DOWNLOAD: The Hood Internet - "Grown Up Has No Trigger" (MP3)

As mentioned, The Hood Internet are releasing their new album, FEAT, on October 2 and playing shows in support of it including a NYC date on August 11 at Brooklyn Bowl. That show is no longer happening, and Brooklyn Bowl calendar now lists an early show that day (8/11) with Natural Child, The Peoples Temple, and Liquor Store, and a late show with St. Lucia, Big Black Delta, and Capital CIties.

Instead, The Hood Internet will make their way to NYC for a show on September 14 at Music Hall of WIlliamsburg with Body Language, My Gold Mask, and Oscillator Bug. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (8/3) at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (8/1) at noon. All Hood Internet dates are listed below.

The Hood Internet recently made a very topical mashup of Danny Brown's "Grown Up" and Dirty Projectors' "Gun Has No Trigger" called "Grown Up Has No Trigger." You can download that above or stream it below, along with a list of all dates...

Continue reading "Hood Internet replace BBowl show with MHOW (updated dates); mashed up Danny Brown & Dirty Projectors (MP3)"

photos by Toby Tenenbaum

"asap and grimes under one roof I can't deal @285KENT" - Alexandra Velasco

"@ASAP_TyBeats @asvpxrocky @araabMUZIK @pictureplane @Grimezsz @285KENT WHAT THE FVCK?!!?!" - Dan Bonomo

A$AP Rocky at Catalpa Festival - 7/29/12

A$AP Rocky played a set at hometown festival Catalpa Fest on Randall's Island yesterday (7/29), and after that, he and AraabMuzik (who also played Catalpa) made their way over to Brooklyn to be the special guests that were promised at the Pictureplane show at 285 Kent that Grimes DJed at. Though it's hard to make out, this instagram has evidence of Grimes, AraabMuzik, and Pictureplane on stage together, and Vivian Girl Cassie Ramone was in the house too.

Now that all of the weekend's craziness is over, it's been revealed that A$AP Rocky's upcoming tour with Danny Brown and Schoolboy Q will in fact include a NYC show. All three rappers will grace the city with an appearance at Roseland Ballroom on September 27. Tickets for the NYC show go on sale Friday (8/3) at 10 AM.

More pictures of both A$AP Rocky and AraabMuzik's sets from Catalpa Fest and a list of updated dates below...

Continue reading "A$AP Rocky adds NYC show, played Catalpa w/ AraabMuzik (who he also went to 285 Kent with) -- (pics & dates)"

by Andrew Sacher

Three of the biggest current forces in indie rap, A$AP Rocky (and his A$AP Mob), Danny Brown, and Schoolboy Q will be touring together this fall. Looks like A$AP Rocky's got the headlining spot, as it's dubbed the 'LoveLiveA$AP' tour (after Rocky's album of the same name, due out 9/11), as you can see in the flier above, which borders between provocative and a little creepy.

The tour doesn't hit NYC (yet?), but there are some shows nearby, including Toads Place on September 23 in New Haven, CT and Electric Factory on November 18 in Philly. Tickets for the New Haven show and the Philly show go on sale Friday (7/27) at noon.

Meanwhile, all three rappers have other upcoming shows in the NYC area before this tour kicks off. A$AP Rocky will be on Randall's Island this weekend (7/28-29) for Catalpa Fest. Schoolboy Q plays Rock the Bells at PNC Bank Arts Center (9/1-2) (ASAP only plays Rock the Bells in California), and he and Black Hippy crewmate Kendrick Lamar are among the support acts for Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller's tour which hits Jones Beach on August 2. Danny Brown is keeping it a bit on the smaller spectrum, seeing as he will play Warm Up on August 25 at MoMA PS1 with Just Blaze, Nick Catchdubs, The Stallions, and BAIO (of Vampire Weekend). Tickets for Warm Up are on sale now.

Most of the LiveLoveA$AP tour coincides with Kendrick Lamar's upcoming tour with Ab-Soul and Jay Rock (aka all of Black Hippy except Schoolboy Q). However, the first few dates, including Kendrick's NYC show at Terminal 5 (9/15) happen before the LiveLoveA$AP tour. Maybe Schoolboy Q will make an appearance at that (more details still TBA)?

A list of all dates on the LiveLoveA$AP tour and videos of all three rappers below...

