If you'd like to see full video of this and other episodes, join the Reel Notes Patreon at the Homie ($5/month) tier or higher. Each episode is also available to buy individually for $5 (Buy it through a web browser and not the Patreon app. You'll get charged extra if you purchase through the app.) You also get early access to episodes, an invite to our Discord server, access to the Reel Talk archives, and more!

My guests this week are Houston-based and Nigerian-born rapper-producer Heavensouls and Atlanta-based rapper-producer Stickerbush, also known as The Sidepeices. We spoke about the bad politics of Tyler Perry movies, Coonskin, the filmography of David Lynch, their respective nomadic lifestyles, being Black in the alternative rap and IDM scenes, and the creative process behind their three recent group efforts—Darkskin Niggas With Lightskin Problems, Lightskin Niggas With Darkskin Problems, and Darklight—and the Nigerian history and pride behind Heavensoul’s most recent solo project westside trapped. Come fuck with us.

Darkskin Niggas With Lightskin Problems, Lightskin Niggas With Darkskin Problems, and Darklight are all available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider buying the trio on CD via Caperflower's Bandcamp. westside trapped is also available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen, especially via Bandcamp. Follow Heavensouls on Twitter (@Trinidad6000) and Instagram (@whitegirldragggggggggd). Follow Stickerbush on Twitter (@sentientlever) and Instagram (@stickerbushh). 

Reel Notes stands in solidarity with American immigrants against ICE and the oppressed peoples of Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund,  The Palestinian Youth Movement, The Zakat Foundation, HealAfrica, FreeTigray, and/or Hope For Haiti. Protest, fight back, and fuck the system. 

My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.

Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), Letterboxd (@CineMasai), and subscribe to my weekly Nu Musique Friday newsletter to stay tapped in to all things Dylan Green.  Follow Hearing Things at hearingthings.co or @hearingthingsco on all social platforms.

If you'd like to see full video of this and other episodes, join the Reel Notes Patreon at the Homie ($5/month) tier or higher. Each episode is also available to buy individually for $5 (Buy it through a web browser and not the Patreon app. You'll get charged extra if you purchase through the app.) You also get early access to episodes, an invite to our Discord server, access to the Reel Talk archives, and more!

My guest this week is South Carolina-born singer, instrumentalist, producer, and creative technologist, JAIYN. We spoke about Reasonable Doubt, Irma Vep, being raised in South Carolina and coming to New York, picking up guitar and singing, the intersection of music and tech, working with zayALLCAPS and his Autotune Karaoke label, and the creative process behind 2023’s Kissing the Machine and her self-titled EP from the top of this year. Come fuck with us.

!JAIYN is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from her Bandcamp page. Follow JAIYN on Instagram: @imjaiyn

Reel Notes stands in solidarity with American immigrants against ICE and the oppressed peoples of Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund,  The Palestinian Youth Movement, The Zakat Foundation, HealAfrica, FreeTigray, and/or Hope For Haiti. Protest, fight back, and fuck the system. 

My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.

Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), Letterboxd (@CineMasai), and subscribe to my weekly Nu Musique Friday newsletter to stay tapped in to all things Dylan Green.  Follow Hearing Things at hearingthings.co or @hearingthingsco on all social platforms.

If you'd like to see full video of this and other episodes, join the Reel Notes Patreon at the Homie ($5/month) tier or higher. Each episode is also available to buy individually for $5 (Buy it through a web browser and not the Patreon app. You'll get charged extra if you purchase through the app.) You also get early access to episodes, an invite to our Discord server, access to the Reel Talk archives, and more!

My guest this week is Florida-based activist, talent booker, and co-founder of How Bazar, Dion Dia Records, and Big Culture and Arts Festival, Laila Fakoury. We spoke about the soundtracks of insecure and Atlanta, Scream, the documentary 5 Broken Cameras, the uptick in awareness for the fight for Palestine, nurturing the artistic community in Florida, and the process behind bringing Big Culture and Arts Festival to life for what’s shaping up to be its biggest year yet. Come fuck with us.

Big Culture and Arts Festival is happening in Gainesville, FL from April 10-12, 2026. If you're hankering for a festival lineup featuring the finest in indie rap and music from around the world, buy your tickets here. Follow Laila on Instagram (@lailoosha) and follow BigCAF, Dion Dia Records (@diondiarecs), and How Bazar (@the.how.bazar) on Instagram to stay tapped in with the latest. 

Reel Notes stands in solidarity with American immigrants against ICE and the oppressed peoples of Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund,  The Palestinian Youth Movement, The Zakat Foundation, HealAfrica, FreeTigray, and/or Hope For Haiti. Protest, fight back, and fuck the system. 

My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.

Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), Letterboxd (@CineMasai), and subscribe to my weekly Nu Musique Friday newsletter to stay tapped in to all things Dylan Green.  Follow Hearing Things at hearingthings.co or @hearingthingsco on all social platforms.   

If you'd like to see full video of this and other episodes, join the Reel Notes Patreon at the Homie ($5/month) tier or higher. Each episode is also available to buy individually for $5 (Buy it through a web browser and not the Patreon app. You'll get charged extra if you purchase through the app.) You also get early access to episodes, an invite to our Discord server, access to the Reel Talk archives, and more!

