Soker presents the NO GPS podcast with Mez and Aharon formerly of DummyMen infamy. Slinging hot takes, analysis and meta-commentary on a wide range of topics spanning from Marvel/Star Wars to African History, the NBA to psychoanalysis and Hiphop to Geopolitics. Sure to make your head spin with glee and wonder. The fellas are back to stay!
…
continue reading
1
NO GPS | 2024's NBA Champions Predicted the US Election Results? | Ep23
46:52
46:52
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
46:52
Recorded during the heat of summer, Mez, Matt, & Aharon bring you a special NO GPS episode that’s been waiting for just the right moment to hit your ears. With the NBA Finals and the U.S. elections on everyone’s mind, we thought—why not bring the worlds of sports and politics together? From game-deciding shots to culture-shaping trends, this episod…
…
continue reading
1
After Sunset | I Bleed Toronto RAPTOR Purple Pt 1 | EP 5
18:17
18:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
18:17
In this first episode of a three-part series, we take a unique and innovative look at how city life, professional sports, and popular culture intertwine to shape narratives about citizenship, individuality, and community. Through the lens of the Toronto Raptors’ rise, this podcast explores what it means to belong—both as a fan and as a member of a …
…
continue reading
1
NO GPS | Guess Who's Comin' to Dinner? They're on The Menu! | Ep22
46:25
46:25
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
46:25
Originally set to release in January, this episode of NO GPS dives deep into the biting satire of the film The Menu, unraveling its critique of class, capitalism, and the art world. Mez, Matt and Aharon explore how the movie captures the widening gap between the rich and the working class, a world where the only time the "haves" and "have-nots" int…
…
continue reading
1
NO GPS | Part II-> H Rap Brown: Kendrick Lamar, Drake and (Ni**a) Authenticity | Ep21
1:15:33
1:15:33
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:15:33
"You run to Atlanta when you need a check balance, Let me break it down for you, this the real nigga challenge" - Kendrick Lamar "See it's no in between: you're either free or a slave" - H. Rap Brown In one of this podcast's favourite articles, On the Question of Nigga Authenticity, Ronald T. Judy writes: "The nigga is constituted in the exchange o…
…
continue reading
1
NO GPS | H Rap Brown: Kendrick Lamar, Drake and (Ni**a) Authenticity | Ep20
59:48
59:48
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
59:48
Today's episode is the one you didn't know you were waiting for! Mez, Matt, and Aharon do an in-depth analysis of the rap beef between Compton's "home is not where the heart is" Kendrick Lamar and Toronto's "placeless" hit-making global superstar Drake. This seemingly juvenile rap beef has laid the foundation for an audit of Hip-Hop after over 50 y…
…
continue reading
1
NO GPS | Is Boston The More Complete Team? | Ep19
35:18
35:18
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
35:18
Mez, Matt & Aharon are back again with commentary and breakdowns of the first two games of the NBA Finals featuring the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics. They talk about what went right for the Celtics, who are up 2-0, and what went wrong for the Mavericks. The guys even discuss Boston sports culture and Aharon's weird connection to it this part…
…
continue reading
1
NO GPS | The Basketball gods must be Crazy (Finals Preview) | Ep18
1:18:02
1:18:02
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:18:02
Mez, Matt & Aharon are back with another doozy of a NO GPS Podcast episode! Back and in rare form the guys discuss the NBA playoffs in the only way they can: with novel insights and off-the-cuff jokes that end in boatloads of laughter. From analogizing the play of teams and players with current political and cultural trends to offering up deep anal…
…
continue reading
1
NO GPS | African-American Fiction? | Ep17
1:12:05
1:12:05
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:12:05
In this episode of NO GPS, Mez & Aharon discuss the Oscar-nominated film 'American Fiction,' directed & written by Cord Jefferson, featuring Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Sterling K. Brown, Leslie Uggams, Issa Rae & Myra Lucretia Taylor. The guys delve into the artistry of the film. They question the reasoning for making a film like this in 20…
…
continue reading
1
NO GPS | Professor Daniel McNeil Discusses 'Thinking While Black' | Ep16
1:14:33
1:14:33
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:14:33
