Catherine T. Morris, the founder of BAMS (Boston Arts & Music Soul) Fest, joined us for one of the most thoughtful and insightful conversations we've had yet on the podcast! As advocates for the Boston music and arts scene, it was important for us to recognize and learn more about Catherine's contributions toward the scene. Her mission to build racial equity and economic empowerment to Black creatives and entrepreneurs is evident through her work the growing success of BAMS Fest, and her role as the Director of Arts & Creativity at The Boston Foundation.

During our conversation with Catherine, we learned more about her journey, including: her experiences with racism in the METCO program, her early work as an event coordinator during her college years, and her time spent in Philadelphia (which ultimately inspired her return to Boston and sparked the idea of BAMS Fest). Catherine also shared with us the criteria behind BAMS Fest's selection process for performers, advice she has for up-and-coming artists, and her overall views on the state of the creative economy in Boston. This conversation is a must-listen and one we're sure you're going to love and appreciate!

Catherine T. Morris (Special Guest)

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We're back and we've got a lot to get to this week! Before we tackled the bigger news of the week, we kicked off the show with a fun debate on where certain singers stack up on a scale of 1-10. We then gave a breakdown and shared our thoughts on the Super Bowl, specifically Kendrick Lamar's divisive Halftime Show performance!

In the second half, we reviewed Drake & PartyNextDoor's highly anticipated collab album "$ome $exy $ongs 4 U" . And lastly, we spoke Ye's name for the LAST time on the podcast after Kanye West's latest internet antics. Tune in and enjoy the conversation! Let us know what y'all thought about Kendrick's Halftime Show performance and Drake & PND's new album!

Time Stamps:

0:00 - Rating singers on a scale of 1-10

17:40 - Reacting to the Eagles dominant Super Bowl win over the Chiefs

22:20 - Did Kendrick Lamar's Halftime Show live up to expectations?

44:00 - Is criticism around Serena William's appearance warranted?

55:45 - Rappers who have the catalogue to perform at the Super Bowl

1:00:00 - Review of Drake & PND's new album "$ome $exy $ongs 4 U"

1:29:30 - Ye's recent internet antics/ "Treat him like a crackhead"

1:44:00 - If you were on an island and could only listen 1 artist's catalogue...?

Watch on YouTube for the Full Experience: https://youtu.be/JADst1soDH0

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What is going on?!? It's only been a few weeks of 2025 and things are already starting to get real WEIRD! We kicked off this week's episode with our reactions to the viral clip of an Arizona man getting caught with his pants down at a drive-thru, and then "unaliving" himself in what the internet has dubbed "a goonicide". You can't make this sh-t up...

Later on, we broke down Drake's absurd lawsuit against UMG for defamation and how the lyrics of "Not Like Us" have been spun. We also shared our thought's on Drake alluding to LeBron being a cheater, TikTok potentially being banned (recorded before ban lift), and LiAngelo Ball's $13 million record deal. It's a stacked and hilarious show that you surely won't want to miss! Tune in and enjoy the conversation!

Watch on YouTube for the Full Experience: Coming Soon

Time Stamps:

0:00 - Does Nicki Minaj belong in the Big 3 conversation?

6:00 - Things that came out of Boston vs Brockton

11:45 - Intro/ Nate pulled out the studious fit

14:00 - Reacting to the “goonicide”/ Man gets caught in drive-thru with his pants down

36:50 - Reacting to Drake’s lawsuit against UMG/ Is this the last straw?

54:55 - Is Drake snitching on LeBron for cheating?

1:07:20 - Is TikTok actually going to get banned? (Recorded before ban lift)

1:14:15 - Reacting to LiAngelo Balls $13 million record deal

1:18:20 - What does Brandon Jennings have against Jayson Tatum?

1:26:50 - Yves’ conspiracy theory on the California wildfires

1:30:00 - Rob dunks on religion/ Favorite character from the Bible?

1:34:10 - Outro/ Put our jerseys in the rafters

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We’re joined by friend of the show, Ikenna "Ike" Ndugba—founder of the nonprofit arts organization ‘617Peak’ and co-founder of the music label ‘Words Speak Life’! On this week’s episode, we dived into Ike’s journey of uplifting the Boston youth through his work with 617Peak and managing up-and-coming talents, such as Nay Speaks and Yanna G, through the success of Words Speak Life.

We learned about the origins of 617Peak, the impact it’s making in such a short time, and the challenges Ike has faced in building it from the ground up. He also shares insights into his success with Words Speak Life and how he balances it all with his career as a pro basketball player. This is a conversation packed with purpose and passion, and certainly one you won’t want to miss! Tune in enjoy!

Watch on YouTube for the Full Experience: https://youtu.be/otXZwMihiig

Time Stamps:

0:00 - What’s the story behind Nate’s hatred for Drake?

8:20 - The usage of AI in music/ When is it acceptable?

