Advertise on podcast: 50 For 50 | Life, Music, & Friendship

Garrett and Mike each build their own Top 5 John Mayer songs — two separate lists, with some overlap and some surprises. Songs like "Clarity," "Belief," "Assassin," "Gravity," and "New Light" are all in the mix as they build out their rankings and defend every pick — but you will have to listen to hear each full list. Then it's Rock With It or Stop With It on "Daughters," "Your Body Is a Wonderland," "Waiting on the World to Change," and "Who Do You Love" — checking which of Mayer's biggest, most-debated hits still hold up today. This episode pairs with our full Continuum deep dive, where we cover John Mayer's origin story, the making of the album, the celebrity backlash years, and the road to the Sphere. Listen and subscribe: Website: https://www.50for50.net Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50

His label told him the album had no hits on it. He cried, almost quit music for design school, and released it anyway — and Continuum went on to sell over 5 million copies and become the record that made John Mayer a serious artist instead of just a hitmaker. Garrett Gonzales and Mike Joseph trace Mayer's path from a Berklee dropout busking in Atlanta to a 7-time Grammy winner, running through his full discography — sales and certifications for every album from Room for Squares through Sob Rock — before getting into the parts of his story that have nothing to do with the music: the Jessica Simpson and Taylor Swift tabloid years, the 2010 Playboy and Rolling Stone interviews that set off a years-long public backlash, and three of his biggest hits that won Grammys and topped charts, only to get torn apart by critics (and by St. Vincent) years later. From there it's a full Continuum deep dive — how John Mayer Trio bandmates Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino helped build the album after Mayer's label flatly rejected it, studio stories from Memphis's Royal Studios, a track-by-track breakdown, and the three Grammys it won. The episode closes with his touring history, Dead & Company, and the road to his solo Sphere residency in spring 2027 — reuniting the exact trio that made Continuum in the first place — plus Grammy Redux, our Dream Collaborator pick, and Tiers ranking every studio album. Listen and subscribe: Website: https://www.50for50.net Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50

Debbie Allen spent over a decade trying to get this made. On this episode of The Cool Check-In, hosts Garrett Gonzales and Mike Joseph break down Netflix's A Different World revival — a sequel series following Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert's daughter at Hillman College — and dig into exactly how it got here, who's in it, and what actually happens in the first two episodes. In this episode: The origin story — Debbie Allen pushing for a revival since 2012, Netflix quietly developing it starting in 2024, the rare pilot order, and a premiere date timed to the exact 39th anniversary of the originalThe cast breakdown — eleven original actors back as real recurring characters (not just cameos), plus new lead Maleah Joi Moon as Deborah Wayne and a stacked new supporting cast including Method Man and Tichina ArnoldA full recap of Episodes 1 & 2 — the roommate and ex-boyfriend drama that kicks things off, and the $100 million financial scandal that suddenly makes Dwayne Wayne's new job as interim president the real engine of the season New episodes of The Cool Check-In drop regularly — subscribe for our takes. Website: https://www.50for50.net Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50

Before Ctrl ever came out, SZA was the only woman on a label full of rappers, quietly building a catalog nobody outside TDE was paying attention to. Garrett Gonzales and Mike Joseph trace SZA's real origin story — a religiously blended New Jersey upbringing, a near-quit before Ctrl ever got made, and her signing as the first (and for years only) woman on Top Dawg Entertainment's roster — before digging into the three overlooked mixtapes, See.SZA.Run, S, and Z, that built her reputation years before her debut album existed. From there it's a full Ctrl track-by-track and a Ctrl vs. SOS sound comparison — how Ctrl's hazy, focused neo-soul gave way to SOS's much bigger, genre-hopping sprawl, including a surprising classic-R&B streak on "Snooze" with Babyface that traces straight back to Luther Vandross and the Quiet Storm era. Garrett and Mike also run through her best collaborations, from Kendrick Lamar's "Luther" — which just won Record of the Year at the Grammys — to "All the Stars" and Doja Cat's "Kiss Me More." The episode closes with a Grammy Redux covering two decade-defining snubs and the Record of the Year win that finally broke through, plus the Dream Collaborator pick for this one. Listen and subscribe: Website: https://www.50for50.net Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50

