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Unglossy

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Rating
★★★★★
4.9
from
881 reviews
This podcast has
104 episodes
Language
English
Date created
2020/10/02
Latest episode
2026/09/25
Average duration
65 min.
Release period
18 days

Description

Is influence built through hard work—or shaped by the choices no one sees? Hosted by hip-hop legend Bun B, music industry veteran Jeffrey Sledge, and brand strategist Tom Frank, Unglossy cuts through the noise to explore what really drives creativity, influence, and legacy. No rehearsed talking points. No brand-approved answers—just honest conversations with people who’ve built something real. Unglossy brings you inside the minds of artists, athletes, founders, and cultural architects to unpack the grind behind the growth: the risks taken early, the setbacks that sharpened the work, and the discipline it takes to turn ideas into impact. If you care about culture, music, business, branding, or how ideas spread when effort meets opportunity, this is your front-row seat. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow @UnglossyPod and join the unfiltered conversation. Produced by Merrick Studios — where culture takes the mic.

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Check latest episodes from Unglossy podcast


Mike Escamilla: Rooftops, Stunts, and Stem Cells
2026/09/25
Mike "Rooftop" Escamilla helped invent what street BMX looks like. Hoffman Bikes built frames around him. Nine X Games. Two Guinness World Records off the mega ramp. Then Hollywood: The Suicide Squad, Ant-Man, and dying in almost every episode of Lioness season two. He gets into where "Rooftop" really came from (it's neither story you've heard), a fire truck in Kuwait that rewired his brain, the stem cell treatment he credits with giving his life back, and why an industry with no gatekeepers has no quality control. Unglossy is hosted by Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank and produced and distributed by Savage. All episodes at https://www.besavage.co/unglossy. Join the conversation @unglossypod.
John A. Dailey: Camo, Character, and Walking Point
2026/09/18
John A. Dailey left West Virginia at 17 to join the Marine Corps and stayed more than twenty years. Sniper, then Force Reconnaissance, then platoon sergeant with First Force Reconnaissance Company on 09/11/2001. In 2003 Donald Rumsfeld ordered the Marines to build a unit answering to US Special Operations Command. Colonel Robert J. Coates got 86 men and a two year charter, picked four team leaders, and gave them one brief: tough rugged bastards with strong backs and hard feet. Dailey was one of those four. He tells Tom Frank, Jeffrey Sledge and Bun B about HAHO jumps at 35,000 feet, locking out of a submarine at 60 feet, sniper school stalks, and why the bookworm sometimes outshoots the hunter. He retired in 2008 and got an MFA in creative writing. Find him at jadaily.com and on Substack.  Unglossy is hosted by Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank and produced and distributed by Savage. All episodes at https://www.besavage.co/unglossy. Join the conversation @unglossypod.
Robert Stout:Karts, Clocks, and Breaking News
2026/09/03
Season premiere, and we didn't ease into it. Merrick Studios has been acquired by Savage. Every show keeps its name, its hosts, and its point of view. Tom Frank steps in as Chief Creative Officer and runs Savage TV. In the chair for it: Robert Stout. Savage driver. Youngest ever to win Touring Car at Long Beach. Son of the voice you grew up hearing over Monster Jam. He talks about the part of racing nobody puts on the highlight reel, and what happens in Sydney this week when a four-rotor RX-7 goes up against a Corvette and a clock. Unglossy is hosted by Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank and produced and distributed by Savage. All episodes at https://www.besavage.co/unglossy. Join the conversation @unglossypod.
Eric Liedtke: Three Stripes, Yeezy, and Plants Over Plastic
2026/08/22
Re-Release Most people build a billion-dollar business. Eric Liedtke walked away from one to build something that disappears. The former Adidas board member joins Mickey Factz, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank for 26 years of three stripes: the Calabasas lab Adidas built for Kanye, the birth of Y-3, the Brooklyn creator farm, and why he left the corner office to make fashion out of plants instead of plastic. Back by demand. Unglossy is hosted by Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank and produced and distributed by Savage. All episodes at https://www.besavage.co/unglossy. Join the conversation @unglossypod.
Michael Ford: Blueprints, Beats, and Belonging
2026/06/19
Michael Ford, the Hip Hop Architect, joins Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank to connect bars to blueprints. From the Hip Hop Architecture Camp to leading The Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx, Ford shows how rap lyrics inspire real spaces, why representation matters when only 2 percent of architects are Black, and how collabs with Shaw and Herman Miller turn design into community impact. Plus his next build: a Hip Hop Museum of the South in Memphis. This is Unglossy. Unglossy is hosted by Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank and produced and distributed by Savage. All episodes at https://www.besavage.co/unglossy. Join the conversation @unglossypod.
