Day 1 Radio

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Big BSF w/ Benny The Butcher, Rick Hyde & Heem Apr 30, 2020

Show notes

This week's guests on Day 1 Radio are Benny the Butcher, Rick Hyde and Heem collectively known as Black Soprano Family aka B.S.F.. Fresh off the heels of signing a new deal with eONE and releasing their first single "Da Mob," the trio checked in with us to give us a bit of their backstory and their plans to both stay in and widen the lane that the Griselda movement has created.

2:00 - Benny and Rick Hyde talk about the connection to a certain type of people and why rap being a "young man's game" is a false narrative.

5:10 - BSF reveals what they plan to unleash after signing their deal with eONE and the statement they want to make. Benny also talks about stepping into the role of being a label boss and the unconventional methods he's using to put out his crew's music before his own major-label debut.

8:40 - BSF's new project will be a Gangsta Grillz release with DJ Drama. Benny gets into the backstory of how Griselda was originally working on a GG tape before the release of What Would Chine Gun Doand how the idea resurfaced as a BSF project. Each member then talks about their favorite GG mixtapes.

13:30 - Here we get into BSF's origins and how the three of them came together and started making music.

15:30 - Benny lets it be known that BSF is not going to be Griselda Jr.

18:30 - Benny talks about staying down and continuing to grind even when his music wasn't getting national recognition. Says he was a good drug dealer, but a better rapper and that, plus local love, was what kept him going.

21:45 - Rick Hyde shares his backstory of how he started off as a rapper as a teenager and then added making beats to his arsenal out of necessity.

24:00 - Benny reps Buffalo to the fullest but tells us what cities outside of Buffalo were the first to hop on the Griselda wave.

25:30 - BSF gets into how they plan on touching the fans without being able to move around during quarantine and how they view the time down as an opportunity to practice for when the shows open back up.

27:00 - Benny says he isn't looking to be a "cult leader" and looks forward to working with artists his fan base may not expect him to.

28:30 – Benny has a deep history with Atlanta and the south, but musically, he's held on to his Buffalo roots and he talks about how he was able to blend in but stand out at the same time. Rick Hyde Heem also chime in on what people should expect from their solo offerings in the future.

36:00 - Benny talks about his upcoming albums with Hit-Boy and Harry Fraud.

Day 1 Radio podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, IHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, Radio Public, and CLNS Mobile Media app. Follow us on Twitter, FB, and IG at @day1radio

Richie Rich Talks New Album, 2Pac, Fed Case & More Apr 23, 2020

Show notes

One of the bright spots of being on quarantine is that Day 1 Radio gets to catch up with people who don't always come to Atlanta. So for this week's episode, we are checking in with West Coast and Oakland OG Richie Rich. On the heels of releasing his new album The Grow Room, Rich catches us up with everything he's been up to over the last few years and talks about his new business ventures outside of music. Listen in and get gamed up.

1:00 - Richie Rich had been working on his new album The Grow Room for awhile, but he decided to drop it this year around this time because it has a "sunny" sound. He also talks about working exclusively with producers The Mekanix for the entire project and the wild ride that took him from federal prison back to the studio while creating the album.

10:00 - Snoop Dogg has named Richie Rich as a direct influence on his sound. Rich gets into his deep history with some of your favorite rappers. He also talks about how he only makes music with artists that he respects. 14:15 - RR was a part of the Luniz classic "I Got 5 On It" remix, but he admits he didn't always like how his verse turned out on the song. Here, he explains why and the crazy studio session that led to the verse. He also talks about the moment he saw Diddy (Puff Daddy at the time) make a whole club in New York City go crazy to the verse. 19:15 - Rich released an album with legendary label Def Jam Records in the mid-90s. He talks about why he decided to sign with them, but never released a second album with them. He also reveals what he did with the $100K he walked away with at the end of his deal. 25:30 - Here Rich talks about the ebb and flow of his career and how the streets always kept him from taking rap as seriously as he possibly should have. 34:15 - Richie Rich was close friends with 2Pac and made multiple songs with him. Here. he describes his work ethic as being like a "dope fiend." He shares stories about what it was like being in the studio with Pac for one of his all-night sessions. 43:00 - Richie RIch has always been a hustler, and now he's in the legal weed business. Here he talks about his new Purple Cake Batter strain. He's also dabbling in the coffee and French Bulldog breeding businesses as well. 50:00 - Richie Rich speaks on his brief online back-and-forth with E-40 and why it was important to both of them to squash it quickly.

