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.

!llmind first gained notice for making beats for some of underground rap’s best talent like Little Brother, Akrobatik, Heltah Skeltah, and two-time Cipher guest Skyzoo. But it didn’t take long for him to break into the mainstream, creating songs for Kanye West, Drake, J. Cole, Ludacris, and more.

!llmind also has a group of businesses aimed at helping aspiring producers, from his B.L.A.P. beat battles to his Blap-kits drum sound packages to personal mentorships. In addition, he’s an accomplished educator, and now a label head with his Roseville Music Group.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/163/ for full show notes and comments.

David Banner is a Jackson, Mississippi-raised rapper who started in the duo Crooked Lettaz, but first came to most peoples’ attention with his 2003 solo hit “Like A Pimp,” and the record that contained it, Mississippi: The Album. That LP, which also contained the hit “Cadillac on 22’s,” cemented Banner’s name and style in the minds of rap fans nationwide.

But there’s a whole lot more to Banner than a couple of hits. He is an accomplished producer who has made beats for T.I., Trick Daddy, RZA, and Lil Wayne. He’s also an actor who has been in the films Black Snake Moan and This Christmas. He has even recently hit the lecture circuit with his “God Box Lecture Series.” But most importantly, he has continued to challenge himself and his listeners with thoughtful, important music. His new album The God Box is coming soon.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/164/ for full show notes and comments.

Scott Harding, better known as Scotty Hard, is a producer, engineer, and musician who has been behind the scenes for some of the most notable and boundary-pushing albums in hip-hop and beyond. He has worked on seminal albums by the Gravediggaz, Wu-Tang, the Brand New Heavies, Ultramagnetic MCs, Prince Paul, BDP, Tim Dog, De La Soul, and many, many more — and that’s not to mention his work with jazz, rock, and unclassifiable acts like Medeski, Martin and Wood, the Crash Test Dummies, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and tons of others.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/166/ for full show notes and comments.

Jermaine Dupri got his start in hip-hop very young. As a pre-teen, he was a dancer on the Fresh Fest tours of the mid-1980s. He went from there to rapping himself, but quickly found that his real talent lay in writing and producing hits for others.

J.D. had his first real success with the group Kriss Kross, who he discovered in 1991. He formed So So Def Records, where he guided the careers of Xscape, Da Brat, Jagged Edge, and Bow Wow. He also had many hits as a producer with the likes of Mariah Carey, Destiny’s Child, and Usher. Dupri is now a key part of two unscripted TV shows, The Rap Game and Music Moguls.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/167/ for full show notes and comments.

Martha is the founder of the Hip-Hop Education Center, but that’s only the latest venture in a lifetime full of advocating for and advancing the culture. She began her career on the set of Yo! MTV Raps, and hasn’t looked back.

Martha is the creator of the H2O International Film Festival, a documentary filmmaker, a social entrepreneur, and, most importantly, a tireless advocate for hip-hop education.

Whether she’s working with institutions like Cornell University to archive hip-hop’s past; or keeping track of, connecting, and enhancing current efforts in hip-hop education with the Hip Hop Education Center, Martha is always playing a key role in advancing the culture, and in helping people learn while using tools they know and can relate to.

Martha also brought along a special guest for this episode, Sommer McCoy. Sommer is the founder of the Mixtape Museum. The Mixtape Museum is an archive project dedicated to advancing public understanding and appreciation of the art, history, and technique of the mixtape.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/169/ for full show notes and comments.

Joe Budden first came to prominence in the mixtape scene of the early 2000s, due to an affiliation with DJ Clue’s Desert Storm crew, which also included Fabolous, the A-Team, and more. His 2003 debut self-titled album yielded a smash hit with “Pump It Up,” but the record’s sales didn’t match expectations, and led to problems between Joe and his label Def Jam - problems that would play out across the rapper’s increasingly popular and well-regarded Mood Muzik mixtape series.

Joe’s introspective, heavily personal style won him a devoted fanbase – one that he reached out to directly via the Internet, well before that became the standard thing to do. He nurtured those fans by continuing to release superb projects like Padded Room, A Loose Quarter, and No Love Lost. But he also expanded into new realms by appearing on the TV shows Love & Hip Hop and Couples Therapy. He has also moved into podcasting with his popular show I’ll Name This Podcast Later.

Joe’s new album, out this coming Friday, October 21st, is a collaboration with the producer AraabMuzik called Rage & the Machine.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/172/ for full show notes and comments.

J.Period is one of the best mixtape DJs in the world and worked closely with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Questlove on the just released Hamilton Mixtape, a companion to the smash hit musical that mixes new versions of songs in the show, reinterpretations, and demos.

