Feel the Void

When a legend reaches out to you, you take it seriously. I share a story about the time Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers sent me an email, and it wasn't because he loved what I was doing.

The Arsonists were an underground hip-hop super group in the late 90s that had a huge influence on me as an emcee and artist. I share a story from my adolescence that has had an impact on me ever since.

The Buffalo Bills are set to build a new stadium, much of it paid for by taxpayers. Why have a billionaire, or any individual, own a sports team? Why have billionaires at all?

For the 10th episode, I bring on a guest by the name of DFRNTFRM, co-founder of Surface Level Records, longtime friend and certified dope musician, to discuss the pros and cons of streaming vs. ownership.

Neil Young was accused of being anti-free speech, but is there more to the story than meets your tweet? Kanye West is over the "oppressive system," which makes it harder for artists to eat, but he wants fans to fork over $200. What really is the solution that's being overlooked when it comes to equity for musicians and fans alike? Let's dive into it.

There were a host of great cameos during October's Verzuz battle between Big Daddy Kane & KRS-One. To wrap this year up, I spend this episode celebrating my favorite one: KRS-One on stage with the legendary Das EFX, with a particular focus on their classic collaboration, "Represent the Real Hip-Hop", which appeared on both KRS-One's eponymous album and Das EFX's album Hold it Down (1995).

 Juvenile blew up in the late 1990s with the release of "Ha," but purists like myself held their nose. Years later, I understand and appreciate the song. In this episode, I delve into the connection between the track, Juvenile's hip-hop and the soul of blues music.

 George W. Bush left the office of the presidency in January of 2009 with a very low approval rating. Thanks to the mainstream media, he's gone on a rehab tour to recover from his low favorability wounds. This episode is a brief diatribe against his crimes in Iraq and the corporate media's refusal to treat his lies as lies, and instead label his invasion of Iraq as simply a mistake.

KRS-ONE is a household name in the world of hip hop, a larger than life pioneer from hip-hop’s Golden Era dating back to the 1980s, and there are plenty of articles and podcasts centered around his most influential and important songs, both as a solo artist and as the emcee for BDP, some of which include “MCs Act Like They Don’t Know” (1995), “My Philosophy” (1988), “Step Into a World” (1997) and, of course, the breakout track “The Bridge is Over” (1987).

This episode instead focuses on his use of the literary device repetition. We'll take a look at his 30+ year career and examine his use of the writing strategy as I encourage educators to study his poetry in the classroom.

As the western United States burns up with over 70 forest fires in 13 states, and Germany deals with the aftermath of devastating floods, the world's richest man, not counting Vladimir Putin, rocketed himself up to outer space for 10 minutes at a cost of of $2.5 million every sixty seconds.