I remember going to P.A. Palace in Capitol Plaza Mall as a teenager and, in addition to whatever new Backyard tape that dropped, picking up all the new “NY shit.” DJ Clue, DJ Absolut, Cutmaster C, etc.–I bought it all. Sometime in the mid-90s Hip-Hop became enamored with the mafia and all of those tapes were inundated with beats all seemingly based on The Godfather Waltz. Read the rest of this entry »

The Analog Tape is a thirty-minute sampling of J57’s skill behind the boards, a little something to bob your head to. That may sound generic as hell, sure, but The Analog Tape’s quality from the very beginning. Read the rest of this entry »

The Brown Bag brothers are set to hit stores with Brown Bag Season Vol. 1, on 5.17 via DJ Brace’s Nostomania Records and, if you’re in the NYC area, consider adding their 5.21 release party to your day planner. Read the rest of this entry »

This video rocks. I’ve had a strong dislike for clowns ever since one hustled a friend & I outta video game money with a double sided coin when I was eight. At a birthday party no less. So I don’t need any background as to why Khan is being chased by killer clowns in the rain, I was already on his side when I saw them flank him on the bench. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever since Meka moved to New York, game got real. Our homies over at the (2)Dopehouse show their love and appreciation for the Big Apple rap circuit with their mixtape A (2)Dope Mixtape: Empire State Edition. Read the rest of this entry »

Normally, we don’t post too many behind the scenes clips. But I’ll make an exception on this one because I loved the video and the song…yet I know little to nothing about this team, minus the fact that their sound is dynamic & enjoyable. Read the rest of this entry »

Brown Bag is back better than ever with a video for “Undeniable (Audible Doctor Remix),” one of two exclusive bonus tracks off the Brown Bag AllStars’ new release The Brown Tape.I know I’ve been gushing over these guys for a while (||) but when I listen to their music, I can trace the time line of what Hip-Hop once was & will always be. Read the rest of this entry »

Obviously biased because John Public worked with us at one time, I’ve always admired his work (with the pen & mic) and I still play the Thrift Shop Experience album once a month on Wednesday. You? You’ll probably know him for his Loud Favorites series. So, that said, I’ll let John say what he says (i.e. cut & paste the email)… Read the rest of this entry »

Say what you say but even though I’ve lost track of the days, Brown Bag Season has been consistently well worth listening & attention. Read the rest of this entry »

Words by Jesse H.

Anybody who has experienced the actual BQE knows how upsetting, frustrating and inconvenient it can be. Fortunately, the Brown Bag AllStars’ “Brooklyn Queens Expressway” is none of these things.

Producer Marink supplies a nicely cut up piano riff and sprinkles it with a matching flute loop. But if the beat is the concrete, the group is the crafty drivers Read the rest of this entry »

The AllStars link up with DJ Skizz, from the legendary NYC Radio Show: The Halftime Show, for a throwback track. Paying homage to the sound of the early 90′s with DJ Skizz on the smoothed out beat.

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Download — Brown Bag AllStars – “Live From the Nine”

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 »

When these cats actually miss putting out a dope song for their Brown Bag Season, I’ll assume hell will have frozen over. Produced by DJ Dyllemma along with cuts by DeeJay Element

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Download — Brown Bag AllStars – “Got It All”

Previously Posted — Brown Bag AllStars – “Dumbin’ Out”

My enthusiasm may not come across in mere words but these kids are killin’ it. I won’t keep repeating all the praises for what they’re managing to do, which is basically be that one crew that sends me an entertaining song every day. Never “monumental,” but always good.

This morning it’s “Dumbin’ Out,” produced Read the rest of this entry »

Having no concrete idea of who the Brown Bag All-Stars (Audible Doctor, J57, KONCEPT, Soul Khan, DJ GOO Punch, E Holla, Deejay Element) aside from the fact that they’re doing daily installments called “Brown Bag Season” and they keep Read the rest of this entry »