SHOWS

July 2 - I’m back at Milly’s with Parle for our second installment of the the summer series. If you didn’t make it out to the first one you got three more chances! Don’t play yourself, it’s free!

July 6 - Frankenstein’s Baby is back at Union Hall!

July 20 - Frankenstein’s Baby is back at Union Hall (again)

July 24 - I’m back at Friends & Lovers with Meka for Toast & Jams. The Juneteenth edition was an absolute VIBE. If you’re into late night parties this is the one for. you!

ALMANAC OF RAP

Awon and Joe Myles of The Other Guys are the guests on the pod this week. Joe is the head honcho over at HipNott records and he just released an album with Awon. Awon is a label owner and artist as well and we have a really fun conversation about what it takes to run a label and the pros and cons of being an indie artist in 2026.

You can listen to the episode here or at the youtube links above.

NEWS

I spent last weekend at the BET Media house which was an event that happened just ahead of the BET Awards. I interviewed A LOT of people. Like in upwards of 20 folk. I talked to Master P, Chloe Bailey, Ray Daniels, Momo Boyd, Rapsody and a bunch of other folk. Some people I had honestly never heard of until we sat down to talk which made the experience was interesting to say the least.

It was like speed dating with higher stakes! There are way too many to post and apparently some are still being uploaded but here’s the clip of me talking to Salt from Salt N Pepa.

You can watch the rest of them over at OKP’s youtube channel.

VIDEOS

The Honor Roll is a new supergroup comprised of like 8 or 9 emerging artists. They were assembled by Nyla Simone and this is the first song that they’ve released as a collective. I’m not familiar with everyone in the group but the one’s that I’m familiar with I like.

This is a pretty fun song. I like what the hook does a lot. I am a sucker for chord changes.

I don’t know how I found this song but it is a JAM.

(NGL I am insanely tired rn. It’s 1am and I’m tired of typing so yall just gonna have to take my word for it that the following albums/songs are good cus I can’t type anymore. I’m going to bed lol)

ALBUMS

5786 AM Easy Listen - Mach Hommy

Ressurection - Chloe Bailey & Timbaland

The Plugs I Met 2.5 - Benny The Butcher

Kill The King - T.I.

Precious Cargo. - Maiya The Don

Good Time Boy - Prof

Clef Notes: Quantum Leap - Wyclef Jean

SINGLES

Organic Motion - Larry June

High Speed - Rome Streetz

Breathe - Masego

She’s My Religion - WILLOW

A Mountain of Bones - Nickelus F

Silent Treatment - October London

No Doubt (I'm In Love) - Erick the Architect

Bloodletting - Fly Anakin ft Quelle Chris and Domo Genesis

Leave a comment

SHOWS

July 2 - I’m back at Milly’s with Parle for our second installment of the the summer series. If you didn’t make it out to the first one you got three more chances! Don’t play yourself, it’s free!

July 6 - Frankenstein’s Baby is back at Union Hall!

July 20 - Frankenstein’s Baby is back at Union Hall (again)

July 24 - I’m back at Friends & Lovers with Meka for Toast & Jams. The Juneteenth edition was an absolute VIBE. If you’re into late night parties this is the one for. you!

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THE ALMANAC OF RAP

Flying Lotus is the latest guest on the show and we had pretty wide ranging conversation about his discography, filmography and the Low End Theory. The guy is fascinating. Did you know that Alice Coltrane is is aunt and he lived on her ashram for a while? Or that he produced two alarm sounds for the iPhone? Well you’ll learn about all of that and more in this episode.

You can listen to the episode here or at the youtube links above.

NEWS

Let’s see since last week I interviewed the Jungle Brothers and Maiya The Don and AZ cancelled on me. This week I’m gonna be doing a fireside chat at Conde Nast (it won’t be public, sorry!) and then heading to LA to do some BET award coverage for my show. I don’t know if that’s news or just ‘stuff that has happened’ but I kinda feel like they are one in the same?

I guess the biggest news is that I’m planning my return to Twitch. I am debating on what day to start but it looks like it will be Tuesday with the occasional Thursday thrown in for good measure. I’m still trying to figure out what time but more than likely 4-6. If you guys would like to hear the show you can find me at Twitch.tv/Donwill and I’ll be using this newsletter to keep you updated on when I’m streaming. I’m gonna try and archive the shows on Youtube as well.

VIDEOS

I bumped into Rapsody last week and told her I was hype for the new album and she was like “Oh you ain’t ready this one is DIFFERENT'“ and based on this video alone I see what she means. Mr Porter on all the beats too? Yeah… hell yeah.

I did not expect to see a new Big K.R.I.T. video and I am not mad about getting one!

Oh this is a JAM. I haven’t been keeping up with Dawn Richards but this got me feeling like I need to tap in.

I guess Conway and Whoo Kid got a tape coming. I like Conway as a rapper so I’ll definitely check it out. I can also hear stem separation software and I hate that for me.

Earthsignchels will draw Nicki Minaj comparisons because of how theatrical she sounds. That feels like where the comparisons will have to stop tho cus she is hitting on som e

The whole Roots Picnic show has been turned into a commercial for Cecred which effectively means that Beyonce has turned Jay into a beauty influencer.

How wild is this image? It feels like it should be AI but it’s not. The ‘Jay Z got a wig’ conspiracy theorists are scrambling to make sense of this. The video is a fun watch TBH. Hearing Beyonce narrate the video was kinda crazy as well.

ALBUMS

Whack’s Museum - Tierra Whack
- I ran this shit into the ground already. It’s good, really good.

Liquid Form - The Alchemist
- I had no idea this was out but it looks pretty good. Got 2 Chainz and G. Rap on it too.

The Gentlemen’s Club - YG
- YG knows how to pick beats. It’s always a moment in is projects where you think to yourself “this man absolutely listens to J Dilla”. The song Tiffany is kinda wild but I’m reserving opinions for now.

Self Deployed - Tef Poe
- I haven’t heard this album but Tef Poe and Otayo Dubb feels like a perfect match.

Saturday Night / Sunday Morning - PJ Morton
- Did I include this last week? I feel like I did but regardless this is gonna be a BANGER. I can sense it.

SONGS

Sunshine Galore - Scienze
- A feel good jam from the homie.

Rainbow - Gretchen Parlato & Robert Glasper
- Some jazzy vibes with a bounce to it

Breathe - Masego
- I vaguely remember haring this but I feel like it was sultry.

Better Than She Can - Chloe & Timbaland
- This is fun. I’m kinda excited about these two linking and hoping the AI stayed out of the sessions.

Pearl - Nate Smith, CARRTOONS & Kiefer
- more jazzy vibes with a bounce to it.

Leave a comment

When you hear the term ‘black music’ what comes to mind? Like in your estimation who makes the blackest music? There are no wrong answers! Be as clever or straightforward as you want.

SHOWS

June 16 - Shouting At The Screen - Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park: We’re doing the show on a Tuesday this time and as usual we’d really love to sell this one out. TICKETS

June 19 - Juneteenth at Weeksville: Family friendly and fun! There will be vendors and performances and it’s all FREE

June 19 - Toast & Jams will be back at Friends & Lovers in Crown Heights for a black ass good time. Me and Mekdot will be throwing down from 10pm until 4am and you can get your tickets here or at the door

Subscribe now

THE ALMANAC OF RAP

This week’s episode is from a live recording that we did a few months ago. The conversation with with Regan Sommer McCoy and we talk about the importance of mixtapes as an archive. It’s a slight break from the usual format of the show but still just as engaging as ever. You

You can listen to the episode here or at the youtube links above.

NEWS

The big news is that I got featured in Newsweek for The Almanac of Rap. The write up they gave me was truly wonderful and made me sound like an actual authority on hip hop. I would post a screenshot but it honestly doesn’t do the thing justice so here is a link to the article. You guys should go read it and leave a comment because that is the metric by which these sites measure the value of the things that they cover. Trust me, I am knee deep in the like, comment, subscribe lifestyle.

Other than that I’m currently in the middle of researching The Jungle Brothers and AZ so my head is kinda spun right now. I don’t really even know what new music is out there so we’ll discover it together this week.

VIDEOS

Hit Boy is good for dropping a Youtube only jam. I wonder what that is about. It’s probably a way around label red tape. Whatever the reason this is good.

Wiki’s album is fire and this video is great. I love when native New Yorker’s write about their relationship to the city.

Everything is extreme and it’s totally normal for Evelyn Champagne King to ride around in a Cadillac singing her hits. Content baby!

DJ Kemit went crazy on this set. Top tier selections!

ALBUM

Ancient History - Wiki

Saturday Night - PJ Morton

SONGS

God Gotta Afro - Rapsody

Real Hustla - Ludacris & GloRilla

The Machinist - Larry June

Leave a comment

When you hear the term ‘black music’ what comes to mind? Like in your estimation who makes the blackest music? There are no wrong answers! Be as clever or straightforward as you want.

SHOWS

June 16 - Shouting At The Screen - Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park: We’re doing the show on a Tuesday this time and as usual we’d really love to sell this one out. TICKETS
June 19 - Juneteenth at Weeksville: Family friendly and fun! There will be vendors and performances and it’s all FREE

THE ALMANAC OF RAP

Since the last email two episodes of the podcast have been released. Where does the time go?

