1 00:00:01,080 --> 00:00:04,520 Speaker 1: You are listening to waiting on reparations production of I 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Yeah, you're waiting. We're waiting on reparations right now. 3 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: So we say we rot from gen A to show 4 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:15,160 Speaker 1: me stay. I hit the game winner like Kobe play 5 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 1: can go to Texas and took away to ROEVI wait, 6 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:20,239 Speaker 1: so he said, Greg Abbott, Yes, because of him, I 7 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:23,079 Speaker 1: got balls like Nicki Minaj cousin Frank Trump is still 8 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 1: brain dead. Yeah, you shouldn't win, Turtle Mitch still trying 9 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: to shut down the government and the news got quite 10 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: the addiction that got how when the white girl's missing, 11 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:33,800 Speaker 1: they don't see the indigenous victims. You're trying to talk 12 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:36,920 Speaker 1: about it, and they're like, no, listen, welcome to the show. 13 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:38,880 Speaker 1: Y'all got a bunch of dope. Should I want to 14 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:42,280 Speaker 1: show y'all? I can't believe. I just run and show 15 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:48,960 Speaker 1: y'all twice. I'm dope, Knife, Frank. We are waiting on 16 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:53,240 Speaker 1: reparations that should be today. We're here with Barls born 17 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:56,520 Speaker 1: mc Disna and Queen's born m C and vocalist Asia Black. 18 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: Together they are the reminders both married couple and hip 19 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: hop duo based in Colorado. So thank you so much 20 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:04,560 Speaker 1: for joining us. How many you can tell us a 21 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 1: little bit a bit about who you are and what 22 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 1: your roots are, both musically and politically. Okay, I'm Baxa Mayor. 23 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:13,840 Speaker 1: I was born in Belgium, raised in Congo, moved around 24 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:16,640 Speaker 1: quite a bit. My mother remarried. My stepfather was in 25 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 1: the Air Force, so I landed in Colorado. UM musician, father, husband, 26 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:27,319 Speaker 1: just all around hard worker and uh, you know, I 27 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: just stand for I just stand for the people, for 28 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:35,120 Speaker 1: what I believe in, um spiritually and and just you know, 29 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:38,839 Speaker 1: I'm here to uplift people. So mine is my Both 30 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 1: of my parents are from the House Queens. I was 31 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: born in House Queens. My whole family is from Howes Queens. 32 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 1: UM my my grandmother, my mom is Puertrican and Dominican, 33 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 1: uh and my dad is Jamaican and French Creole. And 34 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: I have super duper hip hop roots in my family 35 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 1: just because being from Holles Queens, my aunts and uncles 36 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: and dads were there in the seventies eighties when all 37 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: of this stuff was really starting to come in and 38 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 1: pop off in My grandfather is actually one of the 39 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 1: first black reporters for the New York times. Um, he 40 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: tried to be an editor, and they said that his 41 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:13,480 Speaker 1: race kept him from having that as a possibility, and 42 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:16,080 Speaker 1: that kind of broke my grandfather's spirit. But on my 43 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:19,520 Speaker 1: father's side of the family, where my grandfather is, they've 44 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,520 Speaker 1: always been very involved in political understandings. On my mother's side, 45 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:26,800 Speaker 1: it's always been very involved in politics in terms of 46 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:29,640 Speaker 1: how they infected the community. So I remember one thing 47 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: my grandfather told me. I was young and the nineties 48 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 1: and everybody's ranting Malcolmax shirts and everything, and my grandfather 49 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: was like, if only he would have had that support 50 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 1: when it mattered, Um, it was dangerous for people to 51 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 1: be associated with Malcolm X or Martin Luther King at 52 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 1: the time because people are losing their jobs. Um, they're 53 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 1: being oppressed for different reasons. They were being blacklisted if 54 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 1: they were supporting out of these movements and they had 55 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: white employers, and so, you know, my grandfather kind of 56 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 1: brought that to me. And I've been, you know, championing 57 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,400 Speaker 1: different causes ever since I was small because I was 58 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:04,240 Speaker 1: encouraging that way. What would you say is y'all's biggest 59 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: music influences? Oh Man? When I was I was raised, 60 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: my parents I really a clept the music taste, so 61 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:15,919 Speaker 1: jazz blues. My mom really liked like Woodstock type of music, 62 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 1: like rock music, because she understood that it was a 63 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 1: derivative of blues, and so it was really important for 64 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 1: in my house for us to understand every kind of music. 65 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 1: I was really inspired by Lauren Hill when I was young. 66 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:31,120 Speaker 1: I loved larn Hill, but I also loved Miles Davis. 67 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: I love Prince Um. I really used to love Freddie 68 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 1: Mercury uh a lot because I loved how he I 69 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: loved watching him as much as I loved watching James 70 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: Brown people like that. So for me growing up, you know, 71 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 1: I grew up in the Congo, so a lot of 72 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: Congolese music like Papa Wembay. But then when I moved 73 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 1: to Belgium, one of the first artists I listened to 74 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: was Michael Jackson, you know, in the eighties, and then 75 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 1: from there it's everything from classic rock for jazz, reagae um, 76 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: you know, pop, R and B, just everything in the 77 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 1: soun Just do you feel um those influences come out 78 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 1: and what you guys have been making. Yeah, mostly I 79 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 1: think for me, mostly in my creative process, I really 80 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 1: like artists like New York like I like artists that 81 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:21,760 Speaker 1: have really open, honest freedom of expression, um in their creativities. 