AirGo

DJ Oreo is like the mayor of Chicago's cool kids, if the mayor was a backflipper who DJs around the world rather than a neoliberal despot intent on lining his buddies' pockets. The current DJ for beaded wonder Lil' Yachty, Oreo has been at the Chicago's hip hop and footworking scenes for years. He's the founder of Oreofest, an irregular and surreal pop-up hip hop festival in the city.

Recorded live 2/3/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago

Music from this week's show:

I Can Feel It - DJ Rashad & DJ Spinn

DJ Rashad (Never Letting Go) - Roman Flowers

Xavier Ramey walks through the different worlds of Chicago with a grace, humor, and devotion rarely experienced. A North Lawndale native, he currently works at UChicago teaching students how to build organizations, structures, and companies that work to address harm and inequality. A Louder Than A Bomb kid turned commodities trader turned mentor and activist, Xavier is a core member of the #LetUsBreathe Collective and is a photographer. He also makes more corny jokes than Daniel does–it's documented.

Recorded live 1/26/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago

Music from this week's show:

Sirens - @AdrianYounge

Leor Galil's work is some of the most thoughtful and writing about the city's creative renaissance. The music writer for the Chicago Reader, Leor grounds his features in the stories, neighborhoods, and sounds of the city with an open ear and a dedication to honest relationship with his subject. He also hosts the new Red Bull Music Academy radio show The Deepest Dish, which has already featured quite a few AirGo alumni.

Recorded live 1/19/2017 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago

Music from this week's show:

HiiiPower - @kendricklamar

Evening's Kiss - @willisearlbeal

We've all heard "conscious" rappers preach their asses off in a song that nobody wants to hear–the onslaught of big words and holier-than-thou declarations can be exhausting. David Ellis' autotuned bars reverberate with a catchiness that help his thoughtful, loving ideas shine through clearly and without pretense. The other half of duo FYI (Fuck Yo Institution) with AirGo alum Ric Wilson, he's also an organizer and activist across the city, especially involved in the fight to save Chicago State University.

Recorded live 1/12/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago

Music from this week's show:

Kinda A Big Deal (feat. Kanye West) - The Clipse

BLK Crack - @DavidEllis00

Budget or Else - @DavidEllis00

Liberation - @DavidEllis00

Lester Rey is a singer and musician whose unflinching and infectious creations remold and reimagine in the spirit of boogaloo, overlapping the edges and sounds from Puerto Rico, across Latin America, and his home city of Chicago. His most recent project, entitled PROMESA, is a fierce and loving reflection based off the passage of the PROMESA Act, passed this past summer, which placed governance of the island under the control of a Congressionally-appoint board and continues the colonial violence enacted by the U.S. on Puerto Rico.

Catch Lester performing 1/14, presented by AMFM and The Dojo: https://www.facebook.com/events/1239081902847780/

Music from this week's show:

Got Myself a Good Man - Pucho and his Latin Soul Brothers

Promesa - @lesterreymusic

Coqui - @lesterreymusic

DJ, curator, creator, radio-maker, and teacher Rae Chardonnay is one of the best vibe-creators and party-builders in the city of Chicago. Voted the best DJ in Chicago by the Reader, she is one of the cofounders of the remarkable Party Noire, alongside AirGo alum Lauren Ash and Nick Alder. If you haven't been to this remarkable celebration of Black Joy, make sure you come through the Party Noire Black Metropolis New Year's Eve celebration.

Recorded live 12/15/16 at WHPK in Chicago

Music from this week's show:

Here - @ericlaumusic

Acid Rain (@chancetherapper x @kanyewest) - DJ Critical Hype and DJ Clyde

Saggy Denim (feat. @wikset) - @destiny-frasqueri

DJ, curator, creator, radio-maker, and teacher Rae Chardonnay is one of the best vibe-creators and party-builders in the city of Chicago. Voted the best DJ in Chicago by the Reader, she is one of the cofounders of the remarkable Party Noire, alongside AirGo alum Lauren Ash and Nick Alder. If you haven't been to this remarkable celebration of Black Joy, make sure you come through the Party Noire Black Metropolis New Year's Eve celebration.

Recorded live 12/15/16 at WHPK in Chicago

Music from this week's show:

Here - @ericlaumusic

Acid Rain (@chancetherapper x @kanyewest) - DJ Critical Hype and DJ Clyde

Saggy Denim (feat. @wikset) - @destiny-frasqueri

Because of a last-minute cancellation, Damon and Daniel take the opportunity to check in with each other and share some ideas and stories, from sphinxes to imagining new futures to Daniel's contentious dilemma about a moose antler.

Recorded live 12/8/16 at WHPK 88.5FM

Music from this week's show:

I Need to Know - @kanyewest

Cha Cha - @BigbabyDRAM

Zombies (feat. @karifaux) - @childishgambino

Stranger - Paul Simon, @donnietrumpet, @alldayrecess

Sir The Baptist is a preacher's son, rapper, and singer who is reimagining what it means to celebrate one's faith in public and in one's art. Born and raised in Bronzeville, he embraces challenging hypocrisy of the church as part of his religious practice, all while compelling folks to dance in celebration. He has recently performed at Afropunk, the Made in America festival, and the Tidal Showcase at the Barclays Center.

Recorded live 12/1/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago

Music from this week's show:

Open The Door - @FKJ-2

Raise Hell - @sirthebaptist

What We Got - @sirthebaptist

Creflo (Almighty Dollar) - @sirthebaptist

This week's episode shares some of the voices, stories, and experiences of the Standing Rock occupation on indigenous land in North Dakota. First, Daniel and AirGo alum Kristiana Colón discuss their experience visiting last weekend. Then, we share three audio portraits by the podcast series "Voices of Standing Rock," produced by Bo Hakala and Bill Prouty.

Hear "Voices of Standing Rock" here: https://www.facebook.com/voicesofstandingrock/

Follow Oceti Sakowin camp: https://www.facebook.com/OcetiSakowinCamp

All music from this episode is by A Tribe Called Red, a group of First Nations DJs and producers. Learn more about the group: atribecalledred.com