The Idea of...

In this episode, Mike and Bassey unpack what happens when Blackness becomes performance online instead of practice in real life. Starting with a conversation about therapy, depression, and SXSW EDU, t...

18 Maalis 1h 25min

This episode captures exactly what The Idea Of... Is all about... In this episode, Mike and Bassey bounce between real life and rap life—starting with Mike’s SXSW EDU crunch (presentation prep, expo l...

4 Maalis 1h 22min

Bassey and MIke star by asking why Black stories are rarely allowed to be simple. From there, they unpack awards culture and whose “normal” gets celebrated. White stories often get to be ordinary and ...

25 Helmi 1h 26min

Black History Month sparks a bigger conversation: who gets centered in the story of Black America?Bassey and Mike unpack diaspora tensions, the FBA debate, AAVE, colonization, and why Black American i...

18 Helmi 1h 21min

Bassey & Mike dig into what it means to write—and create—with integrity in an era where AI can imitate style but not spirit. They talk about how tools like ChatGPT are reshaping how writing is read, w...

11 Helmi 48min

Award Season is upon us! Bassey and Mike start the episode exactly how real life starts: with chargers, chaos, and a lot going on. From there, they slide into a layered “life update” convo—Mike talks ...

4 Helmi 1h 20min

A snowed-in week has Bassey & Mike feeling that familiar “early COVID” claustrophobia—stuck inside while the news runs a nonstop play-by-play. They unpack why this moment feels uniquely heavy: politic...

28 Tammi 1h 33min

This week on The Idea Of…, Bassey & Mike have the conversation that's been brewing from day 1. Also known as Bassey's Achilles heel... her bias against J. Cole. With The Fall Off on the horizon (Feb 6...

21 Tammi 1h 12min