Still On Vinyl!

Fatbeats closing up shop is a stab in the heart to Hip-Hop!

2010-08-31T16:50:00.000-04:00

On August 18th, they announced that Fatbeats would be closing their two remaining stores in the U.S. Hip-Hop supporters, artists and fans were devastated by the news that Fatbeats LA and Fatbeats NY would no longer be around and open for business, although their online store and distribution will continue to run. Fatbeats has been a staple for many not just in those cities but those from other countries who come visit the store to connect with the hip-hop world and discover good music and artists that is beyond the mainstream world. As many will tell you fatbeats is a part of history and our music culture, it is definitely not your typical record shop, from the selection of music, to the in-store performances and appearances to the copious amounts of hip-hop history taped on the walls and ceiling of autographed pictures and posters. It is definitely an amazing place and I am more than sad to see it go.

As a farewell Tribute to the store they are having in-store performances and appearances all week everyone from DJ Premier and Pete Rock to the Brown Bag AllStars, Sadat X, AG, Breez Evahflowin, Rob Swift, J-Live, Cold Heat, DJ Scratch, Masta Ace and a slew of Duckdown artists as well as many more. It's never too late to support Hip-Hop. Check out the Schedule below and come visit the store before the week is up.

Fatbeats New York is located at 406 6th ave between 8th and 9th st on the 2nd floor.

10 Years of Hip-Hop for EOW.

2010-08-31T16:19:00.000-04:00

A staple in the New York Underground Hip-Hop Scene End Of The Weak (EOW) is celebrating their 10 year anniversary this friday night at Highline Ballroom. Last year's show at East River Park had performances from Immortal Technique, Breez Evahflowin, Poison Pen, Vast Aire, Mazzi Soul Purpose, Punchline and Fokis, J Arch, Swave, Kay M, Iron Solomon and Dujeous, just to name a few so I can't imagine who will take to the stage this year at the solid 10 anniversary.

Thus far it has been announced that they will debut a B-Boy Challenge with an open cypher, Beatboxer Entertainment will put on an exhibition as well as a DJ Challenge with DP One, Fat Fingahz and DJ Wonder and judged by Eclipse, Teddy Ted and Mr Len. Kay-M and Rabbi Darkside are a part of the MC Challenge and performances and special guests are Homeboy Sandman, Evil Dee and DMC with much more to be announced. Keep posted on updates to the show this friday by checking their blog as they continue to announce more additions to the show.

Show Info: EOW 10 Year Anniversary at Highline Ballroom, 431 West 16th st Bet 9th and 10th ave.

$12 Advance

$15 Day of show

Homeboy Sandman's The Good Sun Album Release Show @ SOB's

2010-06-20T14:21:00.002-04:00

The Classics Are Forever Fresh!!!

2010-05-28T16:43:00.001-04:00

Forever Fresh Returns with a Throwback to The Classics. Kicking off the beginning to the Summer Hip-Hop festivities in New York City. Forever Fresh is bringing Keith Murray with a Live Band!!! and CL Smooth to the Homebase of Hip-Hop in Brooklyn at Southpaw. On June 3rd, 2010, We Stole The Show, Kalae All Day, YC The Cynic and Forever Fresh's Own Jah C and The Antidote will be opening up the show for Headliner Keith Murray and CL Smooth. Each artist stands on their own with different styles and sounds bringing a lil something different to the show while fitting perfectly for the entrance to the stage for the heavy hitting headliners.

If you have never attended a Forever Fresh Show then this is the time to start. If you're a fan of Hip-Hop then you can easily realize you are underpaying for a really great show. It is $12 in advance and $15 at the door with an incredible lineup that you pretty much would not be able to see anywhere else. The vibe at southpaw is genuinely hip-hop, everyone is friendly and it is really one of the best places to see a hip-hop show. Forever Fresh has yet to disappoint me with any of the shows they have thrown thus far with such banger nights as Idle Warship with Talib Kweli, Res and Graph Noble, Nice N Smooth, Smif N Wessum, Masta Ace & Edo G. Album Release, KRS-One, Styles P. and so much more. I always feel like I'm at home when I go there and some of my favorite and most memorable Hip-hop Nights has been at Southpaw and at Forever Fresh shows. There will be Red Bull Drink Specials all night and an after party by DJ Anubus.

So no more excuses...if you like real Hip-Hop then Forever Fresh The Classics Starring Keith Murray with a Live Band and CL Smooth on June 3rd, 2010. Thursdays are the new Fridays! Doors are at 8pm, showtime at 9pm. Hosted by End Of The Weak at Southpaw - 125 fifth ave, Brooklyn.
See You Hip-Hop Heads There!

-NattyNiGhT

Have You Sene It Yet?

2010-05-28T15:36:00.000-04:00

I took an instant liking to Sene when I saw him perform at the High Water Music Showcase during CMJ week last year. I've "sene" him perform a number of time's after that such as at Daniel Joseph's album release in Newark, New Jersey, Homebase's Show at Santos alongside Don Will, Spree Wilson, Tiron and Ayomari and Homeboy Sandman and also performing at Brown Bag Thursday, with each performance delivering nothing to disappoint anyone in the crowd. Sene's newest project Reality Bites came out last month. It is referred to as a project because sene is not labeling it as an EP or an LP or a mixtape but just as music, which is really refreshing to have music displayed for what it is and nothing more than just that. You can Download Reality Bites and hear for yourself why people are putting his think before you record type of music onto their ipods.

Check out the Video for Sene's "WorkFlow" Directed by Mark Carranceja of Noisemaker Media

New York City Shoutout!

2010-05-28T15:02:00.000-04:00

The New York City Hip-Hop Community is larger than many people may think and it consists of more than just the Emcees, Producers, DJs, Beatboxers, Freestylers etc. If you support the music, the culture and the movement of Hip-hop then you are a part of the community and the community is so tight and close that you usually assume everyone knows everyone else. Jesse Abraham made a track over an exclusively dope J57 beat to shout out a slew of New York City Hip-Hop players such as Bisco Smith, iLLspokinn, Farbeon, Hired Gun, 8thW1, Dyalekt, Kalil Kash, Fresh Daily, Broke MC, Core Rhythm, NSR, MLLTPhotos, IheartDilla, J57, Brown Bag Allstars, Wordspit, Rabbi Darkside, Ready Cee, Pressure, Adam Bernard, Grey Matter and an ongoing list of the Hip-Hop Heads that can be cramed creatively in this 5min-ish track..myself included =]

Are you curious to see if you were included in the 75+ Hip-Hop shout out..well take a gander and see...

-Shout outs to Jesse for making such a creative awesome track and shouting out me and my fellow Hip-Hop peers and props to J57 from the Brown Bag AllStars for the dope beat.

<a href="http://jesseabraham.bandcamp.com/track/harvest-of-names">Harvest of Names by Jesse Abraham</a>

Still On The Scene With 4,000 Strong and Steady!

2010-05-28T13:39:00.007-04:00

I'm BACK!!!! I've taken a little hiatus from blogging but not from the hip-hop and music scene. I have still been out at shows and events, some even out of town and of course documenting via videos and pictures, but somehow my documenting has fallen short when it comes to blogging. The videos are consistently being uploaded onto my Youtube channel and I edit pictures as much as I can, some distributed to other people and others uploaded mainly onto my facebook page, which isn't really fair to the people I'm not friends with on facebook, but I'm going to try to do a better job at uploading more stuff onto the blog to share with everyone. My sincere apologies to the people who have contacted me wondering why I have not updated in awhile, but thanks for asking and I appreciate you taking the time to check the blog and wanting me to update it with new stuff. With that being said here is a lil update, today officially marks my 4,000th video upload onto youtube. Who said I disappeared??? I'm consistently at shows taking videos and youtube is my proof.

It turns out my 4000th video coincidently are three really good friends of mine who are truly inspirational artists that I have a lot of admiration for. They are emcees, educators and three of the most positive, talented human beings you may ever encounter on the scene of music. The Emceeing, DJing, Beatboxing and Freestyling group that makes 3rd Party are comprised of Rabbi Darkside, Hired Gun and Farbeon. They have travelled the country and have toured overseas in Europe and Brazil, they are involved in workshops integrating hip-hop music with communities through positive experiences steering away from all the negative stigma that people label hip-hop with. Their style is eclectic, their beats are original, their verses are never repetitive and their talent is unlimited. The track "Best Minds(Remix)" is by far one of my favorites and they know this because I always bug them to perform it, but they are definitely not a one hit wonder. They have been on the block for a long time and have a slew of incredibly contagious music that will be set on repeat once played. I definitely recommend checking out their music...especially the newly released project Skillz To Take Brazil, that Rabbi D, Hired Gun and DJ Zajazza just recently released.“Skillz to Take Brazil” is an international collaboration of artists from New York, Brazil and France, coming together to express the spirit of Hip Hop, brotherhood and community. Imagine the pulsating energy of Samba and the rawness of New York City streets wrapped up in soulful jazz production. “Skillz to Take Brazil” is the result of collaboration, culture, connection, and community." Taken from the words of their Myspace page I couldn't have said it any better myself. It is a project that is in a league of its own and truly raises the bar when it comes to artists bringing something different to the hip-hop table. Please check them out, they are truly amazing artists and I can't thank them enough for being just all around dope individuals!

Shout out to Rabbi D, Hired Gun and Farbeon for being part of my 4000th video. You are one of the Best Minds of our generation.

- NattyNiGhT

http://www.saywordentertainment.com/
http://www.myspace.com/3rdparty
http://www.myspace.com/skillztotakebrazil

Headphones..Check! Mic..Check! Hip-Hop Is On The Air!

2010-03-09T19:05:00.003-05:00

The ladies of Equilibrium Radio is taking over the airwaves tomorrow and have asked me to be one of their guests as well as fellow blogger GangstarrGirl and artist Demostina. Crys Breezy, Ms Nee-Nee and DJ Leecy T is welcoming us to the Premiere of their Ladies First Edition of 2010 to discuss influential women to hip-hop who document the culture from the artist themselves to photography, videography and writing.

It's an honor and I feel truly humble to be asked to be apart of this show's segment, because I have such a massive appreciation and respect not only for all elements of the hip-hop culture but also for being able to live these experiences and document it not only for myself but to share with others. This is my first on-air experience and it feels fitting that the topic is not only hip-hop but also the aspect of documenting it, which has pretty much consumed my life, in a good way. As much as people are grateful and tell me how much they appreciate not only myself but also my brother's sincere dedication to hip-hop through videos and photography and just general support of going to show after show, we are just as appreciative to those who allow us to take the pictures and the videos and to the artists and people who are building hip-hop to how it use to be. Without them we would not be around doing what we do and love. From the center of my heart, not the bottom because hip-hop is better than that...I want to thank everyone I know and everyone I have met through Hip-Hop and I sincerely mean everyone even if you're not an emcee or a fellow photographer, blogger, videography etc.. I want to thank you in advance for being who you are and being a part of hip-hop, because each and everyone one of you is part of the aspect of what I love about this culture.

The radio show is Tomorrow March 10th from 4-6 and our segment is around 4:20-ish (how appropriate). If you live in Harlem or the Bronx the radio station is 90.3 FM but anyone with a computer can catch it on www.WHRCradio.com

Thank you again for the support and if I forget to give you a shoutout on the radio please know I still hold you near and dear to my heart and that I'm a lil nervous lol

- NattyNiGhT

100 Proof of Hip-Hop At Statik Selektah Album Release!

2010-02-10T02:53:00.427-05:00

If you think New York and Boston are in a lifetime brawl over baseball then music is definitely the mediator. Boston Bred DJ and producer Statik Selektah celebrated the release of his album 100 Proof (The Hangover) last wednesday at SOB's in New York City. The lineup of emcees was truly incredible that you almost had to wonder if it was too good to be true for the price of entrance into SOB's. Google the name Statik Selektah and you will find a slew of Hip-Hop heavyweights linked with his name and work, not even having to rely on anyone's co-signs, statik's work speaks for itself. Jon Hope made the drive from Rhode Island just to rock the show. It was nice to officially meet him after seeing him perform a few months back at public assembly. He ended his set with one of my favorite tracks "Most Important Song Of My Life" from his debut album, Somekind of Wonderful. My only pet peeve was why did the DJ starting cutting up the ending to that soulful song? I turned to my homie Liz from EMAPhotography and Nobodybeatstheliz like nah you don't do that, not to that song! Donny Goines was next on deck to perform. We chatted for awhile before the show and i even managed to snatch his hat for a quick second...my habit of hat grabbing has adopted liz into the grab and snap a pic behavior and has evolved into a crusade that I like to call Hip-Hop Hat Snatchers...a video coming soon. In no way do we mean it out of disrespect nor would we do it to someone we don't know..our faces are too pretty to get punched. The beginning of the night I managed to get Donny Goines, it wasnt the first time I've taken his hat but I never had documentation...yup we take a quick picture and it is safely returned to you...we don't play for keeps. We made our way over to E Holla from the Brown Bag Allstars as well as DJ for Torae who was performing that night, Liz kept giving me the ok my camera is ready snatch the hat now look... it was only till later that night that i informed holla how close he was to becoming a hat snatch victim that night..yup I just could not go through with it. Holla is like family to me and as we stood there talking to him i kept feeling more and more guilty about snatching it, I just could not go through with it...at least not at that moment so he was pardoned for the night. We went on to snatch Packfm's hat who unsuspectingly did not know it was going to happen, but was a good sport about it. It was after the fact that he realized why I asked him if he would ever get mad at me for anything to which he replied "nah of course not...well maybe if you kicked me in my shin on purpose i'd be upset for a minute". He's always been such a nice guy that I truly felt guilty so it went down like this...."I'm really sorry Pack *snatch...picture snap...hat returned...and i'm sorry again". Emilio Rojas was my last victim of the night who was utterly clueless having arrived to the show towards the end of the night and not seeing the previous hat shenanigans that occurred.

Returning to the performances from that night, Donny Goines hit the stage with "No Apologies", the single off his upcoming album 20X. I really have a lot of respect and support for Donny not only as a friend but as an artist. He's known as a rapper that blogs love, but it is not something that has ever gone to his head, he appreciates the support and recognition but everything he does is really for his fans and works hard with his music. Donny Goines doesn't say he's giving 100%, he just does it and always commits to his word not wanting to disappoint anyone. I have seen him perform with his voice strained because he ran through his entire set during soundcheck because he wanted things to be perfect, I've seen him perform when his set was pushed back hours into the early morning running on little sleep and yet still delivering an energy filled performance, he will even perform sick and you would barely know it. With the zombie crowd at SOB's that night Goines Jumped into the crowd and starting performing his song to wake people up by interacting with them. This is my disappointment with Hip-Hop shows at times, people come to the show and it is almost like they don't want to be there which makes you wonder why are they even there? Throughout the night it was one amazing performance after another and even though SOB's was solidly filled with a lot of people you would'nt really know so unless you turned around to see who was back there. I have been to shows where legends were performing and people were golf-clapping, this is not a movie you are watching its a live show, enjoy the experience and live the moment. Just as Jeru The Damaja always says "when I say make some noise you make some muthaf**ken noise!".

The night got extra interesting when the stage was invaded by Minosaur who started going off about decepticons...transformers? I was a youngen in the early 90s so I was quite clueless about the rant this guy was going on. I had learned later on that decepticon was a gang in the late 80s in New York City consisting of kids from 15-22 year olds. After reading this old New York Times about decepticons I could somewhat understand what he was talking about on stage, "tuck in your chains and put away your pinky ring in respect because tonight is about real lyrics". Boogie Blind and Shucky Ducky attempted to get him off the stage after he went on talking and freestyling? for about 10 minutes. I had recorded footage of his stage ambush but am still in limbo whether to actually upload it. It was someone who had too much to drink,a lot on his mind and seemed pretty harmless especially when he saw shucky ducky come on stage to take the mic, his eyes lit up like a little kid... I say he seemed harmless but apparently later in the night downstairs he continued his rant and pulled out either 2 screwdrivers or ice picks as props or weapons? Not many people knows what happened or what was said that led to an altercation between the decepticon guy and Freddie Foxx a.k.a. Bumpy Knuckles...a nickname fitted for the night. There was video being shown after the show from someone who caught the fight downstairs, but the whole incident can be summed up as unfortunate and should not overshadow the performances from that evening.

Although I enjoy going to shows for specific artists I always appreciate the introduction of music and artists that I'm not familiar with or have only heard some of their work, but never seen them perform live. Such was the case with Truck North, Reks, Kali, consequence, and El Da Sensei who also brought out Tiye Phoenix, to name a few from that evening. Although it may be hard to reach out to an audience that primarily want to see the headliners, more people really need to be open minded and give all artists a chance despite where on the show lineup they are placed. Bahamadia came out and really held it down not for the women in hip-hop but for all artists in general. She brought out invincible onto the stage and together they shattered any doubt people may have that female emcees don't exist aside from a select few. It was my first time catching Termanology perform and now I fully understand what people mean when they reference him, because his flow is smooth and definitely knows how to work a crowd. Joe Scudda came out and I couldn't help but remember mistaking him for my brother, Donovan Kasp at Santos Party House during CMJ week. In all fairness at the time my brother was rocking a thick reddish beard and Joe Scudda was at the bar, usually the first place I look when I try to find my brother.

Styles P. who just rocked Highline Ballroom two nights before for his album release "The Green Ghost Project" busted through the crowd and took the stage performing Come Thru, Shadows and Good Times as well as an acapella. As lackluster as the crowd was that night people really get hyped for Styles P. Statik Selektah went insane with the lineup and special guests, he truly did not hold back one bit. Lil Fame of M.O.P. came out and of course did Ante Up. I never got into Freeway's music, I'm not sure why it just kind of happened that way, but when he took the stage I was encouraged to try to make his upcoming show at Highline Ballroom later this month because I really liked what I saw that night.

Sha Stimuli widely known for his mixtapes, especially in 2008 when he mapped out a plan to release one mixtape each month for a year, each with a different theme. A few months back he released his debut album "My Soul To Keep", which consists of a lot of gems, definitely an album to have for the collection. Duck Down was definitely in the building. Torae and Skyzoo who you could easily be mistaken as brothers since they always seem like partners in crime constantly on the same bill and supporting eachother at shows and in-store events, performed back to back that night. I really have to give props to Duck Down and their artists, they really put out quality music and never half ass anything. I can easily go to their showcases and any of their artist's shows and not grow tired of hearing the music and seeing the performances. The first time I saw Smif-N-Wessun was a year ago at one of the first Forever Fresh events that at the time was being held at Public Assembly in Brooklyn. My brother had said he never saw me smile as much as I did at a show before. I remembered being slightly disappointed because my camera battery had died so I wasn't able to get that many pictures and videos, but their performance was beyond amazing, because they have such great stage presence. Since then I have seen Smif-N-Wessun almost everytime they have performed in New York City, whether it was at the Brooklyn Hip-hop Festival, Brower Park over the summer, an encore forever fresh at southpaw, etc...They are an incredible duo and I recall one night outside of southpaw General Steele told my brother about being surprised and thankful that fans don't get tired of them to which my brother replied if they performed next week then he'd see them again next week. In truth I am actually thankful that these amazing artists are still performing and continuing to make music, because when you are younger you may not fully realize or appreciate the impact of music and experiencing the live music from some of your favorite songs and artists.

How do you close out a truly amazing night of performances? After Smif-N-Wessun took the stage, Buckshot came out and immediately went into "How Many Mc's"as well as a Freestyle and wasn't allowed to leave the stage till he performed "Who Got Da Props". Simply amazing! Congratulations to Statik Selektah on a successful show and album. DJ Premier even came out which must be an incredible honor for Statik having someone you respect since you were young to give praise for your work.

*Check out the Snaps Below and Videos will be up soon!

-NattyNiGhT =)

Slideshow Set 1 of 3

Slideshow Set 2 of 3

Slideshow Set 3 of 3

"I'll Be" On That Intro!

2010-02-06T17:57:00.001-05:00

I have definitely been off my blog game lately, even though I am rarely finding time to update that does not mean I have taken a back seat on the scene. I am still attending numerous shows and events each week, editing pictures and footage to upload onto my youtube channel and staying out till wee hours of the nights having crazy moments with friends. I still strive to get things done properly and only believe in putting my best foot forward, which means i'd rather take my time editing pictures properly than just throwing them up as quick as possible for people to see. In the meantime I'm going to throw a lil music into the mix. I previously mentioned the promo video of beatmaker/producer Jinesis from the boogie down bronx back in november for his upcoming album "I'll Be". Jinesis had called to thank me for the write up and at the same time convince me to come to the studio with him to record what I had written, apparently no thank you was not an option. Although I have come out of my turtle shell in the past few years, I will always be the quiet lil shy girl thats not looking for attention and recording in a studio and just having the sound of my voice heard over and over during the mixing process was truly intimidating. Despite my shaky nerves and hesitation we managed to pull it off and I must say it was a unique opportunity that I am thankful to be a part of and who knows maybe it wont be the last time you hear me on the mic. Despite his booty obsessed videos, Jinesis is consistent with delivering really great beats with "I'll Be" that I am sure many artists are going to try to rhyme over. The fella did good!

Download "I'll Be" Here
Twitter Contact Info --> Jinesis

NattyNiGhT

DJ Premier To Start Off The New Year!

2010-01-14T03:21:00.001-05:00

I began the New Year with the unofficial music scene resolution of doing more with less. I spend most of the week at shows, parties, in-store signings and events until odd hours of the night, sometimes even running around to several different things all before the sun rises. I feel fortunate for the opportunity to be able to experience such memorable moments that I will always be able to reflect back on. However, constantly snapping pictures, taking videos and actually enjoying all these music related events with friends and family, there leaves little time for editing all the footage, posting it and writing about it. I wanted to start this year taking it easy and really making time to get things done, rather than footage just resting on my computer. I figured the solution would be to go to less shows and really begin to pick and choose that way I am not stuck going to everything and not really being able to get much done. I quickly learned resolutions were meant to be broken because some things just weren't meant to be as my calendar for the month of January alone is already completely filled. I am still picking and choosing but it is more of a process of substituting rather than eliminating events. That is the life of Hip-Hop I guess.

I heard about the Nike Launch party downtown on January 7th, for the sneakers release of DJ AM Dunk Hi and DJ Premier's Air Force 1's in which Premo would be DJing for 2 hours and all proceeds that evening would go to the DJ AM Memorial Fund. People go to see DJ Premier just to literally watch him spin, because I think he is one of the fundamental reasons why hip-hop exists especially on the east coast. He has worked with so many artists and is so influential that at most hip-hop shows you will hear at least one emcee say "this is a premo beat" and instantly its time to pay respect.

I was attending a show later that night at the Bowery Poetry Club, The Coffee Grind showcase featuring Rebelmatic, Sleepwalkas, Black Rebel Indians, Sinnagi, Guerrilla Mutual and Alive. I figured its one or the other and I was going to keep my word on attending the showcase. My homie Telisa D. then came calling about the Nike event and wanted me to go with her, my impossible resolution was instantly broken as I am a pushover to change my mind. As I walked over to the Nike store on Mercer street I could hear hip-hop music blasting from a block away, I knew right away that I was glad I went down there. The Nike store was packed with people, drinking, eating, talking, taking pictures and just watching Premo on the 1s and 2s. If you expected good music then that is exactly what you had gotten and even Ed Lover was walking around with his signature "C'mon Son" shirt. It was the start to what I expect to be a great year in Hip-Hop! I guess I won't be holding back on being on the scene.

-NattyNiGhT

*Shoutout to the creative Lex Lewter who had fun with my camera and snapped some of the pics that night.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

New York City is The City Life!

2010-01-07T16:27:00.000-05:00

My Homie NSR blessed me with a surprise the other day... he showed me the unofficial video his friend Chris Diego shot throughout our humbling streets of New York City for my favorite track off of his debut Ep The Darling Limited, appropriately titled The City. It takes you on a journey through the upper west side neighborhood with shots of familiar places such as Zabar's, the 72nd st train station and probably the most well known Gray's Papaya across the street, Carmine's, Fairway, La Guardia High School and the random streets of New York City with the old school vibe of the late 70s-80s era. With only a few glimpses of the artist himself in his signature red sweater, the randomness of people encountered on the streets is part of what I love about this video from the little girl holding her mother's hand giggling to the toothless hobo dancing. Although it's an unofficial video and may have been made just for entertainment purposes, it is clear that the director really thought about each shot in accordance to the verses, which is not something that should go unnoticed. I am known for appreciating any kind of old school vibe that artists use with their music, video, personal style, etc and the video really complemented the track which would make anyone suddenly feel the urge to watch an episode of taxi or walk around the streets of our City to experience the cool vibe. Hopefully, I can do some kind of Marilu Henner knock off cameo driving a taxi cab if there's an Official video made.

Congrats to NSR for also unexpectedly releasing a new project when he collaborated with another emcee, Nickname to create the group Memory Laine. Catchy isnt it? I won't say too much about the project because an Ep review will be in the works shortly but in the meantime your ears can hear some fresh new music.

Download Memory Laine - The Spotlight Ep

As Always Enjoy The Music

NattyNiGhT =)

NSR - City Life [Unofficial] from Chris Diego on Vimeo.

East Coast Love For the West Coast Souls

2009-12-28T19:52:00.002-05:00

The year 2009 is coming to a close and everyone is reflecting on memorable moments through out the year whether its personal or musically related memories. I feel fortunate and privileged to have attended an overwhelming number of shows and events this year, having encountered many artists, photographers, promotors, fans, etc and making some really great friends along the way. I have been able to discover firsthand how the stigma usually attached with Hip-Hop is far from the truth despite the media and any individuals implication that Hip-Hop music especially from the underground scene is the root of crime and all things negative within our society. For the most part the underground scene has been truly a bonding moment and displayed a lot of positivity in the New York City community, whether it was building a family amongst friends or showcases and events for fundraising. Some may say Hip-Hop is the heart of our city while it seems like it is more like the heart of our soul.

During CMJ week I had attended the Raekwon show at BB Kings, the same show where OJ Da Juiceman was booed after his performance. I personally did not care for his performance nor do I bother to listen to his music, but I do not take part in bashing or humiliating a performer when they are on stage. To add a lil more fuel to the fire, Miss Info called out the crowd on their reaction and tried to convince an audience who primarily went to BB Kings to see Raekwon and Styles P. and not OJ that they in fact know nothing about music as she tried to push her hip-hop preference onto others. It was quite an uncomfortable scene to say the least and turned out to be one of my least favorite CMJ shows that week for more than one reason. The OJ booing moment became the talk and gossip on social networks and blogs. I became even more annoyed when I had read on someone's blog review that New York Hip-hop fans are ignorant and only like music from their coast, which cannot be further from the truth. That false statement would linger in my mind throughout the next couple of months as I feel you can't blame east coast fans for not liking ignorant rap when so many emcees are working hard to show what hip-hop really represents.

The next night I headed out to my favorite brooklyn hip-hop spot, Southpaw for what became the redemption show from the night before. Souls of Mischief...*cough cough* from California were headlining what i feel was by far the best CMJ show that week. Southpaw was completely packed and was treated to opening performances from Jern Eye, Finale, Truthlive, Kam Moye aka Supastition, Oddisee, Tanya Morgan, Trinity (Sadat X, A.G. and DJ Jab) and hosted by Wyatt Cenac and Che Grand. As music fans, bloggers and photographers spent the week picking and choosing which cmj show to attend, this was undoubtably the one that was not to be missed. It was definitely the icing on the cake, cherry on top, have your cake and eat it too show amongst many of the other really great showcases occurring that week and even that night.

Souls of Mischief were celebrating their then upcoming LP of Montezuma's Revenge, which is now officially released. Audible Treats really deserves a high five, pat on the back, chest bump for putting together such a well organized showcase as each performer really complimented the sound and vibe for that night. It was my first time seeing Souls of Mischief perform as they usually make the journey once a year to the east coast. A-Plus, Phesto D, Opio and Tajai took the stage and performed as though they were unknowingly schooling other artists as to what hip-hop really is. There was no need for any gimmicks or flashiness or a 50 person entourage of people on stage just standing there. I respect their originality, setting themselves apart from other artists with their style and sound and reaching a point to where artists want to imitate them. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery and yet their will always only be one Souls of Mischief. Their ability to deliver a great show with old and new material and relying on their rhymes and instrumentals was what proved successful. It was also an emotional night as A-Plus paid respect several times throughout the evening to Roc Raida, whose tribute at BB Kings was being held at the same time.

Many people say they grew up on Souls of Mischief and wanted to replicate the sound and style of 93 'till Infinity and I won't pretend I was one of those people because as a youngen I was not an aspiring emcee nor was I engulfed or fully knowledgeable about hip-hop music 24/7 aside from what was being played on MTV or the Music Box or what my older siblings were playing in the house or talking about. Although it may seem as though I missed out on really experiencing the hip-hop culture fully growing up, I am thankful and privileged for the opportunity to be able to truly appreciate it now that I am older and recognize its significance in our society. I don't go to shows for the sake of saying I saw this artist perform or for bragging rights, but rather I go for the whole experience and I believe everyone who was at southpaw that night was there for the same reason or at least I would hope so.

Having attended hundreds of shows and events this year, sometimes even 4 in one night, I can honestly say that the Souls of Mischief show is definitely in my top 10 and probably even top 5 music experiences this year. I look forward to them returning to the east coast for another performance and perhaps even a trip to California to see them on their stomping ground will be marked on my calendar for next year. It's not about where you're born or what coast you're from or grew up or live in, Music is Music! The ignorant statement to say New Yorkers only like music only from artists that haul from our state or coast line is in fact ignorant itself. As Opio said that night "Its about Love, Peace and Unity"

Thank you Hip-Hop for an amazing Year. Best Wishes and Blessings for 2010 to everyone.

Much love and Respect and Happy Joyous Holidays

- NattyNiGhT =)

more photos below...enjoy!

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If Your Life Is a Lil Stress Then Welcome Back Some Organized Konfusion and Some Months of Monch Madness

2009-11-30T03:38:00.010-05:00

Underground Hip-Hop can be found throughout the world, however, New York City is the birth place to its existence. This city is known for breeding so many legends and respected artists that have contributed to the existence of hip-hop. Any individual who are going to refer themselves as an emcee, rapper or hiphop artist of any kind then they really have to take pride in using that label to define who they are and bring quality to the table because the bar has already been set high by those who have come through and left their mark on the hip-hop culture. In 1991, the lyrical duo hailing from queens, Pharoahe Monch and Prince Poetry debuted their Self-titled album Organized Konfusion and immediately took over the Underground scene with full force. They left no stone unturned as their album was inspired with various elements in their life, with comical tracks such as “Who Stole My Last Piece Of Chicken?”, Political with “Prisoners of War” and religious with “Open Your Eyes”. It was evident that Pharoahe Monch and Prince Poetry’s debut was the product of a lot of hard work, having produced the entire album themselves and creativity as they set out to represent and conquer Hip-Hop in the heavily underground world. They set themselves apart from any other two guys from down the block who want and think they can rap, as they unleashed intelligent metaphorical lyrics that required listeners to fully engage themselves in the significant lyrical content to understand the real meaning of what they are saying.

Organized Konfusion went on to produce two more albums, Stress: The Extinction Agenda and The Equinox, before parting ways to venture on solo projects. In late March it was announced that after over 10 years from the release of their last album, Pharoahe Monch and Prince Poetry would reunite and grace the stage together at the All Points West Festival in New Jersey. The theme song to Welcome Back Kotter played in my head when I heard they were having a second reunion show in their stomping ground of New York City at BB Kings in Times Square. It was an opportunity to see some of the leaders of the pack in underground hip-hop take the stage one more time, even if it means for only one night. The question of a reunion has always been evaded with uncertainty, which made the performance even more memorable and unfortunate to anyone who had not come to the show.

B.B.Kings was packed and with good reason, as this was an opportunity to take a step back into the 90s when Hip-Hop was completely different to what is being played today on the radio. This is not to say there isn’t good hip-hop music out there, because it does exist! However, it is necessary to broaden your resources to find it rather than simply relying on what the radio is playing or what music channels are suggesting is what you should keep in your daily music rotation. The Poor Righteous Teachers opened up the show, which was a fitting choice as they hailed from that era as well. PRT’s performance of such tracks as “Rock Dis Funky Joint” and “Shakiyla”, was a nice balance to what the audience were in store for once the headliners were to take over the stage. DJ JS-1 came out and paid a quick tribute to Stezo, who was then brought on stage to receive the proper recognition from the crowd that he deserved. JS-1 got up and pulled one of his signature moves of scratching with his foot and hands to the “It’s My Turn” track, while the crowd went picture crazy to capture his skills, even Stezo with a huge smile on his face took out his camera to take some pictures. As his set continued, JS-1 held up a photograph of the late great Grandmaster Roc Raida from The X-Ecutioners. His passing came much too quickly but his legacy will live on forever. It is said that some people wear their heart on their sleeve, but Boogie Blind came out clearly wearing his heart on his chest. Although he came out to DJ for Organized Konfusion, there were moments that were clearly difficult for Boogie Blind to be on stage while still understandably grieving for his friend.

DJ JS-1 jumped into the crowd right beside me to watch the show as Pharoahe Monch and Prince Poetry took the stage for an epic performance. It became clear that those who truly support underground hip-hop music was in attendance that night as Monch and Prince Po performed their underground cult hits which included, “Somehow, Someway,” “Releasing Hypnotically Gases,” “Stray Bullet,” “Stress,” “Walk Into The Sun,” “Bring It On,” “Thirteen” and many more as it became clear that the crowd and the performers appeared far from becoming restless for the night to come to an end. It is really an indescrible feeling looking onto the stage and watching this performance happening live before my eyes and turning to the side and watching the crowd going crazy. At times people may not realize that Hip-Hop shows mean much more than just hearing the music live, because the one thing you should expect is the unexpected. Longtime friend O.C. Joined Monch and Prince Po on stage mid-thru their “Fudge Pudge” performance to spit his verses, which became only the beginning of the “ohhhhhh” surprise moments to top off an epic reunion show. Rahzel came out for a little beatboxing, Chip-Fu took a moment to spit an acapella, Pharoahe Monch started a few verses of Simon Says in which then Prince Po proceeded to freestyle over it. If u lost ur way then the night showed that underground music has always been on the map and is here to stay and fitting enough the evening ended with a performance of the track “Then and Now”.

Monch madness continued with the 10^th anniversary release of Internal Affairs. On October 17^th, friends and fans made the trip out to Greenpoint, Brooklyn for the show at Sputnik. Although it’s a smaller venue than BB Kings, nonetheless, it was packed to capacity. Boogie Blind and Dj Evil Dee were on the 1s and 2s, while Monch was joined on stage with soulful singers, Mela Machinko and Showtyme. The vibe of the night was different as the room was filled with dedicated fans that made the trip on the always-unreliable “G” train on a Saturday at that. The night concluded with a memorable performance of “Simon Says”, when I received a warning from Pharoahe as he leaned down to me and said “If you’re a small Caucasian woman and you don’t wanna get your camera camera broke we’re gonna ask you to move back” I stayed put and owe my life apparently to Mr Mecca who was standing behind me and managed to protect me for the most part. I survived the night and may always be remembered as the one white girl who was front row rather than on the sidelines.

A week and a half later I had gone to a special show at Le Poisson Rouge. Pharoahe was performing once again but this time with the cypher band. Hip-hop fans generally prefer a DJ rather than a live band and in most cases its either a hit or miss collaboration. Thus far this year I have seen the cypher band share the stage with Tanya Morgan and Black Moon and deliver successful performances. Soul Understated featuring Mavis Swan, The Crowd and Nyle opened up the show with solid performances that complemented the sound for the evening. Pharoahe Monch and The Cypher band that consists of the talented drumming skills of my friend Daru Jones took the stage with Mela Machinko and Showtyme with Boogie Blind on the turntables and delivered the best Hip-hop performance with a live band that I have seen thus far. When asked why I would go see Monch perform again in such a short time span from his last show, it is because you will never experience the same performance twice because he always manages to pull off something different and entertaining. He had not only performed a different set list than the last two previous shows mentioned but he also delivered a completely different sound. Pharoahe performed as though he was the offspring of legends, as he delivered the sound with the soul of James Brown, the funk of George Clinton and the Rock nature of Jimi Hendrix. He definitely still is a force to be reckoned with especially with his upcoming album W.A.R. (We Are Renegade) due for an early 2010 release.

Pharoahe Monch, Mela Machinko and Showtyme!

Liz from EMA Photography, Me, Pharoahe Monch and DirtySoufYankee!

Organized Konfusion and O.C. - Fudge Pudge @ BB Kings, NYC

Simon Says @ Sputnik with a Lil Warning for to the White Girl in the Front!

Pharoahe Monch and The Cypher Band Performing Body Baby @ Le Poisson Rouge!

More Videos can be found on my youtube channel NattyNiGhT

Additional Photos can be found on the top right side of this page as well as down below. Enjoy!
~ NattyNiGhT =)

Organized Konfusion @ BB Kings, New York City

Internal Affairs 10th Anniversary Show @ Sputnik, Brooklyn, NYC

Pharoahe Monch and The Cypher Band @ Le Poisson Rouge, NYC

The Man Behind The Music!

2009-11-19T11:31:00.005-05:00

Many people listen to music and can’t help but comment on the lyrical content and instrumentals, whether it is to praise or diss it (Please no more comparison debate on OBFCL II Vs. BP3). Emcees are not the only ones behind the production of that track you have on your playlist. Unfortunately, beat makers and music producers can be overlooked at times for the hard work and dedication they put into making good beats for your favorite artists to rhyme over as they stay behind the scenes. Many producers even have a certain style that is their signature, they make their beats distinguishable yet creatively different as not to be repetitious.

Jinesis, a beatmaker/producer has been progressively distributing instrumentals since his debut release of Bonkers Volume 1. He wasted no time in following it upwith a collaboration project, The Coffee Shop and The Coffee Shop 2: The Four Fundamentals, with Prickly Pear, a German based producer. From tracks such as Babe, Pancakes & Syrup to Black Beans, Jinesis’ instrumentals demonstrates the original sound and diverse range of influences that intrigues my musical interest. He is currently preparing to release his new project in December titled I’ll Be, which will be comprised of 18 tracks of instrumentals and a few skits. The cover art for the album will be from AOK Collective member Fresh Daily and will be available for free download as he has done for his previous projects. I wait in anticipation to hear what Jinesis’ upcoming release of I’ll Be, which is the first album of a trilogy instrumental project. Jinesis has said that I’ll Be is a symbol for the pros and cons, the good and bad, the dark and the light and stands for being an underdog, which is a fitting theme in the music industry. “I’ll be whatever you say I am but at the end of the day I’ll be Jinesis”

Here's the Trailer for I'll Be and in the meantime Bonkers Vol. 1, The Coffee Shop and The Coffee Shop 2 are available for free download.

Contact Info: http://www.myspace.com/jinesispro
Twitter : Jinesis

NattyNiGhT

Learn Some Brokn Englsh!

2009-11-10T12:35:00.004-05:00

It's Back To The Drawing Board with Brokn Englsh! My favorite Jersey boys (yes I play favorites at times) are dropping their debut album, The Drawing Board on November 17th. Brokn Englsh who are comprised of Cion, Lyriq 2 Go and Myk Dyalkes has been consistently climbing up the Hip-Hop radar not just on my turf of New York City, but also their territory of New Jersey and have even been performing in D.C. while documenting most of their journey and shenanigans along the way. I highly recommend checking out their B.E. Diaries and hilarious videos that way you can catch a glimpse of how down to earth, talented and fun loving these guys really are. I never get tired of seeing these 3 fellas perform, because even if they're under the weather they never skip a beat or leave their A-Game at home. Every performance is packed with their energetic presence and dance moves on and off the stage.

Tonight is the official Album listening party at Bob’s Bar. This will be the sneak listening preview to their debut before it officially comes out and if you have seen them perform live then I am sure you are looking forward to hearing the album in its entirety as much as I am. Brokn Englsh will also be premiering their music video for “Cherry Popper”, I can’t help but giggle every time that song is referenced. My Photog homie, Liz from EMA Photography even gave a Brokn Englsh Cherry Popper plug when she made her debut radio appearance last week on PNC radio. Everyone loves these guys and with good reason, they never skip a beat when it comes to creativity. The cover art work for The Drawing Board has that old school 80s Hip-Hop vibe like something the Fat Boys would come out with. I’m definitely looking forward to getting my Drawing Board T-shirt, hopefully they received the girl sizes cause 2XL is not a good look for us ladies.

So come out to Bob’s Bar tonight to hang out with Brokn Englsh. It’s located at 235 Eldridge st between Houston and Delancey and kicks off st 10pm and in the meantime you can download their EP The Dreamscape

NattyNiGhT

Meet Who You Tweet Halloween Show

2009-10-28T11:47:00.004-04:00

Last Month Meet Who You Tweet brought Hip-Hop to Red Hook at club Hello Brooklyn, formally The Hook. The show was primarily promoted through twitter, hence the tag line for the show. Lil Shawn and Chip Fu gave artists the opportunity to submit music for the chance to open for Brand Nubian. Some of my favorite fellas, 8thW1, Brokn Englsh and the Brown Bag Allstars were chosen to perform on the same stage with Sadat X, Lord Jamar and Grand Puba. The concept of using one of the most popular and widely used networking sites as a way to promote and bring people together in the hip-hop community proved to be successful. Sometimes I forget twitter isn't a hip-hop forum, even though it always seems that way, maybe it's just who I am following and being followed by that makes twitter seem to be disguised as a hip-hop interaction site. The turn out for the show was better than I expected, the promotion on twitter really paid off as a lot of people filled up the club and enjoyed dancing and relaxing to the sounds of some good ole school hip-hop. The performances were on point that night. If people only came to see Brand Nubian then I know for sure they went home that night as new fans of 8thW1 from AOK Collective, Brokn Englsh and The Brown Bag Allstars, as they all delivered energetic sets with completely different sounds. Brand Nubian came on stage and performed for well over an hour and a half, it almost seemed like the night was never going to end, nor did anyone really want it to. Lil Shawn and Chip Fu really delivered on their promise, people were able to meet who they tweet, as people hung out in the crowd to talk, sign autographs and take pictures. Even Ralph McDaniels who claims to be a homebody decided to come check out the show and was given an award for his years of contribution and support to hip-hop.

I Immediately realized Meet Who You Tweet was going to be a series of incredible shows not to miss. The venue is perfect for hip-hop because there isn't a midnight curfew where the sound man will cut the mic and security will tell you its time to go home. The performances go on all night and afterwards you can stick around to dance, drink and engage in conversations longer than the 140 characters that twitter limits you to. This Saturday, October 31st, Meet Who You Tweet Presents the 1st Annual Shoe Drive for the homeless. Hip-hop really does give back the community as they are asking for people to donate any wearable old or new shoes that can then be distributed to the homeless. A good deed really goes a long way and if anyone has extra shoes that are just laying around in the back of their closet or under their bed that are never going to be worn again then you might as well let someone else walk in them if you're not going to. This month's showcase presents a Performance and DJ set by Talib Kweli with opening acts from Sha Stimuli, Mr Beatz and Camp Lo and of course hosted by Chip Fu. It's at Club Hello Brooklyn - 18 Commerce St (Red Hook). This is definitely the place to be on Halloween with or without a costume.

NattyNiGhT

More Videos ----> http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=33DD49E0C2E1782C

Hip-Hop In-Store Signings and Performances Only At Fatbeats

2009-09-24T03:00:00.004-04:00

Remember when artists use to drop an album or a book and they would have an in-store signing at the Virgin store. You would have to go early to make your purchase and get a wristband just to wait around on a line that not always guaranteed you would get your CD, vinyl, book or any other object or body part signed. Security would sometimes push you away so quickly that you might have walked away disappointed with your short encounter with your favorite artists. Fatbeats has always been the music spot where you can meet great artists without the hassle and most times see exclusive in-store performances. Over the summer alone they have had in-store events for Marco Polo and Torae, Fresh Daily, and Raekwon to name a few. It is really a great spot with a nice chill vibe.

   This Friday September 25th, M.O.P. will be stopping by for an In-Store Signing of their new album The Foundation. This is the perfect opportunity for fans who always wanted to meet them and get stuff signed that could not do so at a show. The Brownsvillians will be in the store at 6 p.m. so come kick it with M.O.P. at Fatbeats, which is located at 406 8th st and 6th ave on the 2nd floor.

   On Tuesday, September 27th, the long awaited album release of Skyzoo's The Salvation finally hits shelves. It's the first release on 9th Wonder's new record label Jamla. They will both be making an appearance at Fatbeats for a signing as well as to perform some tracks off of the new album. The event starts at 7 p.m. and is free, which is all the more reason to drop by.

   Take advantage of these opportunities to meet these artists, get stuff signed, take pictures with them and see live performances because you never know when you will have another chance to.

- NattyNiGhT

A Tribute Through The Art Of Lyrics

2009-09-22T14:36:00.013-04:00

The Art of Lyrics is a monthly showcase in the Bronx for hip-hop artists to perform. It is held every 3rd weekend of the month at The Point CDC (Community Development Corporation). It is known as a place that brings the community together with creativity as it is the sole Underground Hip-Hop showcase in the Bronx. As some people may say that Hip-Hop is dead as they listen to what is being played on the radio, it may just be that they are not broadening their horizons to find Hip-Hop from where it originated. I am not referring to any certain artist, borough or geographic location, but rather amongst the talented artists, supporters and documenters who surround themselves in the community of the hip-hop culture to appreciate it rather than exploit it. A friend had once said that I do not like any rapper that makes a million dollars, as a song by Soulja Boy played in the background, in which I replied "It is not that I donít like any rapper or emcee who is a millionaire, I just don't necessarily respect artists who did not earn that million dollars", especially when many times it is those kind of artists that are ruining the culture by not appreciating and exploiting it for materialistic reasons. Is Hip-Hop really dead? It is events such as The Art of Lyrics that displays that real Hip-Hop is alive. It does not matter where you come from or who you are, it is a community of unrelated family with the bond of the culture and appreciation for the art.

Earlier that Saturday, September 19th 2009, the news that Anthony Williams, a legendary and gifted DJ, producer and turntablist known as Roc Raida unexpectedly passed away at the age of 37. With a year that had already seen too many deaths, the emotional response from family, friends and fans who had respected and admired him as an artist and as an individual was expressed throughout the day as many reflected on memories of a good soul taken too soon. During the showcase that night Nemiss, a female emcee approached the mic and began to express how she "wants to celebrate Hip-Hop and ourselves and where we're at". Some individuals in the crowd were immediately taken aback as they were just learning the news of his passing. The music started as Nemiss began taking charge of the mic over a hard beat that maybe even some guys could not handle. Many people may say Nemiss represented for the females that night, but rather she represented for the true hip-hop artists despite their gender, race or even age.

The emotional aspect of the show did not end after her performance as a heartbreaking dedication was given to Glenn Wright. It was one of those powerful moments that felt gut wrenching when hearing how a 21 year old whom I had never met or even known about prior to that night was senselessly killed a week before as a result of mistaken identity. Glenn Wright was a part of the Summer Youth Employment Program at the Point as well as the Apache Skateboard Workshop and had really made an impact on many people with his talent and caring personality. I was told he was an incredible young man that will surely be missed and his death has really affected many people beyond just his family and close friends, which I can comprehend as I emotionally write what had happened. Wright who was the third youngest of nine children and had cared after his younger brother with Down Syndrome, was in the lower east side helping his grandmother with chores, when he was fatally stabbed in the neck by a 20 year old who was seeking retribution for an earlier attack of a friend. Wright who had always steered away from trouble, had wrongfully been attacked and died because he was mistaken for someone else.

Trezure, who had worked at The Point during the summer paid tribute to the unfortunate passing of such a young gifted human being by performing her song "Let Me Go".Trezure always delivers a powerful performance with her incredible vocals and passionate lyrics. The emotional impact of her music has lingered beyond that night as I couldnít get past the thought and image of the death of Glenn Wright since that evening. As I was uploading the video of Trezure's performance my eyes began to water and a tear rolled down my cheek. As I am disgusted by the unnecessary violence and feel sorrow for the loss of Roc Raida and Glenn Wright, I hope they are in peace and that people remain to hold thoughts and prayers for them and their loved ones. Rest in Peace.

- NattyNight

- I would also like to mention that there were many exceptional performances that I had not mentioned such as Mr Beatz, Niles, T-Pariss and O.I.S. D. who had closed out the showcase, please check their performances on my youtube channel and the pictures below from the event and note that The Art of Lyrics showcase takes place every third weekend of the month. Thank you.
http://www.youtube.com/user/NattyNiGhT

Trezure Singing "Let Me Go"

It’s NSR - Mr. Adrien Brody If You’re Nasty!

2009-09-17T06:33:00.022-04:00

As the chatter continues about the release’s from heavy hitters Jay Z’s Blueprint 3 and Raekwon’s Only Built For Cuban Linx II, I went the indie route and downloaded the new kid on the New York Hip-Hop block, NSR’s debut EP The Darling Limited Click Here To Download. I came across this artist when he opened up for Styles P. at Rock The Block at Southpaw in Brooklyn on August 6^th, 2009. The tricky thing about those type of shows is that the crowd is generally there to see the headliner and unfortunately there are times when the opening artists are not given the time of day. Every artist from any genre of music needs to start somewhere and reach out to an audience, no one is an instant success or immediately known from the get-go. They have something to prove and that is to display their talent and not be perceived as a wannabe with a different name. Despite having a different style and tone to their music, both of the opening acts, The Metermaids and NSR won the crowd over that evening and were not viewed simply as time fillers until Styles P. and the Lox hit the stage, but rather as solid artists of their own. The Metermaids have a Rock-Hip-Hop vibe similar to one of my favorite groups The Lordz of Brooklyn, while NSR brings Hip-Hop to the stage with a more playful comedic tone with catchy beats and relatable lyrics. I have known about the Metermaids for quite some time, prior to the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival and I admittedly go to some shows primarily to see them at times rather than the headliner. After seeing NSR perform that night, I throw him in the same boat (not a pun to his signature boat shoes).

I had originally thought NSR had already released a CD, but it was not until two weeks ago that he released a free EP online called The Darling Limited. It is clearly evident that NSR committed many hours of hard work to make this album his own, not relying on fictitious hip-hop themes that sometimes become the trend for new artists. His music is not about building a false image of a street life he never lived, drugs he never dealt or expensive cars he never owned. NSR’s physical similarity to Academy Award winner Adrien Brody is repeatedly brought up whenever the rapper is referenced and although he even includes a track titled after the actor’s name, NSR’s talent goes beyond the doppelganger gimmick.

I spent two weeks listening to this album, wondering if my opinion of the tracks would alter from my initial response to it. It is always important not to brush off music after only one listen or 30 seconds of play. Sometimes first impressions can be misleading. There is music that takes getting use to, that at the first listen you may not have cared for but after a few listens to the album, some of the tracks may become your favorites from the artist’s discography, the opposite can happen as well, in which songs you favored when you first heard them may become your least favorite and may be the track you may repeatedly hit the skip button when it comes on rotation. Also, with music and movies the more you listen or watch something, the more you pick up on certain things you may not had originally noticed. I have listened to some music that when I really paid attention to the lyrics I realized it made no sense at all, but I was distracted by the beat. This is not the case with NSR’s The Darling Limited. Although I have been distracted with Raekwon’s OBFCL2 and KRS-ONE and Buckshot’s Survival Skills, I am still drawn to playing my favorite tracks from NSR.

His EP evolves into a storybook, even including a clever letter that incorporates each track title, although it would have been interesting if the intro track integrated the letter in some form. It is cohesive with The Darling Limited, however, I would probably press fast forward when listening to it in my car, because I prefer an actual track rather than intros and skits on any album. NSR had instantly garnered my respect for delivering honest and relatable lyrics with a creative sound that developed solely from his lifestyle and personality, rather than emerging from a mold of predictable new hip-hop artists. His music is commercial without being phony in the sense that it is appealing to listen to in an array of outlets such as in a club, in a car, on an Ipod or computer and even a live performance.

One of my favorite tracks, City Life initially had me stumped as to which old television theme song it was sampled from. I knew I would be distracted if I continued listening to the other tracks without determining which show played this intro. As I repeatedly played the track and limited it down to an old show from the late 70s to the early 80s that I use to watch reruns on Channel 11 (WPIX for the 80s kids), I had thought of the Odd Couple even though I was not confident and knew most likely it was something else. Youtube had confirmed it was not from the Odd Couple and as I went on a search to determine where the theme song is from, I shook my head when discovering it is from one of my favorite old school shows TAXI. Immediately, I knew this will be the track that will be played most on my Ipod as well as get stuck in my head even when I’m not listening to any music. The entire theme of City Life from the Taxi concept to the New York City life through the eyes of NSR is relatable even if your perception of growing up and living in New York may be different.

The track Adrien Brody may have started as a humorous joke considering the physical similarities to the actor, but soon became the inspiration for a track that I think people are always going to expect to hear during performances and will result in the lasting impression people will have. Coincidently Adrien Brody is a New York native via Queens and is a fan of Hip-Hop. I would not be surprised if this track fell into his lap one day and he would want to meet his so called twin. The Adrien Brody concept is an interesting attention-grabber, however, I have seen NSR perform it live and I commend him for not letting it overshadow his music or his own identity as NSR.

Two other mentionable tracks are Down Forever and The Plan, although the entire EP is worth listening to and setting on repeat. NSR will be having an album release party on September 25^th at Plan B, in which the hard copy will be available, including some surprises that still remain a secret. In the meantime I recommend seeing a live performance tonight at Drom, wish him a happy belated birthday and hopefully you will be lucky enough to catch him performing another favorite track of mine that is not featured on the EP called Know I Couldn’t, Click Here for Exclusive Download. NSR may just be making his debut, but he is not one to be underestimated as he is already stepping onto the hip-hop scene setting the creative bar fairly high for himself and other newcomers. NSR is definitely someone to keep tabs on as he is always full of surprises and brings something different and original to the table rather than fabricating his identity, aside from the Adrien Brody impersonation.

“The response from everyone has been positive, which is weird because this truly started as something I did for myself. All these tracks are personal stories from my life. I’m happy that people are receiving it well and can relate”

-NSR

iamnsr.com
twitter.com/iamnsr

Congratulations on the album!

Natty S. Aka NattyNiGhT

Not Every Show Goes Nice & Smooth

2009-09-07T15:02:00.011-04:00

Last week on August 29th, Nice & Smooth were performing at Southpaw in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. The show was truly an event not to be missed. We Stole The Show, Core Rhythm and Wordspit opened up the night's show as well as a special appearance from Dinco-D of The Leaders of The New School. Southpaw was packed as everyone came out to support the up and comers as well as to see the legendary Old Schoolers, Nice & Smooth! Unfortunately, not every one made it to the show to see Greg Nice and Smooth B. rhythm Slow and Quick. Jesse Abraham, an up and coming rapper was walking to the venue when he was assaulted and robbed of his wallet and phone. I had met Jesse last month for the first time in person at Fresh Daily's in-store album release performance at Fatbeats. We are a part of the same circle of people and probably have been to the same shows a few times, but I primarily knew him from online. When he finally introduced himself in person, we would continue to run into each other at shows and I had already labeled him as a friend and not just as a rapper freestyling or performing on open mics with other people I know.

The next day after the Nice & Smooth show, almost anyone who knows Jesse would slowly learn what happened the night before. I was not surprised by the concern and emotional responses that this incident would bring to anyone who knows him personally or have heard of him. Throughout the week, no one could really understand exactly what happened, as twitter, text messages and facebook responses can't really go into detail and at the same time many people were not sure whether to ask as that may seem like crossing the line. Throughout the week people's thoughts and warm wishes have been with Jesse despite his high spirits about the situation the consensus is that it could not have happened to a nicer guy.
Yesterday he had decided to write about that night, from what he can recall at least. I had asked him if he would mind if i publish it into my blog, because as much as he doesn't want anyone to feel sorry for him and views the situation as ridiculous, it really seemed to affect a lot of people, including myself. He had wrote to me saying "I wasn't tryin to be dramatic or incite sympathy or sadness by posting that. It really was just a way for me to relay the story to those who might be interested and still hadn't heard it directly from me, which was basically everyone (cuz I haven't really been able to talk much the past week...)".

Jesse Abraham is a real humble and talented person so please read his story below or click the link http://tiny.cc/pqcTL. to view it on a different page and within the next week or so his site JesseAbraham.com should be up and running, which he says will include some really interesting stuff about himself, because he really is a fascinating and down to earth guy. The night before he had joined Homeboy Sandman and 8thW1 on stage at Public Assembly to do Freestyle of Mine. The video is below for you to see just a tidbit of what this guy can do... and thank you Jesse for the funniest shout out I've gotten thus far. Get well and see you on the mic soon.

Natty S. aka NattyNiGhT!

Contact Info ---> www.twitter.com/JesseAbraham

“everyone walks around staring at their phone like it's a GPS leading them towards gold or some shit...open yer eyes! (I'm walking now).”

10:39 PM Aug 29th sent from TinyTwitter

I typed this into my phone (tweeted) while walking east on Bergen Street, approaching 3^rd Ave. Moments later…something happened. I use the vague term ‘something’ not as an attempt to build tension or suspense within the story, but simply because I still don’t know what happened.

Saturday, August 29^th, 2009. 10:15 PM. I got off the G train and began walking towards a music venue in Park Slope, Brooklyn called Southpaw to see the rap group Nice & Smooth perform. On a night during which I knew I wasn’t going to be getting on stage, I was sober and relaxed as I texted a few friends who I was going to be meeting there. There was a group of four kids walking across the street a little bit ahead of me, and I noted their existence. Simply noted it. I’ve lived in New York City my entire life and I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with people whose intentions were far from innocent. My experiences have ranged from threats received, to humorously failed robbery attempts, to the successful acquisition of various items of mine. Sometimes weapons were drawn, and at other times pure intimidation was implemented. But dozens of such experiences in a wide array of circumstances and locations have left me more than aware and prepared. So I noted the existence of these four kids. I took out my phone, sent another text, put it back in my pocket, checked across the street, and they were gone.

So I kept walking. A few minutes later I looked behind me to see just one guy about 30 feet back, walking by himself. Again, simply noting his existence I took out my phone to confirm with a friend of mine that I was about 10 minutes away from the venue and I would be seeing him there soon. I put the phone back in my pocket. The next memory I have is being on the ground up against a wall with the right side of my face throbbing and a relatively frantic sensation in my chest.

It was an innate, self-preservation-based instinct that implored me to get off the ground with the amount of urgency with which I acted. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was coming out of an unconscious state after being severely beaten. In one second’s time the only information my brain had gathered was that my face hurt, I was on the ground and there were four guys hovering over me. I had to get off the ground. It was a challenging feat to accomplish considering my physical condition at the time, but I popped up with as much vigor as I could, saying repeatedly, “Chill! Chill! Chill!” I assumed I was being robbed and I wanted them to know that I would give up whatever they wanted without them having to assault me. I thought they had yet to attack me other than maybe hitting me once in the face.

They seemed surprised at the fact that I had popped up like that – apparently they had been beating me while I was out cold and I spontaneously awoke and jumped up. They took a slight step back and demanded my wallet, which I quickly produced from my cargo pocket. Then in unison a few of them demanded my phone, which for some reason surprised me to the point where I questioned, “My phone?” And they repeated, “Gimme your phone!” This time I obliged and gave them my phone, still about 15 seconds out of my unconscious state. They grabbed it from my hand and immediately sprinted west on Bergen Street. I stood there momentarily thinking to myself, “Shit. That sucks. I just got robbed and punched in the face. Crap.” The only injury I was aware of at that moment was a throbbing pain beneath my right eye (which would be completely swollen shut within the next hour). I turned and began to proceed east on Bergen Street towards Southpaw. To the show.

At this point in time I had no idea, but I had suffered the following injuries: A concussion, a dozen abrasions on my hands, wrists and knees, a fractured jaw, multiple broken bones in my nose, two black eyes, a one-inch deep bruise in my brain, and contusions in cervical discs four and five leading to something called cervical radiculopathy.

Seconds later I heard someone running up behind me, and I turned to see an older man scurrying towards me carrying a hammer. “Now what,” I thought. As he approached he hysterically asked questions about what had happened and if I was OK. I quickly responded with, “Are you with them?” My expectations for honesty are occasionally absurd. He replied with, “No, I swear to God! I live around the corner and I saw them following you, and then I saw them beating on you so I ran out here, but they took off before I got here. We gotta get you to a hospital!”

“Clearly this is an insane person,” I thought to myself. Running out here with a hammer? A hospital? I just got punched in the face, no huge deal. I kept walking, and he kept walking with me, talking about calling an ambulance. As we approached the corner a cop car happened to pull up to a red light, and the man ran over to the car in a panic screaming, “Police, police! This guy just got beat up and the kids just ran off!” The cops said to me, “This just happened now?” I said, “Yeah.” They screamed, “Get in! Get in!”

I hopped in the cop car, the guy with the hammer stayed outside, and suddenly sirens were wailing and lights were flashing and we were flying down the block looking for these kids. This was a surprise to me – upon entering the car I thought we were on our way to a police station to file a report. So they robbed me? Was it really siren-worthy? It was only then that I noticed the blood on my shorts. And then on my shirt. And then on my shoes. I put my hands out beneath my chin and caught streams of blood pouring from…somewhere. As the car pealed out, the officer in the passenger seat turned to me and asked me a barrage of questions.

“How many were there?”

“I think four.” I had been unconscious 45 seconds prior.

“Young?”

“Yeah I think so.” I had just been beaten defenselessly.

“What race were they? What were they wearing? Which direction did they go in?”

“Um, I don’t really know. They ran the opposite direction I was walking in. Away from 3^rd Ave.” It was then that the cop turned and looked at me with some serious concern.

“We’re gonna call you an ambulance. Your nose is definitely broken.”

I still didn’t think I had even been hit in the nose. I joked with him, saying, “No, I just have a big nose. I don’t need an ambulance.”

He looked at me for a few more seconds, then turned back to grab his radio and called something in. We scoured the area for a few minutes, passing by groups of kids the cops considered as being the suspects, but I couldn’t confirm anything about them. After a while the car came to a stop at a corner where an ambulance was waiting.

“You’re going to get into that ambulance and they’re going to take care of you, and you’ll just answer some more questions at the hospital, OK? Can you get out of the car and walk to the ambulance on your own?”

“Yeah.” I looked out the window and saw a group of policemen and EMT workers standing outside of an ambulance with a stretcher. As I got out of the cop car, I noticed the look on everybody’s faces. These were professionals who, assumedly, had seen situations similar to this. As they examined the damage done to my face, I heard a few of them say, “Oh shit.” I got into the ambulance and the paramedic in the back told me to slowly lie down on the gurney. I didn’t think I needed to lie down, but I complied. He asked various questions about my spine, neck, allergies, and if I had blacked out. I told him I didn’t think I had. Gentle and compassionate, this man seemed utterly disgusted with what had been done to me. He pulled out an oxygen mask and told me to breathe into it normally as we drove. This seemed completely unnecessary to me, but again I figured it was just protocol and he was playing it safe.

“Now, I know you’ve heard Kings County is one of the worst hospitals in the city (I hadn’t heard this), but they have the best trauma unit in all of Brooklyn. I swear to you, if a cop were shot, he would be taken straight to Kings and given the best treatment there is. So that’s where we’re taking you.”

Trauma unit? Shot? Whoa whoa whoa…all that had happened to me was I got punched a few times. What is going on?

As we rode it became clear to me that this guy was blabbering away in attempts to keep me conscious. Ridiculous ramblings about cell phone providers, second amendment rights and neighborhood evolutions did nothing more than make me grow more concerned about my condition. As we pulled up to the hospital and I sat up, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the rear view mirror. My entire face was dark red, and I looked like a jigsaw puzzle that had been put together by a blind person. Suddenly the idea of an ambulance, a gurney, an oxygen mask and a trauma center all started to make sense.

As I was wheeled into the hospital, multiple cops surrounded me and began asking the same questions that I still didn’t know the answers to. They wrote down whatever information I could offer, regarding place and time, my info, and my best guesses as to how to identify these kids. I entered the hospital at around 11:30 PM, less than an hour after the attack had taken place. I wouldn’t leave the hospital for another twelve hours. It was during these twelve hours that I would begin to understand how unmercifully and recklessly I had been beaten, how poor the conditions and treatment of a hospital can truly be, and how lucky I was to have only suffered the injuries that I did.

My complaints and grievances towards Kings County Hospital are significant in number and magnitude. Various employees who work there were responsible for having misread my cat scans and x-rays, refused to clean and treat various open wounds, neglected to provide me with water and food after many requests, and acted amazingly impatient, rude and inconsiderate throughout my twelve hours there. Some were more kind than others, but the beating I received at that hospital felt nearly more detrimental than that at the hands of my assailants. Needless to say, when my mother came to pick me up the next morning, exactly one week ago from the moment of writing this, I was pleased.

The past seven days have been interesting. I have been healing with the assistance of some very kind and skillful people. My experiences with doctors have not all been fantastic, and my surgeries and adjustments have not been without their flaws. However, with the help of various doctors, policemen and friends I have begun to piece together what happened that night, as well as piece together my physical structure. If a simulation of the event were to be crafted, it would most likely read like this:

Four kids saw a white guy walking by himself through Park Slope on a block that, although not normally desolate on a Saturday night at 10:30 PM, happened to be relatively barren at the time. They came up behind him and hit him in the back of the head with either a fist or a weapon, instantly knocking him unconscious. In order to prevent any attempts of escape, calls for help, or identification, they immediately began beating him ruthlessly, despite the fact that he was motionless and on the ground. Kicks? Punches? Weapons? Seconds? Minutes? The details of the beating are unclear, and the motives as to why the extent of the physical harm caused was as extreme as it was will probably never be known.

This event is not a life-changing occurrence. It hasn’t taught me a lesson and I’m not walking away from it as a different person. I was rather unlucky, considering that I was attacked on a Saturday night at 10:30 PM in an area that is generally considered to be safe. However, at the same time I am very fortunate indeed. It is possible that if a certain punch or kick had been received at a different fraction of an angle, I could have suffered brain damage, internal bleeding, etc. Although I have experienced a fair amount of pain, frustration and adversity due to this situation, I am sure that whatever cruelty exists within the people who did this that puts them in a place to carry out such an act is far more painful than my injuries. Whatever put these young men in a position to commit such an act of gratuitous violence towards a defenseless, unconscious individual must be considered more agonizing than my wounds. Blame? Anger? Revenge? None of this is on my mind. I hope that I will heal. I hope this does not happen to anyone else. I hope to continue to experience and appreciate the world and all of its mystery and wonder as much as I did prior to this happening. And I plan to.

Sticks And Stones May Break Your Bones… Rap Lyrics May Hurt You!

2009-09-01T12:40:00.000-04:00

When Body Count’s self-titled CD was released in 1992, a lot of controversy surrounded the album, which was originally supposed to be titled after its single “Cop Killer”. It seemed almost self-explanatory why people would have an issue with the content of its lyrics and the message it would send across. Ironically, Charlton Heston, who is best known as an American actor and former president of the National Rifle Association (NRA) protested the album for its violent and controversial content, reciting such lyrics from “KKK B***h” at a Time Warner board meeting in hopes that the album would be shelved. Across the United States boycott campaigns against the album and the group was quickly escalating. Ice-T eventually removed the most controversial track "Cop Killer" from the album in order to diffuse the constant negative attention it brought to their music and replaced it with a song called “Freedom of Speech”.

One can argue that the group’s First Amendment right was being violated since it stipulates that one has the freedom of speech, but to what extent are we really allowed to speak openly and publically? Ice-T has even stated that it wasn’t even an issue about freedom of speech in America, nor did he need anyone to defend his First Amendment right, but rather that he should be allowed to make the record because “the cops are killing my people.” Was he a rapper expressing his thoughts on society through a creative outlet or was he promoting actual violence against law enforcement? It was a year since the Rodney King beating, race relations with law enforcement was a highly sensitive issue, especially after the officers involved with the King incident was acquitted, which then led to the Los Angeles riots.

The scrutiny over the song “Cop Killer” started to take away from the issue at hand in which Ice-T was speaking out about, the corruption in the law enforcement system. He has stated that it was never his intention to kill anyone but rather vocally expose the violence and corruption that was occurring and being ignored. At one point or another everyone has had some kind of interaction with police officers or even rent-a-cops who take advantage of their position, in which they believe they are an authority figure that is allowed to cross the line and go on power trips. It is also unfortunate that sometimes a few bad apples spoils the bunch, because many times cops are faced with this negative stigma as though every officer is one of the “bad” ones. I agree with Ice-T in the sense that the focus should have been more on cleaning up the system of law enforcement rather than lyrics to a song, but at the same time I think whether it is a politician, actor, musical artist or average joe, as a human being we have a responsibility to think before we speak, because every action has a reaction. Throughout history we have learned how powerful words can actually be. I am all for exposing corrupt officers a la Serpico style and not through violence.

Almost 20 years since Body Count released their debut album, the position of the first amendment with rap lyrics is once again an issue. Lyrics about killing cops has recently been in the news, when 20-year old Antavio Johnson was sentenced to 2 years in prison after pleading no contest for threatening officers with his “Kill Me a Cop” song. Immediately I thought common sense went out the window but 2 years seems to be a little bit of a hefty price for lyrics of an unknown rapper. First Amendment lawyers came to his defense with the stance that he’s a “kid who was frustrated with police…he wrote a song, the song is an expression, the first amendment protects that”. At 20-years old I do not think you qualify as a kid anymore so it is naive to say that with the belief that his actions should be overlooked because of that fact. If an 8-year old can be charged as an adult then a 20 year old should know the difference between right and wrong as well as assume responsibility for their actions whether it is physical or verbal. People abuse the First Amendment right as a way to constantly justify their actions. First off, the media spins the story in a way that this young man is serving time because of his lyrics. However, he pleaded no contest because he was facing charges for violating his parole, which would have sentenced him to an even longer term in prison. Secondly, people should be in a sense censored, because unfortunately there are people who take things very literally. If people are vocalizing hurting or killing white people, black people, cops or whoever, at what point is it crossing the line?

Why is hip-hop and rap always the focal point of the cause to a negative situation or occurrence? Many people believe the difference between rap and hip-hop is that the former is a style and the latter is a culture, and yet both are still faced with the stigma of what it represents in our society. If Antavio Johnson was not an aspiring rapper would the story be portrayed differently or even achieve the attention that it did? On one hand people should think before they speak, whether it is in their lyrics or even general daily conversation, especially in this day and age where things are instantly misconstrued and over-exaggerated because controversy is interesting. However, on the other hand it is time to end the constant blame game that society has pinned on this one particular genre of music and view hip-hop in a different perspective and appreciate the positive culture that has emerged from it. In 2004, KRS-One had made some public comments about the events of 9/11. The New York Daily News had branded him an anarchist and wrote that "if Osama bin Laden ever buys a rap album, he'll probably start with a CD from KRS-One". Is hip-hop and rap the cause of violence, terrorism, racism, or even just pure human hatred to one another? It seems that the land of the free picks and chooses who can have an opinion and vocalize their thoughts and clearly there is only one genre of music that is constantly targeted. However, racism, violence, terrorism, and prejudice have existed way before hip-hop came onto the scene...so what was to blame back then?

Natty S. Aka NattyNiGhT

Brown Bag Those Monday Blues!

2009-08-31T07:13:00.002-04:00

As you watch the clock ticking of the seconds going by,
as if its that movie 3 o'Clock High,
Mondays don't apply if you're waiting for the week to quickly go by,
Because New York Hip-hop culture will never die.

The Brown Bag AllStars never wait till friday to have a good time! They are starting the week off just right by throwing a party at Forbidden City today, Monday August 31st, 2009. This is a free event, there is no cover charge at the door. Please note that this is not a show.... but I wouldn't be surprised if some freestyling occurred sometime during the night.

Doors are at 9pm - until the place basically closes for the night or runs out of alcohol!

Drinks are 1/2 Price from 9-11pm

This is the place to be if you like old school classic Hip-Hop, Underground Hip-Hop, Soul Classics and all around good Hip-Hop.... Hip-Hop Music Standards are set!

Special Guest DJ Sucio Smash is coming out and of course music from the Brown Bag AllStars will be played, as well as Fresh Daily and St. Joe Louis... If you haven't heard any of their music before then that's unfortunate for you but it's more reason to come out and party.

Forbidden City - 212 Ave A between 13th & 14th st.

Here's a quick listen to one of their hit tracks that they just released a video for: Undeniable (Audible Doctor Remix)

http://www.zshare.net/audio/6477509529c49961/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1pOjvcFw9o&feature=related

Also Check them out on:
www.myspace.com/brownbagallstars
BrownBagAllStars.blogspot.com

Take a Sneak Peek at just how much fun these guys are with a behind the scenes look to their video Undeniable (Audible Doctor Remix). Check them out on

My Ticket Said Rakim!

2009-08-24T19:54:00.006-04:00

Sometimes I feel like New York City is the music Mecca of the world, especially with Hip-Hop. I may potentially be a little bit biased considering I was born and bred in the big apple, however, music and music related events is a year round occurrence here, whether it is in-store signings and performances, indoor and outdoor concerts, some of which are free of charge, freestyle ciphers in the park and streets, and sometimes even backyard BBQ performances. While there are some places across the United States and even around the world that wait patiently or travel a good distance to see some of their favorite performers, New Yorkers are privileged with the opportunity to attend numerous amounts of events, so much so that at times we are faced with the dilemma of which show to choose in one night. August 13^th 2009 was one of those nights. Many people would assume that it is only on weekends that so many different shows would occur in one night, but that is far from the truth, there are shows every night of the week. On that Thursday, De La Soul was performing at Nokia Theater, John Legend at Madison Square Garden, Rakim at Highline Ballroom and on the underground circuit there was 4 The Love of Hip-Hop at Voodoo Lounge featuring Final Outlaw, Kalil Kash, Wordspit, Niles to name just a few of the performers. I’m sure I could name a slew of other shows occurring at the same time, but the fact of the matter is it is impossible to be at 2,3 or even 4 places at the same time and thus we have to choose which show to go to and hear how the other performances were from friends who attended the other shows.

As I began writing notes for my review for the Rakim show, I was curious to know what other writers thought of the show and it actually amazed me with some of the fictitious things I read or how they boosts an artist’s performance or their body of work as though they are almost afraid to write the truth. I am not the type of person to ever go to a show and be disrespectful to an artist, I will never stand there and talk smack or boo them, I find that to be low class and tasteless. However, I wont pretend as though I like everyone’s music, I’ll listen and make the most of the situation, and not saying that their music or performance is horrible but it may so happen that it does not appeal to me. I think it is natural that there are some types of music or artist that you don’t care for, it’s a fact of life and it is all right to not always agree with someone else’s taste. I knew that U-God from Wu-Tang Clan was going to be opening up for Rakim, which I thought was abit of an oddity because I don’t see their styles meshing or relating at all. I will admit that he is my least favorite Wu member primarily because his solo music seems to have no real structure, substance or flow and his beats always seems to be all over the place. He seems to spend more time worrying lyrically about rhyming words than focusing on what he’s trying to say, which is the complete opposite of Rakim’s music. I had read on a site that “lines formed way before 7”… I had gotten there around 8pm and though I walked straight in without having to wait, I was surrounded by maybe 30 people, some of which included the wait staff. With so many shows happening on the same night I was hoping the turnout would change as the night went on.

Prior to U-God hitting the stage, DJ Souljah was on deck to spin tunes to keep the crowd engaged before the show. He played the basic tracks of old school with a mixture of new school hip-hop that you would expect to hear at any hip-hop show. There are certain songs that I kind of expect to hear whenever there is a DJ spinning on stage before a show, such as Blacksheep’s “The Choice Is Yours”. In case you don’t recognize the title it goes a little something like “Engine Engine Number Nine on The New York Transit Line, If My Train Goes Off The Track, Pick It Up! Pick It Up! Pick It Up!”. That track gets me amped every single time and I am sure it will now be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. DJ Souljah was on stage for an hour playing classic tracks in sync with a screen behind him playing the videos, which helped the time past as well as brought back memories seeing old videos of a young Nas, Busta Rhymes, Tupac, N.W.A. and of course ODB’s video for Shimmy Shimmy Ya, what is a show without a little bit of Ol’ Dirty Bastard. I had began to wonder about deceased rappers who were taken from us far too early in their life such as ODB, Tupac, Big L, Eazy-E and how much more they would have accomplished or done if they were still around. Most people don’t have a personal relationship with artists they admire and yet they still have a connection with them because they impacted their life in some way or another.

The show finally got under way and U-God came out for about a 25-minute set, despite the venue being only half full there was a mixed reaction from the crowd as half were a bit stoic and the other half applauded his performance. U-God primarily did snip-its of his solo music and performed 3 songs off his third solo album, The Dopium, which was released in June. As he boasted about who is on his album such as Gza, Ghostface, Raekwon, Method Man, Cappadonna and Jim Jones, he told the crowd “If you like raw raps, hard core raps again with real lyrics, pick up that Dopium..”. He really did say that…I have video of it! Although I must admit that the sound of the 3 new songs he performed, Stomp The Roach, Dopium, Train Trussle were an improvement from his earlier solo music, lyrically its still a miss for me and I’m not convinced to get the album. In my opinion the sound of Wu Tang Music and his solo work are polar opposites, which is not always a bad thing but in this case I prefer the sound of Wu. Whether you are a U-God fan or a Wu Tang Clan fan or neither, it is clearly evident when he is performing his own stuff and when he’s spitting his verse from the Wu tracks or from any of the other Wu members solo work. He played such tracks as Cherchez La Ghost, Gravel Pit, Da Mystery of Chessboxin’, Triumph, and Rumble. It was almost like a Wu-Tang concert without any of the other members.

As the venue began to fill up and everyone waited for “The God” Rakim to take the stage, I realized this became more of a night of the DJ’s as they seemed to monopolize most of the show. DJ Kid Kap came out to play some tracks followed by Kid Capri, who I must admit is entertaining and talented but for the most part he played the same stuff that was heard earlier in the night, it became a bit redundant. One of the highlights was Grandmaster Caz coming out, though the crowd seemed more amped to see Rick Ross in attendance after making an appearance at the John Legend show at MSG. He said he had to come down to Highline Ballroom to show respect to Rakim and went on to perform Hustlin’ and Magnificent. Kid Capri thanked the crowd for showing Rick Ross lots of love and respect. I don’t care about any beef he has with 50 cent or anyone else, but as far as surprise guests go The De La Soul show going on at the same time at Nokia Theater won, as I heard DMC surprised the crowd during a cover of Run DMC’s Rock Box.

After an hour and a half of Kid Capri on stage and 2 annoying girls next to me constantly doing 30 second intervals of Britney Spears club dancing with limited space amongst us, Rakim came out and it was well worth the wait. Known as one of the greatest and influential MCs, he entered onto the stage as Kid Capri played his new single Holy Are You off his anticipated upcoming album The Seventh Seal. Before even dropping one verse the crowd was hyped as he gave pounds to those in reach of him in front of the stage. It is instantly evident why he is proclaimed as a pioneer in Hip-Hop, as lyrically he’s on point with great flow and significant substance rather than lyrics straight out of MTV Cribs rappers edition. Many rappers pay homage to Rakim whether it’s in their lyrics, interviews or shows. He remains one of the most respected and talented emcees.

Rakim’s presence alone causes a stir, but once he starts to perform there is not much that can calm the crowd till the show is officially over. He pulled his signature habit of flipping his fitted cap numerous times backwards and forwards on his head while performing classics such as I Ain’t No Joke, Follow The Leader, Know The Ledge from the Juice soundtrack, You Got Soul, Mahogany, My Melody, As The Rhyme Goes On, Paid In Full, Microphone Fiend and In The Ghetto. There is always that debate of what is the difference between rap and hip-hop and people may ask which show this was, but clearly this was just a Rakim show, because he is still on a completely different level than a lot of performers out there.

I remember seeing Rakim perform at Paid Dues last year and before his set was finished, they had cut the mic on him, which is the utter most form of disrespect to any artist whether they are legendary or unknown. He had just made a heartfelt speech about recently losing a family member but still brought himself to Nokia Theater to perform for his fans as he is loyal to them as they are to him. I stood there in utter shock as Rakim tried speaking into a shut off mic as the house lights went up surrounded by angry and annoyed fans. For the most part I think the crowd were more pissed by the level of disrespect to their admired emcee than having bought a ticket in which the headliner had one of the shortest sets. Clearly he was annoyed as well but in Rakim fashion he made the best of the situation and stuck around to greet fans. At Highline Ballroom he was able to perform his whole set, including a second new track called No Man Above. Rakim owned the night and stuck around to take pictures, sign autographs and give pounds to his fans. I wait in anticipation for the long awaited release of The Seventh Seal which is suppose to drop this fall, but in the meantime the classics stay on rotation.

“Competing, ‘cuz I just put your mind on pause

And I can beat you when you compare my rhyme wit yours

I wake you up and as I stare in your face you seem stun

Remember me, the one you got your idea from.

But soon you start to suffer but you only got rougher

When you start to stutter that’s when you had enough of

Biting it, I Make you choke, you cant provoke

You cant cope, you should have broke, ‘cuz I ain’t no joke”

- I Ain’t No Joke

Natty S. aka NattyNiGhT

- After posting all the videos on my youtube channel I had received a text from my brother telling me how I get 47 lame points for recording 13 videos of U-God and 4 more for Rick Ross…. SMH I know!

Grandmaster Caz Performing "Yvette"

Spend a Fresh New Day With Fresh Daily!

2009-08-17T05:27:00.000-04:00

What could be better than getting a fresh new album to start your week with and having it signed by the artist himself? How about an in-store performance! Stop by Fatbeats tomorrow, August 18th, and pick up AOK Collective member Fresh Daily's new album "Gorgeous Killer", have it signed by him and stick around for an exclusive performance. If you have ever seen him perform on stage then you know you are guaranteed to have a good time! So come through to FatBeats to see Fresh Daily, hear his new music, get your album signed, take pictures and talk to him...don't be scared he doesnt bite! and while you're at it say hi to the Brown Bag All Stars since Fatbeats is their stomping ground...they welcome the attention.

Continue partying with Fresh Daily as he celebrates with Che Grand for their album releases at Southpaw in Brooklyn. Doors are at 10pm so you can still spend the saturday at the beach and make it to an unbelievable lineup of performers including Fresh Daily and Che Grand of course! as well as Tanya Morgan, Aok Members Homeboy Sandman, 8thW1, P.So and many more. This is definitely the place to be on saturday night!

See Ya There!

Natty S. aka NattyNiGhT