Strong Roots, Long Branches with The Duragged Scholar: Recent Episodes
Duragged Scholar
All the conversations you wish you were having. Looking to unearth gems about this world of full of possibilities. Main topics relate to fuelling passions, travel, music and self-growth... but it would never be fair to fit it into a box. This podcast is built on the core pillars of being raw, honest and purely conversational – stop reading already and just press play!
On this episode, I tried to quickly spark and explore some interesting conversation about the VR and its place in redefining what reality will look for us in the future. I've left so much on the shelf to avoid an overly technical 2 hour solo ramble at the camera, but you can definitely expect something more long-form on a future episode with a guest or two... in the meantime enjoy the episode and some of my thought-provoking questions below:
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Will VR one day be able to replicate the neural responses our brains would have for real life? Would that ‘replace’ the real world?
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Will dreams of today hold their value as they become commonly achievable tomorrow? Would you plug into the ‘Matrix’ if that meant achieving all that you wanted? For those that say no, how does your answer change if everyone else was doing it?
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There’s no pretending like this would be any small feat, and I doubt there’s even a clear roadmap on how to get there. But it does seem like an inevitable next step, the same way autonomous cars felt years ago before they were a tangible possibility. Things are often closer than they appear when it comes to tech.
Website
IG (Brand)
IG (Personal)
Thank you for tuning into episode 5 of Strong Roots Long Branches!
Wali Shah is a poet, speaker and storyteller whose talents allowed him to perform with Barack Obama, freestyle with Kendrick Lamar, speak at We Day events, and secure many gigs with corporations and schools.
Wali's career trajectory is astounding but there's so much more to the man than just his accomplishments. We got a chance to speak on many things including a deep dive into his spiritual journey to find his faith, facing animosity from within his own religious community, our shared love for basketball and of course - meeting and performing with former president, Barack Obama.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Catching up
(02:52) Concept of the Duragged Scholar
(07:30) Facing Animosity from Your Own Community
(20:18) Islamophobic Attack on Wali's Mother
(25:35) Without Questioning, Your Faith is Questionable
(30:43) Facing Animosity from Your Own Community (Part 2)
(37:40) Religion vs. Culture of Religion
(44:50) Wali's Journey Away from Rap Towards Poetry
(52:30) Meeting Barack Obama
(58:25) Basketball: Making the UTM Roster, Life Lessons, Hearing One No and more
(1:16:05) One Door Closes as Another One Opens
Wali's Links:
Website
Ted Talk, The Power of Our Narratives
My Links:
Website
IG (Brand)
Thank you for tuning into episode 4 of Strong Roots Long Branches!
Karim is the frontman of the reggae group Arise Roots – with millions of streams in 2020 alone and from nearly 100 countries, it’s safe to say they’re up to some big things in the American reggae scene. We’ve actually never met before but I’ll leave it up to the podcast to explain how this episode ever even came to be…
We had awesome conversation ranging from going from Craigslist with no experience to millions of streams and tours, recording a song and music video with THE reggae legend Capleton, to moving past your fears and getting out of your own way – all unified under the umbrella of allowing the universe to exceed your expectations.
And of course, almost fighting Allen Iverson…
Conversation Outline and Timestamps:
(01:46) – Almost Fighting Allen Iverson
(13:36) – Craigslist to Millions of Streams and Tours: The Coming Together of Arise Roots
(20:40) – For the Love: Music as an Outlet, The Success as a Surprise
(34:36) – Favourite 5 Songs from Latest ‘Pathways’ Album
(42:56) – The Torch of American Reggae Being Carried by White Artists and White Fans. What Happened to the Black People?
