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.
Linkin Park A Thousand Suns on Machine Shop Recordings/Warner Bros arrives September 14.
"A Thousand Suns" track listing:
01. The Requiem 02. The Radiance 03. Burning In The Skies 04. Empty Spaces 05. When They Come For Me 06. Robot Boy 07. Jornada Del Muerto 08. Waiting For The End 09. Blackout 10. Wretches And Kings 11. Wisdom, Justice, And Love 12. Iridescent 13. Fallout 14. The Catalyst 15. The Messenger
Recently signed to Mercury/Def Jam, producer J.R. Rotem hand picked the Los Angeles native Mann to take the crossover hip hop world by storm.
About the project:
[July 20th, 2010] After the first two mixtapes Vintage Cutz and A Near Life Experience, then his radio single “Text” West LA, CA recording artist Mann is releasing what can only be described as a statement EP project where every person is encouraged to live every day like their birthday per Mann’s “Birthday Philosophy"
The Birthday Philosophy makes anything we can say an understatement when the music itself is the boldest statement to be made.
As Mann himself states, “"After sitting back and surveying the music scene recently I felt I had to step my game up... This EP is to say to people who aren't quite sure of who exactly I am as an artist, and why I am in the position that I'm in (i.e. Def Jam/Mercury/Beluga Heights). I'm much more than my single 'Text' showed people and I hope it comes through in this project"
The understated brilliance and cohesiveness of a project helmed by one producer/engineer in Redvision helps to answer this career balancing act of the mainstream music he has created with JR and his Hip-Hop roots that lead him to his record deal.
There comes a time when the whole of a man’s experience must be manifested in his art rather than simply a sum of all the parts he has picked up until then. A rubberband can only be stretched so far before it returns back to its original shape, and traveling around the country in support of various projects has finally brought Mann back home to the artist with the ingenuity to make it to Def Jam before this “Mann” could legally buy a pack of zig zags. An appreciator of music can listen to the final stages of an evolution of a West L.A. musician befall their very ears on Birthday Philosophy, and the best part about this, with Mann being a product of his environment in the best sense of the phrase, this is as much West L.A.’s album as it is Mann’s. Follow West L.A.’s evolution (Manns World) along with Mann’s. Treat every day like your birthday.
Los Angeles neo-hip soulsters J*DaVeY migrated to the Big Apple - Tuesday, June 29 - to give the city dwellers a taste of things to come performing some new material at SOB's. The crowd, needless to say was highly receptive.
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.
First of it's kind, DJ Skee brings the mayhem with his first annual SkeeTox event touching down at the Vanguard tonight, with performances from Mike Posner, Cisco Adler and Ya Boy and many surprise guests.
Here's what the Los Angeles Times Pop & Hiss section has to say about SkeeTox ...
Whether you sport khakis and Chuck Taylors, backpacks and beanies, or flannels and designer frames, you'll find something tailored to you this weekend. One of the busiest two-day stretches in recent rap memory commences Friday night at Vanguard with DJ Skee's "Skeetox." Presented by popular KIIS FM and Sirius XM personality DJ Skee, "Skeetox" finds the nascent music mogul behind the turntables, backed by a seven-piece band and performances from Mike Posner, Cisco Adler and Ya Boy, plus undisclosed "huge big-name acts."
While Pop and Hiss has been sworn to secrecy upon threat of execution by a team of steroid-addled Ukrainian hammer throwers, those looking for hints might be well-served to scan the old Death Row discography and pick out a few of the more prominent names. In addition, rumors have swirled regarding names very familiar to those with subscriptions to The Fader. According to the news release, "Skeetox" will feature a full LED light wall and visual stage show -- "think Pink Floyd meets Nicki Minaj meets Lady Gaga." So basically, expect "The Muppet Show," but with more marijuana and rapping.
During the recording of “The Blueprint 3,” Jay-Z’s latest chart-topping full-length, the Brooklyn-born rapper gleaned something from frequent collaborator Kanye West: how to transform album tracks into arena-sized epics. In front of a sold-out Staples Center crowd on Friday night (Friday, March 26) and backed by a 10-piece-band -- a three-member horn section, two guitarists, keyboardists and two drummers, along with backup emcee Memphis Bleek – the lyricist born Shawn Carter proved he could deliver a similar punch in a live setting. Drawing maximum response from the audience, he playfully asked them to throw their diamonds in the sky and repeatedly thanked them for their support. He even sang “Happy Birthday” to a fan holding a “Birthday Girl” sign.
