Rob Markman | ROC Solid w/ Memphis Bleek

Summary

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ROC Solid with Memphis Bleek

Episode: Rob Markman | ROC Solid w/ Memphis Bleek
Date: July 28, 2026
Host: Memphis Bleek
Guest: Rob Markman (journalist, rapper, Genius VP, hip-hop storyteller)

Episode Overview

In this dynamic, deeply insightful episode, Memphis Bleek sits down with legendary music journalist and rapper Rob Markman. The conversation is a real journey through Markman’s personal evolution—from Brooklyn hip-hop head to documenting the culture and ultimately becoming both a respected voice and an artist himself. Topics range from the origins of Markman’s love for hip-hop, the value and pitfalls of music journalism, the transitions of the industry, competition and controversy in hip-hop, the role of media and authenticity, the impact of social media and digital platforms, giving artists their flowers, and advice for the next generation. Throughout, both Bleek and Markman keep it “ROC solid,” blending war stories, jokes, and earnest guidance for listeners passionate about hip-hop culture.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Falling in Love with Hip-Hop

• Immersion from Birth
  • Markman describes growing up an 80s kid in Brooklyn with hip-hop everywhere: graffiti on trains, block parties, boomboxes, and the sense of something new and vibrant.
  • “It wasn’t a choice. It was like, it was all around. Like, I felt like I was born into it…” (Rob Markman, 04:03)
  • Early influences: Slick Rick as his first “GOAT,” the necessity of knowing lyrics and performing at school.

The Road to Journalism

• Early Hustle
  • Markman’s journey started from a love of writing, battling at open mics, but never seeing journalism as a viable career until his first paid gigs.
  • “I started as a freelancer, you know, a dollar a word writing album reviews. My first album review I ever wrote was for Jadakiss.” (06:49)
  • He credits Tim Hotep (Complex) for giving him his first key assignment and opportunity.
• Breakthroughs & Motivation
  • Working alongside future stars, seeing peers like Emil move from his job to MTV motivated him to believe a career in hip-hop was possible.
  • "She was just here and now she's there... this is possible. Like, we could get into this game." (09:28)

The Golden Era of Music Journalism

• Transition to MTV
  • At MTV, Markman shifted from print bylines to digital daily content and on-camera presence through Sway’s mentorship.
  • "MTV was a special time...it took me from a writer to a personality, to more of a known journalist." (12:20)
• Influence and Legacy of Sway
  • “He was just like, yo, you gonna have a shot to be on camera. And I think you could be, like, a personality in this game. Is that something you want?” (11:57)

Memorable Interviews & Hip-Hop Rivalries

• Standout Interview: Kendrick Lamar
  • Markman singles out his 2015 "To Pimp a Butterfly" conversation as most meaningful.
    • “That’s the interview that people still come up to me and they have an emotional connection to... we was talking about real shit, like leaving the hood, survivor’s guilt.” (14:03)
• Drake vs. Kendrick/Beef as Catalyst
  • The hosts reflect on competition, rivalry, and Drake’s bounce-back (“Iceman”), connecting it to previous legendary beefs.
  • "It's like the Godfather scene where he's like, yo, man, it's like, you need this every 10 years. It clears the bad blood." (15:14)
• Jay-Z & Nas Reconciliation
  • Bleek shares disbelief at how, after years of intense beef, Jay and Nas were able to perform together at Yankee Stadium.
  • “I would have never thought Jay will be ad libbing for Nas and Nas would be ad libbing for Jay... it’s just so surreal for me.” (16:27)

The Importance of Documenting Hip-Hop History

• Lost Content, Lost Stories

  • Markman laments that much of his (and others’) reporting at MTV has been wiped offline, including interviews with artists like Nipsey Hussle and Mac Miller.
  • "MTV took all their content offline...interviews with Nipsey Hussle...Mac Miller...they don’t exist online anymore, nowhere." (26:04)
  • Emphasizes: "When I'm documenting, I need these to live forever. These are records of history." (26:57)

• Danger of Losing the Narrative

  • Notes that hip-hop has lost some of its pillars, as the culture now sometimes prizes virality over substance.
  • “If we don’t take this shit seriously, then how’s the rest of the world gonna take us seriously?” (27:34)

Media Responsibility & Authenticity in the Social Era

• Balance Between Critique and Destruction

  • Markman and Bleek debate the rise of shock media, calling for balance between necessary critique and excessive “tearing down.”
  • "You have to ask the questions that the people want to know... but there’s an excessive tearing down going on." (29:33, Markman)
  • "Tearing down part truthfully comes from: Everybody say I'm 100, I keep it real... Now it’s these guys job in media to be like, no, you not." (29:59, Bleek)

• Social Media & Privacy

  • Bleek outlines how transparency and constant access put artists under a new level of scrutiny:
    • “Before social media, you was able to hide your personal life... today I feel like with social media and the fan bases... people want to see you talk about it. They want to go to that page and be like, oh, this dude say he be in the chateau. Show me...” (31:44, Bleek)

• Navigating “Drill” Media and Violence

  • Markman shares a real-life example of turning down a lyric breakdown interview, refusing to perpetuate personal beef for clicks:
    • “As much traffic as that would bring in... I can't let you do that. You could come and break down the girl single... but we not going to have you on for the diss record. I don’t want to be exhibit A in the courtroom." (33:56)

• Outsiders Profiting from "Voyeurism"

  • Markman expresses discomfort:
    • "It feel like voyeurism... Sit from the comfort of your own YouTube at a remote location playing who done it. And ultimately it's on the artist. But there's a point of watching that, that don't sit right with me." (35:06)

On Artists Becoming Media Voices

• Shifting the Landscape

  • Bleek asks Rob if artists-turned-podcasters are ruining/jumping the craft. Markman welcomes the mix, likening it to boxing commentary: you need the journalists and the former athletes.
    • "There's certain things that only Lennox Lewis could tell you sitting ringside... So, from that perspective, rappers as journalists now, as commentators, as storytellers... I want to hear from Lennox Lewis, too." (54:09)
  • Both agree it forces traditional journalists to innovate and hustle harder, but there's room for everyone who brings value.

• Ownership, Hustle & Sacrifice in the Modern Era

  • Rob praises Joe Budden and Drink Champs as examples of artists grinding for years before achieving their status:
    • “Joe been doing this shit for the last 20 years. Now you at where he at. Now everybody think they could... He deserved to be where he at because he worked for it.” (56:03)
  • Discusses costs and risks of going independent and the work ethic required:
    • "90% of artists who don’t make it is not the label fault... It’s the work ethic, man. Everybody can't go." (53:13, Markman)

Giving Flowers, Preserving Legacies

• Celebrating Artists Through Time
  • Markman highlights the importance of platforms like Genius and campaigns like Sprite Living Track List in celebrating key hip-hop moments and educating the next generation.
    • "It was like a feather in my cap for my career." (49:19)
  • They discuss the unmeasured—but deeply felt—impact of records like Queen Latifah’s “U.N.I.T.Y.” and Notorious B.I.G.'s “Juicy.”

The Role of Documentation, Perspective, and Lifting Up Others

• Personal Fulfillment and Giving Back

  • When asked what he’s most proud of:
    • “...Being able to feed my family and raise my kids and to show my kids that you could live your dream...” (60:35, Markman)
    • “But I’m also proud of not what I made, but what I giving back. Like, being able to shine light on certain artists...” (60:53)
    • He recalls championing artists like Kendrick, Cole, Nipsey, Fred the Godson and others early in their careers, helping illuminate rising talent.

• Standing on Integrity

  • Markman talks about the importance of honesty, respect, and standing by his words:
    • "You're not going to see me say anything on those cameras that I won’t say to your face... I gotta stand on it." (63:47)

• Advice to Aspiring Journalists

  • “Find the thing that you love and then the niche where you fit in... Study the chessboard. Find that niche, find that thing that you love and respect your audience.” (65:15)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Formative Years & Early Hip-Hop

• "Slick Rick was my first goat. Before I knew what a goat was."
  — Rob Markman (04:46)
• "It wasn't a choice. It was like, it was all around... as soon as my moms let me go out the house."
  — Rob Markman (04:55)

Motivation & The Documenter’s Drive

• "There's a way to get in there."
  — Rob Markman (09:28)
• "That’s the interview that people still come up to me and they have an emotional connection to... we was talking about real shit, like leaving the hood, survivor’s guilt."
  — Rob Markman (14:03)

Media, Ethics, & New Challenges in Hip-Hop Storytelling

• "If we don’t take this shit seriously, then how’s the rest of the world gonna take us seriously?"
  — Rob Markman (27:34)
• "It feel like voyeurism... you don’t gotta deal with none of the circumstances and none of the danger of that shit. And that shit rubs me the wrong way."
  — Rob Markman (35:06)
• "You have to ask the questions that the people want to know... but there’s an excessive tearing down going on."
  — Rob Markman (29:33)
• "Everything can’t be rosy, bro. We can’t just be la la la la la. Somebody gotta come through and be like, man, y’ all niggas, bitch ass niggas."
  — Memphis Bleek (29:59)

