I really enjoyed the first season of Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss, his travel docuseries based on the book by Eric Weiner. As an independent creator/producer —and something between a “serious journalist” and a humorous presenter— I pay close attention to programs like this. I’ve been plotting my own travelogue since my early days as a VJ, and I’ve been lucky enough to meet with and learn from some of my biggest inspirations —Rainn and this show are now among them.

Finishing the series led me to check out some of Rainn’s interviews for it (and for his own books, Soul Boom and The Bassoon King). But a lightbulb moment occurred, listening to Questlove’s recent interview with Andre 3000, in which they discuss woodwinds (flutes/oboes/bassoons), creativity, enlightenment, success & celebrity, life in Los Angeles, and reference the 70s TV show Kung Fu —subjects that Rainn also talks about. That sent me back to Geography of Bliss, Episode 5 (Los Angeles), in which Rainn visits some young influencers to discuss among other things, “how to make the bassoon go viral…”

I’m also still a semi-active beatmaker, from my earlier days as a “true-school” hip-hop artist. Re-watching Episode 5 sparked me to produce BLISSOON (stream via player above), which contains multiple sounds from the episode. The track is built around the bassoon riff Rainn teases at about 31:55 (before the moment dissipates in laughter), and it opens with a soundbite of the influencers explaining how they use audio bits —which struck me as similar to what sampling producers do…

I’d sampled the Tom Browne classic Funkin’ For Jamaica (N.Y.) years earlier. I discarded my first idea, but always intended to return for the powerful “I feel it inside my soul” lyric. I was reminded of this in 2020, when I learned FFJ lyricist and vocalist, Toni Smith had passed (RIP). BLISSOON features her immortal FFJ vocals: edited, tuned and arranged in call-and-response, to match the bassoon progression.

Funkin’ For Jamaica is a flawless jam, and I have the utmost respect for Tom Browne and his other genius collaborators. I just wanted to (respectfully) recontextualize Toni Smith’s soulful voice —think Fat Boy Slim with Camille Yarbrough, Flo Rida with Etta James, Kaytranada with Chaka Khan, Odesza with Bettye LaVette, or The Roots with Sly & The Family Stone [sidenote: speaking of Chaka, FFJ is sometimes mis-credited to her, which is understandable, because she and Toni shared some vocal characteristics, and she sometimes performs it].

As a beatmaker, I usually produce downtempo (rarely over 100 BPM), “boom-bap” style hip-hop. But I wanted BLISSOON to be more dancey/bouncy/fun (like Native Tongue-type “everywhere music”, as explained by Will.i.am to Talib Kweli). For drums, I started with a full loop from FFJ, but then decided I didn’t want that much essence from the same source. So I chopped out (and self-sequenced) a kick, a snare and a hi-hat to keep rockin’ while I searched for new drums. Later, in a full-circle moment, I decided to audition Questlove’s hella-groovy Ludwiggy breakbeat…

I’m a huge fan of The Roots. I regard them as the foremost representation of “true-school-hip-hop-as-high-art”; and our several meetings as personal highlights —the most notable during filming of The Legendary (2010), a short doc by Cam Be, co-produced & hosted by me. But I almost passed on Ludwiggy for BLISSOON, because I’ve used it once before (slightly modified chops) and I already have another use in mind (unmodified loop).

But when I randomly discovered Rainn Wilson and Questlove share the same birthday (Jan. 20), that struck me as a wild coincidence, given how BLISSOON was conceived, plus all its audio files are saved in a folder I’d titled “Blissoon 120” —for the BPM, not the date. I then felt compelled to make Ludwiggy work, so I chopped out another kick, snare and hi-hat, stacked and EQ’d them with the FFJ set, and used some other parts at full and half tempo (120/60 BPM).

BTW: I enjoy The Office as a casual fan, but I started following Rainn via my curiosity about the Baha’i faith, of which he’s a prominent voice. I live in Chicago and the beautiful North American temple is nearby in suburban Wilmette; I occasionally attend music events there (see flyer) or visit just to sit and journal in the surrounding gardens when the weather’s nice. During my active rap days, that’s where I wrote Soul Oasis and Coolin’ on the Lakeshore.

