Rebel Diaz is about the work. The brother-brother duo came up in Chicago as self-described "movement kids," and has since traveled the world bringing their music and radical framework to resistance moments and movements around the world. They've been organizers and community members in the Hunts Point neighborhood of The Bronx for the last 15 years.
Episode 85 - Eddie Sanders
Eddie Sanders both holds down one of Chicago's most popping spots, and holds the degree to get you out of trouble if things get a little too wild. A veteran of the Chicago creative community, he is a lawyer for many of the artists in the scene, as well as one of the main folks at popular night spot East Room. He also spins records, has dope glasses, and runs distribution label Freshly Baked, and definitely has some stories to tell. We unfortunately lost about 2/3 of the episode due to recording mishaps, but we still have a bunch of goodness to share!
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 84 - Monte Booker
Monte Booker makes sounds you've never heard in a song before, but seem like you've heard them around you your whole life–the clicks and whirs of machinery, the hums and whistles of a flock of birds, the resonances inside our heads. An undeniably innovative talent, The Chicagoan producer has been making sonic tidal waves with rapper/crooner Smino, AirGo alum Ravyn Lenae, a bunch of other talented folks, and the groovy radio show Soulection. He takes a break from a studio session at Classick Studios and gets groovy.
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 83 - Naledge
Naledge may be a student at Northwestern's School of Communications within the Media, Technology and Society Program, but he's a kid no more. One half of 2000's-era rap group Kidz in the Hall, who sold more than 100,000 records worldwide on both Duckdown Records and Rawkus Records, he is also the founder of the Brainiac Project, which provides safe spaces and professional training at a recording studio in Auburn Gresham.
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 82 - #StrongYoungVoices DJMix
As an antidote to all of the endless yammering we bring you week-in and week-out, this week AirGo presents music by all of the musical artists who have come on AirGo through the first 82 episodes. The mix is done by AirGo's own DJ Empathy (aka Daniel). Peep the tracklist below!
Divine Love - @wowtashawow
Untitled 04 (summertime) - @jhonmyquale
Suitcase - @bellabahhs
Blk Girl Soldier - @JamilaWoods
West Side in the Rain - @MalcolmLondon
Pressure - @Thatsjeandeaux
Whippin' - @RicWilsonisme
Liberation - @DavidEllis00
Summer Camp - @theMINDmusic
Walk Away - @DramaDuo
Promesa - @Lesterreymusic
Symmetry - @SabaPIVOT
Silk Pillows - @Sminoworld & @Akenya
Spice - @Ravynlenae
Bloom - @BLAckxpARty
Noir - @Defcee
Green Light Party - @Add2theMC
Ham Sammiches - @averyryoung
Love, Peace, and Happiness - @SamTrump
Creflo (Almighty) Dollar - @SirtheBaptist
No Service - @LaVanGogh
Mariame Kaba - @SolPatches
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 81 - Safia Elhillo
Safia Elhillo is a badass and poet of Sudanese origin who manages the space between her words with fearless grace. She's in town for Halal if You Hear Me, a special event for Louder Than A Bomb that shares its name with the anthology of which she is co-editor with AirGo alum Fati Asghar. If you have any questions about Ja Rule and Ashanti, she is your go-to person. Her first book, The January Children, is available now.
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 80 - Charles Preston
Charles Preston is an organizer and radical spacemaker. A central figure in CSU's fight for survival, which AirGo alum Dave Ellis broke down on Episode 73, Charles is also the creator of Church on the 9, a popup cypher and community-building event on 79th Street here in Chicago. He talks spacemaking, organizing, and mental/emotional health with the AirGo crew.
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 79 - Ellen Mayer
In the frantic recallibration of what is, what isn't, and what might be since January 20th, our definitions of journalism, the press, media, and the truth are all in flux as real threats solidify and old tensions reemerge. How do we humanize our journalism and root it in the information different communities want and need? Ellen Mayer is the Engagement Consultant at Hearken, an "audience-driven tech platform and editorial framework that enables journalists to partner with the public throughout the reporting process," and a smart-ass person with a bunch of ideas about how we can engage with each other to report the information we need.
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 78 - Amika Tendaji
Amika Tendaji is a mother, a longtime Chicago youth and community organizer, a co-founder of Ujimaa Medics (UMedics) a collective focused on health justice and self-determination for Black people and a lead organizer of BLMChicago. She is also a poet, photographer, artful dodger, orca lover, storyteller, base builder, amateur comedian and a flamethrower extraordinaire.
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 77 - bLAck pARty
bLAck pARty, also known off the mic and boards as Malik Flint, is an old friend and raw music-maker whose most recent project, Mango, is available everywhere now. A Little Rock native, he moved out to LA a couple years ago when he began to work with Wolf & Rothstein, Childish Gambino's management company. We break down some big ideas, how he got to this moment, and even a few UFO sightings.