Day 1 Radio podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, IHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, Radio Public, and CLNS Mobile Media app. Follow us on Twitter, FB, and IG at @day1radio

NBA Talk w/Sekou Smith Apr 16, 2020

Show notes

This week's guest is veteran NBA reporter Sekou Smith. In this episode, he offers his perspective on the state of the NBA during the COVID-19 quarantine and how he's never seen anything like this before. This is coming from a guy who covered the NBA during 9/11 and a lockout. He also offers his expert opinion on which players deserve what individual awards if the season does not resume to top it off, Sekou shares which NBA cities have the best food.

3:55 - Sekou talks about what it's like being a sportswriter with no sports happening. He walks us through what it was like being on the job when the first NBA game got canceled and how absolutely everything is shut down and calls the situation "unchartered territory." He also hopes that since the NBA was the first league to call their season off, that they will also be the first to return after the pandemic is over. For the record, he isn't the biggest fan of the H.O.R.S.E. and NBA 2K tournaments taking the games place.

14:00 - Sekou runs down who he would vote for Most Improved Player, Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player. No, Zion is not getting his vote. He also talks about how long it will take for players to get ready if the season starts again. He's also surprised at the number of players who do not have access to hoops and courts right now.

20:00 - Sekou talks about the 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame class featuring Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Tamika Catchings, and the late great Kobe Bryant. He admits that he's "furious" and feels "selfish" because he won’t get to see Kobe take the stage in Springfield. He also shares a couple of his personal Kobe stories.

27:30 - Sekou offers his thoughts on Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson ("Knuckleheads") and Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson ("All the Smoke") entering the podcast and media space. He also talks about what it's like working with (and competing) with players entering his field of expertise. He also reveals what player he thinks will be a perfect fit for media after he stops playing.

36:50 - Sekou says Miami is his favorite NBA city to try food in. He shares some details about some of his favorite spots.

39:00 - Sekou says Barack Obama would be his dream interview and talks about what he would try to pull out of him.

Day 1 Radio podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, IHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, Radio Public, and CLNS Mobile Media app. Follow us on Twitter, FB, and IG at @day1radio

Belief > Business w/Problem Apr 09, 2020

Show notes

This week's episode of Day 1 Radio serves up a little bit of nostalgia as we reconnect with one of the guests on our first ever show back in late 2013, Problem. A lot has changed over the last seven years in his career and he talks about those changes with us. He also talks about his new film short "A Compton Story" and the new music that could be coming any day now. Hope this episode helps your quarantine feel less problematic (pun intended).

3:30 - Problem recently dropped a new short "A Compton Story" on TIDAL. He explains why he felt this was the perfect time to drop, especially being an independent artist in a time where many artists signed to major deals are held up from dropping music.

5:30 - Problem jumped headfirst into film production for this project and learned on the go with some help from a few legendary friends. He talks about the pleasant surprise of being surrounded by talented people and putting out a high-quality product. 11:00 - Problem talks about working with producer Terrace Martin on his new music and recalls a funny story where SCRATCH Magazine got them confused and made a big mistake. He also talks about the process of putting his new album together and picking what songs were featured in the short film. 14:30 - Problem gets into the change of direction in his music. He made a living making ratchet and party music and was actually hesitant to show the full range of his music. He also reveals that it was hard to win over his own friends initially, but the truth in his music couldn't be denied. 19:15 - Problem talks about what has gone into him remaining independent instead of signing to a major record label. He also talks about how writing for other artists is what kept him motivated through the years where he wasn't able to drop all of the different kinds of music he was capable of making. 23:30 - Problem linked up with DJ Quik to drop Rosecrans a few years ago. Here he gets into how that changed how he approached producing music to this day. He also reveals that Quik told him that was some of the best music he produced in 15 years. He also talks about his dream to create an album with all of the Compton rappers including Kendrick Lamar, The Game, Buddy, Boogie, Dr. Dre, King Tee and Roddy Rich. 26:30 - Problem never talked about gang affiliations in his music, and for good reason. He says that it wasn't his truth and that gang banging is nothing to play with. 29:45 - Problem talks about his involvement with Destination Crenshaw and shares the funny story about how he got thrust into the spotlight. 32:30 - Problem talks about the big reveal he made on "A Compton Story."

Day 1 Radio podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, IHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, Radio Public, and CLNS Mobile Media app. Follow us on Twitter, FB, and IG at @day1radio

West Coast Godfather of Hip-Hop w/Lonzo Williams Apr 02, 2020

Show notes

This week's guest on Day 1 Radio is a walking talking Hip-Hop history book. Alonzo Williams is known to many as perhaps the first antagonist in the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton, but his story extends before and after that, which is why they call him the Godfather of West Coast Hip-Hop. Sit back and listen as we catch up with the man who put Los Angeles and Compton rap music on the map.

2:15 - Alonzo starts with his mid 70s beginnings as the first mobile DJ in Compton and his club promoter days when he brought Kurtis Blow and Run DMC out for their first West Coast shows. He also gets into how he helped Eazy-E start Ruthless Records.

5:40 - Alonzo talks about working with Dr. Dre when he was still a teenager and the irony of seeing him go from breaking his studio's headphones all of the time to becoming a billionaire off of them. He also talks about the environment and opportunities that his studio provided for artists back then.

10:15 - Alonzo shares a story about his interactions with Nipsey Hussle when he was just a young kid shining shoes.

11:15 - Alonzo bought Dr. Dre his first drum machine and he explains how his career as a club promoter (and good credit) helped buy guys like him the equipment they needed to make music. He also reveals how he was able to build a top-notch studio through relationships with OG artists like legendary singer Etta James.

15:00 - Alonzo is a pioneer in music distribution as well as production. He talks about his time starting and running West Coast Record Distributors, the first Black-owned, artist-owned record distribution company ever.

18:30 - Alonzo signed Ice Cube to his first record deal before he joined NWA.

21:10 - Alonzo wrote the book "Not Without Alonzo" and has plans to turn it into a movie. He also talks about how he was portrayed in "Straight Outta Compton."

24:30 - Alonzo still performs at age grown-ass-man. He reveals his 25-minute secret to still being able to put on a good show. He also talks about his current projects that include a number of podcasts and a soon-to-be syndicated radio show.

27:00 - Alonzo talks about mentoring young artists and how he surprised that so many young artists still sign bad contracts in 2020.

Day 1 Radio podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, IHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, Radio Public, and CLNS Mobile Media app. Follow us on Twitter, FB, and IG at @day1radio

Quarantine Pod Mar 26, 2020

Show notes

Just like everyone else in the world, the Day 1 Radio cast is having to adjust to the COVID-19 shutdowns, so we're trying something new. Shoutout to our producer Herb for getting us connected to bring you another episode, virtually. Of course we're talking about the elephant in the room but we're also talking about some of the other (less stressful) things going on in the world too.

1:00 - Branden isn't convinced that everyone is practicing social distancing like they are supposed to. Maurice isn't convinced that everyone is taking the entire situation serious. Here, they talk about some of the things they've seen when they've gone out for groceries or a breath of fresh air. 5:00 - How long will be in this? We aren't acting like we know, but we do encourage that you do your best to inform yourself by listening to the right sources. 7:40 - In the midst of the chaos, Jay Electronica dropped his highly-anticipated debut album "A Written Testimony." But many people, including Branden, feel it's an uninspired showing from Jay Elect and a contrived effort from Jay-Z. 15:10 - Here Branden and Reese talk about their current binges and books. Among them are McMillions, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, This Is Not a T-shirt, and Black Lightning. 21:10 - Maurice didn't go to the D-Nice online party, but Branden thought it was dope, very needed and he def thinks D-Nice will be booking a lot of dates, once this whole thing is over with. 26:30 - Will the quarantine change how people live after it's over? Maurice is curious to see if people will be in a rush to get back to "normal" things like waking up and fighting traffic to go to work everyday. Branden also wonders how it will impact large and small business' bottom line. 35:00 - Artists are being hit hard with festivals being cancelled and some are thinking about not dropping any new music at all. Do you feel them on that?

