In the Booth: Recent Episodes
AIR Media & Productions
There is more than one formula for success. Our podcast allows guests to tell us their artistic, athletic and business origin stories: the steps they took and the people that helped them along the way. We cover a wide array of subjects as the guests give their take.
After defeating former ranked Bellator mainstay Janay Harding and PFL Tournament contender Genah Fabian up in weight, the surging Australian prospect Jamie Edenden makes her case for finally joining the world's biggest MMA promotion that has her natural weight class.
One of the latest and most exciting prospects added to the UFC roster gets to compete on the massive UFC 302 card this Saturday. Bassil Hafez made his debut on only 4 days notice and exceeded expectations against #5 ranked Welterweight Jack Della Maddalena and looks to follow up that performance with a big win in front of the New Jersey crowd.
We talk about his Arab Roots, Losing both parents to Cancer, his mindset, fake fighters and much more...
Kate "The Queen of the South" Bacik is a very promising Polish talent fighting out of the United Kingdom and training at GB Top Team. She stopped by our setup while supporting her teammates at PFL Europe Championship Finals in Dublin to talk about signing a 4 fight deal with Invicta FC, finding all her fights later in the year on short notice, living with gratitude and more...
Following the announcement of the PFL takeover of Bellator, we brought on Bellator title challenger and a mainstay in the upper rankings Veta Arteaga. Veta is also very involved in the combat sports world outside of fighting herself as she is the head matchmaker at Front Street Fights in her hometown of Boise, Idaho.
Enjoy!
We visited Denise "Miss Dynamite" Kielholtz for her last training session before leaving for Chicago to Bellator 301 this Friday November 17th, where she will be facing the surging prospect Sumiko Inaba.
We detail a mental "dark place" that Denise went through after a World Title fight loss to Juliana Velasquez in a close fight which many thought she had won. Coming out of it and the changes a veteran makes. New title ambitions and more.
UFC Strawweight contender Loopy Godinez had a standout performance at Noche UFC announcing herself as a legit threat for the World Championship. She joined us one week out from the fight as we discuss the magnitude of the event on Mexican Independence Day, Moving to Lobo Gym in Mexico to train with Alexa Grasso, early expectations of being famous and much more...
On the verge of competing on PFL's biggest event yet, we caught up with one of the Irish fan favorites on the PFL Europe semi-final card Frans Mlambo who has found a home in the promotion. We talk finally getting a new platform to show off his skills, facing a short notice French fighter in hostile territory, Vegetarianism, life ambitions and more...
Janay Harding returns to talk about her upcoming fight on Beatdown 5 in Australia this Saturday September 16th in her first fight back since Bellator 291 in Dublin. We discuss the decisions that lead her to making this move and the big benefits as part of a plan back to the big worldwide fight promotions.
Sabina Mazo has made a lot of life changes on a road back to the UFC. So far it has lead her to re-capturing her LFA Flyweight title. Sabina also tells us about shifting her life focus, wanting to make better use of her platform to aid her side-hustles, leading to her starting a new podcast "Cafe Con Mazo".
UAE Warriors Flyweight Champion Corinne Laframboise was set to face Rainn Guerrero on Dana White's Contender Series this Tuesday to fight for a UFC contract. She had to pull out upon finding out through her medicals that she's 3 months pregnant! Corinne joins us to tell the story and to discuss the plans going forward mixed with a little chat about Canadian and Quebecois MMA.
Coming off of a victory over the Cage Warriors Champion George Hardwick on Dana White's Contender Series and earning his UFC contract, Palestinian-Jordanian fighter Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady, fighting out of Fortis MMA in Texas discusses the strategy and aftermath of the fight, pride of representing Palestine and Jordan, wanting to make his debut close to home at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, passion for cooking and more...
We catch up with ONE Championship's British Muay Thai powerhouse Amber Kitchen on her young and budding career so far, being born into the sport in a fighter family, moving to Leeds to make the improvements that she needs, transitioning to 4oz gloves and exchanging the ring for the cage.
