The sudden shutdown of all channels of Greece's national broadcasting company by the Greek government is 'unacceptable for an EU democracy', says West Mids and Warks Lib Dem MEP Phil Bennion.

With Gareth in pieces after Glastonbury this weekend, Liam helps nurse him back to reality.

There’s an exclusive Blues Kitchen session from Eli Paperboy Reed, paying tribute to the late, great Dr John with a performance of ‘A Losing Battle’ (written by the Dr but recorded by Johnny Adams).

There’s also new music from Justin Townes Earle & Brittany Howard (Alabama Shakes) alongside classics from Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Don Williams, Doris & Kelly, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells & The Rolling Stones.

To see the Eli Paperboy Reed performances in full, head over to The Blues Kitchen YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/BluesKitchenLondon

Website: https://theblueskitchen.com/shoreditch/tv-radio/

When you've caught up with the podcast, head over to The Blues Kitchen YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/BluesKitchenTV

Email the show: radio@theblueskitchen.com

Listen on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Mixcloud, Acast & many more…

Gaz & Liam kick things off with a collaboration from Miuddy Waters, Bo Diddley & Little Walter. 

Expect more music form The Kills, Waylon Jennings, Albert King, The Last Shadow Puppets, The Beach Boys & Elizabeth Cotton.

There’s also an exclusive Blues Kitchen live session with Lil' Jimmy Reed.

** Join Liam & Gaz for a live recording of The Blues Kitchen Podcast **

Limited £5 tickets from: bit.ly/bkpodcastlive

Weds 16th October

7pm – 9pm

The Blues Kitchen Shoreditch

Head over to The Blues Kitchen YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/BluesKitchenLondon

When you've caught up with the podcast, head over to The Blues Kitchen YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/BluesKitchenTV

Email the show: radio@theblueskitchen.com

Listen on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Mixcloud, Acast & many more…

Richard Lutz survives a full assault of Jools Holland.

Stephen Pennell gives the lowdown on another night in Digbeth.

Richard Lutz takes his pew at the Royal Shakespeare Theatrefor that most famous of revenge plays.

Richard Lutz takes his pew for the Ben Johnson classic that caustically sends up his fellow Londoners of 1610.

Richard Lutz gets lost in Shakespeare country.

Richard Lutz plunders his archive to remember what happened last week.....

Richard Lutz takes the long route through another lost week.

This week, we have a two-part treat! In the first half of the show, we talk to hip-hop stars old and new at the NYC premiere of Ice-T’s documentary The Art of Rap. Guests include Marley Marl, Fabolous, Raekwon, and Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg. In part two, we have an extended chat with Jay-Z biographer and Forbes hip-hop writer Zack O’Malley Greenburg about Hov’s business mind, hip-hop branding good and bad, and lots more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/11/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, we have a conversation with Freddie Foxxx, a.k.a. Bumpy Knuckles. Since his 1989 debut album Freddie Foxxx Is Here, he’s been known for his great rhymes, but also for his frank talk about the state of the record business, especially on his Industry Shakedown album. He’s worked with some of the most legendary figures in hip-hop, including Eric B., KRS-One, DJ Premier, and lots more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/28/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, we talk to one of our favorite up-and-coming rappers, Meyhem Lauren. Lauren’s rapping agility, style, sense of humor, and love of a gourmet meal have moved him way up on our list in just a handful of year. Along with his friends and frequent collaborators Roc Marciano and childhood friend Action Bronson, he is leading a resurgance of New York rap. We talked to Lauren about his career, his beef with Pitchfork, and lots more!

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/33/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, we talk to hip-hop comedy duo Eric and Jeff Rosenthal, better known as ItsTheReal. The brothers began by making hilarious sketch comedy videos, moved on to podcasting, and now have just released an actual mixtape, Urbane Outfitters. Their on-point humor, which makes fun both of and with rappers, has remained constant throughout.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/38/ for full show notes and comments.

