The Next Movement

Open Mike Eagle joins us following the release his latest album “Component System With The Auto Reverse”. We start our conversation with some discussion about his live performances since the album’s release. Then we use elements from the album to discuss larger themes - The importance of his relationships with his peers and his admiration of their skills. The overarching goal of his writing as bei...

MidaZ the BEAST joined us on the day that his latest album "The Devil's Playground" was released. We spoke to him about the process behind the creation of this album, his relationship with the album's producer Delle Digga, the album's spiritual themes, and the immediacy with which he claims his spot among current hip-hop greats. Then we discuss his album pick for this episode - "The Pick, The Sick...

It's time for the end of year episode! This is where we pause to consider some of our favorite albums from the year and, as has become tradition, we ask fellow podcasters to join us to help round out the conversation. This time around we've got Luke Bailey from Fly Fidelity! Each of us chose three albums that ended up being our favorites from 2022. Tune in to hear which albums we picked and get ou...

ShrapKnel (Curly Castro and PremRock) sit down to chat about their sophomore album "Metal Lung". We discuss the personal meaning connected to the album and its release as well some of the artistic direction that the duo took with the project. Then we discuss ShrapKnel's album pick for this episode - the second installment from another duo (Murs and Slug) - "Felt 2: A Tribute to Lisa Bonet" Purchas...

Virginia mainstay Blackliq joins us to talk about his new project "What Will It Take" with fellow Richmond native Ohbliv. Liq provided the behind the scenes view of what went into making that project, his process as a writer in general, the work he has done teaching kids to write, and his latest adventure as the lead singer in a hardcore band (Armagideon Time). Then we discuss his album pick for t...

We spoke to Fatboi Sharif in-person at Triple Bottom Brewing Company just before he headed to sound check at Silk City where he later performed with Open Mike Eagle and Video Dave. Sharif spoke with us about his incredible new album “Preaching in Havana” and his album pick for this episode - “MU.ZZ.LE” from Gonjasufi. This was such a fun night! Shout out to Triple Bottom for being so accommodating...

phiik, one of several enigmatic spitters in the New York based Tase Grip collective, joins us to talk about his latest offering called "CHAINLINK", his project from earlier this year with Lungs and Cise Greeny called "WHERE ARE THE BUGS!?" and last years "THAT WAS A TEST" with S!lence. Then we discuss phiik's album pick for this episode - "Below The Heavens" from Blu and Exile. Døøf, Lungs, S!lenc...

Nebraska native Sleep Sinatra joins us to talk about his recent release, the Ohbliv produced album "Shadow Self". Sleep discusses the concept behind "Shadow Self" and gave us the story behind his collaboration with Ohbliv. He also talks about the production that he contributed to the recent debut self-titled album from ManDaMyth and offers some insight into the history of the Black arts in Nebrask...

Caltrops Press is a rap zine and a Tumblr page and a literary vessel that dissects modern hip hop by first joining it seamlessly with world history, classic works of poetry, film, old school lyricism, and razor sharp insight. Joe is the man behind Caltrops and he joins us to talk about his writing, the process behind it, and the story of Caltrops Press. Then we have an unusual discussion about Joe...

Max Heath is one half of the duo Child Actor and is the person responsible for crafting the production behind artists such as Armand Hammer (billy woods and E L U C I D), AKAI SOLO, ShrapKnel, Open Mike Eagle, Serengeti, and amani & robalu. He joined us for a thoughtful conversation about the art of beat making and shared some of the stories behind songs like "Charms" (Armand Hammer), "Sun 2 M...

We talked with Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire about his forthcoming album “VOL. 1: I Love Y.O.U. Cuz Y.O.U. Ugly”. The album signals a new chapter in eXquire’s life and career and he explained to us how understanding has got him feeling more like himself than ever. Then we nerd out over his album pick for this episode “Mama Said Knock You Out” and eXquire makes a compelling case for why LL Cool J is the...

Baltimore based Brian Ennals and Infinity Knives are the duo behind the powerfully cathartic "King Cobra". They joined us for a conversation of substance, which is kind of our thing, but this felt especially relevant to the past two years, as is the music that these two artists have created. Plus we had a fun discussion around their album pick for this episode - "Stankonia" Stream and purchase "Ki...

