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!

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 😂 Follow @alexandkoku on Instagram + Twitter!

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

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

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

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 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!

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 😭😭 Catch us every 4th Saturday at 4pm ET on Verge FM wherever you stream podcasts!

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!

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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!