SONIC CYCLE EP. 119 : Black History Month Pt. 4 - MIX IT ALL TOGETHER

On this week's Cycle, I decided to put together a mix of songs that help communicate everything I've been trying to say in the last few weeks. Instead of going deep into resources, I found tracks that showcase a lot of the topics I've been discussing. We've all heard enough of me, let's let Hip hop do the real talking.



Playlist:

• Shad - Slanted
• Bill Henderson, The Oscar Peterson Trio - All Or Nothing At All
• K'NAAN, Mwafrika - The African Way
• Symphonii, Bethel Afework - Lost
• Reflection Eternal - Africa Dream
• Common - I Used to Love H.E.R.
• Ms. Lauryn Hill , featuring Mary J. Blige - I Used to Love Him
• J. Cole - I Love Her Again
• Ab-Soul - Righteous Man
• Kendrick Lamar - HiiiPower
• Public Enemy - Welcome To The Terrordome
• Pharoahe Monch - Welcome To The Terrordome
• Joey Bada$$ - LAND OF THE FREE
• Saba, featuring Krayzie Bone - Come My Way
• Lester Young, Oscar Peterson Trio - There Will Never Be Another You
• Aquakultre, Measha Brueggergosman-Lee - Make That Change

SONIC CYCLE EP. 118 : Black History Month Pt. 3

On this week's Cycle we continue our dive into Black History Month with an exploration of Canadian hip hop. WE discuss a Canadian Hip hop history book called "We Still Here: Hip Hop North of the 49th Parallel", as well as a CBC Docuseries called "Paid In Full: The Battle for Black Music".

Here's a list of events that are going on in town that you can check out before BHM ends:

Feb. 20th - The Grand Screening of Do The Right Thing, a Spike Lee Joint

Feb. 22nd - NMC's Sunday Spins with DJ Gummi

The Grand Screening of 3 Cold Dishes, a Nollywood thriller by director Asurf Oluseyi.

The event features a post-screening Q&A with Oluseyi, a Black-owned vendor market, West African cuisine from local restaurant BUKA, and poetry from aloT of Poetry.



Playlist:

• jev. , featuring Conductor Williams - JAMAICAN CUISINE.
• Oscar Peterson Trio - Night Train
• Rascalz - Quest for a Rhyme
• Saukrates - Can't Touch Us
• Rumble & Strong - What Other DJs Sound Like
• Black Union, featuring Kaleb Simmonds, Maestro, Brail Optiks, P. Noompse - Africville
• Kia Kadiri - Who Are We
• Cadence Weapon, Junia-T - Alpenflage
• Super Duty Tough Work - Grey's Lament (Grandmotherland)
• Sheldon Sabastian - BRIDGES

SONIC CYCLE EP. 117 : Black History Month Pt. 2

On this week's Cycle, we keep our Black History Month exploration going and talk about the history of hip hop and how the genre connects with larger topics that it often addresses head on. Tune in for a blast from the past, mixed with some newer tracks that fit the bill!

I use the book "Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation" by Jeff Chang to look into the roots of hip hop being born by DJs like DJ Kool Herc (the episode features a Internet Archive find of one of his 1981 Live performances), Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash. From there, we expand into some more modern examples of hip hop elements that I think have remained constant since the genre's inception.

Next week, we'll be turning the spotlight back towards Canada and exploring some of the history of Black Canadians, in the format of books, films and tv series created through their own lens.



Playlist:

• Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)
• Alexis Baró Y La Big Band - Afro Cubanía
• Afrika Bambaataa, The Soulsonic Force - They Made A Mistake
• DJ Kool Herc & The Herculords - T-Connection 1981
• Grandmaster Flash - P.L.U. (Peace, Love and Unity)
• Black Star - Children's Story
• Chance the Rapper, featuring BJ The Chicago Kid - The Negro Problem
• Tea Fannie, Black Pride YYC, catfishthewizard, Nasty G - We Up
• Noname - Blaxploitation
• A Tribe Called Quest - Electric Relaxation

SONIC CYCLE EP. 116: Black History Month Pt. 1 - Resources for Learning.

On this week's Cycle, I play some new Hip hop, a little bit of Alt R&B, and discuss some of the books, films, tv shows, events and other resources I'll be exploring and diving into during Black History Month.

