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Soundcheck

Friday, December 15, 2006
  • Shante Paradigm
    Shante Paradigm

    Queer Rap

    Hip hop has a reputation for homophobia, but a growing number of gay artists are trying to change that image. Today on Soundcheck, meet two artists who’ve picked up the mic and are rapping for their rights. Also: David Berger's Harlem Nutcracker.

Queer Rap

Soce, The Elemental Wizard, is a white Jewish man and computer programmer from New Hampshire. Shante Paradigm is a black woman and activist from Connecticut. They're gay rappers, part of a growing trend to change the image of hip hop as a homophobic music genre. They're live in the Soundcheck studio.

Soce's website
Shante Paradigm's myspace page

The Harlem Nutcracker

Composer, arranger and conductor David Berger has updated Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn's arrangement of the classic Nutcracker Suite.

Introducing our Video Contest

Soundcheck

John Schaefer gives the lowdown on Soundcheck's music video challenge with the Fiery Furnaces.

In Studio: Angel Deradoorian

Soundcheck

The 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist performs live in our studio.

Cucu Diamantes Performs Amor Cronico

Soundcheck

Cucu Diamantes went from a tough childhood in Havana, Cuba, to an art school in Rome to underground New York City, where she co-founded the Latin alternative band Yerba Buena.

In Studio: Stephanie McKay

Soundcheck

The local singer-songwriter performs "Jackson Avenue," a nostalgic toast to her childhood in the South Bronx.

In Studio: The Decemberists

The Portland, Ore., band's latest album, "The Hazards of Love," is a concept album with a mythological flair. They joined Soundcheck to play live for a studio audience in WNYC's Greene Space.

Sound Off

Soundcheck

Throughout May, Soundcheck presents “Sound Off” a Friday series on the many aspects of noise in music and our lives. The series -- which coincides with “Better Hearing and Speech Month” -- looks at issues like New York’s noisiest neighborhoods, the latest research on iPods and hearing loss, and what happens when noise becomes a musical ingredient.