Alex + Koku

Had to get a new episode to you before the end of the summer! We're talking our favorite listens from the past few months, Noname's new album, and our thoughts on where hip-hop has been & where it's going. Koku also tells a story about his experience at Earl Sweatshirt's "Doris" 10 Year Anniversary show in Chicago. Enjoy! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alex-and-koku/support

Recorded live at Koku's apartment! On this episode, we're talking about AI (that could turn you into AI), Daniel Caesar's controversial return, and the mess that was Frank Ocean's Coachella performance. Koku also asks ChatGPT to describe the Alex + Koku podcast. You gotta hear its response

If y'all have been wondering how Koku got so BROLIC, boy do we have a treat for you! Got the one and only Vic Young on this episode, a.k.a. KOKU's PERSONAL TRAINER. Vic is the founder of Infinite Training Systems, and he also has a really dope perspective on hip-hop music. On this episode, we're talking experimentation in rap, Lil Yachty's latest album, all of Koku's lookalikes, and how we felt when we thought we lost Datpiff forever. There's a whole lot of good stuff in this episode, and we hope y'all enjoy it!!! Follow Vic on IG: https://instagram.com/mrtraininfinite Follow Infinite Training Systems on IG: https://instagram.com/traininfinite --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alex-and-koku/support

EPISODE 40, WE MIDDLE AGED!!! The homie Aloe Vera, who's an incredible musician, poet, and organizer from Columbus, Ohio, blessed us with their presence on the podcast & dropped ALL the gems. Tbh this episode starts poppin off from the jump. We're talking weird AI generated fingers, Black alternative music, finding beauty in gospel music despite many Christian churches' violence towards queer people, and the myth of "new" sounds in music. We loved this conversation a lot & hope y'all enjoy listening! Follow Aloe Vera on IG: https://instagram.com/aloerenegade Follow Aloe Vera on Spotify: http://bit.ly/3x2TbDO Listen to Aloe Vera's album with Steel Tipped Dove, Days Pass Strange: http://bit.ly/3x3oZbw --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

FIRST EPISODE OF 2023 + EVERYTHING IS GOING IN OUR FAVOR!!! We got Emme Reed, our first guest of the year & resident lucky girl, on the podcast to talk about the artists we want to know everything about, our most memorable celebrity encounters, Frank Ocean headlining Coachella, and more! It's 2023, let's clown around!!!! Follow Emme on IG: https://www.instagram.com/emmereed Follow Alex + Koku on IG: https://www.instagram.com/alexandkoku --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

We're closing out 2022 with a dream guest: Columbus, Ohio's own Hanif Abdurraqib! You probably know Hanif from one of his critically acclaimed essay collections, They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us (2017) & A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance (2021), or his 2019 book, Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes on A Tribe Called Quest. Hanif has also written two poetry collections, The Crown Ain't Worth Much in 2016 & A Fortune for Your Disaster in 2019, in addition to having essays and music criticism published in The FADER, Pitchfork, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. We catch Hanif during his end-of-year break and talk to him about his favorite musical moments in 2022, writing as a communal practice, criticizing art and its artists from a place of love, and more. Lots of gems in this episode. Hope y'all enjoy! Follow Hanif on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nifmuhammad Follow Hanif on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NifMuhammad Follow Alex + Koku on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/alexandkoku --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

This is our last episode with Verge.fm. Unfortunately, Verge.fm's weekly volunteer-run radio is coming to an end after November due to it becoming unsustainable for their team to continue operating. BIG thank you to the Verge.fm team for believing in Alex + Koku and giving us a platform to share our show with folks in Columbus and beyond. BUT DON'T WORRY. We're not going anywhere. You can continue to listen to Alex + Koku wherever you stream podcasts! On episode 37, we're honoring Takeoff and chatting about how we felt before Drake & 21 Savage's Her Loss release. We also get into our thoughts on how the music industry has shifted its focus more towards digital streaming platforms and TikTok. Follow Alex + Koku on Instagram & Twitter! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

Y'all good? We're out here sharing some NEW music from Dom Deshawn and talking about what it would like if UK artists overthrew the monarchy. Idk bro just tune in