In this intellectually stimulating episode of NO GPS, Mez & Aharon engage in a profound discussion with special guest Professor Daniel McNeil, delving into the nuanced themes of his seminal work, 'Thinking While Black.' This conversation transcends the ordinary and navigates the complex waters of the Black Atlantic, touching upon its historical, cu…
…
continue reading
1
After Sunset | Lovers In A Dangerous Time | EP 4
17:52
17:52
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
17:52
We have been living through the throes of a Love Apocalypse since 1986, when Zapp & Roger released Computer Love, and 1995 when the first online dating site was created. In this episode of NO GPS After Sunset Aharon talks about catching the lovebug via social media and online dating sites. Catching a lovebug that brings on cravings to ghost and tro…
…
continue reading
Mez & Aharon are back for their first pod of 2024. The guys get into the thick of things when they start out with the recent trade of Pascal Siakam. They speculate to the effect this trade and that of OG Anunoby to Atlantic Division rivals the New York Knicks - yes, the Raptors have finally went all in on a rebuild (our hope: that it is done with t…
…
continue reading
1
After Sunset | Home Alone for the Holidays | EP 3
16:53
16:53
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
16:53
The John Hughes produced 1990 film Home Alone is a Christmas Holiday classic. A staple in the holiday film diet of millions of people, maybe even billions. But I have a sneaking suspicion that the film is not simply a feel-good spectacle meant for the anchor spot in Christmas movie marathons. I think it speaks to our present life situation in very …
…
continue reading
1
After Sunset | Draymond the Raging Intellectual | EP 2
19:46
19:46
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
19:46
In this episode Aharon delivers commentary and deep analysis into the current world zeitgeist via the innovative, albeit sometimes troublesome, play and post-game analysis of Draymond Green. In a very discreet way Aharon shows what casual forces may be behind the current crisis in personal and group identity - and why choosing your identity, not si…
…
continue reading
1
After Sunset | One Piece of a Parentless World & Techno-Cultural Fallacies | EP 1
23:50
23:50
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
23:50
In this inaugural episode of NO GPS After Sunset Aharon is going in on our new Techno Feudal Lords. He figures out, in episode 1 (the gall of this guy!), that the meaning of life is to find meaning in life - in his usual roundabout way. A Podcast related article to read is: https://open.substack.com/pub/soker/p/re-post-around-the-world-in-a-day?utm…
…
continue reading
NO GPS After Sunset is a bi-weekly show hosted by Aharon. It will work as a compliment to the flagship NO GPS show with co-host Mez. This show will take a look at current world affairs and the hottest topics of the day. Aharon will be discussing everything you think he shouldn't be discussing! Hold on to your seats and enjoy the ride. Intro: 0:00-0…
…
continue reading
1
Part 3 - The Soul Rebel Generation | Ep14
1:24:42
1:24:42
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:24:42
In today's episode Mez & Aharon get into the last part of Daniel McNeil's magistral book 'Thinking While Black'. McNeil's book does away with the binary Black progressive vs. Black conservative conceptual framework while discussing both Armond White and Paul Gilroy's work as cultural critics. What we get is an expansive overview of Black thought th…
…
continue reading
1
Underdogs on Top - NBA Playoffs Recap | Ep13
57:37
57:37
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
57:37
Today's NO GPS episode with Mez & Aharon has the guys discuss the NBA playoffs, the Draft Lottery, the head coaches playing musical chairs with each other and the NBA Finals. Enjoy this one! The guys were in rare form. Podcast episode produced by Matt Joseph. Music provided by TrethWest.By Soker
…
continue reading
1
Part 2 - The Soul Rebel Generation | Ep12
48:59
48:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
48:59
In part 2 of The Soul Rebel Generation Mez & Aharon talk about the intellectually provocative cultural critic Armond White in great detail. Time stamps: (1:05) Detroit & the genius and formative years of Armond White (8:15) Armond the rebel outsider (13:48) Armond's & Pauline Kael's uncommon common American Americans and their humanism (18:54) Armo…
…
continue reading
