When we first mentioned the lineup for this year's Bamboozle, which is taking place from May 18-20 in Asbury Park, NJ, it only included Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, Skrillex, Blink 182, Incubus, and Mac Miller. The generally lame festival has since revealed more artists including a surprising number of not-lame artists like the reunited Promise Ring (their first East Coast date announced, hopefully an NYC show to come?), Hot Water Music, Bouncing Souls, A$AP Rocky, Action Bronson, and Murphy's Law. Take that, Warped Tour.

Tickets for Bamboozle are on sale now. Updated lineup below...

Continue reading "The Promise Ring playing Bamboozle (Hot Water Music, Bouncing Souls, ASAP Rocky & Action Bronson too)"

DOWNLOAD: Smoke DZA - "Less Smoking More Rapping" (MP3)

Smoke DZA/SpaceGhostPurrp

SpaceGhostPurrp and Smoke DZA are teaming up for an NYC show this month at Highline Ballroom on January 23 with support from Joey Bad@$$, Jay Muthafuckin Steez & G.R.A.M.Z. Tickets are on sale now. The show flier is below.

Both Kushed n Purrp have already kicked off the new year with new tracks. DZA dropped "Less Smoking More Rapping," which you can grab above and SpaceGhostPurrp put a stream on YouTube of "Sucka D&#*$)*#))#(#&#)cck 4 2012," the "followup" (if you will) to "Suck A Dick 4 2011." Listen to that below.

SpaceGhostPurrp also recently produced a track for A$AP Rocky, who is heading out on tour with the A$AP Mob and hitting NYC's Irving Plaza on February 1. Tickets are still available.

Smoke DZA released a free EP on Christmas Eve called SweetBabyKushedGod. It features verses by Domo Genesis, ASAP Rocky, Danny Brown, Freeway, Action Bronson, and more, and production by Lex Luger, Flying Lotus, 183rd, Kenny Beats, A-Foe and Maki.

In related news, a video was recently posted of A$AP Rocky working in the studio with Theophilus London (who was previously spotted in the studio with AraabMuzik). Nah Right says that the "track called "Big Spender" which will presumably appear on [Theophilus's] upcoming Lovers Holiday II: Rose Island." Theophilus previewed some of that new material at Lincoln Hall in Chicago over the weekend, and is presumably doing the same now at other shows on his tour that hits Webster Hall on 2/9 (a NYC show that Phony Ppl is now opening).

Action Bronson also has a new track ("CONTEMPORARY MAN" Produced by Party Supplies).

Flier and songs below...

Continue reading "a Smoke DZA & SpaceGhostPurrp show, new releases & related hip hop news"

DOWNLOAD: A$AP Rocky - "Pretty Flacko" (MP3)

ASAP Rocky at Creators Project in October (more by Ryan Barkan)

Last month/year, we announced that A$AP Rocky (who is on BBC's 'Sound of 2012' list) is playing a NYC show on February 1 at Irving Plaza before he heads out on tour with Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

It turns out that the show is part of an A$AP Mob (which A$AP Rocky is a part of) North American tour. According to their blog, more dates are coming soon, but all currently announced dates for this tour are listed below.

Yesterday, the A$AP Mob posted a new A$AP Rocky track to their blog called "Pretty Flacko." The track was produced by Spaceghostpurrp. You can download it above and stream it below.

All dates and stream below...

Continue reading "A$AP Mob (including Rocky) announce more dates, new song"

Friends (more by Amanda Hatfield)

The BBC's list of 15 bands who will make up the "Sound of 2012" is below...

Continue reading "BBC lists the 'Sound of 2012' (Friends included)"

Bone Thugs at Fader Fort SXSW 2010 (more by P. Nick Curran)

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony announced on their blog over the summer that they're planning a new album for 2012 and it will be the last album with all 5 members of the group. They reiterated those facts in a November video interview that you can watch below. Krayzie Bone has also stated that he will again be touring with the group, after announcing his departure this past April.

Though a full tour hasn't been announced yet, the group are starting to reveal some dates in January and February including an NYC show on February 7 at Gramercy Theatre. Tickets for that show go on sale on Wednesday (12/28) at 10 AM. All currently known dates are listed below.

Maybe Bone Thugs can get ASAP Rocky to guest on their new album. ASAP recently told DJ Booth that he "really wanna' work with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, though. My brother was killed when I was 13, but he influenced the sh*t out of me. I grew up on Bone Thugs; my mom listens to those guys and blasts the music. I wanna' tell those guys that their music influenced me." ASAP also just announced a NYC show.

Bone Thugs dates and interview below...

