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Podcast

Podcast of the Week | Drink Champs

It’s been a while since our last podcast of the week but I feel like this next choice is for the hip hop historians. If you enjoy listening to candid conversations amongst the OGs of the hip hop world, I really suggest you listen to the Drink Champs podcast. I am about 8 episodes in and I have to say I’m hooked. The hosts of the podcast are N.O.R.E and DJ EFN whose personalities complement each other. N.O.R.E is a in your face type of guy who really brings the most out of the guest. DJ EFN plays the background support fairly well. He knows when to jump in or simply stay in the back to soak it in the conversation. I feel like the energy in the show mixed with the alcohol (hence the drink champs name) will make this a longstanding part of the hip hop culture.

I am not a big drinker but overhearing conversations between people drinking should be a favorite past time of mine. I think hearing Fat Joe discuss Big Pun in episode 1 and understanding DMX’s pain in episode 3. Each episode to me is something reminiscent to a chapter out of a person’s autobiography. Who better to discuss their life but the artist themselves?

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Here is a clip from the first podcast via YouTube. If you have the time, give the Drink Champs a listen on iTunes or Play.It!

August 11, 2016 0 comment

Benched Soccer

Podcast of the Week | New Ultras Podcast

written by Howard Nedrick, Jr

If you didn’t know how much I believe in the fellas in The New Ultras, proceed to read my write up giving them a glowing shout out on their platform. I didn’t know I needed a podcast about soccer from guys my age but once again these guys strike again (2 for 2). The best aspect of this podcast is the synergy these fellas have on each episode. They really love soccer and you can feel it when you hear them speak on players and teams. For the newbie soccer fan, this is a good dive into understanding the business and team creation aspect of soccer (particularly internationally).

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Four solid podcasts down and a ton more to go. The team is quite large and they rotate in and out to bring fresh perspectives to each show. Total team holds around 12 guys with about 9 of them sequencing in and out of the lineup. Sounds like these guys are using soccer strategies to their podcast or something (haha). All in all, these is definitely a podcast I intend to keep up with to learn more about the strategies teams use to manage the talent on their team. I would suggest you listen from the first episode to follow the formula these guys have crafted up. Enjoy the podcast of the week being New Ultras Podcast!

First Episode of New Ultras Podcast

July 29, 2016 0 comment

Art + Culture

Podcast of the Week | Snap Judgement

written by Tay

I’ve been subscribed to Snap Judgement for a while; it was actually one of the first podcasts I started listening to.

Self-described as storytelling with a beat, Snap Judgement is essentially This American Life for people who don’t sip pour-over coffee while wearing sweater vests. (No shade to Ira Glass though, I never miss an episode). It’s a mix of traditional radio reporting, short fiction pieces, and spoken word. That said, it’s a little hit-or-miss for me. And with hundreds of episodes in its catalogue, listening to the right one first is key.

If you’ve never listened to Snap Judgement (or listened to a bad episode and feel like giving it a second shot) I recommend this week’s offering: #717 – Shake, Rattle, and Roll.

In college, I took a class called Music and World Cultures. It was taught by a young white guy and was therefore not so World Cultured after all. This episode is everything I wanted but didn’t get from that class. It’s the story of Wells Fargo: the 1970’s Rhodesian rock band.

Quick history lesson for those in need: Britain colonized Rhodesia in the late 1800s. In the 1920s, Rhodesia chose not to amalgamate into South Africa as a 5th province, and instead became somewhat autonomous. A minority white government came into power triggering civil wars and apartheid-esque segregation. In the 80’s, Rhodesia became the Republic of Zimbabwe. Government corruption, fueled partially by diamond trade, ensued. You should read about it.

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With all that rocky history, it’s no surprise that Zimbabwe’s musical revolution has gotten somewhat lost. But it happened, and it was pretty incredible. The 70s in Zimbabwe were musically akin to the 60s in North America. The counterculture there produced a sound they called “Zim Heavy”: Hendrix-style rock music that became steadily more political as the democratic revolution gathered steam. Wells Fargo (the band, not the bank) was front and center.

Shake, Rattle, and Roll gives you their story, a sample of their music, and a taste of what life in early post-colonial Zimbabwe was like. It’s absolutely engrossing, and the music is unreal.

