"What's Good?" W/ Charlie Taylor

In a week where: Israel declares a state of war after Hamas launches attacks & takes hostages.  Over 2,000 die in a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan.  Bedbugs originated in France are in the UK.  Study estimates climate crisis costing $16m an hour in extreme weather damage. Bibby Stockholm barge is back in action next week. In Environment: (8:32) For years we have been told about the dr...

In a week where: Actor Michael Gambon dies aged 82. Duane “Keffe D” Davis is arrested and charged with murder of Tupac Shakur.  HS2 to Manchester is scrapped.  Sam Bankman-Fried's criminal fraud trial begins.  Happy UK Black History Month!  In the 1st of an All-Society episode: (8:07) Motorists, the poor motorists. They're under threat; a war is being waged upon them! Or maybe it's a myth that has...

In a week where: A police officer is to be charged with the murder of Chris Kaba. Rupert Murdoch steps down as chair of Fox & News Corp. Pro-EU protestors rally in London. The WGA writer's strike ends after 148 days. France end military presence in Niger and pull ambassador from country after coup. In Music - (6:14) With the recent comments of Rolling Store Founder Jann Wenner making waves - l...

In a week where: TikTok fined €345m for breaking EU data law on children’s accounts. Russell Brand is accused of Rape; Sexual & Emotional Abuse. Sir Horace Ové - pioneering British filmmaker - dies aged 86. French ski resort closes forever due to lack of snow. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau accuses India of murdering Sikh community leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. In Tech - (10:26) Af...

In a week where: Wandsworth Prison escapee Daniel Abed Khalife is recaptured in Chiswick. A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hits Morocco. UK goes through seven days of 30° weather. Hong Kong flooded after heaviest hourly rainfall on record since 1884. Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales resigns after kiss scandal. In Journalism: (11:14) It's been uncovered recently that the Daily Mail has a...

In a week where: More than 150 schools in England close after having a type of potentially dangerous concrete. India successfully launches their 1st Spacecraft to The Sun. Rebuild cost for the town of Lahaina is estimated at $5.5B. Greece suffer torrential rain, days after the largest recorded wildfires in Europe. Enrique Tarrio - the former leader of the Proud Boys - has been sentenced to 22 year...

Last week, I hit up a couple of exhibitions in London. One of which was "The Ascension Years" in the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton which highlighted the work of Photographer Tee Max. The exhibition covers his Hip-Hop work right on the precipice of Hip-Hop's 2nd boom in the mid 90s and features the likes of Nas, OutKast, Busta Rhymes, Da Brat, Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé and more. After a riveting...

For this Long Read, we head to Okayplayer for "The Quentin Tarantino Situation: Using Racism as a Literary Device" by Abe Beame. If you've seen a Tarantino film, you know where this is going. But with his book "Cinema Speculation" we get a clearer look at Tarantino's pathology when it comes to race & other social ills. Thank you for listening! If you want to contribute to the show, whether it...

In a week where: Wildfires in Hawaii kills 90+, the deadliest in US history.  Government announces crackdown on gender-neutral toilets. "Black Godfather" Clarence Avant dies aged 92. Sam Bankman-Fried indicted on charges for donating $100m in stolen customer funds to US politicians. Donald Trump is indicted for a 4th time. In The Internet: (7:04) It seems that every year there's a new shopping sit...

In a week where: Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan is sentenced to three years in jail.  At least 30 die & over 100 injured after train derails in Pakistan.  Niger goes into limbo as they expect foreign intervention after an internal coup.  First of Bibby Stockholm barge prisoners taken onboard. DJ Casper - "Cha-cha Slide" pioneer - dies aged 58. In Media: (6:02) The recent death of artist & a...

In November 2016, I conducted my first interview for The 5th Element. The people I talked to are the people I talk to for this personally special episode. Brothers JFlames & ASON had me in person - at their home - to chop it up after nearly seven years. We don't get too much into what has happened for them since then, but instead we get into a wide-ranging conversation about artistry, where Hi...

For this interview we talk to a Queer Songwriter - hailing from North Bronx, NY - whose recently gone out to make a career of his own after years of being in the song writing meat grinder. YawnyBlew comes through to talk about his beginnings, the song writing machine, how he found safe spaces as a Queer artist; his new work and, of course, his Top 5. Thank you for listening! If you want to contrib...