We have a very special episode of Outside the Lines With Rap Genius for you. It’s been one year almost to the day since Kendrick Lamar’s instant classic good kid, m.A.A.d city was released, and RG’s very own Nicole Otero sat down with K. Dot to get inside the record. Get the behind-the-scenes scoop on what inspired one of the most heralded albums of recent years, straight from the artist himself.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/53/ for full show notes and comments.

This episode of the Cipher, we bring you a talk with Brian Brater, co-founder of Rawkus Records. Rawkus was perhaps the single most important underground record label of the 90s, putting out singles and albums featuring artists like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Company Flow, Pharoahe Monch, Big L, Common, Eminem, and more

Brater tells us about the ups, downs, hits, misses, and the couple big ones that got away. So lace up your Timbs, grab your backpack, and join us as we talk to Brater about hip-hop’s last real golden age

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/54/ for full show notes and comments.

We talk to author Robert Greene, who’s famous bestseller, The 48 Laws of Power, took ideas from students of legends like Machiavelli and Sun Tzu, and distilled their teachings into simple principles anyone can follow. The book became beloved by rappers like Jay Z, Kanye West, and even 50 Cent, who loved Greene’s work so much that the two ended up writing a book together.

Greene’s latest book, just out in paperback, is Mastery. It focuses on how one can discover and excel at their “life’s work” — the skill that one is uniquely good at. Greene engages with problems in modern day society, thought, and practice through a multi-disciplinary approach, taking each issue on a variety of playing fields — this multi-faceted perspective is part of what makes his opinions so hard-hitting. We talk that magical 10,000 hours moment when the master bypasses logic, the similarities between Napoleon Bonaparte and 50, the decline of empathy in today’s society, his feelings about that famous Richard Sherman interview, and much more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/61/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, we talk with Todd Kreidler, the writer behind the Broadway musical based on the life and music of 2pac, ‘Holler If Ya Hear Me’. Kreidler was tasked with taking on the legacy of legendary MC 2Pac Shakur, an initially daunting prospect. Through his use of 2Pac’s songs, spirit, and description of the world around him, Kreidler crafted a musical that doesn’t shy away from tough topics, that tackles issues such as gun violence and racism head on — through the lens of a community that fights against outside pressure together, that feels its pains together. Kreidler saw the musical as a chance to take the “I” away from the music and take a look into the universe of characters that lived within 2pac’s songs. Comparing 2Pac to Shakespeare, Kreidler spoke of the worlds 2Pac created with his lyrics — ‘Holler If Ya Hear Me’ gets the chance to give pieces of 2Pac’s dialogue and story to many characters, building a community around them similar to the one 2Pac himself got to experience and absorb in his own life

We talk with Kreidler about the process of writing the play, the similarities between Pac and Shakespeare, why certain songs were chosen and certain songs left out, and more

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/72/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, we celebrate the new year by bringing you an improved, remixed version of our talk with Ron Isley. Isley is the legendary lead singer of The Isley Brothers, and a soul music icon who has been a vital force in popular music for over half a century.

The Isley Brothers first reached the charts with the 1959 hit “Shout,” and had an amazing run all the way through 1983’s oft-sampled “Between the Sheets.” Ron’s career was revitalized by a series of collaborations with R. Kelly starting in 1996, including 2001’s memorable hit “Contagious.” His most recent solo album, released right around the time of this conversation, was This Song Is For You, which featured the single “Dinner and A Movie.”

We talked to Ron about his whole career, from his early years singing gospel straight through to today, with stops in Motown, his influential songs of the 1960s and 70s, the inside scoop on working with R. Kelly, and lots more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/87/ for full show notes and comments.

We speak to the rapping team at the head of the powerful rap/rock group ¡Mayday! – Ben “Wrekonize” Miller and Bernardo “Bernz” Garcia. Since the early 2000s, the band has been delivering powerful music to a growing legion of fans. That fan base was dramatically increased when the Miami group teamed up with Tech N9ne’s Strange Music label a few years ago. The most recent album released by the hardworking collective is a joint project with West Coast legend Murs called, appropriately enough, Mursday.

Wrek and Bernz talk about their career and songwriting process, but also find time to discuss their famous relatives, partying with Lil Wayne, and which group member is best with a slow cooker.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/93/ for full show notes and comments.

Our special 100th episode finds us with a flood of special guests. We have Metermaids, an NYC rap duo signed to Sage Francis’ Strange Famous label. Their newest album We Brought Knives is a powerful examination of fatherhood, legacies, changing times, and the awesomeness of Bruce Springsteen.

They’re followed by Gabriel Roth. Roth is the co-founder of Daptone Records, a Brooklyn-based label that has released some of the finest soul, funk, Afrobeat, and other roots music of this generation. The band he leads, The Dap-Kings (who normally back the powerful singer Sharon Jones), played a key part in one of the most popular records in recent memory, Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black.

This being an anniversary party, we start the show with a special surprise guest.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/100/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, we talk to Kevin Coval and Nate Marshall. Kevin and Nate, along with Quraysh Ali Lansana, are co-editors of the new poetry anthology The Breakbeat Poets. The book is billed as being “the first poetry anthology by and for the Hip-Hop generation,” and features the work of 78 different poets, representing several different generations of hip-hop fans and practicioners. The book is a first step in creating a Breakbeat Poet movement – a way of bringing the poetics and aesthetics of hip-hop into the world of poetry.

Kevin, who longtime Cipher listeners may remember from his appearance on Episode 52, is the author of many book including Schtick, L-vis Lives: Racemusic Poems, Everyday People and Slingshots: A Hip-Hop Poetica. He is the founder of Louder Than a Bomb: The Chicago Youth Poetry Festival, Artistic Director at Young Chicago Authors, and teaches at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Nate is the author of NAACP Image Award-nominated book Wild Hundreds. He is a founding member of the poetry collective Dark Noise, and is also a rapper.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/137/ for full show notes and comments.

Fat Joe and Remy Ma are longtime friends and collaborators who have been making music together since the heyday of their crew The Terror Squad in the early 2000s. Their 2004 Grammy-nominated smash “Lean Back” was number 1 for three weeks and became one of the most popular songs of the decade.

But as any hip-hop fan knows, both of their stories go much deeper than that. Joe first came on the scene in the early 1990s as part of the powerhouse Diggin’ in the Crates crew. Joe’s first verses were on DITC member Diamond D’s classic 1992 debut Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop, and Diamond would produce most of Joe’s own debut record, Represent, the following year.

As Joe’s career developed, he started his own crew called the Terror Squad, which came to include Remy and her mentor, the late Christopher “Big Pun” Rios.

Pun’s death in 2000 took a toll on crew morale, and the group gradually split apart. By the time of Remy’s 2006 debut There’s Something About Remy: Based On A True Story, Joe and Remy had fallen out completely.

In July 2007, Remy was arrested for shooting an acquaintance outside a Manhattan nightclub. She served six and a half years behind bars, and was released in August 2014. A reconnection with Joe soon followed, and the two began working together again. Joe and Remy’s latest hit single is “All The Way Up,” and they have a duo album coming out very soon.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/150/ for full show notes and comments.

Dame is a producer who has sold tens of millions of albums in his storied career. He got his start working with The LOX, and had his first big hit with their tribute to Biggie, “We’ll Always Love Big Poppa.” After giving The LOX several of the biggest songs on their debut album Money, Power, Respect, Dame started working with another member of the Ruff Ryders camp, DMX. He produced almost the entirety of X’s 1998 debut It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, beginning a working relationship and friendship that continues to this day.

That album sold over five million copies, and moved Dame into the ranks of superstar producers. He made hits for Cam’ron, Nas, Noreaga, Freeway, and countless others. Then he moved on to a whole sound, helping Max B and French Montana define their “wave” movement. Today, he’s still making songs at a record clip – and we do mean that literally.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/154/ for full show notes and comments.

