The Cipher

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132: DJ Dahi Dec 07, 2015

Show notes

DJ Dahi has produced some of your favorite songs of the past several years. He did “Money Trees” for Kendrick Lamar, Drake’s “Worst Behavior,” Dom Kennedy’s “My Type of Party,” Schoolboy Q’s “Hell of a Night,” and many others.

That run of hits brought him to the attention of none other than Dr. Dre, and Dahi ended up playing a key role on several tracks of Dre’s new album, Compton: A Soundtrack By Dr. Dre.

But there’s far more to Dahi than any of that. At a relatively young age, he has developed a style that mixes elements of trap, indie rock, and some unclassifiable elements into a unique blend. With all his accomplishments, his recent solo work shows that he’s still restless, still experimenting, and still just getting started.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/132/ for full show notes and comments.

Darlene today — **131: Darlene Ortiz** Nov 30, 2015
Show notes

Darlene Ortiz is best-known for her iconic pose on the cover of Ice-T’s 1988 album *Power*, a shot that no one who has seen it has ever forgotten. But there’s far more to her than bathing suits and guns.
She was right by Ice-T’s side during his rise to the top of the rap game. The two met when Darlene was a 17 year old hip-hop obsessive, and she and Ice quickly became rap’s first power couple. She appeared on his album covers and in his videos, and was right by his side for tours, TV appearances, movie roles, and the infamous “Cop Killer” controversy.
Darlene has a brand-new memoir called *DEFINITION OF DOWN:My Life with Ice T and the Birth of Hip Hop*, published by Over the Edge Books.
See http://theciphershow.com/episode/131/ for full show notes and comments.

Darlene's photos through the years — **131: Darlene Ortiz** Nov 30, 2015
Show notes

Darlene Ortiz is best-known for her iconic pose on the cover of Ice-T’s 1988 album *Power*, a shot that no one who has seen it has ever forgotten. But there’s far more to her than bathing suits and guns.
She was right by Ice-T’s side during his rise to the top of the rap game. The two met when Darlene was a 17 year old hip-hop obsessive, and she and Ice quickly became rap’s first power couple. She appeared on his album covers and in his videos, and was right by his side for tours, TV appearances, movie roles, and the infamous “Cop Killer” controversy.
Darlene has a brand-new memoir called *DEFINITION OF DOWN:My Life with Ice T and the Birth of Hip Hop*, published by Over the Edge Books.
See http://theciphershow.com/episode/131/ for full show notes and comments.

130: Focus... Nov 23, 2015

Show notes

The producer Focus… is best known for his work with Dr. Dre, and had his hand in half a dozen songs on the legend’s long-awaited new album Compton: A Soundtrack By Dr. Dre. But the versatile beat maker’s work can’t just be summed up by his contributions to one album, however well-known. He began his career as a rapper, but quickly moved into production. He made not just hip-hop, but also hit r&b songs for artists like Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, and Jennifer Lopez.

Focus… first came to Dre’s attention in the early aughts, and worked for the NWA member’s Aftermath label for seven years before taking a brief hiatus. After several years off, and some superb solo albums along the way, he returned to help make Compton possible. One might say that Focus…’s job is in his blood. His father and namesake is the late bassist Bernard Edwards, best known for his work with the great dance band Chic.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/130/ for full show notes and comments.

129: Jake One Nov 16, 2015

Show notes

The Seattle-based producer Jake One got his start as an in-house beat-maker for the influential local label Conception Records. His work there quickly caught the ear of 50 Cent’s camp, and Jake’s beats for 50 and G-Unit led to other high-profile tracks with De La Soul, Rakim, T.I., MF DOOM, and more, as well as whole album collaborations with the likes of Freeway and Brother Ali.

Most recently, Jake has produced hits for Wale (“The Matrimony”), Drake (“Furthest Thing”), Chance the Rapper (“Acid Rain”), and Rick Ross (“3 Kings”). He’s also joined forces with singer Mayer Hawthorne to form the group Tuxedo, who just released their self-titled debut.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/129/ for full show notes and comments.

