Hip-hop

Oh.

[laughs] Uh, basically, when it comes to Don Toliver and Drake, right now they are undoubtedly the mascots of hip hop.

And now, before the Jermaine Cole fans come out, [alarmed sound effect] I just want y'all to know that even though he did have a phenomenal first week, that album came and went.

You guys.

You know, that's supposed to be my snitching drop.

I don't know why I keep playing Young Thug.

Anyways, so when it comes to Don Toliver, the reason why this is a big deal in my opinion is because when you look at Don Toliver specifically, he had the third biggest first week sales in hip hop when it comes to octane selling 162,000 first week.

And hopefully you didn't get it confused, I was talking about first week sales earlier.

...

but interlaced very heavily with some hip hop and rap influences and also, um, some rock.

Nice.

And, um, so it, it's an infusion and, uh, it's eclectic in certain ways.

Terms and conditions apply.

This, I have another male artist from Amsterdam who does very urban, um...

He's kind of a, a poet and, uh, very infused with rap and hip hop, and he'll be under that umbrella as well.

So eventually, I, I might just have it all under a radio station-

Agua de vida destila, ya nada a mí me descarrila.

Mi pegada no la asimila, soy Ali en Thriller en Manila.

Rapeando no tengo freno, tengo el antídoto pa' su veneno.

En la turbulencia yo sigo sereno, en mi barca tengo al Nazareno.

Tú me das lo que el mundo no me da, en ti yo encuentro paz.

Good point.

Some artists depict wealth and success, but I think the underdog story is a fundamental part of hip hop culture.

For sure, and it's interesting how that theme has evolved over the years.

Jay-Z's journey is a perfect example.

They're not just listening to music, they're following a life story.

So true.

It's this enduring connection that makes hip hop such a powerful art form.

Right.

Also joining the panel today, first time joining the panel today, been a longtime friend of mine, fantastic artist.

He is a multidisciplinary artist, podcaster, politician in a, uh, uh, excuse me, politics podcaster, coffee company founder, and creator of hip hop and poetry whose work is grounded in justice and the vision of a more livable world.

Representing Los Angeles, he will be in Chicago this weekend along with myself for the Good Vibes Festival, the one and only Propaganda.

Nine-second applause.

We are talking about what it sounds like, what it sounds like if I'm, I'm, I might be putting your words in your mouth, but we are talking about an overhauling, a way of saying, you know, like, like the, like, like Dr., uh, Frantz Fanon, where it's like, do I wanna, do I wanna take over the bur- big house and be a better overseer, or am I just trying to burn the whole thing down 'cause there shouldn't be an overseer? Like, so these discussions are things that I think, I personally think are very healthy, but I think, like you said, is like, it's almost like, uh, what my professor used to always say is like, "Hey, like, somebody gotta suggest if we test the test." So like, i- it, before we start talking about answering the test questions, are the questions even valid? You know what I mean? And those are very difficult conversations if you have an axiom reality a lotta times situated based on, I, I, in my, my opinion, what part of the country you were born in, what year you were born in.

It's going to inform, I think in a lotta ways, the way you come to the solution of, of, of liberation.

And I think ultimately people like your, like you, Doc, and I would even say like this discussion, in my mind, stretches our imagination of what could be, you know what I'm saying? I think a lotta times for me, that was in my, in my journey of really understanding what it means to live with a liberatory spirit is this, this push and pull between what the future I imagined and desired versus the swamp that I'm swimming in now, you know? And I find this, this, this, this, this struggle, and I, and I see it in hip hop, this struggle between the pragmatism of like, well, this is what I can imagine.

I can imagine wealth.

Tino Cucino Radio has another affiliate.

Brazos Valley Communications Hip Hop 101.9 The Beat KBXT in the Bryan College Station Market has added The Yeah Network's syndicated show in afternoons from 2 until 6.

Tino Cochino Radio replaces the Dana Cortez show.

Cochino said, Being from Texas, it always feels special to welcome new Texas affiliates.

Welcome to another episode of Gracias Come Again.

Today, we have an educator, a speaker, a school leader, and most importantly to me right now at the moment, the founder and principal of the New York City Hip Hop High School that's going to be opening this fall.

That's it.

Yeah, we're opening this fall, September 2026.

Let's talk about it, man.

I like to start from the beginning, even though, you know, a lot of the times people come with an agenda and they're like, I just want to talk about, you know, the high school that's opening.

I like to get to know the person because as soon as I saw a founder, principal, I'm like, why him? I said, what led up to this moment that when, you know, our mayor announced these schools and then we were like, we're getting a hip hop high school? How? Where? And then I saw your name and I'm like, why him? Why you? In one sentence, just tell me why you?

I'm a Bronx native.

In her brain, she thought I was doing something because she was like, "I see all these people speaking to you.

Like, you ET The Hip Hop Preacher." I'm like, "No, I'm a human being." Yeah.

That's a title that people have given me.

Mm-hmm.

So that's how I know, because as an adult, my relationship with my daughter for a season wasn't what it was when she was younger, and so I didn't...

I was like, "What's going on?" It's like, "You've not spent the type of time with her that you need to spend." And so in college and dating- Mm-hmm ...

there were some things that she felt like she had to do on her own, which I didn't think she had to, but she was like, "Oh, you, you ET The Hip Hop, you traveling the world.

You doing your thing." Oh.