Day 1 Radio

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

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 w

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

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 o

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

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

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

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 ch

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 cutt

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 mus

Royce 5'9 returns to Day 1 Radio just days before his new album "The Allegory" is set to drop on February 21st. In this wide-ranging talk, Royce opens up about how this album stands out from his previous efforts and how stepping up as a producer impacted the sound and process. He also talks about some of the intentions behind his lyrics on the album and how he feels about the current state of rap coming out of his hometown, Detroit.   2:00 - "Book Of Ryan is your diary...The Allegory is your manifesto.": Branden opens with a statement about Royce's  upcoming album, and Royce agrees. He gets into why every artist should have at least one personal album. He reveals that the album was not planned, but a product of being in the studio all the time. He says that this is the first project "happened to him."   8:50 - Producing and learning: Royce stepped more into the producer role for The Allegory and gets into how learning on the fly impacted his writing. He also breaks down the difference between being technical

Sneaker God Drew Greer is this week's guest on Day 1 Radio. In the aftermath of Kobe Bryant's death, we get him to talk about his time working directly with Kobe during his Nike days.  In other parts of the conversation, we talk about his history in the shoe and fashion game that includes being the Black product director at Ralph Lauren and 1st Black VP of product at Under Armour. Listen, laugh and learn.   2:30 - Drew worked at NIKE for over a decade and he is the brain behind re-branding Kobe Bryant when he joined the company right before the Colorado incident, which he was acquitted of. In the days after Kobe's untimely death, Drew talks about the climate at the time and the grassroots work that went into truly acclimating Kobe into L.A. culture and reworking his public image.   8:00 - Branden and Drew talk about what sets Kobe apart from Michael Jordan when it comes to sharing knowledge with younger players. The discussion also leads to Kobe potentially bringing more light to the WNBA and women's basketba

Day 1 Radio keeps our "day one" tradition going by sitting down with an artist that is sure to be on your radar very soon if he isn't already. Atlanta-based artist Grip is winning new fans daily with his penchant for storytelling and attention to detail. In one of his first interviews since dropping his dope album Snubnose back in October, Grip shares some stories about his life and creativity. Enjoy.   2:45 - Grip's Background:Grip talks about growing up in Decatur and Stone Mountain (east of Atlanta). He describes his upbringing as tough and a little more serious than the "average kid" he grew up with. He talks about how the area has taken a change for the worst over the last 10 years or so since this is where gentrification pushes poorer people to. He also gets into his brief stint in college.   7:50 - Grip the storyteller: Grip says he got into writing through storytelling and watching movies first, and then got into rapping and self-expression. He dropped his first project in high school and followed wi

This week Day 1 Radio adds to its catalog of legends with an interview with hip-hop veteran Kam (West Coast Kam to be exact). Some of you may know him for "Peace Treaty," while others may know him for his debut verse on Cube's classic posse cut "Color Blind" (we get into all of that with him). As usual with guests of his stature, he does most of the talking, and that is how we like it. Enjoy.   2:10: Kam currently lives in Atlanta he talks about his long history with the city that goes all the way back to the early 1990s. He admits that he wasn't very receptive to the city during his first go around, but he gets into what changed.   4:45: Kam has been in the Nation Of Islam for nearly 30 years. He talks about how he got into the teachings and how he realized that despite its popularity among rappers at the time, he was the only one that actually joined.    12:40: Kam dropped his first album "Neva Again" in 1993 and that pretty much made him the first rapper from Watts to go nationwide and put it on the map. H

Quick history lesson: On Day 1 Radio's second show ever back in 2013, we interviewed fashion entrepreneur Gerard Murray, the man behind popular brands like School of Hard Knocks (SOHK) and Tradition Ever Since. Fast forward to today, we are talking to Murray again about a new fashion venture, but this time, we're also talking with his son Tahir as he carries on the family legacy with a new clothing line, Legacy History Pride (LHP). Listen as we talk about their journey, HBCU pride and the ins and outs of the licensing game.   2:45 - The transition from Tradition to LHP: LHP is the third generation of entrepreneurship for the family as Gerard's father founded legendary NYC store Von's Inc. Gerard and Tahir talk about how they are transitioning from one company to another and the bumps and bruises that come along with it. Tahir also explains what it means to have a luxury HBCU brand.   13:15 - The Licensing Game: Gerard is a vet in the licensing game and gives up the game on what's really going on. He reveals t

What better way to end the year and the decade than with a group of friends. So, for the final episode of 2019 and of the decade Day 1 Radio is sharing the space with freelance journalist Jewel Wicker (FADER, Teen Vogue Wall Street Journal, Atlanta Magazine), Jason Lee (BOSSIP) and DJ Wally Sparks (The Groove and Art, Beats & Lyrics). Together we talked about some of our favorite (and least favorite) shows, movies, albums and moments of the last ten years. Listen in to hear what made and didn't make the lists.    5:00 - The crew starts off talking about some of their favorite television shows of the 2010s. Everybody seemed to like the same shows, but the discussion about the least favorites is when people showed how they really felt.   24:00 - A LOT of epic movies came out this decade but we attempt to talk about as many as possible. For the record, the crew agreed that Into the Spider-Verse was the best-animated movie ever. (Shameless plug: go back and listen to our episode with the movie's star Shameik

This week's episode of Day 1 Radio features Atlanta-based fashion designer/entrepreneur Latif Wisdom, founder of Wisdom Fashion House. Widely known for the "End Rape Culture" t-shirt line, Latif is aiming to add social awareness to fashion that leads to conversations that will move society forward. As he preps for his upcoming fashion show in Atlanta on December 7, he tells us the story of his brand and what he hopes to see for it in the future.    5:30 - Latif gets into his origin - Born in Brooklyn and raised in Atlanta (Stone Mountain), Latif talks about immersing himself into the environment. He also gets into how he started his clothing line Wisdom Fashion House when he was in high school which he credits to having to make his own money after his mom stopped giving it to him. He knew he was onto something when his first run of t-shirts sold out in less than a week at school. This leads to a conversation about the myth that "black folks don't support each other."   12:00 Why "Wisdom?" - Latif breaks down

This is one of those rare episodes where we just had to let the guest get in his bag and go. BP held it down solo with Immortal Technique right before he hit soundcheck for his show in Atlanta. We only asked a few questions, but Technique dropped off thousands of answers on everything from why he owns his music rights to the real reason why the first settlers came to America. 1:00 - Branden takes it back to the first time he ever heard Immortal Technique...in a middle school classroom where a teacher was playing it in class. From there Tech talks about his journey of building up a fan base and how he encouraged people to download and share his music while other artists complained when downloads started impacting physical copy sales. 6:10 - Immortal Technique speaks on Byron Allen's lawsuit against Comcast. Branden and Tech go back and forth about how Allen was once looked at as an "Uncle Tom" back in the day but is now looked at as a champion for media. He talks about learning music industry gems from his OGs

This week Day 1 Radio catches up with Domani aka Domani Harris aka T.I.'s son. While he may be known to many because of his parents, he is definitely blazing his own trail as an artist. His debut album "Time Will Tell" was labeled a classic by J. Cole and he is already doing international tours. Listen as he opens up about how this album was different from his other projects, why he feels the time is right for him to shine and what he is looking forward to the most.   1:15 - Why does he wear the same shoes everywhere? Domani wears the same pair of shoes in most of his photoshoots, shows, and social media posts. He explains the reasoning behind them. 3:10 - Wrapping up tour with Big K.R.I.T. and Rapsody. Domani just got finished opening up for Krit and Rapsody on the "From the South With Love" tour. He talks about how this being his first tour experience helped him as a performer.   7:20 - "Time Will Tell" -Domani talks about how this being his fourth project (first album) was different from the rest. This tim

No guest, but plenty to say on this episode of Day 1 Radio. This week Branden and Maurice cover everything from Colin Kaepernick's NFL workout to the new Gang Starr album.   2:30 Alexis Crawford: Clark Atlanta University student Alexis Crawford was murdered by her roommate and her boyfriend in Atlanta. Branden, a CAU alum, unpacks how the incident has impacted the campus. Branden and Maurice also explore how cases like this also shed light on sex trafficking.   8:00 RIP Bad Azz: Veteran West Coast rapper Bad Azz passed away in jail this past week at the age of 43. Crazy thing is that he had only been in there for a couple of days. What happened?   12:00 Drake gets booed off the stage: Neither Branden or Maurice are Drake fans, but even they thought him getting booed off the stage at Tyler the Creator's Flog Gnaw festival was led by pure haters.   16:40 The New Gang Starr album: Branden and Reese agree that the new Gang Starr album is pretty dope and a testament to how universally dope Guru (Gifted Unlimited R