Reel Notes w/ CineMasai

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

My guest this week is Oklahoma City-based rapper, director, photographer and clothing designer Grand National. We spoke about The Criterion Collection, Nat’s experience working on the set of a Martin Scorsese movie, the origins of his clothing line Ca$h Only, how Nipsey Hussle inspired his work ethic, Oklahoma hip-hop, participating in the creation of the Fire In Little Africa album, and the creative process behind his latest project 328i and its self-directed accompanying short film.328i is coming soon. In the meantime, check out the Ca$h Only website here.  Fire In Little Africa is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Follow Grand National on Instagram and Twitter: @GrandxNationalFollow 328i on Instagram: @328ifilmFollow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

My guest this week is Florida-via-New Jersey producer, DJ, and teacher Dana J. We spoke about Squid Game, Disney movies, chiptune music, growing up in northern New Jersey, how scoring a documentary changed his perspective on music, how being a DJ has informed his work as a producer, the art and skill of creating a compilation album, and the process and concept behind his latest project Commercials.Commercials is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen.  Consider copping from his Bandcamp page here.Follow Dana J on Instagram and Twitter (@danajdaily)Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

My guest this week is St.Louis-based producer Sovren. We spoke about BMF and the 50 Cent Cinematic Universe, Dexter, Weeds, M. Night Shyamalan’s Devil, moving from playing the violin to beat-making, her history with Limewire, being inspired by the worldbuilding on Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), her production process, her growing discography, and linking with Westside Gunn and Griselda to create the sleeper hit song “Hell On Earth pt. 2.”"Hell On Earth pt. 2" from Westside Gunn's Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Side B is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Listen to/purchase beats from Sovren's Traktrain page here.  Check out Sovren's Bandcamp page here.Follow Sovren on Instagram (@theonlysovren) annd Twitter (@sovren_) Follow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

My guest this week is journalist, author, record label head, and founder of blog Passion of The Weiss Jeff Weiss. We spoke about a lot, including Succession, The Sopranos, the lack of comedies in Hollywood, why Field of Dreams makes him cry, his extensive history as a music journalist, and the value of using POW, his print publication theLAnd, and his record label POW Recordings to put on for the best of hip-hop and journalism’s rising talent. Visit Passion of The Weiss here and check out the latest issue of theLAnd here.Follow Jeff on Instagram and Twitter: @passionweissFollow Dylan "CineMasai" Green on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show