Hip Hop Community Rallies To Help Kool Herc

via New York Post

Hip hop pioneer DJ Kool Herc is "very sick" but has no health insurance and cannot afford much-needed surgery, friends say.

"[He] who we call the father of hip-hop, Kool Herc, is not doing well," DJ Premier announced on his Sirius XM radio program over the weekend.

"Since he's very sick and has no insurance ... [he] needs to pay his bills so he can get out of the hospital."

The nature of his illness has not been disclosed, but relatives are asking for help from his fans to raise money to pay for his care.

The Bronx man is a legend of early rap music, helping create key DJ techniques in the 1970s like the break beat that greatly influenced generations of performers in the decades that followed.

But since he never had any major hits, the 55-year-old born Clive Campbell, has struggled financially.

"We spoke today, and he needs some help to pay his bills for the hospital because he can't hold it down," DJ Premier said. "Being that he is the man who set this whole culture off, ya'll should be wanting to do it any type of way that you can."

an update on DJ Premier's blog:

Donation addresses are up, all donations can be send to:

KOOL HERC PRODUCTIONS

P.O. BOX 20472

HUNTINGTON STATION , NY 11746

or you can wire you donation internationally via paypal to this address:

cindycampbell1@aol.com (his sister)

His sister is taking care of everything. Press release is coming later today. He’s now home ok, but he’s in need of surgery which you can help him pay it. I’ll post if there are any more updates. Hip Hop is so beautiful… Thanks to everyone for the love… Kool Herc is a trending topic!

Spice 1 - Notorious Bastards Volume 1 Mixtape

The O.G. Spice 1 shows us he has friends far and wide in the hip hop community. Along with his California hommies like Strange Music's Brotha Lynch Hung, Tystik, Giddie and the rest of the boys, Spice heats up also with rap mainstays Glasses Malone, Game, Twista even UGK's Bun B & Pimp C. Take a listen below.

Tracklist:
01. Spice 1 - 187 Proof
02. Spice 1 - Step Out Of My ft. E-Note & Giddy
03. Giddie - Club Like ft. Jazz
04. Spice 1 - Niggas Sing The Blues
05. Zigg Zigg - Stay Out The Way ft. Brotha Lynch Hung
06. Tystik - Aint Nobody Illa
07. E-Note - Swervin ft. Glasses Malone
08. Spice 1 - Dumpin Them In Digits
09. Brotha Lynch Hung - What They Want Osama For ft. Pappoose
10. Spice 1 - Trigga Gots No Heart ft. Twista & Game
11. Spice 1 - Murderman Dance ft. Pimp C & Bun B
12. Tystik - Keep Tryin ft. Spice 1
13. Spice 1 - Ready For This World
14. E-Note - Those Games
15. Tystik - Pistol In My Pocket
16. Spice 1 - Strap On The Side Of Me

Download:
Spice 1- Notorious Bastards Volume 1 Mixtape

Dres 'From the Black Pool of Genius' In The Studio

Dres seen here in the the studio fine tuning his upcoming release 'From The Black Pool Of Genius' which originally supposed to drop June 29. No doubt, perfection is at hand and Dres is getting material just right before it gets released. I'm sure it will be out in the not so distant future.

DJ Quik Previews 'The Book Of David' Upcoming Album At Listening Event

Quik is back!

DJ Quik recently brought together a small group for a private listening session at Wavaflow Studios in Los Angeles to preview Quik's upcoming new album 'The Book of David.'

DJ Quik The Book Of David on Mad Science coming soon!

DJ Quik Presents Quik's Groove L.A. Dates

If your anywhere near L.A. you should definitely check out DJ Quik's Quiks Groove at the Key Club on Sunset. Running through DJ Quik's hits and a surprise or 2 at the show is certainly guaranteed.

For tickets go here:
Quik's Groove Tickets

De La Soul Headlines The 6th Annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival

via the press release

Brooklyn, NY, April 29th, 2010 - Brooklyn Bodega, producers of the 6th Annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival (BHF), is excited to announce this year's headliner - De La Soul.

Since 1989, De La Soul (Pos, Dave and Mase) have been a cornerstone of Hip-Hop music and culture. From the groundbreaking album "3 Feet High and Rising" to "Grind Date" De La is simply one of the best to ever do it.

