Vocalo Radio Same Old New School: Beyoncé Raps, Dennis Rodman Impact, and Citizen DJ
Written by Vocalo Radio on May 7, 2020
Every Monday at 8:30 p.m. Kevin Coval and Idris Goodwin take over Vocalo’s IG Live. It’s a half-hour of hip-hop, laughs and wisdom from some of the best guys in the game. It’s Same Old New School.
On this week’s episode the duo dove into the “Rodman Effect,” from The Last Dance documentary, the Library of Congress’s new citizen DJ program, and the question on everyone’s mind right now…does Beyoncé have bars?!
Catch a snippet of each conversation below or stream the entire segment above. And don’t forget to tune in next Monday for more fantastic Kevin and Idris content!
The “Rodman Effect”
Continuing their conversation around ESPN’s documentary The Last Dance chronicling Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bull’s last championship run, the guys discuss episodes 3 and 4. In that, they look at the icon that Dennis Rodman became, his challenging of masculinity, and the profound impact he had on each of them individually…whether that was dying their hair or model their basketball game after him.
“He was one of the first big public figures that hipped a lot of us to sexual fluidity,” says Coval. “Even in that time, who he had next to him was queer folks and trans folks.”
Library of Congress Citizen DJ Program
Citizen DJ is the latest project from the Library of Congress. By Brian Foo, the Library’s current Innovator-in-Residence, it invites the public to use the audio and moving images from the Library’s collections. However, the guys discuss wanting to see this taken several steps further.
“The whole idea of sampling and DJ culture is to take the old and make it matter again,” says Goodwin. In the interest of history and through that spirit of restoration and revitalization, he says it does much of the same work as the Library of Congress. “So what I’m waiting for is the […] whole institution, from the ground up, built on the principles of Hip Hop. Not just ‘hey we’re gonna let a DJ in here and get some graffiti on the walls.'”
Beyoncé’s Bars
Megan Thee Stallion’s hit song “Savage” has been in our lives for months, but now it’s back as a remix with another fellow Houstonian, Beyoncé. Once again, we were all screaming “Savage.” As Coval put it, we were all called to step up and show out.
As the two discuss, Queen Bey can rap, as demonstrated by her phrasing and her syllables. But it’s also a little hard to say once ghostwriters get thrown into the mix.
“Like Cardi B can rap,” admits Goodwin. “And I love who she is as a celebrity and as a human. But I would never say Cardi B has bars.”
Tune in on IG Live every Monday at 8 p.m. for more episodes
Catch up with the last episode:
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