In a week where: The Biden Administration to forgive $39 Billion in student debt.  Carlos Alcaraz beats Novak Djokovic for Wimbledon; 2nd Major title.  Victoria pulls out of hosting 2026 Commonwealth Games.  Sunak plans to crackdown on "rip-off" degrees.  Police searched a Las Vegas house in connection with the murder of Tupac Shakur. In the 1st of two Film segments: (4:38)  SAG-AFTRA have joined...

In a week where: UK Government loses legal challenge over giving WhatsApp messages to COVID inquiry. Meta releases Threads.  The average world temperature reaches highest mark in 4 decades of recordkeeping. France bans fireworks outside authorised public displays during the Bastille Day holiday weekend. A BBC presenter is suspended for allegedly paying for explicit photographs from a young person....

We have a special WG interview for you to enjoy! Last month, I was invited to see a play in Theatre Royal Stratford East called "Tambo & Bones", written by West Philly's own Dave Harris. And as you can imagine from the episode title, I was also given the opportunity to interview the director and lead actors of the show. So - in an episode that's split into two - the 1st half is a one-on-one wi...

In a week where: The five victims in the OceanGate sub implosion will be honoured with two museum ceremonies. Russian PMC Wagner Group stage a one-day mutiny.  A new suspect is named in Stephen Lawrence murder. Home Office declare it costs £63K more to remove migrants than keep them. Senior doctors in England vote to strike over pay. In Film: (6:46) "Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse has been ou...

For this Long Read, we head to The Atlantic for "A Blueprint For Black Liberation" by Dara Mathis. The piece traces Dara's roots in a Detroit Christian Pan-African commune that is long gone physically but the teachings remain within the many that grew up in it. Thank you for listening! If you want to contribute to the show, whether it be sending me questions or voicing your opinion in any way, pee...

For this Long Read, we head to The Conversation for "Invisible Windrush: how the stories of Indian indentured labourers from the Caribbean were forgotten" by María del Pilar Kaladeen. The story tells of Kaladeen's father, brothers and the many Indian-Caribbeans that are seldom mentioned in dialogue about the Windrush Generation. Thank you for listening! If you want to contribute to the show, wheth...

In a week where: American East Coast is plunged in smoke after a wildfire in Canada.  Donald Trump is indicted for federal crimes. Boris Johnson steps down as MP.  Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, dies in prison aged 81 by suicide. Silvio Berlusconi dies aged 86. In Environment: (5:26) A couple of episodes ago I talked about how recycling plastics aren't cutting it , so I thought I would update with a pie...

In a week where: An Indian official is suspended after draining an entire reservoir to retrieve his phone.  A train crash in India kills more than 280 and injures at least 900. Manchester City win the FA Cup. Universal Basic Income of £1,600 will be trialled for 30 English residents. The PGA "merges" with Saudi-owned LIV Golf. In Tech: (5:24) I've recently gotten into alternative applications that...

In a week where: Tina Turner dies aged 83. Ron DeSantis confirms he's running for US Presidency. Erdoğan wins the Presidential runoff.  Chipmaker Nvidia cracks $1 Trillion in market value.  A large scale drone attack hits Moscow. In Environment: (8:11) Every day I throw something into the pink recycling bag or some form of recycling bin, thinking that the more that goes into that pink bag, the bet...

In a week where: NFL player, actor & activist Jim Brown dies aged 87. Study by One Earth concludes that Fossil Fuel firms owe $209B a year in climate reparations. Italy's Mt Etna erupts.  Carmelo Anthony announces his retirement. The Tories have now been in power longer than "New Labour". In the 1st of two Politics segments: (8:11) The National Conservatism Conference has been and gone, provid...

In a week where: Eurovision comes and goes. The Turkish Presidential election goes to a runoff.  The BAFTA TV Awards go down. Vice files for bankruptcy. World likely to breach 1.5°C climate threshold by 2027. In Society: (8:04) During the Coronation weekend, there was a unprecedented amount of arrests made that wouldn't have been lawful even a fortnight before the Coronation. But now, with new law...

In a week where: The English Local Elections goes down.  Napoli win Serie A for the first time in 33 years. The WHO declare COVID-19 no longer a global health emergency. Coronation happened.  A federal jury in a civil trial found Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse. In Politics: (7:10) Depending on who you are, the Coronation that went down this past weekend was either a nice event full of pagean...

In a week where: Jerry Springer dies aged 79. A massive fire erupted at an oil depot on the Crimean Peninsula over the weekend.  "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" passes $1B at global box office. Writers Guild of America members go on strike after failing to reach new compensation deal with TV and film producers. Labour is set to abandon its promise to scrap university tuition fees in England. In Poli...