"To be honest, we have been trying to get De La Soul to headline the Festival since we first came up with the idea in 2005. On many levels they are the perfect flag bearers for our mission to use Hip-Hop as an agent of change. For over 20 years they have traveled the world inspiring MC's, producers, DJ's and fans alike. I can think of no better artist to usher the Festival into its new home in Brooklyn Bridge Park." - Wes Jackson, Executive Director, The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival

In past years, the Festival has featured headliners such as Brand Nubian (2005), Big Daddy Kane (2006), Ghostface Killah (2007), KRS-ONE (2008) and Pharoahe Monch (2009). This year, De La Soul will be the anchor of the six-day-long Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, performing on Saturday, July 10th alongside a variety of Old School, New School, Funk, Soul, local and International artists on the DUMBO waterfront.

House Of Pain At The Nokia Theatre NYC

At last night's (Thursday, March 18) House of Pain and La Coka Nostra concert at the Nokia Theater in NYC.

Photos:
Getty Images
Rex Features
Star Traks Photo

Tour dates:
March 19 - Webster Theater, Hartford, CT
March 20 - Palladium, Worcester, MA
March 21 - Northern Lights, Clifton Park, NY

(video courtesy of alyssascheinson)

Sadat X - 'Turn It Up' Ft. Pete Rock (video)

Sadat X Wild Cowboys II on Fat Beats in-stores March 23.

(video courtesy of Noisemaker Media)

E-40 Ft. Too $hort - 'B*tch' & 'Over The Stove' (video)

E-40 'Revenue Retrievin’: Day Shift & Night Shift' on Heavy On The Grind/EMI both arrive March 30 each version sold separately.

Newcleus' Robert Crafton III, Bassist and Rapper, Dies at 47

via the New York Times

Robert Crafton III, a bassist, songwriter and rapper whose rhythms and rhymes helped the 1980s hip-hop group Newcleus redefine the sound of electro-pop, died on Feb. 23 in Brooklyn. He was 47.

The cause was a stroke, said Ben Cenac, who founded Newcleus with Mr. Crafton and two others. Mr. Cenac said that Mr. Crafton had been treated for diabetes and kidney problems for some time.

Starting in 1976 as a Bedford-Stuyvesant D.J. crew called Jam-On Productions, Newcleus developed a futuristic sound that combined funk, hip-hop and electronica. Computerized drums, old-school raps and cartoonish speeded-up vocals propelled the group’s signature hit, “Jam on It” (Sunnyview), to No. 56 on the Billboard pop-singles chart in 1984.

Newcleus “put out something way before its time,” said Red Alert, the influential D.J. who helped bring hip-hop from the streets to the radio. “They produced not only a hip-hop sound but also a dance-slash-pop sound that you can still hear in pop music to this day.”

Newcleus was a family group (Mr. Cenac, known as Cozmo D; his wife, Yvette Cook, or Lady E; his cousin Monique Angevin, or Nique D; and her future husband, Mr. Crafton, known as Chilly B), that emerged in the post-“Rapper’s Delight” era, when recorded hip-hop was still in its infancy.

Afrika Bambaataa charted a path into the future in 1982 with “Planet Rock,” which interpolated the synthesizer-driven groove of the German band Kraftwerk’s Euro-pop hit “Trans-Europe Express.” The worldwide success of “Planet Rock” spawned a subgenre known as electro-rap, epitomized by groups like the Jonzun Crew from Boston (“Pack Jam”) and Newcleus, whose debut single, “Jam-On Revenge (The Wikki Wikki Song),” was released in 1983 on the small May Hew label.

Like Afrika Bambaataa and Kraftwerk, Newcleus made music that anticipated a high-tech future. Decades before Wikipedia became a household name, Newcleus introduced “Wikki wikki wikki” to the pop lexicon by using it as onomatopoeia to denote a D.J.’s scratching a needle back and forth on a record.

“We were into the electronic sound,” Mr. Cenac said, “but in our stuff you’ll always hear a funky bass line.” The bass was Chilly B’s specialty.

“Chilly was the musician in the group,” said Mr. Cenac, a keyboardist, who grew up on the same block as Mr. Crafton and first jammed with him in a neighborhood band called Thunderfunk. “We were both self-taught, but he had a more seasoned musicianship in his playing. When he played bass, you knew it was him.”

In 1984 the group took part in Fresh Fest, a nationwide concert tour that proved hip-hop acts could sell out the same arenas as rock stars. Newcleus shared the bill with Run-DMC, Whodini, the Fat Boys and Kurtis Blow.

Mr. Crafton’s last performance with Newcleus was in June at a multi-artist Madison Square Garden show called Freestyle Extravaganza.

