Plugged In Podcast Co Host Isaiah Brown talks with Upstate Aesthetic
At the beginning of March we met with Plugged In Podcast host Rahkiya Brown and discussed the return of her podcast in the coming weeks. This week we caught up with Isaiah Brown who has been confirmed as the co host for the Plugged In Podcast going into it’s return. Isaiah was born in Brooklyn but primarily raised in Binghamton NY. His time playing sports in the area helped him travel to different cities and meet new people. “Born in Brooklyn, New York but I was raised here in Binghamton. Life was great I lived in Carlisle aka The Hill aka 150 most of my life beside 3 years. So it was lit growing up with kids all around my ages & people of different cultures of me. I grew up playing basketball at the Boys & Girls Club. Where I played AAU so I was always traveling going to new cities almost every weekend.”
Isaiah has been a friend of Rocky’s for years and something many people who are fans of the former Plugged In radio show don’t know is initially Isaiah was supposed to be a member of that show as well. However due to some circumstances out of his and Rocky’s control it wasn’t meant to be. However when Rocky decided to make Plugged In her own personal podcast it was a no-brainer to bring Isaiah along as a co host. “Rocky & I been trying to work together since last year. Most people don’t know I was suppose to be on the Plugged In Radio Show. But a person who will remain nameless didn’t allow that to happen. So like a week before Rocky was going to leave her former platform she hit me up & let me know what her plans about doing a podcast & I told her hell yeah I’m down.” Isaiah is familiar with what it takes to work in broadcast after attending school at SUNY Oswego and majoring in broadcasting.
“I went to SUNY Oswego where I majored in Broadcasting/Radio. But before that I did have a natural feel cause I was always the person debating about anything. So it just made sense that I would go into Broadcasting.”
Rocky actually spent some time alongside Isaiah while he worked at the SUNY Oswego radio show shadowing him. “also at SUNY Oswego Rocky shadowed my radio show. That’s the closest to us working together. But Rocky just vibe whenever we talk we usually have similar opinions but we are different in our own way though.”
During his time at SUNY Oswego Isaiah gained experience that will help him immensely as the co host of this podcast. His work within sports as well as his comfort in broadcasting will make him a natural piece of this podcast. “at SUNY Oswego I was apart of 2 different radio shows, (A sports debate show & music show) a podcast(pop culture), a TV show (sports debate show), & I did color commentary for the Men’s Basketball team there.”
While Isaiah fits right into the podcast he gives credit to Rocky for her work in building the podcast as well as the other members involved in bringing this all together going into its relaunch on April 5th.
“Rocky is the mastermind behind all of this. If y'all knew all that she did for this thus far you would truly be amazed. SB he’s on the camera he’s currently at SUNY Broome working on his degree. & Doug is the engineer everybody already know him he’s the one who makes the local rappers sound good.”
Isaiah has been influenced by popular African American personalities within broadcasting such as Stuart Scott of Sports center fame and Charlamagne tha God from ‘The Breakfast Club’. Each of these men within their respective mediums carry themselves and present their opinions in a way Isaiah can relate to. “I grew up watching Sportscenter so that was my first taste of Broadcasting. So Stuart Scott was huge to me cause he was the only black person on Sports center that was talking similar to me so I related to him. In college I started listen to radio mainly just the Breakfast Club so Charlamagne Tha God was the first person to me who was saying exactly how they feel on the radio. So those two people I would say make up my kinda style.” With Plugged In being a podcast that has focused on local musicians in the past it’s natural for listeners to wonder what kind of music Isaiah is interested in. While he has a touch on the mainstream pulse Isaiah sees this as an opportunity to become more in touch with the music coming out of the area that he can connect with. His personal preference for lyrical artists like J Cole and Kendrick Lamar as well as R&B acts such as 6Lack and HER will add an interesting perspective to music conversations. “The music I bump is, J.Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Chance The Rapper, if not them I’m usually bumping R&B, 6lack, Khalid, Jhene Aiko, Daniel Caesar, & HER. I’m not gonna lie I’m hit or miss with local music cause it’s either some of my friends who make soo ima bump it cause I can relate to it but the stuff if I can’t relate it I’m usually not bumping it.”
Isaiah’s knowledge on Sports will be a welcome addition to the Plugged In podcast but he also believes his honest personality could add a lot to the show. He also notes that his honesty might not make him any friends but he’s not here to pull any punches. “What Im gonna bring in is the sports side whether it’s NBA or NFL or local sports. Also my personality is just be 100% honestly at all time. If I don’t like something or disagree with something I’m not gonna hold my tongue. So I may make a few enemies when I tell somebody their music isn’t for me.” The Plugged In podcast created an opportunity for Isaiah to work in broadcasting again but he is most excited about the opportunity it can potentially create for the area as a whole.
“I’m excited for what this will bring to Binghamton, because the local scene whether it’s music, sports, art, or business they deserve to have an spotlight on them. That’s what I’m most excited for & hopefully I can inspire to start creating their own opportunities.”
The current plan is for the podcast to work things slowly the first few episodes allowing the fans to become familiar with the hosts before introducing guests. However guests are definitely something they plan to incorporate in the future as well. “The return episode not soo much, we really want to have the listeners grow to love us. Because if they grow to love us first every guest we have after would be a bonus. But we definitely are gonna have a lot of guest, stay tuned for that.”
While the Plugged In podcast is currently a priority for Isaiah he also has plans to introduce a sports related podcast for sports fans in the area. There will be sports talk on the Plugged In podcast but Isaiah hopes to create a sports themed debate podcast going into the Fall. “Well for all the sports fans, I’m actually working on bringing another podcast that will be mainly Lincoln Harris & I debating sports & other things. A soft release date for this would be August just in time for the start of the NFL & NBA season.” Keep an eye out for this podcast later in the fall and get ready for the return of the Plugged In podcast with Rocky, Isaiah and the rest of the crew! They promise to bring quality content about what’s going on locally in Binghamton and the surrounding area.