OAKLAND , CA, UNITED STATES, September 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — A Like Father Like Fun Podcast Episode
Oakland, California, September 14, 2026 — Jimi "ChopMaster J" Dright, the co-founder, original drummer, musician and producer behind Digital Underground, is going public with his perspective in a fresh installment of the Like Father Like Fun podcast, called "The Looting of a Legacy." This segment digs into the group’s story and what ChopMaster J calls persistent attempts by ex-hired musicians and management to exploit or claim a brand they had no hand in building.
Digital Underground was established by ChopMaster J and the late Gregory "Shock G" Jacobs, rising out of the San Francisco Bay Area to become one of hip-hop’s most iconic and influential acts.
According to ChopMaster J, the group’s narrative has increasingly muddied a key separation: the line between those who built Digital Underground from the ground up and the musicians, performers, employees and reps who joined forces with it down the road.
"This isn’t about taking anything away from anybody who contributed to Digital Underground. This is about putting history back in the right place. There is a difference between being hired to perform in a band and being one of the people who founded and created that band." — Jimi "ChopMaster J" Dright
WHO BUILT DIGITAL UNDERGROUND?
"The Looting of a Legacy" walks listeners back to the very start, before the chart-topping singles, the worldwide tours, "The Humpty Dance" and the arrival of 2Pac (Tupac Shakur), who kicked off his career as a dancer and roadie with Digital Underground prior to going solo, along with the ever-changing lineup of musicians and performers tied to the group later on.
ChopMaster J insists those early days are vital for grasping who actually created the organization and who merely took part in it afterward. The episode touches on his worries about former hired members and management presenting themselves in a manner that, from his standpoint, might suggest they speak for Digital Underground as a whole instead of their individual roles within its story.
"Being part of the history does not automatically make someone the owner of the history." — ChopMaster J
HONORING SHOCK G
At the heart of the episode sits ChopMaster J’s bond with his late creative partner and co-founder, Shock G. The two of them laid the musical and artistic groundwork that grew into Digital Underground. For ChopMaster J, safeguarding that past is equally about preserving Shock G’s legacy for what comes next.
"You can honor everybody who contributed without rewriting who founded it. You can acknowledge the musicians, performers, managers and everybody who came through the Underground. But you cannot erase the people who built the Underground in the first place."
WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO REPRESENT THE LEGACY?
This installment poses a broader question that numerous legendary music acts face: what occurs to a band’s identity when its founders pass away, retire or stop performing while other contributors keep using the name? ChopMaster J believes contribution merits recognition, and participation merits recognition, but neither should turn into a claim of founding or authority that never truly existed. The episode urges listeners to distinguish participation from creation and keep an honest record intact for those who follow.
THE LEGACY IS NOT FOR SALE
"The Looting of a Legacy" aims to spark a wider dialogue around ownership, authorship, identity and preservation in hip-hop. ChopMaster J clarifies that he is not looking to wipe anyone out of Digital Underground’s past. Rather, he is pushing back against what he sees as the erasure of the people who brought it to life.
"I’m not asking anybody to erase their contribution. I’m asking them not to erase mine."
When history gets rewritten for financial gain, ChopMaster J labels it precisely what the episode title suggests: the looting of a legacy.
ABOUT CHOPMASTER J
Jimi "ChopMaster J" Dright is a musician, drummer, producer and co-founder of Digital Underground. Working alongside Shock G, he played a key role in shaping the creative base that made Digital Underground one of hip-hop’s most significant and lasting names.
PODCAST INFORMATION
Podcast: Like Father Like Fun
Episode: "The Looting of a Legacy"
Featuring: Digital Underground Co-Founder ChopMaster J & son SOTU (Son Of The Underground)
"Know who built it. Know who was hired. Know the difference."
Bob Hope
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Like Father Like Fun – Episode 008 – Looting Of A Legacy
