PAY YOUR FRIEND$ with Cipha Sounds

Cipha Sounds hangs out with comedians Brendan Sagalow — hip-hop head and host of Sagdaddy the Pod — and Andre D. Thompson, recorded on 9/11. Ciph takes them behind the scenes of the night before: DJing the NYC Still Rising 9/11 benefit at Madison Square Garden for John Stewart and Dave Chappelle, with Machine Gun Kelly, Pete Davidson, Bill Burr, Nikki Glaser and more. He breaks down the art of reading a comedy crowd on a somber night, secretly running the room from the DJ booth, and picking the right songs when you can't play half your set. From there it goes everywhere: retiring shirts after one photo, mistaking Chris Rock for a barback, surveillance culture, philosophy, and who really gets the credit for it. Catch Brendan on tour at brennano.com and on Sagdaddy the Pod and Fart Carnival, and follow Andre D. Thompson everywhere @AndreDThompson.

Comedian Talia Romina shows up to the studio with a face full of facial oil after double-dosing NyQuil the night before, squeezing in a workout, and running straight from a 90-minute facial she thought was 50 minutes. Cipha gets the full story. Plus: the war on entitled cyclists in New York, whether being friendly to a waitress counts as flirting, the ultrasound tech who hits on Talia every six months during her liver checkup, and Cipha's case that he never gets hit on — which Talia spends the rest of the episode dismantling. 🎧 Listen everywhere you get podcasts. Subscribe, like, and share.

Comedian Rahul Pandya lasted three days at a healthcare tech startup before getting fired over a Luigi Mangione joke his boss dug up on his social media. Cipha gets the full story. Plus: Cipha reveals he spent 20 minutes charming a woman at a Hollywood Hills party before finding out it was Charli XCX, Tom Cruise tracked him down in a green room to compliment his DJ set, the origin story behind Drake's "Shut Up Janice," why Jay-Z's post-retirement catalog doesn't hold up, and the eternal first date debate — drinks or dinner?

Cipha Sounds sits down with Bay Area rapper and producer P-Lo — in New York promoting his new album Out the Box — with comedian Salma Zaky in the room. They get into what it really means to rep the Bay, the region's hip-hop culture and "same squad" spirit, coming up with HBK and Kehlani, how tech changed the Bay the way gentrification changed New York, and the time Dave Chappelle brought P-Lo out at a Super Bowl show. Out the Box is out now, featuring E-40.

Cipha Sounds and Rocky Powell break down what actually went down backstage at the Lauryn Hill festival — the Fugees' 30th anniversary reunion with Wyclef Jean, Erykah Badu, Dave Chappelle, Giggs, and more. Ciph tells the full story: flying to London for Dave's shows, thinking he was hosting, ending up playing dominoes in the crowd — and then getting rushed on stage with zero DJ equipment when Lauryn's setup ran long, tearing the whole thing down off a headphone jack while Dave hyped him up as a hip-hop legend. Plus the viral moment when they cut the sound, halal pepperoni, New Haven pizza in London, and why all of it has Ciph officially coming out of DJ retirement. 🎧 Listen everywhere you get podcasts. Subscribe, like, and share. #CiphaSounds #PayYourFriends #LaurynHill #Fugees #DaveChappelle #HipHop #NYC #Podcast

Cipha Sounds links up in London with Seepa and Hugo — the guys behind pirate radio crew Kurupt FM from the BBC series People Just Do Nothing — for a deep dive into UK music and why it connects to New York more than Americans realize. They break down the whole family tree — jungle, garage, grime, drum & bass, funky house, drill — and trace it all back to Jamaica and the Jamaica-London-New York-Toronto pipeline. Plus how Afrobeats crossed over, why UK actors keep taking the hood roles in American movies, London vs. New York on slang, food, and air conditioning, and the story of how Ciph ended up DJing for Jay-Z at Notting Hill Carnival. Kurupt FM's new EP Goodma drops August 21st. Listen everywhere you get podcasts. Subscribe, like, and share. #CiphaSounds #PayYourFriends #KuruptFM #PeopleJustDoNothing #UKMusic #Grime #Garage #Podcast

Cipha Sounds hangs out with Brooklyn legends Smif-N-Wessun — Tek-N-Steele, aka the Cocoa Brovaz — for a real conversation about old New York, the culture, and staying true after 30 years in the game. They get into the Decepticons and growing up between Brownsville and Bed-Stuy, Sunday rituals and the legendary Tunnel nightclub, how gentrification changed Brooklyn, why the Knicks run brought that old New York energy roaring back, and what it really means to say "I am hip-hop." Plus stoop sets, outfit architecture, and always showing up for your friends. Catch Smif-N-Wessun at City Winery (Pier 17) August 31st, and at the Smif-N-Wessun Day block party in September.