Artist-to-Journalist Pipeline & Platform Building

• "It's like boxing. You need Max Kellerman, but you want to hear from Lennox Lewis too."
  — Rob Markman (54:09)
• "Joe [Budden] been doing this shit for the last 20 years. Now everybody think they could..."
  — Memphis Bleek (56:03)

Legacy, Family & Giving Back

• "Just being able to contribute, like, I’m grateful for everything that I’ve earned... but I’m also proud of not what I made, but what I giving back. Like, being able to shine light on certain artists..."
  — Rob Markman (60:53)
• "That he cared about us... that it wasn’t just a lick. And he cared about this hip hop shit, and he contributed it in a positive way."
  — Rob Markman on his legacy (63:00)

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Important Timestamps

• Early Hip-Hop Influence & Writing Roots
  • [04:03] "It wasn’t a choice. It was like, it was all around..." – Rob Markman
• First Album Review, Starting in Journalism
  • [06:49] Markman’s first paid review for Jadakiss; motivation for pursuing journalism
• Transition to MTV, Meeting Sway
  • [11:52] “I meet Sway... he was like, yo, I like you...” – Markman
• Kendrick Interview & Impact
  • [14:03] Reflecting on his 2015 “To Pimp A Butterfly” interview
• On Jay-Z and Nas Reconciliation
  • [16:27] Bleek recounts the surreal moment of Jay and Nas at Yankee Stadium
• Lost History at MTV
  • [26:04] "MTV took all their content offline...interviews with Nipsey Hussle...Mac Miller..."
• Social Media & Changing Privacy
  • [31:44] Bleek on transparency and social pressure for artists
• Media Ethics – Drill Music & Responsibility
  • [33:56] Markman declines to platform a potentially dangerous interview
• Artist-Journalists & Innovation
  • [54:09] Markman on the value of artist-journalists bringing new perspectives
• Legacy & Giving Back
  • [60:53] "But I’m also proud of not what I made, but what I giving back..."

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Final Reflections

This episode offers an unfiltered masterclass in hip-hop journalism, storytelling, and the demands of authenticity—anchored by mutual respect and wisdom from both Memphis Bleek and Rob Markman. Through honest recollections, practical advice, and debate over hip-hop’s past and future, they break down the victories, the challenges, and the critical role of documenting and uplifting the culture.

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For those passionate about hip-hop or aspiring to participate in its storytelling: this is essential listening.

Transcript

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[Memphis Bleak]

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[Memphis Bleak]

What up, y'?

[Cabenuva Advertiser]

All?

[Memphis Bleak]

This your main man, Memphis Bleak, right here. Welcome to Rock Solid, a production of iHeartRadio and the Black Effect Network, in partnership with my guys over at Drink Champs.

[Podcast Host]

Rock Solid.

[Memphis Bleak]

Solid. Solid. Yeah, yeah. You already know what it is, y'.

[Podcast Host]

All.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yours truly, M. Greasy, back with another exclusive episode of Rock Solid. And this one right here, this that real journalism talk right here that I was pretending to be. I'm about to study this guy right now. While I'm interviewing him, I' ma steal some of his. And you gonna see next episode and be like, yeah, this Rob Markman. Bleep. You know what I mean? I'm here now. Let's welcome my guy to the building. Rob, man, one of the illness out here, man. What's up, my guy?

[Rob Markman]

I'm good, man. How you?

[Memphis Bleak]

I can't complain, man. Like, yo, you one of the illest. Cause not only do you do the journalism thing, but then you also a ball nigga down, too.

[Rob Markman]

Like, little bit, Little bit. Like, around fuck, don't fuck around.

[Memphis Bleak]

Word up. You a bar nigga up, too, man. I respect what you been doing. Everything, man. In both fields, you know what I mean?

[Rob Markman]

Thank you.

[Memphis Bleak]

I love you. Come love your grime, your come up, everything you've been doing, my G. Thank you, man. But let's do it. Let's do this before mtv, before genius, before all the interviews, everything you've been doing before the hip hop, the raps you've been doing. What made you fall in love with hip hop?

[Rob Markman]

It wasn't a choice. It was like, it was all around. Like, I felt like I was born into it, right? Like, I remember, like, you know, I'm an 80s baby. So coming outside, actually seeing graffiti on the train, actually, like, going to block parties and park jams and seeing, you know, the big boombox on the street and hearing the music and remembering the adults saying, oh, that ain't real music. This ain't gonna last. But I'm six years old, going to school, you know, first grade, La Di Dottie is out.

[Memphis Bleak]

Talk about it.

[Rob Markman]

La Dew and rapping that in the schoolyard. Like, you had to come to school and be able to get through the whole verse, and your man had to be able to keep the beatbox going. That's right. Like, you know, Slick Rick was my first goat. Before I knew what a goat was.

[Memphis Bleak]

Have mine, too.

[Actor from Fightland]

You know what I'm saying?

[Memphis Bleak]

Fact. Storytelling.

[Rob Markman]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Watching the videos, it was just like you could life. Like art depicting life.

[Rob Markman]

Yeah, so. So when people say when you fall in love, as soon as I stepped outside, as soon as my. My moms let me go out the house. Cause it was all around us, you

[Actor from Fightland]

know what I'm saying?

[Rob Markman]

And I knew from an early age I wanted to be involved in hip hop. And then, you know, I get old enough, 12, 13, 14, and I'm copping the source and I'm reading and then I'm like, oh, we actually get to document and tell these stories. Or come home and watch video music box and get to see your favorite rappers shout out.

[Memphis Bleak]

Ralph McDonald McDaniels, man. The real first one in the middle of the trenches.

[Rob Markman]

Yeah, documenting it, man. Fab Five Freddy, Ralph McDaniels. Like, real pioneers. Like, when I look at me as somebody who documents the culture, I look at them. The Fab Five Freddy's the Ralph McDaniels. And then probably Angie.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Rob Markman]

Martinez and Sway.

[Memphis Bleak]

Angie shout out my biggest. You just don't know. Fab 5 Freddy is a real G. Yeah, I done been to some back block meetings with niggas. Like, yo, we meeting up, they strapping up and he there. It's like, Fab 5 Freddy, what the fuck is he doing? He was tapped in. But, yo, like, did you always know you wanted to be a journalist? Was that something like.

[Rob Markman]

Nah, I didn't think it was a. I didn't think it was an option. I didn't think. Wasn't no money in it. Like, I always enjoy writing. And I think that's where the rapping part came for me. I'm 12, 13 years old, penning, going outside, kicking my rhymes, lunchroom, kicking my rhymes. Open mics at the New York and Poet Cafe, in clubs I was probably too young to get into. In front of fat beats, battling people, fat beats. Damn. That was the shit and all of that. But it stemmed from being a writer. And I always loved to read and I love to write, but I never felt like I was like, ah, I'm not gonna get a time like the New York Times. Not gonna want me. Like, I'm not gonna fit in at the New York Times. And I didn't think you could actually make a career writing and documenting hip hop, like, for the source. It just hadn't occurred to me that that was a way to actually make money and feed your family.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Rob Markman]

And it kind of just happened, like, step by step. I started as a freelancer, you know, a dollar word writing album reviews. My first album review I ever wrote was for Jadakiss.

[DJ Envy]

No way.

[Rob Markman]

The Kiss second album.

[Memphis Bleak]

Damn, that's crazy, man. Shout out, Jada. Shout out Jada Ellis in New York.

[Rob Markman]

Yeah, man. So when I saw the check from that, you know, it was bigger than the checks that I was getting from doing little shows or whatever.

[Memphis Bleak]

So I was just like, like, hold on, I'm over here now, right? What next album you need me to talk about, Right?

[Rob Markman]

I got you, right? So little by little, I built up my freelance reputation and it led to a full time gig at xxl.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's what I was gonna say.

[Rob Markman]

And I'm in the game.

[Memphis Bleak]

I was gonna ask you who gave you your real first opportunity to cover hip hop professionally.

[Rob Markman]

A brother by the name of Tim Hotep, who I grew up with. We went to high school together and he started working for Complex when Complex was a magazine still. And we went to school together. So he knew I could write and he knew I just knew a shit ton about hip hop. So he was like, man, I need you to write this Jadakiss album review. Yo, could you go up to Yonkers? My biggest problem was like, how the fuck am I gonna get to Yonkers?

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact.

[Rob Markman]

He was like, nah, Interscope gonna send you a car. The car gonna wait for you, take you back. I said, easy.

[Memphis Bleak]

And y' all gonna pay me. Word, let's do it.

[Rob Markman]

So we went up to D Block Studio. It was the second out, the Kiss of Death. So Kiss is there. I remember Kiss. I remember Jen was there. You remember Jen from 106 and Park?

[Memphis Bleak]

Jen was nice.

[Rob Markman]

Jyn was nice.

[Memphis Bleak]

Jyn was nice. Niggas tried to front on Jen. He could freestyle his ass.

