The new homey Q from The Mad Bloggers was kind enough to feature an interview with yours truly on their site. Here’s the quick Q&A session…learn something about your boy, TAOD, SNSS, and more:
Where does “The Audacity of Dope” name come from?
The Audacity of Dope name comes from a play on Barack’s 2nd book, The Audacity of Hope. I founded the blog in May 2008 as a home for our Sound Session interviews and episodes, which was also around the time I started working in a fellowship program for Obama’s campaign. It seemed like a natural fit to tie my political interests with passion for music. Plus, I like that people have to spell ‘audacity’ to get to the page. Those who can’t shouldn’t be there anyway.
What’s the inspiration behind the show “Sunday Night Sound Sessions” and why you do it?
Sunday Night Sound Session is the brainchild of myself and my co-host, J. Moore. It started when KUBE 93 approached us to take their Sunday night new music show into a new direction, preferably something a little more focused on the ‘underground’ side of hip-hop. Having hosted a college radio show for four years previously, I knew I wanted to make Sound Session similar to my Beats, Rhymes, and Life college program, but take it to a new level with the increased wattage. J and I are inspired on a weekly basis to give some shine to deserving artists that may not be getting the exposure they deserve through traditional media outlets. In other words, we support good music, across multiple genres, because most commercial media outlets are more concerned with turning a profit than promoting art. We understand that it’s ultimately a business, but we think there should be more of a balance, and hopefully Sound Session provides some of that.
Why aren’t there more programs like “Sound Session” on other stations?
There aren’t more programs like Sound Session because the current business model with commercial radio doesn’t allow it. Plain and simple, radio at this level is a business designed to make as much money as possible for large corporations. There’s nothing wrong with that from a capitalist level, but from an artistic perspective, it’s a huge detriment to the music. Large corporations sell hip-hop the same way they’d sell shoes or pizza. Whatever they can do to make money, they’ll do it. This translates to media outlets across the country promoting the most base level human interests in their entertainment packages, which is particularly evident in hip-hop. If big budget action movies depend on explosions and flashing lights, hip-hop radio tries to sell sex, drugs, and violence. They’re the easiest topics to sell because they require the least amount of education. When you have a rapper on our show talking about socio-economic issues and gentrification, you’re automatically going over the heads of at least half of society. It’s sad but true. It all starts with education.
Who are three ill artists right now flying under the radar?
The first artist that pops into my head is my dude Shad. He’s insanely talented lyrically, makes great songs that everyone can relate to, and takes pride in his sound and his message. That’s pretty much my criteria for who I want to listen to, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets the recognition he deserves. Along those same lines, there’s a MC from the Bay/LA named Tunji that I’ve known for almost a decade now. He’s one of the most talented artists I’ve ever seen and like Shad, he takes so much pride in his music and what he represents. He’s going to make some classic music sooner rather than later. Lastly…hmm…I’ll throw a curveball and go outside of hip-hop. There’s an indie pop/R&B group from Sweden called Little Dragon that makes some incredible music. I don’t know too much about their story, but their music is a great mix of all the best elements of pop, soul, R&B, and even some hip-hop influences. I definitely recommend people to check ’em out.
Definitely check out their site, they’re doing some great work and highlighting artists that deserve the shine. Keep it up fellas!