This week on episode 326 I was joined by Electronic music producer James And The Cat to discuss a multitude of topics around his music and overall brand. Our primary point of discussion was surrounding his creation process. As someone who creates vastly different music than James I was curious to know about his decision making when it comes to song structure, melody and length. He outlined how these particular choices helped to create his latest 3 track effort called “Translation” and also spoke about his goals for releasing tracks in a different way in the coming months. This will start with an upcoming single in September and will also coincide with release of a brand new plugin he has been engineering to help detect the key of a track in the software Ableton. He told me about the mission, challenges and overall goal of creating his own plugin from scratch and the ways he feels it will help other producers to make life a little easier while creating their music. I really appreciate James for stopping by and I also want to thank Tori for connecting us!Consider donating to the show via our Ko-Fi profile here 👉 https://ko-fi.com/theprovenknowledgepodcastYour contributions will be used towards making the show better with new guests, giveaways and more coming every week!As always the support is appreciated 🤝

After discovering Joey Aich’s work well over a year ago I was excited to finally welcome him to the podcast this week on episode 325! We started the conversation by recapping his move to Columbus from the Cleveland area around 2017 and the many things he has learned since then as an artist and in life overall. As someone who has extensive experience with live performing he told me how he tends to approach each show, no matter how big or small the crowd is, like the biggest show of his life in order to give the same experience and first impression to anyone who might be a new or first time listener. He doubled down on this by creating unique fan experiences such as a rehearsal show to help promote his 2025 project “Moments Like These”, along with vinyl, visualizers, and other ways for individuals both new and established with his brand to immerse themselves in. I really respect Joey’s consistent grind and his message to keep pursuing what you love through all of the ups and downs you will face along the way. It’s how he has seen so much progress already and I’m thrilled to see how that progression keeps going from here in all of his upcoming endeavors!Consider donating to the show via our Ko-Fi profile here 👉 https://ko-fi.com/theprovenknowledgepodcastYour contributions will be used towards making the show better with new guests, giveaways and more coming every week!As always the support is appreciated 🤝

This week on episode 324 I sat down in person with former guest Elijah Rushin and our fellow collaborator QUWAN to discuss a multitude of topics surrounding the music they’ve been putting out over the course of the summer. Most notably we touched on QUWAN’s sophomore EP “Chapter II” that released in June, a project that served as a growing point for him both musically and in his life as a whole. He and Elijah both talked about what the process was like putting it together, for QUWAN on the lyrical side and for Elijah on the production side. Elijah’s pursuit to help push QUWAN out of his comfort zone and challenge him to reach greater heights can definitely be heard when you listen to each of the EP’s 5 tracks. We also touched on QUWAN’s personal approach as a Gospel and Christian artist, the art of live performing, and our own three person collaboration via the track “BENEFIT” which found a home on Elijah and I’s EP titled “CLOUD$ v1”. These two have been some amazing individuals to get to know more over the last year and it’s also been a real honor to get to work on music with them while having a front row to the other great material they continue to create. I’m thrilled to present this conversation to you all and eagerly await the next big connection the three of us will get going very soon!Consider donating to the show via our Ko-Fi profile here 👉 https://ko-fi.com/theprovenknowledgepodcastYour contributions will be used towards making the show better with new guests, giveaways and more coming every week!As always the support is appreciated 🤝

Returning to Dayton this week I welcomed the multi-talented K. Carter to the show for episode 323! K. Carter serves as the other half of the duo Safe Money with our guest from a couple of weeks ago TINO and also has released many works as a solo artist as well. We were able to discuss how his initial experiences with improv and poetry led to his formed love of music and crafting songs himself which also led to other amazing avenues where his voice could be used to enlighten and empower others. These include public speaking through presentations and also improv comedy which we touched on in a very mind blowing topic point for me within this episode. He also spoke on the importance of having self confidence and being able to move a crowd of any kind no matter what kind of message he shares with them at the time. I could tell just how much it means to him to be able to use his gift of speaking in positive ways while also allowing himself to have so many forms of creative expression. I’m also looking forward to what’s next from him musical as well as ways we can stay connected from here!Consider donating to the show via our Ko-Fi profile here 👉 https://ko-fi.com/theprovenknowledgepodcastYour contributions will be used towards making the show better with new guests, giveaways and more coming every week!As always the support is appreciated 🤝

Following the long awaited release of our collaboration album titled “Solace”, I welcomed Grizz back to the show for episode 322 to have an in depth discussion about its creation. Since starting the project in 2021 it oversaw many twists and turns but ultimately still came out relatively close to how we envisioned it in the beginning. We talked about the many ups and downs in his own life that Grizz channeled into the lyrics and overall message behind “Solace” and how longtime collaborators like AaliyahTheTruth and Dre Da Dream helped assist with the vision. I also spoke on my perspective as the producer creating the sonic palette that might be a bit different than what some might be used to from my sound overall, but one that fit just right for what Grizz was aiming to create. I want to thank him again not just for returning this week for the chat, but also for allowing me to be a part of such a cool body of work that’s sure to get more ears and respect as time goes by.Consider donating to the show via our Ko-Fi profile here 👉 https://ko-fi.com/theprovenknowledgepodcastYour contributions will be used towards making the show better with new guests, giveaways and more coming every week!As always the support is appreciated 🤝

