THIS photograph was taken by an Echo photographer on VE night and I was printed in the newspaper soon afterwards.

Investigators are working to figure out if the encounter was a misunderstanding or if this was an attempted abduction.

Mylan CEO Heather Bresch repeatedly told the panel last month that Mylan made just $50 in profit for EpiPens sold for more than $300 apiece.

The MTA's brand new breast cancer awareness month bus is now on the road.

Perilous state of city landmark recognised.

Public invited to attend event at threatened building.

Finance boost to threatened landmark.

Celebrations planned for local landmark.

Two Sandwell community swimming pools to close to help fund Commonwealth Games Aquatics Centre, reports Steve Beauchampe.

Celebrating the life of a once vibrant lane, soon to be lost due to development.

A festival of art, commerce and love celebrating Stirchley, Birmingham

An alternative Valentine’s experience celebrating Stirchley

M3 announces record year as it looks to push the West Midlands’ creative talent.

"Very special student" honoured at Birmingham City University.

Helen Dixon House receives grant aid from police charity.

Name change reflects wide range of events for 2019.

Spoken word extravaganza to promote social enterprise once more.

The sudden shutdown of all channels of Greece's national broadcasting company by the Greek government is 'unacceptable for an EU democracy', says West Mids and Warks Lib Dem MEP Phil Bennion.

In this week's episode, Gaz and Liam bring you new music from Early James & Pokey LaFarge.

There's also classic from Junior Wells, Howie Payne, David Porter, Pigmeat Markham, Band Of Horses and an exclusive live session with Pete Molinari.

Pete plays an acoustic version of 'Born To Be Blue' from his brand new album 'Just Like Achilles' out now on We Are Hear Music.

Head over to The Blues Kitchen YouTube www.youtube.com/BluesKitchenTV

Be sure to check out:

The Blues Chronicles
Bush Hall - London
Thurs 27th 2020
Fri 28th Feb 2020
https://theblueschronicles.com/events/

When you've caught up with the podcast, head over to The Blues Kitchen YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/BluesKitchenTV

Email the show: radio@theblueskitchen.com

Listen on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Mixcloud, Acast & many more…

On this episode, we have a fascinating chat with Pharoahe Monch. Pharoahe has been spitting some of the most intricate and meaningful lyrics in all of rap since his first release in 1991 with the duo Organized Konfusion. He took the polysyllabic rhyme style pioneered by Kool G. Rap, combined it with a political critique reminiscent of early-90’s Chuck D and Ice Cube, and added his own unique poetic imagination to create a style unlike anything before or since. We talked to Pharoahe about writing for Diddy, his feelings about Michael Bloomberg, and why he’s obsessed with right angles.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/6/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, we talk to two of our favorites here on Outside the Lines, Pharoahe Monch and Jean Grae, about their exciting new projects. We start with a song-by-song preview of Pharoahe’s upcoming new album PTSD: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. We’re honored to bring you what is so far Pharoahe’s only in-depth chat about these songs. In the second half of our show, we talk to the amazing Jean Grae about her new single, “Kill Screen a.k.a. Steve Wiebe,” and her upcoming Gotham Down album.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/20/ for full show notes and comments.

Longtime listeners to the show will recall Pharoahe Monch as OTL’s first three-peat guest, first appearing on the show in July 2012. This time, we sat down with Pharoahe and his manager Guy Routte to talk PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Pharoahe’s new album that’s dropping today. With a desire to continue exploring themes of violence, peace, war, and recovery as well as exploring his own dealings with mental health, Pharoahe transformed what was originally supposed to be an EP into a full length album following his last album, W.A.R. (We Are Renegades).

PTSD is at once a very personal and a very removed project. Pharaohe speaks for many people beyond himself through PTSD, slipping into different narrators to communicate larger issues of dealing with trauma in multiple spheres — in marginalized black communities, in war veterans, and in his own life. The narrator of the record splits into multiple layers — a PTSD riddled veteran grappling with problems of love and drugs and Pharoahe talking about his own career and personal life.

We talked PTSD, how the hip hop genre has changed, how mental health affects the black community, themes of gun violence, sanity and insanity, dealing with depression, the musical and thematic evolution of Pharaohe’s style, and whether or not PTSD is actually Pharaohe’s last full-length album.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/66/ for full show notes and comments.

Live from Bed Stuy’s Restoration Plaza, we bring you a very special event with Buddha Monk and Mickey Hess, authors of a new biography of the Wu’s Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Occurring only blocks from Dirty’s childhood home, this conversation features not only the authors, but also special appearances from the Wu member’s family and friends. Buddha Monk was Dirty’s close friend since they were children, and had a front row seat to the artist’s rise and fall. His book, co-written with Rider professor Mickey Hess, is The Dirty Version: On Stage, In the Studio, and In the Streets With Ol’ Dirty Bastard, published by Harper Collins. You can buy it here.

