Music

An Interview with Cheo Hodari Coker, Creator of Marvel’s Luke Cage – IP 54

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We are very happy to finally share our next Producer to Producer interview with the creator and executive producer of Marvel’s Luke Cage, Cheo Hodari Coker. The interview was conducted at the Producers Guild Produced By Conference in New York City on October 29th.ip-with-cheo

Whether you’re a fan of Luke Cage or think that Misty Knight is a bad weather pattern – this is a MUST LISTEN.  Cheo has been in the game for years and has worked on a variety of popular and critically acclaimed shows including – Southland, Almost Human and Ray Donovan.

luke-cageHe has imbued Luke Cage with a creativity and thoughtfulness that has resulted in a ‘superhero’ show that sits firmly within our current golden age of television. Tune in to the show for the bulletproof Black man who can punch through walls, but you’ll also get an education on African American crime writers; a celebration of 90’s Hip Hop; some of the most layered female characters on television; Mahershala Ali’s star turn; a new definition of ‘getting coffee’; an Alfre Woodard master class in how to play a conflicted (but not really conflicted) villain; a love letter to Harlem; Mike Colter owning the title role; and one of the most gorgeously shot shows you’ll see all year.

Coker’s eloquent and insightful conversation touches on:

  • How Shonda Rhimes influences the way he writes female characters.
  • How being a showrunner is like being the captain of a Federation Starship.
  • The use of ‘the N word’ in Luke Cage.cheo

Plus, there’s nothing better than getting a pop culture suggestion from one of our great pop culture creators. Make sure you listen to the end of the episode to hear Cheo Hodari Coker Big Sell us three things he’s loving.

If you’re new to our podcast, visit our website where you can subscribe and listen to additional episodes. www.insidepoppodcast.com

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Post Election Pop Culture, A Tribe Called Quest, SNL, Years of Living Dangerously, Hamilton Mixtape – IP 53

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File this episode under “Life Goes On”. Yes brothers and sisters, we’re still coming to terms with last week’s election, so we begin this week’s show with a discussion of the pop culture we consumed over the past week as a means of escape, comfort and inspiration. We watched everything from Westworld to Moana; listened to Nina Simone and attended the Maxwell and Mary J. Blige show at MSG in an effort to soothe our hearts and minds.

atcqThen, we discuss the album that was a tiny light amidst the gloom – A Tribe Called Quest’s new release, We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service. We review the album, talk about Tribe’s place in the Hip Hop canon, rate favorite tracks and celebrate their triumphant performance on Saturday Night Live. We also talk about highlights from what we think will go down as one of the most important episodes in SNL history thanks to Kate McKinnon’s incredible cold open performance and Dave Chappelle’s brilliant turn as host.

hamilton-mixtape-artist-lineupWe also preview the highly anticipated Hamilton Mixtape, a collection of re-recordings of the songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit musical, Hamilton. Sean is a Hamilton obsessive (remember the House of Hyperbole?) and Amita has yet to see the musical or listen to the cast album. Listen to hear their reviews from two very different perspectives.

yearsWe’re also excited to bring you the first in our Producer to Producer series in which we interview a producer about their latest work. We launch the series with Joel Bach, co-creator of the Emmy Award-winning series, Years of Living Dangerously. The show explores the effects of climate change in the world through the eyes of high-profile celebrities. We find out how producers sent Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Middle East, Gisele Bundchen to the Amazon and also learn what YOU can do to join the battle to save our planet.

And we cap the show off with The Big Sell. Find out what Amita thinks of Sean’s Valerie June Big Sell. And discover the new music video Amita has to share with Sean.

LINKS

  • Actor Riz Ahmed ( The Night Of, Rogue One) appears on the Hamilton Mixtape as Riz MC. Here is a clip that features his flow with none other than Childish Gambino! Check out this dynamic duet right HERE!
  • Post election, Sean traveled back to the early 90’s. A time where a Clinton won the presidency! Enjoy this clip of Michael Stipe and Natalie Merchant performing To Sir, With Love to celebrate a new era.
  • Kate McKinnon’s stunning performance on SNL as Hillary Clinton singing “Hallelujah.”
  • Head to the Years of Living Dangerously Action page to get more information on how you can contribute to the climate change movement.

Alicia Keys, Common, Dr. Strange, The Exorcist, Inside Pop Turns 1 Year! – IP 52

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So…That happened.

But here at Inside Pop we’re going to take Luke Cage’s mentor, Pop’s advice, and move “FORWARD!” And believe it or not, we do have something to celebrate. Inside Pop turns 1 year old this week and we honor this momentous event in the best way we know how – with a super sized episode filled with the week’s top film, television & music.

alicia-keys-hereFirst, we review new albums by Alicia Keys (Here) and Common (Black America Again) and discuss how these works are two more examples of how 2016 is turning into one of the greatest years for music with a message.common-black-america-again

Next, Marvel proves thedr-strangemselves to be unstoppable with the release of Doctor Strange, another record breaking film in the MCU canon. But are the special effects and the great cast enough for us to recommend the film to you?

Then, we honor one year of Inside Pop by looking back at our very first episode and looking forward to our plans to take our podcast to the next level!

excorcist_fox_title_cardPlus – Sean tells you why The Exorcist is new Fall Television show you should definitely NOT be sleeping on!

 

And of course we conclude with the informative, inspiring, ‘reach one teach one’ segment – The Big Sell.

So – take a break from the reality of the election results and escape with us for an hour.

Links:

Download a free MP3 of “Seriously” here.

Watch the trailer for The Exorcist here.

Favorite Fictional Presidents, Atlanta, Luke Cage creator Cheo Hodari Coker – IP 51

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us-presidential-sealWe are witnessing history with this latest episode of Inside Pop! This is the last episode we’ll release before our country elects a new president. In honor of this historic moment, we each countdown our top 3 favorite FICTIONAL pop culture presidents; from President Whitmore of  Independence Day to President Palmer of  24 to President Shepherd of The American President and many more.

luke-cage-showrunner-cheo-hodari-coker-and-star-mike-colterWe also share our experience attending the Producers Guild of America’s Produced By NY conference. The event was a who’s who of producers in film, television and digital programming. We’ll give you the inside scoop of on everything from what Chris Rock thinks of Donald Glover’s Atlanta to our exclusive interview with the creator and showrunner of Marvel’s Luke Cage, Cheo Hodari Coker.

We also take a moment to wrap up the biggest project Inside Pop has ever tackled – The Big Sell 30 Day Challenge! We discuss the highlights, shout out all of our collaborators and let you know where to go to find all of the Big Sells in one place.

And we return to our regular Big Sell format allowing Amita to sell Sean on a song he’s never heard of, written by one of her favorite singer/songwriters and sung by one of his favorite vocalists.

All of that plus Sean performs one of the worst Morgan Freeman impressions ever recorded!

 Pop Culture Presidential MOMENTS

Battlestar Galactica

Independence Day

Deep Impact

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

Additional Links

Nathaniel Zablan of The Tone Podcast Writes About Ben Folds

Leslie Odom, Jr. Sings President Obama’s imagined thoughts written by Sara Bareilles

Lady Gaga, The Walking Dead, Mary J Blige, Big Sell 30 – IP 50

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While you’re scouring costume stores to find a David S. Pumpkins Halloween costume, get your pop culture fix in this week’s episode!

lady-gaga-album-coverWe review Lady Gaga’s new album, Joanne, with friend, DJ and devoted Lady Gaga fan, James Barker. We discuss the music, her slightly stripped down image, last weekend’s SNL performance, and so much more! (Seriously, we couldn’t stop talking about her and well…multiple tangents occurred).

the-walking-dead-jeffrey-dean-morganThen, Sean tries to contain himself while describing the violent and tragic season premiere of The Walking Dead. SPOILER ALERT- he reveals details of what went down with hot but deadly Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan and his deadly bat, Lucille.

Plus, we continue #BigSell30 with a special Big Sell from guest Matthew Billy, host of the music history podcast, Between the Liner Notes. It’s an incredible account of an impromptu jam session with Pete Seeger of “Sailing Up, Sailing Down” that he had the privilege to witness.

All that and Amita’s thoughts on the Mary J. Blige short-lived Crispy Chicken commercial- no spoiler necessary…you can probably guess her reaction.

Check us out on Twitter & Instagram @PopInsiders to see what we’re enjoying in pop culture throughout the week and don’t forget to send us your Big Sells for #BigSell30!

Big Sell 30 Day 26: Rose by Jeanne Balibar

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Hello – Sean here with DAY 26 of our Big Sell 30 Day Challenge. Today’s #BigSell30 is inspired by one of our listeners, @miniarcadia150 who recommended the video “Mirate,” by Latin singer, Aldrey. The song is in Spanish and the video includes English subtitles. It’s a power pop ballad with a message of self acceptance. Thanks so much for the suggestion!

