Scorching guests and sizzling records: join music writer Oliver Wang and music supervisor Morgan Rhodes each week as they invite their favorite artists, critics and scholars for in-depth conversations about the albums that shape our lives. Each week our special guests will take you deep into their heat rocks from the world of hip-hop, soul, dance, jazz, funk and more. Get with us!
Latest episodes
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49 min
Introducing Primer, MaxFun’s Newest Music Podcast
Hello Heat Rockers! This is Producer Christian, I edited Heat Rocks and you might've heard my voice on a few episodes with Oliver and Morgan! So we've been working on a new music p…
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56 min
The Heat Rocks Appreciation Episode
Well, we're finally here. After nearly 200 episodes, we're ending our run with Maximum Fun! We intend to come back sometime in 2022, and to celebrate this occasion, it's and Oliver…
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43 min
Cat Zhang on Flo Milli's "Ho, why is you here?" (2020)
Music writer and resident TikTok expert Cat Zhang sits down with us to discuss Flo Milli's 2020 debut mixtape Ho, why is you here? We get into what goes into making a TikTok hit, F…
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54 min
Music & Popcorn #7: Daphne A. Brooks on the "Waiting to Exhale" soundtrack (1995)
We continue our Music and Popcorn miniseries, where we chat about some of our favorite movie soundtracks. This week, we're talking to professor and writer Daphne Brooks about the s…
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1 h 02
Music & Popcorn #6: '90s OSTs with Jocelyn Brown
We reboot our Music and Popcorn series, where we talk about some of our favorite movie soundtracks. This week, we invite our friend Jocelyn Brown to discuss a few iconic 90s OSTs,…
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60 min
Yola on Jill Scott's "Who Is Jill Scott? - Words and Sounds, Vol. 1 (2000)
This week, we talk to singer/songwriter Yola about Jill Scott's debut studio album "Who Is Jill Scott? - Words and Sounds, Vol 1." We get into Jill's time with The Roots, how her p…
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33 min
Kris Bowers on Kendrick Lamar's "Section.80" (2011) [redux]
In honor of Kendrick Lamar's Section.80 turning 10 years old this month, we are re-airing our convo with Kris Bowers on Lamar's debut studio album.[show notes from original post]To…
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48 min
Benny Sings on Phil Collins' "Face Value" (1981)
This week, we talk to producer/singer Benny Sings about Phil Collins' solo debut album, Face Value. We get into the incredible drum fill of In The Air Tonight, it's iconic use on M…
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41 min
Marzz on Kierra Sheard's "This Is Me" (2006)
Singer/songwriter Marzz sits down with us to discuss Kierra Sheard's gospel album This is Me. We get into the secular production of this album, Kierra's place in the Clark Sheard f…
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50 min
Celebrating Lil' Kim's "Hard Core" (1996)
This week, Oliver and Morgan are discussing Lil' Kim's debut studio record "Hard Core" which is turning 25 years old this year. We get into Lil' Kim's role in Bad Boy and Junior M.…
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59 min
Vijay Iyer on Prince's "Sign O' The Times" (1987)
This week, we discuss Prince for the SIXTH time on Heat Rocks with musician/scholar Vijay Iyer. We get into Prince's love of the drum machine, Vijay's love of the 80s, and the many…
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52 min
Patrick Paige II on The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Ready to Die" (1994)
Bassist/producer/rapper Patrick Paige II joins Oliver and Morgan to discuss Biggie's debut studio album Ready To Die. We get into Big's knack for storytelling, Patrick's very cool…
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51 min
Steve Arrington on Heatwave's "Too Hot To Handle" (1976)
Musician/producer/minister Steve Arrington sits down with Morgan and guest co-host Jocelyn Brown to discuss Heatwave's debut scorcher, Too Hot To Handle. We talk about the music sc…
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56 min
Pell on N.E.R.D's "In Search Of..." (2002)
Rapper/producer Pell sits down with us to talk about N.E.R.D's "In Search Of..." We get into the sex, drugs, rock & roll of it all, The Neptunes' prolific career, and N.E.R.D's inf…
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1 h 07
Kemp Powers on De La Soul's "De La Soul Is Dead" (1991)
It’s #MaxFunDrive and if you like what we’re doing here on Heat Rocks, please consider supporting us and our network and help keep the show going!https://maximumfun.org/join Direct…
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1 h 00
Karriem Riggins on A Tribe Called Quest's "Midnight Marauders" (1993)
It's #MaxFunDrive and if you like what we're doing here on Heat Rocks, please consider supporting us and our network and help keep the show going! https://maximumfun.org/join Drumm…
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39 min
Nite Jewel on Kraftwerk's "Computer World" (1981) [redux]
In honor of Computer World's 40th anniversary (!!!) we decided to rerun our episode with Nite Jewel discussing this classic album.[show notes from the original post]When we invited…
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40 min
Joshua Abrams on Arthur Verocai's "Arthur Verocai" (1972)
Bassist/composer Joshua Abrams sits down with Oliver and guest co-host Jocelyn Brown to discuss Arthur Verocai's underrated self-titled debut record. We discuss the rediscovery of…
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58 min
Jason King on Sylvester's "Living Proof" (1979)
Writer and musician Jason King sits down with Oliver and guest co-host Jocelyn Brown to discuss the Sylvester live album Living Proof. We talk about Sylvester's vision of wholeness…
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58 min
The Twilite Tone on Stevie Wonder's "Hotter Than July" (1980)
Producer and DJ The Twilite Tone sits down with Oliver and guest co-host Jocelyn Brown to discuss Stevie Wonder's 1980 comeback album, Hotter Than July. We get into Stevie's foray…