South Asians Love Rap

In the lead-up to the Oscars, Mano Sundaresan and I interviewed Joseph Patel for No Bells Radio. We're sharing that conversation here and celebrating Joseph for becoming the first Patel to ever win an Oscar. Summer of Soul, the film he produced alongside first-time director Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, won in the Best Documentary category. Check out the film on Hulu and be sure to follow No Bells Radio wherever you listen to podcasts!

We're back with a bonus episode featuring Mano Sundaresan, a freelance writer and an audio producer at NPR. We discuss the influence of LA rapper Drakeo the Ruler (RIP), links between South Indian film music and rap, and the blog Mano founded last year called No Bells. Below the timestamps, you will find some of Mano's work and some of Akash's work (including a piece for No Bells). (3:08) Remembering Drakeo the Ruler (7:36) Early days in Massachusetts (9:52) Filmi music / 808s & Heartbreaks (14:08) Identity / Mano's work (23:07) College days / early career (30:17) Massachusetts rap / No Bells Mano's work Kanye comes up empty-handed for NPR Patriot Act wasn't perfect, but it was ours for Vulture No Bells blog Akash's work A homegrown thing for No Bells The search for Darondo for KALW Summer games return to Rucker for WNYC

A family affair for the 10th episode! This one is extra special. It features Akash's dad reminiscing on his decades-old bond with Dr. Huey P Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. Huey choose Papa to head his Ph.D committee in the late 1970s at UC Santa Cruz. Plenty of stories come pouring out from there. But mostly this episode is a tribute to teachers and an attempt to explore the legacy of an American icon through a family connection. 

High school student and up-and-coming rapper, Shivam Patnaik, pops by to share the origins of his rap name, the songs influencing his production style, and the mindset he's embracing as he prepares to release his most mature album to date, Junior Year.

A conversation with pop culture writer, Sowmya Krishnamurthy, about the brilliance of Diddy/Biggie/Beyonce, the come up as a freelancer in the hip-hop industry, and the women in pop culture who are redefining norms.