Tired of there being nothing to watch? First of all… LAME, there’s plenty to watch, what’s your problem? Secondly, have we got something for you, we just wrapped up our second season of fantastic interviews featuring emerging hip hop artists, gardeners in all their forms from homestead gardeners to commercial ag interests, and distillers.
We’ve been busy! We’re proud of the eclectic group of interviews we’ve been able to put together from amongst our interests. We’ve interviewed State Senators, Regenerative Farmers, Cuban Alternative Hip Hop artists and more.
Season 1 Highlights
Journey with us through Season 1 of Beats, Beds & Browns as we get started with local artist Constant L. Burts. Then we jump into our distilled spirits interviews with Paul Hletko, founder of Few Spirits in Evanston, IL. From there, another performer, J Love Raps, an astute informed lyricist whose bars are more filled with analogies, similes and metaphors than a 7th grade Literature Textbook. Ethan Draco (now @contrabandraco) is next and talks about his passionate high school days toting a notebook and moving throughout the Chicago Suburbs as a teen. A fresh perspective from Denver, CO as we interviewed Vivid Scientific, a lyrical mad scientist who mixes styles, beats, producers and teammates. A veteran of the Chicago hip hop industry, A.M. Early Morning is next as he recounts the desire to jump in on any stage, at any time. Oftentimes filling cards that were meant for more well known artists and stealing the show. Regenerative Farmers Rachel and Jesse were next as we toured their Commercial CBD Farm. They shared a deep dive into their processing center and a wandering tour of their expansive, 65 acre farm. We may need to revisit Tulip Tree Gardens as they rehab their old barn roof. Urban Agriculture Bill Author and Indiana State Rep Earl Harris Jr. was next and he stressed the importance of allowing people direct access to food stability. His bill will allow more people to farm commercially in urban farms, using once underutilized land for profitable, functional farming. PittMoss, an alternative growing substrate to Peat Moss closes out our official season with input from Mont Handley, founder of Pitt Moss, Dr. Bethke, soil scientist at Pitt Moss and President Brian Scott. We learned a lot about biochar, alternative growing substrates, the components of Pitt Moss and more.
We released a bonus episode this year, featuring Corey Hagelberg of My Brother’s Keeper Mission Garden in Gary. Corey shared his official ‘Region Rat’ status and how he got into the arts and gardening. A must see for locals.
Season 2 Highlights
We got off with a bang in season 2 as our first interviewee, female artist Queenie La’Rouge was featured on Sway’s Universe just before her episode launched. Representing Chicago to her finest, she dominated the stage and quickly racked up impressions and adoring fans from her tough as nails delivery and deceptively soft vocal stylings. Next up, Boone County Jail Distillery’s own Nicki came and shared their origin story as well as shots of their gin and moonshine. It was a delightful interview if I do say so myself… (hiccup). Next Up was JuJilla, GymShoeJu, with a fierce independent delivery and lyrics you feel upon delivery, Ju gives us an insight into the source of some of his lyrics. A relationship gone bad, street rite of passage and numerous partnerships, some that went well, others still waiting to deliver on the promise. Sticking
with our Chicago’s own legendary artists, we proceed to Polar Bear Triple, unknowingly, the very talented sibling of our leadoff hitter, Queenie La’Rouge. A true talent in his own right, PBT shared his beginnings on the local scene and challenges with being an independent artist. From there, we ventured back into the distillery reps, interviewing Duneland Distillery Founder Vern Brown out of Chesterton, IN. Vern shared his families moonshining past and entry into the brewed and distilled beverage industry. Local Farm to Fork practitioner Steve Howe of Howe Farms shared his philosophy of raising the best tasting pork in Indiana next. Alt Hip-Hop juggernaut Eddie Yuma was next, graciously sharing his journey as a Cuban immigrant turned independent artist. We close out the season of interviews with some extra gardening info from Nikky Witkowski of Purdue Extension. Nikky shared her abundance of knowledge around diagnosing and recommending solutions to garden issues, offering her hotline bling as a resource for those in need.
We conclude our ‘show hole’ with the Beats, Beds & Browns Live Taped Season 2 Launch Concert, hosted at RockaBlock Print Screener in Merrillville, IN, we had opening acts KNG Malik and 33 Mr Misfit start us off, followed by Season 2 All Stars (#S2AllStar) Eddie Yuma and Polar Bear Triple, with our headliner and Season 1 All Star (#S1AllStar) Constant L Burts close out this incredible show.