The most recent episode featured Jharrel Jerome and we talked about his music. I had no idea he rapped so imagine sitting down for a full conversation with him to chop it up about the projects he’s released and how he integrates music into his career as an actor.

The other episode features Sequoia Holmes who hosts the Black People Love Paramore podcast. We talked about the label of alternative music, moments where rock and rap intersect and debate who made a stronger contribution to hip hop: Nickelodeon or Disney. Hard hitting rap journalism!

You can listen to both episodes here or watch them at the youtube links above.

NEWS

I spent the weekend before last covering the Roots Picnic for my podcast and in turn missed my own writing deadline so there was no newsletter last week. I got a ton of cool interviews at the picnic including Freeway, Beanie Siegel, Tierra Whack, Questlove and other non-Philadelphian artists. I haven’t seen the footage yet and barely remember even being there because in the time since then I’ve had a birthday and then flew to Riga which is where I am currently situated at for the duration of the week. So far I have seen one black person but I’ll have a full tally for you next time we speak. Anyone one to take a guess as to how many I’ll see?

Leave a comment

The main bit of news that I’ve got for you is that I’ll be heading back to Twitch very soon to reboot my radio show. The radio show has always been an extension of this newsletter and I’d like to fully integrate the two. I know some of you won’t make the leap to Twitch with me but for those of you that are interested in tuning in as of right now I’ll be going live from 2P -4P EST at least one day a week. Which day? You’ll find out soon!

GOOD - The Knicks are in the Finals and New York is on fire. I haven’t been to a watch party or anything because it feels more stressful than fun to me. There is a lot riding on this!

BAD - I haven’t been to a watch party so I’m experiencing a bit of FOMO. They look fun tho! Okay this isn’t really ‘news’ but I’m in a pinch and I don’t know what else to put here.

UGLY - Trump showed up to the Knicks game. I guess he saw all that orange and thought he’d blend right in. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that they lost when he showed up.

VIDEOS

When I was at the Roots Picnic I got a really quick interview with Tierra Whack and instead of answering one of my questions about Black Music Month she said “June is Whack Music Month cus I’m dropping an album and you are the first person I have told so you have an exclusive now”

That clip never got posted for some reason (…) but she has since went on to announce her upcoming mixtape with this lead single. There’s no telling what the project will sound like but this is a really promising first offering.

I love Pharrell and and I say this with all due respect, this video is slick and the song is cool but it really makes me miss Chad. This also reminds me of some other Neptunes produced song which isn’t surprising because they have been recycling their own ideas for years (it’s part of how they make so much music). I think that’s the part that made me realize how much I miss Chad.

pgLang’s just dropped a surprise album by a new artist named Imani Imani and while this is not the lead single it’s the only other song I heard and I like it better tbh. I have not heard the whole album.

Jungle is an audio visual experience so I’ve gotta post the video that goes along with the song. The choreography for each video is pretty sick and this one is no exception.

Trinidad James has been popping out with the jams lately. This is the latest project he’s launching and the song is a bop. Can’t Keep My Hands To Myself is a jam too. Not mad at all!

ALBUMS

*i don’t use spotify so I am not going to link it anymore. if you guys want the spotify links to return say so in the comments. otherwise this is now a list of things for the time being.

Thee Imaculate - Thurz & 14KT
- I just found out about this and I haven’t heard it but I’m sure it’s gonna be FUEGO

Cry Baby - Vince Staples
- it’s a rock album and it’s pretty good if you’re into that sort of thing.

RBT - Freddie Gibbs
- this is more like an ep than an album and I haven’t heard it.

Football - Monday Night & Evidence
- i don’t know who Monday Night is but he’s got a fully produced album with Evidence and based on the needle drops I gave it I like it.

The Zenith - 9th Wonder, Jada and S14H
- i don’t know who Jada and S14H is but you can’t really go wrong with this one. 9th beats and some dope rhymes.

So & Sow - Nappy Nina & Swarvy
- you already know that i am pro-Nappy Nina so yeah listen to this.

Papercut - Imani Imani
- suprise drop by TDE’s new signee. I have only heard two songs and so far and i like one of them so that’s a good sign.

SONGS

Wax Paper - Tierra Whack
Charlie Brown Returns - Scienze
Cocaine Coltrane - Rome Streetz
I’m Hot - Nina Skyy & Statik Selecktah
Everything Pinka - Monaleo feat Teezo
Right Away - Wiki
Could Be Worse - Bizzy Crook & Leon Thomas
the feeling - Steve Lacy
How Did You Love Me - La Reezy
callin - Syd
Authentic - Lute
Sega Genesis - Domo Genesis
Hurricane - Infinity Song
High Hopes 3000 - Role Model

BONUS

I have been watching a lot of videos about octopus because what do you mean they have 9 brains, can change color and can edit their RNA? Cuttlefish can also change colors and a guy wondered just how far he could push them so he built a fish tank that looked like a living room and well…

CRAZY!

Leave a comment

SHOWS

June 4 - Closed Format - Milly’s On Greene w/ Parle: This is the kick off to our 4 month summer residency at Milly’s. Every first Thursday from 7 to 11! It’s also my birthday and it’s FREE
June 16 - Shouting At The Screen - Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park: We’re doing the show on a Tuesday this time and as usual we’d really love to sell this one out. TICKETS
June 19 - Juneteenth at Weeksville: Family friendly and fun! There will be vendors and performances and it’s all FREE

ALMANAC OF RAP

Last week’s guest was actually one of the first episodes we shot. Grafh sat at the table and told us some really great stories about working with 88 Keys, fighting with Busta Rhymes and having writing credit stolen on a song that went to J-LO and LL.

You can listen to the episode right here!

NEWS

The Knicks made it to the NBA Finals and while I’m not superstitious I think it’s because I have been flat out ignoring anything basketball related this year. Last year when the Knicks lost the playoff’s I was DJ’ing a watch party and this year I was not anywhere near a television showing the game.

All I’m saying is you’re welcome!

Subscribe now

VIDEOS

I was not aware of the Renaissance Orchestra until this video but they’ve got my attention now. I also had to check to see if they always dressed like this and they don’t but I guess that juxtaposition is what makes this video interesting.

This is a really cool video. I heard that Vince’s new album is going to be heavy on the rock and the last two videos are a strong indicator of such.

Chassol put out a whole album based on stand up comedy and as usual the video is the best way to consume it.

I don’t know if this TED Talk is a part of Keke’s I Love Boosters press run but it’s a really good watch. I also did not know she was an Executive Producer on the film which is also a really good watch.

I really enjoyed this DJ set. There isn’t too much by the way of fancy transitions but the song selection was pretty good. It’s mostly edits which sometimes feels like too much seasoning but I honestly wasn’t mad at it.

ALBUMS

I haven’t heard this album but I’m prepared for it to be jarring.

I haven’t heard this album but I do know that when Statik Selektah handles the full project it’s a good time.

I skimmed this and it feels like something custom made for me and my tastes.

I have not heard this album but it’s Aja Monet so it’s probably worth your attention.

I enjoyed the look and feel of I Love Boosters and part of that feel was the score. Tune Yards did the score and I think they also produced this EP of songs that comprise the soundtrack. I haven’t heard them outside of the film but I think either of them will be a fun listen.

SONGS

Nickelus F doing the beats and rhymes is so much fun.

My guy Pan Amsterdam with a bop.

38 Spesh and Busta linked up for one and I skimmed enough of it to know it liked it.

Wiki got a new joint out that I enjoyed upon skimming.

How do you skim a song? It’s only 4 minutes! Well i gave this Boldy James 20 seconds and i liked it.

Yup. I skimmed this new Paul Wall too. It’s good.

I skimmed this Channel Tres too and I think it’s good.

Even though I skimmed this one as well I think that Devin Morrison and NappyHIGH are a sure shot.

Share Working Creative Weekly

No mini episode this week but the hotline is still open and you can hit me at 877-DONWILL.

SHOWS

May 22 - Toast & Jams - Friends & Lovers w/ Mekdot: It’s a dance party that goes from 10p til 4a and you ain’t gotta work in the morning. TICKETS
June 4 - Closed Format - Milly’s On Greene w/ Parle: This is the kick off to our 4 month summer residency at Milly’s. Every first Thursday from 7 to 11! It’s also my birthday and it’s FREE
June 16 - Shouting At The Screen - Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park: We’re doing the show on a Tuesday this time and as usual we’d really love to sell this one out. TICKETS
June 19 - Juneteenth at Weeksville: Family friendly and fun! There will be vendors and performances and it’s all FREE

ALMANAC OF RAP

Michael Holman created a TV show called Graffiti Rock, he was the first person to use the term Hip Hop in a print publication and he was also in a band with Jean Michel Basquiat. This episode is a quick fun listen with a lot of historical context for anyone who cares about Hip Hop culture.

You can listen to the episode right here!

Subscribe now

NEWS

This is NOT a DJ set. This is a performance of my original music. The set includes 3 songs (Dirty Stayout, I Could Use A Vacation, Every City In America’s A Sundown Town) and a lot of crowd work.

Some of you may not know this about me but I haven’t really done too shows as a solo artist before. There been a handful of times but for the most part I had never developed a solo act. So when Michelle asked me to open the tour as a rapper I had a few things to figure out and I think I did a good job.

I had intended on making a whole separate post about putting this performance together along with a tour recap. I still intend to do that but at the moment I have so much other stuff to do that processing the tour feels like a luxury. sigh

In other news Drake dropped three albums and released approximately 20 music videos. I am sure other artists dropped music but his flood the zone approach to dominating the media has worked because I haven’t really heard much about any other music.

There were a handful of things that hit my radar tho. If you know of any feel free to drop a comment with something I missed.

VIDEOS

I like Domo Genesis. Haven’t heard this song tho.

I like Ilajide and Radio Galaxy but I haven’t heard this song either. Shout out to Cozmos and his viral beard.

ALBUMS

Nick Grant is a guy who makes cool music but I have never really sat and listened to a full album. This album is probably good.

Tank & The Bangas dropped a new album! I haven’t heard it.

SONGS

Awon and The Other Guys have an album dropping. You can pre-order it here.

I like Remi Wolf and I heard a bit of this. It’s a cover and I think it’s interesting enough to share.

Leave a comment

You can hear the episode right here!

SHOWS

May 15 - Atlanta - Tabernacle w/ Michelle Buteau
May 16 - New York City - The Beacon Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 17 - New York City - The Beacon Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 22 - Toast & Jams - Friends & Lovers w/ Mekdot* TICKETS
June 4 - Closed Format - Milly’s On Greene w/ Parle^
June 16 - Shouting At The Screen - Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park*
June 19 - Juneteenth at Weeksville

*tickets are not on sale yet but mark your calendars
^this is a party that is happening on my birthday, consider yourself invited.

ALMANAC OF RAP

Last week’s guest was Raekwon which is crazy to me because how am I allowed to interview Raekwon!? Fucking crazy! The conversation covered all kinda topics including why the purple tape was purple and what it was like taking the Ferry into the city as a kid.

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NEWS

GOOD: A School of Hip Hop is opening up in the Bronx. The school is part of a broader rollout of five new public schools across the Bronx and western Queens, including arts, STEM, and disability-focused programs. The main reason this seems exciting to me is that it’s being backed by the city. LINK

BAD: Complex dropped a hip hop media power ranking and while I haven’t really paid it much attention when has list making ever been good? Spoiler alert: Akademiks got the top slot LINK

UGLY: Kevin Hart’s Netflix Celebrity Roast happened and social media is having a field day with their new chew toy. There were a few funny jokes, some stinkers and some offensive ones too. Sheryl Underwood killed it tho.

VIDEOS

Chaka Khan still making funky shit and dropping cool visuals to go along with it. She’s really good at sounding current and still managing to pushing her sound forward so I’m excited to see what this album is like.

Her last album was titled Hello Happiness. This song Like Sugar was the lead single from her last album and it’s an absolute banger. The whole album was on this type of vibe and if you haven’t heard it you should go play it now.

This song is from the album before that called Funk This. I had never heard this song before but I clicked it because of Mary’s history with Chaka (apparently she wasn’t too happy with Mary’s cover of Sweet Thing) and it is a JAM. It’s also was not produced by Rich Harrison which is shocking based on how it sounds, instead It was done by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

I enjoyed this video and I don’t know if the song will hit the same without the visual so I’m posting the video. I really like the world that they’ve built for their music and Fat is fun.

This dropped a few weeks ago and I don’t think I remembered to post it so I am fixing that now. Tondrae Kemp got a full EP coming and I think I am on two songs. I’m not on this one tho but that don’t matter. Vibe out!

Hit-Boy dropped a Youtube exclusive and it’s a fun upbeat dancey joint. I’m not mad at it!

ALBUMS

Like’s album dropped and I really enjoyed it. It’s a quick listen too which adds bonus points for me.

Little Simz dropped an EP and I haven’t heard the whole thing but based on the bit I did hear it felt more exploratory than usual.

AZ dropped Doe or Die III and seeing as how we were introduced to him on Nas debut album it feels poetic that it dropped on Nas’ Mass Appeal records. I haven’t heard it but AZ raps his ass off so it’s probably dope.

Action Bronson dropped an album and all I know about it is that ppl got really upset that the cover art was originally AI. It’s Action Bronson tho so expect extravagant yet ridiculous bars about food and traveling.

I don’t know who Nu Genea is but I stumbled upon the Tom Misch song and twisted my ankle running to check out the rest of the album. I haven’t heard the whole thing but the parts I did hear were excellent.

SONGS

I thought TI’s album was already out but apparently it’s not. I think him and Drake drop on the same day. I haven’t heard this yet but I think Pharrell did the beat for it.

Premier and The Alchemist have linked up for a jam and guess what… i haven’t heard it yet but I’m excited about it!

I was originally gonna post the video for this. I don’t know who Dezzy is but the song is one of those quintessential Cali jams and it’s got Norman Carter from The Delphonics in it. Watch the video if you get a chance, it’s good.

New PJ Morton? Hell, yeah. Have I heard it? Nope. But it’s PJ Morton so partake!

This song sounds like they are making light of a girl with really bad depression but it is a JAM. I don’t know Laundry Day is but Teezo will always get my click.

I almost posted this video too but it got bumped for Chaka Khan. It’s a cool song tho so you should listen to it OR watch the video.

I don’t remember what this song sounds like but it is a jam. I also don’t know who HILLARI is so we are going in fully blind with this one but trust me.

This is another blind item. I saw the video and liked it but didn’t want to crowd the video section so it got bumped down to this section. The song’s got a cool vibe to it but watch the video if you can.

Yes, The Womack Sisters are part of THAT Womack family. They’ve got an album coming out on Daptone records and based on this single it’s gonna be a good one.

This is Will Ferrell’s son and holy shit I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. It’s on the poppier side of things so listen at your own risk.

I am posting this song for me. I don’t think that you guys will enjoy it but I am just putting it here so that I wont forget about it.

The video for this song is adorable and the woman who is singing it doesn’t at all look how the song sounds. With that in mind if you like the song watch the video to be surprised.

This joint is groovy. Don’t know who Dana and Alden are but they got a new fan.

This song is pretty dope. I am not mad at it. Apparently there is a whole album that I did not know about.

Leave a comment

This week’s prompt is: put me up on some dope shit, preferably a few years old but anything goes!

SHOWS

May 4 - Frankenstein’s Baby in Brooklyn - Union Hall
May 6 - Los Angeles - Dolby Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 8 - Las Vegas - The Palazzo Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 15 - Atlanta - Tabernacle w/ Michelle Buteau
May 16 - New York City - The Beacon Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 17 - New York City - The Beacon Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 22 - Toast & Jams - Friends & Lovers w/ Mekdot*
June 4 - Closed Format - Milly’s On Greene w/ Parle^
June 16 - Shouting At The Screen - Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park*

*tickets are not on sale yet but mark your calendars
^this is a party that is happening on my birthday, consider yourself invited.

ALMANAC OF RAP

Last week we had Blueprint on the show and it’s a really fun episode. He’s not only a dope MC but he’s also a producer, writer, podcaster, label owner and filmmaker amongst other things. The episode is full of top tier DIY game and some fun Ohio hip hop history as well.

Subscribe now

NEWS

The most important order of business is that Moonchild’s tour van got stolen while they were in Oakland and all of their gear and belongings were inside. They postponed a bunch of dates and have a GoFundMe up right now which seems to be fully funded (yay!) but their opening act Brittney Carter’s GoFundMe has not reached it’s goal (HELP!) yet so kindly put some money in that bucket!

The Met Gala happened last night and I’m not gonna say that I don’t care about it but I’m not gonna cover it. Shout out to the few folk I do know who hit the carpet and all the folk behind the scenes making it flow smoothly.

Also new interview just dropped and this time I’m the one answering the questions.

The Hobbyist

Donwill Is the Terry Gross of Rap Music

Photo by Kaushik Kalidindi for Okayplayer…

Read more

2 months ago · 2 likes · Will Schube

This was a really fun interview and I get to talk about my several houseplants for the first in a long time. I’ve been doing a terrible job taking care of them while on tour but that’s a conversation for another time…

VIDEOS

Souls of Mischief hit Noochie’s porch and smashed it. They even debuted a new song. What more could you want!?

Danny Brown’s album Stardust dropped a little while ago and he just dropped a new video for it. I honestly don’t think I heard the album so this makes me want to go back and give it a real listen.

Blu and Ex got a pretty fire clip to match the new fire ass album. No notes!

Chip Fu and Busta Rhymes finally link up on a track. This is a pairing that should have happened years ago so I’m happy it finally did. Imagine if Busta was on What’s Up Doc instead of Shaq or the La Schmoove remix.

Just a feel good mix of jams. I don’t know who this DJ is but this set really did what it was supposed to do.

ALBUMS

Black Milk’s album dropped on Bandcamp.

I had no idea that this album dropped so I haven’t heard it yet but I am excited to listen to it. All the snippets I’ve heard have been dope.

Oddisee produced an album for this cat named Heno and while I’m unfamiliar with the MC I’m pretty sure I’ll enjoy it based on the producer.

New Durand Bernarr album? You already know it’s gonna be good.

