As discussed, Erykah Badu and Yasiin Bey have joined forces for a fascinating show called "YOU'RE CAUSING QUITE A DISTURBANCE":

A collaboration with four-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and 2012-2013 Brooklyn Phil Artist-in-Residence ERYKAH BADU and 2011-2012 Brooklyn Phil Artist-in-Residence YASIIN BEY (Mos Def) Featuring new arrangements from Badu's 2008 album New Amerykah Part One: 4th World War by Brooklyn composer TED HEARNE (plus original music by Hearne) as well as the legendary arrangements of Yasiin Bey's songs by composer DEREK BERMEL (plus original music by Bermel)

In related news, Brothers Hypnotic, a film about the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble will screen for free on Friday (5/17) as part of the Rooftop Films series, and will feature a live appearance from the group who have worked with both Badu and Bey.

Badu is also playing Governors Ball, and Yasiin Bey will also play a FREE show on June 24th at Central Park Summerstage.

Erykah Badu at Afropunk 2012 (more by Gretchen Robinette)

"Queen of Neo-Soul" Erykah Badu has some scattered live dates scheduled for this year and she'll be making a trip to NYC for a pretty busy weekend here in June. For one, she was added to NYC festival Governors Ball, which goes down on Randall's Island from June 7 - 9. Tickets for that festival are still available.

While she's here, she'll be performing her 2008 album, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), live at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House on June 8 with the Brooklyn Philharmonic and the Brooklyn Philharmonic's 2011-2012 Artist-in-Residence Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def), who will also be performing a "reprise of selected works" from his 2012 Brooklyn Philharmonic installment, with Lena Horne and the Bed-Stuy Tradition. This show will be taking place right next door to the Barclays Center, a venue Mos Def has some issues with. Mos Def previously performed with Erykah Badu at Afropunk Fest 2012. Tickets for the BAM show are on sale now.

A list of all Erykah Badu dates and the video for "Honey" off of New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) below...

Continue reading "Erykah Badu playing BAM w/ Brooklyn Philharmonic & Mos Def, and Governors Ball (other shows too)"

Mos Def w/ Black Star at Rock the Bells 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Like many, Mos Def, I mean Yasiin Bey, is none too happy with all this Barclays Center business taking over his hometown. Last week, he slammed the arena in a poem called "On center.stadium.status," which you can read in full below. Now, in an interview with Vulture, he explains the poem and his stance on the venue:

Where'd you write "On.center.stadium.status."?

Yasiin Bey: I wrote that in New Orleans, on the day they were having the opening for Barclays. People were calling me and asking, "Are you gonna be there, are you gonna be there?" And it just kind of came to me, rather quickly. I have been what some people might call an opponent to the stadium. I think the word opponent has many meanings. I was concerned about what the stadium's presence in the community might do. I was concerned.

About what, exactly?

Yasiin Bey: I saw one thing that was kind of a telling sign. I was on DeKalb Avenue and Flatbush, probably two months ago, and at the intersection I saw these not-quite-so-young men, in standing traffic, trying to sell bootleg Rolling Stones T-shirts. [Laughs] I thought, "This is the trickle-down economic effect of Barclays in the neighborhood?" I didn't think of it as a positive.

In the world of hip-hop and certain parts of the media, you take a statement and you turn it into Wrestlemania, you make the Himalayas out of molehills. I wasn't interested in that. I respect Jay. I have great respect for him. I'm a fan. I'm not a fan of everything [he does] but I don't think you have to be a fan of everything that someone does to have respect for them. And you know, I'm from the town too. I'm from the same neighborhood, the same projects. My grandmothers, my moms, my uncles -- my first five years in life were at Marcy Projects. If I can't have an opinion, who can? So to quote Jay: "I'm bigging up my borough. I'm big enough to do it."

Mos Def will be next door to Barclays Center in June for his show at BAM with Erykah Badu. Read his poem below...

Continue reading "Mos Def voices issues with Barclays Center (no offense Jay-Z)"

photos by Gretchen Robinette

Fools Gold Anniversary at MHoW

Gretchen Robinette has contritued her thoughts on favorite photos that she took in 2012, leaving us with shots of Ghostface, Janelle Monae, The Walkmen and more. Check out more shots from the uber-talented Robinette below.

Her set of favorite contributions joins fellow photographers Caroline Harrison, Dominick Mastrangelo, Dana (distortion) Yavin, Amanda Hatfield, David Andrako, Jessica Amaya, Fred Pessaro // BBG, Chris La Putt and Ryan Muir.

More photos are below.

Continue reading "Gretchen Robinette's favorite Live Music Photos of 2012------------(that she took)"

Massive Attack at Terminal 5 in 2010 (more by Chris La Putt)

Trip hop pioneers Massive Attack have assembled a BBC 6 Mix, where they compiled music that influenced their 1991 debut album, Blue Lines, like Pink Floyd, Kraftwerk, Gang of Four, Isaac Hayes and more alongside some of their new favorite artists like Burial, Flying Lotus, The Bug vs The Rootsman, Kanye West & Booka Shade, and more (via Daily Swarm). You can download or stream the mix and check out the tracklist below.

Continue reading "Massive Attack compile influences & new favorites on new mix"

Jazz/hip hop/soul/etc artist Robert Glasper released the impressive Black Radio LP earlier this year and he'll follow that with an EP of remixes from the album, Black Radio Recovered - The Remix EP, this Tuesday (10/9) via Blue Note Records. The EP features remixes by 9th Wonder, Pete Rock, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Questlove, and one by Robert Glasper himself, along with Jewels. Starting this week, he's been revealing the remixes at his facebook and twitter as they premiere around the web.

Okayplayer has the 9th Wonder (featuring Phonte) remix of "Afro Blue" (ft. Erykah Badu), Complex has Pete Rock remix of "Black Radio" (ft. Yasiin Bey fka Mos Def), and Afropunk just posted the Georgia Anne Muldrow remix of "The Consequences of Jealousy." You can stream all three of those remixes below and stay tuned for the rest.

Robert Glasper is also on tour now and he'll hit NYC this month for a CMJ show, which happens on October 16 at SOB's. Tickets for that show are on sale now. He'll also return to NYC a couple months later to play Harlem Stage on December 13 and 14. He'll do two shows each night (one at 7:30 and one at 10:00). Tickets for all four of those shows are on sale now.

Speaking of 9th Wonder, he plays a Rapsody party at SOB's TONIGHT (10/3) with Josh Baze, Peter Rose, and host Peter Rosenberg (of Hot 97). Tickets for tonight's show are available.

A list of all dates and those remix streams are below.

Continue reading "Robert Glasper on tour, gradually leaking remix EP (listen)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Das Racist / Spank Rock / skaters

The first day of Afro-Punk 2012 descended upon Commodore Barry Park on Saturday (8/25), bringing with it a day of live musical performance, skateboarding and dancing crowds as far as the eye could see. In addition to this second set of pictures from the Navy Yard in Brooklyn (below), check out the first set of previously posted pictures from Afro-Punk HERE.

More pics of Afro-Punk day 1, including Erykah Badu, Yasiin Bey, Das Racist, Spank Rock, Cerebral Ballzy, Oxymorrons, The Joe Jordan Experiment and more are below.

Continue reading "Afro-Punk 2012 day 1: a second set of pictures"

photos by Gretchen Robinette

Yasiin Bey & Erykah Badu / Cerebral Ballzy at Afropunk Fest 8/25/2012

Yasiin Bey joined headliner Erykah Badu on the first day of the 2012 edition of the Afropunk Festival, going down at Commodore Barry Park near the Navy Yard in Brooklyn on Saturday (8/25). The pair were joined on stage when Bey performed Common's verses from their hit collaboration "Love of My Life" on that Saturday evening. Video from that is below.

But of course Badu wasn't the only artist to bless the stages on Saturday, with the festival loaded with appearances from names like Das Racist, Spankrock, Cerebral Ballzy, Oxymorrons and many, many more during the nine hours of stage time. Pictures from the first day at Afropunk 2012 are below along with video of that Badu/Bey collaboration.

Continue reading "Afropunk Festival 2012 in pictures: day 1 with Erykah Badu, Das Racist. Spankrock, Cerbral Ballzy and more "

by Andrew Sacher

Jazz pianist/producer Robert Glasper released his fifth studio album, Black Radio, earlier this year on Blue Note Records. Recorded with his new band, Robert Glasper Experiment, it features an impressive array of guests, including Erykah Badu, Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def), Lupe Fiasco, Bilal, Musiq Soulchild, Chrisette Michele, and more.

