The True School Corporation in conjunction with IWWMG/Jamla/The Academy Present:
A salute to Pete Rock & DJ Premier featuring: Skyzoo, Tyler Woods, Big Remo, Kaze, Thee Tom Hardy, Rapsody, Actual Proof, Cesar Comanche, Edgar Allan Floe, The Presidents, Jozeemo, & K. Hill
Music provided by Family Dollar Band.
Plus special appearances from Pete Rock and DJ Premier.
After party featuring 9th Wonder.

Ski Beatz

Hey Folks !!!

This week’s Old Soul in a Young Man track comes from one of my favorite Hip-Hop producers Ski Beatz. A North Carolina native, Ski Beatz, in my opinion, is one of the hottest most overlooked producers of the 90s. Largely affiliated with Camp Lo, Ski Beatz produced a decent portion of Jay-Z ’s first official album, Reasonable Doubt. Using the classic SP 1200 to produce his tracks, Ski Beatz produces a very dirty yet smooth jazzy sound that serves as a great platter for an emcees entree. Affiliated with Roc-a-Fella’s sister company, Roc-a-Bloc Ski Beatz is the producer behind the Jay-Z classic “Dead Presidents”. Using a beautiful sample from Lonnie Liston Smith, A Garden of Peace, Ski Beatz sculpted a prime example of real Hip-Hop in his studio those many years ago. Below is the sample, the beat and a brief over view of the creation of this masterpiece. I hope You Enjoy!

Lonnie Liston Smith – “A Garden of Peace”

Jay-Z – “Dead Presidents” ( Instrumental”

Ski Beatz – The making of “Dead Presidents”

Depois de Christina Aguilera ter sido vista em um show da banda brasileira Cansei de Ser Sexy, o novo CD da moça me deu mais curiosidade ainda. Para quem não sabe, ele vai se chamar “Light & Darkness”.

Na produção e nas letras, além do mestre Ron Fair, a loira contou com a ajuda de ninguém menos que as bandas britânicas Goldfrapp e Ladytron, da cantora australiana Sia Furler e do DJ africano Premier. Em entrevista ao Ryan Seacrest, ela disse que Mark Ronson, de “Back To Black” de Amy Winehouse, e Christopher Tricky Stewart também estarão no álbum. Esse último ficou conhecido por produzir sucessos como “Single Ladies”, da Beyoncé.

Agora, a maior novidade para mim é que, dizem, Aguilera vai regravar em seu CD “My Favourite Game”, faixa de “Gran Turismo”, quarto álbum da banda sueca The Cardigans, da lindíssima vocalista Nina Persson.

O álbum deve chegar às lojas no primeiro semestre de 2010.

Muderninha

Olha só a lista do que dizem ser as músicas de “Light & Darkness”, seus compositores e tempo de duração.

1. “Infortune” (Aguilera, Sia Furler, Sam Dixon) 2:02
2. “Wheel Me” (Aguilera, Sia Furler, Sam Dixon) 5:03
3. “Emerald Eyes” (Aguilera, Linda Perry) 3:45
4. “My Delirium” (Gabriel, Alex Gray, Hannah Robinson) 4:18
5. “Blood Shot” (Aguilera, Daniel Hunt, Reuben Wu) 5:22
6. “Elixir Of My Fancy” (Aguilera, Linda Perry) 4:15
7. “Ambush” (Aguilera, Chris E. Martin, James Castor) 4:03
8. “Tears With The Color Of The Sky” (Aguilera, Sia Furler, Sam Dixon) 3:22
9. “Russian Roulette” (Aguilera, Tricky Stewart, Claude Kelly) 4:06
10. “You Lost Me” (Aguilera, Sia Furler, Sam Dixon) 4:00
11. “Sparkling Avenue” (Aguilera, Linda Perry, Derryck Thornton) 3:58
12. “Venus” (Aguilera, Daniel Hunt, Reuben Wu) 6:52
13. “Light Up” (Linda Perry, Matthew Morris) 3:49
14. “Cherry Town” (Aguilera, Alison G., Gregory W.) 4:26
15. “My Favourite Game” (Person, Svensson) 3:38
16. “Indivisible” (Aguilera) 5:44

Confira o “My Favourite Game” original!

This was floating around the net for awhile as a radio rip from Premo’s radio show. Here is the cdq final of Cormega’s “Dirty Game” remix featuring a verse from Bandana P and the Ghost. Cormega’s new album, Born And Raised, is in stores right now.

