words by BBG, photos by Brook Bobbins

"Wht a fckin day! Was a 90s hipHop reunion backstge DAMN! Nice & smooth, dela soul, group home, primo, pete rck& cl smooth, large prof, craig g" -MastaAce

"Damn Pete Rock and CL Smooth rockin under the Brooklyn Bridge. It's a beautiful thing. Straighten it out! -greenspam

"I really am sorry that you're not here with me watching De La Soul kill shit live in Brooklyn" -djreadycee

De La Soul at Brooklyn Hip hop Fest in DUMBO - July 10, 2010

Though the rain did rear it's ugly head momentarily on July 10th, the crowd was nonetheless rocked at the 2010 Brooklyn Hip Hop Fest on Saturday. It was the final day of a week-long celebration, and also the biggest event of the fest. With a lineup that consisted of greats like De La Soul, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Black Moon, Smif n Wessun, and many others, the surprise additions of Nice & Smooth, Black Sheep and Group Home gave the event an especially 90s touch. It wasn't all veterans though; relative newcomers like Curren$y, Black Milk, Diamond District, The Money Making Jam Boys, and many others brought new blood under the Brooklyn Bridge to get the block rockin'.

Tons more pics (starting with Black Milk's 3:45 set), and video are below...

Continue reading "Brooklyn Hip Hop Fest 2010 in pics & video (De La Soul, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Black Moon, Black Milk & more) "

Neko Case @ All Points West in August (more by Chris La Putt)

Shrinebuilder

tonight in NYC
* Suzanne Fiol Day
* Holden @ Sycamore
* Talibam!, Chris Peck, Living Things @ Zebulon
* Metallica, Lamb of God @ Madison Square Garden
* Shrinebuilder, Rwake, Liturgy @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Neko Case, Joey & John of Calexico @ Wellmont Theatre
* Art Brut, Jeffrey Lewis, Murder Mystery @ Bowery Ballroom
* De Cylinders, Gentleman Jesse, Girls At Dawn @ Bruar Falls
* Awesome Color, Glass Rock, Scotty Karate, Bird Law @ Glasslands
* dubknowdub, Necking, Love or Perish, Noisy Pig @ Death By Audio
* Band Of Skulls, Surefire, Violent Soho @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Afrika Bambaataa 35th Anniversary show w/ Naughty By Nature & more @ SOB's

35th Anniversary Of Hip-Hop Culture/36th Anniversary Of The Universal Zulu Nation
SUNDAY NOV 15 DOORS 7PM SHOW 8PM
ADMISSION $25 in adv/$30 day of
$10.00 off with Zulu Nation or Moorish Nationality Card)

Naughty By: Nature -Headliner
Positive K
Grand Master Melle Mel
Chill Rob G
Large Professor
Craig G
Shaheim
Dana Dane

DJ DP One/DJ Chuck Chillout

It's hard to believe that SHRINEBUILDER is finally here (tonight @ LPR). Listen to "Pyramid of the Moon" below...

Neko Case hits Wellmont Theater tonight. Monday she's at Beacon Theater. Amazon thinks she put out the best album of 2009. Video of her on Letterman, below...

Art Brut plays their second NYC show of the weekend tonight. It's at Bowery Ballroom. Friday night it was at Brooklyn Bowl.

We lost Jerry Fuchsa week ago last night.

Nardwuar talked to Gossip (including Beth Ditto). Video below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday?"

by Black Bubblegum

Marty Markowitz and Ralph McDaniels

The theme of this summer has been rain, and though the skies opened up halfway into the 5th anniversary show of The Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival on June 20th in Empire Fulton-Ferry State Park, that didn't stop the crowd from swaying to the classic beats and rhymes by a stable of 90s artists. Thankfully the organizers of the DUMBO show thought ahead, and though it was a little packed in there, everyone stayed perfectly dry inside the emergency tent.

With all the veterans of hip hop on Saturday's lineup, you'd think that the most kinetic performance of the day would come from a Grand Puba or Pharoahe Monch. You'd be wrong. Oddly enough, the least "conscious" MC and the one that I always felt was slightly overrated, Styles P of D-Block (fka The Lox), delivered an energetic performance of hits that was matched only by the energy that the crowd bounced back. I was shocked, though pleasantly so.

I was glad to be wrong about Styles P, and I definitely learned a few other things that rainy Saturday:

Continue reading "the 2009 Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival - in pics & review "

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"