Friday, February 29, 2008

Reintroducing THE ROOTS

HOW NAS STAYS ON OUR MIND

By Roman Wolfe

The backlash against Maxim magazine over a pair of negative reviews of albums by the Black Crowes and Nas continues.



Pete Angelus, the manager of the Black Crowes wrote an open letter today (February 28), responding to comments Maxim’s editorial director, James Kaminsky made to the Associated Press.



Kaminsky admitted to prematurely reviewing the Crowes upcoming album Warpaint, the first release for the band in seven years.



Maxim is also being accused of prematurely reviewing Nas’ upcoming album Ni**er.



Kaminsky apologized to readers yesterday (February 27) for reviewing albums that had not been completed.



"I will be the last person to mince words here: This is a mistake," Kaminsky told the Associated Press. "It's a mistake that won't happen again, but it's not a mistake that appears in other parts of (the magazine's entertainment section). ... There should be no blurry line between what's a preview and what's a review."



Both The Black Crowes and Nas’ albums were given 2.5 star ratings, even though the reviewer admitted to hearing just two tracks on the albums.



In an interview with the New York Post, Nas chastised Maxim for reviewing his album while he is still recording it.



"I'm finishing the album now, and it will be out April 22," Nas said of his highly anticipated album. "I’d prefer (a review from) Playboy. That kind of stuff doesn't reach my radar or effect anybody around me. I don't know what a music rating from Maxim is…I don't know what it even means really."



While Kaminsky apologized to the Crowes in an interview with the AP, Angelus was not satisfied with the editor’s explanation.



"Apparently the ‘mistake’ has allegedly occurred with another artist," Angus wrote today. "The recording artist Nas publicly stated that Maxim gave his unheard, unfinished material a 2.5 star rating. Was that a preview or a review that rated his material while he was still in the recording studio? In either instance, I feel it is indefensible. Angelus is demanding a direct apology from Kaminsky, who apologized via The Associated Press interview.



"After three public statements made by your publication, I feel that offering an apology through an Associated Press writer without addressing the band directly is offensive," Angelus wrote. "Although my comments may be perceived as unforgiving, the fact remains: Maxim has yet to issue a public apology directly to The Black Crowes."

Thursday, February 28, 2008

How to help your communuty through hip hop

Jamile Karout

The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network held their 5th annual action awards Monday night (February 25th) in New York City.



This years Action Awards recipients included Snoop Dogg, Ciara, Doug E. Fresh, Chris Lighty, Jim Jones and Mellody Hobson, who were honored for their dedication and commitment to community service and empowerment.



The music was provided by legendary DJ D Nice. "HSAN holds the Action Awards to celebrate the importance of people taking action to give back to our communities.



Snoop, Ciara, Doug E., Chris, Jim, and Mellody represent the best of Hip-Hop and all have uniquely and effectively given back their time, money and energy to help improve the quality of life of all people," said chairman of the Hip-Hip Summit Action Network Russell Simmons.



Simmon was unable to attend this years Action Awards, due to his obligation in Arkansas as a member of the board at Wal-Mart.



Jim Jones was selected for his involvement as an advocate of the Entertainer 4 Education Alliance, HIV Awareness, and a sponsor of the Achieve Your Dreams Poetry Contest and other community events dedicated to the educational advancement of NYC students.



"Where I'm from, the hood, your supposed to give back its called karma," Jones said.



Snoop was honored for his founding of the Snoop Youth Football League in Los Angeles, where he gives back to hundreds of at risk and underprivileged boys.



"If I'm going to be a legend like I say I am I'm going to start by making a change and this award is helping me make a change," Snoop said during a crowd moving acceptance speech.



Doug E. Fresh took a moment to honor the Hip-Hop Pioneers who have also given back, before giving everybody a beat box message.



"It's important to give back to the foundation… where Hip-Hop artists are is nothing but a reflection of what's going on in our community."



He received the action award for his commitment to teaching financial independence through investing and entrepreneurship.



Chris Lighty sits on the board of 50 Cent's G-Unity foundation, a non-profit focused on improving the quality of life in underprivileged communities.



Businesswoman Melody Hobson was also honored for devoting her time to teaching financial literacy to students South Side Chicago students.



Past years Action Awards honorees have included, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Ludacris and The Ludacris Foundation, Kanye West, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Nelly, Destiny's Child, and Jermaine Dupri.



"Taking back responsibility' is HSAN's motto. We are pleased to pay special tribute to those who are making a responsible and positive difference," said Hip-Hop Summit Action Network President Dr. Ben Chavis.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Glasses Malone featuring Akon






I am not really sure about this song. The hook is ok for akon sake but i was not feeling the power in the words that Malone is deliverying. Tell me your thoughts

Monday, February 25, 2008

Check this out!!!!

Otis Redding - Satisfaction (Live)

OTIS IS BACK. HAPPY MONDAYS

Rhino will reissue Otis Redding's 1966 album Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul in a remastered, expanded edition on April 22.

Redding's third album, Otis Blue is legendary for giving us "Respect", later made popular by Aretha Franklin's totally rippin' version. The album contains only three original songs, with the rest devoted to covers of the likes of Sam Cooke, the Temptations, Solomon Burke, and the Rolling Stones. It was recorded in a whirlwind 24-hour session by Redding and the Stax house band, which included Isaac Hayes and Booker T. & the MG's, among others.

Rhino's reissue is a double disc set containing the mono version of the album on the first disc and the stereo version on the second. Bonus tracks include B-sides, live tracks, and previously unreleased alternate mixes.

Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul (Collector's Edition):

Disc 1:

01 Ole Man Trouble
02 Respect
03 Change Gonna Come
04 Down in the Valley
05 I've Been Loving You Too Long
06 Shake
07 My Girl
08 Wonderful World
09 Rock Me Baby
10 Satisfaction
11 You Don't Miss Your Water
12 I've Been Loving You Too Long (Mono Mix of Stereo Album Version) [previously unreleased bonus track]
13 I'm Depending on You [bonus track]
14 Respect (Mono Mix of Stereo Album Version) [previously unreleased bonus track]
15 Ole Man Trouble (Mono Mix of Stereo Album Version) [previously unreleased bonus track]
16 Any Ole Way [bonus track]
17 Shake (Live 1967, Stereo Mix of Single Version) [bonus track]
18 Ole Man Trouble (Live at the Whisky a Go Go) [bonus track]
19 Respect (Live at the Whisky a Go Go) [bonus track]
20 I've Been Loving You Too Long (Live at the Whisky a Go Go) [bonus track]
21 Satisfaction (Live at the Whisky a Go Go) [bonus track]
22 I'm Depending on You (Live at the Whisky a Go Go) [bonus track]
23 Any Ole Way (Live at the Whisky a Go Go) [bonus track]

Disc 2:

01 Ole Man Trouble
02 Respect
03 Change Gonna Come
04 Down in the Valley
05 I've Been Loving You Too Long
06 Shake
07 My Girl
08 Wonderful World
09 Rock Me Baby
10 Satisfaction
11 You Don't Miss Your Water
12 Respect (1967 Version) [bonus track]
13 I've Been Loving You Too Long (Live in Europe) [bonus track]
14 My Girl (Live in Europe) [bonus track]
15 Shake (Live in Europe) [bonus track]
16 Satisfaction (Live in Europe) [bonus track]
17 Respect (Live in Europe) [bonus track]

Sunday, February 24, 2008

The Roots Show at the Apollo

Ok, so i made my way to the Apollo to see the show of The Legendary Roots Crew and i was not disappointed. First, they gave the audience a preview of the new song "75 Bars" which pretty much massacred the word "NIGGER" obsolete from the English Language and now the meaning is whatever you want to make it. I think radio will play it. ha. Back to the show. After giving the crowd some old gems and a quick mixtape of the hot songs in the last year or so as well as some 90 era magic, Questlove lead the guitarist and tromponist in a rendition of Masters of War by Bob Dylan. It blew me away and now i realize how legendary the crew has become. Not so new addition Kirk Douglas on guitar adds a vibrant and exciting showmanship plus skillfull playing that more than wets the whistle of any crowd. What more can they do but drop an album, go on tour and become the best band ever. The Apollo was happy and that is something.

Kid Sister is holding it down

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Over to onsmash and check out some new videos

REMIXXXXXXX is King

This remix of Harrys Gym (who kind of sound like the Norwegian Blonde Redhead) by diskJokke aka Joachim Dyrdhal kind of sounds like something you’d play at a “beach rave”. While we’ve never been to a “beach rave” (They happen in Croatia?), we hope that they are chock full of these kind of smooth, funkified jams to bliss out to. Dyrdahl belongs to a set of Oslo-based beatmasters and DJ’s that are pumping out some of the most cavernous and euphoric disco music in the world right now, revolving around the legendary, still-running Sunkissed party. Most recently, he’s been working on his own concoction of heady four/four psych-outs and his first long player, entitled Staying In, which will be released on March 11 through Smalltown Supersound. We rang up Dyrdhal on a calm Friday evening to chat about his music, this remix, and his secret nerd life as a mathematician.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

TVT file Chapter 11

By Nolan Strong

New York based independent record label TVT Records terminated the majority of their employees today, sources revealed to AllHipHop.com today (February 18).



TVT, which is home to major recording stars like Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz, Pitbull, Ying Yang Twins, The Polyphonic Spree and others, is expected to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week.



TVT Records was founded by its current President, Steve Gottlieb, who launched the label out of his New York City apartment in 1985.



The label’s first success was the popular eight-volume Television’s Greatest Hits collection, which chronicled various TV theme songs.



At its height, TVT Records was one of the top independent record labels in the United States, earning Billboard’s Independent Record label of the year award 5 consecutive times in a row, the most recent in 2006.



