Hip-Hop.com

It might not seem like it’s been that long, but the double-dipped 70′s stylings of Camp Lo is approaching classic status. Hip-Hop.com will be celebrating their 15th anniversary since the release of their seminal debut, Uptown Saturday Night, in San Francisco on April 13 at 330 Ritch. In person will be Camp Lo, with Rocky Rivera, Honor Roll Crew’s Spank Pops, Selassie, Raw G, and Jahi on support. Advance tickets are available for $10 on EventBrite. Get there early, 9-10, for complementary Hennessey and catering from Little Skillet. For the full flyer, check after the jump.

Also, the video for “Black Nostaljack” is dynamite.

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Here’s a heads up for one of our contributors, Jahi, who just released a new free EP, Strong Step, over at BandCamp. If you read some of his past pieces and liked where he was coming from, this EP should be right up your alley. The title track is below, check out the rest on his Bandcamp page.

On September 27, 2011, the nominees for the next class of artists to be enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were revealed. Although I am uniquely surprised and wondering why that Public Enemy, after 77 world tours and 25 years, wasn’t on the short list, I was more than happy to see Rufus and Chaka Khan, War, Donna Summer, The Spinners, and Eric B. and Rakim. I’m humbly proud to report that thanks to technology, and the fact that I make sure to catch up on my music news over blogs and BS, that I saw the list, and was able to share it with Rakim via Facebook to start his week. He posted it 5 minutes after I hit him. Now that’s what I like about social media.

I remember when Eric B and Rakim’s Paid In Full was released. I had the vinyl and cassette, and for some reason, I couldn’t stop listening to “Check Out My Melody”. It was the bass and sonic sound of the record, it was almost 7 minutes long, which was crazy, and when he said “that’s what I’m saying I drop rhymes like a scientist,” I was like, who is this? read more »

On Sundays, I practice what I preach, and I spend time listening to music already created so I can become more knowledgeable about great music that already exists. This past Sunday it was Cal Tjader and Arrested Development. Some music you don’t have to question whether it’s classic or not because time reveals the truth. Arrested Development’s “Zingalamaduni” was released in 1994, but as I was listening intently to the lyrics, everything Speech and crew are representing is still relevant. I wanted to get Speech to go back and talk about the album, the message, and what “conscious music means now”. Speech has two Grammys, a worldwide fan base inside and outside of the United States, and is releasing a new record. Catch and get refreshed on Arrested Development’s movements at http://arresteddevelopmentmusic.com/.

Zingalamaduni was released in 1994 as a follow up to 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in The Life Of…, your seminal debut album, which won a few Grammy’s, and took the world by storm with songs like “Tennessee” and “Mr. Wendal” to name a few.  Looking back 17 years later, do you think popular culture’s push to put gangsta rap into the forefront hurt the potential for Zingalamaduni to out perform 3 Years?

Speech: I remember it like it was yesterday, the label was simply NOT working with me to get this record out to the people! I would suggest this marketing plan and that one, and they wouldn’t budge! I asked for more money for our video “United Front” in order to compete with huge budget video’s coming out of the gangsta market and they wouldn’t do it. Mind you, this is AFTER a HUGE debut, with Rolling Stone calling us best new artist, Grammys, etc! And yet, the label won’t back a quality music video!? I was totally frustrated! There was a behind the scenes big business conspiracy that undermined our career, which could have changed the whole direction of rap music! read more »

We invited our photographers/buddies Madelynn and Amari Kenoly, who last covered Rock The Bells for us, to the last-minute-booked Mos Def show earlier this month and this is what he came back with—a stunning black and white set that covered the artist soon-to-be-known-as Yasiin and openers Jahi and Los Rakas.

Mos Def will take a quick break from the Rock the Bells tour before heading off to New York on Friday and will perform in San Francisco at the Independent this Thursday night, September 1. Also on the bill are Los Rakas, our very own Jahi, and DJ Mark Divita. Tickets will go on sale today, August 31, at noon. Check out the flyer after the jump.

UPDATE: Tickets on sale now at TicketFly.com. read more »

This is Africa

There’s a recent article on Ghana that is a must read, and a good representation of what Africa looks and feels like today.

AfricasGateway.com

I was featured on this site almost a decade ago. Based in South Africa, in blends what’s happening on the continent to what’s happening in the US in a unique and fresh way.

Okayplayer.com

Questlove’s brainchild, this site is an epicenter of new music happenings inside hip-hop, soul, and fresh alternative flavors. read more »

In 1984, hip-hop was in full swing. By now, Run-DMC were in full force, LL’s “I Need A Beat”, “8 Million Stories” by Kurtis Blow, and Whodini’s Escape album is a short list of many who were pushing hip-hop, pioneering paths, and changing everything from the way you dressed to the music you listened to. As a teenager, the signal that grown folks were taking over the music at a jam would be when they would slow it down and play R&B, blues, jazz and soul. One of those songs embedded in my memory from my childhood was “Solid (As A Rock)” by Ashford and Simpson. I used to hear this song often by my mother when she had house parties, and the radio would always spin this record. It’s like some songs became members of the black community or our families because it was played at graduations, funerals, weddings, and lean times. “Solid” was that song. read more »

Peace everyone. I’m going to do this like my radio show, Soulhop Radio, and say, less talk and more music. I hope everyone is enjoying the sun season of summer, no matter where you are.

1. “Tight Ship”, Stephen Marley

His new album Revelation Part One: The Root of Life is the best reggae album out this summer for uplifting Roots Reggae. “Tight Ship” gets my vote as one of the top 5 songs on the album.

Quotable: There’s no room for mistakes / we running a tight ship for sure
Get the broom sweep the place clear I space

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First things first, a Seun Kuti show will wear you out. At the end of his concert, before the encore, if you haven’t sweated out your cool, then you must not truly be alive and able to sense pure, original, African energy in and coming out the music. The band, comprised of some serious sax and trumpet players, hypnotic dancers with memorable voices, and surrounded by elders—members of the Egypt 80 who played with Seun’s father Fela on percussions and guitars, is simply a body rocking and mind opening experience, not just a concert. read more »