In Episode 108 of the Guest Speaker Series, Mike is thrilled to feature an artist they’ve admired since before their podcast began: Burlington, Vermont’s own maari of 99 Neighbors! Formerly known as Sam Paulino, maari is one of the founders of the viral sensation 99 Neighbors, a collective of ten creatives from Burlington who rose to fame with their breakout album ‘Television’ in 2019.
In this episode, maari shares how ‘Television’ transformed their lives, including the song “Champion” being featured on ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians.’ He also discusses their move to Chicago, signing with Warner Records, and working with Chance the Rapper’s management team. The group drew numerous comparisons to other hip-hop collectives of the time, such as Odd Future and BROCKHAMPTON.
However, all good things come to an end. Maari details the group’s recent decision to stop releasing music together after their 2021 album ‘Wherever You’re Going I Hope It’s Great.’ He explains that the members wanted to pursue solo projects, leading maari to collaborate with Vermont-based producer Es-K on his debut solo album ‘All Is Fair In Love & War,’ a ten-track masterpiece featuring frequent Drake collaborator Quentin Miller.
During this interview, Mike and maari also cover various topics, including the cultural significance of SoundCloud, their shared admiration for Brockton, MA’s Van Buren Records, artists who are creatively blending genres, the music scene in Vermont, the amusing name of maari’s first hip-hop group as a child, his memorable encounter with Tyler, the Creator, and much more.
