Listen To The Gorillaz New Album, Plastic Beach Now!

Below is a live stream posted on NPR of the Gorillaz latest release, Plastic Beach, in its entirety. They're one of my favorite bands, so I'm definitely excited about this album. It will be released in stores on March 9th. Check it out!

Guru of Gang Starr reportedly in a coma

Keith "Guru" Elam, formerly of the Hiphop group Gang Starr is in a coma after suffering cardiac arrest. Accoring to Hip hop Wired, news of the incident were reported by his sister. It was just confirmed by DJ Premier that indeed the news is true and Guru is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. Keep him in your prayers

Music Video: Pryme- From BX to TX feat. Bun B

 

Dope Events Tonight!

New Music: Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings- "I Learned The Hard Way" + SXSW And Tour Schedule

Brooklyn bred band, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings will be releasing their 4th album entitled I Learned The Hard Way. Below is the first single, also of the same title. They also have released their schedule for SXSW and their upcoming tour.

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SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS SXSW SCHEDULE:

Wed Night (3/17) - NPR Showcase @ Stubbs, 9:45pm
Thursday Afternoon (3/18) - Billions / Ticketfly Day Party @ The Mohawk, 2:50pm
Friday Afternoon (3/19) - Spin Day Party @ Stubbs, 3:10pm
Friday Night (3/19) - AOL Showcase @ the Austin Music Hall, 11:30pm

Full Tour Dates:

3/26 - Rutland, VT - Snoe Down Festival
4/10 - Berlin, Germany - Astra
4/13 - Paris, France - Trabendo
4/14 - London, UK - Koko's
4/15 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso
4/17 - Live Oak, FL - Wanee Music Festival
4/22 - Lafayette, LA - Festival International de Louisiane
4/23 - New Orleans, LA - The Howlin' Wolf
4/24 - Oxford, MS - Double Decker Festival
4/30 - NYC RELEASE PARTY @ The Apollo Theater – SOLD OUT
5/1 - New York, NY - The Apollo Theatre
5/6 - Richmond, VA - Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
5/7 - Annapolis, MD - Ram's Head Onstage
5/8 - Charlottesville, VA - Jefferson Theater
5/9 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
5/11 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
5/12 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
5/13 - Atlanta, GA - Center Stage Atlanta
5/14 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom
5/15 - Nelsonville, OH - Nelsonville Music Festival
5/17 - Newport, KY - The Southgate House
5/18 - Detroit, MI - Majestic Theatre
5/21 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
5/22 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater
5/23 - Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
5/25 - Toronto, ON - The Sound Academy
5/26 - Montreal, QC - Le National
5/27 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
5/28 - Hartford, CT - New England Dodge Music Center
5/29 - Hartford, CT - New England Dodge Music Center
6/20 - Vancouver, BC - The Commodore Ballroom
6/21 - Seattle, WA - Showbox Sodo
6/22 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
6/25 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
6/26 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
6/27 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern

Video: 2mex on The Shapeshifters @ Paid Dues 2010

This is a funny ass video of 2mex repping for The Shapeshifters on the Paid Dues lineup this year. Peep it!

Video: Dumbfoundead Live TV Interview + "Bullets of Truth" Music Video

 
Check out Dumfoundead's interview on NBC TV. It's dope to see dude get more and more exposure yo. Also, check out his music video below, which was referenced in the interview. 

Black History Moment: Harry Belafonte

One of my favorite singers is Harry Belafonte. He is an American musician, actor and social activist. One of the most successful popular singers in history, he was dubbed the "King of Calypso," a title which he was very reluctant to accept (according to the documentary Calypso Dreams) for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s. Belafonte is perhaps best known for singing the "Banana Boat Song," with its signature lyric "Day-O." Throughout his career, he has been an advocate for civil rights and humanitarian causes. He was a vocal critic of the policies of the George W. Bush Administration. Belafonte was the first black man to win an Emmy, with his first solo TV special Tonight with Belafonte (1959).

