Come out and join DJ Quik at the Key Club Hollywood for a special holiday edition of Quik’s Groove. DJ Quik will have Stones Throw's Aloe Blacc and rapper Kendrick Lamar joining him for a very exclusive set. Make sure you start your holidays off right and grab some tickets to the show here!
As a special bonus, bring four (4) canned food items and receive a free DJ Quik CD.
Last night, I had the privilege to check out Jay Electronica performing live in West Hollywood, California at the Key Club. Back in April, I witnessed Jay on the Paid Dues Festival concert stop, but was looking forward to a more intimate show that a smaller venue provides. I arrived at the club at 11:30 pm and security checked me relatively quick, as most people were in the club already. With no lines to worry about, I got in and worked my way up to a good vantage point to witness Jay's well reputed show. The club was packed to the brill and the crowd was ready for whatever Jay was going to throw their way, lyrically and spiritually. Yes, this was hip hop church and the parishioners were more than ready to receive Jay's sermon.
Jay arrived on stage and started with the Just Blaze produced track 'Dear Moleskine' (view below)
Current Los Angeles Clippers and former Hornets' NBA player Baron Davis was in the VIP section within a mere foot from me. Baron and his crew were evenly placed and had a bird's eye view of Jay Electronica's on stage performance. Jay mention that Baron was in the building several times, as well.
Then Jay broke out a new song that he didn't perform per se, but gave the crowd a brief taste. Jay let everyone know that he would unleash this new diddy on his Birthday, September 19th. (view above)
Then the real action started as Jay invited everyone on stage while he performed 'Exibit A', 'Exibit C' and other tracks. A bold move on Jay's behalf, but the audience loved it. (view at top, above and below)
After Jay jumped into the crowd performing his last song, it seemed like he turned into hip hop's version of Harry Houdini because 'poof' all of the sudden he was gone - which abruptly concluded the show. The show clocked in around 45 min. I wouldn't necessarily say I was short changed by the short set. As with a professional act as Jay Electronica comes, what also comes with it is the hype builder component too, by leaving us wanting more. And we certainly did.
Check out another fan xIgnantx, who was also at the show photo link: Flickr
Los Angeles based hip hop artist Icon is doing the work and putting in the time on his rap game by playing the coveted Roxy in West Hollywood this coming Tuesday, July 13th. Icon will be in good company at this show, Oakland, California's Zion I and L.A. mainstays Strong Arm Steady are the headliners. Be sure not to miss this one.
Check out Icon's short film for the track Boss In The Buliding. Up and coming filmmaker David Odio shot the video, armed with his trusty Canon 5D Mark II.
Fans who packed Hollywood's Roxy Theatre on Wednesday night (March 10) to catch Travis Barker and DJ A-Trak's second-ever performance no doubt left the place feeling like the dynamic duo had rehearsed their airtight set to within an inch of its life. But, in actuality, nothing could be further from the truth.
"We pretty much came up with everything in the past couple of days," A-Trak told MTV News. "Like, we came in with nothing."
This is nothing new for Barker and Trak, who decided to perform together after a lengthy jam session last fall. So it was somewhat fitting that their "rehearsals" for the Roxy gigs flowed in much the same way.
"[It was like] the earlier times when we had gotten together. It was jamming. It was just ... seeing, like, what song he would throw at me and what I would do. Just seeing what the chemistry was like," Barker explained. "And now it was like, you know, piecing it together. And we found that we used a bunch of my remixes and his remixes, [plus] some of his original songs, so it's really cool."
And while the duo were cuttingly precise Wednesday night, there was also a liberating looseness to their set. And that's what really got the crowd — which included Kanye West and girlfriend Amber Rose, Tim Armstrong and Rob Anton from the Transplants, Samantha Ronson and onstage guests Kid Cudi and Lil Jon — moving. Because despite the fact they were watching just a drummer and a DJ, the Roxy gig seemed more like a genuine, honest-to-goodness show, be it rock, hip hop or something in between.
"I think the show is really, like, a concert performance. It's a spectacle," A-Trak said. "It's, like, really condensed and in your face, and I think that every minute, every moment is like a slap in the face. That's how I described it."
"There's something for all music fans. If you're a fan of music, you'll dig it," Barker added. "And then if you're a fan of A-Trak and all his music or you're a fan of me and you wanna see us just mash, then I think you'll be stoked to see it."
John Legend confirmed that he's working with Questlove and The Roots on his upcoming fourth album at the 6th Annual Roots Jam Session Saturday night in Los Angeles. For those in the house, Legend performed a couple of the as-yet-unreleased cuts he's been working on. Get lifted.
After last year's absence, the Roots return with their 6th annual all-star jam session which took place at the revamped Key Club in West Hollywood, CA Saturday January 30. Seen here, Mos Def, Foreign Exchange and Jay Electronica all took the stage with the Roots as the hip hop house band, running through each others hip hop classic catalogs.
Talib Kweli performed for the 2nd Annual Sunset Strip Music Festival at the Key Club in West Hollywood, CA on Friday September 11, 2009. Strong Arm Steady comes in at the 2:00 mark.
