Best Akil Pinnock Podcasts (2024)

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Ep. 38: Pt. II | How Hip-Hop Made the World w/ Dr. Todd Boyd 1:11:03

8M ago1:11:03

1:11:03

In part two, Dr. Boyd and I discuss the complicated legacy of Sylvia Robinson, founder of Sugarhill Records and if The Sugarhill Gang are “industry plants,” the kinship between hip-hop and jazz and why ultimately, hip-hop will be heard in the same prestigious cultural venues as jazz music. He also spoke on why MCing and DJing are the only elements …

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Ep. 38: Pt. I | How Hip-Hop Made the World w/ Dr. Todd Boyd 1:12:49

9M ago1:12:49

1:12:49

Today’s guest is none other than The Notorious PhD, Dr. Todd Boyd. Outside of his informative cultural commentary on basically every documentary ever made, Dr. Boyd has been a tenured professor in The University of Southern California's Cinematic Arts department for over 30 years. He’s written various articles and essay’s, co-wrote and produced 199…

1
Ep. 37 | On A Mission w/ Blvk H3ro 1:09:12

1y ago1:09:12

1:09:12

For the second time, we have Blvk H3ro. By the time this episode is released, H3ro will be on tour for his debut album, On A Mission, so I was happy he was able to sit down with Words Matter Pod before he got super busy on the road. In this week’s episode, we spoke about what it feels like to release your debut album, his music reflecting his perso…

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Ep. 36 | Solution Focused w/ Elliott Connie 1:03:36

1y ago1:03:36

1:03:36

It’s good to be back! This week we have licensed psychotherapist, public speaker, podcaster, stand-up comic and author of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy with Clients Managing Trauma, The Solution Focused Marriage: 5 Simple Habits That Will Bring Out the Best in Your Relationship, Solution Building in Couples Therapy, The Art of Solution Focused The…

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Ep. 35: Pt. II | "The only thing constant is change" w/ film and television editor, Kristin Valentine 1:10:27

1y ago1:10:27

1:10:27

And we're back for part two. In the second and my favorite part of "The only thing constant is change," w/ film and tv editor Kristin Valentine. Valentine spoke about the intricacies of editing process as well as her favorite part of the process. She had a long list of editors she admires, she brought up a common but accurate cliché regarding editi…

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Ep. 35: Pt. I | "The only thing constant is change" w/ film and television editor Kristin Valentine 1:05:54

1y ago1:05:54

1:05:54

Sorry for the hiatus y'all, but today's episode is worth the wait. We had the pleasure of interviewing film and television editor, Kristin Valentine. Hailing from Indianapolis, Indiana, Valentine spoke about being a mathematician by trade as a data analyst for the Department of Defense before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Hollywood. I…

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Ep. 34 | "I'm here to create my own story" w/ Pusha Rod 1:30:42

1+ y ago1:30:42

1:30:42

We’re back at CREATIVE SOUNDZ RECORDING STUDIOS, this time with owner, overall renaissance man, Grammy Award winner, Pusha Rod. Rod spoke about growing up on the East Side of South Central Los Angeles, but never allowing the negative stereotypes about his community define him, while also taking accountability for the roles he's played in his life. …

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Ep. 33 | Disrupting the Music Business w/ Senior Director of A&R/Publishing at Create Music Group, Carl LeGrett 1:18:35

1+ y ago1:18:35

1:18:35

Carl LeGrett is Senior Director of A&R/Publishing at Create Music Group, an independent data-driven media and technology company, that focuses on transparency with its creators. Aside from his work of finding talent, LeGrett has uncovered millions of dollars in unclaimed royalties for Create's artists, a practice not often synonymous with tradition…

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Ep. 32: Pt. II | Rebel with a Cause w/ Grammy Award nominated reggae artist, Blvk H3ro 1:28:58

1+ y ago1:28:58

1:28:58

As promised, we’re back with Part. II of Rebel with a Cause w/ Grammy Award nominated reggae artist, Blvk H3ro. In the second and final part of this episode, H3ro speaks about what it means to be an independent reggae artist in this digital age, the Jamaican music business, non-Black artists making Black music, what it takes to be a professional mu…

