Organized Grind: The Podcast

ORGANIZED GRIND: THE PODCAST is back once again. Vinny Crook$ stops by EPISODE 28 to discuss performing live on Sway in the Morning (0:00) - Growing up in Minneapolis (6:58) - Experiencing Hip-Hop for the first time via watching the movie "Juice" (8:29) - Being exposed to golden era Hip-Hop at a young age and getting through high school (13:50) - Writing rhymes for the first time and learning the process (19:42) - Being exposed to Twin Cities Hip-Hop and getting into the local scene (29:28) - What he's learned so far in his career and what he'd like to improve (46:50) - Vinny Crook$ vs. Lightning Gauntlet (50:05) - Upcoming shows THIS WEEK ( 6/4 at HONEY in MPLS / 6/5 at ICEHOUSE in MPLS) (55:04) - Vinny Crook$ - "Who Want Smoke" (58:21) - 

M-XL T-shirts available. email organizedgrindpodcast at gmail dot com - 

 

ORGANIZED GRIND: THE PODCAST is back in full effect with EPISODE 27 - This time we have Justin Trejo joining us, discussing moving from Detroit to the West Side of St. Paul, Minnesota and getting into the West Side Booster program (0:00) - Transitioning to Cretin for High School (11:05) - The path to college and getting drafted into college football (19:35) - Deciding on going to TCU (Texas Christian University) and playing football for a Division I team (31:20) - The experience of being featured in an EA Sports NCAA video game and getting a check in the long-run for his likeness in the game (47:12) - Advice for anybody pursuing the college / NFL football path in life from somebody that experienced it (1:07:43) - Justin Trejo takes on the Lightning Gauntlet (1:12:52) - OnePlusOne (DisputeOne&OrikalUno) - "TurnItUp / TurnItDown" (prod. by BennyBen) (1:19:28) -- ONEPLUSONE (backed by DJ BIGDADDY FLAPJAKS) are opening for KOOL KEITH at the FINELINE MUSIC CAFE on JUNE 6TH - Google for tickets - Peace and Love - 

EPISODE 26 of ORGANIZED GRIND: THE PODCAST  is in full effect with special guest Ackronem stopping by to discuss how he got into Hip-Hop (0:00) - Recording music for the first time and playing the drums and bass for different bands (6:00) - Discovering Twin Cities Hip-Hop and getting into the music coming out of Saint Paul and Minneapolis (9:20) - Performing for the first time at The Depot at an event thrown by Guante and getting into setting up shows (11:18) - Transitioning from playing instruments and the process of  writing and performing vocally (15:30) - Linking up with RapFam and rocking parties (18:15) - Focusing on solo material and releasing an EP and a project (24:15) - Production influences and talking Reason production suite (29:50) - Ackronem tackles the Lightning Gauntlet (35:53) - Ackronem's "Summer School" event is happening weekly in June at Honey in Minneapolis f/ Vinny Crooks, Mixie, Andre Mariette, CMJ, Lifted Minds, Juice Lord, Mickey Breeze, Rey Gordo, Rich Garvey, Longevity, Intelligent Design, LVANSCVPES, Knucky, Asia Divine, WIll Robinson, MC Longshot, No Good Neighbor and Aquafresh (38:50) - Ackronem f/ Blueprint - "Greed" (42:05)

ORGANIZED GRIND: THE PODCAST IS BACK! After a two-week hiatus, Episode 25 has Twin Cities emcee, promoter and host Christopher Michael Jensen (also known as CMJ) stops by the podcast to discuss Soundset 2019 (0:00) - Getting into music via his older brother (6:00) - Discovering Hip-Hop and navigating the Napster era (9:50) - The dynamics of listening to Eminem and going to a conservative school during the attitude era (15:40) - Favorite music videos during the high-budget video era (23:11) - Being exposed to Twin Cities Hip-Hop and getting serious about a music career (28:22) - First local show, seeing Immortal Technique and Brother Ali live for the first time (32:00) - College days and feeling like the music being created was quality (38:15) - Playing Honey and learning how to organize live shows (48:05) - Learning about the Fifth Element open mic and uniting with Rap Fam (50:30) - Dem Atlas signing to Rhymesayers and the effect it had on their collective inner circle (1:00:50) - Highlights (so far) of CMJ's Hip-Hop career (1:13:28) - Hosting the Fifth Element Open Mic (1:19:06) - Advice for new artists in the independent circuit (1:24:20) - CMJ takes on the Lightning Gauntlet! (1:27:34) - Christopher Michael Jensen - "Microphone Check" - Joy Void Destroy EP out soon! June 28th release party at Dayblock Brewing in Minneapolis (1:32:43)

