TRUTHLiVE& Moe Green CMJ Performance

TRUTHLiVE & Moe Green's freestyle recorded at Southpaw in Brooklyn, NYC at one of many CMJ's festivities that happened this October.

(video courtesy of SF's Distortion 2 Static)

Duck Down CMJ Showcase NYC

Fan shot video below.















(video courtesy of spotcoffee & iamswhatiam)

Foreign Exchange Live At The CMJ Music Marathon In NYC Show Recap

Fan shot video below.







via Potholes In My Blog

As long as The Foreign Exchange is performing, no one can ever even think about showmanship being dead. The eight-piece band that took the stage of B.B. King’s Blues Club & Grille on Oct. 23 moved the crowd in a way that few acts are capable. And it all started at 1 a.m. As such, you would think a show starting that late would lend itself to a somewhat less-than-energetic audience. But that was simply not the case – I mean, this is New York City we’re talking about.

The show began with four of the band members walking out to the roar of the crowd. First, we saw the infinitely-talented Zo! sit behind his keyboard while Omar Hunter grabbed his bass and Chris Bynum sat behind his drumkit. Then, producer-mastermind Nicolay walked out to his setup of keyboards and a laptop. The quartet started up that distinct musical intro that kicks off both Foreign Exchange albums, Connected and Leave It All Behind. But the track they would begin playing was actually off Nicolay’s latest, City Lights Vol. 2: Shibuya. And, on cue, out came songstress Carlitta Durand to sing the album’s gorgeous opener, “Lose Your Way”.

Read more of the review here:
Potholes In My Blog

John Forte Gives A Intimate Performance At CMJ NYC Showcase

via Spinner as reported by David Chiu

Sitting alone on a stool with an acoustic guitar in the Living Room's small performance space, Forté performed several semi-autobiographical songs, including a few from the EP. The intimate yet thought-provoking music was a blend of soul-meets-hip-hop with Forté offering both husky singing and rapping.

In his performance, Forté pulled no punches when it came to describing his feelings. On one of his new songs, 'Nervous,' he rapped: "I even smiled at my mugshot to catch the moment." Yet amid the sometimes gritty, hard-bitten nature of the songs is a life-affirming message, as was the case of the upbeat 'Play My Cards for Me.'

Read more of the article here:
Spinner - John Forté Celebrates His Freedom at CMJ

Nah Right On Smash CMJ NYC Showcase Concert Recap

via the Village Voice By Zach Baron

Raekwon hit the stage sometime around 2 a.m., only to commence a set more psychodrama than rap show: "My voice fucking shot out on me," is the first thing he says, or rather, gargles. It's painful just listening to him talk, and that's at least half of what he does--for every "C.R.E.A.M.," a heartfelt, wrenching, serrated whisper of an apology to the crowd. "This sh** is hurting me," he whimpers at one point. That the Chef soldiers on through something approximating a full set is both admirable and painful to watch, psychic, emotional, and physical pain not being the thing one expects from a triumphant late-night Raekwon performance.



via Time Out NY by Steve Smith

It was sometimes tough to spot Raekwon on the stage at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, thanks to the approximately 347 photographers, videographers and hangers-on surrounding the Wu-Tang member during Better Recognize, a Wednesday night CMJ showcase presented by hip-hop blogs Nah Right and Onsmash. What you couldn’t miss, though, was the Chef’s hoarse croak as he fought through an undisclosed malady to present his set before a packed house. “Appreciate me cuz I appreciate y’all!” Raekwon shouted as he beat his retreat some 20 minutes after he started.

Not much of a set, maybe, but it was enough to turn the tide after the crowd had booed Atlanta rapper OJ da Juiceman off the stage following a three-song set stuffed with so many samples of his mentor Gucci Mane’s trademark yelp that Gooch might as well have been on stage himself. It was the only genuinely ugly moment during a fast-paced event with a handful of big surprises.

via the New York Times by Jon Caramanica

For a CMJ-heavy crowd of purists, it wasn’t enough. The showcase was sponsored by the prominent hip-hop blogs NahRight.com and OnSmash.com, which have emerged as crucial avenues for new talent. But on a bill that also featured the New York eminences grises Raekwon, Styles P and Jadakiss, OJ barely stood a chance. CMJ purports to be about the thrill of discovery, but is often just a reinforcement of received values. The hip-hop internet can be guilty of the same thing, creating a class of listeners who are purportedly open-minded but are actually forming taste free of any physical context, and defending it at any cost.

Read the full reviews here:
Village Voice
Time Out NY
New York Times





See PHOTOS of the show here:
Wire Image

Related post:
OJ da Juiceman Gets Boo'd Offstage At CMJ NYC Showcase

(video courtesy of bigkeefsmallworld & DJ Delz TV.com)

OJ da Juiceman Gets Boo'd Offstage At CMJ NYC Showcase

DJ Green Lantern tried but the boos were too overwhelming to keep Atlanta's OJ da Juiceman on stage at last night's B.B. Kings show in New York City part of the CMJ Music Marathon. To be fair to OJ da Juiceman, the show's line up included NYC Yonkers mainstays Jadakiss & Styles P, Wu-Tang's Raekwon and hot new comer Curren$y, so the competition was stacked. It just goes to show you that hip hop (especially in New York City) is still a very segmented.

(video courtesy of proffesor91)

Clipse Live At Hiro Ballroom NYC

Clipse Live @ The Hiro Ballroom (Video) from Digiwaxx TV on Vimeo.

Last night's Clipse MySpace Showcase at the Hiro Ballroom, NYC.

(video courtesy of DigiWaxx & DigiWaxx TV)

See PHOTOS from the show here:
Wire Image

Clipse - 'Til The Casket Drops on Columbia/Re-Up Gang in stores December 8.

Wiz Khalifa Owns The Crowd At CMJ Showcase NYC

Wiz Khalifa live at Southpaw in Brooklyn for the Frankradio CMJ Showcase Tuesday, October 20.

via Jamie Falkowski from NY Time Out

Minutes after we walked through the door, Wu-Tang member U-God took the stage. The Shaolin soldiers announced that he was ready to step out of the shadow of his crew, and he performed a number of Wu classics before spitting material off of his latest, Dopium. After a short break, it was time for Khalifa, and although Grand Puba would follow, Wiz owned the crowd like a true headliner. Most in attendance sang and rapped along to almost every song in his set, including the more obscure mixtape tracks. Energy was high for the young MC, who closed his set by bringing out his collaborator on this year’s How Fly, Curren$y. Below, check out our video of the two performing the lead single from the project, “Rollin’ Up,” and don’t be surprised if Wiz returns the surprise-guest favor tonight when Curren$y performs at B.B. King’s.

Source

(video courtesy of spotcoffee)