David Ma

Champion Sounds: Onra’s 10 Favorite Dilla Flips

David Ma links with Onra to get the list of his 10 favorite Dilla sample flips – from Busta Rhymes to Common and A Tribe Called Quest.

Mar 18, 2025 • David Ma

Sleep Light: A Requiem For Saafir (1970-2024)

David Ma pays tribute to the dense, and cryptic genius of Saafir, the Saucee Nomad from West Oakland emcee Saafir, whose passing leaves a boxcar-sized…

Nov 22, 2024 • David Ma

The Making Of "Secret Wars 1" By The Last Emperor

David Ma speaks to Jamal Gray aka The Last Emperor about the making of and reflection on his cult classic, 2003's "Secret Wars 1."

Sep 26, 2022 • David Ma

"This Was a Letter to All the Other MCs": Freestyle Fellowship's 'To Whom It May Concern'

Fellowship releasing this project on vinyl in '91 helped kick off the independent record movement that came to dominate the creative side of hip-hop…

Oct 7, 2021 • Staff

“Is Master P Karl Marx in This Analogy?": A Roundtable With Dad Bod Rap Pod

Son Raw hopped on a Zoom call with the three podcasters of a certain age to talk about the current music landscape, aging gracefully in hip-hop and…

May 19, 2021 • Son Raw

The Making of MC Eiht’s “Streiht Up Menace”

David Ma speaks to the legendary Compton rapper about the connective fabric between music and film, his role in 'Menace II Society' and the making of a…

Apr 18, 2021 • David Ma

The Making of People Under the Stairs' "Acid Raindrops" and "San Francisco Knights"

David Ma speaks to Thes One of the epochal LA rap group about two of their most beloved singles and Double K's legacy.

Feb 10, 2021 • David Ma

The Making of M.O.P.'s "Ante Up"

David Ma speaks to Billy Danze about the Brownsville duo's immortal stick-up anthem.

Jan 28, 2021 • David Ma

The Making of Aesop Rock's "Daylight"

David Ma speaks to storied producer Blockhead about Aesop's timeless 2001 single.

Jan 20, 2021 • David Ma

Hero vs. Villain: "That's That"

Our MF DOOM tribute continues with David Ma reminiscing the supervillain's genius through the Born Like This standout.

Jan 15, 2021 • David Ma

The Making of T La Rock's "It's Yours"

David Ma chats with the rap legend about his immortal 1984 single.

Nov 6, 2020 • David Ma

The Making of Domino's "Getto Jam" and "Sweet Potato Pie"

David Ma speaks to the Long Beach rapper about not one but two of his classic 1993 singles.

Oct 15, 2020 • David Ma

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