In this episode of NO GPS Mez & Aharon talk about Daniel McNeil's fascinating new book 'Thinking While Black'. The book is a unique interdisciplinary study of Black cultural critics Armond White and Paul Gilroy that spans continents and decades of rebellion and revolution. Join us as we take a journey through the Black Atlantic! Disclaimer: Aharon'…
…
continue reading
1
The West is a Mess, or the Best? | Ep10
1:03:00
1:03:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:03:00
Mez & Aharon, with the help of producer man Matt, talk about who won and lost in the most eventful NBA tradeline ever on this latest episode of the NO GPS podcast. They discuss the Hollywood antics of the now better equipped Los Angeles Lakers (2:01), the now disbanded Basquait painting Brooklyn Nets squad (11:23) and Aharon’s beloved & underperfor…
…
continue reading
The revolution has been televised?! In this episode Mez & Aharon, with the help of producer man Matt, talk about the last 3 episodes of Andor. The guys discuss the nitty gritty and less glamorous aspects of a revolution (17:55). Everything from the epic prison break in Narkina 5 (2:27) and Andor's critique of mass incarceration to the skulduggery o…
…
continue reading
1
NO GPS Ep. 8: The Wakandans learn how to Swim, Again
1:00:48
1:00:48
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:00:48
The Indigenous and Afrocentric dream of reviving ancient civilizations untouched by modernity and colonization come to life in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Mez & Aharon (with the genius guidance of producer man Matt) talk about what happens after this dream is shattered and the world happens upon it. How is insurmountable grief dealt with? For t…
…
continue reading
1
NO GPS Episode 7: Andor & the Globalized Managerial Industrial Complex
1:02:20
1:02:20
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:02:20
You are going to have to use your little grey cells to understand the grey side of the force for this episode of NO GPS. Mez & Aharon talk about feeling like tourist's in the world - not belonging to a specific place, and the mania that feeling produces. Further, what happens when people don't have a relationship to the past or to their indigeneity…
…
continue reading
In this short episode Mez & Aharon give their initial takeaways from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. They talk indigenous mythology, the guiding ghost of Chadwick Boseman and the romanticism of the precolonial past.By Soker
…
continue reading
1
NO GPS Episode 5: Escaping the Hellish Repetitions of the Sampled Drum Loop?
59:54
59:54
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
59:54
In this weeks episode Mez & Aharon (with the help of producer-man Matt) talk about music. Everything from the deep meanings laden in the fast raps of the Heavy D's & Bone Thugs n Hamrony's, to Luther Vandross' extraordinary rendition of Burt Bacharach's 'A House Is Not a Home', and to the transcendental Blues of Malian guitarist Ali Farka Toure. Pe…
…
continue reading
1
NO GPS Episode 4: Why you should be a Raptors fan & The problem with Sports Analytics
59:10
59:10
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
59:10
In this episode of NO GPS Mez & Aharon, with the help of producer Matt, talk the global reach of the NBA, their issue with sports data science, the Toronto Raptors (or as they affectionately call them: The Toronto Africans), Nick Nurse and all manner of things interesting in the world of culture and sport. Hold tight to your seats for this ride! An…
…
continue reading
1
NO GPS Episode 3: The Foundation in the Chaos
1:03:11
1:03:11
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:03:11
In this episode we have Mez & Aharon talking about the latest episodes (5-6) of the show Andor. They discuss far ranging topics like the disappearance of the middle class in the global north, the revolutionary thought of the character Nemik, the Indigenous fight for survival amidst environmental destruction & how the global supply chains of transna…
…
continue reading
1
NO GPS Episode 2: Star Wars & the Forgotten People of Andor
1:12:56
1:12:56
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:12:56
Mez & Aharon give you novel takes and analysis on the first four episodes of Andor.By Soker
…
continue reading
1
NO GPS Episode 1: What the World’s Been Waiting For
1:01:50
1:01:50
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:01:50
Step into the cypher with Aharon, Mez & Matt with this nifty introduction of the NO GPS podcast! Where we focus on the journey and not the destination.By NO GPS
…
continue reading