In addition to Hip-Hop music, the label released music by Nine Inch Nails and other influential Modern Rock, Electronica, Industrial and Nu-Metal bands.



It is not known how the bankruptcy filing will affect the label’s release schedule, which includes Lil’ Jon’s highly anticipated album Crunk Rock.



Just weeks ago, Pitbull, one of the label’s top stars, lashed out at the label and urged fans to stop buying his new album, The Boatlift.



Pitbull accused TVT Records of not properly promoting the album and placed most of the blame on Gottlieb.



"I'm out here working like a slave, doing things that other artists don't even know how to do," Pitbull said. "A label's there to further and promote your career, but it feels like they just keep holding me back."



TVT Records was also embroiled in a legal battle over early recordings by Cash Money Click, which featured Ja Rule.



While an initial ruling awarded TVT Records $132 million dollars in damages, the figure was soon voided to zero on appeal.



The status of TVT Records' other businesses, including TVT Music Publishing, is not known as of press time.

Wu Tang Take it Back EXCLUSIVE VIDEO!

Are they really back?-I enjoy the rae verses and ghostface kills as usual. Meth on the chorus was a good choice. The beat is def a throwback. nice. rza still got it.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Disco D Beat Making + Biz HUSTLE HARDER XXLTrailer

Both his business and music were on point. I love that. Passion. RIP. Checkk out the review at urb.com

Seeqpod hmmmmm

Major Label Fights Google-ization of Music With SeeqPod Lawsuit
Eliot Van Buskirk Email 02.18.08 | 12:00 AM

In the world of online music, you're nobody until somebody sues you. Like so many music startups before it, the innovative MP3 search site SeeqPod finds itself staring down the wrong end of a major-label lawsuit from Warner Music.

Even though it's just one company, the stakes are high. The future of search itself could be in jeopardy, because Warner Music Group's suit attacks a key provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that, broadly speaking, allows search engines to link to anything on the net.

But for the music fans who have embraced SeeqPod since its debut in September 2006, it's another instance of the labels clamping down on a cool new way to tune in online.

The site lets users search a massive catalog of music gathered from servers all over the world, and play the results right there on the page -- thus its motto, "playable search."

SeeqPod doesn't let you download songs, but does let you save them into playlists to share with friends or access from connected computers and devices such as the iPhone.

"SeeqPod's easy because you go to the website, type in the band name, and a bunch of songs pop up," says Sarah Shvil, a self-described "music fan 24/7." She adds: "You can figure out instantly whether you like the band or not."

Shvil says she has purchased concert tickets and CDs of bands she has discovered on SeeqPod. She calls Warner's demand for up to $150,000 in damages per song "ridiculous."

"To me, it's more a matter of radio rather than downloading, because [the songs] are not on my system," says Patrick Murphy, a patent researcher at the U.S. Patent Office. Murphy likens SeeqPod to another example of playable search that is thriving: "Look at Google images," he says. "How many times are you bringing up copyrighted images when you do a search on that?"

Aside from its embeddable widgets and playlist sharing, people use SeeqPod for two main reasons, according to co-founder and CEO Kasian Franks. "No. 1: You're more likely to find what you're looking for here than anywhere else. No. 2: Ease of use. It's refreshingly simple."

Sound familiar? Those same factors made Google what it is today.

Google's cash cow, of course, is the massive AdWords network that pairs advertisements with search results to increase the chance that users will click on ads. SeeqPod aims to eventually do something similar in music by allowing users to buy albums, tickets and band merchandise. The site's ticketing partnership with SongKick is an early example.

Rather than attacking SeeqPod, the labels should view it as a template for how to make money on the internet, which isn't going away any time soon.

The labels could even harness SeeqPod's search technology to offer music services far more comprehensive than the ones licensed today.

The music industry would become "Google-ized," deriving revenue from other products associated with music, rather than music itself.

With music sales continuing to decline, SeeqPod's attempt to Google-ize the industry could be a perfect fit for the labels' much-vaunted 360-degree deals, which emphasize merchandise, ticket sales and other revenue streams.

The question now, as it has been since the early days of Napster, is whether the labels are flexible enough to survive the free-music age.

New but old NY Artist-Juganot

ast year rapper Juganot made an impression as sizable as his gerth with "En Why Cee." A numbing, Frequency produced (with additional production from Scram Jones) groove, guest verses from Joell Ortiz and Uncle Murda equaled a heater of a record chock full of NYC pride. After years of dues paid Juganot plans on maintaining his momentum, recently dropping a high caliber remix ["En Why Ceequal"], songwriting and seeking distribution his Strictly Live Music imprint. Down with DJ collective The Heavy Hitters since ‘99 and currently making moves with DJ Camilo, Juganot explains who he is and where he plans on going; in only five points.


On who the hell he is…
Juganot, Strictly Live Music Incorporated, Heavy Hitters. Been doing it since I was in fifth grade. Working just trying to pop off. The music industry is kind of f**ked up right now, but I'm just going to keep pushing because I've been pushing this long. Juganot is not a quitter. I'm from the Bronx, born and raised. I live in Queens now. I've been living here for the past 10 or 12 years.

I was rhyming since I was a kid, you know beat boxing and rapping, but as I got older I got into the DJ thing. I ran into this dude that was real nice with his, his name was Severe. He inspired me, he made me wanna cut so I got a pair of turntables and started learning . I got pretty good with it and ended up DJ’ing for these kids that were rapping and they made me take its serious. They made me want to rap again. I just stayed home one day and made a rhyme. I was like I'm going to compete with these guys and loved it ever since. I just liked the attention. I would jump in a cypher and they'd be like who's this big fat white n***a? I'm not white, I'm Puerto Rican. But in those days, you know, I looked Italian [laughs].

I started on the mixtape circuit. And then the radio thing happened around the year 2000. That was the first time I ever got shine on the radio. I was doing the mixtape circuit since like '93, '94. I was on DJ Yooter and Diz One mixtapes, most of them. A couple of DJ Furious's mixtapes, DJ Camilo...

On some close calls that didn’t pan out...
I was supposed to have something with Universal. We had a couple of meetings. Actually, I was selling beats at one point and I was getting heavy into production. But it never really popped off. This MC thing popped off more than this production thing. I just figured let me put my focus into this MC thing and here I am.

On the creation and success of "En Why Cee”…
I was f**king with this guy named Vic Medina back and forth—he has a song with Young Buck now, he did the hook—and he's Roc-a-Fella. He was always sending me beats from himself and other people. He was placing beats and was emailing me beats back and forth. I was doing hooks on tracks, I was working with Aztek—he was working with Roc La Familia—doing hooks for them. They had sent me that beat, I kinda slept on it, but there was something interesting to it, so I wrote to it and I thought, “Wow, you know who would sound dope on this, Joell Ortiz.” I knew Joell Ortiz. We were talking about doing a track for such a long time. When I ran into that beat I just felt him on it, so I hit him up, gave him the track and he spit a 16 on it and then I took the 16 and I broke it up and I spit in between every four bars so it sounded like we were going back and forth. I gave it to him he approved it, he was like "Yo, it sounds dope, let's go.” Then I put Uncle Murda on it because he was poppin' at the time, he had that “Bullet Bullet” joint.

I gave it to DJ Camilo and he rocked it and as soon as he rocked it Funkmaster Flex called Camilo and was like, "Yo, I need that record." So Camilo was already at the radio station and put the CD in Flex's mailbox. The next day I saw Flex at a party, I gave him a CD he told me he was feeling the joint. I thought he was being political, but the next day I heard him throwin' a thousand bombs on it and I was like, “Oh sh**t!” That's how that popped off and you know how it is with the DJs man, you get one main DJ to rock with it crazy and believe in that record and the other DJs; it's not hard for them to believe in it either.

[En Why Cee Video]



O how he got Fat Joe, Swizz Beatz and Busta Rhymes on its remix…
Well the first one got rotation on HOT 97 and it got rotation on SIRIUS satellite. With the success of that record, I had asked about Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe, and Swizz Beatz and all that. They agreed to get on the record because I guess the success of the first one and Camilo; they love Camilo so all he had to do was ask and they were on board with it.

Me and [Camilo] have a LLC, Strictly Live Incorporated. If something comes along our way that's better we'll take it, but as for right now that's what we're dealing with. We own it and we're trying to get distribution for it. And if we do, I'm gonna drop my album and he's gonna drop his album. It's going to be a compilation and I'm going to executive produce it. We're going to try and do the digital thing too because you know what it is.

[Juganot f/ Swizz Beatz, Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe & Reek Da Villain "En Why Ceequal"]



On record labels seeing what's up…
Universal, Shady Aftermath, ummm...Asylum, and that's it for right now. We had a couple of meetings with them. If we took it this far we can take this further independently because right now it's not a good time for the industry. I mean, s**t is f**ked up. Do I really want to get caught up in that grinder at this moment in time? I don't know, I want to hold on a little bit until I obligate myself to something, you know?

The [record industry] needs to move into the future and take off with the digital s**t because digital is the way to go. I mean music will never die, man. Just the industry has to catch up with the digital market.

Hip-Hop in general, needs originality. Everybody's doing the same s**t man. They need more people. More Kanye's, more Mos Def's, more Talib's, more Joell Ortiz's, more Juganots.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Going to Vegas, read this and maybe u win.

Statistically speaking, you are doomed to lose at every game on the casino floor — unless, that is, you can count cards. At the blackjack table, speedy math skills can flip the advantage from the house to you. Granted, it's a small edge — 2 percent at best, which is nowhere near as good as dragging Rain Man to Vegas. But what have you got to lose? (Oh, yeah, all that money.)

Bring mucho moola. Your edge will come from betting more when the dealer's shoe — a device for holding multiple decks of cards — is rich with big cards, which tend to help you and hurt the house. Success takes time and a bankroll of at least 400 times your standard bet.