SINGLES

New Von Pea! He got a double album on the way this fall. Get ready!

I did not expect to be vibing this hard to a damn Mya song but man… A JAM.

Nappy Nina does not miss and this is a prime example of why.

AZ is dropping an album on Mass Appeal and this is a single from it.

PARTYOF2 is dope and so is this song.

Kota the Friend got a cool lil jam with this one.

I thought this song was old but it’s actually new.

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You can hear the episode here and you can be a part of the next one by calling 877-DONWILL.

SHOWS

The tour is almost over and I’m gonna be sad when it ends cus I’m really enjoying hanging out on stages across the country. Just means I gotta find my way back to you guys for more sets!

May 1 - Oakland - Fox Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 6 - Los Angeles - Dolby Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 8 - Las Vegas - The Palazzo Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 15 - Atlanta - Tabernacle w/ Michelle Buteau
May 16 - New York City - The Beacon Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 17 - New York City - The Beacon Theater w/ Michelle Buteau

ALMANAC OF RAP

The Mr. DJ episode is out and the internet is talking! We had a really dope conversation that included stories about Outkast, Future and the res of the dungeon family as well as listening to some Outkast type beats.

There’s currently a post on Instagram where most of the dungeon family are leaving comments and it’s blowing my mind!

NEWS

GOOD: Drake installed an ice sculpture with the release date for his album frozen inside of it and a streamer from Toronto found it. The good news is that no one got hurt trying climb the sculpture. Shout out to Toronto for staying safe out there.

BAD: The Micheal Jackson biopic is out and I am not fully on board with it. From what I’ve heard it’s inaccurate and incomplete but entertaining. It will do well at the box office but I’ll catch it when it hits the streamers.

Oh and also Drake’s album release date is 5/15. Just joking, I really do wanna hear the album

UGLY: MIA dropped a gospel album and it is as weird as you think it is.There is one track on there that is 30 minutes of silence… Yeah, nah I’m good.

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VIDEOS

I did not expect to be this into a new Omarion song but man this joint got that feel. I don’t know who produced it but they went crazy.

Vince Staples dropped a new video with a different sound. I’m feeling this joint.

Isaiah Rashad’s project is shaping up to be something special for real. The song in this teaser is heat

I like this song a lot and I’m not ashamed of it. Have I seen the video? No, that’s why I’m posting it here. To remind me to watch it later. You didn’t think i read my own newsletter? You trippin!

I really like this guy. His DJ sets are always exploratory in a way that I discover new music or hear versions of songs that I didn’t know about.

ALBUMS

Blu & Exile dropped an album and it’s pretty damn good. I only played it once but I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I have not heard this project but based on the features alone it’s worth my attention.

I haven’t heard this album either but Reason is pretty dope. I also like that the album is color coded. That’s a really cool idea

I’ve heard a few singles from this and it’s a pretty interesing pairing that will probably hold up for a full album.

Nasaan is dope and I’m betting that this album will be dope. I am curious about the beats but that’s mostly cus i don’t know what his overall sound is, i just know he can rap.

SONGS

Black Milk got an album coming and it’s gonna be phenomenal.

This song has been stuck in my head for weeks based on the IG clip so I’m glad it’s finally out for me to listen to.

Kinda crazy that Lil Yachty was the person in this lineup that fully peaked my interest and it did not disappoint.

Recoechi and Saba? Yup, this gonna go.

Leave a comment

This week’s prompt is women in hip hop. Hit me up at 877-DONWILL and drop a line about your favorite acts, albums, performances, moments, etc. I’ll be including them in an upcoming episode.

I’m still on the road and as a result I am not only tired but also confused and slightly behind schedule with everything else I’ve gotta do. But things are fine and the shows have been amazing. If you see your city come out!

SHOWS

Apr 24 - Kansas City - Midland Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 25 - St. Louis - The Pageant w/ Michelle Buteau
May 1 - Oakland - Fox Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 6 - Los Angeles - Dolby Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 8 - Las Vegas - The Palazzo Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 15 - Atlanta - Tabernacle w/ Michelle Buteau
May 16 - New York City - The Beacon Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 17 - New York City - The Beacon Theater w/ Michelle Buteau

ALMANAC OF RAP

This week’s guest is Masta Ace and for the most part we talk specifically about his journey as a playwright. What? You didn’t know he wrote a play? Well that’s exactly why we spent most of the conversation talking about it.

We did cover some other stuff but I’m saving that for another episode. In the mean time you can learn about how he adapted his album The Falling Season into a play as well as get some game on what it looks like to not only be a legacy act but an indie artist as well.

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NEWS

GOOD: Dave Chappelle saved his local NPR affiliate and while better judgement tells me that this is not great (does his ownership compromise their coverage of things?) it seems to be a net positive at the moment. The interviews I saw felt fair and balanced so for now it’s a very skeptical yay from me…

BAD: There was a pretty big explosion on Sunday night in Toronto and people eventually found out that it was just Drake shooting a video. it’s more dumb than bad but I can just imagine how I would have felt seeing an explosion happening here while our dumb ass president is at war with everyone. Maybe I’m sensitive.

UGLY: Ice Spice got slapped in a McDonald’s. I don’t know any details about why it happened but just knowing that it happened honestly makes me question what my algorithm thinks about me.

Also not gonna lie I don’t know how much I trust this whole Dave Chappelle funding NPR thing. I know I said it was a net positive but….

VIDEOS

My friend Jamilah interviewed Nia Long for Playboy and it was a really cool conversation. Also I think Nia posed for Playboy which is probably the best thing to happen in 2026.

Salimata and Freddie Gibbs popped up on this Jenevieve song and I enjoyed immensely.

Momo Boyd said fuck that folk music shit and I am not mad lol.

ALBUMS

New Blue and Exile dropped! It’s good.

I missed this when it dropped but I bet it’s good.

SINGLES

I don’t know what this song is from but I like it.

We have been getting a steady stream of Sa-ra songs and there isn’t nearly enough conversation about it.

Like album is gonna be phenomenal.

Ace Hashimoto dropped a banger that feels reminiscent of the early 2000s.

JWords pulled in Nappy Nina for her latest single.

No idea who this woman is but she got Bilal on her song so I’m in.

New Teedra is jamming. Get into it.

Leave a comment

This week’s prompt: Give me the name of a song or album that you feel is criminally underrated. There are no wrong answers! Well maybe a few…

Also just as a heads up leave your name if you leave a message! Don’t you just love a social experiment? I know I do!

SHOWS

Apr 16 - Minneapolis - Orpheum Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 17 - Madison - The Orpheum Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 18 - Chicago - Chicago Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
April 20 - Brooklyn - Frankenstein’s Baby @ Union Hall
Apr 24 - Kansas City - Midland Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 25 - St. Louis - The Pageant w/ Michelle Buteau
May 1 - Oakland - Fox Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 6 - Los Angeles - Dolby Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 8 - Las Vegas - The Palazzo Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 15 - Atlanta - Tabernacle w/ Michelle Buteau
May 16 - New York City - The Beacon Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 17 - New York City - The Beacon Theater w/ Michelle Buteau

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ALMANAC OF RAP

This week’s episode of AOR features Havoc from Mobb Deep. We talked about the new album and the group’s legacy. I got to nerd out with him about all my random research and get him to tell me all kinda crazy stories about the group’s come up. We also talked a lot about Prodigy and what he was like back in the day.

You can listen to the episode here and call 1-877-DONWILL if you have any questions concerns or comments.

NEWS

GOOD - Couchella happened and I missed the first two nights because I was out on the road but I did catch the Clipse on Sunday. I haven’t had a chance to go back and see what I missed but based on the internet’s reaction Justin Bieber won the festival. People are still talking about his set!

BAD - Byron Allen is taking over CBS’s Late Show time slot. I threw this in the bad bucket because while yes black man getting on at that slot is nice black man paying for that slot kinda sucks. Good for CBS tho.

UGLY - Did I already talk about Kanye at SoFi? Yeah. People went for the nostalgia and honestly based on clips of the show I’ve seen they woulda been better of just playing the album at home. Beautiful gowns. Next tour you’ll get to groan about is Usher and Chris Brown.

VIDEOS

I can’t decide if i like this song or not and that has made me watch the video at least three times. That’s gotta count for something right? It’s interesting in the same way that The Streets were. Can one of you give me my opinion on this? I really don’t know what to think.

Jill Scott and Tyler The Creator had a one on one conversation and I was too busy trying to figure out how i felt about that Venbee song to watch it. I keep seeing clips of it online and it looks like a really dope conversation so I’m putting it here to remind myself to watch it.

RZA and Quentin Tarantino have teamed up for a film. I watched the trailer and still have no idea what it is about but I’m happy that Quentin has found a black person to funnel his usage of the N word through. All jokes aside it does look pretty interesting tho.

This guy Dabeull is dope. He did Coachella this year but this is not that performance. Instead this is another show from two years ago. Youtube has been trying to show me this for a few weeks now so I figure I should share it with you guys as well.

ALBUMS

A new Finale album!?!?! Man… this is what the fuck I’m talking about! I can’t wait to listen to this joint.

A new Buddy album? Features from Guapdad, Jay Rock and Kent Jamz? Hell yeah!

This is one of those old new albums that has been out for a while but just made it to streaming.