He’s also been the music supervisor for the Brooklyn Nets, helped launch the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, composed for TV and film, and was even the DJ Spike Lee called at 10 am the day Prince passed to come play the filmmaker’s block party that night.

J.Period’s work is very far from a standard mixtape. Instead, he makes musical documentaries, mixing songs, interview and news footage, sample sources, and guest artists to create a unique, multilayered picture of the work of icons like Nas, Lauryn Hill, Q-Tip, James Brown, Michael Jackson, and more. He has even taken this approach to the stage with his “live mixtape” series, which he has performed at the Smithsonian Museum, The Roots Picnic, the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, and more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/179/ for full show notes and comments.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—if you love soulful Christmas music! We sit down with Bill to talk about the 2016 edition of his world-famous ‘Xmas Jollies’ mix, which you can stream EXCLUSIVELY from us here.

We also discuss Paul Simon, vaudeville, Atlanta, record shopping in Bayou country, the raunchiest Christmas song of all time, and much more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/181/ for full show notes and comments.

Adam Mansbach is a novelist and, of course, the author of the “children’s book for adults” Go the F to Sleep. But his new project is not a book—it’s a screenplay. Adam wrote the new movie Barry, available now on Netflix. The film is a fictionalized examination of Barack Obama’s first months in New York City, as he arrives at Columbia University in 1981.

The film stars Ashley Judd, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Mitchell, Ellar Coltrane, Avi Nash, and the fantastic newcomer Devon Terrell as Obama. It’s been getting rave reviews and has garnered a bunch of award nominations, including NAACP Image Award and Independent Spirit Award noms for Adam. We talk to Adam about writing and filming Barry, but we also catch up about the election, his new TV show, Henny Youngman’s joke-telling philosophy, and a whole lot more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/182/ for full show notes and comments.

Andre “Doctor Dré” Brown is best-known for his time co-hosting Yo! MTV Raps with Ed Lover, a job he held down from 1989 to 1995. He and Ed used their chemistry and comic sensibility to bring hip-hop, and the artists who made it, to a worldwide audience.

But, as you’ll hear, there’s much more to Dré than his time at MTV. He was a key part of the group Original Concept, one of Def Jam’s early signings. He played a key role in the lives of some other early Def Jam acts, Public Enemy and the Beastie Boys. He’s made movies, worked in radio, and done pretty much everything else you can imagine.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/185/ for full show notes and comments.

Thirstin is a Brooklyn rapper who came on most rap fans’ radar during the underground hip-hop boom of the late 1990s. His comic songs like “I Still Live With My Moms” and “How Many Babee Muvas” caught the attention of listeners who liked their lyricism and tales of New York City street life with a side of humor.

But as much as for rap, Thirstin is also well-known for his long-running obsession with Polo. As a teenager, he played a key role in uniting two disparate Brooklyn crews into the Lo-Lifes, a group that would become notorious for both their boosting sprees and their fashion. Thirstin has a new book documenting the worldwide reach of the Lo-Lifes, called Bury Me With The Lo On.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/187/ 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.

Paradise Gray began his career in hip-hop under the tutelage of masters like Pete DJ Jones and Disco King Mario. However, he really hit his stride when he began booking hip-hop acts and hosting in 1986 at a nightclub in the heart of Times Square called the Latin Quarter. While at the club, he would have a front row seat to the introduction of a new generation of hip-hop artists—the key acts in what would come to be called the genre’s Golden Age.

After the club closed in 1988, Paradise would form the group X-Clan with some friends, and deliver some of the most powerful, conscious rap records of all time.

Paradise has a new book about his time at the LQ called No Half Steppin’: An Oral and Pictorial History of New York City Club the Latin Quarter and the Birth of Hip-Hop’s Golden Era.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/190/ for full show notes and comments.

Boldy James is a Detroit rapper who first came to many peoples’ attention in 2009 after appearances on songs by his cousin Chuck Inglish’s group, The Cool Kids. But Boldy took that initial burst of interest and ran with it, releasing a slew of mixtapes and guest appearances leading up to his 2013 debut album My 1st Chemistry Set, produced entirely by The Alchemist.

Just over a year later, Boldy was signed to Nas’ then-new label Mass Appeal Records. Boldy’s latest project, out this past February, is House of Blues.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/194/ for full show notes and comments.

DJ EFN has done it all in hip-hop: hosted mixtapes, put out albums, managed acts, owned a clothing store, run a marketing company, been on the radio, and more.

But now, there are two major projects that have vaulted EFN into the spotlight. First, there’s his Coming Home documentary series, where he travels around the world and discovers different countries through the lens of their hip-hop scene. The newest edition in the series is Coming Home: Vietnam.

