Rebel Radio

MICK (formerly Mick Boogie) is co-creator of my favorite mixtape series, Summertime vols. 1-9, which he produces with DJ Jazzy Jeff. So I was excited to catch-up with him at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity — the annual gathering of the global advertising industry. MICK and I were among the few attendees representing the culture side of things. In between the yacht parties and the beach par...

Sak Pase is a dope producer. Just ask his clients — Kanye, Jay-Z, Rhianna, Busta Rhymes, TI, the list goes on. He comes by our studio to share some secrets he's learned in his journey from being discovered in a Yahoo! chat room to earning six Grammy nominations. He tells us how he fights the tendency overthink things and just stay in the flow. If you liked this episode, check out our interview wit...

Rebel Radio LIVE at Collision Conference Part 3 of 3: Sophia Bush I love how ready Sophia Bush is to give us a piece of her mind. And to stand her ground for the things that are important to her. As she tells us in the interview, it's not without a cost. She gives us some insights into her views on activism and what it means to really stand for something. If you liked this episode, check out our o...

Rebel Radio LIVE at Collision Conference Part 2 of 3: Anastasia Ashley Anastasia Ashley has been surfing since she was five years old and did her first competition at six. Today, she’s also a model, pitchwoman, and social influencer. We caught up with her at the Collision Conference https://collisionconf.com where she was giving a talk on content marketing. In a very short interview, she gave us s...

Rebel Radio LIVE at Collision Conference Part 1 of 3: Jillionaire We caught up with Jillionaire at the Collision Conference in New Orleans this spring. He’s one third of the EDM powerhouse Major Lazer, and now a solo artist and label chief at Feel Up Records. He’s also a minister of rum for Bacardi, and collaborated with his bandmates to create a Major Laser edition rum. In our short interview, he...

This is part two of my interview with Bosko, the super producer and now tech entrepreneur. Check out last week’s episode to hear about his history, our history together, and how he made his way as a young man coming up in hip hop culture. This week he tells us about his new startup, https://www.electrospit.com, which is revolutionizing the talk box (if you don’t know what a talk box is, look it up...

So many good lessons in this one. So many that we cut it into two parts. You may know Bosko from his work with E-40, or Kanye. He’s an old friend and a great producer. I was his manager for a few years in the 90s and we made my first record deal together. This week, we talk about perfectionism and the power of deadlines. We talk about how hard it is to have open communication, especially when you’...

THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL LIVE EPISODE: Ali Shaheed Muhammad is a hero of mine, maybe yours too. First of all, there’s the music. The music of A Tribe Called Quest. If don’t know Low End Theory, put down this podcast and go listen to that. We’ll wait. Then there’s the music of Lucy Pearl, of D’Angelo, the co-productions with Dilla, and lately the collab with Adrian Younge on the music for Mar...

Jimmy O. Yang returns. Jimmy was on our show a couple years ago, and his career keeps blowing up. We’d like to think we have something to do with that. But it’s probably the hilarious book How to American: An Immigrant’s Guide to Disappointing Your Parents. Or maybe it’s his character Jian-Yang on HBO’s Silicon Valley, or the roles in The Life of the Party or Crazy Rich Asians. My dude is killing...

Bella Fiasco is a great name for a DJ, and she's a great DJ. Great enough to get the stamp of approval from the World Famous Beat Junkies. She took a break from playing hot parties and dropping mixtapes to tell us what it's like making her was as a woman in DJ culture. Hint: It ain't easy, but it's gettting better. If you liked this episode, check out our interview with Mr. Choc: https://soundclou...

Chris Denson has had a fascinating career so far — from standup comedy to TV production to helping the world’s largest brands with innovation and hosting the Innovation Crush podcast. His new book, Crushing the Box: 10 Essential Rules for Breaking Essential Rules, takes his storytelling to the next level. Chris came by the studio to tell everyone to buy his book. While we had him, we asked a bunch...

How many people can say they’ve created their own alphabet? Retna has. And it’s showing up on walls, billboards, and art galleries all over the world. We stopped in to Retna’s studio for another episode in our Art X Work X Rebels series, co-hosted by Eddie Donaldson of Guerrilla One. The graffiti legend gives us insights into his journey from the streets to becoming one of the most important figur...