Cipha Sounds sits down with his longtime friend, comedian Derek Gaines, to talk about his new special Goodlum and being "cul-de-sac black" — a good hoodlum from the suburbs who loves hood culture but grew up on the quiet streets. They get into Derek's road from cleaning toll booths on the Garden State Parkway to the Comedy Cellar, the time Bradley Cooper pulled them into his movie outside the club, why kids are dancing and buying CDs again, and plenty more. Check out Derek's new special, Goodlum, on Tubi

Cipha Sounds sits down with Rick Ross to celebrate 20 years of Port of Miami and the new album Set in Stone. They get into how "Hustlin'" broke on Hot 97, why you've got to go broke a few times to become a real boss, old Miami, and Ciph's ongoing campaign to get Ross to franchise him a Wingstop. Set in Stone is out now.

Comedian Rob Haze (Atlanta-raised, LA-based) pulls up to the studio and Ciph breaks out the Trump umbrella he jacked 15 years before anybody thought Trump could be president. They get into riders and the mythology of one-time Air Force Ones, why funny makes you better looking, Jamaican patois and dancehall's problematic hits, the masked white nationalists on the DC bus, doxing, Mamdani's first months, the Knicks' championship afterglow, Alvarado's Brooklyn energy, and the time Ciph sang a song he didn't understand to a waitress in Charlotte. Serious things, the silly way. How have you helped a friend today?

Comedian Ian Lara joins Cipha Sounds and Rocky Powell for the first LIVE episode of PAY YOUR FRIEND$. They get into the Knicks championship run, why old-school NYC energy is back, jazz clubs, dead nightlife, and why Summer 2026 might be the best one yet — plus Ian's confession that he hates all animals.

Cipha Sounds sits down with London-born, NYC-based DJ and producer Snips (aka Todd Worsnip — founder of Barbershop Records and Livin' Proof) for a deep dive into UK music and how it really connects to New York. Ciph has been championing UK and Caribbean sounds since 1999, and the two of them get into why it never quite breaks through in the States — plus the Jamaica-to-London-to-Brooklyn pipeline that built so much of what we call hip-hop. With Rocky in the room taking guesses, it goes everywhere.

On this episode of the "Pay Your Friends" show, host Cipha Sounds brings old and new friends together for an energetic discussion on the many faces of anger. Comedians Nathan Macintosh and Reggie join Cipha to recount their past "on-sight" beef from 2014 and debate everything from the current state of hip-hop and R&B to the frustrations of airline food. Whether they are analyzing viral plane confrontations or discussing why some people just can't get a birthday invite, the trio dives deep into what makes them "crash out."

PAY YOUR FRIEND$ is back and comedian Salma Zaky is back for her third appearance — this time to get a full hip-hop education whether she wants it or not. Cipha quizzes Salma on everything from Jay-Z's name origins to the four pillars of hip-hop, and somehow she keeps landing answers through pure energy and Brooklyn osmosis. Along the way they break down Nas lyrics line by line, decode rapper nicknames, and get into the current state of the culture. In this episode: • Jay-Z's "Reasonable Doubt" 30th anniversary at Yankee Stadium + the "Blueprint" 25th • Why he's called Hov, and the "water to a well/whale" mystery (he texted back "yes") • The four pillars of hip-hop — and why Cipha wants a fifth • Nas, "N.Y. State of Mind," and reading Illmatic like poetry • The Griselda situation: Westside Gunn, Conway & Benny the Butcher • The Pooh Shiesty / Gucci Mane case • Knicks fever, old NYC vs. new NYC, and more Serious things, the silly way. How have you helped a friend today? 🎧 Listen everywhere you get podcasts. 📲 Subscribe, like, and share. #CiphaSounds #PayYourFriends #SalmaZaky #HipHop #Comedy #JayZ #Nas #Griselda #NYC #Podcast

