Brian Josephs got his life validated by shaking hands with Rick Ross. Twice. Raz Simone’s Cognitive Dissonance: Part One is a good, but moody listen, and everyone acts accordingly during the listening session in New York City’s Terminus Penthouse Studio. There are empty plastic cups from the free mini bar in the back. Reporters and […]

Art by Sara_for_Dinner Late last year I sat down with Tyler, the Creator for a feature that ran in the Feb/March issue of Malibu Mag. Just a few weeks after the Odd Future Carnival, we met on his lunch break during shooting for the third season of “Loiter Squad.” I’d been told I would have […]

I arrived at The Mercury Lounge on Sunday while JUNGLE. was conducting their soundcheck. T and J flew in from London the day before with their 3 band mates, sound engineer and manager, after completing a tour-leg opening for HAIM. Their first U.S. show was a few hours after landing, and they brought an energy […]

 Jonah Bromwich got a paper cut while writing this. Go ahead, mourn the loss of collective DIY spaces like 285 Kent and Industry City. Indeed, the shuttering of these spaces and communities underscores the more ominous creep of gentrification, a problem so serious that even major city governments are beginning to acknowledge it. But we should also celebrate those spaces we […]

I quit smoking five years ago, but when I first heard Mac DeMarco’s “Ode to Viceroy”— an exquisite song about the budget Canadian cigarette manufacturer — I was so stricken by its charms that I started to feel the itch again. DeMarco is just that good. Hailing from western Canada and now living in Brooklyn, […]

The sound of hip-hop has changed dramatically since the ’90s. Layered synths, 808 sub-bass kicks, and double time hi-hats often replace  jazzy, sample-driven boom-bap. But not every producer is looking to the modern soundscape for inspiration. Some, like Washington D.C.‘s Damu the Fudgemunk (Earl Davis), are looking back, resurrecting the techniques and sounds of ’90s […]

JT The Goon is a legend and U.O.E.N.O it. From his days storming East London Pirate Radio as a teenager to his production for Grime’ legendary Slew Dem Crew, JT didn’t just have a front row seat for the foundation of UK street culture, he played an active, if oft unappreciated role. Now, after a […]

 Paul Thompson goes hard like Old Testament God. Billy woods never shows his face. Press photos, videos, even Instagram posts with fans—he’s always hiding in the shadows. Understandably, it can be easy to forget that the enigmatic rapper has been a fixture in underground hip-hop for more than fifteen years now. Woods has not only […]

It’s easy to assume that Jessy Lanza is just the angelic voice, but she’s first and foremost a producer. The Ontario native has a degree in Jazz, and was studying for a Master’s in Musicology until she dropped out to focus on making music. Both her late-father and mother were musicians, and her production partner, Jeremy […]

Harrison Samphir is an editor and writer living in Winnipeg, Canada. This is his first contribution to Passion of the Weiss. Pass him all your drugs. The dude with the spacey flow debuted with the Odd Squad on Fadanuf Fa Erybody!! Signed to Rap-A-Lot Records, Devin Copeland went solo to drop a handful of classics […]