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Hanif Abdurraqib | New ‘Object of Sound’ Podcast & The Joy of Music Discovery

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Hanif Abdurraqib headshotFLAUNT.jpg ![Hanif Abdurraqib headshotFLAUNT.jpg](https://assets-global.website-files.com/62ee0bbe0c783a903ecc0ddb/6472d2efc6de9426520ea6c8_Hanif%2BAbdurraqib%2BheadshotFLAUNT.jpeg) [Hanif Abdurraqib](https://www.instagram.com/nifmuhammad/?hl=en) is a poet, essayist, music fan, and cultural critic all in one. You may have seen or read his poems in Muzzle, Vinyl, PEN American, and various other journals, but it was his first full-length poetry collection titled [_The Crown Ain't Worth Much_](https://buttonpoetry.com/product/the-crown-aint-worth-much/) that went on to be a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Prize. Hanif was raised in Columbus, Ohio with his three siblings. “I grew up in a household I really loved and that played a lot of music. That's where I cultivated most of my musical affections,” says Hanif. Today, Hanif serves as one of the music industry’s wittiest interpreters of how music shapes culture and vice versa, connecting people through hip-hop and culture in a way that makes us think and reevaluate information through a different lens.His extensive research and knowledge allows him to articulate his thoughts and opinions in a way for the masses to understand and digest. On the heels of his acclaimed 7-episode music podcast [Lost Notes: 1980](https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/8a8c2c0f580a557030bf1fdcbb3c067870651440?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kcrw.com%2Fculture%2Fshows%2Flost-notes%2Fintroducing-lost-notes-1980&userId=5304601&signature=a4841967d07dae98), the [Go Ahead in the Rain](https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/45cf4db2b503a90b51e4804bd31312ca3652fa63?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiebound.org%2Fbook%2F9781947793439&userId=5304601&signature=7ab28d5ae9a5a9bf) author now launches his newest venture with Sonos Radio: Object of Sound. The new music and culture podcast hosted by Hanif can be streamed on [Sonos Radio](https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/66800366fc1bb72be584c022a78710372b2717bb?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sonos.com%2Fen-us%2Fsonos-radio&userId=5304601&signature=bffdc9f22c915856) and [podcast](https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/b27512c0ecc6c80a794f8e1692c22fe1984bf6fe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fshow%2F1HK6dKEm8Xt4CjeeZuTViz%3Fsi%3DcReeDYK0SsOrf5ExJM52IQ&userId=5304601&signature=d3451015305e2f2d) [platforms](https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/4ec1ef0a4f9988084d83d17e1f4e9d139ffe3e8f?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stitcher.com%2Fshow%2Fobject-of-sound&userId=5304601&signature=e8226a56eae30ace) everywhere, offering a new way to discover new music in an age of algorithmic playlists.  Moses Sumney, Jazmine Sullivan, and Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy are among the first all-star guests on the new show, with every episode equipped with a call to action on how listeners can discover new music. Flaunt caught up with Hanif via Zoom to discuss his upbringing in Ohio, his first cassette tape, when he knew he could write, being an author, his new podcast on Sonos Radio, top 5 MCs, goals, and more! * * * **Being from Columbus, what was the household like?** A lot of music played, a lot of instruments playing. My brother played drums, my dad played drums. I played the flute, my mom had a clarinet. I tried to play trumpet but wasn't particularly good at it. Hip-hop was really the motivating factor for the way I heard music, the way I interacted with music. Hip hop was my first love and was the first love of a lot of folks in my neighborhood. It was the language of the area I lived in, so that's where I found my lane. **What was your first cassette tape?** The first tape I ever purchased was a _Music Box_ by Mariah Carey. It was after it came out too, a year or so after. I didn't have a lot of money growing up, so I had to hit a point where buying albums with my own money was a milestone. That was the first album I bought on my own. **You connect people through hip-hop culture, you encourage people to discover and experience music differently. What does it mean to be able to do so?** My listening practice is pretty strict and based off of seeking new music or seeking new ways to listen to music. Everyone around me who loves music has built their lives around that practice as well. Trying to figure out a way to spread some ideas about listening and music discovery that aren't entirely revolving around what's new or what's hot, or what's in the trends for example, has been really good for me. It's been really good for me as a listener, as someone who experienced the music for the first time or for the tenth time. **When did you know you could write?**  I started writing about music when I was in college or maybe right after, my early 20’s. I don't really think I ever hit a point where I knew I was good at writing as much as I hit a point where it felt like I was getting good at articulating a certain type of emotion or interest around music and around communal listening that people were resonating with. A lot of my writing experiences has mostly been me trying to find fellow listeners of music to talk music with, that's always what I've been into. **Fast forward to your book _Go Ahead in the Rain,_ how does it feel to be an established author?** It's cool. It's not something I planned or set out to do in my life. I mostly wanted to connect with other people who love music any way I could, to expand on some curiosities I have around music and what I've been listening to in my life, what I've been surrounded with. A book like _Go Ahead in the Rain_ is a homage to A Tribe Called Quest to really help identify a lot of the trends of my childhood and a lot of experience in my childhood and adulthood. If there's one thing I really value about writing, it's cool to honor the musicians I've loved and come up with. **_Last Notes: 1980_ was named one of 2020's best music podcasts by a few outlets. Talk about moving into the podcast world.** Last Notes is a lot of fun. Object of Sound has been a lot of fun. Both projects are extensions of what I want to do on the page, which is explore music and explore listening as something beyond something that gets experienced within the length of an album or a song. Interested in diving a bit deeper and seeing how we can relate to music and songs and history, even after an album or song ends. With both _Lost Notes_ and _Object of Sound_, the hope is I'm asking questions of people and myself that help to illuminate a path for us to better understand the things you're listening to. **When did you first get the idea for Object of Sound?** Late last year, I began talking with the Sonos folks about doing an interview show that wasn't just an interview show, that was maybe themed around playlist-making and interviews with guests hinting at some deeper questions and projects they're working on. More or less, getting to the heart of making it feel like an old school radio show where there's a host walking you through a listening experience, guided by stories and narrative work. Hopefully an exciting interview to invest in based around a theme. **You have Moses Sumney as your first guest, can you describe the art of the playlist?** It varies from person to person. My interest in the playlist is always creating a sound arc in telling a story through songs, and stringing together enough songs that you can catch a good emotional wave to it. For me, playlists is another type of storytelling, another type of book writing or essay writing really. A playlist for me is another form of a literary project that can serve people well. The art of the playlist itself varies depending on who's making it and what vibes they're going for. I'm always looking to catch a good emotional arc, and a good narrative arc. It was good to talk to Moses Sumney because he's someone who thinks a lot about how to structure an album and how to structure a series of songs to tell a story. It was good to get his input on that. **How do you go about choosing guests?**  Well one, my hope is they're interested to talk to me. I'm really invested in folks who perhaps have some interesting things to say about creation and storytelling. I don't want to go for guests who have something coming out, as easy as that is. I want to get guests who have something to say about the process of creation, and the work that goes into creating. I really want to make the show feel as intimate as possible in that regard. **How do you choose the playlist out of all the incredible hip-hop songs existing today?**  Well the show is a theme, so every week there's a theme. I make the playlist based off that theme. We don't have a lot of room, only have room for 8 or 9 songs so that gets a little tricky. That gets a little hard to choose but I really have a good time being really discerning with what I'm doing and what I'm making. So much of the process comes down to how many different ways can I look at this single theme and how many different songs can I use to approach the theme? That's where I end up always. **Who’s been your favorite guest so far?** They've all been really great, I've enjoyed talking to them all for different reasons. They've all really helped me think about music differently so far, that’s been the real pleasure. I'm talking to people who are changing the way I think about things, that's been really good. **What is it you want fans to get from your story?** The big thing I always wanted to do with this show was how to take away where people are listening to music differently and discovering music they didn’t know existed before, or perhaps discovering a new way to confront the music they've known and loved. To create a real community of listeners and a community of people who are listening, that's really what the goal of the show always felt like for me. We're getting there. The more shows we put together and string together, we’ll continue to get there. **What does it mean to be a black man in America today?** For me, it's an exciting opportunity to further not through my artistic work, but through my organizing work and through the work that I do in my community here in Columbus. It's an opportunity to further a path to liberation that people began before I was born and that people will be walking on after I'm not here. It's been good to find my role in that and to help out where I can. **Top 5 MCs of all-time?** It changes by the day. Today in no order, I'd say Rakim, Ghostface, Slick Rick, MC Lyte, and Lauryn Hill. **I just spoke with** [**MC Lyte too**](https://www.revolt.tv/2020/12/18/22189085/mc-lyte-female-rappers-2020-interview)**.** She's great! **I saw you cop the $12 vintage tee of Kriss Kross. Do you have a love for fashion as well?** I'm a big sneakerhead and so most of my fashion, if there is any fashion at all, revolves around sneakers. I have a pretty intense sneaker collection. I'm big on vintage shirts just because they're affordable. It's a way to echo back to the fashion I couldn't get when I was a kid. I like to hunt for them. I like to search for shirts that are a little bit hard to find, to find them for a good price. Ultimately, it all comes back to sneakers for me. I'm a big sneakerhead. Most of my time and energy around fashion stuff is spent on finding rare sneakers. **Where do you find them?** I have a couple connects. Anyone who's into sneakers have people who do some searching for them. I got a couple folks who do searches for me, who are out there sourcing and curating sneakers then selling them back. Especially because I'm someone who likes to get originals. The Jordans that came out in '94, I want the ones that came out in '94. I have some general release retros too, but there's something I like about sneakers that age and having the original copies that have aged. You always gotta have somebody else on the lookout for you there. Occasionally I'll pop on-line, but with online stuff it's so hard now because there are so many. It's not always as authentic as I’d love for it to be.  **Any goals for yourself at this point in your career?** Stay eager and stay curious. Understand I have a lot more to learn and a lot more to figure out about music and the work I do. I hope that people will be interested and want to stick around for them. **What can we expect next from you?** I have a book called _A_ _Little Devil in America_ coming out on March 30th about the history of black performance in America. That comes out March 30. Beyond that, working heavily on Object to Sound every week. Every single week we're doing it, so people can check in.