Continue reading "A$AP Rocky, Danny Brown & Schoolboy Q touring together"

by Andrew Sacher

Though the most talked about hip hop release of this week is probably Nas' Life Is Good, don't let that overshadow The Alchemist's hip hop song cycle Russian Roulette. The album is thirty tracks long, all of which are under three minutes, and it's scattered with impressive guest spots from Danny Brown, Schoolboy Q, Action Bronson, Guilty Simpson, Fashawn, Meyhem Lauren, Evidence, Roc Marciano, and so many more.

The tracks play into each other like the similarly assembled Beach Boys' Smile, their collaborator Van Dyke Park's Song Cycle, or side B of Abbey Road. Not saying that Russian Roulette is the Beach Boys/Beatles of rap albums, but the idea that its DNA is equally rooted in the odyssey of late '60s psychedelia as it is in golden age boom bap stands. While many guest-filled, producer-penned albums can play like inconsistent mixtapes, this one's more focused than some releases by a single rapper.

Check it out for yourself by streaming Russian Roulette in its entirety over at SPIN. A few of its tracks are also streaming below...

Continue reading "stream The Alchemist's guest-filled LP, 'Russian Roulette'"

photos by Fred Pessaro // BBG & Chase Turner

Grimes / Godspeed You! Black Emperor

The 2012 Pitchfork Music Festival continued on Saturday (7/14), and like day 1, Chicago's Union Park was plagued by some rain, but everything moved along as planned and the weather cleared up by mid-afternoon. Day 2 began with sets by The Psychic Paramount and The Atlas Moth (both of who we unfortunately missed) and then continued with Cloud Nothings, Flying Lotus, Schoolboy Q, Chromatics, Hot Chip, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Grimes and much more.

If you weren't at the festival, did you stream it live?

More pics from day 2 are below (all by Fred Pessaro/BBG except Grimes by Chase Turner) and day 1 pics are HERE.

Continue reading "Pitchfork Fest 2012 day 2 in pics (Godspeed, Hot Chip, Grimes, Wild Flag, Chromatics, Flying Lotus, Cloud Nothings & more)"

After teasing folks with a few names here and there -- like Run DMC most recently -- Austin's annual Fun Fun Fun Fest (Nov 2 - 4) has revealed it's full line-up, including Public Image Ltd, De La Soul, Superchunk, Santigold, Refused, X peforming Los Angeles, and lots, lots more. 3-day passes go on sale at 10AM CST.

Full FFF Fest lineup is below.

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest full lineup (De La Soul, Refused, Fucked Up, Public Image Ltd, Santigold, Sharon Van Etten, Rakim, X, Converge, Japandroids & more)"

photos by Chris La Putt

Danny Brown / Schoolboy Q show their best sides at Summerstage 6/25/2012

Despite the rain, Danny Brown (who ended up playing first) and Schoolboy Q opened for Childish Gambino at their first of two NYC shows together last night (6/25) at Central Park Summerstage. Both rappers played their own sets and then also joined Childish Gambino on stage for part of his, which you can watch a video of below.

Danny, Q, and Childish will do it again tonight (6/26) at Prospect Park. Tickets for tonight's show are still available and we're also giving away a pair. Details on how to enter, along with more pictures and a video from last night's show are below...

Continue reading "Danny Brown & Schoolboy Q supported Childish Gambino at Summerstage (pics); playing Prospect Park tonight (win tickets)"

The 2012 edition of MusicFestNW takes place in September 5 - 9 at 18 venues in Portland, OR and will feature performances from over 150 bands, including Passion Pit, Hot Snakes, Girl Talk, Danny Brown, Beirut Silversun Pickups, Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh, many more.

In addition to those previously announced artists, MFNW has just added The Hives, Flying Lotus, Wild Nothing, DIIV, Quasi, Moon Duo, My Goodness, DZ Deathrays, and Strand Of Oaks to the already impressive line-up. Wristbands, available various levels and packages, and tickets to individual shows are on sale now. Check out the complete MFNW lineup below.

Continue reading "MusicFestNW 2012 lineup expands (The Hives, Flying Lotus, Quasi, DIIV, Passion Pit, Hot Snakes, Beirut, Swans & many more)"

DOWNLOAD: Meyhem Lauren - "Peruvian Desserts" (ft. Action Bronson & Roc Marciano) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Meyhem Lauren - "Special Effects" (ft. Action Bronson & Himanshu (MP3)

Action Bronson at Bambooalze 2012 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Action Bronson is playing a few shows this month, including a few in Toronto for NXNE, which is now underway. After that, he'll return to NYC to play a free show in Red Hook Park on June 19. As mentioned, that show also includes Das Racist, and does not include AraabMUZIK, who was originally scheduled but dropped off. The rest of the bill features Trouble Andrew and Brenmar, who also plays the official Governors Ball afterparty at Brooklyn Bowl on June 23 with Cubic Zirconia, XXXChange, Questlove, and Nobody Beats the Drum. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Action Bronson recently made a video for "Steve Wynn" off Blue Chips, his album with Party Supplies (who played Public Assembly last week). You can watch that video below.

He also appears on fellow Queens rapper Meyhem Lauren's upcoming album, Respect the Fly Shit. He's on the recently revealed track, "Peruvian Desserts," which also features Roc Marciano, and on the track "Special Effects," both of which you can download above.

Action Bronson, Meyhem Lauren, and Roc Marciano are all also among the many guests on The Alchemist's upcoming album, Russian Roulette, which is due out July 17 via Decon. Other guests include Danny Brown, Schoolboy Q, Guilty Simpson, Evidence, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, and more. Check out the song "Flight Confirmation," which features Danny Brown and Schoolboy Q below, along with the album artwork and tracklist.

A list of all dates, stream and video are below.

Continue reading "Action Bronson playing shows (dates), has a new video, featured on new albums by Meyhem Lauren & The Alchemist"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

Kendrick Lamar/Alabama Shakes

[Kendrick] Lamar hails from gangsta rap central: Compton, Calif. But instead of directing his anger at the police, women or outsiders, he criticizes himself and his environment, and he projects far more ambition than victimization. One song, "She Needs Me," praised a career woman-a rare creature in hip-hop. Mr. Lamar uses hip-hop's love of raunch and brand names (especially fashion labels and upscale alcohol) as teaching tools. Both, for him, are incidental to tales of striving, self-improvement and overcoming a rough past, delivered with a cutting rasp and fast, complicated meter shifts.

Yelawolf had a rasp, too, putting an edge on boasts and defensiveness; he's a white rapper, still an uncomfortable position even though he is signed to the label of another white rapper, Eminem. He battles any doubts with self-assertion and defiance, as his raps often toggle into doubletime to insist on his virtuosity. But his set was padded with a D.J. showcase and cover songs, including a tribute to Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys.

[Danny] Brown has two voices-a stentorian bark and a nasal, cartoonish whine-for raps about sex and death. He switches between them, over sparse, booming tracks, as his rhymes switch between wildly imaginative imagery and boasts about his potency. The raunch has plenty of singalong lines, and the Bonnaroo audience shouted them all with him. [NY Times]

If you aren't in Manchester, TN for the festival, have you been following along online? More Bonnaroo coverage to come. More pics from Day 1 below...

Continue reading "Bonnaroo Day 1 in pics (Kendrick Lamar, Alabama Shakes, Danny Brown, White Denim, Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr & more)"

Warm Up 2011 at MoMA PS1 (more by Erez Avissar)

The Warm Up summer concert series is returning to MoMA PS1 this summer for another run of dance parties from forward thinking electronic musicians every Saturday from July 7 through September 8 in PS1's outdoor courtyard. For the first time, advance tickets for Warm Up will be available this year. They go on sale June 18.

The 2012 schedule includes Thom Yorke's Atoms for Peace (DJ), Jamie xx, Danny Brown, Just Blaze, Maria Minerva, Shlohmo, Evian Christ, Howse, Nguzunguzu, Baio, Holy Other, Rustie, Matthew Dear (DJ), Lemonade, Slava, TRUST, Light Asylum, Sepalcure, Floating Points, Jacques Greene and many more.

More info and the full schedule below...