Garrett and Mike build their individual Top 5 Usher songs and put four more to the Rock With It or Stop With It test. Garrett's list: "U Remind Me" at No. 1, then "Yeah!," "U Got It Bad," "U Don't Have to Call," and "Will Work for Love" rounding it out — with plenty of other contenders (including "Burn," "Hey Daddy," "There Goes My Baby," "Hard II Love," "You Make Me Wanna...," and "My Way") getting a mention along the way. Then it's Rock With It or Stop With It on "Love in This Club," "OMG," "My Boo," and "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" — checking which of Usher's 2000s-into-2010s hits still hold up today. This episode pairs with our full Confessions deep dive, where we cover Usher's origin story, the making of the album, and the 8701/Napster leak story. Website: https://www.50for50.net Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50

He was a nine-year-old in a Chattanooga church choir, a 15-year-old whose debut album nearly got him dropped, and — after Puffy Combs personally put him through a Bad Boy finishing school — one of the only artists with No. 1 hits in three consecutive decades. This week we trace Usher's whole arc: the Star Search discovery, the Jermaine Dupri partnership that built My Way, the Napster leak that forced a total rebuild of 8701, and the very public collapse of his relationship with TLC's Chilli that became the emotional fuel for the album that made him a legend. Then it's the deep dive on Confessions itself: the studio stories behind "Yeah!" (built from a beat that got scooped by Petey Pablo days before Usher could use it), "Burn," and "My Boo" (which Usher reportedly hated on first listen, and which was almost recorded with Beyoncé instead of Alicia Keys) — plus the real story behind "Confessions Part II," which, according to co-writer Jermaine Dupri, isn't actually about Usher's life at all. Plus the trivia (a first-week sales record, a Stevie Wonder harmonica cameo, a $44 million lawsuit), Album Tiers across the full discography, a Grammy Redux on Usher's eight wins and the Album of the Year trophy that's somehow still missing, and our Dream Collaborator pick — Michael Jackson, and the real recording session with T-Pain that fell apart over one leaked reference track. Listen and watch: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj More from the show: https://www.50for50.net/

We're ranking Biggie's catalog — but first, our Dream Collaborator: Nas, and the "Gimme the Loot" remix verse that almost happened. Nas was booked for the session and it fell apart for the most Nas reason imaginable — as he told The Breakfast Club in 2020, "I got too high." It's the closest thing hip-hop had to a heavyweight unification match that never got made. From there it's Rock With It or Stop With It, testing whether "Miss U" and "Going Back to Cali" still hold up. Then we get into our Top 5 Biggie songs, with tracks like Hypnotize, Warning, Juicy, Mo Money Mo Problems, Who Shot Ya, I Got a Story to Tell, and Victory all in the conversation as we build our individual lists and defend every pick. Listen and watch: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj

He was an honor-roll kid from Fulton Street who dealt crack out of necessity, got discovered through a magazine column, and became — in a recording career that lasted barely three years — one of the two or three greatest rappers who ever lived. This week we trace the whole arc: Christopher Wallace's Brooklyn origin story and the Source "Unsigned Hype" break that led Puffy Combs to him, the Tupac friendship that curdled into the defining rivalry of '90s hip-hop, the marriage to Faith Evans, the car accident that left him with a cane, and the murder that cut it all short sixteen days before Life After Death hit shelves. Then it's the deep dive on the album itself: the studio stories behind "Hypnotize," "Kick in the Door," "Ten Crack Commandments," and "Notorious Thugs," a track-by-track walk through both discs, and the trivia that still gives us chills — an album cover shot in a graveyard six weeks before his death, the largest jump to No. 1 in Billboard 200 history, and his status as the first artist ever to land two posthumous No. 1 singles. Plus Album Tiers across his full discography, a Grammy Redux on the single most damning stat in the episode (four nominations, zero wins — in life or posthumously), and GG's hot take on what happens to Jay-Z's career if Biggie lives. Listen and watch: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj More from the show: https://www.50for50.net/