Are these fools seriously being silly? AT A TIME LIKE THIS? The answer is yes. We're on here being witless. Like mad jester-like. Listen at your own risk. And hear us talk about Renaissance, Steve Lacy's new album & the end of Desus and Mero. Catch us every 4th Saturday at 4pm ET on Verge FM and wherever you stream podcasts! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

We're chopping it up with the homie and third-time guest Julius Tunstall about making music from a place of love, Kendrick Lamar's latest album, and creating with friends. Tap in with the Writing Boys! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

We've got the homie Via Carpenter of Via's Cookie's on the pod today! We're talking with her about how she launched her own cookie company and which musicians would make the best cooks. Via also tells us a WILD Young Thug story!!! #FreeYSL #FreeEmAll Catch us every 4th Saturday at 4pm ET on Verge FM and wherever you stream podcasts! Follow Via on Instagram --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

SHOUTOUT TO DON CHEADLE!! We're back for another episode talking the Grammys, Dreamville's new Gangsta Grillz mixtape, and the art of the rap group. Two goofy fellows just here to bless you with this audio magic. Catch us every 4th Saturday at 4pm ET on Verge FM and wherever you stream podcasts! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

Two of our favorite hip-hop artists, Dom Deshawn & Joey Aich, join us to talk about the highs and lows of their rap journeys and how they both quit their jobs to pursue their passions. We also ask them their thoughts on Keedron Bryant & J Dilla and MAN. THEY DELIVER. Catch us every 4th Saturday at 4pm ET on Verge FM and wherever you stream podcasts! Listen to Dom Deshawn: https://spoti.fi/3u0jpVJ Listen to Joey Aich: https://spoti.fi/35YZsGA --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

For the FIRST TIME EVER on verge.fm, we're talking Dan Charnas' new book Dilla Time and where Bobby Valentino went wrong in the 2005 hit single Slow Down. We're also getting into what we've been writing about bc we're some WRITING BOYS now too. RADIO BOYS. WRITING BOYS. SHORT CORNY BOYS. Catch us every 4th Saturday at 4pm ET on Verge FM and wherever you stream podcasts! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

LMAO PLEASE EXCUSE THE TITLE! Ok this episode is super fun. Catch us talking about The Interview Heard 'Round The World (otherwise known as Kanye's Drink Champs interview), 10 years of Drake's Take Care, and our predictions about what's next for Silk Sonic after their debut album, An Evening With Silk Sonic. Rest in peace, Young Dolph. We also recorded this before Virgil Abloh's passing—rest in peace, Virgil. Hold each other close. We're all we got. Much love, and enjoy. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

Bringing y'all this audio gold takes time—but thanks for bearing with us! We're BACK with the conversation every Travis Scott Meal-obsessed adolescent can't seem to get enough of: Drake's Certified Lover Boy, or Kanye West's Donda? We get into the buzz around both albums, all that fresh-never-frozen beef between Aubrey & Mr. West, and, as always, we talk about what we've been spinning when we haven't been lost in CLB & Donda's long-ass tracklists. Apologies in advance! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

If this is your first time hearin' this, you are about to experience something so cold, man. Because we are FINALLY recording together in person. It almost didn't happen. BUT GOD. Honestly we aren't even going to tell you what this episode is about. Just enjoy the immaculate vibes. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

First guest of season 2! The homie Michaela Mason joins us on this week's episode to chop it up about imagining Black art beyond melancholy and how to best bully J. Cole fans. This is peak podcasting. It's all downhill from here. Sorry, fam. Follow Michaela on Instagram: http://instagram.com/michaelalutherking --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

SEASON 2! WE BACK, BABY! And cornier than ever. We're talking the Grammys, Justin Bieber's "Justice" album, and whether or not number one hits hold the same weight they once did. Whole squad vaxxed and ready for snacks. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

For our last episode of 2020, we went live on Clubhouse and chopped it up about our favorite albums of the year. Unfortunately, the screen recording didn't work, so we weren't able to include the voices of our friends who joined us on the pod. Thanks for joining us, though. We started this podcast during the panorama and it's meant a lot to have y'all rocking with us. See you in 2021 for more short corny king antics! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

