Reel Notes w/ CineMasai

My guest this week is Minnesota-based rapper-producer payforluv. We spoke about Final Fantasy, Persona, Suicide Squad, FernGully: The Last Rainforest, his favorite music videos growing up, growing up in Minnesota, how attending an HBCU in New Orleans inspired his music, the ethics of turning trauma into music, the importance of a good rap name, and the creative process behind his latest project if the lord wills it. Please consider supporting recovery efforts in Louisiana following the devastation of Hurricane Ida. These organizations are a good place to start: Imagine WaterWorks House of Tulip Aid (specifically for transgender/non-binary folks) New Orleans Mutual Aid Group if the lord wills it is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen.  Consider buying it on payforluv's Bandcamp page here Follow payforluv on Instagram and Twitter: @payforluv Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

My guests this week are Tanya Morgan, the duo made up of Cincinnati-born rapper-producer Donwill and Brooklyn-born rapper-producer Von Pea. We spoke about The Suicide Squad, Fast 9, the works of Quentin Tarantino and David Cronenberg, their fascination with the next generation of hip-hop, how the internet’s relationship to music has changed over the last 20 years, the legacy of their 2009 breakout album Brooklynati, their favorite Lil B stories, and the creative process behind their latest album Don andVon. Don and Von is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider buying the album directly from the group via their Bandcamp page. Follow Donwill on Instagram and Twitter: @donwill Follow Von Pea on Instagram and Twitter: @vonpea Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)   Support the show

My guest this week is Detroit rapper Bruiser Wolf. We spoke about Space Jam: A New Legacy, The Color Purple, the filmography of Adam Sandler, his short-lived career as a football player, the importance of movie soundtracks, JAY-Z’s discography, how rapper Fat Ray helped him link with Danny Brown and Bruiser Brigade, Michigan’s surging street rap scene, his writing process, and creating his breakout project Dope Game Stupid, produced by Raphy and Knxwledge. Dope Game Stupid  is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider purchasing it from the Bruiser Brigade Bandcamp here. Follow Bruiser Wolf on Instagram (@_bruiserwolf) and Twitter (@COABigwolf) Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)   Support the show

My guest this week is New York rapper, producer, engineer, and label head Uncommon Nasa. We spoke about Crime Scene Kitchen, Pinocchio, Basquiat, The Twilight Zone, several Stephen King film adaptations, the pros and cons of adapting books to film, his career in New York’s rap underground and within the Definitive Jux orbit, the history of his label Uncommon Records, and the process behind his latest album Only Child, produced entirely by Messiah Musik and out now via Uncommon Records. Only Child is available wherever music is bought, streamed, or stolen. Consider purchasing it from the Uncommon Records Bandcamp page here. Check out his personal website here. Follow Uncommon Nasa on Instagram and Twitter: @UncommonNasa Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)   Support the show

My guest this week is Nadirah Simmons, an archivist, historian, social media manager for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and founder and CEO of The Gumbo, a hip-hop publication and cultural hub dedicated to Black women. We spoke about rare vinyl, the documentary Summer of Soul, her family’s love for The Godfather series, how her work on The Late Show influences her work at The Gumbo, her love of State Property, Curren$y, and Alchemist, and the importance of documenting Black history. Check out The Gumbo's website here. Follow The Gumbo on Instagram and Twitter: @thegumbo Follow Nadirah on Instagram and Twitter: @hinadirah Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)    Support the show

My guest this week is New York rapper, producer, and engineer AJRadico. We spoke about The Dark Knight trilogy, Spongebob, Kung Fu Hustle, how 2001: A Space Odyssey helped him appreciate sound editing, how sound editing influenced the way he makes beats, how Fruity Loops, Splice, and iPhone voice memos changed the production game forever, and the creative process behind his debut project Transit. Transit is available wherever music is bought, streamed, or stolen. Follow AJRadico on Instagram and Twitter: @AJRadico Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)   Support the show

My guest this week is writer, activist, and community organizer Clarissa Brooks. We spoke about their love of Gossip Girl, third-person narration, the work of Toni Morrison and Zora Neale Hurston, seeing Grave of The Fireflies in high school, how their work as an organizer influences their work as a writer, the legacy of Odd Future, DaBaby’s public image, and a handful of pieces they’ve written for outlets from Dead End Hip-Hop and DJBooth to Nylon and The Cut, among others. Read a handful of Clarissa's work via Contently. Read about how World War II affected the Japanese animation industry here. Follow Clarissa on Twitter (@ClarissaMBrooks) and Instagram (@chloeesuxx) Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)    Support the show

My guest this week is New York rapper and producer PremRock. We spoke about falling in love with horror movies during quarantine, writing screenplays, whether or not flashbacks in movies are tacky, his love for West Coast hip-hop, the importance of rap regionalism, his group the Wrecking Crew, his relationships with engineer Willie Green and rapper Curly Castro, and the creative process behind his latest album Load Bearing Crow’s Feet, out now via Backwoodz Studioz. Load Bearing Crow's Feet is available wherever music is bought, streamed, or stolen. Consider purchasing it directly from Prem and Backwoodz Studioz via Bandcamp Follow PremRock on Instagram (@premrock) and Twitter (@PlanetPremRock) Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai) Support the show

My guest this week is rapper and semi-retired music journalist Michael Penn II, also known as CRASHprez. We spoke about the pros and cons of Twitter, how Olivia Rodrigo is like Future for white women, our favorite depressed white indie dramas, the Purge series, the Saw series, Babyface Ray, Crash’s recording process, his work with the group defprez, musical versatility, and how his work as a journalist informs his work as a rapper. Check out CRASHprez's Bandcamp page here Follow CRASHprez on Instagram and Twitter: @CRASHprez Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai) Support the show

My guest this week is Chicago rapper, writer, and teacher Defcee, one-third of the group defprez. We spoke about Batman, the value of networking, slave movies, his time as both a teacher and rapper in Chicago, the draining nature of the American public education system, his time with the Emcee Wreckshop program, mainstream rap’s renewed interest in drums and loops, and the creative process behind his latest project We Dressed the City with Our Names, produced entirely by August Fanon. Stream & purchase We Dressed the City with Our Names  here Follow defcee on Instagram and Twitter: @defcee Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai) Support the show