ORGANIZED GRIND: THE PODCAST is in full effect once again. This time, Big Zach (New MC) stops by to share his stories and experiences. He has a book out entitled "Headspin, Headshots and History: Moving through Minnesota Hip-Hop" (link: zachcombs.net) that is filled with photos and moments in history reflecting the Minneapolis graffiti and hip-hop scene from the late 80s and beyond. The episode kicks off with New MC vs. Iron Solomon (Scribble Jam Victory) (0:00) - First Hip-Hop experiences (4:18) - Moving from Bemidji to South Minneapolis at a young age (10:38) - Getting into graffiti (14:04) - First attempting to write rhymes (22:53) - The genesis of Kanser (26:10) - The formation of Interlock and connecting the dots (35:18) - The splintering of Twin Cities hip-hop and becoming competition amongst peers (38:35) - Battling his way to Scribble Jam in Cincinnati, OH and breaking down his rounds and opponents (46:43) - Loring Pasta Bar memories and highlights (1:08:08) - Getting into writing books and talking "Headspin, Headshots and History: Moving through Minnesota Hip-Hop" (1:14:15) - Big Zach takes on the Lightning Gauntlet (submit your own questions to [email protected]) (1:42:35) Final shout-outs and words - (1:52:10) - Kanser - "Cyber Aquarium" (Prod. by Mike The Martyr) (1:52:30)

Organized Grind: The Podcast is back with Episode 23 featuring artist and producer Ken-C! He talks growing up in Chicago and Milwaukee (0:00) - First Hip-Hop experiences (3:34) - The first album Ken-C purchased (9:59) - First creating original music and learning how to make it all work (12:05) - First time experience getting into a professional studio at a young age (15:20) - Developing a Hip-Hop scene in Brainerd MN (21:10) - Influences within Hip-Hop (36:22) - How a series of misleading events broke Ken-C out of his creative funk  (50:10) - Ken-C and SkoolBoy Ent (58:15) - Check out The Wisemen Show episode of Ken-C with Stress TMH for further context of the fall of Skoolboy Ent (1:16:27) - Producers Ken-C wants to work with (1:21:18) -LIGHTNING GAUNTLET W/ KEN-C (1:26:10) - Ken-C - "Y'all Don't Know" (OG:TP EXCLUSIVE) (1:35:30) - 

EPISODE 22 sees UnicusHarry of Kanser / More Than Lights / Throw The House stop by Organized Grind: The Podcast to discuss the Minneapolis Massive documentary (0:00) - Travelling from Haiti, to Brooklyn, NY, to Connecticut and getting into Hip-Hop in the mid-eighties (5:45) Moving to Minneapolis in the Summer of '92 (15:15) - Connecting to the Hip-Hop scene in South High School as the new kid (17:30) - Finding a poster on a bulletin board at a record store and meeting producer Ant for the first time (23:48) - Forming Labyrinth with Musab and Ishmael (33:30) - Joining up with Kanser on an official level (49:19) - Highlights of the Interlock days (1:04:03) - Memories of Bon Appetit, The Red Sea and Loring Pasta Bar (1:09:30) - How Kanser and More Than Lights started working together (1:17:03) - Bringing Hip-Hop to the Festival crowds (1:22:08) - New project Throw The House, new music video for "Trip The Light" single, and his May schedule appearing live in Minneapolis (1:27:47) - UnicusHarry takes on the Lightning Gauntlet (1:33:37) - Throw The House - "Trip The Light" (1:37:45)