Jay-Z, the hustler turned rapper turned brand name as big as the borough itself, owned the sold-out Staples Center. “This is Sinatra at the opera, bring a blond,” he rapped on “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune).” And if the spectacle wasn’t exactly Wagner’s “Ring Cycle,” at times it felt like an egalitarian equivalent. A wide demographic mix of the infamously fractionalized Los Angeles was drawn to the 40-year-old rapper who has almost single-handedly spawned the genre “classic rap.”
Many arrived dressed for a Friday night, as though they were gunning for a cameo on “Entourage.” Models clutching Gucci handbags stood among tabloid fodder, Chris Rock, Christina Aguilera, actors in Affliction tees tailed by Barbie blonds and B-boys in baggy pants. A duo donned outfits honoring the 15th anniversary of N.W.A. founder Eazy-E’s death (Compton caps and Eazy T-shirts) -- a milestone Jay-Z neglected to mention when he shouted out, “R.I.P. 2Pac, the Notorious B.I.G., Big Pun, Big L and Pimp C,” following an electrifying a capella denouement to “Big Pimpin’.”
“I can sell ice in the winter, I can sell fire in hell. I’m a hustler.”
Although he has boasted of his entrepreneurial beginnings on the street earning seed money by “flipping a record company from a half a [kilo],” Jay-Z’s renegade independent days are in the past. “I used to duck shots/but now I eat quail/I’ll probably never see jail,” he raps on "Real as It Gets." He’s the mega-star who two years ago inked a reported $150-million partnership with Live Nation Entertainment to advance his Jay-Z brand.
It’s a business that strives to be as ubiquitous as Coca-Cola or Nike. Before the show, big screens solicited the audience to “text BP3” and join the “Jay-Z movement.” Outside along L.A. Live's shrill fluorescent walkways, people signed up to win merchandise made by one of his companies, Roc Nation.
Dovetailing with his corporate successes as the former chief executive of Def Jam Recordings is Jay-Z’s consummate professionalism. One can scoff at the disconnect between his hood tales and his current stature, but there’s no denying his style, or his hits, as impressive a body of work as any rapper ever. From “Ain’t No” to “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem),” “I Just Wanna’ Love U (Give it 2 Me)” to “Empire State of Mind,” Jay-Z can fill a two-hour set with a keen, razor-sharp lyrical catalog memorized by 20,000 people. And that’s what he did, with his band teasing out the arrangements out to fulfill Carter’s orchestral, “Avatar” sized aspirations.
“I’m on to the Next One.”
Friday’s show presented the latest incarnation of Jay-Z. If his recent work hasn’t been as critically or commercially successful as his early output, it has been his grandest in scope. Other rappers have played Staples, but none with Jay-Z’s worldwide stature. Many have achieved mass appeal, but none have sustained it as long. He eggs the adoring crowd on, “I have 11 No. 1 albums.” But everyone already knows this, which is why they forked over half-a-week’s paycheck for tickets.
His only real misstep of the night was ceding the stage to Young Jeezy for a 30-minute interlude. The Atlanta emcee gamely attempted to fill the void, but in the process illustrated how difficult it is to command such a large crowd. Thankfully, a brief Ice Cube cameo to perform “Check Yo’ Self” appeased the restless.
“I’m from where the hammer’s rung, where the news cameras never come…where the grams is slung.”
The evening’s most poignant moment, a rare respite from the avalanche of explosive lights and flashing LED screens, arrived when Jay-Z delved into his back catalog, performing “Can I Live” and “Where I’m From.” The two tracks served as a reminder that despite his evolution, here was the same Jay-Z who won over first the doubters and then the masses since the summer of ’96. But as great as the original version was, it never could have sold out the Staples Center, or validated the words of “Encore,” the final song of the night, with the line, “I came, I saw, I conquered, from record sales, to sold out concerts.”
Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival appearance: Apr 16 Indio, CA - Empire Polo Club
Jay-Z European Tour Dates:
Jun 4 Rock am Ring, Germany Jun 5 Rock im Park, Germany Jun 6 Paris Bercy, France Jun 7 Manchester, UK - Manchester Evening News Arena Jun 9 Birmingham, UK - LG Arena Jun 11 Isle of Wright, UK - Seaclose Park Jul 2 Eurockeennes Belfort, France Jul 4 London, UK - Hyde Park - Wireless Festival Jul 9 Oxygen, Ireland Jul 10 Frauenfeld, Switzerland - Openair Frauenfeld Jul 11 T in the Park, Scotland
From last night's (Friday, March 26) BP3 tour stop at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA, Jeezy performs "Check Yo Self" with surprise guest Ice Cube .
