The Lawyers Hip Hop Happy Hour

Welcome to this month’s Behind the Scenes Episode with District Public Defender for the City of Baltimore, Attorney Marguerite Lanaux. For this episode - I decided to focus on the rich hip-hop culture of Marguerite’s hometown of Long Island, NY. 

Most people talk about New York City being the birthplace of hip-hop....they mention the importance of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and even Staten Island…. but as my loyal listeners and fellow hip-hop heads already know - Long Island has been a major part of hip-hop since the beginning!

Biz Markie, EPMD, Public Enemy, a...

Welcome to the Lawyer’s Hip Hop Happy Hour. 

This month I had the pleasure to sit down Marguerite Lanaux, the District Public Defender for the City of Baltimore.

Ms. Lanaux oversees the attorneys of the Public Defender’s Office for Baltimore City, an office that provides representation for thousands of people charged with criminal offenses each year. 

A native of Long Island, NY, Marguerite and I discussed some of her favorite hip-hop albums including her love of Method Man & Mary J. Blige, and even some down south classics that might surprise you!

S...

Welcome to the Lawyer’s Hip Hop Happy Hour.  

This month’s episode features an interview with Attorney Marguerite Lanaux, the District Public Defender for the City of Baltimore.

Ms. Lanaux is the lead attorney for the Public Defender’s Office in the City of Baltimore.  She and I discussed some of her most interesting cases as a trial attorney, her current job responsibilities as the city's number one Public Defender and the somewhat untraditional trajectory that brought her to this very important position.

I’ve known Marguerite for over twenty years – she and I share a...

Welcome to the Lawyer’s Hip-Hop Happy Hour. This month I had the pleasure of hosting Louisiana State Senator Royce Duplessis. He represents the State’s 5th Senate district, which is primarily located in the great city of New Orleans.

In this second segment of my interview, he and I discussed his love for all things hip-hop. Senator Duplessis is a New Orleans native, so you already know his musical acumen is on point! He and I talked about hip-hop old and new, from Larry June to Slick Rick….but my favorite part of the conversation was us tal...

On this month’s episode I was joined by Louisiana State Senator and practicing civil litigation attorney Royce Duplessis, Esq.

Senator Duplessis represents Louisiana’s 5th State Senate district, which is primarily located in the great city of New Orleans. He and I discussed his career path and the things that led him to become of the State’s most visible political leaders.

We also discussed his time at Howard University School of Law, and how that helped prepare him for his current role as a State Senator. The future is bright for Senator Duplesis, The co...

Welcome to the Barry White BTS tribute episode. This month’s guest, Louisiana State Senator Royce Duplessis, is one smooth dude – so it’s fitting that this month’s featured artist is none other than the man with the silky-smooth voice of soul, Mr. Barry White!

Barry’s records were in heavy rotation in Royce’s house growing up this episode is for you and all the other smooth cats out there in hip-hop land.

Sit back, relax and enjoy, welcome to the Lawyers Hip Hop Happy Hour.

Attorney Warren Brown has been the preeminent criminal defense attorney in Baltimore, Maryland since the late 1980's. Warren graduated from Boston University School of Law in 1977. He worked as both a prosecutor and a federal defender before opening his own law practice in 1988.

Warren and I discuss some of his most famous cases, including his representation of Dontee Stokes, a man accused of the attempted murder of a Roman Catholic priest in Baltimore, that had abused him years earlier.

Warren discussed the Stokes case, and many other memorable cases that he has participated in during...

Attorney Warren Brown has been Baltimore's preeminent criminal defense attorney since the late 1980's. Warren and I discussed the music scene of the 1970's and how living in Harlem, NY before going to law school opened his eyes and ears to the music of Gil Scott Heron; the godfather of hip-hop. He and I discussed how groups like the Last Poets, Earth Wind & Fire, and other artists from the era laid the seeds for the music that would later become known as hip-hop!