Listen to more of Wells Fargo here, and read up on the Zim Heavy scene here.

June 29, 2016 0 comment

Art + Culture

Podcast of the Week | Love Me

written by Tay

When someone recommends you a book, you start on the first page and read through to the end. Same with movies. Same with tv shows. Because that’s just the way those things work.

But podcasts don’t always work that way. Recommending a podcast is kind of like recommending a musician. There’s an entire catalogue of content, and it’s hard to know where to begin. Do you start with the first episode because that’s the beginning? Or with the last episode, since it’s the newest and (probably) the most polished? With the most critically acclaimed episode? The most downloaded?

When I recommend a podcast to someone, I try to recommend a specific episode. Something that I think captures the general feel of the podcast at it’s best. So that’s what I’ll aim to do here.

Being Canadian, it seems fitting that the first episode I cover here is from a new Canadian podcast: Love Me.

Love Me is a podcast about love. Shocking. But not just R&B song love, or cheesy rom-com love. Love Me aims to tackle all the messy aspects of human connection and interaction. From complicated friendships to family interactions, to classic long-distance heartache.

The first episode, At A Loss For Words, is broken into three parts.

The first is an audio adaptation of Ella Frances’ book Lost in Translation. It’s a series of words in various languages with specific meanings and no direct English translations.

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The book covers words of all meanings, but this audio adaptation focuses specifically on those that describe the varying stages of relationships: the Farsi word for the twinkle in your eye when you first meet someone; the Italian word for tenderly running your fingers through the hair of somebody you love; the Korean word for the subtle art of listening and gauging someone’s mood.

It’s a must-listen for anyone who loves words and language as much as I do.

The second part tells the story of a couple who falls in love through Google Translate. It’s based on the autobiographical book Irritable Hearts by Mac Mclelland. I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t say more than that, but if you’re craving more about the story after listening, definitely give Mac’s book a read; it’s beautiful.

The third part is a fictional conversation carried out by computer voices (weird to hear at first, but stick with it – it gets less distracting as you go). It’s loosely based on poetry by Kelsey Walsh and explores those intricate feelings we all have but aren’t able to articulate.

You can find this episode of Love Me on all the usual podcast apps, or on their website.

June 23, 2016 1 comment

Art + Culture Brand

Podcast of the Week | The Liberation Project

written by Eric

This week, I bring to you The Liberation Project: A Movement for Manhood.

As all-inclusive as I would wish to be, this is a podcast that is mainly geared towards men. Mainly. However, I was told about this podcast by a female friend of mine who listened to an episode they had about faith. I figured I would give a few episodes a try during a flight over the weekend, and was pretty entertained. If you’re a non-male listener, there’s still much to be gained from listening as the two hosts cover a wide range of topics.

The most recent episode is ‘The 10 Absolutes for Romance’ and deals with a wide range of topics. These include not having an agenda when it comes to making your partner loved, to exploring your partner and on the far end of the spectrum, wanting to equally Tonya Harding all the friends who have done her wrong.

By the way, I’m always looking for podcasts to listen to so feel free to suggest your favorites in the comments. Between making playlists for my Tinder matches and telling my Amazon Echo to discreetly play Taylor Swift’s 1989 as background noise there’s a void that can be filled by an awesome podcast.

May 30, 2016 0 comment

Art + Culture Brand

Podcast of the Week | Embedded

written by Eric

If you’re anything like me, you’re addicted to audio. When I shower, I play music or podcasts. On the way to work, I play music or podcasts. As I fall asleep, I play music, or … well, you get it. I listen to a podcast. Unfortunately, finding good music as you get older becomes just a bit harder, and the same can be said for a decent podcast. The Internet is full of podcasts, especially interesting ones, but not everyone has 30+ minutes to try out a new one just to determine they don’t like it. Like most things that we ‘discover’, it’s by word of mouth and you’re in luck because I’m that guy bothering you about that thing that I like that you just need to check out.

This week’s podcast is from NPR. Embedded is a fairly new podcast with only nine episodes available, but if you’re a fan of other NPR podcasts then you know to expect quality, informative episodes.

‘The League‘ is their most recent episode, and it follows the NBA’s minor league, the D-League. If you’re a fan of basketball and the NBA this is worth checking out to follow the path that some players take to make it to their ultimate dream.

May 23, 2016 0 comment