Super Duty Tough Work Podcast

It's no surprise that, while calling ourselves the "most infamous" podcast, we are actually very optimistic guys. It's not that we don't see the negativity going on around us, but more that we choose to not give it any of our energy and focus on the positive. But we have noticed that many people are having a hard time with this because they cannot see or take advantage of the opportunities around them. In this episode, we talk about opportunities and explain what must be done to not only see them but to seize them when they present themselves. Strap in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the heels of one of the biggest upsets in political history, there is understandably more public conversation about politics and social issues than usual right now. Every week, another corporation is either boycotted or praised for their political allegiance. Many artists are finding that speaking out on issues is more complicated and not sure what to do, if anything. This week, the most infamous podcast dives into the question, "is it worth it?" As an added treat, our long-time friend and fellow artist Slug of Atmosphere joins us this week. Let's go! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If there's one thing creative people love to do, it's creating things. And if there's one thing creative people hate to do, it's selling what they created. For many, the fear of selling themselves and their ideas to other people seems to rank right up there with the fear of public speaking. And while it's the part of the process that causes the most anxiety, we can all become better at selling with a few solid tips. In this episode, Blueprint breaks down what he's learned from some sales books he's been reading into Ten Lessons that anybody should be able to run with. If you fear or suck at sales, like most of us do, don't sleep on this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To tell the truth, we've been trying to avoid talking about the news of Chris Brown and Soulja Boy agreeing to have a pay-per-view fight for a couple of weeks now, but another week has gone by with this story dominating the hip-hop news cycle. Even worse, more rappers are piling on and trying to follow their lead. What most people don't remember is that this is not the first time this has happened in hip-hop. In this episode, we talk about the past, the present, and what we think is the future of rappers actually wanting to put on gloves and fight each other for money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It would be an understatement to say that the weakness of most artists and creative people is the realm of business. In fact, it's downright surprising to meet a creative person who is also on top of their business. This week, the most infamous podcast on planet earth dives deep into one aspect of business that is seldom talked about---the art of negotiation. If you are a bad negotiator or feel uneasy whenever it's time to negotiate, look no further. We got you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even though recording an hour-long podcast every week for a year takes a lot of discipline, the classic moments its created has made it all worth it. This week, the most infamous podcast, goes back through the vaults of the last year and pulls out our favorite moments of the past year. If this episode doesn't bring a smile to your face, we don't know what will. Let's go! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the end of the year, which means the topic of conversation usually moves towards resolutions or "best of" lists. But we wouldn't be the most infamous podcast on planet earth if we followed the pack. So, instead of doing resolutions or the best of 2016 in this episode, we decided to break out the crystal ball and do something different--2017 predictions. What do we think the music industry will look like in 2017? What changes will have the biggest impact on music next year? We've got ten predictions for 2017--some hiding in plain sight and others controversial--but all could happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether it's family, friendships, or romantic partners--relationships can be difficult. One of the main reasons for that difficulty is the balancing act of investing in others while trying to protect ourselves from decisions they make that we might not agree with. How do we know when to let go? When is the right time to back off and let people make their own decisions, even if we may not agree with those those decisions? We dive deep into that topic on this very personal episode of the most infamous podcast on planet earth. We name five behaviors that prevent us from letting go and letting people live their own lives. It gets real in this one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It almost goes without saying that the internet has created an environment where artists are blowing up faster than ever. This is seen as a positive thing, but the downside is that we now have more frustrated artists publicly retiring than ever before. And while they may use the word retire to describe their departure from the game, we wonder if many of them are actually quitting. In this episode, the most infamous podcast on planet earth discusses the difference between retiring and quitting, and tries to put an end to all the confusion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Although the discussion of art in the media tends to center around the quality of the art itself, very rarely is the topic of ownership brought up. Well, this week the most infamous podcast on planet earth dives deep into the importance of ownership, especially as it relates to creative people. We give you five bulletproof reasons that ownership is important for everyone to understand and consider. This episode was recorded on location in Atlanta while Blueprint was traveling for business. Friend of the show and veteran MC Supastition co-hosts this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether it's somebody with a household name or a local celebrity, we all come across people we want to meet and work with. The problem, is how do we approach them without making a fool out of ourselves? In this episode of the most infamous podcast on planet earth we dive deep and give you some rock solid rules for approaching the people you want to work with. These rules should help you become more successful before, during, and after you step to them. Let's go! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Although groups like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest were mainstays of hip-hop's golden era from the late 80's & early 90's, both groups fell out of the public eye in the last decade. Thankfully for their fans around the world, the stars aligned and both groups dropped impressive comeback albums in 2016. While most hip-hop media will talk about the comeback albums themselves, we decided to take it a step further and breakdown why both comebacks were successful. It gets risky returning from any leave of absence, but we got the keys. There are six keys that De La Soul & A Tribe Called Quest employed that made their comebacks successful, and we give you all of them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While in Florida playing some shows for the the past week, I decided to record a special episode with my friend and fellow artist Swamburger of the group Solillaquists of Sound. In addition to being a full-time artist, Swamburger also does booking at a venue called The Social in Orlando. Between the two of us, we have seen artists make a ton of mistakes that stop them from being booked, so we decided to dive deep into booking. In this episode we give you ten things to avoid, so you can get booked and get that bag! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While conflict between competing rappers is a relatively common occurrence in hip-hop these days, it's much more rare to see two friends air their dirty laundry in public. Well, not this week as Kanye West returned to the news for his on-stage tirade against his close friend Jay Z. We've all been there before; arguing and beefing with friends and family over small things. But we wouldn't be grown ass men if we didn't frown upon this type of behavior, and we wouldn't be the MVP (Most Valuable Podcast) if we didn't give you nine rules to help you handle conflict with your friends without escalating things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the most difficult balancing acts in life is between our personal lives and our careers. A decision to focus primarily on work usually forces us to sacrifice our personal lives, and a decision to focus on our personal lives often leaves us without challenges in our careers. Everybody is trying to achieve the proper work-life balance, but very few actually do. In this episode, we give nine tips for achieving the proper work-life balance and also briefly speak to two of our professional friends that are working on it as well. Lots of bars in this one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It goes without saying that we love hip-hop music from the bottom of our hearts. We grew up on it and watched it grow from an underground culture to worldwide phenomenon that can be heard on any radio or television station at any time. But every now and then, an event happens that shows you what hip-hop looks like to people outside the culture; and it's not very pleasant. Put on your scuba gear because we're about to dive deep. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've received a lot of great feedback for our recent episode where we listed five short books creative people need to read. This week the most infamous podcast on planet earth speaks about creativity again, but this time about what to do when you aren't feeling creative at all. What do you do when you're having problems creating anything and need a spark? And even though it feels like the end of the world when it's happening to you, trust us, it isn't. We dive deep into what creativity really is and how to get it back once you lost it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the debate about the importance of lives (black, white, blue, all, etc.) continues to cause tension across the nation, Blueprint and Illogic decide to have a conversation about the moral conflict and seemingly hypocritical stance that mainstream hip-hop is having on the topic. Rappers and hip-hop media have proudly proclaimed that Black Lives Matter, yet much of what they produce appears to be promoting the exact opposite. It begs the question: do black lives really matter in hip-hop? We wouldn't be the most infamous podcast on planet earth if we didn't ask the questions nobody else wanted to ask and this week is no different. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anybody that has listened to the Super Duty Tough Work podcast for a while knows that Blueprint likes to read. But even though we've occasionally spoken on books in the past, we've never dove all the way in until now. In this episode of the most infamous (and most informative) hip-hop podcast, Blueprint gives the listener five short books that he thinks creative people need to read asap. If you're an artist, business person, or creative type and have been looking for some inspiration, look no further than this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Legendary hip-hop producer Pete Rock found himself involved in some drama this week for saying rappers Lil Yachty and Young Dolf were wack rappers. As usual, the PC police in hip-hop began to pile onto Pete Rock with the usual "bitter old artist" narrative. But we wouldn't be the most infamous podcast in hip-hop if we didn't offer some perspective on it. Did Pete Rock take it too far? Where has the respect for elders gone in hip-hop? We answer these questions and many others in this week's episode of Super Duty Tough Work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices