photos by Eric M. Townsend

Santa Questlove

Rahzel + Shaggy tearing it up, free apple cider shots for the ENTIRE club from our main man + Brooklyn Bowl owner Pete Shapiro, and Big Freedia and her "Azz Everywhere" - you know, just another legendary Okayplayer Holiday Jam with The Roots. What else was amazing? Free dranks thanks to Heineken, aerialists doing the splits above The Roots, and opening DJ sets from OKP Editor at large, Eddie "STATS" and OKA's own Chief Boima, along with LargeUp's own DJ Gravy and so much more. Warming up the stage, the Music Unites Youth Choir opened the show, followed by Black Thought co-signees The Wurx who brought fresh Philly-style raps.

Next up, godfathers The Roots took the stage for an extended jam with a laundry list of Okay family and friends. Throughout the night special guests included Gary Clark Jr. who graced the stage and flexed his guitar chops, Big Daddy Kane who spit classics alongside Black Thought, and Rahzel who showed why he's the human beat box extraordinaire. Angelique Kidjo and Bajah + The Dry Eye Crew tore it up, repping Okayafrica all the way. And LargeUp kept shit bombastic with Shaggy and Patra the Dancehall Queen, along with Mr. Eazy, Red Fox, and Rayvon. We also got some instrumental goodness thanks to Ray Angry and Robert Glasper on keys, repping for Revivalist. And after all that, DJ ?uestlove brought it home on the 1s and 2s with a Bowl Train after-party. [OkayAfrica]

Gary Clark Jr., who also guested at the show, played his own show at Mercury Lounge two days earlier (12/13). You can check out a review of that show on Bowery's website.

Questlove DJs Brooklyn Bowl again tonight (12/22). He tweeted, "Tonight at @brooklynbowl. We celebrate the 5th Anniversary of James Brown's exodus. All James All Jams. #BowlTrain." Tickets are still avilable. He also gives Manhattan some love and DJs at S.O.B.'s on January 3. Tickets are available for that too.

More pictures and a video from the Okayplayer show below...

Continue reading "Okayplayer Holiday Party pics (Roots, Big Daddy Kane, Shaggy, Big Freedia, Gary Clark Jr, Angelique Kidjo & many more)"

by BBG

Black Moon at Rock The Bells 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Like Mobb Deep & Lloyd Banks did on Sunday, Black Moon & Big Daddy Kane will perform albums as part of a series of Red Bull-sponsored shows. This one goes down at Southpaw in Brooklyn TONIGHT (9/29). Black Moon is focusing on their Timbs-and-backpack classic LP Enta Da Stage. Rabid fans of the LP should get to the venue early with spiral notebooks in hand to attend a Q&A session with Black Moon and Duck Down CEO Dru Ha at 5PM. The band will perform the LP in its entirety later that night backed by a six-piece band (much like they were at Rock The Bells). Juice Crew legend Big Daddy Kane will open at 8:30pm and will reportedly perform his mid-school landmarks Its a Big Daddy Thing and Long Live The Kane (which I am guessing means selections from those LPs since his set is reported to be an hour). Tickets are still on sale.

Then tomorrow (9/30), as previously mentioned, The Diplomats will play as part of the series at Best Buy Theater. And to make it more interesting, they'll perform the greatest album to sample Winger and Starship, Diplomatic Immunity. The show lists appearances from the core of the Harlem World crew, Jim Jones, Cam'Ron, Juelz Santana and Freeky Zeeky, but the jury is still out as to whether LP guests like Freeway, Master P, Un Kasa, or DMX will make an appearance. Get your tickets while they are still available.

One look at this weekend's Rock The Bells lineup and you could debate whether any of those MCs would be anywhere without the rhymes of the smooth operator Big Daddy Kane. The juice crew affiliate plays BB Kings on Sept 19th for those of you looking to get "R-A-W". The venue says the show is with a live band with opening sets by Lethillweapon and Prophet. Tickets are on sale.

Kane is currently working on a new album, though details remain scarce.

In related news, Pusha T's new EP Fear Of God 2: Let Us Pray is coming out September 27th on Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music. Its nine tracks will feature guest appearances by Diddy, Kanye, Young Jeezy, 50 Cent, Rick Ross, Tyler the Creator and more. Meanwhile Pusha T told the Village Voice he's working on a new mixtape called Long Live The Caine, an obvious ode to both the white powder and the great Brooklyn MC. Keep a look out for that. Check out the new video for "Feeling Myself", off the upcoming EP and featuring R&B singer Kevin Cossom, below...

Continue reading "Big Daddy Kane playing a show, Pusha T working on 'Long Live the Caine'"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Raekwon - "Molasses" f. Rick Ross & Ghostface Killah (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pharoahe Monch - "Clap" (MP3)

Lupe Fiasco has sold-out his previously discussed record release party at Webster Hall on March 8th, but the Chi-city MC has added another, and for free. Lupe Fiasco will appear at Music Hall of Williamsburg on 2/27 as part of a free, RSVP-only event at the venue. RSVP is currently open. Lupe's new LP Lasers hits store shelves on March 8th. Stream the new track "All Black Everything" at his site.

If you didn't get tickets for Webster Hall, that means you are free and clear to check out Raekwon at Music Hall of Williamsburg on 3/8 (tickets). The show is a record release party for the Wu-Tang great, as Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang will drop the same day as Lasers (March 8). Raekwon recently dropped a new video for title track and a new song, "Molasses" featuring Ghostface and Rick Ross. Download "Molasses" above or stream it below alongside the new video.

Pharoahe Monch has a new disc on the way, W.A.R. (We Are Renegades), and he'll celebrate that with a March 24th show at SOBs. Ticket info is forthcoming. W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) is due via Duck Down on 3/22 and features "Clap" available for download above and streaming below.

Still not many Diplomats reunion tour dates popping up, but in addition to the NYC & Philly shows previously mentioned, there's now also Chicago, and a March 25th show at Northern Lights in Clifton Park which is on sale. The list of dates is below.

Tickets recently went on sale for a Wiz Khalifa show at Roseland Ballroom. Kid Cudi's total number of sold out Roseland shows is three.

Big Boi and People Under the Stairs are on the lineup of the just-announced Governors Ball Music Festival.

And last but not least, Southpaw has a couple of interesting hip hop shows in the coming weeks including the imperial Rah Digga with Eternia on Thursday (2/24, tickets) and the one and only Big Daddy Kane with Brand Nubian as part of a benefit on March 25th (tickets).

All streams and some video is below.

Continue reading "a free Lupe Fiasco show, Raekwon video, new Pharoahe Monch, updated Diplomats dates & other hip hop news"

Grizzly Bear @ Williamsburg Waterfront in 09 (more by Bao Nguyen)

tonight in NYC
* Winger @ BB King's
* Baby Gramps @ Jalopy Theatre
* Sunday Best w/ Fred P @ 400 Carroll St
* Timetable Percussion @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Rooftop Films w/ Hank & Cupcakes @ Solar One
* Mutant Supremacy, At War, Midnight, Crucifist @ Europa
* Reigning Sound, The Goodnight Loving @ Maxwell's
* Cooper-Moore Trio, Peter Evans Group Trio @ Zebulon
* Christy & Emily, Secret Cities, Invisible Circle @ Pianos
* The Sharpest, Last Stand For Lucy, Eagle Scout @ Party Expo
* Salif Keita, Tabou Combo, Lo'Jo @ Central Park SummerStage
* Dwarves, The Turbo A.C.'s, Psycho Charger @ Bowery Electric
* Talib Kweli, Jean Grae, Statik Selektah, DJ Eque @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Punk Island w/ D.O.A., Negative Approach & many more @ Governors Island
* The New Pornographers, The Duke and the Dutchess @ The Bell House
* The Poison Control Center, Boy Genius, Knight School @ Bruar Falls
* Band of Horses, Grizzly Bear, Karen Elson @ Williamsburg Waterfront
* The Most Serene Republic, Annuals, What Laura Says @ Mercury Lounge
* HEALTH, Indian Jewelry, Gold Panda, Robin @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Jeffery Lewis, Jimmy Lloyd & Friends, Laura Warshauer @ Highline Ballroom
* Strike Anywhere, Bane, Touche Amore, Lowtaker @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn

Punk Island, with D.O.A., Negative Approach, Blanks 77, Hub City Stompers, Star Fucking Hipsters, Hellcat Burlesque and many, many more, takes over Governors Island today. A full schedule (with ferry times) is here. Even though it's happening a day earlier, Punk Island is a part of Monday's Make Music NY festivites, which will be spread across the city.

Indian Jewelry open for HEALTH at Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight and play their own show at Mercury Lounge on Monday.

Grizzly Bear open for Band of Horses at the first Williamsburg Waterfront show of 2010 tonight. Grizzly Bear headline at Governors Island in August.

Big Daddy Kane, Chubb Rock and Greg Nice played a show in Herbert Von King Park on June 16th. Videos from that show below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday?"

Central Park Summerstage (more by Chris La Putt)

The schedule for the 2010 SummerStage series, which has music not just at Central Park, is out, and there are some great looking shows to highlight.

At Central Park, the first "rock" show happens on Saturday, June 5th with Living Colour, Ebony Bones!, Pillow Theory and CX KiDTRONiK. Baaba Maal, who just played Irving Plaza, will be at Central Park too on Monday, June 14th The Tinariwen show on Saturday, June 26th also features Syrian beat & mikeman Omar Souleyman. Gil Scott-Heron plays Central Park in June and Marcus Garvey Park in August.

There's also El Guincho, Bostich and Fussible and others in Central Park on July 7th. Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff plays Central Park on Sunday, July 11th. Raphael Saadiq performs there Saturday, July 17 at 3pm. The Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba/Fool's Gold show on Sunday, July 25th will also feature "West African electronica" band Burkina Electric.

On Wednesday, July 21st, there'll be a Comedy Central's The Daily Show and Friends Central Park gig hosted by Lewis Black with John Oliver, Rob Riggle, Wyatt Cenac, Adam Lowitt and Rory Albanese.

There's also music from St. Vincent, Tune-Yards and Basia Bulat on August 1st at Central Park. The xx play with Jack Penate and Chairlift there on August 8th. At the same spot, Public Enemy play an August 15th day show to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Fear of A Black Planet, and the Specials play on August 22nd with Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears and $mall ¢hange.

The borough-wide shows kick off with Jay Electronica in Red Hook Park on June 1st. Also at that park is Dan Deacon on Tuesday, June 15th. White Rabbits play East River Park on August 12th.

There's lots of great jazz too: McCoy Tyner plays with Ravi Coltrane, Esperanza Spalding and Francisco Mela as part of the CareFusion Jazz Festival on June 23rd. He also plays in the Charlie Parker Jazz Fest, which comes at the end of the summer with an incredible lineup. McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Scott, Jason Moran and the Bandwagon and Revive da Live play during the day at Marcus Garvey on Saturday, August 28th. Then the next day, James Moody, Catherine Russell, Vijay Iyer and The JD Allen Trio play at Tompkins Square Park.

The park benefit shows include John Butler Trio and State Radio on June 15th (tickets on sale), The Flaming Lips on July 26th, The Black Keys with the Morning Benders on July 27th and 28th, Hot Chip/Hercules & Love Affair/Holy Ghost on August 4th, Govt' Mule on August 11th (tickets), and one of the four Pavement shows September 21-24. Plus there's a "songbook of Simon & Garfunkel" benefit on June 8th.

Not all "Summerstage" shows are in Central Park anymore which drives home the point even further that the name of the venue in Central Park is actually "Rumsey Playfield" which hosts non-"Summerstage" shows too. Those so far include Coheed/Torche, CAKE, Ween, and Broken Social Scene.

The full Summerstage free show schedule is below...

Continue reading "Summerstage (Central Park & elsewhere) - full 2010 lineup "

A performing arts program of BRIC Arts | Media | Bklyn, Celebrate Brooklyn! is one of New York City's longest running, free, outdoor performing arts festivals. Launched in 1979, as a catalyst for a Brooklyn performing arts scene and to bring people back into Prospect Park after years of neglect, Celebrate Brooklyn has been an anchor in the park's revitalization and has become one of the city's foremost summer cultural attractions. Over the course of its history Celebrate Brooklyn has presented over 1,700 artists and ensembles reflective of the borough's diversity, ranging from internationally acclaimed performers to emerging, cutting-edge artists. All Celebrate Brooklyn performances are free. The festival attracts upwards of 250,000 attendees from across New York City to the Prospect Park Bandshell each summer.

Continue reading "Celebrate Brooklyn! 2009 Prospect Park concert schedule "

by Black Bubblegum

DITC

Old school hip hop fans are probably fi'in to go nuts between all the great shows in the next couple months including a big one this weekend at BB King's....

Big Daddy Kane is celebrating "20 years in the game" with the Sound Providers and Connie Price & The Keystones along with special guest DJs Mister Cee (BDK's original DJ), fellow Juice Crew-er Biz Markie, Skaz Digga, and J. Period. Tickets are on sale.

Meanwhile, fellow Juice Crew affiliate Craig G will open for the underappreciated hip hop crew D.I.T.C. will (mostly) reunite on Dec 7th at The Knitting Factory. Look for Lord Finesse, Diamond D, A.G., O.C. + "special guests" to hit the main stage with The Legion. Pray that "special guests" does not mean Fat Joe. Tickets are on sale.

continued below...

Continue reading "upcoming (old school) Hip Hop shows in NYC"