Rebel Radio

Ice-T’s first baby mama spills the beans on what it really means to be down for your man, and for yourself. While he was inventing gangsta rap, she was catching our attention in her white bikini, and inspiring the dude behind the scenes. Years later, her book Definition of Down tells the whole story, and on our show she explains how she managed to keep it real and not get caught up in “that life." If you like the music from this episode, click on the links below: Ice-T, 6 'N the Mornin' https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/6-n-the-mornin/id281619447?i=281619488 Ice-T, New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme) https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/new-jack-hustler-ninos-theme/id345100584?i=345100674 Kid Ink, Show Me https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/show-me-feat.-chris-brown/id774075180?i=774075428 Parliament, Aqua Boogie https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/aqua-boogie-psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop/id402783?i=402779 Teena Marie, Definition of Down https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/definition-of-down/id591471487?i=591471556 L

Dave Weiner is a bit of a paradox in the music business. He comes off as a blue-collar type: unpretentious, straightforward, and honest — all foreign concepts to most of his peers. He runs his business frugally and with an attention to detail that stands in stark contrast to the fanciful way most record companies operate. Instead of just looking for artists with talent, Dave has made his career by finding talent who also know how to do business, often finding regional players who looked like they had what it takes to go nationwide. This distinction has made him integral to building some of hip hop’s biggest powerhouses. First, he discovered Master P and helped him turn No Limit Records into a $200 million-a-year force that seemed unstoppable. Years later, he would join Tech N9ne and help him build his label, Strange Music, into an under-the-radar enterprise that put its founder on the Forbes Magazine Cash Kings list. He’s also been screwed over by “the business” more than most artists — threatened, double-cro

Born in London in the late 60's, C started MCing in London clubs aged 16 & soon earned a reputation as a vivacious rapper working with LWR's Ron Tom, Jasper the Vinyl Junkie & Jazzy M. Mr.C has organised & been resident DJ at: Fantasy ('88), Base (Dungeons '89), Release (91), Harmony (92), Drop (93), Cyclone (94), Vapourspace (94-95), Flavour (The End 95-96), Subterrain (The End 95 -2002), Superfreq (Worldwide 2002-Present) & SuperDiscoFreq (L.A 2010-2013). Mr.C held down a weekly radio show on Kiss 100FM from 93-02 & has presented TV shows for MTV, VH1, VIVA & BBC. Here’s what we loved about Mr. C. He was a teenager in the 80s, in London, and decided he was going to be a white rapper (okay, maybe he didn’t decide to be white, but you know what I mean). He just knew he was going to succeed. And he did. As the frontman of The Shamen, he sold tons of records with hits like “Move Any Mountain” and “Ebenezer Goode.” He toured the world, won awards and was at the forefront of the short-lived hip-house genre,

Nowadays, a lot of people think of dubstep as the music that plays while drunken frat boys pump their fists. From a Key & Peele parody to a general disdain among dance music fans over 30, dubstep has become somewhat of a whipping boy for EDM. It wasn’t always this way. Once upon a time, dubstep was the underground alternative to the overly commercial direction UK garage took in the mid-2000s. Dubstep was dark, sparse, and a direct link back to the drum & bass roots. Our guests today remember dubstep’s formative days, because they were there. Although the genre was well established in the UK by then, Caspa & Rusko's 2007 collab Fabriclive.37 helped introduce dubstep to audiences around the world. They also know what it’s like to lose the plot. Following the success of Fabriclive.37, they got caught up in touring and their partnership just sort of faded. They never exactly split up, but ended up not working together for more than half a decade. Now, they’re back together and making the kind of music they lo

Adam Weissman is an old friend and an art director at Stüssy, video director for clients such as Nike, one third of the obscure but credible post-trip-hop (we say that as if it’s a thing) band Pollyn, occasional DJ, and aspiring screenwriter. You might call him a restless creative. Today he brings his friend and collaborator Roy Choi — in many ways the most important chef Los Angeles has given the world since Wolfgang Puck — to the Rebel Radio studio. Roy is the man most responsible for transforming food trucks from the lowly all-white roach coaches seen mainly at construction sites into the elevated cultural phenomenon now found on TV, movies, and pretty much every cool corner and workplace in America. He and his partners at the Kogi truck empire not only gave most Americans their first taste of Korean food, but are a driving force in the democratization of gourmet food. And also possibly the first food brand built in social media. The two often work on projects together. On today’s show, the renaissance man