82 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:23,760 Speaker 1: At Mamma is the same way. She kind of just 83 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 1: starts to basic sonic elements to start putting me together. 84 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:29,840 Speaker 1: So definitely comes out because my music will go from 85 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 1: reggae to hip hop too, blues, two roots to America, 86 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: like kind of all over the place. Yeah. So any 87 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: born in New York, but you got family from Puerto 88 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 1: Rico and Jamaica, and Samir you hail from Belgium, but 89 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:48,480 Speaker 1: you're racing the Congo. And I'm very curious how your 90 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:54,320 Speaker 1: experiences of of a blackness outside of the US or 91 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:58,839 Speaker 1: you know, drawing from other places in the Dietsphora influence 92 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 1: your view of your your music as well as your worldview. Um. 93 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:05,479 Speaker 1: You know, one thing Asian and I always talk about 94 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,159 Speaker 1: is how growing up in the Congo we had we 95 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:11,840 Speaker 1: deal more of colonization and not so much slavery, So 96 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:16,640 Speaker 1: that was more of my upbringing was more of uh, 97 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 1: you know the history of people coming into your country 98 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 1: and taking over there, right and then you know my 99 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 1: my my mom is half Congoles, half Belgium. So then 100 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:29,840 Speaker 1: we we went back and forth between Belgium and the 101 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:36,120 Speaker 1: Congo and just feeling like an outcast whenever we're in Belgium, 102 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 1: like they don't want you there, but somehow they came 103 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:39,480 Speaker 1: to your country and took over, do you know what 104 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 1: I mean? And it's the same experience for even Algerians 105 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:45,599 Speaker 1: in France. But then coming to America, I got to 106 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 1: I got to see and experience something completely different, um, 107 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:54,920 Speaker 1: with the black American experience. Talking about slavery and where 108 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: uh where a lot of the history come from h 109 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:04,320 Speaker 1: starts and where uh. You know a lot of Americans say, 110 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: you know, I don't know anything. Ask this in terms 111 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:09,839 Speaker 1: of where I'm trunk, you know, in terms of my 112 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:13,360 Speaker 1: lineage and things like that. So um, you know, I'm 113 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 1: thankful for the for the rich history that that I 114 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:18,279 Speaker 1: haven't that I can that I can U go back to, 115 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:22,040 Speaker 1: you know. Um, but I know it's it's different for here. Yeah, 116 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:25,160 Speaker 1: my experience with blackness is very interesting because I was 117 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:28,800 Speaker 1: raised like super black, like in a super duper black household, 118 00:06:28,839 --> 00:06:30,839 Speaker 1: like in kindergarten. My mom has a picture of me 119 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 1: and I have like eyes on the prize shirt, you 120 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:35,480 Speaker 1: know what I mean, Like super duper like black history 121 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 1: trivia games. You know, my father, my grandfather's half white, 122 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 1: um and then have a quarter Cherokee and quarter black. 123 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 1: My grandfather worked for the New York Times. But we 124 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:48,200 Speaker 1: were always just raised black, like. I never questioned my blackness, right, 125 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:50,520 Speaker 1: White people always said I was black, like I was 126 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:52,960 Speaker 1: always black. And then when I went I went to 127 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:55,880 Speaker 1: Florida and m for college, and that was the first 128 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: time anybody ever questioned my blackness because of the way 129 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:01,360 Speaker 1: that I spoke or the way that I navigated things, 130 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 1: or my ideas or it wasn't at the time. It 131 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:07,359 Speaker 1: wasn't popular in two thousand and one to have an 132 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 1: afro and to like be natural, like this whole natural 133 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:12,360 Speaker 1: movement was not there. So I was holding that the 134 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:14,840 Speaker 1: whole thing down solo, you know what I mean. And 135 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: they were saying, like, you look like animal from them 136 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:19,000 Speaker 1: up with babies. And I had a culture shock because 137 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 1: you know, in New York is so diverse, right, and 138 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:23,360 Speaker 1: you see people that look like you and that don't 139 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 1: look like you, and you kind of feel the same 140 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:27,160 Speaker 1: way about it, you know, And then and fam, I 141 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:29,239 Speaker 1: kind of have culture shock. Then my father got stationed 142 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 1: in Colorado and we came to Colorado, and I had 143 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 1: culture shop there too, because it was all white people everywhere, 144 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, And and they were I 145 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:40,320 Speaker 1: was very black to them, you know what I mean. 146 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:42,920 Speaker 1: Our friends started this project called the Very Black Project, 147 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 1: and I told him, I like that you started this 148 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:48,960 Speaker 1: project because my experiences having to tell people all the time, no, 149 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 1: I'm not just black, I'm very black. Like I'm a 150 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: very black person whether I'm kayaking or fishing or enjoying 151 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:57,760 Speaker 1: Freddie Murcury or b York. Like, I'm a very black person. 