Brooklyn Props Podcast

The crew welcomes our first singer-songwriter Timothy Ruiz. Repping New Jersey, Timmy breakdowns the grind of an indepedent singer. We get into his origins, getting started at open mics, developing relationships with clubs, booking gigs and how he stays motivated. We also talk about why Jersey City and why performers should check it, as well as, getting into the differences between rappers and singers and the obstacles they face breaking into the music scene. All that plus the NFL, green sweaters, doo-wop, Red Lobster, gift baskets and the King of TV breaks down why Derek Jeter is just awesome! We close the show with a special in-studio performance by Timothy Ruiz. If you like the music, check out more at Timothy's website (here) or get his EP "Good Shtuff" (here). Special thanks to Ishlabs and Brooklynradio for all the support! Emotions. Google.    

We return after an unanticipated hiatus. The crew covers the recent award shows, summer travels and the 50 vs. Floyd squabble (shots fired!). We also discuss Ferguson and whether hip-hop artists have a responsibility to respond. All that plus roller coasters, brunch, Becky Hamon, Bridgeport, Kevin Durant, Clive Owen and the King of TV breaking down what you should be watching.  

This week the crew is joined by hip-hop group Weekend Money. Ness and Baghdaddy represent the new Brooklyn, an eclectic blend of tradition and innovation. We get into their mutual love of electro and how that led to their first recording session (shouts to Prkr) at The Brickhouse as well as insight into how they create their “future-trap sound,” the meaning of  "associative music" and the challenge of creating sample-free music, their adventures at SXSW and other music festivals, and their approach to distributing music. We also talk about their music video process, their crazy promotion game and how they maximize their social media efforts. That plus flag pants, Japanese women in Timberlands, Hot Sugar, guns, Tallahassee time machines, Riff Raff vs. Ciara, and Fat Tony. These guys were awesome to talk to! You can reach them at weekendmoney.biz. Their new release, Freddie Merkury, is out now! You should grab that, their first release Naked City and some fresh W$ gear to put some Brooklyn in your life. Thanks

DJ Sakir reminds us of DJs like King Britt and Geology, equal parts soulful and ecletic. She joins the crew on this episode to talk music, art and life. We get into the origins of her creativity and her forthcoming DJ lifestyle brand OHM, how she deals with the male-dominated DJ culture, booking gigs in Brooklyn, growing up in Florida and participating in the Zulu Nation, private events vs. club gigs, and what exactly is "ear intelligence." Plus, we dicuss the Wu-Tang sculpture album, Jay-Z's medallion controversy, Noir Soul, Shazam, Blood, Sweat and Heels, Puerto Rico and The Rocksteady Crew, Idris Elba vs. Questlove, and roman numerals. We close with The King of TV crushing Netflix. Make sure to check DJ Sakir's webpage and get on them mixes! Thanks to BrooklynRadio.com and Ishlabs Studios. Shouts to Buendia Brooklyn, Effwhatuheard podcast and Food Riot!

This week the crew discusses gentrification. We provide context to this complex issue by talking about being priced out of neighborhoods, how class and race define the issue, the benefits of gentrification and some tips for assimilaitng to Brooklyn culture in our Anti-Gentrifier's Guide. All that plus Frank Ocean, Gang Starr, Carmelo and the Knicks, HBO Go, bongos and the King of TV breaking down True Detective. Thanks to BrooklynRadio.com, Ishlabs and Mixcloud! 

The crew is back for the new year and we play catch-up. We talk about the Grammy Awards, the Macklemore controversy, Kanye's influence on the Kendrick/Imagine Dragons mash-up and whether Lorde's win means a return to conscious lyrics. We then talk about what was new for us in 2013. We follow that up with some sports talk, whether defense wins championships, Richard Sherman, will Carmelo stay, prostitutes and new media. All that plus The King of TV, the miracle known as the bluetooth speaker, hats, sharing Netflix, and Dungeons and Dragons. Please note that this was recorded prior to the Super Bowl. Special thanks to Stephen Rafferty for joining us (@metalrafferty), BrooklynRadio.com and Ishlab Studio. Special shout out to the Mello Music Group for bringing the heat in 2013. Be sure to check out their latest releases here. Thanks for listening!

