This week on A Waste of Time with ItsTheReal, we welcome Columbia Records' SVP of Content Development Shahendra Ohneswere to the Upper West Side! Born in Suriname, Shahendra discusses his family's big move to The Bronx, learning United States culture from Transformers and Peter Jennings, moving around the country before settling down in Minneapolis, home to a big backpack rap scene, a big punk scene and a big shopping scene, The Mall of America. We talk about his attachment to Rhymesayers, Atmosphere, Eyedea and independent music in the Twin Cities, his move to New York City for college, showing up in a suit for his first internship at Rawkus, attending Lyricist Lounge shows, working at a record store in Brooklyn when RZA, Prodigy and Alicia Keys would stop by for in-stores, and grabbing a hold of the underground scene in the big city. Shahendra details his internship at MCA, the satisfaction that came from bringing Atmosphere in for a meeting, the recognition of his smarts by the president of Ecko, his work for an early iteration of Complex Magazine, his time spent at Dr. Jay's, a brief spell as an editor for Giant Magazine, some of the incredible people he collaborated with at Roc Nation, and the philosophies he carries as an executive for a resurgent Columbia Records. All that, plus his love for Rage Against the Machine, being around one-of-one Basquiats, orchids, Husker Du, working alongside three-time NYT Best-Selling author Mary H.K. Choi, what it's like to meet other Brown creatives in this industry and much, much more!

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