Steve Rennie says he’s an outlier on my show. He’s a rock guy, and maybe not as young as some of our guests. But check it: This dude knows his shit and he’s not afraid to be generous about giving up the game. As the host of the RenmanMB YouTube channel and podcast, and of the online academy Renman U, Rennie mentors young music industry hopefuls and offers a “degree” in the business to inspire the next generation of musicians and executives. He got to this point after a successful run as a concert promoter, artist manager, and record man, and is all too happy to share the nuggets of wisdom he picked up along the way. In our interview, Rennie explains what’s behind his motto “Fuck the Gatekeepers” and how he puts that to work in his own business. He explains why real artists need to “Get the Money,” and he shares the secret to his success: “I quit six times a week and start seven.” In other words, keep showing up. You’re gonna love this episode. If you don’t, there’s something wrong with you. Leave us a comment

Rude Jude calls himself a shock jock. If you listen to him on the All Out Show on Sirius Radio’s Shade 45, you’ll hear him get into fights and adopt a generally surly demeanor between popular hip hop tracks. The Floyd Mayweather beef is particularly entertaining, and, frankly, even more poignant than Michael Rapaport calling him Floyd Kardashian, which is also kinda dope. If you read his memoir, Hyena — or better yet, listen to the audiobook to hear Jude read it in his captivating voice — you’ll hear him take his shock jockery to unprecedented levels in true accounts of his exploits of degrading sex and drug abuse. In our interview, Jude comes across much less calculated than the shock jock term implies. This man is without pretense, often to his own detriment. In response to my comment that most people who’ve been through the kinds of things he has keep to themselves, he says, “Those are the smart people. Those are the people who can keep a girlfriend." But it’s working for Rude Jude. He was hand-picked b

As an entertainment business entrepreneur, Paul Stewart has done it all. He’s started multiple companies. He’s worked in music, film, fashion, and now books. He’s had years with multiple mega-hits, and years where he just barely scraped by. His story is about the struggle: Wake up everyday and hustle. Stay true to what you know. Connect with good people. Be generous. Never stop fighting. Here are just a few of the gems that come out of our interview: On the keys to his success: “I got down differently than other people. I thought the parties were important. I do some of my best networking running the streets at night and connecting with people.” On the people running major record labels: “They are not creative people, so they hire uncreative people underneath them and its like, ego driven maniacs, nepotism and just unqualified.” The problem with book publishers: “There is just so much institutionalized racism in regards to urban culture and hip hop and things like that. It’s just a lack of understanding

Our guest, Quincy Jones III aka QDIII - Producer and digital/tech entrepreneur. You might not exactly say he came from humble beginnings, as the son of perhaps the greatest music producer the world has known. Young Quincy got to sit in on recording sessions for Michael Jackson's Thriller and tag along with big Quincy backstage with jazz and r&b greats. But, as he puts it, "I had the luxury in my opinion of growing up rich and poor,” spending most of his childhood with his mother in a working class home in Sweden. There, he learned to hustle on his own, as well as to take his talents to the streets, literally, as a champion breakdancer. Before moving back to the States, Quincy had released his first hit song and had already embraced the idea of reinvention, pivoting from dancing to making music. From there, the story just gets more interesting. From being immersed among the pioneers of hip hop to becoming a close friend and collaborator to 2Pac before his death, Quincy found himself at the epicenter of

We interview Ryan Babenzien, founder of Greats Brand shoes. "Who are Greats, and what’s a Babenzien,” you ask? We finna tell you. Greats is a great, ahem, sneaker brand out of Brooklyn. Did you hear us? Brooklyn. That right there should tell you it’s great. Ryan and his team are making classic sneaker designs with high-end materials and craftsmanship, the kind of shoe you get for $400 at Barneys or whatever, except these ain’t at no store and they don’t cost no $400. Greats is pioneering a direct-to-consumer business for sneakers, maybe the first one out there doing it. This means you can’t buy them in stores and don’t pay the markups that are typical at retail stores. You buy them at Greats.com and get a lot more for the money. We're bringing you the future right here. But this also means that Ryan and the rest of the Greats crew have to really be on their shit when it comes to marketing and building a brand. Ain’t no Al Bundy selling shoes out there for him. He has to hit you on the Twitter or Instagr

