Fire In Little Africa Podcast

Young DV is a rapper and entrepreneur from Tulsa. Known for his deep voice and lyricism, DV has been a fixture of the Tulsa hip-hop scene since 2013. A member of the World Culture Music collective, DV’s 2019 album Cheyenne Park Radio solidified him as one of the town’s top emcees and he has only kept his foot on the gas since that release. Already in 2020 he has released two full-length projects on streaming services, No Pressure and We Just Livin’, and his new project Landshark hits streaming this Friday, Sept. 18.

In this episode, DV meets up with Doc and Ali to talk about DV’s grind and being one of the hardest working rappers in Tulsa. They discuss his prolific 2020 releases and what he has in store for the future. And they discuss the #FireInLittleAfrica recording weekend and a particularly special session that took place in the basement of the Skyline Mansion.

Songs featured in this episode: The Truest (1:02), The Grind (25:51), Haters Mad (45:37) and Born Widdit (1:06:36). 

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Ray June is a rapper, singer, entrepreneur from Oklahoma City. While his music is a progressive blend of rap and r&b, Ray makes his mark on Oklahoma City community with more than just the music. His non-profit Swat Meet Inc. creates programs for kids in the areas of music production, educational development, recreational development and more.

In this episode Ray connects with Doc and Ali via Zoom to discuss his journey as an artist and entrepreneur. They discuss the impact his non-profit is having in the OKC area, and how he uses his music as a tool to uplift and inspire. Finally they talk about the #FireInLittleAfrica sessions and his experience getting to work closely with some of his favorite Tulsa artists like T-Mase.

Songs featured: Bounce (1:28), Move (26:09), Flight 1143 (44:18) and No Breaks (1:11:09). 

To learn more about Swat Meet, visit https://www.swatmeetinc.org

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To learn more about Fire In Little Africa: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify

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Dr. Tiffany Crutcher is a community leader and justice advocate who served as the senior campaign advisor for the Greg Robinson for Tulsa Mayor campaign. Dr. Crutcher founded the Terence Crutcher Foundation after her twin brother was murdered by Tulsa police in 2016. The mission of the Terence Crutcher Foundation is “to engage the community, law enforcement, and policymakers in creating and sustaining an approach to prevent, identify and address issues of inequity pertaining to minority communities in Tulsa, Oklahoma and around the country.”

In this episode, Dr. Crutcher chats with Ali and Doc about the Greg Robinson mayoral campaign and where we go from here in the fight for equity and justice for all. They discuss the @justiceforgreenwood movements and the case for reparations for descendants of the victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre. And of course, they talk about the role Tulsa hip-hop has to play in activism both local and national.

TerenceCrutcherCoundation.org

JusticeForGreenwood.org

Subscribe and leave us a review on Apple podcasts to support the show!

To learn more about Fire In Little Africa: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify

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Keezy Kuts is a rapper, father and entrepreneur from Tulsa. Keezy is also known as Kusher T. Washington and celebrates his love of cannabis in his music, like his 2018 album ‘Meet the Kushers’. He co-founded hip-hop news outlet Indy Pot Media and in 2020 opened his flagship independent barbershop, Keezy’s Pit Stop.

In this episode Keezy chats with Doc and Ali about launching his barbershop business during the pandemic and embodying the Black Wall Street mindset by creating independent businesses and showing support for #BlackOwned. They also discuss his health journey which includes weight loss and an extended hiatus from cannabis, which Keezy recommends to other heavy users. And they discuss his participation in #FireInLittleAfrica and what he took away from the sessions that will stick with him for life.

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Songs featured: Dab Pen (1:28), Nintendo (21:04), Neverland (1:02:33) and Pre-Rolled All Day (1:23:07).

To learn more about Fire In Little Africa: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify

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Yoh Phillips is one of the most talented and well-respected hip-hop journalists in the game. He is a senior writer for @DjBooth, co-host of the Sumn’ to Say podcast and the author of ‘The Best Damn Hip-Hop Writing: The Book of Yoh’. He visited Tulsa in March for our recording sessions and wrote about his experience in a DJ Booth article: “A New Black Consciousness: Is There Music for the Hashtag?”

For episode 20, we wanted to do something special so we sat down with Yoh for an extended conversation about the music industry, hip-hop and all the ways the world has changed since his visit to Tulsa. Not only is Yoh a true student of the game, he is wise beyond his years and he spit wisdom all throughout this episode. We can guarantee you will learn something new in this episode and you will finish it feeling inspired.

Follow Yoh on Twitter here. 

You can purchase Yoh's book, ‘The Best Damn Hip-Hop Writing: The Book of Yoh’ on Amazon.

