"Drink Champs" Podcast: Their Best Interviews

The Drink Champs podcast is known for two things: big guests and long interviews. Hosted by DJ EFN and N.O.R.E., the series began in 2016. Nowadays, most people watch the interviews on YouTube, but the audio version is on streaming services, too. When guests come to Drink Champs, clips of the interviews often go viral. This can be because they lead to other discussions surrounding the person or because of information revealed during the interview. In some adverse cases, an episode goes viral because of how the interview was conducted. These situations typically involve N.O.R.E. Given the podcast's name, guests are encouraged to sip or take shots during the discussion. This gets them to “loosen up” and often leads to controversial moments. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best interviews from the show.

The Drink Champs podcast has had artists from all generations on it. Snoop Dogg is an artist that has been relevant his entire career. He entered the rap scene as a pioneer in the West Coast rap scene but nowadays can be found doing a show and commercials with Martha Stewart. Because of his length in the game, Snoop has met various artists. These include ones from his generation and ones from the current batch of artists. In his interview, he tells a story about a situation from someone from his generation - Nas. In the story, he speaks about a rather traumatic event that happened to him and his involvement with it. It’s always interesting to hear celebrity figures share tales about interactions with other figures, but it can be chilling to hear about situations like this one.

The Drink Champs podcast regularly has guests from the past generation on it. However, these artists are hailed as legends in their field. Due to their age, they may have retracted from regularly putting out music but have entered other entrepreneurial ventures. At the time of this interview, E-40 was still active in both lanes. During his appearance, he shares stories about Tupac and Biggie. He also weaves in advice for reaching financial prosperity. Naturally, this is advice that comes from his own experiences. This interview is easily a very informal one as the drinks are flowing the entire time. Supporters from E-40’s generation have praised the interview for that aspect of it. Fans admired the conversational feeling of it and how it highlights the authenticity of the relationship between him and N.O.R.E.

The Drink Champs podcast is not just for rap artists. When they expand beyond that world, they still bring in legendary guests. Patti LaBelle is an icon many people respect as an artist and a person. She’s maintained her class her entire career and knows she has nothing left to prove. And the class continued during her interview. When she arrived, they had a red carpet laid out for her. She brought her own wine class that had custom lavender jewels on it. The first thing she talked about was her new phone and the issues she was having with it. Having all of this in the opening moments was a testament to her class and her age in the best and purest way. As the interview continued, she shared stories of her interactions with figures ranging from Richard Pryor to Pharrell. 

The Drink Champs podcast has had legends from several eras of rap. On this episode, they took it back to '90s east coast hip-hop with their guests, A Tribe Called Quest. At the time of the interview, member Phife Dawg had already passed away. Naturally, both Q-Tip and Jarobi White paid their respects and shared stories of their time with him. They shared a behind-the-scenes tale from when Lupe Fiasco forgot their lyrics during a tribute to them at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors in 2007. Many people remember this as “Fiascogate.” They also told an interesting story about Pharrell and how he connected with them - and was almost on Midnight Marauders. Busta Rhymes also appeared and let listeners know how far back his connection with The Tribe goes. Consequence and DJ Scratch were also on this episode.

Benny is one of two Griselda members that have been on the Drink Champs podcast. He, along with Conway The Machine and Westside Gunn, started The Griselda Movement. This is their revival of gritty lyric-based hip hop. The three original members being a part of an independent label was a big deal, too. Therefore, it was surprising to fans when Benny signed with Def Jam. He spoke on this in the interview and doubled down on it by saying Westside Gunn (the founder of Griselda Records) was proud of him for making that move. He also speaks on working with Drake, linking with Kanye West, and a myriad of other topics related to his continually ascending career. Many of these moments also harkened back to who he is and how he has been carrying himself for years.

This was Pusha T’s second appearance on the Drink Champs podcast. Some people were introduced to him during his Clipse era with his brother Malice. Others were introduced to him as a solo artist once he signed with G.O.O.D Music. Naturally, this interview focused on his more recent years, but he also touched on things from his past. He spoke about his album, It’s Almost Dry, which was half-produced by Pharrell.

Furthermore, Pharrell and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes are a big part of his development, and he also spoke about them. Perhaps the most interesting story was his involvement with the McDonald’s “I’m Lovin It” jingle and his “diss track” with Arby’s. Listeners have praised this interview for the behind-the-scenes info on the album that was a follow-up to what many have called his best solo work.

Pharrell was a guest on the Drink Champs podcast with a wealth of information to share. Since we already mentioned him twice in this list, it’s only fitting we highlight his appearance on the show. Throughout all of his stories, Pharrell’s humble personality shines through. Many know how many people he has worked with, but hearing him talk about it was quite exciting for viewers. His understated energy is a significant contrast to N.O.R.E’s, but this doesn’t stop the interview from being informative. Another Virginia native and collaborator, Fam-Lay, also joined him. Viewers celebrated this conversation because it captured many events in the megaproducer’s legacy in one sitting. Who were some of your favorite guests on Drink Champs? Let us know in the comments section.

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