For all of the weird shit uncle snoop be on he really knows how to make an album. I mean REALLY knows how to make an album. I listened to a bit of this and it’s pretty damn good.

I haven’t listened to this album but I have heard the song Oops and it is a jam. I can’t vouch for nothing else that happens on here but I do like Momo.

SINGLES

Isaiah Rashad is back. This is the lead single to his album.

Awon and The Other Guys have teamed up and are dropping an album.

AZ got an album coming on Nas’ Mass Appeal label.

Doechii and Lady Gaga have a song on the Devil Wears Prada 2 soundtrack and guys this shit is a jam.

Mathien put me on to Naoma and she is pretty dope. Sharing her music with you guys as well.

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You can call 1-877-DONWILL and leave a message about this newsletter, The Almanac of Rap or just anything else in general you feel like. However if you’re calling abou this newsletter there is a prompt and this week’s prompt is: can you help me write a jingle? Call me up and hit me with any ideas you have!

SHOWS

I’m still on tour with Michelle Buteau and if you see your city you can get tickets here.

Apr 9 - Toronto - Allied Music Center Massey Hall w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 10 - Bensalem - Parx Xcite Center w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 11 - Medford - The Chevalier Center w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 16 - Minneapolis - Orpheum Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 17 - Madison - The Orpheum Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 18 - Chicago - Chicago Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
April 20 - Brooklyn - Frankenstein’s Baby @ Union Hall
Apr 24 - Kansas City - Midland Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 25 - St. Louis - The Pageant w/ Michelle Buteau
May 1 - Oakland - Fox Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 6 - Los Angeles - Dolby Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 8 - Las Vegas - The Palazzo Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 15 - Atlanta - Tabernacle w/ Michelle Buteau
May 16 - New York City - The Beacon Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
May 17 - New York City - The Beacon Theater w/ Michelle Buteau

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ALMANAC OF RAP

This week’s interview is with Born I. He’s a Washington DC based rapper who is also a practicing buddhist. He was originally coming to do my East Village Radio show and I decided to dig a little deeper and have him feature on AOR as well. I asked him about the ties between hip hop and buddhism and had him clear up a few questions about how the two relate based on rap lyrics. People always talk about smoking buddha which is one of the main questions but also what’s up with the logo on True Religion jeans.

You can listen to the episode here and call 1-877-DONWILL if you have any questions concerns or comments.

NEWS

Speaking of the hotline let’s talk more about it…

I have wanted a toll free number for years. It’s something that I’ve always thought of doing but never really looked into because it just felt too random. Don’t get me wrong, I am a very random person but just having your own hotline is self indulgent levels of random.

Enter the podcast and this newsletter. Two great reasons for having a more intentional way to interact. I’d ultimately like to do a mail-bag episode of the podcast with messages from the hotline as the basis but you guys have to call it. I’d also like to just fuck around and find out how far we can take it in general so for the forseeable future I’ll be leaving prompts in the newsletter as well.

At the moment the number doesn’t accept text messages, mostly because I want voicemail This is just one big social experiment tho so that could change.

Let’s have some get weird and have some fun! Call me and tell me your deepest, darkest secrets! Share your favorite album with me! Ask me for advice! Give me a complment! Ask me questions! The phone lines are open!

VIDEOS

For those of you gearing up to hit the Roots Picnic this year J. Period dropped off this footage from the live mixtape series that he does there. This is especially cool for me cus I haven’t been in years.

Earthsignchels has been all over my timeline and I’m not mad at it. I can already hear the obvious comparisons (Nicki/Tierra) but I’m excited to see where she takes it.

Rogue is one of my favorite DJ’s and she’s really dope on the beats too. This set showcases both of those abilities. Enjoy!

ALBUMS

I haven’t gotten around to listening to this one yet but it’s Thundercat so we know it’s good.

New Che Grand!!! This is a tribute to Roy Ayers. I haven’t heard it yet but I’ll be playing it soon!

Earl and Mike dropped their double album and I haven’t heard it yet either.

This Nubiyan Twist album dropped a week or two ago and I think i posted it but I have tour brain which means I barely know where I am at any given moment let alone what I posted last week.

SINGLES

I think T.I.’s album is gonna be good but I also don’t remember what a typical T.I. album sounds like. I just know he knows how to make some big records.

Mary J Blige knows how to pick some songs. I feel like she should executive produce a project for Coco Jones.

I don’t know who Olympia Vitalis is. I think that she is british. This song is jamming.

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VON - Whatup yall, Im not Donwill. Sometimes I get called Donwill but I promise Im not. Im actually Von Pea, from Don’s group Tanya Morgan. To be fair sometimes Don gets called Von Pea, so it goes both ways. We dont look alike but we get mistaken for one another at times. Kinda like Humpty Hump and Shock G, or Bow Wow and Lil Mama

(Im in Don’s newsletter testing my limits…haha)

Let’s get Don pop in and let you know what he has going on this week:

DON - Since the last newsletter I’ve done a live episode of Almanac of Rap, stopped by Rap Is Outta Control where I accidentally announced that I’ve got an album coming with The Expert later this year and did shows in Indianapolis and Cincinnati.

SHOWS

Apr 3 - Brooklyn - Toast & Jams at Friends & Lovers w/ Meka TICKETS
- I haven’t done a set with Meka in a while so this one is gonna be one for the books. It’s $5 in advance and $10 at the door. If you miss the vibe of those house parties you use to hang out at this one is for you. Tell a friend and bring another one!

Apr 4 - Brooklyn - Brooklyn Children’s Museum
- I don’t know the hours off hand but t’s free and it’s kid friendly. Come hang and bring the kids!

Apr 6 - Brookyn - Frankenstein’s Baby

Apr 9 - Toronto - Allied Music Center Massey Hall w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 10 - Bensalem - Parx Xcite Center w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 11 - Medford - The Chevalier Center w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 16 - Minneapolis - Orpheum Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 17 - Madison - The Orpheum Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 18 - Chicago - Chicago Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 24 - Kansas City - Midland Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 25 - St. Louis - The Pageant w/ Michelle Buteau

VON - And as for me Ill be at my 9 - 5, and then Ill be home trying to finish “Loner” my next solo album. Did you get to hear “Make A Living” last week? Listen to it? (Again!)

Okay Im hogging the update. I gotta go and let Don finish this out, but it’s been real!

*Von also picked a few albums/songs because I have been burning the candle at both ends and didn’t have the energy to do my normal search. I did pick 1-2 things but if you don’t like the music this week direct all hate mail to him.

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ALMANAC OF RAP

Last week my episode with Bun B dropped and I got to ask him burning questions like: Fuck, Marry, Kill: Ketchup, Mustard Mayo and ranking the top 5 buns in order. Yes, those were actual questions but we also got into a lot of talk about his extensive career as a member of UGK and a solo artist. We also talked about Texas hip hop and that time he made Nike open up their campus on an off day to give me and Von Pea a tour.

A true class act!

If you guys watch on Youtube can you leave a comment? I don’t usually do call to action type shit but man… please help that thing out.

NEWS

GOOD - Brandy got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the guest speakers were Babyface and Issa Rae. I love all three of those people. Was this the best good news? No. But again… I. AM. TIRED>

BAD - Drake was at the Juno’s (Canadian Grammy’s) to honor Nelly Furtado and in his speech he took a shot at the Juno’s for snubbing Take Care to award Shad’s TSOL. This also felt like a shot at Shad which is goofy behavior but check the moment out and judge for yourself.

UGLY - Nick Cannon and TLC are both being drug online for the same thing: supporting Trump. In a conversation with Amber Rose, Nick flatly said he fucks with Trump and supports what he’s been doing. Chilli on the other hand has been accused of being on the MAGA side of things after it was discovered that she donated to three organizations with ties to Trump. There’s also some old audio footage of T-Boz saying that Chilli voted for him. There’s also this interview of them from 2017 that just… yeah.

VIDEOS

I bumped into 14KT in the airport about a week ago and was reminded that he just dropped a new project. I haven’t got to check it out yet but i’ll fix that this week!

I haven’t seen this yet but Leslie Jones seems like she’d be fun in this format.

I haven’t seen this either but the internet seems to be raving about it and I loved School Daze so I am excited about it.

And speaking of classic black cinema this is the student film that went on to become the feature film House Party. I had no idea this even existed so I am amped to watch this.

The Listening Room in Atlanta posts some pretty cool DJ sets and I just saw that Phonte dropped by and ran a few jams for em. Can’t wait to check this out.

ALBUMS

Nickelus F dropped a new album and I’m sure it’s great.

Juvenile has a new album. I feel like he captures the “cool unc that used to be in the streets and has a 32 year old girlfriend that acts 20” vibe perfectly. We all have one and this album is for them.

SINGLES

MIKE, Earl Sweatshirt, and SURF GANG have another set of leaks from their 33 track mega album that drops this Friday called POMPEII // UTILITY and this one is called “Home on the Range” and “back Home”

While we are at it, lets go to Yonkers and listen to The Lox “Never Change” Jaheim is outside! This song is also featuring Trent Shelton.

Oddisee got an album dropping with this cat Heno.

Our guy Pigeon John has a new record with LA Jay and we goin to the beach with this joint…to see “Beautiful Things”

I might be late on LaReezy but this is dope.

