When talking about Appalachian music, banjos and fiddles are often the first things that come to mind. But what about hip-hop? Hip-hop is alive everywhere, including in small towns and loudmouths throughout Appalachia. In this episode of Inside Appalachia, we introduce you to Southwest Virginia's hip hop artists. And find out why herbal remedies are making a comeback. However, these treatments have been traditional in Appalachia for centuries. Also, how Brenko Glass, a historic West Virginia artisan business based in Milton, West Virginia, stayed open during the pandemic by transforming mythical monsters into art. You will also learn.
When talking about Appalachian music, banjos and fiddles are often the first things that come to mind. But what about hip-hop? Hip-hop is alive everywhere, including in small towns and loudmouths throughout Appalachia. In this episode of Inside Appalachia, we introduce you to Southwest Virginia's hip hop artists. There are also people like Gionore Davis, aka Gionova, who discovered rap through poetry. “I always wanted to sing, but I was also a very shy kid,” David said. “After that, poetry became a way for me to vent my emotions.”
And find out why herbal remedies are making a comeback. However, these treatments have been traditional in Appalachia for centuries. “Appalachia used to be America's pharmacy,” said Crystal Wilson, who grows herbs on her farm in East Tennessee. “It's always been a part of us here. We just forgot about it.”
Also, how Brenko Glass, a historic West Virginia artisan business based in Milton, West Virginia, stayed open during the pandemic by transforming mythical monsters into art. You will also learn.
In this episode:
hip hop appalachian artists
Banjo and fiddle are often the first things that come to mind when we talk about Appalachian music, but what about hip-hop? In the United States, rap and hip-hop are associated with big cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. is common. But hip-hop is alive everywhere, including in small towns and loudmouths across Appalachia.
Gionoa Davis, aka Gionova (left) and Kelly Thompson, aka Pookie (right), make hip-hop music together in Wise County, Virginia. geonovah writes and raps, and Pookie makes the beats and engineers the sound. Pookie was inspired to learn beat making in 2019 after seeing the work of Geonovah and several local producers.
Folkways reporter Nicole Musgrave spoke with a group of hip-hop artists in the coalfields of Wise County, Virginia. Although the group has gained attention for its music, they also support other artists in the scene.
Finalists who speak their poems out loud
Ben Long, from Clarksburg, West Virginia, is one of nine national finalists this year in Poetry Out Loud, a contest for high school students to recite the words of classic poets. He is in his senior year at Notre Dame High School in Clarksburg. West Virginia Public Broadcasting's Eric Douglas spoke with Long to learn more about the show and how an unusual year of pre-recorded performances and masked audiences has changed things.
On this week's show, hear Ben Long read Edith Wharton's “Autumn Sunset.” Poetry Out Loud recently announced Rahele Megosha as her 2021 Poetry Out Loud Champion.
Kathy Michaelzo, owner of Erin's Meadow Herb Farm in Clinton, Tennessee, describes the uses of some of the herbs grown in and around her greenhouse and pollinated by her bees.
Herbal remedies offer a path to health
Herbal remedies are making a comeback, with industry trackers reporting an explosion in sales and prices over the past year. These treatments have been the path to health and independence in Appalachia for centuries. Folkways reporter Heather Duncan reports from Tennessee.
Brenko Glass teams up with local artists
The pandemic has made it extremely difficult for businesses to survive over the past year. As of February, nearly a quarter of small businesses nationwide had closed, according to a report from Facebook and the Small Business Roundtable. Despite this, a historic glass blowing company in West Virginia manages to stay open. Blenko Glass is based in Milton, West Virginia. Initially, the company was hit hard and had to lay off almost all of its employees. But thanks to a federal loan and some clever marketing, the company rehired nearly everyone and had its most profitable year in decades.
Liz Pavlovich is an artist based in Morgantown, West Virginia. They collaborated with Brenko Glass Company to create the Flatwoods Monster piece.
Unexpectedly, Brenko's return included a collaboration with a Morgantown-based graphic design artist. Liz Pavlovich is an inexplicable, mythical character such as the Mothman, a West Virginia cryptid believed to be green with a fiery red head, according to legend, and the Flatwoods Monster. He is known in this area for his works that feature objects.
Freelance reporter Molly Vaughn recently wrote an article for the Washington Post about collaboration.
Needle exchange sparks controversy
West Virginia has an HIV epidemic, and there is controversy over whether needle exchange programs are a solution. To understand what's going on, we look outside of Appalachia to see what's going on. Six years ago, an HIV epidemic broke out in a rural county in Indiana. Local leaders in Scott County responded by launching a needle exchange program within the region, which helped. Public health officials investigated the case and found that much of the Appalachian region is susceptible to outbreaks like the one in Indiana. They also claim the needle exchange program was a key reason Scott County was able to stop the spread of HIV. But now the program has ended.
Share the fight against the HIV epidemic
Indiana's situation mirrors the HIV epidemic in Appalachia. Kanawha County, West Virginia, currently has one of the most alarming HIV epidemics in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As in Indiana, needle exchange programs are controversial here.
Amid public outcry, the Kanawha County Health Department closed the Charleston needle exchange program in 2018. Then, the West Virginia Legislature passed a bill earlier this year that more or less made needle exchange programs illegal. The law limits the number of needles that can be distributed, which some say is a major barrier to people getting tested for HIV. A small team from the CDC is currently studying the HIV epidemic in Kanawha County. The CDC recently released a report outlining the study's preliminary results. The study highlighted the lack of access to sterile syringes, challenges in accessing treatment for substance use disorders, and the lack of regular HIV testing among people most at risk for HIV. Relevant barriers have been identified.
In memory of Frances Fisher
We also took a moment to remember one of our colleagues at West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Mountain Stage chief engineer Francis Fisher passed away earlier this month at the age of 79.
Francis Fisher was the man behind the curtain at Mountain Stage.
Fisher was the man behind the mountain stage curtain. What most listeners don't know is that Fisher was responsible for building the West Virginia Public Broadcasting network that we all know today.
To those who knew him best, Fisher was a truly unique human being, a man of wit and kindness who helped found WVPB and its flagship show, Mountain State. Dave Mystic of West Virginia Public Broadcasting remembers:
Theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Dinosaur Burps, Blue Dot Sessions, geonovah, and RK Mitch.
Roxy Todd is our producer. Jade Arthurhults is our Associate Producer. Executive producer is Andrea Billups. Kelly Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Xander Aloy also helped produce this episode. You can find us on Twitter @Appalachia.
