
Reel Notes w/ CineMasai
Reel Notes is a space for conversations about the relationship between rap and film with rappers, producers, journalists, directors, and more. Intro track via JWords (follow her @_jwords on Instagram & Twitter) Art direction via Big Flowers (Instagram: @watermichaelguy, Twitter: @michaelfornow_)
Latest episodes

Dec 25, 2024 • 2h 21min
Blvck Svm | S4 Episode 44 (Season 4 Finale)
My guest for the season 4 finale is Chicago-via-Florida rapper Blvck Svm. We spoke about Pig, The Menu, Uncut Gems, the Will Ferrell comedy Kicking and Screaming, being inspired by MF DOOM, Lil Wayne, and Valee, the first night he ever performed, the intersection of rap and food, the creative process behind his latest album michelinman, his Bvck of House video shoots, and his upcoming restaurant tour. For the last time in 2024, come fuck with us.michelinman is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Follow Blvck Svm on Instagram (@blvcksvm), Twitter (@fpgsvm), and TikTok (@blvcksvm), and keep an eye out for his restaurant tour, which starts in 2025. If you're interested, check out my Vinyl Me, Please Rising interview with Blvck Svm, which ran on their site this past March, and consider grabbing a copy of last year's jetsvm, produced entirely by Pilotkid. Join the Reel Notes Patreon today starting at $5/month to get early access to episodes, our Discord server, exclusive bonus interviews and reviews, and more!My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.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, The Zakat Foundation, 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_), Bluesky (@cinemasai.bsky.social), TikTok (@cinemasai), Letterboxd (@CineMasai), and subscribe to my weekly Nu Musique Friday newsletter to stay tapped into all things Dylan Green. Support the show

Dec 18, 2024 • 2h 45min
staHHr | S4 Episode 43
My guest this week is Atlanta rapper Stahhr. We spoke about Cross, Dexter, The Wiz, E.T., a handful of her favorite movies, her experiences at MIKE’s Young World festival and Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw carnival, our mutual appreciation for Slick Rick and Redman, being a chameleon, her creative process, incoming new music, and, of course, all things MF DOOM. Come fuck with us.staHHr's latest album, MOTHER NATURE WITH A MOLOTOV: MOLOTOV SEASON, is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping it and other things from her Bandcamp page. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter (@stahhr) and TikTok (@stahhr786)Join the Reel Notes Patreon today starting at $5/month to get early access to episodes, our Discord server, exclusive bonus interviews and reviews, and more!My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.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, The Zakat Foundation, 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_), Bluesky (@cinemasai.bsky.social), TikTok (@cinemasai), Letterboxd (@CineMasai), and subscribe to my weekly Nu Musique Friday newsletter to stay tapped into all things Dylan Green. Support the show

Dec 11, 2024 • 1h 30min
Popstar Benny | S4 Episode 42
My guest this week is Atlanta producer, label owner, and manager Popstar Benny. We spoke about The Righteous Gemstones, Euphoria, Hard Candy, the filmography of Harmony Korine, our mutual love for Gorillaz, establishing Popstar FM, how his music is as hip-hop as it gets, and the creative process behind his last two albums—University! and Oasis. Come fuck with us.Oasis is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from Benny's Bandcamp. Follow Benny on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @popstarbennyJoin the Reel Notes Patreon today starting at $5/month to get early access to episodes, our Discord server, exclusive bonus interviews and reviews, and more!My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.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, The Zakat Foundation, 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_), Bluesky (@cinemasai.bsky.social), TikTok (@cinemasai), Letterboxd (@CineMasai), and subscribe to my weekly Nu Musique Friday newsletter to stay tapped into all things Dylan Green. Support the show

Dec 4, 2024 • 1h 46min
DJ Rude One | S4 Episode 41
My guest this week is New York-via-Chicago producer and DJ, DJ Rude One. We spoke about Megalopolis, the works of David Cronenberg and Willem Dafoe, our love for Metrograph and the movie theater experience, his extensive history as a DJ and producer, embracing a slow production process, working a day job and making music for the passion, and the creative process behind his latest album Upper Space. Come fuck with us.Upper Space is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping the digital download or a vinyl directly from Rude One's Bandcamp page. Follow Rude One on Instagram (@djrudeone), Twitter (@djrude1), and Bluesky (@djrudeone.bsky.social).Join the Reel Notes Patreon today starting at $5/month to get early access to episodes, our Discord server, exclusive bonus interviews and reviews, and more!My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.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, The Zakat Foundation, 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_), Bluesky (@cinemasai.bsky.social), TikTok (@cinemasai), Letterboxd (@CineMasai), and subscribe to my weekly Nu Musique Friday newsletter to stay tapped into all things Dylan Green. Support the show

Nov 27, 2024 • 1h 57min
kJADE | S4 Episode 40
My guest this week is Arizona rapper-producer kJADE. We spoke about Kai Cenat and the pros and cons of streaming culture, the Megan Thee Stallion documentary and the nature of celebrity propaganda, the magic of video stores, Undercover Brother, The Pursuit of Happyness, our favorite movie soundtracks, moving from California to Arizona, how music is meditative for her, and the five-year journey and creative process behind her debut project The Sound That Trees Make, produced entirely by Esteban. Come fuck with us.The Sound That Trees Make is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Follow kJADE on Instagram (@niggapasta) and Twitter (@shelivedinpeace)Join the Reel Notes Patreon today starting at $5/month to get early access to episodes, our Discord server, exclusive bonus interviews and reviews, and more!My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.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, The Zakat Foundation, 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_), Bluesky (@cinemasai.bsky.social), TikTok (@cinemasai), Letterboxd (@CineMasai), and subscribe to my weekly Nu Musique Friday newsletter to stay tapped into all things Dylan Green.Support the show