[Rob Markman]

That's my guy. He was signed to Rough Riders at that time. So I remember going, Kiss was there. He plays the album. And I'm hearing songs like, why? For the first time. Like, the first time I heard why. I'm getting chills. I'm like, this, this a crazy record

[Memphis Bleak]

in the right session, right?

[Actor from Fightland]

Word.

[Rob Markman]

So. So yeah, did that. Wrote up the album review, they published it in Complex. And, and, and they sent me a check after that. Vibe magazine called, was like, yo, can you do this Ghostface review? Then the Source Core was like, yo, we heard you was ill. Yo, can you write for us? So I was working in the mail room in the city.

[Cabenuva Advertiser]

Crazy.

[Rob Markman]

I'll tell you a funnier story. Working in a place called Delia's Delius. It's a call center, mail room. Lot of underground New York rappers. Immortal Technique used to work there. Poison Pen used to work there.

[Cabenuva Advertiser]

Damn.

[Rob Markman]

Back in the day, Emile used to be our supervisor. Yo youo shitting me?

[Cabenuva Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Rob Markman]

Real Life Emil was the customer service supervisor. It was a spot in New York. Like everybody in New York worked it.

[Memphis Bleak]

She definitely let y' all niggas do whatever. Cause Emil was the nicest.

[Rob Markman]

She was always chill. So Emil used to work there. And then all of a sudden, she wasn't working there no more. It was like, damn. What happened to Emil? We turned on mtv. She with y'. All. Yo, for me, that was some of the biggest motivation. Just cause it like, yo, she was just here and now she's there and it show. Oh, this is possible. Like, we could get into this game. Like, there's a way to get in there.

[Memphis Bleak]

Her voice was ill. But, yo, you bringing up Emil. Bring back some stories. Cause it was supposed to be a. If you remember Major Coins.

[Rob Markman]

Major Coins.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know why Major Coins never got signed and it just was a bill.

[Rob Markman]

Nah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Because they couldn't dance and rap at the same time.

[Rob Markman]

You gotta figure that out. You gotta get some choreography, something.

[Memphis Bleak]

Dave had them in the studio like, yo, we about to do this show. Let's see how y' all gonna do it. So they playing the music like, yo, y' all gotta dance. And Ad lib behind the middle verse on Can I get her?

[Rob Markman]

Right?

[Memphis Bleak]

It was over for me.

[Rob Markman]

They had to get them. They gotta get a choreographer or something.

[Memphis Bleak]

That was the story of Major Coins. That's why Jizz was a meal. Cause she got it together.

[Rob Markman]

But, you know, I tell that story on some, man. Give her her props. Cause just being the dude from Brooklyn, like, you know, like, I'm from Flatbush. So we had special ed. But it's not like I knew special ed. I was a kid and whatever.

[Memphis Bleak]

But Special Ad, a dog with a solid gold bone. Nobody knew that.

[Rob Markman]

So that was the first one, though. That it was, like, really close. That it was right there. And then, you know, start kicking in the door a little bit. And seeing that this thing is possible motivates you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, man. Then MTV News became one of the places, you know, fans get to hear all the stories, all that shit. You know what I mean? What made that era of music journalism so special for you?

[Rob Markman]

For me, it was. That's when I went from a writer. Cause I was in the magazine. You might have just seen my name. You seen my byline. And I got to MTV to write. So it's digital. So now the frequency. Instead of me writing in a magazine, that comes out once A month. When MTV hired me, they said, yo, we want you to write. You gotta write four articles a day. Oh, I was writing seven. It was just. I was like, the end. I could write in and put it out, write in and put it out. I was writing seven joints a day. I'm about two weeks there, and I meet Sway.

[Memphis Bleak]

Shout out. Sway, man. One of the coolest, coolest DJs ever in the world, man.

[Rob Markman]

Yeah, just one of the realest dudes. And he was like, yo, I like you. He was just like, yo, you gonna have a shot to be on camera. And I think you could be, like, a personality in this game. Is that something you want? And I'm like, yeah. I tried. He was like, all right. Just, you know, stay close, pay attention. Can't tell you when, I can't tell you how, but you gonna get a shot.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Rob Markman]

And so the mcv, the thing that made it special, is one I'm working right beside a guy that I looked up to, and this thing was Sway. And he's talking about he gonna give me a shot. And it changed my career. It took me from a writer to a personality, to more of a known journalist. So it kind of just shed more light on me, and I got to learn production and how cameras work and all of that. So MTV was a special time.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, Sway the Realist, man. Sway Water, the beanie. Whatever hat he wear, he wore it in the White House. Yeah, he the real.

[Rob Markman]

I never saw him with. Listen, man, we don't. We don't been on trips out of town. We done. I never seen Sway without the crown, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Word up. Sway don't play. He wore that at the White House.

[Rob Markman]

But that's what's dope about hip hop, right? It's like, yo, we could. And I remember that day. I wanted to go, but again, I'm Lil homie, so. Not everybody. Everybody can't go.

[Memphis Bleak]

Shout out Benny the Butcher. Everybody can't go.

[Rob Markman]

Everybody can't. But Sway still called me that. Yo, listen, man, we going to the White House, like, the night before. Yo, if you got a question, let me know. Let me know. Shoot me the question, and I'll work in it. So he asked one of my questions to the President, so I felt like we was both there.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Rob Markman]

But he still made me a part of it without being a part of it. And what that showed me, though, is like, yo, we could show up anywhere as our authentic selves being hip hop.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Rob Markman]

You know what I'm Saying, I know you see it with like, hov in these ballrooms. Like, he walking as hov.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's one thing he preach, man. You walk in as yourself. You don't change for the room. You change the room.

[Rob Markman]

Yeah. So that's what Sway showed me.

[Memphis Bleak]

But you interviewed everybody, man. From Jay, Kendrick, Nas, Drake, everybody. Is it one interview to you that stands out above all?

[Rob Markman]

Oh, man, probably my Kendrick interview 2015. Kendrick to pimp A Butterfly interview. Cause we were just talking. I didn't even know that interview was good. When we walked out, people was like, how did it go? I was like. Cause it was just two dudes talking. I couldn't even gauge. I knew I enjoyed the conversation. I ain't know how it's gonna resonate. And that's the interview that people still come up to me and they have an emotional connection to it. Cause we. I mean, we was talking about music and to Pimp a Butterfly, but we was talking about real shit, like leaving the hood, survivor's guilt, right? Like being able to tour the world. And back home, your peoples are still going through the same thing. And you want to take everything you learn about the world and give it to your people back home. But are they ready for the message and stuff? So it was a real deep conversation, a real life conversation. And that's the one that even all these years later, people still come up to me and was like, nah. Like, that was the one.

[Memphis Bleak]

And Kendrick or everybody, man, like, between Jay, Drake, Kendrick, all them niggas is dominating. And they feel respectively great at what they do, man. Like, you know what I mean? Like, that Drake and Kendrick shit does shift the hip hop for me.

[Rob Markman]

You know, it's like the Godfather scene where he's like, yo, man, it's like, you need this every 10 years. It clears the bad blood. Like, you know, I think it's dope that. Cause hip hop is competitive, right?

[Memphis Bleak]

It's always been.

[Rob Markman]

I think it's dope that we see Drake be able to bounce back, be able to drop an album like Iceman. And it's like, oh, he ain't done. Like, what happened happened. But it's still hits to be made.

[Memphis Bleak]

Exactly.

[Rob Markman]

So, you know, let's get back to

[Memphis Bleak]

the schedule program, right?

[Rob Markman]

And look, I know it was a lot more personal for them and they going through it, but I'm happy to see that they still get to carry hip hop on. Drake still get to be Drake, Kendrick still get to be Kendrick. We saw something that entertained us. Like I said, I don't know how entertaining it was for them. It was going through it. But I know what it is, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

We've been in the middle of a war like that with Nas, you know what I'm saying?

[Rob Markman]

And now, you know, he came out on Yankee Stadium with a Darryl Strawberry

[Memphis Bleak]

jester is what I'm saying. So I don't think that'll happen in this situation.

[Rob Markman]

I don't see that happening. But did you ever think that would happen in the midst of it, in the heat of it, did you ever think Jay and Nas would ever reconcile?

[Memphis Bleak]

Honestly, no.

[Rob Markman]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, it was just as disrespectful as that. Yeah, I believe so. Like, and I would have never. I would have never thought Jay will be ad libbing for Nas and Nas would be ad libbing for Jay and they'll be rhyming over each other beat crazy in Yankee Stadium crazy. That's not even something you could draw up and be like, yeah, this gonna happen one day. I picture it like Yankee Stadium was just so surreal for me in general, just because, remember, 30 years ago, reasonable doubt dropped 33 years ago. We was in the basement of Clark Kent house. Rest in peace.

[Rob Markman]

Rest in peace, Clark.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what I mean? And Jay ripped a piece of paper out of a notebook and gave it to me and said, as fast as you remember that paper is as fast as your life changed. Here we are as the results of life changing from that sheet of paper. It's like, so standing there in Yankee Stadium, it hit me like, the last 30 years, everything we've been through, everything has just hit me like light flash, like, wow.

