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What do you call four men in a rock group that don't sing or play music? Join Joe and Toby as they search for the answer and throw plenty of shade along the way. These are a couple of groups that for some reason people love to hate. Don't enjoy this episode? We'll be happy to give you your Nickelback.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BTS is a global phenomenon and a huge part of the popularity of the Korean Wave. So is it wrong to love K pop? Join Joe and Toby as they look to blues icon Keb Mo for some answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are certain songs with content or subject matter that ventures into disturbing territory. Some of them are intentionally crafted stories meant to spur the listener into thinking about uncomfortable topics. Others are, well, just plain wrong. Join Joe and Toby as they examine tracks from Royce da 5’9”, Apathy, Benny Mardones, Neil Diamond, and others. They’ll also shine a light on the sexual abuse that is far too pervasive in the music industry.Warning: Content may include sexual abuse and assault triggers. Please take any necessary precautions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s never fun to have your heart broken, and it’s certainly not something you want to happen in excess. Join Joe and Toby as they connect Dua Lipa’s smash hit “Break My Heart” to another 80’s era hit from a popular band from the land down under, INXS. Along the way they’ll debate who played the better James Bond, and Q versus Stacey Q. Crank up this episode, we Need You Tonight! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all know that girls just wanna have fun, but apparently that includes doing cover songs! From tainted love to undisputed truths, Joe and Toby dig deep to find the secrets behind smiling faces. So while Papa may be a rolling stone, here at Riffs on Riffs we will always love you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's face it, nursery rhymes can hide some dark and twisted messages — yet we sing them to our kids! Join Joe and Toby as they follow the itsy bitsy spider’s web that connects Humpty Dumpty to Humpty Hump. Don’t let the beat, or the cradle, drop! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slick Rick is respected as being one of the greatest MC storytellers of all time while Doug E Fresh is known as the human Beat Box. Put them together and you're guaranteed a good time and you get a classic hip hop song that's been sampled more times than Joe and Toby can say "back in the day" in an episode. Joe and Toby connect the dots between Slick Rick's La Di Da Di and Miley Cyrus' hit "We Can't Stop". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America's history is full of protests and this time is no exception. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many other black Americans have moved many to protest against police brutality. In this episode, Joe and Toby discuss protests from a musical perspective, exploring songs both past and present that have fueled protests. The revolution will not be televised, but it will be podcasted! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode Description: Join us as we travel the coasts of Cameroon and pay a visit to Manu Dibango and “Soul Makossa”. Michael Jackson would later steal the famous hook, “ma-ma-se, ma-ma-sa, ma-ma-ko-sa” for his hit Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, and even go on to give permission he that wasn’t his to give for Rihanna’s hit “Don’t Stop the Music”. We’ll discuss all that and along the way connect the dots to The Fugees, The Outsidaz, Eminem, D12, Quincy Jones and his daughters.What we geek out over in this episode: Manu Dibango, Coming to America, Makossa, crate digging, Ms. Fat Booty, Sing alongs with Mitch, David Mancuso and The Loft, The Fugees, Cowboyts, Pace Won, Rah Digga, The Outsidaz, offending Tupac, Famous Irish bands, Enya, Latoya Jackson, Rebbie Jackson, Eminem and D12, story time with Boo Kapone.Bonus Material: The story of the that time Tupac and The King of Pop threw down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in the day, children would read stories at school during story time and would often hear the "beep” that would signify when the page should be turned.  ELO’s Evil Woman and The Pussycat Dolls' “Beep” are generations apart but both illustrate how they worked to turn the page in creativity, impact, and style. Join Joe and Toby as they wind through the connections between these tracks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Truth be told, there is a bit of confusion about what exactly was sampled from Shuggie Otis' "Strawberry Letter 23” to help create Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson”... But one thing that isn’t up for debate is that both of these songs are hits and there’s no time like the present to discuss these artists and their impact. Join Joe and Toby as they wind through the connections between these tracks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If given a choice between sipping whiskey and going blind, the answer is pretty clear. But when listening to Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind” and Chris Stapleton’s cover of “Tennessee Whiskey”, things get a little fuzzier. Join Joe and Toby as they wind through the connections between these two tracks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bobby Caldwell is a longtime crooner and someone that can rightfully say he’s big in Japan. Bobby’s classic track, “What You Won’t Do for Love,” is his most recognizable hit, but in this episode Joe and Toby show how Common sampled another Caldwell track, “Open Your Eyes,” for his iconic song “The Light”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ed Sheeran is a gifted songwriter and performer, but that hasn’t prevented him from getting into hot water around sampling and interpolating other artist’s material. Join Joe and Toby as they explore the similarities between Sheeran’s “The Shape of You” and TLC’s “No Scrubs.” Along the way we’ll take a look at the “Stairway to Heaven” copyright case and see how it impacts Ed Sheeran’s financial future. Don’t worry, he’s going to be ok. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before he went looking for an around the way girl, LL Cool J was just a boy with his radio, needing a beat. He became a legendary hip hop pioneer and entertainment mogul. The Mary Jane Girls were the brainchild of Rick James, and he lent his prodigious musical talents to tracks like All Night Long and In My House. Join  Joe and Toby as they connect the dots between these artists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may know it as the chicken dance, but The Dance of the Little Bird was originally about ducks. Joe and Toby take a look at the origins of this oom-pah classic and demonstrate how it may have inspired The Jonas Brothers to create their latest hit, Only Human. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roy Ayers Jr. has been called the Godfather of Neo Soul, and his Roy Ayers Ubiquity project was aptly named, as the track Everybody Loves the Sunshine has been a ubiquitous sample in hip hop history. Joe and Toby connect the dots to Mary J. Blige’s second album and its title track, My Life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Heavy D and the Boys had a smash hit in 1991 with Now That We Found Love, and Joe and Toby examine how this track interpolates the 1973 hit from the O’Jays with the same name. Join us as we follow Heavy D’s career to full-fledged entertainment mogul and learn more about the soul group that had an enormous influence on future generations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back long before Stefani Germanotta became Lady Gaga, Madonna was, well, Madonna. Joe and Toby examine how the Madonna song “Express Yourself” was inspiration — and some might argue more than that — for Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”. Both artists have made an enormous impact on the pop culture landscape, extending their reach far beyond music. Madonna has done it for decades, and time will tell if Lady Gaga has the same staying power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to the music business, Warren G hit the stepbrother lottery. But that doesn’t mean he’s not a monster talent in his own right. Joe and Toby explore how Warren G used Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgettin” for his debut collaboration with Nate Dogg, “Regulate”. Speaking of monster talents, Michael McDonald has one of the most recognizable voices in music. We’ll take a listen to his work with Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, and as a solo artist. Mount up! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices