Fans of classic rap stories rejoice.

Back in November, NPR’s Microphone Check podcast series welcomed Dante Ross, legendary A&R and the man behind many of your favourite 1990s rap classics.

Ross joined Microphone Check hosts Frannie Kelley and Ali Shaheed Muhammad to go over hip hop history including stories about Cypress Hill, Queen Latifah, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, The Beastie Boys and the label battles to sign A Tribe Called Quest. Equally fascinating is the story of how Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s legendary solo album cover came to be.

The hour long chat wasn’t all walking down memory lane though with Ross and Muhammad also talking about the changes in hip hop and the current realities of the music and industry. A fascinating and essential listen for any hip hop fan.