Alican Koc speaks on his article, "Views from the 6: Gentrification, Condo-Ization, and Drake’s Affective Appeal in Toronto."

Niel Scobie is a PhD candidate and part-time instructor in Western University's Faculty of Information and Media Studies. He also teaches turntablism at the University of Guelph's School of Fine Art and Music. Niel's dissertation, supervised by Dr. Keir Keightley, explores the roots of hip-hop culture in Toronto, particularly its connections to the Caribbean diaspora and sound system culture. Recent publications have appeared in Contemporary Musical Expressions in Canada (McGill-Queen's University Press) and The Spaces and Places of Canadian Popular Culture (Canadian Scholars Press).

Prior to academia, Niel spent 20 years in Vancouver's hip-hop scene as a DJ and producer. In 1989, he created "In Effect"at UBC's CITR 101.9fm, one of Canada's earliest hip-hop radio shows. As a producer, his collaborations received Juno nominations for "Rap Recording of the Year" in 2003 and 2005.

Today’s guest is none other than Dan Charnas. If you’re an avid reader of the genre, you’re probably familiar with his 2010 publication titled The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop. In addition to The Big Payback, Charnas is one of the pioneering voices in hip-hop journalism. He worked for the Source in the early infancy stages of the magazine, and became an A&R for Rick Rubin’s Def American venture in the 1990s in which he helped shape the careers of artists like Sir Mixalot, Chino XL and Kwest the Madd Ladd. Additionally, he’s written for The Washington Post, The Financial Times, the Chicago Tibune, Complex, Village Voice, Spin, and more. In 2016, Charnas co-created the VH1 movie The Breaks, which was later adapted into a television series under the same name. Charnas now teaches at NYU and Columbia and is working on a new book on the life of J-Dilla titled Dilla Time.

This podcast speaks on his 2010 book The Big Payback. Recently, the book saw it’s 10 year anniversary and it’s one of the best pieces of hip-hop literature I’ve gotten a chance to read. We talk a bit about his upcoming work on Dilla as well, however for those that read The Big Payback, this conversation will serve as a nice behind the scenes look at the creation process.