Music Download: Speak- Simma Down (Prod by AFTA1)

I just received this joint, "Simma Down" by up and coming West Coast MC Speak. It's a dope mid-tempo party joint produced by Afta1. Speak is an artist on Applebird Records, and in pure old school fashion, he and AFTA will be releasing a collabo album on cassette. There will only be 500 copies pressed, and they are anticipating a release in May. Be on the lookout for that! Click the link below to download the song. Word!

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Download Here: Speak- Simma Down (Prod. by AFTA1)

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Chile Rocked by 8.8 Magnitude Earthquake

Early this morning, Santiago, Chile was hit hard by the largest earthquake they've had in 50 years, registering at an 8.8 magnitude. The quake ranks as the fifth biggest since 1906. At least 147 deaths have been reported, and its sure to dramatically rise within the coming days.  It also led to a huge tsunami across the Pacific, threatning all of the surrounding islands. The world destruction just keeps continuing. It just makes us in California wonder how much longer it will be before a huge earthquake hits again. Please read here for more info.

Music Video: Top Dime- "Inappropriate Vocabulary"

Peep the new music video from Top Dime, "Inappropriate Vocabulary" from her upcoming CD. The video was directed by Charles Bronson. This is the first I've heard of her. She's pretty dope yo!

Chinky Eyed Belly of The Beats Tonight!

DJ Babu & Planet Asia In-Store Today!

Today  live at Fatbeats will be DJ Babu in celebration of dropping The Beat Tape on February 23 as well as Planet Asia and GCM, who just dropped Chain of Command. It's gonna be a dope in-store. Roll thru!

Dope Events Tonight!

Music Download- Bobo Meets Rhettmatic:The Official Mixtape

 

Cypress Hill's Eric Bobo and DJ Rhettmatic of the Beat Junkies and Visionaries have joined forces to collaborate on a very dope mixtape. Click the player below to stream the entire album. Free download is also available! Also check out their website.

 

Planet Chain & GCM Chain of Command Listening Party Tonight!

So this event was just brought to my attention. If you're in LA and can get to Seven Bar soon, go check it out!

Music Video: Krondon "For A Fee"

Check out Krondon's (Strong Arm Steady) new video for the single "For a Fee" off his highly anticipated mixtape "Let Em Live."

Music Video: Big Tone- Chocolate

Check the official video for Big Tone's joint, "Chocolate," featured on the album, "The Art of Ink." L'Renee contributes the hook to the song. The video was directed by Dwele.

Dubtroit One Year Anniversary Tonight!

Black History Moment: BB King

 

To many, BB King is considered the king of blues. His half-century of success owes much to his hard work as a touring musician who consistently logged between 200 and 300 shows a year. Through it all he’s remained faithful to the blues while keeping abreast of contemporary trends and deftly incorporating other favored forms - jazz and pop, for instance - into his musical overview. Much like such colleagues and contemporaries as and , B.B. King managed to change with the changing times while adhering to his blues roots. 

As a guitarist, King is best-known for his single-note solos, played on a hollowbody Gibson guitar. King’s unique tone is velvety and regal, with a discernible sting. He’s known for his trilling vibrato, wicked string bends, and a judicious approach that makes every note count. Back in the early days, King nicknamed his guitar “Lucille,” as if it were a woman with whom he was having a dialogue. In fact, King regards his guitar as an extension of his voice (and vice versa). “The minute I stop singing orally,” King has noted, “I start to sing by playing Lucille.”

There have been many Lucilles over the years, and Gibson has even marketed a namesake model with King’s approval. King selected the name in the mid-Fifties after rescuing his guitar from a nightclub fire started by two men arguing over a woman. Her name? Lucille.
King doesn’t play chords or slide; instead, he bends individual strings till the notes seem to cry. His style reflects his upbringing in the Mississippi Delta and coming of age in Memphis. Seminal early influences included such bluesmen as (whose “Stormy Monday,” King has said, is “what really started me to play the blues”), Lonnie Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson and Bukka White. A cousin of King’s, White schooled the fledgling guitarist in the idiom when he moved to Memphis. King also admired jazz guitarists and Django Reinhart. Horns have played a big part in King’s music, and he’s successfully combined jazz and blues in a big-band context.