Gil-Scott Heron is the godfather of hip-hop. I was inspired to create this episode after learning that Warren Brown fell in love with his music in the mid-1970's when he was living in Harlem NYC.

Join me as I discuss some of his most important works, and let's listen to the songs and artists that sampled his music throughout the years!

Attorney Rizwan “Rizzy” Qureshi is a partner at the international law firm Reed Smith. He specializes in white collar criminal defense and other related matters, and he has the distinction of graduating from THE Howard University School of Law.

Rizzy is the American dream, a Philadelphia native, whose family originates from Pakistan. He is a lifelong fan of hip-hop, and it just happens that he is friends with one of the all-time great lyricists in hip-hop history, Black Thought of the Roots Crew. 

RIzzy and I talk about his friendship with Black Thought, the rich musical...

Attorney Rizwan “Rizzy” Quereshi is a Washington D.C. based partner at the global law firm Reed Smith. Rizzy specializes in white collar criminal defense, securities enforcements, internal investigations and related civil litigation. 

Rizzy honed his trial skills as a federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia where he rose quickly in the ranks to serve in senior roles in both the Violent and Repeat Offender Unit and in the Cyber Crime Section. 

He is a Philadelphia native, and a proud graduate of THE Howard University School of Law.  A true Howard man, Rizzy is actively...

In this special behind the scenes episode, I’m going to highlight one of my favorite artists of all time, who also happens to be a friend of our featured guest, a man who is universally considered to be one of the all-time great lyricists in hip-hop. 

Mr. Tariq Trotter, also known as Black Thought, the lead MC of the Roots Crew.  

He is a part of too many great songs for me to fit them all into one episode, so I am going to focus on some of my favorites, starting in reverse chronological order...

Attorney David Clunie is an equity partner at the financial services & wealth management firm Edward Jones. Prior to joining Edward Jones, he worked as the Executive Director of the Black Economic Alliance, a nonpartisan coalition of Black business leaders and allies.

Dave started his career in Big Law, at the NYC firm Paul Weiss, Rifkand, Wharton and Garrison, leaving the firm briefly to accept a federal clerkship with a district court judge in Pennsylvania. 

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Dave took an unpaid position in the campaign of then Senator Barak Obama, and we all know ho...

Welcome to the BTS episode of my interview with Attorney David Clunie. Dave is an equity partner at the Wealth Management Firm Edward Jones, and a New York City native- hailing from the birthplace of hip-hop – the Boogie Down Bronx.  

This month's episode is dedicated to Bronx MC's!

Some of the albums Dave chose from the crates included Camp Lo’s 1996 cult classic Uptown Saturday Night, the groundbreaking 1987 album Criminal Minded, from Boogie Down Productions.

We also discussed New Rochelle Native's Brand Nubian’s 1990 debut album One for All and other Bronx MC's.

Sit...

Attorney David Clunie is currently an equity partner at the financial services firm Edward Jones.  He is the former executive director of the Black Economic Alliance and worked in the Obama White House and Department of Treasury.

Dave grew up in New York City during hip-hop’s golden era. Not only is he from New York, but he’s from the birthplace of hip-hop, the Boogie Down Bronx. 

This episode is for my true hip-hop heads. If you are ready to listen to us discuss our favorite track from Raekwon’s Only Built for Cuban Linx, about...

Join me as I break down some of my favorite tracks from these all-time great albums:

1) The Roots 1999 album Things Fall Apart; 2) Outkast, 1996 game changer ATLiens; 3) and the greatest gangsta rap album in East Coast History, Mobb Deep’s 1995. classic album, The Infamous.

Don't forget to check out the interview(s) where Fintech expert Christopher Brummer, Esq. and I discuss these albums at length.

Attorney, PhD, and Georgetown Law Professor Chris Brummer and I reminisce about some of our favorite classic hip-hop albums. We discuss the importance of Southern artists like OutKast, 8-Ball and UGK to the Southern hip-hop scene. He talks about living in West Philly during the Roots heyday, and his fond memories of early 90’s West Coast hip-hop pioneers Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. 