This video got me thinking about all of the music I love that’s sung in a language I don’t understand. Usually when  it comes to songs, lyrics are just as important (if not more important) to me as the music. But in the case of this Big Sell – I have loved the song “Rose” by French singer Jeanne Balibar for years and have no idea what it’s about. But it still moves me.

roseCheck out “Rose” on Spotify or here on YouTube. It’s moody, ethereal and hypnotic. I love it and sing along in made up French words and can only hope the song isn’t about killing kittens or the merits of reality stars turned political candidates. And I also ask you to think of your favorite song that is sung in a language you don’t understand. Leave a comment here or tweet us @PopInsiders and let us know why you love it!

Just a few days left in our #BigSell30! We hope your head is bursting with all of the new pop culture you’ve discovered this month. We have some great Big Sells ahead for you in these last few days. Stay tuned!

Big Sell 30 Day 25: The Perfect Podcast

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perfectpodcast-a2Sean here with our 25th #BigSell for our Big Sell 30 Day Challenge. This is a ‘perfect’ big sell. It’s also a bit narcissistic! Hosting and producing Inside Pop with my partner in crime Amita Patel has been creatively fulfilling, challenging in the best way possible and super fun! I’ve enjoyed it so much that I decided to launch a second podcast a few months ago. My big sell for you today is my ‘other’ podcast, The Perfect Podcast.

The Perfect Podcast celebrates the highest achievements in music, film, literature, food, visual arts and more! In each episode I talk to a different person about the creation they believe achieves perfection. From the perfect short story to the perfect music video to the perfect cocktail to the perfect skyscraper – the show explores and celebrates the artists who have achieved the elusive, intimidating, confounding and 100% subjective state of . . . Perfection!

So far I’ve interviewed a runner about the time he unexpectedly achieved a Perfect Run, an editor from Publisher’s weekly about his pick for a Perfect Graphic Novel, and a cigar aficionado about his go-to daily Perfect Cigar.

Recently I interviewed Jamie Broadnax, the founder of Black Girl Nerds, about her choice for a perfect fictional character. I was ecstatic when she chose the leader of the X-Men and former queen of Wakanda – Storm. It’s a great conversation that touches on representation, feminism and kick-ass Mohawks.

The goal of the podcast is to celebrate all types of culture with a diverse roster of super smart, passionate people. In addition to getting my guests to share their expert opinions I also ask them to discuss their personal connections to the subject. In my most recent episode art critic Vince Aletti discusses his Perfect Portrait: a picture that inspired him to come to NYC 50 years ago and has remained a totem for him ever since.

In my “perfect world”: 1) You take a listen to and love The Perfect Podcast and subscribe 2) In the future I get to interview Mark Romanek about “Got Til It’s Gone” (my pick for a perfect music video); Nile Rodgers about Bowie’s Let’s Dance (or Duran Duran’s “The Reflex” or Madonna’s “Like A Virgin”); Shonda Rhimes, David Mitchell, Annie Lennox, Questlove and the list goes on and on and on.

Coming soon . . . A Perfect Song (you’ll have to listen to hear what my guest chooses).

Follow Inside Pop @PopInsiders and let us know how you’re enjoyed #BigSell30.

Big Sell 30 Day 21: Six Degrees of Music Separation

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Hey all- Amita here with today’s #BigSell30. We’ve got a few more days left of our month long challenge of trying out one new piece of pop culture everyday.

When I was preparing this post to Big Sell this article, I told Sean I would try to avoid selling another song or album, which I must say was harder than I thought since I’m always listening and discovering new music and want to share  it with everyone! (see Lake Street Dive & Rationale). But when I saw this article and where it lead me to, I had to make a tiny exception. And technically, it’s not really a song. It’s a really fun game!

So, this Big Sell comes from another Big Sell. When we were promoting #BigSell30 in late September, my cousin Sanat Patel tweeted us a great article from fivethirtyeight about the most sampled song in history. “Amen, Brother” by The Winstons has been sampled over 2,000 times over the last few decades! Artists who have used this popular sample include N.W.A., The Prodigy, heavy metal band Slipknot, Janet Jackson and David Bowie. It is a pretty interesting read and gives a ton of info about the history of this particular sample- check it out here. Thanks cousin!

I have to admit, I got a sample education and the article cited another website as the source for its sampling data- WhoSampled. I had to look into this info site and find out more. As fivethirtyeight describes, “Every day, fanatical music lovers identify hundreds of samples from songs old and new and add them wiki-style to the database” and then the staff at WhoSampled vets each submission before entering it on the site. We’ve all heard a ton of samples throughout the years and it’s pretty awesome to go to a site or app to find out where the original sample came from. But the game that I discovered on WhoSampled takes it to another level- and immediately became my Big Sell!

On their home page they promote a fun, music info game called, Six Degrees of Music Separation – a play on the movie themed game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. I was immediately intrigued. This game prompts you to enter two artists and they have some crazy algorithm that figures out how many degrees they are separated by using remixes, producers, covers, samples and more!