Optimystic stops by Organized Grind: The Podcast with Orikal Uno for Episode 21! We kick the episode off by catching up with what Optimystic is up to (0:00) - The journey from Russia to Minnesota (2:00) - First experience with Hip-Hop (5:00) - High School experience and meeting Wolphe of Lifted Mindz (6:24) - Getting introduced to Twin Cities Hip-Hop (12:18) - First live performance in front of a crowd (15:57) - McNally Smith alumni connect (20:25) - The first Lifted Mindz house in Midway, Open Mics at Fifth Element and other moments in Twin Cities hip-hop (28:04) - Learning how to throw events and be professional as you go (35:43) - LIFTED MINDZ AND GOOP CITY MUSIC ON TOUR NOW! (listen here for tour dates and locations) (42:08) - Optimystic takes on the Lightning Gauntlet (51:36) - Lifted Mindz - "HolyWater" (f/ ACK) (54:52)

Episode 20 is LIVE and in FULL EFFECT! This time, we have Jay Escobar stop by the Graff Roots Studios to talk Freshwater Deejays (0:00) - First hip-hop life experience (2:17) - Growing up in Lancaster, PA (5:21) - Getting into creating music (8:30) - Meeting Casey Golden and moving to Minnesota (11:45) - S.U.S.P.E.C.T.S. and Sols of Life crew (14:20) - The influence he got from Salsa that his father would play (18:43) - How to pronounce "Lancaster" and making the move from PA to MN (21:20) - How he started getting into the Twin Cities hip-hop scene and who was making noise back then (23:19) -The creation of Jayechs (37:40) - The creation of Broken Home Studios, forming a bond with Sinycal over Gwen Stefani, and getting to work (38:18) - The dangers of a damaged reputation and growing out of youthful toxic masculinity (41:30) - The end of Broken Home Studios (47:22) - The "death" of Jayechs and manifesting a new musical direction (50:12) - Discovering his faith via a new kind of church (50:50) - Making Christian music as Anonimust with Hour 2 Hope and getting comfortable with working with other artists again (56:00) - Developing FAME (Foreign Affairs Media Enterprises) as an artist management and development company (58:28) - Freshwater Deejays and his current gigs as a DJ (1:06:25) - Jay takes on the Lightning Gauntlet  (1:09:58) - Jay Escobar - "Trust the Process" (1:13:13)

EPISODE 19 is LIVE is in FULL EFFECT! Organized Grind: The Podcast is honored to have TLA SHAWN stop by the Graff Roots studio and share his history and contributions to Twin Cities Hip-Hop. Tla kicks it off by talking about growing up over Southside Minneapolis (0:00) - Tla talks about first getting into hip-hop via older cousins, breakdancing, and fashion (5:35) - His first album he ever purchased on his own (9:25) - Getting into skateboarding and some history of skateboarding in the Twin Cities (13:48) - Tla Shawn - "Black Sk8r" (21:07) - More sk8 talk (27:27) - How he started rapping and getting nice on the microphone (28:16) - The influence of Wu-Tang in hip-hop (35:13) - The hip-hop group that influenced his style and getting into writing raps (36:16) - The experience of performing in front of a crowd for the first time (38:16) - The beginning of Cherry Sky (46:10) - Meeting Big Wiz and Tony Bones for the first time (49:09) - Surviving open heart surgery and the re-emergence of Tla Shawn - (50:30) - Meeting Sun Chi Som for the first time and the creation of Sun&La (57:50) - Tla Shawn - "Here I Go Again" (1:00:24) - SUN CHI SOM TRIBUTE SHOW APRIL 30th at NOMAD WORLD PUB in MINNEAPOLIS - (1:12:43) - Tla Shawn takes on the LIGHTNING GAUNTLET!  (1:23:08) - Tla Shawn - "Where I'm From (Murdapolis)" off of upcoming project BOOK OF TLA - (1:29:53)