152 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:01,040 Speaker 1: And our identity is infinitely expensive and all directions. And 153 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:03,720 Speaker 1: just because you have a limited understanding of blackness, it 154 00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:06,680 Speaker 1: doesn't compromise my blackness in any way, you know. And 155 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:09,400 Speaker 1: I think my experience with blackness has really just been 156 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:13,640 Speaker 1: defending the expansiveness of it, whether it's Afro Latina, whether 157 00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:16,240 Speaker 1: it's black people being able to be light skinned, very 158 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 1: very light skinned, all the way to the tip of 159 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 1: creole people. Two people in Africa, you know, talking to 160 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 1: them about the African American experience, Like it's always just 161 00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 1: been in defensive blackness is expensiveness. My experience with them, 162 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:34,640 Speaker 1: we talked a little bit about lineages, um and you 163 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:37,480 Speaker 1: know a lot of people like we you know, I myself, 164 00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 1: I'm the whole y'all line. But like my you know, 165 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:43,839 Speaker 1: millennials and gen Z and younger, we're actually like the 166 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:46,200 Speaker 1: post hip hop generation. So we were like, you know, 167 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:49,480 Speaker 1: we may have uncles or parents that were growing up, 168 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 1: um when hip hop we was like first kind of 169 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:55,720 Speaker 1: popping off, I'm taking taking the world by storm, but 170 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 1: we've sort of come into it. It's like a second 171 00:08:58,280 --> 00:09:03,360 Speaker 1: uh second wave of of its of its evolution. And 172 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 1: then particularly I mean as hip hop spread across the country, 173 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 1: there was also this disconnect from how it was very 174 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:10,839 Speaker 1: rooted in like the geography of New York City and 175 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:13,440 Speaker 1: the culture of New York City and so um age, 176 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:14,559 Speaker 1: I was wondering if you could talk to us a 177 00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:19,600 Speaker 1: little bit about, um uh, the connections that you have 178 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:21,599 Speaker 1: sort of like the genesis of hip hop with like 179 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:24,240 Speaker 1: battery and right in your family, those folks being actually 180 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:26,200 Speaker 1: involved in like when it was popping off, and how 181 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: I might give you a different perspective than some of 182 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:33,760 Speaker 1: us who maybe removed either geographically or generationally or otherwise 183 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,559 Speaker 1: from like the roots of what hip hop is. Yeah. Sure, 184 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:40,240 Speaker 1: So my uncle was a DJ Blue Massive Beef, So 185 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:41,920 Speaker 1: he used to do like all the park dams and 186 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 1: stuff like that. My mom uh new Rust of Simmons 187 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 1: and ran DFC so before Rust of Simmons had Deaf 188 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 1: Champ Pop and off. He used to hand out flyers 189 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:52,440 Speaker 1: and stuff for part dams and my mom would help him. 190 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:54,880 Speaker 1: My other aunt was dating Curtis Blow at the time. 191 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 1: My uncle designed the first logo and T shirts for 192 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,560 Speaker 1: Biggie Down Productions, very involved in it. But one thing 193 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:04,319 Speaker 1: I learned, because it's like a lot of people like 194 00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:09,280 Speaker 1: I referenced my like ethnic cultural backgrounds, but my cultural 195 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:12,520 Speaker 1: background is music, like growing up in music and an 196 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 1: urban environment and hip hop pretty much. So what I 197 00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:17,520 Speaker 1: learned about hip hop is that hip hop is like 198 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:21,240 Speaker 1: a vehicle. It's like a spirit, like a vehicle, right, 199 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:23,840 Speaker 1: and it aligns itself with the stories of the youth, 200 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 1: like it aligns itself to maintain its life. It has 201 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:31,199 Speaker 1: to get fresh stories and fresh perspectives and fresh understandings. 202 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:34,120 Speaker 1: So I've never been a person that's rooted in what 203 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:37,120 Speaker 1: hip hop definitively is, you know what I mean. I've 204 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:39,880 Speaker 1: always been a person that understood that it's going to 205 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:43,200 Speaker 1: change shape and or based on who it's aligning itself 206 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:45,880 Speaker 1: with and how they're expressing it, you know. And so 207 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:48,720 Speaker 1: I get in a conversation with old heads all the time, 208 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:51,160 Speaker 1: Like I'm all, you always see me arguing with like 209 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:54,360 Speaker 1: some old hip hop heads saying, I understand that when 210 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:56,920 Speaker 1: you were growing up, it was this expression that you had, 211 00:10:57,280 --> 00:10:59,839 Speaker 1: but it's almost like a memory, I mean, of some 212 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:03,000 Speaker 1: thing being extant cement and not being fluid, you know 213 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:05,880 Speaker 1: what I mean. And so I'm always encouraging young people 214 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 1: because for a long time, stories of people like us 215 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:12,080 Speaker 1: were suppressed, you know what I mean, like really pushed down, 216 00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:15,760 Speaker 1: like you couldn't tell these you couldn't people would never 217 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:17,719 Speaker 1: hear these stories of the things that were happening in 218 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:20,640 Speaker 1: our neighborhoods. If you were like a kid that was 219 00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:24,200 Speaker 1: still closeted and was coming from a rough neighborhood, there 220 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:26,439 Speaker 1: was no place for you to tell your story, not 221 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:29,720 Speaker 1: on TV, not on music, not in in books anything 222 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:31,959 Speaker 1: like that, you know. And Audrey Lord is somebody who 223 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:34,679 Speaker 1: always talks about that a lot, the important importance of 224 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:37,959 Speaker 1: finding a medium through which to express yourselves, you know, 225 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:41,040 Speaker 1: and hip hop just happens to be the most successible. Yeah. 226 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 1: I mean you can go on YouTube