Words By Jesse H.

There’s something about Brooklyn.

After you’ve lived in New York City long enough to understand the subtle nuances of the subway system (knowing the color of the train you need and the actual letter of the train you need is a very pivotal difference), you begin to have a certain respect for the intrinsic cultural differences of each borough-especially as a Hip-Hop fan.

Staten heads don’t even refer to the island by it’s formal name, thanks to you know what crew. Harlem heads champion Cam’s street stubbornness. Queens residents rock hoodies and Timberlands in mid-summer and fiend for grimey ghetto-narratives. Bronx folk are the old heads who glower at the mention of Solja Boy and the latest dance trend. But there’s something interesting about Brooklyn. Brooklynites like their lyricists pure, their drum snaps crisp and their looped samples mid-tempo. And while Brooklyn fans arguably are the snobbiest (ask any Brooklyn resident, and they’ll tell you ad nauseum about how they “refined” the craft), the list of top-20 caliber emcees that call Brooklyn home is indisputably impressive. So what better place for an independent New York Hip-Hop festival to call home? All the requisite pure-Hip Hop characteristics were on display in excess at Brooklyn Bodega’s 5th Annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival.

The event got a righteous initiation on Friday with the kick-off party (salute to Noah from BB for organizing). Brooklyn Brewery supplied the booze, DJ’s spun throwback Read the rest of this entry »

Available now @ marqueesole. Hit the break for additional pics. Read the rest of this entry »

Soccer just might snatch the first highlight of SportsCenter tonight. A World Cup might not have been played, but the United States MNT played their own—and won. Drawn against Spain in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup, the U.S. MNT snatched their biggest victory in history, beating the number-one ranked team in the world.

Just last summer, the Spaniards were crowned the champions of Europe, continuing on a 35-game unbeaten streak since. Italy down. Russia down. Germany down. England down. (Azerbaijan, too.) Everyone. Even in club ball, Barcelona claimed continental supremacy with an easy win against Manchester in May, fielding a strong Spanish contingent itself.

Today’s matchup with the U.S. was a forgone conclusion—a warm-up for a potential encounter with Brazil in the Final. 25 minutes in, bulldozing striker Jozy Altidore was Read the rest of this entry »

Visualism for Frank (minus Dank) and DJ Quik’s recent concoction. Apparently, Quik couldn’t make the shoot. That’s alright though as they showcased lots of old English D’s in the mix instead…in LA, nonetheless. Considering half of Detroit hip-hop lives out there now, I guess that makes sense. Read the rest of this entry »

Initially, we were all under the assumption that the 21st was the last day for Valsport voting. But apparently, they’re on CPT so…last call.

Vote For L.

It’s a fine opportunity to be affiliated with a winning woman.

Thank You.

No green screens or pseudo backdrops; only a chained (but still occupied?) Pink City, Pill’s OG stomping grounds. No actors or models, but all authentic individuals who happened Read the rest of this entry »

I saw this on the news this morning & all you can really say is “Damn!” One amazing aside (besides actually being hit by a car) is that the parents didn’t Read the rest of this entry »

Industry Rule #4083: Boy bands wear matching clothes.

Curtis is supposedly recording and releasing several videos for his War Angel LP. That gives me yet another reason not to listen to it or him for a while. The main difference between Get Rich Or Die Trying and everything that followed is 50 Cent’s dwindling focus. Back then, that album was Read the rest of this entry »

DJ Concept back again in your area, this time with a mix for the lushes, party animals & those longing for nostalgia.

Who remembers the old St. Ides commercials? Go ahead, raise your hand & show your age a bit, it’s OK. I did this set live on our radio show (www.milkcrateradio.com) and then decided to re-record it for your listening pleasure. I figured the best way to get over hump day would be to drop some weekend, fun, drinking type joint on yall. Go grab a 40 and hit play. Shouts to my mans Chief Chinchilla & J-Zone for the inspiration on this one & make sure you go pick up their album of Malt Liquor jingles called Live @ The Liqua Sto – RIGHT NOW!

Hit the break for the tracklisting & link. Read the rest of this entry »

The Man tore down what remained of Tiger Stadium the other day, much to the chagrin of local yokels and Ty Cobb fans the world over. It was the kind of old-timey stadium that made you want to eat Cracker Jack from a box, bring your little-league glove (just in case of that pop fly) and pray that someone someone SOMEone would hit a homer into the lights; showering sparks and glass over the outfield.

Me? Yeah, I mean, I was a little disheartened to hear the news. But it was a foregone conclusion the building of Sparky Anderson and big-ass Cecil Fielder would fall. It had become Read the rest of this entry »

Words By S. Cadet

It’s no secret that we all love music but there’s such a thing as having too much of one thing. I’m not one to talk because my internet browsing sphere is extremely limited outside of rap blogs/sites. I mean I live on the edge sometimes. I check my mail, read the news, catch up on sports and get my geek on with Engadget and Joystiq. Still rap takes a huge chunk out of my site rotation and it’s pretty sad.

So ladies and gentlemen, here’s a list of symptoms that plague regular rap blog readers. Keep in mind that these are in no particular order and if many apply you need to log the hell off and get a new hobby or something. Here we go.

1. Your punch lines are copyrighted from public figures/celebrities.

2. Jojo @ 1:50 is seared into your brain.

3. You know that “TIs” can’t be confused your favorite incarcerated rapper.

4. You hate on Bol Crawford but you read his work every day.

5. Eli Porter and T Baby are in your top ten DOA based off of comedy alone… Read the rest of this entry »

Remember ol’Star Face, the innocent damsel who asked for 3 star tattoos on her face…then fell asleep, awaking with 56 stars across her head? The one who look like she got a money shot from Orion © Mo’ G? Remember her?

Yeah, she lied. Read the rest of this entry »

Sure,it’s far from “salvage” when you’re posted in front of a Ferrari but that’s the only frame of reference that came to mind when I saw this. Older Swizz shared a tweet pic of Kaseem Jr., aka Smaller Swizz, the other day. It’s so kuhyute © Kim Parker.

Not the best execution but ill idea nevertheless.

Crown Collective Angels & Demon available @ Workmens.com.

He’s been formally introduced around these parts, so here’s CurT@!ns latest mixtape The Great Adventures of Dope Boy C: Dope For President. If it’s anything like the few cuts we’ve heard so far, this should be high in content value. Hit more for the tracklist & link to vote for Dope Boy C. Read the rest of this entry »