South Asians Love Rap Akash Pandey

In the lead-up to the Oscars, Mano Sundaresan and I interviewed Joseph Patel for No Bells Radio. We're sharing that conversation here and celebrating Joseph for becoming the first Patel to ever win an Oscar. Summer of Soul, the film he produced alongside first-time director Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, won in the Best Documentary category. Check out the film on Hulu and be sure to follow No Bells Radio wherever you listen to podcasts!

We're back with a bonus episode featuring Mano Sundaresan, a freelance writer and an audio producer at NPR. We discuss the influence of LA rapper Drakeo the Ruler (RIP), links between South Indian film music and rap, and the blog Mano founded last year called No Bells. Below the timestamps, you will find some of Mano's work and some of Akash's work (including a piece for No Bells).

(3:08) Remembering Drakeo the Ruler

(7:36) Early days in Massachusetts

(9:52) Filmi music / 808s & Heartbreaks

(14:08) Identity / Mano's work

(23:07) College days / early career

(30:17) Massachusetts rap / No Bells



Mano's work


Kanye comes up empty-handed for NPR
Patriot Act wasn't perfect, but it was ours for Vulture
No Bells blog



Akash's work


A homegrown thing for No Bells
The search for Darondo for KALW
Summer games return to Rucker for WNYC

A family affair for the 10th episode! This one is extra special. It features Akash's dad reminiscing on his decades-old bond with Dr. Huey P Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. Huey choose Papa to head his Ph.D committee in the late 1970s at UC Santa Cruz. Plenty of stories come pouring out from there. But mostly this episode is a tribute to teachers and an attempt to explore the legacy of an American icon through a family connection. 

Dr. Anil Jagtiani (@DrJ_NoRelation on Twitter) finds time away from fighting COVID on the frontlines for this one. He talks about his grandfather's love of rhymes, keeping his Bay swagger alive after 20+ years in SoCal, and why the Roots are criminally underrated. 

Check out the companion playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5iqYVDTS2aWcIqdebXwVzj?si=Mo5AR69xRqG2EmvA_eXSng

High school student and up-and-coming rapper, Shivam Patnaik, pops by to share the origins of his rap name, the songs influencing his production style, and the mindset he's embracing as he prepares to release his most mature album to date, Junior Year.

Filmmaker and co-founder of Illusive Media, Shomi Patwary, joins the show to share his behind-the-scenes contributions to hip-hop from his college years to today, his career path as a music video director, and his plans for a comeback amidst COVID and its complexities.