Inspire, Inform, Empower — the 2024 Season Opener

K-Ski and Kavawon open the 2024 season of Beyond the Lyrics 604 — the Vancouver podcast about the business behind the bars. This one is a state of the union for independent artists. K-Ski tells the story of the record Clear Channel quietly buried. The pair launch "Breaking Bread," a new segment on the money side of music, and get into follow-through as the artist's Achilles heel, why Northwest talent stays slept on, and the difference between an alley-oop and a track meet when you're building a team. The second half is unreleased music. Kavawon premieres "Trust the Process," K-Ski plays "Blues of a True Believer" and "Invisible," and the conversation turns to Roc Marciano, the boom bap revival, and the weight words carry — why spelling and casting spells share a root, and what it means to tell your story without glorifying it. Recorded live at B-Side Radio, Vancouver BC. Beats by Ryze Def Beats. 0:00 Mic check — who's in the room 2:28 Mint lemonade, yoga, and the lotus 5:28 What "Join Us In The Struggle" means 6:46 Remembering Uncle Mickey 8:24 What's changing on the show in 2024 9:09 The Katt Williams interview 11:24 The Michael Jackson pivot 14:25 Why K-Ski never signed 15:38 "Breaking Bread" — new business segment 19:31 Follow-through: the Achilles heel 23:32 Collaboration then vs now in the scene 25:38 They'll rob you blind — and silence you 26:58 Homegrown, Teos, and getting low-balled 28:28 2024, the age of collaboration 30:26 Northwest talent that's slept on 32:38 Inspire, Inform, Empower 33:27 Booking his own Portland-to-Van tour 34:50 KUBE 93 and the payola ceiling 36:15 The "almost tier" 37:18 Finding your voice as an artist 38:18 Team roles and the sports analogy 42:39 Alley-oops vs track meets 43:58 The Sphinx, ego, and what outlives you 45:15 Wu-Tang, community, and shared resources 50:15 Segment 2 — unreleased music 57:31 Punchlines, concepts, and learning trap 1:01:44 Music: "Trust the Process" — Kavawon 1:05:03 K-Ski's upcoming releases 1:06:03 Music: "Blues of a True Believer" 1:09:25 Beats, Blues and Bars 1:10:12 Music: "Invisible" — K-Ski 1:13:32 The story behind "Invisible" 1:14:37 Roc Marciano and the boom bap revival 1:15:39 Tell your story — don't glorify it 1:16:41 Casting spells: the weight of words 1:19:35 Drill, Chicago, and the prison pipeline 1:22:35 Who gets called a sucker 1:23:47 Follow the money 1:24:23 Why hip-hop went silent 1:26:04 Why they do this 1:29:03 Just be authentic 1:30:46 Music that feeds the soul 1:33:26 Outro and shout-outs