[Podcast Host]

Yo. I was scrolling through the Sprite Living track list the other day and immediately started arguing with myself. It was wild because records like California Love, Still Not a Player and Back Then are so much more than words and songs. There are moments, they are memories. They're snapshots of where hip hop was and where it's going. That's what Sprite gets. They've spent over 40 years celebrating artists who define the culture, and now they're turning the conversation over to the fans. And if you're like me, the real fun is getting into the why. Why did this song matter? Why did this line hit? Why did it change hip hop forever? Now, I can't promise you any answers, but with Sprite, you will have a good time figuring it out. Check out the Sprite Living track list and break down the stories behind your favorite bars@livingtracklist. Genius.com this is the Sprite Living track list. Obey your thirst what up, y'?

[Rob Markman]

All?

[DJ Envy]

It's DJ Envy. We're at the premiere of Fightland, executive produced by my guy, 50 Cent. Yeah, now listen, you know you've done a lot on it over here in America. Decided to go to UK for this one.

[Actor from Fightland]

Yeah, this one is different, so break

[DJ Envy]

it down for people that haven't seen it. Comes out the 31st. So tell us about Fight Night.

[Actor from Fightland]

It's exciting. This one is a UK based show. I got Ottawa Bathurst to direct it. So the first two episodes he did really dope. And then I got like the other guys that I got to do throughout the season. It's like, top notch, bro. So you're going to see this one is going to feel like it's a great. Better than what I did, like in Power, really. I promise that.

[DJ Envy]

Now for people that haven't seen it yet, it comes out July 31st. Fightland. How would you describe fighting?

[Actor from Fightland]

I say it's a family crime drama.

[DJ Envy]

Okay.

[Actor from Fightland]

Right. And it has an intensity and action that you would, you would, you would feel you received in the action film. And it does things that the other series don't do because we kind of jump timelines throughout the episodes and stuff like this. So you'll see things and go, oh, like things flashing back and things going to different, you know, backwards and forwards.

[DJ Envy]

I seen the first episode, I didn't see you in it. Are you in this season or are you at any season or. No, because usually we'll get a pop

[Memphis Bleak]

up or 50 a pop up here and there.

[DJ Envy]

Are you in Fightland at all?

[Actor from Fightland]

No, I might have to work on my British accent.

[Memphis Bleak]

Have you tried?

[Actor from Fightland]

No, no, I did. I would have to work on it

[Rob Markman]

to do it, to get in this.

[DJ Envy]

What keeps you motivated to do it. You don't need the money. It's just like at this point, what is it for?

[Actor from Fightland]

Nah, it's cool. Creatively, like, no, no project is great because of one person. It's a collective, you know what I mean? And what I get a chance to do is communicate what they feel to the network before it gets like. They start developing reputations of being difficult or doing things, but they're comfortable expressing how they feel to me, you know, now I'm at a stage where I can, you know, finance and license the project instead of giving it to the networks for them to own.

[DJ Envy]

The series premiere of Fightland drops July 31st only on Starz, with new episodes streaming weekly on Friday.

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[Memphis Bleak]

This message is brought to you by Injectable Cabenuva Cabotegravir Rilpivirine Here's a question for you.

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[Rob Markman]

A dot com that's important man. Cause like hip hop is more than just all wins right? Like like it is. It's the journey to me like I'm at the same way you so you watching Yankee Stadium but you remember Clark's basement. That's right where it started. I'm watch this guy up there. I'm watching y' all up there and I'm a stretching barbito. I used to listen to stretching bobido. We all did like the the big L freestyle. I Was listening live that night when it happened, and going back to school the next day. Yo.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, and.

[Rob Markman]

And I'm like, man, I remember. I can't get with that. You know what I'm saying? I remember the original.

[Memphis Bleak]

In my lifetime, I gotta keep it thick. I remember shooting that video on Marcy.

[Rob Markman]

I thought we was lit, right? And so it's like, yo, from that to this. Even I asked Guru about this. Cause even in one of the interludes, they was playing the Milk Bone beat. The beat that him and Big L rapped over.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Rob Markman]

And I thought he was gonna come out and perform that. I said, yankee Stadium ain't ready for this. He's not gonna do these versions. But it was a dope nod to the Journey, is what I'm saying. So we could celebrate the wins, but you still gotta celebrate where it started, you know what I'm saying?

[Memphis Bleak]

All the time. You can never forget where it started. Never, man. Cause that's where I always feel like the Journey make you enjoy the win even more, like. Cause the journey is worth it, man. At the end of the day, it's worth it. All the nos, all the doors close, all the U turns, all the we can't carry that album in the store. All the. When I'm riding on top of the Hummer and Myth Bleak is mtv. We can't show that you influencing kids. All of that matters to where we are today. Like, I love it, man. Like, it's just like you. Like, it leads to my next question. Like, you spend years documenting hip hop, bro. Like, making it. Like, what have artists taught you about the culture that fans rarely get to see?

[Rob Markman]

That's a good question. That is more than just entertainment. And, you know, look, I knew that because at the same time, though, I document it, and I'm known for documenting it. Like, I come from it.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Rob Markman]

We come from the same. I'm from Flatbush, Brooklyn. Like, me. And you know Vod.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's my brother. Shout out to Vod.

[Rob Markman]

Vod grew up around the corner. Germ around the corner two grew up around the corner.

[Memphis Bleak]

Man, that's crazy.

[Rob Markman]

So I'm from that hood.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, right there.

[Rob Markman]

You know what I'm saying? I might have just went a different route than some of the people on my block, but we all doing it. So it's more than just entertainment. I think especially now in this era

[Memphis Bleak]

of

[Rob Markman]

social media, people feel like. Fans feel like they could say anything. A lot of people talk real crazy and feel like they could say anything. But these are people yes, these are entertainers, but these are people's real lives.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact.

[Rob Markman]

And when I document it, you know, I strive to document the real. Like, where did this come from? What made you write that? What's the real story behind that? Yes, it's dope to us. But then 9 out of 10 times, 8 out of 10 times came from pain.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact.

[Rob Markman]

So let's not lose that fact. We ain't up here just singing and dancing. We got real stories to tell. And we gotta tell these stories the right way. Cause you seen. I don't know if you. Pete. All the work that we did at mtv. MTV took all they content offline. All the articles that I've written, that Shaheen Reid has written that, all the interviews that Sway has done, Jason Rodriguez, like, all. It don't exist online anymore, no way.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, so I did not know that.

[Rob Markman]

And look, I got interviews with Nipsey Hussle.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's crazy.

[Rob Markman]

The $100 mix. Well, guess what, man. Rest in peace. Nip ain't here to tell his story no more.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, that's crazy.

[Rob Markman]

I got interviews with Mac Miller. Rest in peace.

[Memphis Bleak]

Rest in peace. Mac Miller. I got a song with Mac Miller that we never got to drop. And I don't even have it.

[Rob Markman]

He told me about it. He told me about it. That was my dog, for real.

[Memphis Bleak]

So he the monster, bro.

[Actor from Fightland]

Word.

[Memphis Bleak]

I'm so sick. I ain't get a copy of that record, bro. Word.

[Rob Markman]

Yeah, I'm gonna see if I'm gonna reach out. I'm gonna see if I find. If I could find it for you, please. But. But you know, when you think about the ones who aren't here anymore, especially. But everybody. But the ones who like Nip, is not here to tell this story. But we documented the time in Nip's career. We documented the time in Mac Miller's career.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Rob Markman]

And now it's offline. I get it. MTV is a business. For whatever reason, they took it offline. But when I'm documenting, I need these to live forever.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Rob Markman]

It's a records to live forever. These are records of history. This is not just entertainment. This is our life. This is our culture, man. So we gotta document it the right way.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact, man. Like, do you think hip hop does a good job at preserving its own history? Or we too quick to just move on to the next big thing?

[Rob Markman]

I think it's getting scary. I think we were really good at it. I think we had institutions, you Know what I'm saying? Like we had pillars in this, be it people, be it the source, the XXLs, the Angie Martinez's of the world. The Sways. That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

Shout out all the legends. All the og, all the legends, man.

[Rob Markman]

But we losing it now. I think it's just becoming now the topic of the day. I think there's a danger. I think there's a real danger in this moment. If we don't take this shit seriously, then how's the rest of the world gonna take us seriously?

[Memphis Bleak]

I think we shoot at our own a lot.

[Actor from Fightland]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's almost like. But it's in our culture. It's been in our culture and now it's in media.

[Rob Markman]

Right? But not. And that's not. And media's always been critical. And that's not to say we can't be critical of things. That means that we can't challenge each other. Yeah, man. But it's a lot.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's a lot people in there like it's getting personal. Like, I feel like a lot of journalism has changed now. Like when I was coming up, you know, the number one target on the headline for us was Wendy Williams, right? It knew Wendy. You get that Wendy Williams interview. You better go up there with your shield up your face guard. You better be ready. Cause she coming out swinging. Ms. Jones starring Buck Wild. Fucking Cosmic Cav fucking sometimes Fleck, sometimes enough. Them niggas ain't even dropped that bomb, yo. So we heard. And you gotta be ready. And I just like a lot of people disagree with the academics, the Charleston whites, the wack one hundreds. Me, I ain't gonna say I'm a fan and not a fan. I'm too busy. I don't tune in. But I know them as media personalities. I feel like that disruption is needed. Cause everything can't be rosy, bro. We can't just be la la la la la. Somebody gotta come through and be like, man, y' all niggas, bitch ass niggas. Somebody gotta do it.

