Lasers on the Ride

Just Another Tupac Vortex, s01e41 of Lasers on the Ride, opens with Jay not getting a job and trying harder to get the job and Akil confusing Boy George for Chris Isaac. He shares a curious take on Donald Glover’s Atlanta and confuses Lyle Lovett for Chris Isaac. Mike and Jay witness two musicians sage-ing the hell out of their lives by trashing their old albums and discuss physical fitness in relationships. Mike tells the improbable tale of Neil Young and Rick James’ shared history and the Lasers discuss Tupac’s discography despite not being big Pac fans. They talk the Tupac vortexes that naturally occur around congregating white people and revisit awful Canadian rap. Jay closes out the episode with stories from when he wrote an advice column for YM magazine haha.

In episode 40, TYLER LEMCO Concurs, the Lasers welcome Tyler Lemco, a Montreal native and internet personality/content creator/writer/rapper who got his start as a founding member of the Epic Meal Time crew. They kick off with talk of revolutionary dance moves and brand ambassadorship and then discuss Chris Gaines who is really just Garth Brooks in disguise. They pit random black entertainer vs random country star and try to pick a winner and then answer tough questions concerning moms and money. Tyler takes us to the beginnings and middles and a wee bit of the end of Epic Meal Time and delivers some sage advice regarding doing for self. The emergence of bacon’s iron fist rule over pop culture is explored and the group establishes how many children each member could take out if required/given the chance. Tyler speaks on his career and future projects including some reappropriation bracelets that take the long way to a better planet and talks being on a losing team (white ppl). They play Fudge it! Pick a Record!, speak innovators/giants in music and female rappers and Akil confesses his huge crush on Rah Digga. They close out with best rap albums of all time and words of wisdom.

s01e39, Walls Are For Squares, was recorded right outside of the studio, in the great outdoors (of Fattal), full of dog barks and shouting. The episode kicks off pretty abruptly with a pretty petty argument between Akil and Jay about, of all things, coziness (guys it’s crazy) and they debate whose life is worse and who’s gone longer without eating haha. They patch things up and discuss idols before KC talks being stabbed right where they’re sitting and breaks down Haitian food. Akil talks of the time he sat in on Concordia’s hip hop class, Jay drops train riding wisdom, and Mike his masturbation bucket list. They read fanmail for the podcast and talk waterbeds of yore, before a kitty comes up and steals the show.

In episode 38, MARKINGS & Art Things, the Lasers are joined by Markings from the Artbeat collective and the Piu Piu scene. He speaks on his time as a rapper, meeting KNLO, and the beginnings of the Piu Piu movement and Artbeat. They discuss Akil’s long lost (tshirt) love, an awful poster from a county fair, and pick bottom 5 dead or alive. They dissect the idea of influence in art/music and play Which Diddy Did He do?, the Diddy ghostwriting game. French rap gets a talking to and true schoolers do too. They play Ken vs Ryu and What Colour is Memph Bleek’s durag? – classics, and then talk the sad state of the Montreal scene in the mid and late aughts. Markings discusses Guatemalan music of past and Mike finally finds a brother in arms against nostalgia. Mook Life gets a mention and Mike talks producers who can’t see the music for the sample. They play Fudge It! Pick a Record! and Markings talks stepping your goshdamn game up, shoe or otherwise, if you want to goshdamn get anywhere.

Because Hillary Clinton is President, the Lasers on the Ride election coverage special, opens up with talk of the process and Mike’s facebook brawl with a racist over #BlackLivesMatter. They decide to take it to the phone lines and call some folk to predict the outcome and Akil unveils a nutty possibility. Ladies by the name of Trump don’t wanna talk about it, Prairie Dog Junk comes out to play, and ladder matches become pillow fights. The Lasers do the groundwork and discover that random people in the States are Trump supporters and are nonos on abortion. They turn Jumpman into Trumpman (call us, Drake) and explore an alternate reality where Clinton wins and Trump is the ultimate loser.

Episode 36 of Lasers on the Ride, ERIN WILLETT’s Garden of Eden, features Erin Willett, a brand developer/strategist and owner/founder of the Tap in Team. The episode kicks off with talk of the current work climate and where employment is headed and then how to brand masturbationfromhome as a hustle. They play Fudge it Pick a Record!, Erin talks why “artist” is a heavy ass title, takes us through her come up and explains why everyone should pick up what she’s throwing down. She coaches the Lasers through their brand and Jay coaches everyone through that coke life. The group explores Akil’s perceived negativity and tries to break it down into components and the studio’s bathroom catches an L but then a W. 808s and Heartbreak gets no love again despite Erin’s best attempts and the group picks guests for the dinner party of their dreams.

In ‘Are We In Love Now?’, episode 35 of Lasers on the Ride, KC comes back around and joins the Lasers to talk music, feelings and the Media. Things jump off with the dudes discussing their respective emotional states and then Desiigner and then Weezy’s statements RE: racism. Jay touches on his relationship a little and Akil touches a little on a lady and tells us about it. They discuss the various types of energies one can bring to the bedroom and then the pitfalls of relationships.

Episode 34 of Lasers on the Ride, Mr Wavvy Night In Fattal, kicks off with talk of the Cleveland Indians’ racist logo and Jay’s love for baseball. Mr. Wavvy, Montreal music/culture writer and Cult MTL contributor, joins the Lasers and they talk Kid Cudi and his influence and then predict who got next Cudi. Jay tells of his friend who sells dirty underpants to dirty dudes and Wavvy breaks down his current favorites from the city. They discuss Andre vs Big Boi, misogyny via Action Bronson, and Shaq’s #blessed music career. They turn top 5 on its head and pick bottom 5 and Mr Wavvy talks Spacejam but also talks why he talks Spacejam. Mike tests his theory that nostalgia rules everything around us and tells of when he met (ghost) Curtis Mayfield who gave him his blessing.

In Text Door Neighbour, episode 33 of Lasers on the Ride, the dudes kick stuff off by designing their own Barbies and talking doggy tinder (Air Bud we see you). Jay introduces a typecasting game he’s called “Do you have a little bit of him in you?”, they discuss winter coats and the Lasers meet their text door neighbours. They scheme on how to sneak into Reggae Fest, speak Jamaican event vs Jamaican event and then more generally life in the West Indies. Akil nearly muscle memories himself out of his job with porn and Jay over excels at gym class.

Happy Halloweenie! In episode 32 of Lasers on the Ride the Lasers discuss spooky racist Donald Trump and his spookier supporters, including that one friend of Akil’s. They talk marriage & cheating and Akil shares some antiquated views on relationships. Jay relays a haunted house experience and the Lasers create Lasers radio. Mike asks the question no one wants to ask or have asked, Akil workshops (in rather poor taste) Pedophilia Paradisia and audio violence breaks out between B Real and Big Boy the disc jockey. Jay closes out with MURRRDDDEEERRRRRR.