“I’ve always felt that there’s nothing wrong with listening to and trying to learn more,” King has said. “You just can’t stay in the same groove all the time.” This willingness to explore and grow explains King’s popularity across five decades in a wide variety of venues, from funky juke joints to posh Las Vegas lounges.
More than any other musician of the postwar era, King brought the blues from the margins to the mainstream. His influence on a generation of rock and blues guitarists - including , Mike Bloomfield and Stevie Ray Vaughan - has been inestimable. “We don’t play rock and roll,” he said in 1957. “Our music is blues, straight from the Delta.” Yet without formally crossing into rock and roll, King forged an awareness of blues within the rock realm, particularly in the Sixties and Seventies.

Born on a cotton plantation in tiny Itta Bena, Mississippi, in 1925, King moved to Memphis, Tennessee in his early twenties with the intention of making his living playing the blues. He landed a regular spot as a deejay and performer on radio station WDIA, where he became known as the Beale Street Blues Boy (hence, “B.B."). King also built a reputation as a hot guitarist at the Beale Street blues clubs, performing with a loose-knit group known as the Beale Streeters. This group included vocalist , a longtime peer and collaborator.

 Source: Rockhall.com

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Movie Trailer: Wu-Tang Saga Documentary Pt.1

Wu-Tang Saga is the ultimate documentary spanning over the last 2 years of the Wu-Tang Clan and over 9 Wu-Tang Clan concerts including the last 2 times, perhaps the last times, the whole Clan performed live together along with the 8 diagram tour.

Also includes a tour of Staten Island, Exclusive Freestyles, album Photoshoots, a look inside the Wu-Tang tour buses, Wu-Tang 5% philosophies, album in store signings and more. For once you will experience what is like to be part of the Clan. Narrated exclusively by the Clan themselves.

This film stars Cappadonna, Raekwon, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Rza, Gza, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, U-God, Papa Wu, True Master, Prodigal Sunn, Allah Mathematics, 12 O' Clock, Chi King, Slick Rick and more.

This film is over 2 hours and the DVD version also includes over a hour of bonus features including extended interviews, bonus performances, music videos and much more....

Da ILL Spot Interview: LMNO & Kev Brown

So about a month ago me and the homegirl Liz did this interview with LMNO and Kev Brown. Some of the topics discussed were making up their upcoming album, James Brown, input on MF Doom's imposter shenanigans and LMNO expresses his intents to release 10 albums this year.

Music Download: The Gentleman & The Weirdo: A Mixxtape Adventure by Justpudge

 

Da Ill Spot's official DJ, Justpudge just released this very dope mixtape. It features Hiphop, R&B, funk, soul, and classic rock. Click the link below to download!

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Download Here: The Gentleman & The Weirdo: A Mixxtape Adventure by Justpudge

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Amazing Cakes by Debbie!

Check out these amazing cakes! These are crafted by Debbie Does Cakes! One thing I love is some sweets! Now I'd probably feel wrong eating a cake that looks like a Chihuahua. It appears that Debbie can make any kind of cake you desire. There are many more stunning cakes on her website. However, they are not available for shipping, so you must be in the San Francisco area if you'd like one. Check her out!

Video: DJ BABU SHORT FILM # 9 "RHETT GETS IT POPPIN"

Check DJ Babu's latest short film as he visits his Beat Junkie bretheren DJ Rhettmatic. Rhett drops some funky fresh moves for the camera. Then they reside to his studio for a quick smoke session. I don't think any of Babu's short films have not included some kind of marijuana smoking in it..haha. R.I.P. DJ Dusk, Roc Raida, and J Dilla!  Babu's latest release, The Beat Tape, drops this Tuesday!

The Wu-Massacre Cover Art + Tracklisting

After an expected release date of February 9, the Wu-Massacre, which is one of the most anticipated albums of the year, will now be released on March 30th. The cover art is ill! Check the tracklisting below as well.

 

01. Criminology 2.5 f. Raekwon & Ghostface Killah

02. Mef vs. Chef
03. Ya Moms (Skit)
04. Smooth Sailing (rmx) f. Ghostface Killah, Method Man & Solomon Childs
05. Our Dreams
06. Gunshowers f. Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck & Cappadonna
07. Dangerous
08. Pimpin’ Chipp
09. How To Pay Rent (Skit) f. Tracy Morgan
10. Miranda
11. Youngtown Heist
12. Break Breaka (It’s That Wu Shit)
13. Made Men (Bonus)

Black History Moment: Jim Brown

Quite possibly Jim Brown was the meanest and baddest of all players to ever pick up a football. Brown had a 9 year career as a running back with the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League. In 2002, he was named by The Sporting News as the greatest professional football player ever. In addition to his sporting career, he's also become a very successful actor and a political activist. Since 1964, he has been in over 50 major movie releases, and his acting career continues.

Brown's memorable professional career led to his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971, while the The Sporting News selected him as the greatest football player of all time. Brown's football talents at Syracuse garnered him a berth in the College Football Hall of Fame. Brown also earned a spot in the Lacrosse Hall of Fame, giving him a rare triple crown of sorts as well as being one of the few athletes to be a Hall of Fame member in more than one sport.

Brown’s claim to the title of greatest running back of all time is supported by statistics. In 118 career games, Brown averaged 104.3 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry. None of the NFL’s career rushing leaders come close to these spectacular totals.

In 1986, he founded a new endeavor, Vital Issues, aimed at teaching life management skills and personal growth techniques to inner-city gang members and prison inmates. By 1989, Vital Issues had evolved into Amer-I-Can. Brown conducts sessions of Amer-I-Can from his home in the hills above Los Angeles. In 1992, Amer-I-Can won more than a million dollars in grant money to expand its programs into cities such as San Francisco and Cleveland. While he may not be the only athlete to reach out to others less fortunate than himself, Brown urges his peers to do more than "make gestures" when facing society's ills. (Reference: Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr.)

Music Video: Canibus - Only Slaves D.R.E.A.M.

 Peep the new video for Canibus' track "Only Slaves D.R.E.A.M." which is featured on his latest album Melatonin Magik. The video was directed by Steve Lefkovitz for Forward Motion Ent. and executive produced by M-Eighty. Check the cover art and track listing for the album below

 

01. Melatonin Magik Intro
02. Melatonin Magik
03. Kriminal Kindness
04. Hip-Hop Black Ops
05. The Dragon of Judah
06. Post Traumatic Warlab Stress ft. DZK & Warbux
07. Air Strike (Pop Killer) ft. D-12 & DZK
08. Fraternity of the Impoverished
09. Dead By Design
10. Only Slaves D.R.E.A.M.
11. Ripperland ft. The Goddess Psalm One
12. Stomp On Ya Brain ft. Journalist
13. Beat Butcher Get Em' ft. Jaecyn Bayne, Son One & Chopp Devize
14. Do It Live ft. Blaq Poet, Skarlit Rose & Presto
15. Sharpshootaz Blastin' Caps ft. K-Solo, Born Sun, Willie Dynamite & Maintain
16. Gold & Bronze Magik ft. Bronze Nazareth & Copywrite

Black History Moment: Richard Pryor

My favorite comedian of all time is Richard Pryor (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) . He excelled as a stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. Pryor grew up under lots of turmoil and battle drug addiction for most of his adult life. However, Richard Pryor was always on point when it came to being funny. One thing about Pryor was that he never minded sharing what was going on with his personal life.

His body of work includes the concert movies and recordings Richard Pryor: Live and Smokin' (1971), That Nigger's Crazy (1974), ...Is It Something I Said? (1975), Bicentennial Nigger (1976), Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979), Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982), and Richard Pryor: Here and Now (1983). He also starred in numerous films as an actor such as Superman III (1983) but was usually in comedies such as Silver Streak (1976), but occasionally in dramatic roles, such as Paul Schrader's film Blue Collar (1978). He collaborated on many projects with actor Gene Wilder.
Pryor won an Emmy Award in 1973, and five Grammy Awards in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, and 1982. In 1974, he also won two American Academy of Humor awards and the Writers Guild of America Award.