SECURED OUR FIRST RETURN GUEST! We welcome our brother Julius Tunstall back on the pod to chop about Paramore getting invited to the cookout, why "Dynamite" by BTS is so good, and we discover DRAM changed his name to Shelley. It's confusing for us all. Listen to Julius on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/35Pozak Support Julius' Patreon: http://patreon.com/juliustunstall Follow Julius on Instagram: http://instagram.com/jtulius --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

All hail the queen. Got the homie Jayde Powell (@jaydeipowell) on this week's episode talking with us about music we grew up on, how our music tastes have changed, and what to listen to while traveling. Koku is also ready to risk it all for Zendaya. Follow Jayde on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jaydeipowell Follow Jayde on Instagram: http://instagram.com/jaydeipowell_ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

Zineb + Fardowsa (hosts of AROUSE OSU's She Wanna Vibe radio show) join us this week to share memories of artists who have passed and how their careers might have looked different if they were still with us. We also attempt to get to the bottom of Zineb's Drake fan page on Tumblr. Listen to She Wanna Vibe: http://arouseosu.com Follow Zineb on Instagram: http://instagram.com/nubzzi Follow Fardowsa on Instagram: http://instagram.com/fardows4 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

Warning: this episode is unhinged. Amber & Gueric join us for some post-election fun to chat this generation's defining artists, why Gueric has never had Popeye's, and the MOST cursed video. Avengers assemble! Follow Amber on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AmberTheeAlert Follow Amber on Instagram: http://instagram.com/ambermadrid Follow Gueric on Twitter: http://twitter.com/iamGueric Follow Gueric on Instagram: http://instagram.com/iamgueric --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

LaNae, host of The Anime Nae YouTube channel, joins us this week to talk about anime, yoga, and Chicago hip hop. We also discuss hip-hop endorsements of Donald Trump and the mess that is celebrity culture. Draw yourself a bubble bath because this episode is a GOOD one. Subscribe to The Anime Nae: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv1TpnyO0PJs5wAUDGcwygQ Follow LaNae on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/the_animenae --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

This week, rapper OG Vern joins us to talk about his new album, Natural Selection. Now available on all streaming platforms! Listen to Natural Selection: https://album.link/i/1528863554 Follow OG Vern on Instagram: http://instagram.com/1ogvern Follow OG Vern on Twitter: http://twitter.com/1ogvern --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

You asked questions. We answer them. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

We'll do some things. Conversation topics include Koku's skincare tips, how Alex met Justin Bieber, and the ethics of leaking music. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

This week, friend of the pod Josh Scott (@jscottyyy) joins us to talk about Frank Ocean. Also, Koku tells us how he broke his wrist. Pray for the boy as he recovers. Follow Josh on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jscottyyy --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

We were supposed to post this like a month ago, but Alex forgot... sorry lol. But we're back bringing you this premium audio content. When Alex approached Koku about doing a Taylor Swift episode, he was hesitant but here we are. The people asked for it, and you know we always give the people what they want. Enjoy, fans. Download Koku's new EP, Rekord.: https://bit.ly/36iSxpp --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

Friend of the pod Kunal Verma joins us this week for a discussion about the parallels and differences between hip-hop and poetry, letting art be what it's going to be for you, and the power of language. This one's for the glizzy gladiators and renaissance ruffians. HIGH ART BOYS. Follow Kunal on Twitter: http://twitter.com/KunalCanoe Listen to Kunal's TEDx Talk: https://bit.ly/2P6opnB --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

We took a few weeks off but we're BACK baby and MESSIER than ever. Bringing you this short corny king content and plenty o' takes on Freddie Gibbs vs. DJ Akademiks, entanglements, and Tory Lanez' alarming stature. Pray for us. Please. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

We told our guest Nick Yuhasz (@yuhasznick) we were gonna call this episode "White Blessing" because he was our white blessing on the podcast. We're talking music and politics. Topics include Noname and J. Cole, as well as some of our favorite protest anthems. Follow Nick on Instagram: https://instagram.com/yuhasznick --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