[Rob Markman]

And to me, a lot. Wendy Williams is really a pioneer of that, in that style. I think a lot of what we see today comes off of the Wendy Williams trio influence. Right? And it's entertaining. One thing is. Listen. One thing. Absolutely. You have to ask the questions that the people want to know.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes.

[DJ Envy]

Facts.

[Rob Markman]

You know what I'm saying? Because we have to be loyal to the audience. So you gotta ask the questions that the people want to know. People have to be challenged. You could criticize for sure. I think there's an Excessive tearing down going on. But the fact is there's also entertainment. And for me, you just need the balance. It can't be too much of one thing and not the other. To me, you need the balance for this whole thing to work.

[Memphis Bleak]

I think the tearing down part truthfully comes from Everybody say I'm 100, I keep it real. I'm the realest. I'm this. So now it's these guys job in media to be like, no, you not. You did this. We saw this. We have this information. Matter of Back in the day, used to be like, call.

[DJ Envy]

Oh, oh.

[Memphis Bleak]

They be in the air on the news. We getting this live information. Breaking news coming in. They just said, the senator did this. Now it's just sitting music. They could make it records. Like, yeah, I'm the trap Lord. And then here come Whack 100. Like it's right here on the street.

[Rob Markman]

I got the paperwork, you told. I got the paperwork for me. Hey, it gotta be rooted in the truth. You know what I'm saying? The truth always gonna come to light. Facts, you know what I'm saying? And you can't run a high for your truth. You could Dip and Dodge five years, 10 years, it might be 20 years down the line. The thing that you did is always gonna come to light. So I have no problem with it as long as it's rooted in truth and respect for the audience. You know what I'm saying?

[Memphis Bleak]

Me, like I said, it's no different than Wendy Williams. Cause she was gunning. I never forget my first interview with her, soon as I sat down. So Memphis Bleak, they say you fucking the interns at Roc A fella. It's like, what? Like, what am I supposed to say here? Like, who told you that? It's like, what?

[Rob Markman]

It might have been some truth to it.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, hold on. Check my two way. She got my tapped.

[Rob Markman]

Like, what's going on here?

[Memphis Bleak]

Like, but that's what I'm saying. So I, I me, I enjoy it. I think it's.

[Rob Markman]

Was there ever a time outside of that Wendy Williams time, was there ever a time for you when you was under attack? I never felt like you had.

[Memphis Bleak]

Nah, I never was under the cause. You know why I think so, bro? I think I dodged it. Because before social media, you was able to hide your personal life.

[Cabenuva Advertiser]

Right?

[Rob Markman]

Right, right.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know people. Only when they read the source, read the vibe, read the xxl, saw bet, mtv. Then they saw you. Like, they didn't really. And they came to the meet and greet, that was it. They didn't know. Once all of that stopped, you could go home and be a farmer. No one knew. They ain't know if I had goats at the crib, her and cows, like, you know what I mean? So today I feel like with social media and the fan bases that we carry and the responsibility, people want to see you talk about it. They want to see. They want to go to that page and be like, oh, this dude say he be in the chateau. Show me pictures of you in the chateau. Don't just tell me about it, show me. And a lot of. I feel like that's why a lot of these people get attacked, because they're not living their truth, right? It's all imitating to get a check. So. And now it's the media job to point out the imitation, right? That's just.

[Rob Markman]

Do you think it. Do you think there's a line that's too far?

[Memphis Bleak]

I think so. When it gets interjected into the beefs, like when it. When it's. Cause you know, now these kids is in gangs, right? So when you inserting into different sets and different gangs and provoking one against the other, or even just antagonizing one side against the other, then I feel like it's a responsibility, us as adults, we have for the youth to not lead them that way.

[Rob Markman]

So, you know, I'm at Genius as well, and I'm probably jumping. And we have a show called Verified Yellow Background where you break down lyrics. And I'm not gonna say who out of respect, but there was these two drill artists from Brooklyn who do not live that far from each other. Like, if you know Brooklyn, you know the streets you like, it's like a 10 block radius. And you know, in New York, 10 blocks is nothing. And you know, they was going at it on record, but we also knew how real it can get. And one of them wanted to come to Genius to break down one of the diss records. And as much traffic as that would bring in, as much as people wanted to see that, I'm like, yo, I can't let you do that.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact.

[Rob Markman]

You could come and break down the girl single. The song for the girls, we not

[Memphis Bleak]

gonna have you on.

[Rob Markman]

Cause then for a couple of reasons. For one, whatever you say is gonna spur something on.

[Memphis Bleak]

And now then the next one gonna

[Actor from Fightland]

want to come up.

[Rob Markman]

It's gonna open that door. And I don't want to be exhibit A in the courtroom when shit go down. Like, I don't. So, man, if we could dial this back, I'd rather help dial it back than push it forward.

[Memphis Bleak]

I'm glad we having it. I'm glad you here that I can have this conversation. Because I feel like if you're gonna put the responsibility on the media not to interject, antagonize or provoke, then the artist is blatantly admitting crimes over beats. It's insane. So, like, you can't be mad at me that you said you shot Ray Ray, right? I'm just reporting on Ray Ray.

[Rob Markman]

Right. But it do feel, man, I see some of these channels and yes, but we also speaking cold, right?

[Memphis Bleak]

First of all, a lot of the code is detected. These niggas, that secret Dakota, it was right in there. Niggas that rode all over. We see what you doing.

[Rob Markman]

100% facts and the responsibilities on the artist. But there's some of these channels, there's some of these that I know they don't come from the culture. I know that. And when I talk about come from the culture. Also have to deal with the circumstances when somebody gets when you gotta bury somebody. Or deal with the circumstances of the get back, but deal with the circumstances of a brother or a son or a cousin doing life in jail. But sit from the comfort of your own YouTube at a remote location playing who done it. And ultimately it's on the artist. But there's a point of watching that, that don't sit right with me. It feel like voyeurism. It feel like the people who go to the safari and you safe enough in your cart on the safari to watch the lines and watch everybody do what they do. But you don't gotta deal with none of the circumstances and none of the danger of that shit. And that shit rubs me the wrong

[Memphis Bleak]

way, but they not out the window with sticks poking the animals with the sylvari.

[Rob Markman]

Some of them too. You be seeing them bratty ass kids, like don't feed the animals. You throwing gummy bears at the shit. It's just. Look, and maybe I'm wrong, right? And I'm happy to be wrong. But there's a part of that that don't sit right with me. Again, I do feel a responsibility not to protect nobody or not to save nobody. But it's real circumstances that come with this shit. And me as somebody who is about to be 47 years old, I know better, so I gotta do better. Hey, man. Yeah. Hey, don't break down that song. Break down the other one. The one you wrote about your girl. Break down that one. You could say that one. You actually should have kept that One in the studio, but. Cause it's different too. It's not KRS versus Shan anymore.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, but it was drama back then too. They was running in the club, taking Nics, kicking them off the stage. And yo, I heard, I don't know, as a shorty, you read in the magazine, Shan had a show. KRS wanted them. Bum rushed the show, threw him and his DJ off the stage, flipped them up, took the mic and continued the show. Now it's KRS one show. That where I'm from, that's called Smoke.

[Rob Markman]

I didn't hear that one about Shan. But he had that reputation.

[Memphis Bleak]

I don't know if it's Shan.

[Rob Markman]

I remember he did it.

[Memphis Bleak]

Say he have a reputation with PM Dawn.

[Rob Markman]

He did it with PM Dawn.

[Memphis Bleak]

My bad MC Shan. Don't come get at me. My chick. You already know you a OG legend. I got nothing but respect. I had shit fucked up, but I knew it was somebody.

[Rob Markman]

They said he flipped off the stage,

[Memphis Bleak]

took the mic and took over the show.

[Rob Markman]

Yeah, that was PM Dawn. Rest in peace to Prince Beef.

[Memphis Bleak]

Today, PM dawn would have came and shot the whole club up.

[Rob Markman]

Yeah, it's a different time though, man. Like back then, you might just had to like, knuckle down. That's it. Like, you just had to shoot. It might not even be shoot the fair one. Like, you might get jumped, but you know what I'm saying. But not that we wasn't getting shot and killed back then, but it's just way different now, bro, because these kids

[Memphis Bleak]

is admitting real crimes, bro. You cannot. Like, I cannot get on this platform and literally identify somebody in Marcy committing a crime, did a crime, or I know about a crime, or I did something to them purposely, like. Yeah, yeah, Ray, you know when I seen you, we slapped you on Myrtle Avenue last week. What you think when he see this interview? He looking for me now? So you can't be shocked when he clipped me or something happened.

