Kanye West At Today's Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival With Q-Tip And His Tribe

Performing A Tribe Called Quest classic 'Award Tour' during Q-Tip's set with some assistance from Kanye West.



(video courtesy of ulloa84)

Kanye West's Sound Engineer Andrew Dawson Interview With L.A. Times

L.A. Times: Describe how you started working with Kanye West. And what do think it’s taken for you to be successful working with him prior to his latest album?

Andrew Dawson: When Kanye was halfway through "The College Dropout," he’d fired about six to eight engineers in about a month because they weren’t up to snuff, and it was eventually my turn to be next on the chopping block. I haven’t been fired since, seven or eight years later.

L.A. Times: How did you get involved with the "Fantasy" album, and what were some things you talked with Kanye about in terms of engineering and mixing it?

AD: "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" pretty much started New Year’s Eve 2009. He flew everyone out to Hawaii the day before New Year's Eve ... and I remember on New Year’s Eve I was in the studio getting everything ready to go for the next day. And on Jan. 1, we were getting into the recording sessions and worked pretty much 24-7 for six months straight out of Hawaii. I literally would leave to go shower, change clothes and come back to the studio. There weren’t many beach days. But Kanye went through his process and worked on it solid for a good six to seven months.

But as far as engineering, there are certain sounds and certain production aspects that he really likes. If there’s a sound or an idea he wants, he’ll take it to, like, an extreme, to where you start to wonder, "Why is this so far out there?" Then he’ll pull it back to a perfect amount. He’s the master of knowing how to push things almost too far. ... I did some co-production on “Power.” I was the one who found that “21st Century Schizoid Man” sample and chopped it up.

L.A. Times: Where did that idea come from?

AD: Some random day I saw a T-shirt that reminded me of an album cover by King Crimson, and I went back and listened to that record. And Kanye and I were checking it out, and he ended up taking the sample and putting it in “Power.”

L.A. Times: What background or skill set do you bring to these kind of notable hip-hop artists that allows you to stand out in the production world?

AD: I’m a piano player, a guitar player and a songwriter, and I’m aware of all those aspects. So I can be different from other engineers where it’s purely a technical thing where they’re just trying to get the best sound. And I can sit back and say, "Yeah this sound is cool, but it doesn’t work with the arrangement. Maybe we should try it this way." I can anticipate a lot of times where an artist is wanting to go with a song and have arrangements and other things laid out before they even have to ask. It helps making their creativity flow as easy as possible.

L.A. Times: What aspects of the album really challenged your skills?

AD: Kanye wanted to do a complete departure from the standard format of hip-hop albums. The cool thing for me was that I got to throw out all of those pop conventions where we had to have a four-minute song and have a hook come in the first minute. It was very free-form working on the album. So the key thing was trying to capture it without getting in the way and trying to let [West] express his ideas as easy as possible.

L.A. Times: What’s it like seeing some of the projects you’ve done this year -- like Kanye’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” and Drake’s “Thank Me Later” -- do as well as they have been given that you were behind the scenes helping to create them?

AD: It’s kind of cool for me to see people get excited about because it’s something I lived every day. So while the process is going on, I can feel the energy of how exciting and interesting it is, but it doesn’t really hit me until the album comes out. While I’m making the album I’m super critical and analytical and when it comes out, I’m like, "Now I can enjoy it" and be a bit detached from it.

L.A. Times: Where do you see yourself going next in terms of upcoming projects?

AD: I’ll be producing an album for P.O.S. He’s a friend of mine going all the way back to high school, and he just reached out to me earlier this year and said he wanted me to produce his entire album. So he and I are set to start working early in 2011 in L.A. to his follow-up album to “Never Better.” A lot of the mixes and the engineering I do are heavily production involved. I’ll do a lot of sound replacing or changing arrangements. I’ve worked on quite a few tracks as a producer, but sadly all of the artists on the label I worked with, nearly every one of them, were dropped or shelved. So I’m really excited to work with him on his album.

L.A. Times: Where does the "Fantasy" album fit in terms of career milestones for you as a sound engineer?

AD: This album puts the bar so high, working on such a creative album, it’s very interesting to see in my career what could top it. I’m not gonna say it couldn’t happen ... but it gives me a goal to work toward. (source)

Don't Forget: Kanye West 'Runaway' Film Debut To Premiere This Saturday on MTV

Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy on Roc-A-Fella/Island/Def Jam arrives November 22nd.

Kanye West Angie Martinez HOT97 Interview

From Yesterday interview...

Big Sean - 'What U Doin’ (video)

Big Sean Finally Famous on G.O.O.D.Music/Island/Def Jam is tentatively set to arrive September 14.

Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West And Common Perform At Stay In School Chicago Event

Story / Photo courtesy of Chicago Tribune

After taking a self-imposed break from the spotlight the past eight months, Kanye West returned to the stage on Tuesday – his 33rd birthday – to reward three Chicago Public Schools for improving its grades, behavior and attendance.

The Kanye West Foundation's third annual Stay in School event brought West to Farragut Career Academy and John Marshall Metropolitan and Percy L. Julian high schools, unlike in past years when West brought students to the House of Blues and Chicago Theatre to watch him rhyme.

The three schools each earned a mini-concert by posting the highest gains among seven participating Chicago schools, according to the foundation.

As if a concert featuring one of music's biggest stars wasn't enough, West had fellow Chicago rappers Lupe Fiasco and Common join him at each show. The six-song set at Farragut began with Fiasco performing "Superstar," followed by Common performing "Universal Mind Control."

“We want to congratulate you on the incredible job you’ve done in school,” said Common, later adding “Whatever you do, be the best at it.”

Shortly after that, the man of the hour made his way onto the makeshift stage decked out in sunglasses. West opened with “Run This Town,” which he performed on "The Jay Leno Show" in Sept. 2009 during one of his last public appearances, then “Good Life,” his new song “Power” and “Touch the Sky.”

(Television cameras weren't allowed to tape the recently leaked "Power.")

The Grammy-winning rapper didn’t say much in between tracks besides asking the crowd if they wanted to hear another song and left most of the talking to Fiasco and Common. West wasn’t made available to media at the event.

The mini-concert at Farragut ended with over 1,600 students, all wearing white Kanye West Foundation t-shirts, serenading West with "Happy Birthday."

"This is a fantastic (event) that proves that when all students get together...they can achieve great things," Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Ron Huberman said.

See more photos for the event here:
Kanye West rewards Chicago Public School students with mini-concert
Getty Images
Wire Image

John Legend 'Wake Up Sessions' Album With The Roots Close To Being Finished

via MTV

John Legend is a pretty lucky guy. He sang the national anthem at the World Series and joined Stevie Wonder onstage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th anniversary concert last fall — on the same day.

The piano-playing crooner will follow those achievements with the release of his next album, Wake Up Sessions, with the Roots. According to Legend, he's been a fan of the Philadelphia band since his college days, when he was a student at the University of Pennsylvania.

"We're, like, 99 percent done. We've done all the recording, and now we're mixing half the album, and it's coming out in September," the singer told MTV News. "I'm very excited about it. It's gonna be a very interesting, very cool album. And like I said, I'm a big fan of the Roots. I'm excited to be able to put out an album with the Roots. This is a group I've been following since I was a kid at UPenn. I would go to open mics and watch them host the open mics, wishing I could be onstage with them, and now I'm in the studio with them making this album, and it's pretty exciting."

Legend and the Roots joined forces last month to perform at a 40th-anniversary Earth Day event. Wake Up Sessions is the follow-up to Legend's 2008 album, Evolver, which featured the Andre 3000-assisted "Green Light."

More Nas & RZA Live In Hawaii Video Footage

(video courtesy of Light Sleepers, Shinji Designs & juschokum)

Related:
Nas Live In Hawaii & RZA Gets In On The Action To Perform A Wu-Tang Classic

Nas Live In Hawaii & RZA Gets In On The Action To Perform A Wu-Tang Classic

At last night's (Friday March 19) Nas concert at the Aloha Tower Marketplace in Honolulu, Hawaii, RZA came out of nowhere as a special guest to perform the Wu-Tang classic "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nothing to F**k Wit." According to the concert promoter's twitter post Kanye West & DJ Qbert were also in attendance.

Although the flyer below says DJ Green Lantern was DJing during Nas set, Boston native Statik Seletah stepped in for Lantern for this show.

more fan shot footage below.





(video courtesy of InZaneRascaL, juschokum & matt higa)

Kid Cudi & Lil Jon Join In At Travis Barker And DJ A-Trak Hollywood Show Report

via MTV

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."

Photos:
MTV - Travis Barker, DJ A-Trak Play Hollywood (night 2)

Related:
Travis Barker & DJ A-Trak Concert At The Roxy In West Hollywood, CA (night 1)

(video courtesy of dloc311 & TheBeatsnBeats)

Travis Barker & DJ A-Trak Concert At The Roxy In West Hollywood, CA

1st night of the newly formed live pairing of Travis Barker & DJ A-Trak at the Roxy on March 9.

Photos:
Film Magic

(video courtesy of mixmason & vickuno)

Common Interview; Talks Acting, Music & His Inner City Youth Foundation

via Hip Hop Wired

Hip-Hop Wired: I hear you rapping about having this SAG card, are we in danger of you retiring to act fulltime?

Common: I don't see myself retiring, God willing I just keep growing as an artist. I look at different ways to put out music. Right now I'm working on a song with Cassandra Wilson and Terrence Blanchard. Now that's jazz but I'm doing it different, like I'm not just rapping on it, it's actually more of a spoken word/jazz type of think.

I love Jazz music so it made me think about doing a jazz album at some point. Of course acting is a priority for me and I'm focusing on that, but I want to be able to interview with you and we talk about Oscars. We'll put it out there and make it come to fruition.

Hip-Hop Wired: You've also been engaging in voiceover work and you just had the Superbowl Gatorade commercial. Do you think you have a leg up on that considering all your raps?



Common: Yes I can come into the studio and be confident and be like oh boy my voice sounds weird. You still have to channel different things in a voiceover but I have two advantages. I rap so I've been in the studio a lot and I'm an actor so I know how to get into character for what's needed. I've been seeing a lot of spots and being like man I like that whole “What's G” and “That's G,” (Gatorade) it feels authentic and pure to me.

I like when I see spots that really get my attention. I don't watch TV and do stuff like that too much, I don't be all into popular culture all the time. Overall I walk in my own path. I embrace the world but I don't know all the reality shows and stuff like that so when a commercial can get my attention that's saying something.

Hip-Hop Wired: Your former producer NO I.D. is finally getting his shine. He pulled in a few Grammy's with his work with Jay-Z and Kanye West…

Common: That's my man and I'm very happy for him. I congratulated him. It's so well deserved; he's a talented dude, he just being true to what he's been doing for a long time. More Grammys for him to come. I know he's really excited.

Hip-Hop Wired: What's up with you and the new project?

Common: The new album is called The Believer. I actually don't have a date but I'm planning for this year. I'm working with No I.D. and Twilight Tone and Kanye. It's the raw Hip-Hop. It's gonna uplift the spirit. It's the people's music, that's what I'm doing.

Hip-Hop Wired: Chicago made a lot of news last year with the rise in teen violence and the murder of Derrion Albert. What's your take on what's going on in your city and this epidemic sweeping the country?

Common: First of all, it's very painful for me to see our people killing each other. I know it's definitely difficult times so I understand under stressful times how we can react. Some of the solution can be that we have to really start teaching our youth respect and listening to them and seeing what they need and want and treating them with respect and teaching them how to respect themselves and others. Because honestly when anybody is going to kill somebody that means you gotta be going through your own pain and suffering yourself.

Somehow we gotta find out those that are going through that pain and teach them better ways to deal with it. That's gonna come from home, having family members around, from school programs, from afterschool programs. I'm plugging but I established the Common Ground Foundation to provide the youth with other avenues to express themselves.

Kanye West - 'Coldest Winter' (video)

Brotha Lynch Hung 'Dinner And A Movie' Coming March 23

via the press release

Warning: This may be the most disturbing piece of music ever…

(Los Angeles, CA) – Last year, Tech N9ne's indie powerhouse Strange Music welcomed BROTHA LYNCH HUNG into its growing family. On March 23, 2010, the King of Sacramento unveils the full-length album fans have been waiting for since 2003's Lynch by Inch.

Dinner and A Movie, the first of three concept albums BROTHA LYNCH HUNG will release via Strange Music, follows the life of a serial killer that's slaying rappers in the game. Building on his respect for scary cinemateurs like Rob Zombie and Wes Craven, BROTHA LYNCH HUNG theatrically showcases his own ability to switch on and off his double personality: regular guy by day, serial killer by night.

BROTHA LYNCH HUNG, aided by director Dan Gedman of Liquid 9 and :31, will present nine videos chronicling this madman's journey through all three albums. The first video, "Meat," introduces the troubled main character that eventually turns to the dark side. "I Plotted (My Next Murder)" will be posted online next, in which you witness the central character embrace his alter ego: the serial killing, mask-wearing Coat Hanga Strangla. By the time the third video, "Colostomy Bag," arrives, it becomes evident that the power of killing has seduced the rapper and behind the mask is where he wants to be.

Crafting three records in the form of three acts that comprise an audio drama, BROTHA LYNCH HUNG goes where no other rapper has gone before. In his online theater production, he pays homage to American Psycho – the sexuality of violence and the thrills of living a double life.

"This is the first time this has ever been done," assures Gedman. "We are visually bringing this character to life, and then Lynch is going to write the next two albums. It's an interactive process. Now he has to lyrically revisit the character and story, knowing what it all looks like."

Like each member of the Strange Music label, BROTHA LYNCH HUNG lives by a similarly intense, do-or-die, work ethic. Almost every year since his 1993 debut, 24 Deep, he has released a CD, and his total CD sales top 1.4 million. Impressive feats considering he has never been affiliated with a major label.

Sade: Hip Hop Chimes In About Sade's Greatness

via New York Magazine

Missy Elliott
Watching her sing "Smooth Operator" live! One of my favorite songs. She always sounds just like the record! I'm excited she's has a new album — that's my favorite moment, when I heard she was blessing us with her sound again!

Talib Kweli
My favorite Sade memory is watching her perform Love Deluxe in its entirety at Madison Square Garden. The band (Sweetback) was so tight, and even though she left her spot at the mike only a couple of times, when she did she was so sexy it was magical. I learned a lot about precision that night. There was not a note or move out of place.

Rakim
I grew up on soul music, but when my pops introduced me to Sade just before Diamond Life hit, it was a revelation. That voice and her style just took out even the hardest hood at the knees. "Smooth Operator" may have been a smash for everyone worldwide, but that was my track, and you can catch me referencing what she was trying to get across from Paid in Full up to my new album. Being in the biz for about the same amount of time, I respect and try to emulate how she floats above the industry ... one of the few that can do things on her own terms, knowing her fans will watch out for her. To this day, she's one of the artists I can listen to with 100 percent admiration. I can't wait to get my hands on this album and congratulate her for continuing to build her already iconic place in the world.

Tajai, Souls of Mischief
When I was young, her record was one of the few my mom would play that I would enjoy, too. As a kid, I’d want her to turn off her music so I could hear LL Cool J or someone like that, but Sade and Luther Vandross were two records I dug, too. Sade transcends the age gap. I’ve never seen her live though I’ve always wanted to. I also remember hearing rumors that (famous drug dealer) Felix Mitchell would fly out to Paris to see her shows.

Joell Ortiz
I always think of the song "Ordinary Love" whenever someone brings up Sade, because that song came out around the time my dad bounced. After he left, my mom used to sit in her room, getting high while listening to "Ordinary Love" over and over again for weeks. That was saddest time of my young life. Whenever I hear that song, I well up with tears."

Keri Hilson
My Dad would whistle Sade melodies randomly all the time. As a kid, I used to try to whistle along to "Cherish the Day" or "Sweetest Taboo." He was a real Sade fan and made me one, too! We couldn't be in his car even for five minutes without hearing her voice!

Kanye West
"THIS IS WHY I STILL HAVE A BLOG. TO BE A PART OF MOMENTS LIKE THIS ... NEW SADE ... HOW MUCH BETTER THIS THAN THAN EVERYTHING ELSE"

Read the full article here:
NY Mag: Vulture - Missy Elliott, Rakim, Talib Kweli, and More Talk to Vulture About the Greatness of Sade

No I.D.: Music Producer Interview

via Hip Hop DX

HipHopDX: Did you expect 2009 to be quite as productive as it was for you?

No I.D.: No. [Laughs] I just didn’t expect it. I mean it didn’t surprise me but it definitely wasn’t what I was thinking. I didn’t plan it to go this way.

Hip Hop DX: Is that the art of a producer, to expect the unexpected?

No I.D.: I mean like I say, with 20 years in the industry, I don’t expect anything. It’s about staying creative.

Hip Hop DX: What would you pinpoint as the highlight of your year?

No I.D.: Now, honestly, it would be the success of "D.O.A." [by Jay-Z] on a critical level, as I haven’t felt that response since "I Used To Love H.E.R." [by Common].

Read the full interview here:
Hip Hop Dx - Producer's Corner: No I.D.

DJ A-Trak Los Angeles Times Feature Story

A few years ago, the majority of kids turning out for DJ A-Trak shows were what he called “uber DJ fans” who preferred to film him for YouTube clips, as opposed to doing what his mixing suggested: dance.

But more bodies have been moving in the last couple of years, according to A-Trak, the 27-year-old DJ born Alain Macklovitch in Montreal. The wunderkind turntablist began winning international DJ awards at age 15, making him one of the youngest, greatest masters of the decks. He will bring his ever-evolving mix of rap, breakbeat, techno and house to the HARD New Year’s Eve DJ party on Thursday.

The Brooklyn-based DJ has a new look (think maturing hipster: Beard and fedora have replaced baseball cap and sunglasses), and he's pushing his sound further into the realm of the international dance charts in an attempt to further blur genre classification.



“This time is reminiscent of the mid-'90s, where hip-hop guys were making house music," he said during a tour stop in Mexico City. "That’s what allows me to play this Jeezy record or this Gucci Mane record next to some weird German techno record, because to me they make sense together.”

A-Trak started his indie imprint Fool’s Gold Records in 2007, toward the end of his 4-year run as Kanye West’s official tour DJ. He’s always kept busy with dance-worthy remixes, most recently of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Heads Will Roll," but his latest focus is on planning his next album.

"It's kind of a blank canvas," he says. "It's my production, turned into song structure. Halfway between rap and electronic and whatever else I listen to. I'm not trying to make an esoteric, weird DJ record."

Read the full L.A. Times feature story here:
DJ A-Trak: Blurring the lines and building a global picture

Kid Cudi Keeps Them Moving At L.A. Concert With Kanye & Friends

Artist Direct - Live Review: Kid Cudi — Club Nokia, Los Angeles as reported by Rick Florino

Kid Cudi knows how to make jaws drop.

In fact, after an hour-plus set at Club Nokia in Los Angeles last night (Dec. 22), the capacity crowd was left collectively speechless. Witnessing Cudi live is like seeing Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G. or Eminem in the early days. He doesn't need to do much to impress; rather he's awe-inspiring when he's being himself and letting it all hang out.

Cudi possesses an un-extinguishable fire that makes him simply kinetic on stage. From the first bar's of his Blueprint 3 joint "Already Home," he never stopped moving. As he crooned out the song's chorus with an overpowering intonation, the audience chanted along at each and every word. Cudi doesn't post up in one spot of the stage—he bounces around, flailing, screaming and baring his soul with each rhyme and hook.

A crunchy guitar lead fueled "Down & Out," as Cudi's delivery turned gruff. He fired off the song's rhymes with a palpable passion that hit just as hard as the riff cackling below the song's beats. "Soundtrack 2 My Life" felt just as painfully poignant live as it does on Man On the Moon: The End of Day. Cudi twisted around with a (Korn frontman) Jonathan Davis-style stage catharsis as the audience carried the chorus to the heavens and back for him.

"Simple As…" spun out with a '60s psychedelica vibe that fit the Cleveland MC perfectly. He's like some kind of modern Jimi Hendrix, but instead of weaving intergalactic street poetry with guitar chords, Cudi does it with his vocal cords. "Up, Up, and Away" showed just how well Cudi can sing, as he flawlessly belted out the song's hypnotic chorus and then went back to his trademark rapping seamlessly. The man on the moon is mind-bending to say the least, especially screaming out the last lines of "Heart of a Lion" a cappella, that's right a cappella…no auto-tune here.



The room went straight up ape shit when Kanye West hit the stage for "Make Her Say" though. Mr. West has been laying low recently. In a studded black leather jacket, black shirt and combat boots, he resembled some kind of futurisitic hip hop hero of the apocalypse. Think The Road Warrior goes rap. West's presence was powerful as he ripped through his verse on "Make Her Say" with a new vigor that balanced with Cudi perfectly. "The Good Life" sounded even better, as Kanye cut through the beat and every fan bounced.

Neither Cudi nor Kanye had to say much. However, before debuting a new song, Kanye announced, "It's my first time back in America for the past three or four months. I had to get up out this motherfucker for a second. I love the game so much and I'm so passionate about it that I just can't take this sh*t sometimes."



That passion was in tact during his new freestyle as he declared, "I sold my soul to the devil. I know it's crappy deal, at least it came with a few toys like a happy meal."

Smiles abounded as West ripped up the stage with his new rhymes and promised to hit the studio January 1st, 2010. However one thing that Kanye said truly resonated. "If they take everything away from me, it won't matter. Artists be too afraid."

Thankfully Kanye and Cudi are both fearlessly still elevating the game to the next level. As "Day N Nite" took the crowd back to outer space, one thing was clear, the future has arrived, and it is Kid Cudi. Don't be afraid.

More fan shot footage below.







(video courtesy of ibishuerta, carlozcabrera, ColouredRobot, Tae Beast & bseandon)

Kanye West Coasts Into The New Year With 'VH1 Storytellers' DVD/CD Set

Kanye West 'VH1 Storytellers' which originally aired back in February is now set for release on January 5, 2010, as the set will come in a DVD/CD combo package.

DJ A-Trak: Kanye West DJ Hits Europe For Tour

via DMC Update

November 27 - Hamburg, Germany - Uebel & Gefahrlich Hamburg

November 28 - Berlin, Germany - WMF

November 29 - Glasgow, Scotland - ABC

December 1 - Leeds, England - Bigger Than Barry

December 3 - Lisbon, Portugal - Lux Lisbon

December 4 - London, England - Matter

December 4 - Brighton, England - Honeyclub

December 5 - Birmingham, England - Custard Factory

December 10 - London, England - Notting Hill Arts Club

December 11 - Manchester, England - Warehouse Project

December 12 - Paris, France - Nouveau Casino/Le Charbon