Founded in 2005 by writer Jeff Weiss (The Ringer, Washington Post, GQ), POW is the last rap blog — one of the the first nationally to write about Kendrick Lamar, Danny Brown, Drakeo, 03 Greedo, and many others. In 2016, it birthed the label, POW Recordings, releasing albums from Chester Watson, Kent Loon, Fatboi Sharif, Rhys Langston, Gabe ‘Nandez, Ness Nite, Pioneer 11, The Outfit TX, Vince Ash, and Zilla Rocca.

The radio show is an extension of this far-flung sound, boasting guest mixes from the rotating cast of POW contributors that span Latin boogaloo to Soviet Jazz to West Coast street rap.

Fatboi Sharif=lyricist, musician, artist, abstract creative. His work with Roper Williams, Steep Tipper Dove and LoneSword has been praised in Pitchfork, The Wire, The Fader, Stereogum and more. In his own words.

SINCE THE AGE OF 8 FROM STARTED AT DOING POETRY AS A YOUNG CHILD FATBOI SHARIF AS ALWAYS SAW THE POWER OF THE WRITTEN WORD AND THAT YOU COULD CREATE WHICHEVER WORLD YOU WANNA INVOLVE THE LISTENER INTO A STYLE OF HIS OWN THAT WILL MAKE YOU WANNA RETURN AND DISSECT A DIFFERENT LAYER WITH EVERY FIND. FATBOI SHARIF HAS SAID REGARDING HIS MUSIC “I LOVE TO CREATE WORLDS WITH MY MUSIC FOR ME IT’S DEEPER THAN JUST TRACKS OR MAKING SONGS FOR ME EVERY SECTION HAS TO BE A CHAPTER THAT IF YOU MISSED A PIECE WITHIN THE FULL SPECTRUM YOU’LL WANT TO RETURN TO FILL IN THE BLANKS”.

BEING INFLUENCED BY SUCH FILMMAKERS AS DAVID LYNCH, STANLEY KUBRICK AND WES CRAVEN AS WELL AS 90’S HEAVY METAL, GRUNGE ROCK AND 70’S SOUL MUSIC SHARIF’S STRONGEST POINT TO HIS WRITING IS HIS ATTENTION TO DETAIL AS WELL AS MAKING HIS VOICE AS IMPORTANT A TOOL IN HIS RECORDING PROCESS AS THE ACTUAL PRODUCTION ITSELF. HE STATES” I HATE THAT WITHIN MUSIC WE ARE CONSTANTLY IN A RUSH TO RELEASE THE NEXT THING YOU DONT LOOK AT BOOK ARTHUR SUCH AS ALICE WALKER OR PHILLIP K DICK AND TELL THEM THAT LAST THING YOU WROTE LITERALLY CHANGED MY LIFE BUT YOU HAVENT DROPPED ANYTHING IN A YEAR. I WANNA HAVE MY WORK TAUGHT IN CLASSROOMS AND COLLEGE COURSES ON MY WRITING STYLE AND CHANGE THE CREATIVE WORLD WITH A WHOLE NEW FRAME OF THOUGHT. THAT’S MY GOAL WITH THIS MUSIC JOURNEY AND WHAT KEEPS ME INSPIRED TO KEEP CREATING. ALWAYS TO CHALLENGE MYSELF AND SET NEW GOALS. I’M NEVER A FAN OF HAVING TO EXPLAIN MUSIC TO MUCH I THINK IT’S A FEELING THAT YOU GET AND GROW WITH AND ALSO I THINK THE LISTENER SHOULD TAKE OUT OF IT WHAT THEY FEEL IS THE OVERALL MEANING AND ASPECT OF PERSPECTIVE THRU THERE LENSES. IT MAKES THE EXPERIENCE THAT MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE.