What's New, June 2025

I had a very busy month! It started with a week-long residency with Media Hour.

We spent the week talking about media and literacy and shooting some weird footage. I filmed some of the poems from my album. Here's one!

Look out for more of that footage leaking onto your screen soon. Chelsea also kept the studio filled with music from her vinyl collection. In digging the crates, I came across Feel Like Makin' Love by Roberta Flack and recognized one of the tracks.

This track was sampled in an old G-Unit song and apparently stuck in my brain.

After my residency, I headed to Boston for the Roxbury Film Festival. The short I produced, New Treasure, had its world premiere on Friday!

Will keep you apprised of other screenings! I hung out there for a couple of days, met some cool filmmakers, and reconnected with Christl Stringer, who directed the short. After the premiere, we headed to a bar for a Filmmaker Hangout™️. The bar played a string of 80s hits that I also recognized as samples from hip-hop tracks: Risin' to the Top by Keni Burke, Never Too Much by Luther Vandross, Juicy Fruit by Mtume, He's the Greatest Dancer by Sister Sledge, et cetera. While I was in Boston, I stayed at a boutique hotel that has vinyl players in each room and spun On the Threshold of a Dream by The Moody Blues. Very mimetic.

And then! So inspired was I that on my way home, I stopped at a little secondhand shop to look through their records.

I came home and spun one of my finds: Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. All of that puts me way ahead on my music goal (8/12 albums). I listened to three new albums—and also remembered that I listened to Reasonable Drought by Stove God Cooks with Haze last month. I watched two programs of shorts at RoxFilm, which I'll count as one (6/12 films). I did not, however, read anything this month. I got a bunch of new books and I've picked a book of poetry to go next, but I haven't actually cracked it yet. Reading goal stagnant (5/12 books).

Finally, here are some of my Best Tweets for June.

'Twas an art-packed month, but I have more surprises to come. Thanks for rocking with me ✌🏼

- gripp