185. Wes Jackson Discusses De La Soul, Buhloone Mindstate

On this episode, Wes Jackson—the President of BRIC Arts Media in Brooklyn—drops by to introduce Al to De La Soul’s 1993 album Buhloone Mindstate. Wes talks about his long-time De La Soul fandom, how he became acquainted with their music and how he has crossed paths with the group at various points during his professional career. He also discusses the various ways in which Buhloone Mindstate, and De La Soul more generally, has provided him with a hip hop and jazz education. Wes talks about the current offerings at BRIC Arts Media, including the 2025 Celebrate Brooklyn festival.

For those who are interested, the recently-published book on De La Soul that Wes had mentioned is High and Rising: A Book About De La Soul by Marcus J. Moore, and it’s available wherever you buy your books.

Keep up with BRIC events, such as Celebrate Brooklyn, at bricartsmedia.org!

You can find Wes on Instagram and Bluesky at @wesmartinjackson. BRIC Arts Media also has an Instagram account, and it’s @bricbrooklyn.

Al is on Bluesky at @almelchior. This show has an account on Instagram at @youmealbum. You can support the show on Buzzsprout at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542814/episodes or at the link at the bottom of these show notes.

IMPORTANT UPDATE! You, Me and An Album will soon have additional offerings on Patreon. More information will be coming soon. To sign up, go to patreon.com/youmealbum.

1:30 Wes joins the show

2:24 Wes talks about the De La Soul single that his label released

4:34 Wes explains why he was drawn to De La Soul’s music

6:34 Wes encountered De La Soul early on in his career

7:44 Wes explains why he chose Buhloone Mindstate for this episode

10:19 Wes specifies what he likes about the sound of the album

13:08 Wes says he gets an education about music from De La Soul

16:51 Wes talks about the important role that Shortie No Mass plays on Buhloone Mindstate

19:07 “Breakadawn” was Wes’ introduction to the album

25:31 Wes shares his thoughts on two notable tracks, “I Am I Be” and “Ego Trippin’ (Part Two)”

33:32 Wes took the rift between De La Soul and the Jungle Brothers hard

37:02 Wes talks about getting involved with BRIC after college and his ongoing history with the organization

42:00 Wes dreamed of someday running the Celebrate Brooklyn festival

43:25 Wes talks about the 2025 Celebrate Brooklyn

46:22 Wes discusses the four pillars of BRIC’s offerings and its role in the Brooklyn arts community