this episode of #inthemix features music from — little simz, camille safiya, mic blaque, and moi — shoom isaacs.

our special guest —

steve stoute (@stevestoute) — business mogul, advertising & marketing guru, former music executive, and author of "The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture That Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy". Stoute’s reputation for revolutionizing the relationship between global brands and superstar musicians has been praised by both Forbes Magazine and bloomberg businessweek .

stoute's latest venture -- the debut of "tanning of america: one nation under hip-hop" — a vh1 roc doc based on his 2011 book — featuring never-before-seen footage and interviews with rick rubin, dr. dre, nas, jimmy iovine and more.

the first part of the four-part series made it’s debut on vh1 monday, february 24th and explores how hip-hop has become the dominant force in American culture -- what stoute calls “tanning” -- and how it plays a role not just in entertainment, but in politics and civil rights.

listen as we touch on some current examples of tanning , what our culture means to corporate america, what record labels are looking for now vs 10 years ago, and more.

and for the icing on the cake —

reginal thomas (@reginalthomas) with barbershop talk.

this episode’s original sample from shoom’s (@_shoom) crates — the moment’s — "what’s your name" — http://bit.ly/OHf6tj

--tracklist —

Little Simz (@littlesimz) — Marilyn Monroe ft. Chuck20 & Remus — http://bit.ly/NzUbat

Camille Safiya (@CamilleSafiya) — 40 oz. Dreams & $1.50 Dutchie — http://bit.ly/1fuiNYk

Mic Blaque (@MicBlaque) — Vehicle Music — http://bit.ly/1dFo67n

Shoom Isaacs (@_shoom) — This Crazy Life — http://bit.ly/1cd0X1n

questions, comments, feedback, interview inquires -- [email protected]