To learn more about Fire In Little Africa: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify

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Davonte and Krisheena Suarez are a multi-talented married couple who comprise the Suarez Inspired Republic label. Known as one of the top vocal talents in Tulsa, Krisheena studied musical theater and opera at TU and just released her debut R&B project ‘T.Y.S.’ on streaming platforms last month. Davonte aka iamDES is a rapper and entrepreneur originally from Los Angeles known for weaving nostalgia and pop culture references into his music, as on his 2018 album Saturday Morning Cartoons & a Box of Cereal.

In this episode Doc and Ali chat with Krisheena and Des via zoom about music, marriage and maintaining creativity in the pandemic. They discuss the Fire in Little Africa sessions and what makes the Tulsa music scene so special. And they go in depth on Krisheena’s new project and her process of transitioning from the rigid world of opera to the free-flowing creativity of hip-hop and R&B.

Songs featured: Elephants in the Room (1:13), Woman (39:08), In All Your Ways (43:48), Living Single (1:10:13) and Last Dragon Affirmation (1:25:07).

To learn more about Fire In Little Africa: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify

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Sneak the Poet is a filmmaker, rapper, actor and entrepreneur from North Tulsa. Sneak spends most of his time behind the camera documenting the Tulsa hip-hop scene and shooting music videos, including on the #FireInLittleAfrica documentary team. After studying film at The University of Tulsa, Sneak delved into music and released his debut album ‘88 Musik’ in 2016.

In this episode we get into the story of how Sneak went from being a poet and actor from North Tulsa to a filmmaker and rapper. We discuss the influence of eastern spirituality and art on his music and Sneak and Doc Free go deep on their favorite anime films. Finally Sneak talks about being part of the FILA documentary team and what it was like to participate in the project as both a videographer and a rapper.

Songs featured: One For All (0:53), 88 Muzik (19:38), The Struggle (1:04:10) and Spirit Bomb (1:31:06).

To learn more about Fire In Little Africa: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify

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Jerica Wortham is a spoken word artist, author, entrepreneur and project director for the Greenwood Art Project. Jerica created J’Parlé Literary Magazine and J’Parlé Live, which consistently produces some of the best creative events in Oklahoma. She is also an executive producer for the comedy web series Blerds and an organizer of Rush Fest among many other creative, business and community service pursuits.

In this episode Doc and Ali discuss how Jerica is able to balance all of her creative and entrepreneurial pursuits and how she became an artist in the first place. They also dive deep into details on the Greenwood Art Project and what we can expect from the artists associated with it. And they discuss Jerica’s participation in the Fire in Little Africa sessions and how she came to be on a song with Steph Simon, Dialtone, and Ayilla.

You can read more about Jerica in a recent New York Times profile: 'Through Art, I Hope We Can Make One Tulsa'.

You can watch episodes of Blerds at Blerdswebseries.com.

To learn more about Fire In Little Africa: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify

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Parris Chariz is a rapper and singer based in Tulsa. One of the most streamed artists in Tulsa, Parris’ music has racked up millions of plays on Spotify alone. His new album ‘2045’ was released July 17 to rave reviews, and features #FireInLittleAfrica collaborators Chasing Ryan, M.C., and Medisin.

In this episode, recorded remotely via Zoom, Doc and Ali go deep with Parris on how he went from basketball star to rapper and founder of the World 45 artist collective. They talk about his faith in God and why he chooses not to curse in his lyrics, as well as using his music to tackle issues like depression and anxiety. And they get his thoughts on the Fire In Little Africa sessions and what he took away from that experience.

Songs featured on this episode: Static Shock (2:46), Lately (22:29), Die For Me (36:42), Type Mean (58:19) and The Light (1:12:31)

To learn more about Fire In Little Africa: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify

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Malachi Burgess is a producer, drummer, audio engineer, singer and entrepreneur. One of the most respected musicians in all of Tulsa, Malachi is active not only in the Tulsa hip-hop scene but is tapped into Tulsa’s jazz, rock, folk and experimental music scenes as well. When he’s not making music, Malachi is involved in a variety of entrepreneurial pursuits.

In this episode, he sits down with Doc and Ali to discuss his origin story in music as well as his experience as a producer over FILA weekend. Malachi and Doc also talk about the "grieving" process of not being able to perform during the pandemic and about how they draw inspiration from other area artists who are finding new ways to connect with audiences. 

Songs featured on this episode: 2020 Visual (2:23), Girl Girl (19:59), Blackman (43:48) and Gorgeous (1:07:04).

Follow Malachi on Instagram here.

To learn more about Fire In Little Africa: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify

FireInLittleAfrica.com