This week we are joined by DJ Ayres, co-owner of T&A Records and co-founder of The Rub, one of the longest running and arguably best dance parties in New York City. We talk about his start in Mississippi, the mid-nineties music scene in New York, building with Mark Ronson, Darshan Jesrani (Metro Area), and Dan Bayless (Escort) in college and how that influenced his career. Plus: How The Rub was started and the art of 'going in' and bringing the heat as a DJ, developing an audience and engaging the crowd, linking up with Turntable Lab and creating a movement. We also discuss the start of T&A Records and the origins of Moombaton (shouts to Dave Nada!), building a roster and making moves as a DJ-run label, ghost producers and EDM music, and why he started the Small Talk podcast. All that, plus dust and The Roots, Iverson, Marco Polo, Childish Gambino, Wale, Beyonce, catfish and December album recommedations. Thanks to DJ Ayres, it was a blast! He can be reached on Twitter @djayres or at djaryres.com. Asp

This week brings rap duo Tanya Morgan to the studio to talk about their new album Rubber Souls. Rappers Donwill and Von Pea talk about working with producer 6th Sense, writing to beats versus writing free verse, balancing solo work and group work, collaborating with a Who's Who of underground hip-hop, Von's mixing and mastering skill, Don's movie thing with Wyatt Cenac and the origin of The Lessondary. Don and Von also provide an inside look at how Converse is helping artist in New York, share some tales of Blu and Exile and the fate of Chance the Rapper. All that, plus Kendrick Grammy predictions, Eminem breaks another record, the King of Television and what you should be listening to now. Thanks to Donwill and Von Pea for making this a great episode! Get their new album, Rubber Souls, available now. Be sure to check out the latest visuals from that album as well (Never to Much, Pick it Up). Special thanks to Brooklynradio.com and Ishlabs Studios. 

This week's episode welcomes the Buendia Brooklyn/INK crew to discuss Latinos and Hip-Hop. Comprised of several New York-based Latin and Latin-American artists, as well as Rack and T-Killa (founder of INK) fresh out of Mexico, the Buendia/INK crew provides key insight into Spanish-language hip-hop. We get into the stereotypes, how the music translates across the numerous countries in Central and South America, and performaning in front of non-Spanish-speaking audiences. Then we do the first-ever cypher on the show and close with a special showcase from the Buendia/INK crew! All that, plus the five hip-hop albums you should consider this fall. Thanks to T-Killa, Rack, Versos, Mauro, Mr. Phillips, Timothy Ruiz, Kortezau, Reko, Kombate, Rapy and Danny for making this a special episode. Thanks to Raul for the translation help and Reko and Kombate (Enemies from the Underground) for providing the beats. Props to Ishlabs Studios and BrooklynRadio.com. 

Fall is here and the crew is back talking masculinity. Really? Really. We cover college football and whether the recent string of blowouts is good for the game. Then it is NFL time, where we comment on the recent rule changes and declare our favorite teams. Afterwards, Griddy breaks down the Mayweather fight and provides insight on how the lack of competition could impact Floyd's future bouts. Then we discuss Mister Cee and his resignation, Drake vs. Wu-Tang and the evolving representation of masculinty in hip-hop music. All that plus October release dates, DMX vs. the Carters, a real rap "battle" and the King of TV! Special thanks to Ishlabs and BrooklynRadio.com and props to our extended fam Buendia Brooklyn and the Effwhutuheard Radio.

The crew is back at Ishlabs to recap the summer. We start with the most successful albums of the summer, giving props to Big Sean, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Jay-Z and Kanye. We also talk about the song of the summer ("Blurred Lines") and the Robin Thicke vs. the estate of Marvin Gaye legal controversy. If you haven't listened to the Big Sean "Control" single you should check it because we go in on the Kendrick verse that has every rapper in the world writing response tracks. We get into whether it is a diss or a call to arms? After some real bad K.Dot impressions, we review the MTV Video Music Awards. Everything from Miley's Asian man butt to Justin Timberlake's epic performance. Is MTV relevant to thirty-plus hip-hop heads? Listen and find out! All that plus One Direction vs. Brooklyn, Brooklyn as the new Seattle and whether hispter hood is the new grunge. Is 2 Chainz really Dave Chappelle? What is up with Drake and tank-tops? Are Joey Fatone and Chipotle made for each other? Special thanks to our listene

