Reel Notes w/ CineMasai

My guest this week is North Carolina-based rapper, producer, and label head Cheeno Ghee. We spoke about Kanye West, jeen-yus, the power of a good music documentary, true crime, Belly, the legacy of Hype Williams, growing up between Atlanta, Brooklyn, and North Carolina, what it means to freestyle in 2022, the art of battle rap, founding GCE Tha Label, and the creative process behind her projects Child and To Whomever It Concerns.  Child and To Whomever It Concerns are available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Check out Cheeno Ghee's appearance on Bars on I-95 here.Follow Cheeno on Instagram and Twitter: @cheenogheeFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)    Support the show

My guest this week is rapper, businesswoman, boxer, and healthcare worker Chanelle Kazadi. We spoke about Love Is Blind, Baking Impossible, horror movies, the nuance behind villains, Jeen-Yus: A Kanye Trilogy, being a first-generation immigrant, falling in love with the music of Mos Def and Common, starting her Harvest Hooligang clothing company, the trials of being an independent artist in 2022, and the creative process behind her latest project Make It Work.Make It Work is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider checking out the Harvest Hooligang website and copping some merch here. Follow Chanelle on Instagram and Twitter: @chanellekazadiFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)   Support the show

My guest this week is Kansas-born rapper and podcast host Stik Figa. We spoke about Ozark, Euphoria, the Super Bowl Halftime Show, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, American Beauty, the art of appreciating art, how Kansas became a mixtape hub for several different kinds of rap, whether Kendrick Lamar is an all-time great, and the creative process behind several of his projects, including the August Fanon-produced Heresy.Heresy drops March 4 on Bandcamp. Consider pre-ordering it here.The City Under The City and Central Standard Time are available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from Stik's Mello Music Group Bandcamp page.Follow Stik Figa on Instagram and Twitter: @Stik_FigaRead my 2017 DJBooth piece "Holding Back Tears: Rap's Role In Redefining Black Masculinity," which features a short interview with Stik, here.  Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)   Support the show

My guest this week is New Jersey rapper, producer, and DJ Brainorchestra. We spoke about Batman, growing up playing real-time strategy and role-playing games, The Black Cauldron, myths about life in New Jersey, our mutual love for survival movies, how playing instruments influenced his beatmaking, turning his love of rap into a business, and the creative process behind a handful of his projects, including his latest album Big Brain.Big Brain is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from his Bandcamp page here. Follow Brainorchestra on Instagram (@brainorchestra_) and Twitter (@_brainorchestra)Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)      Support the show

My guest this week is Florida-born rapper-producer Liiight. We spoke about Don’t Look Up, Bee Movie, Cowboy Bebop, dubstep, brief histories of Yung Lean and the Sad Boys, Lucki, and Childish Gambino, how Lupe Fiasco’s “Kick Push” changed their life, giving your all while recording, and the creative process behind their latest projects Dwunk and Blacklight.Dwunk and Blacklight are available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping these and other great projects directly from Liiight's Bandcamp page here.Follow Liiight on Instagram and Twitter: @liiightoneFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)   Support the show

My guest this week is Chicago-based rapper, producer, and poet Semiratruth. We spoke about astrology, Dexter, Euphoria, South Side, Spike Lee, growing up listening to MF DOOM, mortality, her time in the YouMedia program, developing her craft, the pros and cons of oversharing, the influence of Sun-Ra, and the creative process behind her latest album I Got Bandz For The Moonlandin’I Got Bandz For The Moonlandin’ is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from her Bandcamp here. Follow Semiratruth on Instagram and Twitter: @semiratruthFollow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)   Support the show

My guest this week is Phoenix duo By Storm—formerly known as the trio Injury Reserve—consisting of rapper/producer RiTchie and producer Parker Corey. We spoke about Tiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang, Pig, Nicholas Cage, Danny Trejo, Point Break, their chemistry as a group, the creative process behind a handful of their videos, the response to their latest album By the Time I Get to Phoenix, and, of course, countless stories about the late great Stepa J. Groggs.By the Time I Get to Phoenix is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider purchasing directly from the group's Bandcamp page here. Follow Injury Reserve on Instagram and Twitter: @InjuryReserve. Follow RiTchie on Instagram and Twitter: @ritchiewitha. Follow Parker on Instagram (@wparkercorey) and Twitter (@ParkerCorey)My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.Join the Reel Notes Patreon today for as little as $5/month to get early access to episodes, our Discord server, exclusive bonus interviews and reviews, and more!Reel Notes stands in solidarity with the oppressed peoples of Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund,  The Palestinian Youth Movement, Medical Aid for Palestinians, HealAfrica, FreeTigray, and/or Hope For Haiti.  For information about contacting your representatives to demand a ceasefire, finding protests, and other tools, check out CeasefireToday!Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)Support the show

My guest for the Reel Notes season finale is Pitchfork staff writer and music journalist and critic Alphonse Pierre. We spoke about the show Harlem, Miami Vice, Black sitcoms, growing up in the age of Dipset, our favorite rap movies of all time, embracing his love of film in high school, his writing career, navigating the always crowded world of rap music, and journalism’s place in the music landscape in the 2020s.Check out Alphonse's work over at Pitchfork here.Follow Alphonse on Instagram (@alphonseeee) and Twitter (@Al_Peeair)Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)   Support the show

My guest this week is Brooklyn rapper Curly Castro. We spoke about The Harder They Fall, the art of auteurism, Eternals, Dune, Spike Lee, the journey from being a hypeman to becoming a rapper, his work with members of the Wrecking Crew, the creative process behind his latest album Little Robert Hutton, afrofuturism, and all things Marvel Cinematic Universe.Little Robert Hutton is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping it from Castro's Bandcamp page here.Follow Curly Castro on Instagram (@curlycastro) and Twitter (@Curly_Castro) Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

My guest this week is journalist, author, and podcast producer Shawn Setaro. We spoke about the movies Annette, E.T., and Altered States, falling in love with hip-hop, his time as the editor-in-chief of Rap Genius and as a senior writer and podcast producer at Complex, the importance of beat journalism in 2021, his time covering the Tekashi 6ix9ine trial, and the creative process behind his first book Dummy Boy: Tekashi 6ix9ine and The Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods.Dummy Boy: Tekashi 6ix9ine and The Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods is available wherever books are sold. Consider purchasing a copy here.Follow Shawn on Instagram (@shawnsetaro) and Twitter (@SameOldShawn)Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show