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.
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 blogas 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.
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 advanceand $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!
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.
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.
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 andNobodybeatsthelizlike 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 EHolla 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 Timesabout 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!
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.
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 10th anniversary release of Internal Affairs. On October 17th, 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!
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
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
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
I'm a Music Documentarian... Going to concerts and underground shows taking pictures and videos of the artists performing and now writing about the experiences on "Still On Vinyl!"