[Rob Markman]

God forbid I provoked it.

[Memphis Bleak]

So that's the thing in music, life, streets, everything. I feel like we sit there entertained by the bullshit and then be shocked when the real thing happens. It's like, nigga, what you thought was the end of this movie gonna happen?

[Rob Markman]

Yeah. Yeah. Nah, you right. You right. I just. I just feel away when it's not us. We shouldn't be perpetuating neither. No, but especially when it's not us out there perpetuating the shit. I feel the way I'm looking at you because I'm like, what's your investment in this shit? That's a fact, you know what I'm saying? You taking a whole lot of people down with your commentary. Who did you ever lift up? You know what I'm saying? It's give and take, you know what I'm saying?

[Memphis Bleak]

That part you gotta. I feel like for shit, for every bad deed I ever did, it's 40 good ones that could replace that one, so.

[Rob Markman]

And you hope at the end that it means something, right? But we don't even got control over that.

[Memphis Bleak]

Is it like, do you think because you're artist and a journalist, that's what keeps the balance between both for you a little bit?

[Rob Markman]

I remember when I was at xxl, shout out to da' Twan Thomas.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's my guy shouting daytworld, man.

[Rob Markman]

He was the editor in chief at the time. And I was working at xxl, but I was also putting out music on the blogs, like, Nat right, Two dope boys. And all.

[Memphis Bleak]

I would do shout out, Nat right too. They showed love to everybody.

[Rob Markman]

Yeah, Low key word on Smash, all of that. And what I would do when I would take rapper pictures, I'd just take on my glasses. It was like Clark Superman. And for years nobody noticed. But I worked in a magazine, so not a lot of people know my face. So one day, Daytwon called me into his office. He the editor in chief, and he turned his computer around. I thought I was in trouble. He said. He said, this you? And it was me on that, right? Yo, this you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Chill.

[Rob Markman]

And I said, yeah. He was like, yo, this shit is dope.

[Memphis Bleak]

I ain't gonna front you get busy, Mikey.

[Podcast Host]

Thank you.

[Rob Markman]

Thank you. But he had told me, he said, that's it. He said, that's why you're able to ask the right questions. That's why artists respect even if they don't know it. He was like, at least he was like, you not as big as the artist that you interview, but you know what it's like to go into that studio with an idea and do it with something tangible. You know what it's like to put your feeling or your life on a record. He said, that's why artists fuck with you.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Rob Markman]

And I had never thought about it like that before, but he was like, you relate maybe better than somebody who's never been through it before.

[Memphis Bleak]

Of course, man. It's like the guy who becomes the lawyer who once was the drug dealer, he knows what it is. He gonna fight the hardest for you. You know what I'm saying? Anybody that changed their life around that, been through the storm knows what it is. No matter what, good or bad, they're gonna. If you know the ins and out, you're gonna respect the craft and respect the, the. The role.

[Rob Markman]

And. And that's why genius was such a perfect fit when I moved over to genius at that point in my career, because it was like lyrics like, like, like, yo, somebody took a time to write, yo, let's not gloss over that line. Like, like, yo, that's a double. Yo, that's a triple. No, that just don't mean one thing. Well, hold on, let's stop right there. We're not just gonna breeze past that because. Because you know what it takes.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's what I was about.

[Podcast Host]

Yo. I was scrolling through the Sprite Living track list the other day and immediately started arguing with myself. It was wild. Because records like California Love, Still Not a Player and Back Then are so much more than words and songs. They are moments, they are memories. They're snapshots of where hip hop was and where it's going. That's what Sprite gets. They've spent over 40 years celebrating artists who define the culture, and now they're turning the conversation over to the fans. And if you're like me, the real fun is getting into the why. Why did this song matter? Why did this line hit? Why did it change hip hop forever? Now, I can't promise you any answers, but with Sprite, you'll have a good time figuring it out. Check out the Sprite Living track list and break down the stories behind your favorite bars@livingtracklist. Genius.com. this is the Sprite Living track list. Obey your thirst.

[DJ Envy]

What up, y'?

[Cabenuva Advertiser]

All?

[DJ Envy]

It's DJ Envy. We're at the premiere of Fightland, executive produced by my guy, 50 Cent. Yeah, now listen, you know you've done a lot on it over here in America. Decided to go to UK for this one.

[Actor from Fightland]

Yeah, this one is different.

[DJ Envy]

So break it down for people that haven't seen it comes out the 31st. So tell us about Fightland.

[Actor from Fightland]

Yeah, it's exciting. This one is a UK based show. I got Ottawa Bathurst to direct it. So the first two episodes he did really dope. And then I got like the other guys that I got to do throughout the season. It's like, top notch, bro. So you're going to see this one is going to feel like it's a grade better than what I did like in Power.

[DJ Envy]

Really?

[Actor from Fightland]

I promise that.

[DJ Envy]

Now, for people that haven't seen it yet, it comes out July 31st. Fight Lamb. How would you describe fighting.

[Actor from Fightland]

I'd say it's a family crime drama. Okay, Right. And it has an intensity and action that you would feel you received in an action film. And it does things that the other series don't do because we kind of jump timelines throughout the episodes and stuff like this. So you'll see things and go, oh, like things flashing back and things going to different, you know, backwards and forwards.

[DJ Envy]

I seen the first, first episode. I didn't see you in it. Are you in this season or are you at any season or. No, because usually we'll get a pop

[Memphis Bleak]

up or 50 a pop up here and there.

[DJ Envy]

Are you in Fightland at all?

[Actor from Fightland]

No, I might have to work on my British accent.

[Memphis Bleak]

Have you tried?

[Actor from Fightland]

No, no, I did. I. I would have to work on

[Rob Markman]

it to do it, to get in this.

[DJ Envy]

What keeps you motivated to do it? You don't need the money. Is this like at this point, what is it for?

[Actor from Fightland]

N It's cool creatively, like. No, no problem. This project is great because of one person. It's a collective, you know what I mean? And what I get a chance to do is communicate what they feel to the network before it gets like they start developing reputations of being difficult or doing things. But they're comfortable expressing how they feel to me, you know what I mean? Now I'm at a stage where I can finance and license the project instead of giving it to the networks for them to own.

[DJ Envy]

The series premiere of Fightland drops July 31st only on Starz, with new episodes streaming weekly on Friday.

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[Memphis Bleak]

This message is brought to you by Injectable Cabenuva, Cabotegravir Rilpivirine.

[Cabenuva Advertiser]

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[Memphis Bleak]

say like, you got that, y' all over at Genius. I got the. What is that? The Sprites living track list.

[Rob Markman]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what I mean? The cultural authority panel. 50 songs, shape and Hip.

[Rob Markman]

Talk about that, man, that was big for me because to do that campaign with Sprite, again, it's just participating in it, right? Like I remember coming up and again, right, we from that era where they was like, yo, hip hop's not gonna last. It's just a fad. You couldn't get a brand sponsorship.

[Memphis Bleak]

But I remember definitely not Sprite. You'd have four Loco.

[Rob Markman]

But if you remember Sprite back in the day, like Kid and Play had one. Heavy D had one.

[Memphis Bleak]

Kid and Play was the.

[Rob Markman]

They had the movies. My favorite Sprite commercial coming up. I don't know if you remember this one was. It was Nas and AZ on the stoop and they recreated the scene from Wild Style.

[Memphis Bleak]

I remember that.

[Rob Markman]

The Double Trouble. Here's a little story that must be told about too. And I was like. So I'm like, oh, they get it. And now to be at this point in my career, like participating in a Sprite campaign with Genius with Angie Martinez on the panel to discuss like 50, like legendary hip hop songs and lift it up and it's hits. Like Juicy is on the list. Gotta talk about Juicy. You gotta talk about pac, California Love.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact.

[Rob Markman]

But we also on the list is most definite Kweli black star, you know, 1, 2, 3. Most definitely. So it runs the gamut.

[Memphis Bleak]

Most definitely. Kweli is just fucking dope.

[Rob Markman]

Brooklyn.

[Memphis Bleak]

Everybody know that.

[Rob Markman]

Brooklyn, yeah. Or Queen Latifah, you and ati. That was so ill of a record because that did so much for women in hip hop. That wasn't a woman walking in like, hey, hey, don't call me a bitch. No, she came. Who you calling a bitch? That's right. And you had to respect it.

[Memphis Bleak]

And she had that look like she fucked you up.

[Rob Markman]

She fucked you. I punched him dead in his eye, straight. You know what I'm saying? So these are records. And I can't tell you where that landed on Billboard. I can't tell you if that's double platinum. Triple platinum.

[Memphis Bleak]

You just know it's triple platinum in our house.

[Rob Markman]

I know what it did for us.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Rob Markman]

You know what I'm saying? So we had that type of conversation on the panel and with Sprite and, you know, with Genius. And I was just like, glad to be a part of it. It was like a fell into my cap for my career.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's dope. Looking ahead, will you see Genius continuing to grow both as a media company and a cultural institution?