The full list of the resources is below, I hope you're able to get your hands, ears and eyes on these to learn alongside me!

BOOKS:

Execution Poems by George Elliott Clarke (2001)

Blues and Bliss by George Elliott Clarke (2008)

Traverse by George Elliott Clarke (2014)

Policing Black Lives by Robyn Maynard (2019)

Soundin' Canaan by Paul db Watkins (2017)

North of the Color Line: Migration and Black Resistance in Canada, 1870-1955 by Sarah-Jane Mathieu (2010)

Black Writers Matter (Edited by Whitney French) (2010)

The Skin We're In by Desmond Cole (2020)

They Said This Would Be Fun by Eternity Martis (2020)

We Still Here: Hip Hop North of the 49th Parallel (Edited by Charity Marsh and Mark V. Campbell) (2020)

FILMS & TV SHOWS (available on CBC Gem):

Hollywood Black

Black Life: Untold Stories

For the Culture with Amanda Parris

Black Table

Summer of Soul

skategoat

We Want The Funk!

EVENTS IN CALGARY:

NMC's Free Event on February 7th: 30 Years of Black History Month: Honouring Black Brilliance Across Generations – From Nation Builders to Tomorrow's Visionaries.

Calgary Public Library - Black History Month Events

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

UCalgary's Black History Month Resource Site

Playlist:

• Nas, DJ Premier - Writers
• Harrison - Quiet Miles
• J. Cole - The Fall-Off is Inevitable
• IDK - MiSOGYNISTICAL
• Foggieraw - Boyfriend In Yo Brain (Notice Me)
• Skip Waiters - 1-800-MAN-DOWN
• Harrison - Blueberry
• Sean Leon, God's ALGORITHM - crown
• Kevin Holliday - LOOK!!!!!!!
• Kevin Holliday - WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?
• Thundercat, featuring Lil Yachty & Flying Lotus - I Did This To Myself
• Jordan Ward - THEMSELVES
• Kai Banks - Don't U Know?
• Malik Elijah - 4TH GRADE
• Kamm Carson - Real Tears

SONIC CYCLE EP. 115 : LIVE SESSION W/ TRIBE ARTIST SOCIETY. Tune into this week's Cycle to hear an extra special Live Session with Tribe Artist Society! 6 MCs in one booth, trading bars over incredible beats, YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS ONE! Tribe Artist Society will be performing at Eau Claire Plaza at 8:40pm on Friday January 30th, as part of Block Heater's Special Presentation during Chinook Blast, it's a free show so go check it out!

Playlist:

• MARCO PLUS - blue eye freestyle
• Anthony D'Alessandro - City Lights
• Snotty Nose Rez Kids, featuring Travis Thompson - MURDER SHE WROTE
• Drezus - Like This
• War Party - Get Live
• The Halluci Nation - The OG
• Big L, featuring Mac Miller & Pale Jay - Forever
• redveil - or so i

indoor cycling? sonic smoking?

Playlist:

• Archy Marshall - Sex With Nobody - Instrumental
• A$ap Rocky - WHISKEY (RELEASE ME) (ft. Gorillaz, Westside Gunn)
• Mac Miller - 5 Dollar Pony Rides
• Saint Etienne - Spring
• Boards of Canada - Music is Math
• Danny Brown - Ain't My Concern
• Boldy James & The Alchemist - Pinto
• Cibo Matto - Sugar Water
• N.E.R.D - Run To The Sun
• Kenny Beats - Hold My Head
• King Geedorah - Take Me To Your Leader
• Earl Sweatshirt - INFATUATION
• Vegyn - The Path Less Traveled
• Black Thought x Danger Mouse - Because
• Vince Staples - Little Homies
• Freddie Gibbs, Alchemist - Look At Me

SONIC CYCLE EP. 113 : A special mix of Vinyl's this week!! Featuring a bunch of hip hop, soul, and funk music from my collection. Unfortunately I had some mic issues in the booth, so this week's cycle may not sound the cleanest or feature myself explaining the songs/albums/artists, but the music is still incredible so check it out and hope you enjoy a unique episode that doesn't have me blabbering on as much!