In addition to a number of originals, the album includes some heavily re-arranged covers including Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," David Bowie's "Letter to Hermoine," Sade's "Cherish the Day," and Afro-Cuban standard "Afro Blue." The album effortlessly brings together jazz, hip hop, soul and R&B, more so than most others that attempt similar feats. Check out some videos from the album and a live video of the Robert Glasper Experiment playing John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" below, along with a spotify stream of Black Radio.

As mentioned, Robert Glasper will be in NYC tonight (6/21) for an in-store at Apple Store West 14th Street. He'll return with the full Robert Glasper Experiment in tow along with some special guests for a free Summerstage show at Marcus Garvey Park on August 7, where Sidi Toure plays one day earlier (8/6).

UPDATE: Robert Glasper Experiment also play a "secret" show in Brooklyn on Friday (6/22) with Alan Hampton which, as a commenter points out, is at Littlefield. Tickets for that show are available.

A list of all dates, videos and album stream below...

Continue reading "Robert Glasper released guest-filled LP, touring (dates & video)"

Ultramagnetic MCs at ATP NJ 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

As mentioned in What's going on? last night, Prodigy's upcoming "Queens Day" show at Irving Plaza, which was supposed to happen next week (6/19) has been cancelled. Though he did play a private Rock the Bells kickoff show at Santos Party House last night (6/13) with (according to the flyer) Ghostface Killah, DMX, Jadakiss, and Hit Squad

Q-Tip's "Offline" party (a DJ gig), also scheduled at Irving Plaza, is still set to happen this Friday (6/15) at the Manhattan venue.

Ghostface Killah's other upcoming shows include the free Prospect Park show on 6/23, a Wu-Block party at Highline Ballroom (8/8) (tickets on sale 6/15), and Rock the Bells with Wu-Block. The Highline show is only with Ghostface and Sheek Louch, but for Rock the Bells, the whole crew will be there (Ghostface, Raekwon, Sheek Louch, Jadakiss, and Styles P).

Meanwhile, Raekwon will be in NYC for the previously discussed Best Buy Theater show (7/26) with Tyler, the Creator, and Earl Sweatshirt. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (6/15) at noon.

Ghostface and Raekwon play a free show together, and much sooner, in Toronto as part of NXNE on Sunday (6/17). Action Bronson, who plays a free show in Red Hook Park (6/19), will be at the Toronto fest too. The entire music portion of NXNE kicked off yesterday (6/13) and runs through the weekend.

Killer Mike will be at NXNE too, and his tour with El-P, Despot, and Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire kicks off on Tuesday (6/19) in Atlanta. It hits NYC on July 13 at Irving Plaza. Ticketsplayed SOB's with Spaceghostpurrp in celebration of Purrp's new album, Mysterious Phonk. Purrp's also got a couple Shortcuts parties under his belt. Speaking of, one of those (sans Purrp) goes down at Santos TONIGHT (6/14) with Fat Tony and Fat Trel (tickets).

While NXNE is going on in Toronto, Brooklyn will be getting its own multi-venue music festival with Northside Festival, which also happens this weekend.

As mentioned, Kool Keith plays a Northside show at Brooklyn Bowl TONIGHT (6/14) with Lushlife. Lushlife recently dropped a remix of "She's a Buddhist, I'm a Cubist" with Angel Deradoorian, Cities Aviv, G-Side, Big Baby Gandhi, Deniro Farrar, and KDz Kenny Dennis. You can stream that below Tickets are still available for the Brooklyn Bowl show and we're also giving away a pair. Contest details are below.

As usual, Questlove will DJ the Brooklyn venue after that show (tickets).

Kool Keith also plays as part of Ultramagnetic MCs at a Northside show at MHOW on Sunday (6/17) with Phony PPL. Tickets for that show are still available. Phony PPL also play SOB's on July 24 with Blackbear. Tickets for that show are on sale.

GZA & Grupo Fantasma @ Bonnaroo 2012 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

And speaking of hip hop Northside shows at MHOW, GZA (backed by Grupo Fantasmo like he was a Bonnaroo) plays two (early and late) shows at the venue TONIGHT (6/14). Both are sold out, but you can try and get in with your Northside badge.

Aside from Kid Sister at Sugarland on Saturday (6/16), not much more hip hop is happening at Northside, but there are other good hip hop shows tonight and this weekend.

Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) plays the previously discussed show at the Apollo Theater TONIGHT (6/14) as part of Blue Note Jazz Festival. Tickets for that show are still available FOR THE SHOW THAT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 28th.

Blue Note Jazz Fest also gives us a free Central Park Summerstage show on Sunday (6/17) with Groove Theory, Soulive, Riq and Rah with Strings (Black Thought + Rahzel), and DJ Questlove.

EPMD and DJ Scratch play a free show at Herbert Von King Park TONIGHT (6/14). They also team up for a NYC show at BB King's on July 18 with Marley Mari and Big Daddy Kane. (tickets)

Hip hop producer RJD2 DJs a party for the ongoing 'One Step Beyond' series at the American Museum of Natural History on Friday (6/15) with Cosmo Baker, Import/Export, and visuals by Glowing Pictures with special guest Shantell Martin. Tickets for that are available.

You can also catch Tech N9ne and Machine Gun Kelly on the Hostile Takeover Tour which takes over the NYC area on Saturday (6/16) at Starland Ballroom in NJ (tickets) and Sunday (6/17) at HIghline Ballroom (tickets). Be careful during Machine Gun Kelly's set though; TMZ reports that he was just sued $15,000 for slicing open a bouncer's finger. Ouch.

Apple Stores are hosting hip hop in-stores all month.

Once all the Northside craziness ends, you can catch Ab-Soul at his previously discussed NYC show on Thursday, June 21 at SOB's. Tickets for that show are still available.

In other hip hop news, you can stream Black Milk's Live at Third Man Records in its entirety and J-Dilla's posthumous Rebirth of Detroit in its entirety below, along with other song streams and contest details for tonight's Kool Keith show.

Continue reading "this week in Hip Hop (Northside, NXNE, Kool Keith, EPMD, Yasiin Bey, RJD2, Tech N9ne, Black Thought + Rahzel, GZA & more)"

Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) is playing the Apollo Theater on June 14 as part of the month-long Blue Note Jazz Festival (which originally announced the Mos Def show as happening on June 29). Tickets are on sale.

Today, 5/21, would have been Biggie Smalls' 40th birthday. In tribute to Biggie and Malcolm X, Yasiin Bey released a new song called "Bey", part of his continuing "Top 40 Underdog series". Hypetrack points out that the song is Bey rapping over the instrumental of Lil Tunechi's single "John (If I Die Tonight)". Listen to that, along with some just-uncovered footage of Christopher Wallace performing with Jay-Z, below...

Continue reading "Biggie would be 40 today; Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) drops "Bey" in tribute, is playing the Apollo"

The now-annual Blue Note Jazz Festival will sprinkle over 50 shows at venues across the city during its twenty day reign (June 10th - 30th).

"After the success of the inaugural Blue Note Jazz Festival, we decided to make this a yearly event as a way to continue expanding audiences, cultivate young talent and promote this wonderful music throughout New York City," Blue Note President Steven Bensusan said. "This year's performances go beyond jazz to include everything from flamenco, soul, and Latin to tap, blues and R&B, all with the common thread of improvisation. But the heart of the festival is and will always remain the type of jazz that we present night after night at the Blue Note club."

Continue reading "Blue Note Jazz Festival announces 2012 lineup"

Yasiin Bey on stage with Black Star (more by Zach Pollach)

Yasiin says:

I hope everyone will have a great 2012! Alot of things to look forward too. Especially when BlackStar will be getting out their album/Mixtape out and a new G.O.O.D music compilation album coming out spring. Let it be a Yasiin Bey year!

INDELIBLE FESTIVAL is dedicated to Gil Scott-Heron and Gordon Parks, with a tribute to Living Legend Jimmy Scott.

Indelible is dedicated to those who inspire and influence young people and, by their example, make a difference in the world. Jill Newman Productions created the Indelible Series two years ago, presented by the New York Public Library.

Reminder: ?uestlove ALSO DJs SOBs tonight (1/3).

