Welcome to a special episode of The Cipher. This is an episode dedicated to Houston. Like countless people around the world, we were devastated by news of Hurricane Harvey and its effects on the city. If you’re a regular listener, you’ve noticed that we have many episodes discussing Houston music and culture with the city’s artists, businesspeople, and authors.

So, because of that love for Houston’s music, culture, and most of all its people, we decided to reach out to three H-town rap legends and find out what’s really going on in the storm and its aftermath, and to find out what you can do to help. We caught up by phone with Trae tha Truth, Killa Kyleon, and Z-Ro. All three have been involved in recovery efforts —in fact, you may have seen Trae on the news, rescuing people by boat. And all three have seen first-hand the devastation the storm has caused.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/213/ for full show notes and comments.

Richard “Crazy Legs” Colon is a b-boying pioneer and the longtime president of the Rock Steady Crew, arguably the most famous b-boy crew in the world. He joined the Rock Steady crew in its early days, and quickly rose to become its leader. As early as 1981, he was already getting press attention as one of the best dancers out there in the still-new form of b-boying or breaking, and he invented many of the moves we still associate with breaking today.

Crazy Legs and the Rock Steady Crew would make a series of genre-changing appearances: in movies like Wild Style, Beat Street, and Flashdance; bringing hip-hop to Europe as part of the historic New York City Rap Tour; and even recording a hit album.

After b-boying’s popularity dipped and many of the original dancers retired, Crazy Legs reinvigorated the Rock Steady Crew in the early 1990s, spurring them and b-boying on to even greater heights - performing at Lincoln Center, winning a prestigious New York Dance and Performance Award, and much more.

We spoke to Crazy Legs at on on the playground AND in the Principal’s office at PS 163 in on the Upper West Side, the home of Rock Steady Park.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/218/ for full show notes and comments.

Skyzoo is a fantastic Brooklyn rapper whose sophisticated lyrics and ear for soulful beats has long made him one of our favorites. Longtime listeners will no doubt remember that he’s been a guest on the show twice before. But this is different.

Sky approached us last month with the idea of having an in-depth conversation to tease out the themes and ideas in his awesome new record. In Celebration of Us, easily his most topical project to date, deals with police violence, gentrification, discrimination, validation, and ultimately what it means to be, as Sky is, a black man raising a black boy in America today.

He wanted to have the talk at a place near to his heart, so we met at Mike’s Coffee Shop. Mike’s is a Brooklyn diner that has been a staple of the rapper’s life since childhood, and remains one now that he has a child — his newborn son Miles — of his own.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/231/ for full show notes and comments.

The Arsonists were a crew formed in Bushwick in the early 1990s. D-Stroy, who began his rap career in his early teens alongside famed DJ Tony Touch in the duo Touch and D-Stroy, helped to solidify a group that would come to consist of, among others, Freestyle, Jise One, Swel Boogie, and Q-Unique. After putting out several early singles, the group was the first hip-hop act to sign to Matador Records, a label better known for indie rock. They released their debut album As the World Burns in 1999.

An intense touring schedule and its attendant stresses put pressure on the crew, and it splintered after the 2001 follow-up Date of Birth. But the Arsonists are back with a new album, Lost in the Fire, and a reissued version of their debut. Lost in the Fire features a mix of old but previously unreleased material alongside new songs.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/235/ 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.

Kalyn is a rapper and the leader of the eclectic Denver-based group Wheelchair Sports Camp, who have garnered critical acclaim for their music and their energetic live performances almost since their founding in 2009.

Wheelchair Sports Camp - named after a real camp that Kalyn, who has brittle bone disease and has been in a wheelchair her whole life - used to attend, is a group that pushes the boundaries in sound and subject matter. Most performances consist of Kalyn, drums, and trumpet, and their latest album No Big Deal explores everything from gentrification to the pressure artists put on themselves to important social issues.

In addition to being a great rapper, Kalyn is also an activist, and now a politician. She participated in a big protest against the repeal of the ACA that had her and other activists taking over a senator’s office. And now she’s running - or rather, as she puts it, rolling - for Mayor of Denver.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/240/ for full show notes and comments.

Soundset is a festival in the Minneapolis area put on by the Rhymesayers label. It’s been running since 2008, and has grown from a show in a warehouse to a day-long outdoor event featuring some of music’s biggest acts.

