The National Black Programming Consortium Presents

Rip and Rebind is an anthropological snapshot of life taken with hip-hop's camera. Through a collaged narrative reflecting the mash-up genre whose origins are largely found in Hip-Hop, this sonic journey confirms that the music is a reflection of the people. The series aims to preserve an honest perception of an artistic expression that has too often been commodified. Sample-heavy and audibly rich, Rip and Rebind is essentially cultural "crate-digging."

The phrase "rip and rebind" comes from the publishing industry. When a successful book is being re-published as a paperback, sometimes there is an abundance of hardcover editions left over. In order to reuse the hardcovers for this new purpose, the books are ripped from their hard shells and re-bound as paperbacks for a new audience of readers.

Today, the general consensus among the Hip-Hop Generation (a reference to Generation X, 1965-1982) is that the music is dying. I tend to agree. And while the cause of death is uncertain, I do think the time has come to rip ourselves from old ideas of separation, and rebind ourselves on common ground. This show was created, hosted and produced by Carl Scott as a collaboration with The Public Radio Exchange and their new formatless radio project Remix Radio.

Public Radio Exchange: REMIX is an experimental radio stream hosted by PRX to showcase pieces from PRX.org and develop new approaches to public radio formats and sounds.

We are a 24-hour semi-formatless remix of amazing public radio stories, cool podcasts, fascinating interviews, and anything else that makes a sound that we find interesting.

Join us on the satellite airwaves all over the world on XM 136 or right here at remixradio.org

That guy you keep hearing is Roman Mars.

Roman Mars is the host and content curator of the Public Radio Exchange radio stream. His reported and documentary work has most recently aired on Morning Edition, Weekend America, KALW’s Crosscurrents and WBEZ’s Re:sound. Before going rogue, Mars spent over three years at WBEZ’s Third Coast International Audio Festival as the project senior producer and sound designer, developing their weekly documentary radio program and producing the TCF national broadcast specials for Public Radio International. Mars started his radio career at KALW in San Francisco and was best known as host and executive producer of Invisible Ink, an independent literary audio zine. The show received numerous recognitions from the National Federation of Community Broadcasters and was named “Best of the Bay” by the San Francisco Bay Guardian.

The Fishbowl Theory

My brother is 8 years older than me. He spends much of his time immersed in movies and music that all include some hint of hip-hop culture. It’s reasonable to say that he has listened to Hip-Hop for all of his life. Given the age difference, he served as my filter for Hip-Hop when it was introduced to me as a child. But even at the seasoned, if not ripe age of 35, conversations with my mother revolve around the same situation: He won't pull his pants up. He sags them around the tops of his thighs, prompting him to stop short every fifteen minutes to make the grand gesture required to pull them up. Mom's argument is quite logical. She notices that because his belt is situated so low below his waist, when he sits down it is stretched and breaks much sooner than it would through "normal use." And although this argument is 2 decades old, my brother's stance remains that sagging is a youthful fashion movement that my mother will never understand. To mom, my brother is just one of many 35-year-old men who dress like boys; which of course leads to boyish behavior. When asked to think of an alternative to wearing such large clothing, my brother's mind arrives at one place—skinny jeans—which is NOT an option. In his mind skinny jeans are a style embraced by kids much younger than he, and would essentially make him look like a child. So he sticks to what he knows—the old school.

This is the crux of an interesting argument in Hip-Hop. Does the genre have a space for adulthood? If so, what does it look like? It’s quite clear that the Hip-Hop generation was the first who "didn't lose the street" when they emerged in the boardroom. Russell Simmons is a great example: a millionaire who never wears a suit and tie. But as this generation gets older, it seems that we are trying to hold onto our youth more and more. In the inaugural episode of Rip and Rebind, we explore the relationship between Hip-Hop and maturity in a piece we call “The Fishbowl Theory.” Join in on the discussion.

Whatchutalkin'bout?!

Not long ago I purchased a book by Anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston called "Mules and Men." The book represents a collection of "Negro Folktales" that are organized in to such topics as "How Jack Beat the Devil" and "What Brer Rabbit Learned". These stories, culled from Floridian conversations she had during trips to the area, give a great introduction to the African-American tradition of storytelling. Black culture is largely oral and the stories, though changed through the years still hold the body of our morals and standards as passed on from our elders. Hip-Hop music is an undeniable continuation of this tradition. The mere idea of sampling is a transformation of history designed to fit standard times. Much more than entertainment, our music is our language. This episode is a look at this idea from an active perspective. I present to you my retelling of the story of the Garden of Eden called Expectation is King. Join in on the discussion.

Fame Monster Pt. 1: Dumb It Down

Those who pursue a life in the spotlight have a lot of tough decisions to make about the things they choose to participate in. At the end of the day, if we achieve success as we define it, do the ends justify the means?
Join in on the discussion.