Reel Notes w/ CineMasai

Gabe ’Nandez | S3 Episode 42

My guest this week is New York rapper-producer and instrumentalist Gabe ‘Nandez. We spoke about Pusher, his relationship with the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, the pros and cons of modern-day cinema, the art and value of music videos, how being multi-lingual influences his writing style, making his 2019 album Diplomacy during one of the toughest moments of his life, and the creative process behind his latest project H. T. III, produced entirely by Argov. If you're in the New York area, come to the first edition of Reel Talk, a Reel Notes movie night on Sunday, December 3 at Loudmouth BK featuring Florida rapper-producer Niontay. Tay and I will be screening the 1975 cult classic Coonskin followed by an interview/Q&A after. $13 admission. Buy tickets here.Reel Notes stands in solidarity with the oppressed peoples of Palestine, the Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund,  The Palestinian Youth Movement, 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!Visit Dreadsock.com and use promo code "CINEMASAI" for 10% off your first order!H. T. III is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from Bandcamp. Follow Gabe on Instagram (@champiyawn) and Twitter (@GabeNandez)Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai) Support the show

Maxo (Live from Abrons Arts Center in Manhattan) | S3 Episode 41

My guest this week is California rapper and producer Maxo, live from the Abrons Arts Center in Manhattan. We spoke about Being John Malkovitch, 3 Ninjas, Steel, white guilt movies, why Tubi is the best streaming service, the process behind a handful of his music videos, whether he experiences fear while making music, and the creative process behind Lil Big Man, Even God Has A Sense Of Humor, and Debbie’s Son.If you're in the New York area, come to the first edition of Reel Talk, a Reel Notes movie night on Sunday, December 3 at Loudmouth BK featuring Florida rapper-producer Niontay. Tay and I will be screening a movie of his choice (film tba) followed by an interview/Q&A after. $13 admission. Buy tickets here. Reel Notes stands in solidarity with the oppressed peoples of Palestine, the Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund,  The Palestinian Youth Movement, 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!Visit the websites for the Abrons Arts Center, Loudmouth BK, and Every DejaVu.Visit Dreadsock.com and use promo code "CINEMASAI" for 10% off your first order!Even God Has A Sense Of Humor and Debbie’s Son are both available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen.Follow Maxo on Instagram (@rundatback) and Twitter (@rundatbacc)Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)   Support the show

Kipp Stone | S3 Episode 40

My guest this week is Ohio-based rapper and producer Kipp Stone. We spoke about Where The Wild Things Are, the Transformers franchise, Soul, Little Bear, being inspired by his surroundings, how long it took him to find his musical style, joining up with, leaving, and re-joining Closed Sessions, the art of saying more with less words, and the creative process behind his latest album 66689 Blvd Prequel. Reel Notes stands in solidarity with the oppressed peoples of Palestine, the Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund,  The Palestinian Youth Movement, 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!Visit Dreadsock.com and use promo code "CINEMASAI" for 10% off your first order!66689 Blvd Prequel is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping it directly from Bandcamp. Follow Kipp on Instagram and Twitter: @kipp_stoneFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

Ishmael Butler of Shabazz Palaces | S3 Episode 39

My guest this week is Ishmael Butler, one-third of Digable Planets and the center of Shabazz Palaces. We spoke about the Amazon Prime original series Them, Afrosurrealism, Superfly, the role blaxploitation soundtracks played in the early days of sampling, his love for horror movies, transitioning from Digable Planets and Cherrywine to Shabazz Palaces, the group’s creative process, his views on rap culture 50 years in, and the process behind Shabazz Palaces’ latest project Robed In Rareness.Robed In Rareness is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping from Bandcamp. Follow Shabazz Palaces on Instagram and Twitter: @shabazzpalacesMy 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

Pink Navel | S3 Episode 38

My guest this week is Massachusetts-based rapper, producer, streamer, and toymaker Pink Navel. We spoke about our favorite reality TV, the pros and cons of internet culture, their relationship to the Star Wars movies and the filmography of Kevin Smith, forging their own path as Pink Navel, connecting with R.A.P. Ferreira and Ruby Yacht, the creative process behind How To Capture Playful, their collaborative album with Kenny Segal, and, of course, all things video games. How To Capture Playful is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping the digital or physical versions of the album on Bandcamp. Follow Pink Navel on Instagram (@dotdev_), Twitter (@pinknavelonline), and TikTok (@noiddominos) 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