This past May, we went to the festival to hang out and talk to the performers, and on this episode and the next one, you’ll hear the results. This time, you’ll find conversations with Rapsody, Grieves, K-Salaam, Sa-Roc, and Prof. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the first half of The Cipher’s Soundset special.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/241/ for full show notes and comments.

Glen “Daddy-O” Bolton is a rapper, producer, executive, and all-around hip-hop Renaissance man. He formed the ground breaking Stetsasonic in 1981, and the group went on to release several classic albums and become the first great hip-hop band.

As a producer and remixer, he worked with everyone from Audio Two to the Red Hot Chili Peppers to They Might Be Giants. He was an executive at MCA and Motown, and continues to consult with a number of companies. And he’s still releasing music to this day. Daddy-O’s latest album, released this past May, is No Tablecloths.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/244/ for full show notes and comments.

Jericho Jackson is a group made up of producer Khrysis and rapper Elzhi. Khrysis is best known for his work with the rap collective the Justus League, which counts among its members 9th Wonder. He is currently a member of 9th’s production team the Soul Council. In addition to his North Carolina crew, Khrysis has produced for Sean Price and Heltah Skeltah, Jean Grae, Evidence, Talib Kweli, Black Thought, and many others.

Dedicated Cipher listeners will remember Elzhi from our talk with him on episode 152. The Detroit rapper came to a lot of fans’ attention during his time as a member of Slum Village. He followed that up with a staggering series of solo albums, including the Nas reinvention Elmatic and the deeply personal Lead Poison.

Khrysis and Elzhi’s recent joint album is called Khrysis and Elzhi Are Jericho Jackson.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/247/ for full show notes and comments.

As many of you know, The Cipher is going on an indefinite hiatus following this episode. For more information about why, visit us on Twitter or Facebook, or just listen to this episode. But in short, we have no plans to make any more new episodes after this one. Our archives, however, will still be available and free on our website, on iTunes and other podcast apps, and on SoundCloud.

For this goodbye episode, we called up our friend and episode 201 guest Jay Smooth to interview The Cipher’s host Shawn Setaro and its producer Josh Kross. Jay, as you’ll hear, did an amazing job, and got us to touch on so many aspects of the show’s history, and of ways we thought about it over the years.

So here’s the end of the road, for now. Thanks for listening.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/252/ for full show notes and comments.

The University of Birmingham is set to host its first Arts & Science Festival to showcase the wealth of ideas, research and collaboration across its campus.

“Maximising your Return on Investment from a Good Idea”

With the age of literary correspondence dying, it seems more important than ever to provide spaces of warmth and comfort in which writers can not only retreat

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

How Welsh National Opera is helping city music students

A Birmingham based medical charity is giving you the opportunity to double your donation and help save lives around the world

A charity concert has raised £700 for the Edgbaston-based charity Ammalife.

Jiu Jitsu Master Eddie Bravo joins Joey and Lee in studio for a special edition of The Church Of What's Happening Now. Eddie is preparing for his rematch against Royler Gracie.

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MMA writer Ben Fowlkes calls in to talk about TRT and the future of MMA.

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Recorded live on 03/24/2014.

Joe Kenyon from World of Rock Records calls in to promote putting You Cant Eat Pussy With Asthma on Vinyl.

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Jiu Jitsu Coach John Evan calls in to break down Eddie Bravo's Match in Metamoris 3.

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Recorded live on 03/24/2014.

Emilio Rivera joins Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt in studio to talk about his new film Water and Power.

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Recorded live on 04/02/2014.

Comedian Felipe Esparza joins Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt live in studio.

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Recorded live on 04/07/2014.

Director Peter Segal calls in to talk to Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt

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Recorded live on 04/08/2014.

Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt solo!

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Recorded live on 04/14/2014.

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 talk to Joey's friend Timmy Holloway about where they thought they would be 30 years ago as drug addicts and where they are now.

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Recorded live on 04/28/2014.

Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt welcome Justin Fortune to the podcast. Mr. Fortune is a boxing strength and conditioning coach most notably for Manny Pacquiao.

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Recorded live on 04/30/2014.

Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt do the first remote Church podcast. They welcome guest Alder Hampel to the show for the first time. Alder is the owner and coach at 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Van Nuys. 

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Recorded on 05/04/2014.

Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt are joined by Comedian Steve Simeone for the second remote recording of the Church.

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Recorded live on 05/07/2014.

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

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Recorded on 07/07/2014.