23:00 - Intro/ Ike on his BMA nominations for Manager of the Year

26:45 - Why and how Ike started 617Peak/ Investing in the Boston youth

41:45 - How did Words Speak Life come into play?/ Blessings vs business model

54:50 - Ike on balancing his pro basketball career along with 617Peak and Words Speak Life

1:00:30 - Ike reflects on his time in Switzerland while playing out there

1:18:15 - Reacting to the Boston Calling 2025 lineup

1:24:00 - 617Peak vs. Teen Empowerment vs. BeatTheOdds

1:38:50 - Ike’s 2025 goals for 617Peak, WSL, and his hoops career

1:40:30 - Outro/ Giving Ike his flowers/ The importance of “paying it forward”

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Ikenna "Ike" Ndugba (Guest)

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We’re kicking off the new year with reactions and hot takes to the latest music drops, including: LiAngelo Ball's unexpected banger "Tweaker", Lil Baby’s latest album “WHAM” , Joey Bada$$'s bold return with “The Ruler’s Back”, and Drake’s leaked “Fighting Irish” freestyle, plus more!

Watch on YouTube for the Full Experience: https://youtu.be/WwlfZ0VsOLA

Time Stamps:

0:00 - Intro/ Reacting to LiAngelo Balls's instant classic "Tweaker"

13:00 - Tyler Herro vs Amen Thompson/ Jimmy Butler suspension

20:00 - Joey Bada$$ "The Ruler's Back"/ Is he dissing Kendrick?

36:45 - Doechii "Denial is a River" music video/ Industry plant?

43:15 - Lil Baby's new album "WHAM"/ Does he need a new bag?

1:08:30 - Drake's "Fighting Irish" freestyle/ Is LeBron a fake friend?

1:35:30 - Outro/ Is Conductor Williams actually nice?

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THE LAST EPISODE OF 2024!! ... ignore the fact we technically dropped this in 2025... Since we've been on a short hiatus, we jumped right into the topics that had the media in a frenzy: the civil lawsuit against Jay-Z and Luigi Mangione's deadly shooting of then-CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson. We also reacted to our unsurprising loss at the 2024 Boston Music Awards, looked back at our favorite BFTC moments of 2024, and shared our individual and podcast goals for 2025. In the second half of the episode is where things really started cooking! We spoke on the seemingly downward trajectory society has been heading in and questioned what year did things generally start going to sh-t (with politics, music, race relations, corporate monopolies, AI, etc.). We even entertained the conversation around young white men feeling "oppressed" in modern society (haha). It definitely made for a thought-provoking conversation that's fitting for such a strange year in history. Goodbye 2024 and hello 2025!

Watch on YouTube for the Full Experience: ⁠https://youtu.be/Zkg_GooKKoo

Time Stamps:

0:00 - Intro/ What we missed since our last recording 2:30 - Reacting to allegations against Jay-Z & how he's handled the situation 14:15 - Reacting to losing at the Boston Music Awards... once again 23:15 - Looking back at our favorite BFTC moments 34:00 - What our individual and podcast goals are for 2025? 58:30 - Is Luigi Mangione a terrorist or a martyr?/ Will any change come? 1:14:15 - What year did the "simulation" start?/ Society on a downward trajectory 1:34:15 - Is there any cultural cache in being a young white man in modern society? 1:54:30 - Rob & Nate on their experience at Monday Night RAW 1:58:20 - Outro/ Shoutouts and appreciations

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On this week's episode, we're joined by Svmbv! Svmbv is an incredible young talent from Brockton, MA, who seems to be able to do it all: singing, songwriting, producing, and engineering! We had a real fun conversation with Svmbv about his early start in music, his long-term aspirations, and the huge influence that his family & friends have had on his journey as an artist. We also shared some of our hot takes on R&B music, discussed what it's like growing up with African parents, and reacted to the finale of Netflix's 'Rhythm and Flow'. Tune in and enjoy the conversation!

Watch on YouTube for the Full Experience: https://youtu.be/yG4ZTPjFGrk

Time Stamps:

0:30 - DreTL won Rhythm & Flow?!?/ Reacting to the finale

13:15 - What is an "album" nowadays?/ "Best New Artist"

17:30 - Intro/ How BFTC met Svmbv/ Svmbv's musical beginnings

37:45 - Svmbv's end goal in music/ Prioritzing publishing & artist development

52:15 - Having strict parents/ Would you beat your kids?

1:07:20 - Svmbv reacting to his BMA nomination for Singer/Songwriter

1:17:20 - Who's on your 2024 Spotify Wrapped?

1:24:30 - Are you a real R&B lover?/ R&B music hot takes

1:43:30 - Svmbv's writing process and how he finds inspiration

1:54:30 - African parents' taboo: locs, piercings, tattoos

2:05:30 - Outro

Svmbv (Special Guest)

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Drake has filed legal petitions against Universal Music Group (UMG), alleging that the music corporation manipulated streaming platforms to artificially boost the popularity of Kendrick Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us." Rumors are floating around that Drake and UMG are in the midst of re-negotiations ... is this UMG's attempt at devaluing Drake's stardom to weaken his bargaining power? Let us know in the comments!

FULL EPISODE: https://spoti.fi/49tCxQ7

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