Spotify’s Gimlet is tapping a nostalgic vein with “Mogul Mixtapes,” a throwback interview series taking listeners back to iconic moments in hip-hop history.
The new show is a spinoff of critically acclaimed podcast “Mogul,” hosted by Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins. The new series comes from Gimlet, the podcast house Spotify acquired last year as part of its big push into the format.
In “The Mogul Mixtapes,” Jenkins is joined by with artists, DJs, journalists and other guests to talk about infamous rap beefs, parties, fashion moments and wild backstories from their favorite albums. Naturally, each episode will feature a linked Spotify playlist — in other words, a mixtape — curated with essential tracks to teleport you to the days of ’90s hip-hop.
In the debut episode, released Wednesday (April 29), hip-hop personality Mouse Jones breaks down the infamous decades-long feud between Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Ja Rule. Next week, Jenkins will speak with Grammy-winning artist and actor Ludacris. Future guests on the show, to be released each Wednesday, are slated to include T.I., April Walker, and Earlonne Woods — and a Gimlet rep says to expect even more heavy-hitters in the hip-hop world down the line.
“Think of some of the greatest music you’ve ever heard — Lil Wayne’s ‘Da Drought 3,’ J. Cole’s ‘Warm Up,’ Jay-Z’s ‘S. Carter Collection’ — classic music, all of it from mixtapes,” Jenkins says in the intro the first episode (listen below). “So that’s what we’re going to do here. We’re going to try something new.”
A Spotify analysis found a 54% increase in listeners making nostalgia-themed playlists from April 1-7. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the audio streamer also has seen an uptick in searches for “chill” and “instrumental” tracks as people seek to soothe anxieties, along with an increase in time spent listening to podcasts related to wellness and meditation.
Listen to the first episode of “Mogul Mixtapes” below or at this link: