Rhymefest: American Rapper, Writer, Community Organizer, and Explorer
World Music Foundation Podcast
Release Date: 02/11/2020
Illmind- Filipino-American Multi-Platinum Music Producer and Innovator
World Music Foundation Podcast
Many articles, films, and interviews have been made about Illmind’s extraordinary career producing many albums for several of the top names in Hip-Hop today. This isn’t one of those interviews. In this week’s episode, John digs deep into the early experiences and upbringing that shaped Ramon Ibanga Jr - AKA !llmind - as a musician and planted the seeds of what has become a life’s quest towards community building. After years of social innovation within the Producer Community, we catch up with this 2x GRAMMY Award winning artist just days before he speaks at Gary Vaynerchuck’s VeeCon...
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Daniel Nebiat: Eritrean Krar Master & Founding Member Of The Juno Award Winning Okavango African Orchestra
World Music Foundation Podcast
Juno award-winning, Eritrian krar player, Daniel Nebiat joins John to talk about his journey playing the krar. From growing up in the midst of a war for independence to working with African legends, Daniel Nebiat shares the ways he had to persevere, adapt, and innovate to continue pursuing his passion for music. Currently based in Toronto, he is a founding member of the Okavango African Orchestra, where he and African musicians from six other countries create original music for traditional instruments that have historically had little or no interaction. Whether he’s talking about krar,...
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We Will Return Soon! (Upcoming Episodes Trailer)
World Music Foundation Podcast
Like all of us, the global pandemic has hit The World Music Foundation hard. We're excited to return soon and we're excited to share with you a sneak peek of upcoming episodes along with some updates on what we've been up to.
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Rhymefest: American Rapper, Writer, Community Organizer, and Explorer
World Music Foundation Podcast
In this week’s episode John meets with American rapper and prolific creator, Che “Rhymefest” Smith to discuss Hip-Hop and his Hollywood acting debut, along with topics ranging from Chicago’s youth, spirituality, various life changing trips around the world, and much more. Rhymefest's upcoming album is titled Love Lessons Part 1. This episode also includes the world-premier of an amazing track from the upcoming album, featuring Black Thought (aka Tariq Trotter of The Roots) & Raheem DeVaughn.
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Wu Fei: Genre-bending Composer, Guzheng Virtuoso & Vocalist From Beijing
World Music Foundation Podcast
Wu Fei describes herself as an ancient soul trapped in a feisty woman's body. Hailing from Beijing, China, Wu Fei is a multi-talented composer and guzheng virtuoso, known also for her improvisational singing and piano playing. Fei talks to John about transitioning from China to the U.S., how both countries have influenced her and her music, and what it was like to hear American music for the first time in her teenage years. She also discusses her critically acclaimed original work "Hello Gold Mountain."
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Louis York: American Griots, Weirdo Workshop Founders, and Multi-GRAMMY Nominated Musicians
World Music Foundation Podcast
This week's episode takes us to Nashville, TN, USA where John visits Weirdo Workshop, the music label and creative headquarters for our guests, Louis York, to speak with them about their new album and everything that's brought them to this point in their careers. Louis York is the powerful duo of multi-GRAMMY nominated songwriting and production team, Claude Kelly and Chuck Harmony. Their debut album is titled American Griots and it's a sonic adventure that's deserving of their incredible backstory.
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Roberto Fonseca: Cuban Pianist, Composer, and Bandleader
World Music Foundation Podcast
Self-proclaimed "crazy, romantic musician", Roberto Fonseca, speaks with John about his recently released 9th solo album, Yesun, along with the life experiences and musical training that have brought him to this point. Roberto is a GRAMMY nominated, Cuban pianist, composer, producer and bandleader, and on this album he experiments with a wide range of musical forms. Roberto also talks about his tenure with the Buena Vista Social Club and this forever changed his approach to music making.
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Femi Kuti: Afrobeat Legend And Concerned Citizen Of The World
World Music Foundation Podcast
John spoke with Afrobeat icon Femi Kuti from the Shrine in Lagos, Nigeria, where he shared his life-changing transition from the Saxophone to the Trumpet and the effect this has had on his music and his thoughts. Femi is the son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, and is considered a torch-bearer to his father’s legacy, but in this interview Femi explains why he believes that his mother, Remilekun Taylor, is actually 90% responsible for who he is.
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Goat Picnic: Hill Country Music of North Mississippi
World Music Foundation Podcast
John travels down to Coldwater, MS for the 69th Annual Goat Picnic in honor of fife & drum legend, Otha Turner. What started off as something else, ends up being a a good handful of great conversations with musicians (and even some audience members) about the Hill Country Music of Northern Mississippi, USA.
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Mei-Ann Chen: Award-Winning Taiwanese-American Conductor & Music Director
World Music Foundation Podcast
Mei-Ann Chen is acclaimed for infusing orchestras with energy, enthusiasm. In our conversation we follow her musical evolution from shy violin player in her birth country, Taiwan, to dynamic, trailblazing, internationally sought-after conductor. Mei-Ann also shares the inspirational interaction with Martin Luther King that inspired the creation of the MacArthur Award-winning, Chicago Sinfonietta, the nations most diverse orchestra, of which she is the principle conductor and music director.
info_outlineIn this week’s episode John meets with American rapper and prolific creator, Che “Rhymefest” Smith to discuss Hip-Hop, his upcoming album, and Hollywood acting debut, along with topics ranging from Chicago’s youth, spirituality, various life changing trips around the world, and much more. Rhymefest's upcoming album is titled Love Lessons Part 1, and as you'll hear in this conversation, Love is a topic at front of mind right now for Che. This episode also includes the world-premier of an amazing track from the upcoming album, featuring Black Thought (aka Tariq Trotter of The Roots) & Raheem DeVaughn. Rhymefest has won multiple Grammys, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award, but as he says: that stuff you can just Google; in this conversation he goes much deeper.
MUSICAL MENTIONS:
00:12 John Gardner
00:22 Che “Rhymefest” Smith
00:33 World Music Foundation
03:17 Black Thought
03:18 Raheem DeVaughn
04:25 Australia
04:26 New Zealand
04:27 Singapore
04:28 Hong Kong
06:03 Baobab Tree
06:06 Africa
06:07 East Africa
06:08 Madagascar
06:13 Griot
06:19 Taiwan
06:21 Alishan Forest
08:09 Ghana
08:18 American Slavery
09:15 Igbo
09:16 Kikuyu
09:17 Mandingo
09:18 Maa’sai
11:01 In My Father’s House
13:57 Art of Culture
15:55 Drum
15:56 Poetry
15:58 Singing
16:18 Coca Leaves
16:53 Musician
15:54 Instrument
16:55 Prince
16:56 Kanye West
22:43 A&R
26:04 Hollywood
26:11The Public
29:06 Hip-Hop
29:10 Rock
33:33 Floyd Mayweather
33:50 Muhammed Ali
33:52 Mike Tyson
34:08 Bruce Lee
35:47 Peru
36:07 Champa
37:38 Amazonian Jungle
39:37 Japan
40:47 79th street
40:51 Mexian Pyramids
42:43 Atlanta
42:50 Pete Buttigieg
44:03 Stony Island
44:19 The Dan Ryan
51:20 Indian Classical Music
51:21 Afrobeat
51:22 Blues
51:50 Iran
51:52 19th Century Hafez
52:04 Jamaica
52:21 Jay Z
52:25 Verse
52:33 Mauritania
52:59 Colombia
53:00 Palenque village
54:58 Wolof
55:05 Croatia
55:08 Yugoslavian war
55:18 Kosovo
56:35 Wu Tang Clan
56:41 Mobb Deep
59:11 Jazzy Jeff
59:17 Ghana
59:29 Eritrea
59:30 Ethiopia
59:31 Uganda
59:32 Tanzania
59:33 Rwanda