After developing a rich passion for Hip-Hop early on in life, Blu DaGoat continued on with his journey as an artist expanding and diversifying his skillset along the way. He joined me on episode 321 this week to discuss it in more detail! He told me about developing his skillset in songwriting after coming from a battle rap and freestyling background. It has helped refine his sound tenfold as he crafts his upcoming album “Like, Comment, Subscribe” in which he is fully hands on in both the writing, mixing and production process. I felt inspired by his goals for continued improvement and elevation in the years to come as well and I’m sure that as a fellow Ohio based artist that we will be connecting again really soon! Shoutout to him for stopping by and I’d also like to thank Leo Laru$$o for connecting us and making this conversation possible as well!Consider donating to the show via our Ko-Fi profile here 👉 https://ko-fi.com/theprovenknowledgepodcastYour contributions will be used towards making the show better with new guests, giveaways and more coming every week!As always the support is appreciated 🤝

Early this year I initially got connected with Moll’s Interlude when she reviewed my EP with SWORDSTYLESHON titled “Make It Canon”. Since then we've stayed in touch and I was able to extend an invite to have her on the platform which we finally made happen this week for episode 320. It was refreshing to get the perspective of someone involved closely with the world of music journalism and is running her own platform by herself. She discussed the importance of persevering through setbacks and self-doubt to pursue this path and the different kinds of encouragement she’s received from others along the way. We talked about her growth on different social media platforms as well as the amount of independent artists reaching out to have their music reviewed by her over the past year. I admire Molly’s ability to embrace her passion and love for music in a way that’s unique to her while helping so many artists including myself in the process. I thank her for stopping by and can assure you of more Proven Knowledge and Mol’’s Interlude crossovers to come in the future!Consider donating to the show via our Ko-Fi profile here 👉 https://ko-fi.com/theprovenknowledgepodcastYour contributions will be used towards making the show better with new guests, giveaways and more coming every week!As always the support is appreciated 🤝

Continuing the newly found stretch of Ohio artist interviews I welcomed Dayton’s own TINO to the show this week! TINO is someone I’ve admired from afar for his ability to genre blend and take bold chances within his production selection and lyrical ability and I was thrilled to finally sit down for a full conversation. He touched on his journey as an artist dating back as far as 2009 and how the blog era directly influenced his love and desire to become an artist himself. We also compared that era of time in Hip-Hop and music overall to the vastly different one we all live in now where over saturation, high creative expectation and a low barrier of entry all can create roadblocks. TINO however has found ways to manage and balance through it all and he told me how creating his solo works along with his other collabs with people like @sonofhiphop and @marrrtin.dezer have allowed him to keep things fresh and exciting from a creative standpoint. With long and short term goals to travel more outside the U.S., release a lot more new music and keep innovating along the way, I’m looking forward to the bright future TINO is creating for himself and thank him once again for making this show a place to let us know more about it!Consider donating to the show via our Ko-Fi profile here 👉 https://ko-fi.com/theprovenknowledgepodcastYour contributions will be used towards making the show better with new guests, giveaways and more coming every week!As always the support is appreciated 🤝

On episode 318 I had a long awaited conversation with Columbus artist Dom Deshawn who has been doing his thing for well over a decade. Even though I had only known about his music for a little over a year I was extremely excited to get to chop it up with him officially for the first time. He discussed with me the pivotal moment of quitting his full time job in 2021 to pursue music on a larger scale and the different challenges he faces in doing so. With that said however his love for the craft and following his true purpose has allowed him to embrace the ups and the downs in full stride. We also covered his most recent project with fellow Columbus producer Stale Brick titled “The Mahogany Tape” and what went into its creation as a chill and mellow offering to fans of quality Hip-Hop. This was a great example to me of following the organic connections you make with the right collaborators and embracing them at full steam to get a great end result. Dom has a ton of exciting things planned for the rest of 2026 and beyond and It will be a thrill to watch it all unfold in real time. I thank him for stopping by and await our next chance to collaborate real soon!Consider donating to the show via our Ko-Fi profile here 👉 https://ko-fi.com/theprovenknowledgepodcastYour contributions will be used towards making the show better with new guests, giveaways and more coming every week!As always the support is appreciated 🤝

Joining me on episode 317 is Central Texas native and New Mexico based artist Mariffa Da Rasta. Mariffa was sent to me by former guest @larussoworld a couple of months prior so it was great to finally have a true discussion with him. He described his sound and what it means to him to be able to inspire listeners through his lyrics while also using music as a platform to help provide for his family. Having established a good home base in New Mexico he also has been busy utilizing studio time to help craft new music. This includes his most recent EP “Chronicles Of Mariffa” as well as his forthcoming project “Depression Is Expensive” that’s set to release in the coming months. When speaking about the projects theme, he revealed that it will be a much deeper dive into his personal life and overcoming hardships along with many of the lessons he’s learned along the way. As someone who loves the art of story telling and honesty in music I am looking forward to the first listen. I also want to thank Mariffa for joining me and once again to Leo for getting us connected!Consider donating to the show via our Ko-Fi profile here 👉 https://ko-fi.com/theprovenknowledgepodcastYour contributions will be used towards making the show better with new guests, giveaways and more coming every week!As always the support is appreciated 🤝