Interview w/ Kevin Ortega-Rojas

The Grammys v. Hegemony & What the People Really Need

And we're back! Welcome to Trap Poet's Society episode 2 where we're talking all things Hip Hop Album of the Year. We take some time to celebrate the nominees while also unpacking who benefits from said nominees, who is ignored and why that is so. Why has there been such a bend toward self-actualization in the genre when it started as a more communal battle cry?Hood Communist article:Kendrick Lamar, Capitalism & the Struggle for African Liberation - Hood CommunistLink to instagram post:https://www.instagram.com/reel/DS0pN1IDVpf/?igsh=bWJlcHNybDV4NXJjRadiohead cover of that song:Savings are still happening at VerizonBest new MC’S from that one website:The Ultimate Hip Hop Twitter Directory - Hip Hop Golden Age Hip Hop Golden Age

Linden Hills and the Myth of the Black Middle Class

We're back! We have a new name! We have a beautiful camera (thanks Allie!!) We have beautiful mics (so sorry about the levels they are already better for the next episode. Also, THANKS ALLIE!!) In 2025 I read Linden Hills by Gloria Naylor and it might have fundamentally changed my life? I was disappointed by the lack of digital fodder out in the world about it so I did what any Black girl does and made the fodder I wanted to see. Naylor does one of the most comprehensive yet accessible and fantastical critiques of the Black middle class that I have ever seen. And the critiques within the critiques go on for days - she comes after misogyny, respectability, colorism you name it. Point blank period it is an absolute masterpiece and needs to be in more conversations where it is celebrated as such. If you want to skip past the PIES we start talking about the book at around 34:17. You should definitely purchase this book:Linden Hills: https://bookshop.org/p/books/linden-hills-gloria-naylor/2c3a01fe0dd4aec0?ean=9780140088298&next=tPatreon:https://www.patreon.com/cw/creemyles

PICK A COLOR

We’re back!!! Thank you so much for your patience as we attempted to upgrade, an attempt that ultimately was for naught. We centered this episode around Souvankham Thammavongsa debut “Pick a Color”. We talked about loneliness, knowledge versus wisdom and the magic of life that exists in Tedium. List of everything we discussed below! -The Managed Heart by Arlie Hoschild  -In the Nail Salon by Tracy K. Smith -A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid -Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong -Thousand Star Hotel by Bao Phi  Playlist  Amaarae - LIKE IT (Official Music Video) [https://youtu.be/ai0RgtrRGSY?si=0XKyIa8oFnwZC8ZX] F.U.B.U. [https://youtu.be/Njp2vaBzgto?si=6FiFw0-B42YG1igC]- Solange RM 'seoul (prod. HONNE)' Lyric Video [https://youtu.be/F8wI5ZosdRA?si=xAK4bLLrIcASMRPt] KAMAUU - MANGO (feat. Adi Oasis) [Official Music Video] [https://youtu.be/Zw_y3Kj_Sa8?si=6aQ6vIVbmCH55FL2] Priya Ragu - Chicken Lemon Rice (Official Video) [https://youtu.be/LdFqv3JBA4Q?si=IgEmBWwJU2qCDkf8] Persembahan Yuna TERUKIR DI BINTANG [https://youtu.be/WFAiHCEfuTw?si=uH4lbNlADzqTMMZe] NAYANA IZ - RANI (Official Video) [https://youtu.be/EVJaBvApD8A?si=VkxyzFtNl36giytF] [온스테이지2.0] Lionclad - I want to hide [https://youtu.be/IecY0-iynNY?si=pbBnG0w3JZdzFnyr] Sampa The Great - Lo Rain ft. Mwanjé [Audio] [https://youtu.be/RqzhiG56NVc?si=OW3hqhIR2JY7fwya] Burna Boy - Heaven's Gate ft. Lily Allen (Official Audio) [https://youtu.be/JUU3Xb7GX7E?si=sIj8C3TaJ2zRbspz] Fela Kuti - Colonial Mentality [https://youtu.be/bC6ouP7qRoQ?si=RqoHs03mmkqp5xrj] Roberto Fonseca & Fatoumata Diawara "Bibisa" [https://youtu.be/LO7x_T7JP9k?si=lzW0xlYEfYiwIMj1] Right Off [https://youtu.be/3U_jem9q_mg?si=03Ze6EaWjjPbIWkF] off Miles Davis’ Tribute to Jack Johnson  The Champ [https://youtu.be/IaJROxEmTY8?si=qio21tG1bOwSpT36] by Ghostface Killah Sentosa [https://youtu.be/o42WeKY84J4?si=GtpxtAhHOnZbOhBW] by Peso Pluma Simon & Garfunkel - The Sounds of Silence (Audio) [https://youtu.be/4fWyzwo1xg0?si=VuxNHzNL_v5GvulV]

PIES!!

Hey Hey!  Welcome to this monday’s episode of These Books are for Everybody!  We didn't have a get it off your chest because we just didn’t have a long one this time.  We did our old fashioned PIES check in and somehow effortlessly sprinkled some literature into it.  Get into the books!! We Grow Together by Maya Schenwar and Kim Wilson Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar The Creative Act Rick Rubin Anarcho-Blackness by Marquise Bey

Interview w/ Kevin Ortega-Rojas

WHAT UP EPI 8!!  Had the immense pleasure of talking to Kevin Ortega-Rojas,a seasoned freelance writer and podcaster who specializes in LGBTQ+ narratives.  He has written for INTO, Native Son and Remezcla among other publications, he has a combined monthly reach of over 50,000,000 people.  He’s the force behind “Here’s Why Kevin”.  We talk about the importance of media literacy, navigating the digital landscape and the importance of reading.   Find Kevin here: Here’s Why w/ Kevin Ortega-Rojas (@hereswhykevin) • Instagram photos and videos [https://www.instagram.com/hereswhykevin/]  BOOKS: Brown Enough True Stories about Love, Violence and the Student Loan Crisis - Christopher Rivas Untethered Soul by Michael Singer This Thing of Ours by Frederick Joseph Black Genius Tre Johnson