March 25, 2010, LOS ANGELES – Not many would assume that hip-hop and philanthropy go hand-in-hand; though the biggest names in the industry are currently disproving the assumption. As the Hip-Hop Ambassador to Governor Schwarzenegger's founded charity, After-School All-Stars, Los Angeles; internationally recognized DJ Skee is devoted to giving back to the inner-city community, where so much of the hip-hop culture originates.
Founded by Governor Schwarzenegger, After-School All-Stars, Los Angeles (ASAS-LA) is a leading middle and high school after-school program provider whose programs educate, enlighten and inspire thousands of students each day through after-school activities centered around health, fitness and nutrition; the visual and performing arts; and youth leadership and community service learning.
ASAS-LA brings innovative, cutting-edge enrichment programs to middle and high school youth that contribute to reducing drug use, crime and violence; while increasing the safety of students in the after school hours. The organization serves 10,000 students located in disadvantaged areas throughout LA County. Kobe Bryant is ASAS-LA's National Celebrity Ambassador.
DJ Skee, who is the host on the most listened to radio station in the country, Los Angeles' KIIS-FM, and can be heard on Sirius / XM Satellite Radio as the lead host for a show syndicated through Europe, Asia, and Australia, as well as on Dish Network that reaches over 30 million households...is greatly involved with the charitable organization's hip-hop programs.
ASAS-LA's music program, All-Star Records is a free after-school music program serving at-risk students ages 10-18 within the inner city Los Angeles area. Its goal is to teach the fundamentals of hip-hop and R & B music, enabling students to form crews, create, play and perform the music they love. Its mission is to provide low-income youths with a safe learning environment to excel in the arts through absolutely free music training away from the dangers of drugs and gang life. ASAS-LA also offers comprehensive hip-hop dance programs, which enable students to learn dance techniques and choreograph routines that help them express their feelings in an artistic way.
"Being involved with the kids in the After-School All-Stars, Los Angeles programs brings things full circle," says DJ Skee. "Hip-hop originates from the communities that these students come from. Hip-hop is a big part of their culture…and to teach them the positive aspects of the industry; that actual careers exist within the industry; that lead industry figures are devoted to giving back to the community…it gives them the type of exposure needed to take the hip-hop culture on a positive path. These kids are the future of hip-hop."
Also founder of Skee.TV; a unique production, marketing, and content distribution company specializing in creative visual productions alongside new media marketing to virally spread content which is viewed by millions of fans around the world, DJ Skee will celebrate the launch of Skeetox next week Friday March April 2nd, 2010.
The innovative new live stage show event will feature a seven piece live band remixing and creating live music underneath vocals backed with a full LED light wall and visual stage show to match. To be held at the Vanguard in Hollywood, located at 6021 Hollywood Boulevard, the performance also features special appearances from several artists including Cisco Adler, Ya Boy (performing "We Run LA"), and several other A-list hip-hop artists have also been confirmed for the line-up.
Hear the entire Gilles Peterson's BBC 1 Radio Show program (which originally aired Wednesday March 10th) as Flying Lotus mashes up his latest offering known as 'Cosmogramma' (and more) out in the states May 4.
The radio stream will only be available until Wednesday March 17th 2010. You have been notified!
Writing about a listening session at a Los Angeles clothing store is about as exciting as detailing the events of a family birthday party. While the music is playing, it's great to catch up with familiar faces over free drinks, but there's very little insight to offer those that didn't attend. Who wants to look at pictures of grandma opening her presents next to a cheese-grilling DJ Rhettmatic?
A bigger challenge arises when the unveiling of an anticipated record is the center of such events. The reason that 100 people gathered at La Brea clothing store And Still on a Friday night (March 5) (other than the free drinks) was the third collaborative LP from L.A. rapper Murs and North Carolina super-producer 9th Wonder, ForNever, coming out March 30 on SMC Recordings. Unfortunately, because everyone was busy chatting and drinking and the soundsystem was far from perfect, there wasn't too much listening at this listening session.
