In addition to the previously discussed lineup of Pusha T, Redman and Dizzy Wright, Brooklyn Hip Hop Fest expands with the addition of EPMD, Soul Understated and a tribute to the late great MCA (Adam Yauch):

On the Final Day of the Festival, July 13th, The Festival will stop for a moment of silence for Yauch and then launch into a tribute curated by [BHF Executive Director Wes] Jackson and Bodega DJ, RawBeatz. Brooklyn Bodega will also release an exclusive mix of Beastie songs of remixes from the "Cookie Puss" days all the way to "Hot Sauce Committee".

As discussed, Pusha T's new LP My Name is My Name is due in July and features "Numbers on the Boards" which recently surfaced in video form. Check out that video, as well as a tour doc about Pusha T, below.

Continue reading "Adam Yauch Tribute, EPMD and more added to Brooklyn Hip Hop Fest"

Pusha T of Clipse has released a video for his new burner "Numbers on the Boards," from the forthcoming My Name Is My Name due in July. The track, produced by Don Cannon and Kanye West, features Mr Kardashian as well as Chief Keef for brief appearances in the video. Check that out below.

Pusha T recently played BB King's, but will return to NYC to play Brooklyn Hip Hop Fest in July.

Continue reading "Pusha T puts "Numbers on the Boards" in new video"

Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival 2011 (more by Brook Bobbins)

The Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival is returning for its 9th annual year from July 8 to 13 across various Brooklyn venues. Names announced so far include Pusha T (who plays BB King's on 4/26), Redman, Dizzy Wright, and more TBA. Early bird tickets for the final day events are on sale now.

Brooklyn Bodega, who are putting on the festival, also just presented a Red Bull Sound Select show earlier this week (4/16) at Glasslands with Sean Price, Children of the Night, F. Stokes, and Bishop Nehru. If you went to that show, how was it?

Pusha T is over in California for Coachella, which he plays Saturday. All of his upcoming dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival initial lineup & early bird tickets (Pusha T, Redman & more)"

by Andrew Sacher

Though the attention being paid to futuristic R&B has been more prevalent than ever in the past two years, it's also been interesting to look back on the ways the sound did exist in years prior. And even more exciting to see some of those artists making comebacks. Miguel's Kaleidoscope Dream was one of last year's better albums, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't tempt me to dust off my copy of FutureSex/LoveSounds. And only a few months after doing that? Boom: The 20/20 Experience. Another thing I went back to last year was Cassie's only album -- her 2006 self titled debut -- specifically it's opening track/huge hit, "Me & U." The thick bass and airy vocals of that track are way more similar to the post-Weeknd world of R&B than I remembered, and it more than holds up.

Cassie had been dropping some singles here and there since her '06 album, but almost seven years later, there was still no sign of another full length release. However, like JT did in March, Cassie ended her lengthy absence last week with the release of her free mixtape, RockaByeBaby. It might be "just a mixtape" (whatever that really means at this point anyway), but RockaByeBaby serves as a worthy followup to Cassie, and as a whole release, it might even be better. The album is stacked with guest appearances (Jeremih, Pusha T, Fabolous, Meek Mill, Too $hort, and others) and the producers are no slackers here either (Mike Will Made It, Young Chop, and more), but it's not over-saturated with guests. Even the verses from some of the weaker rappers (Wiz Khalifa) work pretty well here. And some of the samples used are noticeably big songs (Kendrick Lamar's "m.A.A.d City," Tyga's "Do My Dance"), which can be a turnoff, but she uses them well.

Overall, the thing really feels like an album. Too often with mixtapes I find myself filtering through 20-something songs for the 10 good ones, but RockaByeBaby has no fat to trim. Its 13 tracks (12, not including the intro) clock in at 37 minutes, and they're all strong. The collaboration with Jeremih, "Sound of Love," is an early standout, with both singers bouncing off of each other really nicely. A little surprisingly, Fabolous' guest verse on "I Love It" is actually one of the most memorable moments of the album. And the chorus of "Paradise" (with its "pair of dice" pun) is one you'll find yourself humming after the album ends.

Download RockaByeBaby for free over at DatPiff and stream it in its entirety below...

Continue reading "listen to Cassie's comeback mixtape, 'RockaByeBaby'"

Pusha T

Fabolous plans to release his first album since 2009, Loso's Way 2: Rise to Power, at some point this year, and he's got a NYC show coming up on April 26 at BB King's with Pusha T. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (3/22) at noon. Towards the end of last year, Fabolous and Pusha T collaborated on the track "Life Is So Exciting," which you can watch the video for below. Pusha also recently dropped a free mixtape, Wrath of Caine.

That Fabolous/Pusha T track is from Fabolous' 2012 mixtape, which also featured fellow NYC/NJ area rapper Joe Budden, and Budden has an upcoming show too. He plays with a live band on April 30 at Highline Ballroom. Tickets for that show (including a VIP meet & greet) are on sale now.

Another long-running NYC-area rapper, Styles P, is playing a show on April 15 at BB King's with special guests. That show is a record release party for his new album, Float, which was produced entirely by Scram Jones and is due out April 20.

Much weirder NYC rapper Beans (who is no longer in Anti-Pop Consortium) plays The Bowery Electric on April 18 with Bryant K., Uumans, and Mike Pride's from Bacteria to Boys. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

A huge '90s Hip Hop Revival' show is going down on Friday (3/22) at Public Assembly with a number of classic NYC groups and rappers like The Beatnuts, Jeru the Damaja, Rah Digga, Nature, King Just, Lord Digga, and many more. Full lineup and more info HERE.

Let's shift our focus to the West Coast for a bit to mention that Too $hort is playing NYC on May 2 at Stage 48 with Greedy, Reggie Mills, and We Are NJ. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Andre Nickatina is playing Santos Party House on May 22 with Roach Gigz and Mumbls. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Curren$y at SXSW 2012 (more by Ryan Muir)

Now onto Southern rappers. Curren$y plays NYC on May 10 at BB King's. Tickets for that show are on sale now. Curren$y recently released the free mixtape, New Jet City.

Florida rapper SpaceGhostPurrp and the Raider Klan play Santos Party House on Monday (3/25). Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Killer Mike plays previously discussed shows at Public Assembly on Wednesday (3/20) (you can only get into that one through Scion A/V's contest), NYU on March 27 with Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire and Cakes da Killa, and has an upcoming tour with Big Boi which hits NYC on Brooklyn Bowl on April 24 (general admission sold out, but $100 VIP tickets still available) and June 20 at Prospect Park. He was on Letterman last night (3/18) with El-P and Scar to perform "Untitled" from his 2012 LP, R.A.P. Music. Check out a video of that performance below.

And lastly, Hot 97 Summer Jam is returning to MetLife Stadium on June 2. Lineup is TBA but tickets are on presale now (password: "ACCESS") and general on-sale starts April 12 at 10 AM.

Videos below...

Continue reading "upcoming hip hop shows in NYC: Pusha T, Styles P, Curren$y, SpaceGhostPurrp, Killer Mike (who played 'Letterman') & more"

Savoir Adore at Knitting Factory in 2012 (more by Sachyn Mital)

today in NYC
* Hag @ The Stone
* ASSSSCAT 3000 @ UCB
* Fukimaki Miura @ Barbes
* Gael Rouillhac @ Barbes
* Justin Veloso @ The Stone
* Sophia Knapp @ Ace Hotel
* Black Guard, Valor @ Saint Vitus
* Creaghead & Company @ Union Hall
* Milo Greene, Savoir Adore @ Maxwell's
* Hannibal Buress @ The Knitting Factory
* Joey Arias, Kristian Hoffman @ Joe's Pub
* Polyenso, Author, Walking Tree @ Paper Box
* Deftones, Periphery @ The Wellmont Theatre
* Kestrels, Soccer Mom, Relations @ Cake Shop
* Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Jeffrey Lewis & Peter Stampfel @ Mercury Lounge
* Wooden Wand, Steve Gunn, Zachary Cale @ Union Pool
* Girls Names, Lazyeyes, Sapphire Mansions @ Cameo Gallery
* Cigarette, Cloud Become Your Hand, Richie Quake @ Silent Barn
* His Clancyness, Tweens, LODRO, Basement Batman @ Glasslands
* Horrible Present, Juan Wauters (of the Beets), Brothers In Law, Missing Doucments @ Death By Audio

There's a few good foreign bands playing NYC tonight on their way to SXSW. Belfast's Girls Names are at Cameo, Italy's His Clancyness are at Glasslands, and another Italian band, Brothers In Law, is at Death by Audio.