128: Skyzoo Nov 09, 2015

Show notes

Skyzoo was one of our first guests, a little over three years ago. On that episode, we learned all about how he came up in Bed Stuy and began his career as one of the sharpest emcees in the game.

But a lot has happened since then, and we wanted to bring Sky back to talk about it. He’s released three superb projects. There was the mixtape An Ode to Reasonable Doubt, an updating of and tribute to the Jay Z classic, which was produced by AntMan Wonder. There was his collaboration with longtime friend Torae as the Barrell Brothers. And, most importantly, there’s his newest album, Music For My Friends. That record continues Skyzoo’s tradition of smart, powerful music that tells honest, engaging stories about his life and experiences.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/128/ for full show notes and comments.

127: Raquel Cepeda Nov 02, 2015

Show notes

Raquel Cepeda is an author, journalist, filmmaker, podcast host, and a whole lot more. She grew up in both the Dominican Republic and the New York City of the 1980s. In 2001, she became the Editor-In-Chief of Russell Simmons’ One World magazine. She left the magazine in 2004, just in time to edit the definitive anthology of rap writing, And It Don’t Stop: The Best American Hip-Hop Journalism.

Raquel would go on to make the documentary Bling: A Planet Rock, where she took Paul Wall, Raekwon, and Tego Calderon to Sierra Leone in order to learn the truth behind the country’s diamond trade. Her most recent book is a memoir, Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina, and she’s also a “co-discussant” on the podcast Our National Conversation About Conversations About Race.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/127/ for full show notes and comments.

126: Paul Wall Oct 26, 2015

Show notes

Paul Wall is the Houston-based rapper - and sometimes jeweler - who rose to fame after his appearance on Mike Jones’ 2004 hit “Still Tippin’.” That tune, and Paul’s own hit songs that followed, moved his hometown from hip-hop’s periphery to its center - a shift which still reverberates today, as you can hear in the heavy H-Town influence on newer rappers like Drake and A$AP Rocky.

Paul got his start as part of a group with his childhood friend Chamillionaire. After two albums as a duo, Paul went solo in 2004. He found solo success the following year on his city’s famed Swishahouse label, with his album The Peoples Champ, which contained the hit “Sittin’ Sidewayz.”

Paul has continued to make music true to his city’s roots, while keeping a hand in any number of side hustles, from custom grills to clothing to his brand-new strain of marijuana. His brand-new album is Slab God.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/126/ for full show notes and comments.

Don't ask where the blood came from — **125: Prof** Oct 19, 2015
Show notes

Prof is a Minneapolis-based rapper whose fun and deceptively intricate tracks and entertaining, sometimes chaotic live shows have been entertaining fans since the mid-2000s. He has an outsized, outrageous comic persona, but that doesn’t stop him from frequently rapping movingly and artfully about his difficult childhood and family life.
Prof quickly rose through the hip-hop ranks in his hometown, and is one of only a handful of rappers - local or otherwise - who can sell out Minneapolis’ biggest venues. His success led to him joining forces with the city’s pre-eminent hip-hop label, Rhymesayers. Prof’s debut album on the label, *Liability*, just dropped this past Friday, October 16th.
See http://theciphershow.com/episode/125/ for full show notes and comments.

124: Sacha Jenkins Oct 12, 2015

Show notes

Sacha Jenkins is a journalist, filmmaker, TV producer, author, musician, and all-around hip-hop polymath. He got his start chronicling graffiti and rap music in homemade zines before joining with a diverse crew of hip-hop obsessives to form the collective that came to be known as Ego Trip. That crew was responsible for a successful and influential magazine, two books, and multiple television projects – all of which explored music and race through a smart, funny, occasionally inflammatory lens.

In addition to his work with Ego Trip and writing about hip-hop for basically every other outlet that covered it, Sacha has co-written many books about graffiti, co-wrote Eminem’s autobiography The Way I Am, played in rock and hardcore bands, and has done much more than we can fit in this space. His latest project is a documentary film about hip-hop fashion called Fresh Dressed.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/124/ for full show notes and comments.

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