In this extended interview, Arlene Blencowe joins us on In the Booth to discuss her new plans and to remind everyone that she is still here and very hungry for Bellator gold after taking a much needed recovery break to recalibrate and recover.
Farbod Iran Nezhad talks about the biggest opportunity of his career to show off his well-rounded skillset when he headlines PFL Europe's second ever show in his hometown Berlin.
African MMA Fighter Rudy Tshisuaka from DR Congo has an incredible story we talk about:
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Fleeing his City as a child after it was destroyed by a Volcanic eruption
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Returning to a civil war in his country and recalling the very heavy circumstances of losing both his parents as a result.
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Finding a Karate gym and learning how to fight to protect his sisters from frequent home invasions.
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Escaping through several countries, being homeless and meeting the right people to fund his career and training.
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Finding brotherhood in gyms
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Fighting on the big stage at UAE Warriors, and much more...
On June 16th, coming off a viral 1st round headkick knockout win putting her top of the season standings, Amber Leibrock faces last season's PFL Featherweight champion and Million Dollar winner Larissa Pacheco to secure a spot in the PFL Playoffs. We discuss the lifestyle and mental changes that lead to Amber riding a 4 fight 1st round finish winning streak, Million Dollar prizes, growing up in and representing the Bay Area and much more.
Right before claiming her second amateur title on her quest to go pro with the very rare feat of being a champion in three different weight classes (Featherweight, Bantamweight and Flyweight) Danielle "Drop Bear" Curtis sat down to talk about her career so far, the hardships she was facing when she claimed the GAMMA world championship against all odds, checking all the boxes including a very big emphasis on nutrition and several stories that haven't been told publicly before.
This Saturday April 15th, Kayla Hracho will step into the cage against one of Combate Global's undefeated Atomweight fighters Daniela Hernandez. After rounding out her skills and putting on incredible back to back performances she's ready to let her top training at American Top Team and lifestyle changes speak as she plans to dream big.
Sam Hughes returns to talk about the opportunity to open UFC 287 Pereira vs Adesanya 2 in Miami April 8th when she faces LFA Champion and UFC debutant Jaqueline Amorim.
An extended interview with PFL's latest contract winner Desiree "Dirty Dez" Yanez. Dez feels like she has never had a fight home after feeling like she has been thrown around some of the world's biggest promotions and gaining fight experience fighting the best out there. That all changed now that she is entering the $1 Million tournament for the promotion's inaugural Flyweight division as "Dirty Dez" has set her new goals and feels a new type of motivation at the most vital stage of her career.
Australia's biggest prospect Jacinta Austin joins us to discuss her upcoming bout against Sweden's Josefine Knutsson at UAE Warriors on Saturday February 25th. This will be her biggest challenge to date as she puts her 4-0 record against Knutsson's 4-0 record as she looks to fast track her career to the top.
Janay Harding returns into the cage following a turbulent year that involved healing from a detached retina and moving to New Zealand to train out of the famous City Kickboxing gym. We talk about her most recent performance, tweaks in mindset, motivation and answer some fan questions.
This weekend UFC 284 is coming at us from Perth, Australia. Joined by Australian fighter and GAMMA world champion Danielle "Drop Bear" Curtis, we break down this historic event that we deem "on paper" to be the biggest fight of all time between the P4P #2 and #1 on the rankings where Islam Makhachev puts his Lightweight title on the line against Featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski.
It has been a turbulent year for Andre Ewell. We spoke to the UFC vet soon after a 17 second knockout victory in his bare knuckle debut at BYB. We discuss:
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Health scares due to strenuous life circumstances outside of the cage
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Being cut from UFC, taking a step back and revamping
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Consequences of leaving UFC
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Finding purpose
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What makes for a supportive partner
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What men need in a relationship
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Ideas on branding yourself and acting ambitions
On the verge of making her September 3rd Pro Fighting debut at BKFC Thailand we caught up with one of the most adventurous people on the planet in Tai Emery. After wearing many hats in the form of an Electrician, Rugby player, Football player and Model, Tai embarked on her most fulfilling trip to date as she moved to Thailand to learn Muay Thai and ended up being signed to both BKFC Thailand and BKFC USA.