SXSW is only a few days away. Follow @BVSXSW on Twitter. Also check out our BrooklynVegan SXSW shows.

If you're going to the Milo Greene show at Maxwell's tonight, get there early for Savoir Adore.

Follow @BrooklynVegan on Twitter.
Follow @bvChicago for just Chicago stuff.
Also follow @bvAustin for just Austin stuff.

Be our friend on Facebook too, and BV Austin's friend on Facebook and BV Chicago's friend on Facebook.

Follow BrooklynVegan on instagram.

Hip hop producer Harry Fraud put out a new mixtape, Adrift, which features tracks with Action Bronson, Juicy J, Smoke DZA, A$AP Twelvyy, Curren$y, Pusha T, Troy Ave, Danny Brown, and more. Stream it below and download it for free at DatPiff.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday?"

Jurassic 5

We briefly mentioned in our post of bands reuniting at Coachella 2013, LA hip hop collective Jurassic 5 are reuniting after breaking up in 2007 (one year after the release of their fourth album, Feedback). There's no insight yet as to whether or not this reunion will go beyond the Coachella slot but fingers crossed! They play on the Fridays (April 12 and 19).

Another big one on the lineup is Wu-Tang Clan, who play the Sundays of the festival (April 14 and 21). This one's not exactly a "reunion," like Jurassic 5 is, but it's worth noting that while Wu-Tang Clan members play shows a lot, it's not every day that they all join forces on stage.

Other rappers at the festival include Aesop Rock and Earl Sweatshirt on the Fridays, and El-P, Pusha T, Action Bronson, Danny Brown, 2 Chainz, and Theophilus London on the Saturdays. R&B singer Janelle Monae also plays on the Saturdays.

A classic Jurassic 5 video below...

Continue reading "Hip Hop at Coachella 2013 (not much)"

Click it for the bigger poster.

by Andrew Sacher

Chicago rapper King L (fka King Louie) hails from the same burgeoning Chicago scene that produced Chief Keef and Lil Reese (but so far he hasn't given us a reason to believe he might end up in jail) and though he might not have a party starter like "I Don't Like" under his belt, he does have some pretty promising singles out at the moment. The best of those, "Val Venis," which you can watch the video for below, at the very least has more lyrics than "I Don't Like," if not arguably better ones, and for better or for worse it's got enough gun shots in the beat to hearken back to the days when rap was scary. That single, and the recently released "My Hoes They Do Drugs" (feat. Juicy J and Pusha T), which you can also stream below, will both presumably end up on L's forthcoming official album (he's got a bunch of mixtapes), Dope & Shrimp (release date TBA).

Maybe you caught King L in NYC during CMJ when he played FADER Fort, where he brought out Katie Got Bandz for her first NYC appearance. He'll be making his way to NYC this month to open for Future and Ace Hood at Highline Ballroom on November 30 with Cash Out. Tickets for that show are on sale now. It's his only announced date at the moment.

Video and streams below...

Continue reading "King L releasing LP, playing NYC w/ Future (video & streams)"

by Andrew Sacher

Joey Bada$$

Young Brooklyn rapper Joey Bada$$ put out two of the strongest rap releases of the year so far with 1999 and Rejex, both of which are highly indebted to the golden age era sound of Illmatic, Ready to Die, Reasonable Doubt, and other classics of that kind. Joey and his crew, Pro Era, have been playing locally a lot lately (like when they joined Ab-Soul at Terminal 5 when Ab-Soul was opening for Kendrick Lamar), and they'll continue to do so with a number of shows this month.

This Wednesday (10/10), Joey will join Pusha T, Biz Markie, Action Bronson (who you have plenty of other chances to see), Sicky Brett (of Past Due), plus host Sophia Urista and guest DJs and performers at the Downtown Brooklyn College Festival, which takes place in the BAM parking lot (30 Lafayette Ave). Admission is $10 for students and participating schools include NYU, LIU, Berkeley College, and Saint Francis College. Tickets for that college festival are on sale now. Joey is also scheduled to play at this year's CMJ and at SUNY Purchase Fall Fest a week later (10/27).

