Good Convo

The journey of Jacob Allen took him from demo versions at the BRIT to tours around the world as Puma Blue: a shape-shifting multi-instrumentalist delving into the depths of romance, heartbreak, and pain. It made him a lo-fi indie darling with millions of streams, but who is Puma Blue in his mid-20s? No longer an insomniac, much more in control of his emotions, and deeply in love from London to Atlanta. Ahead of his debut album In Praise of Shadows, this episode brings Jacob Allen in high-definition like never before: moving through the blue, growing past perception, and leaving the character behind to be who he truly is.

Be it pure fate or by design, Michael always manages to talk with fellow Aquarians during Aquarius Season. This conversation with Love Mansuy is no different, chronicling Love's journey-in-progress as a passionate overthinker with heavy attention to detail. He's Canada-born Haitian from Jersey who grew up infatuated with music, and followed his intuition all the way to L.A., tryna make a way with his partner and their son in tow. To date, he's done it all independently, runs his own company, and got a Wayne feature. This is a dialogue about commitment, divinity, self-belief, and owning one's mistakes. And like we said, these are two Aquarians talking about being Aquarians… so you know the good game's imminent.

This uncut two-hour episode features an intimate portrait of VMP's 2021 Hip Hop ROTM "Killer" Mike Render: rapper, businessman, thinker and debater. Many know him as one-half of Run the Jewels, or from his days in the Dungeon Family, but this episode finds Mike (our guest) giving Michael (our host) a tour through the familial and musical histories behind his critically-acclaimed album R.A.P. Music. But it is not these two Mikes' first encounter... just the first on record. After combing through the album's finer details, the two Mikes engage for a spirited intergenerational debate on the innards of capitalism, surviving (or dismantling) the state, and some key moments from Killer Mike's 2020. Come for the details, stay for the discourse. There is no Killer Mike interview like this anywhere else.

Rapper, abolitionist, Soul Train line conductor: Ric Wilson's kept busy as a Chicago rising star making funk-laced bops for the dance floor and the protest. (Sometimes, they're the same place.) Still reeling from a Summer from Hell, Ric checks in with Michael for their second interview, a passionate exchange from the left side of the aisle. Ric details how he's remained sane and productive: releasing a collaborative EP with Terrace Martin, showing up to demonstrations, his steady climb as an indie artist, and many more clues towards the future of Disco Ric.

There's a myriad of ways to describe SIR E.U, and a shortage of words that do the 27-year-old DC native any justice: idiosyncratic, innovative, relentless Aquarian leaning contrarian. As a multimedia artist, he's spent over half his life designing sound, specializing in rap music and performance that shapeshifts on his whim and refuses to landlock itself. E.U's been heralded, swagger-jacked, and still overlooked in the deep lineage of the D.C. underground. On this episode, Michael chronicles his best friend: the hour offers a mere glimpse into E.U's journey, his musings on art in our world, and a snapshot into the duo's ilived history as confidants and collaborators.

At 22 years old, the Iowa-raised, Chicago-based Billy Lemos has weathered more waves from his computer than many artists a decade older. Lemos is a self-managed producer/A&R who survived early popularity from the advent of bedroom pop, and currently strives to push pop music to its strangest potential. He's rarely seen, yet always on pulse, counting Omar Apollo, Jackie Hayes, and Victor Internet as a few of many collaborators. Now, Billy taps in with Michael about the incubation of his debut album Wonder: the balance between home and roam, his production origin story, and how he stays centered to keep the process over the politics.

People Under the Stairs have rested their LA caps on the mantle, retiring with the legacy of two underdogs dedicated to hip-hop's essence, prevailing no matter who hated on them. For Thes One, the chip of notoriety remains, but so does the fighting spirit; every pretty memory's tied to a long montage of hard work. In this episode, Thes One taps in with Michael for an insightful dive into the gritty details of making and breaking independent rap careers, accompanied by reflections on the seminal PUTS album O.S.T.

Three years after nearly breaking up, Madison-bred/Chicago-based rock band Slow Pulp have risen to become critically-revered Midwestern darlings, earning nods from major publications and touring with the likes of Alex G and Post Animal. But the road to their own solo debut, Moveys, was paved in hellish conditions: personal health struggles, a near-fatal car crash, and the threat of a global pandemic. This episode finds all four Slow Pulp members dialoguing with Michael about how their art has mirrored their lives, and how they've developed the urgency and honesty required to reflect their growth back out to the world.

Gabriel Garzón-Montano lives to occupy whomever he must be as each moment requires: globetrotter, heartthrob, loner, lover. Now, he's arming himself with the sounds and stories to become the popstar symbol of his dreams. Agüita, his second album, steeps him in such lineage by casting him as the leading man with a new burst of fire and ferocity. On this Good Convo, Gabriel and Michael discuss the traditions and transitions that served as prerequisites for this star turn, accompanied by an unveiling of Gabriel's relationships to power, control, and the world as a source of inspiration.

Chicago-born artist/activist Tasha is in the business of making bed songs: music to rest to, stringed refuge for the excluded. (Make no mistake, she's in the streets when she can be.) Her talents have brought her across the country, and granted her a devoted core who bask in their feelings as she does. What does it mean to make love an active politic? How does one show up? Joining Michael from the crib, Tasha gives us a guided look into how she tends to her imagination, how she cultivates her energy into music, and the radical edges of our most tender selves.