I won’t front like I’m privy to any insider info but I think a little birdie mentioned this to me a few months ago. Me being me, I forgot like I always tend to do. Doesn’t matter because I was sworn to secrecy so I couldn’t share it…even if I remembered to. Anyways, it looks like Lauryn Hill will be taking the stage headlining @ Rock The Bells this summer, according to URB. Read the rest of this entry »

Mr. Davey D ran into the incomparable Slick Rick backstage at Rock The Bells: San Fran as he gave new rappers a crash course in da art of storytelling as well as admitting that his weight was a gaudy as his jewerly.

Props: Davey D (Duh!)

…and this is what he comes back with. A clip of M.O.P. performing a rousing rendition of “Ante Up” @ Rock The Bells DC. I think Read the rest of this entry »

One of the greatest songs in the history of Hip-Hop. Yeah, I said it. Apparently AZ was there too Read the rest of this entry »

When I wrote the XXL Midterm grades a few weeks ago, I asked TC if he thought any of the class would read it. He shot back with a quick “of course.” Lo and behold one of the Freshmen, Mickey Factz, saw the article and had a few choice words for his grade.

I caught up with Mickey backstage at Read the rest of this entry »

I never questioned my decision to skip out on copping a few pairs of the Fire Red III’s as I scrapped together the cash to scoop three tickets to see a re-united Rage Against The Machine at the 2007 Rock The Bells (my two homeboys weren’t exactly willing to pay $130 a pop to see a rock band and I didn’t want to brave my first festival alone).

A few Zach war cries and Tom Morello solos later, two Read the rest of this entry »

Short clip of Joell performing, backed by the legendary Roots crew.

Pay attention to The Roots as they’re Read the rest of this entry »

Jay Electronica w/ De La Soul @ Rock The Bells San Fran

Part Two with Prince Paul will be served soon.

Swiped from FMWJ

Previously Posted — The Smoking Section Presents From The Soul: The Music & Influence Of De La Soul (Mixed By DJ Jaycee)| From The Soul: The Music and Influence of De La (Part One)

I guess some people chose to not perform @ Rock The Bells, while others chose to perform other people’s songs lol. Read the rest of this entry »

Words By David D.

Man, what in the blue Hell is up with MF DOOM?

See that throne that Blu is sitting comfortably on atop the rest of the acclaimed underground MCs? About three years ago, that was DOOM’s spot. The underground scene belonged to Dumile and his seemingly non-sequitor, stream of conscious off-beat flow. The MC/Producer injected his albums with obscure samples from random TV shows, cartoons and infomercials to add layers of enjoyment to each listen. And dude has some great albums and a bona-fide masterpiece in the Madvillainy album alongside Madlib. His “Doomsday,” “Mmm…Food,” and “Vaudeville Villain” albums were also solid, earning their fair share of critical acclaim. Read the rest of this entry »

Words By Khalid Strickland

The deeper I get into this game, the more I doubt that I’m built for journalism. My homies think it’s a picnic. “Strick, you get to go to hot shows and parties for free,” they say. True indeed, but they don’t know the politics and bullshit I tolerate to attend some of these gigs. Being a real nigga, it’s tough to deal with folks lying to my face (“Sorry, there’s no media list”) and juiced-up bouncers barking orders (“Don’t cross the velvet rope!”) without hooking off on somebody. But I refuse to be dragged back into the gutter.

That’s why for nearly two hours, I patiently baked in the sun before entering the anticipated Rock The Bells concert at Jones Beach. Meanwhile, the Nikon Theater’s yellow-shirted minions ran a defensive scheme that Bill Belichick would envy. Many of the security guards, perhaps not used to corralling thousands of hip-hop fans, were a little overzealous. You’d think all the weed smoke hovering around would’ve mellowed security out, but no dice.

