Minds Wide Open

Killer Mike says kill your masters. In the same vein, I say fuck your pimps. Not literally, but stop letting them fuck you. Are you getting unfairly pimped out? Are you literally a prostitute to an abusive pimp? Or are you selling your soul to a job you hate for a boss that doesn't give a shit about you, polices your thoughts, and then gets rich off your tireless labor?  If you haven't listened to part one of our conversation, make sure to head over to the Articulate podcast with Steve McJones to check it out. So far we covered the industries of boinkin', both legal and illegal. This included pimpin', prostitution, and porn - especially through the lens of Dave Chappelle's bit about Iceberg Slim. After addressing the problems of all three aspects, in part two we dive deeper into the morality of casual sex, making money off it, and whether prostitution should be made legal in the same way that porn is. But first, we open by completing our thoughts on how the flaws of capitalism and politics empower the most wealthy individuals in executive positions, and how the rest of the society is left to figure out a way to escape their pimp and become one themself. Stay tuned for the end of the episode to hear Kenicray's new banger "Rust Belt". Then be sure to go check out the sweet visuals of the music video on YouTube.

Even as someone who is in full support of the movement and changes being called for, it's been hard for me to defend that my actions have been little more than performative in the last few months. Not entirely so, because I sincerely mean what I've said and done - petitions, emails, protests, listening, sharing - but how much more does doing this alone help? Especially when it's usually only to the witness of people who want to see or hear it anyway? We have to (I'm talking to all my honkies) not give up on those who are ignorant until they've proven to be arrogant and totally unwilling to learn. Just because you're offended, doesn't mean you can't address the nuance of ignorance. When no conversation is compared to having a long, uncomfortable conversation with someone I believe doesn't want to hear that information, but would listen better when not surrounded by what they perceive as a mob of keyboard warriors and a crowd of protesters, conversation wins every time. Yes, we should support the proper politicians, policies, and organizations, but unless we continue to change the public perception on these issues, we are only slowing an inevitable expansion of an already widespread inequality. We need real change in our institutions, and that starts by convincing anyone willing to have a conversation, in the best learning environments, that elitism is largely controlling the institutions. The votes will follow the more you speak truth. It's for all of these reasons I find it imperative that we spend more time talking with one another in a personal way. Form a connection. In this episode I've sat down with one of my very best friends, Montavio Avery, who I believe has balanced and constructive ideas about race and racism. Although we do agree on most everything here in our conversation, I felt it was important to speak with someone I truly believe in to open the discussion on this topic. You may not agree with everything we say, but you should listen. A lot of what we discuss here should pertain to anyone, from any background. We talk about our privilege, our experiences with racism (or the lack thereof), our complacency with an unjust system, systemic racism, identity politics, the "N-Word", language, poverty, classism, change, cancel culture and how we can move towards a world free of "othering" one another. Stay tuned for the end of the episode to hear "For the First Time" a song from Montavio and Kelo's debut EP "Worth It", streaming everywhere.

Everybody looks for shit to get them out of bed. For Danny Fain, that shit is art. Whether it's movies, photography, theater, books, or any other art form that peaks his fancy, this guy lives to learn. In this episode we discuss some favorite filmmakers (specifically Kubrick), his photography business, his experiences as someone diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, and how mindfulness allows him to grow in all walks of life. Stay tuned for this episode's featured song "Hot Corn, Drunk Corn" from StandardAmericanDiet, bringing you the catchiest sing along folk jam you've heard in quite some time.

"Tell all the hunters to lay down their guns. Tell 'em that the tiger needs a little bit of love. Let 'em run the jungle, let 'em roam their land. Then stand back and marvel, what a beautiful cat. 'Cause I saw tiger. Now I understand. I saw tiger, and the tiger saw man." If you've seen the docuseries all the way through, you know not a damn word of this were actually values upheld by anyone who ran these zoos. Shae Bickel and I get together on another zoom meeting to discuss the phenomenon that has taken the world by storm. And I'm not talking about the Rona, although we do talk about how the experience of quarantine is relevant to the Tiger King the wild antics of humanity. From questioning the morals of anyone involved with the zoos, what the best course of action is moving forward, and how people seem to have perceived the show, Shae and I are shocked and skeptical in this episode. I hope you're all staying safe, healthy, and curious during these strange times.

Would you? In this episode Max McCroby and I sit down to discuss the future of human life expectancy and the possibility of de-aging technology. Taking that into consideration, we also talk about how long we would like to live given the choice. Forever is a long ass time. But oooooo boi if it ain’t tempting. Stay tuned for the end of the episode to hear one of my favorite songs of his bands upcoming album, 3:11.