What does it really mean to be FROM New York City? Cipha Sounds, Simeon Goodson, and Lenny Marcus go deep on one of the most hotly debated questions in the city — and it's more than just an address. The conversation kicks off with the Peter Rosenberg and Noreaga hot 97 morning show drama, where Noreaga said it felt good hearing New York voices on New York radio — and Rosenberg, born in Maryland, took it personally. The crew breaks down why "living here for 20 years" doesn't automatically make you a New Yorker, and what actually does: riding the subway as a kid, knowing what a New York police lock is, having certain spots close down on you. They also get into gentrification and how neighborhoods like Williamsburg, East New York, and Coney Island have transformed — and who's really being displaced at each wave. Plus: New York sports allegiances, the racial and cultural mix that makes the city unlike anywhere else, teaching kids street smarts, guardian angels on the subway, and some wild transit stories you won't forget.

Ice-T sits down with Cipha Sounds and Dante Nero on Pay Your Friend$ for one of the realest conversations you'll hear all year. What started as a fun visit turned into a full-blown survival guide — packed with hard-earned wisdom, street philosophy, and genuine laughs. Ice-T opens up about growing up as an orphan in New Jersey, being shipped to LA, navigating gang-heavy neighborhoods without joining a gang, and how love — not fear — is what actually protects you. He breaks down why emotional decisions are dangerous, how to read a room before things go sideways, and the real reason you should always check in when you're on someone else's turf. The crew also gets into raising kids with street smarts without the trauma, why Body Count is NOT rap-rock (and why they won a Grammy for Best Metal Performance), his new album Merciless, and the upcoming solo project Criminal Migraine — which he's selling old-school direct at xt.com, bypassing streaming entirely. Dante Nero brings the energy and drops his own gems on emotional intelligence, wisdom vs. knowledge, and the ACE principles (Authenticity, Credibility, Empathy). Rocky holds it down as referee. The result is a backyard barbecue conversation that feels like school and a block party at the same time.

Aldana joins Cipha and the crew, and she did NOT come empty-handed — she brought some of the wildest first date horror stories you've ever heard. From a drunk date who wouldn't stop heckling at a comedy show and made a comment about his own mom that left the whole room stunned, to a guy she met on TikTok who somehow topped that disaster, Aldana holds nothing back. Dante drops his ACE framework — Authenticity, Credibility, and Empathy — and breaks down exactly why so many guys talk themselves right out of a good situation. Rocky shares her own chaotic dating experience with a con artist (yes, they later made a TikTok page about him), and Cipha somehow manages to derail every conversation with Happy Days spin-off trivia and bathroom confessions that nobody asked for. This episode has everything: Knicks playoff game drama, mood stabilizers, Balkan geography lessons, the wingman debate, and a 26-year-old finance bro who sent the most unhinged text after one date. The PAY YOUR FRIEND$ cookout is officially open.

Cipha Sounds is back from Japan and he’s got stories. On this episode of Pay Your Friends, Ciph and Rocky talk about Tokyo nightlife, Japanese hospitality, 20,000-step shopping days, viral Family Mart fried chicken pancakes, One Oak Tokyo, after-hours food runs, Japanese BBQ, Don Quijote, sneaker shopping, and why Tokyo somehow makes everybody more polite. Ciph explains why “Pay Your Friends” is more than a podcast, Rocky learns what BAPE stands for, and the crew goes fully live for the first time.

In this episode of "Pay Your Friends," Cipha Sounds sits down with the incredibly funny Miami-born, NYC-based comedian Britney Brave. They dive into a hilarious and unfiltered "Straight Shooters" segment, tackling everything from wild conspiracy theories and "passport bros" to the brutal realities of modern dating and situationships.

In this video, Memphis Bleek joins the discussion to share insights on loyalty, fatherhood, and his legendary career in the music industry. They delve into the concept of "paying your friends" through support and respect, and Bleek recounts wild stories from his time on the road with Jay-Z and meeting global icons.