Gems Podcast with Shom

shomghosh
  • 3.7 (3)
  • Music Commentary
  • Updated Semiweekly

Celebrating hidden gems and giving them their shine. Dive into lesser-known music, rare records, vinyl culture, and the worlds of jazz, funk, soul, rare grooves, and international heat.

  1. 2d ago

    Marco Polo: Production, Sampling & Composition

    Marco Polo joins Gems with Shom. From Toronto to New York, Marco Polo has built a career as one of underground hip-hop’s most respected producers, working with legends including Masta Ace, Rakim, KRS-One, Talib Kweli, Kool G Rap, Sean Price, Buckshot, Large Professor, Westside Gunn, DJ Premier, and more. In this conversation, Marco discusses his journey from Toronto beatmaker to producer, moving to New York, interning at The Cutting Room, learning from Ayatollah, creating Port Authority, and building a sound rooted in hard drums, samples, records, and classic hip-hop. We also discuss the evolution of his production style, from sample-based beats to full compositions, library music, soundtrack influences, synthesizers, drum programming, sound design, and his new project The Many Moods of Marco Polo: Blooming Hits, Vol. 1. Marco shares stories about Masta Ace, DJ Premier, Nas, Rakim, Large Professor, Westside Gunn, Pete Rock, J Dilla, Akai, MPCs, Port Authority, Nostalgia, and the challenge of making old sounds feel new again. In the Drop a Gem on ’Em segment, we discuss ESG, Bob James, Westside Gunn, Main Source, Pete Rock, Guru, Kenny Burke, Lords of the Underground, library records, international digging, and more. GEMS is a show about beat digging, records, production, and other things. Subscribe for more conversations on music, creativity, records, culture, and the deeper stories behind the producers, DJs, artists, and collectors who shape the sound. Full episode available now. #MarcoPolo

  2. Jul 11

    Cosmo Baker: The Art of DJing, Record Digging & Music Culture

    Cosmo Baker joins GEMS. Known globally as one of the world's premier DJs, Cosmo discusses growing up in Philadelphia, discovering hip-hop, developing his craft behind the turntables, moving to New York during one of the greatest eras in music, The Rub, the Scratch DJ Academy, record collecting, vinyl, traveling the world, and why curiosity and learning have remained at the center of his life and career. We explore the art of DJing, what makes a great selector, developing a musical identity, discovering records through sampling, the evolution of music culture, and why the pursuit of knowledge never ends. In the Drop a Gem on Em segment we discuss Jackie Wilson, Ernie Hines, Ohio Players, Gang Starr, Roy Ayers, Sly Stone, The Roots, J Dilla, Slum Village, house music, sampling, Philadelphia DJ culture, books, and much more. #Gemswithshom #CosmoBaker #DJ #BeatDigging #RecordCollecting #Sampling #Philadelphia #HipHop #MusicHistory #OpenFormat

  3. Jul 3

    Hakim Tafari: Music, Mindfulness & The Art of Transformation

    Hakim Tafari joins GEMS. From sound system culture in the UK to hip-hop, soul, spiritual jazz, DJing, running, Buddhism, and mindfulness, Hakim Tafari has lived a life shaped by music, movement, art, and transformation. In this conversation, Hakim discusses growing up in England with Jamaican roots, discovering hip-hop, traveling to Brooklyn, DJing, making music, and finding refuge in records, sound system culture, and community. We talk about how music became a path into deeper questions of identity, spirituality, health, healing, and survival. Hakim shares his journey through Rastafarianism, the Five Percent Nation, Buddhism, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, running, trail running, visual art, modeling, and the mind-body practices that helped him rebuild his life. We discuss the spiritual power of music, including Alice Coltrane, John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, spiritual jazz, Black liberation, reggae, sound system culture, and the records that shaped his worldview. In the Drop a Gem on ’Em segment, we discuss Eugene McDaniels, Cal Tjader, Phil Ranelin, Henry Franklin, Alice Coltrane, John Coltrane, Les McCann, RAMP, Lonnie Liston Smith, Rudolph Johnson, Gang Starr, and more. GEMS is a show about beat digging, records, production, and other things. Subscribe for more conversations on music, creativity, records, culture, and the deeper stories behind the artists, DJs, producers, and collectors who shape the sound. Full episode available now. #HakimTafari #GEMSWithShom #GEMSPodcast #SpiritualJazz #HipHop #Mindfulness #Buddhism #SoundSystemCulture #Reggae #SoulMusic #DJCulture #BeatDigging #RecordCollecting #AliceColtrane #JohnColtrane #ALoveSupreme #RunningCulture #MindBodyConnection #TaiChi #QiGong

  4. Jun 28

    Aki - Cosmos Records: The Beat Digger’s Record Store

    Aki of Cosmos Records joins GEMS. In the world of beat digging, Cosmos Records is considered one of the greatest record stores in the world. Based in Toronto, Cosmos Records has become a destination for DJs, producers, beat diggers, record collectors, and music lovers looking for rare grooves, breaks, soul, jazz, Brazilian records, Cuban records, Latin records, 45s, and the records behind the records. Aki discusses growing up between Tokyo and Toronto, learning the record trade through Japanese dealers and buying trips, working at Play De Record, opening Cosmos Records, building taste over decades, and why knowledge, humility, quality, and time matter in record collecting. We also discuss how hip-hop taught a generation about samples, breaks, rare grooves, and music history. From Madlib and MF DOOM digging through Brazilian records, to Prince visiting the shop, Jude Law searching for Sabu Martinez, Pete Rock digging in the warehouse, and J Dilla stories from the floor, Aki shares the history behind one of the most respected record stores in the world. In the Drop a Gem on ’Em segment, we discuss Madlib, MF DOOM, Pete Rock, Large Professor, J Dilla, Prince, Jude Law, Sun Ra, S.O.U.L., Cymande, WEE, Brazilian records, Cuban records, sample records, DJ records, record store culture, and more. GEMS is a show about beat digging, records, production, and other things. Full episode available now.