Day 1 Radio podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, IHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, Radio Public, and CLNS Mobile Media app. Follow us on Twitter, FB, and IG at @day1radio

#TBT Mr. Dick Gregory Mar 19, 2020

Show notes

With all of the Covid-19 issues going on, we weren't able to make it into the studio this week. With nearly everyone stuck in the house, we couldn't leave you hanging though.

Instead, we dug in the archives and pulled out a classic episode for you. If you're new to the pod, you probably never heard our explosive episode with the late, great Dick Gregory, so you're in for a treat. If you're an OG listener, this episode is definitely worth another listen.

Hopefully we will be back in the studio soon to bring you more heat. Until then keep listening and spreading the word!

Day 1 Radio podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, IHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, Radio Public, and CLNS Mobile Media app. Follow us on Twitter, FB, and IG at @day1radio

Gentrification, Urbanism & Spike Lee w/ King Williams Mar 13, 2020

Show notes

This week we're joined by journalist and "urbanist" King Williams. Born and raised in Atlanta, Williams has spent the better part of the last decade reporting and producing content about gentrification in his hometown. This spring he has two documentaries dropping. First, he is credited as an associate producer on the Ken Burns/PBS documentary East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story that is premiering on March 24. Then he is dropping his own documentary The Atlanta Way on all social media platforms at the beginning of May. A lot of social and political game in this one, listen closely!

3:30 - King breaks down how he landed the internship of a lifetime with film director Spike Lee...from Twitter. He also talks how Spike's work style and "network" set him for success later.

9:50 - King explains the difference between gentrification, development and revitalization. He also reveals how revitalization can definitely work without gentrifying neighborhoods. 11:30 - King's documentary The Atlanta Way, that chronicles the city's gentrification, has been in the works for a longtime. Here he shares some of the event what inspired him to start it. 15:00 - King gives the definition of "urbanism" and he also addresses how the idea of walking instead of driving is accepted in Atlanta and how he feels walking is actually better for cities economics and general health. 20:30 - Why aren't presidential candidates talking about gentrification? King reveals that it may be as simple as them not remembering or being reminded to talk about it by their staffers. He also talks about how more candidates need to talk about homelessness. 26:20 - King is an associate producer on the upcoming PBS documentary East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story. He talks about working on his The Atlanta Way documentary led to this opportunity. 33:00 - King shares his thoughts about the 2020 Presidential candidates and who he thinks is the best candidate and the best candidate for African-Americans to rally behind. 42:00 - King tries his hand at some Hip-Hop Trivia. Listen to see how he does.

Day 1 Radio podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, IHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, Radio Public, and CLNS Mobile Media app. Follow us on Twitter, FB, and IG at @day1radio

R&B, Hip-Hop & Crip-a-Cola w/Courtney "Bear" Sills Feb 28, 2020

Show notes

What if we told you the same guy who helped put together R&B group 112 was also the same guy who played a role in putting together fellow Atlanta quartet Jagged Edge? What if we told you the same guy discovered Justin Bieber's songwriter, Poo Bear, and that he co-owns Crip-A-Cola with Killer Mike? Well, that "same guy" is this week's guest on Day 1 Radio and his name is Courtney "Big Bear" Sills. If you want some history, kick your shoes off and listen to this episode.

