In the early days of the pandemic, I found a record poking out of a bookshelf. I must've walked past that shelf a million times, how had I never noticed it? Turns out: the record was written for my grandfather by future Broadway titan: John Kander. The story doesn't stop there and only gets better. I invite you to listen and enjoy and share.This st…

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker is probably one of the coolest people to ever set foot on Planet Earth. The man literally invented the high five in 1977 (seriously, look it up, I'm not lying) and yet somehow that isn't the coolest thing about him. His love and passion for music runs very deep, you'll hear that in the stories he tells. PS shoutou…

Once upon a time, Jay-Z was announced to be the first rapper to headline Glastonbury. Noel Gallager from Oasis didn't like that very much, he told the press, "I'm not havin' hip-hop at Glastonbury. Fookin no way." The way Jay-Z responded was equal parts class and ether.By Sama'an Ashrawi

Comedian and sports enthusiast Jamel Johnson stops by the campfire to tell a few funny and affecting coming-of-age stories; tales of romance, fisticuffs, and maybe a little bit of the ganja. His stories are soundtracked by Ludacris and Lil' Wyte, and boy are they worth hearing.Follow:https://twitter.com/nonprofitcomichttps://instagram.com/broccolih…

Lenora, a singer from Houston, Texas, (the Hiram Clarke area to be specific) stops by the campfire to get a little vulnerable, tell some stories, cry a little, and laugh a lot. 3:20 - Growing up in Hiram Clarke14:15 - Almost got a Ginuwine Whoopin'22:04 - The album 'Girls', the 'Cool' music video27:05 - A happy memory35:26 - "Goin Up Yonder" is *th…

One fateful day, I found myself holding a camera and staring into Bill Withers' eyes. Or, I should say, he was staring into mine. No, he was gazing into my soul. He could see all the highlights of my life, he could see every mistake I ever made. And he was smiling. Here's that story + at the end a chance for you to reflect on pieces of people you c…

Legendary rapper, college professor, one half of the mighty UGK, and Sama'an's personal mentor, Bun B joins the campfire to tell the story of his career (and his marriage) through five of his songs.[00:01:50]Chapter 0: Trill Foreword by Jon Caramanica[00:11:20]Chapter 1: Findin' Love While Ridin' Dirty[00:23:10]Chapter 2: It's Dark and DMX Knows My…

From our episode In Support Of Black Liberation, Aaron Stephens shares two songs in his live performance: his original tune, "Do Something," and a cover of Bob Marley's "Small Axe."Buy Aaron's music here:https://aaronstephens.bandcamp.com/Listen to the full episode here:http://thenostalgiamixtape.com/creative/in-support-of-black-liberation/"Do Some…

From our episode In Support Of Black Liberation, Christelle Bofale shares her cover of Solange's "Borderline (An Ode To Self Care)," accompanied by Jake Smith on guitar.Buy Christelle's music here:https://christellebofale.bandcamp.com/Listen to the full episode here:http://thenostalgiamixtape.com/creative/in-support-of-black-liberation/Christelle's…

A statement from us + exclusive live performances by Christelle Bofale and Aaron Stephens, in support of Black Liberation.Buy their music at:https://christellebofale.bandcamp.com/https://aaronstephens.bandcamp.com/Read an annotated transcript of this episode at:thenostalgiamixtape.comAbridged Transcript:[00:00]Jamel Johnson clip.[00:47]Nina Simone …

Bonus content! Taped live at Soundworc Studios in Burbank, California, Hamish Anderson performs a short acoustic set for his appearance on The Nostalgia Mixtape. Set List:- "Don't Think Twice It's Alright" (Bob Dylan cover)- "Winter" (original)More episodes at thenostalgiamixtape.comBy Sama'an Ashrawi

Melbourne, Australia-based guitarist Hamish Anderson on how a Bob Dylan classic inspired "Winter," the first song he ever wrote, and how The Beatles' "Back in the USSR" made him want to pick up a guitar in the first place. This episode features two live performances from Hamish.Donate to The Nostalgia Mixtape on Venmo @SamaanAshrawi or CashApp - $S…

