The Workout Playlist | Everyday is a Story - Shannon Cason's Homemade

Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary: Shannon Cason's Homemade

Episode: "The Workout Playlist | Everyday is a Story"

Date: April 14, 2026
Host: Shannon Cason

Episode Overview

In this episode, Shannon Cason explores the personal, and sometimes contradictory, relationship between the music he listens to during workouts and the person he is outside the gym. Cason delves into his unapologetic use of aggressive, violent hip-hop to fuel his exercise routines, contrasting it with his otherwise nonviolent nature. Through candid anecdotes, humor, and reflection, Shannon invites listeners to consider their own "get in the zone" playlists and what those choices might reveal.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Dichotomy of Identity and Playlist Choices

Opening Reflection:
- Shannon admits, "I'm not a violent person, but I listen to extremely violent music, mostly at the gym. Every day is a story." (00:00)
- He sets the stage for exploring why he needs aggressive music to push himself during workouts, despite the stark contrast to his personality.

From Calm Beginnings to Hard Beats

Morning Routine:
- Shannon describes his transition from listening to an NPR-style news podcast ("Up First," "The Daily") on his way to the gym to seeking something more adrenaline-inducing once ready to lift.
- "I can't listen to this pussy ass NPR shit right now. So I pick up my phone...and I go to my YouTube music app." (02:10)

Curating the Perfect Workout Soundtrack

The Workout Playlist Evolution:
- Shannon shares that he's made fourteen workout playlists, joking that they "are pretty much the same music, the same artists, the same songs." (02:40)
- Go-tos include: Mobb Deep, The LOX, Freddie Gibbs, Action Bronson, Danny Brown, 38 Spesh.
- He has moved away from groups like Wu-Tang—whose music, while aggressive, is "mostly about the stars and metaphysical stuff"—to the harder-edged Griselda collective.

Why Some Classics Just Don't Work

Lifting vs Lyrics:
- He notes that classic groups like The Roots, Black Star, and A Tribe Called Quest are too mellow for lifting.
  - "You got the jazz, we got the jazz—that don't make me want to lift 275lbs on the bench press." (04:25)
  - "Check the rhyme, yo. Nah, I can't listen to that." (04:35)
- More laid-back artists (Boldy James, Roc Marciano, Larry June) are labeled as "smoking weed music or cigar music."

The Lyrical Lineup

Aggression as Motivation:
- Shannon candidly discusses the hyperviolent and explicit lyrics of his favorite workout tracks, sharing examples:
  - Conway the Machine: "I might come to your funeral. Shoot your pallbearers too. ‘Cause fuck you and them six niggas that carried you." (07:25)
  - Benny the Butcher: "We fuck, roll a Dutch and repeat the cycle." (07:40)
  - Westside Gunn: "You ever put a half a brick in an air fryer?" (08:00)
- He acknowledges the absurdity and distance between his real values and these lyrics: "I'm not down for any of that...that don't make sense. Putting bricks in air fryers. I don't even think it works that way." (08:15)

Cringe and Compartmentalization

Moral Conflicts:
- "Personally, I do think some of the music is too full of violence, drugs, and gratuitous sex...I cringe many times when I listen to these lyrics outside of the gym." (06:10)
- He never plays this music around his children and recognizes the need to keep these worlds separate.

The Hypocrisy of Enjoyment

Self-Reflection:
- Shannon observes people will claim to reject certain things but are still drawn to them privately. "People will say they against something, but I can see it in the eyes. They still love that shit." (10:15)

Music as a Performance Enhancer

Direct Impact:
- He believes the right track noticeably alters his lifting power: "Yesterday I lifted more than I expected. But the new Conway the Machine over Derringer Beats came out...and I could lift more than I usually live." (09:20)

Listener Engagement

Open Invitation:
- Shannon closes by flipping the question to listeners: "So what do you listen to to get you in your zone? Be it bad or good. What do you listen to when you really need to go harder? What's on that playlist? What's your story?" (11:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

"I can't listen to this pussy ass NPR shit right now." (02:10)
"You got the jazz, we got the jazz—that don't make me want to lift 275lbs on the bench press." (04:25)
"I'm not down for any of that. Like, shooting up funerals. Why would you do that? That don't make sense. Putting bricks in air fryers...I don't even think it works that way." (08:15)
"It's possible for us to reject something in real life or around others and still be drawn to it in private. I know this." (09:50)
"People will say they against something, but I can see it in the eyes. They still love that shit." (10:15)

Timestamps for Key Segments

00:00 – Opening reflection on nonviolence and gym music
01:20 – The podcast-to-gym transition
02:40 – Playlist curation confession
04:25 – Why classic/laid-back hip hop doesn’t work for lifting
07:25 – Lyric examples from Griselda members
08:15 – Shannon’s real-life boundaries vs lyrical content
09:20 – Music and lifting performance
09:50 – Self-awareness of private vs public consumption
11:00 – Listener prompt: "What's on your workout playlist?"

