Latest Entries »
Wu Tang once ranted about R&B being “Rap & Bullshit”, but back in the early to mid 90′s there were a lot awesome collaborations being recorded with the soulful voices of rhythm and blues divas and dons. Nobody can deny that Mary J. Blige, SWV, Montell Jorden, 112, Total, Raphael Saadiq or Aaliyah didn’t help a few of the hardest street cats get their moves on.
DJ Stevearelli The Don from New York has put out a great mixtape series that gathers all these gems into sweet volumes.
Lose the thug, dim the lights and get your groove on after the jump…
Here is a great documentary about rapping that was released at the cusp of the mid-90′s Golden Era. Click the poster for your viewing pleasure…
View full article »
Peep this awesome clip of DJ supergroup, the X-men a.k.a. The X-cutioners, when they paid a visit to student radio station WNYU back in 1995. In order of appearance, Grand Master Roc Raida (RIP), Mister Sinista and Rob Swift bless the wheels of steel with cuts and blends that only the gods could touch. These guys were pioneering turntabilism and everyone was all ears. Watching one of rap music’s most infamous producers, Pete Rock laugh in amazement just shows how talented these guys really are. Watching them beat juggle makes my head hurt from trying to understand the mechanics of the music they created.
Originally posted at Heavy Hittas:
Recently resurrected from the past is this incredibly rare footage of the Wu-Tang founding members; GZA (aka The Genius), The RZA (aka Prince Rakeem) and ODB (aka Ason Unique). The Wu appears in this clip on a public access show called Rhythm & Soul promoting GZA’s first LP Words From The Genius. This video clip is a rare peek into hip-hop’s past featuring some iconic yet extremely dated hairstyles and fashion (acid wash!). The interview culminates with an epic freestyle by the Genius who drops it acapella over an ODB beatbox. The most sober I’ve ever seen him too. Simply classic.
They are there promoting GZA’s first album “Words From The Genius” which you can download HERE.
View full article »
Live from New York is a great documentary released in 2005 by Samuel Ebonge and Patrice Almazor about the underground rap scene in New York City. Featuring Immortal Technique, Tonedeff, Pack FM, Mecca DJ Scram Jones, DJ Mighty Mi, Jin The MC, Breezevahflowin, Damon Dash, Bobby Dash, Cam’ron & The Diplomats and great footage from the strrets as well as the End of the Weak shows.
View full article »
An essential element to Hip Hop is the rhythm. Ignorant heads think that rap music is just a constant loop of the same beat, but if you actually listen to the music you will realise that the producer or DJ took the time to pinpoint the funkiest element of a track to ensure that the listener gets the best audio over and over again. Without denegrating the crazy samples, horns, strings and vocals that a crate digger can trackdown to lace a banging song, the instrumental’s aren’t much without drums. Someone who understands the beat of the drum more than most is Damu the Fudgemunk (Y Society). Quickly categorized amongst the Pete Rock, Q-Tip, ?uestlove, J-Dilla and DJ Premier class of beatmakers, Damu studies his art like a Harvard scholar student. These two videos are rad interviews with Damu where he explains the history and the passion behind the highhat, bass drum and snare. You can also find a load more videos of Damu getting busy on his trusty MPC in the studio or in the streets here: http://wonkabeats.tumblr.com/
View full article »
To quote Canibus: “The greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th!”
Rest in Peace Christopher Wallace a.k.a. Notorious B.I.G.
View full article »
