NOT 97

Latest Episodes:

Léa Sen Interview: How To Write Sad Songs That Make You Happy Sep 21, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode we catch up with French-born, London-based singer / songwriter and producer Léa Sen. We talk about Léa gearing up for her first ever US tour dates, her journey to songwriter in English — her second language — plus what inspired her two part EP “You Of Now” and her signature sound, balancing often melancholy subject matter with a hopeful tone and playful energy.

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Aja Monet Interview: Surrealist Blues Poet, Organizer, Storyteller Sep 14, 2023

Show notes

Welcome back to NOT 97 on today’s episode we’re joined by Aja Monet, a surrealist blues poet, an organizer, storyteller, and more. Aja recently released her debut album “when the poems do what they do” — an expansive work, featuring Aja collaborating with a prolific crew of jazz musicians to bring her poems to life. We discuss Aja’s journey from entering the poetry scene in high school with Urban Word NYC, to winning the Nuyoricans Poets Cafe Grand Slam, to the process of putting this album together and more.

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Interview: Planet Giza are Ready When You Are Aug 21, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode we’re joined by Montreal-based boundary pushing trio Planet Giza. We talk through their latest record Ready When You Are, how they found their Retro Futuristic sound, breaking out of their city & the tribulations of being an English-speaking artist in a culture built to only support French-speaking creators. Plus Planet Giza hits the studio for a live performance of Elevator.

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Fly Anakin & YUNGMORPHEUS Interview Aug 10, 2023

Show notes

On today's episode we're joined by rappers Fly Anakin & YUNGMORPHEUS while in New York on their joint tour. The two rappers and producers talk through approach to rap, what goes into creating such a prolific body of work, co-headlining a tour, and the process of putting together their recent collab, "Cassava Bread." Plus, a live in-studio performance of the song as well.

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Mamadou Interview: World Building, Storytelling, and Embracing the Process Aug 03, 2023

Show notes

Today’s episode features Harlem-based singer/songwriter, poet, and storyteller Mamadou. Mamadou talks through his introduction to music after years of writing poetry. His commitment to telling his unique story, building world for his audience to take part in, confronting the pressures of visibility, and finding peace in his creative process.

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Roundtable: The Art of Storytelling with Reason (9.10) Jul 27, 2023

Show notes

On our final roundtable of Season Nine we're joined by TDE's own Reason — on the verge of releasing his sophomore studio album “Porches," out everywhere on August 11th. We talk to Reason about the journey to releasing this record, the pressures of being a part of such an iconic and influential record label, and what it means to be a true writer and storyteller in music today. Reason introduces & plays snippets of two unreleased songs from the record — in addition we play standout songs from rising artists Pote Baby, Saekyi, and Junii.

01 "Mirages!" by Reason ft. Flozigg

02 "Do It 4 Pappy" by Pote Baby

03 "Sedentary" by Sækyi

04 "Bike Club" by Junii

05 "Porch Steps!" by Reason ft. Dirty Dell & Junii

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Wesley Joseph Interview: “We punch above our weight so we can get to a higher level, and then we do that again.” Jul 20, 2023

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On today’s episode we catch up with London-based singer/songwriter, producer, and filmmaker Wesley Joseph. We talk through his recently release GLOW and what it means to now have the Secretly Canadian label team supporting him and his music. Wesley discusses his hands on process of writing, producing, and directing, and what that do it yourself mentality has taught him. As well, we talk about what this moment means to him, touring North American for the first time playing sold out dates in New York, LA, and Toronto.

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Roundtable: Love, Lust, & Accountability with BLK ODYSSY + Special Guest Wesley Joseph (9.9) Jul 13, 2023

Show notes

Today we're joined by BLK ODYSSY, the Austin based duo building conceptual worlds & blending genre from funk to hip-hop to soul and everything in between. We caught up with BLK ODYSSY on the heels of releasing their latest album Diamonds & Freaks — a deeply personal project grappling with lust, sex, masculinity and more. We highlight a standout off their record titled ADAM & EVE and a new single from frequent collaborator Eimaral Sol. In addition, we introduce Philly’s Black Buttafly & the eclectic sounds of Ouri.

01 "Adam & Eve" by BLK ODYSSY

02 "Imagine" by Black Buttafly

03 "Twin" by Ouri

04 "Addiction" by Eimaral Sol

Art: Michael Brennan

Photo: Zeke Martinez

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Reggie Becton Interview: The Sadboy Era Jul 06, 2023

Show notes

Today we’re sitting down with RnB’s rising star Reggie Becton. We discuss his hometown of PG County and what that community means to him, breakdown the eras of his budding career from the iconic Orange Beanie to now, and talk through his creative process & the stories behind his latest release Sadboy Vol. 1 — out now everywhere.

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Roundtable: The Blog Era with ItsTheReal + Special Guest Reggie Becton (9.8) Jun 29, 2023

Show notes

Today’s episode features brothers Eric & Jeff Rosenthal of ITSTHEREAL, influential voices for over a decade in hip-hop media as interviewers, sketch writers & actors, rappers, and more — now with their ten part podcast series The Blog Era, tracking the years between mixtapes and streaming when independent writers and publications held the reins of the music industry — introduces artists from Drake to Kendrick Lamar, Kid Cudi, Nicki Minaj, and J Cole to name a few! We talk through ITSTHEREAL’s history in this industry and how they’ve stayed consistent for over a decade, what they learned from over 500 hours of interviews for The Blog Era, the process of producing a narrative podcast, and more. Plus we play tracks from Matt Miggs & City James and Life of Thom & Iman Nunez.

NOT 97 9.8 also features a snippet of our sit down with Reggie Becton, talking through his latest release Sadboy Vol. 1.

Art: Michael Brennan

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