This is it guys -- this is my last episode. After 4 1/2 years I bring to you episode 190 with J57. This is part II of our conversation. We chat about my takeaways from podcasting, the journey of his Brown Bag All-Star peers and the different directions everyone has taken in music, being sober for over 5 years, his Marketing plan for releasing music, his friend Bryan "Ports" Coyle(RIP), 2024 projects and more. Enjoy and thank you for listening.

I present the final episode of the podcast by inviting back on one of the best guys in the business. Since last appearing on the show, J57 has gone from hell and back, and we talk in length about how this journey through suffering, and redemption, to approach music in a whole new way and what lies ahead for him as he enters this new stage in life. Thank you to everyone who has ever listened, downloaded, subscribed, or told someone about this show. It was a fun ride. Love you all.

Vice Beats swings by the show this week, showcasing Connected, which is the latest single from him that is a deeply personal track, exploring connection in different ways. On the topics of faith and love, emotional resilience and overcoming barriers, we chat about his life and love of music to get a better understanding of who he is. This track introduces the broader aims of “Aspects”, exploring connection in a wide variety of ways through a backdrop of Hip Hop blending live instrumentation...

ASCENSION is the first collaboration between Michigan producers DANNY G and THE LASSO. This week we talk about how they linked up, Detroit rap, different stages in life and how it relates to their work ethic, which all leads up to discussing the 23-minute 808-heavy pastiche of 80s/90s freestyle and Detroit/Flint style beats. Enjoy. Visit the website: https://www.bedroombeethovens.com/ Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bedroombeethovens

On his debut solo album, Wait Til I Get Over, Durand Jones lays us several courses and flavors of sound that are all distinctly Southern and Black—rhythms heavy with raw, Delta grit; bright exhalations of church spirituals; even tender, cadent spoken word. Now I've been a fan of durand for a number of years, and I'm familiar with his music, but now I want to have a conversation about his life so I can figure out if he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty, enduring with a concept until it takes...

Laid back Texas drawl meets Ahwlee's low smooth Southern Californian drawl as we have a chill conversation on his upbringing intersected with his love of music. We also talk about his thought process and how he chooses the people he collaborates with. Pink Siifu and him just finished their third studio LP together as rapper-producer duo B. Cool-Aid. Leather Blvd. — the sequel to their 2017 debut BRWN and their sophomore LP Syrup from the following year — celebrates the slick swagger of its...

It’s been a long, dynamic career for Kid Koala, whether you know him as a Gorillaz collaborator, whether you know him as 1/3 of Deltron 3030 the post-apocalyptic hip-hop group made up of Del tha Funkee Homosapien and producer Dan the Automator, or you are a big fan of his solo stuff through the years. The cool thing is as we see ourselves on the otherside of this pandemic, we are in a time where he feels that Creatures of the Late Afternoon is the most fun album he’s ever recorded, which...

This week I am honored to sit down with Thes One and talk about the history of People Under the Stairs and the events leading up to the creation of the tone poem of grief, loss and redemption, an ambitious instrumental elegy, telling the story of his and Mike's life together, “Farewell, My Friend”. Headnodic and Kat 010, musicians who contributed to the project also add layers to the conversation that detail how Thes One purposefully conceived and sequenced the album. Enjoy! Visit the...

Audio engineer and in-house producer on Taylor Gang going on 15 years now - Ricky P is a veteran in the game. He is 5x Grammy nominated, and we talk about everything under the sun for a one hour conversation as we get deep into the topics of fatherhood, dropping baggage, and focusing on your dreams. We also touch on his contirbutions to helping the local scene in Pittsburgh through guidance, mentorship, and above all else, music. Visit the website: https://www.bedroombeethovens.com/ Support...

After 3 years, Rhettmatic and J Rawls come back to the show but this time they make their collaborative debut as Rawlsmatic with Role Reversal featuring Ras Kass, John Robinson, El Da Sensei, Blu, and more. We chat about how I was able to make the Intro of the album, and the creative processes that were formed in order to make the album over a decade in the making. Basically, it's almost in the same vein as Jaylib (J Dilla & Madlib) and Gangrene (Alchemist & OhNo), where Rawls &...

When Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller were 20 years old and younger, doing whatever they could to get studio time, Big Jerm was supplying them with the beats that would help build the foundation of their legacies. His journey is no less interesting as we navigate through his skater days, beatmaking, getting arrested, shot, hospitalized, married, buying a new house, and de coupling from the I.D. Labs moniker. What lies ahead in 2023 is just another tale waiting to be told. This is Big Jerms' story....

Eric Dan, “E. Dan,” is one of the music industry’s most influential producers/engineers. Hailing from Pittsburgh, PA, he has become the anchor of the Steel City’s growing hip-hop scene thanks to his work with some of rap’s biggest names including Wiz Khalifa and the late Mac Miller, and to his I.D. Labs recording studios - the birthplace for so many of Pittsburgh’s rising talent. We chat about his journey in music started at the age of 16 when he began playing guitar, which then led to him...