Continue reading "Bone Thugs-n-Harmony working on new album, announce some shows (dates)"

A$AP Rocky at Creators Project in October (more by Ryan Barkan)

A$AP Rocky, who says he never even heard of Aesop Rock until "people started asking him that," is going on a tour in February and March with Drake and Kendrick Lamar. That tour doesn't include any NYC dates but A$AP Rocky will play his own show at Irving Plaza on February 1. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (12/30) at 10 AM.

In October, A$AP Rocky signed a $3 million record deal with Sony/RCA's Polo Grounds Music, and as Pitchfork points out, that's $1 million more than Drake's deal with Young Money was. He then released his LiveLoveA$AP mixtape which you can grab for free (it was one of Heems' favorite albums of 2011). He's now planning a proper release of the album for early 2012. Check out an interview at HipHopDX for more info on that and lots of other stuff.

All dates and another video interview below...

Continue reading "A$AP Rocky adds NYC show to tour; mixtape still free"

To quote Pitchfork: "The Weeknd's follow-up to House of Balloons and Thursday is here. Grab the nine-track Echoes of Silence-- featuring a cover of Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" and production from Clams Casino-- for free over on the-weeknd.com or here,"

House of Balloons, the first mixtape, was #1 on a list of albums that Heems from Das Racist submitted to Pitchfork. Check out Heems' full list of 'Top Albums of 2011' below...

Continue reading "3rd Weeknd mixtape released; Heems likes the 1st one a lot"

XXLMag and Hennessy are teaming up to present Kendrick Lamar at S.O.B.'s TONIGHT (12/19). The show will also a feature of showcase of artists from XXLMag's The Break, "the spot where new MCs get to show and prove their skills." The Break showcase will include Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire (who also plays Highline Ballroom with Action Bronson soon), Emilio Rojas, Phile Ade, and King Mez. Doors open at 8 PM and Hennessy is serving free drinks, You must be 21+ to enter, but you might have to be on list. Kendrick, the venue and XXL don't make that 100% clear. The show flier is below.

In February Kendrick is heading out on tour with Drake, who will meanwhile be in NYC (and on TV) on New Year's Eve (you can try to see it live via that link). As previously mentioned, ASAP Rocky was also chosen for Drake's tour (which was originally supposed to happen in the fall). All of those dates and a video of ASAP talking about Drake, Kendrick, Odd Future and other stuff, below...

Continue reading "Kendrick Lamar in NYC for Hennessy event, going on tour w/ Drake & A$AP Rocky (dates)"

ASAP Rocky last week @ Creators Project (more by Ryan Barkan)

Someone who attended Fader Fort on Friday told me about this on the street Saturday night. Not much reported about it, but Ozone Mag has a description that matches almost exactly what I heard:

"Eye witnesses tell Ozone Magazine exclusively that rapper ASAP Rocky threw quite a fit after being dissatisfied with what stage he was performing at during the Fader Fort in NYC. The artist and his crew were upset that they were performing at a smaller stage which lead to them flipping over drums. When a stage hand for Fader Fort entered the stage to try and remove the drums he was jumped by members of ASAP Rocky's crew. The entire stage was trashed and the stage hand had to leave in an ambulance. For obvious reasons, ASAP Rocky ended the show early. A statement from his camp has not been released."

UPDATE: It seems that ASAP has ended other shows in a similar manner, so maybe it was a planned dramatic ending that this time went too far?

A video of ASAP performing at FADER before the fight broke out, below...

Continue reading "ASAP Rocky & crew reportedly trash Fader Fort, send crew member to hospital..."

photos by Ryan Barkan

ASAP Rocky

One, two, and now three. It continues below...

Continue reading "one last set of pics from the 2011 NYC Creators Project"

words & photos by BBG

Hopefully, there weren't masses that headed to DUMBO on Saturday (10/15) expecting a few Mozz-a-repa stands, a sausage & pepper cart, and a dealer selling his collection of "tobacco" pipes while looking for the live music. The Creators Project had much more to offer. It celebrated the different facets of creativity within art, music, and theater while showcasing live music alongside interactive sculpture to create a wholly different "festival" environment.

The musical portion was limited to two live stages and a third "DJ" stage which also housed a few exhibits. One live stage was located under an archway beneath the Manhattan Bridge. The other was in the "Tobacco Warehouse", a brick structure that has also hosted the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival. The shows were free, though you needed to RSVP (and even then you needed a confirmation that you were accepted).

I kicked off my afternoon at the Tobacco Warehouse stage with Teen Daze whose laptop knob-twiddling didn't make for much of a live event. After a few songs I moved on to my first band of the day, Brooklyn's Chairlift. Caroline Polachek is the clear focus of the band's sound, with her vocals pushed to the front and the electronic-pop complementing her lilting voice. Their sunny and simple compositions were sugar-y, well executed and a good way to ease into the day, but not particularly memorable. The next performance would bring about an abrupt change.

John Maus

No one outcrazys John Maus. After the crew cleared the stage of seemingly every piece of gear, the very unassuming Maus came on to plug his Roland SP-404 sampler into the DI and his microphone into an echo pedal. With the hit of his sampler, Maus kicked off his set by bouncing left and right and jumping around. Veins bulged in his neck and face as he began to scream, sing, whimper and all but cry into his microphone during his vocal parts. Even if I had no interest in his recorded material (which I do, and tons of it), I would, as I'm sure any passerby would, still find the maniacal John Maus live (almost freak) show absolutely enthralling. Catch him again this week at 285 Kent.

After 3+ songs from Clams Casino on the laptop which was about as exciting as it sounds (dramatic key-stroke!), A$AP Rocky opened his set by explaining that people are saying he is the "biggest thing to hip hop since the Wu-Tang Clan". I'd like to meet these people. Regardless of how over/correctly hyped A$AP is, he and his crew (which included an appearance from Spaceghostpurrp) were particularly high energy - stage-diving, inciting mosh-pits, and hopping around on stage. The crowd didn't move with the same enthusiasm though. Despite calls for more participation, the crew didn't ignite similar energy in the crowd.

After a visit to see Four Tet (another knob-twiddling set), I cruised over to see Bradford Cox do a one-man Atlas Sound. I prefer Atlas Sound in full band mode to Bradford solo, but his set was fresh change to the mostly electronic vibe of the day. Cox's voice coupled with the Bridge backdrop and the Manhattan skyline was particularly impressive.

Company Flow

Up next was Company Flow, my main motivation for being there since I missed their recent reunion shows at ATP and Santos Party House.

It had been around 14 years since I saw Company Flow on tour with Organized Konfusion, the former celebrating their seminal Funcrusher Plus and the latter promoting what may be their final effort, The Equinox. That summer in 1997, Co-Flow sounded so alien to everything else in the era; primitive, noisy beats made with crude synths and harsh scratches were complemented by abstract and double-time rhymes. Lead by a white redhead-ed MC (a rarity in the era), Company Flow was truly unique in their time.

Company Flow were massive to me in that certain, early-backpacker Rawkus era, the blast-off point for El-P's noisy and dystopian blueprint at Definitive Jux. So it pains me to say that the primitive Company Flow sound hasn't aged so well live; El-P still has a good stage presence as always, but unfortunately the rawness of the tracks just now come across as simplistic in comparison to his sleeker production. It was good to see the crew though, and with Pharoahe Monch in tow, much like that night in DC in 1997.

After Co-Flow, I caught a bit of Florence & The Machine before calling it an evening meaning I also missed the abbreviated Justice DJ set. Though cops shut down Jusice early and a vocal minority of DUMBO residents complained about the takeover of their neighborhood streets, the complaints were minor leagues compared to the impressive spectacle that descended on art galleries, parks, storefronts, and even an archway underneath the Manhattan Bridge.

We're splitting this into multiple parts, so stay tuned for the rest. Meanwhile, more pictures of everything I saw, below...

Continue reading "Creators Project in DUMBO in pics & review -- part 1 (Company Flow, John Maus, A$AP Rocky, Chairlift & more)"

A press release reads:

The much buzzed about rapper A$AP Rocky has signed with Polo Grounds Music/RCA Records, it was announced today by Bryan Leach, President of Polo Grounds Music, Inc. and Peter Edge, Chief Executive Officer, RCA Music Group.

"I feel great about the new deal; I believe it was destined and with a label like Polo Grounds & RCA behind me I don't see anything stopping us," says A$AP Rocky. "I wanted go with the right partner that can help get a bigger platform to get me and my A$AP crew's music and movement out. I expect to be in the same league as today's most relevant artists, and there are just some things you can't do on your own. The plan is to not only release great music, culture, and style for myself and A$AP worldwide, but to also be the next major artist/exec in the business and make great business men out of my brothers."...

...A$AP Rocky will perform at Vice magazine's Creators Project on Saturday, October 15 and the Fader Fort showcase during the CMJ Festival on Saturday, October 22. A$AP Rocky has also been tapped to join Drake's "Club Paradise" tour this fall.

Continue reading "ASAP Rocky gets a big record contract, playing Creators Project & Fader Fort, touring w/ Drake"

photos by Brook Bobbins, words by BBG

Before the Diplomats hit the stage, the DJ treated the highly energized crowd to a mix of current hits and classics - shouting out the late, great Harlem emcee Big L while mixing it up with hits by Rick Ross and Meek Mill. Once the Diplomats hit the stage, the crowd's energy level soared, chants of "Dipset!" accompanying the Diplomats as they performed songs like "Bout It Bout It Pt. 3," "Ground Zero" and "I'm Ready" . Instead of performing Diplomatic Immunity in its entirely as a group, the Diplomats split up and every member performed a solo set, revealing one of the deepest catalog of hits hip-hop has to offer. -[Stupid Dope]

More pictures from the show below...

Continue reading "The Diplomats & friends played Best Buy Theater again (pics)"

PRESS RELEASE:

The Creators Project will return to New York from October 15 - October 16 by transforming the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn into a colossal two-day arts and technology festival.

After spending the year traveling the world, VICE and Intel's The Creators Project lands back in New York with a marquee lineup of live performances and original Studio works by groundbreaking artists, musicians, designers and filmmakers.

This year's festival will take to the streets of DUMBO, Brooklyn, erecting 30-foot sculptures, showcasing works from over thirty leading international artists, and featuring dozens of live music performances. The event will also include the world premiere of Karen O's psycho-opera, Stop The Virgens, along with film screenings and panels.

Original artworks include Life on Mars Revisited, an immersive short film of David Bowie's classic space-rock anthem from legendary music photographer Mick Rock and filmmaker Barney Clay; 'A Physical Manifestation of Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating in Space,' a cathedral-like physical manifestation of the song created by Spiritualized's J. Spaceman and acclaimed film director Jonathan Glazer; and Origin, a striking thirty by thirty foot audiovisual installation by UVA and composer Scanner, which will be the largest responsive work ever created by the UK based artists.

The festival runs:
Saturday 12-10pm
Sunday 12-8pm

Lineup, venue list, etc, below...

Continue reading "Creators Project announces 2 day DUMBO fest (Florence & the Machine, Atlas Sound, Company Flow, Four Tet, John Maus, more)"

DOWNLOAD: Lushlife - "Back On My Slang" [Feat. Quest] (MP3)

a misleading sign @ Bowery Ballroom last night (photo by ladyyvonne)

Das Racist recently hosted a party at Santos with ASAP Rocky and Spaceghostpurrp. The party was a few days before their record release show for 'Relax' at Bowery Ballroom with Despot last night (9/12).

Danny Brown, who appears on the album and was initially scheduled to play the Bowery show, cancelled at the last minute and was replaced with Mr Muthafuckin eXquire who just released a free album via Mishka (the label) which you can download at bandcamp. Complex also recently filmed a video of Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire at Mishka (the store) in Brooklyn. You can watch that below.

Das Racist also just dropped an uncensored video today for "Michael Jackson" which you can watch, along with some videos from the Santos show below. Listen to "Relax" on Spotify if you have it.

Missed the Bowery show and can't wait for the end-of-tour Brooklyn show to see Das Racist again. Well, you can see them at S.O.B.'s on Thursday (9/15) for the "Hot97 Who's Next Back 2 School Drinkfest Prep", THOUGH NOTE: we have no idea what Das Racist are doing at this event - performing, DJing, just standing there, hosting, who knows.... But the fest includes an album listening session for Relax, beer pong and flip cup tournaments, and performances by Maffew Ragazino Kassa Overall. Tickets are on sale now. The flier is below. Tickets for the 11/16 MHOW show go on sale Friday (9/16) at noon.

In related news, Philadelphia rapper Lushlife is working on a new mixtape which will be out this October. The tape features Heems (of Das Racist), Andrew Cedermark, Dice Raw, Cities Aviv, STS, Jabee, Sun Glitters, and others. You can grab the track, "Back On My Slang" above.

Video, flier, and updated dates below...

Continue reading "Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire filled in for Danny Brown @ Das Racist +++ Spaceghostpurrp & ASAP Rocky played Santos (video)"

Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire

"Shortcuts" is a new party being thrown by Heems of Das Racist, Dean Bein of True Panther Sounds, and Despot at Santos Party House. The first edition goes down on September 8 with Spaceghostpurrp, ASAP Rocky, Das Racist (DJ), and Venus X & $hayne (Ghe20 G0th1k). Tickets are on sale now and the flier is below.

LA Weekly recently spoke to 19 year old Miami rapper/producer Spaceghostpurrp, who plays the Shortcuts party. He talked about how he's friends with Kreayshawn, Syd tha Kyd playing his song "Suck a Dick" at a show, and how people need to stop comparing him to Tyler, the Creator and Lil B (even though he fucks with the Based movement). You can listen to the track "Suck a Dick" below.

In related news, Mishka, the store/label who put out material by Das Racist, Stalley, and more recently Main Attrakionz, will release Brooklyn rapper Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire's debut album Lost In Translation on September 11 as a free download. The album will feature production by El-P (who also contributed production to the new Das Racist album), Necro, Esoteric, BoweryBeats, Constrobuz and Charli Brown Beatz. Check out Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire's excellent (and slightly NSFW) video for "Huzzah" with the full new album tracklist below.

Continue reading "Spaceghostpurrp & ASAP Rocky playing new Santos party, Mishka releasing free Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire album"

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Main Attrakionz - Take 1 Feat ASAP Rocky (Prod by Clams Casino (MP3)

Lo-fi rappers Main Attrakionz (aka Squadda B and Mondre) dropped a new album 808s & Dark Grapes II last week (8/16) for free on their bandcamp. It's a pretty tight collection of hazy blown out beats and laid back flow. Check out the Clams Casino-produced "Take 1" featuring ASAP Rocky, which you can grab above. Tee album art, tracklist, and a video for "Perfect Skies" are below.

Main Attrakionz will make their NYC debut on Friday (8/26) at the New Museum. Tickets are on sale now and are $2 less for New Museum members. The show will also include the premiere of a new video work by AHYVE, who is on the Main Attrakionz LP, and a DJ set by Walkmaster Flex. Ethan Swan interviewed the duo for the New Museum blog. Here's what the guys had to say about coming to New York:

What are your feelings about playing in New York for the first time?

S: Excited man, definitely a blessing.

You've collaborated with and/or shouted out some New York artists in the past, is there anyone you're looking forward to meeting in person at the show? Do you have a wish list of New Yorkers you'd like to show up?

S: No I didn't have no wish list. There's a lot of artists I do want to meet from New York, though.

M: Diddy should bring some Ciroc.

S: I do wanna meet Diddy.

M: And tell Dame Dash to stop in.

S: For sure Dame Dash! Styles P.

M: Mazaradi Fox. The whole 5 Boroughs, man.

S: Man I fuck with NY, all 5 boroughs.

M: I wanna see who got the lo-fi lab out there, recording out the closet.

Video, album art and tracklist below...

Continue reading "check out Main Attrakionz -- new album, MP3, shows Friday"

by Andrew Sacher

Kendrick Lamar

After an EP and a mixtape, Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar released his debut LP Section.80 last month via Top Dawg Entertainment. The album features contributions by fellow Black Hippy members and production by J. Cole on the epic closing track "HiiiPoWer." You can watch the video for that below.

Kendrick is also rumored to appear on Dr. Dre's Detox (if that ever actually comes out) and is on Game (formerly The Game)'s The R.E.D. Album, which after being delayed for about two years, was released today (8/23) via DGC/Interscope. He appears on the album's first full track, "The City," and absolutely kills it. Between Game's fury, Kendrick's breakneck lyrical flow, and Cool & Dre's production, the track is one of the album's highest points. Some other standout guests appear throughout the LP including Tyler, the Creator and Lil Wayne on "Martins vs. Goblins," Big Boi and E-40 on "Speakers on Blast", and Drake on "Good Girls Go Bad." You can stream those tracks below and order the album on Amazon.

Kendrick has a few shows coming up including one on August 31 at S.O.B.'s in NYC with Trav, Los, and Sim City. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

In related news, Smoke DZA is having an album release party for his upcoming LP Rolling Stoned on August 29 at S.O.B.'s with special guests Asap Rocky, Bun B, Va$htie and more. Tickets for the show are on sale now. You can catch DZA in NYC again when he returns as part of the Smokers Club Tour with Curren$y, Method Man, Big K.R.I.T, and others.

Speaking of J. Cole, his debut LP, Cole World: The Sideline Story is set to be released on September 27 via Jay-Z's Roc Nation imprint. The video for the album's single, "Work Out," is below. He's set to kick off the 'Cole World: World Tour' on Tuesday (8/23) in Canada and continue touring internationally through mid-December. The tour hits NYC on October 25 at Best Buy Theatre. Tickets for the NYC show go on sale Friday (8/26) at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (8/24) at 10 AM and an internet presale starting Thursday (8/25) at 10 AM.

All dates and videos below...

Continue reading "Kendrick Lamar, new Game, Smoke DZA & J.Cole -- new albums, dates, videos & stuff"