Alex + Koku

Had to get a new episode to you before the end of the summer! We're talking our favorite listens from the past few months, Noname's new album, and our thoughts on where hip-hop has been & where it's going. Koku also tells a story about his experience at Earl Sweatshirt's "Doris" 10 Year Anniversary show in Chicago. Enjoy!

Recorded live at Koku's apartment! On this episode, we're talking about AI (that could turn you into AI), Daniel Caesar's controversial return, and the mess that was Frank Ocean's Coachella performance. Koku also asks ChatGPT to describe the Alex + Koku podcast. You gotta hear its response 😂 Follow @alexandkoku on Instagram + Twitter!

If y'all have been wondering how Koku got so BROLIC, boy do we have a treat for you! Got the one and only Vic Young on this episode, a.k.a. KOKU's PERSONAL TRAINER. Vic is the founder of Infinite Training Systems, and he also has a really dope perspective on hip-hop music. On this episode, we're talking experimentation in rap, Lil Yachty's latest album, all of Koku's lookalikes...

EPISODE 40, WE MIDDLE AGED!!! The homie Aloe Vera, who's an incredible musician, poet, and organizer from Columbus, Ohio, blessed us with their presence on the podcast & dropped ALL the gems. Tbh this episode starts poppin off from the jump. We're talking weird AI generated fingers, Black alternative music, finding beauty in gospel music despite many Christian churches' violence towards queer...

FIRST EPISODE OF 2023 + EVERYTHING IS GOING IN OUR FAVOR!!! We got Emme Reed, our first guest of the year & resident lucky girl, on the podcast to talk about the artists we want to know everything about, our most memorable celebrity encounters, Frank Ocean headlining Coachella, and more! It's 2023, let's clown around!!!! Follow Emme on IG: https://www.instagram.com/emmereed Follow Alex + Koku...

We're closing out 2022 with a dream guest: Columbus, Ohio's own Hanif Abdurraqib! You probably know Hanif from one of his critically acclaimed essay collections, They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us (2017) & A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance (2021), or his 2019 book, Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes on A Tribe Called Quest . Hanif has also written two poetry collectio...

This is our last episode with Verge.fm. Unfortunately, Verge.fm's weekly volunteer-run radio is coming to an end after November due to it becoming unsustainable for their team to continue operating. BIG thank you to the Verge.fm team for believing in Alex + Koku and giving us a platform to share our show with folks in Columbus and beyond. BUT DON'T WORRY. We're not going anywhere. You can continue...

Y'all good? We're out here sharing some NEW music from Dom Deshawn and talking about what it would like if UK artists overthrew the monarchy. Idk bro just tune in 😭😭 Catch us every 4th Saturday at 4pm ET on Verge FM wherever you stream podcasts!

Are these fools seriously being silly? AT A TIME LIKE THIS? The answer is yes. We're on here being witless. Like mad jester-like. Listen at your own risk. And hear us talk about Renaissance, Steve Lacy's new album & the end of Desus and Mero. Catch us every 4th Saturday at 4pm ET on Verge FM and wherever you stream podcasts!

We’re chopping it up with the homie and third-time guest Julius Tunstall about making music from a place of love, Kendrick Lamar’s latest album, and creating with friends. Tap in with the Writing Boys!

We've got the homie Via Carpenter of Via's Cookie's on the pod today! We're talking with her about how she launched her own cookie company and which musicians would make the best cooks. Via also tells us a WILD Young Thug story!!! #FreeYSL #FreeEmAll Catch us every 4th Saturday at 4pm ET on Verge FM and wherever you stream podcasts! Follow Via on Instagram

SHOUTOUT TO DON CHEADLE!! We're back for another episode talking the Grammys, Dreamville's new Gangsta Grillz mixtape, and the art of the rap group. Two goofy fellows just here to bless you with this audio magic. Catch us every 4th Saturday at 4pm ET on Verge FM and wherever you stream podcasts!

Two of our favorite hip-hop artists, Dom Deshawn & Joey Aich , join us to talk about the highs and lows of their rap journeys and how they both quit their jobs to pursue their passions. We also ask them their thoughts on Keedron Bryant & J Dilla and MAN. THEY DELIVER. Catch us every 4th Saturday at 4pm ET on Verge FM and wherever you stream podcasts! Listen to Dom Deshawn: https://spoti.fi...