Once inside, I kicked it with my Brooklyn homie, underground icon Poison Pen; he’d just been onstage with his fellow Stronghold crew member, Immortal Technique. I was heated that I missed Technique’s show, but it’s always good to chop it up with Pen. I missed Murs show too, but I saw him in V.I.P. and as always he was down-to-Earth.

By the time I got to the main stage, De La Soul was beginning their set, which featured appearances from Q-Tip on “Buddy,” Dres of Black Sheep (the fans flipped for “This or That”) and Biz Markie, who had the capacity crowd singing along to “Just a Friend.” Next, B-Real of Cypress Hill introduced the The Pharcyde, who performed their hits “Runnin,” “Ya Mama” and the timeless “Passing Me By.” Two of my favorite artists, Raekwon and Ghostface, gave a decent performance together. As much as I dig those cats, I’ve seen them both do better. Supernatural followed with a crowd-pleasing freestyle where he incorporated items the fans tossed to him; blunts, t-shirts, and even a pair of panties (!!!) effortlessly meshed into his impromptu verses. Mos Def’s segment was respectable but didn’t really explode until Talib Kweli assisted him for some Black Star joints. Redman and Method Man brought down the house with their kinetic set; EPMD, Slick Rick and Ghostface provided entertaining cameos. Read the rest of this entry »

Previously Posted — “Re-Defining The Quotable…”

 

Nas & Jay @ RTB

Via Miss Info

In other news…

1.) Nas Joining Picket Of Fox News In NYC [Billboard]

2.) The “Proof Of Purchase” – TSS x Untitled Giveaway ends tonight. Get your entries in folks so we can pull some names out of the hat & declare some winners.

Words By Khalid Strickland

Pics By Eric Russ

The traveling, independent Hip-Hop festival known as Paid Dues rolled into NYC’s Nokia Theater last week and it was quite an event to say the least. The concert’s line-up was rock solid: Rakim, GZA, Buckshot, Murs (accompanied by his frequent co-defendant, 9th Wonder), Kidz In The Hall and Blackalicious. Guerilla Union, the organization that also coordinates the Rock The Bells tour, gets mucho props for making this joint happen. The Nokia’s been host to some pretty hot Hip-Hop shows this past year; the EPMD jump-off in April, which I documented at TSS, was particularly off-the-chain. How did Paid Dues rate? Let’s find out…

The Crowd

Early on in the show, the size of the crowd was respectable, but sparse. Even the White fans were on C.P.T. But as the show progressed, the crowd began to swell. By the time Buckshot performed midway through the concert, the Nokia was packed. There were hordes of fans rocking Wu-Tang shirts in attendance; The “W” will never die, record sales be damned. The concert-goers were cool, though, no tension whatsoever. People were there to enjoy themselves, not to ice-grill each other and throw down. That can be fun too, but not once at Paid Dues did I feel the slightest need to grab my shank (Nokia security must really trust the press).

While I was at the bar copping another Guinness, I noticed Billy Danze of M.O.P. and his manager Laz-E-Laz standing about four feet away from me, ordering drinks. You’d probably think otherwise after listening to M.O.P.’s music, but Billy was amicable and *gasp* even had a smile on his face. Fans kept walking up, showing crazy love, and he didn’t hook off on anybody. It reminded me of back in the day, when you’d be hanging at clubs like The Ritz or The Grand on any given night and famous rappers were partying amongst the crowd, without fear. I got all misty eyed and shit.

Grade: A

Chick Factor

Being that this was an independent Hip-Hop festival, I didn’t know how many babes would show up. I’m sure GZA and Murs have their fair share of female fans, but if this were a concert that featured Fabolous and LL Cool J, you know there’d be flocks of birds. Plus, the Nokia Theater is located in Times Square, where all the movie theaters are. So I figured all the ladies would skip the concert and peep Sex and the City instead. The aforementioned EPMD concert had a nice amount of hot women, but I went to that gig with wifey, and she’s always cock-blockin’. Read the rest of this entry »