Playlist:

• Mos Def, featuring Talib Kweli - Know That
• Harrison - Inthecoupe
• Harrison - 7PM
• MF DOOM - Kava Kava Root
• Nas - Take It In Blood
• Knxwledge - watchwhoukallyourhomie
• Knxwledge - be safe
• Tyler, The Creator, featuring Teezo Touchdown - Darling, I
• Free Nationals, featuring Anderson .Paak - Gidget
• Childish Gambino - Riot
• Rick James - Bustin' Out (On Funk)
• Earth, Wind & Fire - Evolution Orange
• Jackson Conti - Amazon Stroll
• Jackson Conti - Berimbau
• The 5th Dimension - I Just Wanna Be Your Friend - Live
• Jalen Ngonda - Just Like You Used To
• J Dilla - Motor City 9

SONIC CYCLE EP. 112 : Back to our regularly scheduled Cycle this week, with a mix of newer hip hop featuring a few artists who seemingly haven't been played on the station yet! Tune in to hear new(ish) music from artist like REASON, Armand Hammer, insyt., Coast Contra and many more incredible Hip hop artists ranging from Calgary to Australia!

Playlist:

• insyt. - FOREVER DEEPLY ROOTED
• Plomberie - Fuite no.4 en si bémol mineur - Instrumental
• Menace4hire - boogieman
• Armand Hammer, The Alchemist - Super Nintendo
• Boy Wonder - Pi 2
• REASON - Crab Cakes at Joeys_BLUE
• Lex Leosis - innerthoughts
• tobi lou - Balmart
• Yaya Bey - breakthrough
• Saba, featuring FELIX! - TICTACTOE
• MARCO PLUS - smokin' all day
• Jayson Cash, featuring Ab-Soul - 90746
• Coast Contra - IT'S ALL HAPPENING
• HeyJune, Jøjo - see you next year
• Kai Banks, featuring Donat Jackson - KnoBody

SONIC CYCLE EP. 111 : Favourite Albums of 2025 Pt. 5. This week's Cycle is the last of the Fav Albums series!! Tune in to hear songs from more of the Albums I loved from the past year, including Nas & DJ Premier, Wale, Earl Sweatshirt and so many more incredible hip hop artists.

Playlist:

• YTK - TOP 10
• Empanadas Ilegales - Mano Peluda
• Jai Winter - EASTSIDE
• Oddisee - A Rare Thing
• Nas, DJ Premier - Shine Together
• Domo Genesis, Graymatter - Church's Chicken
• LIFEOFTHOM, Plain Pat, featuring Wiki - HANDS
• Seafood Sam - DARK BLUE SUPREME
• MAVI - G-ANNIS FREESTYLE
• Eli the Guy - lemme go
• Wale, featuring BNYX® - Mirroronnabenz
• LxVNDR, Uncle Fester - Mirror Mirror
• Planet Giza - LONELY
• Ray Vaughn, featuring Samara Cyn & Sydney Leona - JANKY moral COMPASS
• WHATMORE - hit it
• Michael Da Vinci, Por Vida - Uno Mas
• Earl Sweatshirt - INFATUATION
• Hit-Boy, The Alchemist - Recent Memory

SONIC CYCLE EP. 110 : Favourite Albums of 2025 Pt. 4. This week we keep on listening to some of my favourite release of 2025, and for the final episode of an incredible year of music, the albums included in this one may be the ones I listened to the most this year.

Playlist:

• Kaicrewsade, featuring The O'My's, Menace4hire - 41st Street Beach!!!!
• Kaelin Ellis - bigger than...
• Mick Jenkins, EMIL - DeadStock
• Chance the Rapper, featuring Jamila Woods - No More Old Men
• Sol ChYld - juggernaut
• Venna - Zazu
• Loyle Carner - hopefully
• Leon Thomas, featuring 4batz - Lone Wolf
• CARRTOONS, featuring Haile Supreme - Labor of Love
• Duckwrth, featuring Sherwyn - I'm Really Changing
• JayWood - GRATITUDE
• redveil - save
• Samara Cyn - summer's turning
• Kota the Friend, featuring VIC MENSA - Solar Return II
• Saba, No ID, featuring Love Mansuy, Ogi, Smino - a FEW songs