Pete Rock: Crates, Classics, and Knicks
2026/06/12
Some producers make beats. Pete Rock built a blueprint. On this episode of Unglossy, Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank sit down with the legendary producer, DJ, and MC for a wide-ranging conversation that runs from his Mount Vernon roots all the way to the present moment. Pete takes us back to coming up under Heavy D, spinning on WBLS next to Marley Marl at 13 years old, and the basement studio where Biggie, Run DMC, Nas, and half of hip hop passed through. He breaks down the stories behind the classics: how "T.R.O.Y." came out of real grief and taught him to treat music like medicine, how Jam Master Jay tapped out the drums on "Down with the King," and how he ended up singing the hook on "The World Is Yours." Plus the new De La Soul album, his love of comics, and why, after 53 years without a chip, these Knicks have him out of his head in the best way. It is a masterclass, a memory lap, and a love letter to New York, all in one. Unglossy is hosted by Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank and produced and distributed by Savage. All episodes at https://www.besavage.co/unglossy. Join the conversation @unglossypod.
Shawn Porter: Showtime, Sacrifice, and Sovereignty
2026/05/29
Showtime Shawn Porter sits down with Tom, Bun B, and Jeffrey for a conversation that goes well beyond the highlights reel. From training under his father Kenny at age four, to sparring Manny Pacquiao, to the real story behind that final round against Terence Crawford — Shawn holds nothing back. Plus: the state of boxing today, Floyd's real work ethic, and what he's building next including a documentary and a boxing film where he's playing the lead. Built different. This one shows it. Sharp, real, and a great one start to finish. This is Showtime. Unglossy is hosted by Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank and produced and distributed by Savage. All episodes at https://www.besavage.co/unglossy. Join the conversation @unglossypod.
Jemele Hill: Detroit, Defiance, and the Uphill Climb
2026/05/22
This week on Unglossy, Jemele Hill joins the fellas for an unfiltered ride through her come-up from Detroit to ESPN, the tweet that changed everything, and the pivot to The Atlantic, Uphill, and Flagrant and Funny with Cari Champion. Plus Dwight Howard's Top 75 snub, Kobe stories, Skip Bayless, the Pistons, and whether Anthony Davis is a Wizard next year. Honest, funny, and Detroit to the core. Unglossy is hosted by Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank. The show is produced and distributed by Merrick Studios. See all of our our episodes at  Unglossy is hosted by Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank and produced and distributed by Savage. All episodes at https://www.besavage.co/unglossy. Join the conversation @unglossypod.
Tim Frank: Playoffs, Ping Pong Balls, and the Future of the NBA
2026/05/15
The NBA's Sr. VP of Communications, Tim Frank, makes history as Unglossy's first two-time guest. Twenty-two years at NBA headquarters, an NBA Championship in year one with the Houston Rockets, four straight WNBA titles with the Comets — Tim has seen it all and isn't afraid to talk about it. Tom, Bun B, and Jeffrey go deep on the Playoffs, the truth behind the Draft Lottery, the new TV rights deal, expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle, and what genuinely worries Tim about the future of the NBA. Unglossy is hosted by Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank and produced and distributed by Savage. All episodes at https://www.besavage.co/unglossy. Join the conversation @unglossypod.
Mark Isham: Scoring Life, Film, and Everything In Between
2026/05/07
This week on Unglossy, the fellas sit down with Mark Isham — Grammy-nominated composer and trumpeter behind some of Hollywood's most iconic scores, including Crash, A River Runs Through It, Point Break, and 42. Mark traces the journey from San Francisco's jazz scene to landing a $35 million Disney film with no formal training and 90 bucks in the bank — and how a home-duplicated cassette changed everything. He breaks down what it's really like to score films for Jodie Foster, Robert Redford, and Kathryn Bigelow, the night he rewrote the entire Point Break score, and why silencing self-doubt has been as important as any musical skill. Plus: where film scoring is heading, a new series about the Irish gangs of Brooklyn, and a new album in the works Unglossy is hosted by Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank and produced and distributed by Savage. All episodes at https://www.besavage.co/unglossy. Join the conversation @unglossypod.
Bomani Jones: Playoffs, Prince, and Perspective
2026/04/30
This week on Unglossy, Bomani Jones joins the fellas and turns a conversation about the NBA Playoffs and NFL Draft into a deeper look at the business of sports—streaming chaos, rising costs, and why access isn’t what it used to be. From there, it goes where it wants: travel, chasing awe around the world, and why a waterfall might hit harder than front-row seats. Plus a no-holds debate on Prince vs. Michael Jackson, influence vs. popularity, and what really shapes culture. Along the way: sneaker resale, concert prices, and an Emmy that may or may not be a “participation trophy.” Smart, funny, and unpredictable—just like Bomani. Unglossy is hosted by Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank and produced and distributed by Savage. All episodes at https://www.besavage.co/unglossy. Join the conversation @unglossypod.