My guest this week is New York-via-Atlanta rapper, producer, fashion designer, archivist, curator, and one part of PTP, See the Lieutenant. We spoke about Coonskin, Curious George, Chicken Little, and the power of animation, some favorite music videos, moving from Atlanta to New York, academia vs. grassroots organizing, her multimodal cultural production Operation (L), and the creative process behind her latest mixtape WhatsReallyGood. Come fuck with us.

WhatsReallyGood. is available exclusively on Bandcamp. Buy it there to support the artist. Follow See The Lieutenant on Instagram (@seethelieutenant) and Twitter (@SeeTheLT), and follow Operation (L) on Instagram and Substack for more updates. 

Reel Notes stands in solidarity with American immigrants against ICE and the oppressed peoples of Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund,  The Palestinian Youth Movement, The Zakat Foundation, HealAfrica, FreeTigray, and/or Hope For Haiti. Protest, fight back, and fuck the system. 

My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.

Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), Letterboxd (@CineMasai), and subscribe to my weekly Nu Musique Friday newsletter to stay tapped in to all things Dylan Green.  Follow Hearing Things at hearingthings.co or @hearingthingsco on all social platforms.   

f you'd like to see full video of this and other episodes, join the Reel Notes Patreon at the Homie ($5/month) tier or higher. Each episode is also available to buy individually for $5 (Buy it through a web browser and not the Patreon app. You'll get charged extra if you purchase through the app.) You also get early access to episodes, an invite to our Discord server, access to the Reel Talk archives, and more!

My guest this week is Bronx-based DJ, writer, photographer, educator, radio host, and founder of HangTime Magazine and Hangtime Radio Flwrshrk. We spoke about Send Help, Finding Nemo, growing up around entertainers, melding together all her practices, the mark of a good DJ, running HangTime, and more stories and anecdotes than I could keep track of. Come fuck with us.

Visit the HangTime Magazine and tune into HangTime Radio every Friday morning from 9-11AM on Newtown Radio. Listen to my episode of HangTime Radio here. Follow Flwrshrk on Instagram and TikTok: @flwrshrk

Reel Notes stands in solidarity with American immigrants against ICE and the oppressed peoples of Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund,  The Palestinian Youth Movement, The Zakat Foundation, HealAfrica, FreeTigray, and/or Hope For Haiti. Protest, fight back, and fuck the system. 

My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.

Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), Letterboxd (@CineMasai), and subscribe to my weekly Nu Musique Friday newsletter to stay tapped in to all things Dylan Green.  Follow Hearing Things at hearingthings.co or @hearingthingsco on all social platforms.   

If you'd like to see full video of this and other episodes, join the Reel Notes Patreon at the Homie ($5/month) tier or higher. Each episode is also available to buy individually for $5 (Buy it through a web browser and not the Patreon app. You'll get charged extra if you purchase through the app.) You also get early access to episodes, an invite to our Discord server, access to the Reel Talk archives, and more!

My guest this week is Singaporean rapper-producer Mary Sue. We spoke about Bugonia,  No Other Choice, the Singaporean movie theater experience, the work of Stephen Chow, Kanye West, and Earl Sweatshirt, how his time in the army led to him making music in earnest, honoring his heritage and putting his own spin on hip-hop, and the creative process behind several of his project, particularly Porcelain Shield, Paper Sword and the bloomcycle-produced EP Unintended Self Expressions From Selling Reflections On The Internet. Come fuck with us.

Porcelain Shield, Paper Sword is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Unintended Self Expressions From Selling Reflections On The Internet is available exclusively on Bandcamp. Head to Sue's Bandcamp page to cop both. Follow Mary Sue on Instagram (@sweetmarysue) and Twitter (@marysueraps). 

Reel Notes stands in solidarity with American immigrants against ICE and the oppressed peoples of Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund,  The Palestinian Youth Movement, The Zakat Foundation, HealAfrica, FreeTigray, and/or Hope For Haiti. Protest, fight back, and fuck the system. 

My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.

Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), Letterboxd (@CineMasai), and subscribe to my weekly Nu Musique Friday newsletter to stay tapped in to all things Dylan Green.  Follow Hearing Things at hearingthings.co or @hearingthingsco on all social platforms.   

Reel Talk #10 is happening on Saturday, February 21. If you're in the New York area, join me and North Carolina rapper Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon for a screening of the T.I.-starring classic ATL, followed by an interview and audience Q&A. Doors at 6, film starts at 7. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here via Posh or at the door the day-of. This iteration of Reel Talk operates on sliding scale admission, so if price is an issue, please message me directly and we can figure it out. 

If you'd like to see full video of this and other episodes, join the Reel Notes Patreon at the Homie ($5/month) tier or higher. Each episode is also available to buy individually for $5 (Buy it through a web browser and not the Patreon app. You'll get charged extra if you purchase through the app.) You also get early access to episodes, an invite to our Discord server, access to the Reel Talk archives, and more!