Leave a comment

The tour is still rolling on and if you see your city listed you should come out. I don’t want to give any spoilers but my rap set and Michelle’s comedy are perfect compliments for one another. It’s a vibe!

SHOWS

Mar 24 - New York City - Almanac of Rap Live Taping RSVP
- I’m bringing On Air Presents and Okayplayer together for a live taping of my pocdast. I”ll be sitting down with Sommer McCoy to talk her about the past, present and future of mixtapes. She runs the Mixtape Museum which is an archive project devoted to the culture of mixtapes.

Mar 27 - Egyptian Room at Old National Center w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 28 - Cincinnati - Taft Theater w/ Michelle Buteau

Apr 3 - Brooklyn - Toast & Jams at Friends & Lovers w/ Meka TICKETS
- I haven’t done a set with Meka in a while so this one is gonna be one for the books. It’s $5 in advance and $10 at the door. If you miss the vibe of those house parties you use to hang out at this one is for you. Tell a friend and bring another one!

Apr 4 - Brooklyn - Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Apr 6 - Brookyn - Frankenstein’s Baby
Apr 9 - Toronto - Allied Music Center Massey Hall w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 10 - Bensalem - Parx Xcite Center w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 11 - Medford - The Chevalier Center w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 16 - Minneapolis - Orpheum Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 17 - Madison - The Orpheum Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 18 - Chicago - Chicago Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 24 - Kansas City - Midland Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 25 - St. Louis - The Pageant w/ Michelle Buteau

ALMANAC OF RAP

For the latest episode of The Almanac of Rap I sat down with Shad. We’ve known each other for years and have done a few really dope songs as well. This was our first full fledged conversation and it was nice because I just got to ask him a bunch of questions about stuff i’ve always wondered. I also feel like there shold be another one where he asks me questions haha.

This is an audio episode so it’s better to check it out using a podcast streaming app but it’s on Youtube if that’s your thing.

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NEWS

GOOD - Salt N Pepa, En Vogue and TLC just announced a joint tour. If you know anything about me you’d know this is as exciting as it gets. I mean TLC yes but SALT N PEPA AND EN VOGUE!?!! BRUH… i don’t usually go up for concerts like that but this one got it.

BAD - Jay Z announced two shows at Yankee Stadium to honor Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint respectively. This should be good news but apparently getting a ticket is hard and expensive. It’s pretty cool to see him back outside but

UGLY - And speaking of Jay Z, his latest Roc Nation signee LaRussell made a song that was received so poorly that he deleted all of his social media. The song was about how we are all heaven sent and he chose some of the most reprehensible people and juxtaposed them against Martin and Malcolm and got mad when people got mad.

VIDEO

Not only did Jay Z drop tour tickets but he just dropped this interview as well. I don’t remember the last interview he gave so this is kind of a big deal in hip hop media.

Looks like Issa is in her executive bag on this one and bringing it back home with a Youtube series at that. This is a game show and I only skimmed the trailer so I have no idea what the game is about but I love Issa so we supporting it.

This clip of Finesse 2 Tymes talking about how hard he had it growing up has had me in a headlock. It’s absolutely riveting and hilaroius to boot. I can almost do the whole thing verbatim.

The internet did what it does best which is turn that viral video into a really fun musical moment. I don’t have the mp3 but I need it so that I can start running it in sets unironically lol.

This shit is weird. Like freaky weird. They are jamming but this shit is weird. Rumor has it that this started as a goof when a band double booked themselves and had to think up a new identity on the fly. The first song is supposedly a cover of This is America. Regarless watch the video with your eyes closed if you need to.

ALBUM

Haven’t heard this yet but Casual is one of the best rappers rapping right now.

Havent’ heard this but Samara Cyn is the coolest.

Haven’t heard this but Terrace Martin never disappoints.

Haven’t heard this but putting it here so that I’ll remember to check it out.

SONGS

Von Pea got another album in the tuck and it’s amazing. This is the first song.

Black Milk got a new album coming and this is the first song. I’m into it.

Like got an album coming and this is the first song. I like it! No pun intended.

Blu and Exile got an album coming and I haven’t heard this song but Blu and Exile are a sure shot.

New Durand. I skimmed and I like.

New Coco Jones. I skimmed and I like.

Saw Salaam Remi talking about this remix on his IG page and it was jamming.

Nubiyan Twist and Patrice Rushen!? ABSOLUTELY

Leave a comment

Tracking new music has been challenging but I love a good challenge so here is a newsletter full of fresh links that I haven’t got to click. If you’ve heard them feel free to comment below and let me know what you think.

Oh and if you see your city pull up!

SHOWS

Mar 20 - Washington DC - Warner Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 21 - Washington DC - Warner Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 24 - New York City - Almanac of Rap Live Taping
Mar 27 - Egyptian Room at Old National Center w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 28 - Cincinnati - Taft Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 3 - Brooklyn - Friends & Lovers w/ Meka
Apr 4 - Brooklyn - Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Apr 9 - Toronto - Allied Music Center Massey Hall w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 10 - Bensalem - Parx Xcite Center w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 11 - Medford - The Chevalier Center w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 16 - Minneapolis - Orpheum Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 17 - Madison - The Orpheum Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 18 - Chicago - Chicago Theater w/ Michelle Buteau

NEWS

GOOD: The Oscars happened and my mind is so scrambled that I keep calling them the Emmys. I did watched Conan’s monologue and enjoyed it thoroughly and also saw that Sinners won for best actor and best screenplay.

BAD: Reuters did an investigation into the identity of Banksy and managed to find out who he is and this makes me extremely sad. It feels like the last whimsical mystery my generation had and now there is nothing left. I’m not gonna read the article because I’d like to hold on to the mystery for as long as possible but you can if you want to.

UGLY: Jack Harlow dropped a new album named Monica and I am fully convinced that it is a homophone for ‘my nigga’. It’s a ‘neo-soul’ album and he sat down for an interview and said his music ‘got blacker’ and the internet is STILL roasting him. Somebody called him IRS One and it was perfection.

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ALMANAC OF RAP

On the latest episode of The Almanac of Rap I sat down with 9th Wonder and Reuben Vincent for a conversation that covered a lot of topics including how a tweet got him discovered by 9th, their working relationship and 9th’s overall trajectory.

This was probably the first time I’ve got to talk to 9th in years so there is a lot of catching up baked in. I also got to play him some 9th wonder type beats which was very fun.

VIDEOS

Kokoroko is one of my favorite bands and this live performance will show you why. They do Da Du Dah and Sweetie back to back. JAMS

Tash is gearing up to drop an album and if the last few songs/verses he has released are any indication then we are in for a treat. I wish him and Redman would link up for a song.

I don’t know who greenSLLIME is but Mick Jenkins got me in the door and I was not mad at what I heard. This is a pretty fire song.

I really like this Paramore song and hearing it blended w/ Groove Theory is kinda cool. That groove is so timeless.

uploaded the full series of Night Train to his Youtube page and I am very excited to watch it. The episode that I’ve linked is the Halloween spectacular where I wrote and performed a song about black Cosplayers that featured MC Frontalot, Jean Grae and Black Thought.

We worked so hard on this show and it’s nice to see it liberated from the paywalls it lived behind. The line up’s for the episodes are crazy and include names like Janelle James, Roy Wood Jr, Michelle Buteau, Questlove, Michelle Wolf, Josh Gondelman, Jo Firestone, John Hodgman and a gang of other folk.

You can watch all of the episodes here.

ALBUMS

E L U C I D & Sebb Bash dropped their new album and I haven’t heard it.

Levin Kali dropped an album and I haven’t heard it.

Lice dropped an ep and I haven’t heard it.

James Blake dropped an album…. i haven’t heard it.

SONGS

Cavalier dropped a song and I have heard it!

Mike x Earl are dropping an album and I’ve heard this song too!

Buddy dropped a song and I haven’t heard it

Rosco P Coldchain dropped a song and I have heard it. It’s pretty good.

LaReezy dropped a song and I haven’t heard it.

Foggieraw and Larry June linked up. I haven’t heard it but i am just imagining it to be the most relaxed raps ever.

Ego Ella May got a new one… i haven’t heard it.

Momo Boyd dropped a song and i clicked it. it sounds like her old stuff which is nice!

Thundercat got a song with WILLOW that is really cool.

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Touring has been fun though. I’ve toured before with Tanya Morgan but this is the first time I’ve had to go it alone and figure out how to perform by myself. Not being able to lean on Von or a DJ for banter has forced me to really interact with the crowd in a more personal way and the show is more focused on storytelling than just doing a few songs.

I’m also new renditions of songs that I’ve never done live before. Like this version of Every City In America Is A Sundown Town.

In short, the performances have truly been something special and I’m very grateful to Michelle for pushing me to get out from behind the DJ booth and back in front of the crowds to perform.

If you see your city on the line up come out and shine a light for me!