Second, EFN created and co-hosts with Nore the wildly popular Drink Champs podcast. The show has wild, booze-fueled conversations with hip-hop’s elite, including Diddy, 50 Cent, Ice T, and dozens of others.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/196/ 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.

This is episode 200, and features a return from Kevin Coval. However, since it is our 200th, our producer Josh got Kevin, who’s also a big fan of the show, to turn the tables without us knowing and interview the show’s host Shawn. So if you’ll excuse a little self indulgence here’s the episode 200 with Kevin Coval, Shawn Setaro AND Josh Kross.

Kevin is a poet and educator who is the artistic director of Young Chicago Authors, and the author and editor of a whole bunch of great books. The latest of these is A People’s History of Chicago. The book, true to its title, covers the entire history of the city, while focusing on the experiences and victories of its working people and those struggling for justice. The book’s foreward is by a young artist who has learned a lot from Coval, Chance the Rapper.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/200/ for full show notes and comments.

Ernest Dickerson is a director, cinematographer, and writer who has played a key role in some of the best and most important film and television of the past four decades. He got his start in the mid-1980s as the cinematographer on movies by his NYU film school pal Spike Lee. Ernest show every one of Spike’s movies up through 1992’s Malcolm X—a historic run that included She’s Gotta Have It, Do the Right Thing, and Jungle Fever, just to name a few.

Ernest struck out on his own with a hip-hop cinema classic, 1992’s Juice. The film, about four Harlem teenagers who slowly get dragged into a perilous situation, featured Tupac Shakur in his first starring film role—and also had cameos from hip-hop figures of the time like Treach, Queen Latifah, Red Alert, and Yo! MTV Raps hosts Fab 5 Freddy, Ed Lover, and Doctor Dre. A 25th anniversary edition of the movie, with tons of never-before-seen extras including an alternate ending, is available now.

But that’s not nearly all of Ernest Dickerson’s story. He has directed other great films like Surviving the Game, Demon Knight, and the Snoop Dogg-starring Bones. And he has helmed notable episodes of great TV series like The Wire and The Walking Dead. His latest project, out now on the festival circuit, is Double Play.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/205/ for full show notes and comments.

Aldrin “DJ Toomp” Davis began his career as a DJ and producer for early Atlanta rap acts like Raheem the Dream and MC Shy-D. But it was when he met a friend’s cousin named Clifford Harris that things really got started. Harris rapped under the name Tip—which he would later change to T.I. to avoid confusion, after signing to the same record label as Q-Tip.

T.I. and Toomp would together sell millions of records, create classics, and even help start a whole new genre. A whole new generation in Atlanta and beyond would take inspiration from the sound and title of Toomp and T.I.’s 2003 album Trap Muzik, and a style bearing that name would come into being.

But that’s far from the end of Toomp’s accomplishments. He also played a key role in the creation of Kanye West’s 2007 album Graduation, and a whole lot more besides.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/209/ for full show notes and comments.

Divine, as he is fond of saying, has gone “from crack to rap to tech.” His wild and inspirational story starts in Newport, Rhode Island, where he started dealing drugs just as the crack epidemic took hold—and also as hip-hop was starting to blossom.

It wasn’t until years later, as he was finding his way out of the criminal life, that Divine let his passion for music take hold, and began his career as a rapper. But a chance meeting over Twitter with venture capitalist Ben Horowitz would take him on a whole new adventure.

Divine is now a coveted speaker at tech events, a startup founder himself, and still an emcee, as anyone who has listened to his 2014 album Ghetto Rhymin’ will attest.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/211/ 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.

Kevin “DJ Head” Bell is a producer and DJ from Detroit who played a big role in that city’s scene during the mid-to-late 1990s. At that time, an insanely talented group of people were getting together for open mics, beat battles, ciphers, and shows. Among that crew were people who would go on to be some of the most popular and well-regarded rappers and producers of all time, including J. Dilla and Eminem.

DJ Head worked closely with them both. He was also tight with the late rapper Proof, a member of D12 and pillar of the scene, in addition to being best known as Eminem’s best friend and longtime onstage foil. DJ Head played a big part in Em’s meteoric rise—producing, programming drums, and DJ’ing for the rapper as he went from underground battle rapper to international superstar. He also produced songs for Xzibit, D12, Obie Trice, and more.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/222/ for full show notes and comments.

Bill Adler is…well, you probably already know who Bill is. Publicist, journalist, author, gallery owner, archivist - Bill has done it all. From helping to popularize acts like Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys to defending free speech alongside Luther Campbell to boycotting the Grammys with Public Enemy and the Fresh Prince, there’s very little Bill hasn’t done.

But most importantly, Bill Adler is a Christmas music obsessive. Every year since 1982, he’s created a mix of seasonal music that he actually likes, called the Christmas Jollies. And the past five years, we’ve been lucky enough to sit down with him to discuss the music on it.

