On this episode, I spin some of the tightest tunes I heard on my Talk Singer tour and try not to wake up my tour mates.
Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Kwame’s The Boy Genius. This episode is hosted by splicetoday.com.
Episode 62 - Doc Waffles /
My guest this week is Doc Waffles, a tight Detroit MC. He’s been releasing great records since 2006’s Golf View Drive. I first became aware of him through his appearances in the Grind Time battle league, and I later became a fan of his music after we played a show together in Detroit.
He talks about his days as a battle rapper, and how he sizes up the battle rap world today. He tells me about his various writing styles, and how he’s continued to change up his approach through the years. We talk about his collaborations with Eddie Logix, and their new album, This Week In Baseball.
Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Sir Mix-a-Lot’s Seminar. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.
Episode 61 - Jumbled /
Height Zone World 61. My guest this week is Jumbled, aka John Bachman. He’s an excellent producer and the man behind the Harford and Reckord tape label. He’s also a Baltimore City high school teacher. We’ve known each other for a while, and I was amped to get him in the mix.
He tells me about growing up on a farm in Harford County, and the unique perspective he gained from his upbringing. We talk about his shift from playing in punk bands to rapping, and another shift from rapping to producing. We also talk about his entry into the world of Baltimore club music, by way of his new Club Classics album.
Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Channel Live’s Station Identification. This episode is hosted by Splice Today.
Episode 60 - Matt Greenfield /
My guest this week is Matt Greenfield. He recently directed Destroy Cleveland, a documentary about the Cleveland hardcore scene in the 80’s. Matt has spent years making music as MC Homeless and as Peaks, Ohio. We first met when our tours crossed paths in Pittsburgh in 2005, and I was amped to get the scoop on his whole career.
He tells me about his early years playing hip-hop shows in the rust belt, and the surprise success of his debut full-length. We discuss the brutality of DIY touring, and his indefinite hiatus from the rap game. We talk about him switching gears to new forms of creativity, and the process of putting this new documentary together.
Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to Schoolly D’s Smoke Some Kill. This episode is hosted by splicetoday.com.
Episode 59 - Sha-Rock (Funky Four Plus One) /
My guest this week is the legendary Sha-Rock, of Funky Four Plus One. They were one of the biggest hip-hop groups in the era before rap records, and they went on to release classic singles in the late 70’s and early 80’s. She was the first female MC in hip-hop, and they were the first hip-hop group to play on Saturday Night Live. She’s one of my favorite MC’s in the history of rap, and it was honor to have her on the show.
She talks about her initial entrance into hip-hop as a B-girl, and her pioneering use of the echo chamber (which Run-DMC would later cite as an influence). We talk about their journey from packed shows in the Bronx to a sold-out nationwide tour with Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, Sequence, Sugarhill Gang and more. She explains their role in bringing rap shows to the punk rock world for the first time, and the influence they had on groups like The Beastie Boys.
Mike Riley’s art this week is an homage to James Brown’s There It Is. This episode is hosted by splicetoday.com.