Nov 20, 2024 • 1h 39min
Jay Cinema | S4 Episode 39
My guest this week is New York rapper Jay Cinema. We spoke about Downtown 81 and our mutual love for Basquiat, where his name came from, The Lion King movies, Treasure Planet, the pros and cons of going to concerts, being inspired by Tyler, The Creator, and the creative process behind his four projects from this year: Alchemy with Chow and its recent deluxe edition, Pure Magic with Alikho Igama, and Perseverance as one-half of the duo JUNECINEMA. Come fuck with us. Alchemy and ALCDELUXE are both available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen via EveryDejaVu. Consider copping directly off Bandcamp.Join the Reel Notes Patreon today starting at $5/month to get early access to episodes, our Discord server, exclusive bonus interviews and reviews, and more!My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.Read my review of Ovrkast's last project, RESET!, over at Pitchfork.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, The Zakat Foundation, 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

Nov 13, 2024 • 1h 59min
T. Eric Monroe | S4 Episode 38
My guest this week is author, former photographer, and event coordinator T. Eric Monroe. We spoke about Family Guy, Freakazoid, and the edifying power of cartoons, his relationship with Boyz n The Hood and Menace II Society, growing up in the suburbs of New Jersey, how attending skateboarding events led him to photography, stories behind extremely rare rap photos from his collection, his career in event programming, the art of repurposing content for Instagram, and the creative process behind the collectors edition of his book Rare & Unseen Moments of 90s Hip-Hop. Come fuck with us. Rare & Unseen Moments of 90s Hip-Hop is available wherever books are sold. Consider grabbing a copy directly from T Dot's website. Follow T Dot on Instagram and Twitter: @tdoteric.Join the Reel Notes Patreon today starting at $5/month to get early access to episodes, our Discord server, exclusive bonus interviews and reviews, and more!My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.Read my review of Ovrkast's last project, RESET!, over at Pitchfork.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, The Zakat Foundation, 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

Nov 6, 2024 • 1h 57min
Rich Jones | S4 Episode 37
My guest this week is Chicago rapper, producer, promoter, and all-around creative, Rich Jones. We spoke about food blogging, Saturday Night, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Ghost Dog: Way of The Samurai, watching movies not made for kids as a kid, establishing himself as a rapper, producer, and promoter, bringing Chicago with him wherever he goes, his future in music, and the creative process behind his latest project Sour Dub, produced entirely by Sinai, otherwise known as Sleep Sinatra. Come fuck with us.Sour Durb is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from Rich's Bandcamp. Follow Rich on Instagram (@richjones_music) and Twitter (@jonessoruthless). Follow Sleep on Instagram (@sleepsinatra) and Twitter (@SleepSinai). Join the Reel Notes Patreon today starting at $5/month to get early access to episodes, our Discord server, exclusive bonus interviews and reviews, and more!My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.Read my review of Ovrkast's last project, RESET!, over at Pitchfork.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, The Zakat Foundation, 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

Oct 30, 2024 • 1h 24min
Blu & Exile | S4 Episode 36
My guests this week are California rapper-producers Blu & Exile. We spoke about recent hits like Everything Everywhere All At Once and Poor Things, hip-hop cinematic classics like Krush Groove, Breakin’, and Wild Style, how DMX and Common inspired Blu to rap, a look back at Blu’s Her Favorite Colo(u)r and Exile’s work on Mobb Deep’s “Pearly Gates,” the Blu Note edition of their 2007 classic Below The Heavens, and the creative process behind their latest album Love (the) Ominous World. Come fuck with us.Love (the) Ominous World is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from their Bandcamp. Follow Blu on Instagram (@bluherfavcolor) and Twitter (@HerFavColor), Exile on Instagram (@ExileRadio), and Dirty Science Records on Instagram (@thedirtyscience) and Twitter (@dirtyscience).Join the Reel Notes Patreon today starting at $5/month to get early access to episodes, our Discord server, exclusive bonus interviews and reviews, and more!My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.Read my review of Ovrkast's last project, RESET!, over at Pitchfork.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, The Zakat Foundation, 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), and subscribe to my weekly Nu Musique Friday newsletter to stay tapped in to all things Dylan Green. Support the show

Oct 16, 2024 • 1h 22min
Ovrkast. | S4 Episode 35
My guest this week is California rapper-producer Ovrkast. We spoke about freestyling on Sway In The Morning, Blink Twice, Shark Tale, Fruitvale Station and the work of Ryan Coogler, the beauty of Oakland slang, how his discography is its own anthology series, the diversity of California rap, and the creative process behind his latest project KAST GOT WINGS, produced in tandem with Texas producer Cardo Got Wings. Come fuck with us.If you’re in the New York area on Thursday, October 17, pull up to the Kast Got Wings album listening event at IIIXL Studio at 1329 Willoughby Ave in Brooklyn to hear the project and stick around for a brief interview and Q&A, hosted by me. it's a free event, so RSVP here.Kast Got Wings is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Follow Ovrkast. on Instagram (@ovrkast), Twitter (@ovrkast), and TikTok (@ovrkast_). Join the Reel Notes Patreon today starting at $5/month to get early access to episodes, our Discord server, exclusive bonus interviews and reviews, and more!My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.Read my review of Ovrkast's last project, RESET!, over at Pitchfork. 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, The Zakat Foundation, 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), and subscribe to my weekly Nu Musique Friday newsletter to stay tapped in to all things Dylan Green. Support the show