It’s not often I talk to a musician or artist and they explain how Math is integral to their music making process. It’s also not often the musician breaks 4th wall to remind you; his entire brand is a gimmick. The more I talked with Score|Swayze the more I enjoyed his candid yet thoughtful approach to music, how he internalized his lonely excursions into Baltimore’s art scene, and most importantly…anime and cooking.

Intro: Batmane Beyond
Outro: Tsubomi’s Interlude

Find Score|Swayze on Bandcamp

For the last 10 years Trish has been doing what everyone is telling you to do on social media….that is, she’s been buying, selling and renovating properties. But it’s not as easy as 1,2,3….there’s a whooole lot of other steps before you get to the bag, and even AFTER you get the bag, Trish says you can still fumble it if you’re not thinking long term. Listen as Trish talks about her beginnings in Springfield, MA, the start of Ofori and Co, and why the end result isn’t the most important thing to her when approaching jobs.

Photo: Bmore Art

This was an easier episode to edit because my guest Rob Lee is a podcaster. A native of East Baltimore Rob stood out from other kids when growing up, and looking back it was a formative experience that helped him find his voice. Listen as we chop it up about the art of podcasting itself, being a black podcaster in Baltimore, his experiences in the professional world as a data analyst, and fasting (yes, fasting).

“No pix after dark” was a rule for Aaron Dante when he was a young fly black man living his best life in the early 2000s. He wanted to be a sports broadcaster like Bob Costas and Stuart Scott (RIP), but when he got to Syracuse University he realized that wasn’t his bag. He pivoted to something pretty lucrative, and worked in an industry you wouldn’t normally associate with paying for relocation. Listen as Aaron talks about is semi-nomadic childhood, a key power move he made to stand out in the crowd, and the meaning of his podcast’s name, No Pix After Dark.

By the time he was 10 years old Wendel Patrick was a seasoned traveler. The Trinidadian-American came to the states after time in other Caribbean countries and even a stint in South America (fun fact: you can see the shores of Venezuela from his family’s home country). No matter where he was, music was a constant in his life. His father was an audiophile and Wendel observed the care and patience his dad practiced when tending to his vinyl collection. As Wendel got older, he demonstrated an astonishing proficiency for music and pursued music as a profession. Listen as Wendel talks about his beginnings in music training, how the sound of a piano while attending Emory University brought him back to music, and why “it takes what it takes” when he creates his projects.

I first connected with Darren Rogers in 2018 after sending him an episode of a podcast project I started a few years back (and still have yet to finish…). We’re on separate paths and have the same goal: to make Baltimore a better place. Two years later, we re-connected to talk about the big changes we’ve had in our personal lives, the growth and maturation of our passion projects, and look to the future.

There’s power in a name. If someone with ill intent knows your real name, they can bring misfortune upon you. I had no plans for Bmore Alien (aka Qué Pequeño, aka Station North Sadboi), but as of right now I only know him by those names. Each of those names represents a different aspect of him, as he explains in our talk together. We also talk about why he identifies as Biafran (along with a tragic history lesson of the ill-fated nation), coming up in Baltimore’s music and arts scene, and we talk about the time we were both at the same Nigerian wedding and didn’t even know it.

Music by Mateyo

Photographers are authors. They don’t have typewriters or word processors and their prose is of color, shadow and depth. Sydney is one such author and her camera tells the stories of ordinary people, those on the fringe of society, and the relationships we all share with one another. After a life altering event sparked a vigor in her spirit, Sydney coasted between different creative outlets before settling on and excelling with photography. Listen as she talks about her life in Baltimore, we have a lengthy discussion about anime, and a project Sydney has been thinking about starting for a long while (and one I’d be personally excited to see the end result).

Music by Mateyo

Alanah is a New York transplant, and since at least 5 of my family members did the same thing of moving to Maryland from New York I had to ask her…what makes Maryland so special (besides me living here). Alanah answers that along with a whole host of other questions, like her philanthropy work in Baltimore, what it was like moving from the Lower East Side to Baltimore, why she got put out of school, and more!

Depending on who you ask (and what neighborhood you’re in), you’re either extremely happy or extremely frustrated Brandon Scott won the Democratic primary for Baltimore City mayor. Since his first foray into local politics the Park Heights native has been written off and discredited, and feels immense pressure to perform and be the change he wants to see. Since his high school days as a track star with his extremely competitive teammates, Brandon uses the pressure to hold himself accountable and make sure he leaves a path for those coming after him. Listen as Brandon talks about growing up next to an infamous building in Park Heights, his path to City Council President, stories from the campaign trail, and his plan for Baltimore’s brighter and more equitable future.

Since President Scott and I are fans of Wu Tang and OB4CL, I created an alternate cover for the podcast episode.