and get beats 227 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:44,839 Speaker 1: and download them and wrap to them. You can just 228 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 1: like have your friend beatbox. You can just snap and wrap. 229 00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:51,120 Speaker 1: It's a very accessible art form that allows people to 230 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:54,840 Speaker 1: express their stories easily and fully. You know, whether they 231 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:57,360 Speaker 1: can do it at the capacity of kendrickal Mark really 232 00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:01,520 Speaker 1: isn't the purpose of it, right, It's really just letting 233 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:04,640 Speaker 1: people know that they have that vehicle. When hip hop 234 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:06,920 Speaker 1: was first coming out, you have people on the East Coast, 235 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:10,720 Speaker 1: like in New York, putting the life experience into music, 236 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:12,880 Speaker 1: and the people around could relate because they you know, 237 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:15,599 Speaker 1: they're telling the story of what's actually happening, right. And 238 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:17,360 Speaker 1: then then on the West Coast was the same thing, 239 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:19,440 Speaker 1: whether it be the game band culture on the Bay, 240 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 1: the pimp culture, and everybody around was like, Yo, this 241 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:24,320 Speaker 1: is our lifestyle and this is what we were rocked. 242 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:27,079 Speaker 1: Even run DMC like, Yo, we rock aldi we dressed 243 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:31,600 Speaker 1: like this. And it wasn't until you had music videos 244 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:33,640 Speaker 1: that people started seeing, Oh, that's how it is on 245 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:35,240 Speaker 1: that side, that's s how it is on this side. 246 00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:38,160 Speaker 1: The difference with you know me at the time I 247 00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:42,600 Speaker 1: grew up in Belgium in late eighties, and it made 248 00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:44,920 Speaker 1: no difference. We didn't know what East Coast West Coast was. 249 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:47,440 Speaker 1: It was just all music. It was just all hip hop, 250 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:49,880 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, So we all that's how 251 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:53,599 Speaker 1: that's how hip hop reached people overseas, was that we 252 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:56,599 Speaker 1: just took it all as one one music and not 253 00:12:56,760 --> 00:12:59,360 Speaker 1: necessarily East Coast, West Coast or you know what I mean, 254 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:03,120 Speaker 1: not exactly and and and I always always like to 255 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:06,840 Speaker 1: bring that up because, um, you know, when people come 256 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:08,960 Speaker 1: from New York they have that experience, and people come 257 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:11,080 Speaker 1: from certain certain parts of the country, but when people 258 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:13,319 Speaker 1: come from outside of the country, they just took it 259 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:16,280 Speaker 1: all in as as just one body of music, and 260 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:18,839 Speaker 1: I just appreciated it off what it was. It's it's 261 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:23,880 Speaker 1: interesting in hip hop because like most music changes hands regionally, right, 262 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:26,160 Speaker 1: It's like you go from East Coast to West Coast 263 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:28,640 Speaker 1: to this style or even blues you have like Hill 264 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:31,800 Speaker 1: blues and Delta blues and Chicago blues. But hip hop 265 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:35,679 Speaker 1: changes forms generationally, you know what I mean. It like 266 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:38,199 Speaker 1: changed forms first regionally, and it was just such a 267 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:40,800 Speaker 1: big thing that then now it's like, but now I'm 268 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:43,880 Speaker 1: going by generation, not by region, you know what I mean. 269 00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:46,319 Speaker 1: I think the internet was huge in that book. It's 270 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:48,520 Speaker 1: interesting to watch it because people really hold tight to 271 00:13:48,559 --> 00:13:51,200 Speaker 1: their definitions of it, and then when the next generation 272 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:53,719 Speaker 1: gets in their hand, they're like putting hip hop, you 273 00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:57,480 Speaker 1: know what I mean, and they're like, it's almost inevitable. 274 00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:01,960 Speaker 1: I'm imagining, like in the net like six or seven years, 275 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:05,240 Speaker 1: you're gonna have people who are like being like, ah, 276 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:08,120 Speaker 1: he's sixteen year olds. Just so I don't know how 277 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:11,319 Speaker 1: it was like, yeah, back in two thousand and fifteen, 278 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:16,040 Speaker 1: when hip hop is really good, hip hop is like 279 00:14:16,559 --> 00:14:20,400 Speaker 1: it's a rebellious spirit, like it sparks, It sparks something 280 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:22,840 Speaker 1: inside of people that gives them the courage to express 281 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:25,520 Speaker 1: themselves in the ways that they need to express themselves. 282 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 1: I mean, that's why hip hop and politics are so 283 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:31,080 Speaker 1: closely a line, very closely a line. It's a very 284 00:14:31,360 --> 00:14:34,520 Speaker 1: intimate relationship between those two things. And we're already at 285 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:36,920 Speaker 1: the age now where you know, songs are being remade 286 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:38,680 Speaker 1: that we were listening to, you know what I mean, 287 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:40,640 Speaker 1: not too long what feels like not too long ago, 288 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:43,840 Speaker 1: and kids they're remaking it and I'm like, what are 289 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:45,640 Speaker 1: you doing to this. He's sounded like our parents, you 290 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:48,480 Speaker 1: know what I mean, like whenever uh snooping, Dr dre 291 00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:51,280 Speaker 1: was sample and stuff. And but what's interesting is that 292 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:55,200 Speaker 1: our son will play if he hears a song it 293 00:14:55,240 --> 00:14:57,280 Speaker 1: came out two years ago, He's like, no back. I'm like, 294 00:14:57,600 --> 00:14:59,320 Speaker 1: that's just two years ago. Like to me, a throw 295 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:02,480 Speaker 1: back and something twenty years Well, how old is your son? 296 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:05,520 Speaker 1: Wantes he like the seven or yeah, so like two years. 297 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:10,040 Speaker 1: It's like his whole I half was like throw back years. 