Rajnii Eddiins is a dynamic spoken word artist — a dynamite MC — a devout lover of children as well as a fervent embracer of positive impactful change for the future.
Son of a poet and revolutionary renaissance woman, Randee Eddins, founder of the African American Writer’s Alliance, he was exposed at an early age to the culture of spoken word. Cultivated in a circle of brilliance, he seeks to deconstruct outdated definitions and reinvigorate the truest sense of our humanity.
His performances fuse hip-hop, poetry, and storytelling into experiences that challenge audiences to think, feel, and act. Drawing from his own journey and the rich tradition of Black oral culture, Rajnii has performed at schools, universities, and cultural events across the country, earning a reputation as one of the most compelling voices of his generation.
He continues to mentor young artists, believing that the next revolution will be spoken — and that every voice deserves to be heard.
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<div><div> <p>Huge news for lawyers: You can now listen to Strict Scrutiny for CLE credits in California, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Washington, and Oregon! More info at <a href="http://crooked.com/strict_cle">crooked.com/strict_cle<br><br></a>Kate and Leah have good news and bad news. The good: The Paramount/Warner Brothers merger is on hold, the Tate brothers are facing extradition, and Todd Blanche’s nomination for AG has hit a roadblock. The bad: …Everything else. They also cover the ongoing prosecution of Jim Comey for seashell art, and speak with UCLA Law’s Rick Hasen about Trump’s effort to assert presidential control over federal elections. Then, Kate checks in with Farah Diaz-Tello, senior counsel and legal director for <a href="https://ifwhenhow.org/">If/When/How</a>, on what she and her colleagues are seeing when it comes to the use of the criminal law to target both abortion and people who experience pregnancy loss after Dobbs.</p><p>Favorite things:</p></div><ul> <li> <strong>Kate:</strong><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/olga-dies-dreaming-xochitl-gonzalez/18413323"> Olga Dies Dreaming</a>, Xochitl Gonzalez;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/opinion/media-ellison-paramount.html"> A Setback for the MAGA Media Takeover</a>, Michelle Goldberg (NYT); <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a73218995/ballet-alzheimers/">Dancing to Stave Off Dementia</a>, Emily Goligoski (Harper's Bazaar);<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/creating-the-administrative-constitution-the-lost-one-hundred-years-of-american-administrative-law-jerry-l-mashaw/9333318"> Creating the Administrative Constitution: The Lost One Hundred Years of American Administrative Law</a>, Jerry L. Mashaw</li> <li> <strong>Leah:</strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/4bR7pd6TVS53l24qFV4wI8"> Music, Fashion, Film</a>, Charli xcx;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/https://open.spotify.com/album/6unMpOoIJqsLxuoTEFqdfP"> Who's the Clown?</a>, Audrey Hobert;<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/this-is-the-plan-how-to-end-america-s-meltdown-and-save-democracy-ben-wikler/284c2d14677a8f6e"> This Is the Plan: How to End America's Meltdown and Save Democracy</a>, Ben Wikler;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/opinion/elon-musk-far-right-remigration.html"> Why Do We Tolerate Elon Musk's Racist Commentary?</a>, Jamelle Bouie (New York Times);<a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/713096/supreme-court-job-approval-slumps-record-low.aspx"> Supreme Court Job Approval Slumps to Record Low</a> (Gallup)</li> <li><p><strong>Rick:</strong><a href="https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/jo-nesbo-detective-hole-release-date-cast-news"> Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole</a> (Netflix); <a href="https://tv.apple.com/us/show/lucky/umc.cmc.5qo7t3nngb2vj0m9dxkwebw1o">Lucky</a> (Apple);<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-elephants-in-the-room-how-trump-voters-seized-the-party-from-republican-leaders-seth-masket/61d88ae48476b650?ean=9781009601139&bkshp-astro=t"> The Elephants in the Room: How Trump Voters Seized the Party from Republican Leaders</a>, Seth Masket;<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/backlash-presidents-from-transformative-to-reactionary-leaders-in-american-history-julia-r-azari/5b16a53c9d38fb6e?ean=9780691246956&bkshp-astro=t"> Backlash Presidents: From Transformative to Reactionary Leaders in American History</a>, Julia R. Azari</p></li> </ul><div> <p>Follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/strictscrutinypodcast/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.threads.net/@strictscrutinypodcast">Threads</a>, and<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/strictscrutiny.bsky.social"> Bluesky<br><br></a>Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE on November 6th in Washington, DC: <a href="http://crookedcon.com/">Crookedcon.com<br><br></a>Buy Melissa’s book,<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-constitution-annotated-for-the-contemporary-reader-melissa-murray/8e7f0dfa472fc3ca?ean=9781668221938&next=t&"> The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader<br><br></a>Buy Leah’s book, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/lawless-how-the-supreme-court-runs-on-conservative-grievance-fringe-theories-and-bad-vibes-leah-litman/5b562d6fcb316d6e?ean=9781668054642&next=t">Lawless</a>, now out in paperback</p><p>Follow us on<a href="https://www.instagram.com/strictscrutinypodcast/?hl=en"> Instagram</a>,<a href="https://www.threads.net/@strictscrutinypodcast"> Threads</a>, and<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/strictscrutiny.bsky.social"> Bluesky<br><br></a>For a transcript of an episode of Strict Scrutiny please email <a href="mailto:transcripts@crooked.com">transcripts@crooked.com<br></a><br></p></div></div>
<div>Irish musician Glen Hansard, best-known for his band The Frames and his part in the 2007 film ‘Once,’ died July 29 in a motorcycle crash. He was 56. Hansard got his start busking in the streets of Dublin. Ironically, it was his headmaster who urged him to drop out of school to pursue music. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2008, with his ‘Once’ co-star Markéta Irglová. Their song from the film, “Falling Slowly,” won an Oscar for Best Original Song. <br><br>Also, Kevin Whitehead pays tribute to Tony Bennett, who would have been 100 next week, and film critic Justin Chang reviews ‘I Want Your Sex.’ <br><br>Subscribe to our free weekly <a href="https://support.whyy.org/page/39306/subscribe/1" target="_blank">newsletter</a> <br>Follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nprfreshair/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> <br>Subscribe to our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thisisfreshair" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a> <br>Check out the <a href="https://freshairarchive.org/" target="_blank">Fresh Air Archives</a><br><br>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com/">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<br><br><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a></div>
<div>Kimball, who died July 2, was artistic advisor to Ira Gershwin. He wrote books about the Gershwins, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, and helped unearth unknown songs and manuscripts by them and other early 20th-century songwriters. Kimball also rescued and rediscovered the music of the Black Broadway team of Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake. He spoke with Terry Gross in 1994. <br><br>David Bianculli reviews the remake of ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ and John Powers reviews the second season of ‘Sugar,’ starring Colin Farrell. <br><br><br>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com/">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<br><br><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a></div>
<div>Kaye's collaboration with Patti Smith began in 1971 and continues to this day. He says she taught him to trust his musical sensibilities — and to always keep evolving. Now 79, he has his first solo album, called ‘Goin’ Local.’ He spoke with Terry Gross. <br><br><br>Subscribe to our free weekly <a href="https://support.whyy.org/page/39306/subscribe/1" target="_blank">newsletter</a> <br>Follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nprfreshair/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> <br>Subscribe to our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thisisfreshair" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a> <br>Check out the <a href="https://freshairarchive.org/" target="_blank">Fresh Air Archives</a><br><br>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com/">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<br><br><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a></div>
<div>For over a decade, Laverne Cox has been one of the most visible trans women in America. In her new memoir, ‘Transcendent,’ she writes about growing up in Mobile, Ala., and the bullying and harassment she faced. She says she survived it by going somewhere else in her mind, often through music and dance.<br><br>Also, we hear from comic Ali Siddiq. He served six years in a Texas prison and turned his life into some of the most-watched storytelling in comedy.<br><br><br>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com/">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<br><br><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a></div>