YAQI makes a great horror movie villain!

Welcome back! After a brief hiatus to deal with some personal issues, we return with LA-based pop artist YAQI. She's just dropped her newest single “I'm On It,” and there are some cool stories behind this song. We go into the sound of the song, her precise rapping style and how this all came together over a six-plus hour session.

A theme of the song is about focusing on your goals and not doing what others tell you, and this certainly reflects YAQI's own life. In addition to her music, she has a Master's Degree from the New York Film Academy and has been in a number of short films. She talks about her different villain roles and how it's so comfortable for her....yeah, I'm a little concerned too. We also look at her dream role and the person she'd like to work with above all others.

After this, enjoy “I'm On It.” I know I did!

Nolo Grace goes from the corporate world to the music world

After a long career in the corporate world, LA-based Nolo Grace decided to jump into a new career in music. This has led to a lot of success, including her debut “Wake Up,” featuring Sean Kingston and some amazing music videos. We talk about her decision to switch from one role to another and early days.



Nolo and I talk about her relationship with music producer Martin Wave (aka Lars Martin) and how the two work together. Nolo also speaks about her doubts going into her music career and how she feels about it now. We also look at her cool R&B/pop style and how it came to be. 

It's a double dose of Boston music with Linda Marks and Daniel Promotes

Linda Marks

As the title says, it's dual Boston artists in this episode. Kicking things off is singer-songwriter Linda Marks, who has a brand new album out called “Monuments of Love.” Inspired by and written during the pandemic, the album touches on a lot of the last year, from the health risks we were all faced with to separation anxiety to lost moments with loved ones.

Linda and I talk about how she stayed creative during this difficult time, even hosting a regular livestream music series. We also look at how she completed two other albums, “The Piano” and “Songs at the Heart of Life” during COVID. Linda also has a big triple album release show planned for Aug. 1 at The Burren in Somerville.

After Linda's interview, enjoy one of the tracks for the new album, “Prayers,” written for a musician friend who battled a hellish case of COVID but is now on the mend and singing once more.

Following this, I'm back with Daniel Promotes, and we also find ourselves chatting about the last 15 months and what it's been like for him. Daniel's also been hard at work joining Ambitious Writerz, and it looks like there's going to be touring in the near future. We look at the Boston rap scene and how it weather the pandemic, focusing on some artists who really made their mark with new releases during this time.

Lisa Bello talks about making her mark in Boston's rap scene

Boston's Lisa Bello is well-known among the city's rap artists, but that wasn't always the case. In this episode, she talks about how she got her start and the many collaborations she's formed over the years. She also talks about the work that was required to make her presence known.

We look at Lisa's two newest releases, “Overnight Shift” released just a couple weeks ago, and her self-titled album which came out last December. These albums both have unique sounds, and we dive into the different artists she worked with, which include June Jissle, Jeffandy AllTogether, Chalease, Ananda Nakira, and Oompa. Lisa shares the story of how they all met and what led her to working with them.

Most recently, Lisa has entered the world of voiceover work, and she speaks about how her years in music helped prepare her for the role. She's done projects of all kinds, from commercial work to songs used in cheerleading competitions.

Following this interview, enjoy these songs from “Overnight Shift.” First up is “Back to Work” followed by “Temp Service.”

Half Decent's debut album tells the tale of a 16-year career in rap

Oxford, England-based rapper Half Decent has a new album out, “Groundhog Day,” which covers his 16-year music career across 18 tracks. He raps about anything and everything, and we go deep into the different topics included in his music.


Over the years, he's had the chance to collaborate with artists such as MC Lars, KRS- One and Kellindo, and we talk about the chances he's taken in reaching out to them, and the different ways it's paid off. Half Decent also gives us a look at what his live shows are like and some plans he has in place for 2021.

Following this, enjoy one of my favorite track off the new album, “Made Of.” I absolutely loved his surgical style and precision flow.