I've tried booking a Childish Major episode for a hot minute. Found him around 2015 as a rapper that I knew made beats. By the time we had J.I.D. on the show, I knew I had to reach out (I assumed he was part of Spillage Village). But I honestly wasn't aware of this man's pedigree. As it turns out his production credits are about a mile long. He's got placements with KN alums like the aforementioned J.I.D., along with EarthGang , and Rome Fortune . Not to mention works with J.Cole, Jeezy, 6lack, ...
Nov 15, 2017•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 135
Caleborate breaks breaks our ongoing theme of bad dad relationships leading to great art. When his folks split as a kid, he and his brother decided to stay with their father. His dad was a working playwright and occasional teacher. They were no strangers to making a dollar stretch, and making it work. He instilled a sense of wonder and creativity in Caleb, acting in many of his fathers plays as a kid. After quitting basketball at 16, He started working on raps. His dad knew a guy with a studio a...
Nov 01, 2017•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 134
Travis Thompson has been on my radar subliminally for many years now. Upon first hearing his music I was sure his name seemed familiar, but didn't research it. Then I saw Macklemore announce his recent Key Arena shows only to realize Travis follows me on Twitter. When the tracklist for Gemini was released, where he's featured with KN alum Dave B. , I put it all together. Travis was a kid that had been reaching out on socials for years. Did some searching and realized he used to ask for music and...
Oct 18, 2017•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 133
I met Mike in 2005 at a Project Blowed anniversary show. Our mutual friend invited us to join their crew onstage for a big cypher during their set. The dj for the set was supposed to switch instrumentals for each rapper. He ended up blending the instrumentals completely off beat in the middle of people's verses. In turn everyone sounded like they had no idea how to rap on beat. About 4 people out of the 12 or so onstage got to rap before they cut the power off because we were doing so poorly. I ...
Oct 11, 2017•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 132
Reo Cragun first popped up on our radar in January (2017). He dropped “Inconsiderate” seemingly out of the blue. His polished song writing, confident delivery and unique vocal tone instantly caught my attention . We started making arrangements to be on KN way back then. Serendipitously when I reached out via DM he was already following us. Turns out, being from the Washington, he'd found out about KN through our ILLFIGHTYOU episode. It took a while for this episode to finally come to fruition. T...
Aug 16, 2017•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 131
Ravyn Lenae is a phenomenally talented singer from the South Side of Chicago. She's part of Zero Fatigue crew with the likes of rapper Smino, producer Monte Booker, and others. Consequently, her sound has a familial feel next to her musical comrades. Her angelic falsetto, story telling lyrics, and the chosen bouncy on-beat-off-beat rhythms create a soulful dreamscape of every song. A wunderkind of sorts, Ravyn has been a standout since childhood solos at church. By high school she'd been accepte...
Jul 19, 2017•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 130
Cuco celebrated his 19th birthday with us in the studio. The young singer / songwriter / composer / multi-instrumentalist is having quite the year. He's in the middle of an initial explosion that's seen his following double in only a couple months. That's because his sugary sweet pop ballads can melt the heart of a teenage girl, or catch the ear of a jaded mid 30's music fan. Upon first listen I assumed Cuco's music was sample based. Figured he must be digging through heaps of vinyl to find obsc...
Jun 28, 2017•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 129
Ivy Sole is a wonderful talent out of Philadelphia by way of Charlotte, NC. Ivy's a very thoughtful and self-aware person, it is apparent in her music and this conversation. Her latest EP, East, is a quick listen packed with poetic bars and soulful melodies. Her deep smokey voice is an outstanding tool for delivering hooks that won't leave the back of your head. From an early age, her placement in advanced curriculums gave her an outsider's experience. Residing throughout East and West Charlotte...
Jun 21, 2017•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 128
Finally sat down with the legend: Nedarb . This dude's name regularly gets brought up on the show . Not only is Ned racking up production credits, he's one of the most prolific connectors in the LA underground. Truly a “guy behind the guy that did the thing” type. We go way back. Ned used to reach out about working on KN right as I started it. Oftentimes people reaching out get on my nerves pretty easily. There's simply something off about a lot of folks' approach. But Ned was always respectful,...
May 03, 2017•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 127
Dave B. is another phenomenal talent coming out of the Seattle scene. In a city known for supporting local rap acts, I wouldn't be surprised if he was the next heir to the Seattle throne. His latest record, Tomorrow , is a collaborative effort with Soulection's Sango (another Seattleite). The record brings the best out of both of them, and bottles up Seattle's vibe into beats and rhymes. Dave is cool and calm. His talking voice is reminiscent of a whispery old-timey radio disc jockey, smooth and...
Apr 26, 2017•1 hr•Ep. 126
Gizzle is currently working on an expansive self-assignment. She plans to release four tapes she'll record in four different cities by the end of the year. Each will be seven songs, representing the seven days she'll spend there catching the vibe, writing, and recording. So far she's released the first in the series, 7 Days In Atlanta. 7DIA caught my ear via “Oh Na Na,” which you can see her perform above. The infectious beat coupled with the immediate charm of Gizzle's gruff voice instantly dre...
Apr 19, 2017•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 125
This week we welcome back two friends of the show that went on to form a group together. Speak is an unpredictable and mischievous rapper that I've watched grow up. We met when he was just seventeen on a road trip to a rap battle in the Bay Area. Since then I've watched him adapt and readjust to the ever changing rap scene. He moved to Mexico after a revealing hallucinogenic experience. This new record puts his cultural growth and expanding maturity on display. Dream Panther is Greg Sheran's ope...
Mar 01, 2017•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 124
EarthGang is comprised of rappers Johnny Venus and Doctor Dot. The duo's been putting in work for the better part of a decade and the payoff seems inevitable. They've been brought up on show by guests multiple times. Their crew, Spillage Village, includes KN alum J.I.D. who recently signed to J.Cole's Dreamville imprint. So needless to say it seems like EG and SV are in for a big year. Last year's Bears Like This Too Much compilation was a shining example of Spillage Village's effortless style. ...
Feb 22, 2017•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 123
Deante' Hitchcock 's song “No Secret” blew me away on the first listen. That led me to his slept on 2016 release “ GOOD .” It's a solid and consistent effort that slipped under a lot of people's radar. He's got bar-heavy heady raps any backpacker would love. But he has the confidence and swagger only a Southside Atlanta native can emit at the same time. This episode seemed to have a lot of fate involved. Days after hearing “No Secret,” a viral Twitter video of Deante' thanking Barack Obama showe...
Jan 25, 2017•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 122
Buttress is an in-your-face character. She doesn't hold back as a performer, an artist, or as a conversationalist. Born to a strictly religious mother and attending Christian schools throughout her youth, she was once “punched in the gut by God” during a Pentecostal ceremony. While many would've used that experience to validate their belief in God, it made her believe in telepathy and begin reading up on the occult. Questioning everything and constant contrarianism seem to be ongoing themes in B...
Dec 14, 2016•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 121
This week we sat down with Ottawa's Night Lovell. The baritone voiced teen was a phenomenon from the jump. The first music video he released quickly gained traction, garnering millions of views in no time. Meanwhile, the quiet and shy student was still in high school, his classmates none the wiser to his meteoric rise. Hear us talk about his dad's past as a emcee, dealing with Ottawa winters, and how he will beat that ass at Call Of Duty. – Lee...
Nov 02, 2016•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 119
Wicca Phase Springs Eternal has spent most of his life actively pursuing music. It's been the constant ever since starting bands in middle school. He went on to finding success with Tigers Jaw, and has now pivoted into the current form of Wicca Phase. You'd never guess that his hometown of Scranton was a hotbed of late era emo bands and record labels. But growing up there he found mentors and inspiration in local heroes. Now his somber lyrics laid over lo-fi trap beats are genre defying and bend...
Oct 26, 2016•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 118
Kenny Segal has a long and colorful history with Los Angeles rap. He's been a part of the underground scene in one way or another for 20 years now, dabbling in everything from Drum n' Bass, Turntablism, Blowdian rap production, to the current beat scene. He's had a rebirth of sorts in the last few years working with artists like Milo and Busdriver, his project The Kleenrz with Self-Jupiter, and becoming a part of Team Supreme. This episode paints a broad stroke of Los Angeles music scenes from t...
Oct 12, 2016•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 117
We caught up with wifisfuneral as he wrapped his first headlining tour. The Palm Beach rapper is only 19 yet has a surprising depth of knowledge about old school rap. He's faced hardships from abandonment to addiction. These struggles have helped him achieve a maturity beyond his years. He's got a good head on his shoulders. His music is firmly planted in the fundamentals but maintains a modern aesthetic. Hear us talk about dropping out of school, and discuss the ever-looming dad issues. We also...
Oct 05, 2016•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 116
Audio Push have been working together for years. Surprisingly their debut studio album 90951 was only released last week. They met in middle school but lost contact with each other. They were reunited after a happenstance dance battle in high school and joined forces. They've been in and out of the major label system twice. This led to them independently releasing their official debut. They utilized the breadth of knowledge picked up along the way. Audio Push had a smash jerk record in 2009. The...