If you like this episode, be sure to check out our recent article on the Wu for Radio.com

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/83/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, we sit down with Harlem’s own Smoke DZA and Bluntsmoker, a member of his R.F.C. crew. They’ve just released an album called The Outsiders. Talking in a studio just down the block from DZA’s native “911” (Harlem’s 119th Street), we discuss how Harlem has changed, the overlap between pro wrestling and hip-hop, how his style and voice have mutated over the years, and tons more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/89/ for full show notes and comments.

Tanya Morgan, as the title of one of their mixtapes states, is a rap group. Von Pea and donwill have been putting out classics since their 2006 debut Moonlighting. They’ve gone through successes, failures, lineup changes (original member Ilyas left in 2012), and more while continuing to reach for new sounds and concepts. Their most recent release is the EP 12 Minutes at Karriem’s. We talked to the group about touring disasters, childhood friendships, Google Maps, that time donwill almost ended up on Cops, and much, much more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/94/ for full show notes and comments.

Bishop Lamont is one of the West Coast’s premiere lyricists. He first came to rap fans’ attention with his 2004 mixtape Who I Gotta Kill To Get A Record Deal. The title proved prophetic, as shortly afterwards he was scooped up by Dr. Dre.

During his time on Aftermath, Bishop released a ton of fantastic free “street albums,” but not a proper debut, and he left the label after several years in limbo. His latest release is The (P)Reformation, and his long-awaited album The Reformation will be out later this year.

We talked to the often-controversial rapper about his relationships with Dilla and Proof, how he was rhyming about Selma before it was cool, his pre-rap life as a stuntman – and, of course, cartoons. Plenty of cartoons.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/96/ for full show notes and comments.

Our special 100th episode finds us with a flood of special guests. We have Metermaids, an NYC rap duo signed to Sage Francis’ Strange Famous label. Their newest album We Brought Knives is a powerful examination of fatherhood, legacies, changing times, and the awesomeness of Bruce Springsteen.

They’re followed by Gabriel Roth. Roth is the co-founder of Daptone Records, a Brooklyn-based label that has released some of the finest soul, funk, Afrobeat, and other roots music of this generation. The band he leads, The Dap-Kings (who normally back the powerful singer Sharon Jones), played a key part in one of the most popular records in recent memory, Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black.

This being an anniversary party, we start the show with a special surprise guest.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/100/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, we talk to MF Grimm, along with his producer and group-mate Drasar Monumental. Grimm is a rapper, producer, and now an award-winning comic book writer, who is just now making some of the greatest music of his long and storied career.

After growing up in the New York City of the 70s and 80s - and making a short stint as a child actor on Sesame Street - Grimm began his hip-hop career on the city’s battle scene. He quickly gained attention, started ghostwriting for more successful acts, and was on the verge of solo stardom when he was shot and paralyzed in 1993, in an incident that also killed his brother.

Grimm recovered, and even executive produced his friend MF Doom’s 1999 solo debut Operation: Doomsday, which was recorded in the basement of Grimm’s Rockland County house. Starting in 2001, he began releasing a string of powerful solo albums that molded the ups and downs of his life into powerful artistic statements. He also moved into another medium, writing the autobiographical graphic novel Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm.

Since 2012, he has been working on the Good Morning Vietnam trilogy of albums with our second guest, producer Drasar Monumental.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/123/ for full show notes and comments.

Greg Nice and Smooth B came together to form a group in 1986. By then, the Bronx rappers already had music business experience that belied their young ages. But when they joined forces, things really took off. Their self-titled 1989 debut and its 1991 follow-up Ain’t A Damn Thing Changed are generally regarded as classics, and spawned hits like “Funky For You,” “Hip Hop Junkies,” and of course “Sometimes I Rhyme Slow.”

Nice & Smooth are currently celebrating three decades as a group with a 30th anniversary tour.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/158/ for full show notes and comments.

Monica Lynch is a woman who truly was at the center of it all during hip-hop’s Golden Age.

Monica started out in late 1981 as the very first employee of a small record label called Tommy Boy, which was releasing early rap and electro singles by the likes of Afrika Bambaataa and the Jonzun Crew. She quickly worked her way up to becoming the label’s president, and oversaw its most fertile period during hip-hop’s golden age of the late 1980s and early 90s. Under her tenure, the label released classic albums by Queen Latifah, De La Soul, Naughty By Nature, Stetsasonic, Paris, Digital Underground, CNN, House of Pain, and many more.

Monica was a key part of bringing Tommy Boy to the attention of the masses. She oversaw the label’s clothing line, its successful compilation albums, and also played a key role in the development of careers of artists, executives, and more ranging from The RZA to Dante Ross to Prince Paul.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/171/ for full show notes and comments.

Jerome “J-Roc” Harmon is a Grammy-winning musician and producer best-known for his work with Timbaland. He got his start in Texas, playing gospel and jazz with people like Fred Hammond, Kirk Franklin, and Wayman Tisdale, while producing the occasional hip-hop record. But once he met Timbaland about ten years ago, his career took off.

Harmon has produced, co-produced, or performed on projects by Timbaland, Nas, Chris Brown, Robin Thicke, Jennifer Hudson, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Jay Z, Michael Jackson, and many more. He has won Grammys for his work with gospel icon Fred Hammond, Chris Brown, Justin Timberlake, and Beyoncé, and was a key player in albums like Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience, Jay Z’s The Blueprint 3 and Magna Carta…Holy Grail, and Beyoncé’s self-titled LP.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/175/ for full show notes and comments.