298 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 1: It's relative. I think that might be a way of 299 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:15,800 Speaker 1: how we consume media now though, because I even find 300 00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 1: myself when i'm you know, going on YouTube and I'm 301 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 1: looking for videos like if I see something that came 302 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:23,840 Speaker 1: out like even last week and yeah, yeah, so I 303 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,520 Speaker 1: don't need to watch that. I'm good exactly, You've got 304 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:29,000 Speaker 1: like eight seconds of it and say you saw it, Yeah, 305 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:31,680 Speaker 1: I saw that. As you mentioned rebellion a little bit, 306 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:34,360 Speaker 1: and also because I know you have to run, I 307 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:39,360 Speaker 1: had this question for you about on your song if 308 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:43,080 Speaker 1: you didn't know you you say you steal the key 309 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:45,360 Speaker 1: from the oppressor's at the cage bird carey, I'm paid 310 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:47,840 Speaker 1: into the cadence of Freda Scott king that he should 311 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:50,920 Speaker 1: bas Asada, Angela and Kathleen, And so I wanted I 312 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:53,000 Speaker 1: wanted to ask you in the line of talking about 313 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 1: like what rebellion means, what do you does stealing McKey 314 00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:59,160 Speaker 1: from the oppressor mean? And how do the women you 315 00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:02,480 Speaker 1: reference um in the song kind of influence your work 316 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:04,440 Speaker 1: towards that end? You know. The thing to me is 317 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:08,640 Speaker 1: it's twofolds, well even more than just twofold. I'm talking 318 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:12,880 Speaker 1: about women number one, who were women, right that were 319 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:17,040 Speaker 1: incredibly intelligent, right, And a lot of times when women 320 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:20,600 Speaker 1: who are incredibly intelligent get discredited a lot or people 321 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:23,400 Speaker 1: go out of their way to discredit their intelligence. Right, 322 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:25,800 Speaker 1: do you have women who are very intelligent? You have 323 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:28,720 Speaker 1: in that group of them women who were mothers, right, 324 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:30,920 Speaker 1: And they were all black on it. And so what 325 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:33,920 Speaker 1: they did, like even like just rocking and natural is 326 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:36,840 Speaker 1: like a huge statement, right, or showing up somewhere with 327 00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:39,080 Speaker 1: your children in your community to say, yo, like this 328 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:41,520 Speaker 1: is mad racist, right, And I got my kids, right, 329 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:43,800 Speaker 1: I'm nursing a kid, I got an afro, and I'm 330 00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:46,480 Speaker 1: like confronting the police, you know what. I just like 331 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:54,080 Speaker 1: occupying that dynamic and also like mediating conversations because of education. 332 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:56,320 Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying, Okay, look, we're gonna sit 333 00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:59,240 Speaker 1: down and we're gonna have this conversation this way, learning 334 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:03,840 Speaker 1: to understand and navigate emotion. You know. Um, I really 335 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:06,520 Speaker 1: love all of those women, all of their published works, 336 00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:08,320 Speaker 1: all of the things that they said, all the things 337 00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:10,879 Speaker 1: that they stood for, because a lot of times, intelligent 338 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:14,240 Speaker 1: Black women that stand up for their communities are always 339 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:17,440 Speaker 1: marked like they're just racist, right, as if race wasn't 340 00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:19,800 Speaker 1: a condition that was strusted upon them, upon them to 341 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:22,800 Speaker 1: operate inside of the same thing happened with Lauren Hill. 342 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:25,200 Speaker 1: When Lauren Hill said I don't make my music specifically 343 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:27,840 Speaker 1: for white people to listen to. It's not their experience. 344 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:29,800 Speaker 1: They're like, oh, she's a racist, But that's not a 345 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:32,960 Speaker 1: racist thing to say, but it was an honest expression. 346 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:36,280 Speaker 1: And in naming those women and taking the key back 347 00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:39,159 Speaker 1: from the oppressor is being able to stand in your 348 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:42,680 Speaker 1: being and in your person right without compromise, you know, 349 00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:46,760 Speaker 1: definitely with conversation, with confrontation when it has to happen, 350 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:50,480 Speaker 1: you know, with with compassion, but not with compromise in 351 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:53,200 Speaker 1: terms of who I am as a mother, as a 352 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:56,399 Speaker 1: woman and as a black woman, all three equal of 353 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:59,680 Speaker 1: equal importance. We're gonna take a quick little break. We 354 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:07,160 Speaker 1: will be right back after the job. So yeah, I mean, 355 00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:09,680 Speaker 1: we're we're a show about hip hop and politics and 356 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:12,120 Speaker 1: most we talked about poblic policy. But there's all these 357 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:15,240 Speaker 1: ways of being political. It's into personal. It's you know, 358 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:18,840 Speaker 1: in uh, resisting oppression by standing in your truth, by 359 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:20,960 Speaker 1: being who you are. And so I think feel like 360 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:22,600 Speaker 1: you were speaking a little bit of that. But to me, 361 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:24,119 Speaker 1: I wonder if you want to librate a little bit 362 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:26,840 Speaker 1: on what you see how you see politics. Man invested 363 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:30,840 Speaker 1: in hipop as well. For a lot of young people, 364 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:32,960 Speaker 1: for people who listen to it, sometimes that's where they 365 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:35,719 Speaker 1: find this information from. They have no idea what goes 366 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:37,200 Speaker 1: on on the news. They don't turn the TV on, 367 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:39,520 Speaker 1: but they turned the music and whether they be Kendrick 368 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:41,960 Speaker 1: the Chuck d and they get this information from there. 