Junk on Going Fully Independent - Beyond the Lyrics 2.0 Kick off Episode!

The first episode from the new room, and an in-depth interview with Vancouver Rap Legend Junk.The name is an acronym — Just Understand Nobody Knows — and it comes from the Junkie Juggler, a jester. That turns into the frame for the whole conversation: the jester was the only one in the court allowed to tell the king the truth. Junk has been doing a version of that for twenty years.The history is remarkable. Hitchhiking across the lake as a young teenager to host hip hop nights in Nelson, getting into clubs underage on a rule that let you stay if you stayed on the stage. First MC from Vancouver to battle at King of the Dot in Toronto. Third at the End of the Weak world finals in Paris. Quitting construction. Then COVID took 70 booked shows in 24 hours, and he had to face a career with no live music in it at all.What he built instead is the useful part. Going fully independent, learning every job before hiring any of it out, vinyl and CDs as a way of taking power back from streaming, and Household — an East Van crew that turned into a real business doing clothing, show production and festivals. Five years sober. And a genuinely blunt closing exchange about what he owes the city and what it owes him.Recorded at The Chop Shop, Vancouver BC.#vancity #hiphop #rap #independentmusic 0:00 Beyond the Lyrics 2.0: new set 1:37 Bastard Barbecue with Flipout 2:45 Giving flowers to the culture 3:59 Why 'Junk': the acronym 7:01 The jester tells the king the truth 8:24 King of the Dot: first from Vancouver 9:17 End of the Weak finals in Paris 11:51 Hitchhiking across the lake to Nelson 14:53 Keeping the hunger; show production 17:00 I Am No One to Stupid and Ugly 19:47 No industry here: learning DIY 22:24 Going independent; COVID kills 70 shows 24:23 Lion Eats Goats with Young Stitch 25:40 A career without live shows 26:46 Five years sober 28:18 Soul vs multisyllabic rhyme lists 31:21 Gallery of Saints; Horrible Pleasures 33:13 Taking the power back from streaming 34:55 Rating the legends, 1 to 10 38:43 Household: East Van crew to family 41:16 The Cartems donut shop cyphers 46:48 Household as a real business 48:37 Building platforms for other MCs 51:51 Learn every job before you hire out 54:10 The hardest hat: marketing 57:43 What Vancouver hip hop needs next 59:53 What he owes the scene 1:04:49 Shout-outs, releases and tour dates