Chris is the host of the award-winning podcast Fintech Beat, and founder of Fintech Week in Washington D.C., an annual conference that features top financial players from across the globe.

Attorney, PhD, and Georgetown Law Professor Christopher Brummer, is the host of the award-winning podcast Fintech Beat, and the founder of Fintech Week, an annual financial technology conference in Washington, D.C.

Chris and I discuss his childhood in rural Arkansas and the scholarship he received as a young man that enabled him to travel abroad that changed his life. We discuss his undergraduate experience at Washington University, his time in law school at Columbia University in New York City, and his PhD. from the University of Chicago.

Chris is a regular contributor to many...

Attorney Leroy Nix (VP @ Fortune 500 Company Entergy) and I share a love for all things Stevie Wonder. This BTS episode is dedicated to Stevie Wonder's musical influence on hip-hop and other genres. Join me as I analyze some of the music that has given him a special place in our hearts. Enjoy!!

Attorney Leroy Nix, and I discuss sone of our favorite albums from Hip-Hop's Golden Era, including ATLiens, the Chronic, Doggystyle and other classics. I also learned about Leroy's clubbing days in Atlanta when Outkast first burst out on the scene. He also reminisced about the best party he's ever attended, a Stevie Wonder themed DJ set in Brooklyn NYC.

Attorney Leroy Nix, a Vice President at the Fortune 500 Company Entergy, talks about how his upbringing in the rural South, his college experience and his time at the University of Alabama Law School have contributed to his unprecedented success in the energy sector.

In this months's episode of BTS, I focus on 3 artists from the great State of Texas. Erykah Badu, one of my favorite artists of any genre; The D.O.C., a hip-hop pioneer and instrumental architect of both Southern and West-Coast Hip-Hop; and the man who made the "Country Rap Tunes" style a signature of Hip-Hop, Pimp C! Let's listen and talk about about some of their greatest songs!

Texas is home to some of the most important groups and artist in hip-hop & r&b history. Superstar trial attorney (criminal defense) Brandi Harden and I discuss her love for "COUNTRY RAP TUNES., as well as some all time greats including, Geto Boys, The D.O.C., Scarface, and her all time favorite hip-hop artist, Pimp C.

The best part of this interview was learning about Brandi's connection to one of my favorite artists of all time - Ms. Erykah Badu! Sit back, relax, and enjoy! Let's talk hip-hop and everything in between!

*The video...

Attorney Brandi Harden is the real deal. A true trial attorney. Brandi perfected her courtroom skills at Howard University, where she received her undergraduate and law degrees. Attorney Harden was a two-time mock trial national champion. She has continued her winning streak in private practice, where she is the principal of her own successful criminal defense firm.

The 13th Amendment and its impact on the judicial system and was just one of the many topics we touched on during the interview. This is an interview you don't want to miss! Sit back, relax and enjoy!

...

Join me as I analyze the music and topics that Dr. Ray Crawford and I discussed during our interview, including Ray's first memories of hip-hop in the early 80's, the rise of both conscience and gangsta rap, the "perfect" album, some of the brightest stars today in Hip-Hop and more!

Dr. Ray Crawford is the performance improvement officer for the Department of Education. He and I discuss many topics, including options for student loan strategy and his love for poetry and the spoken word. (Stick around to the end of the interview to hear one of his original works!)

Dr. Crawford is the first non-lawyer to appear on the podcast. He brought a fresh perspective on many important issues affecting American culture.

Tune in to this informative and entertaining interview! Stick around for the spoken word!

Ray Crawford was born in August 1973, a mere 10 days after Hip-Hop was born in the Bronx in NYC. He is Hip-Hop.

