Dylan Green is a journalist, critic, and podcaster, as well as the founder, writer, and editor of Hearing Things, a thoughtful music publication. He's also the host and producer of the Reel Notes podcast. Dylan joins HT today to talk about Yash's favorite rap group of all time—the infamous Mobb Deep—and their new album Infinite, which Dylan recently reviewed for Pitchfork. We break down the album in detail: how it arrives as part of Mass Appeal's Legend Has It series, and what it means to the legacy of Mobb Deep more than eight years after the untimely passing of Prodigy. We dive into the album's highlights, production elements, and Alchemist's golden touch, as well as the challenges of putting together a posthumous record. We also get into Nas's role, for better or worse, and how referential music can succeed when it's done right. Dylan also shares his Top 5, featuring tracks from the late D'Angelo, Khadija Al Hanafi, FOHDH Matthew, and KrispyLife Kidd.

Melissa Emert-Hutner lives in New York and is an SVP of Creative at Kobalt Music, one of the largest music publishers in the world. She joins us today to clear the smog-filled air on music publishing and share what she does day to day to help artists and songwriters make lasting connections and collect royalties. She explains how every artist feels their music is syncable but it's rarely the case, and breaks down the variables that should be considered when thinking about signing a publishing deal—whether before or after a record deal. Truly a crash course episode for both curious music minds and the temporarily misguided. Melissa also drops her Top 5 songs of the moment, including new music from Florence and The Machine, Blondshell, Machine Girl, Lamb of God, and Rainbow Kitten Surprise.

SoundFynd is a music discovery platform putting their own spin on the meaning of new media. Founder Tal Kamara and community leader Jocelyn Motley join us to talk about the platform and the broader digital landscape in music coverage of emerging artists. We dig into whether modern-day payola for social media placements is making or breaking the business model, corporate music power structures monopolizing the game, and community building IRL. We also chat about New York indie rock outfit Geese—their not-so-sudden impact and how they stack up against some of the indie rock buzz bands of the blog era. To wrap things up, the SoundFynd gang share their Top 5 songs of the moment, featuring tracks by Jim Legxacy, Mannequin Pussy, Dijon, Sly and The Family Stone, and Cleo Reed.