(56:33) – Recording a Song and Music Video with Capleton: Another Story of Embracing Life’s Unknowns
(1:10:31) – Focus on Your Craft, Forget the Numbers and Deliver Something Real
(1:13:56) – Underground Hip-Hop Scene of the 90’s: Local Saturation at its Finest
(1:29:00) – Favourite Albums (5 Outside Reggae, 3 Old Reggae, 3 New Reggae)
Karim's Links
Instagram (Karim)
Instagram (Arise Roots)
Website for Arise Roots
Rootsman Town feat. Capleton (Music Video)
My Links:
Website and Blog
Instagram (Personal)
Instagram (Duragged Scholar)
YouTube Channel – Duragged Scholar
Kobe Bryant transcended being just a basketball player: he became much more like a compass to growth, a blueprint to success and a philosopher. His legacy sparked a lot of my evolution as a person and for that I'm eternally grateful. This episode speaks on a couple of the words and moments of Kobe Bryant that have driven me. I also share some of my personal stories – like tearing my own achilles on almost the exact same date as he did and being acknowledged by Raptors stars Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell during the 2019 Championship Parade.
RIP Kobe, Gigi, and the 7 others that passed away on January 26, 2020. You'll never be forgotten.
Episode Outline and Timestamps:
(01:30) – Intro
(03:00) – Kobe's Quote on Greatness; Being Bigger Than Basketball
(10:30) – Personal Impact on Me: "What if you ALWAYS did what you could?", Rupturing My Achilles and My Personal Victories
(12:45) – Raptors Championship 2019: Props from Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell – Dissed by Kyle Lowry and Drake
(16:15) Kobe's Embodiment of 'Ambitious Humility': The Cornerstone of My Life Philosophy
(17:10) – The Eternal 9 – Gone But Never Forgotten
(18:46) – Kobe's Courage to Fail (Kobe Audio and Footage)
(18:46) – Conclusion and THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT
Clickable Links:
Website
Instagram (Personal)
Instagram (Brand)
YouTube Channel – Duragged Scholar
Abena is a social media Influencer, world traveller, and blog writer. I was blessed to meet Abena in El Salvador during our backpacking trips around Central America and ended up travelling alongside her for awhile afterwards! She was the perfect first guest, our conversations flow so freely and always reach depth with the gems.
Conversation Outline and Timestamps:
(0:00:53) – Acting on Red Flags, Scarcity vs. Abundance
(0:03:47) – Abena's Dating Preferences (She's still flexible)
(0:05:25) – First Impressions: Hyping Me and Sonning Me at the Same Time?
(0:09:01) – Antigua, Guatemala: Abena's Entourage, Black Connections, Partying and Dancing
(0:15:41) – Backpacking: Cheat Code to Self-Discovery, Cost-Cutting
(0:18:54) – Backpacking Solo as a Woman: Is It Safe?; Distorted Narratives of Central America
(0:26:59) – Rolling Your Dice: Backpacking, Heightened Sense of Confidence
(0:30:52) – Abena's Scary Travel Encounters
(0:39:03) – One of My Scary Encounters (I forgot some key ones)
(0:42:06) – Honduras: Most Slept on Country in Central America?
(0:47:56) – Accidentally Meeting the Other Jamal's Dad in Roatan, Honduras
(1:00:15) – Embracing Life's Ocean of Unknowns
(1:01:53) – Caratagena, Colombia: Afro-Colombian Influence, Musical Vibe
(1:03:01) – Distorted Views of the Non-West: Going Beyond Europe and Other Developed Nations
(1:06:22) – PSA: Travel as an Investment Rather than Luxury
(1:10:58) – Becoming Your Best Self: Travel as Warp Speed Growth
(1:15:33) – iPhone Photography: An Avenue for Everyone
(1:22:02) – Authenticity and Vulnerability: The Only Way Forward
(1:29:19) – Travel During Covid: Tazania and Mexico; Staying Safe
(1:40:12) – Travelling the Diaspora
(1:44:39) – "I'd Rather Die Free": Being Transformed and Abena's Hypothesis
(1:46:07) – Travelling the Diaspora 2: Being Where Blackness and Oppression Doesn't Define You
(1:50:36) – Travelling the Diaspora 3: Decoding the Matrix, Marvelling Black Countries
(1:52:43) – Group Economics for Black People: Our Money is Our Power
(1:56:18) – "Change the Way You Think and You'll Never Be the Same"
(1:58:29) – Abena's Recommendations for the Continent: Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and South Africa
Abena: Instagram, Website
Me: Instagram, Website