Ray and I talk about LL-Cool J's first album and the influence it had (and still has) on today's fashion trends, his thoughts on how hip-hop evolved from gangsta rap to conscience rap, our thoughts on what makes the "perfect" album (and how Illmatic and Thriller hold up in that conversation), his thought on his favorite current artists, and Pete Rock, one of our favorite producers in hip-hop history, and more!

Listen to me analyze the artists and songs that Meredith and I discussed during our interview. I was so inspired by my interview with Meredith, that I decided to dedicate this episode to the first ladies of hip-hop! Let's listen to the songs that prove that ladies are first in hip-hop!

Meredith Jolivert, Esq., VP and General Counsel of the Politico news organization, KNOWS and LOVES music! Growing up her mother was a record executive and her father was a jazz musician. She's had the kind of exposure to music that people like me DREAM ABOUT. What a musical life. This is an episode you don't want to miss!

Meredith Jolivert, Esq. is the VP and General Counsel of Politico, an international news organization. She has lived a life of intention. She knew from a young age that she was destined for greatness, and wakes up every day determined to fulfill her purpose. A truly inspiring interview.

In this special BONUS BTS episode of my interview with Willie Philips, Esq., the Chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, he and I discuss some of our favorite all time soul and R&B artists and their place in hip-hop history!

Federal agents arrested my client Oscar Martinez, his wife, and brother in law when they attempted to purchase two cars outfitted with secret compartments at a used car dealership in New Jersey. Days earlier, a federal grand jury handed down an indictment against all three in a federal drug conspiracy. Agents had been surveilling Oscar and Victor for weeks, when they first observed the two of them hand off two hundred thousand dollars in undeclared cash to an undercover agent.

This case had some unexpected twists and turns that would throw even the most experienced defense attorney...

Join me in this BTS episode to listen to and analyze the artists and songs I discussed in my interview, including who’s the King of the South (Jeezy or T.I.) – Scarface’s all time-great status in hip-hop, the importance of Jay-Z’s album 4:44, and a forgotten B-side single from Keith Murray.

Chairman Phillips and I discuss his appreciation of New York hip-hop, his earliest memories of hip-hop including the Geto Boys, his love for Outkast, and who sits atop his Mount Rushmore of hip-hop

Willie Phillips, Esq. is the Chairman of The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. “FERC” regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil in all fifty United States. Chairman Phillips, a graduate of Howard University School of Law was unanimously confirmed for the chairmanship of FERC by the United States Senate.  

Chairman Phillips remarkable rise to power began in the small town of Fairhope Alabama, where he learned the value of hard work and perseverance. He is a living, breathing example of the American dream. 

In this BTS episode I talk about the NOLA influence in Beyonce's music. The "mother of twerk" Cheeky Blakk, N.W.A.'s place in West Coast hip hop history, the"old Kanye" and more!

As always, we will go on a journey through hip-hop history, break down the music, listen to soulful samples and oh so much more!

Nakia and I discuss her Beyonce superfandom, her native "Go-Go" sound, and shares a story about the connection between her father and N.W.A., and much more!

Nakia Gray, Esq. is an intellectual property attorney specializing in copyrights and trademarks. She operates her own law firm in Washington, D.C.

Nakia lives by the mantra of "Create-Protect-Monetize." Whether it's helping a client protect an existing brand or ensuring that a future client is protected before investing major capital in a future project.

We talk about a wide range of subjects, including closing the wealth gap in America for African Americans, her time at her beloved alma mater Howard University School of Law, and her multiple entrepreneurial ventures throughout the years.

Alfred takes you behind the scenes to analyze the music he and Jeremi discussed in their interview. He weighs in on the greatest storytelling rap song debate, shares his favorite De La Soul and Biz Markie soul samples, introduces you to two of his favorite voices in soul music, plus so much more!

Attorney N. Jeremi Duru has been an avid fan of hip-hop since childhood. He shares his thoughts on the renowned hip-hop collective The Native Tongues and gives us his opinion about a song he considers to be one of the best story telling songs in hip-hop history. He and I discuss my most cherished memory of Biz Markie, and more!