Step Off! Radio

In the burgeoning, yet often overlooked Hip-Hop scene of San Diego perhaps, no voice is as unique and drive as dedicated as that of Jesse Cannon; better known professionally by his stage name Tall Can. For the past several years Tall Can has been producing his own unique brand Hip-Hop, cross pollinating genres, collaborating with producers from all over the world and releasing a string of dozens of projects, albums and EP’s in his wake. Over the years, Tall Can has amassed a unique, extensive catalog of music quite unlike anything else produced by his musical contemporaries here in San Diego and the greater art scene of the surrounding border region. For this episode of Step Off! Radio, we had the opportunity to sit down with Tall Can. Among other things we got to discuss not only the details of his early life, but the origins of his rap career, the details surrounding his initial entry into first making music, as well as an exclusive preview into some brand new upcoming projects. Likewise, we also took the time to discuss Tall Can's work in local anti-fascist organizing and his volunteer work for the community police oversight collective 'Cop Watch' here in San Diego. In a fascinating exploration, we delve into how community defense plays into the larger picture of building revolution and protecting our communities from right wing extremists, agents of the state & other provocateurs who wish to harm to marginalized and vulnerable communities. We hope you all enjoy our discussion with the one and only Tall Can.

In our latest installment of Step Off Radio, we interview local student journalist Katy Stegall of the Southwestern College Sun. Stegall’s coverage of last year’s hate rally staged by white nationalists in Chicano Park, dubbed ‘Patriot Picnic 2.0’ has by far been the most nuanced & critical analysis of the Chicano Park protests out of any news media outlet in the San Diego region, with not one local news media outlet taking the same time & dedication to accurately report the details of what transpired that day. Katy Stegall is not only an award winning student journalist, she has likewise amassed various praise & accolades stemming from her tireless coverage of the Chicano Park protests & the subsequent trial of Fredrick Jefferson as well. We were fortunate enough to sit down with Katy as she recounted her experiences at The Sun first covering this story nearly a year ago & its progression from the newspaper covering what was initially supposed to be a one time event; to the months long process of reporting one of the most closely followed trials in the city at the time. It is a story of dedication & perseverance from a disciplined team of student journalists, police brutality & intimidation from an embittered & troubled police department as well as indifference & apathy from a jaded & cynical local news media culture which all culminates into one amazing story chronicling one student newspaper’s quest to uncover the truth. With that said, we at Step Off! Radio hope that you all enjoy our discussion with the marvelous Katy Stegall of the Southwestern College Sun.

If there was one word that could perhaps best describe Blame One it would probably be Versatility. Throughout the years Blame One has donned quite a variety of different hats throughout the span of his extensive and at times rocky music career. As an emcee, graffiti writer and B-boy the North county Hip-Hop artist has more than earned the well deserved status as an elder statesmen and icon in the local San Diego Hip-Hop scene. Over the course of his illustrious 33 year career as an emcee, Blame One has released six solo albums, several EP’s, been part of various groups and collectives and has appeared on a myriad of songs and rare cuts in other artists catalogs. With this tireless and unrelenting work ethic his catalog quite literally speaks for itself, epitomizing the tenants of perseverance and longevity in the rap game. His latest album the The 34th Scroll with producer/emcee Veks is no exception and is the latest entry in this long and illustrious career of crafting thought provoking, well made, timeless Hip-Hop. For this episode of Step Off! Radio we traveled up to all the way up to North County, to the city of Vista, California to meet up with Blame One. Among other things we discussed the origins of the album’s title, his back history and relationship to producer Veks, the significance of the project at this stage in his career, the possibility of a Mystery's Extinction re-union as well as what the immediate future holds for Blame One and his music. We hope you all enjoy our discussion with the one and only Blame One.

As one of the best rising political cartoonists in the country, since 2009 Joaquin Junco Jr better known by his artist name Junco Canché has done political cartoons featured in publications such as El Coyote Crossing Borders the San Diego Free Press, La Prensa San Diego as well as the Southwestern College Sun; and most recently working as a regular guest contributor for the nationally syndicated comic strip La Curacha from San Diego native Lalo Alcaraz. As a Chicano artist, Junco’s art and satirical comics offer an often overlooked perspective view of both the state and national politics from a adamantly and unapologetic, Chicano/Mexican-American perspective. Giving a unique look into politics and life around the U.S./Mexico border region and South-Western United States; few artists have managed to so cleverly and concisely comment on today’s political climate of the past few years better than Junco. Here at Step Off! Radio we had the opportunity to sit down and speak with Junco on a variety of topics from his memories growing up in Mexico in the 90’s, the countless nuances of the lived Chicano experience here in the U.S., Cultural appropriation vs, appreciation, decolonization in the arts and pop-culture as well as his most recent collaborations with musical artists such as Kozmik Force. We hope you all enjoy our discussion with the one and only Junco Canché.

*BIG shout out to Junco for his continued support and for his immense patience with us as we worked on completing this episode!

Jacqueline Arellano, member of the human rights/immigration reform group Border Angels & director of the organization’s water drop hikes joins us for the second episode of Step Off! Radio to discuss Border Angel’s mission, the story behind her involvement in the org's water drops, organizing & activism along the U.S./Mexican border region of the American Southwest, as well as the increased militarization of U.S. Customs & Border Protection security under a Trump administration.

Rap duo Jaguar & Bomb Threat, better known collectively as Kozmik Force join us in the pilot episode of Step Off! Radio to discuss the group's origins, activism through music, their debut mixtape 'War Cry', decolonization & Indigenous resistance/liberation across the America's in the age of Trump.