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Lemme Ask You This

Talib Kweli ^ Tef Poe

From the minds of Talib Kweli and Tef Poe comes Lemme Ask You This, a podcast that lives at the intersection of art and activism.

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  • 23 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 1 hr 13 min
  • English

Episodes 23

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  • S1 · E12
    April 23 · 59 min

    Episode 12 - Blu And Exile

    Episode 12 of Lemme Ask You This with Talib Kweli and Tef Poe features Blu and Exile. We start by introducing Blu and Exile and getting into a conversation about their new album, Time Heals Everything. Talib asks about Blu and Exile's relationship with Fashawn and shares Fashawn stories. Blu and Exile explain how the online leak of Below The Heavens helped make that album successful and then talk about how it was inspired by Reflection Eternal. The conversation then begins to center on west coast hiphop luminaries like King Tee and Self Scientific. Blu and Exile break down the making of their song Dancin' In The Rain. Exile talks about selling mixtapes while being in a group with Aloe Blacc, which leads to Talib sharing a story about a bus trip to California in 1995. Blu talks about how he stays so prolific and then gets into a story about how he almost signed to Death Row. Tef Poe asks Blu and Exile about how they keep their musical reputation so in tact, which leads to a discussion about their love for jazz music. Talib asks Blu if having the name Blu has ever created an issue for him with LA gangs. Blu breaks down his friendship with Miguel. Exile talks about his Exile Radio albums which leads to a discussion about his spirituality. Tef asks Blu and Exile to give an advice for people who want to follow in their path. Talib asks Blu about his album with Nottz, Africa. Blu talks about working with Med and Madlib and Exile goes deeper into his relationship with Aloe Blacc. Talib asks Blu and Exile how they are able to stay so connected with Los Angeles' underground hiphop scene. Shot and Edited By Chino Chase. Additional Filming By Aaron Ross Media Co. Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@lemmeaskyouthispodcast Threads https://www.threads.com/@lemmeaskyouthispod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lemmeaskyouthispod/ Substack https://lemmeaskyouthis.substack.com/ Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@lemmeaskyouthispodcast

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  • S1 · E11
    April 16 · 1 hr 10 min

    Episode 11 - One Rap Battle After Another Featuring Nicole Duncan-Smith

    Episode 11 - One Rap Battle After Another ft Nicole Duncan-Smith For episode 11 of Lemme Ask You This with Talib Kweli and Tef Poe, friend of the show Nicole Duncan-Smith returns. The show starts with Nicole talking about the need for more conscious content. Talib ask Nicole about how she became involved in battle rap culture. Nicole recounts witnessing the battle between Keith Murray and Fredro Starr and then describes being at all female rap battle events. Talib asks Nicole if battle rap culture is more misogynistic than mainstream hiphop culture and Tef talks about how female battle rappers get to respond. Tef and Talib talk about how challenging battle rap culture actually is. Nicole talks about watching rappers battle to get on in the industry. Talib asks if today's battle rappers understand the history of battle rap and then a discussion is had about the history of the Bridge Wars. Nicole shows love to Roxanne Shante. Tef Poe explains how the Bridge Wars seem to set a precedent for rap beefs outside of NYC. Nicole talks about her work with the Hip Hop Museum. Tef asks Nicole about her favorite female battle rappers which leads to a discussion about how fans of music should explore outside of the mainstream more often. Nicole and Tef explain Jae Millz recent run to Talib. Nicole and Talib talk about how they met. Talib talks about the first time he met Russell Simmons and the conversation turns to Affion Crockett's A Hip Hop Story movie. Tef talks about how Jae Millz using Ron Browz beats is adding to his recent resurgence. Talib asks about the importance of Black Media and Nicole breaks down the history of Black journalism. Tef asks what the current version of Unsigned Hype is. Talib talks about the challenges of being a legacy artist in an online ecosystem. Nicole explains how the algorithm is the new Unsigned Hype and how she focused on shining light on up and coming artists. Tef and Nicole discuss how using inventive ways and not relying on standard practices to get your music out there is necessary. Talib asks Nicole about her work with Health, Hope and HipHop. Shot and Edited By Chino Chase. Additional Filming By Aaron Ross Media Co. Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@lemmeaskyouthispodcast Threads https://www.threads.com/@lemmeaskyouthispod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lemmeaskyouthispod/ Substack https://lemmeaskyouthis.substack.com/ Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@lemmeaskyouthispodcast

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E10
    April 9 · 1 hr 4 min

    Episode 10 - Ignorantly Delivering Knowledge Featuring IDK

    Episode 10 - Ignorantly Delivering Knowledge featuring IDK Episode 10 of Lemme Ask You This with Tef Poe and Talib Kweli begins with IDK talking about being born in London and how Talib and IDK met. Talib asks IDK about how he gets so many great features. IDK talks about the OGs in his life that he gets advice from. Tef asks IDK about his musical curation process. IDK breaks down how being an only child drove him to be more creative. IDK talks about how he never lets outside circumstances get in the way of his goals. Tef and IDK talk about working at Harvard University. Talib asks IDK about how being incarcerated as a young man impacted his drive and the discussion turns towards how artists operated during COVID lockdown. IDK talks about navigating jealousy from people in the industry and how sobriety helps him stay focused. IDK talks about his belief in the intangible and why he thinks believing in a higher power is intelligent. The conversation turns towards the similarities between science and religion and how fear of the unknown causes violence between human beings. IDK breaks down how growing up in diverse communities helps him to be more musically diverse and then talks about how he created the song Red with Mike Jones, MF DOOM, Westside Gunn and Jay Electronica. Talib asks IDK about working with Young Thug and Tef asks IDK about what he sees next for hiphop and IDK talks about rebuilding himself as an artist. Talib talks about the challenges of experimenting as a conscious artist. IDK explains how science is an art. Talib asks about who has the best jollof rice before talking about how Ghana is pushing for reparations. Tef asks IDK if being a deep thinker has hindered his success in a vapid industry and IDK explains why he is a good bet. The conversation turns towards the impact of Lofi and how different generations discovered the music of J Dilla, Madlib and MF DOOM thru Adult Swim. Talib talks about doing a TV show in Tanzania with Cameron Diaz. IDK talks about performing on the Tonight Show with Black Thought and Kaytranada. Shot and Edited By Chino Chase. Additional Filming By Aaron Ross Media Co. Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@lemmeaskyouthispodcast Threads https://www.threads.com/@lemmeaskyouthispod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lemmeaskyouthispod/ Substack https://lemmeaskyouthis.substack.com/ Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@lemmeaskyouthispodcast

    • Transcript
Showing 21–23 of 23 episodes