SHOWS

Mar 13 - Orlando - Hard Rock Cafe w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 14 - Ft Lauderdale - The Parker w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 15 - Houston - Bayou Music Center w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 16 - Brooklyn - Frankenstein’s Baby - Union Hall
Mar 20 - Washington DC - Warner Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 21 - Washington DC - Warner Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 27 - Egyptian Room at Old National Center w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 28 - Cincinnati - Taft Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 9 - Toronto - Allied Music Center Massey Hall w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 10 - Bensalem - Parx Xcite Center w/ Michelle Buteau
Apr 11 - Medford - The Chevalier Center w/ Michelle Buteau

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NEWS

For the latest episode of The Almanac of Rap I caught up with Jake One and played him a few ‘Jake One Type Beats’ and had him give his opinion on them. It was such a fun conversation and I’m happy that it’s finally out. There is also a really cool treat at the end of the episode if you listen past the credits

This episode is audio only and even though I used the Youtube link I’d recommend playing it on Apple or one of the audio services because Youtube made me take some of the music out.

*No G/B/U this week. I haven’t been able to keep up with anything outside of my itinerary. I am barely on top of my emails!

VIDEOS

MIKE and Earl are teaming up for an album called Pompei // Utility and this is the first video from the project.

This is a cool performance but the most captivating part is that idk changes his entire outfit in like 10 seconds flat and i don’t understand how it happened. I legit rewound that part of the clip like 4 times and decided to stop dissecting it and just be impressed.

I haven’t listened to this yet but I am very interested in hearing it. CyHi is a top tier writer and also one of the guys that hasn’t really said anything against Kanye throughout all of the turmoil. I am hoping for an unbiased examination of the era but I kinda got a feeling it’s gonna be weighted in Ye’s favor.

This is the standout cut from Keem’s album so I knew it would get a video. I always had this gut feeling that Momo Boyd was going to go solo and it’s nice to see her fully embracing it.

She’s in a group called Infinity Song with her brother’s and sister and a while back they dropped this jam that I still play to this day.

I saw them at Soul in The Horn in 2024 and they have a really fun stage show but the music was more rock/folk than anything else. I hope she continues to infuse that into her music cus it is such a breath of fresh air.

ALBUMS

There is a new Gnarls Barkley album out called Atlanta but I can’t embed it for some reason. I have played a little bit of it and it’s cool.

MC Paul Barman and Kenny Segal dropped an album and the vinyl is already sold out but you can still buy the MP3’s. I’m on a track called Ask for Help.

NE$$ x Baby J got a new one out and I haven’t had a chance to check it but I can assure you that it is exactly what we need to hear at this moment in time.

Terrace Martin dropped this and I haven’t heard it yet either but it’s always high quality when he releases.

I haven’t had a chance to listen to this new Flying Lotus yet either. I did know it was gonna drop tho because I interviewed him for an upcoming episode of AOR.

Yebba’s new album? Hell yes! Have I heard it? Hell no! Do I want to? HELL YES!

B Dolan is a dude who I just found out about and I’m very excited to listen to this album sometime in the near future.

The Expert dropped a reworked version of Vivid Visions called Extra Visions. I am on this album and I have heard it! It’s good!

Fun Fact: me and The Expert have an album that we’re looking at dropping this year! MUCH EXCITE!

SINGLES

Mary J Blige is as consistent as they come.

Always gonna post anything I see my sis Nappy Nina on.

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SHOWS

Mar 5 - Dallas - Majestic Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 6 - Austin - Bass Concert Hall w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 7 - Nashville - Ryman Auditorium w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 13 - Orlando - Hard Rock Cafe w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 14 - Ft Lauderdale - The Parker w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 15 - Houston - Bayou Music Center w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 16 - Brooklyn - Frankenstein’s Baby - Union Hall
Mar 20 - Washington DC - Warner Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 21 - Washington DC - Warner Theater w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 27 - Egyptian Room at Old National Center w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 28 - Cincinnati - Taft Theater w/ Michelle Buteau

NEWS

GOOD: I had a ball hosting the Ambies with . It was such a fun gig and all of the winners really enjoyed the music cues that I cooked up for them. The show is up on Youtube now so if you wanted to watch it you can by clicking HERE. Embedding is disabled

BAD: Both the NAACP Image Awards and SAG Actor Awards have had a name change of sorts. We used to call the NAACP the ‘N Double A C P’ and it is now pronounced N-A-A-C-P. It’s subtle but very noticeable in clips of people saying the organization’s name. The SAG Awards are now The Actor awards and the reason is that the actual statue is called The Actor. This is kinda cool because winning a Saggy does sound kinda weird. *this isn’t really bad but i just needed some bad news. lol

UGLY: The way that BAFTA handled the non-editing of that Tourettes outburst was very bad and I’m not gonna go to far into it here but the more you look into it the crazier it is.

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ALMANAC OF RAP

The Almanac of Rap is back and our first guest is Cupid. We covered a lot of ground in this conversation and I learned a lot about the world of line dance music and how his music is rooted in Zydeco. He also detailed his time on the chitlin circuit and even showed me how to do the line dance for his song ‘The Cookout’.

Also really hype to announce the show broke the top 10 chart for music shows on Apple podcasts. It’s available everywhere so please subscribe to the show and like or comment on the episodes when you listen! Trust me it means a lot.

The Jake One episode is dropping on Thursday!

VIDEO

DE LA SOUL ON TINY DESK!!!! I haven’t seen this yet but I am VERY excited about it.

T.I. is about to drop a new album so he’s dropping some music. He tapped Hype Williams to direct his latest video and if that wasn’t enough of a roll out he has fully engaged 50 Cent in a beef of some sort. I’m not sure what is going on between them but I do know that damn near his entire family has diss tracks aimed at 50.

His son Domani dropped the more interesting diss out of all his brothers and it honestly makes me interested in hearing more music from him.

King Harris dropped one and it’s the a pretty standard issue rap record and sounds exactly like you’d expect it to.

The most unexpected of the bunch is the Buddy Red joint that is a rock song. I am not mad at it but it absolutely threw me for a loop cus hearing him sing ‘you got shot 9 times, let’s make it 10’ is crazy.

T.I. has dropped four of his own as well and they are War, The Right One, Lessons and What Bully. 50 Cent hasn’t (and probably won’t) respond via song.

ALBUMS

I heard most of this album and really enjoyed it.

I haven’t heard this but Mathien makes jams.

Shouts to my guy Quelle for sending this over to me. It’s pretty dope.

I haven’t heard this yet but I know it’s dope.

I haven’t heard this yet but I’m just hanging it here so I don’t forget to listen to it.

Gorillaz tracklists be having some wild ass combinations. One day I’m gonna do a deep dive into their catalog and concepts but for now I’ll just have to look for a Youtube explainer to see what is going on in their universe.

SONGS

Gnarls Barkley back. I haven’t heard this yet tho.

Blu and Exile are such a good pairing.

Nolan the Ninja is dope.

This was a cool record.

New Tom Misch? Okay!

I like 79.5 and I hope an album is coming.

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I was already on a TIGHT schedule but thanks to rampant flight cancellations I had to skip the Vancover show with Michelle so that I could high tail it back to NYC before they called last call on travel. And when I say last call I mean it cus they put a travel ban in effect from 9p Sun - 7a Mon.

I must have booked at least 3-4 flights to NYC and they all got cancelled but our tour manager had the brilliant idea of flying me into Philadelphia on a red eye and from there I took the Amtrak home.

And if you were wondering why I was rushing home it’s because of the Ambies.

I’m on a billboard! Wyatt’s hosting and I’m DJ’ing the ceremony. I made the music cues for the show so I guess that I could say I was the music director for the show. Yeah, let’s just call it that instead of DJ. By the time you read this the show will have happened but I’m writing this a day in advance because there is no way I’ll be doing this on Tuesday morning lol. The show got postponed until Tuesday which is today so expect updates next week.

I’m also on a tour! The shows have been really fun. Finding fresh ways to do old songs for new crowds is such a cool challenge. Fun fact is maybe 10 minutes after we took this photo I was standing in the middle of the street looking for my uber to rush to the airport so that I could make my flight.

SHOWS

Feb 26 - Aspen - Wheeler Opera House w/ Michelle Buteau
Feb 27 - Denver - Paramount Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 1 - Pheonix - Arizona Financial Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 2 - Frankenstein’s Baby - I’ll be back at Union Hall with the gang!
Mar 5 - Dallas - Majestic Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 6 - Austin - Bass Concert Hall w/ Michelle Buteau
Mar 7 - Nashville - Ryman Auditorium w/ Michelle Buteau

*I’m only listing two weeks worth of dates at a time but if you want to see the full show schedule the dates are listed here.

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NEWS

The Almanac of Rap is coming back this Thursday! Cupid is the first guest and we have a really fun conversation about line dances, zydeco and the chitlin circuit. I even learn a new line dance! Please go to the streamer of your choice and subscribe!

GOOD - TSA Pre Check is back! With the amount of traveling that I have to do in the coming weeks not having TSA Pre as an option would be TERRIBLE.

BAD - TSA Pre Check got cut! What the fuck was that even about? How does that make sense? I was on my way to the airport when the news broke but when I got to the airport they were like “TSA Pre is closed!” which just made it all worse but they still let me use the Pre line. I got to the airport 15 minutes before my flight boarded!

UGLY - This administration just finds new ways to be ugly everyday. Big ways, little ways, silly ways, heinous ways and any other way imaginable.

VIDEOS

This new Thundercat song with Mac Miller is a jam. I would have just posted the single but the video is pretty cool.

