Show notes

Houston gave the world screwed & chopped. Cincinnati gave the world Bootsy Collins. Pittsburgh gave the world Wiz Khalifa. This one's personal. This week on Circle The Block, hosts Rello, Cunda, and Miss Angie get personal with a special "city episode" where each host repping the music history of the city that made them. It's also a bittersweet one: this marks Miss Angie's final episode before a hiatus, so the crew sends her off in true Circle The Block fashion. Miss Angie takes us through Houston, starting with the Geto Boys' "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" and the unofficial Halloween-anthem status Bushwick Bill's verse holds to this day. From there she dives deep into DJ Screw and Michael Watts, the origins of "screwed and chopped" music, and how a South Side Houston mixtape hustle turned into a global sound now heard everywhere from K-pop remixes to Spotify streams. She also breaks down Swishahouse, Slim Thug, and why Houston's slowed-down, laid-back sound is inseparable from the city's identity. Rello takes us through Cincinnati, spotlighting the legendary Bootsy Collins; his debut in James Brown's JBs at just 18 years old, that iconic bassline on "Sex Machine," his work shaping Parliament-Funkadelic and George Clinton's sound, and his surprising modern-day relevance (yes, he's still got a radio show on GTA V, and yes, he opened Silk Sonic's album). Cunda takes us through Pittsburgh, covering the obvious names, Wiz Khalifa and the late Mac Miller, but also the city's hidden hand in hip hop history: producers Mailman and Butter, who helped shape Dr. Dre's 2001 and Eminem's breakout albums from behind the scenes. The crew also revisits the staggering global numbers behind Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again," plus a personal, heartfelt story behind why that song hits different for the crew. As always, the episode is loaded with odds like the Breeders' Cup Classic, snooker, and the 2027 NFL Super Bowl before Bishop Cunda closes it out giving Pittsburgh its long-overdue flowers. New episodes of Circle The Block drop every week — hit subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss a conversation about the music, moments, and cities that shaped us. 00:00 – Cold open & intro with the crew 01:21 – Hurricane season check-in from Houston 04:22 – A bittersweet announcement: Miss Angie's final episode before hiatus 06:04 – Setting up the city episode 08:21 – Houston spotlight begins: Geto Boys' "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" 12:32 – Miss Angie highlights DJ Screw 14:56 – Circling the block on DJ Screw & Michael Watts' Houston music history 20:50 – Swishahouse, Slim Thug & Michael Watts' legacy 27:59 – Odds for the Breeders' Cup Classic 28:51 – Cincinnati spotlight begins: James Brown's roots & Bootsy Collins 31:11 – Circling the block on Bootsy Collins joining the JBs 32:04 – Breaking down Bootsy's iconic "Sex Machine" bassline 34:45 – Bootsy's lasting relevance: Silk Sonic, GTA V & more 37:22 – Why Ohio doesn't get enough credit for funk & R&B 39:09 – Odds for snooker championship 39:57 – Pittsburgh spotlight begins: Wiz Khalifa & Mac Miller 41:12 – Pittsburgh's hidden legacy: producers Mailman & Butter on Dr. Dre and Eminem's biggest albums 43:35 – The staggering global numbers behind "See You Again" 44:31 – Circling the block on Wiz Khalifa's writing process for "See You Again" 45:26 – The personal story behind why this song hits different 48:24 – Odds for the 2027 NFL Super Bowl champion 52:04 – Bishop Cunda's closing sermon: giving Pittsburgh its flowers 54:06 – The Pittsburgh reference hiding in "Think and Grow Rich" 55:18 – Miss Angie's farewell words 56:25 – Final thoughts & send-off 57:39 – Outro ABOUT CIRCLE THE BLOCK Circle The Block is a culture and nostalgia podcast hosted by Rello The Saya, Kunda,