369 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:45,440 Speaker 1: And I've always looked up to that. I've always looked 370 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:47,959 Speaker 1: up to artists like that too, artists who who um 371 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:53,119 Speaker 1: express themselves and where they stand in the music, you 372 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:55,399 Speaker 1: know what I mean? And I and uh and and uh. 373 00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:58,760 Speaker 1: I made a conscious decision to to always do that 374 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:02,480 Speaker 1: as well, always speak my mind. When we were younger 375 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:04,560 Speaker 1: and we weren't as well in farm, all of our 376 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:08,719 Speaker 1: like the emotional center of a lot of our activism 377 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:11,600 Speaker 1: came from like anger or frustration, you know what I mean, 378 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:16,160 Speaker 1: our disappointment or and then now our activism comes from 379 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:19,840 Speaker 1: a very positive center. Like it's not reactive, you know 380 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:23,199 Speaker 1: what I mean, it's proactive all the time. Unfortunately, sometimes 381 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:25,280 Speaker 1: we have to be reactive because of what's happening, but 382 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:27,760 Speaker 1: we try to be proactive. And the thing hip hop 383 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:30,159 Speaker 1: and politics is so dope because there are two mediums 384 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:32,439 Speaker 1: that show people that black people are not a monolate 385 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:35,240 Speaker 1: Like there's still conversations we have that we don't all 386 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:37,080 Speaker 1: think the same and we don't move the same we 387 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:39,080 Speaker 1: don't all do the same things. But it kind of 388 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:41,920 Speaker 1: lets us see like the areas where we can have 389 00:19:42,119 --> 00:19:46,119 Speaker 1: these conversations because generally it isn't until something happens and 390 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:48,879 Speaker 1: some type of activism have to take place in our 391 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:51,880 Speaker 1: to remedy what's happening or have a conversation about what's 392 00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:55,160 Speaker 1: happening that people actually have a conversation. I think politics 393 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:58,639 Speaker 1: and hip hop both do that, like very prevalently. You know, 394 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:01,400 Speaker 1: you might sometimes refer some kids are hearing about any 395 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:03,639 Speaker 1: political concept might be through a hip hop song, and 396 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:06,080 Speaker 1: the first time kids that are active on politics are 397 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:08,720 Speaker 1: hearing about community concepts are do a hip hop song, 398 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:12,000 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. So those two they're like 399 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:16,040 Speaker 1: they inform one another, hip hop and politics. Yeah, it's 400 00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:19,680 Speaker 1: like to some people, hip hop makes makes it makes sense, 401 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:22,160 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. Like you're sometimes the politics 402 00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:24,359 Speaker 1: people just don't understand the language that comes from the TV, 403 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:26,480 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, They don't understand what they're reading. 404 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:28,640 Speaker 1: But then you get killed Mike. That breaks it down 405 00:20:29,119 --> 00:20:31,840 Speaker 1: in the language that we speak. Now all of a sudden, 406 00:20:31,880 --> 00:20:34,520 Speaker 1: people are like, oh, that's what you meant. Like now 407 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:37,400 Speaker 1: I'm putting you into together. Now it's like the total condition. 408 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:40,720 Speaker 1: Like you have rampant conspicuous consumption and capitalism and hip 409 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:43,200 Speaker 1: hop like with flaws in and balling and all that stuff, 410 00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 1: and then you have people just talking about being dead 411 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:47,919 Speaker 1: broke and like having nothing, you know what I mean. 412 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:50,760 Speaker 1: So you get if you look at hip hop thematically, 413 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 1: you get so many political like concepts that are available 414 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:58,600 Speaker 1: to you at one time. Like here's excess of capitalism. Right, 415 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:01,040 Speaker 1: here's when we have no community programs. What happened. Here's 416 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:03,480 Speaker 1: people consistently being chased down by the least. Like every 417 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:08,720 Speaker 1: every political aspect, uh, every political point that's affecting that 418 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:12,879 Speaker 1: community is going to become clear right through the music 419 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:15,879 Speaker 1: you hear. It's telling the story of the communities. Um, 420 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:18,639 Speaker 1: would y'all say that y'all's music at this point is 421 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:21,960 Speaker 1: like a extension of your activism, Like do you kind 422 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:24,440 Speaker 1: of view them as one and the same? How kind 423 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:30,920 Speaker 1: of it depends? It's like, yes, on one hand, directly, 424 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:34,520 Speaker 1: do we directly talk about political concepts a lot of 425 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:39,639 Speaker 1: the time? Yes, But in music so much stuff is veiled. Right. 426 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:41,600 Speaker 1: There's sometimes when you wrap and you're like this, this 427 00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:44,399 Speaker 1: and this. But I might write a story about a 428 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:46,879 Speaker 1: sun that hasn't come out in thirty days, you know 429 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:50,040 Speaker 1: what I mean, and be talking about something very political. 