Continue reading "PS1's 2012 'Warm Up' lineup announced (Thom Yorke, Jamie xx, Danny Brown, Maria Minerva, Evian Christ, Trust & more)"

El-P at Santos (via kristinsayz)

Last night, before a tightly-packed Santos Party House in downtown Manhattan, El-P showcased his new work in its entirety, front to back...
Opening with the rave-like "Request Denied" and blazing the stage with bangers "The Full Retard" and "Drones Over Bklyn," El-P worked the crowd into a frenzy with relative ease. He was joined by many guests including show opener/Def Jux refugee Despot and new best bud Killer Mike on "Tougher Colder Killer," Das Racist's Himanshu on "True Story," Nick Diamonds of Islands on "Stay Down," and Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire on "Oh Hail No." The one bummer of the night was Danny Brown was apparently not able to make it out for his verse. However, Action Bronson did appear on stage at one point. He didn't get on the mic, but he did smoke two gigantic joints on the side of the stage which was a spectacle in and of itself. -[Death & Taxes]

Next up, a US tour for El-P, Killer Mike, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire and Despot. Initially, no NYC date was scheduled for that tour, but they've since added one happening on July 13 at Irving Plaza. Tickets for that show go on presale Thursday (5/24) at 10AM and regular sale starts Friday (5/25) at 10 AM.

Meanwhile, you can catch Killer Mike again this Thursday (5/24) at Brooklyn Bowl.

Videos of El-P, his special guests, and a swaying Santos Party House, along with a list of all dates below...

Continue reading "El-P played a guest-filled show at Santos (videos); adds Irving Plaza show to tour (updated dates)"

by Andrew Sacher

Black Hippy member Ab-Soul released his new album, Control System, this month via Top Dawg Entertainment. Along with Kendrick Lamar's Section.80 and Schoolboy Q's Habits & Contradictions, Control System continues to prove that the Black Hippy team are making some of the tightest indie hip hop around (you're up next, Jay Rock).

While Q is the group's party rapper and Kendrick's the one preaching mile-a-minute prophecies, Ab-Soul falls somewhere in the middle. He channels an abstract flow that traces back to Dr. Octagon, Deltron 3030, and Aesop Rock (and plays on it with his own name, "Ab-Soul, abstract, asshole"). On "Pineal Gland," a song about DMT, a doubled-up chorus chants, "Enjoy your mind trip but don't trip on your mind/No man is safe is from the war going on outside," sounding straight off an early Aesop Rock record or Aquemini-era Outkast. In addition to the head-in-the-clouds stuff, Control System is also scattered with recollections of west coast gangsta rap, especially on "Illuminate," his track with Kendrick Lamar that features mock gun shots and the tragic reference, "If I ever go to Columbine and cop 30 nines and cock back and kill."

On the brighter side of his album, he's got a handful references to some of last year's most memorable tracks like Drake and the Weeknd's "Crew Love," ASAP Rocky's "Purple Swag," and of course inner-Black HIppy references like, "Bet I got some weed like Schoolboy Q." In addition to guest spots from Black Hippy members (who all appear on the album's final track), he's got appearances by Danny Brown (of course), BJ the Chicago Kid, Jhene Aiko, his girlfriend Alori Joh (who passed away this year, RIP), and more. You can stream the entire album and check out the videos for "Pineal Gland, "Empathy," and "Terrorists Threats," below. The album is available to purchase digitally on iTunes and physically at the TDE webstore.

Soulo just finished up a tour with Schoolboy Q which hit Chicago earlier this month. Both rappers were just announced for the Rock the Bells 2012 lineup which comes to the NYC-area on September 1-2 at PNC Banks Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ. Meanwhile, you'll be able to catch Ab-Soul play his own show in NYC much sooner at SOB's on June 21. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Videos, streams, and a list of all dates are below.

Continue reading "Ab-Soul released 'Control System' (stream it), playing shows"

DOWNLOAD: Drake feat. The Weeknd "Crew Love" (Star Slinger's Jersey Refix) (MP3)

UK electronic guru Star Slinger is currently finishing up some dates in Australia and is about to kick off a tour of North America with co-headliners The Hood Internet and their Chicago neighbor Chrissy Murderbot. That tour, dubbed the "Hood Slung" tour, will be in NYC next week for a May 9 show at Irving Plaza and tickets are still available. All dates on tare below.

Star Slinger has yet to release a full LP but stays busy if his Soundcloud page is any indication. Most recently, the UK producer remixed Darque E. Freeker's new single "Blueberry" that features ostentatious Detroit rapper Danny Brown. You can stream that below, along with a just-posted reworking of Drake/Weeknd colaboration "Crew Love" which you can also download at the top of this post.

After the Hood Slung wraps up, Star Slinger will continue touring around North America, concluding with an appearance at Lollapalooza in Chicago on August 4. All Star Slinger tour dates are listed below.