The crew is back with Brooklyn duo A-Alikes. Having successfully navigated the hip-hop music scene for a decade plus, rappers K and Ness are the real deal. We talk about their history, first connecting at FAMU and living in a house full of emcees and producers, helping start the first Zulu Nation chapter in Tallahassee, maintaining as emcees that talk about class struggle and nutrition in the modern pop-rap music era, some insight on their writing process and what to expect on their new EP, Us Against Them, available June 11th. All that plus summer tour updates, upcoming releases, a random Jam Pony shot-out and an impromptu EPMD verse. For more on A-Alikes, check their website, or on Twitter or at aalikespromo@gmail.com. Make sure to listen to the end of the podcast to hear their latest single, "Whole Life" feat M-1 of dead prez, which is available now on iTunes, Spotify and Amazon. Special thanks to Hard Boiled Records and Guerilla Nation. Props to our extended family Buendia Productions, IshLab Studios and

We back again. This time we got A&R/Producer for Soul Temple Records and Senior Art Director for Koch/eOne Music Mr. Andrew Kelley (aka Mr. Hat Trick). We get into all things Wu and discuss the sound of the latest Ghostface Killah album "Twelve Reasons To Die." We talk about the amazing Adrian Younge and how he achieved that authentic 'classic' sound, what is Venice Dawn, the origins of the Brown Tape and upcoming Wu-Tang projects. Plus new releases for June, Jamaican butlers and what you can expect to find in Redman's trunk. You can reach Andrew Kelley @andrewkelley47 and be sure to get that new Ghostface album. It is a keeper! Special thanks to our partners Brooklynradio.com and IshLabs. 

We upgraded the sound and are now recording at IshLabs located in downtown Brooklyn. For our inaugural show we discuss influence, in particular, the influence hip-hop has had on us. We talk about the significance of Jay-Z making TIME's Most Influential People in the World list, how hip-hop changed our fashion sense, which eras had the most influence on us and whether hip-hop can remain an influential culture in the modern "rap IS pop music" era. All that, plus hip-hop tour updates for the summer, Rick Ross and Griddy's TV reviews. New studio, same show, more brown liquor. Special thanks to our partners Brooklynradio.com and IshLabs! 

The crew is joined by emcee AllOne (Bruce Pandolfo). He's a writer, a bookworm and a real dope lyricists. We talk about how Epitaph Records got him into hip-hop, his, evolution as a performer, using musicians vs. produced beats, writing in a vacuum, his MegaBus skills and how he got his gets his music out.  That plus, summer hip-hop tours, the richest rapper and a history of the XXL Freshman Class. Get at AllOne at allonevoice@gmail.com and hear his music at allonevoice.bandcamp.com or soundcloud.com/allonevoice. Thanks to brooklynradio.com!

The crew is back with an Afterhours edition of the podcast, which means no topic, just talk. We get into early-bird specials at the 40/40 club, why Blis strongly dislikes Philadelphia and what is happening with Little Wayne. Plus we talk Demigodz and the worst March Madness commentary ever.

We welcome back Stephen Rafferty to talk movies. We start with fim school and his pre-digital education, his first jobs, how digital is changing how things get made and what really goes on when you work with actors. Stephen also talks about what it takes to make it behind the scenes, educates us on Hollywood unions and how you can get fired. Plus Beetleborgs, Baltimore and some shots fired at Will.i.am. Be sure to hit Stephen up on Twitter @metalrafferty 

The crew welcomes Stephen Rafferty, a writer for The Metal Observer, to discuss heavy metal music. This is the best heavy metal episode on a hip-hop podcast ever. We get into the origins of the music, the difference between Black Metal and Death Metal, what mathcore is, why Slayer kicks ass and whether hip-hop heads and metal heads have the same taste in after concert activities. We also talk Cookie Monster vocals, Uncle Luke on Rick Ross, Grammy predictions, plus Griddy flips the script and gets Blis to talk about his "metal" past. Plus much more.  Again. The best ever. For more on metal, check out Stephen's stuff at The Metal Observer here.

Is Trinidad James the worst rapper ever? This week the crew talks 'wack' music and its place in hip-hop. Is it a generation thing? Is it about skills? What's wrong with just having a good beat? We answer these questions as well as Snoop Lion vs. The Wailers, Frank Ocean vs. Chris Brown and some bad RHCP impressions. Ain't nobody podcasting like this. Tell a friend, tell a foe. It's Brooklyn Props!

We back like the Nets in the Eastern Conference. Fresh for the New Year, we do the usual stuff like recap hip-hop albums you should have got and projects to look forward to in 2013 and the biggest sellers We also get into the unusual, like a Lord Finesse reality show, cankles and why Steph Curry can't listen to EPMD. Brown liquor is in effect. Subscribe to us on iTunes and checkout the website.