430 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:53,040 Speaker 1: But I'm a poet as well, right, So the power 431 00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:56,040 Speaker 1: of being able to use metaphor is that you can 432 00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:59,200 Speaker 1: give emotional context to something and give it a lot 433 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:01,480 Speaker 1: deeper meaning, you know what I mean, And when you 434 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:04,879 Speaker 1: look at a lot of poetry is also directly involved 435 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:08,679 Speaker 1: in the political and active sphere because you're basically taking 436 00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:12,119 Speaker 1: something and giving it more significance. And by taking a 437 00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:16,600 Speaker 1: tangible object like say, for instance, you have UH Team Suicide, 438 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:21,120 Speaker 1: and you take a visible object that people can understand, 439 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:22,919 Speaker 1: that they can picture, that they could smell, that they 440 00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:25,200 Speaker 1: could taste, that they could touch, and you explain this 441 00:22:25,359 --> 00:22:28,159 Speaker 1: object and you go into depth about this object, and 442 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:30,760 Speaker 1: then you turn the object around and say this object 443 00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:35,080 Speaker 1: is me right, and people go, oh, my gosh, you 444 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:37,520 Speaker 1: are like a bleeding orange or whatever it is that 445 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 1: the thing, you know what I mean. But metaphor increases 446 00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:45,840 Speaker 1: depth of meaning. So we are incredibly active and political 447 00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:48,879 Speaker 1: in our music, whether the meaning is apparently clear to 448 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:52,760 Speaker 1: everybody initially, not always, not always, yeah, and a lot 449 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:55,080 Speaker 1: of times we just you know, we are people who 450 00:22:55,119 --> 00:22:58,680 Speaker 1: push ourselves creatively, whether it be it means Okay, we're 451 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:00,520 Speaker 1: gonna try to do this type of song, or well, 452 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:02,879 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, you're trying different things. But 453 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:05,280 Speaker 1: for example, you know, a few years back, we were 454 00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:07,480 Speaker 1: in the Bronx and our good friends Rebel Daza just 455 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:10,440 Speaker 1: came back from Ferguson. They were documenting what was happening 456 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:13,920 Speaker 1: at the time. They were working for uh A Latin 457 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:17,440 Speaker 1: news news station, and so they showed us the footage 458 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:19,679 Speaker 1: that they gathered and we're talking about how things were 459 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:21,879 Speaker 1: on the ground. You know, we had just met Tefo 460 00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:26,960 Speaker 1: and directly after we watched this footage made it beat. 461 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:29,640 Speaker 1: You know, we were in the studio and we created 462 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:33,200 Speaker 1: a song that people with you as political right, And 463 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:36,480 Speaker 1: so I think it just depends on which song we're 464 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:38,080 Speaker 1: working on at the time and what the spirit in 465 00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:41,359 Speaker 1: the room is. Yeah, we played different positions all the time. 466 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:43,760 Speaker 1: Like we played it we might we were not we 467 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:45,840 Speaker 1: recognized now when we were younger, it's like we were 468 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:48,040 Speaker 1: out there like you will see pictures of us, like look, 469 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:50,879 Speaker 1: and now it's like our position has changed. Like a 470 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:54,080 Speaker 1: lot of my friends who entered politics like to become 471 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:57,800 Speaker 1: members of political organizations in their county or country or 472 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:03,080 Speaker 1: state or you know, local area. They say, Okay, now 473 00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:06,520 Speaker 1: the way I navigate this has changed because I can 474 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:09,720 Speaker 1: affect change differently from over here. Right. You might not 475 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:12,919 Speaker 1: see me at the protests like banging, you know, banging 476 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:16,160 Speaker 1: for the cause, But I'm the person that's making sure 477 00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:19,160 Speaker 1: that the litigation is getting discussed, and I'm the person 478 00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:21,280 Speaker 1: making sure that the laws are gonna change, and I'm 479 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:26,080 Speaker 1: the person. So I feel like like the music gives 480 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:28,960 Speaker 1: visibility to the problems in the community, and the politics 481 00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:32,359 Speaker 1: address those problems, you know, and and we have we 482 00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:35,960 Speaker 1: We also work a lot with the mental health crises. 483 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:38,840 Speaker 1: We developed the financial literacy curriculum. There's a lot of 484 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:41,240 Speaker 1: stuff we do, but when it's in speaking to the 485 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:45,160 Speaker 1: point I made earlier about you know, talking about things 486 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:47,959 Speaker 1: through music speak. We we were dealing with a lot 487 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:51,200 Speaker 1: of suicide. Colorado used to have the highest team suicide 488 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:53,639 Speaker 1: rate in the nation. We're getting ready to go do 489 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:57,000 Speaker 1: a performance in a town where they had seven suicides 490 00:24:57,560 --> 00:25:01,040 Speaker 1: in one week, right, and so we're dealing with deep, 491 00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:03,359 Speaker 1: deep loves of depression and people are not even paying 492 00:25:03,359 --> 00:25:05,760 Speaker 1: attention to the kids. You know. I love the phrase 493 00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:08,360 Speaker 1: the kids are all right, because that's what people always say. 494 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:12,119 Speaker 1: These kids are so resilient, but they're getting damaged. Right. 495 00:25:12,160 --> 00:25:14,480 Speaker 1: They don't express themselves the same way that we do. 496 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:17,360 Speaker 1: You know, sometimes they can endure a lot, but that's 497 00:25:17,359 --> 00:25:20,480 Speaker 1: not always healthy. So we have this song and it's 498 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:23,680 Speaker 1: I just say, I have a friend who lives on 499 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:29,119 Speaker 1: the moon. It's always winter, even in June. I visit 500 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:33,280 Speaker 1: often but I leave too soon. My lovely friend on 501 00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:38,480 Speaker 1: the moon, she traveled quite slowly, one step each day, 502 00:25:39,119 --> 00:25:43,480 Speaker 1: or things all around her slowly turned gray. Used to 503 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:48,159 Speaker 1: be close. Now she's so following my lovely friend on 504 00:25:48,359 --> 00:25:51,760 Speaker 1: the moon. And it's talking about the helplessness of having 505 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:54,800 Speaker 1: a friend that's dealing with depression, right, But I'm not 506 00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:58,240 Speaker 1: specifically referencing depression. I'm just saying I have a friend 507 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:00,240 Speaker 1: who lives on the moon, and I'm in and I 508 00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:01,920 Speaker 1: get to see her every once a while because the 509 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:05,399 Speaker 1: moon has phases like somebody who's depressed, you know, And 510 00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:07,399 Speaker 1: and that would be that would be a way we 511 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:11,639 Speaker 1: built something closely tied to our activism in our music. 