Steve1der is a top remixer, DJ, producer, podcaster. He knows what he’s doing behind the tables and in the studio. He’s also incredibly outspoken about the challenges facing DJs today and what it takes to be successful. Listen up for the realness! If you liked this episode, check out our interview with Jayceeoh: https://soundcloud.com/rebel_radio/how-to-collab-and-compete-at-the-same-time EDM.com...

Rude Jude is one of my favorite people to talk to. He makes me feel like I’m his square cousin — the non-drinker, non-drug user, non-hot head — who I respect and admire but often disagree with. Doesn’t matter that we don’t agree on everything. He’s outspoken, opinionated, and passionate. If you don’t know Jude, he’s the host of the All Out Show on Shade 45, Sirius XM, and the author of two incredi...

Clint Schaff is the homie, and also one of the creative forces behind the Dirty John podcast, NEWSTORY at Festival of Books (which happens to include a LIVE Rebel Radio interview with Ali Shaheed Muhammad, coming soon) and a bunch of other innovation at the LA Times. He stopped by the studio to tell us about how he’s stirring it up at a 100+ year old media company, innovating their business with c...

You might know that EDM.com is a co-presenter of Rebel Radio. You might have clicked on this episode because they told you to. This week, co-founder of the site and their label Ethan Baer joins us to put us up on his journey, from discovering electronic music to innovating the music business. He tells us how artists should be thinking about connecting with fans in a business driven by streaming, a...

Interviews like this are why I do this show. It starts with some good hip hop stories, old school, new school, and then we get into some amazing insights about business. Sharath is way smarter that you might expect. He’s self-aware, understands the culture surrounding his business, and has a strong vision of what success means to him. All that and more in this week's episode. If you liked this epi...

Jay Shetty took a break from getting millions of video views to come talk to us about making wisdom go viral. He calls himself a former monk who is now spreading love and wisdom through the internet. He’s actually a former rapper who became a monk. As you might expect, the wisdom comes nonstop in this episode. Lots of quotes you’re going to want to write down and put on your wall. Here’s one about...

Here’s what I love about Graham Funke and Stone Rokk: They’re great DJs, even if sometimes I don’t like the selection. “I play bad music well,” Graham says. They don’t take themselves too seriously, even when being outspoken and controversial. "I have a bit of a sociopath streak in me,” Stone Rokk tells me. Although they may not want to admit it, they obviously love the game. From painstaking atte...

Morse Code has been named the best DJ in America. He’s one half of Pools with (thee) Mike B, making chill house music for a pool party vibe. He teaches aspiring DJs at Point Blank Music School. I take the opportunity to find out what makes a great DJ in 2018. Listen up to what he has to say, then leave us a review on iTunes and a comment on Facebook. If you liked this episode, check out our interv...

Daniel and John from LA Riots are pumping out underground hits and remixes for the best labels in dance music: Fool’s Gold, Dim Mak, Insomniac, Spinnin’, Sweat It Out, plus a bunch of the majors. The two have succeeded by flexing their skills across the sound spectrum: house, drum & bass, electro, indie rock. Daniel came by our studio to tell us how he’s managed to roll with the changes from the e...

It’s popular to think technology has made DJing easy. DJ Excel says it’s harder than ever. "When I started, you only had to do a portion of what I have to do now. You didn't have to worry about branding. You didn't have to worry about social media. You didn't have to worry about anything else other than making sure you had the records, making sure you were at the club on time.” Excel lets us know...

The third in a series of interviews brought to you LIVE from Beijing. Helen Feng sings under the name Nova Heart and has been called the Blondie of China, especially interesting since she isn't blonde. What she is, though, is sharp as hell and full of passion and vision. She has a very punk rock perspective on success and was incredibly open with us about her challenges with depression and suicide...

We caught up with Nathaniel Davis in Beijing last month. He's an old friend, and a big part of the indie music scene all across China — from the Concrete & Grass festival to brand activations and bespoke events. He gives us some great insight into what it's like building a business in China, and one that puts passion over profit. If you liked this episode, check out our interview with Kevin Lyman:...

Rebel Radio LIVE in China. This is the first of four interviews with recorded on the road in Beijing. We had the opportunity to catch-up with some of the people building the global cultural footprint of that amazing city. Miao Wong has been labeled Beijing’s queen of techno. As founder of Acupuncture Records, DOT Records, the Art Rebels Party, and the person responsible for bringing Boiler Room to...