Roper (of the production duo Roper Williams) | S3 Episode 37

My guest this week is Roper, one-half of the New Jersey-based production duo Roper Williams. We spoke about the Western film Bone Tomahawk, the times we’ve walked out of movies, cult horror films like Await Further Instructions, Chopping Mall, and Skinamarink, the jazz anime Blue Giant, how he and his partner Sanz first met, came up with their name, and their creative process, highlight a handful of their standout beats, how producers are gaining more recognition in the indie scene, and break down the process behind their latest project Infinite Victory Loop, featuring Fatboi Sharif, YL, AKAI SOLO, and Pootie.Reel Notes stands in solidarity with Palestine and the people of Gaza. Please consider donating to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund or to Islamic Relief USA.Reel Notes stands in solidarity with SAG-AFTA as they strike for better working conditions and pay for the people who power the movies and TV we love. Please consider supporting them directly by donating to the Entertainment Community Fund or The Snacklist mutual aid fund to get food and drink to strikers across Los Angeles.   Visit Dreadsock.com and use promo code "CINEMASAI" for 10% off your first order!Infinite Victory Loop is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from Bandcamp. Follow Roper Williams on Instagram and Twitter: @roper_williamsFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

ZAYALLCAPS | S3 Episode 36

My guest this week is California rapper, producer, DJ, and one-half of the group KWAMZAY, ZAYALLCAPS. We spoke about size 8 and up fitted hats, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Space Jam, romantic comedies, Like Mike, Curb Your Enthusiasm, the legacy of Friday, how rap cured his loneliness, going from producing to embracing rapping, Soundcloud remix and mash-up culture, forming KWAMZAY with Kwame Adu, and the creative process behind his debut album BALLING OUT OF SPITE.  Reel Notes stands in solidarity with Palestine and the people of Gaza. Please consider donating to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund or to Islamic Relief USA. Reel Notes stands in solidarity with SAG-AFTA as they strike for better working conditions and better pay for the people who power the movies and TV we love. Please consider supporting them directly by donating to the Entertainment Community Fund or The Snacklist mutual aid fund to get food and drink to strikers across Los Angeles.   Visit Dreadsock.com and use promo code "CINEMASAI" for 10% off your first order!BALLING OUT OF SPITE is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Check out ZAY's backlog of music on Soundcloud.Follow ZAY on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @zayallcapsFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai) Support the show

Fielded | S3 Episode 35

My guest this week is New Jersey-based singer, songwriter, and producer Fielded. We spoke about No One Will Save You, Silence of The Lambs, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, the work of Ari Aster and Todd Solondz, why we’re attracted to dark and disturbing movies, their journey from a musical family to creating the Fielded project, linking with Backwoodz Studioz, and the creative process behind their latest album Plus One. Reel Notes stands in solidarity with SAG-AFTA as they strike for better working conditions and better pay for the people who power the movies and TV we love. Please consider supporting them directly by donating to the Entertainment Community Fund or The Snacklist mutual aid fund to get food and drink to strikers across Los Angeles.   Visit Dreadsock.com and use promo code "CINEMASAI" for 10% off your first order!Plus One is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen.  Consider copping directly from Fielded's Bandcamp.  Follow them on Instagram and Twitter (@_fielded_)Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

DiZ | S3 Episode 34

My guest this week is Boston rapper, producer, and saxophonist DiZ. We spoke about The Other Black Woman, Natural Born Killers, Balto, Carmen: A Hip-Hopera, his early beginnings as a musician, figuring out his sound, linking with Ovrkast, juggling a burgeoning music career while studying at Berklee, constantly navigating the line between honesty and oversharing in his writing, and the creative process behind several projects, including his breakout Black Water, ULTRA.VIOLET, and this year’s the way forward is not the way home.Reel Notes stands in solidarity with SAG-AFTA as they strike for better working conditions and better pay for the people who power the movies and TV we love. Please consider supporting them directly by donating to the Entertainment Community Fund or The Snacklist mutual aid fund to get food and drink to strikers across Los Angeles.   Visit Dreadsock.com and use promo code "CINEMASAI" for 10% off your first order!the way forward is not the way home is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping from Bandcamp to directly support DiZ. Follow DiZ on Instagram (@diz.47), Twitter (@DizDaDelinQuent), and TikTok (@DizDaDelinquent) Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai) Support the show

Alexander Richter | S3 Episode 33

My guest this week is New York-via-Maine photographer, director, and designer Alexander Richter. We spoke about Top Boy, the James Bond series, how both his parents inspired his early love for film and photography, his career as a music photographer, including stories shooting Sean Price’s Jesus Price album cover and a 50 Cent cover story, his extensive history with billy woods and Backwoodz Studioz, and the creative process behind Dark Brother Rise, his 2020 short film about the eponymous hip-hop photographer from Queensbridge.Reel Notes stands in solidarity with SAG-AFTA as they strike for better working conditions and better pay for the people who power the movies and TV we love. Please consider supporting them directly by donating to the Entertainment Community Fund or The Snacklist mutual aid fund to get food and drink to strikers across Los Angeles.   Visit Dreadsock.com and use promo code "CINEMASAI" for 10% off your first order! Check out Richter's portfolio here and watch the Dark Brother Rise documentary here. Read my piece "How billy woods' Backwoodz Studioz Became New York's Best Underground Rap Label" for Pitchfork hereFollow Richter on Instagram (@alexanderrichter) and Twitter (@AlexandeRichter)Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai) Support the show