512 00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:15,119 Speaker 1: I know, you got a jet so while three minutes, 513 00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:17,119 Speaker 1: but I love talking to it. I'm like flushing it 514 00:26:17,240 --> 00:26:21,200 Speaker 1: to appreciate it. You got the music coming out soon 515 00:26:21,320 --> 00:26:24,520 Speaker 1: or anything people should? Uh, you know. We just put 516 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:26,160 Speaker 1: out a couple of singles. The latest one is called 517 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:28,600 Speaker 1: ten Kings, got music video out for it. Our music 518 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:30,640 Speaker 1: is easy to find, it's just the reminders where at 519 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:33,600 Speaker 1: the reminders on those social media So yeah, make sure 520 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:36,479 Speaker 1: you check out tin k y'all. SA have a song 521 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:40,800 Speaker 1: called the Moon but I was check. I was taking 522 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:45,320 Speaker 1: that out this morning to yo. That song is by here, 523 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:50,399 Speaker 1: thank you. So that's like one of our thinks, like 524 00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:54,320 Speaker 1: it's our political and active presence in all of our music. 525 00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:56,840 Speaker 1: It's just a matter if you if you understand us 526 00:26:56,920 --> 00:26:59,440 Speaker 1: enough to catch what it is at happenings. Sometimes it's direct, 527 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:02,080 Speaker 1: like the Moon, but sometimes it's interact like tin K 528 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:05,320 Speaker 1: and again. You know, last year we locked in for 529 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:08,879 Speaker 1: a week during the summertime with our friend Carcarell, and 530 00:27:09,359 --> 00:27:11,720 Speaker 1: he produced a lot of the music. We just locked 531 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:13,560 Speaker 1: in and you started recording, but every day was a 532 00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:16,000 Speaker 1: different energy, you know what I mean, Like tin K 533 00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:19,280 Speaker 1: and the moona wire recording, you know, two days back 534 00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:21,080 Speaker 1: to back, but the energy is different. And we have 535 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:22,960 Speaker 1: a lot more songs like that. But you know, the 536 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:25,440 Speaker 1: Moonba came from a conversation we were having then once 537 00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:29,040 Speaker 1: we turned turned the microphones on and and and beat machines, 538 00:27:29,080 --> 00:27:31,640 Speaker 1: and there was yeah that that those both of those tracks, 539 00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:34,400 Speaker 1: those are the first takes we ever did. Like those 540 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:37,119 Speaker 1: were like supposed to just be sketches, but the energy 541 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:40,000 Speaker 1: behind it, we were so pumped up loving when that happens, 542 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:43,720 Speaker 1: it's a beautiful, right, you know how it goes, and 543 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:46,280 Speaker 1: you're like, oh, you do like twelve other takes and 544 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:50,960 Speaker 1: you're like, keep the sketch. Yah, We're gonna have to 545 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:53,320 Speaker 1: get you all back because I'm real curious and like 546 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:56,000 Speaker 1: how y'all worked together to put you know what I 547 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:59,440 Speaker 1: mean to Actually, yeah, I hate that I have to 548 00:27:59,560 --> 00:28:02,840 Speaker 1: leave by uh an appointment, but you know, let's do 549 00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:04,880 Speaker 1: a part too to it, because I want to have more. 550 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:07,560 Speaker 1: Like we answered a lot of questions here, but there's 551 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:09,720 Speaker 1: a lot more that I'd like to know about you 552 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:11,359 Speaker 1: guys as well, and what it is you're doing, and 553 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:14,520 Speaker 1: how we can work together and how we can create conversations. 554 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:17,000 Speaker 1: And when I say create conversations, I don't even care 555 00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:20,320 Speaker 1: if we have different opinions or understandings or perspectives, just 556 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 1: the fact that we can sit and talk about things 557 00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:25,840 Speaker 1: and learn from one another and create an understanding and camaraderie. 558 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:29,040 Speaker 1: When you can create comaraderie with people that maybe aren't 559 00:28:29,359 --> 00:28:33,000 Speaker 1: exactly like you, you start building a really strong community. 560 00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:36,760 Speaker 1: I mean, and we're probably very similar, Like looking even 561 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:38,640 Speaker 1: at me and right right now, I'm like, yeah, it's 562 00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:41,960 Speaker 1: probably I think we're here and looking at you and 563 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:48,640 Speaker 1: Samaria right here. Yeah, It's like I want to have 564 00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:52,840 Speaker 1: these kind of conversations where in the conversation intelligence is 565 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:57,200 Speaker 1: present activism, politics, music, but also joy, right and understanding 566 00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:00,240 Speaker 1: and and and creating opportunities for changing good this and 567 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:03,280 Speaker 1: growth in these kinds of relationships. And that's really you 568 00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:04,920 Speaker 1: know why we were excited when you have this to 569 00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:06,320 Speaker 1: do this, because when I heard you speak and I 570 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:11,040 Speaker 1: had to like mute myself because I was like, you know, 571 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:13,120 Speaker 1: and I didn't even know. I mean, I knew of 572 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:16,560 Speaker 1: your activism, but um, I never got in to hear 573 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:20,560 Speaker 1: you speak to very pointed questions about like the relationship 574 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:22,720 Speaker 1: with hip hop and music, which is what we I 575 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:24,920 Speaker 1: knew with hip hop and faltics is what we are 576 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:29,360 Speaker 1: always getting asked about. So my sister, my brother, yeah, 577 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:32,720 Speaker 1: go back. Yeah, we're doing part two. Let us know 578 00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:35,440 Speaker 1: when when we come to Georgia. We'll get you up. 579 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:40,720 Speaker 1: Oh you got it, Yeah, you got I'm dope, Knife Frank, 580 00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:47,480 Speaker 1: and we are waiting on Reparations. Peace. Winning on Reparations 581 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:49,960 Speaker 1: is a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts 582 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:52,200 Speaker 1: from my Heart Radio, check out the iHeart Radio app, 583 00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:54,720 Speaker 1: Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts,