Pop the Trunk

Twenty years later, Vinnie looks back on the album that carried Jedi Mind Tricks' momentum further than it had ever gone — a record that pushed the group to new heights while staying true to the sound that built them. From the writing to the guest verses to the reaction it got once it hit the road, Vinnie walks through what made this one land the way it did, and why it still holds up two decades on.

Planetary — one half of OuterSpace and a longtime member of Army of the Pharaohs — becomes the first guest to make a return trip to Pop the Trunk, picking up round two of tour stories with Vinnie and the guys. Between promoter run-ins that still don't make sense, road food battles, and shows nobody saw coming, this one's for anyone who's ever wondered what actually happens between the van and the stage. Of course, with two decades of shared stages behind them, Planetary fits right into the guys' banter like he never left — Episode 30, Pop the Trunk with Vinnie Paz.

Vinnie and the guys revisit Legacy of Blood , JMT's fourth album, 22 years after it dropped. Vinnie walks through building the record from the ground up in Philly — the studio flood that nearly wiped out the sessions, the cover art story, and how the loop-hunting obsession shaped the sound. Billy and Brendan dig into the details with him — the almost-censored track that nearly got them dropped from the industry, how the featured verses came together, and the road stories from a 26-year-old still figuring out if anyone outside Philly and New York was listening.

Vinnie and the guys dig into the anniversary of Visions of Gandhi, tracing how the record came together. From a makeshift studio to Chung King in New York, it's a rare look at the making of a record straight from the source. The group also gets into the usual off-topic detours, so stick around for the stuff that has nothing to do with the album too.

Vinnie and the guys tackle one of hip hop's most loaded accusations: what actually makes someone an "industry plant"? They lay out the real definition, argue over where the line is between a plant and a straightforward nepo baby, and put some names under the microscope to see who holds up. The conversation swings from the self-made billionaire myth to Malcolm Gladwell to comedy's own version of the plant debate. Tune in for it all on Episode 27 of Pop the Trunk!

Comedian Joe DeRosa joins Vinnie and the guys for Episode 26, and the group digs into Joe's early days of hip hop — including who his "cheat code" was, the one that got him hooked on the culture in the first place. From there the conversation moves into Joe's early comedy days, the influences that shaped him, and how he found his own voice on stage. As always it wanders well beyond that too, hitting career stories, some unexpectedly honest reflection, and a run through the Five Spot questions to close it out. Of course, Joe joins right in on the typical banter with no topic being too ridiculous. Check out Joe’s new special, Never Promised You a Rose Garden, on Netflix.

Episode 25 gets into where Vinnie's fascination with the occult and conspiracy theories actually started, how deep it pulled him in over the years, and how it eventually found its way into his writing. It's a rare look at the research behind the references fans have picked up on for years, told from the source. From there the conversation wanders through everything from childhood habits to internet rabbit holes and heated debates that go nowhere, plus another Dear Vin reading that goes about how you'd expect.

Today’s episode is a full breakdown of how "Uncommon Valor" actually got made — twenty years after it dropped, still one of the most talked-about concept records in hip hop. The making of that song, the friendship with R.A. the Rugged Man that had to exist before it could happen, and the real history and personal stakes behind the writing. Plus the usual detours you come here for.

In Loving Memory of Kristine Barlam aka “Krissy”. Before diving into the main event, Billy has some explaining to do after coming back from a three-day meditation retreat. Then, the guys jump into Jay-Z's record-breaking Yankee Stadium residency, the surprise guests, an old beef finally squashed, and what it means for hip-hop's legacy artists getting their touring moment. Plus: Michael Bay movies, crying at Armageddon, and whether Wu-Tang can still sell out anywhere. Pop the Trunk with Vinnie Paz streaming on all DSPs and your favorite podcast app. @popthetrunk.pod

Episode 22 is a summer heat wave of hip-hop history. The crew runs down the classic albums that dropped between May and September across the decades — the records that defined car windows down, block parties, and the last day of school. Expect deep cuts on why summer releases hit different, some contested "greatest ever" arguments. Pop the Trunk with Vinnie Paz streaming on all DSPs and your favorite podcast app. @popthetrunk.pod

The boys are back and the crew opens up talking hoops, the World Cup, and why American sports broadcasts hit different. From there it's straight into a milestone: Vinnie's debut solo album, Season of the Assassin, just passed its 16th anniversary, and the guys sit down to break down how it actually came together. Vinnie gets into why he waited as long as he did to go solo, the uncertainty of stepping out from Stoupe and the JMT sound , and the real story of the album's original title before it became Season of the Assassin. He walks through building the record from scratch, tracking down producers he grew up idolizing, and a session at a legendary New York studio that made the whole thing feel real. They dive into how the features and production actually got picked and, sixteen years later, we get Vinnie's take on what it means to him today. Pop the Trunk with Vinnie Paz streaming on all DSPs and your favorite podcast app. @popthetrunk.pod