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 76 - DJ Oreo
DJ Oreo is like the mayor of Chicago's cool kids, if the mayor was a backflipper who DJs around the world rather than a neoliberal despot intent on lining his buddies' pockets. The current DJ for beaded wonder Lil' Yachty, Oreo has been at the Chicago's hip hop and footworking scenes for years. He's the founder of Oreofest, an irregular and surreal pop-up hip hop festival in the city.
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 75 - Xavier Ramey
Xavier Ramey walks through the different worlds of Chicago with a grace, humor, and devotion rarely experienced. A North Lawndale native, he currently works at UChicago teaching students how to build organizations, structures, and companies that work to address harm and inequality. A Louder Than A Bomb kid turned commodities trader turned mentor and activist, Xavier is a core member of the #LetUsBreathe Collective and is a photographer. He also makes more corny jokes than Daniel does–it's documented.
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 74 - Leor Galil
Leor Galil's work is some of the most thoughtful and writing about the city's creative renaissance. The music writer for the Chicago Reader, Leor grounds his features in the stories, neighborhoods, and sounds of the city with an open ear and a dedication to honest relationship with his subject. He also hosts the new Red Bull Music Academy radio show The Deepest Dish, which has already featured quite a few AirGo alumni.
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 73 - David Ellis
We've all heard "conscious" rappers preach their asses off in a song that nobody wants to hear–the onslaught of big words and holier-than-thou declarations can be exhausting. David Ellis' autotuned bars reverberate with a catchiness that help his thoughtful, loving ideas shine through clearly and without pretense. The other half of duo FYI (Fuck Yo Institution) with AirGo alum Ric Wilson, he's also an organizer and activist across the city, especially involved in the fight to save Chicago State University.
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 72 - Lester Rey
Lester Rey is a singer and musician whose unflinching and infectious creations remold and reimagine in the spirit of boogaloo, overlapping the edges and sounds from Puerto Rico, across Latin America, and his home city of Chicago. His most recent project, entitled PROMESA, is a fierce and loving reflection based off the passage of the PROMESA Act, passed this past summer, which placed governance of the island under the control of a Congressionally-appoint board and continues the colonial violence enacted by the U.S. on Puerto Rico.
Catch Lester performing 1/14, presented by AMFM and The Dojo
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 71 - Rae Chardonnay
DJ, curator, creator, radio-maker, and teacher Rae Chardonnay is one of the best vibe-creators and party-builders in the city of Chicago. Voted the best DJ in Chicago by the Reader, she is one of the cofounders of the remarkable Party Noire, alongside AirGo alum Lauren Ash and Nick Alder. If you haven't been to this remarkable celebration of Black Joy, make sure you come through the Party Noire Black Metropolis New Year's Eve celebration.
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 70 - Damon & Daniel Check In
Because of a last-minute cancellation, Damon and Daniel take the opportunity to check in with each other and share some ideas and stories, from sphinxes to imagining new futures to Daniel's contentious dilemma about a moose antler.
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 69 - Sir The Baptist
Sir The Baptist is a preacher's son, rapper, and singer who is reimagining what it means to celebrate one's faith in public and in one's art. Born and raised in Bronzeville, he embraces challenging hypocrisy of the church as part of his religious practice, all while compelling folks to dance in celebration. He has recently performed at Afropunk, the Made in America festival, and the Tidal Showcase at the Barclays Center.
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 68 - Standing Rock w/ Kristiana Colón
This week's episode shares some of the voices, stories, and experiences of the Standing Rock occupation on indigenous land in North Dakota. First, Daniel and AirGo alum Kristiana Colón discuss their experience visiting last weekend. Then, we share three audio portraits by the podcast series "Voices of Standing Rock," produced by Bo Hakala and Bill Prouty.
Hear "Voices of Standing Rock" here: www.facebook.com/voicesofstandingrock/
Follow Oceti Sakowin camp: www.facebook.com/OcetiSakowinCamp
All music from this episode is by A Tribe Called Red, a group of First Nations DJs and producers. Learn more about the group: atribecalledred.com
HELP SPREAD THE WORDS OF THESE STRONG YOUNG VOICES BY BECOMING AN AMPLIFIER WITH A MONTHLY DONATION THROUGH PATREON, THE ARTS PATRONAGE SITE.
Episode 67 - Jhon Myquale
You should listen to Jhon Myquale. The emcee found his way to Chicago a couple years back, and has quietly been putting in work with folks across the city. He's put out a string of dope tracks this year, and is poised to break through. He brings his thoughts and some bars to AirGo.