Mark Elias: Acting, Ownership, and Working Title: From Paper to Screen
2026/04/09
Most actors wait. Mark Elias builds. On this episode of Unglossy, the 9-1-1: Lone Star and Lucifer actor breaks down his journey from Houston roots to Hollywood—then the pivot from chasing roles to creating them. We get into his film We Could Be Heroes, raising money through WeFunder, and what it actually takes to go from idea to screen—plus why ownership changes everything. It all leads to his new podcast on Merrick Studios, Working Title: From Paper to Screen, where he’s documenting the process in real time. This one’s about betting on yourself—and doing the work to back it up. And, don't miss a very special offer for Merrick Studios+ Unglossy is hosted by Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank and produced and distributed by Savage. All episodes at https://www.besavage.co/unglossy. Join the conversation @unglossypod.
Michelle Delamor: American Idol, Ownership & 60 Day Hustle
2026/03/27
Most people chase the spotlight. Michelle Delamor learned how to own it. This week on Unglossy, we sit down with the former American Idol standout turned founder, studio executive, and creator of Amazon Prime’s 60 Day Hustle to unpack what really happens after the cameras stop rolling. From auditioning alongside 110,000 hopefuls to navigating the machine of the music industry, Michelle shares how she turned early exposure into long-term ownership—and why building your own platform is the real endgame. We get into the psychology of reality TV, the business behind entertainment, and the hard pivot from artist to entrepreneur. Plus, she breaks down how 60 Day Hustle is flipping the script on competition shows—proving that real pressure, real stakes, and real growth don’t need to be manufactured. Because in this game, talent gets you seen… but ownership changes everything. Unglossy is hosted by Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank and produced and distributed by Savage. All episodes at https://www.besavage.co/unglossy. Join the conversation @unglossypod.
Don Vito: Beats, Business, and Building Beyond Music
2026/03/12
On this episode of Unglossy, we sit down with legendary producer Don Vito for a wide-ranging conversation about hustle, reinvention, and the long road behind the hits. From growing up in Gary, Indiana, to serving in the Marine Corps, to finding his way into Atlanta’s exploding music scene, Don shares the unconventional path that led him to work with artists like Nelly, Ciara, Bow Wow, Cherish, and Kandi Burruss. Along the way, he breaks down the realities of the music business, the difference between making beats and making records, and why some artists reach the top while others sabotage their own success. But Don’s story doesn’t stop with hit records. After navigating the highs and shifts of the music industry, he pivoted into podcasting, digital media, and content strategy, earning the nickname “The Podfather.” In this episode, he pulls back the curtain on how creators can turn podcasts into real businesses—and why most people are approaching it the wrong way. If you care about music, media, entrepreneurship, or the future of podcasting, this is one you don’t want to miss. Unglossy is hosted by Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank and produced and distributed by Savage. All episodes at https://www.besavage.co/unglossy. Join the conversation @unglossypod.
Jay Paterno: Happy Valley, Hard Truths, and Blitzed!
2026/01/27
Where you’re from doesn’t just shape you — it frames how you understand power, loyalty, and loss. Bun B is Houston to the core. Jeffrey Sledge carries New York City wherever he goes. And for Tom Frank, everything starts in State College, Pennsylvania — a town where fall Saturdays felt sacred, Penn State football felt pure, and Happy Valley felt like a place untouched by the rest of the world. Today's guest, Jay Paterno, grew up at the center of that belief system. As a former Penn State assistant coach, trustee, writer, and the son of the late Joe Paterno, Jay lived inside one of the most revered cultures in college sports — and then watched it unravel in public. He speaks openly about legacy, leadership, media narratives, and what it costs to stand inside a storm you can’t control. Not from a distance, but from inside his own family. This isn’t just a backward-looking conversation. Jay takes the same clear-eyed approach to the modern game — NIL, the transfer portal, revenue sharing, gambling, donor influence — and explains why college athletics is no longer what it pretends to be. His new book -  BLITZED! The All-Out Pressure of College Football's New Era - pulls back the curtain on a system stretched to its limits, where pressure, money, and identity collide every Saturday. Unglossy is hosted by Bun B, Jeffrey Sledge, and Tom Frank and produced and distributed by Savage. All episodes at https://www.besavage.co/unglossy. Join the conversation @unglossypod.

