Jayson Rodriguez Interview (The Bridge)
Jayson Rodriguez is the showrunner and executive producer of The Bridge. Hosted by Nas and Miss Info, the podcast features “candid conversations with legendary figures who developed [hip-hop] culture and the new generation of voices carrying hip-hop forward.” He’s also the man behind the excellent newsletter Backseat Freestyle, an essential read for anyone looking to gain insight into the hip-hop landscape.
How did you get to where you are today, professionally?
My family is very into music, so it was always around the house in ways that weren’t just background purposes. My father listened to Latin music and toiled around with a guitar as a hobby; we also had extended family nearby and the men would come together for jam sessions. My mother played a lot of Motown on the weekends and oldies from the 60s on the radio during the week. And maybe most foundational is that I have three older brothers whose tastes overlap but there’s enough of a distinctive identity for each of them and I wanted to be like all of them. From my brothers I got into everything like Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Prince, Billy Joel, Wham, Young MC, Tone Loc, Madonna, Rick James, INXS. Then it was me finding where my interests lie in music and gravitating to different sounds, which went from boy band stuff to movie soundtracks to novelty tunes.
The game-changing thing for me was when I traded a friend some 45 vinyl I can’t even remember for Musical Youth’s “Pass The Dutchie.” From there the floodgates opened when I discovered my tastes. I stole Bobby Brown’s Don’t Be Cruel cassette from one of my brothers. While sneaking into that same friend’s older brother’s room, I saw he was watching Yo! MTV Raps and when Big Daddy Kane’s “Ain’t No Half-Steppin” music video came on it was like breathing air for the first time.