Cult Hip Hop podcast Juan EP is Life was one of the first Hip Hop podcasts, created in 2007 by Cipha Sounds and Peter Rosenberg. Named after the character Juan Epstein from the popular 70’s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, the podcast delves into topics of Hip Hop music and culture, comedy. Various guests have included Jay Z, Q Tip, Dave Chappelle, Eminem, Chris Rock, Quincy Jones, DJ Clark Kent, and more.
The duo of Cipha Sounds and Peter Rosenberg sat down with the New York City legend Ghostface Killah on the latest episode of the Juan Ep Is Life Podcast. The episode starts off with Peter praising Ghostface for the great quality of his latest album, Set The Tone (Guns & Roses). Rosenberg tells Ghostface, “Thank you for never putting me in a situation where I have to interview one of my heroes and pretend that their album is good.”
Ghostface revealed how he worked with Kanye West on the song “No Face” from the album. He said he got the feature shortly before the album’s release. Rosenberg noticed how the song sampled Ghostface’s chorus from the “New God Flow.1” collaboration with Kanye West and Pusha T and Ghostface said it’s an inescapable beat and that he loves it. He praised Kanye for his musical genius and how he works with other artists.
As they discussed his catalog, Ghostface reflected on how he didn’t like some of his projects, especially Ironman. “Coming off Cuban Linx, going into Ironman, it was down for me. Even for the beats, it was dark-ish, but I didn’t have the chance to really write because I only had two months to really get it done. And I think that’s why I don’t really deal well with deadlines now.”
They reflected on the song “Nutmeg” from the Supreme Clientele album. Cipha Sounds described the song as artful and should be labeled as more than rap. The interview closes with Ghostface, Rosenberg, and Cipha reflecting on Ghostface’s Hip Hop 50 performance at Yankees Stadium. The trio discussed the backstory on how a past Biz performance helped Ghostface figure out his set.
They can be found on Instagram @ghostfacekillah @juanepislife @rosenbergradio @ciphasounds
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