DJ Willpower Mix- Strictly For The Backpackers

This week DJ Willpower dropped a dope mix of some of the illest 90s Hiphop joints. Peep it!

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Stream/Download Here: DJ Willpower-Strictly For The Backpackers

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Video: Gorillaz - Stylo (Trailer) + MP3 Download

 I'm mad hyped that the Gorillaz are back on the scene. I'm really looking forward to their performance at Coachella. Check the video trailer for their joint, "Stylo" featuring Bobby Womack and Mos Def. It's featured on the upcoming album, Plastic Beach, which will drop on March 8. The MP3 is available for download below.

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Download Here: Gorillaz-Stylo

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Video: U-N-I Presents "Lately" Victoria Secret Contest for ALL LADIES OF ALL SIZES

Peep the video below of U-N-I manager Chris London explaining a contest for women to win a $100 gift card to Victoria's Secret. The best dancer will win. There is no requirement on looks or size, just strictly the woman that dances the best to the U-N-I track "Lately." Submissions must be in by March 9. The link for the song is below the video. Check it!

U-N-I Lately Promo from Charles Foster Kane on Vimeo.

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Download Here: U-N-I - Lately

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Video: Sahtyre & 2mex @ The Glasshouse March 2nd

 Peep the video below of Sahtyre and 2mex plugging their upcoming show at The Glass House in Pomona, which is the start of a 40 city tour, along with Life Rexall and LA Jae of Shapeshifters. Also on the Pomona show will be MC Prototype and Late Bloomers.

Super Food Crew Presents..Bananas Tonight!

Music Video: Nocando- Two Track Mind feat. Busdriver

Peep the brand new video from Nocando for his song, "Two" featuring Busdriver. It's featured on his debut LP, Jimmy The Lock. This is a pretty dope video with some crazy graphics showing us the inside workings of some beautiful women. It was directed by Kyle Gray.

Nocando feat. Busdriver - Two Track Mind from Fresh Coast on Vimeo.

Black History Moment: Jack Johnson

The world's first heavyweight boxing champion was Jack Johnson (1878-1946). Johnson defeated Canadian Tommy Burns on December 26, 1908, in the World Boxing Championship held in Sydney. This initiated the quest to find a "Great White Hope" to defeat Johnson. James Jeffries, a leading white fighter, came out of retirement to answer the challenge. Jack Johnson won their fight on July 4, 1910. News of Jeffries's defeat ignited numerous incidents of white violence against blacks. However, black poet William Waring Cuney captured the exuberant African American reaction in his poem, "My Lord, What a Morning."

In addition to Johnson's boxing career, he was also an inventor. He patented the first wrench.

Johnson was viewed as a villain to many whites due to his two marriages to white women. He was sentenced to jail for violation of the Mann Act by transporting his wife across state lines before their marriage and was sentenced to a year in prison. While out on appeal Jack Johnson escaped fearing for his safety. Posing as a member of a black baseball team, he fled to Canada and later Europe. Jack Johnson remained a fugitive for seven years. Johnson defended his heavyweight championship three times in Paris before his fight to Jess Willard.

 

In 1920, Jack Johnson decided to return to the United States to serve his sentence. After his release from prison, Jack Johnson's boxing career declined. To make ends meet, Johnson worked in vaudeville even appearing with a trained flea act.

Music Video: Red Light Boogie- "Heatrock" feat. Sean Price (Prod. by Killing Skills)

Amsterdam bred MC Red Light Boogie comes wth the heat in this video, assisted by Sean Price. Killing Skills laced the beat! Check it!

MC Prototype Thank You Video

After lots of work put in for the campaign to get MC Prototype on the Paid Dues Festival, he recently filmed this thank you video for all of the support. Now Proto is prepping an ill set to rip at the show, going down on April 3rd! However, he'll be performing at The Glass House with 2mex , Sahtyre, and Late Bloomers on March 2nd.