 2018
Episode 2: T'Chaka
As a kid with sickle cell anemia, Prodigy was told he'd barely make it to adulthood. The work of doctors, athletes, Hollywood stars and The Black Panthers help transform his fate. But what kind of life would he lead? Explore More:   ... Keith Wailoo, one of our interview subjects ... Show More
29m 30s
Jul 2018
Episode 3: Son, They Shook
Someone is shot inside Def Jam. A rap star chases Mobb Deep through Lower Manhattan. And Prodigy convinces a hip hop mogul to sneak weapons into one of New York's most decadent nightclubs. Mobb Deep came up in rap’s golden age. No other group defined the era quite like the duo fr ... Show More
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Jul 2018
A "Realness" B-Side: Roxanne Shanté
Roxanne Shanté is the queen of Queensbridge rappers. As a teenager in the 1980s, she lyrically demolished all comers. In this B-side outtake, we talk with Roxanne about meeting Prodigy, encouraging Hav to go solo, and how the water in Queensbridge bestowed her with rap superpower ... Show More
18m 22s
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