Breaking Atoms: The Hip Hop Podcast

From we were knee-high, one thing we were taught in our respective communities (Black, Asian and Hip Hop) is that you have to look good. Anything less was uncivilised. Real talk, Hip Hop and Fashion are so intertwined. Don't believe us? How many trash rappers get a pass because they look the part and dress well? No questions. We have too many answers. This week, we're joined by Journalist, Writer and all-round bad gyal with the pen, Sowmya Krishnamurthy, who has just released her first book, Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion. Sowmya shares the origins of writing the book, the years it took to get the story straight, challenges, lessons learned and everything in between. Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Monday 14th August 2023, we were invited to be special guests on BBC Radio 2’s Midnight Mastermind with OJ Borg. Midnight Masternind is a format where the host is asked three questions about a specialist subject and he has to research the answers live on air. Our subject was none other than Nas! Oh yeah, we got The World Is Yours played on Radio 2. We did. that! We had a lot of fun on the show, so we're sharing the audio with you. Special thanks to Sophie Tibbles and Will Broadbent for inviting us on the show. Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back with another episode, and this week, we're not speaking to a Rapper, DJ or Producer. We're branching out a little and speaking with an official fashionista and fly thread connoisseur in general. Franklin Boateng, aka The King of Trainers, joins us to share his Hip Hop origin story and shares memories of spending summers in Brooklyn, getting the latest mixtapes and even pulls out old copies of The Source magazine. He also gets into the dotted line deliverables and shares details about his partnerships with JD Sports, Ellesse and Avirex. It's about more than looking fresh with this one, though. Franklin also gets reflective about the social currency of trainers, why they've become a Hip Hop uniform and what lengths people go to cop the latest wares. Franklin is also the first guest to shout out Shaquille O'Neal and give him props. Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sumit is flying solo this week and connects with the 'natural born storyteller', Grea8gawd! For those who are unfamiliar with the name, consider this your education for the day. Grea8gawd opens up about his Hip Hop origin story, joining The Fiver Percent Nation, gaining knowledge of self, signing with Roc Marciano and more! Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The theme for this week's episode is family. First family, to be exact. We're honoured to welcome Brooklyn's very own, Teflon, to the pod to take us down memory lane and bring us up to speed. Teflon talks us through the making of his excellent new LP, 2 Sides To Every Story, splitting production duties between DJ Premier and Jazimoto and why now is the right time for him to reintroduce himself. He also shares more details about his time on Def Jam, the impact of the Ante Up Remix, his chemistry with M.O.P. and a lot more. Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back in our boom-bap bag of tricks, and we're joined by Amadeus 360! The MPC Jedi talks about the longevity of the boom bap sound, working with Termanology, inspiring Kool G Rap's pen. his love for UK Hip Hop, applying Star Wars philosophy to beat-making and more! Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the last decade, the city of Buffalo has proven to be a hotbed of talent. Griselda obviously kicked in the door, but they also held it open. One of the brightest stars to come out of the upstate scene is Jae Skeese. We spoke to the Buffalo MC about his Hip Hop roots, meeting and being mentored by Conway The Machine, his love of the written word and future plans. Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're fortunate enough to be part of a thriving international Hip Hop community, and this week, we're spreading the love to Eastern Europe. Phat Phillie is a Hip Hop ambassador in the truest sense and has been representing the culture in Croatia and beyond for three decades. Tap in and listen to stories of how he discovered Hip Hop in Zagreb, his travels to New York, meeting his heroes and providing them with opportunities and his work in the reissue market with 90's Tapes. You can listen to some of Phat Phillie's radio shows, and DJ sets below. The first 1st Zagreb, Croatia, Yugoslavia Rap show hosted by Slavin Balen (1984): https://soundcloud.com/dj-phat-phillie/sets/80s-rap-radio-slavin-balen Club USB (Summer 1991): https://hiphopradioarchive.org/show/1091 The Blackout Rap Show (Started in Zagreb in 1993): https://soundcloud.com/dj-phat-phillie/sets/90s-rap-radio-blackout-rap Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are a select few people who have been on the show twice and Vice Beats is now one of them. We caught up with the Musician, Producer and friend of the show as he gears up to release his new album, Aspects (which is dope by the way). Vice shares what it was like to produce an album during the pandemic, having to adjust to recording alone, the importance of family and being hands-on with every aspect of the marketing and promotion. Some people make music and that's cool, but this guy really writes his lifetime in between the paper's lines. Pre-order 'Aspects' on vinyl from HHV: https://www.hhv.de/shop/en/item/vice-beats-aspects-978733 Special thanks to Andy Kettle at Steaming Kettle PR for helping to arrange this interview. Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bucket list alert! We FINALLY got to speak with the legendary DJ Spinna! Look, fam. People keep throwing around the word underrated all willy-nilly, but this man is a God-level producer who is before his time, of his time and ahead of his time. We chatted about his early life in Brooklyn, becoming a DJ, transitioning into production, the 90s indie Hip Hop scene, working with J-Live and got into some early Jigmastas history. We even talked about the Basement Khemists, so yeah, this is one of those. At the end, we went into full-blown geek mode and talked about some of his classic songs, rare joints and remixes for De La Soul, Big Kwam, Masta Ace, Sadat X, Edo G and more. Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Sunday 2nd April 2023, YouTube star, KSI, was featured in a video with the Sidemen where he was heard using the word, 'p***', which is a racial slur aimed at people of South Asian descent and Brown skinned people in general - particularly in the UK. KSI's use of the slur has understandably caused a great deal of hurt in the South Asian community, many of whom are and were fans of his. Whilst KSI has since apologised, there are many people (including us) who feel that racism, discrimination and prejudice are really dealt with appropriately. We have a large international listenership and we feel it's important that we explain to our listeners why the 'p' word is so offensive whilst unpacking some of the history behind the word, memorialisng some of the people who have died behind it and more. It's deeper than rap. Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People love to say “I don’t see colour”. Yeah, right. But when it comes to music, it’s true for us. When the music bangs, it bangs. Don’t fight the feeling. We're Hip Hop heads, but we're music lovers first. This week’s episode is a fun conversation about some of our favourite songs by White artists. Some of our Caucasian brothers have been trained in the ancient art of The Funk™️, and we are here to recognise their rightful places in barbershop legend and cookout folklore. Welcome to The MOWO Awards. Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In his first ever UK interview, we linked up with the future legend, Reuben Vincent, to talk about the making of his new album, 'Love Is War', advice he received from Terrace Martin (a reeeaaaallll music man), rolling deep with Young Guru and lots more. Thank you to Young Guru for the assist. Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We stay in touch with the streets, and the streets said, "we want House Shoes on the podcast". So we made it happen. We linked up with the man to talk about his life, career, and everything in between. We go back to the early scene in Detroit, making his debut solo album, Let It Go, the importance of record stores in the community, and, as always, you can expect some good old-fashioned Rap nerd talk. Known for his outspokenness online and in real life, House Shoes pulls no punches regarding what he cares about; in this case, it's the music. Shout out to Lord Shuffle, Sean Kantrowitz, for the alley-oop in making this interview happen. Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before we took our hiatus, we spoke to Writer Justin Tinsley, who had just released his book, It Was All A Dream. The book about the life of the late great Notorious B.I.G. was published in time for his 50th birthday. Brian Nolan from Motown Records calls it "a must-read for any hip-hop fan who seeks to understand the journey of one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. There are a number of important, never-been-told-before stories that Justin Tinsley deftly weaves throughout this biography to create a thorough, brilliant account of the legacy of the Notorious B.I.G". In this unearthed conversation, Justin talks about how he put the book together, what he learned during the writing process. We all go into full geek mode about some of our favourite Biggie songs. Pick up your copy of 'It Was All A Dream' here: https://amzn.to/3jZ5Apt Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We caught up with our guy Sean Kantrowitz to celebrate the release of his brand new board game, The Questions Hip Hop. Sean breaks down how he's expanded his brand, the level of planning that goes into putting a project like it together, and we even play a round live on air. Pick up your copy of The Questions here: https://amzn.to/3l8FKzv Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We told you we were back, and we meant it. So let's continue... this week's guest is A & R extraordinaire, M-Eighty. If you don't know who he is, then you were never inside the house reading those liner notes, and you should have your Hip Hop card revoked or defaced at the very least. You can see M-Eighty's name in the credits of some of the biggest and best indie Hip Hop records post-2000, and we talked to him about putting albums together and more. M-Eighty gave us his thoughts on a new Wu-Tang album, an update about 'Hiest of the Century 2' by La The Darkman, and even getting into a fight with Killah Priest. Tap in... Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Twitter: https://twitter.com/breaktheatoms Website: https://www.breakingatoms.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back! The kings have returned with the newest edition of what you've been missing! Shout out to Low Budget Crew. We originally wanted to take six weeks off but ended up taking six months off. No beef. No tension. Just some well-earned rest and a chance to handle some life admin. For our return episode, we talk more about what we were doing during our hiatus, why we like and don't like other podcasters and the status of our narrative podcast series on The War Report by Capone-N-Noreaga. Seriously, though. It feels good to be back. Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Twitter: https://twitter.com/breaktheatoms Website: https://www.breakingatoms.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first of our 'Classic' series, we revisit our September 2020 interview with Mic Geronimo. The Masta I.C. revisits the making of his first album, 'The Natural', nearly signing to Loud Records, working with Jay-Z and DMX and much more! We're taking a few weeks off, so look out for more classic episodes coming soon! Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Twitter: https://twitter.com/breaktheatoms Website: https://www.breakingatoms.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back with a familiar face and voice. Dylan Green is a serious writer and friend of the show. He featured heavily in our series on The Blueprint, and we really wanted to learn more about him, his passions and what makes him tick. We got into music (obviously), but we also chopped it up about films, Mario Kart and more. Follow Sumit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopchronicle Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hiphopchronicle Follow Chris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkinetik Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamkinetik Connect with Breaking Atoms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breaktheatoms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breaktheatoms Twitter: https://twitter.com/breaktheatoms Website: https://www.breakingatoms.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.