The Global Renaissance Podcast

Last summer, I went to BAMS Fest in Boston, ran into one of the most prominent artists in the Boston music scene and told him I wanted to get him on the pod. Over six months later, we both happened to be in LA and made that a reality. Echezona is a Nigerian American Afrobeats and Hiphop artists hailing from Dorchester with his sights set on going global. Our conversation is full of insights into his foundations as an artist, the ev...

Happy New Year everyone! As we step into 2025 I thought it was only appropriate to bring my guys back on the pod to discuss what we're looking forward to in the new year and things we learned from last year. This also just so happens to be my 50th episode, so I appreciate everyone who's been tuning in so far, there's so much more to come.

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Adolescence is a challenging time in life for everyone, but coming of age in an environment where you feel you aren't welcome but can't leave is a whole different beast. From seventh through twelfth grade, I, along with my close friends Tchorzky and Benjy, attended a private, all boys Catholic school where the student population was over 80% white. This racial composition forced us to navigate some complicated dynamics and in this ...

Boston is known for a lot of things, a thriving creative scene isn't necessarily one of them. This is not to say that it doesn't exist, it's just not as prominent as the creative scenes in other cities around the country. As I hope to bring light to this community through my podcast, it's been an honor to be able to connect with someone like The Poetic Artiste who strives to have a similar impact through her paintings, poetry, and ...

2024 has been an interesting year in hiphop: we saw the two biggest artists of the last decade go at it head to head while the rest of the genre seems to be stalling out. Though I'm only 25, I've been emotionally invested in hiphop for the better part of 20 years and I am quite concerned about the place it's in, but my friend Julian thinks I'm overreacting. Check out the full conversation and let me know where you stand.

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In today's landscape, attention is currency and we all know it. Some of us freely give our attention away, others actively seek to garner the attention of others. Today's guest, Jaylen René, has successfully leveraged the attention she's gained on social media to position herself closer to the life she's always dreamed of. How? Check out the full conversation to find out.

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At the ripe age of 25, I am now considered an old head by anyone younger than me. Given the fact that many of the conversations I have for this podcast revolve around the experiences of being a young adult, I decided that I would examine the thoughts of my 20 year old cousin, Naomi, who is entering her third year in college. We touched on the business venture she is launching aimed at bringing hair care items to college campuses, v...

As a certified chatter, I love to use my social media to incite conversations. Recently, my friend Gianna and I have had a number of spirited discussions via Instagram dms to the point that she felt like she needed to come on the pod to express herself... except she showed up not knowing what it is she wanted to say so I had to carry the conversation as usual 🙄. Join us in our exploration of the age old gender & relationship t...

I cannot stress the importance of having friends who value the same things you do, because it is through a mutual friend who is a musician herself that I met this episode's guest, Tiril Jackson. Tiril is a singer, songwriter, and producer hailing from Norway and is currently enrolled at Berklee College of Music. We spent much of this conversation discussing her development as an artist while also touching on some of the notable sto...

One thing y'all need to know about me: I LOVE music. Though we cover a wide range of topics and speak with all kinds of people on this podcast, the episodes where I'm able to interview musical artists will always be some of my favorites. For this episode I am joined by Boston R&B artist and songwriter Tamera King, who gives us insights into how she's developed as an artist, her influences, and so much more.

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2024 is a tough time to be a young person: the job market sucks, the cost of living is sky high, we're watching multiple genocides unfold across the globe and it feels like there's not a thing we can do about it. In this episode, I'm joined by my friend Sanii as we discuss how we're navigating this world we've been thrown into, specifically as it pertains to living in the Boston area.

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When people ask me what my ethnicity is, I tell them that I'm Jamaican (along with African American), but I have never once claimed to be Jamaican as far as a strong cultural identity goes. This, however, does not matter to this episode's guest, Codi Ann Reid, who has objected to any type of Jamaican association on my part since we shared the halls of Harvard's Adams House. Heritage and identity center much of our conversation, whi...

I've said it once and I'll say it again: I firmly believe dating and relationship discourse is beyond played out on the internet... that don't mean I won't participate every once in a while though 😂. I'm joined in this conversation by two of my close friends, Nellisha, a returning guest, and Cece, who's blessing the mic for the first time. Listen in as we discuss our own shortcomings in past relationships, non-negotiables and deal...

There are few things I love more than discussing something controversial, and this episode's topic is exactly that. I'm joined by a returning guest, entrepreneur and creator Jordan Berakah, who has undergone a serious spiritual awakening since his last appearance on the pod. In this conversation we talk about his belief that the chosen people referenced in the Bible are actually the Bantu people and why it seems that expressing suc...

Y'all know I try to bring a level of thoughtfulness to every conversation I have for the pod but it's hard to stay serious when I'm chopping it up with the guys 😂. In a part 2 of sorts from my last episode of 2023, I brought my two close friends back on the pod to talk about our outlooks on the year a few months in, and a whole host of of other things that ended up coming up in the conversation.

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The conversations with friends and returning guests are always some of my favorite, and for this episode of the Global Renaissance Podcast I am joined by 4onzii, an artist from Malden, MA who happens to be both. Our discussion touched on topics ranging from his music recording process to how his ethnic and tribal heritage affects his personal philosophy towards leadership.

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At this point let's just set the expectation that I do an episode revolving around love and relationships every year for Valentine's Day. I tend to stay away from dating discourse because I feel like it's often overdone and bastardized for the sake of entertainment value. I do, however, think that it is a topic of significance, so this is my attempt to add some insight to the conversation in the interest of personal and collective ...

Making a career out of your creative abilities isn't easy, but it's something many people dream of doing. One of my favorite parts of hosting this podcast is that I'm able to speak with people who are doing just that and get real insight into what it takes to make it happen. In my first episode of 2024, I'm joined by Kalala Kiwanuka-Woernle to discuss the work and challenges behind becoming a professional actor. I'm particularly fo...

The end of a calendar year is always an appropriate time to reflect and look forward and in this episode I'm joined by 2 of my closest friends, Garbens and Thierno, to do just that. Our conversation is centered around the idea of "winter arc," a phrase taken from anime that refers to a period of self improvement during the winter months, though it takes a few detours as any good conversation is prone to do.

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