We're ranking Madonna's catalog. This week's Top 5 spans four decades of hits — Vogue, Dress You Up, Into the Groove, and Papa Don't Preach are all in the conversation — as we build our individual lists and defend every pick. Before that: Rock With It or Stop With It, putting five more Madonna classics to the test — Like a Virgin, 4 Minutes, Who's That Girl, Justify My Love, and Ray of Light — to see which still hold up and which haven't aged well. Listen and watch: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj More from the show: https://www.50for50.net/

Before she was the Queen of Pop, she was a 19-year-old with $35 in her pocket and one piece of advice from her dance teacher, Christopher Flynn: go to New York. This week we trace Madonna's entire arc — the club DJ, Jellybean Benitez, who turned a demo nobody else wanted into "Holiday," the song that actually broke her; the MTV era that made her a phenomenon, from the "Madonna wannabe" look flooding every mall in America to the 1984 VMA performance of "Like a Virgin" that almost ended her career and instead detonated it; and her movie career, anchored by a full deep dive on Desperately Seeking Susan. In this episode, we get into: Her real origin story: Christopher Flynn, the move to NYC with $35 to her name, and how Jellybean Benitez ended up producing "Holiday"The MTV era, from the "Madonna wannabe" look to the legendary 1984 VMA "Like a Virgin" performanceHer movie career, anchored by a deep dive on Desperately Seeking SusanThe full Confessions on a Dance Floor breakdown: the ABBA sample she had to personally write a letter to Sweden for, the DJ-mix album structure, and the Kabbalah controversy over "Isaac"A Grammy Redux that exposes just how thin her trophy case is next to her actual impact (7 wins off 28 nominations — zero for Album, Record, or Song of the Year)Our Dream Collaborator, Album Tiers, and GG's hot takeListen and watch: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj More from the show: https://www.50for50.net/

Ne-Yo just went independent, planted a flag in Nashville, and dropped his most surprising album yet. Highway 79 — his tenth studio album, out now via Compound Entertainment — pairs his R&B pedigree with genuine Nashville songwriting royalty (Luke Laird, Charles Kelley of Lady A, BRELAND, Rhett Akins, Chuck Harmony, Tayla Parx). He's careful to call it "country-inspired," not a country album, and the title itself is personal: a nod to his 1979 birth year and to Highway 79, a real road through his native Arkansas. In this Cool Check-In, we get into: How Ne-Yo went from a #184 Billboard debut with 2022's Self Explanatory to a #1 R&B-chart album by leaving the major-label system entirelyWhy an R&B legend recording in Nashville with Lady A's Charles Kelley isn't as random as it soundsWhat "inspired by country" actually sounds like on the record Whether you've been following Ne-Yo since "So Sick" or you just heard he's out here line-dancing to "Ms. Tundra," this one's worth the check-in. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50 More from the show: https://www.50for50.net/ Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj

Long before A Seat at the Table made her a Grammy winner, Solange was ghostwriting for her sister, touring as a Destiny's Child backup dancer, and getting married at 17 to her son's father. On this episode of 50 for 50, hosts Garrett Gonzales and Mike Joseph trace that whole path — the early Solo Star and Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams years, her independent turn with the True EP, and the family history in New Iberia, Louisiana that would later shape her most acclaimed work. From there, Garrett and Mike dig into A Seat at the Table itself: a nearly decade-long gestation that includes "Cranes in the Sky," a song Solange wrote in 2008 after a breakup and didn't finish until eight years later. They cover the making of the record with executive producer Raphael Saadiq, the spoken-word interludes from Master P and Solange's own parents, a full track-by-track breakdown, and the milestone that made Solange and Beyoncé the first pair of sisters to each land a #1 Billboard album in the same calendar year. The back half covers Solange's Grammy history — a single career nomination that happens to be a win, and a snub story that might be one of the starkest this show has covered — plus the hosts' Hot Takes and a look at who Solange has actually collaborated with versus who she should. Listen and subscribe: Website: https://www.50for50.net Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50

