from top left to right: Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3
A battle of the East and West Coast! SouthOx recently posted this gem as streaming audio on Youtube and made me reminisce on the night I taped it off 105.9 FM New York radio when it originally aired in the late 90's. I had to post it up here to share with those who never heard this great display of breaks by two talented turntablists. This is part of the essence of hip hop I love from the early days: DJs battling each other through their knowledge of records and skills on the 1's & 2's. Whether you know each record they play or not, this is very entertaining to listen to!
Stay tuned I'll have crisp audio mp3 links of this event posted here later this week taken from my own cassette copy of the show.
Head over to Amazon.com for a preview of the Wu Massacre album, which drops March 30th. I already have high hopes for this release based on the feeling I got hearing the album leaks "Steppin' To Me", "Mef vs. Chef 2" and "Our Dreams, it reminds me of the excitement of discovering their music on underground radio in the mid to late 90's.
The previews of the Wu Massacre sound like Meth, Rae & Ghost are sticking to their roots of sound which define their deep, unique musical identity in hip hop while bringing something fresh and new through a display of above-average lyrical skill, street images and production. These guys know what makes hip hop addictive, giving you the urge to want to travel to the store and buy the physical album copy.
DJ Grand Wizard Theodore, inventor of the turntable scratch, sits down for an interview in an elegant, secluded church in the Netherlands to discuss his contribution to hip hop during it's beginnings. This is a short documentary on Theodore as one of the most important DJs of hip hop, he gives an understanding of a DJ's role in the culture based on witnessing the history as a technical innovator and skilled practitioner. I really like to hear pioneers who are still active in the culture today speak as a root of the enormous tree hip hop has become, it helps to de-mystify many of the misconceptions that are presented today in media and realize what hip hop is truly meant for.
Of all hip hop producers of the last decade, Hi-Tek is one who has helped bring back a certain level of artistic integrity to the craft of production through a diverse and inventive collection of hip hop and R&B beats. If there is anyone who brought attention back to the raw, classic elements of using a simple setup for sample manipulation of vinyl while pushing it to new heights, it is Hi-Tek.
Hi-Tek has done a good job in remaining an influential creative force by surpassing the level of underground collaborations which defined his name and sound, going on to work with artists of mainstream and use more diverse sonic palettes. Although there have been many gems dropped by Hi-Tek since his success in working as an in-house producer, his debut classic "Train Of Thought" with Talib Kweli may be his defining album as an artist. It is one of only a few albums I can truly think of post-2000 as "a work of art", showing the desirable results to be obtained through combined passion, talent and dedication to hip hop's history and artform. Many album releases of hip hop after "Train Of Thought" are pale in comparison to the ideas Hi-Tek brought in providing compositions of sound that evoke emotion, play on deeper levels of the imagination and elevate the verbal imagery brought to you by the lyricist.
In this video, Hi-Tek gives a brief history of how he came into recognition as a hip hop producer by linking with Talib Kweli to form Reflection Eternal in the late 90's, gives upcoming artists advice on how to follow the right path and shares hsi opinions of the direction of hip hop music into the future. Check for some dope footage in between the interview of Kweli & Hi-Tek performing live as RE for a Canadian crowd.
Soul Portraits
In keeping with the theme of music, art and life here at the blog, I would like to present a beautiful display of photography from Alex of Soul Portrait. This collection captures much of the essence and desire of 60's and 70's African American life I feel when looking at the record sleeves while shopping for vinyl or going through my relatives old photos.
This gallery of photography made me realize how much the images on album covers play a part in the digging culture and lifestyle, it's acts as a mirror of times past that a newer generation can learn from. I would definitely feel a sense of emptiness if I went to a record store and wasn't greeted with such a variety of beautiful images!
As a visual artist of African American/West Indian descent, I like to get an idea of the creativity and persona of each musician beyond their album based on the cover photography, also a look back into my own heritage. It's a great feeling to let my imagination wonder about the life experiences of the artists and what type of sound will come from the album once I pick it up from the crates and look at the cover. Then once I get home and take a listen I gain a whole different experience in the music.
Check for many more Soul Portrait images at Alex's photostream on Flickr, which also doubles as a gallery for his great podcast mixes and concert updates. http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexs4r/
DJ Premier's Live From Headcquarterz is one of my favorite hip hop radio programs of today. He gets straight to the point by providing a good selection of hip hop, outstanding turntable skills, guests and commentary about current hip hop based on history of the culture. This episode features an appearance by Justin-Elam Ruff and the always entertaining Rhymefest. I've been listening to Premier spin live on radio since his show on WBLS FM New York, if you're looking for someone to help you cut through the over-saturation and filler we get in today's hip hop market, he's one of the best choices to satisfy you're eardrums.
Download Part One
Download Part Two
Live From HeadQCourterz 3-5-10 Playlist
from Live From Headcquarterz:
1. Gang Starr–Moment Of The Truth
2. Sauce Money–Snipershot
3. Kid Capri–Turn It Out
4. Rap Attack–Fresh & Fly
5. Nick Javas–Not A Game
6. Rhymefest (f. Little Brother)–How High
7. B.E.T. Cypher (f. Rhymefest, Remy Ma, Saigon, Sway)
8. Rhymefest (f. Twan Gabz)–Truth On You
9. Smiley The Ghetto Child–I’m Legend
10. Sadat X (f. ILL BiLL)–X & BiLL
11. Rhymefest–Talk My Shit
12. Rhymefest–RNC(Real Nigga Quotes)
13. Joell Ortiz–Project Boy
14. Strong Arm Steady (f. Montage One, Evidence, Oh No, Roc C)–True Champs
15. Rhymefest–Chicago
16. JoJo Pelligrino–Devastate
17. Nutso (f. Royal Flush, Mic Geronimo)–This Is My Hood
18. Capone-N-Noreaga–4 The World
This podcast by DJ Skeme Richards of The Rocksteady Crew provides excellence in soul and funk gems, featuring artists such as James Brown, Rufus Thomas, The Vibrettes, and more. This is a great listening experience especially since the work on the turntables is coming from a traditional hip hop DJ who is grounded in the culture and history of breaks, blending, record knowledge and crowd control. Skeme also teams up with Cash Money and Amir of Kon & Amir for some memorable DJ sets.
Not only is this a source of music a deep crate digging to sit back and relax to in the house, but it is also a great learning experience of music, some of the greatest qualities I hear in all my favorite DJs. I enjoy listening to mixes like these as summertime relaxation.
http://djskemerichards.podomatic.com
This is a posse cut that made me take notice from the uncut rawness of the delivery and production, the persona brought by these 4 MCs reminds me of the essence of New York hip hop as much as the vivid street visuals captured in the full length video by Rick Swagger. "Givin' Up" features veterans Shyheim and Ty Nitty of Infamous Mobb along with CRIPPLED, Fed-Up & Bankroll, produced by Shroom. This is the type of unity and hard work between New York hip hop artists that is needed to rise us up above the rest, as a +20 year resident I've been waiting for this sound as well as the realness of street life which comes across in the music.
"Givin' Up" is a taste of gutter, street lyricism in the tradition of skilled MCs who are able to take a piece of their life and put into song, with visuals enough to bring about the sounds of project hallways and the smell of the sidewalk pavement.
I've been taping WNYU radio since the mid-90's before DJ Eclipse took over the show from DJ Mayhem & Martin Moore and I must say it's great to have streaming video technology to watch and listen to one of the best anniversary shows of New York underground hip hop left! I don't see as much talk about this event online as I feel it truly deserves, so I decided to post the event here for you to absorb all the greatness this show has to offer.
This is a live display of hip hop featuring talented producers showcasing their beats for a studio full of MCs to rhyme over. On the production is DJ Babu, DJ Scratch of EPMD and Khrysis of The Justus League. I'll let you listen to the show yourself and leave the lineup of MCs as a surprise.
Audio of the 12th Anniversary courtesy of ItsDJEclipse: Download Part 1 and Part 2
During the release of Guru's 1996 independent project Baldhead Slick & The Click, he stopped by Pete Rock & Marley Marl's radio show Future Flavors to shut it down on the freestyle tip with a collective of artists on his Ill Kid Records label. Rest in peace to Keith "The Guru" Elam.
This is a good step in the direction of increased portability for turntables, the "Sound Burger" also known as "Mister Disc" by Audio-Technica is a vintage piece of audio equipment manufactured in the 80s that has resurfaced in the online marketplace. After seeing this beauty, I wondered why a company like Vestax would release a more bulky portable turntable decades after the Sound Burger which seems like the ideal choice in design and size.