Count and cancel. Using the classic Hi-Lo method, you start with zero at the shuffle. For every 10, face card, or ace that hits the table, subtract a point. For every 2 through 6 card, add a point (the 7, 8, and 9 cards = zero points). When possible, let cards cancel each other out to save time.

Divide and bet. Before each hand, divide your count by the estimated number of decks left in the shoe (tip: guess how many decks are in the discard stack and subtract that amount from the total number used in the game — usually six). When the result hits +2, bet like a big dog.

Be inconspicuous. Don't move your lips as you calculate. Or bet too many chips. Counting cards isn't against the law, but a suspicious pit boss will show you the door — or just signal the dealer to shuffle, which wipes out your boosted odds and sets the count back to zero. D'oh!

Friday, February 15, 2008

Westwood - Chipmunk freestyle Radio 1

chipmunk 64 bar statement

Micheal Jackson 25 years WOOOOWWWW

Thriller: 25th Anniversary Edition
[Epic; 2008]
Rating: 7.2
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Thriller is the biggest-selling album of all time; it says so on the cover of this reissue package. What it doesn't say is that, on a worldwide scale, it outpaces the Eagles, Pink Floyd, and Celine Dion by more than just a marginal million or so: At 100 million+ copies sold, it's estimated to have sold more than twice its nearest rival.

And so people try to concoct explanations. The album was focus-grouped for broader appeal-- but then why haven't focus groups worked so well since? Jackson made the racial crossover breakthrough on MTV-- but once that door was opened, why didn't the sales crossover work for others? Jackson's stunning dancing and videos exploded pop's visual formatting-- but the Thriller album, until DVD-era reissues like this one, wasn't a visual experience.

When Thriller opens, those 100 million sales feel just. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" is pure confused, shocked teenage rush. So there's another theory: Thriller is the best-selling record ever because it's the best record ever. That one holds up for six minutes and two seconds, during which Jackson and Quincy Jones mix the tension of rock'n'roll with the rapture of disco and hit perfection. But then you get "Baby Be Mine"-- one of the original tracks that wasn't a single-- and the momentum fades: On the heels of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", it should maintain the temperature; instead, it goes nowhere, starts nothing.

Thriller is inconsistent in style, which gives it something to appeal to everyone, but it's oddly tough to listen to even the great bits sequentially-- its peaks are from different mountain ranges. "Thriller"'s joke-shop horror segues well into Eddie Van Halen's headbanging guitar on "Beat It". But to follow that into the paranoid celebrity funk of "Billie Jean", the meltingly tender "Human Nature", and the smooth R&B of "P.Y.T."? These are all brilliant singles, though; Thriller's greatness lies in its great songs not in it "working like an album."

For this edition Jackson's called in some current big guns to provide remixes, and sadly they do provide the consistency the originals gloriously lack. Will.i.am sets the tone: He takes Macca off "The Girl Is Mine" but decides it can't work without someone sounding like an idiot and steps manfully in himself. There's a general reluctance to use what these guest stars are good at: will.I.am is a consistently slick, inventive pop producer but nobody wants to hear him rap, whereas on Kanye West's "Billie Jean" a guest verse might have added dynamics to the mix's clumsy claustrophobia. Fergie's gift as a pop star is the way her crassness shifts into oddness-- so on "Beat It" her nervous reverence is a waste of time. Only Akon comes off well, flipping the meaning of "startin' somethin'" and turning the song into a joyful seducer's groove, and here it's Jackson's own mush-mouthed new vocal that spoils things.

The remixes aren't a missed opportunity-- they're an imaginative way to wring bonus material from sessions overseen by a notorious perfectionist. It could be a lot worse. The last time Thriller got reissued it included "Someone in the Dark", a horror from the E.T. soundtrack showcasing Jackson's most saccharine side. We're spared that, and the token MJ rarity here is "For All Time", recorded during the Thriller sessions (and then later rejected for Dangerous). A glistening, slightly overdressed piano ballad, it might have made a nicely sappy album closer-- if we didn't already have the subtler, understated, and underrated "The Lady in My Life", possibly Jackson's most soulful solo performance on the record.

The DVD footage, with all the videos you'd expect, is much better. Watching the famous Motown 25th Anniversary performance of "Billie Jean" in particular I'm struck by how angular Jackson's dancing is, how tense: Knees and elbows spiking out, body freezing into indecipherable alphabets. And then how beautiful, the way he simply flows out of each position, the release that made his music so joyful given kinetic form.

The biggest-selling album of all time, then, and you should probably take the "of all time" literally. His highest-clout guest stars here have shifted around one-twentieth the copies Thriller has, and in a dwindling industry it's hard to imagine anything similar happening again. Fluke it maybe was, but as a unification move it worked-- the last time, maybe, one person could incarnate almost all of pop, all the corny and all the awesome in one mind. We live now in the world of the "long tail"-- Thriller was the big head.

-Tom Ewing, February 15, 2008

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Wendy Day is very informative

The term “record label” stands for many different types of companies that put out music. It can signify a conglomerate like Sony or Universal which are huge well-established multi-national corporations with offices in many countries around the world, or it can indicate a small artist-owned company with a staff of one or two, putting out their own CDs, like Killer Mike’s GrindTime Records. Therefore, an artist who just wants to sign to a “record label,” ANY record label, is doing him or herself a real injustice unless they do the proper research and have a solid understanding of how the music business operates.



Back in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, we could all feel sorry for the artists who were unfairly exploited and taken advantage of. But with all of the information available today in books, and on-line (much of which is free), it’s hard to feel sorry for folks who get jerked because they didn’t take the time to understand what they were doing before they jumped in with both feet. Action is a wonderful thing, provided it is backed up with the proper research, planning, and understanding. Greed and quick, uninformed decisions have never been a good thing.



Here is some of that free information of which I speak.



The Major Labels



A major label is a large company that has numerous departments that are involved in propelling an artist’s career forward. All of the major labels are international, and all of them are publicly traded corporations-- which mean they answer to stockholders. Companies that have stockholders, often focus on the bottom line financially because they depend on people to buy and sell their stock, therefore many of the decisions they make are influenced by stock prices and dividend payments.



Most of these companies also have other businesses that make up the corporation, so selling CDs is just a small part of their money making operation. Major labels are huge. If the marketplace is an ocean, major labels are cruise ships. They are big and heavy, carry a lot of people on board, and take a long time to stop or to make turns in the water. Because of their size, they are relatively safe, but also because of their size it can take a lot longer to accomplish anything, like releasing a CD for an artist into the marketplace.



The major labels are:

* Warner Bros, which consists of Warner and Atlantic Records, two separate companies. They also have an “incubator” called Asylum, which signs artists that they don’t feel are able to go Gold or Platinum yet, or possibly at all. They are a place for smaller labels without extensive experience in the marketplace, to “incubate.”



* Sony, which consists of Sony, Epic, Jive, and J Records. Their indie distribution arm is called RED Distribution. They are a good distributor for independent record labels who are properly financed and have some experience in the marketplace.



* Universal Records, which consists of Motown, Republic, Interscope, and Island/Def Jam. Uni’s “incubator” is called Fontana.



* And the last major left is now a combined effort of EMI and Virgin. They just had a large round of layoffs and I am closely watching to see how they restructure and resurface in the marketplace. This has affected EMI, Virgin, and Capitol Records. Their “incubator” is called Imperial.



The Mini-Majors



There are also two large independent rap distributors/labels in rap that must be mentioned. Folks in the industry usually refer to them as “Mini Majors” because they are quite large. The major labels don’t necessarily consider them competition, but in the past 5 to 7 years, they have made quite a bit of noise in the rap marketplace: Koch and TVT. Both labels/distributors usually offer splits that are more favorable than the major labels because they have a different business model than the major labels. Both have smaller staffs and can react in the marketplace more quickly than a major label.



Also, with the former New York Attorney General, Elliott Spitzer, coming down on the major labels for payola in the past few years, this opened up radio a bit for radio spins for independent labels. Both TVT and Koch fall into this category, allowing them increased airplay at radio today.



The Sub-Labels



A step removed from the major distributors and the large independent distributors, are the Sub-Labels. These are the companies picked up by the major labels because they see them as closer to the streets and more effective at finding and nurturing talent. Some of the more successful sub-labels include:

Under Def Jam:

Ludacris’ DTP, Young Jeezy’s Corporate Thugz, etc.

Under Interscope:

Dre’s Aftermath, 50 Cent’s G-Unit, Eminem’s Shady Records, Mr Colliparks’ Collipark Records, Polow Tha Don’s Zone 4, Akon’s Konvict Records, etc.

Under Universal:

Steve Rifkind’s SRC, Cash Money, etc.

Under Atlantic:

T.I.’s Grand Hustle, Poe Boy Records, Ted Lucas’ Slip-N-Slide, etc.

Under J Records:

Bryan Leach’s Polo Grounds, etc.



Hopefully, I haven’t left anyone out of my Major, Mini-Major, and Sub-Label examples (if I did, it wasn’t intentional).



Indie Labels



The remaining record labels make up the largest portion of the businesses putting out rap CDs: independent record labels. This includes successful labels like D4L, SwishaHouse, Thizz Nation, etc; as well as small labels like Killer Mike’s GrindTime, TMI Boyz’ TMI Entertainment, XVII’s Major Entertainment, JAG’s On Tha Grind, etc. If the major labels are cruise ships, the indie labels are jet skis. They can move quickly, dart in and out of obstacles in the water, change direction quickly, and turn around in a very small space. Being able to react to the marketplace and change quickly to meet new demands is important. Major labels are not able to do this.