Sep 28, 2016•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 115
This week we had the pleasure of sitting with the talented Allan Kingdom . Allan's has a unique rap voice, angelic falsetto, and a cold climate upbringing. This leads to music that can be dense, dark, contemplative and uplifting all at once. He's a young man with an aged veteran's demeanor. His career has already had a number of individual peaks (i.e The Stand4rd with Corbin neé Spooky Black, and a feature on Kanye's “All Day” that lead to 3 Grammy noms) with surely many more to come. Hear us ta...
Aug 24, 2016•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 114
The 1st bar of the 1st song I heard from Cozz convinced me he was the truth. His sparse, dark, and deeply South Central LA looking video for “Dreams” came out of nowhere in 2014. We've been trying to get him on the show ever since. His story is a modern rarity in the music world. While most folks toil in obscurity for a few years working out their sound, Cozz came out of the blue with a powerfully developed voice and the first song he put out in the world started an industry bidding war. He talk...
Aug 17, 2016•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 113
This week we sat with East Atlanta's own JID . Always happy to show you guys someone with so much potential so early in their career. He has industry insiders buzzing without even putting a tape out yet (it's coming in the fall, in the meantime check out the Spillage Village tapes Bears Like This and Bears Like This Too ). His style is so effortlessly confident and cocky it almost distracts from the fact the he's a technical wizard with words. The dude bars out. Hear us discuss being the younges...
Aug 03, 2016•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 112
Rebecca Haithcoat has steadily become a trusted voice in music journalist. She's written for Billboard, SPIN, Pitchfork, Noisey, Complex and countless others. I met her weeks after she arrived in LA. We were frequently attending rap shows around the turn of the decade. I was instantly drawn to her warm personality and easy conversation style. Those traits helped her become a excellent interviewer. It surely put folks like Nicki Minaj, YG, and Miguel at ease while covering them. She's a prime exa...
Jul 27, 2016•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 111
One of my favorite subjects to harp on is becoming a middle aged rap fan. I try to stay open minded and excited about the evolution of the art. Last week I was at a $uicideboy$ show, feeling extra old. It was there I saw Ghostemane come out and kill a quick guest appearance during an opening dj set. I'm only surface level familiar with the burgeoning sub-genre of aggressively dark underground rap I would compartmentalize him in. It's amazing to see this younger generation of underground rappers ...
Jul 06, 2016•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 110
Van Styles is a king of Instagram. He's garnered 700K followers on the app by expertly photographing the feminine figure. He's translated that success into a thriving upstart clothing brand “Visual Apparel.” But it doesn't seem like that was ever the end goal. As a young man he loved skateboarding but ended up directing porn. It seems the only common theme in his career path is “stay open to any opportunity.” Hear us discuss his outlier-like opportunity to learn how to photograph women on the jo...
Jun 15, 2016•1 hr 53 min•Ep. 109
K.Flay is Dope. Couldn’t really think of another way to start this blurb. If you mention Kristine Flaherty to musicians you'll hear nothing but praise for her talent and personality. Since she's been a road warrior for a few years now. Due to that she's crossed paths with plenty of artists to sing those praises. K.Flay is Ivy League level intelligent and rap star level swagged out. Our conversation proves the former, and her performance of “FML” on proves the latter. Hear us talk about the begin...
May 25, 2016•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 108
Bobby Hundreds and Ben Hundreds have created a brand you can't help but root for. Bobby's diligent content creation over the years has created a cast of characters that revolve around planet Hundreds. Being cool is the baseline, and being talented is the norm. While known for creating one of the preeminent streetwear brands of the last 2 decades, take a closer look and you realize he's prodigious writer, photographer, and cultural curator. This was a very open and enjoyable conversation with a l...
May 18, 2016•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 107
This week we sat down with friend of the show Johnny Polygon . Always fun to sit and have a rambling conversation with a friend. We talk about his (very original) sleep over shows, my current rap existential crisis (honestly I kinda blacked out on this one and he became the therapist), and how it's far more intimidating to perform to 10 people than 1000 people. – Lee
May 11, 2016•1 hr 50 min•Ep. 106
We talked to Awful Record's own Tommy Genesis . She began making music after leaving her small Canadian hometown for art school. While living in Vancouver she eventually caught the ear of Father . Last summer's World Vision gave us a glimpse of what's to come. She's been in LA busy at work on World Vision 2 . She'll be joining Father on tour starting in a couple weeks, so catch them in a city near you. Hear us talk about astrology (yeah yeah I know), growing up as a mixed kid, and demolishing wa...
Apr 27, 2016•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 105
