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Hip-Hop's Ice Age
The documentary Bling: A Planet Rock explores the correlation between hip-hop’s obsession with diamonds – “bling” — and 10 years of civil war in Sierra Leone. The film follows rappers Paul Wall and Raekwon and Reggaetón king Tego Calderón to Freetown, where they meet perpetrators and victims of a conflict tied to diamond mines. Also: Montreal-based band Patrick Watson earned nominations this year for some of Canada's biggest music prizes. As they invade the U.S., the group stops to perform in our studio. Plus: the battle over illegal downloading on campuses heats up.
Blood and Bling
Even before Run DMC donned gold-rope chains, hip-hop culture embraced outrageous jewelry. In the documentary Bling: A Planet Rock, hip-hop figures from superstar producer Kanye West to be-grilled rapper Paul Wall explore the link between hip-hop, diamonds, and the civil war that devastated Sierra Leone. We talk with the film's producer, Raquel Cepeda.
Patrick Watson
Canadian art-rock group Patrick Watson is led by, yes, a man named Patrick Watson. But judging from their sound, you might think Phillip Glass was at the helm. After collecting multiple award nods in their native land, the group plays songs from their new album, Close to Paradise, live in the Soundcheck studio.
A Higher Education in Piracy
With college students back to school this week, campus officials are stepping up efforts to warn students about the consequences of illegal downloading. But is anybody listening? We talk with the Boston Globe's Javier C. Hernandez.
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Watch Soundcheck Live!
Join us Tuesday, Nov. 10 at The Greene Space
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, stars of the romantic indie film Once, will debate which is more powerful: a love song or a breakup song. And: live music from Grammy winning violinist Joshua Bell and Cuban stars Tiempo Libre.
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The Ill Effects of Urban Noise
Soundcheck
Soundcheck received an overwhelming response to our segment on the effects of urban noise. So much so that Arline Bronzaft decided to address the feedback. Listen to the original segment and read Bronzaft's response.
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