Who's ready for Redbone at sunset? 'Cause that's what you're getting at our first annual Kokuchella music festival. Notable best friend duo Elizabeth Zimmerman (@_zimstagram) + Mary McCutcheon (@marymcclovin) join the pod for a kooky lil' concert budget game. We have $100 to book a concert we'll attend after quarantine ends (...whenever the hell that's going to be). And fun fact: Elizabeth + Alex are engaged; Mary + Koku are not. Concert game: https://bit.ly/3geDTkN Follow Elizabeth: http://www.instagram.com/_zimstagram Follow Mary: http://www.instagram.com/marymcclovin --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

Here's to the universal dopeness of Black women and the music they create. This week, Binta (@binta.phydara) makes her Alex + Koku debut to talk with us about her music, her songwriting process, and the Black women she's inspired by. Binta also gives us a sneak peek of one of her new songs LIVE on the pod, so stay tuned for that. To stream Binta's music, click here: https://bit.ly/3fPFkWP --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

James + Carter (former hosts of your favorite podcast's favorite podcast, Heard 'Em Say) join Alex + Koku. There was no way we weren't going to get into Kanye West during this episode, so brace yourself for a kooky Kanye convo—including some HOT GOSS. Topics also include DM'ing celebrities, and why 2013 might be the cultural reset Y'ALL have been talking about. Listen to James + Carter on Heard 'Em Say: https://bit.ly/2UTcAo3 Add Carter on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3edvJbO Follow James on Twitter: http://twitter.com/olderthanhunter --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

This week, local hometown hero Wehseh Juty (@juty_gurl) joins us for an exploration of cancel culture. Doja Cat... Lana Del Rey... Kanye West... oh my! Follow Wehseh on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/juty_gurl --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

It's just us this week. And honestly you shouldn't leave the two of us alone. We're talking southern rap and some of its icons, including Meryl Streep's doppelgänger Future Hendrix. Please excuse the mess. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

Alex + Koku drop in to offer a word of encouragement to black people who are struggling right now as we fight for our lives and process the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor & George Floyd. We apologize for the audio issues—please bear with us. If you're looking for causes to donate to, we encourage you to start here: - Columbus Freedom Fund: https://www.paypal.me/columbusfreedomfund - Minnesota Freedom Fund: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/donate - Sole Classics: https://bit.ly/2ZWs26k White listeners, if you're looking for ways you can help, start here: - Anti-racism resources for white people: http://bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES - 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice: https://bit.ly/2Xi9vzx --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

This week, we welcome two of Columbus' finest: Jalen Ramsaw aka Alexander Dreamer (@alexandrdreamr) & Dan Dover (@dapperdandov). Conversation topics include Jalen's new album, Out, Damned Spot!, the mask collaboration Jalen & Dan did for the album's release, and how Jalen was selling mixtapes from the Homage cash register when he and Dan first met. Listen until the end to hear the new Alexander Dreamer track, Midnight. Listen to Out, Damned Spot!: https://spoti.fi/36pmulW Follow Jalen on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2A7aVDE Follow Dan on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2LUEriH --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

Sheesh. This episode is wild. The homie Ariel Peguero (@apegdesign) joins us on Alex + Koku this week with flaming hot takes on celebrity culture, fake news, and white Michael Jordan. To check out Ariel's art + design work, tap here: apegdesign.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

This week on Alex + Koku, we welcome two talented singers/producers, who also happen to be Alex's best friends: Taylor DeBlock (@taylormdeblock) & Julius Tunstall (@jtulius). They talk about their journeys as musicians, creating in quarantine, and share stories from their college years. Follow Taylor on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2WNCl9p Follow Julius on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/35Pozak Listen to Julius' new song, Stuck: https://spoti.fi/2YTLfop --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

Alex + Koku triumphantly return for episode 2 and welcome their first guest, Daniel Higuera (@dhigs1), to talk about Mac Miller's breakout mixtape K.I.D.S. finally hitting streaming services, Beyoncé joining Megan Thee Stallion on the Savage (Remix), and Drake's new project Dark Lane Demo Tapes. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support

First episode! Alex + Koku talk about their favorite underrated music artists (including Peter Cottontale, Blu & more!) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-and-koku/support