[Rob Markman]

There's something new coming for the company. You know, look, I think it's about to. We want to help artists navigate their careers and their creative process. It's a lot being said about AI right now and how it's used in music. But ultimately, just going back to the Genius thing, it's not on us. It's not Genius Place to define that right now, again, the artists and the audience define that. But right now, we're looking at building tools to help artists with their careers. Not to help them create, but to build their careers and enhance their careers. Because it take a lot to be an artist. It's not just the studio. It's not just writing and recording. You gotta make sure your business is right. You gotta make sure your team is on point. You gotta make sure.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's a lot that go into.

[Rob Markman]

It's being independent now, right? Like the rollout, like, as a kid.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's so weird. I'm glad you say that, because as a kid, when Roc A Fella first started, it was just writing, right? It wasn't until Roc A Fella ended that it was like, oh, shit, I gotta go talk to him. Talk to them, Meet with her, draw this plan up. Before it was just, go to the studio, call Guru or Pat Villa, Bryan Stanley, any one of the engineers that was on Death Record, Bobby Dash, come in there, take that record. And we just chilling in the car.

[Rob Markman]

Cause you had a team.

[Memphis Bleak]

We had a squad. Like.

[Rob Markman]

But now when you right, you started Warehouse.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, shit.

[Rob Markman]

And now you gotta be guru. You gotta be Bobby Dash. You gotta be Hov. You gotta be.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know, when I shot at Warehouse, I called Jay and told him. Because I found out what it was. The package to roll out a record to radio, Internet promotion, paying the person to promote it, the rep, all of that all wrapped up in a nice bowl. It was a nice price tag. And I was like, this is how much it costs to put a record out. And they like, yeah, that's today. Back in the day, it was double that.

[Rob Markman]

Wow.

[Memphis Bleak]

My nigga. I had to call hov, like, yo, bro used to spend this to put, like, even on records that didn't work. He was like, yeah. Was like, nigga, you better than me. Cause I'd have never did that. I love you for betting on me like that, nigga. Cause I don't think I'd have bet on myself. A hundred racks. I got the money. We talking about.

[Cabenuva Advertiser]

Make more.

[Memphis Bleak]

Nah, we good. We gonna invest this and something.

[Rob Markman]

We sell something safer.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah. Like, music ain't guaranteed, bro. You can sit there all you want and think in your mind, this is it. And you mean to tell me we gonna bet a hundo on the maybe? Nah, I need something more sure than that. Fuck that. They gonna have to put me where Martha Stewart went. Cause I need the inside trend numbers.

[Rob Markman]

But you came out. But you made it work. I don't know. I ain't in your pocket. I don't know what the number was, but y' all made an impact.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, definitely. But just to even take that gamble. That's why I feel like certain artists, when they get that deal, they think they made it. And it's like, bro, the journey just begins now. And it's like, you got somebody to invest in your Dre. Remember, we picked this pin up. It's a dream of ours. Somebody willing to fund your dream, Put you in the studio, get you a crib, fly you to anywhere you wanna go, get you any feature. And you go home and take that for granted and just turn lazy. It's insane to me. 90% of artists who don't make it is not the label fault. You know that, right? Cause, like, what do the label do after giving you the money, right?

[Rob Markman]

It's the work ethic, man. Hey, everybody can't go. Everybody can't. Like, it ain't for everybody. Cause you even look, and sometimes it's like, how many whack rappers? Like, it's not just talent. How many?

[Memphis Bleak]

No, talent ain't just it. No.

[Rob Markman]

There's some guys who. Yo, because I'm nice, because I don't mean I can ball you up. Like, everything's just supposed to come easy.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, it ain't. Nothing hustle beats talent when talent don't hustle all the time, right?

[Rob Markman]

And we see it all the time, and we see whack rappers like. But I'll put out a hundred mixtapes and one of these is gonna connect.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. That's all you need is one. That's why it's like being a criminal and a cop think a criminal gotta be right all the time. The cop only gotta be right once. That's it. So, and I wanted to ask you. We was talking about this off camera. How you feel about hip hop artists like myself going into journalism? My G. Are we fucking up the craft or we paying hobby?

[Rob Markman]

I look at it like boxing. Nah, I look at it like boxing. I look at it like I fuck with Max Kellerman. Max Real, man. Max is on his shit. He honest as shit, too.

[Memphis Bleak]

Word up.

[Rob Markman]

But there's only. There's certain things that only Lennox Lewis could tell you sitting ringside, or Roy Jones could tell you when they're commentating. So from that perspective, you know what I'm saying? Rappers as journalists now, as commentators, as storytellers. It's like boxing. It's like, yo, man, yeah, man, I fuck with Max, but I want to hear from Lennox Lewis, too. And so I think his space, what it did, honestly, was it forced me to adapt. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Does it take away opportunities? Cause you think about it, ain't a whole lot of journalists with podcast deals anymore.

[Cabenuva Advertiser]

Anymore.

[Rob Markman]

It's all former rappers or former athletes.

[Actor from Fightland]

That's a fact.

[Rob Markman]

That's just a fact. Like, you know the people with the money to invest in. Yo, I want to invest in your. They not necessarily coming to a me or to a Elliott Wilson at this point, or shout out to B Dot like they were like, it was when we was just the only game in town, so. But you don't complain. You adjust. The playing field just changed. Well, guess what? You're gonna have to do a whole lot more to get me outta here.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Rob Markman]

That mean I just gotta work harder. I gotta work smarter. I gotta change my approach. I started My own podcast that I shoot. It's just me.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Rob Markman]

You know what I'm saying? It's just not a podcast. It's just my thoughts.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Rob Markman]

And it's me in the room, and I just go and I film it myself and I edit it myself. And while. Because while I might not be able to have the budget for the production myself, I was like, yo, I could do Premiere Pro. I got that camera, and I'm just gonna do this shit to death till we get bigger and we grow. You look at somebody like Joe Budden. Look at his set now. And look at this set. When he first started, he ain't ended up where he started at.

[Memphis Bleak]

And that's what I love that. I love you bringing him up. Because that's one thing I hate about our culture, that people like to look at the end result and wanna mimic you. It's like Joe been doing this shit for the last 20 years. My. That nigga started on MySpace doing a live with his family. Like, it's insane. And now you at where he at. Now everybody think they could.

[Rob Markman]

Yeah, they. They.

[DJ Envy]

They could do it.

[Memphis Bleak]

He deserved to be where he at because he worked for it and earned it. You can't do that, fam. Chill out. Even.

[Rob Markman]

Even Nori, man. And I remember when Nori called me before he started Drink Champs, Shout out to efn.

[Memphis Bleak]

Shout out Nori, Drink Champs, whole staff, they're my dog.

[Rob Markman]

I used to interview Nori at mtv, and he used to.

[DJ Envy]

He.

[Rob Markman]

He didn't even need a project out. Nori just knew how to go viral. No, he would say the right thing. And I don't even think he was trying. It was just Nori being Nori. And his interviews was always entertaining. And then when he came back around, I said, yo, I think I'm gonna start a podcast. What did you think? And he told me, the Drink Champs, I said, yo, I thought that'd be a fucking great idea. Shit. I remember we said this. He not gonna mind me saying this, but first couple of episodes, he be like, yo, like, Jeezy is coming.

[Actor from Fightland]

Yo.

[Rob Markman]

Yo, can you send me questions? And I would send him questions, or this one and that one coming.

[Memphis Bleak]

Cause he even put it on Twitter. Yo, I got such and such Kevin Crew. Yo, what y' all want to ask him, right? Like, yo, my man, you cheating, fam.

[Rob Markman]

And so. Absolutely. One, cause Nori is my man. And two, I want to see him win. I remember one time I interviewed HOV on Twitter, Spaces, and Nori was the first one to call me after like, bro, how did you do that? Like, I can't interview like you. Like, how do you navigate that? And I'm like, yo, that's just what I do. Like, I could give you some of the signs, but you brilliant in what you. I can't do what you do because at the same time he had Nas is a tough interview. I've interviewed Nas before. Nas is like, if Nas ain't super comfortable with you, he'll give you the interview, but he not gonna. Like, he not just gonna give you information. I've been there for the sake of giving it.

[Memphis Bleak]

I've been there like, and there's been interviews doing this that I felt like some of em are fun. And I feel like, yeah, I enjoyed that interview. Or this was dope. But there's been a couple to where I've been like, damn, man, the fuck? I don't wanna do those no more.

[Rob Markman]

But it's sometimes it's like unlocking the code. And there's no disrespect, that's just Nas's personality. But I remember watching Nas do a drink champs interview with Nori and maybe the liquor help, but he's comfortable with Nori. Cause that's his man. It's one of the best Nas interviews I ever seen. So I had told Nori the same way. Maybe I could interview a whole one of Twitter's faces. I can't interview Nas. I've tried to interview Nas and none of them has been as great as what you. Just what you did. So it's a lane for everybody, man. And I'm just with people who trying to uplift. There's a lot of people coming in here who try to bullshit with it.