Plenty of people heard Murs' superhero combination of get-girls humor and sociopolitical proclamations, but it's not an amicable situation to truly digest new music. What comes through instead are brief flashes that turn into bookmarks for when ForNever leaks onto The Internets some time this month. There was the unnamed song with a hook about "cigarettes and liquor" that seemed to capture the best of Murs' FELT collaborations with Slug -- without actually featuring the Atmosphere front man -- by getting the party started and enjoying the shit out of his efforts. Or maybe it was an indictment of tobacco and alcohol companies... it was kind of hard to tell.
Then there was Murs and 9th's follow-up to Common's classic hip-hop-as-lady-friend metaphor, "I Used to Love H.E.R" -- featured in the video above. Murs doesn't so much as update the 1994 staple as he covers it, aided by a loop from 9th Wonder that might even out-jazz the original. That final flash from last night's listening session came from the ForNever lead single, "The Problem Is."
Featuring Sick Jacken and Uncle Chucc, "The Problem Is" succeeds with big epic strings and a heart-heavy hook. Murs spends his time addressing the world's problems mostly by attacking capitalism and the inevitable evils it carries. Psycho Realm's Sick Jacken then questions the balance between guns and education while "not preaching, [and] just giving you the real 24." It's a memorable track on an album that should shape up to be one of the year's best indie rap albums and you can download "The Problem Is" right there, should you want to listen. If you just want to hear it, however, you'll need to wait until the next party at a clothing store.
Four years ago, J.R. Rotem made a pivot from straightforward, trunk-rattling gangsta rap productions to helming saucy mainstream pop tracks. The switch worked. His hit tracks for Britney Spears and Rihanna vaulted him from rap’s A-list into the clouds of frothy club-pop, with the attendant tabloid attention – including a quick-burning relationship with Britney that he vividly (he says jokingly) detailed in a notorious 2007 Blender Magazine article.
His extracurricular exploits threatened to derail Rotem the musician. So, in 2007, he re-calibrated his production goals and established Beluga Heights, a label imprint where he could cultivate new vocal talent. Sean Kingston, the teenage Jamaica-via-Miami singer, hit first with “Beautiful Girls,” one of the defining songs of that summer.
That tune set a template of Caribbean-inflected, beat-driven synth-pop for Rotem that, three years later, has sneakily become one of the dominant sounds of pop radio. His latest project, the debut from young singer-songwriter Jason Derulo out today, sports two sleek and absolutely inescapable singles in “Whatcha Say” and “In My Head,” while he simultaneously led Iyaz’s breakout track “Replay” to No. 2 on the Billboard's pop chart.
It seems like Rotem’s finally made a second major move in his music career, having become one of a select group of producers who spin singular chart gold out of completely unknown artists.
“That’s what’s becoming our forte, identifying raw talent,” Rotem said from the minimalist, workmanlike lounge inside his Mid-City recording studio. “My brother Tommy does our A&R and he spends an awful lot of time on MySpace.”
The idea of the Rotem brothers leaving the pop troposphere to troll through epilepsy-inducing MySpace pages for new talent seems unlikely. But the formula is paying off -- he has a perfect score on breaking his first three Beluga Heights debuts, and it’s given him a wide berth to refine his productions. He’s steered his sound away from such sample-heavy rewrites as Rihanna's “SOS” into an idiosyncratic mix of Euro-besotted trance synths, rap’s drum machine clatter and insatiably melodic, reggae-tinged songwriting.
“There is a weird connection to the islands here,” Rotem said. “There’s a lot of melody and soul in that music, and when you add synths, it’s just pure ear candy, but the vocals are still really organic. What I’m interested in now is how you can take an artist who is being true to themselves, but make everyone relate to it."
Along the way, Rotem himself became vastly more relatable. Gone are the the designer sunglasses and did-he-or-didn’t-he allusions to bedding half the starlets between Vine Street and the 405. It was all a projection of his aspirations, he said. He imagined that to produce for the best (or bestselling), you have to shop and party with them.
But today, in a rumpled hoodie fit for a Whole Foods run, Rotem’s finally put his hands back on something more creatively renumerative -- his keyboard.
“I wasn’t being evil then, it just wasn’t who I was supposed to be,” he said. “I needed to get that out of my system. It was insecurity, ultimately. Nothing productive ever came out of me being on a tabloid site. But it was a lesson that music has to take precedence.” (source)