You can find this year’s collection here, and several other past volumes can be found elsewhere on our SoundCloud page.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/228/ 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.

Evidence first became known to most hip-hop fans as a member of Dilated Peoples. The group, which consists of Ev, Rakaa Iriscience, and the virtuosic DJ Babu, were beloved champions of hip-hop’s underground in the early 2000s.

After a number of successful Dilated projects, Evidence decided to go solo in 2007 with The Weatherman. Since then, he’s continued to release music on his own, with the group, and even with his longtime friend, the producer Alchemist, as the Step Brothers. His latest release is Weather or Not.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/232/ for full show notes and comments.

Sage Francis and B. Dolan are both from Providence, are both rappers who have roots in spoken word, have toured and sporadically recorded together for years, and even share a label—the Sage-founded Strange Famous Records. But it has taken them until 2018 to release a full project as a duo: the Epic Beard Men.

Sage is a beloved underground rap veteran who has been releasing albums of his smart, introspective, and emotional music consistently since 2002, and touring the universe maniacally to support them—all while running Strange Famous. B. Dolan is an equally talented wordsmith whose solo work is as likely to give new life to old union hymn as it is to pay tribute to the Ol’ Dirty Bastard. The group has a new EP, Season 1, and an album on the way.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/234/ 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.

Phonte first visited us in early 2016, when we had a career-spanning interview. But now he’s back with No News Is Good News, an incredible new album that turns the rapper’s last several years of tragedies and triumphs into amazing art.

Phonte first came to most rap fans’ notice as a member of the critically acclaimed group Little Brother, and has since released an array of solo, duo, and group projects - most notably with Foreign Exchange. No News Is Good News finds Phonte reflecting on the deaths of close family members, the happiness brought by a new marriage, and what it’s like to possibly have more years behind you and in front of you. All of that, combined with Phonte’s incredible rhyming, makes for one of the best records of the year.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/237/ 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.

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.

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 and this is the second of two episodes where you can hear the results. This time, you’ll find conversations with Murs, Nikki Jean, OG Grip, and Evidence. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the conclusion of The Cipher’s Soundset special.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/242/ 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.

Mid90s, which opened this past Friday, October 19th, is a film Hill wrote and directed about a group of skateboarding friends in—you guessed it—the mid-1990s. The incredibly authentic period piece features plenty of nods to the skateboarding scene and the music of the time period, including songs from the Pharcyde and the Gravediggaz, and a memorable cameo appearance by Del the Funkee Homosapien.

This is Jonah’s first film as a writer/director. He has, of course, starred in tons of films, from Superbad to Moneyball to The Wolf of Wall Street. For this interview, Hill was joined by Sunny Suljic, who plays Stevie; Na-kel Smith, who plays Ray; Olan Prenatt, who plays Fuckshit; Gio Galicia, who plays Ruben; Ryder McLaughlin, who plays Fourth Grade; and Alexa Demie, who plays Estee. To rap fans, Na-Kel Smith’s name and voice may sound familiar—he has a music career of his own, and has appeared on songs with Tyler, the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/248/ for full show notes and comments.

Masta Ace is a legendary rhymer whose career began with the Juice Crew and has continued through a series of beloved solo and group albums. Marco Polo is a Toronto-born producer who moved to New York City in the early 2000s, and took his adopted hometown’s traditional boom-bap aesthetic to heart. Marco has brought his rugged sound to Torae, Pharoahe Monch, Ruste Juxx, Sean Price, Vinnie Paz, Rah Digga, and many more.

Now, Marco and Ace have joined up for a new album. A Breukelen Story combines a set of incredible songs with a series of skits that follow Marco’s journey from Toronto to NYC—an Ace-written storyline that both mirrors and features people from the producer’s real life.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/250/ for full show notes and comments.

Every Christmas since 2013, we’ve sat down with Bill—who is the former head of PR at Def Jam, among numerous other accomplishments—to talk about his world-famous Xmas Jollies mix. Bill spends the whole year scouring record stores, flea markets, the internet, and everywhere in between to find the perfect batch of great holiday music, and then shares it with his select mailing list, and with us. Now, we talk to him about some of this year’s selections.

You can hear Bill’s mix in its entirety at our Soundcloud page.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/251/ 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

Madin walking tour led by Alan Clawley Starting at Five Ways Station, 10.30 am, 22nd June 2013

Financial advisers from across the West Midlands attended a course on auto enrolment yesterday – the new regime for workplace pensions that has begun to roll out.

How Welsh National Opera is helping city music students

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.

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.

Donors needed at Birmingham Donor Centre due to low stocks.

"Help us to help you get the treatment you need across Birmingham and Solihull."