Preparing for her fight at Eternal 68 on August 20th, we were so excited to get to know Jacinta Austin, arguably Australia's top prospect that we were prepared to do this interview on vacation out of a hotel room with a microphone that failed us.
We talk about acing competitions in numerous martial arts disciplines, being all-in into combat sports, manifestation and the high levels of patience required to be a fighter's partner.
Invicta FC's Strawweight Champion Emily Ducote hopes to make next week Saturday July 16th an unforgettable one by winning her UFC debut against Jessica Penne in New York. Get to know the reinvented UFC newcomer as she looks to implement a one-fight-at-a-time attitude towards a Strawweight title shot in the promotion that she has been watching since childhood.
On the verge of going pro, Destiny McCubbin tells the story that she's never told anyone before. Having gone through an adverse past, fighting found her and gave her something to live for. We also go into a spine injury that left her paralyzed and needing to re-learn how to walk post-surgery, cleanly breaking her ankle during training making her consider quitting the sport, and the fire to perform and make an absolute statement when "My Time" returns.
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One of the fresh UFC prospects coming out of Dana White's Contender Series "Ugly Man" Joseph Holmes dropped by to discuss his first UFC win which came in the form of a quick 1 minute finish of Alen Amedovski, washing away the bad taste of his short notice debut fight against Jamie Pickett. We go over his mentality, advice for young fighters and what he has got going on outside the Octagon.
Former Australian UFC fighter Nadia Kassem did what very few people who have touched the top league of their sport do, step away from the sport altogether at a very young age. The introspective Nadia joined the show to discuss:
▪︎ Stepping away from fighting at a very young age
▪︎ Being unexpectedly cut from UFC
▪︎ Learning from past mistakes and people
▪︎ Being a female fighter in an Arab household
▪︎ Living a normal life since Covid
▪︎ Positives and negatives of the fight game on her life
▪︎ Dealing with online haters
▪︎ Turning to her religion and mental health
▪︎ What would bring her back into the cage / ring
Sam Hughes returns to the show in the leadup to her crucial matchup with Istela Nunes this Saturday April 16th. After moving her life from Washington to Texas and joining the stable of world class talent at Fortis MMA following her last loss to Luana Pinheiro, Sam is looking to make use of her first full camp, non-short notice fight in the UFC to put up what she hopes will be the best performance of her career.
Miranda Maverick drops by leading up to her upcoming short notice fight against Sabina Mazo booked for this weekend (March 12th).
We discuss her upcoming opponent, wanting to learn from the "Mental" mistakes in her last fight against Erin Blanchfield, overcoming an unjust decision loss on the scorecards against Maycee Barber, and Miranda also shares her very unique perspective on her fight career and career options outside of the Octagon.
The newly crowned BKFC Flyweight Champion Christine Ferea returns after a dominant victory over her long time foe Britain Hart at Knucklemania II and making history.
We discuss her feelings after the event, dealing with a major health issue weeks prior to the title fight but keeping it under wraps, who is next, and her plans to stay hungry and defend this title for many fights to come.
We're joined by Women's Boxing royalty! The former World Champion is booked to fight Terri Harper who only just lost her titles to Alycia Baumgardner on March 12th.
We discuss the developments of women's Boxing over the years in anticipation of its biggest year yet in 2022, fighter pay, her newfound fire and motivation leading Heather to falling back in love with Boxing after falling frustrated with the industry and losing the love to do it during the pandemic which left her unsatisfied with the mindset that she was in during her last fight against Jessica Camara.
An extended sitdown with Bare Knuckle Boxer David "El Necio"Diaz who has rapidly turned into a fan favorite and one of the most colorful personalities on the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship roster.
On In the Booth: Fight Corner, following his 2nd pro win against Albert Inclan to keep his 100% record we talked to David about going from 15 years of dreaming of being a fighter to starting the career late with a 2-0 bang with no prior fight experience both professionally or amateur, and hustling to grow his brand name to capitalize for a future after fighting.