Ras Austin is a member of Coast Contra and he’s been putting out solo stuff lately. I think he’s the only one doin solo stuff at the moment too. It’s dope.

Okayplayer pitched Hanumankind to me for the podcast and I didn’t know who he was so I said send me some links and this was one of the videos they sent. I had definitely heard the song before but HOLY SHIT the video is crazy.

Yedoye Travis finally dropped his comedy special and you should watch it. He’s one of the smartest comics working and has a very sharp wit and well informed perspective.

ALBUMS

I half listened to this Baby Keem album and I really enjoyed what I heard. It feels like a more accessible Mr. Morale or something. I dig it.

Larry June and The Alchemist have teamed up with Currensy and every Currensy verse feels more aggressive than usual. I enjoyed this one too.

I’m listening to this right now as I type this newsletter. I’m definitely gonna be running this one back over the next few days.

I haven’t heard this yet but when has Moonchild ever let you down?

I heard one song from this Tiana Major9 album and I liked it. I don’t remember what the song is and I honestly don’t know if she is a rapper or singer but I want to like her so I typically just check for whatever she’s doing.

The bro BLVCK SVDE send this over the other day and it’s high quality as usual. The man does not miss.

SONGS

I don’t know why this exists and I’m not going to Google it to find out why either. I’m just going to assume Kellogg’s asked him to make a song about Tony the Tiger. I like JID btw.

I only skimmed this song but I liked what I heard enough to include it because PawPaw Rod makes jams.

Another skim pick but it’s Yebba so I’m posting this more as a reminder to myself to listen to it. (yes, i use my own newsletter to remember what dropped lol)

I have no idea what this song is but Pocket Queen is great so it’s here.

RANDOM

Mini-documentaries are nothing new but it seems like there are more of them than usually popping up as of late. I think it’s a by product of artists needing more space to tell their story outside of the classic interview.

One series that I am enjoying tho is Baby Keem’s because his story is doing a lot of work to fill in the blanks of Kendrick’s story. They are cousins and are pretty close at that so a lot of ppl Kendrick has mentioned in songs are in the Keem’s Booman docs.

J Cole’s doing a sort of docu-series around his album as well and it’s honestly the smartest thing he could have done. That battle will follow him for the rest of his life and you can tell he doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. Say what you will about that moment in time or his music but seeing him go directly to the people who are affected by his music really makes you appreciate it a bit more in context.

Okay that’s it.

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My only real gripe about the movie is that the theater they were screening it at decided to close concessions during the film which was both confusing and infuriating. Here is a photo of me consoling myself with a glass of wine at the reception. Seriously, no popcorn!?!!

Honestly the fact that I still enjoyed the film without popcorn means that it’s a really good movie.

SHOWS

Tour starts this week and I’ve finally started building my set and rehearsing. I won’t get into the details of the performance but I’m excited to try out performing a few new songs!

Feb 20 - Portland - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall w/ Michelle Buteau
Feb 21 - Seattle - Moore Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Feb 22 - Vancouver - Vogue Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Feb 23 - I’m co-hosting the Ambie awards with Wyatt Cenac! I don’t think it will be livestreamed but maybe? We’ll see!
Feb 26 - Aspen - Wheeler Opera House w/ Michelle Buteau
Feb 27 - Denver - Paramount Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau

*I’m only listing two weeks worth of dates at a time but if you want to see the full show schedule the dates are listed here.

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NEWS

Good: The Winter Olympics are underway and it’s nice to see people playing in clean snow because the snow here in Brooklyn is filthy

Bad: Seeing Snoop Dogg at the Olympics makes me feel like I’ve been overexposed to him. I feel like if my overall awareness of what Snoop is up to was dimmed by at least 60% I’d still have too much Snoop in my life. Maybe I just need a hobby but chances are pretty high that a Snoop related product would pop up in whatever non-music related thing I choose to indulge in.

Ugly: The Shade Room is in the White House Press Room and I genuinely couldn’t think of a more fitting place for them to be. Can’t wait to see their brand of hArD hItTiNg PoLiTiCaL jOuRnAlIsM and the weird ass hashtags they use. #TSRShadyPress

VIDEO

Jill Scott dropped by Tiny Desk to prove why she’s one of the best doing it.

I have always liked Kid Capri as a rapper so this recent freestyle he dropped over the beat he had on Jay Z’s Vol 2. is pretty fun.

Why do old niggas love AI so much? I guess Jaime Foxx is different since he’s essentially a movie star but man the OG’s love them some AI. The song is pretty good and honestly the AI is decent too but there is nothing happening in the video that warrants not using humans to make it…. maybe he IS a clone now!

I think I want Lil Dicky and Jack Harlow to battle. I can’t explain why. I think Lil Dicky would win tho. This song is dope.

Akeem Ali is a guy who’s music I think I’d like if I spent any significant amount of time with it. Case in point is this song. Eventually I’ll get around to a whole project but man dude is very enjoyable.

This Cut Chemist DJ set is pretty old but still a fun watch/listen. He always takes a creative approach to playing a DJ set and it’s cool to be able to watch the process here.

ALBUMS

Zo! and Tall Black Guy dropped another BANGER. Keep Him Satisfied been on heavy rotation!

Jill is back with that Big Areola Music (dunno who coined that phrase but it stuck, especially in light of the album cover) The album is really good and Tierra Whack even pops up with some bars!

I think Diamond Ortiz is sorta like DAM Funk with a bigger emphasis on songwriting than production. I know that he’s dope and I’m pretty sure I’ll like this album.

I want to like Brent Faiyaz, really I do. I don’t dislike Brent Faiyaz but I just can’t connect to whatever is happening in the music. Apparently Raphael Saadiq produced this entire album and that is enough to make me give it a shot cus I’m Ray Ray is my guy!

SINGLES

This song is stellar. Music that meets the moment. I was not up on B Dolan before finding this song but he has another joint called Film The Police that is on the same wave.

E L U C I D & Sebb Bash got an album on the way and this is the latest single.

I’d take a full album of this and heres hoping this is another Larry June x Alchemist x [Insert Artist] style team up with Currensy as the rotating cast member.

Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) dropped this cover of Frank Ocean and it’s fantastic. He’s dropping his solo jazz debut soon and he’ll be playing bass and trumpet on the album. Pretty exciting stuff!

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I saw another video where a robot fell on Cardi B while she was trying to dance up on it. I don’t know how heavy those things are but I was pretty scared for her safety but when I found out that she wasn’t hurt… I laughed. Hard.

SHOWS

Feb 14 -Franklin Park for Valentine’s Day. Got a free jam for all the lovers out there.
Feb 16 - Frankenstein’s Baby has Janeane Garofalo, Petey DeAbreu, Jatty Robinson and Fareeha Khan on the show and hopefully you’ll be in the audience!
Feb 20 - Portland - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall w/ Michelle Buteau
Feb 21 - Seattle - Moore Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Feb 22 - Vancouver - Vogue Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau
Feb 23 - STILL TBA
Feb 26 - Aspen - Wheeler Opera House w/ Michelle Buteau
Feb 27 - Denver - Paramount Theatre w/ Michelle Buteau

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NEWS

Good: Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance was really dope and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don’t have many thoughts on the actual game though as I’ve fully settled into my ‘I don’t follow sports’ stance.

Bad: Chris Brown saw the reacted to the half time show by posting “I THINK ITS SAFE TO SAY.. THEY NEED ME!” on his Instagram story. LOL. I severely doubt Chris will ever get that call.

Ugly: Turning Point USA had an alternate half time show where Kid Rock and a few folk performed. The shoulda called that thing LollapaLOSER.

VIDEOS

J. Cole finally dropped his album and he has been driving around in his old Honda Civic selling CDs hand to hand to fans to promote it. It seems to be getting a pretty mixed reception overall but some of that isn’t even based on the music as much as it is fall out from the battle. Double discs are a pretty tricky proposition but he’s framing this as his last album which is giving it even more emphasis to be great.

Jill Scott hit Noochie’s Front Porch and did the damn thing. You gotta love it. Big Areola Music has touched down in the uhrea!

This DJ set was so good that I had to share it. Boogie and Disco Funk are my happy place and this set was full of songs I’d never heard before.

ALBUMS

I have no idea who Owelu Dreamhouse is but I thoroughly enjoyed the little bit of this song that I heard.

Blu popped up with this EP and it’s pretty dope. I had to double check to make sure it was actually him because sometimes other artsit’s music ends up posted on his page. That’s a bigger issue with streaming tho.

RZA’s Bobby Digital alter ego produced a Juice Crew project and I haven’t heard it yet.

SONGS

Man nomi. is so dope.

Rapsody is the only person on this song who I know but man this joint go hard.

This is a jam. I don’t know who Ace Clark is tho.

This is a cool lil posse cut.

RANDOM

The Epstein files are the most important release this week. There is so much going on in the world that it’s kinda hard to keep a handle on it all. Did you know that he’s trying to nationalize elections? If you don’t know what that means just know that it’s not good.

On a lighter note here is a super cut of robots being clumsy and dumb. Hopefully it brings you as much joy as it brings me.

The robot in the cowboy hat that falls down and starts thrashing gets me every time.

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