The Culture Cypher Radio November Chart: Momentous milestones and musical energy from The Roots, Seba Kaapstad, Aesop Rock, CAN and more

November is my birthday month and in the midst of a pandemic, with another lockdown looming, it certainly doesn’t feel like it. In the past, I’ve celebrated by hanging with friends and family, playing DJ gigs, and traveling. Needless to say, all of that is out of the question now and I am left to rethink the way in which I mark another passing year.

By nature of my work, I think a lot about the past. I will turn 40 years old next week and the process of archiving, writing about, and playing the music of the past, keeps me very much in touch with the history of music culture in general as well as my own personal history. As always, this month’s episode of Culture Cypher Radio is heavy with music new and old. Young, up and coming artists like South African Soul ensemble Seba Kaapstad, and Eastcoast rap duo H31R get some shine alongside new releases from veteran artists like Aesop Rock and L.A. underground rap legends, Visionaries.

One piece of music that weighed heavily in my youth is The Roots – Do You Want More?!!!??! With its rapid-fire lyrics; bold, colorful, jazz-influenced arrangements; and dizzying, nearly-psychedelic audio effects, the album has been a formative influence on the music that I make. This week, I announced pre-orders for a 3,000-word essay that I wrote on the album for the publisher Halfway Books. Working on this essay has been a joy, as it has allowed me to not only dig deep into an album that I’ve loved since I was a teenager, it’s allowed me to revisit the moment in time that produced it. This year, my birthday will be lowkey and chill. Despite all of the uncertainty and distance that we are learning to live with, my hope is that this show will be a celebration of the past and everything good that waits for us.

1. The Roots – Essaywhuman?!!!??! (Geffen)

2. Seba Kaapstad – Konke (Mello Music Group)

3. Aesop Rock – Pizza Alley (Rhymesayers)

4. Visionaries – Gold Medal (Visionaries)

5. Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin – Richard Pryor (Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin)

6. H31R – breathe thru it (PTP)

7. EABS – Discipline 27 (Astigmatic)

8. CAN – Dizzy Dizzy (United Artists)

9. lojii – between hu$tles  (lojii)

10. Keleketla – Freedom Groove (Ninja Tune)

Playlist

7 p.m.

The Roots – “Essaywhuman?!??”
The Roots – “What Goes On Pt. 7”
The Roots – “Do You Want More?!!!??!”

Sons Of The James – “I Want More”
Seba Kaapstad featuring Quelle Chris – “Our People”
Kaelin Ellis – “Diddle”
Thirteen – “Thirteen demo”

John Morrison – “happens outside your window”
John Morrison – “Slayerfest 98’”
H31R – “Breathe Thru It”
Sampa The Great – “Diamond in the Ruff”

Incognito – “Step Into My Life”

8 p.m.

DJ Smash feat. Monday Michiru – “Transmission 2”

Greyboy – “Ruffneck Jazz”
CAN – “Dizzy Dizzy”
Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin feat. L(ive) – “Mind Right”
Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin – “Richard Pryor”

EABS – “Brainvillie”
Gangstarr feat. Inspecktah Deck – “Above The Clouds”
Apollo Brown & Che Noir feat. Black Thought – “Hustle Don’t Give”

The Roots – “Proceed”
The Roots – “Distortion To Static”
The Roots – “Mellow My Man”

Joe Doe & DJ Jazz feat. Black Anthem and Thorobredz – “Ease Back”
Neneh Cherry – “Feel It (Dobie remix)”

Anderson Paak – “Seven Nation Army”

9 p.m.

Rage Against The Machine – “Renegades of Funk”
Keleketla – “Freedom Groove” Ground Floor – “One Two”

Pete Rock & CL Smooth – “Check It Out”
Drew Dave – “Astrocentric”
Drew Dave – “Its(Fall)4U”

The Roots – “? vs Rahzel”
The Roots – “Proceed Pt 2”
The Roots – “Silent Treatment Kelo remix”

Matthew Larkin Cassell – “Heaven”
Antibalas – “Big Man”

John Morrison – “Optimistic Flip”

John Morrison’s Halfway books essay on The Roots – Do You Want More?!!!??! is now available for pre-order on John’s Gumroad page