Accolades

In episode 63 I talk to Skyzoo about Eugene McDaniels, an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with Bad Boy. After leaving the label in 1999, they signed a joint venture deal between Interscope and Ruff Ryders. He is currently signed to Def Jam and D-Block. Jadakiss' debut solo album, Kiss Tha Game Goodbye, was released in 2001. He has released three more solo studio albums, another album with the Lox, and an album with fellow rapper Fabolous. In 2007, Jadakiss signed with Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam, which, with Ruff Ryders, co-released his 2009 album The Last Kiss. Altogether, he has released five studio albums, most recently Ignatius in 2020.

In episode 62 I talk to Natalie McGhee (Comfort) about Audre Lorde, an African-American writer, womanist, radical feminist, professor, and civil rights activist. She was a self-described "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet," who "dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing injustices of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia."

As a poet, she is well known for technical mastery and emotional expression, as well as her poems that express anger and outrage at civil and social injustices she observed throughout her life. As a spoken word artist, her delivery has been called powerful, melodic, and intense by the Poetry Foundation. Her poems and prose largely deal with issues related to civil rights, feminism, lesbianism, illness and disability, and the exploration of black female identity.

In episode 61 I talk to Takiaya Reed (Divide And Dissolve) about Osa Atoe, an artist, teacher, and ceramicist operating Pottery by Osa, producing small-batch handmade ceramics. Currently residing in Sarasota, Florida, Osa previously lived in Portland, OR and New Orleans, where she primarily made Shotgun Seamstress.

In episode 60 I talk to Rachid Fakhre (Spang Sisters) about Eugene McDaniels, an indelible stamp on the face of modern music. His career as an artist, songwriter, and producer not only spanned decades and genres, but entire generations, weaving its way through the work of fellow artists, often marking their successes as well as taking its own trailblazing path.

Eugene McDaniels always arrived in the first wave - seeking then finding new, and sometimes strange, territories. He will always be known as one of the pioneers, wherever his work and words take him. Even from its inception, his career was destined to rattle the establishment. His first Billboard hits as Gene McDaniels, “A Hundred Pounds of Clay,” and “Tower of Strength,” shot to the Billboard Top 10 on the mainstream pop charts in an era where music by black artists was relegated to “race music.”

A decade after his initial successes, Eugene planted a flag for the emerging black consciousness movement, reclaiming his name, his identity as an artist, and declaring a new purpose for the socially explosive Outlaw and Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse albums.

In episode 59 I talk to Francesca Brierley aka heka about Philip Glass, an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimalism, being built up from repetitive phrases and shifting layers. Glass describes himself as a composer of "music with repetitive structures", which he has helped evolve stylistically.

Glass founded the Philip Glass Ensemble, with which he still performs on keyboards. He has written fifteen operas, numerous chamber operas and musical theatre works, fourteen symphonies, twelve concertos, nine string quartets and various other chamber music, and several film scores. Three of his film scores have been nominated for an Academy Award.

In episode 58 I talk to James Cox (Crows) about Patsy Cline, an American singer. She is considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century and was one of the first country music artists to cross over into pop music. Cline had several major hits during her eight-year recording career, including two number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country and Western Sides chart.

In episode 57 I talk to Courtney Marie Andrews about Lucinda Williams, an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She recorded her first two albums: Ramblin' on My Mind (1979) and Happy Woman Blues (1980), in a traditional country and blues style that received critical praise but little public or radio attention. In 1988, she released her third album, Lucinda Williams, to widespread critical acclaim. Widely regarded as "an Americana classic", the album also features "Passionate Kisses", a song later recorded by Mary Chapin Carpenter for her 1992 album Come On Come On, which garnered Williams her first Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1994. Known for working slowly, Williams' fourth album; Sweet Old World, appeared four years later in 1992. Sweet Old World was met with further critical acclaim, and was voted the 11th best album of 1992 in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of prominent music critics. Robert Christgau, the poll's creator, ranked it 6th on his own year-end list, later writing that the album, as well as Lucinda Williams, were "gorgeous, flawless, brilliant".

In episode 54 I talk to Zach Choy from Crack Cloud about Gene Clark, an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds.He was the Byrds' principal songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, writing most of the band's best-known originals from this period, including "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better", "She Don't Care About Time", "Eight Miles High" and "Set You Free This Time". Although he did not achieve commercial success as a solo artist, Clark was in the vanguard of popular music during much of his career, prefiguring developments in such disparate subgenres as psychedelic rock, baroque pop, newgrass, country rock, and alternative country. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a member of the Byrds.

In episode 55 I talk to Shad about k-os, a Canadian alternative rapper, singer, songwriter and producer. His given name may also be cited as Kheaven, a spelling he later adopted.

In episode 54 I talk to Billy Nomates about BC Camplight, an American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His 2005 album Hide, Run Away was released by One Little Indian and featured Cynthia G. Mason on vocals. Camplight's follow up, Blink of a Nihilist, was released in 2007. The third album came out in January 2015 on Bella Union. Christinzio's later lyrics regularly explore his personal life and self-destructive tendencies, including struggles with depression and alcohol.