I put it to the test using two of our Big Sells: Lake Street Dive and Roman GianArthur- check out the results- did you know that Paul McCartney and Erykah Badu would make that connection?

6-deg

It’s fun, addictive and you can play it for hours…no really, you could. (I just stopped writing this blog to put in random artists for 20 min.)

Enjoy the samples, the game and I’m sorry if you may not be as productive at work today :/

Only a few days left of The Big Sell 30 Day Challenge! Be sure to Tweet us @PopInsiders to let us know how #BigSell30 is going for you and there is still time to send us a big sell!

 

 

 

Moonlight, Mary J. Blige, Queen Sugar, Alexa – IP49

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Is Fall 2016 shaping up to be one of the greatest seasons for Pop Culture ever? Consider our latest episode that celebrates the ridiculous heights achieved in music, film and TV in just the past 7 days.

First up we discuss the independent feature, Moonlight which opens this week. This movie has filled Sean’s soul and rocked his world so hard that it gets the full House of Hyperbole treatment. Find out why he thinks this film cannot be missed!

 

Then, we discuss the new single from the Queen of Hip Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige. Mary has sat on the throne for 2 decades but we think her new song, “Thick of It,” is one of the most soul baring and emotionally gut wrenching songs she’s ever recorded. We also reveal the role Mary has played in our personal friendship and podcast partnership.

Plus, we talk about the new television drama on OWN, Queen Sugar. The show is halfway through its first season and continues to bring an impressive blend of  melodrama, social realism and the most gorgeous cinematography on TV. All hail Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay! Whether you’re a huge fan or haven’t had a chance to catch it, Amita shares a tip on the ‘best’ way to view past and upcoming episodes.

And #BigSell30 moves into the home stretch with a Big Sell from friends of the show Caroline and Tom Romita (and their new best friend, Alexa).

Big Sell 30 Day 18: Rationale

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Hey all! Amita here with today’s Big Sell. The #BigSell30 has kept me on my pop culture toes this month! We hope it’s been fun for all of you to experience one piece of pop culture every day for 30 days too.

If there was a prize for trying to combine a bunch of Big Sells and make a Super Big Sell- I think this might qualify! 🙂 Take some Black Excellence, with a dash of British influence, (inspired by our fellow British podcasters JoJCast) initially discovered on my Spotify Daily Mix and one of his tracks qualifies as a Super Short Song!

As I mentioned before, I have been enjoying my Daily Mixes from Spotify and three of my mixes have usually been pretty straight forward – one is mostly mainstream pop, one is hip-hop/rap and one is Soul/R&B. But the 4th Mix is a great mix of mostly unknown artists that Spotify curated just for me and it’s where I found today’s Big Sell- Zimbabwe-born British singer-songwriter, Rationale. 

I instantly felt David Bowie, Tracy Chapman, Sade, INXS, James Blake and so many more vibes from Rationale. He came out with an EP last year and the song I heard in my Daily Mix was “Fast Lane“. It’s a great mid-tempo song, but his voice is something else. It has such depth and soul and I had to listen to more. The next single I became obsessed with is the title cut, “Fuel to the Fire” which is an emotional song that has some 80’s influences with a modern pop feeling. The music video is captivating and a perfect compliment to his powerful lyrics- check it out here. I’m also enjoying “The Re.Up” and his latest singles “Palms” and “Something For Nothing”. (Yes I named basically all of his tracks and I don’t care- I fell in LOVE with all of his music!)

As you can see, I became obsessed and started to do some more research to find more info about him. Here’s the skinny on Rationale: He is 32, loves to dance and also produces all of his own music. He did an interview explaining why he called himself Rationale and the reason seems like it’s kismet that I found him for #BigSell30:

L: Why choose the word “rationale” in particular?

R: I had a job in a charity call centre and the boss told us: “Today we’re going to be selling stuff, make sure you get an extra £1 out of people as it’s for charity. Give them an introduction and a hard sell, then, once you’ve got their attention, give them the rationale.” That word stuck with me.

Hard Sell- Big Sell…it’s meant to be! He already has a few notable fans- Pharrell, Justin Timberlake and Elton John have all praised him over the last year and his full album release is scheduled for next spring. He is officially saved on my Spotify and I KNOW that Sean is going love him. I can’t wait for all of you to listen- mark my words and remember his name, he is going to blow up very soon in the states and you can thank me later.

Please tweet us @PopInsiders or leave a comment below and tell us what you think of Rationale!

And don’t forget to tweet us to let us know how your #BigSell30 Challenge is going.