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In this week’s episode John meets with American rapper and prolific creator, Che “Rhymefest” Smith to discuss Hip-Hop, his upcoming album, and Hollywood acting debut, along with topics ranging from Chicago’s youth, spirituality, various life changing trips around the world, and much more. Rhymefest's upcoming album is titled Love Lessons Part 1, and as you'll hear in this conversation, Love is a topic at front of mind right now for Che. This episode also includes the world-premier of an amazing track from the upcoming album, featuring Black Thought (aka Tariq Trotter of The Roots) & Raheem DeVaughn. Rhymefest has won multiple Grammys, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award, but as he says: that stuff you can just Google; in this conversation he goes much deeper. MUSICAL MENTIONS: 00:12 John Gardner 00:22 Che “Rhymefest” Smith 00:33 World Music Foundation 03:17 Black Thought 03:18 Raheem DeVaughn 04:25 Australia 04:26 New Zealand 04:27 Singapore 04:28 Hong Kong 06:03 Baobab Tree 06:06 Africa 06:07 East Africa 06:08 Madagascar 06:13 Griot 06:19 Taiwan 06:21 Alishan Forest 08:09 Ghana 08:18 American Slavery 09:15 Igbo 09:16 Kikuyu 09:17 Mandingo 09:18 Maa’sai 11:01 In My Father’s House 13:57 Art of Culture 15:55 Drum 15:56 Poetry 15:58 Singing 16:18 Coca Leaves 16:53 Musician 15:54 Instrument 16:55 Prince 16:56 Kanye West 22:43 A&R 26:04 Hollywood 26:11The Public 29:06 Hip-Hop 29:10 Rock 33:33 Floyd Mayweather 33:50 Muhammed Ali 33:52 Mike Tyson 34:08 Bruce Lee 35:47 Peru 36:07 Champa 37:38 Amazonian Jungle 39:37 Japan 40:47 79th street 40:51 Mexian Pyramids 42:43 Atlanta 42:50 Pete Buttigieg 44:03 Stony Island 44:19 The Dan Ryan 51:20 Indian Classical Music 51:21 Afrobeat 51:22 Blues 51:50 Iran 51:52 19th Century Hafez 52:04 Jamaica 52:21 Jay Z 52:25 Verse 52:33 Mauritania 52:59 Colombia 53:00 Palenque village 54:58 Wolof 55:05 Croatia 55:08 Yugoslavian war 55:18 Kosovo 56:35 Wu Tang Clan 56:41 Mobb Deep 59:11 Jazzy Jeff 59:17 Ghana 59:29 Eritrea 59:30 Ethiopia 59:31 Uganda 59:32 Tanzania 59:33 Rwanda