LA Beat Scene and Beyond feat Flying Lotus
6/18/202655 min
On this episode of The Almanac of Rap, Donwill sits down with visionary producer, filmmaker, label founder, and creative architect Flying Lotus for a wide-ranging conversation about music, film, creativity, and the art of world-building.
From pioneering the Los Angeles beat scene and launching Brainfeeder Records to directing boundary-pushing films and secretly becoming Captain Murphy, Flying Lotus has spent his career challenging expectations and creating entirely new lanes for artists to exist in.
FlyLo discusses his upcoming EP Big Mama, a meticulously crafted project built without loops and designed to feel alive, constantly evolving, and impossible to predict. He also reflects on growing up surrounded by musical greatness through the legacy of Alice Coltrane, how family shaped his understanding of creativity, and why seeing artistic success firsthand made it easier to imagine his own future. Flying Lotus breaks down:
The origins of Brainfeeder Records and working with artists like Thundercat, Kamasi Washington, and Louis Cole
Growing up in the legacy of Alice Coltrane and Marilyn McLeod
The challenges of filmmaking versus music production, and directing Kuso and Ash
Producing music with computers during an era dominated by hardware
🤳🏾 Got a question, comment or compliment? Leave a message today at 1-877-DONWILL (366-9455) It might just end up in an episode!🎙️
Follow Donwill for fun hip-hop history, cultural commentary, and more.
Substack: New Music Tuesdays
Instagram/Threads: @donwill
Mixcloud: Donwill
Website: Donwill.me
Follow Flying Lotus
Instagram: flyinglotus
Music: Flying Lotus - BIG MAMA
Created and hosted by two time Webby Award-winning host Donwill, The Almanac of Rap is produced by Okayplayer, a division of AREYA MEDIA Inc. Originally launched in 1999, Okayplayer is the original progressive music site and maintains its position as the premier digital destination for music and culture connoisseurs worldwide.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSam Sanders0:00
[funky music] Hey, y'all. Each week on the Sam Sanders Show from KCRW, we ask big questions and share hot takes about the pop culture we love.
Speaker 20:08
Now that we have YouTube, we don't need any more biopics.
Sam Sanders0:11
Woo.
Speaker 20:11
If they've been alive such that I can watch them on YouTube, I don't need it.
Flying Lotus· Guest0:14
I don't think that music is getting worse. I think y'all just don't listen to artists who aren't in the mainstream.
Sam Sanders0:20
Taylor Swift, retire. It's time to retire. [laughs] The Sam Sanders Show from KCRW, wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube.
Don Will· Host0:28
[funky music] You produced two of my favorite songs of all time.
Flying Lotus· Guest0:34
Oh.
Don Will· Host0:35
The joints that I definitely have in my daily rotation. I run them every morning.
Flying Lotus· Guest0:39
Uh-huh.
Don Will· Host0:39
And I think you know what I'm talking about.
Flying Lotus· Guest0:40
Maybe one of them.
Don Will· Host0:42
Daybreak and Chalet for Apple, the ringtone.
Flying Lotus· Guest0:44
Oh.
Don Will· Host0:44
[laughs] The [censored] alone. Man.
Speaker 50:47
Yo, it's the Almanac of Rap Show. I got opinions and they all factual. No news, just information that you won't be able to use unless you're at a dinner party trying to impress who's in attendance with endless tidbits of nonsense. We're gonna have a good time, I promise. YouTube rabbit holes, Reddit deep dives. Pulling out old interviews from the archives. Styles, fads, trends, all of that. It's the Almanac of Rap.
Don Will· Host1:14
[gentle music] Welcome to the Almanac of Rap, the show that's going, going back, back to Cali. I'm your host Don Will, and today's guest is a Grammy Award-winning producer,