This week’s interview is a continuation from last week with Richard Vission. Wild Style is (are?) Richard’s tribute to the 80s dance genre freestyle. Think Exposé, Cover Girls, Trinere. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, look it up. But while the duo of Frankie and Sonja is definitely a throwback, there’s something very current about them at the same time. They’re sexy and playful and seem like they’re built for Instagram, and Richard’s production updates the freestyle sound with classic house influences that allow them to fit in on dance floors around the world. We have fun talking about flirting with boys, flirting with girls, and the rigors of not only trying to blow up but also to do something that’s meaningful for themselves. It’s a short interview, so take advantage of that. Don’t forget to leave us comments, reviews, and money. Or just money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest this week is Richard Vission.  He’s a DJ, remixer, producer, label owner, club promoter. He’s host of Power Tools — the longest running dance music mix show in the country. He’s worked with megastars from Lady Gaga and Madonna to Major Lazer. And he’s made hits for multiple generations of dance artists — from Crystal Waters and Martha Wash in the 90s to Luciana and his latest discovery, the neo-freestyle duo Wild Style. Did we just coin a new genre? We think so. It might not surprise you, then, that our interview explores how Richard built a career that spans multiple decades, how he’s weathered the ups and downs and managed to stay engaged and energized. For one, you’ll learn that he’s in it because he loves the music and not for the trappings of success. You’ll also learn how he’s honed his craft and learned to accept and seek out feedback that helps him get better and better. Enjoy the shit out of this episode, or at least pretend like you did when you leave us a review on iTunes or comment o

This week we come at you live and direct from the world Los Angeles premiere of Stretch and Bobbito: A Film About Radio That Changed Lives. It’s a short interview because we taped right before the film started, but they dropped some nuggets on us before the lights went down, and they promised to come back and do the full interview next time they’re in Los Angeles. If you don’t know, the Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito show was on the air from 1990-1998 on New York’s WKCR. Despite — or maybe because of — the show’s unusual airtime (1:00 - 5:00 AM), Stretch and Bobbito had an enormous impact on rap music around the world. They brought everyone who was anyone in East Coast rap at the time and featured freestyles and unreleased verses from folks like Nas, Jay-Z, Biggie, Big L, Wu-Tang, Mobb Deep… Outside of New York, the rest of us discovered the show from friends who sent cassette tapes around the world: The original hood internet, as Stretch says. In studio, they drop knowledge about why their show couldn’t happ

Time for some action. That’s the word that comes to mind when I think about Ookay: action. Feels a little like dude came out of nowhere to build a fan base that hangs on his every photo and enjoys his antics like taking his dad to Winter Music Conference. You may or may not love his music (it’s noisy and feels very “of the moment” in both good and bad ways), but you definitely get the sense that he’s having fun doing his thing. He’s also managed to attract the attention of some major players in the game, like Steve Aoki and Borgore, and seems to be playing bigger and bigger stages. How does he do it? Our interview sheds some light on being in the moment and totally transparent with fans, as well as the determination that had him driving to LA from San Diego on a weekly basis to hang out with the Dim Mak crowd just to get his foot in the door. Instead of wishing he could get put on, he took action. Instead of hoping fans would notice, he took action. The EDM.COM track of the week is Triad Dragons and EKG Get R

This week’s guest is Oliver Wang, Author, Professor, and DJ. In this episode you will find snippets of music from A Tribe Called Quest, Run DMC, and Blackstreet. And the EDM.com Track of the Week is Gallant – Weight in Gold: https://soundcloud.com/lavish/gallant-weight-in-gold What’s the time? It’s time to get smart. Oliver Wang is a Ph.D. That’s French for smarter than you. He’s also a DJ, which means he’s cooler than you. You’re just lucky he’s not taller than you. He wrote a book on a topic everyone in the world can relate to: Filipino mobile DJ crews in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1980s. Okay, so maybe Legions of Boom is a bit of a niche title, but it’s a great book about a short era in music history that would go on to have a huge impact on turntablism and hip hop on a global scale, launching the careers of Q-Bert — possibly the world’s most influential DJ — and Mixmaster Mike, who would go on to tour the world with the Beastie Boys. What’s more, he watched me on stage with breakdancing icon Crazy

