Chicago Reader’s Tal Rosenberg and Chicago bred rapper Open Mike Eagle join MC Nocando and Jeff Weiss this week to discuss everything Chicago. The guys talk about the history of Chicago rap starting with rappers like Common & Twista all the way to Chief Keef & King Louie, how House & R&B music dominated Chicago radio, and why rappers rarely blow up in Chicago. Plus, Open Mike Eagle defines words from the Urban Dictionary and we learn how to do the percolator.
Battle rappers Dizaster & Cadalack Ron join MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss today to talk about the art of battle rap. They discuss the origins of battle rapping, the transition between battling over beats to battling acapella, and how YouTube brought battle rapping to a world wide audience. Dizaster & Cadalack Ron also tell us about how they got into battle rapping, their most important moment in their battle rap careers, and their thoughts on ghostwriters.
Yo, Is This Racist?: Self-Identitiy
The Yo, Is This Racist?/Shots Fired crossover week ends today as Andrew Ti, Jeff Weiss, and MC Nocando discuss self-identification. They explain how your upbringing defines your self-identity, race being a social construct, and people claiming to be transracial. Let us know if you think something is racist at (323) 389-RACE.
This Week’s Topics:
Yo, Is This Racist?: Making Fun of ESL Students
Andrew Ti and Shots Fired hosts Jeff Weiss & MC Nocando answer a teacher’s question about making fun of Japanese ESL students. They are given no examples as to why this teacher finds their work so amusing, Jeff shares a story from his teaching days, and the gang send a message out to all the teachers out there. Keep your questions coming by calling us at (323) 389-RACE.
Shots Fired!: Four Thousand and Eighty
Dan Weisman (Elitaste Inc. and former manager of Wale & Mike Posner) and Leeor Brown (FoF Music and manager of Salva & Shlohmo) join MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss to talk about the record industry. The guys discuss why it takes time for certain artists to gain a following, why having copycats is good promotion, and the ways the internet has drastically changed the music industry. Dan tells us how he started to work with Wale, Leeor tells about his first time meeting Salva, and they both explain why it’s harder today to get up on artists early. Plus, Nocando & Jeff talk about the music of Ronaiah Tuiasosopo.
Yo, Is This Racist?: What’s Up Brother?
Andrew Ti and Shots Fired hosts Jeff Weiss & MC Nocando explore the use of the word brother. They talk about how racist professional wrestling is and whether or not white people saying brother is racist. Leave us a question about racism at (323) 389-RACE.
Yo, Is This Racist?: Pickup Basketball
Andrew Ti and Shots Fired hosts Jeff Weiss & MC Nocando talk about the stereotype of black people being good at basketball, why positive stereotyping can lead to negative stereotyping, and that one episode of Family Matters where Steve Urkel plays basketball. Chill out on the stereotyping and leave us a message at (323) 389-RACE.
Yo, Is This Racist?: Radio Voice
Jeff Weiss and MC Nocando of Shots Fired join Andrew Ti to discuss the concept of radio voice and figure out if it’s racist. Fuck the status quo and leave us a message at (323) 389-RACE.
This week Jeff Weiss and MC Nocando explore the connection between Hip-Hop and African music. The duo talk about the history of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, rappers who have sampled Fela Kuti songs, and finally play a Wale track. Legendary Afrobeat star Femi Kuti stops by to discuss the formation of Afrobeat, how he now must find a balance between Facebook, Twitter, and practicing his instruments, and the Afrobeat influence on Hip-Hop.
Shots Fired!: Mazel Toz, My Nigga
Fellow Earwolf podcaster Andrew Ti joins MC Nocando & Jeff Weiss this week to talk about racial issues in Hip-Hop. The guys discuss rappers of other races using the n-word, who can rap about what, and the idea of a post-racial America. They also look at Ice Cube’s “Black Korea,” Blood of Abraham’s “Niggaz & Jewz,” Professor Griff’s departure from Public Enemy after making anti-Semitic remarks, Action Bronson’s “Growin Up,” and ScHoolboy Q’s performance of “Blessed” at the Pitchfork Music Festival. L’Chaim!