Vinnie flies solo this week to break down Jaron "Boots" Ennis's dominant, multi-knockdown stoppage of Xander Zayas that unified the 154-pound titles at the DAZN’s Barclays Center PPV. He also covers the rest of that card (Jahi Tucker's win, a controversial Ben Whitaker stoppage loss), runs through news and notes — Usyk vacating his heavyweight belts, Floyd Mayweather's exhibition falling through amid his financial troubles, the WBC's questionable 154-pound rankings — and previews the July 4th weekend card topped by Abdullah Mason vs. Albert Bell. Pop the Trunk presents Knock ‘Em Out the Box streaming on all DSPs and your favorite podcast app. @popthetrunk.pod

Vinnie and Billy hold things down two-man-band style with Brendan out this week, and crack open the mailbag for a round of listener mail and recommendations — including no shortage of opinions on the top 50 list they've got cooking. They also bring back a beloved segment from Broad Street Breakdown and things get weird from there: a debate over psychics and mediums, an unexpected detour into a heavier real-world topic, and the usual cast of internet oddballs that keep this show interesting. Pop the Trunk with Vinnie Paz streaming on all DSPs and your favorite podcast app. @popthetrunk.pod

Boots Ennis and Xander Zayas finally collide for two junior middleweight titles, and the boys can't wait any longer to break it all down. From the questionable promotion (thanks, Knicks playoff run and World Cup chaos) to the undercard sleepers worth watching, no angle gets left on the table — including a few overdue predictions on exactly how this one ends. Plus: news on Joshua-Fury's bizarre venue problem, Tank Davis' next move, Floyd Mayweather's legal troubles, and a friendly wager that might leave somebody's hair a very different color by the weekend.

Hip-hop runs on competition and nothing fuels it like a good beef. In this episode, the fellas do a deep dive into the genre's most legendary rivalries, tracing the lineage from the earliest battles through the records, subliminals, and feuds that shaped rap history. Some squashed it, some didn't get the chance to. We break down who we think really won.

The boys are back, and this week there's an elephant in the room the size of Madison Square Garden. Vinnie and Billy are doing their best to ignore it, but Brendan isn't making it easy. The Knicks just won the championship and someone in the studio is way too happy about it — and it isn't the Philly guys. The debate over whether Wu-Tang's halftime performance had anything to do with the outcome is very real, and very heated. From there the conversation shifts to something that's been brewing for a while — the guys announce plans to put together their own Greatest 50 Rappers of All Time list, a direct response to the clickbait list culture dominating hip hop media. Names get floated and opinions get spicy. Don’t miss this one!

The crew weighs in on the NBA Finals and what it really costs to be a New York Knicks fan these days. From there, the conversation shifts into hip hop beef culture and where the line is between sport and disrespect. Then Vinnie tells the story of a journalist interview that spiraled into something far more serious — and why federal agents ended up at his show because of it. That leads to a discussion on cancel culture and why nobody is actually getting canceled in 2026.

The crew kicks things off with a tale of restaurant frustration that snowballs into a broader conversation about bad service, false promises, and the unwritten code between businesses and their customers. From there, the episode digs into Complex's viral Top 50 New York Rappers of All Time list — and the crew has plenty to say. They debate whether the list is a legitimate ranking, deliberate rage bait, or a mix of both, unpacking the criteria, questioning some of the inclusions, and making the case for the names that got left off entirely. From legends who should be higher to modern acts that have no business being on a "best ever" list, it's a deep, opinionated ride through New York rap history.

Vinnie holds it down solo while his co-hosts sit this one out in lieu of other shenanigans. He runs through a loaded boxing news cycle — Lomachenko's retirement reversal, Canelo's next move, the Wardley-Dubois rematch situation, and more — before breaking down the main event everyone's been arguing about: Usyk vs. Verhoeven at the Pyramids in Giza. Was Rico closer than anyone expected, or did the crowd and the rounds fool people? Vinnie's got a take. He also weighs in on Frank Sanchez packing up Richard Torres (told you so), Hamza Shiraz's breakout belt win, and previews a deceptively busy weekend headlined by Bevo's return and O'Shay Foster vs. Raymond Ford for the WBC 130 title — a fight Vinnie's not exactly hyped for, but picks anyway.

The mailbag is back! The crew gets into the creative process behind writing rhymes, whether a perfect album is a perfect album regardless of genre, and what happens when ego convinces someone they're an expert in everything. Billy's history with Heelys comes out, fan art makes its way into the studio, and a listener writing in from Berlin has some catching up to do. Tune in for Episode 15 of Pop the Trunk, with Vinnie Paz!