David “Chino” Villorente is not only one of the foremost graffiti artists ever to pick up a spray can, he’s also a true historian of the art form. His work has been seen on television, in magazines, and in galleries. He has also written numerous books about different aspects of graffiti culture (including several with our Episode 124 guest Sacha Jenkins) , and served a huge role in popularizing the culture as the editor of The Source’s influential “Graf Flix” column.

To see all of the art we talk about during this episode, check out this episode’s image gallery.

In addition, Chino gave us a very special playlist of music that inspired him during his writing days. You can check it out on our YouTube page.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/162/ for full show notes and comments.

Sean “Slug” Daley of Atmosphere is a proud son of Minneapolis whose devotion to that city shines through not only in his music, but also in the label he co-founded in large part to help bring shine to his city’s scene, Rhymesayers.

Atmosphere started when Daley was in high school (see above), but the group really started making waves in the early 2000s, with the release of music that would be collected on the album Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EPs.

The introspective, personal songs on Lucy Ford and follow-up projects like God Loves Ugly and Seven’s Travels struck a chord with a huge audience, and Atmosphere’s constant touring, of a kind much more akin to rock bands than rap acts, helped the group’s following grow to a point where they received airplay on MTV2, performed at large festivals, and received serious attention from big record labels. Rhymesayers, meanwhile, released well-regarded projects from the likes of Brother Ali, Eyedea and Abilities, Blueprint, MF DOOM, and many others.

Atmosphere’s latest album, released this past August, is Fishing Blues.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/178/ for full show notes and comments.

Salaam is a producer who is behind some of the most popular hip-hop, r&b, pop, and dancehall songs of the past several decades. His work with icons like Nas, Amy Winehouse, and The Fugees has been on the airwaves and on the charts consistently since the 1990s.

Salaam is the son of a musician, and got his start early, working on songs with the likes of Kurtis Blow as a teenager in the mid-1980s. By the early 90s, he was already producing hip-hop and dancehall. He did some remixes for an under-appreciated rap group called The Fugees whose first album was on the verge of flopping, and that quickly led to him producing the song “Fu-gee-la” on their monster hit follow up album The Score.

But it was in the early 2000s that Salaam really hit his commercial stride, as he began working closely with Nas on, including many others, the iconic single “Made You Look.” And Remi began working closely with a young singer from London named Amy Winehouse on her 2003 debut Frank, and also produced five songs on her smash hit follow up Back to Black. Miraculously, that’s only the beginning of Salaam’s track record as a producer, musician, composer, and executive.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/183/ for full show notes and comments.

Stretch and Evan are the co-authors of the new book No Sleep: NYC Nightlife Flyers 1988-1999. The book, as its title suggests, is a collection of flyers from the prime years of New York City nightlife, mixed with recollections from people who were there.

But both guests are known for far more than the book. Evan was the driving force behind Evil Empire mixtapes, and currently runs the popular Up North Trips, which has a website, Twitter, and Instagram devoted to hip-hop memorabilia, anniversaries, and history.

Stretch, of course, was the co-host of one of the most influential radio shows of all time, the Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito show. The show, co-hosted by Bobbito Garcia, ran on WKCR starting in 1990, and defined the sound of underground rap. Just a short list of artists who appeared on that show in the early years of their career would include Nas, Common, Jay Z, Eminem, Busta Rhymes, Big Pun, Big L, the Notorious B.I.G., and the Wu-Tang Clan. Many of those artists, and a ton more, revisited their experiences in the 2015 documentary Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/188/ for full show notes and comments.

Brothers Eric and Jeff Rosenthal have been merging comedy and hip-hop since 2007, when they began by making short sketch videos poking fun at (and, in short order, with) rappers. They took their comedic vision and love of hip-hop culture through a bunch of different projects: sketches, absurdist interviews with artists, podcasts, and even their own original music.