From hitting rock bottom and being on a downward spiral to fighting for gold. You get to see a different side of Britain "Hart" Beltran who will be challenging Christine Ferea for the inaugural 125lb BKFC title at Knucklemania II on February 19th.
Britain tells us about her very turbulent life, from getting into the system to sleeping out of her car chasing her Boxing dreams and more intense struggles that prepared her for fighting eventually finding happiness and stability with fellow fighter and UFC veteran Joey Beltran and the hunger for something tangible in a belt to make it all worth it.
We're back! Kicking off 2022 big with BKFC's Christine Ferea who will be fighting for the first ever Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 125lb title at Knucklemania II on February 19th.
On this episode we discuss Christine's transition into Bare Knuckle Boxing where she found her zone and became unanimously known as the most feared woman in BKFC, her journey of not giving herself any backup plans diving head first into the fight game and the opportunity to earn the crown jewel of her career with gold around her waist.
Tonight is the final UFC event of the year, and it ends with a Heavyweight banger! We had to miss the recap of last weekend's insane UFC 269 event so we're bringing you a preview of this event including some betting tips and odds, underdog picks and prop bets.
Also featuring on this main card, a co-main event Welterweight battle with big implications in Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson and Belal "Remember the Name" Muhammad. Raphael Assuncao vs Ricky Simon, and the hard hitting prospect Amanda Lemos who takes on a real test in Strawweight staple Angela "Overkill" Hill.
This week we have a very special guest, Rob who owns the McDojoLife page and YouTube channel has been exposing fake martial arts instructors and cult leaders all around the world for years. We talk about the psychological manipulation that leads the students of these schools to fall so deep into the wormhole, draw similarities between religious institutions, cults and martial arts schools, and touch upon the history of grooming and sexual abuse within these exposed schools.
McDojoLife has created a documentary and is working on another one after the surge in popularity of the page in recent years.
Debuting our new Combat Sports focused interview format Corner Talk we are joined by UFC Strawweight Sam Hughes who is preparing to fight Luana Pinheiro this Saturday November 20th opening the card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
We go over Sam's martial arts background, the quick road to the highest stage and being called up as a short notice replacement to make her UFC debut against one of the division's biggest household names Tecia Torres. We end with what is one of the best fan questions segments that we've had on any of our previous podcasts.
UFC 268 was a stacked banger! Fans at the sold out Madison Square Garden in New York City witnessed two title fights in two heated rematches between the Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman facing Colby Covington and Strawweight champion Rose Namajunas facing Weili Zhang. The main card opened with a banger that absolutely delivered on expectations when Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler put on a Sloberknocker of a show.
We also give our quick thoughts on Canelo Alvarez who became the first male boxer to unify all 4 belts as he defeated Caleb Plant. Will he reach goat status as the best Mexican boxer of all time?
A look into the mind of Jenny Savage. Clarksville, Tennessee's Bare Knuckle and MMA fighter breaks the silence since her last fight and shows a very relatable side on In the Booth. Jenny opens up about her turbulent life story for the first time as we discuss;
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Being shaped and hardened by a traumatic childhood.
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The Early days of MMA, finding a family in the gym and how BKFC saved her in her darkest days.
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Her newfound faith in God and motivation for life.
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Learning to cope with mental health. - Obtaining a Business degree and ambitions of managing and guiding female fighters in the future.
- The negative side of sports media, being misunderstood.
- AND MORE...
Last weekend featured arguably one of the best boxing trilogies in history. Fury vs Wilder III overdelivered and gave a definitive end to this series with Tyson Fury successfully defending his world title with an 11th round knockout, but not without facing adversity against a determined and revamped Deontay Wilder.
We give our thoughts on the fight, the changes made in both camps, shine a light on the women's headliners in the UFC fight night Mackenzie Dern vs Marina Rodriguez and give our opinions on world champion Amanda Serrano signing with Jake Paul's new Most Valuable Promotions (MVP).
