For this episode of Exploring Creatives I get the opportunity to chat with singer, songwriter Roberta Lea.  Roberta is the founder of a company that creates music for specific events (ie.. birthdays, weddings, etc..) called Made to Order Music.  Her and I discuss her musical journey and how she came up with the idea for the business and where she'd like to take it in the future.  This was a great conversation and I'm happy to have a chance to share it with you!  Enjoy!  

For this episode, Chef Jason Fullilove gives me a little bit of his time to discuss his journey to become a chef, how he opened up his restaurants, the importance of diversity, and entrepreneurism.  Not typically you'd have to listen to at least 3 different podcasts to get all of this information, but the Chef was kind enough to put it all in one!  Take a listen and peep the knowledge.  Enjoy.  

In this episode I interview Cleveland Native mural Artist Vince Ballentine.  He currently lives in New York and is easily one of the most creative people I know.  We've worked together in the past on several music projects and I've been looking forward to catching up and sharing his story.  His experience with believing in his talent and using his art to speak as an activist is inspirational.  Even if you're not into mural art, I believe that there's definitely something in this episode for everyone.  

Every once in a while I come across a book that literally takes my breath away and Aimee Nezhukumatathil's new release entitled " A World of Wonders"  is certainly on the list.  It's impossible to read this book and not feel that you were with her experiencing life's ups and downs as a person of color growing up in a white society.  I read the first two chapters and was so moved I shared it with my wife.  She read it and was so moved that she bought 10 copies and shared it with some of her best friends for the holidays.  Obviously we weren't the only ones moved, because "A World of Wonders" was just named Barnes and Noble's Book of the Year.  If your 2020 was like my 2020, this is a fantastic way to reset, gain perspective and be thankful for all of the lessons that nature gives us.  Hope you enjoy the conversation as my wife joins me on this conversation with Aimee to dig in a little deeper as to how this project came to be and some of the lessons that she learned in life.

In this episode I do something that we were all told never to do with friends.  I discuss religion, race and politics with a friend.  My friend, Neal Nemeth, is the pastor of Hope Christian Church in Avon, Ohio and was gracious enough to spend some time with me discussing his perspective on these issues and more.  Outside of being a pastor, he's also a father, husband, and a Van Halen fan.  Trust me, this is a conversation you don't want to miss.  

In this episode we go back to 1973 where a band called 24 Carat Black released an album entitled Ghetto:Misfortunes Wealth.  This album was the passion project for Staxx records producer Dale Warren so it's no wonder why this album has been sampled by well known hip hop artists like Pusha T, Jay Z, Nas and others.  What is worth wondering is why this band isn't more well known.  Pitchfork and Vulture contributor, Zach Schonfeld, just wrote a book about the history of the band and was gracious enough to join me for a chat.  Enjoy!!

Welp... it's been fun, but it's time to wrap up the interview with MC Illogic.  In this episode we will delve into what's next on Illogic's list of accomplishments.   Peep the versatility!  

Let's get deep!  In this second part of the interview I have with MC Illogic, we get a lyrical breakdown of some of the tracks on his latest album, "Autopilot".  No need for a thesaurus or Cliff Notes for this one.  Illogic gives us a front seat on how his mind works and his intention behind some of  his most revolutionary lyrics to date.  Peep it! 

Illogic is a veteran MC who is well known for his lyrical depth and delivery.  He has a well chronicled career that consists of more than 9 solo albums released in his more than 20 years of rocking stages.  Despite the fact that he's worked with several well known underground acts like Blueprint, Blockhead, Aesop Rock and others, he decided to take a different approach with his latest release "Autopilot".  "Autopilot" is his first self produced project and lucky for us, he found some time from his busy schedule for a sit down to discuss the project and what makes this one special.  Enjoy!