Ahead of the sequence premiere, For the Record caught up with Carl Chery, Spotify’s Head of Urban Music and Creative Director, who additionally serves as an govt producer on the present. As a driving power behind the creation of RapCaviar Presents, Carl gave us the inside track on RapCaviar’s evolution from playlist to TV present, distinctive methods they have been in a position to inform tales, and what followers can count on when it premieres.
What’s the inspiration behind RapCaviar Presents?
This began virtually 5 years in the past. The RapCaviar playlist had launched in 2015 and was displaying the potential to turn into greater than a playlist. So as we made plans to broaden RapCaviar’s affect with social channels and a podcast, we additionally began desirous about a docuseries. That began way back to 2018, and we began pitching it in the summertime of 2019.
Hulu purchased the pilot in 2019, however then the pandemic occurred, which delayed manufacturing for nearly a 12 months. We lastly submitted the pilot in 2021, the sequence was picked up later that 12 months, after which we started manufacturing on the precise sequence in February of 2022.
What makes Spotify and RapCaviar uniquely positioned to inform these tales?
We’re very a lot within the thick of the streaming period, and I believe Spotify emerged as arguably a very powerful editorial outlet throughout mediums. I believe that the work that we’re doing throughout our playlist ecosystem is one thing that’s actually resonated with audiences for the previous eight years.
In hip-hop, there’s a timeline of the mediums that each one these cultural authorities specific themselves by way of. Once upon a time, it was radio stations, after which it was magazines, after which it was blogs. But now, it’s playlists. So it felt like we have been in the proper place to be the subsequent iteration of that hip-hop authority.
Does this sequence shed any gentle on the way forward for hip-hop?
Yes, it does. It was essential for me that the present is centered across the present technology of rap stars. But as we deal with subjects that pertain to issues just like the Tyler, The Creator apology, we nonetheless have to present historic context. So I like that in virtually each story we begin within the current, return, after which go ahead. But you’ll must tune in to seek out out the place we find yourself.
Were there tales shared throughout filming that stunned you?
Polo G’s story, which I consider is a part of Episode 4 (titled “Through the Storm”), was very sudden as a result of it speaks of issues that haven’t been reported a lot. But the director, Mandon Lovett, did an unbelievable job of getting Polo to open up.
Spotify Head of Urban Music Carl Chery (Credit: JC Olivera/Picture Group)
Polo G is somebody who is basically reserved, and I don’t suppose that many individuals are conscious that he overdosed a number of years in the past. But he was keen to speak about generational trauma, and for viewers, seeing his vulnerability and experiencing that aspect of his character will probably be revealing.
And then even with somebody like Tyler, The Creator, who folks have been acquainted with for an extended time frame. If you keep in mind, Tyler began his profession as somebody who was a shock-value sort of rapper. But in newer years, he’s resurfaced as somebody who’s extra considerate and polished. I observed that as a fan, however I by no means knew what was behind it.
And on RapCaviar Presents, he talks about how he used to go on TV and simply goof off. And in the future, somebody noticed him on the airport and advised him, “Hey, you’re that guy from Ridiculousness!” For Tyler, it was an eye-opening second as a result of he was like, “Oh, wow, I’m not known for my music.” And that was one of many issues that shifted Tyler’s method.
And then now we have unbelievable journalists and artists who gave us superb context that will probably be academic and informative to even probably the most rap-obsessed music lovers. In the episode that includes City Girls, Jamilah Lemieux gave us superb historic context into the arc of ladies in hip-hop.
Looking at ’90s hip-hop, which featured ladies like Lil’ Kim, Foxy Brown, and Trina, Jamilah identified that these ladies have been aspiring to be mafia wives, however this new technology is a totally completely different factor they usually’re calling the pictures.
And as a lot as I knew that we’ve moved on from ladies needing a cosign from males to achieve success, I by no means fairly considered it that means, and I assumed it was an excellent option to illustrate how far ladies have are available rap. They’re actually in management proper now.
What do you hope followers take away from this sequence?
It’s not only one factor. There are 1,000,000 issues that I hope they discover charming. When they speak about RapCaviar Presents, I hope they describe it as each intellectually stimulating and entertaining, as a result of that’s what we tried to perform.
If you watch this sequence, it actually calls again to old-school journalism. These aren’t puff items. Every character has a very dynamic arc to their story, and that’s one thing that’s lacking from storytelling like this. We’re in an period of clickbait, the place all the pieces is salacious and controversial. And for us it was simply tremendous essential that we attempt to inform elevated tales about hip-hop’s music and the tradition. And if a narrative turns into a bit of controversial within the course of, then so be it.
But for us, it was essential to concentrate on the story first. I hope folks like it.
Be positive to take a look at RapCaviar Presents when it premieres on Hulu March 30. In the meantime, stream the most recent episode of The RapCaviar Podcast under.