Sean “Slug” Daley of Atmosphere is a proud son of Minneapolis whose devotion to that city shines through not only in his music, but also in the label he co-founded in large part to help bring shine to his city’s scene, Rhymesayers.

Atmosphere started when Daley was in high school (see above), but the group really started making waves in the early 2000s, with the release of music that would be collected on the album Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EPs.

The introspective, personal songs on Lucy Ford and follow-up projects like God Loves Ugly and Seven’s Travels struck a chord with a huge audience, and Atmosphere’s constant touring, of a kind much more akin to rock bands than rap acts, helped the group’s following grow to a point where they received airplay on MTV2, performed at large festivals, and received serious attention from big record labels. Rhymesayers, meanwhile, released well-regarded projects from the likes of Brother Ali, Eyedea and Abilities, Blueprint, MF DOOM, and many others.

Atmosphere’s latest album, released this past August, is Fishing Blues.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/178/ for full show notes and comments.

Jay is the host of the longest-running hip-hop radio show ever, The Underground Railroad on New York City station WBAI. He’s had the show since 1991, and helped create the template of what an underground mix show is supposed to be. He also had arguably first hip-hop blog way back in 1997 with hiphopmusic.com.

But Jay is perhaps best known as a pioneering video blogger. His video series Ill Doctrine, which deals with hip-hop, politics, cats, and lots more, has garnered millions of views, and many of the entries have gone viral, including now-classic video essays like “How To Tell Someone They Sound Racist.”

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/201/ for full show notes and comments.

Erick Sermon got his start alongside Parrish Smith as a member of the iconic duo EPMD. Starting with their debut single in 1987 and their first album the following year, the group released four classic LPs in a row - a nearly unprecedented run in a still-new genre - before splitting (for the first time) in 1993. At the same time, Sermon was instrumental in finding and introducing hit acts like Das EFX, K-Solo, Keith Murray, and Redman for his Hit Squad collective. After the breakup, Erick began a successful career as a solo artist and producer, culminating in his giant 2001 hit “Music.” As a producer, he’s helmed hits for LL Cool J, Jay Z, Illegal, Jodeci, and even Shaquille O’Neal. Most recently, Sermon completed a successful campaign to crowdfund a new album.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/233/ for full show notes and comments.

Joan is a writer who got her start in the 1990s, helping to create what came to be known as “hip-hop journalism” with her articles at places like Vibe and the Village Voice. Whether she was writing about the Mike Tyson trial, profiling TLC, or investigating the sex trade in Jamaica, Joan brought her keen, Bronx-raised sensibility to everything she touched.

Joan pioneered hip-hop feminism—and came up with the phrase “black girl magic,” to boot—in her classic 1999 book When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: A Hip-Hop Feminist Breaks It Down. And now she has a brand new book, a reflection on Ms. Lauryn Hill’s classic debut album. It’s called She Begat This: 20 Years of the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/243/ for full show notes and comments.

As many of you know, The Cipher is going on an indefinite hiatus following this episode. For more information about why, visit us on Twitter or Facebook, or just listen to this episode. But in short, we have no plans to make any more new episodes after this one. Our archives, however, will still be available and free on our website, on iTunes and other podcast apps, and on SoundCloud.

For this goodbye episode, we called up our friend and episode 201 guest Jay Smooth to interview The Cipher’s host Shawn Setaro and its producer Josh Kross. Jay, as you’ll hear, did an amazing job, and got us to touch on so many aspects of the show’s history, and of ways we thought about it over the years.

So here’s the end of the road, for now. Thanks for listening.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/252/ for full show notes and comments.

What better way to celebrate the potential arrival of warmer months than with a Halfmoon Walking & Writing Workshop over Cannock Chase.

John Moffitt, NFL Offensive Lineman, joins Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt live in studio.

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Greg Fitzsimmons, Comedian and Host of the "Fitzdog Radio" podcast and The Greg Fitzsimmons Show on Sirius XM, joins Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt live in studio.

Cassius Morris, 17 year old host of the Cassius Morris show podcast and photographer joins Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt via Skype.

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Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt talk about growing up spoiled, Hot Wheels, and Joey gives advice to open mic comedians. Liz Carmouche, Current UFC fighter who fought Ronda Rousey for the Bantamweight belt, calls in to talk to Joey about her upcoming match in EBI 8 on September 11, 2016. 

This podcast is brought to you by:

Club W. Go to www.clubw.com/joey to get $20 off of your first order of wine curated just for you and Club W will pay for the shipping on orders of four bottles or more.

Greg Fitzsimmons, Comedian and Host of the "Fitzdog Radio" podcast and The Greg Fitzsimmons Show on Sirius XM, joins Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt live in studio.

Cassius Morris, 19 year old host of the "Cassius Morris Show" podcast and rock concert photographer calls in to speak Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt. Cassius recently achieved a goal of interviewing Kiss member Gene Simmons.

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