I spent September 2015 in Lucerne (or Luzern), Switzerland via the CLAER Program, as a Cultural Ambassador for Chicago Sister Cities International (CSCI). I returned twice in 2022 —April (as part of my Euro Grand Tour) and September again— to collaborate with resident artist Jonas Raeber for the program’s 20th Anniversary celebration…

On a sidenote, I suspect we inspired this fun Swiss tourism spot, hopefully we get cameos next time! Anyway, here’s a video of me running over to visit “my dude”, The Lion of Lucerne for good luck. And right below that is the instrumental track I produced in 2015, called A-YO for the traditional Swiss alphorn and yodel samples (the Busta/Dilla vocal was a fitting afterthought)…

April 2022, I embarked on a month-long, 5-city Euro Grand Tour for my independent media and arts ventures (starting with the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy, and a return to Lucerne after seven years). This post is under construction; see my Instagram story highlights in the interim.

A Zoom meeting last week, reminded me of my experience with (and appreciation for) Kartemquin Films (KTQ). In 2014 (after my time with AXS TV), I wanted to create urban music, arts and culture content that was more eclectic and socially conscious. This led me to the DVID Fellowship (the doc film program is a partnership with CFW Chicago).

The idea I brought for an international project was too ambitious at the time. But the fellowship experience helped me to better define myself as a storyteller and refine some elements that are emerging in The DOWNNOW Project, as it continues to develop.

[above] DVID 2014 Pitch Day and Reception [left] Screening some of my best/favorite work for the review panel (including the Blitz clip behind me). [right] Post-pitch chat with Lauren Pabst (MacArthur Foundation) and Dan Andries (WTTW Chicago).

[above left] DVID 2014 Graduation award and [right] class photo. [below left] Gordon Quinn, KTQ co-founder and [right] #thumbsup with Chaz Ebert, our keynote speaker.

[below left] DVID 2018 Graduation with fellow alumni Jamaar (center; 2018) and Cam Be (2017). [right] The three of us with doc godfather, GQ (these guys are very talented, and some of my best work has been with them).

While planning The #DOWNNOW Project, I was happy to be recognized as an Emerging Producer by the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers —WCSFP. I was impressed by the entire cohort and really appreciated participating in Congress ’21.

A major highlight for me was Jeff Goldblum’s Spark of Inspiration session with Arif Nurmohamed. Their excellent Nat Geo show is a model for the kind of smart, fun television I aspire to make; and their insights aligned with my experience (global arts, journalism, documentary, music TV).

Scenes from the Global Closing Session of the awesome and inspiring World Press Freedom Conference 2020, co-hosted by UNESCO and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Happy for my small feature with Christiane Amanpour and Humberto Tan —see here at 29:03— but just to be clear, I’m a Music, Arts & Culture Journalist, not a Sports Journalist (s/o Pieter, Youssra & Joel)…

The #DOWNNOW Project is my original journalism/storytelling and music series, conceived in Summer 2020 through my Chicago Music Ambassador role. Promoting the “Year of Chicago Music” began to feel increasingly tone deaf and out-of-sync during a crucial election cycle, the disruptive arrival of COVID-19, intense social upheaval for racial justice, and the convergence thereof.

The pandemic ultimately forced The City to suspend its celebrations, but The #DOWNNOW Project —as in, “It’s goin’ down now!” and “Are you down now?”— had already occurred to me as a way to continue showcasing Chicago music, while conscientiously addressing current times and issues.

The project is an ambitious intersection of urban music, arts & culture, with high ideals of social justice, human rights and press freedom. It will present dialogues for healing and action, and create original movement anthems. My inspirations are the legendary Studs Terkel (a primary influence as an interviewer/broadcaster and social/cultural critic), and Chicago’s rich history of Black music activism (exemplified by iconic artists like Curtis Mayfield, Oscar Brown Jr., and The Staple Singers). I’m also heavily influenced by the brilliance of Don Cornelius and Soul Train.