Most recently, the brothers have their own podcast, A Waste of Time With ItsTheReal. They also have a brand-new album called Teddy Bear Fresh, and an upcoming live show at the New York City nightclub SOBs on February 23rd.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/189/ for full show notes and comments.

Shawty is an influential producer best-known for his work with Jeezy and Gucci Mane. He has been one of the most important beatmakers ever to come out of Atlanta, and he played a key role in developing the sound of trap music - a sound that is as now close as the nearest radio station or passing car.

Shawty started out as a part of Atlanta’s bass music scene, but his diverse influences (and a mistake in the studio) changed his sound, and he developed a new style that would blossom into trap. While you can hear the beginnings of his style early on, it was his work with Jeezy, starting back when the rapper was still called Lil’ J, that pushed Shawty into the spotlight. In addition to his work with Jeezy and Gucci, Shawty Redd has made beats for Lil Jon, Pastor Troy, Snoop Dogg, Pusha T, and many more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/199/ for full show notes and comments.

Ron is a producer who is best known for his time as part of Bad Boy Records’ Hitmen production collective. Ron teamed up with Deric “D Dot” Angelettie, Diddy, Stevie J, and Nashiem Myrick to create iconic hits for Biggie, Mase, Diddy, Faith Evans, Mary J Blige, The Lox, and many more. After that run ended, Ron made beats for the likes of Beyoncé, Aretha Franklin, and Luther Vandross.

Ron is also a hip-hop historian and documentarian, and has made several films dealing with unjustly ignored aspects of hip-hop’s history. Most notable among these is the documentary Founding Fathers, which deals with the mobile DJ scene of the 1970s in Brooklyn and Queens. Any fan of the genre needs to see the movie in order to understand that there was a lot more to DJing in that era than just what was happening in the Bronx.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/207/ for full show notes and comments.

Fred is a rapper who can say that hip-hop is in his blood, literally. Not only is he from the home of hip-hop, the Bronx, but his father also used to work at the NYC nightspot The Tunnel, whose hip-hop nights on Sundays, presided over by Funkmaster Flex, were legendary.

So it only makes sense that Fred would grow up to become one of the best rappers out there. His intricate punchlines and metaphors are the stuff of mixtape legend, and his talent has led him to collaborate with some of the biggest rappers, DJs, and producers in the game. Fred’s talent has also been recognized by XXL, who annointed him one of their Freshman class in 2011, alongside Mac Miller, Meek Mill, Yelawolf, and some guy named Kendrick. Fred’s newest project, out this past August, is Gordo.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/217/ for full show notes and comments.

Reggie “Combat Jack” Ossé was a lawyer, a blogger, a music executive, a father, and much more. But most people will remember him as a podcasting legend. The host of the eponymous Combat Jack Show raised the bar throughout his time as a media figure, becoming the most influential hip-hop podcaster and even the co-creator of an entire podcast network.

Ossé died on December 20, 2017. To celebrate his life, this is a revamped version of an interview we first did with him that aired in early 2013. It also includes tributes to Combat from some of the people who worked closely with him over the years.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/229/ for full show notes and comments.

This week, we talk to a man who needs no introduction, Big Daddy Kane. Kane tells us about his legacy, dissing Erick Sermon, who really produced his first album, and tons more. This is a Cipher-ized, improved version of an episode that originally ran in 2013.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/239/ for full show notes and comments.

Leaders from some of Europe’s largest companies will be gathering in Birmingham to discuss the role that open innovation and collaboration can play in boosting the economy

Birmingham conference aims to improve arts access for disabled youngsters.

Birmingham-based Cure Leukaemia has announced record financial results that will see the charity double the amount of funding for research nurses in the West Midlands.

Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt talk with Ed Soares, manager to UFC fighters Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, and Glover Teixeira.

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Recorded live on 04/23/2014.

Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt are joined by supplement specials Bret Teck.

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Recorded on 07/07/2014.

Andre Carter, Former NFL Player who played for The 49ers, Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders and The New England Patriots, joins Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt live in studio.

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