Regarding CMJ, as mentioned, Joey and Pro Era will play the Yours Tru.ly day party at Glasslands on October 19 with Ratking, Jim-E Stack, Isaac Delusion, Evy Jane, Night Panther, and MØ. That show is free with RSVP. Then, later that night (10/19), Joey will head to Brooklyn warehouse Villain for the official Pitchfork showcase with Death Grips, LE1F, DIIV, Holy Other, METZ, Merchandise, Daughn Gibson, Hundred Waters, and Angel Haze. That show is free to the public but 200 priority tickets will be given away at the Topman store (478 Broadway in SoHo) "on Wednesday and Thursday between 10 AM and 9 PM."

Keeping his Friday of CMJ busy, in addition to those two shows, Joey will also perform at the Self Taught Showcase at The Studio at Webster Hall (set time TBD).

Before those three parties, Joey and Pro Era will play the Cinematic Music Group/Ekco Ultd/XXL showcase at SOB's on October 18 with Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA, Fat Trel, Cashius Green, Chance the Rapper, and Mookie Jone, with hosts Peter Rosenberg and Shiest Bubz. Tickets don't seem to be on sale at the moment but Ecko is running a ticket contest. The show flier is below. Both Joey Bada$$ and Big K.R.I.T. are featured on Smoke DZA's new free mixtape, K.O.N.Y..

That SOB's show runs from 6-10 PM before the Leaders of the New Cool CMJ party takes over the Manhattan venue with Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Casey Veggies, Travi$ Scott, Nemo Achida, Armstrong, Reese Two-9, Chance the Rapper, DJ Genesis and host Maurice Garland (tickets).

In related news, Joey Bada$$ is releasing a new single this fall via Green Label Sound, for which he'll be working with "someone [he] considers an icon." Stay tuned for more info on that. Meanwhile, stream some tracks from 1999 and check out a list of all dates below.

Continue reading "Joey Bada$$ releasing new single, playing Downtown Brooklyn College Festival, CMJ & other shows (dates)"

by Andrew Sacher

After much delay, rumors proved true and false, and some uncertain info, Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music compilation album, Cruel Summer, is fully confirmed and will be out this Tuesday (9/18). Many of its tracks -- "Clique," "Mercy," "New God Flow," "Cold" (previously titled "Theraflu"), and his guest-filled remix of Chief Keef's "I Don't Like" -- have been floating around the internet for some time now. You can stream all of those and snippets of every album track below.

Though Kanye only actually raps on about half the album, his presence is felt throughout and Cruel Summer succeeds at playing from start to finish with an album flow, despite it technically being a compilation. It opens as huge as you expect any Kanye related release to open, addressing the album not just to his fans, friends or family, but of course, "To The World." The track brings together beat master Hudson Mohawke (who's been having a great year as one half of TNGHT) with R. Kelly and Ye. It immediately follows with the album's strongest track, "Clique," which features one of the best Jay-Z verses in recent years and a towering beat from Hit-Boy, who is also behind Cruel Summer tracks "Cold," "Higher," and of course you may know him as the guy behind "Niggas In Paris."

After it continues colossally with previously released singles "Mercy" and "New God Flow," we get the first track on the album without Kanye's voice, "The Morning." However, there's no lack of all-star rappers on the track. We get killer verses from vets Pusha T, Common, and Raekwon, and if guys like Kid Cudi and 2 Chainz are your thing, well they're there too. Cudi, though not the strongest of Kanye associates, does have a shining moment on the album though. Over a clattering beat in "Creepers," he delivers a solo vocal performance making for a rare standout personal moment from not-Kanye in the midst of Ye's encapsulating ego. That's followed by "Bliss," which sees the return of Hudson Mohawke to the boards and is the album's sole track with all singing, no rapping. A distinct contrast to the hanging out and freestyling feel of the closing "I Don't Like" remix.

Streams and tracklist are below.