The project has been awarded by National Geographic —click “Chicago” on this Nat Geo Project Map— Chicago DCASE (through the “Arts 77” plan), and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ). Shoots and recordings are currently being planned; I’m following The City’s lead as it cautiously resumes activities. Logo tee shirts and face masks are available in the #ASCbrand store at Threadless.com.

I’m happy and honored to be named a Chicago Music Ambassador, and to join the City of Chicago’s Office of the Mayor, its Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), and its official destination marketing organization (Choose Chicago) in celebrating the Year of Chicago Music (2020), and the 35th anniversary of the Arts & Business Council of Chicago.

As a Music, Arts & Culture journalist, I’ve worked with some of Chicago’s most beloved media outlets. As a documentarian and multimedia artist, I’ve been supported by key civic arts initiatives and some of the city’s prominent arts organizations. And for years, prior to my current work, I was an active “true-school”  artist in the local hip-hop underground. So as a proud, almost lifelong Chicagoan, this new appointment is both appropriate and much appreciated. Click the pics or links for more info.

By the mid-2000s, I began feeling under-recognized and burnt out as a “true-school” hip-hop artist. I consider my 2008 Steppenwolf Theatre performances to be my last as a fully active artist (before my transition to broadcasting). And while I still can’t bring myself to outright use words like “former” or “retired” —I prefer the term “semi-active”— they may best describe my “indefinite hiatus” from recording and performing.

Here’s a live version of ONION RINGS (below), performed with soul sisters Africa and Maggie Brown, and a fly jazz quintet (Shawn, Kwame, Duané, Dexter, David). I was honored to participate in this celebration of their dad, the iconic Oscar Brown Jr. —he’s a personal influence and our families are friends. This is just my brief feature; the entire show (produced & directed by Sylvia Ewing) was dope (s/o bro Keith) and garnered positive previews and reviews.

This live version approximates the self-produced, studio recorded OB&FP remix (below), track 02 from my album Driving Songs Volume One (DSV1), on which singer Ka-Di provides the soulful, Mavis Staples-like vocals. The song title references Chicago’s lesser-known “Wild Onion” nickname, derived from an interpretation of the area’s original Native American name. It represents living in and moving around the city, and the lyrics exemplify my usual rap style —a blend of observation, introspection, urban life/sociology, spirituality and witty sh*t talkin’. The overall theme here is determination and triumph, with a little melancholy reflection, on a foundation of civic-pride.

I’d already written the 1st verse for DSV1, when Panik of The Molemen invited me to feature on their 2002 Chicago City Limits record —an important release in Chicago hip-hop history that I’m proud to be on. I finished the 2nd & 3rd verses and recorded all three over Panik’s beat (with DJ PNS‘ Premier-like scratches). The Molemen version (below) was released first and is the de facto, original version of Onion Rings. I later added a live audio intro and bonus verse (from All Natural’s Chatham) for inclusion on my Urban Myth Revisited compilation (track 07).

My second time at Steppenwolf (below) was a scaled-down event in the Garage Theatre, a more intimate, less formal space. But the audience was amped and the entire lineup was tight (the energy kinda felt like Def Poetry or BET Teen Summit).

My media career is preceded by an extensive urban arts background (I liken my transition to that of a sportscaster who’s a former athlete). I refer to myself as a “media hustler”, to honor the sensibilities and insights I’ve brought with me. In that regard, Anthony Bourdain was/is one of my primary influences, and his passing hit me harder than expected, for someone I didn’t actually know.

I was lucky to meet him once in 2013 (with his friend Eric Ripert); he was as cool as you’d imagine and graciously spoke with me for a while. We discussed achieving a successful media career as a “second act”,  the idea of “What’s a journalist?” (he famously maintained that he wasn’t one), and the all-important question —“Who gets the investment and uninhibited creative freedom to tell cool stories?”

I brought up Studs Terkel, another primary influence. Both creative hyphenates were beloved for their genius media work (and for their politics and humanitarianism), though neither were considered conventional journalists (Studs is primarily regarded as a historian). We agreed that their storytelling and interviewing styles were comparable, and that key ingredients are curiosity, respect and integrity. Yes, I still call myself a journalist (reporter-presenter-correspondent-producer-documentarian), but whatever the title, I’m really just trying to do similar, great work…