N/A MMA's debut is here! Every UFC PPV and other major events in MMA and Boxing we will bring you our pre and post-fight insights, betting picks and predictions, funny clips and big news surrounding fight week.
We have teamed up with MMA Journalist and Reporter Alex Wendling all the way in California to bring you all the action.
Here's a recap of UFC 266 which saw Alexander Volkanovski successfully defend his title against T-City Brian Ortega, not without adversity AND the return of the legend Nick Diaz on a stacked card full of highlights.
Montana Love is an exciting undefeated boxer who has got all the makings of a star, the skills, the flash, the mouth, the confidence and the backing of a whole state as he represents Cleveland, Ohio on a quest for a belt. Coming off of the biggest win of his career against ranked opponent Ivan Baranchyk on the biggest event he has been a part of on Showtime in Jake Paul vs Tyron Woodley we get to know him and his mind a little bit better.
Kanye West released the long anticipated album Donda. It was received with mixed emotions so we do a deep dive and give our thoughts on the project. We also go over some Drake beef, Certified Lover Boy, Jake Paul fighting Tyron Woodley and address the critiques on Tommy Fury's performance against Anthony Taylor.
A lot has happened this past week, Simone Biles made a statement with consequences about the importance of mental health leading media to unleash their opinions. Fresh & Fit Podcast continues to be on fire in helping men self develop and giving harsh realities to women and Olympic Boxing judges are as corrupt as ever at Tokyo 2020.
Ebanie "The Blonde Bomber" Bridges is currently arguably one of the most important personalities in women's boxing. Polarizing and vocal, she recently went to war with Shannon Courtenay for the Bantamweight championship of the world.
The Australian boxer shares her opinions on the state of women's boxing, the growth of the sport, gaining a huge UK following, turning her life around, transitioning from bodybuilding to boxing and a lot of talk about her job as a teacher and being a role model for kids in the classroom.
On this week's episode of In the Booth: Mic Check we get wild, one of our most entertaining episodes brings you a story of how we got offered €10,000 by a cult, a reaction to the weird new Netflix dating show "Sexy beasts", talk about a dating show for fat people, we discuss Instagram being the new dating app, Doja Cat's new release "Planet Her", how Doja's music can be accessible to men as well, Oliver watches Bare Knuckle fighting for the first time in anticipation of the upcoming event between Paige VanZant and Rachel Ostovich and a little discussion on how athletes and artists can draw a far larger audience by engaging in other forms of media and self expression.
Janay Harding is one of our favorite recent discoveries in mma. At the core, the Bellator fighter is a well thought out growing brand. We talk about the importance of authenticity on social media, becoming a brand, absorbing the fight business, picking up skills for your resume along the way, already being prepared from a young age for life after fighting and more. If you didn't know about Janay before, you will love her after this one!
Stitch Duran joined us! Stitch is a beacon of knowledge. We discuss the legendary Cutman's story from the farms to becoming a household name in the world of combat sports, cornering Tyson Fury, landing several movie roles as himself, fighter pay in mma, being fired from the UFC as a result of speaking out and the current state of boxing.
Drake has been announced as the winner of Billboard Artist of the Decade. We go over previous winners, compare it to the popular AMA awards and discuss whether it's justified and how long Drake's reign will go on.
A lot has been going on at the Joe Budden Network, after firing his long time co-hosts and friends Rory & Mal there has been some controversy surrounding remarks he made towards DJ Olivia Dope of another JBN show "See The Thing Is". We give our thoughts on the matter, management in the new and ever growing world of podcasting and where we think the future lies.
We give our opinion on the upcoming boxing exhibition bout between multiple time champion, the undefeated Floyd Mayweather and the YouTube Boxing sensation Logan Paul. The fight will be broadcast on Showtime June 6th.
If you want tips on how to make money off your art, you need to listen to Rita Howis. We go over her early adult life starting as a street artist sketching portraits for passersby in Times Square to now commissioning her original paintings worldwide from Copenhagen.
