Sankofa : Weird Summer

Stephen Eric Bryden, aka Sankofa, is the premier Midwest wordsmith. A guy whose vernacular is that of an Encyclopedia Britannica, and his rhymes are always in-the-moment and of the utmost urgency. He’s a thoughtful lyricist, whether he’s rapping about our failing political system(“Joe Harvey X #doubledownondumb”), social unrest(“Killer Mike For President”), or the best damn […]

Power In Numbers : Listen To FloStorm’s “The Message 2020”

Photo by Corey Beck On May 29th and 30th, 2020 peaceful protests in Fort Wayne, Indiana in honor of the murdered George Floyd were corrupted by city police. Without provocation(and with the blessing of Fort Wayne city mayor Tom Henry) the FWPD shot tear gas canisters into crowds of non-violent protesters(with one protester losing his […]

Killer Mike For President

My good friend Stephen, aka Sankofa, wrote, recorded, mixed, and mastered this amazing track with some help from EDS and Burnt Bakarak yesterday and dropped it this morning. Sankofa is one hell of an MC and thinker living in the Midwest with me. His tracks are thoughtful and provocative, while the beats are old school […]

Sankofa : $5,000 Flashlights

There’s nothing quite like experiencing an artist at the height of their powers. Watching them make the magic happen the only way they know how. You wonder each time out if this is as good as it’ll get. Have they reached their pinnacle of creative power? Should I savor this just a little more? Sometimes […]

Sankofa Drops Video For “Blood of the Eagle’s Eye”; ‘$5,000 Flashlights’ Out Sept. 2nd

There really is none greater than Sankofa. The Midwest rapper has been quietly(and sometimes not so quietly) writing and recording thoughtful, introspective, and next-level rhymes now for over ten years(but less than 50.) He’s a worldly fellow but calls Fort Wayne, Indiana home. Whenever there’s a chance to hit a stage and spread the knowledge […]

Flying Lotus : Flamagra

Steven Ellison, aka Flying Lotus, has been on an upward swing from the moment he arrived in 2006 with his debut 1983. Falling comfortably into the shoes of producers like Madlib and J Dilla, with also element of psych, hip hop, trip hop, and jazz, each Flying Lotus record ups the one that came before. […]

D.A.L.I : WHEN HARO MET SALLY

If you grew up in the 1980s then you get it. If you grew up just on the outskirts of the neon decade then you might as well have grown up at the turn of the century. The 1980s were a pretty incredible time to be a freckle-faced kid, cruising around the suburbs with nothing […]

The Magic Of Possibilities : Sankofa and 100 Magnets

Last we heard of Stephen Bryden, aka Sankofa, he was releasing onto the world an excellent LP called Ink From Rust. When Bryden does something, musical or otherwise, he puts 110% in. There’s no half-assing it. I came to Sankofa kind of late, but when I did I was in. I’m pretty much a novice […]

Bulletproof Love

Listen up, fools. There’s a new badass in town. His name is Luke Cage. Yeah, if you’re up to no good Cage has got your number, you dig? So don’t be gettin’ up to nasty shenanigans, you hear? Don’t be grabbin’ purses or snatchin’ wallets….don’t be pushin’ that smack or knockin’ up those shops down […]

Odd Man Out

When I was a teenager I was pretty intimidated by hip hop music. It wasn’t that I didn’t like it. Some of it I liked quite a bit. But the problem for me is that I’m a pretty introverted guy for the most part. In conversation with friends and acquaintances I can hold my own, […]