MLFM spotlight: Nikki

From the opening of Nikki's podcast with the statement...

You're about to embark on a journey with some of the best Nu Soul, true R&B and some of the best hip hop(true hip hop) with a her podcast. I first ran across Nikki on her Vox blog, a gifted photographer, a young lady that says what's on her mind. As the ol' folks say, "She says what she means and means what she says". This beautiful sister is not only talented behind the lens but from the very her first podcast that began over at Infinite Ink spun off to it's own site each podcast keeps getting better and better.

As one would say about Chris Noth's character Mike Logan with having the "golden gut"(which means he has the gift of sniffing out the bad guys) this young lady has to me the "golden ear". She not only has the gift of finding the some of the best, new Soul music but has a gift of having one song flow into another without missing a beat. Episode 22 I listened to twice on my night job. Knowing when to bring in a track and not have it sounding "choppy" is a craft she is perfecting with every episode. If you have listened to my podcast you have heard me wave about her and to me she's all that and then some.

With instrumental tracks for me it's easy for me to find great tunes because to me unless you are really terrible most of the artists sound great. With Soul, R&B, Hip Hop that is a different matter. In today's market with most artists hide behind the miracles of studio producers only to see them in concert you have wasted your money, Nikki digs deep and finds some of the most talented/gifted brothers and sisters that rarely get commercial radio time and brings them to the forefront and I am so greatful for the hard work she puts into her podcasts each week. When you here the movie snippet(which by the way this young lady has excellent taste when it comes to movies with substance and I think she's may have a thing for Lawrence Fishborne ) the music journey for me takes me back to when true musicians and artists had not only the vocals but the substance of the lyrics brings a smile to my face.

Her latest episode, Soulrific #22 brings me back to the days of Public Enemy, D'Angelo, Maxwell, Eryka Badu. With skills of Talib Kweli(the track "More and Less to me is true Hip Hop), Pete Rock,the soulful richness of Noel Gourdin(the track "Reach" the cut I can listen to over and over). All of the tracks takes me back to living in South City St. Louis. It wasn't the safest place but I never had any problems and living in the city makes you keep it "real" and that is what I love about her choice of compositions...it makes you keep it real. It reminds you "never forget where you come from". What makes her podcast stand out to me is it gets right to the "meat" of things...the music and that is what I truly love about her podcast. The more she keeps producing podcasts the more she's sharpen her craft as not only a producer but a true mixer when it comes to bringing tunes to the masses.

Another thing I love about Nikki is her designs of her sites: minimal but very eye catching. I have asked her where she gets each image but she said she would "have to hurt me"...well she said something else lets just leave it at that(I kid, I kid because I love you sista). But all kidding aside her sites are very nice/clean and draws you in to see what she has to say.

What Nikki has brought to the podcasting community is refreshing and makes me look at the genre that I thought was long gone. I know I have thank you so many times but...

Thank you.

Nikki's blogs
infinite Ink[http://www.theinfiniteink.com/]
Soulrific Podcast Shows[http://soulrific.theinfiniteink.com/]