Rapper/producer Oddisee sits down with me on episode 179 to discuss his childhood of having a Sudanese father and African American mother in Washington, D.C., having bore witness to stark inequality early in life and becoming as political as the city he was raised in. Over the course of his catalog - which includes nearly 20 albums, instrumental tapes and EPs - he addresses the human condition with unwavering conviction and candor, and we end on 'To What End', his first full length album...

Teeko is coming off the heels of the The Gene Brown Beatdown where he single-handed took on friend of the podcast 14KT, and I get the first interview after his turn at bat and the first interview of 2023 with him. We chat about his journey from Puerto Rico to California, and working at his Uncle's record store, through the DMC championships and grinding it out weekend after weekend. It is a legacy that was truly built brick by brick and I am honored to tell his story. Visit the website:...

Marco Pavé has forged a twin identity as a champion of independent Southern Hip-Hop and as an educator and arts advocate working to stimulate community activism and entrepreneurship through the lens of hip hop music and culture.  Born and raised in North Memphis, Pavè started rapping seriously to articulate the dangerous day-to-day realities of his neighborhood. It took a few years for him to align with his sense of purpose and that's where I come in to curate a conversation that finds him...

Versatility and persistence are a deadly combination of characteristics. They are much-needed weapons to have in an artist’s arsenal of traits. For Taylor Gang’s in-house producer RMB Justize, these are the qualities that got him nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Album of the Year in 2015 (Wiz Khalifa – Blacc Hollywood). We talk about everything from living his greatest timeline into his 30s, and the musical journey that got him to where he is, including humble beginnings his W's, higher...

Jasper Patterson, better known by his stage name Groundislava, is an electronic musician and music producer based in Los Angeles, California. While we wait for his new album, PuzzleBox, to come out, we chat about his upbringing, school days, his growth since the Low End Theory days and video game soundtracks, susboy, and the record label & friend organization WEDIDIT. He is a great guy, equally great producer, and we try and fit every topic under the sun in less than 45 minutes. Enjoy!...

This week I chop it up with TM88, the Grammy Award-nominated producer, who is a staple in the Atlanta trap hip-hop scene, working with all the elites from Young Thug and Future to Drake and Juicy J. We talk about a myriad of subjects from selling beats for $40 to growing up living with his grandmother, all the way to being grammy nominated in 2023 and becoming a new dad. We cover everything under the sun to get to know TM88 better and we also talk about how his own production team, Crash...

Terri Lyne Carrington has never once pumped the brakes on developing her creativity and expanding her own professional success. The three-time Grammy winner and NEA Jazz Master has set the bar for contemporary jazz drummers and emerged as an inspiration and role model – particularly for female musicians. Her latest book, "New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers," features works written by 101 composers ranging across generations, from legends Lil Hardin Armstrong and Mary Lou...

This episode, we open a can of worms and talk about everything from old hangout spots, newspapers and Celine Dion, and I beg the question, 'What would the banging yet smooth beats of DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and the sonic architects of ’90s boom-bap sound like today?' Nova Scotian-based producer DK has answered that question with his warm, analog-meets-digital hybrids of wistful yet modern boom-bap. Ghettosocks, a legend in his own right also swings by and together they release Listen to the...

DJ Skizz is my guest this week, who is a great producer who has built a solid catalog of production credits over the last few years, dropping high-profile remixes, solo albums and collaboration projects with the most respected emcees in the game. His new body of work is with Crimeapple entitled, 'Breakfast In Hradec'. Crimeapple brings some deep introspection laced over some impressive beats. Enjoy the talk. Visit the website: https://www.bedroombeethovens.com/ Support the show on Patreon:...

Focus... is known as a forerunner and pioneering voice in Hip Hop culture since the late 90's. We have a great and honest dialogue about what it was like being the son of Bernard Edwards; legendary bassist and founding member of the hit-making 70’s disco band CHIC, how his skills were first recognized by Dr. Dre, who admired the creative sound and ingenuity of Focus…‘ genius musical ability and signed him as a staff producer for Aftermath Entertainment. Enjoy the chat. Visit the website:...

Living legend Diamond D swings by the podcast to talk about the early days of his career growing up in The Bronx, sharing stories of being in the studio with numerous rappers, and much more. This conversation leads up to a discussion surrounding his new album, The Rear View, which proves without a shadow of a doubt, Diamond D’s reputation as the best producer on the mic remains unrivaled. Enjoy! Visit the website: https://www.bedroombeethovens.com/ Support the show on Patreon:...

This episode is a masterclass in modern narrative, following my guest this week The Koreatown Oddity as he recounts childhood car accidents, his life in Koreatown, his career in stand up comedy, comic books, movies, spirituality, his new album 'ISTHISFORREAL?' and the kitchen sink. The new album gestures at a running talk-show concept while he deploys a breadth of styles to match the record’s expansive themes. Great music, even better human being. Enjoy! Visit the website:...