No sugarcoating here. Off the top of my head, Donny Goines is the first, and one of very few rappers still holding true to that traditional New York sound. That’s not to say his fellow Tri-State associates aren’t holding true to their roots, but everything he does (and wears) has those distinctive NYC characteristics. Read the rest of this entry »

Sensitive thugs please proceed to the nearest exit.

Digga’s guitar loop provides the gravitas for Donny, Emilio & J-Live to wave the Mutombo finger at those who’ve lost their sight while caught in the glitz and glamour.  Although its October release date has come and gone, Mr. Six Figga’s Person Of Interest still appears to be in the works. Read the rest of this entry »

Last year’s reigning 6th man of Hip-Hop, Donny Goines is ever relentless in making sure you remember his name. You would think that after two LPs in 12 months (including one of the best sleepers) one would sit back to catch their breath, but DG keeps his pace while others who started out fast are wheezing in the back. Read the rest of this entry »

^ Nice promo shot to grab your attention. Even nicer, mellow track produced by J. Glaze and featuring a couple of guys I favor, particularly Donny & Pinks. In fact, I’d like to now petition that Donny should be considered next time any New York heavyweight makes a remix or is looking for a collaborator. Read the rest of this entry »

New mixtape from Athletic Mic League’s Buff1 as he gathers his friends – both on the boards and the mic – for the release of It’s A 1nderful Life, mixed by fellow Crown Royale member DJ Rhettmatic. Watch for the duo to release an album in early 2010 on the MYX Music Label. Read the rest of this entry »

Donny Goines Live @ A3C from The Smoking Section on Vimeo.

Donny Goines refuses to fail.

Success in Hip-Hop has become increasingly elusive. Whether one aims to attain critical acclaim, 15 minutes of fame or commercial success, it’s no longer as straightforward as it may have once been. Read the rest of this entry »

If you were in Atlanta but weren’t @ The Five Spot last night for Perfect Attendance, you missed out on a good start to what’s going to be a great weekend. Since I’m still groggy (yes, even in the afternoon my ears still feel clogged like I went swimming), I’ll keep the words short. Don’t worry, more pics, footage and words to come.

– I’m surprised there’s any updates on other sites because every “internet artist” you can think of was either @ The Five or nearby. I don’t mean that as a negative thing because the purpose of events like these is to expose those not in the know about who’s next. Read the rest of this entry »

With fifty artists to cover, we figure we’ll give you a musical dosage in advance of what you’ll be hearing down @ A3C’s Perfect Attendance showcase, co-hosted by The TSS Crew. So each day, we’ll do a little division and feature seven to eight of the artists & their music.

Now, let the countdown begin with today’s offering. Read the rest of this entry »

October 1st to 3rd. A3C Festival, Atlanta, GA. Excited yet?

If not, here’s more reason to get hype.

Your beloved Section has partnered with SMKA Productions and the lovely Fadia Kader to bring you “A3C’s Perfect Attendance” showcase. Read the rest of this entry »

The untimely passing of filmmaker John Hughes shed significant light on what actually constituted as a great movie. Just glancing at his filmography, it was clear that he was he was a mastermind in capturing the joy and pains of societal American culture for the silver screen. In the realm of Hip-Hop, few have demonstrated an appreciation for this so quickly than Donny Goines. After all, his latest album, the stellar The Breakfast Club, borrows its title from one of the director’s most revered creations. Intrigued, TSS wanted to know how deep the level of sophistication was in Mr. Goines DVD collection.

Short Circuit [1986]

“An 80′s classic near and dear to my heart. I actually cried when I saw them goons beat on Johnny 5. I was a kid you know (Laughs) But the movie is one that has always been a favorite.” Read the rest of this entry »

Donny’s girl >>>

Seriously though: if you still haven’t downloaded The Breakfast Club, and you’re complaining about the lack of good music out there, your opinion is truly worthless.