2:30 - Bear gets into growing up in College Park and coming up as a barber. He went to the same high school as Dallas Austin and came up around other Atlanta music names like Jermaine Dupri, Devyne Stevens and T-Boz from TLC. Seeing his peers get into the music industry inspired him to find a way to get into himself and see where he fit. He also reveals how cutting hair for Boyz II Men and Another Bad Creation allowed him to be a fly on the wall and absorb information. 10:00 - Bear walks us through the chain of events that saw him cutting hair for "a guy named Puffy who just lost his job" at Uptown Records and talking with producers Tim & Bob that led to him putting together the R&B group 112 and getting them signed to a new label called Bad Boy Records...and how that actually stemmed from wanting to build a group around a singer named Richard Wingo who wound up joining Jagged Edge. 16:00 - Bear was there when Bad Boy was getting built. He was there when Craig Mack's "Flava In Ya Ear" blew up and when Biggie was becoming a star. He talks about what it was like being from Atlanta with an Atlanta group, moving around in New York City trying to make a name for themselves. You've got to hear him tell the story about their experience at the "One More Chance" remix video shoot. 21:40 - In addition to being nice with his hands as a barber and martial artist, Bear also has a mean pen game. He actually wrote the hook to a lot of people's favorite 112 song, "Cupid." Listen as he tells the story of how that happened. 26:30 - After launching 112, Bear found himself playing a role in putting together Jagged Edge around the same time. He talks about watching both groups rehearsing together before they even had the group names. He jokes about how after Jermaine Dupri signed JE their first music video looked almost identical to 112's. He talks about the differences between working with the two groups. He was also eventually asked to road manage JE as they went on tour with who he refers to as "this girl group called Destiny's Child." You can look up an episode of "Unsung" to see how that turned out. 31:00 - Bear talks about how even though he worked with R&B groups, it wasn't always sweet, especially since they were signed to rap record labels. Especially in the case of 112 who found themselves being bystanders in the Bad Boy vs Death Row beef in the mid-90s. He gets into how he had to learn how to move around in different cities because of that ever since. 37:40 - Bear had a relationship with Nipsey Hussle and often served as his look out when he came to Atlanta. He talks about the harsh reality of having to understand why someone like Nipsey could be taken out in his own hood and how that unfortunate event isn't all that rare. 45:00 - Bear has co-founded a new label named No Face No Case and aims to build and develop songwriters, producers and artists. He talks about how he hopes to bring development back to a game where instant stardom is the norm. 49:30 - Bear wrote a poem for his wife and that poem wound up becoming a song on Justin Bieber's new album called "I Know What Love Is." He also talks about how he discovered Bieber's primary songwriter Poo Bear who also happens to be his younger cousin. 54:00 - Bear gives Hip Hop Trivia a shot and argues us to death that he's right on most of them. We also close the show talking about his co-ownership in Crip-A-Cola that was made famous on Killer Mike's Netflix show "Trigger Warning."

Day 1 Radio podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, IHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, Radio Public, and CLNS Mobile Media app. Follow us on Twitter, FB, and IG at @day1radio

Trap HIstory w/A.R. Shaw Feb 20, 2020

Show notes

Atlanta-based journalist and author A.R. Shaw is this week's guest on Day 1 Radio. Shaw has spent the last five years researching and collecting interviews for his upcoming book, Trap History. In it, he tells a holistic story of the music genre that emerged from crime and poverty to produce chart-topping pop stars. In this interview Shaw shares the journey of creating the book and talks about the importance of people who come from similar backgrounds as these artist to take control of the narratives.

2:30 - Shaw immediately gets into how important the role of a Black music journalist is. He goes into why he decided to create about trap music history specifically, especially since the genre is popular right now. He also shares how even though Atlanta artists get credit for creating the genre, its roots can be found in music by UGK, Playa Fly and 8Ball & MJG. 6:00 - Shaw, a Georgia State University graduate, gets into his history as a writer. He talks about how coming up during the time that Atlanta's music industry explosion was beneficial to his career. He also talks about the challenge of writing a book about a music genre that keeps growing every day. We also talk about how trap music has been able to continue evolving and outgrow other Atlanta-based genres like crunk and snap. 12:30 - As a journalist, we are taught not to put ourselves in the story but Shaw was advised by a friend to put himself in this story because he was actually there, similar to authors who wrote about the Civil Rights Movement. He gets into how he fits in the history and how he went about writing the book for "aliens" who may not know anything about the subject. 17:10 - Shaw says he never worried about one of the people he interviewed or anybody else "beating" him to putting out a trap music book first. He says he focused on telling the story right instead of first. He also gets into how why he interviewed drug addicts and talked about how mental health plays a part in trap music as well. 21:30 - Shaw gets into how he was able to tell the history of Atlanta alongside the history of trap. He breaks down how Atlanta's infrastructure actually birthed "the trap." 23:30 - Shaw answers the tough question of who is the true pioneer of trap music. He also ponders if trap music is indeed the most successful sub-genre of rap music. We also talk about how long the trap music run will last. 34:00 - Shaw gets his knowledge tested with some Hip Hop Trivia. Listen to see how he did.

Day 1 Radio podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, IHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, Radio Public, and CLNS Mobile Media app. Follow us on Twitter, FB, and IG at @day1radio

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