How is Tupac like Putin? ‘Hood Politics’ draws comparisons, unpacks news, and explores current events
Cool Zone Media and iHeartPodcasts present “Hood Politics with Prop,” a weekly series hosted by rapper/author Propaganda, aka Prop, and his friends. Is politics “gangbanging in nice suits?” How is your eighth grade lunchroom’s seating arrangement similar to navigating the real world? These are the sorts of questions and connections host Propaganda will explore in episodes.
Tune in to tackle current events, politics, and more as Propaganda draws comparisons to everyday events, people, and ideas in the cultural zeitgeist. The podcast’s description states: “If you’ve survived junior high, lived in an urban city, or understand gang life, you can understand geopolitics.” Prop’s goal is to empower listeners to use what they already know to understand more and make concepts more familiar with his engaging – and sometimes funny -presentation of topics.
Stream “Hood Politics with Prop” in any order, although the more recent episodes cover timely concepts and news. On average, episodes run under an hour in length, and you can check out its archive of over 50 episodes. New episodes are posted weekly.
Propaganda is from South Central Los Angeles and has moved around LA for most of his life. Before working on music full-time, Propaganda obtained teaching credentials and taught high schoolers. When he was studying to teach history and social sciences, Prop found himself stumbling over the economics part of the test and thought his “scared money don’t make money” and “don’t spend money you don’t have” mottos were universal. He was still learning the precise textbook terms, even though he understood the concepts behind them. Prop used his previous knowledge and experiences to enhance his learning experience and shares what he’s found in this series.
Episodes break down events like the January 6 insurrection and found similarities to a hood boss giving a green light to an attack. A recent episode explained the legal proceedings, Congress asking Trump’s former employees to come forward with more information, and more. In another episode, Prop says Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy is like Tupac’s stance of “I’m not a killer, but don’t push me.”
Prop explained that when Trump was leaving office, the GOP had to decide to go with the boss or not. Episodes unpack terms and concepts like filibusters, tariffs, ceasefires, trade wars, unions, what it means to “put on,” and more. He unpacked Proxy Wars, likening the scenarios to two rival dads whose sons are on opposing spots teams.
In a recent episode of Podsauce, “Megacorp” host Jake Hanrahan recommended podcasts including “Hood Politics with Prop.” Jake’s podcast is on the same vertical network from iHeartPodcasts and is stoked about the kinds of shows they’re releasing. He also recommended “Unresolved” and “Angry Planet.”
For weekly updates, check out “Hood Politics with Prop” wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.