Check out this week's episode with The Baka Boyz. In this episode you will hear the EDM.COM track of the week from IshDARR - Sugar : https://soundcloud.com/lavish/ishdarr-sugar-prod-medasin And music from Rick James, Pet Shop Boys, Volume 10, Major Lazer, Outkast, Cypress Hill, and AC Slater. Nick V. says Josh Levine is guarded. He might be right. But next to him, everyone seems guarded. He’s the outgoing half of a brother-brother duo who has dominated the airwaves in Los Angeles and around the country for nearly two decades. After moving from nearby Bakersfield, the Vidal brothers changed the sound of LA radio, from the mix show to the morning drive. They introduced Tito — one of LA’s most beloved characters — and helped to discover Big Boy, who would go on to run the morning show for 18 years. Their new show, The Hip Hop Master Mix, is syndicated in over 30 markets. They’ve been important contributors to the Latin hip hop scene, collaborating with OG’s like Mellow Man Ace, ALT, and Lighter Shade of B

Imagine getting up in front of a room full of strangers and telling them your most private, most embarrassing secrets. You read from pages of your childhood diary, pages that don’t particularly make you look good. And then those strangers erupt in applause. You’ve not only made them laugh, you made them feel a little better about themselves, their flaws, and secrets. You’ve soothed their fears that they each may be the only weirdo in the room. Imagine doing this night after night, in city after city, and getting thousands of others to do the same thing. That’s what Dave Nadelberg does. He’s the leader of the Mortified Nation, who — in a series of live events around the country, on podcasts, and even on Netflix — are more than willing to spill their guts for your entertainment and catharsis. In our interview, we explore his journey from frustrated creative to reluctant folk hero, learning some important lessons along the way: - How he uses his community to keep him true to the brand - Where he draws the l

Welcome to the 12th episode of Rebel Radio. Adam 12 sees people at their best, and at their worst. He sees them from the DJ booth, having the time of their lives on the dance floor, living their culture; and he sees them turnt up, twisted, too distracted by social media to really enjoy themselves. That’s what it’s like when you live behind the decks for multiple decades. Adam is Obama’s DJ after having DJed for Christina Aguilera, Prince, Madonna, and just about every hot party in Los Angeles. We did a party together where he consistently murdered, often making fools of DJs with much bigger names. He’s a hip hop kid, but also half of the dark wave band She Wants Revenge. His secrets to success: 1. Do what you love. Whether it’s photography or different styles of music, if it moves you, you have to explore it. 2. Put the phone down. His newest club night doesn’t allow photos at all, so celebrities can be themselves and everyone can be present. 3. If you don’t like the way it is, build your own thing. Frust

This week’s guest is Terry Heller. In this episode you will find snippets of music from The Pharcyde, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, and WC. The EDM.com Track of the Week is Morris by King Mez: https://soundcloud.com/hip-hop/king-mez-morris Man, Terry Heller has seen some shit. As a teenager, he hung around with NWA. (His uncle Jerry was NWA’s infamous manager played by Paul Giammati in Straight Outta Compton.) Fresh out of high school Terry went to work for Eazy-E, finding talent like the group that would become the Black Eyed Peas and shooting videos for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. After years as a successful music video director and real estate developer, Terry opened Plan Check — an updated spin on the all-American burger joint that quickly won lots of awards and has become a favorite of LA foodies. In this episode, Terry shares some NWA stories and insight into how he’s built his career. And it goes a little something like this: 1. Have no fear. He learned that by watching Eazy, maybe the most fearless person e

This week’s guest is artist Aaron Axelrod. In this episode you will find snippets of music from Suga Free, Bob Dylan, Flying Lotus, and Wu-Tang Clan. The EDM.com Track of the Week is Dr. Fresch – Walk That Talk ft. Thewz https://soundcloud.com/thisisechelon/dr-fresch-walk-that-talk-ft Rebel Radio is now available on Dash Radio! Check us out every Thursday, 6 pm PST on the Hot Button channel. http://bit.ly/RebelDash Also find us on iTunes. Don’t forget to subscribe, comment, share, and leave us 5-star reviews. There are two things you should know about Aaron Axelrod: First, he says 'fuck' a lot. Second, he’s made a career out of doing whatever the fuck he wants. Aaron makes art — painting, sculpture, multi-media, all that good shit. He’s done art for the Dash Radio studios in Hollywood, for Coachella, for the City of Los Angeles, and a lot of others. His pitch: Hire me and let me do whatever the fuck I want. The best part? It works. In fact, it works a lot. And it's not just this ethos that has made