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Ep. 32: Pt. I | Rebel with a Cause w/ Grammy nominated reggae artist Blvk H3ro 58:46

1+ y ago58:46

58:46

It's only right that the longest Words Matter Pod episode thus far is a reflection of host, Akil Pinnock's Jamaican roots. Today's episode features reggae artist Blvk H3ro, who at the 65th Grammy Awards, was nominated for Best Global Music Performance for his feature on Ghanaian artist Rocky Dawuni's "Neva Bow Down." In part 1 of the almost 2 and a…

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Ep. 31 | Being a Chameleon w/ Brandon Brown, VP of A&R at Interscope Records 42:46

1+ y ago42:46

42:46

Last week we took a trip to Creative Soundz Recording studios in the heart of L.A. to speak to Brandon Brown, Vice President of A&R at Interscope Records. Brown, a native of Compton, CA, a city with a rich Hip-Hop history recalls seeing Eazy-E drive down the street, growing up a half a mile away from where Straight Outta Compton was recorded, and l…

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Ep. 30 | "Basketball is my ministry" w/ Coach John Mosley Jr. 57:12

1+ y ago57:12

57:12

A few weeks back we took a trip to East LA College where I interviewed John Mosley Jr., Head Coach of their Men's Basketball team. For two seasons, Mosley and crew have been the subject of Last Chance U: Basketball, a Netflix original series that covered the lives of these student athletes, the coaching staff and all the moving parts of the team. F…

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Ep. 29: Pt. II | The Visual Language of Photography w/ NYC Street Photographer Jamel Shabazz 57:31

1+ y ago57:31

57:31

We're back for part 2 of "The Visual Language of Photography," with longtime New York City street Photographer, Jamel Shabazz. In the second part of our two hour interview, Mr. Shabazz spoke on the intent in which he traveled with as he walked the streets taking photographs, giving visibility to a community that was often invisible, a time in New Y…

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Ep. 29: Pt. I | The Visual Language of Photography w/ NYC Street Photographer Jamel Shabazz 1:02:11

1+ y ago1:02:11

1:02:11

After months of communication, this past November we finally had the honor of interviewing Jamel Shabazz. Shabazz, a Brooklyn, NY native, is a renowned fashion, fine art, documentary and street style photographer as well as the author of Back in the Days, The Last Sunday in June, Seconds of my Life, Sights in the City: New York Street Photographs, …

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Ep. 28 | “What Are You Doing Here?” w/ Actor, Quaz Degraft 1:20:59

1+ y ago1:20:59

1:20:59

Quaz Degraft is an actor, director, writer and entrepreneur from Yonkers and West Haverstraw New York. Degraft explained how his career started by tagging along with his girlfriend at the time who joined an acting workshop, then going on to studying at various acting schools in New York after growing a love for the art form; all while working as an…

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Ep. 27 | Taking the Best and the Rest of the Culture w/ author, Vikki Tobak 1:03:57

1+ y ago1:03:57

1:03:57

On today's episode we had the pleasure of interviewing Vikki Tobak, culture journalist, curator and author of Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop, and most recently, Ice Cold: A Hip-Hop Jewelry History. We spent the first half of this interview speaking about Tobak's upbringing as an immigrant child from Kazakhstan in 1980s Detroit, falling i…

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Ep. 26 | "Minimizing Harm" w/ Court Reporter, Meghann Cuniff 1:09:31

1+ y ago1:09:31

1:09:31

Words Matter Pod w/ Akil Pinnock is back and better! Last month we interviewed then, Senior Reporter for Law & Crime News Meghann Cuniff. In a time where anything uploaded online can be perceived labeled as news, Cuniff's fair and unbiased coverage of the The People of the State of California vs. Daystar Peterson, a.k.a. Tory Lanez made her a viral…

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Ep. 25 | "It belongs in the universe" w/ Claudio Abreu of HipHopVCR 1:39:50

2y ago1:39:50

1:39:50

Back in July we interviewed photographer Claudio Abreu, creator of the popular YouTube Hip-Hop archival channel, HipHopVCR. Abreu speaks about how his appreciation for life led to him archiving every possible moment from his earliest memories, such as 1990s Chicago Bulls games, up until adulthood. Abreu also goes into how he started archiving foota…