Houston-raised, Los Angeles-based writer, artist, and comedian Rinny Perkins sits down with us to tell the story of how Toro y Moi soundtracked her attempt to apprehend shoplifters at American Apparel in 2009. Perkins first gained a following on Instagram through her collage art that combines vintage 1970s Black magazine aesthetic with 21st century…

One late night, a teenaged Thundercat and his father walked into a laundromat, around the corner from the house where Marvin Gaye was shot and killed by Marvin Gaye Sr, and changed the channel on the TV to Adult Swim. His life would never be the same. He sits down with host Sama'an Ashrawi to tell the story. *TW - from 46:00 - 60:00 the conversatio…

Hello, World! Welcome to season 2 of The Nostalgia Mixtape. We know you could all use some good news right about now. Hell, we could too. In the middle of all this madness, a good story is a great escape, and that’s what we hope we can bring you with season two of The Nostalgia Mixtape. My name is Sama’an Ashrawi and I’ll be your guide.If you’re ne…

Esteemed thespian, underrated martial artist, motocross rider, and part-time EMT, Hannibal Buress recalls his first-ever walk-up music at his second-ever stand-up gig. (We love hyphens!) Hannibal and host Sama'an Ashrawi ponder whether or not they should take credit for the Hiatus Kaiyote sample on Drake's "Free Smoke" and how reminisce about the t…

Genre-bender Gary Clark Jr. gets philosophical about the psychedelia of chopped and screwed music and how winning a Grammy finally helped him earn some validation in the eyes of his parents.By Sama'an Ashrawi

Sam Bailey & Fatimah Asghar look back on how Frank Ocean's 'Blonde' got them through the filming of their acclaimed web series 'Brown Girls' .... and how it continues to get them through this thing we call life.Read along with the annotated transcript here:http://bit.ly/TNMBGEpMore episodes at:thenostalgiamixtape.com…

Grammy-winning rap superstar Lupe Fiasco sits down to reminisce about how a cult classic film, 'The Last Dragon', is connected with the karate (and life) lessons his father gave him as a kid.Read along with the annotations here:http://bit.ly/LupeFiascoTNMBy Sama'an Ashrawi

Host Sama'an Ashrawi shares a bonus mix based on songs from the Khruangbin episode of The Nostalgia Mixtape. Music from Sudan, Morocco, Algeria, Niger, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Iran, India, plus a few dub tracks as well as some American rockabilly, blues, Jamaican soul, and Canadian disco. Listen to the Khruangbin interview on the Nostalgi…

Tag along as @Khruangbin regale us with stories of songs that have chased them around the world, from Texas to Copenhagen to India, and how they've grown along the way.By Sama'an Ashrawi

Ladybug Mecca aka Santos Vieira, one-third of legendary rap group Digable Planets, one-whole of herself, joins The Nostalgia Mixtape to talk about the smoothest band of all-time: The Doobie Brothers. Ladybug will never forget when, in her childhood, The Doobies appeared on an episode of the 1970s sitcom What's Happening!! to teach Rerun, Raj, Dee, …

Amber Coffman, a singer, guitarist, and human person, tells an incredibly relatable teenage tale of rebellion inspired by TLC's "Creep."By Sama'an Ashrawi

The internet's most irreverent instigator, Zack Fox (aka @corduroycondom on Soundcloud), stops by to tell the tale of a heist that could only happen in Edgewood, Atlanta, Georgia. In Zack's own words, "It's a hood version of a Guy Ritchie flick."By Sama'an Ashrawi

Sango (@sangobeats), one of the internet's most revered beat-makers, tells the story of how Daft Punk inspired his first ever remixes -- remixes you can only hear on The Nostalgia Mixtape.By Sama'an Ashrawi

The 2016 WNBA season ended with a championship and an MVP trophy for Nneka Ogwumike of the Los Angeles Sparks. There were a few constants during that summer: Nneka's lights-out shooting and Chance the Rapper's 'Coloring Book' album which soundtracked her best statistical season.By Sama'an Ashrawi

New York Times best-selling author Shea Serrano stops by to tell a coming-of-age story about Master P's "Ice Cream Man," a drug dealer named Aurelio, and three-point-shooting his way into a girl's heart (...or not.)By Sama'an Ashrawi

Welcome to The Nostalgia Mixtape. A story-telling series rooted in the music that soundtracks our memories.By Sama'an Ashrawi