Podcast reviews

Read Unglossy podcast reviews


4.9 out of 5
881 reviews
★★☆☆☆
TheRealAdrian89 2021/11/09
Bruh, No Lupe?
I can’t do this without Lupe….. it’s hard to listen without Lu.
★★★★★
Eat a *ick 2021/11/02
I blame you tom
It was your fault. You know what you did
★★★★★
ThemonsterT 2021/08/18
5 ninths
This podcast it’s coming like when you jerk off to a comic book
★★☆☆☆
vell073 2021/07/12
Terrible audio
It’s a great pod but the constant crackling and mic feedback makes it painful to listen too, I hope Patreon is better quality
★★★★★
Enzo8a 2021/06/04
Podcast
Love the podcast, I do think Tom dropped the ball on the last episode not repping for the DMV when he could. Cmon man! We strong out here! Lupe and Ro...
★★★★★
Learn Something New 8 2021/05/13
Toothbrush next to the spice rack.
Shout out to the Lupe and Royce show for being creative and fun to listen to with a good splash of viewer acknowledgment.
★★★★★
CrakrAssFntstc 2021/05/12
#1 Podcast
I Look forward to this show every week. Full of comedy, facts, stories, interviews, each show gets even better and the interactions between the three ...
★★★★★
Henry from Houston 2021/05/12
What a treat!
Lupe and Royce are arguably the two best rappers/lyricists of all time. But it’s cool that rap is rarely the center of discussion. It’s cool to hear e...
★★★★★
Kalvan847 2021/05/11
My favorite podcast!
You guys are all funny! Love the show ❤️
★★★★★
Rich.hayes 2021/05/11
Great show!!!
I tend to learn something new every time I listen/watch the show. Lupe and Royce are two my favorite emcees of all time(Royce being #1) and I feel pri...
check all reviews on apple podcasts

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