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Ep. 24 | ENVY of NY 4th Anniversary Brunch 27:53

2y ago27:53

27:53

We're doing something a little different this week. Last weekend we had the pleasure of attending the ENVY of NY 4th Anniversary Brunch hosted by Lips Cafe in Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY. There, we interviewed key members of the brand's growth like Jodi, partner and all hands on deck member of ENVY, Mango, one of the brands go-to models, and Manuel, vid…

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Ep 23. Pt. II | Art Reflecting the Times w/ Anthony Geathers 54:30

2y ago54:30

54:30

In the second and final part of "Art Reflecting the Times" w/ Sports, Portrait, and Documentary Photographer Anthony Geathers, Geathers, tells us why he shoots in black and white, the importance of best representing a person in his body of work, the difference between just being a photographer and being a photo-journalist, and what makes New York s…

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Ep. 23 Pt. I | Art Reflecting the Times w/ Anthony Geathers 1:05:17

2y ago1:05:17

1:05:17

In Part I, Sports, Portrait, and Documentary Photographer Anthony Geathers speaks about falling in love with photography in a seventh grade photo competition, the difference between photographers who are formally trained and the self-taught, how an artsy kid ended up fighting in Afghanistan, but how growing up in New York City prepared him for warf…

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Ep. 22 | Telling Stories that Need to be Told w/ Ethan Bakuli 1:18:11

2+ y ago1:18:11

1:18:11

On this weeks episode we have Education Reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit Ethan Bakuli. Bakuli speaks about figuring out what kind of journalist he wanted to be in college with the help of our former professor Nicholas McBride, how that tied into wanting to tell a more complete story of his hometown, Amherst, Mass; building community in unfamiliar env…

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Ep. 21 | Decentralized Learning Environment w/ Hewton Fider 1:25:30

2+ y ago1:25:30

1:25:30

On this weeks episode we have Hewton Fider. Creator of WHYzers, a decentralized learning environment created for learning, educating, and employing. Fider shared how WHYzers developed after being diagnosed with learning disabilities and wanting to de-stigmatize them, finding ways to navigate life with these diagnoses, immersive education, how WHYze…

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Ep. 20 | Music You’re Missing w/ Brendan Jeannetti 53:18

2+ y ago53:18

53:18

This week we have music industry professional and host of the successful Music Your Missing Podcast, Brendan Jeannetti. Although not a musician himself, Jeannetti remembers falling in love with music during the days of Limewire, working for different music street teams, learning how to podcast on the fly, and originally wanting to be famous from be…

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Ep. 19 | The Right Shot w/ Photographer Nehemiah Brent 1:10:17

2+ y ago1:10:17

1:10:17

On this weeks episode we have Massachusetts raised, New York based photographer, Nehemiah Brent. Brent talks about stumbling onto photography as a hobby while studying at UMass Amherst as a Kinesiology student, moving to New York, photoshoot horror stories, his style of photography, and much more!!! Subscribe to Words Matter Network online!!! https…

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Ep. 18 | The Future is Color w/ artist, creative director, and designer Erwin Hines 1:13:32

2+ y ago1:13:32

1:13:32

This week we virtually sat down with San Diego based, and Cleveland raised artist, creative director, and designer Erwin Hines. Hines spoke about creating his clothing brand FUTURE IS COLOR ® after the murder of George Floyd and using art to cope with tragedies. He also reflected on his time as an architecture student, and how he's able to apply it…

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Ep. 17 | "If you care for it, you'll make time for it" w/ Black Dre 35:19

2+ y ago35:19

35:19

In this weeks episode, we traveled to Allentown, Pennsylvania to interview Black Dre. A rapper whose learned to balance a life of growing up playing basketball, getting an education, and now a career as a mental health professional. We spoke about Allentown's Hip-Hop identity, breaking down his lyrics, pursuing a graduate degree while rapping, turn…

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Music and mental wellness Pt. 2 w/ Victorious De Costa, producer of HBOs Yusef Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn, director of Digging for Weldon Irvine, & co-owner of Legacy Vinyl Boutique in Brooklyn, NY 1:06:51