Justo the MC and maticulous join us to talk about their forthcoming project “Three” and the collaborative relationship that they have built over the course of the past few years. Then we get into their album pick for this episode - “…And Then There Was X” - the third offering in a historic run for the iconic DMX. Find music from Justo the MC at linktr.ee/Justo_the_mc Find music and merch from mati...

E L U C I D (Armand Hammer) joins us to talk about his excellent new solo release "I Told Bessie" and all things related. Then in the second half we do something that we've never done before...we discuss an album chosen by you, the listener. "Guns" by Quelle Chris is the subject of our focus and we ask E L U C I D to tell us his impressions of the album and Quelle's work as a whole. You can find "...

The multi-talented Wavy Bagels joins us to discuss his most recent project "BAVY" on which the producer, song writer, rapper, and singer displays his full arsenal. Wavy also talks a bit about "mutatis mutandis", the album he fully produced for S!LENCE at the end of 2021. Then we discuss a rather meaningful album for Wavy, Lupe Fiasco's "The Cool". Stream/purchase "BAVY" and "mutatis mutandis" from...

Painter, graphic designer, art director and now film director TTK joins us to talk about his recently premiered short documentary called "Just Like Me". The film was made with the purpose of educating and inspiring the next generation of Black creatives and we discuss some of the motivation and inspiration that both contributed to the film and has already come out of it. We also talk a bit about T...

Ace Cannons and MIGHTYHEALTHY join us to talk about their recent project MIGHTYCANNONS and the idea/inspiration behind it. We discuss how drums and increased BPMs set them apart from the current independent scene while also bringing a sense of nostalgia. Then, of course, we discuss their album pick for this episode - the final full-length from A Tribe Called Quest. 

Staten Island natives Jamil Honesty and Squeegie O join us to talk about their recent debut as the Habor Kidz and the double LP that excited the world in 1997 - Wu-Tang Forever. Jamil and Squeegie have known each other since their childhood days growing up in Mariners Harbor Projects and it was dope to hear perspective on the Wu from people who hail from Shaolin.

PremRock helps us complete our Wrecking Crew cypher and joins us to talk about his latest release. It's a self-titled album from a group called Ockham's Blazer that lands somewhere between hip-hop, jazz, and electronic music. PremRock tells us how he became involved with the project and how it required a unique approach to writing and recording. Then we dig into Prem's album pick for this episode...

Writer, editor, critic, and culture curator Timmhotep Aku joins us to talk about his career in hip-hop writing (XXL, Pitchfork, NPR, Afropunk and others). We discuss the importance of context within music reviews, becoming a steward of hip-hop culture, NTS radio, and some of the music that Timm is currently listening to. We also get Timm's take on his album pick for this episode - "RBG: Revolution...

We're joined by AJ Suede who spoke with us about his recent album "Hundred Year Darkness" with Small Professor, his previous album "Metatron's Cube" with Televangel, and his album pick for this episode "The Cold Vein" by Cannibal Ox. Big thanks to Suede for his patience working thru some technical issues and for bringing such thoughtful answers to our questions.

Masai Bey is an elusive veteran MC/producer who quietly made incredibly dope music in the late 90's and early 2000's. In a rare interview, Masai joins us to talk about the upcoming re-release of his album "Natural Magic Music" on Uncommon Records, which is set to hit streaming platforms for the first time in June of this year. We'll also talk about an album that heavily influenced his approach to...

We're joined by Dan-O from Freemusicempire who talks with us about a bunch of stuff including his approach to reviewing music and conducting interviews AND we swap stories of admiration for Erykah Badu and Dan-O’s album pick “Mama’s Gun”.

Brooklyn based artist maassai joins us to talk about her recent project "Personal Year 8" and last year's "With the Shifts" - two introspective and vulnerable projects. She shares some of her process for writing and recording, and the importance she places on representation in creating her music. Then we discuss her album pick for this episode - Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor - and how it reinforced...

Photographer Alexander Richter joins us to talk about his documentary film "Dark Brother Rise", his cover photo for Armand Hammer's "Haram", the stories behind some of our favorite photos from his portfolio, and the reason Sean Price's second solo LP "Jesus Price Supastar" is one of his favorites.