DOWNLOAD: Cormega – Dirty Game (Remix) (feat. Prodigy & Styles P) (Produced by DJ Premier)

Something new from Year Round Records recording duo NYGz called “Ready,” as this beat may sound familiar because after 50 passed up on it Premo gave it to NYGz then all of a sudden 50 released “Shut Ur Mouth Bloodclot.” Look for the new album, Hustler’s Union: Local NYG, to come out soon.

DOWNLOAD: NYGz – Ready (Produced by DJ Premier)

I don’t think anyone has a more timeless sound than DJ Premier. I mean decades later and his tracks are still enjoyed and looked forward to. Here is another track that he did for Cormega’s latest album that has been remixed with verses from Prodigy and Styles P. If this doesn’t fulfill your raw NYC rap needs, I don’t know what will.

[Download]

DJ Premier..need I say more!

Download: Cormega – Dirty Game (Remix) feat Prodigy & Styles P

At 14 y.o, Charles Misodi Njapa (not 88 yet) used to find loops for a big record vendor named John Carraro…

Some of you might know Carraro as that biker dude who -himself- used to sell loops to Pete Rock, Q-Tip, Large Pro and ‘em at the Roosevelt Hotel Record Convention in the early 90’s…
One day, during the summer of 91, young Charles saw his idol and future mentor park his silver 325i bima right in front of the shop… and this is how the story goes…

Exclusive photos and coverage below the cut!

Hip-hop shows always seem to be hit or miss.  Either the performer’s on point and the crowd’s loving it, or it’s a gaudy free-for-all onstage and the music just doesn’t live up to how it sounds on record.  Last night’s Ghostface Killah show at The Westcott was a little bit of both, with late appearances, brutal performances and a considerable amount of trash-talk.  But what would you expect from a Wu-Tang member anyway?

The show started with a string of local openers, beginning with Myles P, whose jagged flow and attempts at 808s and Heartbreak R&B vocals made me walk out on his set, regardless of his mystifyingly dedicated fanbase, who rocked with him for the whole show. A strangely captivating but ultimately questionable local group followed, whose name I couldn’t catch and who didn’t appear on any showbills.  They made a lot of noise about local hip-hop, but it was hard to buy.

Skyzoo followed.  His brand of beat-heavy, flow-centric rhyming was incredibly potent, winning fans over with Just Blaze and DJ Premier beats, interspersed with a few cover raps of Nas and M.O.P., paying homage to his forebears.  The crowd ate it up, bobbing heads and throwing up signs, and by the end of his set, Skyzoo had stomped the local kids before him flat.

What followed was perhaps the most bewildering set of hip-hop music I’ve experienced in a long time.  For starters, Ghostface didn’t even show on stage until 45 minutes after  Skyzoo had left.  DJ Afar covered beat duties while everyone waited.  The result was a string of wannabes and one guy from Ghost’s crew who was booed so much he could barely finish a song.  Things were getting really ugly when Ghostface, with his crew in tow, finally emerged from the smoke.

After such a delay, one would expect the show to be nothing short of spectacular.  Instead, the Wu-Tang Clan member blasted through a couple stellar solo numbers before breaking into a 15-minute rant about microphone volume.  After finally getting the volume the way he wanted, Ghost kicked off another 20 minutes of music dedicated solely to Wu-Tang tributes.

Numbers like “C.R.E.A.M.” knocked the crowd out, as did tracks in memoriam to Michael Jackson and The ODB.  A lot of it could have been excellent, but each song was limited to maybe a verse or two, and Ghost didn’t even touch the mic for half of them, leaving the rappers on either side of him to fill in the blanks. It was great when he did step up to the mic on tracks like “Da Mystery of Chess Boxin’,” but these moments of excellence were dulled by his frequent absence, and complaints about the quality of the fans in the crowd.

Ghostface ended his show with a few slow jams off his new album, which were awe-inspiring in their predictability and lacking in any sort of signature Ghostface fire.  As the show wound up, he started pulling girls up from the crowd to dance with the crew onstage, but it was obvious a lot of people weren’t feeling it.  The show could have been an statement for hip-hop, a message that among the shoddy rap albums coming out today, there’s still virility and power in the aging rap form.  Instead, we saw a blend of poor showmanship and flash. We saw an indifference to quality that meant maybe the “real hip-hop” every artist references is farther gone than anyone’s willing to admit.

