by BBG

Ghostface Killah at Rock The Bells (more by Andrew St. Clair)

CMJ is almost here, and as usual hip hop is well represented with appearances from the greats as well as those on the upswing. Ghostdini (aka Ghostface Killah) obviously is one of the former, and he'll headline BB Kings on 10/22 with Sheek Louch (of D-Block), and Frank Dukes. Tickets are on sale, or you can get in with your CMJ badge.

Audible Treats have announced their 2010 showcase at Sullivan Hall in NYC, and once again it's chock full of interesting indie hip hop. Veterans Black Sheep will join Nottz, Diamond District, Big Pooh (ex-Little Brother), Chip Fu (of Fu-Schnickens), Rah Digga, Von Pea, Moe Green, DaVinci, and The Left (Apollo Brown, DJSoko, Journalist103). The show goes down on 10/21 and tickets are on sale.

Von Pea of Tanya Morgan will play two shows at SOBs in the coming months, with the first happening on 9/29 when he supports Pac Div along with STS and Beyond Belief (tickets). Then less than two weeks later, Von Pea will play the venue again with J-Live in tow to celebrate the release of his new record Pea's Gotta Have It. Tickets are on sale.

And while we're on the subject of former members of Little Brother, Foreign Exchange (aka ex-Little Brother member Phonte and producer Nicolay) will play a CMJ how at BB King's on 10/23 with Darien Brockington, Zo! and a live band in tow. Tickets are on sale. Darien Brockington, who also contributes to Foriegn Exchange, will also be at SOBs in the coming weeks as part of a collaborative show with R&B singer Yahzarah on 10/14. Tickets are on sale.

Duck Down will team up with Blacksmith Music (Kweli's label) for the Duck Down vs Blacksmith CMJ Showcase with appearances from Jean Grae, Pete Rock, Strong Arm Steady, Pharoahe Monch, Skyzoo & !llmind, Marco Polo with Torae & Ruste Juxx, Team Facelift and Boot Camp Clik (Sean Price, Buckshot, Smif N Wessun, Heltah Skeltah & 9th Wonder). Sounds amazing. Tickets are on sale for the 10/19 show at LPR.

The Duck Down CMJ show is part of a "15 Year Anniversary" tour for the label. All dates below.

And for those of you planning next week, keep in mind that Talib Kweli will play Brooklyn Bowl on Tuesday (9/28) with Res and K-Salaam. Tickets are on sale.

And speaking of Pete Rock, BB King's will host a night curated by the year 1992, as Pete Rock & CL Smooth will team with Brand Nubian and Das EFX for a show at BB King's on 10/20. Tickets are on sale. Pete Rock & CL Smooth reunited at Brooklyn Hip Hop Fest earlier this year.

Eric and Parrish are making more dollars at Knitting Factory on November 19th, as the duo known as EPMD will team up to tear down the joint with D-Money. Tickets are on sale.

Joell Ortiz of recent Slaughterhouse fame will play SOBs on 11/9. Tickets are on sale.

Pittsburgh weed kingpin Wiz Khalifa will play the Best Buy Theater on November 13th as part of a huge US tour dubbed the Waken Baken Tour. Tickets are on sale. All dates below.

Statik Selektah & Termanology's new collaborative LP, 1982, gets an album release party on October 25th at SOBs. Tickets are on sale for the show, which will feature support from REKS & more special guests TBA. Dig on the recent video by 1982 featuring Bun B & Masspike Miles, "You Should Go Home", below.

Some videos and tour dates below...

Continue reading "upcoming hip hop shows & tours -- CMJ, Duck Down & more "

words and photos by BBG

Black Milk at Audible Treats showcase, SXSW 2010

Duck Down Records (meaning Buckshot, Smif N Wessun, Torae, Ruste Juxx, Marco Polo, "and more") will showcase their infinite rhymes with a show at NYC record store Fat Beats along with Black Milk (with a live band), AG (of DITC and Showbiz & AG fame), Von Pea (of Tanya Morgan), 88 Keys, Soul Khan, and DeeJay Element in celebration of Record Store Day Saturday (4/17). Flyer for the show is below.

Both General Steele of Smif N Wessun and Ruste Juxx with Marco Polo recently dropped their new albums on Duck Down, Amerikkka's Nightmare part 2: Children of War and The Execution respectively.

Black Milk plays SUNY Purchase tonight (4/16) as part of Culture Shock 2010. The Detroit beat killer headlined one of the stages at our Attitude Adustment show at Red 7 and then the BV-sponsored Audible Treats show on 3/20 during SXSW. Lost pics from the latter and and flyer for Fat Beats (with set times) are below...

Continue reading "Black Milk played SXSW (pics), playing Culture Shock (today) & Fat Beats (w/ Duckdown artists & others) on Record Store Day"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Skyzoo - "Popularity" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: KRS-One & Buckshot - "Survival Skills" (MP3)

Buckshot at Nokia Theater (more by Tim Griffin)

With Buckshot and KRS-One's collaborative LP Survival Skills still making some noise, Duck Down Records have announced their CMJ Showcase at Gramercy on 10/24 featuring 9th Wonder, Buckshot, Smif 'n Wessun, Skyzoo, kidz in the hall, Sean Price, Marco Polo & Torae, Team Facelift, Da Beatminerz, Ruste Juxx, and Blue Scholars. Tickets are on sale, or you can try and get in with your CMJ badge if you have one.

Skyzoo & 9th Wonder played Santos Party House on Tuesday (9/29) as part of an album release party for Skyzoo's The Salvation.

"Skyzoo had a real dope performance with Dujeous as his live band and 9th Wonder on the 1's and 2's. Daru opened up with his amazing drum solo and J hatch was the host. Rule4080 was in the building peep the flicks and yes that is 9th Wonder in red lol" [Rule480]

Continue reading "Duck Down doing CMJ (tix), Skyzoo record out now (MP3)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Tanya Morgan - "So Damn Down" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Tanya Morgan - "Bang N Boogie" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Tanya Morgan - "Never Enough" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Tanya Morgan - "So Damn Down" Keelay & Zaire Remix (MP3)

Tanya Morgan at BHHF (more here)

If it wasn't evident by their mixtape of the same name, then let it be known that Tanya Morgan Is A Rap Group. The conscious Cincy-Brooklyn trio, made up of MCs Donwill and Ilyas as well as MC/Producer Von Pea, recently dropped their concept album Brooklynatti on Interdependent Media (a bunch of samples above, get it here) and are hitting the road for a few select dates in the wake of their appearance at the Brooklyn Hip Hop festival. The first of those dates blasts off on Wed, July 8th, when the trio teams up with Torae & Marco Polo, Che Grand & The Brown Bag Allstars to tear down Southpaw. Tickets are still available, full tour dates are below.

Tanya Morgan recently completed a video for "So Damn Down". Check that out, as well as a live vid from BHHF, as well as their full tour shed, below...

Continue reading "Tanya Morgan (is a rap group) - MP3's, video & tour dates "

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

DOWNLOAD: Marco Polo & Torae - Hold Up featuring Masta Ace & Sean Price (ZIP)
DOWNLOAD: Marco Polo & Torae - Party Crashers (MP3)

Buckshot (Black Moon)+Smif N Wessun @ KF in November (more by Tim Griffin)

For those of you regretting the fact that you missed the great Black Moon & Smif-n-Wessun rip through their classic LPs, you're in luck! The two crews will once again team up to rock A Tribute To The Classics, AKA Black Moon's Enta Da Stage and Smif N Wessun's Dah Shinin', not one, but TWO times in the coming months (and that doesn't even count their appearance at June's Brooklyn Hip Festival).

One of those shows, August 12th in NYC's Brower Park is FREE. It's one of three free concerts the city is throwing in Browser Park this summer. Full schedule below.

So what the hell may top Black Smif N Wessun beltin' out the classics live, and for FREE? Well, the other 'Tribute To The Classics' show happens at Southpaw on May 23rd (THIS SATURDAY), and this time Black Moon and Smif-N-Wessun will share the bill with their Duck Down labelmates, the great Marco Polo & Torae! Tickets are still available for the Brooklyn show.

..On his 2007 critically acclaimed album Port Authority, Polo recruited a who's who of MC's like Kool G Rap and Kardinal Offishall to ride over his hard-hitting, boom-bap instrumentals. Torae, on the other hand, has certified his rep as one of the game's illest lyricists in a similar fashion with remarkable wordplay on his highly touted 2008 street album Daily Conversation. So, in the spirit of great hip-hop duos, the producer and the MC signed with Duck Down Records in 2009 to release their collaborative album Double Barrel.

Double Barrel pays homage to New York's mid-'90's rap scene, when artists like Gang Starr and Wu-Tang Clan reigned supreme... Throughout the album pays homage to the genre of rap that influenced the duo and even features critically acclaimed heavyweights like M.O.P., Masta Ace and Sean Price to help balance out the track list.

Fliers and Brower Park dates below....

Continue reading "Black Moon, Smif N Wessun, Marco Polo & Torae - classic & new material - live (4 NYC shows) & on album"

photos by Jacob Blickenstaff

Fresh Daily & Homeboy Sandman

Record Store Day (4/18) meant events at record stores all over the country on Saturday. Bill Callahan played Other Music in the NoHo section of Manhattan. Further west, Fat Beats had an all day line-up that ended with the Rock Steady Crew followed by DJ Premier, NYGz & Blaq Poet followed by headliner Talib Kweli (who also played Columbia University the same day). More pictures and video from some of the acts earlier in the day, below...

Continue reading "Record Store Day 2009 @ Fat Beats in NYC - pics "