Bey recently introduced the cast of Fela! the musical in San Francisco. Video of that is below.

Continue reading "Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def), Questlove & more playing Gil-Scott Heron, Gordon Parks & Jimmy Scott party @ Highline"

My Morning Jacket at Lollapalooza in August (more by Grant MacAllister)

My Morning Jacket are currently on a tour that will conclude in NYC at Madison Square Garden on December 14 with Band of Horses. Tickets are still on sale and we're also giving away a pair. Details on how to enter to win are below.

My Morning Jacket will also be special guests at the 50th Anniversary of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band at Carnegie Hall on January 7 along with Mos Def, GIVERS, Tao Seeger, Allen Toussaint, Blind Boys of Alabama, Del McCoury Band, and Trombone Shorty. Tickets go on sale Friday (12/2) at 11 AM.

MMJ were just nominated for a Grammy for "Best Alternative Music Album" and performed too songs off that album on Jimmy Kimmel last night. Check out videos of their performance below.

All dates, contest details and videos below...

Continue reading "win tix see My Morning Jacket @ MSG, see them play Carnegie Hall w/ Preservation Hall Jazz Band, watch them on Kimmel..."

Black Star @ Rock the Bells 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

After cancelling shows including one at Irving Plaza in NYC, Mos Def & Talib Kweli aka Black Star will give it another try at Best Buy Theater on Saturday, December 3rd at both 8pm and 11:45pm. Tickets for both shows go on sale today (10/21) at noon.

Meanwhile spend the day with Talib Kweli this Saturday (10/22). Talib and Res are Idle Warship and will make an exclusive CMJ-week appearance at the free BrooklynVegan day party at Public Assembly on Saturday. Talib will then play a collaborative set with Pharoahe Monch, Jean Grae & Buckshot w/ Band at Music Hall of Williamsburg Saturday night as part of the Duck Down VS Blacksmith CMJ Showcase. Tickets are still on sale.

A Dessner smiles on Philadelphia (more by David Andrako)

Much like at Restoration Rocks over the weekend (which Talib Kweli wasn't too happy about), the artist-soon-to-be-formerly-known-as-Mos Def will team with the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra for a show TONIGHT (10/12) at the World Financial Center at 7PM. As previously mentioned, the event is FREE. Check out some videos from Restoration Rocks below.

In related news, The National's Bryce and Aaron Dessner will participate in an upcoming performance at World Financial Center Winter Garden on 10/22, the world premiere of Bryce's St. Carolyn by the Sea

Under the direction of conductor George Manahan, the American Composers Orchestra will give the world premiere of "St. Carolyn by the Sea," ...who will be joined on electric guitar by his brother and bandmate Aaron Dessner. Showcasing some of the brightest young talent in the new-music firmament, the evening will also feature a world premieres by composers Paul Yeon Lee and Ryan Gallagher as well as New York premieres of music by Ruby Fulton, Andrew Norman, and Suzanne Farrin.

Continue reading "Mos Def played w/ BK Philharmonic @ Restoration Rocks (video), does again tonight @ WFC (where Dessners play soon)"

by BBG

Black Star on Colbert

Big night for music on late night TV last night (and lately in general). You may have heard that Portishead played their first TV appearance in 13 years on Jimmy Fallon last night. Black Star, as promised, also played a new song "Fix Up" on The Colbert Report (but not at Irving Plaza, or the rest of their tour for that matter). Mastodon performed "Curl of The Burl" last night on David Letterman. Video of the Mastodon and Black Star (aka Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey) performances, as well as the hip hop group's interview with Stephen Colbert is below.

Speaking of new music by Talib Kweli, his other project Idle Warship has a new album coming. Check out one of the new tracks at Rolling Stone. See them live Saturday in Brooklyn, or at one of the other dates listed below.

Reminder: Mastodon's tour hits Terminal 5 with Dillinger Escape Plan and Red Fang on 11/19. Tickets are still available.

Meanwhile, as previously mentioned, former Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Dimitri Minkanakis's band Argonauts (with Dave Witte & John Adubato of Burnt By The Sun, Brett Bamberger of East of The Wall) will play their debut NYC show at ABC No Rio on Saturday (10/8). They'll be joined by Alkahest, Thou, and The Body.

As also mentioned, Jeff the Brotherhood, now bros with Jack White, play Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tonight (10/6).

Mastodon & Black Star videos from last night as well as some Argonauts live video, below...

Continue reading "Argonauts make NYC debut Saturday, Black Star played a new song on Colbert, Mastodon on Letterman (videos)"

Mos Def at House of Blues Chicago w/ Black Star on 9/23 (more by Zach Pollack)

Back on 9/28, just five days after Black Star played two shows in Chicago, Talib Kweli tweeted that "Due to irreconcilable differences with Live Nation, Black Star will not be performing in Atlanta tonight." He then said the show WAS happening, and then again that it wasn't. On 9/30 he said, "Regarding Black Star cancellations, I am just as frustrated as I can imagine many are. If it was my decision it would not go down like this. It is not my decision however, and its frustrating especially since I'm the one who gets to break the bad news and deal with the responses. Either way, some dates are cancelled, some arent and we are trying to book shows on our own to replace the cancelled ones." Then yesterday was his birthday. Then he pointed out that "we debuting new Black Star/Madlib on Colbert Report Oct 5th." October 5th is also the day they were scheduled to play Irving Plaza in NYC, which, as you can see from Ticketmaster, is also cancelled. According to a statement someone issued, "Due to unforeseen circumstances, the remainder of the Black Star tour has been cancelled." Bummer.

Both Talib Kweli and Mos Def, though not as Black Star, are still scheduled to play the Restoration Rocks event on October 8th though.

by BBG

The artist soon to be formerly known as Mos Def
at Rock The Bells (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Countdown is on. Only 3 months and 10 days left of "Mos Def":

Following a lengthy line of rappers that have hung up their show names, rapper Mos Def says he's definitely giving up his rhyme alias come 2012.... the artist born Dante Smith revealed that he's changing his name to Yasiin. After more than a decade in the business, though, he won't be mad is you slip up and call him "Mos."
"No, no, not at all... 'Mos Def' is a name that I built and cultivated through the years... I feel that I've done quite a bit with that name. It's time to expand and move on."
...He's usually credited as Mos Def during cast listings. But his several identities will soon just be that one.
"I also don't want to have to deal with having any moniker or any separation between the self that I see and what [people refer to me as]," he continued.
At press time, his publicist wasn't able to confirm what Mos' full name will be after it's changed or if he'll simply just be Yasiin. -[EW]

In other Talib Kweli and Mos De.. -ahem- Yasiin news, the pair will also cross paths on 10/8 at the previously mentioned Restoration Rocks! Music Festival on Fulton Street between Marcy & Brooklyn Ave. The FREE show, now with an expanded lineup, kicks off at noon and will close at 5PM, featuring appearances from Idle Warship (with Kweli), Pharoahe Monch, and the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra with Mos Def. Flyer is below. More Mos Def & Philharmonic appearances listed HERE.

Talib Kweli and Pharoahe Monch will also cross paths at the just-announced Duck Down vs Blacksmith CMJ showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg on 10/22 with Pharoahe Monch, Buckshot, Jean Grae, Smif N Wessun, Kidz in the Hall, Promise, and a Statik Selektah "Population Control" All-Star Set. Tickets go on sale at noon on 9/23, or you can use your CMJ badge (if you're one of the first 150 to try and do so). Flyer below.

All Black Star tour dates and flyers below.

Continue reading "Mos Def's new name, Black Star tour dates, free Restoration Rocks! Fest, a Duck Down vs Blacksmith CMJ showcase & more"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin, words by BBG

Lauryn / Erykah

Last year Rock the Bells, the touring hip-hop bonanza, picked up on the voguish festival concept in which an artist performs an old record from beginning to end. It went well, and this year's edition bought in twice as hard. On Saturday on Governors Island, amid other, more ordinary sets, 11 albums were performed in their entirety.

What a gorging! What an obligation! It seemed to weigh on the crowd. It meant that listeners weren't in the here and now, where they might be fratty or selfish or mean spirited. They were deep in the been and gone. They weren't just listening to hits, or to sustained works of art, but to their own pasts. The exercise cooled them out. Saturday's audience was truly racially mixed, with a heavy representation of the 30-to-45 age bracket, grown-up New Yorkers at their casual and courteous best. Many of them high, but still. -[New York Times]

In true hip hop fashion, guests abounded. Nas capped the day off with a performance of Illmatic, and he didn't hide the men/women behind the curtain of his first LP; MC Serch, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor (of Main Source), Akinyele, Fatal, AZ and many others who either blessed the LP or were instrumental in his come-up all made appearances (yes, they performed the Main Source classic "Live at the BBQ" featuring Nas's first recorded appearance). Pras of The Fugees joined Lauryn Hill for "Ready of Not", Big Noyd joined Mobb Deep for "Give Up the Goods (Just Step)" and other tracks, and Black Moon brought a full band.

More pictures from the whole day, below...

Continue reading "pics from Rock the Bells 2011 @ Governors Island (Nas, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Raekwon, Ghostface, Mobb Deep, more)"

members of Brooklyn Philharmonic at the Seaport in 2010 (more by Chris La Putt)

The 2011-2012 season for The Brooklyn Philharmonic has been announced and you can browse the full schedule below or at that site, but we'll highlight a bit.

Mos Def is presenting works at the Season Preview Concert I on October 8 and the Season Preview Concert II on October 12. Mos Def's work will then also be presented as part of the Bed-Stuy Series on June 9, 2012. All three of events are free.

Works by Sufjan Stevens will be presented at The Downtown Brooklyn Series on March 23 and 24. Tickets for that series are $20. Tickets for the public can be acquired by calling the Brooklyn Phil Box Office at 646-397-2765.

Throughout the season works will also be presented from a range of artists including Beethoven, Bernstein, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Duke Ellington, Brahms, Scott Joplin, Tchaikovsky, and others.

Brooklyn Philharmonic are celebrating Alan Pierson's debut conducting the orchestra in partnership with Mark Morris Dance Group on Thursday (7/28 aka TONIGHT) at Celebrate Brooklyn in Prospect Park. Admission is free and doors are at 8 PM.

Sufjan also has upcoming Prospect Park shows.

Full 2011-2012 Brooklyn Phil schedule below...

Continue reading "Brooklyn Philharmonic 2011-2012 season announced (Mos Def, works by Sufjan Stevens, Alan Pierson & much more)"

Mos Def performing with Gorlliaz (more by Bao Nguyen)

Mos Def will headline the free ($3 suggested donation) Fort Greene Festival in Brooklyn on June 25th. Hosted by Rosie Perez and Toure, other artists on the bill are Res, Sophia Urista, Game Rebellion, PaperDoll, Navegante, and Lifted Crew. "The full day program, from 12:00 noon to 10:00 pm, is a mixture of musical performances, food, and shopping. The official entrance to the festival will be at the corner of DeKalb Avenue and Washington Park in the Fort Greene section of Central Brooklyn. The official after-party for the festival will take place at Sanders Studios." Flyer and more info below.

Mos Def will link back up with his Black Star compatriot Talib Kweli to play all of their LP at Rock The Bells 2011 alongside full album sets by Mobb Deep, Souls of Mischief, Erykah Badu, and others. Tickets are still on sale for the show on Governors Island.

Mos Def the ACTOR is keeping busy too, as he recently signed on for an appearance on Showtime's "Dexter."

Fort Greene Fest details below...

Continue reading "Mos Def headlines Fort Greene Festival Saturday"

by BBG

Havoc of Mobb Deep @ the kick-off in LA (more by Graeme Flegenheimer)

In addition to initially announced Rock The Bells lineup (Nas playing Illmatic? Mobb Deep on The Infamous detail? wow), the festival has made some interesting additions like Erykah Badu performing all of Baduism (on select dates), Common performing all of Be (on select dates), Killah Priest performing all of Heavy Mental, Slaughterhouse, and DOOM. More lineup details are below.

The NYC show on 9/3 at Governor's Island gets the Erykah Badu appearance, and tickets are on presale, password is "ILLMATIC". General sale begins Saturday, 6/11, at 10:00 AM.

LA and San Francisco are on sale now, and the only other date, Boston, still doesn't even have a venue announced yet.

DOOM of course is not to be confused with the crust band who just played MDF and Chaos in Tejas.

In other Hip Hop festival news, Brooklyn Hip Hop Fest's lineup has expanded too adding MOP (!), Torae, Random Axe (Sean Price + Black Milk + Guilty Simpson), eLZhi, Marley Marl, Roli Rho (5th Platoon), Grand Wizzard Theodore and Twilite Tone. Tickets are on sale for all Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival events, including an after-party at Southpaw on July 16th which proclaims to have "special guests invited including the entire BHF '11 lineup".

Full Rock The Bells details, alongside some videos, below...

Continue reading "Rock the Bells expands lineup, NYC tix on presale now"

photos by Graeme Flegenheimer

Cypress Hill @ House of Blues - Sunset Strip - 5/24/2011

The line-up for the ROCK THE BELLS 2011 FESTIVAL SERIES--presented by Boost Mobile in association with GUERILLA UNION and powered by BlackBerry--will feature an array of seminal and up-and-coming hip-hop artists on three stages. Headliners include Ms. Lauryn Hill, Nas,Erykah Baduand Cypress Hill. See the current line-up below and look for more performers to be announced soon.

This year's festival will head to four major North American markets. Kicking off in the Los Angeles-area on August 20 at the San Manuel Amphitheater, ROCK THE BELLS will then head to San Francisco on August 27 at Shoreline Amphitheatre. The festival moves to the east coast for a show in New York on September 3 at Governor's Island (co-promoted with Bowery Presents, Highline, Mad Dog Presents) before wrapping in [a TBA venue in] Boston on September 10.

ROCK THE BELLS featured a number of headliners performing their most influential albums in their entirety for the first time in the history of hip-hop entertainment last summer. The tradition continues this year with Ms. Lauryn Hill performing her landmark, multi-platinum selling, multi-GRAMMY winning album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill and Nas performing his breakthrough debut album Illmatic with special guests AZ, Pete Rock and DJ Premier. Nas says about performing Illmatic this summer, "For years people have been asking me to do Illmatic in so many ways, from stage plays to movies to books, but the time wasn't right. Where music is going now, the time is right. This will be my biggest production and it only makes sense to do it on the best rap tour which also happens to be a brand I've built and am a partner in. Can't wait to kill it with my comrades AZ, Premo & Pete Rock!"

Full album sets can also be expected from: Cypress Hill performing their 1993 multi-platinum album Black Sunday, featuring modern rock radio mainstay "Insane In The Membrane"; Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star performing their 1998 self-titled debut album; Raekwon & Ghostface teaming up for critically acclaimed, platinum selling Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and more.

"I am excited that this year's Rock The Bells will continue its rich history and tradition by presenting the best and most ambitious festival programming in Hip Hop," says festival co-founder and Guerilla Union head Chang Weisberg. "The bar has been set high and this year's line-up will certainly stake its claim. With ten of the biggest records in the history of the genre and the freshest new talent bubbling from the underground, this summer's Rock The Bells is another dream come true."

ROCK THE BELLS will feature three main stages this year. The two returning stages are the ROCK THE BELLS STAGE and the PAID DUES STAGE, which will feature independent hip-hop acts that performed at the Paid Dues Festival this past April in San Bernardino and new artists-on-the-rise. Paid Dues Festival creator Murs says, "I am excited that I once again have the privilege of hosting the Paid Dues Stage. We will have the honor of showcasing some of the best talent in independent hip hop as part of the worlds largest and longest running hip hop festival... the Paid Dues stage is gonna be the one to watch this year."

The 36 CHAMBERS STAGE is a new addition to the festival and will primarily feature members of the Wu-Tang Clan as well as artists selected by stage curator and Wu-Tang Clan mainstay RZA. A fourth stage that will also be added to most markets is the GRINDTIME NOW STAGE, which will feature battle-style performances.

The lineup was announced last night at a show at House of Blues in LA. Mobb Deep, Souls of Mischief and Cypress Hill all played and pictures to prove it are in this post. More of them below.

The full lineup is also below...

Continue reading "Rock the Bells 2011 dates & lineups announced, Mobb Deep & Souls of Mischief & Cypress Hills played the kickoff (pics)"

Tickets are on general sale for the show Aloe Blacc is playing at Highline Ballroom on June 3rd.

Tickets are also still on sale for the show Mos Def is playing at Highline Ballroom on March 25th too, but Mos added two more NYC shows, and they're back at the more intimate Blue Note on March 9th (early and late).