Previously Posted — TSS Presents Smoking Sessions With Donny Goines | “Bring It Forward” – Review Of Donny Goines’ The Breakfast Club

Never underestimate the power of determination and merits of hard work. In just a little over a year, Donny Goines has made a prominent name for himself, appearing on countless guest verses and radio shows and even releasing his debut album Minute After Midnight last December. If sleep is the cousin of death, it shares no bloodline with Donny for he’s back with his 2nd project, The Breakfast Club in just a matter of months. The oft-entertaining, sometimes bloated endeavor showcases DG improving lyrical repertoire as well as creative depth in terms of record making. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

First off, big salute to all the fathers out there. On the streets, at war, at work, hustling, locked up, who still find strength to maintain and still keep the babies. You’re raising the future. We doff our hats to you.

Back to our regular scheduled programming. What did you miss this week?

- The Lakers sonned whatever that other team was The Magic.

- Sa-Ra and Raheem DeVaughn provided more music to make more babies to.

- Killer Mike re-emerged to discipline you truant children.

- We looked back at the Jordan True Blues, the mack daddy of all sneakers, in my dishonest opinion.

- The good folks at Slaughterhouse embarrassed their children and entertained the rest of us with a little skit.

- Playboy Tre returned to the internet. No father pun here Read the rest of this entry »

“If you don’t know my name, I’m not working hard enough” — Donny Goines.

Donny Goines said this to me shortly after I met him for the first time. I’d been given the opportunity to hang with him when he was opening for Talib Kweli’s group Idle Warship, who all were allegedly too busy to come upstairs and hang out with the common folk. Goines, who obviously had access to move about the club at will, never abandoned the guests whom he had brought to the show to go pop his collar with the headliners. Instead, he was gregarious and always willing to talk, taking the time to introduce me to several of his industry peers and ensuring I had all my needs taken care of.

That scene really speaks to the type of person that Goines is. “I’m a man first, artist second” he said at one point during in our interview. Meet him and you’ll never experience a moment where you doubt that. He never drinks or smokes, he never seems to get angry or impatient. His motivation and his artistic hustle are pure and honest. Combine all of those personality traits with his ever-growing talent, and you have one of the most admirable budding artists out there- a man and an artist that are both easy to root for.

A big thanks goes to Donny for his time. He’s always working, so do him a favor and remember his name. I don’t think it’s possible for him to work any harder.

TSS: So how’s everything Donny?

Donny Goines: Everything is good, I’m feeling blessed.

TSS: First and foremost, congratulations on your release of The Breakfast Club. You just had your release party, how did that go?

Donny Goines: Oh it was great man; it was cool vibes and good times, and that’s all I really care about at the end of the day. Everybody that came out had a good time, we ate a bunch of cereal and rocked out.

TSS: Yeah, I saw the pictures of the cereal, that was a nice touch. That was another reason why I was disappointed I missed it because I was hoping to get some Frosted Flakes.

Donny Goines: Yeah, we was missing the Crunch Berries though, but next time.

TSS: That’s your favorite, the Crunch Berries?

Donny Goines: Yeah man, I been eating a box of those for the past three days. I been surviving on Crunch Berries and fat-free milk (Laughs). But yeah, the listening party was a great time. It was the first time I’d performed any of the material off the new album and everybody there seemed real receptive, they were having a good time. Like I said, at the end of the day, all I really care about is good vibes. It was also nice because a lot of the artists that were on the album were able to come out and perform with me so it was a lot of fun.

TSS: Nice. Now, I know you got that quote, “if you don’t know my name I’m not working hard enough.” How did you come about that quote and why do you feel like it fits you so well?

Donny Goines: Funny you asked that because nobody ever asked me that question. I honestly don’t know when or why that quote came to me but I guess one day it just happened to pop up in my head. I don’t really remember why. But I was just like, “You know something? I’m gonna use this as my motto.” and that’s just a motto I’ve been living by ever since. I really feel as if artists always want to blame others for their lack of buzz, or whatever the case may be. It’s always the labels fault or whoever. But, as far as my music goes, if people don’t know my name, then I’m doing something wrong. It’s my fault, it ain’t nobody else’s fault. I really hold myself accountable as far as my promotions and things like that, that’s why I’m very hands on with everything I do. At the same time, I’m one of those kind of people, who I feel like people should be aware of. So, I make sure that every day I wake up, somebody new knows my name.

TSS: I think one of the things that I appreciate most about hearing that is that it’s just a refreshing take on the business. Like you said, a lot of artists do find other factors to blame their failures on. How did you gain that perspective? Is that just you? Have you always been like that? Read the rest of this entry »