480 - Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx - Ron Funches
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EPISODE SUMMARY:
The world can be a cold, hard place that suffers no fools and shows now mercy to those in suffering. Few artists have ever been able to capture the dark underbelly of America the way that hip-hop giants the Wu Tang Clan have. And among the supergroup, Raekwon stands out as a master of lyrical storytelling and mind-boggling wordplay, to which his 1995 debut solo album Only Built for Cuban Linx is an eternal testament. So densely crafted with harrowing true-to-life tales of the New York drug trade, it only seemed fitting that this album be deconstructed by none other than Ron Funches. Ron is known for his bright, positively jovial persona, having quickly positioned himself as one of the fastest rising stars in comedy, with appearances in TV’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, Black-ish, New Girl, and his own Comedy Central special, Giggle Fit, under his belt.
SHOW NOTES:
00:45 – Intro
05:15 – Wu Tang taught Ron about censorship
08:15 – Josh gave up losing his virginity in order to buy a Wu Tang album
13:00 – There are no concept albums in rap any more
19:30 – This is the point at which you roll your first blunt
20:45 – The hardest thing to give up is cheesesteaks
25:30 – Hash is much harder to sell than you think
31:30 – Addictions aren’t just for drugs anymore
34:30 – Life lessons from professional wrestling
39:30 – The true joy of raising a child with autism
47:30 – Writing on stage vs. writing on the page
53:45 – Getting through the rainy days with friends and family
58:00 – Nothing is more humbling than your child wiping their butt on your picture
01:01:15 – Doing crowd work online
01:05:00 – Teenage Ron would be pumped at how adult Ron turned out
01:08:00 – Joke thievery
01:13:45 – Life’s little distractions
01:16:45 – When the community shows you love
01:20:30 – The things we do to get laid
01:25:30 – Every dude starts out a boob guy and ends up a butt guy
01:26:45 – Dave Chappelle, Mitch Hedberg and Lucille Ball
01:30:45 – Who are your ride-or-dies?
01:33:00 – How to be a better father than your own
01:36:30 – Spiritual but not religious
01:37:30 – Facts!
01:40:15 – Ron is nerdy and proud
01:42:00 – Don’t push Ron if he’s close to the edge
01:43:30 – Cash Rules Everything Around Ron
01:45:15 - Outro
NEW ARTIST INFLUENCED BY RAEKWON:
“No Days Off” by Armand Hammer