Mister Wallace is glowing up, out, and all around. They're the cool mom and founder of Futurehood, a collective spaceship full of emerging Chicago hip hop artists who are queer, which has reached a new level of visibility in recent months with a showcase performance and spectacle as part of last November's Red Bull Music Festival Chicago. Wallace also recently dropped a new project entitled Cool Mom, which is available everywhere.
Episode 175 - Alex Fruchter
Alex Fruchter is the man behind Chicago independent label Closed Sessions, the founder of hip hop blog Ruby Hornet, and a writer and DJ. His work has helped bring forward multiple waves of Chicago hip hop, from the Napster days into the streaming age and beyond. He talks about the industry, the role of a label, his own shift in perspective in the last year, and Morgan Park Academy, which is both his and Damon's alma mater. Soak up some Chicago hip hop history!
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Episode 174 - Hoda Katebi
Wow. Hoda Katebi is a brilliant style designer, organizer, and writer who comes through for one of our favorite episodes ever. She's the founder of JooJoo Azad, a radical online fashion publication; the author of Tehran Streetstyle, a street fashion book of photos taken on the streets of her home country; and the founder of the newly launched Blue Tin Production, a fashion production co-op run by immigrant and refugee women here in Chicago.
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Episode 173 - David Stovall
David Stovall is a professor at UIC whose work focuses on reshaping education and the school-to-prison nexus (which he explains, don't worry). He's also just a very good dude. We take a deep dive into classrooms, shaping our definitions of abolition, and much more.
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Episode 172 - Camonghne Felix
Camonghne Felix is new to town, but she's already working to challenge power at the highest level in the city. The poet, political campaign maneuverer, and BRONX NATIVE is here working as Communications Director for the mayoral campaign of AirGo alum Amara Enyia. She pops in to talk first Chicago impressions, the legacies and conflicts of the Obamas, political futures, and much more.
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Episode 171 - Vincent Martell
Vincent Martell is the founder of VAM Studio, an independent film and media production company consisting of primarily queer people of color that produces videos for musicians and record labels, foundations, and non-profits, nightlife and art identities. He is the director of Damaged Goods, a new web series celebrating a group of friends in Chicago's underground DIY scene.
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Episode 170 - In the Loop, Out the Blue #4
For the last few months, AirGo partnered with the Real Chi newsroom at Free Spirit Media, a youth media nonprofit here in Chicago. On the final episode of their first season, the Real Chi squad talks bond reform and e-carceration with folks from the Chicago Community Bond Fund, plus a lot of other great deep dives into the news and North Lawndale community. Get on board!
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Episode 169 - Swopes
Swopes is a photographer, graphic designer, influential instagrammer, and somewhat reformed socialite. Her trademark Chicago skyline pieces, which layer natural forces on aerial shots of the city, are immediately recognizable, and she has worked with dozens of national and global brands as a marketing consultant, graphic designer, and influencer. She talks about her craft, her determination toward positivity, what accountability in the mix can look like, and more.
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Episode 168 - #SurvivingLoudly: Damon and Daniel talk harm and accountability
Spurred by the Surviving R. Kelly docuseries, many women in the creative community here in Chicago have brought forth memories and allegations of sexual assault, rape, and sexual violence by men in the scene. Damon and Daniel talk about the moment, what we've learned, how they've processed and understand their respective responsibilities, and some potential next steps.
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Episode 167 - Ryan Keesling
Ryan Keesling is the first guest to ask, in the interview, why we decided to have him on the show. The answer, at least on our end, is self-evident. For the last 18 years, he has worked as the founder and director of Free Write Arts and Literacy, an organization that works with young people in and outside the walls of Chicago's Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. He is also a tremendous DJ, holding down drum and bass nights at venues across the city. We talk about what happens inside that building, his own journey from central Indiana, the capital C Club, and more!
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Episode 166 - Benji Hart
Benji Hart is ready and willing to get reflective,. They have a wonderful conversation with Damon and Daniel about emergent understandings of liberation, growing toward loving their blackness, voguing and its history, and much more. They’re a freelance artist, educator, workshop leader, and retreat facilitator based here in Chicago.
Episode 165 - Tempestt Hazel
It’s a big deal for Tempestt Hazel to get behind the mic, but she does it with grace and openness on this episode of AirGo. The curator, writer, artist, and founder of 60 Inches From Center talks about healthy and unhealthy collaborations, Keith Sweat, and, most importantly, the ARCHIVES! Archives are our joint!
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Episode 164 - Tasha Returns
Tasha is the sweetest. When we first had her on the show a couple years back, she had just come back to Chicago from college, and was working as an organizer with BYP. Two years later, she has a burgeoning, expanding musical career, which she’s doing on her own terms. She talks space, music-making, Instagram comments, and much more.
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Episode 162 - Phenom
Phenom isn’t new to this. The rapper, educator, and mentor has been sharing bars across Chicago for decades, and has some stories to tell. He is the founder of Emcee Skool, an initiative that “provides self-motivated artists with the proper tools and training to deliver highly impactful projects that can be used as peace making and humanity building strategies worldwide.” He goes deep into his journey, from battle raps to Iraq and back, taking Damon and Kiss along for the ride.
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Episode 163 - In the Loop, Out the Blue #3
In the Loop, Out the Blue is a collaborative podcast between AirGo and Free Spirit Media's Real Chi Newsroom. On the third episode, we take a deep dive into cannabis decriminalization, talk November's headlines, get updated on the new events happening in the city, and more.
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Episode 161 - Kane One
When artists get really good, we tend to say their in a league all their own. Kane One, aka Miguel Aguilar, is in a league of dissidents, artists, organizers, and visualizers, and doesn't have any interest in slimming the squad. The Chicago-born artist paints on walls and canvases, under viaducts and in boardrooms, and sees color and form like no one else. He talks about securing the bag, '90's Chicago warehouse parties, teaching boys consent, and more.
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Episode 160 - Aislinn Pulley
Aislinn Pulley is the cofounder of Black Lives Matter Chicago, and a godamn badass. A child of the movement, she has been a steady figure in Chicago's organizing community as a leader, facilitator, and community builder. She talks the evolution of BLM, her father's relationship to Grenada, and much more. We definitely need a part two with Aislinn!
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Episode 159 - In the Loop, Out the Blue #2
Check out In the Loop, Out the Blue Episode 2, presented by AirGo and Chicago youth media nonprofit Free Spirit Media! AirGo's been working with their Real Chi Newsroom to develop a podcast that takes listeners deeper into the stories they've been reporting on, and gives a sense of the people behind the beats that the newsroom covers. On this episode, we talk John Burge's death, this month's headlines, and more. Get in the loop!
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Episode 158 - Check-in #4
The guys take some time to check in about getting older, environment affecting growth, jobs, softness and masculinity, and much more.
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Episode 157 - Roy Kinsey
Roy Kinsey’s beginning to shine, and he knows what knocked the luster off. The rapper talks about his decision to quit drinking a year ago, the clarity it created, the opportunities that have emerged because of it, his work as a librarian at a Chicago Public Library branch out west, his queerness, and more! Make sure to listen to his full-length Blackie, as well as his new EP #MoreRoy!