Continue reading "Kanye's G.O.O.D. Music album 'Cruel Summer' is out next week (tracklist, streams & more on the album)"

Kanye at ACL 2011 (more by Tim Griffin)

Kanye West will be coming to Atlantic City next month for shows at Revel Ovation Hall on July 6 and 7. Tickets for those shows go on sale Friday (6/22) at 10 AM with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (6/20) at 10 AM. They're his only North American dates announced at the moment.

In related news, Kanye's G.O.O.D. Music group is putting out a compilation album this year which is set to feature Pusha T, Frank Ocean, Jay Electronica, 2 Chainz, Big Sean, and more. They recently dropped a video for the track "Mercy," with Kanye, Pusha T, Big Sean, and 2 Chainz. You can watch that below. G.O.O.D. Music are set to make their debut television performance on the BET Awards on July 1.

Meanwhile, Kanye has been on tour in Europe with Jay-Z and Rap Radar reports that last night (6/18) in Paris they broke their record of amount of times playing "Niggas in Paris" at one show, performing the song a dozen times. (Is anyone else besides Kanye vying for this record?) You can check out a video of this below.

A list of all dates and videos below...

Continue reading "Kanye West playing 2 Atlantic City shows, broke record of times having played "Niggas in Paris" in one show"

Ghost and Rae at Rock the Bells 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Wu-Block -- the new project of Wu-Tang members Ghostface Killah and Raekwon and D-Block/The LOX members Sheek Louch, Jadakiss, and Styles P -- are set to release an album this year. It will be performed live at Rock the Bells, whose lineup recently expanded to also include DMX, Eve, Mix Master Mike, Pusha T, Future, and still more TBA. As mentioned, the fest comes to the NYC area on September 1-2 at PNC Bank Arts Center. Tickets are still available. The updated flier is below.

Ghostface and Sheek Louch will be heading out on the Wu-Block Tour with Saigon surrounding Rock the Bells. That tour hasn't been announced in full yet but we know that it includes a show in NYC at Highline Ballroom on August 8. Tickets for the Highline show go on sale Friday (6/15) at noon.

You can catch Ghostface in NYC even sooner at his free Celebrate Brooklyn show at Prospect Park on June 23 with Camp Lo, Astro, and more.

Speaking of Raekwon, he just announced a Best Buy Theater show (7/26) with Tyler, the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt.

A list of all currently known Wu-Block tour dates, some videos, and the updated Rock the Bells flier below...

Continue reading "Wu-Block (Ghost, Rae & The LOX), Pusha T, Eve & more added to Rock the Bells; Wu-Block touring w/ Saigon (dates)"

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Azealia Banks - Jumanji (MP3)

Azealia Banks at Coachella 2012 (more by David Andrako)

Azealia Banks, who recently canceled a bunch of summer shows due to "recording commitments," has now added more shows to her summer schedule. Most of those are in Europe, but she was just added to the Hot 97 Summer Jam lineup which goes down in East Rutherford, NJ at MetLife Stadium on June 3. The rest of the lineup includes Nicki MInaj, Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Waka Flocka Flame, Young Jeezy, J. Cole, Wale, and more. Tickets for the fest are available. The full lineup is listed below.

UPDATE: She actually plays the Summer Jam pre-show in the parking lot with the even more impressive lineup of Pusha T, Big K.R.I.T., A$AP Rocky, Schoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar, and Fred the Godson. Your Summer Jam ticket gets you into the pre-show.

In addition to her fickle live schedule, Azealia Banks continues to move around her schedule of releases as well. As of right now, she's planning to get her delayed 1991 EP out on May 29 digitally and June 12 physically via Interscope. The cover art for that EP is below. She'll follow it with the Fantastic mixtape, which is due out on July 4, and includes her recently dropped track, "Jumanji," which was produced by Hudson Mohawke and Nick Hook. Grab that track above or stream it below. Finally, her debut full length, Broke With Expensive Taste, which is presumably the album she's been working on with Paul Epworth, is due out in September.

In other news, fresh off her feud with Iggy Azalea (who plays SOBs TONIGHT [5/17]), she's taken a stab at Lil Kim, who refused to collaborate with Azealia because Lil Kim wanted to write her own verse. Azealia had written it for her and insisted, "Everybody knows Lil Kim doesn't write her own raps." We already know that Kim's got beef with Nicki Minaj. Azealia, however, seems down with Nicki and would possibly collaborate with her, but thinks she should ditch the "ugly wigs and ugly costumes." Maybe they'll meet up when they both play Summer Jam next month. On the other hand, Azealia Banks has collaborated with Missy Elliot and Rye Rye on a remix of M.I.A.'s "Bad Girls." Look for that soon.