Conclusion

Shannon Cason’s episode offers a raw look into the motivators behind his workout playlist, laying bare the contradictions between his values and his musical tastes when moving heavy weights. With humor, vulnerability, and a challenge to listeners' own choices, Cason prompts an engaging conversation about the intersections of music, identity, and personal boundaries.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:00]
A
I'm not a violent person, but I listen to extremely violent music, mostly at the gym. Every day is a story. I'm Shannon Cason. I drove to the gym yesterday and I was listening to one of those daily news podcasts up first, the daily one of those. And I walk in the gym and I'm learning about how the Artemis 2 is the first mission to the moon to in the last 54 years. And I think they saw parts of the moon that nobody's ever seen. So that's pretty cool. I scan my QR code, I got on the treadmill to do my quick 5 minute walk, get my mind and my body prepped for the heavy weights that I'm about to lift. And while I'm walking, a shift happens. I can't listen to this pussy ass NPR shit right now. So I pick up my phone, I turn that shit off immediately and I go to my YouTube music app. Now I'm looking for my playlist workout 14. I've created 14 of these things and this is just the latest. But. But it's pretty much the same music, the same artists, the same songs. Mob, Deep, the Locks, Freddie Gibbs, Action Bronson, Danny Brown, 38 Special. I don't have a problem with Wu Tang because Wu Tang is aggressive music. But it's mostly about the stars and metaphysical stuff, you know, they're not really talking about. Well, Raekwon and Ghostface get kind of gangster, but they're not really that bad. But. But I've worn them out and now I'm basically on Griselda. Now Griselda has taken over my workout music totally. Specifically west side Gun and Conway the Machine. And all the music is about guns, drug deals going wrong, scandalous women and toxic love. And I really enjoy the Roots and Black Star, Tribe Called Quest, but I can't listen to them while I'm lifting heavy weights. Like, you got the jazz, we got the jazz that don't make me want to lift 275lbs on the bench press. You get what I'm saying? That, oh, you got the jazz. Check the rhyme, yo. Nah, I can't listen to that. I can't even listen to Boley James or Rock Marciano or Larry June. I like them, but they too cool and laid back. That's like smoking weed music or cigar music. I have to listen to Doom, doom, doom Ayo. Hey, yo, if I listen to that, I'm ready to lift weights. Personally, I do think some of the music is too full of violence, drugs, and gratuitous sex. Personally, I do believe that I cringe many times when I listen to these lyrics outside of the gym. When I'm away from the gym and I'm listening, I'm like, cringe. I don't listen to it in the car with my. My daughters at all, you know? But. But you want to hear some of the lyrics? Some of you don't know these people. You want to listen to some of the lyrics. Okay. Conway. Conway the Machine. He say I might come to your funeral. Shoot your pallbearers too. Cause fuck you in them six niggas that carried you. That's. That's a Conway verse. Okay. Benny the Butcher, we fuck, roll a Dutch and repeat the cycle. Now that's a light line. I'm being light right there because I have no problems with that. And then west side. The west side Guns. Infamous. You ever put a half a brick in an air fryer? You ever put a half a brick in the air fryer? I'm sorry. All right, so I'm not down for any of that. Like, shooting up funerals. Why would you do that? That don't make sense. Putting bricks in air fryers. I don't even think it works that way. But. But any of the cooking cocaine stuff, it's not my. It's not my cup of tea. The sexual stuff, as long as it's consensual and you're private. Do whatever you want to have. Have your fun. But when I work out, I'm naturally drawn to music that is destroying minds. Yesterday I lifted more than I expected. But the new Conway the Machine over Derringer Beats came out. It was just released, so I listened to that, and I could lift more than I usually live. So it's possible for us to reject something in real life or around others and still be drawn to it in private. I know this. People will say they against something. I'll be watching people. People will say they against something, but I can see it in the eyes. They still love that shit. Or they love it. I can tell. I can see it. So what do you listen to to get you in your zone? Be it bad or good. What do you listen to when you really need to go harder? What's on that playlist? What's your story?