Blackalicious

But my question to you is...

You know, when that album came out, were you up on Blackalicious or up on Soul Sides or any of that?

So I was up on Blackalicious.

I'd heard some singles.

So the majority of my rap listening at that time was either albums that I bought with my own money or friends of mine bought.

That was everybody's hip hop diet came from us, except for the DJs.

We knew who made tapes.

So the DJ homie would put Blackalicious songs on tapes and Leterix songs.

Many of you know his book, "Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation." It won the American Book Award and has been named one of the best American nonfiction books of the last quarter century.

Beyond writing, Jeff co-founded Quantum Projects, the Bay Area label behind DJ Shadow, Blackalicious, and Lyrics Born, one of my favorites.

Jeff was born and raised in Honolulu.

His latest book we'll be talking about today is "Water.

Um, and so he was, like, their, like, touring DJ, and I remember going to that show and a bunch of people being there because of Introducing, thinking he would play something of it, and he's like, "Hey, bro, I'm just DJing." Like-

Blackalicious.

Bl- yeah, yeah.

Someone-

Yeah.

There was, it was someone in hi- like, it was, like, a duo thing.

I can't remem- but I don't think it was Blackalicious.

I think it was somebody else in L- but anyhoo.

'Cause I was either like in the mainstream world with all my friends and working jobs at strip clubs and shit like that, and going to college and hanging out.

Or like finding a couple of people that were into like Jooks, Atmosphere, um, Blackalicious, all of that.

So like they weren't occupying any of those spots, but I just knew, I knew the names where I was like, oh, okay.

You know.

It won the American Book Award and has been named one of the best American nonfiction books of the last quarter-century.

Beyond writing, Jeff co-founded Quannum Projects, the Bay Area label behind DJ Shadow, Blackalicious, and Lyrics Born, one of my favorites.

Jeff was born and raised in Honolulu.

His latest book we'll be talking about today is Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America.

Like, I love music.

And when I listen to The Roots or when I listen to Outkast or when I listen to Blackalicious, I'm like, these guys are so fucking cool, you know? And I'm like, man, I hope people like my shit, you know? And it's like, at the end of the day, that's out of my control, you know? I don't control whether or not the legends and heroes that I look up to respect me or like me or think my shit is dope or think my shit is whack.

They're just going to think whatever they think.

So that kind of goal can be really dangerous too.