In episode 38, MARKINGS & Art Things, the Lasers are joined by Markings from the Artbeat collective and the Piu Piu scene. He speaks on his time as a rapper, meeting KNLO, and the beginnings of the Piu Piu movement and Artbeat. They discuss Akil’s long lost (tshirt) love, an awful poster from a county fair, and pick bottom 5 dead or alive. They dissect the idea of influence in art/music and play Which Diddy Did He do?, the Diddy ghostwriting game. French rap gets a talking to and true schoolers do too. They play Ken vs Ryu and What Colour is Memph Bleek’s durag? – classics, and then talk the sad state of the Montreal scene in the mid and late aughts. Markings discusses Guatemalan music of past and Mike finally finds a brother in arms against nostalgia. Mook Life gets a mention and Mike talks producers who can’t see the music for the sample. They play Fuck It! Pick a Record! and Markings talks stepping your goddamn game up, shoe or otherwise, if you want to goddamn get anywhere.
In episode 31 of Lasers on the Ride Montreal comedienne Mariam Khan joins the podcast. She and Mike talk about looking racially ambiguous before she details a trip to Boston but really South Boston but really World War B. Mariam shares her love for Big Brother, Mike schemes his submission video, and Jay misinterprets the premise. The group discusses whether they’ve fallen into oedipus/elektra complexes in their relationships, play Ken vs Ryu, and speak on Brandon Lee and Kanye. Mariam teaches Danish and Jay teaches Maritimes and the Lasers introduce Mariam to the chit chat championships. Dating rears its ugly head, Mariam chronicles an evening with a cheap son of a bitch and they play Fuck it! Pick a Record!
In episode 28 of Lasers on the Ride, Dirtwork’s Scene Tings, Montreal producer/manager/getitdone’r Dirtwork rolls through, bringing artist Treh LaMonte in tow. Dirtwork shares his background, speaks on his time spent in Atlanta and talks his come-up along side Montreal legend Bad News Browns and rapper/friend Magnum. The group discusses influences and influencers and preferences in this music shit. Kanye is broached and they disagree as to the replay value of 808s and Heartbreak. They pick least favorite Kanye songs, talk Kanye’s character, and discuss/laugh as to who would win in Eminem vs Drake. Mike and Dirtwork discuss chords and process in production and agree that Drake didn’t have no goddamn ghostwriters. The gang discusses Montreal rap, the scene and its peoples, talks its politics and Dirtwork drops knowledge. They pick worst hat game, talk tucked ears and dad hats, and play what colour is Memphis Bleek’s du-rag? To close out Treh LaMonte talks his first musical influences.
In episode 20 of Lasers on the Ride the Lasers welcome Montreal rap producer 80 Rock to the mezzanine. Conversation kicks off with talk of 80’s removal of the American flag from his much loved Polo garb collection and the gang briefly speak politics and chicken wing spots. 80 talks his production process and the crew discuss city birds vs suburb birds before Mike paints a vivid picture using latinos camping. Ken vs Ryu comes back around as does “fuck it, pick a record!” and the crew discusses the traps inherent to sampling reggae and then the intricacies of Russian funk. 80 Rock gives us some insight into his background and the dudes dive in and wade chest deep in 80s rock. The conversation winds down with Mike calling The Game a 2 X bitch for getting a butterfly face tattoo and then changing it ‘pon getting clowned and finally rapper J Red stops by to discuss hot yoga.
Episode 14 of Lasers on the Ride, 2/2 of the Shogun series, kicks off with a trip down memory lane of fashion trends in rap throughout the aughts (DIPSET DIPSET DIPSET). Mase the God is broached and Shogun doesn’t get down but brings his A game to the “What colour is Memphis Bleek’s durag” competition. Buckle your seatbelts nerds because Akil and Shogun talk Batman vs Superman, Akil says “do you know your DC lore tho?” and the roof caves in (not really). Mike tells of his twitteractions with the president of Adult Swim who is actually its Creative Director and how they just can’t agree. More nerd stuff is broached, including South Park, Swingers, Scarlett Johansson, Power Rangers oh my. Jay loves bowling, Shogun drops a freestyle, and Ken vs Ryu rears its ugly head again.
Songs
Witchdoctor - Holiday
Puff Daddy feat Mase - Can’t Hold Me Down (Bad Boy Remix)
Memphis Bleek - It’s Like That
Raphael Saadiq - Skyy, Do You Feel Me?
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Showdown beat!
Showdown beat!
In this episode of Lasers on the Ride, the fellas discuss nods of respect – black, bearded, or otherwise. Mike wonders why there are no wheelchair icons (icons in wheelchairs) and then he and Jay flirt with indecency while workshopping an all wheelchair puppet play. The Lasers realize they all love French Montana and then reminisce to when Common + Kanye = FIRE. The crew reveal their personal preferences as to 'Ryu or Ken' and establish what makes an 8-bit Japanese Superman really fly. Mike makes plans for a sixties Laurel Canyon style soiree and Jay attempts to distinguish between Joe Montegna, Joe Montana, and Joe Namath. Finally the Lasers determine who had the superior version of the song “The Life” and Akil and Mike pray to the shrine of Grafh’s 'That’s What They Call Me'.
Songs
Alice Coltrane - Galaxies in Turiya
French Montana - Whatchu Want Freestyle
French Montana - Man of the City (Featuring Travis Scott and Big Sean)
Common - The Food
Common - Be
13 - Slow Burning
Grafh - Keeps it Gangsta
French Montana - 88 Coupes (Featuring Jadakiss)
Tribeca - The Life (Featuring Pharoahe Monch)
Styles P - The Life (Featuring Pharoahe Monch)
Grafh - That's What They Call Me