Reel Notes w/ CineMasai

My guest this week is rapper, producer, model, skateboarder, and graphic designer Navy Blue. We spoke about Sister Act 2, the Queen Latifah movie Beauty Shop, growing up on VHS tapes, being a goofball, Ghost of Tsushima, what makes a “conscious” rapper, how Ka, Earl Sweatshirt, and Alchemist have inspired his artistry, the difference between producing for yourself and producing for others, the creative process behind his last two albums Song of Sage: Post Panic and Navy’s Reprise, and more crazy stories and anecdotes than I can remember. Song of Sage: Post Panic and Navy's Reprise are both available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider buying Song of Sage directly from Navy's Bandcamp page and Navy's Reprise directly from his website. Follow Navy on Instagram (@sageelsesser) and Twitter (@navyduskwaygi) 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 New York rapper, singer, producer, and artist RaFia. We spoke about the legacy of Michael K. Williams, The White Lotus, our mutual love of IMAX and children’s movies, growing up with a filmmaker father, the importance of post-production sound effects, how her college career as an artist transitioned into taking music seriously, having an art piece broadcast on billboards in Times Square, and a handful of her various projects and singles.RaFia's music, including their latest single "Leave Me Alone," is available on Bandcamp. Consider listening/copping directly here.Follow RaFia on Instagram (@rafiasworld) and Twitter (@rafiaswrld)Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)   Support the show

My guest this week is New York rapper/producer/engineer YL. We spoke about Parasite, Hercules, mafia movies, Spike Lee, movie samples in rap songs, our mutual love of Bow Wow, his relationship with collaborators Roper Williams and Starker, playing shows in Japan, the ethics of rhyming over your own vocals when performing live, mixing and mastering his own songs, and the creative process behind his latest projects It Never Entered My Mind and ADAPTATION. It Never Entered My Mind is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider buying it from YL's Bandcamp page here. ADAPTATION is a Bandcamp exclusive (for now). Consider buying it direct here. Follow YL on Instagram (@youngwhy) and Twitter (@youngwhybaby)Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

My guest this week is Minnesota-based rapper-producer payforluv. We spoke about Final Fantasy, Persona, Suicide Squad, FernGully: The Last Rainforest, his favorite music videos growing up, growing up in Minnesota, how attending an HBCU in New Orleans inspired his music, the ethics of turning trauma into music, the importance of a good rap name, and the creative process behind his latest project if the lord wills it.Please consider supporting recovery efforts in Louisiana following the devastation of Hurricane Ida. These organizations are a good place to start: Imagine WaterWorksHouse of Tulip Aid (specifically for transgender/non-binary folks) New Orleans Mutual Aid Groupif the lord wills it is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen.  Consider buying it on payforluv's Bandcamp page hereFollow payforluv on Instagram and Twitter: @payforluvFollow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai) Support the show

My guests this week are Tanya Morgan, the duo made up of Cincinnati-born rapper-producer Donwill and Brooklyn-born rapper-producer Von Pea. We spoke about The Suicide Squad, Fast 9, the works of Quentin Tarantino and David Cronenberg, their fascination with the next generation of hip-hop, how the internet’s relationship to music has changed over the last 20 years, the legacy of their 2009 breakout album Brooklynati, their favorite Lil B stories, and the creative process behind their latest album Don andVon. Don and Von is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider buying the album directly from the group via their Bandcamp page. Follow Donwill on Instagram and Twitter: @donwillFollow Von Pea on Instagram and Twitter: @vonpeaFollow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

My guest this week is Detroit rapper Bruiser Wolf. We spoke about Space Jam: A New Legacy, The Color Purple, the filmography of Adam Sandler, his short-lived career as a football player, the importance of movie soundtracks, JAY-Z’s discography, how rapper Fat Ray helped him link with Danny Brown and Bruiser Brigade, Michigan’s surging street rap scene, his writing process, and creating his breakout project Dope Game Stupid, produced by Raphy and Knxwledge. Dope Game Stupid  is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider purchasing it from the Bruiser Brigade Bandcamp here. Follow Bruiser Wolf on Instagram (@_bruiserwolf) and Twitter (@COABigwolf)Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

My guest this week is New York rapper, producer, engineer, and label head Uncommon Nasa. We spoke about Crime Scene Kitchen, Pinocchio, Basquiat, The Twilight Zone, several Stephen King film adaptations, the pros and cons of adapting books to film, his career in New York’s rap underground and within the Definitive Jux orbit, the history of his label Uncommon Records, and the process behind his latest album Only Child, produced entirely by Messiah Musik and out now via Uncommon Records.Only Child is available wherever music is bought, streamed, or stolen. Consider purchasing it from the Uncommon Records Bandcamp page here. Check out his personal website here. Follow Uncommon Nasa on Instagram and Twitter: @UncommonNasaFollow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

My guest this week is Nadirah Simmons, an archivist, historian, social media manager for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and founder and CEO of The Gumbo, a hip-hop publication and cultural hub dedicated to Black women. We spoke about rare vinyl, the documentary Summer of Soul, her family’s love for The Godfather series, how her work on The Late Show influences her work at The Gumbo, her love of State Property, Curren$y, and Alchemist, and the importance of documenting Black history.Check out The Gumbo's website here. Follow The Gumbo on Instagram and Twitter: @thegumboFollow Nadirah on Instagram and Twitter: @hinadirahFollow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)   Support the show

My guest this week is New York rapper, producer, and engineer AJRadico. We spoke about The Dark Knight trilogy, Spongebob, Kung Fu Hustle, how 2001: A Space Odyssey helped him appreciate sound editing, how sound editing influenced the way he makes beats, how Fruity Loops, Splice, and iPhone voice memos changed the production game forever, and the creative process behind his debut project Transit.Transit is available wherever music is bought, streamed, or stolen. Follow AJRadico on Instagram and Twitter: @AJRadicoFollow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

My guest this week is writer, activist, and community organizer Clarissa Brooks. We spoke about their love of Gossip Girl, third-person narration, the work of Toni Morrison and Zora Neale Hurston, seeing Grave of The Fireflies in high school, how their work as an organizer influences their work as a writer, the legacy of Odd Future, DaBaby’s public image, and a handful of pieces they’ve written for outlets from Dead End Hip-Hop and DJBooth to Nylon and The Cut, among others. Read a handful of Clarissa's work via Contently. Read about how World War II affected the Japanese animation industry here.Follow Clarissa on Twitter (@ClarissaMBrooks) and Instagram (@chloeesuxx)Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)   Support the show