Stories of Our City

Jeffrey Zie, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, was down on his luck after getting fired from his job and owing court fees while on probation. Desperate for quick money to avoid a foreboding jail sentence, he resorted to his old game of selling weed, which landed him six months in prison—28 days of which he spent in solitary confinement. What happened in that eight by eleven foot cell changed the course of his life forever.

“If I die today, what impact have I made on this earth?” Listen as Thread Life founder Efua Mensah-Brown shares how her journey to find purpose led her to discover the world of unethical fashion, and ultimately to the creation of a company that is impacting lives around the world.

“If I die today, what impact have I made on this earth?” Listen as Thread Life founder Efua Mensah-Brown shares how her journey to find purpose led her to discover the world of unethical fashion, and ultimately to the creation of a company that is impacting lives around the world.

Have you ever had to do something that seemed impossible to achieve? Learn how Maryam creatively managed to overcome a challenging school assignment … and how she helped others do the same in the process.

Have you ever had to do something that seemed impossible to achieve? Learn how Maryam creatively managed to overcome a challenging school assignment … and how she helped others do the same in the process.

When one thinks of Paris, France, the Eiffel Tower often comes to mind. But in the hip-hop world, Paris is known for its strong beatbox community. Among them is K.I.M.—an acronym for Killer Inside Me—a jolly, full-bearded Frenchman who won the French Beatbox Championship in 2011 with only four years of experience under his belt. In this week’s podcast the talented beatboxer talks about the strength and camaraderie of the French beatbox scene and how he got into the craft, which has now taken him all over the world. (This podcast includes a portion of K.I.M.'s performance showcase from the 2016 Jordan Beatbox Championship in Amman, Jordan.)

When one thinks of Paris, France, the Eiffel Tower often comes to mind. But in the hip-hop world, Paris is known for its strong beatbox community. Among them is K.I.M.—an acronym for Killer Inside Me—a jolly, full-bearded Frenchman who won the French Beatbox Championship in 2011 with only four years of experience under his belt. In this week’s podcast the talented beatboxer talks about the strength and camaraderie of the French beatbox scene and how he got into the craft, which has now taken him all over the world. (This podcast includes a portion of K.I.M.'s performance showcase from the 2016 Jordan Beatbox Championship in Amman, Jordan.)

Hip-hop and bread. These are seldom spoken in the same breath. But for Abood Aladham, who works in a bakery by day and beatboxes by night, these are life. Hear Abood’s heart for Jordan’s hip-hop community—particularly for younger up-and-coming beatboxers—how he founded the Jordan Beatbox Championship, and about his dreams for using his passion for beatboxing in less conventional ways to impact the community around him.

Hip-hop and bread. These are seldom spoken in the same breath. But for Abood Aladham, who works in a bakery by day and beatboxes by night, these are life. Hear Abood’s heart for Jordan’s hip-hop community—particularly for younger up-and-coming beatboxers—how he founded the Jordan Beatbox Championship, and about his dreams for using his passion for beatboxing in less conventional ways to impact the community around him.

In Episode 141 we shared the story of Gaith, a twenty something businessman who quit a successful job in the insurance business to pursue a love for books. In this week’s story, learn more about the vehicle—quite literally—that drives Gaith’s Books on the Road mobile bookstore initiative: a 1974 Mercedes 200 named Nancy.