A list of all dates, Hot 97 Summer Jam lineup, 1991 cover art, and the "Jumanji" stream are below...

Continue reading "Azealia Banks added to Hot 97 Summer Jam lineup, prepping EP, mixtape, and LP"

Georgia rapper Future released his official debut album, Pluto, on Epic Records last month, following a series of mixtapes, including 2012's Astronaut Status. Pluto features guest spots from R. Kelly, T.I., Drake, Snoop Dogg, Juicy J, and others. Check out videos of "Tony Montana" [Ft. Drake], "Magic (Remix)" [Ft. T.I.], and "Same Damn Time," below.

Future will be embarking on a two month long tour of the US in support of the album, which kicks off later this month with support from Pusha T. The tour hits NYC on June 4 at Irving Plaza. Tickets go on sale today, Friday (5/11) at 10 AM.

All dates and videos below...

Continue reading "Future announces dates with Pusha T (dates & videos)"

by Andrew Sacher

Pusha T

Pusha T is playing in NYC TONIGHT (12/22) at Gramercy Theatre with NinjaSonik, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Gilbere Forte, Emilio Rojas, and Jasmine Solano. Tickets are still available.

Earlier this week, Pusha dropped a freestyle over Common's "Sweet" off of his new LP, The Dreamer/The Believer, which came out on Tuesday. The Smoking Section reports that the track is a diss at Drake (who is touring in 2012 with Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky). Stream it below.

Common played Highline Ballroom on Monday (12/19). Nas joined him at the show. You can stream the whole show below, and also check out a video of Nas joining in on "Ghetto Dreams" below.

Pusha T collaborator Wale also plays a show in NYC TONIGHT (12/22). HIs is at Webster Hall and tickets are still available. More dates, including one at Irving Plaza, are listed below.

Speaking of Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire and Emilio Rojas, they both just played S.O.B.'s with Kendrick Lamar on Monday (12/19). Talib Kweli saw the show, and tweeted, "The ASAP crew did a 20 min walk thru during the set. Classic Harlem lol." Check out a video from the show below.

Maybe Talib should give Diplo a heads up about Kendrick. Diplo recently tweeted "Kendrick lamar sounds like somebody that played for the supersonics in the 90s. Didn't know he was a rapper. What's his best tune?" (Hey Diplo, check out "The Spiteful Chant").

In other news, Kendrick told XXLMag that he and J. Cole are planning a joint album. "We're still trying to formulate it and sit down in a neutral zone, where either one of us is moving and doing shows, interviews and press all the time," he said. Kendrick told HipHopDx that he's lined up Just Blaze and Pete Rock for his next LP.

Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire will play NYC again when he opens for Action Bronson at Highline Ballroom on December 27. Tickets are still available. eXquire and Bronson both made Heems' list of favorite albums released in 2011.

Speaking of Talib Kweli, his group Idle Warship played Southpaw on 12/9. Some videos from that show are below. They'll do it again on January 4 at S.O.B.'s. Tickets are still available.

Dates, videos and stream below...

Continue reading "Pusha T & Wale play shows tonight (and other dates); Kendrick Lamar & Common & guests played recently (videos)"

One look at this weekend's Rock The Bells lineup and you could debate whether any of those MCs would be anywhere without the rhymes of the smooth operator Big Daddy Kane. The juice crew affiliate plays BB Kings on Sept 19th for those of you looking to get "R-A-W". The venue says the show is with a live band with opening sets by Lethillweapon and Prophet. Tickets are on sale.

Kane is currently working on a new album, though details remain scarce.

In related news, Pusha T's new EP Fear Of God 2: Let Us Pray is coming out September 27th on Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music. Its nine tracks will feature guest appearances by Diddy, Kanye, Young Jeezy, 50 Cent, Rick Ross, Tyler the Creator and more. Meanwhile Pusha T told the Village Voice he's working on a new mixtape called Long Live The Caine, an obvious ode to both the white powder and the great Brooklyn MC. Keep a look out for that. Check out the new video for "Feeling Myself", off the upcoming EP and featuring R&B singer Kevin Cossom, below...

Continue reading "Big Daddy Kane playing a show, Pusha T working on 'Long Live the Caine'"

today in NYC
* Whiplash @ UCB
* Spanglish Fly @ Barbes
* Aaron Neville @ City Winery
* Jane's Addiction @ Terminal 5
* Sean Moran's Small Elephant @ Barbes
* Conspirator @ Rocks Off Concert Cruise
* Flourishing, Pyrrhon, Balance @ Lit Lounge
* Chrlie Wilson & Eric Benet @ Wingate Field
* WTF with Marc Maron @ The Bell House
* Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen @ Littlefield
* Stone Temple Pilots @ Williamsburg Waterfront
* Mother Mother, Kevin Calaba @ Knitting Factory
* Karl Berger's Stone Workshop Orchestra @ The Stone
* Carney, James Maddock, Paris Carney @ Bowery Ballroom
* Toots and The Maytals, Fear Nuttin Band @ Brooklyn Bowl
* The Bottom Dollars, The Nuclears, Lightouts @ The Rock Shop
* Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean, Chevy Woods @ Central Park Summerstage
* Cloud Control, Parlovr, Modern Rivals, New Moods @ Mercury Lounge
* Chris Bruni, Lianne Smith, Tony Scherr Trio with Anton Fier and Rob Jost, David Hershey-Webb @ The Living Room

To quote a press release:

"Coming off a powerful headline performance this past weekend (Saturday, July 23) at the "Gathering of the Vibes" festival in Bridgeport, CT, JANE'S ADDICTION tonight (Monday July 25) play an exclusive, private show at Terminal 5 in New York City, in association with YouTube and LG. Not only will the concert be streamed live on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/comealive), but it will also be the first 3D user-generated concert event. Attendees--including more than 200 lucky ticket holders selected by LG and Jane's Addiction--will be the first to be able to film the show on brand new LG Thrill 4G Devices, and then these films are combined into one special 3D 60-minute documentary film which will be premiered on the LG Thrill 3D YouTube channel on August 4."

Top Gun plays on the Coney Island Beach tonight.

Pusha T and Tyler, the Creator have a video for their recent collaboration, "Trouble On My Mind." Check it out below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

Kanye makes his grand entrance (this photo by David Andrako)

There were dancers, costume changes, Bon Iver...

Kanye West closed out Coachella 2011 in the only way he knows how, in a grand fashion and dedicated to his mama. We'll have more pictures and recaps from Sunday later, but in the meantime, check out more of what Kanye brought to the Indio stage, and the 27 song setlist, below...

Continue reading "Kanye West closed out Coachella 2011 w/ help from Justin Vernon, dancers & Pusha T (pics & setlist)"

"Great show. Though, totally unnecessary 3+ hour wait to get in." - Anonymous

Nicki Minaj & Kanye West @ Bowery Ballroom (photo by Questlove)

Kanye West played his entire new album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy from start to finish, followed by a four song encore Tuesday night at the intimate Bowery Ballroom in NYC where Kanye literally brought in "all of the lights" (there were lots of lights). The show started with people who weren't Diddy (he walked right in) waiting on a long line. The show ended with Kanye going on a rant about racism, George Bush, Taylor Swift, the Today Show, etc. Audio of that final portion can be streamed below.

Album guest stars Kid Cudi, Raekwon, Jay-Z and RZA were nowhere to be found, but Terena Taylor, Bon Iver aka Justin Vernon (who might appear again with Kanye in the Thanksgiving Day Parade), Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj (who plays Hammerstein Ballroom on Thanksgiving), Pusha T, Prynce Cy Hi, Swizz Beatz, and John Legend (whose friend Questlove was in the balcony taking pictures) all performed at the show that started around 12:40am and was was over by around 2:15. Full setlist, videos and that audio below...

Continue reading "Kanye West played Bowery Ballroom w/ many special guests (setlist, videos & audio of the show-ending rant)"

"...On Monday West, who is 33, will release his fifth album, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam), and it's terrific -- of course it's terrific -- a startlingly maximalist take on East Coast rap traditionalism. And yet that doesn't matter nearly as much as it should, at least partly because of West's insistence on his own greatness. By not allowing for responses to his work other than awe, the value of the work itself is diminished; it becomes an object of admiration, not of study. Instead the focus is on the whole of West's persona and character, which is more fractured and subject to a far wider range of responses. The result is that West becomes a polarizing public figure who happens to be the most artful pop musician of the day, not the other way around.

Nevertheless, West seems virtually incapable of making a bad record. He's committed to pop, and he's savvy and talented enough to make it great, every time. What's more, for him to make something other than a universally accepted smash would be a thing that his ego couldn't bear. Every Kanye West album, until the cancer of the world around him begins to encroach on the parts of his cerebral cortex that control his musical ear, will be excellent and huge. He'll never have an idiosyncratic period.

Even at his most extreme, West isn't an experimenter. His music is ornate, ostentatious, curious and vivacious. But risky? No. All of his fiddling is within recognized formulas. A producer as well as a rapper, West controls all of the major elements of his songs, unlike other artists who have to rely on their taste (or their record label's taste) in outside producers or songwriters.

To work on this album he retreated to Hawaii, as he did during the making of his previous album. And West's gravitational pull is such that he can import talent. Rick Ross, Kid Cudi, Pusha T, Nicki Minaj -- they all made the trip to make music that will appear on the album. The spooky indie folky Justin Vernon from Bon Iver spoke of smoking marijuana with Rick Ross on one of his three sojourns to Hawaii to work with West, about as surreal a tableau as has been created in the making of any pop album this year." [JON CARAMANICA, Sunday New York Times]

Continue reading "Kanye West 'seems virtually incapable of making a bad album'"

by BBG

Kanye West at The Box last night

Kanye West popped into the 200 capacity club The Box on the LES last night for a 1:30 AM surprise set:

An e-mail went out to a select group late Thursday evening, alerting recipients that West and John Legend would be holding a function. If not quite a black-tie affair, the invite asked guests to be suited and booted. No exceptions. Also noted in the message was a phone number to call to learn the address of the venue, which was Manhattan's Chrystie Street club, the Box. The stage set-up was pretty simple: a baby grand piano at which Legend sat, two microphones (one just for Auto-Tune), an 808 beat machine and a keyboard. -[MTV]

Some video from the show (which was also an afterparty for Rihanna's MSG show), is below...

Continue reading "Kanye West & John Legend played a swanky show @ the Box "

photos by Leia Jospe

Clipse's Pusha T & Wale

Wednesday night, in downtown Manhattan, Mark Ronson's Allido Records and Hot 97 hosted a show featuring Colin Munroe, Wale, and Kid CuDi at the Highline Ballroom. Hot 97 on air-personalities Cipha Sounds and Peter Rosenberg took on hosting duties, lightening up the tense air between the sardine can-packed concertgoers....

...GOOD Music's latest signee and Kanye's new wonderboy, Kid Cudi, hit the stage next. Fresh off the plane from Australia, Mr. Solo Dolo definitely had all eyes on him. After killing mixtape bangers like "Down and Out" and "Man on the Moon," CuDi had one more surprise in store for the thirsty fans, as hometown hero Jim Jones joined the emcee for a performance of breakthrough single "Day 'n' Night," whipping the crowd to a fever pitch.

As Jay-Z and Leonardo DiCaprio entered the VIP room, Wale and his UCB band crept onstage. "W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E." quickly re-energized the crowd, and Hov seemed thoroughly impressed as his goons deflected the attentions of male groupies. The lovely Chrisette Michele made her cameo as the DC heavy hitter rocked his Roots guest spot on the track "Rising Up". One half of the Clipse, Pusha T, also made an appearance for his verse on "Back in the Go-Go". The hipsters could barely contain themselves. In true Roc-A-Fella form, though, the night ended with Freeway and Young Chris storming the stage and making a convincing case for the dynasty to which they lay claim." [DJ Booth]

Continue reading "Wale, Kid Cudi, Pusha T, Chrisette Michele, Mark Ronson, Jim Jones & others @ Highline Ballroom, NYC - pics"