Having said all this, just signing to any “record label” is not a smart move. Any person with a little bit of money can press up business cards saying they are a record label. Anyone can spend three grand to wrap a van and call themselves a record label. If an artist is short-sighted enough to sign to someone who can’t afford to market or promote them, or someone without the proper experience to put out a CD, then what? Recording contracts are for 5 to 7 years in length. For some artists, that’s an entire career. If the label can’t afford to work the record properly, it’s not as if the artist can walk away and go elsewhere. A contract is binding. There are a million rappers stuck in bad deals who will never see the light of day.



If this business is going to be your career, whether you plan to be in the spotlight (like a rapper, producer or DJ) or behind the scenes (like a manager, lawyer, publicist, or street team member), it’s important to learn the industry, learn who’s who, and do business with those who are worthy of your talents, those who pay properly, and those who are good at what they do.

New but Oldy-Yung Texas speaks

No other genre of music is as fixated on an artist’s home as Hip-Hop. Whether it’s the North, South, East or West, it’s up to a rap artist to represent where they’re from and show the world how it goes down in their region. Killeen, Texas emcee, Yung Texxus, clearly understands this notion. And after growing up in Texas and moving to Delaware at 17, he carries the weight of two cities, two groups and two different styles of rap music on his shoulders.



On coast, he’s Yung Texxus, a member of the the Killeen rap group, Green City, who’s being ushered in by the legendary emcee, Scarface. On another coast, he’s Yung Texxus, the CEO of his own Delaware record label, State City Music, and member of the group Stack Cap Gang. Not to mention a burgeoning solo career, with his singles like "Trill Thangz" and "Buss It Open" featuring Yung Joc bubbling and Desert Storm’s DJ Clue in his corner.



He’s probably best known for his verse on Kelly Rowland’s unexpected underground hit “Still In Love With My Ex” but that was just the beginning. Texxus explains his big plans to buss it open for Killeen and Dover in 2008 to AllHipHop, and how he balances two groups and a solo career. Best believe it ain’t easy.



AllHipHop.com: You’re from Killeen, Texas but you have ties to Dover, Delaware too. Can you explain your background?



Yung Texxus: I’m from Killeen, Texas. It’s a small town located in central Texas. I lived there until I was about 17-years-old. And then I moved to the east coast, Delaware, to be reunited with my father after he was released from a 10 year prison sentence.



AllHipHop.com: You’re part of the Killeen, Texas rap group Green City. How did the group hook up?



Yung Texxus: We’re all from Killeen. We grow up together in Killeen, playing sports and just being around each other. We all had love for music and it was something we did, and continued to do as adults. And you know, it is what it is now.



AllHipHop.com: Green City has a cosign from Scarface. What have you been able to learn working with a legend like him?



Yung Texxus: Face taught me a couple different things. Mainly, make sure I got my business on point. Make sure my paperwork is good. I worked with him in the studio. I actually got the chance to do a song with him called “The Dope Game,” which is gonna be on the Green City album when it’s released. You know, I really learn by watching somebody work. Some people learn by reading but I learn visually, so just by watching him he taught me a lot.



AllHipHop.com: You’re apart of another group. Can you explain the situation with the other group that you are apart of?



Yung Texxus: I’m in two groups. Green City, my group in Texas, my childhood friends, and I also have my own label called State City Music and we have a group on the label called SCGs, Stocking Cap Gang. And basically, that’s my other group and that’s my label. And I’m working with DJ Clue real heavy on my solo project, on the Desert Storm South tip. So you know, just trying to keep it funky and just doing me.



AllHipHop.com: So how did you hook up DJ Clue?



Yung Texxus: To make a long story short, I was in Myrtle Beach, [South Carolina], I was on vacation for Black Bike weekend. And my manager Jay Classik hit me up like, “Yeah, you know Clue heard the ‘Buss It Open’.” Clue really liked the single and wanted to shop it to some majors. This is before the remix, when it was bubbling, when it was just my single. So Clue got a hold of the single, got it poppin’, got [Yung] Joc on the remix and it’s been a wrap ever since. We’re looking to lockdown some kind of situation within this year.



AllHipHop.com: Joc is on the remix, so did you get a chance to meet and chop it up with him?



Yung Texxus: Yeah, I met Joc. We had a show at the University of Texas. He’s a real humble, real cool dude. Big shout out to Joc and the whole Block Ent.



AllHipHop.com: You worked with Kelly Rowland on “Still In Love With My Ex.” How did you hook up with her?



Yung Texxus: That was probably one of the biggest songs I was known for before “Buss It Open.” My producers are out of Atlanta, go by the name ClubbaLang. Basically, they work with Sean Garrett every now and then, he writes a lot of hits for pop sensations. Sony hit ClubbaLang up and asked them to do a remix for Kelly Rowland’s track “Still In Love With My Ex.” Being that I’m their artist, they said, “Tex, go ahead and drop a verse on here and we’re gonna send it to the label.” Unfortunately, [the label] didn’t pick it up. But the song was leaked, I think the first mixtape was DJ Scream’s. That put it out to the world. Next thing I know it’s on all types of sites, it’s getting burn on Hot 97 with DJ Envy, it [was] getting play everywhere.



AllHipHop.com: How did it feel to get your first taste of success on an R&B song?



Yung Texxus: I’m an artist, man, so really I enjoy making all types of music. So getting down on a R&B track was great cause it introduced me to a whole different kind of audience and different types of people listening to my music, which was good. I got a lot of good feedback from people saying, “I wish this was the real track.” That just let me know that on the next go round I might be that much more accepted. I already broke some ice with that.



AllHipHop.com: I heard you have a history as a battle rapper, right?



Yung Texxus: Yeah, me being from the South, I was always open-minded. I never closed myself off and listened to only one type of music. I grew up in Texas, I listened to Swishahouse, DJ Screw, Chamillionaire and Paul Wall. I listened to Wu Tang, Jay-Z, Nas, Rakim. I listened to all that. So when I came to the east coast at 17, a lot of people didn’t really embrace my style. I love the east coast, but a lot of people stereotype southern rappers. So when I came out here, I had to prove myself and that got me into a lot of battles, which I pretty much came out on top of all of them. I even battled Jin from 106 & Park. Me and Jin battled in the mall, nobody would step up to him. I got an illustrious career as a battle rapper but I’m retired right now. I just wanna make hits and make songs.



AllHipHop.com: With you being in two groups and pursuing a solo career, how do you balance being solo to being in groups?



Yung Texxus: It’s easy for me cause I’ve always been a team player, so it’s easy for me to bounce back from a solo thing to the group thing. And I’ve always been an independent person. I’ve always been on my own. I’m the oldest child, so I always had to take care of the family. I think that’s why I can do the things I do within a group, which is running my label State City Music. I’m the CEO of State City Music, and I’m responsible for setting other artists and their careers, as well as my own. So it’s easy for me to bounce back from a solo to the group thing.



AllHipHop.com: You go by the name Yung Texxus. I’d say that outside of Scarface and UGK, and compared to what Mike Jones, Paul Wall and Chamillionaire did a few years ago, Texas has kind of struggled this past year. You being a young new rapper from Texas, how are you going to bring Texas back, especially with you carrying the name Yung Texxus?



Yung Texxus: That’s a good question. A lot of the cats you named are from Houston. Mike Jones, Paul Wall, they’re from Houston. I’m not from Houston. Houston got their own culture, their own swag, their own thing, their own movement going on in Houston. I’m from Killeen, Texas, I’m from central Texas. And where myself and Green City are somewhat fore founders of that region of Texas, cause no one has really accomplished what we’ve accomplished. We have our own style. We’re more lyrical and we wanna rap on the track more so than the slowed down stuff. So I wouldn’t compare myself to them. And I’m bringing something totally different to the table for Texas. It’s a whole crop of young artists coming up in Texas, like myself that’s bringing something totally different than the Houston artists. No disrespect to the Houston people, cause we came up on them, and they were first. But we’re just bringing something different to the table and giving our side of things. You got my homie Sparkdawg, my cousin, who’s also a part of Green City, he’s doing his thing major on the underground tip. You got my people out in Dallas, and they got their whole movement that’s different from Houston. Like Tum Tum, Big Tuck and the whole DSR movement. So everything is different when you go to different parts of Texas.



AllHipHop.com: So are you in Texas or Delaware right now?



Yung Texas: I’m in Delaware. My mom and my father are from Delaware. Me being a product of the Air Force, me and my sisters were born in Texas.



AllHipHop.com: What is the music scene like in Delaware?



Yung Texxus: On the real, to keep it 100% funky, I feel like I’m carrying the flag for two different small towns who never got a break. Killeen, Texas, I’m doing it big for them and representing that to the fullest. And in Delaware, it’s the same thing. There’s not too many artists in Dover coming out, representing and putting it down. My whole crew is from Dover, State City, and basically, we’re crafting the scene out here. Nobody has done in Delaware what we have done, which is get national exposure in magazines, radio play in New York and other areas. So there’s a music scene here, shout out to the peoples that’s doing it, but we’re pretty much the tastemakers for Delaware and Killeen.



AllHipHop.com: Do you ever feel torn between the two cities? Like do you have to have two different styles two appease two different markets?



Yung Texxus: Yeah, it’s definitely been tough. But anyone that knows me from Green City, knows that I’ve always been the lyrical one. They be like, “man, you got that east coast swag.” But I just feel like I’m doing me. It’s always been in me to be intelligence, spit what’s on my brain, and spit it from an intellectual point of view. Or I might give you the old Texas style, the flow you hear from the average Texas artist. But I always switch it up and keep it versatile. And I find myself torn sometimes, but I feel like that’s a part of me being a person, cause I don’t always feel that same way everyday I wake up. It might come up lyrical one day and straight to the point the next.



AllHipHop.com: What project are you working on right now?



Yung Texxus: Right now I’m working on a three part mixtape series called Throwaways. I haven’t release a mixtape since 2005. I was in The Source Unsigned Hype in 2005, they were comparing me to Jay-Z, saying I got a street flow like Jay-Z and this and that. It was an honor to be compared to him. But I haven’t released a mixtape since the Unsigned Hype. Basically, what this mixtape series is, is to catch up the listeners. The Yung Joc single, people are checking for it, I wanna put together a mixtape where they can catch up and hear all the songs I’ve been doing and all the collaborations I’ve been doing over the last three years.



AllHipHop.com: Are you signed with Desert Storm?



Yung Texxus: That’s something to be decided. I’m working with Clue real heavy. We don’t have any paperwork as far as me signing directly to Desert Storm. But we’re in the mixing of some big deals together. Clue is also a free agent now too. A lot of people may not know Desert Storm is not being distributed through Def Jam. So he’s searching for a new home to sell to as well. But only time’s gonna tell. But that’s my nigga and we’re rockin’, with or without the paperwork.

Yung Texxas' Myspace Page is www.myspace.com/yungtexxusakamistagreen

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Flashng Lights-WOOOOOW

Techno is back

The Month In: Techno
The Month In by Philip Sherburne | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us
I spent the last month writing a book chapter on the relationship between cities and electronic music, listening to Cybotron and car alarms, and measuring minimal's vanishing point against the parallel lines of the International Style. And while my approach was ambivalent-- after all, house and techno are first and foremost musics of migration, conceived in a long, trans-Atlantic, multi-partner frug-- it's the cities, and big ones at that, where most of the action still happens. So it felt appropriate to bookend a week with visits to London's Fabric nightclub and Berlin's Club Transmediale Festival.

The unspoken theme of the Saturday night at Fabric might have been "The CD's not dead," as both headliners were there to promote new or upcoming mixes for Fabric's record label. In Room One, Get Physical's M.A.N.D.Y. played a five-hour set, their first appearance since returning from vacation, in support of Fabriclive 38; in the more cavernous Room Two, Detroit techno pioneer Robert Hood was representing the upcoming Fabric 39, a no-holds-barred CD of hyper-reductionist, percussive techno. In conversation, the founder of the "Minimal Nation," as a 1994 EP called it, made it clear that the project of minimalism wasn't dead, despite the attempted hijacking of the genre by a global party scene for whom hedonism often trumps formalism. His set was proof enough: instead of DJing, Hood delivered a live session with a tried-and-true setup of sequencer, sampler and an antiquated Moog. Forsaking the busy clatter of contemporary "minimal," Hood honed in on the elements that have animated his music since the beginning: the sensuous, machinic (no, that needn't be a contradiction in terms) hissing of unadorned hi-hats; scuffed and filtered one-bar percussive loops; and deeply resonant melody lines. Despite the meticulous simplicity of his music, it never felt thin, nor soulless. Indeed, the presence of Steve Reich, who might be said to have invented maximalist minimalism, hung weightily over Hood's churning counterpoints and tumbling three-against-four polyrhythms.

What fo Wale and Seinfield have in common: Nothing

What's With Wale Rapping So Good?

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We mean, he's a rapper, but he's also a guy. What is the deal? And now imagine that farty Seinfeld song. One of our favorite dudes in the universe has a new mixtape coming out soon called The mixtape about nothing, and his name's Wale, and it totally references Seinfeld which made us go deep into Seinfeld YouTubes BUT ANYWAY. As a teaser we're posting Wale's "Chicago Falcon" remix (produced by Mark Ronson and DJ Eli) in which he raps about Seinfeld. Also go see Bee Movie. Shit is fire.

Download: Wale, "Chicago Falcon (remix)"

posted in Music, News, Audio tags: DJ Eli, hip hop, Mark Ronson, Seinfeld, Wale about 13 hours ago
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New Dude N Nem

We are lucky to have friends like Noz who IM us fresh jams before they even have 100 views on Youtube. In on the ground floor! It was him who told us about Dude N Nem like ten million years ago (way before you knew) and now he's telling us they've got new (clips of) songs up on their Myspace page. "Feet on Fire" is basically a Squirrel Nut Zippers cover, McDonald's is a McDonald's radio commercial with a really crisp snare roll and "Crazy Song" (whose ridiculous video is above) puts that Soulja Boy "Yaaaaah" song to shame. No one makes no sense like these dudes. "Girl I hope you have an appetite/ because we're going to Mcdonald's" and "Girl I know I just met ya/ but can I splurge on ya." Maybe these are protest songs about the recession.

posted in Music, Video tags: Dude En Em, experimental, hip-hop about 16 hours ago
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Freeload: Chip Tha Ripper's MONEY Mixtape

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A few weeks ago on the Q train some kids were talking about rappers they like when one of them started going on and on about some dude named Chip Tha Ripper being the "next shit." Sounded dubious, but The FADER editors keep our ear to the streets and it turns out dude is actually pretty awesome. He's from Cleveland, a city which he runs apparently, has a weird, halting, raspy voice and jokes for days. We're putting up a couple sample tracks from the tape, but by all means listen to the whole thing.

"Gun Go Bang"


"Supa Swag Man" feat. Big Duke


Download: DJ EV presents Chip Tha Ripper's MONEY Mixtape

posted in Music, Audio tags: Chip Tha Ripper, freeload, hip hop about 17 hours ago
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Audio: East Village Radio 2/8

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Last Friday on "The Let Out" (our weekly show on East Village Radio, made possible by Dewars) we welcomed Seattle's Pretty Titty in to our spacious studio to spin some records and then Mark Ronson didn't show up because he was winning a Grammy. Listen LIVE to the new "The Let Out" on East Village Radio this and every following Friday from 6-8pm EST. Check the tracklist after the jump.

-Stream the 2/8 edition of "The Let Out" here.
-Download the mp3 for free directly here (right-click and save-as.)
-Add the show to your favorite podcasts by pasting this URL into your preferred podcast software: http://www.eastvillageradio.com/podcasts/2008/68.xml more...

posted in Music, Audio about 17 hours ago
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Freeload: Awesome Italo Disco Podcast By Skatebård

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The cool thing about Italo Disco is that not even that long ago everyone thought it was super cheesy. WHATEVER! Any music that makes us feel like we are in a club on a spaceship or alternately playing, like, Doom for our Mac LCII gets an immediate pass from us. The fine folks at Sid Loves Turbo have posted a Skatebård (pronounced Skateboard) mix that has a whole bunch of obscure jammies on it, but then he'll throw in some stuff we recognize from Italians Do It Better, and just like that, we don't even know what year it is anymore and we are doing weird Italo Disco interpretive dances based on Tetris. Why are we talking about video games?

PS: Check out the haircut.

Freeload: Skatebård Italo Disco Podcast

posted in Music, Audio tags: electronic/dance, freeload, Skatebård about 20 hours ago
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Freeload: Mickey Factz's The Leak #6

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Photo from F51 by Thomas Prior
Following in the footsteps of Long Beach Death Row escapee Crooked I last year, our dude Mickey Factz (F51 Gen F and free mixtape here) is setting out on an extended proliferation of free joints. Every week he'll drop a new freestyle or brand new original song and tack on some photos and/or videos. RAP 2.0 lazyboners. To be honest, we're joining in a bit late, this being Week #6 already, but you can play catch-up at Ian's Kitchen if you like. This most recent however is Mickey and Jesse Boykins III giving the Swedes a run by covering Annie's "Heartbeat," and promising happier, sappier jams for Valentine's Day, so stay tuned.

Freeload:Mickey Factz f. Jesse Boykins III, "Heartbeat"

posted in Music, Audio tags: freeload, hip hop, Mickey Factz about 21 hours ago
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Freak Scene #27

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Clockwise from top left: Movietone, Liquorball, Luxurious Bags, Swirlies
Over the weekend I did some deep listening through the shelves and stacks and had many a debate about the best non-heard 90’s albums. Even in an age when underground music was well documented there’s always some gems that have seemed to slip through the cracks. Maybe its just cause I’ve been reading Schnipper's column too much. So this week I’m taking a break from new releases to revisit some old favorites and hopefully inspire some investigation into these works. more...

posted in Music, Reviews tags: experimental, Freak Scene, rock 02/11/2008
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NYC: Here's Something That Happened and Will Happen Again (Sort Of)

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Photo from Liars/No Age show by Kate Pedatella
Isn't it crazy how No Age are huge now? We are into it. If you missed Saturday's sold out show with Liars YOU ARE IN LUCK because you can read our intern's review after the jump and after that, get a second chance to see No Age tonight at The Market Hotel along with our pals High Places, Rings, and a weird Telepathe dance thing that we don't really understand. Awesome city!

BRIEF PS: If you are going to the No Age show tonight and can pick us up a copy of Weirdo Rippers on vinyl and that No Age/Liars 7-inch that would be awesome! We will pay you back! We were just old and chilling up in the balcony and didn't wander down to the merch table. Holler at us info@thefader.com more...

posted in Music, Events, Reviews tags: experimental, High Places, Liars, No Age, Rings, rock, Telepathe 02/11/2008
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FADER Photographers Win World Press Awards

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Photo from F44 by Ariana Lindquist
The FADER has never made it a secret that we aim to make our magazine one of the most visually compelling in the business. We reach out to some of the world's finest photographers to help us make our stories stick indelibly in your brain, and last week, two of those photographers were awarded prizes in the 51st Annual World Press Photo Contest, one of the (if not the) most prestigious juried competitions in photojournalism. Ariana Lindquist, who shot our Chinese Rock story in Issue 44, won the 1st Prize for a single image in the Arts & Entertainment category with another of her Chinese subjects, while Carolyn Drake, whose photos will appear in Issue 52, won 2nd Prize in the Daily Life stories category for her series of residents in the Ukrainian mining town of Torez. Congrats to both of them. And to the judges of World Press Photo, subscriptions to The FADER can be purchased here.

posted in Film+Art, News 02/11/2008
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FADER TV: Behind the Scenes at Teyana Taylor's "Google Me" Video

After meeting her for our FADER 51 Gen F, we have decided that all people should be as fun and cool as Teyana Taylor. So when she invited us over to watch her film her new video for "Google Me," we of course said yes. And then we met her mom Nikki and decided that her mom should be our mom. So there you go. In the above video, FADER TV goes behind the scenes with Teyana, Nikki and some fierce catwalking dudes for our exclusive first look.

posted in Music, Video tags: FADER TV, hip hop, Teyana Taylor 02/11/2008
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The Grammy Wrap

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First and foremost: Shout to FADER extended fam MARKY-LICIOUS "MO MONEY" RONSON for winning the “Producer of the Year” Grammy for his work on the Amy Winehouse record. RESPECT TO YO’ DAPPER DELF! You can catch Mark Ronson’s show on East Village Radio every Friday from 8-10 pm... right after FADER's THE LET OUT. But you knew that.
more...

posted in Music, Reviews tags: Amy Winehouse, Grammys, Kanye West, Mark Ronson 02/11/2008
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Audio: Shawty Lo, "Foolish"

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"Dey Know" has been a FADER office anthem, so we always make sure to check for the next Shawty Lo song. And here's another one! Not as anthemic as "Dey Know," but still good. Remember when people were complaining about snap music all the time? What was the deal with that? Snap music was awesome, and we kinda hope that Shawty and Fabo and the rest of D4L come back to it. If not, we're fine with this.

posted in Music, Audio tags: did that album ever come out?, hip hop, Shawty Lo 02/11/2008
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Freeload: DJ Krames I'm in Pain Mixtape

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Full buns for the download
So someone in this office was just like Dude you totally can't put up that Krames mix because everyone in Seattle totally knows that he's friends with Pretty Titty who I just posted about guest DJing The Let Out and they'll freak out. To which we say, no, we are actually going to put it up because it's awesome. Sorry Seattle.

Download: Actual Pain Presents: DJ Krames I'm in Pain

posted in Music, Audio tags: Actual Pain, DJ Krames, electronic/dance, freeload, mixes 02/08/2008
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Live And Direct: Pretty Titty

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Tonight on the Let Out, our weekly East Village Radio show (made possible by Dewars) Clayton Vomero aka Pretty Titty (responsible for the excellent Sing Sing party with Fourcolorzack in Seattle) is coming to play jams and hang out in the mirrored studio with us. Before that we might play some folk or whatever tickles our fancy. Tune in to eastvillageradio.com from 6-8 EST, and if you miss it, you can always grab the podcast afterwards.

posted in Music, Fader Radio 02/08/2008
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Houston: Bun B Returns

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Photo by Todd Cole
We've always known Bun B to be a relentless hustler, when Pimp C was in jail he was always ready to let the world know he needed to be free: in videos or interviews or in concert, Bun B was always vocal about his partner. Now, for the first time since Pimp C's unfortunate passing, Bun B is performing solo at Houston's Warehouse tonight. We have seen Bun live before, and he is a genuine performer, rattling off classic after classic. Tonight should be no different, so if you're in Houston, go check him out. Check the full flier after the jump. more...

posted in Music, Events tags: Bun B, hip hop 02/08/2008
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Rubbin' to the '90s

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Two years ago, at THE RUB DJs’ NEW YEAR’S EVE party in Brooklyn, the trio’s countdown-to-midnight was a slaying throwback set of the greatest-ever hip hop songs, year by year, starting somewhere in the late ‘80s. Because we had already consumed enough champagnes that we were hallucinating double Doctor Dres and Ed Lovers, we cannot remember if it was DJ Ayres, DJ Eleven, or Cosmo Baker spinning at that moment, or if they actually even started in the 1980s. But we do remember it was amazing. And ever since, we have been unwavering in our trust of the Rub DJs’ cavernous crates—and fortunately for all beatlovers, rhyme historians, and retro kids, they have parlayed the idea they mined so deftly that night into The Rub History of Hip-Hop" on Brooklyn Radio—an essential playlist of rap's classic joints, broken down by year. This week they celebrated 1994 - Smif N Wesson! Dru Down! Group Home! FADER fave Ill Al Skratch! Before you know it, you will be "lamping" on deep BK rooftops, lighting Ls and dialing DJ Evil Dee on the 2-way just see what's good. Click here to stream the last decade, and tune in next Monday to hear 1995. Download their shows spanning 1979-1989 here. Read Brooklyn Radio's interview with Ayres, Cosmo and Eleven about the series HERE.

posted in Music, News tags: hip hop, The Rub 02/08/2008
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Q+A: Estevan Oriol

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Adidas and Undefeated recently released 1979, a limited edition collaborative book with photographer Estevan Oriol, emphasizing the deep relationship of basketball to street wear and culture. The book comes with the purchase of the reissued 1979 Top Ten sneaker. We hit up Estevan in LA and talked to him about the book and some of the stories behind the photos. Check the interview after the jump. more...

posted in Film+Art, Style tags: Adidas, Estevan Oriol, Q+A 02/08/2008
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Stylee Fridays: Yohji/Y-3 Store Opening

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Like a triangular pod of stylish goodness, the new Yohji Yamamoto store landed on earth (the Meatpacking District) earlier this week. It's been almost 20 years since the flagship store in SoHo opened its doors, so we figured Yohji would have something special up his sleeve—namely a two hit combo—the first ever Y-3 store in New York right across the street. The twin-openings just happened to land smack bang in the middle of fashion week, and what with the inter-store traffic might just have been the largest congregation of effortlessly well-dressed folk we've seen all week. Naturally, the keynote was black, right down to a Chicago Blackhawk Jersey we spotted on one partygoer. Check the full-size images after the jump. more...

posted in Style, News, Reviews tags: Stylee Fridays, Y-3, Yohji Yamamoto 02/08/2008

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Lil Weezy and drugs

By Chris Richburg

Hip-Hop star Lil Wayne pleaded not guilty to felony drug and weapons charges by a grand jury on Friday (February 9).



Lil Wayne, born Dwayne Carter Jr., was officially charged with possession of dangerous drugs, possession of a narcotic for sale, misconduct involving weapons and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.



The charges stem from a January 22 incident near Dateland, Arizona, when the rapper’s tour bus as stopped at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint.



Federal agents searched Lil Wayne’s bus and found over three ounces of marijuana, an ounce of cocaine, 41 grams of Ecstasy and drug paraphernalia.



Lil Wayne is due back in court on March 7.



In related news, Lil Wayne is going beyond to the mic to influence young fans with the creation of a new charitable organization.



The rapper will officially launch his One Family Foundation at a private V.I.P. reception on Thursday (Feb.14) in New Orleans.



The organization will work to empower urban youth by providing opportunities to cultivate their talents and skills.



In addition, youth will learn to become productive and economically self sufficient while being motivated to become successful.



Those working with the One Family Foundation hope to instill self-confidence self-determination, family orientation, values and personal success standards in those who utilize the organization.



News of the foundation's launch comes as Lil Wayne also prepares to reunite with his Hot Boys group members, Juvenile and B.G., as well as producer Mannie Fresh during the NBA's All Star Weekend in New Orleans.



The rapper will also join forces will boxer Floyd Mayweather for a grown and sexy party that will be hosted by Disturbing tha Peace leader Ludacris and held that same weekend.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Mickey Factz is Next

I will see you at the top. Check out the interview and more.

http://illroots.com/2008/01/17/featured-mickey-factz/

Monday, February 11, 2008

Writers say Yes to getting paid like producers

Because the cross promotional effort is in effect.


OS ANGELES (AP) -- TV producers say they expect writers to return to work as early as Wednesday now that the Writers Guild of America has moved to end its three-month-old strike.

On Sunday, guild leaders recommended a tentative three-year contract to members and asked them to vote separately on a quick end to the walkout.

Membership meetings will be held Tuesday in New York and Los Angeles, said Patric Verrone, president of the guild's West Coast branch.

"This is the best deal this guild has bargained for in 30 years," Verrone said.

The tentative contract secures writers a share of the burgeoning digital-media market, he said, including compensation for Internet-delivered TV shows and movies.

"If they (producers) get paid, we get paid. This contract makes that a reality," Verrone said. But, he added, "it is not all we hoped for and it is not all we deserved."

Still, the union's negotiating committee recommended Saturday that the contract be accepted, and the West guild's board of directors and the East Coast guild's council agreed. They called for a membership ratification vote, which will be conducted by mail over about two weeks.

Member approval of the contract and the strike's end appeared likely. At heavily attended membership meetings Saturday in New York and Los Angeles, there was resounding support for the proposed deal that could put TV and movie production back on track, salvage the rest of the TV season and remove a boycott threat from this month's Oscars.

Verrone thanked television viewers who "tolerated three months of reruns and reality TV."

The guild's major bargaining concession to studios was agreeing to take unionization of animation and reality TV shows off the table, Verrone said. The guild has said it still intends to pursue those goals.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios, said it had no comment Sunday on the guild's actions.

The strike's end would allow many hit series to return this spring for what's left of the current season, airing anywhere from four to seven new episodes. Shows with marginal audience numbers may not return until fall, or could be canceled.

A minimum of four weeks would be needed for producers to start from scratch with their first post-strike episodes of comedies and get them on the air, industry members said. A drama would require six to eight weeks from concept to broadcast.

"It will be all hands on deck for the writing staff," said Chris Mundy, co-executive producer of CBS' drama "Criminal Minds." He hopes to get a couple of scripts in the pipeline right away, and for about seven episodes to air by the end of May.

"It's a real balancing act," he said, "to get up and running as fast as possible, but not let the quality slip."

The strike, the first in 20 years for the writers guild, began Nov. 5 and included bitter exchanges between the guild and the producers alliance. Talks collapsed in December.

In January, the studios reached an agreement in separate negotiations with the Directors Guild of America. Top media company executives, including Peter Chernin of News Corp. and Robert Iger of The Walt Disney Co., asked the writers to resume bargaining.

What were termed informal talks between the executives and guild leaders led to the tentative contract that writers will be voting on.

Together, the East and West Coast guilds represent 12,000 writers, with about 10,000 of those involved in the strike. It has cost the Los Angeles area economy alone an estimated $1 billion or more.

Based on the guild's summary of the deal, it is similar to the agreement reached with directors.

It provides union jurisdiction over projects created for the Internet based on certain guidelines, sets compensation for streamed, ad-supported programs, and increases residual payments for downloaded movies and TV programs.

Writers would get a maximum flat fee of about $1,200 for streamed programs in the deal's first two years and then get a percentage of a distributor's gross in year three - the last point an improvement on the directors deal, which remains at the flat payment rate.

The writers and directors guild deals both include a provision that compensation for ad-supported streaming wouldn't kick in until after a window of 17 to 24 days deemed "promotional" by the studios.

Some writers have balked at that, saying Internet traffic is heaviest in the first few days.

Lil' Wayne -

for some reason, i am bringing this back bouncing for real. Old Lil Wayne.

About a Son

First the theatrical release, then the soundtrack, then the DVD. What's next for fans of Kurt Cobain: About a Son? How about the film's score? Barsuk will release Kurt Cobain About a Son: Original Score digitally on February 19 to coincide with the Shout! Factory release of the DVD. (A limited-edition, hand-numbered double vinyl version of the score will be out in April.)

As previously reported, the About a Son score is the original work of Steve Fisk (he produced Nirvana's Blew EP) and Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard.

The Grammy Wrap

First and foremost: Shout to FADER extended fam MARKY-LICIOUS "MO MONEY" RONSON for winning the “Producer of the Year” Grammy for his work on the Amy Winehouse record. RESPECT TO YO’ DAPPER DELF! You can catch Mark Ronson’s show on East Village Radio every Friday from 8-10 pm... right after FADER's THE LET OUT. But you knew that.

Secondly: When you make your debut on American television, it’s not a bad look to come at it like you are TRON, under blacklights, with blinking computer blood pulsating through your hands, after a stage-quaking performance by Kanye West and his glowing LED screen Sgt Pepper’s jacket. But then, Daft Punk don’t take no shorts—and last night on the Grammys, on their first American TV performance ever, the be-helmeted French dance knights did exactly that, performing a pretty phenomenal phosphorescent version of “Stronger” with Kanye—who, again, ripped the stage clean open with his performance. ‘Ye, with the word “MAMA” shaved into the back of his fade, also performed that track from Graduation, in a moving, beautiful dedication to his mother Mrs. Donda West, may she rest in peace.

'Ye and les Punks would have been the best performance of the night, if silvery Tina Turner hadn’t already killed it—she upstaged a barely clothed Beyonce in their "Proud Mary" duet by sheer force and fierce rasp. Note to selves: when we are 70, we hope we look as bangin' braless as Mama Tina did.


Rihanna performed "Umbrella" in the middle of The Time's reunion ("Jungle Love," of course), and Morris Day looked pissed that he got interrupted. But not as pissed as Solange when Rihanna and Jay-Z won the Grammy for best sung/rapped collabo or whatever, and Rih Rih tried to grab his hand and he dissed her and Solange was straight up gonna gangk her with a retractable Totes. Beyonce looked on, pro smile painted on and never wavering. That's our girl! DO NOT SHOW EMOTION IN PUBLIC, EVER. FTR, if we are ever in a fight, Solange is the Knowles we want on our side.

And then The Beatles were honored, because the Grammys cannot go on without giving an award to someone predictable.

THE END.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Fully Fitted release

XXXhange is def doing his thang on this one. A mix of bmore, funky breaks and guitar riffs. Nice. Remixes are butter and gravy.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Now China is getting shut down

Music Companies Sue China's Baidu, Sohu

By JOE McDONALD
AP Business Writer
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In China, the Desert Closes In
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Joni Mitchell Returns With New Album "Shine"
History of the Monterey Jazz Festival
Elvis Presley: 30 Years Gone
White Stripes Boost 80-Year-Old Crooner's Career
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Jimmy Jam Performing on Grammy Awards

Mellencamp Songs Off McCain's Playlist

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Fogerty to Play First Grammys at Age 62

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Ask AP: Running Backs and Nuclear Waste

BEIJING (AP) -- Music companies have started a new fight with China's Internet industry over piracy, filing lawsuits accusing popular Web sites Baidu.com and Sohu.com of aiding illicit online copying, an industry group said Wednesday.

The suits, filed Monday, ask a Beijing court to order Baidu and Sohu to remove from their search engines links to thousands of sites that carry unlicensed copies of music, the International Federation of Phonographic Industries said.

Music companies lost an earlier lawsuit against Baidu. But China later changed its piracy standards, and companies won a similar case last year against Yahoo's China arm.

"We sent notices to Baidu to get them to take down the links and they failed to comply, so we had to sue them," said the IFPI's Asia regional director, Leong May Seey.

In another moved aimed at undercutting Baidu's popularity among music fans, Google Inc. is poised to offer an advertising-supported service in China that will offer legal downloads of songs for free, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The new Google service, which could debut in the next few weeks, will be offered in a joint venture with Top100.cn, a Beijing-based Web site that already has licensing agreements with Universal Music Group and about 100 other labels. The Journal's report cited unnamed people close to the situation

Mr Brik Mason announces New Songs complete

Two new songs will be complete in the next two weeks and will be posted on my blog and myspace page. Website is in the process of being repaired and I will be selling my songs via Snocap. Support the indie artist.

SXSW says....here are the next contestants

All these people will be there. Rachael Ray, too (but not her beloved Battles). Will you? It's SXSW, pretty much the four-letter center of the indie rock universe as far as mid-March is concerned. And, as of today's announcement of the list of 2008 showcasing artists, this thing took the expected leap from tantalizingly overwhelming to, well, utterly mind-numbing in its scope.

We've done you the service of selecting but a few names from the latest additions to highlight here. Call it a Pitchfork-oriented tip of the SXSW iceberg.

And here goes! Set to invade Austin from March 12-16: Jim James (My Morning Jacket) solo, Yo La Tengo, Destroyer, Okkervil River, Atlas Sound, Annie, Thurston Moore, Diplo, Be Your Own Pet, Los Campesinos!, the Tough Alliance, Peter Morén, Tapes 'n Tapes, Black Mountain, Bon Iver, No Age, Akron/Family, Times New Viking, the Blow, Yeasayer, El-P, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Madlib, Tokyo Police Club, N.E.R.D., Evangelicals, Simian Mobile Disco, Handsome Furs, Fuck Buttons, Castanets, the Cool Kids, Flosstradamus, Jason Forrest, MSTRKRFT, Jay Reatard, Asobi Seksu, Fucked Up, Jandek, the Slits, the Concretes, Mark Kozelek, Cadence Weapon, Bodies of Water, HEALTH, Crystal Castles, Phosphorescent, White Rabbits, Constantines, Elf Power, High on Fire, Holy Fuck, Ghislain Poirier, Eugene Mirman, Half Japanese, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Richard Hawley, the Black Angels, Dälek, Pissed Jeans, Shining, the Russian Futurists, and approximately 3,498,013 others.

Nestled amid these usual indie suspects you'll also find a few names you don't often see, including Dolly freaking Parton, dudes! Shit! Yes!

Also: Punk legends the Homosexuals! David Banner! Wheatus! Ice Cube! Um, Moby! And, let's admit it, the bands we're actually most excited about: Fastball, the Presidents of the United States of America, and Hanson.

Aw hell, just read the whole damn list right here. My sympathy goes out to the poor SXSW intern who had to type that one up.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Griminal F Radio

Fire fo Reel

Lethal Bizzle Police on My Back

The clash is right

check this out

Report: DoJ Served Major Labels over 'Total Music' Initiative
By Eliot Van Buskirk EmailFebruary 07, 2008 | 9:43:12 AMCategories: Digital Music News

Doj The major labels, eager to wrest control over digital music pricing and distribution from Apple, are considering a project called Total Music that would allow them to charge device manufacturers, cellphone service providers, and other businesses $5 per month for the right to let their customers listen to free music. At this point, Total Music is being championed by Universal Music Group and Sony/BMG, but the other two majors could be interested too.

But there's at least one problem with the plan. When an entire industry colludes to set terms and pricing, the Department of Justice tends to get interested for antitrust reasons.

Apparently, that is what is happening. According to the Music Ally newsletter, the DoJ has served Universal and Sony/BMG with notices to find out more about Total Music, and has also requested information from Warner Music Group and EMI.

Music Ally understands that the US Department of Justice has served notices to both Universal and Sony BMG over the, as yet unlaunched, Total Music initiative. Though it cannot be confirmed at this stage, it seems likely that the DoJ is considering launching an investigation into potential anti-competitive practices. This is the second time that the two majors have come under the scrutiny of the US regulators. Back in 2001 anti-trust investigations were launched into the two majors' online music subscription joint venture Pressplay which ultimately morphed into Napster...

Though the focus of the DoJ is on Universal and SonyBMG as the prime movers behind Total Music, the Department is believed to have requested information from all four majors in the US. Neither Universal nor SonyBMG would confirm or deny the notices.

If the other two majors were to sign on to Total Music, the way would be paved for all sorts of new services that would feel like free from a consumer point of view. However, issues remain:

- The government could disallow Total Music for antitrust reasons, as mentioned above.

- One alternative would be for the government to implement a blanket policy charging ISPs and mobile operators a compulsory fee, which would be paid to labels and other rights holders. However, that would require an abnormally high level of government regulation for this country.

- What about the small labels and self-releasing artists that the internet should be empowering? Will they have a say in all this? And will their share of revenue and promotion within the system be appropriately proportional?

- Such a system could use watermarks or audio fingerprinting to see which files are being exchanged across a network, paying out royalties accordingly. But music data being monitored could pave the way for other types of monitoring, giving net neutrality and privacy advocates more cause for concern.

- Rather than watermarks or audio fingerprinting, the system could rely on sending playcounts from devices back to Total Music, so that rights holders are paid based on how many seconds their music was actually listened to. More privacy issues could surface around that mechanism.

Rocko

Look i know he sounds like......well everyone in atl at the moment. But it is a good theme song for going to work at your 9 to 5 after your boss gives you something stupid to do. Immma do me.


One Man, One nation

The Month In: Grime / Dubstep
The Month In by Martin Clark | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us
It's a kind of an unwritten rule but by and large to become a big DJ in dubstep you need either two things: An incredible arsenal of new dubplates, or a talent for production such that you have, well, an incredible arsenal of new dubplates. But recently a DJ has managed a steep climb up the scene's ranks without either. He is DJ Oneman.

By and large, Oneman is a dubstep DJ who plays records that are neither dubplates nor even new. He shouldn't be turning heads. But he is. Oneman plays a lot of old tunes, an exception in a scene (rightly) obsessed with the perpetual "moving forward never backwards" motion of dubplate culture. Again, as such a DJ, he should be confined to the ranks of the many DJs out there. But in 2007 and into 2008, Oneman most definitely moved ahead of the pack.

"I've never been one to make beats or chase down producers for dubs or just play tunes because they're new or unreleased or whatever, so many DJs are on that flex anyway," explains Oneman. "It's great because we need them DJs to push the scene forward and progress, but that's not my mission in this. I think it's just as important to have DJs that play old, shelved tunes as well alongside new stuff. I'm just on a party vibe, straight up." And you just can't argue with a good party.

"I just wanna make people dance and people dance to good beats," he continues "and most of the best beats in my opinion are 2step beats, they got that groove. I go for the rhythmic energy and a good, solid bassline. I think the whole thing of mixing up dubstep/2step/house whatever really interests people as well, I guess I was the first DJ in dubstep to really experiment deeply with that. Like the whole mixing garage with dubstep thing is what people really know me for, not many DJs mix 97 tunes with 07 tunes on a weekly basis."

Turning points for Oneman were most definitely were in 2007 getting booked for London's two flagship clubs, Forward>> (in the warm up slot) and DMZ (in the closing slot), but in truth, he'd already built a considerable following with his show and sets at illegal raves like House Party.

"I'm not on Rinse, I don't have a tune out on Tempa and I don't do any work with Ammunition, so to play at FWD>> is a big achievement for me and of course an honour," insists Oneman. "I got to play records there I've dreamed of hearing on that system since I first went in 2004."

Those records are most definitely one part of what makes Oneman such an enjoyable and electrifying DJ to watch. "I basically play 98-02 UKG 2step B-sides and 2005 dubstep," he explains. "I think I play a lot of 2step because I can't really let go of it if I'm honest. I love it so much, I don't want to see all those records boxed up and stored away. So much 2step was made in that time, so much. It's quite unreal how big garage was especially in London. So many tunes still sound fresh today, and do still get huge reactions in dances. Tunes like "'Love Me" by D.E.A which I've been playing recently which is 10 years old, and Groove Chronicle's "Stone Cold" or Wookie's mix of S.I.A.'s "Little Man". They're classics that still go off, and I think at dubstep raves it brings a different and much needed vibe, a less intense party vibe."

There's something very timely about Oneman's selection. Between the rise of funky, Mala's continuing "broken dub house" direction, and the return of the 2step influence to dubstep, be it through Burial's beats, Geiom's "Reminisin'", most of TRG's productions, Martyn's selection or Kode9's sets, the vital link from dubstep to "house and garage" seems to be rejuvenating (in an interesting parallel to the Berlin/Bristol dubstep/techno axis). Oneman is most definitely at the forefront of this, going so far back in the dubstep continuum that old becomes new, classic sounds fresh, when placed in relation to the dominant styles that fill the bulk of dubstep in 2008. Plus, to much of his audience, pre-2005 or even pre-2006 dubstep is new ground, and that's not even touching the vast number of current fans who wrote off UK garage in its entirety.

Radio Grime Rip

i grime, we grime, lets all prance

Prancehall's Bass Odyssey, Part 3

I've been pretty vocal about my distaste of much of Lethal B's output post-"Pow." Some might go as far as to say I lead a mini hate campaign but that would be exaggerating things slightly. His latest video (above), thankfully, is a welcome departure from his half-arsed, desperate indie collaborations. Produced by J Sweet and featuring a posthumous chorus hook from Slinga (RIP) and a verse from The Movement's Ghetto, this is the grimiest thing Lethal has done since before someone told him it would be a good idea to take grindie seriously. He was showing positive signs on his previous single "The Come Up," also produced by J Sweet, and if I remember correctly I coincidentally commented at the time that the pair should work together again. I'm not saying Bizzle read my blog and took my advice or anything, I'm just saying.

Download: Brains ft. Slinga, 2 Pac and Biggie, "Thug Luv"

If you like the sound of Slinga, check his other track from the grave with some lesser known emcees called Biggie and 2 Pac, which I got my friend Brains to put together for my mixtape after getting hold of some of the grime MC's acapellas off his friend Jammer. Grime seems to be exciting again right now. Nobody bothered to get out of bed in January but finally some good material is being made. Check this radio rip of 16-year-old MC Chipmunk's "Who Are You (Remix)," which features the current most exciting young talent in grime: Double S, Ice Kid, Maveric and Griminal. 16-year-old Nasty Crew member Griminal outshines everyone on this with his illimitable aggression. He is a shining example of the new grime generation—steeped in grime since primary school. His older brother and Nasty Crew member, DJ Mak 10, would do sets in his bedroom with MCs like Kano and D Double E back when they were also in Nasty as Griminal sat outside listening with his ear to the door.

Grime always got a hard time for its low budget and low quality videos, so it's interesting to see bassline somehow lowering the standards yet further. If your eyes can take it, check this aesthetically offensive video from West Midlands duo sMoKio & DB. Finally, if you are as big into bassline as everyone else suddenly seems to be (I read a North American blog the other day where a guy was going on like he'd been hanging out with DJ Narrows since 2001) then you need the amazing mix my friends Bok Bok & Manara (SKA Faggatronix) have just done for Diplo's latest Mad Decent podcast.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Lil Wayne-Gossip Video

he may be the hottest music artist right now. F a region, it is music people

I want to start a search engine

One of our favorite people in the world has just joined with Prodege LLC (not Prodigy, though that would be ILL SON) to launch his own search engine http://searchwithkanyewest.prodege.com. This is both insane and totally sensible. From the press release:

The site is powered by Google and Ask, meaning users will continue to receive the same results they presently receive from other top search engines. Every search on Kanye's engine, however, comes with digital dollars called Swag Bucks which can be redeemed for Kanye prizes, including: autographed CDs, MP3 downloads, clothing, exclusive Kanye West merchandise and consumer electronics.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Why i love ghostface

Bill gates is a gangster

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, says, “We have great respect for Yahoo!, and together we can offer an increasingly exciting set of solutions for consumers, publishers and advertisers while becoming better positioned to compete in the online services market.”

“Today, the market is increasingly dominated by one player who is consolidating its dominance through acquisition. Together, Microsoft and Yahoo! can offer a credible alternative for consumers, advertisers, and publishers.”

It’s so funny to hear Microsoft complaining about a dominant force. Obviously, even if Yahoo! agrees to proposed terms, this deal won’t happen overnight. Google better lace up it’s boots, Bill Gates is not leaving without a fight and his consigliere Ballmer is about to go to the mattresses.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Adam whoooooo??? My cool-not bad

Master P uhhhhhhhh!

By Chris Richburg

Providing necessary resources to educate youth about African-American heritage is the motivation behind a new effort and music video from rap mogul Master P and his son Romeo.



The duo has teamed up to release books, videos, and animations that chronicle the African-American experience.



The venture has created jobs for African-American animators and graphic artists such as UCLA graduate Ryan Hutchinson and Maryland native Olatokunbo Betiku.



For Master P, the venture serves as a way to provide knowledge about the past as well as to motivate change for the future.



"Due to a lack of education in the minority community, this is a great way to teach history to my people," said Master P., who drew on past leaders for inspiration.



"Martin Luther King set a fine example for all to follow and I just want to show that we are able to carry on his message and enlighten our youth," Master P. continued.



Their new "Black History" video clip expands on the significance of Black history by drawing parallels between modern America and America during the era of Civil Rights, while acknowledging advancements in African American culture and society that were made possible by historical figures such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Martin Luther King Jr.



"My goal is to make this video part of the elementary and high school curriculum and also to make this song the anthem for Black History month," said Master P. "If we can get radio stations and TV networks to play this song at least one time during the month, we could educate millions."



Overall, Master P feels everyone can discover something they didn't know about Black history through "music, visual arts, and books, because it's the lack of education that's killing our community."



"I also think it's a pretty fun way to teach kids how to read," he continued, "and it's a great way to show people on the street that without change we will self-destruct."