[Memphis Bleak]

At the end of the day, it's about the money. Just seeing the dollar sign, that's one thing. When I got into this space, bro, I told Nori 1, I'm not gonna be tearing down the very people I call my brothers in culture. I'm not gonna tear down the one thing that paid me Hip hop. So I'm not here to destroy hip hop. I'm not here to spare the smear campaigns against my peers. Yo, Dirt. Who we slap with who this. If I can't just be a fan of the art and the people I'm interviewing, I don't want to do this shit, bro. And he was like, nah, trust me, people just want to hear you. And I'm glad he convinced me to do this shit because I didn't want to do it. Because now I enjoy it. I love it. I get to hear your story. Where you started from, where before is you asking my story? You know what I mean? You know how dope I felt sitting here interviewing Clue. Enough. These is niggas who interviewed me when I was a shorty. So now it's like, nigga, tell me what you used to do growing up.

[Rob Markman]

It's real. And then plus your perspective again, like, I mean, we talked about my perspective of just knowing how to pen, how to put shit out. But you got plaques on the wall. You like world tours, and the relationships you got is different. So it's like, you know, like you and the first couple of episodes, like, seeing you and Guru, you know, the right things to add, you know, how to unlock you and just blaze like you and Clue like you was in it. So it's just a different perspective. You have questions that I wouldn't even think to ask. Cause it's the details.

[Actor from Fightland]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

And we've been. We've been in the trenches. But looking back over your career, what are you most proud of contributing to this hip hop game, man?

[Actor from Fightland]

Wow.

[Rob Markman]

I think the thing I'm most proud of is just one, being able to feed my family and raise my kids and to show my kids that you could live your dream, man, when I was 12 years old, I knew this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be involved in hip hop some sort of way.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's dope.

[Rob Markman]

And I've been able to make a good living and raise a family. So just show my kids, like, yo, that thing that you love, you just gotta do it to death and it's gonna work out. But other than that, man, just being able to contribute, like, I'm grateful for everything that I've earned. I paid my bills and got a crib and shit is cool. Could put food on the table. But I'm also proud of not what I made, but what I giving back. Like, being able to shine light on certain artists, you know, and some of the biggest artists today. Like, I remember when Kendrick first started, when Wiz first started, when Cole first started, when Nip. When you can name them. And I remember there were certain artists I used to bring up to mtv. And the older people who had been in MTV were like, why is this? Who's this? Why you bringing this? And they turned out to be the next superstars. So it feels dope to give just light to the culture and help people grow, you know, and especially those who aren't like, a Fred De Goss. I remember when we put Fred the Gossip on Rest In Peace.

[Memphis Bleak]

Fred the Gossip.

[Rob Markman]

Rest in Peace.

[Memphis Bleak]

One of the illest.

[Rob Markman]

Yeah, man. So nice. Nice ball you to death.

[Memphis Bleak]

Punchline you to your dad, putting him

[Rob Markman]

on the XXL freshman cover. But me being the one to make the call. Yo, yo, Fred, like, you ready, you know what I'm saying? Or to be able to call him Mickey Fax and put him on the COVID Or I put the call into J. Cole. How you like Yo Cole, you know what I'm saying? Like, freshman cover and shit like that. And just to see artists grow and kind of trying to, you know, become who they meant to become. I'm not taking credit for it by no way. That, that, that's. That's they talent, that's they hustle, that's God. But to be like, damn, like. Like we was there and. And whatever light you had, you was willing to shine it and use it. Like that should mean a lot.

[Memphis Bleak]

It means everything, man. Trust me. So when people think about Rob Markman years from now, man, what you want them to say? What you want them to say about the man, the rapper, the artist, the journalist? Just everything. What's the last words you want people to think about you?

[Rob Markman]

That he cared about us. That he cared about us, the we that he gave a shit that it wasn't just a lick. And he cared about this hip hop shit, and he contributed it in a positive way. Facts.

[Actor from Fightland]

I agree.

[Memphis Bleak]

I never heard you in no bullshit spare campaigns. You be just telling it like it is.

[Rob Markman]

Yeah, and I try not to be. I also feel like I could tell the trut and not be disrespectful. Cause my other thing is. And I'm not the toughest guy, but, I mean, you can ask anybody who grew up with me. I'm not running from nothing.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact. You gotta be tough to. I tell people, you don't have to be scared to get fucked up, dog. I'm not scared.

[Rob Markman]

Okay, that's cool.

[Memphis Bleak]

You can still get it up, willing to fight. And you don't have to be tough to fuck somebody up. Like, it goes both ways.

[Rob Markman]

So my thing and what I learned about myself early is of it, you never gonna say I ran.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Rob Markman]

And so whatever I say, I gotta stand on it. Now, I could say I could criticize and I could say the truth. I don't gotta be disrespectful about it. You're not gonna see me say anything on those cameras that I won't say to your face because now, hey, yo, Rob, I remember in 2006 when you was at MTV and you was on that hot SMC roundtable, it might have been some shit I forgot about about. And you said, you know, the Bleak album, man, and da, da, da, you said this, that, what's up with that?

[Memphis Bleak]

And now you don't want to say it.

[Rob Markman]

Now I don't want to say it. Now I gotta be able to stand on it and say the exact same thing. And I've had run ins with certain rappers. They ain't like a review or, yo, you wrote this and you wrote that. It's like, yeah, it be there.

[Memphis Bleak]

It be like that. I'm glad I never took this rap shit posted away.

[Rob Markman]

I definitely. And it's never been to all the cases, but people had to respect people. Yo, but you wrote this. And I was like, yeah, because that's what it is. And at the end of the day, they'd be like, yo, I don't agree with you, but I would not say,

[Memphis Bleak]

yeah, opinion is opinion. If you could leave the next journal, the next generation of journalists with any piece of advice of moving the culture forward, of just believing in theyself, even if they just want to get started in the game, right, what would it

[Rob Markman]

be for any journalist? First of all, it's saturated. Now. You got Elon on Twitter, on X. He done said, he's selling you blue checks. And he said, journalism is dead. You all are the journalists. Everybody's a journalist. Now Elon said this. So what I'm saying is the game is wide open, right? And I think what you need to do is study the chessboard. Find the thing that you love and then the niche where you fit in. Everybody's doing this, everybody's doing that. Where can you fit in? And where can you build the audience? Study the chessboard. Find that niche, find that thing that you love and respect your audience.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact.

[Rob Markman]

You know what I'm saying?

[Memphis Bleak]

I appreciate you pulling up.

[Rob Markman]

I appreciate being up there, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Keep doing your thing, man. You know what it is when it come down to this journalism game, you put respect on guys like this, man who paving the way for the new generation, man. You know what it is? If you want to hear real stories, real life deeps into the music, real life breakdowns on what lyricist is and what they talking about. This is where to go if you want that. Continue to be where you at. Rob is the one, man. The future. You know what it is?

[Rob Markman]

This rock solid blizzard, Rock solid. Let's go.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to to your favorite shows at. And you can follow me on any social media platform under the name Memphis Bleak. You see anybody frauding? Flag them.

[Podcast Host]

Before we go, I gotta leave y' all with a question. What's a hip hop lyric that changed the way you saw music? Because that's really what the Sprite Living Track List is all about. It's not about crowning winners, it's starting conversations. 50 tracks, generations of artists, endless debates. And Sprite didn't just put lyrics on a can. Nah, they went deeper, bringing together hip hop experts and tastemakers to help unpack the stories and the impact behind every track. Check out the full Sprite Living Track List and break down the stories behind your favorite bars@livingtracklist. Genius.com this is the Sprite Living Track List. Obey your thirst pressure has a way

[Nissan Advertiser]

of revealing what remains steady in the latest Nissan campaign, the Nissan Rogue was tested to the extreme to demonstrate that it's built to last through durability and reliability challenges. Inspired by real tests conducted by Nissan engineers. Brutal potholes, a steady force of water, even a jet powered sandstorm. Each challenge inviting a deeper look at how quality, durability and reliability hold their ground in real world conditions. Every test was 100% real. No CG, no AI. To see how the Rogue held up, visit nissan-duordability.com Back to school is here

[Target Advertiser]

and Target has everything families need to help head into the school year feeling confident and ready to do their thing. From school supplies and stylish apparel to accessories kids actually want, Target makes it easy to check every box on your list at a great value. We're talking backpacks starting just $5 and up to 60% off school supplies. Plus, kids can express their style with brands and collabs they love, like Love Shack, fancy Cat and Jack overtime and customizable Owalla bottles with stickers, charms and much more. The prices par and the brands kids love all in one place at Target.

[Memphis Bleak]

This reminder is brought to you by Injectable Cabenuva Cabotegravir Rilpivirine.

[Cabenuva Advertiser]

You may have been thinking about an injectable treatment. It can be a moment to think about what matters, like considering if it's right for you. Maybe it's time to look a little more closely at Cabenuva. You can see what it's about and decide if it's the right time to think about a different treatment. Get the fact tax on [e-mail]. that's C-A-B E N U V A dot com.

[Podcast Host]

This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.