– Story by Dan Creahan
– Photos by Carly Piersol

I was hanging out last night with a couple friends, when one of them played What A Job by Devin The Dude and immediately I downloaded Devin’s album, Just Tryin’ Ta Live which features two of the illest songs ever.  It’s been since like 05 or 06 since I have listened Just Tryin’ Ta Live so it was a perfect album to set the tone for Friday and the whole weekend.  His track, Doobie Ashtray produced by DJ Premier was stuck in my head before I even heard it this morning so I had to share it with the world.  If you are not familiar with Devin and his work, he is one of the most creative, original cats out there period.  I saw him rock in Lawrence back in like 03 or 04 and dude came out with a tub of beer and several blunts and was passing beer and blunts to the crowd during his whole set.  From then on, I was sold.  I haven’t listened to all of his music extensively but I always enjoy when I listen to his music.  I suggest you to start with Doobie Ashtray then continue your journey deeper into his music.  He has some really dope shit.  This is a perfect cut to match the mood of a Friday whether you smoke or not.  He kicks some real shit on this joint. 

KEITH MURRAY (Def Squad, USA) Europe tour, January 2010

KEITH MURRAY (Def Squad, USA)

www.myspace.com/keithmurray
www.myspace.com/darealdefsquad

Dear promoter,

One of Hip Hop’s most beautifullest vocabulist, there is no mystery.
KEITH MURRAY has been the Hip Hop star for years in the music industry. As one third of the critically acclaimed group DEF SQUAD with Redman and

Epmd’s Erick Sermon and endless solo hits he scored many achievments.

Now after postponing the project “Undergods” he is finally getting around to releasing a new album in 2010 produced by Erick Sermon, Dj Premier, Kay Gee, Rock Wilder and others.

KEITH MURRAY is one of Hip Hop’s leading stars and respected for his raw lyrics, unique voice, grimy delivery and commercial success.

Murray exploded on the hip- hop scene with his Gold-certified debut album

“The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World”. Catapulted by the LP’s dual smashes the lead single title cut and its follow-up “Get Lifted”–Keith rapidly established himself as one of hip-hop’s most distinctive voices under the sure-handed tutelage and guidance of fellow Def Squad lyrical sharpshooter, Redman, and producer extraordinaire, Erick Sermon.

Brace yourself for a non stop party

VIDEOS:

or “Special Delivery” feat P Diddy, Ghostface Killah, Keith Murray,…
www.blastro.com/player/gdepspecialdeliveryremix.html?bitrate=_300&mediatype=flv&mediaredirect=true

January tour: 13 – 31

Travel Crew:
4, fee, European transport, hotel, catering, ground transport + rider

All tour enquiries (fee, artist service,…) please contact:
Faruk Akilli: ffa@technoagent.de
Lothar Kumhala ( Vienna office): lothar@hot-wheelz.com
Adnan Akilli (Berlin office): calimerorox007@web.de

All promotional and press inquiries please contact:
office@hot-wheelz.com

all the best
Lothar Kumhala

——————————————————————
upcoming tours:
X Ecutioners (Rob Swift, Mista Sinista, Total Eclipse + Precision) Dec
X Mas tour feat. Camp Lo Dec/Jan
Keith Murray Jan 2010
Sugar Hill Gang new year tour Dec/Jan
Old School tour Feb 2010

Então, pessoarrr, foi aberta hoje no blog do digníssimo Dj Premier, uma enquete, onde você escolhe seu beat preferido produzido pelo mestre nesse ano que já está praticamente no fim.
Eu tô super na dúvida, ainda mais porque recentemente saiu o novo do Royce da 59, e nele veio a ’ Something 2 Ride 2′ e  a ‘Hood Love’ me confundindo…mas creio eu que a ‘Rap Addiction’ do álbum do Blaqpoet lançado no meio desse ano chamado ‘Blaqprint‘ seja uma forte candidata. É uma pena que ‘Ain’t  Nuttin Changed’ (talvez o ‘carro-chefe desse álbum) não tenha entrado na enquete. Mas enfim, vamos votar?

.

E falando em Dj Premier, a uma semana atrás ele postou um video/trailer e o link pra gente ouvir o novo single do El da Sensei (adoro!) & The Returners, chamado ‘Ain’t Trippin’. Quem me conhece já deve ter imaginado o choque ao ouvir a pedrada. Mas na real, fiquei imaginando com meus botões: “Ah, se eu tivesse ali no meio dessa galera…”
.

.
Então, clique aqui pra ouvir/baixar a versão ‘dirty’ desse som. Quem já flagrou o myspace do The Returners (DJ Chwial e Little), talvez entenda porque tô ansiosa pra ouvir o ‘The Money EP’. Um beat melhor que o outro!  E como disse Premão ‘This is in my top 10 tracks of 2009.’ É, ele sabe o que fala! Não é à toa que Premier adora o som dos caras, já que eles seguem a mesma linha pesada, com samples beeem picotados, e refrão marcado por scratchs sujões.
Bom, pra fechar, deixo aqui mais uma pedrada produzida por The Returners, que meu bro Dheeni a.k.a Black Face me apresentou no ano passado. Tendo Rasco, é garantia de que você vai mexer o ombrinho:
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Tchau e benção!