For the FIRST TIME EVER on verge.fm , we're talking Dan Charnas' new book Dilla Time and where Bobby Valentino went wrong in the 2005 hit single Slow Down. We're also getting into what we've been writing about bc we're some WRITING BOYS now too. RADIO BOYS. WRITING BOYS. SHORT CORNY BOYS. Catch us every 4th Saturday at 4pm ET on Verge FM and wherever you stream podcasts!

LMAO PLEASE EXCUSE THE TITLE! Ok this episode is super fun. Catch us talking about The Interview Heard 'Round The World (otherwise known as Kanye's Drink Champs interview), 10 years of Drake's Take Care, and our predictions about what's next for Silk Sonic after their debut album, An Evening With Silk Sonic. Rest in peace, Young Dolph. We also recorded this before Virgil Abloh's passing—rest in pe...

Bringing y'all this audio gold takes time—but thanks for bearing with us! We're BACK with the conversation every Travis Scott Meal-obsessed adolescent can't seem to get enough of: Drake's Certified Lover Boy , or Kanye West's Donda ? We get into the buzz around both albums, all that fresh-never-frozen beef between Aubrey & Mr. West, and, as always, we talk about what we've been spinning when w...

If this is your first time hearin' this, you are about to experience something so cold, man. Because we are FINALLY recording together in person. It almost didn't happen. BUT GOD. Honestly we aren't even going to tell you what this episode is about. Just enjoy the immaculate vibes.

First guest of season 2! The homie Michaela Mason joins us on this week's episode to chop it up about imagining Black art beyond melancholy and how to best bully J. Cole fans. This is peak podcasting. It's all downhill from here. Sorry, fam. Follow Michaela on Instagram: http://instagram.com/michaelalutherking

SEASON 2! WE BACK, BABY! And cornier than ever. We're talking the Grammys, Justin Bieber's "Justice" album, and whether or not number one hits hold the same weight they once did. Whole squad vaxxed and ready for snacks.

For our last episode of 2020, we went live on Clubhouse and chopped it up about our favorite albums of the year. Unfortunately, the screen recording didn't work, so we weren't able to include the voices of our friends who joined us on the pod. Thanks for joining us, though. We started this podcast during the panorama and it's meant a lot to have y'all rocking with us. See you in 2021 for more shor...

SECURED OUR FIRST RETURN GUEST! We welcome our brother Julius Tunstall back on the pod to chop about Paramore getting invited to the cookout, why "Dynamite" by BTS is so good, and we discover DRAM changed his name to Shelley. It's confusing for us all. Listen to Julius on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/35Pozak Support Julius' Patreon: http://patreon.com/juliustunstall Follow Julius on Instagram: http:/...

All hail the queen. Got the homie Jayde Powell (@jaydeipowell) on this week's episode talking with us about music we grew up on, how our music tastes have changed, and what to listen to while traveling. Koku is also ready to risk it all for Zendaya. Follow Jayde on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jaydeipowell Follow Jayde on Instagram: http://instagram.com/jaydeipowell_

Zineb + Fardowsa (hosts of AROUSE OSU's She Wanna Vibe radio show) join us this week to share memories of artists who have passed and how their careers might have looked different if they were still with us. We also attempt to get to the bottom of Zineb's Drake fan page on Tumblr. Listen to She Wanna Vibe: http://arouseosu.com Follow Zineb on Instagram: http://instagram.com/nubzzi Follow Fardowsa...

Warning: this episode is unhinged. Amber & Gueric join us for some post-election fun to chat this generation's defining artists, why Gueric has never had Popeye's, and the MOST cursed video. Avengers assemble! Follow Amber on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AmberTheeAlert Follow Amber on Instagram: http://instagram.com/ambermadrid Follow Gueric on Twitter: http://twitter.com/iamGueric Follow Gueri...

LaNae, host of The Anime Nae YouTube channel, joins us this week to talk about anime, yoga, and Chicago hip hop. We also discuss hip-hop endorsements of Donald Trump and the mess that is celebrity culture. Draw yourself a bubble bath because this episode is a GOOD one. Subscribe to The Anime Nae: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv1TpnyO0PJs5wAUDGcwygQ Follow LaNae on Instagram: http://www.instagr...