2+ y ago1:06:51

1:06:51

In part two of last week's episode, producer of Yusef Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn, director of Digging for Weldon Irvine, and co-owner of Legacy Vinyl Boutique in Brooklyn, NY, Victorious De Costa speaks about how losing five of his friends to suicide was a factor in creating Digging for Weldon Irvine, eliminating the stigma of seeking out mental …

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Music and mental wellness Pt. 1 w/ Victorious De Costa, producer of HBOs Yusef Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn, director of Digging for Weldon Irvine, & co-owner of Legacy Vinyl Boutique in Brooklyn, NY 1:04:46

2+ y ago1:04:46

1:04:46

This week we have director of Digging for Weldon Irvine, producer of Yusef Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn, and co-owner of Legacy Vinyl Boutique in Brooklyn, NY Victorious De Costa. In part one of this extensive interview, Victorious speaks about telling the stories of those before us through their record collections, musicians like the late Weldon I…

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Ep. 15 | "Envy the dream" w/ Founder of ENVY of NY, Scott Beale-King 54:17

2+ y ago54:17

54:17

Founder and Creative Director of ENVY OF NEW YORK, Scott Beale-King talks about how he applied what he learned from being a part of a streetwear brand in the past, to developing ENVY, what drives him, building within your own community, COVID-19 related shipping obstacles, and the name of the brand being inspired by outside lack of belief in his vi…

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Ep. 14 | Wearable Stories w/ Footwear designer Brandon C. Bjerre 1:34:08

2+ y ago1:34:08

1:34:08

Brandon C. Bjerre wears many hats. Currently a footwear designer, his experiences growing up in Europe for the first 10 years of his life, visiting Maryland in the summer where he eventually spent the rest of his youth, and playing basketball collegiately and professionally all shaped his journey and the stories he tells through his design. In this…

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Ep. 13 | Healing Forward w/ Certified Life Coach, Pervis Taylor, III 1:22:22

2+ y ago1:22:22

1:22:22

Award winning Certified Life Coach, mental health advocate, public speaker, and author of Surthrival Mode, and most recently Heal Forward: Four steps to purposeful living, Pervis Taylor, III reflects on his life growing up in Lancaster, Texas and not fitting into the stereotypical tropes of what men were in his environment, being inspired by his pa…

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Ep. 12 | The Book Dealer w/ Darlene Okpo of Adanne Bookshop 49:47

2+ y ago49:47

49:47

Darlene Okpo, owner of Adanne Bookshop in DUMBO, Brooklyn, NY, tells her story as a young girl growing up in The Bronx and falling in love with a library, living in Staten Island but not being of Staten Island, the sense of familiarity she got from urban fiction novels, owning a black owned bookstore, and her experiences as an English teacher in Ne…

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Ep. 11 | Controlling Your Own Narrative w/ Super Bowl Champs Jason & Devin McCourty 1:05:54

2+ y ago1:05:54

1:05:54

NFL veterans and Super Bowl champions, Jason and Devin McCourty are known for what they've accomplished on the football field, but they're also host of the successful podcast, Double Coverage with The McCourty Twins. We spoke about what it's like to be active players while being members of the media, controlling your own narratives as pro-athletes,…

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Ep. 10 | Genuine Culture w/ Damany Gordon & Theresa Cooper-Gordon 1:16:26

2+ y ago1:16:26

1:16:26

Today's episode features Damany Gordon, and his mother Theresa Cooper-Gordon. Founders of Genuine Culture, LLC. A Western Massachusetts based, multifaceted company that organizes and promotes live entertainment, film series, theme parties and seminars. Damany recalls a time when his parents, who were heavily involved in music and the community, wou…

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Ep. 9 | Awareness w/ Richard of The Aware Brand 1:13:25

2+ y ago1:13:25

1:13:25

Richard, co-founder of The Aware Brand, sees himself as a creative, and with a 10 year background as a mental health professional, a healer as well. Alongside his best friend Drew, the pair created The Aware Brand with the intentions of spreading mental health awareness through streetwear. Richard speaks in detail about the beginnings of The Aware …