I had to re-up this.

You know it’s hard times when lawyers are working at BET to remove videos on YouTube cause they can’t get work anywhere else.

BET HipHop Awards 2009 mit interessanter Konstellation an MC’s im Cypher: Mos Def, Black Thought und Eminem

“Your reign on the top was short like leprechauns, as I crush so-called willies thugs and rapper dons…”

One of the greatest lines ever, if you never happened to nod your head to this one, turn off your computer now. And throw it out of your window.

And what about the instrumental to this song? One of the best ever, easily.

The roots of this masterpiece are deep into Premo’s collection, to a dusty vinyl from 1958. He already revealed us the source where he took the sample, but i want to focus on the original track once again. This track is so exotic, unusual sounding and the performer is nothing short than weird. A very original enterpreneur, nowadays I see few stage talents like Mr. “Screamin” Jay Hawkins around. I mean, Reggae frontman Anthony B usually waves a wand when he performs, but a skull Wand is still one step further.  Let’s watch one of his crazy performances once again.

This song became a classic and saw so many interpretations, peep this one

Apparently, the inspiration Screamin’ Jay put into this song is far from exhausted. Check the version Stenchman just put out, droppin straight to your nearest dancefloor. What do you think of it? I love it. I find it very loyal to the spirit of the original one.

Anyway, the proper way to end this post is goin back, way back, back into time. This live album by Nina Simone, recorded in the last 60’s,  is simply awesome.

Listen! Nina Simone “I Put A Spell On You”

Jay Sean ft. Lil Wayne “Down”

“Down” went platinum and sold over a million copies in two months. He’s now the MOST successful UK urban artist in U.S. chart history! WOW.

BUT…

YOU SHOULD READ THIS AWESOME THING BELOW WHILE WAITING FOR VIDEO TO LOAD…

Congrats to Jay, he’s aiite… BUT we should also recognize another UK artist who paved the way, CRAIG DAVID.

Some of you might remember Craig’s 2001 debut single “7 Days” which was DAT SONG in the U.S. when I was like a freshman in high school reaching #10 in the Billboard Hot 100. His second single “Fill Me In” was also highly received in the U.S. peaking at #15. However, his third single “Walking Away” which had reached #3 in the UK and #5 in Australia, MISSED the U.S. Billboard Top 40 and was the last of his singles to make it on the U.S. charts…

…And sadly, Craig David has sorta been forgotten in the U.S. ever since… (except Izumi, he has not forgotten).

That was 2001.

Today, almost nine years later, many do not realize he is still hugely successful in Europe and Asia! Example, his 2007 album “Trust Me” spotlighted charts in Japan hitting #5 and #18 in the UK AND French Albums Charts. AND his lead single “Insomnia” from his 2008 Greatest Hits Album peaked at #11 on the Japan Hot 100! Good work Craig!

BASICALLY OUR POINT IS THAT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IS FALLING ASLEEP ON CRAIG DAVID. He is a truly talented artist and we have forgotten all about him. I mean, Jay Sean has the #1 single in the U.S. right now and before him was the Black Eyed Peas (#1 for 26 weeks straight!)…that’s messed up…but all I am saying is give Craig David another chance.

So nearing 2010, Nerds want to recommend Craig David to everyone. He’s got a brand new album coming soon. Cop it. Rip open the package and bump it. You will love it. Jay is aiite but Craig is DAT DUUDE! CRAIG GETS DOWN, DOWN, DOWN.

Hit jump to watch classic Craig David videos.

I SHOULD CALL THIS THE OFFICIAL CRAIG DAVID ARCHIVE (I swear there are more videos of Craig David on Youtube than Michael Jackson).

“Fill Me In” (Live in NYC)

“Fill Me In ” Music Video

“All The Way” Live in Korea

“All The Way” Music Video

“Rise & Fall” feat. Sting (Live)

“Rise & Fall” feat. Sting Music Video (Studio Version)

“Don’t Love You No More (I’m Sorry)” Live in Paris

“If You Let Me Stay” Terence Trent D’arby 1987 (Craig David Cover)

“Insomnia” (Acoustic) on Capital FM with Lucio

LAST BUT NOT LEAST…

BONUS…

“7 Days” feat. Mos Def (DJ Premier Remix) POSSIBLY THE BEST REMIX EVER MADE.

Thank You, Come Again!