"the 2011 Pitchfork Music Festival will be taking place on Friday, July 15th through Sunday, July 17th! Tickets will officially be on sale today at 12 PM CST, with single-day tickets for $45 and three-day passes for $110! If last year was any indicator, three-day passes will sell out in under a week (last year they sold out in FIVE DAYS!), so be sure to get your tickets ASAP!"

The full lineup so far is below...

Continue reading "2011 Pitchfork Music Festival - initial lineup & tickets"

by BBG

Tragedy fan at Chaos in Tejas 2008 (photo by joecurry666)

After an initial lineup was announced earlier this year, Chaos in Tejas is back for more with another set of bands confirmed for the June 2nd - 5th Austin festival. Get to booking your ticket if you're interested in seeing Kriegshog (from Japan, their last show ever), a Youth of Today reunion (Ray Cappo, Porcell, Ken Olden + a drummer who isn't Sammy), Low Threat Profile, Omar Souleyman, Hooded Menace, Lower Dens, Double Negative, FYP, Oneohtrix Point Never, Veins (their only show ever), Universal Order of Armageddon, and many many others. Oh, and by the way, the previously discussed Autopsy appearance will be their only US show of the year. Full list of bands playing the multi-venue party is below.

In related news, Low Threat Profile (members of Lack Of Interest/Infest/No Comment) released their debut LP via Deep Six Records before the new year. Pick it up at your favorite distro/webstore, like Tankcrimes or Phantom City.

Universal Order of Armageddon play NYC TWICE soon; on 1/21 at Cake Shop with Trophy Wife (and more TBA) and 1/22 at Death By Audio with The Body, Orphan, and (according to Youth Attack) Salvation. Take note, the lineups have changed since we first posted, and differ from what Kill Rock Stars has posted (click the link for Baltimore and Philly date info too).

Current Chaos in Tejas lineup (more announcements are due soon), below...

Continue reading "Chaos in Tejas 2011 lineup expands (Kriegshog & Youth of Today included), Universal Order of Armageddon coming soon"

by BBG

Ghostface at Rock The Bells 2010 (more by Brook Bobbins)

Have you ever approached your employer asking for pre-tax deductions for purchases at Flight Club? Have you ever bought two pairs of the same shoe so you could rock one and put the other in your gigantic closet filled with shoeboxes? Do you own the exclusive ultra-rare Jay-Z/Eminem tour only Air Force 1s limited to 50 and limited to 5 in size 10? If so, you'll probably be at Sneaker Pimps NYC on 12/4 at St John Center Studios (570 Washington), where sneaker fiends can buy/sell/trade kicks. But if you aren't a sneaker nerd and just like hip hop (present), then you'll probably just swing by the venue to catch a cavalcade of artists like Ghostface Killah, Redman, Sheek Louch with The Lox, Curren$y (who played an Adidas-sponsored event at Highline Ballroom last night), Diggy Simmons, 9th Wonder, and many others. Tickets are on sale.

Ghostface Killah's new album, The Apollo Kids (named after the burner from Supreme Clientele I'm guessing) is due December 14th via Def Jam. He's currently streaming a new song "Together Baby" at the label, and says it will be the first of three new albums coming soon. No release dates for the other two yet, but he says they'll be called Blue & Cream and Supreme Clientele Part II. He last played NYC during CMJ. His next shows are tonight, Friday and Saturday in California (Friday and Saturday are both with Kosha DIllz who also lists December 23rd at Highline Ballroom on his schedule).

And don't forget Ghost, Rae, and the whole Wu will be touring in December and be at Starland Ballroom and Best Buy Theater on 12/23 (tickets) and 12/29 (tickets) respectively.

Raekwon just played Purchase Fall Fest with Death, and we have some more pics from that coming soon. Sneaker Pimps flyer below...

Continue reading "Ghostface releasing albums, playing Sneaker Pimps"

by BBG

Curren$y at Brooklyn Hip Hop Fest (more by Brook Bobbins)

Forecasters are predicting a "partly cloudy" Santos, as the Smoker's Club Tour will roll into town to play the NYC venue tonight (10/5). The show, which you might have caught when it kicked off at the Rock Yard in September, features an appearance by the great and highly-prolific Curren$y, and will also include appearances from buzzy MC Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA, Mac Miller, and Boaz. Tickets are still on sale. All dates below.

Curren$y hits the NYC show circuit seemingly as often as he hits the mic these days which, considering his 9 mixtapes and LPs in two+ years, is pretty frequently. His latest project is his new and critically acclaimed LP Pilot Talk, out now via Roc-A-Fella.

Big K.R.I.T. is offering his latest LP K.R.I.T. Wuz Here for free download. The LP, which features the Mississippi MC on the rhymes and the beats, features tourmates Smoke DZA, and Curren$Y, as well as Wiz Khalifa and Devin the Dude.

Full tour dates and some video is below...

Continue reading "The Smoker's Club Tour passes through NYC again (dates) "

SATURDAY DAYTIME STUFF
* FYF FEST in LA
* Warm Up @ PS1
* ATP NY @ Kutscher's
* hip hop @ the Rock Yard !
* Monster Island Block Party
* Electric Zoo on Randall's Island

! Bun B doesn't appear to be playing the Rock Yard anymore

Robert Plant tickets go on sale.

also see: What's Going on Friday?

What else?

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) "

So, remember those six free shows that are happening? Here they are....

Continue reading "Jelly presents Saturdays @ Rock Yard (6 free show lineups) "

DOWNLOAD: Big K.R.I.T. - Country Shit (MP3)

On "Country Shit", [Big KRIT] borrows Pimp C's twanged-out elastic sneer and just rides the everliving hell out of his own woozy thump: "I was riding my Screw shit, rims chop-choppin'/ Top droppin', throwing breadcrumbs, crows start flockin'." As a producer, he's an expert sample-chopper, and his track weaves in theremin peals and stuttery sighs and vintage 808 destruction. It's the sort of track you want to use to make sure your car stereo's bass pounds just right. If you don't feel like a superhero while this is playing loud, you need a new system.
[Pitchfork - Best New Track review for "Country Shit"]

Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T., who is signed to Def Jam, is in NYC for a show tonight (6/30) at S.O.B.'s where he'll be joined by Curren$y & Smoke DZA (both guests on his album). Tickets are still on sale.

Big K.R.I.T.'s debut LP/mixtape, the self-produced K.R.I.T Wuz Here, Gorilla vs Bear's third favorite album of the first half of the year, is available for free online. Check it out if you're looking for some soulful Southern rap. The above "Country Shit" is on it, as are the two songs in the videos posted, with the full tracklist, below...

Continue reading "Big K.R.I.T. is here - NYC show tonight, free album online"

Total Slacker @ St James Church (more by Vincent Cornelli)

CatholicVoteAction.Org, Culture War Notes, and Aufer A Nobis all have posts claiming "abomination", "sacrilege" and "desecration" at St James Church on Friday, 1/15. They're referring to the Real Estate, Beach Fossils, The Beets, The Tony Castles & Total Slacker show (that Curren$y was also a special guest at). Videos from the event below...

Continue reading "religious sites claiming St. James Church was 'desecrated'"

photos by Erez Avissar

"Damon "Dame" Dash co-founded Roc-a-Fella Records, helped launch the career of Jay-Z and discovered Kanye West. He's produced or executive-produced about a dozen films, including the well-received 2002 urban flick "Paid in Full" and the 2004 movie "The Woodsman," starring Kevin Bacon. And he started lucrative apparel lines like Rocawear and Rachel Roy, of which he is still part owner with his wife, the company's namesake.

But the 37-year-old Dash still says he gets snubbed by the music industry. Media reports last year about his alleged financial difficulties and legal problems probably didn't help. "My mistake was watching everyone else's careers and not watching mine,'' he says.

More important was his acrimonious split a few years ago with his old friend and business partner Jay-Z. "It was like, either you are on his side or on mine," he says. "And because of all that, there's resistance on every level with me and the shit just bugs me out." [Billboard]

New venue Under 100 (located in the basement of the Tribeca building where Damon Dash's office is located) is quickly becoming famous, after just two shows. The first, in November, featured sets by Sleigh Bells, Javelin & Knyfe Hyts 81 with help from Mos Def, Curren$y, and others. The second, just two nights ago (12/8), was rumored to include a performance by Blakroc (featuring Mos Def) who were on Letterman that same night. That didn't happen, but The Cool Kids, The London Souls, Curren$y (again), and some others did play. Mos Def and Damon Dash (again) were just hanging out. The third show is....

TONIGHT (12/10):

RSVP @ Lessartistsmorecondos@gmail.com
-- DARLINGS /// THESE ARE POWERS --
$ 7 bucks
09:00 pm Doors
09:30 pm DARLINGS
10:30 pm THESE ARE POWERS

More pictures from the last event, below...

Continue reading "The Cool Kids, London Souls, Curren$y & friends (but not Blakroc) played Under 100 (pics) ++ a show there tonight"

photos by Lori Baily

Mos Def / Sleigh Bells

first show at new tribeca venue "under 100," which is co-owned by greg finch of p4k tv, and is in damon dash's office basement. was a crazy night. dash's entourage rolled through in full effect, loved sleigh bells and javelin, two rappers (stally and curren$y) spit over javelin songs during an unexpected encore by popular demand. later in the evening, everyone went upstairs to watch javelin's set in dash's office and rumor was that both parties wanted to further jam. next thing you know, everyone's downstairs in the venue again and mos def et al are jamming with javelin and knyfe hyts! was a special night. - erez avissar

After the show I thought I heard that Mos Def played with Sleigh Bells (who are now also famous for M.I.A. and Spike Jonze reportedly coming to one of their shows) (though someone told me they think the M.I.A. part was a rumor started after a case of mistaken identity). I must have jumped to conclusions though because Mos Def actually only jammed with the other two bands at the Friday night show (11/20). Amazing weekend for guest appearances in NYC (the Roots and David Byrne played with Dirty Projectors at Bowery Ballroom). More pictures from Under 100 below...

Continue reading "Mos Def played w/ Sleigh Bells, Javelin & Knyfe Hyts 81 @ Under 100 in NYC - pics"