March 2nd, 2010 § 0
Feel the music from the Golden Era and get your old school hustle on!
Technics Japan and DJ Shark present Back in Da Days Vol. 6, a night of classic old school hip-hop with a splash of soul, reggae and funk. Taking place at Deity on Friday, March 5, this monthly party will feature the turntable stylings of the very lovely, very talented DJ Chela.
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March 2nd, 2010 § 1
Toby, one half of hip-hop group Inverse, will be performing his first solo show on Friday, March 5, at Air Conditioned in Venice, California. He’ll be backed by the band Manifest and stunning vocalist Mary Akpa.
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February 1st, 2010 § 0
This past Saturday, rising hip-hop star The MC Faceman rocked the stage at Asian fusion restaurant Amber Village.
The Queens born, Brooklyn-bred MC performed never before heard cuts from his upcoming as-yet-untitled album, including “Bobbleheads” and “Infinite Possibilities,” as well as mixtapes faves like the ABBA-sampling “A Rich Man’s World.” He was also joined by a noticeably caffeinated Warren Britt for the mixtape smash “PENETRATE!!!” The highlight of the show, however, had to be the infectious “Piff Wit It,” featuring Britt and Precise IV of Illicit Visionariez.
Check out photos and videos of the night’s performances after the jump.
January 28th, 2010 § 2
Brooklyn’s own Faceman will be performing live at Amber Village this Saturday, January 30th.
The energetic MC will performing four songs from his upcoming debut album in addition to a few crowd faves. Joining him will be his fellow brothers in lyrical piffness, Warren Britt and Precise IV, and afterward, Faceman will be passing out copies of his Penetration mixtape.
January 28th, 2010 § 1
DJ Dummy hits Deity Lounge for his first NYC party of 2010, right before heading to Floss Angeles for the Grammys.
He’ll be rockin’ the 2-story downtown Brooklyn gem on Saturday, January 30th, with the sounds of hip-hop, classics, 80s, reggae and anything that will get your booty shaking. Polish those dancing shoes … he apologizes in advance for making you sweat and hurting your feet!
January 18th, 2010 § 1
Look, I’m a Nicki Minaj fan. Sure, she’s riding the Lil Kim train a lil too hard, and sure, she can go overboard with the Wayneisms. But the woman can spit, simple and plain. I don’t understand how people can continue to deny this.
After dropping one of last year’s hottest mixtapes with Beam Me Up, Scotty, Nicki the Ninja has returned with Barbie World, a new collection of tunes to keep us satiated until she drops her debut album. The track listing is as after the jump.
January 12th, 2010 § 0
Hip-hop godfather Afrika Bambaataa promises to play your favorite blasts and take you back to the past this Thursday, January 14, at Le Poisson Rouge, where he’ll be spinning electro, funk, hip-hop, pop, disco, house, punk.
Assisting in the musical ministry will be Low B of Hollertronix & MoC favorite Roxy Cottontail. Doors open at 10pm, and party people will start gettin’ funky at 11pm. Tickets are $10 at the door, or you can get them in advance for $8 by visiting Le Poisson Rouge’s website.
Le Poisson Rouge
(between Sullivan St & Thompson St)
New York, NY 10012
212.505.3474
A/C/E/B/D/F/V to W 4th St.
1 to Houston St.
R/W to Prince St.
January 6th, 2010 § 0
Tonight, head out to Tillman’s Bar & Lounge for another round of Tillman’s Live, hosted by Damion Williams and Justine Masters.
DJ Erika Hamilton will be on the turntables mixing in sets of fresh funk, soul, and hip-hop between delectable sets of live music. Tonight’s going to be about beautiful people, delicious food, and outstanding music—expect nothing but cozy, sexy, cool, and seriously fresh energy! Everything gets underway at 8pm and there’s no cover.
Tillman’s Bar and Lounge
165 W. 26th Street
(btwn 6th and 7th Aves.)
New York, NY 10184
212-627-8320
1 to 28th St-7th Ave.
PATH to 23rd Street
F/V to 23rd St-6th Ave.
January 6th, 2010 § 0
Orlando’s rising son Wes Fif keeps it hood in the video for his latest single “I’m Tellin’ Ya.”
The slick looking, black-and-white clip was helmed by director Lavado Stubbs, and I’m pretty sure I caught a glimpse of Snuggie loving hip-hop impresario L.B. tying a bandana around his neck. Gangsta!
It’s advisable you don’t borrow Wes’ automobile without asking first.
Make sure to download Wes Fif’s mixtape with DJ Spinatik entitled Just Watch Me, a collection hard hitting street anthems with a few smoothed out records for the ladies. The mixtape features fellow Florida artists Kevin Cossom, C-Ride, Papa Duck, and Fif’s newly formed Street Smart Music crew Hoodlym and Ill Essense.
December 29th, 2009 § 0
If you’re like me, you can’t wait for 2010 to get here. Fortunately, the good people at Moe’s Bar in Brooklyn are kicking off the festivities a day early.
Come out tomorrow, Wednesday, December 30th, and have a drink (or two, or three) as DJ Les Boogie serves you a platter of funk, soul, hip-hop, pop & rock.
Sure, it may be a bit nippy. But no worries: Moe’s was voted one of TimeOut New York’s top bars near a subway. There’s no cover, so come for happy hour until 8pm, then stay and get your boogie on from 9pm-1am.
Moe’s
80 Lafayette Ave
(at South Portland St.)
Brooklyn, NY 11217
718-797-9536
C to Lafayette Ave.
G to Fulton St.
December 29th, 2009 § 0
The man who made it once again cool to wear your sunglasses in the club is now out to shock you.
Hip-pop artist Flawless joins super-producer Timbaland and pop music prince Justin Timberlake on the remix to “Carry Out,” the latest single from Timbaland’s solo studio album, Shock Value II. Take a listen below.
Flawless hosts the mixtape Fresh Joints, Vol. 1: The Takeover, which drops in February 2010 to coincide with his upcoming UK tour. In the meantime, you can download “Carry Out (Part 2)” via the link below.
Shouts to J. Coop of Impressive Music for the link.
December 29th, 2009 § 0
After nearly a year of toiling away in the studio, hip-hop collective R.Me releases its debut album, Still Untitled Til’ This Day today.
According to group member Real, Still Untitled … is not an album merely filled with singles & fillers. “[It's] broken up into four Acts, similar to a theatrical play,” Real says. “The whole LP is a metaphor, which you will gain understanding of after listening to the project.” Real proclaims the album is well layered and has many dimensions to it. “It might sound like a bit much for simple listeners,” he says, “but we would have been bored with making a typical album.”
Still Untitled Til’ This Day is available for purchase at www.rebelsmusicempire.com.
December 24th, 2009 § 2
Since it’s the season of gift giving, I thought I’d give a very special present to all of my friends, fans, readers, and anyone else fortunate enough to stumble upon this area of Teh Internets. I am going to share my classic hip-hop mixtape Never Lost My Touch.
Some of you are probably surprised. Some are rolling your eyes. But make no mistake, there’s a good number of you nodding your head and wistfully smiling in remembrance. Before I get to the music, let me give a little history lesson.
Like every other young black man in America, I once had the crazy idea that I was a dope rapper. Well, maybe not dope, but I figured I had a decent enough command of words and love of music that I could do it. I could make it work. So, back in 2005, I began writing and recording the songs on this album.
Never Lost My Touch, or NLMT for short, did two things for me: First, it served as a response to all the negativity I was facing at that period in my life. I wasn’t doing too well—financially or emotionally—and the very people I thought had my back were the very ones persecuting me. These were people who thought my efforts and ideas were lame, futile, stupid. These were not the imaginary haters that so many rappers rage against in their music. These people were real, and I knew their faces and heard the things they said about me. So this enabled me to not only speak back directly to them, but to also show them what I could accomplish even at the lowest point in my life.
Second, this album really helped my popularity as a party promoter skyrocket. I pressed up about 1000 copies—and when I say I did it, I mean I actually sat down with a stack of CDs and a duplicator and burned each CD by myself. I even printed the info on each CD and put them in each jewel case. The only thing I didn’t do was design the CD insert, and that was what came out wrong, of all things. As you can see above, the insert is a complete jack of the classic Chronic cover. That wasn’t my intent, and that isn’t what I’d asked my guy to do.
Ah well.
It was certainly eye-catching, and I would leave copies of NLMT on the bars and tables of the clubs I promoted. Within weeks, my phone wouldn’t stop ringing, my inbox was filling up at an exponential rate, and the ladies … well, the ladies were a lot friendlier.
Never Lost My Touch made its debut Memorial Weekend 2006. If you were in Miami around that time, you probably heard something off this disc, for real. They even played a few songs in the clubs I was working in at the time (RIP Suite Lounge & Snatch Rock n’ Roll Bar and Lounge).
I’m not going to delude myself into thinking I’m a great rapper. But I am very proud of NLMT. Not only did I basically hold down the entire album by myself, save a sole assist from my boy Esquire, but I produced every track on here. That’s right. I got down with ProTools, Reason, a MIDI keyboard, and did the damn thing. Chopped every sample. Sequenced every track. Programmed every drum. And mixed it to the best of my capabilities. And it was all done in my living room. No studio, no booth. In the middle of the living room. So what you have now is something I consider a small success and personal classic.
Each track on the album can be streamed below. Feel free to take a listen, and if you want the entire mixtape, there’s a download link at the end of the post. Enjoy!
Stone Cold Groove
When I discovered the Vanilla Fudge sample that sets the foundation for this track, I fell in love with it. Pete Rock was the one who put e on to Vanilla Fudge. Yes, that Pete Rock. I met him in a Miami recording studio when he was working with Mr. Cheeks of the Lost Boyz and he showed a ton of things I never would’ve learned otherwise. That’s only one reason why he’s my favorite producer.
To answer the question that’s been asked of me many times, yes, I was talking to the aforementioned haters them in this song. I was mad as hell, I was angry. I wrote the first verse in Brooklyn during the holidays. I was listening to TI’s Urban Legend because it had just come out, and I kept “Bring ‘Em Out” on repeat on the iPod. That’s the song I wrote to. The second verse was something else that I’d already written and just had saved on my Sidekick, but it sounded really cool to me.
I’m So Proper
Before NLMT, I actually recorded a mixtape called Just A Touch … It was really just me playing around with oher people’s equipment, getting a feel for what things did and how things worked. This song was originally on Just A Touch …, but then some people heard some of my songs and made fun of how proper I sound when I rhyme. That’s why I’m so belligerent on the intro. I changed the first line to “I’m so proper, so respect my gentleman.”
The song samples Average White Band. I was going to use a completely different part of the song, but somehow ended up with the bits that were ultimately used. Turned out much better in my opinion. And I’m a fan of Tony Yayo, so I threw in the little “here we go!” sample.
As with all of the interludes on the album, the voice mails are real. That’s my homegirl and Cocoasis sister Nia.
Paper Cuts
Someone told me this is my first club banger. It was really just me taking the Yvonne Fair song that’s been sampled umpteen times and trying to do something—anything—different with it. I was going to give this beat to a local MC, but like so many aspiring rappers, his work ethic was not what it should have been. You snooze, you lose. I’ve noticed that dope boy types like this song a lot.
When the beat switches up to the more familiar part of the sample at the end, you’ll hear me rhyming about some, ahem, criminal endeavors. That was actually a verse I wrote for another beat I’d made, a little minute long song. Of course, I’m no gun totin’, dope slangin’ cat, I just wanted to see if I could write that type of rhyme. Maybe the world will get to hear it in its entirety one day.
Get Ooh (featuring Esquire)
Originally, this beat was going to be the album’s “Memphis song.” I knew I was going to include something that paid respect to my hometown and this was the perfect beat. It had the Crystal Palace/skating rink vibe, something to groove to on a Sunday afternoon drive with the top down.
My homeboy Esquire loved the beat and wanted to do something over it. He’d just written an R&B song called “Can You Be The One” for a track that a mutual producer friend had, but the track was later sold to Bobby Valentino. One day, while messing around, I pulled this up and he began singing the song he’d written. Of course, he starts to freestyle, and once I heard him sing, “No, you can’t f*ck me for freeeeeee/I’m gonna charge you a feeeeeee,” I knew this was a hit. I wrote a quick little verse and jumped on the track.
I love this song because of the energy and spontaneity. I was drunk, Esquire was high, and we were just acting silly. And yes, we are aware that he can’t sing at all. That’s part of the joke. Duh.
Baby Girl
The first song I actually produced and recorded for NLMT. This actually appeared on my boy dramaMEAN’s Dramatic Tactickz, Vol. 2 mixtape. I also think it’s noteworthy because I tried doing something with Pretty Ricky’s “Grind On Me.”
My Cup Runneth
Another song originally on Just A Touch … Not much to say, except that the very first version was made in summer 2004, six months before “Bring ‘Em Out” and “I’m A Hustla.” I’ve always been ahead of my time.
Things Never Last
Probably my favorite song on the album. When I wrote this, I was in a dark state of mind. I was not at a high-point in life, and I was really feeling like things were never going to happen for me. The record I sampled, by J.J. Johnson, I discovered by accident. I know people have gotten sick of the chipmunk soul sound, but in a lot of cases, I think it works beautifully. I know this is my own song, but I truly believe this is one of those cases.
Memphis Nights (Night Life)
Yet another song originally on Just A Touch … I really hadn’t planned on redoing this, but I’m glad I did. The original version utilized the familiar Crusaders sample “Ballad For Joe (Louis)” that Meth and Red used for “How High” and Next used for “Represent Me.” In this instance, I decided to go back and use Rick James’ “Hollywood.” A lot of people aren’t up on Three 6 Mafia’s early catalog and will probably never make the connection between this song and “Da Summa” (which is my favorite Three 6 song).
At the end, I shout out Paul & Juice, as well as Eightball & MJG, and a host of other Memphis legends. Then I shouted out then up-and-comers Chopper Girl and Da Volunteers.
Again, the voicemail at the end is real. That’s my homegirl Candy, and as we can all hear, she’s freaky deaky.
Candy’s Interlude
And so I sampled the freaky deakiness. This is supposed to be another Memphis throwback. The mixtapes back then—they were actual mixtapes, too—had songs that were simply repeated phrases over a bumpin’ beat. What’s crazy is that several Miami rappers actually wanted to buy this beat from me.
That’s Hot
This is not only my ode to Paris Hilton, it’s also a tribute to everything that was fabulous in, around, and about South Beach. This is the ultimate Jay Fingers song. Rapper Louie Knuckles said that the lyrics were “flashy as f*ck.” And no one would ever guess that I took damn near half a verse from Puffy for this. (Or would they??)
And the beat is so hip-hop … I did more chopping than a three-star sushi chef. The sample is Charles Byrd’s “Arabesque.” My people from SC (not South Carolina) may remember when Dr. Peter Ego posted a song that all the so-called producers were supposed to sample for a beat. I never posted it for them to hear, but this is what I did with that sample. Also, the intro is hilarious. Of course I don’t know Paris in real life.
“That’s Hot” was an eleventh hour addition to NLMT, and turned out to be one of the mixtape’s most popular songs. Heh.
Never Lost My Touch
The title song. Not much to say except I think it was the perfect way to close the album. Some people say it’s their favorite song on the mixtape. Others have told me it motivates them. It’s funny to me that over three years later, people will still quote this song to me. Hmmm. Another Memphis throwback, as I sampled The Isley Brothers’ “Summer Breeze,” which a lot of Memphis cats rhymed over back in the day. The difference is, I used the live version, obvs.
So there it is. If you enjoyed the songs enough, feel free to download the mixtape right here. Perhaps I’ll upload some more songs that I made as well. And who knows, maybe I’ll step back into the booth one day.
December 15th, 2009 § 1
W-I-Z never strays too far from his comfort zone. For years, the Miami-based producer/MC has been spitting viciously fluid battle raps, punishing imaginary opponents with verbal assaults reminiscent of Canibus, pre-Wyclef. His instrumentals are as quirky as he is, typically composed of heavy 808 drums, hollow snares, and an electrofunk sensibility informed by groups like Kraftwerk, Afrika Bambaataa, and Mantronix. That’s why it’s surprising, and a maybe a little bit refreshing, to hear this latest gem from the Fearless Soulz factory.
From its introductory horns and histrionic vocals, “Hypnotics” segues into a high energy soul sample punctuated by caffeinated snares and kicks. After a quick Johnny Kemp shout-out, W-I-Z launches into his verses, nimbly riding the beat with effortless aplomb. Though the song has an undeniable club and radio friendly vibe, W-I-Z remains subversive as ever with tongue-in-cheek lyrics detailing an encounter with a scheming, unscrupulous female. Despite the female’s best attempts to get over, W-I-Z isn’t fazed. It’s just a game: “I wasn’t trump tight that night/But I had four and a possible/Despite that, I quit/And dipped/With a joker/Instead of lettin’ the queen ride, I/Should’ve stayed and played poker/That’s the devil fo’ ya.”
Putting a unique spin on a familiar topic, “Hypnotics” proves W-I-Z has the ability to step outside the lyrical arena and still deliver a knockout blow. Here’s to hoping his upcoming debut album has more of the same.
December 15th, 2009 § 0
Weezy F.’s dream has come true.
The long-awaited collab with Maniacal Marshall has hit Teh Interwebs. Both rip it and thankfully there’s not a drop of Autotune.
No lengthy dissertation. Just listen.
Yeah, I liked “On Fire” and I like this one, too. Rebirth is shaping up to be alright in my book.
“Drop the World” was produced by ChaseNCashe and HitBoy of The Surf Kids.