Maha Haq is a young Cannabis entrepreneur based in California. She discusses how her mother catching her smoking ended up throwing her into her destiny and getting into the medical research side of Cannabis, learning the entire production chain of marijuana from growers to dispensaries. We go over recent policy changes in the United States, draw comparisons with the Netherlands and how Cannabis marketing happens.
TENNIN talks about moving away from Paris, the changes that covid had on her creative process, networking and her latest release "TENNIZER". we'll keep you posted.
This week on Mic Check we are joined by Nairuz, an artist who is signed to our management who after a successful debut EP release with his collective "Garaseen" is working on his first solo album. We go over the power of languages, how the internet has shifted the entire arts into a collaboration culture, changing the industry and more.
Coming Saturday April 17th YouTuber gone boxer Jake Paul squares off against former wrestling and mixed martial arts champion Ben Askren in the boxing ring. The guys go over the fight in this one off mic check segment on "In the Booth".
Lauren Murphy is a mixed martial artist currently fighting in the UFC after winning several mma titles in other organizations including Invicta FC and a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world title. Lauren sat with us to discuss her humble beginnings in Anchorage, Alaska, being in a position to call for a title shot against Valentina Shevchenko, gender equality in mixed martial arts and the enormous effect that nutrition had on her career.
Winnipeg's Myazwe stands out amongst the immense amount of Hip Hop submissions and requests that we get on a weekly. His versatility and mindset already put him miles ahead of artists in a similar stage as him. We discuss his comeup, being raised with Zambian values by his parents and his upcoming projects during the Covid-19 pandemic that had him start releasing one song per week for the whole of 2021.
Donald Trump refuses to concede the election to President Elect Joe Biden. What is the nature of the issues in the United States right now? Why does the two party system not work. Oregon went crazy and decriminalized all drugs and we end the discussion with a little talk about people who want to quit their jobs and start their own business or opening a side hustle during the pandemic.
The verdict is out, Megan Thee Stallion admits that Tory Lanez shot her in the foot, we give our take. We also react to the Ellen Degeneres behind the scenes drama, Bella Thorne's OnlyFans, the Tik Tok ban, Addison Rae, and Nas' new album King's Disease.
A brand new segment of In the Booth called "Mic Check" Where we discuss Kanye West's meltdown during his rally for Kanye 2020, Chris D'Elia and Bryan Callen's upcoming Netflix show being cancelled amindst sexual assault allegations towards Chris, is it warranted? and Drake drops some bars in Arabic.
Iman Kawa is an inspiring and outspoken businesswoman, Michelin Chef and owner of the luxury cookie brand Better Than Your Mother's which has garnered attention from the world's biggest celebrities and athletes. She sat down with us to talk about work ethic, the story of her business, growing up in an Arab household and how that helped shape her.
Kelcy Griffin has been around the TV world and boasts an impressive resume which includes recurring roles on shows such as POWER, Gotham, The Deuce and most recently on BULL. She sat down with us to share her insights and advice in this cutthroat industry, her upcoming goals and ambitions and talk about shifting the film industry in our current day and age.
Marquel Martin is the head of combat sports at CAA which is arguably the biggest entertainment agency in the world. At CAA Marquel manages one of the most sought after names in the UFC, Francis Ngannou.
As an all round hustler Marquel is also one half of Moves Podcast and an entrepreneur having had businesses ranging from fashion to cookies. He sat down to talk to us about different ways of doing business, networking, getting into the combat sports business, the plan for Francis Ngannou's career and reaping the benefits of being a good human being.
TENNIN is a singer / songwriter from the South of France currently based in Paris. Past the beginning stages of her career she is now making moves and gaining momentum with the release of her latest track "We Stand Alone". With a diversity in musical style she blends deep electronic bass-ey sounds with elements of Hip Hop and Oldschool Rap music.
Emel Mathlouthi, an outspoken singer / songwriter from Tunisia who rose to fame with her song "Kelmti Horra" which ended up becoming the official anthem for the Tunisian revolution joined us to talk about her new album "Everywhere We Looked was Burning", Being labeled as a political artist, how to break free from those labels and more.