George Michael's catalog spans solo albums, Wham!'s full run, and a long list of one-off duets, so narrowing it down to five songs apiece is no easy task. On this episode of 50 for 50, hosts Garrett Gonzales and Mike Joseph each bring their Top 5 George Michael songs to the table and defend their picks — a mix that spans "One More Try," "I Want Your Sex," "They Won't Go When I Go," "Careless Whisper," "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)," "Freedom! '90," and more. From there, the guys run a "Rock With It, Stop With It" round pulling deep cuts from both George Michael's solo catalog and Wham!'s discography — the songs that hold up versus the ones that haven't aged as well. The episode closes with a real conversation about George Michael's death: the coroner's finding of dilated cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, and a fatty liver, and just how much his health had actually deteriorated in the years before, from a near-fatal bout of pneumonia in 2011 through a string of hospital stays that followed. This episode pairs with our full Faith deep dive, where Garrett and Mike cover George Michael's entire career: the Wham! years, the making of Faith, the Grammy history, and a full track-by-track dive on the album itself. Listen and subscribe: Website: https://www.50for50.net Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50

Long before Faith made him a solo superstar, George Michael was the shy new kid at Bushey Meads School who fell in with a classmate named Andrew Ridgeley. On this episode of 50 for 50, hosts Garrett Gonzales and Mike Joseph trace that whole path — a teenage ska band called The Executive, the meteoric rise of Wham! with Fantastic and Make It Big, the duo's historic 1985 tour of China, and the amicable split that closed out with "The Final" at Wembley Stadium in 1986. From there, Garrett and Mike dig into Faith itself: recorded largely in Denmark for privacy, written and produced almost entirely by George Michael himself, and packed with seven singles — including four #1 hits, a feat matched at the time only by Michael Jackson's Bad. They cover the making of the record, the censorship fight over "I Want Your Sex," studio stories from the musicians who were actually in the room (including the Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis remix that reshaped "Monkey"), and a full track-by-track breakdown. The back half covers George Michael's Grammy history — the Faith Album of the Year win and the surprising snubs that followed — plus a look at his real-life collaborations with Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Queen, Whitney Houston, and more, and the debate over who his ideal dream collaborator would have been. Listen and subscribe: Website: https://www.50for50.net Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50

Justin Timberlake's solo catalog spans six albums and two decades, so narrowing it down to five songs apiece is no easy task. On this episode of 50 for 50, hosts Mike Joseph and Garrett Gonzales each bring their Top 5 Justin Timberlake songs to the table and defend their picks — a mix that spans "SummerLove," "Mirrors," "Love Never Felt So Good," "Rock Your Body," "Not a Bad Thing," "Can't Stop the Feeling!," "Cry Me a River," "Until the End of Time," "Suit & Tie," and "My Love." It's less a definitive ranking and more a real argument about what actually makes a Timberlake song great — the Timbaland-and-Danja futurism of the FutureSex/LoveSounds era, the Neptunes' funk-pop chemistry, or the raw vocal moments that don't need a big beat to land. Mike and Garrett also run through the songs that just missed their lists, and — because no Justin Timberlake conversation is complete without it — each names his favorite *NSYNC song. This episode pairs with our full Man of the Woods deep dive, where Mike and Garrett cover Timberlake's entire career: the *NSYNC years, the Justin-vs-JC Chasez solo race, the Pharrell/Timbaland production breakdown, and a full track-by-track dive on Man of the Woods itself. Listen and subscribe: Website: https://www.50for50.net Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/50-for-50-life-music-friendship/id1857746432 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ADmN7bp4fXQzAZsnSuFQj YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50_For_50