Jayson Rodriguez

It's ironic that an industry being funded by billions each year has to be subsidized by starving artists.

Once again, if an industry cannot exist without stealing, that is an argument against the industry, not an argument for stealing.

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

the core of MAGA government is giving resentful mediocrities to power to act as tyrants and dominate others

Seems like the kind of thing federal agents could handle if they weren’t busy tracking down America’s most wanted DoorDash delivery drivers in DC.

Republicans keep telling us not to "politicize" these shootings, but that's only because they understand that these shootings were entirely motivated by the political arguments they themselves have been making and entirely facilitated by the political campaign against gun control that they have led.

Please Tyler Don't Hurt 'Em With his new dance-inspired LP, the Odd Future founder proves his rap peers can't touch him.

It goes w/o saying Tyler, The Creator is a creature of Al Gore’s internet. Surely he saw the viral post/subsequent convo after a DJ said he couldn’t play any hip-hop from the past five years or no one will dance. His response: Stop, Tyler time.

backseatfreestyle.jaysonrodriguez.info/p/tyler-the-...

I'll say it a thousand times -- any account of the past that only celebrates the good parts of a nation without reckoning with the bad is not what we call "history"

It is propaganda, pure and simple.

Agreed. I use beehive for my email distro and I also use Wordpress for an additional landing page/signups. Either one of them alone is good; ghost is too, kit also. There’s too many people I like who I’m confused by their insistence on rocking with substack.

So many other options too. At first I regretted it when I left bc it was such a better product comparatively but that’s not even the case anymore. Substack has really convinced people they have a growth engine that excuses writers from doing the work themselves; it can be done.

Please Tyler Don't Hurt 'Em With his new dance-inspired LP, the Odd Future founder proves his rap peers can't touch him.

It goes w/o saying Tyler, The Creator is a creature of Al Gore’s internet. Surely he saw the viral post/subsequent convo after a DJ said he couldn’t play any hip-hop from the past five years or no one will dance. His response: Stop, Tyler time.

backseatfreestyle.jaysonrodriguez.info/p/tyler-the-...

Please Tyler Don't Hurt 'Em With his new dance-inspired LP, the Odd Future founder proves his rap peers can't touch him.

backseatfreestyle.jaysonrodriguez.info/p/tyler-the-...

Backseat Freestyle Your weekly hip-hop cypher. Featuring an original essay + curated links to new music, good reads, music videos and pod recommendations. Fresh every Friday!

Working on my next newsletter to drop later today. If you aren't yet, subscribe below: you'll immediately get 2 playlists in your when you do: 10 new songs I listen to every week + new 2025 songs & the songs they sample. Tap in! #hiphopsky #newsletters

backseatfreestyle.jaysonrodriguez.info

The Clipse Conversation What Pusha T and Malice's press run says about the state of hip-hop journalism.

🚙 The Clipse Conversation: What does Pusha T & Malice's press run reveal about hip-hop journalism? Dive into the latest issue of Backseat Freestyle! Subscribe & share! backseatfreestyle.jaysonrodriguez.info/p/the-clipse... #HipHop #Newsletter #Clipse

The Clipse Conversation What Pusha T and Malice's press run says about the state of hip-hop journalism.

🚙 The Clipse Conversation: What does Pusha T & Malice's press run reveal about hip-hop journalism? Dive into the latest issue of Backseat Freestyle! Subscribe & share! backseatfreestyle.jaysonrodriguez.info/p/the-clipse... #HipHop #Newsletter #Clipse

Haaaa! That's hilarious. This morning, I was thinking, ok, Klay goes from high top to low fade depending on what parts of his personality he's tapping into. So there's def something to the hair as tea leaves.

Zohran Mamdani and Mahmoud Khalil Are in on the Joke: By Hanif Abdurraqib

www.newyorker.com/news/essay/z...

Ten 2025 Rap Albums You Haven't Heard—But Should Add handpicked records by C-Red, Dobey Dobe, Eddie Valero, and more to your Best Of The Year So Far listening.

Rather than spoon-feed you the same major label albums you already know about, CABBAGES presents an all-new-to-you midyear feast of independent and underground rap music from the past six months. You're welcome.
www.cabbageshiphop.com/ten-2025-rap...

A manifesto for 2025

....was a popular drink and it still it/I get more props and stunts than..... #ripGuru #dwyck

one of the projects of the court is to expand the ability of states to pursue reactionary ends and constrain the ability of the federal government to set minimum standards *or* of democratic-led states to expand upon existing rights

On Friday night, we walked the length of Manhattan, from Inwood Hill to Battery Park.

New Yorkers deserve a Mayor they can see, hear, even yell at. The city is in the streets.

AOC: If Senator Fetterman or anybody else is concerned with law and order, we should be looking at one of the most law breaking agencies and administrations that we've seen in the United States.

I was in downtown #losangeles at the beginning of this week. The streets had a way different feel from what’s been on my screens. No signs of insurrection just love and peace. For more check out this full post open.substack.com/pub/baratund...

Reporter Covering LA Protests Hit by Rubber Bullet During Live TV Broadcast In one episode in downtown Los Angeles, an Australian television journalist was struck when an officer fired a nonlethal projectile while she was on the air.

This was an interesting headline choice, as if to almost say bullets just happened to hit her rather than someone (maybe...an officer, perhaps) shot said reporter. This is not how we learned to write in journalism school, by the way.

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/09/u...

Clearly a talented journalist, said something that was truthful, but two things: 1) Clowns whining (not gonna call it bad faith arguments) and 2) this premise of unbiasedness instead of pursuit of truth is wrecking journalism.

I agree w/theory 100% (fall in line v fall in love). Fwiw in this example: it's Ciattarelli's third time running + he was GOP candidate 4 years ago so he has name recognition/my turn/etc. It's a new set of dem candidates bc of term limits; I voted Baraka but will gladly unite behind Sherrill in Nov.

The U.S. government is spending $134 million dollars to deploy troops in America while veterans sleep on the streets.

a woman just trying to get home gets shot