Tag: hip-hop

Podcast Of The Week: Raphael Saadiq, Renaissance Music Man

Hey! On Saturday’s I highlight a podcast about being a creative professional. Sometimes it’s direct, sometimes it’s indirect, but it’s always entertaining and educational. This week’s Podcast of the Week is… Musician/producer extraordinaire - Raphael Saadiq on the Questlove Supreme Podcast. Raphael Saadiq started off as a kid trying to break into the local Oakland … Continue reading Podcast Of The Week: Raphael Saadiq, Renaissance Music Man →

Podcast Of The Week: RZA On Men In Blazers

It's a conversation about loving life, seeking change, and tenaciously persevering in the face of everyone telling you "well, that's never going to work." I've long loved both of these people and never quite imagined them sitting down to chat. But, after hearing it, it makes perfect sense why there's so much joy here. Check … Continue reading Podcast Of The Week: RZA On Men In Blazers →

When It Rains, Get Wet

RZA said one of the best pieces of advice he ever heard came from Quincy Jones: “When it rains, get wet.” If something good is happening, partake. And not “good” meaning perfect, or positive, or not confusing, but… natural. Don’t grab an umbrella, don’t run inside, don’t hide from the tide - if it starts … Continue reading When It Rains, Get Wet →

Sunday Music: Remembering Gift of Gab

gift of gab on stage at power to the peaceful festival in 2006

The first time I heard him, it was (probably) a Napster lifted version of "Alphabet Aerobics." Somebody inevitably pitched it to me as, "dude, you've gotta hear this. He does the whole alphabet in rhyme and it's just redonculous." Yes, that was certainly my gateway introduction to Gift of Gab. Yes, we also said redonculous. … Continue reading Sunday Music: Remembering Gift of Gab →

Sunday Music: New Playlist For June 2021

Spring turned into summer while I was making this one. We went from windows up to windows down and from sweatshirts on dog walks to t-shirts. This playlist kind of captures the transition with enough mood for each season. Here it is on Apple Music and Spotify. “Special Girl” by Dodie. The syncopations. So subtle … Continue reading Sunday Music: New Playlist For June 2021 →

Sunday Music: Nihilism (L’Orange & Namir Blade)

imaginary everything album cover of a figure falling through black space

Something about the latest album from L'Orange & Namir Blade takes me straight back to Deltron 3030, Dr. Octagon, and Quasimoto. The beats are spacey, the lyrics are sprawling, and the hooks aren't so much in the choruses as they are in the lines that imprint on your brain. "Nothing matters, nothing changes" "Look at … Continue reading Sunday Music: Nihilism (L’Orange & Namir Blade) →

Sunday Music: Ooh La La (Mexican Institute Of Sound Remix)

Another remix I didn’t know I needed. Maybe the warmer weather makes it sound better when I’m driving with the windows down. I don’t know, but I’m smiling every time I put this on. Check out the latest from Run The Jewels -"Ooh La La (Mexican Institute of Sound Remix feat. Santa Fe Klan). https://youtu.be/LsR0Bh_Q4AA And … Continue reading Sunday Music: Ooh La La (Mexican Institute Of Sound Remix) →

Sunday Music: I Only Got Time To Think About The Time I Don’t Have

Cody ChesnuTT’s The Headphone Masterpiece is the stuff of lo-fi r&b legend. Dropping in 2002 and getting most of its love thanks to a feature by The Roots (that’s his hook on “The Seed”), the whole record is creative, funny, and stylistically sprawling. He rocks. He rolls. He croons. And after putting it out, he … Continue reading Sunday Music: I Only Got Time To Think About The Time I Don’t Have →