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Interviews

Schaus Learns a Healthier Way to Love On “Unread” (KEXP Premiere)

Portland songwriter Shaus examines the perils of modern love and his own demons with the first single from his upcoming EP, Quite Okay.


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Interviews

Shabazz Palaces’ Ishmael Butler and Sunday Soul DJ OC Notes Talk Public Enemy’s It Takes A Nation

The Shabazz Palaces and Digable Planets MC talks about what it was like to experience Public Enemy's masterpiece as it was unleashed into the world, the brilliance of Flavor Flav, and what the band meant to black youth in 1988.


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Interviews

DJ Riz Rollins Chats with Larry Mizell Jr. About It Takes A Nation and Living in a World Spotlighted by Public Enemy

KEXP’s DJ Riz Rollins and former Street Sounds host Larry Mizell Jr. discuss their own experiences not just living through the release of the record, but living in the world Public Enemy was talking about on the record.


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Interviews

Dr. Daudi Abe Reflects on the Precedent Set by It Takes A Nation and the Album’s Legacy in Hip-Hop

Seattle-based professor, writer, historian, and author of 6 ‘N the Morning: West Coast Hip-Hop Music 1987-1992 & the Transformation of Mainstream Culture Dr. Daudi Abe offers insight on this landmark work as KEXP breaks down every track and sample on the LP.


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Interviews

The Bomb Squad’s Hank Shocklee on the 30th Anniversary of Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

KEXP chats with Hank Shocklee about the creation of Public Enemy's classic LP on its 30th anniversary, covering everything from their use of sampling to carving out a space for themselves in a music industry that had other priorities


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Features Rewind

Dispatches From the Edge of Panic: 30 Years of Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back is a timeless, powerful document of righteous aggression centered around the oppression of the African-American people. Martin Douglas explores the album's themes of blackness and why the album is just as resonant today as it was three de…


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Features Rewind

Dispatches From the Edge of Panic: 30 Years of Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back is a timeless, powerful document of righteous aggression centered around the oppression of the African-American people. Martin Douglas explores the album's themes of blackness and why the album is just as resonant today as it was three de…


Read More
Features Interviews

Bring The Noise: Chuck D Discusses Making It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

The legendary MC was graciousness enough to talk through the mindset the group found themselves in while creating this masterwork. From drawing inspiration from his time working in radio and their aspirations to creating the hip-hop equivalent of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On?, the incredible rhyme…


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Features Interviews

Bring The Noise: Chuck D Discusses Making It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

The legendary MC was graciousness enough to talk through the mindset the group found themselves in while creating this masterwork. From drawing inspiration from his time working in radio and their aspirations to creating the hip-hop equivalent of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On?, the incredible rhyme…


Read More

From the Archives:

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Sub Pop 30th Anniversary Count-Up

In 2018, KEXP celebrated the 30th anniversary of local record label Sub Pop with a four-month retrospective, "counting up" every catalog number in their vast discography of over 1,200 releases. Dig into the archives of our catalog coverage, featuring in-depth coverage on the history of their releases.


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