Rolling Stone Magazine Top ’80s Hip-Hop Songs Readers Poll

Last week, in memory of Newcleus’ Chilly B and their hit “Jam On It,” we asked our readers to tell us their favorite 1980s hip-hop tracks. Public Enemy, Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys rightfully dominated the list, but it was Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s “The Message” that won the popular vote, beating out “It’s Tricky,” “Brass Monkey” and “The Breaks.” (source)

1. Grandmaster Flash- “The Message”
2. Afrika Bambaataa – “Planet Rock”
3. Public Enemy – “Fight the Power”
4. Run-DMC – “It’s Tricky”
5. Beastie Boys – “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)”
6. Public Enemy – “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos”
7. Run-DMC – “Walk This Way”
8. Run-DMC – “King of Rock”
9. Kurtis Blow – “The Breaks”
10. LL Cool J – “I’m Bad”
11. Beastie Boys – “Brass Monkey”
12. Beastie Boys – “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”
13. Slick Rick- “Hey Young World”
14. De La Soul – “Me Myself and I”
15. Public Enemy – “Rebel Without A Pause”

DJ Premier Interview At NBA All-Star Weekend Dallas

As reported by Sherron Shabazz at the Examiner

Examiner: What has All-Star Weekend been like for you so far?

DJ Premier: It’s been really great. We just got here today. The funny thing is I’m from New York and we just got a little rough snow but I’m used to it. I shovel my own drive-way, I shovel the side walk, take care of all my neighbors, and make sure all the old ladies get their drive-ways shoveled and get taken care of with salt and all of that. I’m from Texas originally but I’ve been living in New York for 22 years. My sister lives out here and to come out to 9 inches of snow is funny. I’m used to 36 degrees but everybody out here is panicking, flights were cancelled and all of that. We made it here safely.

Big shout out to 944 [magazine] for having us out here, we appreciate it. Shout out to The Boardroom for having us, Russell Simmons, Melanie Fiona, Paul Pierce, Snoop Dogg, DJ Reflex, and Doug E. Fresh. It’s a beautiful thing to be out here. Shout out to Nick Javas who ripped it with me. He’s on my label Year Round Records. Also shout out to all the people that came through, Amare Stoudemire, LeBron James, Chris Tucker, Magic Johnson and also Allen Iverson who couldn’t be here who I’m a big fan of.

Examiner: I read that you were working with MC Eiht on his new album, how did that come about?

DJ Premier: We’ve been friends for a long time. I’ve known him since the 90’s; we came up in the same era. When the West Coast was strong with Death Row MC Eiht had his own lane—he also became an actor in the film Menace II Society. I did my first gig in L.A. in 1989 with Gangstarr, Compton’s Most Wanted, WC and the Maad Circle, and Ice Cube. This was when Ice Cube first left N.W.A. He got into a big beef backstage. All the action wasn’t out in the crowd it was backstage. It was crazy to witness that and see how many people were mad at Cube for moving and taking that step. It turned out to be one of the best moves that he made.

The first person I met in Long Beach at the show was MC Eiht. He had two beepers on his hip, a big fresh jheri curl, and black khaki’s. He said, “What’s up DJ Premier my name is MC Eiht,” and we’ve been friends ever since. I just love his style. He has a unique voice and a unique flow—he has his own lane. That’s what it’s all about, having your own lane. Everybody always wants to sound like everybody else but when you’re different you always prevail even if it takes a minute to get there. He never switched that up.

When I put out an artist named Blaq Poet on my label Year Round Record in June of 2009 we wanted to do a remix. Eiht and I were on the phone talking about new music he was working on and I let him hear the song and he loved it. He was like, “Yo let me get on it.” I let him get on it and then my man Young Maylay who’s down with Dub C [WC] and Crazy Toones who is also from the west coast let me hear his stuff and he’s a great MC. He’s going to be on my label too. I asked him to get on it too and he sent it to me in a day—done! I said let’s shoot a video because I was working with Christina Aguilera on her new album out in L.A. Gordon Franklin who runs my label said, “Yo I got some cheap tickets we can get. Let’s bring Poet, fly out to L.A., shoot the video, and go back to New York the next day.” I stayed out there and worked with Christina. I snuck away…she don’t even know I broke away. I’m going to get in trouble now. I broke away from a session that she’s paying me to be out there for to go and shoot the video with Poet, MC Eiht, and Maylay. It came out really good, it’s called “Ain’t Nuttin’ Changed.” Then they came to New York and did the show for our release party. We flew them up, put them in nice hotels, and took care of them—we’re old friends. I said you know what, we should do an album. Eiht gave me like 40 songs and he doesn’t know how to mix. He gave me like 40 songs all sparse and crazy but the beats and lyrics were dope. I said, “Yo man we could do two albums together! I’m gonna put you on my label and do a couple of one-offs.”

That’s what my label represents, pure Hip-Hop from the bottom up! You gotta start from the bottom and work your way up. Everybody now is so caught up on first week sales and soundscan. [Forget] soundscan and [forget] first week sales, it’s all about integrity and quality music. We care about our fans and we care about giving them their money’s worth. That pays more than a payola record. Paying for a record means you’re buying your friends. I don’t have to buy my friends to like me. I want you to like me because I’m real and I’m me. So all those other [expletives] let them pay for their records, we know that they don’t hold water next to what we do. I don’t care if they get 20 million spins they can’t stand next to us when we drop our [stuff]. Play yours then play mine—ours is better (laughs).

Examiner: Pete Rock is in town, I think 9th Wonder just left town…

DJ Premier: Family man…all family.

Examiner: I recently saw clips from the show that 9th did to honor you and Pete in North Carolina….

DJ Premier: Yeah man. That’s one of the dopest things I’ve ever experienced. To be honored…. Man I feel like I got so many more miles to go. I’ll be 44 years-old this year. The love that 9th Wonder gave me and Pete was so incredible. The band that played for us mimicking our records and sounding just like the beats we produced from out heart and soul, it was one of the biggest, dopest events ever in my lifetime. I love 9th Wonder, I love Pete. Big shout out to both of them.

Read the full DJ Premier interview here:
Examiner - Q & A With DJ Premier

Other sources:
DJ Premier blog
Live from Headqcourterz

Big Daddy Kane: More From NY Knicks' Al Harrington's 30th Birthday Party NYC

Related:
Slick Rick Performance At NY Knicks' Al Harrington's 30th Birthday Party NYC

(video courtesy of Alanzo Dale)

Slick Rick Performance At NY Knicks' Al Harrington's 30th Birthday Party NYC

spotted on Shavar Ross

New York Knickerbocker (can I still say Knickerbocker?) star forward Al Harrington celebrated birthday number 30 last night at The Quo in New York.

The party had a lil’ old school flava with some of your favorite rappers attending the bash.

Big Daddy Kane was there and performed. Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, Biz Markie, and Fat Joe were in attendance.

Former Knick Allan Houston was in the house and boy was he a “pure” shooter back in the day.

And of course, Al was dressed in old school attire as well. I took a double-take. At first I was like, “What rapper is this? Haven’t seen’t this one.” LOL.

Photos:
Getty Images
Wire Image

(video courtesy of Alanzo Dale)

DJ Premier & MC Eiht: East & West Meet Together On New Album

via Urban Daily by way of All Hip Hop

East coast production wizard DJ Premier has announced a new project with West Coast rap legend MC Eiht, of Compton’s Most Wanted.

DJ Premier will executive produce MC Eiht’s upcoming 11th album, titled Which Way Is West.

In addition to executive production duties on Which Way Is West, DJ Premier will release the album on his independent label, Year Round Records.

Which Way Is West will feature production by Marco Polo and other upcoming producers, as well as appearances by Year Round artists NYGz.

E-40 Releases 2 Separate Albums In One Day

E-40 - "Revenue Retrievin' The Day Shift" and "Revenue Retrievin' The Night Shift on Heavy on the Grind/EMI arrives March 30.

via the press release

We know him as Charlie Hustle, 40 Fonzarelli, The Ballatician, Mr. Flamboyant, 40 Belafonte to E-Feezy, however E-40 is above all, the Ambassador of The Bay Area. Set to release his thirteenth and fourteenth album on the same date, the greatest game Spitta of all time sets his record straight March 30, 2010 with the release of two separate albums entitled "Revenue Retrievin' The Day Shift" and "Revenue Retrievin' The Night Shift." Going to work with him, Hip-Hop's finest profiles, Snoop Dogg, Gucci Mane, Too Short and Mistah Fab punch in along with the melodies of Bobby V, Jazze Pha, YV and J. Valentine on both day and night shifts. With a total of 38 brand new tracks, E-40 and his Bay Area conglomerate B-Legit, Messy Marv, Dem Hoodstarz, Ya Boy, The DB'z, Turf Talk, Clyde Carson, Husalah and Droop-E lyrically engineer a top shelf production.

Northern California is recognized geographically as the Bay Area. Over the years, E-40 has served as the headliner of notoriety while creating a musical space of his own. In addition, he has gained international exposure for introducing new music genres to Hip-Hop music in addition to threading new terminology such as "Slaps" and "Thumpers" used to describe the sound. As his beat goes on, the rap veteran recently made the savvy decision to sign an independent label deal with Heavy On The Grind Entertainment/EMI owned by Earl Stevens Jr. aka Droop-E who is not only a hit making producer but the son of E-40. "I'm excited about this album; it's been a year since I dropped "The Ball Street Journal." It marks an important independent business venture for me. This way, I am able to go back to the basics and run my own campaign." says E-40. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to provide commercial services for E-40. He has had a massive impact on Hip-Hop in the Bay area and beyond and we're extremely excited to partner with him on the next phase of his career", Dominic Pandiscia, Senior Vice President & General Manager - EMI Label Services. With the heightened attention towards the release of the two albums, the label has assembled a high-level security team to eliminate a premature leak of the album.

Cypress Hill - 'It Ain't Nothin' (video)

Cypress Hill - 'Rise Up' on Priority Records arrives April 6.

Audio Two's Milk Dee DigiWaxx Interview

The legendary Audio Two member sits down with The Blast to wax poetics about hip hop then and now, his sister MC Lyte and his cousin Charles Hamilton, and more.

E-40 Live In Northern Cali

E-40 tearing it up at Modesto, California's Fat Cat on Friday January 22.

E-40 prepping his Revenue Retrievin': Day Shift & Night Shift on EMI/Heavy On The Grind Ent. in-stores March 30.

(video courtesy of PhatTraxxx209)

MC Solaar: French Rapper Live In London, UK Concert Recap

As reported by Toby Green at London's Independent (photo courtesy of the Independent)

Five years have passed since arguably the world's most famous non-English-speaking rapper performed a solo show in the UK, so it was no surprise that tickets were hard to come by for this three-night mini-residency at Camden's Jazz Cafe (January 8-10). What prompted MC Solaar – whose real name is Claude M'Barali – to cross the channel is not entirely clear. His most recent record, Chapitre 7, was released in 2007. But the crowd are happy to welcome him back.

It is certainly a treat to see a multi-million selling MC in such an intimate venue, although those who missed out on a ticket would be unlikely to agree. There are not too many 40-year-old rappers who can be said to be near the top of their game but Solaar – who is entering his third decade as a recording artist, having released his debut single, "Bouge de là", in 1990 – does not look his age as he opens with "Carpe Diem", from his last album.

Some gigs have seen him backed by a live band but tonight – sensibly so, given the space available – he is joined by a DJ, two MCs and his regular co-singer, Linda. It is she who comes closest to stealing the show, with her belting voice and ability to switch styles between songs. She even finds time for a few costume changes, appearing as a belly dancer for one song.

The sheer magnetism of Solaar, however, means that his position as the star of the evening is undeniable. Ever genial, often with a little smile playing on his lips, he charms the crowd between songs. The only problem for non-Gallic members of the audience is that he speaks almost entirely in French, leaving odd moments when half the crowd are in uproarious laughter while the rest look to them for translation.

Still, for the songs a lack of knowledge of French is much less of a hindrance – you may not know what he is saying, but Solaar's smooth and laid-back technique makes the language sound its most beautiful. He is such a compelling performer that he keeps the attention of the crowd even on songs where the beat is pretty average.

He changes his style regularly – one moment spitting super-fast rhymes, the next seeming more like a spoken-word performer – but whatever he does, his delivery is perfect. In terms of the night's pacing, there is a nice mix of lively numbers that get large sections of the crowd dancing and more introspective, moody tracks. The pick of these is the atmospheric "In God We Trust".

"Au Clair De La Lune" is similarly beautiful, but judging from the reaction from the crowd "Solaar Pleure", from the 2001 album Cinquième As, is the most anticipated song of the night. It lives up to the expectation and is a clear highlight with its distinctive guitar riff. As the song builds Solaar gets angrier and angrier, from verse to verse, until the powerful climax.

He jokingly threatens not to do an encore, but he then returns for another three songs. Even this is not enough for the audience, who are unwilling to let him go – after all, who knows when they will next see him in these parts?

Also, read Lisa Verrico at London's Times MC Solaar concert review here:
MC Solaar at Camden's Jazz Cafe

Fan shot footage below.



(video courtesy of osy98jb)