Reel Notes w/ CineMasai

S2 Episode 16: Kemba

My guest this week is Bronx rapper and songwriter Kemba. We spoke about the NBA Street and Def Jam video game franchises, Top Boy, Mr. Robot, rappers-turned-actors, Adam Sandler, Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, spoiler culture, Eminem, legacy artists, if honesty is a guarantee to making good music, a handful of videos, his upcoming album and screenplay, and his general creative process. Kemba's last album, 2018's Gilda, is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen.  His next album, tentatively titled I Blame Myself, is coming soon. In the meantime, stream his latest single "Legal Sins" featuring Kota The Friend. Follow Kemba on Instagram and Twitter: @KembalandFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai) , and Letterboxd (@CineMasai) Support the show

S2 Episode 15: Sadistik

My guest this week is Seattle rapper Sadistik. We spoke about Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Batman, the films of Gaspar Noe and Lars von Trier, how The Blob and Quentin Tarantino kickstarted his fascination with film, Stephen King adaptations, the benefits of pushing the boundaries of art, his love for New York and Southern rap, the pros and cons of being honest in your music, his creative process, and working with rapper-producer Kno on their latest collab Bring Me Back When The World Is Cured.Bring Me Back When The World Is Cured is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping directly from Bandcamp. Follow Sadistik on Instagram (@sadistik) and Twitter (@TheRealSadistik)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

S2 Episode 14: V.C.R. (aka V The Martian)

My guest this week is Tennessee musician, producer, singer, writer, and author V.C.R. aka V The Martian. We spoke about the films of Yorgos Lanthimos, Raised By Wolves, Adult Swim, Smiling Friends, the magic of the Willy Wonka soundtrack, science fiction, Tennessee hip-hop, Lord of The Rings, the importance of the hero’s journey, and the creative process behind her debut album The Chronicles of a Caterpillar: The Egg. The Chronicles of a Caterpillar: The Egg is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider buying it directly from V's Bandcamp page here. Follow V on Instagram and Twitter: @vthemartianFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai) Support the show

S2 Episode 13: Marcel Allen

My guest this week is New York rapper Marcel Allen. We spoke about Shutter Island, Halloween Kills, Scary Movie, his love of horror movies, watching the movie Cornbread, Earl and Me for the first time, our favorite hood movies of all time, his appreciation for every subgenre of rap, getting Havoc and Boldy James on his debut album, his relationship with producers Thelonious Martin and Jacob Rochester, and the creative process behind his debut album Ebony Goddess.Ebony Goddess is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Consider copping it directly from Marcel's Bandcamp page.Follow Marcel Allen on Instagram and Twitter: @marcelallennotgFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)        Support the show

S2 Episode 12: Vic Spencer

My guest this week is Chicago rapper Vic Spencer. We spoke about Power, The Waterboy, his love for standup comedy, the power of world-building in music and movies, making music during his time in a group home, the legacy of his breakthrough project The Cost of Victory, the idea behind he and rapper-producer Sonnyjim’s Spencer For Higher series, the artist-to-fan relationship, and the creative process behind he and Doc Da Mindbenda’s collab album Still Here. Still Here is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Follow Vic Spencer on Instagram and Twitter: @VicSpencerFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)       Support the show

S2 Episode 11: Wakai

My guest this week is Baton Rouge-based rapper Wakai. We spoke about Snowfall, Atlanta, The Wire, Menace II Society, the beauty of local businesses, why binging TV is a privilege, how the video for Kanye West’s “All Falls Down” changed his life, his journey through the hip-hop rabbit hole, how his experience as a film editor has informed his experience as a musician, how COVID affected his approach to putting out music, and the creative processes behind his debut solo album To A Dark Boy. To A Dark Boy is available everywhere music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Follow Wakai on Instagram and Twitter: @wakai007Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)       Support the show

S2 Episode 10: BOSCO

My guest this week is Georgia-born singer, artist, and label head BOSCO. We spoke about Snowfall, Insecure, having her songs featured on Insecure, what sync licensing means, Love & Basketball, Forrest Gump, Raven-Symone, Lauryn Hill, our respective relationships with music and movies as children, founding the creative community Slug, and how it’s influenced her creative process. BOSCO's latest project Some Day This Will All Make Sense is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. You can also hear BOSCO's music on the Insecure soundtrack and official playlists.  Follow BOSCO on Instagram and Twitter: @helloboscoFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)       Support the show

S2 Episode 9: Chango4

My guest this week is Buffalo rapper/singer/producer Chango4. We spoke about the documentary You Can’t Kill Meme, the prevalence of meme culture on and offline, The Ring, Being John Malkovitch, Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Holy Mountain and Santa Sangre, her fascination with carpentry, the Buffalo music scene, genre-blending, her relationship with rapper-producer way2wavybaby, and her general creative process.Check out Chango's solo Bandcamp page here and her work with way2wavybaby here. Follow Chango4 on Instagram (@changofour) and Twitter (@4chango) Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)      Support the show

S2 Episode 8: Chelsea Reject

My guest this week is Brooklyn rapper Chelsea Reject. We spoke about the Hulu original movie Fresh, Black Mirror, veganism, the Final Destination series, Dragonball Z, growing up in the church, watching non-secular media in secret, realizing that we both attended New York college SUNY Purchase at the same time, New York hip-hop during the rise of Pro Era, the pros and cons of recording music in 2022, and the creative processes behind all of her projects, including her latest album This Is Not My Final Form.Both This Is Not My Final Form and Chelsea's latest single "Woe" are available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen.Watch the music video for "Woe" here.  Follow Chelsea Reject on Instagram and Twitter (@ChelseaReject)Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)     Support the show

S2 Episode 7: Cheeno Ghee

My guest this week is North Carolina-based rapper, producer, and label head Cheeno Ghee. We spoke about Kanye West, jeen-yus, the power of a good music documentary, true crime, Belly, the legacy of Hype Williams, growing up between Atlanta, Brooklyn, and North Carolina, what it means to freestyle in 2022, the art of battle rap, founding GCE Tha Label, and the creative process behind her projects Child and To Whomever It Concerns.  Child and To Whomever It Concerns are available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Check out Cheeno Ghee's appearance on Bars on I-95 here.Follow Cheeno on Instagram and Twitter: @cheenogheeFollow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai)    Support the show