Reel Notes w/ CineMasai

Chester Watson | S3 Episode 22

My guest this week is Atlanta-via-St. Louis rapper-producer Chester Watson. We spoke about Playstation 2 emulators, Snowfall, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Beau is Afraid, The Wiz, films of the New French Extremity movement, longevity in music, being inspired by the modern underground, how his approach to writing has changed over the last decade, the art of the concept album, and the creative process behind his latest album Fish Don’t Climb Trees.Visit Dreadsock.com and use promo code "CINEMASAI" for 10% off your first order!Fish Don't Climb Trees will be available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen on June 30, 2023.  Follow Chester on Instagram (@chesterwatson) and Twitter (@chstrwtsn) Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon | S3 Episode 21

My guest this week is North Carolina rapper Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon of Melanated People. We spoke about John Wick, marathoning every movie in the Ip Man series in one sitting, a long, winding trip through the movies that defined his childhood and adolescence, how meeting Slim Thug, Paul Wall, and Mike Jones inspired him to take music seriously, finding his voice as a rapper, the benefits of one-producer collabs, the pros and cons of turning 30 in rap, and the creative process behind his latest album Highly Favored.Visit Dreadsock.com and use promo code "CINEMASAI" for 10% off your first order!Highly Favored is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from his Bandcamp page here.Follow Jah on Instagram and Twitter: @jahmonteogbonFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

Kelly Moonstone (Live from Pirate Studios) | S3 Episode 20

My guest this week is Queens singer, rapper, and producer Kelly Moonstone. We spoke about anime like Mashle, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and The Disastrous Life of Saiki K., the Goosebumps books, relating to Dory’s neurodivergence in Finding Dory, creating music as The Afr0dite, transitioning to Kelly Moonstone, working with Navy Blue and Jah-Monte Ogbon, and the creative process behind her latest project I Digress…Visit Dreadsock.com and use promo code "CINEMASAI" for 10% off your first order!I Digress...is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from her Bandcamp page here.Follow Kelly Moonstone on Instagram and Twitter: @KellyMoonstoneFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)      Support the show

R.A.P. Ferreira | S3 Episode 19

My guest this week is Nashville-based rapper, producer, record store owner, and founder of Ruby Yacht…R.A.P. Ferreira. We spoke about the Netflix series From, the horror genre, getting desensitized to violence, Batman, Beetlejuice, Embrace of The Serpent, The Taste of Tea, the power of music while traveling, how an experience on shrooms changed his outlook on his own music, the difference between his milo and R.A.P. Ferreira personae, the legacy of Ruby Yacht, and the creative process behind his latest album 5 to the Eye with Stars.5 to the Eye with Stars is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from his Bandcamp. Follow Rory on Instagram and Twitter: @hipcatscienceMy 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

Cisco Swank | S3 Episode 18

My guest this week is Brooklyn rapper, producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Cisco Swank. We spoke about meeting at Pitchfork Festival, Snowfall, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Akira, The Incredibles, Inception, the magic of movie scores and soundtracks, what the piano means to him, the relationship between jazz, rap, and gospel, and the creative process behind his debut solo album More Better.Visit Dreadsock.com and use promo code "CINEMASAI" for 10% off your first order!More Better is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from his Bandcamp page here. Follow Cisco Swank on Twitter (@SwankCisco) and Instagram and TikTok (@cisco.swank) Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)    Support the show

Kari Faux (Live from Pirate Studios) | S3 Episode 17

My guest this week is Arkansas rapper, singer, producer, and designer Kari Faux. We spoke about How To Blow Up A Pipeline, both film versions of The Lion King, Molly Shannon’s Superstar, Kill Bill, why she prefers watching TV shows to movies, how living in Arkansas influenced her music taste, reflecting on “No Small Talk” nearly a decade later, the value of independence, and the creative process behind her latest album Real B*tches Don’t Die.Visit Dreadsock.com and use promo code "CINEMASAI" for 10% off your first order!Real B*tches Don't Die will be available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen on May 26th. Watch Kari's installment of Rap Portraits here.Follow Kari on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @karifauxFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)   Support the show

Dart Adams | S3 Episode 16

My guest this week is Boston-based journalist, archivist, author, A&R, and lecturer Dart Adams. We spoke about the Amazon Prime series The Power, the WGA writer’s strike, Y: The Last Man, Infinity Train, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, the phenomenon of cult films, the impermanence of streaming, how the internet has reshaped ideas of nostalgia and memory, and the importance of physical archiving and being outside to experience history.Visit Dreadsock.com and use promo code "CINEMASAI" for 10% off your first order!Dart's latest book Instead We Became Evil: A True Story of Survival and Perseverance, a memoir of the Danish artist Sleiman that he co-authored,is available wherever books are sold. Consider grabbing a copy here. Read Dart's work over at Boston Magazine here.Follow Dart on Instagram and Twitter: @dart_adamsFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)   Support the show

AJ Suede | S3 Episode 15

My guest this week is Seattle-via-New York rapper-producer AJ Suede. We spoke about Beef, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the Nintendo Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Spike Lee’s Bamboozled, growing up in New York, establishing himself in Seattle, his journey through independent music, linking with R.A.P. Ferrira to form the duo G’s Us, similarities between rappers and journalists, and the creative process behind Parthian Shots, his latest collab with the producer Televangel.Visit Dreadsock.com and use promo code "CINEMASAI" for 10% off your first order! Parthian Shots is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from Bandcamp via Fake Four Inc. here.Suede will be joining ShrapKnel on the West Coast leg of their North American tour from May 12 - May 19. Check dates and cop tickets here. Follow AJ Suede on Instagram and Twitter: @ajsuede Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

JELEEL! | S3 Episode 14

My guest for our 100th episode is California-via-Rhode Island rapper and singer JELEEL! We spoke about The Matrix, The Truman Show, Honey, I Shurnk The Kids, wrestling, similarities between wrestling and music, catching that can of Sprite at Rolling Loud,   growing up on Rhode Island, what his own planet would look like, wanting to showcase his range as an artist, and the creative process behind his debut album REAL RAW! Visit Dreadsock.com and use promo code "CINEMASAI" for 10% off your first order!REAL RAW will be available May 5 wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Read my Audiomack Workd interview with JELEEL! here. Follow JELEEL! on Instagram and Twitter (@JELEEEEL) and TikTok (@Jeleelyeah)Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)  Support the show

Samurai Banana | S3 Episode 13

*TW: suicide, self-harm*My guest this week is New York producer Samurai Banana. We spoke about Cocaine Bear, Godzilla and King Kong, The Nightmare Before Christmas, In The Mood For Love, Boards of Canada, how he solidified his love for music while attending film school, the history of the Karma Kids, music as a vehicle for discussion depression, and the creative process and release behind Just Tired, his debut album on Uncommon Records.Just Tired is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from Bandcamp here. Follow Samurai Banana on Instagram (@samurai.banana) and Twitter (@samurai_banana)Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai) Support the show