My guest this week is Chicago rapper-producer Chris Crack. We spoke about the 1993 survival movie Alive, Toy Story, Friday, Collateral, falling in love with R&B, growing up between Chicago and Mississippi, being inspired by standup comedy, getting more serious about producing, his outrageous song titles, and the creative process behind several of his albums, particularly Too Late To Start Following The Rules Now, out now via Fools Gold. Come fuck with us.

Too Late To Start Following The Rules Now is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from Chris's Bandcamp page. Follow Chris Crack on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok (@ChrisCrackNDC). 

Reel Notes stands in solidarity with American immigrants against ICE and the oppressed peoples of Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund,  The Palestinian Youth Movement, The Zakat Foundation, HealAfrica, FreeTigray, and/or Hope For Haiti. Protest, fight back, and fuck the system. 

My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.

Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), Letterboxd (@CineMasai), and subscribe to my weekly Nu Musique Friday newsletter to stay tapped in to all things Dylan Green.  Follow Hearing Things at hearingthings.co or @hearingthingsco on all social platforms.   

Reel Talk #10 is happening on Saturday, February 21. If you're in the New York area, join me and North Carolina rapper Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon for a screening of the T.I.-starring classic ATL, followed by an interview and audience Q&A. Doors at 6, film starts at 7. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here via Posh or at the door the day-of. This iteration of Reel Talk operates on sliding scale admission, so if price is an issue, please message me directly and we can figure it out. 

If you'd like to see full video of this and other episodes, join the Reel Notes Patreon at the Homie ($5/month) tier or higher. Each episode is also available to buy individually for $5 (Buy it through a web browser and not the Patreon app. You'll get charged extra if you purchase through the app.) You also get early access to episodes, an invite to our Discord server, access to the Reel Talk archives, and more!

My guest for the season 6 premiere is DC rapper, producer, and visual artist Obii Say. We spoke about The Platform, Menace II Society, rewatching hood classics once you get older, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, his love-hate relationship with making music over a nearly 20-year career, how working in visual art inspires his raps and beats, forging a relationship with Chuck Strangers, and the creative process behind his latest album Public Access Television, available now exclusively on Bandcamp. Come fuck with us.

Public Access Television is available exclusively on Obii's Bandcamp. Follow Obii on Twitter and Instagram (@obiisay) and check out his artwork on the Loudmouth website. 

Reel Notes stands in solidarity with American immigrants against ICE and the oppressed peoples of Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund,  The Palestinian Youth Movement, The Zakat Foundation, HealAfrica, FreeTigray, and/or Hope For Haiti. Protest, fight back, and fuck the system. 

My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.

If you'd like to see full video of this and other episodes, join the Reel Notes Patreon at the Homie ($5/month) tier or higher. Each episode is also available to buy individually for $5 (BUY IT THROUGH A WEB BROWSER OR THE PATREON ANDROID APP, NOT VIA THE PATREON iOS APP. YOU'LL GET CHARGED EXTRA MONEY AND IT WILL TAKE LONGER TO PROCESS.) You also get early access to episodes, an invite to our Discord server, access to the Reel Talk movie night archives, and more!

My guest for the season five finale is D.C. rapper and model El Cousteau. We spoke about The Godfather series, The Sopranos, The Wood, The Best Man, putting on for Black cinema, coming up in the D.C. rap scene, his modeling career, his connections to A$AP Rocky and MIKE and his 10k Global label, solidifying his sound, and the creative process behind his last two projects—Merci, Non Merci and this past summer’s Dirty Harry 2. Thank y’all so much for a fantastic season 5, now for the last time this year, come fuck with us.

Dirty Harry 2 is available now wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Follow Cousteau on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @elcousteau 

Reel Notes stands in solidarity with American immigrants against ICE and the oppressed peoples of Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund,  The Palestinian Youth Movement, The Zakat Foundation, HealAfrica, FreeTigray, and/or Hope For Haiti. Protest, fight back, and fuck the system. 

My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.

Support the show

If you'd like to see full video of this and other episodes, join the Reel Notes Patreon at the Homie ($5/month) tier or higher. Each episode is also available to buy individually for $5 (BUY IT THROUGH A WEB BROWSER OR THE PATREON ANDROID APP, NOT VIA THE PATREON iOS APP. YOU'LL GET CHARGED EXTRA MONEY AND IT WILL TAKE LONGER TO PROCESS.) You also get early access to episodes, an invite to our Discord server, access to the Reel Talk movie night archives, and more!

My guests this week are Baltimore rapper, producer, and podcaster Height Keech and New York rapper-producer Nosaj of New Kingdom, who together are known as Wave Generators. We spoke about One Battle After Another, Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia, various observations about the surveillance state, the mechanics and economics of indie rap, a brief retrospective on their early careers, how Wave Generators has introduced them to new audiences, and the creative process behind their latest album Run Away With A Wild And A Rare One. Come fuck with us.

Run Away With A Wild And A Rare One is available now wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from their Bandcamp page. Follow Wave Generators on Instagram and Twitter: @wavegenerators. Follow Height on Instagram (@height_keech) and Twitter (@HeightKeech). Follow Nosaj on Instagram: @jasonfurlow23   

My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.

Support the show