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Ep. 8 | "What's in a name?" w/ copyright and trademark attorney, Amanda C. Gayle Esq. 1:05:50

2+ y ago1:05:50

1:05:50

Amanda C. Gayle Esq., owner of Gayle Law, PLLC, and author of What's In A Name? How To Choose A Trademark: Detailed tips, examples, and case law directly from a trademark attorney, chronicles her story starting off as a public defender, feeling limited as a civil rights attorney but later realizing that she could truly benefit her people as a busin…

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Ep. 7 | "You're not allowed to do that" w/ Saxophonist Mtali Banda 1:28:20

2+ y ago1:28:20

1:28:20

Jazz saxophonist, composer, vocalist, and educator; Mtali Banda reflects on how growing up in different cities allowed him to be receptive to sounds that you wouldn't expect him to, what makes a millennial want to be a Jazz musician, and not adhering to traditional jazz rules. He also elaborates on the importance of higher education exposing him to…

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Ep. 6 | Being More Present w/ Audio Engineer Ayanna Depas 1:45:38

2+ y ago1:45:38

1:45:38

Today we have Ayanna Depas. Spring Valley, NY native, and Grammy Award winning recording and mixing engineer for the likes of H.E.R., Dave East, Mary J. Blige, and A$AP Ferg, just to name a few. Ayanna reflects on how important it was from a very young age for her grandmother to instill in her that no one should ever tell her that she can't do some…

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Ep. 5 | Aspiring to be yourself all the time w/ New York Times Best Seller Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah 1:08:48

2+ y ago1:08:48

1:08:48

New York Times Best Seller of Friday Black and Spring Valley, NY native, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah speaks about how important it is to let people know where you're from, supporting your community, jumping into the world or rapping, the differences between writing a book and creating music, writing about writing and rapping about writing and jumping …

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Ep. 4 | “Imagining Greater for Yourself” w/ Savannah M. Taylor 1:24:49

2+ y ago1:24:49

1:24:49

Assistant Editor at Ebony Magazine, Savannah M. Taylor expresses her love of being black, loving community but imagining more for yourself than that community, the relevance of print journalism, click-bait, and being acknowledged by Ye (the artist formerly known as Kanye West') at the Black Future Brunch. LIKE, COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE!!! https://www.wor…

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Ep. 3 | Motivation w/ Jay'R Dion 1:06:18

2+ y ago1:06:18

1:06:18

Ohio raised, Bronx based rapper JayR' Dion speaks about having a borderless sound, leaning into motivational subject matter, mental hurdles, being true to yourself, and transitional periods. LIKE, COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE!!! https://www.wordsmatternetwork.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBIOx5HG9rmDOwly5N0XISw/videos Spotify https://open.s…

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Ep. 2 | Unlearning White Supremacy w/ Drs. Demetria & Amilcar Shabazz Pt. II 1:15:28

2+ y ago1:15:28

1:15:28

In Part II of our interview with Drs. Demetria Shabazz & Amilcar Shabazz, they speak about being willing to teach white people the critical skills in which they can recognize inequality and utilizing it in their everyday lives, decolonizing curriculums, young people being makers of their own stories, and more. RATE, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE!!! https://www.w…

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Ep. 2 | Unlearning White Supremacy w/ Drs. Demetria & Amilcar Shabazz Pt. I 41:51

2+ y ago41:51

41:51

Drs. Demetria and Amilcar Shabazz on reparations, their parents sacrifices, doing the work with a smile on your face, and the importance of building community while unlearning white supremacy. LIKE, COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE!!! https://www.wordsmatternetwork.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBIOx5HG9rmDOwly5N0XISw/videos Instagram Host: http…

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Ep. 1 | Unfamiliar Stories w/ Author Omar D. Hardware 1:22:34

2+ y ago1:22:34

1:22:34

Omar D. Hardware, author of Blood Cousins , The Wolf in Me and director of Love Gone Viral, from Spring Valley, NY speaks about his passion for storytelling, not following traditional rules, and relatability. LIKE, COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE!!! https://www.wordsmatternetwork.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBIOx5HG9rmDOwly5N0XISw/videos Spot…

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Akil Pinnock Podcasts

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