Continue reading "Star Slinger remixes Drake & Danny Brown, touring with the Hood Internet (dates & MP3)"

Built to Spill at BV SXSW 2012 (more by Ryan Barkan)

The Hopscotch festival in Raleigh, North Carolina will celebrate its third year from Sept. 6-8, 2012 in downtown Raleigh, with 175 bands in 15 venues. The initial lineup, released today, runs the gamut from traditional indie favorites to punk to noise music to hip hop to noisy black metal and all stops in between, featuring performances from Built to Spill, sunn 0))), The Roots, The Jesus & Mary Chain (who played SXSW), Liars (who have a show coming up at Webster Hall), Baroness, Deerhoof, Death Grips (who play NYC soon and have new material on the way), Danny Brown (who was at Coachella and plays Prospect Park soon), Pallbearer (who play an exclusive East Coast Show soon), Screaming Females (who recently played NYC and are on tour now), Thee Oh Sees, The Spits (who just played NYC twice), Tenement, The Mountain Goats (two sets, one of which will be an all metal-covers set!) and so many more.

(and now we know the Jesus & Mary Chain are coming back soon)

Tickets are on sale. The full lineup and flyer (update: and a few more announced J&MC dates) are below...

Continue reading "Hopscotch lineup announced; Jesus & Mary Chain will be in NC in September; John Darnielle to do metal covers set "

photos by Julie Schabel

"Always a good time at @SOBs. Schoolboy Q show was ill." - Robby Rav

"At sobs watching schoolboy q go the fuck in." - Curtis Williams

Schoolboy Q stopped by NYC for a sold out show at SOB's Wednesday night (4/11) ahead of his tour with Ab-Soul. While on stage at SOB's, he called Kendrick Lamar and put him on speakerphone. Here's what Complex had to say about it:

The night's coolest, if not most awkward, moment came when Q telephoned his Black Hippy teammate Kendrick Lamar and put him on speakerphone. A major proving ground for new talents, S.O.B.'s has a way of demanding a little extra star power. Though Lamar couldn't be present physically--he's currently bunkered down recording his debut album--he did the next best thing. Q asked him what he should perform next. Lamar suggested "A.D.H.D," a fan favorite.

Schoolboy Q will return to NYC in June to play Central Park Summerstage on June 25 and Celebrate Brooklyn at the Prospect Park Bandshell on June 26 with Danny Brown and Childish Gambino. Tickets for the Brooklyn show are still available. Updated dates are listed below.

The SOB's show was opened by Nemo Achida, Iron Solomon, and Curtains, though Julie missed the first one because she was at the Lil B NYU lecture which was the same night.

More pics and videos from SOB's and dates below...

Continue reading "Schoolboy Q played SOB's (pics & video), playing Summerstage & Celebrate Brooklyn (with Childish Gambino & Danny Brown)"

photos by Julie Schabel

Danny Brown, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Heems & Despot @ Santos Party House

Danny Brown, who was just added to the Pitchfork Festival, was joined by guests Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Heems of Das Racist, Despot, Fools Gold DJ Nick Catchdubs, openers World's Fair, Young Zee, guest Rah Digga & more at his sold out headlining show at Santos Party House on Thursday (3/22). Here are some pictures (and a few cell phone videos). More below...

Continue reading "Danny Brown & guests played Santos w/ Young Zee & World's Fair (pics & video)"

Danny Brown @ Mohawk (SXSW) (via Matthew Hickey)

Donald Glover's broken foot

Danny Brown was supposed to play Starland Ballroom in NJ last night (3/21), but that show didn't happen because headliner Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) recently fractured his foot. Donald wrote:

"This past Saturday I fractured my foot on stage in Tampa during a performance and was rushed to the emergency room.

The doctors say that if I stay off of my foot for a couple weeks and wear this boot, there's a good chance they can avoid surgery and start performing again soon.

I'm really upset by the timing of this. CAMP tour will go on, but dates will be postponed."

What is clear, is that depsite no NJ show last night, and being attacked with a lemon at SXSW, Danny Brown did make it to NYC for his now-SOLD OUT show at Santos Party House tonight (3/22). He'll also be back in the area in June when he plays the Roots Picnic in Philly, and when he opens for Childish Gambino at Central Park Summerstage after Bonnaroo.

Check out Danny's new video for "Radio Song" and the new CG dates below...

Continue reading "Danny Brown survived a lemon attack, but Donald Glover broke his foot (Childish Gambino tour postponed, but DB in NYC tonight)"

Tickets go on sale today.

"danny brown being a freshman is like
bon iver winning the best new artist grammy." - dopeflow

Danny Brown at Echoplex in LA in January (more by Nathanel Turner)

Danny Brown, who is now an XXL Freshman, kicks off a tour with Childish Gambino in March which doesn't come to NYC, but as mentioned, Danny Brown will play his own show at Santos Party House (3/22) during the tour. Tickets for that headlining show are still available.

The Santos show is probably the best time to see Danny Brown while he's on that tour, but if you're disappointed that he doesn't have an NYC show with Childish Gambino, you can catch them at Central Park SummerStage on June 25, a couple of weeks after both rappers play Bonnaroo. Tickets for the SummerStage show are on AmEx presale now and go on sale to the general public on Friday (3/2) at noon.

Meanwhile Danny Brown will also be at SXSW. Updated dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Danny Brown playing SXSW, adds Central Park Summerstage show w/ Childish Gambino (updated 2012 Tour Dates)"

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Kendrick Lamar - "Cartoon & Cereal [ft. Gunplay] (MP3)

ScHoolboy Q

ScHoolboy Q, who has been making tons of buzz lately, has a few upcoming shows, including one in NYC this week happening at Santos Party House on Thursday (2/23) with Kris Kasanova, Flatbush Zombies (who opened the A$AP Rocky show that Q guested at), and Nakim. The flier for this show is below.

If you haven't seen it yet, fellow Black Hippy collective member Kendrick Lamar and Danny Brown (who Q recently joined on stage in LA) are both on the cover of the new issue of the FADER (pictured below) and Black Hippy and Danny Brown were both profiled in the issue. The Black Hippy piece, which you can read HERE, mentions that ScHoolboy Q came up with the idea for the group:

"[Black Hippy] was actually my idea because I was slacking in my music," adds Q. "I figured if I could be in a group I could just write one verse and I could be good." He admits to being intimidated when he first started coming to the studio but eventually the tenacity of his collaborators rubbed off on him. Now he raps effortlessly in elastic word blurs. And while he still habitually clowns everyone good-naturedly--On Lamar: "When I first heard Kendrick, I'm like this nigga a bitch, I don't like this nigga"; on the possibility of a Black Hippy full length: "That shit ain't never gonna come out."--their collective pride in his rapid improvement runs deeply. So much so, that they unanimously anoint him the most talented rapper in the group. Q, of course, concurs.

Danny Brown, whose FADER profile piece you can read HERE, also has a Santos show coming up which happens on March 22. Tickets for that show are still available.

All dates, stream, and show flier, below...

Continue reading "Schoolboy Q playing Santos & other shows; Kendrick Lamar dropped a new song (MP3 & dates)"

Continuing 6 years after Hip-Hop visionary J Dilla's death, the annual Donuts Are Forever tribute benefit is slated for this Sunday at Brooklyn Bowl (2/19). The concert includes DJ sets by TARA, Brina Payne, Ill Digitz, GETLIVE!, and returning act Parler, with producer Prince Paul and DJ Neil Armstrong headlining. Rap trio Tanya Morgan will share hosting responsibilities for the evening, following a performance Wednesday night (2/15) in iHeartDilla's "One Song" lineup at Southpaw. Tickets for the Brooklyn Bowl show are still available. Flyer below.

While "Donuts Are Forever" further solidifies itself as a tradition each year, new odes to the late maestro are still taking form. Questlove recently DJed an hour-long set for Hot 97 devised soley of J Dilla tunes, which is available for download here. The drummer also wrote an essay for XXL rhapsodizing J Dilla's singular talent, explaining his influence on Hip-Hop and his own work:

"The day after he recorded "Think Twice," for Welcome to Detroit, I look at the drum set, and I was like, "Wait, you recorded that on this?" And it was the most dingiest, dirtiest, not even second-hand. [It] looked like the Fat Albert junkyard gang drum set. Screws were missing; some of the heads were broken. Matter of fact, he didn't even use real drumsticks on "Think Twice." He used a vibraphone mallet, and he had a broken drumstick that he got some toilet paper from the bathroom, and some rubber bands. I was like, "You would rather go through this MacGuyver shit than buy new drumsticks?" He's like, "I didn't know where to get 'em this late at night; I had to make due." I was like, "Well, why did you hit the drums with the mallet?" He was like, "I didn't want the dynamic to be too aggressive. I wanted to sound muted, so I decided to play the drums with the soft cotton mallet." It looked like putting a marshmallow at the end of a toothpick [Laughs]. Next thing I know, I'm now flying to Philadelphia--I think the next week, [to work on] The Roots' Phrenology record [and] I tracked both "Quills" and "Pussy Galore" the same way. I went and got some orchestra mallets, and then I too started, just 'cause I seen how he got that sound."

In Detroit, J Dilla's mother, Maureen Yancey, organzied a "Dilla Day" concert and community celebration in the producer's hometown this past weekend (2/10-2/11). Performers for the Friday night show included Danny Brown, Busta Rhymes,, Jay Electronica, and A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg (who has a NYC show coming up), while Saturday's free event included "hands-on beat-making exhibits for children" and a preview of a short-form documentary "Rebirth in Detroit," which followed J Dilla and other local musicians and is to be released later this year. Above photos of the Fillmore marquee via jmackhh.

Aside from his tribute duties, Prince Paul is reuniting with his erstwhile collaborators De La Soul for a new album. While the group's latest creative incarnation First Serve is still underway, two new videos were uploaded to their Youtube channel last weekend teasing new material. Check out "Life is Great" and "Mr. Big Mouph II" below...

Continue reading "Prince Paul & De La Soul working on LP; Questlove made a Dilla mix; 'Donuts are Forever' event is this Sunday"

"Superfly Presents and A.C. Entertainment are excited to announce the initial lineup for the 2012 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The 11th annual four-day camping and music festival will be held on June 7 - 10 on the same beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles south of Nashville. A full list of confirmed acts follows, and more will be announced in the coming weeks. The final Bonnaroo 2012 lineup will total over 125 bands and over 20 comedians performing on 13 stages over four days.Tickets for the event will go on sale on this Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 12 noon EST exclusively at bonnaroo.com."

Continue reading "Bonnaroo 2012 lineup announced"

photos by Ryan Muir, words by Andrew Sacher

"ASAP Rocky show @ Irving Plaza was CRAZY!!!" - Atiba Newsome

"ASAP ROCKY KILLED IRVING PLAZA!!!!" - Vic Damone

"Shout out to Jim e stack bun b waka flocka and da homie school boy" - AsapTwelvyy

A$AP Rocky brought the A$AP Mob tour to Irving Plaza last night (2/1). He brought out a number of guests like Bun B, Waka Flocka, and ScHoolboy Q, and Danny Brown opened the show, along with Flatbush Zombies and G-Eazy. More pictures and a video from this show are below.

One day earlier, A$AP Rocky appeared on The Angie Martinez Show on Hot 97. He was shocked when during his interview, Rakim, who Rocky's mother named him after, joined Rocky and Martinez on the show. A video of this interview is below too.

The Irving Plaza afterparty went down at The Studio at Webster Hall where a very tall Jim E Stack DJ'd in celebration of his new release. Did any of the advertised special guests show up?

ScHoolboy Q also showed up at the recent Danny Brown show in LA.

More pictures and videos from the NYC show below...

Continue reading "ASAP Rocky played Irving Plaza w/ special guests Danny Brown, Bun B, Waka Flocka & ScHoolboy Q (pics, video)"

by BBG

Black Milk at Fun Fun Fun Fest (more by BBG)

How appropo that the king of dry snares and booming kicks Black Milk will hit the road for a 25-date tour entitled the "Claps and Slaps". The MC's trek kicks off in late February with J. Pinder and A.Dd+ and includes a stop in NYC at Knitting Factory on February 29th. Tickets are on sale. All dates are listed below.

Black Milk is one half of Black & Brown, which also includes Danny Brown. The also-Detroit MC (Black Milk is from there too) recently played the Echoplex in LA and will play Santos Party House in March. He ALSO is opening for ASAP Rocky at the sold out Irving Plaza show Wednesday (2/1). Danny, who also has a run of dates coming up with Childish Gambino, was announced on that one after the show sold out. Maybe he'll also stop by the afterparty.

Stream Black & Brown EP below alongside a video and all tour dates...

Continue reading "Black Milk schedules US tour; Danny Brown opening for ASAP Rocky at Irving Plaza (dates)"