  5. Jun 19

    MANEESH ON THE BEAT: UNTOLD STORY OF DRAKE'S "SHABANG" PRODUCER

    On this episode of GEMS, I sit down with producer, DJ, and songwriter Maneesh on the Beat. You may know Maneesh from his work with Drake, J. Cole, Giveon, Rihanna, Travis Scott, Justin Bieber, Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris, and many more. We explore his journey from Toronto turntablist to producer, the stories behind Drake's "Shebang" and "Make Them Cry," working with OVO, developing his sound, and what it took to keep going through years of rejection before finding success. In the Drop a Gem on Em segment we discuss J Dilla, Diamond D, Gang Starr, Hieroglyphics, Luther Vandross, the Isley Brothers, record collecting, DJ culture, and the records that shaped his creative perspective. A conversation about persistence, creativity, music, and trusting your own ear. #Drake #Shabang #MakeThemCry #ManeeshOnTheBeat #Giveon #BeatDigging #RecordCollecting #ProducerLife #Podcast #GEMSPodcast #GEMSwithShom

  6. Jun 10

    Waxvillain: Rare Soul, Record Collecting, and Forgotten Classics

    This episode of Gems with Shom features Waxvillain, a Seattle-based record collector, interviewer, content creator, and A&R for Fraternity Music Group Records. Waxvillain and Shom get into his journey from hip-hop fan and beatmaker to one of the most passionate voices in the rare soul community. The conversation explores sampling, record digging, Wax Poetics, Amsterdam record culture, Brazilian music, indie soul, lost soul, and the records that shaped his life. They also discuss how the pandemic changed his relationship with music, the rise of Waxvillain, building community through records, and why soul music continues to resonate with collectors and listeners around the world. 🎙 In this episode, we dive into: • Growing up on hip-hop, discovering samples, and learning through records• Dilla, MF DOOM, Madlib, beatmaking, and the path to record collecting• Rare soul, indie soul, lost records, and the art of digging• Wax Poetics, Fraternity Music Group, reissues, and music community We also talk about Gil Scott-Heron, Brian Jackson, Tim Maia, The Sacred Souls, Penrose Records, Action Bronson, Alchemist, Amsterdam digging culture, and the emotional connection that great records can create. For fans of rare soul, record collecting, beat digging, Dilla, MF DOOM, Madlib, soul music, vinyl culture, and deep music conversations, this is a real gem.

  7. Jun 5

    MIKEY D: A CREATIVE LIFE, MAIN SOURCE & BATTLING

    This episode of Gems with Shom features Mikey D, the Queens MC, battle rapper, and member of Main Source and LA Posse. Mikey D and Shom get into his early years coming up in Laurelton, Queens, discovering rap, and building his reputation as one of Queens’ most respected battle MCs. The conversation explores LA Posse, working with the legendary Paul C, joining Main Source, the New Music Seminar Battle for World Supremacy, and stories about LL Cool J, MC Shan, Kool G Rap, and Melle Mel. 🎙 In this episode, we dive into: • Growing up in Laurelton, Queens• Battle rap and the New Music Seminar• LA Posse and Paul C• Joining Main Source• LL Cool J, MC Shan, Kool G Rap, and Queens legends• Creativity, authenticity, and leading a life focused on music over the years For fans of battle rap, Main Source, LA Posse, Paul C, Queens hip-hop, golden era rap, and deep hip-hop culture, this is a real gem.

  8. May 28

    DJ FLIPOUT: RECORD DIGGING, RADIO LIFE, AND THE ART OF THE 45

    This episode of Gems with Shom features DJ Flipout, a legendary DJ, producer, radio host, beat digger, and one of Canada’s most respected 45 collectors. Flipout and Shom get into his incredible journey through music, from growing up around Portuguese records, AM radio, and early hip-hop videos to becoming a teenager on the radio, a rapper, dancer, producer, and eventually one of the defining DJs of Vancouver’s hip-hop scene. The conversation explores his deep roots in Canadian radio, including The 5 O’Clock Traffic Jam, his early work on college and commercial radio, and how he built a decades-long career through curiosity, taste, and a lifelong commitment to DJing. They also dive into record digging, sample culture, 45s, De La Soul, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Nardwuar, The Alchemist, Mad Child, and Vancouver hip-hop history. 🎙 In this episode, we dive into: • Vancouver hip-hop, Canadian radio, and Flipout’s early DJ roots• Record digging, 45s, samples, and musical memory• Rapping, dancing, producing, and coming up through the local scene• The 5 O’Clock Traffic Jam and a life built through radio• Stories about De La Soul, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Nardwuar, The Alchemist, Mad Child, and more

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Ratings & Reviews

3.7
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Celebrating hidden gems and giving them their shine. Dive into lesser-known music, rare records, vinyl culture, and the worlds of jazz, funk, soul, rare grooves, and international heat.

Information

  • Creator
    shomghosh
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    59
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © shomghosh
  • Show Website
    Gems Podcast with Shom

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