Reel Notes w/ CineMasai

My guest this week is rapper Tyrxne. We gave our hot takes on The Batman, spoke about his love for The Fifth Element and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of The Ooze, the art of sneaking into movie theaters, the pros and cons of AMC Stubs A-List, listening to Daft Punk and Cassidy, the origins of his original rap name Breeze Embalm, embracing TikTok and rapping in Spanish, and the creative process behind his first Spanish-language album El Peligro.Tyrxne's latest project Firestarter is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Follow Tyrxne on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @tyrxnenyFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai) , and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

My guest this week is Boston rapper, producer, actor, and standup comedian Michael Christmas. We spoke about Father’s Day, Peaky Blinders, Top Boy, Uncut Gems, Ja Rule, horror, Black comedy, Spike Lee, the art of references in rap, respecting The Culture, Van Buren, the Massachusetts rap scene, a handful of his music videos, and the creative process behind he and producer Ricky Felix’s collab project Christmas In 6.Christmas In 6 is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Follow Michael Christmas on Instagram (@michaelchristmas) and Twitter (@MickeyChristmas)Follow Ricky Felix on Instagram and Twitter: @rickyfelixx Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai) , and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

My guest this week is rapper, producer, and graphic designer THERAVADA. We spoke about Bob’s Burgers, The Sopranos, Life Is Beautiful, AMC Stubs A-List, influencer culture, how And1 Basketball helped him appreciate the synergy of rap and film, streetball’s effect on pop culture, video game soundtracks, the importance of archiving, and the creative process behind his latest project My Own 2 Hands.My Own 2 Hands is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from his Bandcamp page here. Follow THERAVADA on Instagram (@THRVD) and Twitter (@THERAVADA)Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai) , and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

My guest this week is writer, rapper, producer, and sound designer Pat Junior. We spoke about Logic, Top Boy, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Doctor Strange, the Rush Hour movies, The Fifth Element, Gladiator, our favorite film scores and composers, his relationship to hip-hop and classical music, how he approaches music as a sound designer, the pros and cons of overthinking while writing, and the creative process behind his latest album Gold Fangs On Sunday.Both I Thought I Knew and Gold Fangs On Sunday are available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Follow Pat Junior on Instagram and Twitter: @iampatjuniorFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai) , and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

My guest this week is producer, rapper, DJ, founder of the blog/label PTP, teacher, and archivist GENG PTP. We spoke about ethics in journalism, The Bob’s Burgers Movie, Ozark, the pros and cons of binging television, the history of Kim’s Video and Music, our relationship with music videos, the skateboarding documentary All The Streets Are Silent, the current underground renaissance, and more anecdotes and detours about music and movie history than I can count.Watch All The Streets Are Silent on Hulu and Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off on HBO Max. Follow GENG on Instagram (@genggrizzly) and Twitter (@PURPICIDE) Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai) , and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

My guest this week is DJ, producer, and co-host of the Yo! MTV Raps revival, Diamond Kuts. We spoke about horror movies, the Child’s Play series, how Disney’s reboot of Maleficent helped her appreciate the relationship between sound and image, her relationship with Nicki Minaj, memories of Nicki’s early career, putting on for female rappers, navigating the world of DJing as a Black woman, being a DJ in the age of streaming and algorithms, her relationship with Yo! MTV Raps, and how she and fellow co-host Conceited are reimagining the show for a new generation.New episodes of Yo! MTV Raps are released weekly on Paramount+. Watch the first episode featuring Freddie Gibbs now. Keep up with everything Diamond Kuts, from interviews to playlists to DJ sets on Power 99 FM in Philly, here.Follow Diamond Kuts on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @djdiamondkuts Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai) , and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

My guest this week is New Jersey rapper, producer, composer, and deadverse label head Will Brooks, lead MC of the group dälek. We spoke about the work of John Singleton and Christopher Nolan, how we unknowingly attended the same screening of The Dark Knight Rises, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, longevity as an independent musician, what it means to be hip-hop, scoring the documentary Betrayal at Attica, dälek’s 25-year career, and the creative process behind their latest album Precipice.Precipice is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from the group's Bandcamp page here.Follow Will and dälek on Instagram and Twitter: @daleknwkFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai) , and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

My guest this week is Bronx rapper and songwriter Kemba. We spoke about the NBA Street and Def Jam video game franchises, Top Boy, Mr. Robot, rappers-turned-actors, Adam Sandler, Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, spoiler culture, Eminem, legacy artists, if honesty is a guarantee to making good music, a handful of videos, his upcoming album and screenplay, and his general creative process. Kemba's last album, 2018's Gilda, is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen.  His next album, tentatively titled I Blame Myself, is coming soon. In the meantime, stream his latest single "Legal Sins" featuring Kota The Friend. Follow Kemba on Instagram and Twitter: @KembalandFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai) , and Letterboxd (@CineMasai) Support the show

My guest this week is Seattle rapper Sadistik. We spoke about Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Batman, the films of Gaspar Noe and Lars von Trier, how The Blob and Quentin Tarantino kickstarted his fascination with film, Stephen King adaptations, the benefits of pushing the boundaries of art, his love for New York and Southern rap, the pros and cons of being honest in your music, his creative process, and working with rapper-producer Kno on their latest collab Bring Me Back When The World Is Cured.Bring Me Back When The World Is Cured is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from Bandcamp. Follow Sadistik on Instagram (@sadistik) and Twitter (@TheRealSadistik)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 this week is Tennessee musician, producer, singer, writer, and author V.C.R. aka V The Martian. We spoke about the films of Yorgos Lanthimos, Raised By Wolves, Adult Swim, Smiling Friends, the magic of the Willy Wonka soundtrack, science fiction, Tennessee hip-hop, Lord of The Rings, the importance of the hero’s journey, and the creative process behind her debut album The Chronicles of a Caterpillar: The Egg. The Chronicles of a Caterpillar: The Egg is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider buying it directly from V's Bandcamp page here. Follow V on Instagram and Twitter: @vthemartianFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai) Support the show