radio → red bull radio → host
i appeared several times as a correspondent on peak time, red bull radio's daily new music show, offering commentary and conducting interviews. i was also occasionally asked to fill in as the show's guest host.
peak time: the greatest day in hip-hop?
on september 29, 1998, jay-z's 'vol. 2...hard knock life', outkast's 'aquemini', black star's 'mos def and talib kweli are black star' and a tribe called quest's 'the love movement', sending a ripple through the rap scene on the east coast down to atlanta and out to the west. i invited the writers and scholars jason king (npr, nyu's clive davis institute) and timmhotep aku (senior editor, pitchfork) to the studio to parse these crucial records and what this day meant for hip-hop as a whole.
peak time: the genesis of latin trap
with latin trap having fully infiltrated the mainstream, puerto rican stars like bad bunny and ozuna are topping charts and flexing at the latin grammys, while the dominican-americans in new york who first started the wave are mostly overlooked. for this episode of peak time, i explored the progenitors of the movement with DJ Flipstar, an early champion in the nyc club scene, and discuss the cultural quirks that color the dynamic between puerto rico, the dominican republic, and the u.s. with remezcla editors isabelia herrera and joel moya.
peak time: devon welsh
montreal-based singer, songwriter, and artist devon welsh gained notoriety as the frontman of magical cloudz, the duo that made moody electronic music shrouded in intoxicating gloom. after the group disbanded, welsh stepped away from the industry to write music seemingly without purpose. those songs came together to form his debut solo album dream songs. on this episode of peak time, welsh and i discuss the exposure one feels going solo, the complexities of love and eternal life and the progression of time.
peak time: the house that yauch built
for this episode of peak time, we took a look at the legends and institutions that have made — and continue to make — new york the creative hub that it is. my guests included ric leichtung, the events director for the brooklyn-based media outlet and production company adhoc, where he curates and books thousands of events in nyc; we discussed the state of the city's diy music scene. we also welcomed dan berger and debra mcclutchy of oscilloscope (the film company founded by adam yauch) to discuss the company's tenth anniversary and its interactive online experience in developed in collaboration with red bull music academy. titled "the house that yauch built," it highlights the late beastie boy's musical, cinematic, cultural, and philanthropic achievements.
peak time: 'la mala' rodríguez
i appeared on this episode of peak time as a correspondent, contributing an interview with the spanish rapper mala rodríguez, a fearless artist who has spent her life telling the patriarchy to step off. bursting onto the '90s rap scene in her teens, "la mala" bucked tradition long before the current wave of trap en español took off. we discussed the longevity of her career, how to leave a legacy for the next generation of women and her new feminist anthem “gitanas.”
peak time: songs of the summer
on this episode of peak time guest hosted by alex frank, i appeared with my red bull radio colleague jordan rothlein to discuss some of our favorite music from the summer of 2018, including pusha t's "daytona" and junglepussy's "state of the union."