|
|
ENTER THE DRAGONS
Great 2
see this guys face back-n-the place! L-R: J-Tyme
(X-104 Seattle) & Ruff Ryder's
own Jin. |
 |
WE CAN DO IT N-THA-MIX!
It's DJ
Splif (left-WKRB) & DJ Kay Slay
gettin' ready to audition for season 2 of
"The Apprentice!" |
|
 |
[[ April 12, 2004 ]] |
|
What's
upper & a Happy Easter fam! Have you been watching this
years new season episodes of HBO's "The
Sopranos?" Yo, it is mo' better than ever with a new
& improved intense story line, new additions to their
cast, more drama for my man Tony & straight up
dope mafia ish! Peep it every Sunday night. This
Thursday night is gonna be the night for the finale
episode of Donald Trump's NBC smash hit
reality show, "The Apprentice." My vote goes to Kwame'
& my final words to Bill is this, "YOU'RE
FIRED!" Props to Janet Jackson who continues to
reinvent herself despite what happened at the last
Superbowl half time show & a 2nd place debut with
her album, "Damita Jo" on the Billboard
album chart. Janet brought back that missing spark to
NBC's "Saturday Night Live" show where I actually found
myself watching & laughing through the entire show from
beginning to end. And finally on my TV reviews tip, I
was sad to see my boy DJ Addition's girl
Camille go sayonara on last weeks "American Idol."
She is a hot hawaiian/filipina just like Jasmine
but on the real, John Stevens has got to go this
week. My final words for John is this, "YOU'RE
FIRED!"... This weekend, April 16-18, I'm scheduled to
be flossin' my locs at Madson, WI.'s "Hip-Hop
Generation" conference. If you're in the neighborhood,
come check me out! Props to David Muhammad at
WSUM for making this happen for me & for puttin' in
the long hard hours in making this event happen period!
Here's a quick run down on what's gonna be goin' on this
weekend:
WKPO Hot 105.9 FM,
and WSUM 91.7 FM will once again host its
groundbreaking “Hip Hop as a Movement” conference on the
University of Wisconsin-Madison campus,
April 16-18th. The event has received praise
for gathering Hip Hop pioneers, activists, and artists
to discuss, challenge, and celebrate Hip Hop culture.
The three day conference features performances, panels,
workshops, and films addressing Hip Hop’s history and
impact, with a specific focus on social justice. Topics
and panels include; “The Historic Connections between
Punk Rock and Hip Hop”, “Have Major Labels Abandoned
College Hip Hop Radio," “Ghetto Brothers Power: Gangs,
Guitars, and the Aguinaldo- The 1971 Gang Truce and the
Pre-History of Hip Hop," “Hip Hop’s Indigenous Nation
(s)," “Diversifying The Art of The Hip Hop DJ," “Hip Hop
Political Empowerment” and more. The weekend will also
feature special workshops by Pop Master Fabel of
the Rock Steady Crew, and graffiti legend Mare
139, in addition to an exclusive premiere screening
of a film by renowned Hip Hop photographer Ernie
Paniccolli. Panelists and artists slated to appear
at this years event include Afrika Bambaataa,
Mare 139, The Youngbloodz, dead prez, Pop
Master Fabel, Ernie Paniccolli, Jean Grae,
Nasty-Nes, Cristina Veran, The Wylde Bunch,
Daily Plannet feat. Rita J and Mr.
Greenweedz, Doujah Raze, Pumpkinhead,
Kuttin Kandi, DJ G Brown, Prime,
Mario Africa, TJ Crawford, April Henderson,
Aaron Shuman, DJ Chela #1, Jeff Chang,
Henry Chalfant, Mattie Weiss and many
others. The weekend will kick off this Friday, April
16th with a free all ages show at the University of
Wisconsin’s Memorial Union Terrace featuring Jean
Grae, Pumpkinhead, Doujah Raze, Daily Plannet, Prime,
and others. Afrika Bambaataa and DJ G Brown will spin a
21 and up party following the free concert. Saturday,
April 17th The Youngbloodz (So So Def),
dead prez (Sony Urban), The Wylde Bunch (Sony
Urban) and special guests will perform at the Orpheum
Theatre. Registration for the conference is free,
excluding ticketed events. For More Information visit
www.hiphopgeneration.org...
The neverending saga of major labels shutting down (Elektra
Records being the latest casualty) continues
& this week, TrackStar Radio's own
Reggie Love outta Miami had this to say, "
What
up y'all, Reggie Love of Trakstars Radio here from the
sunshine state of Florida. Two major label groups made
some big changes to their label infrastucture:
Warner Music Group and BMG. At Warner,
Elektra Records were totally phased out, resulting in
lots of people losing their jobs due to cutbacks. I
personally know 2 of my contacts over there that were
casualties of these cutbacks one including Wayne-Ski.
At BMG, Arista Records was totally phased out and
a lot of their staff are going to either RCA or
the Zomba Lable Group (Jive).You wanna
know why this happened???? It's because we as a
community of DJs are not supporting the artists and
exposing them for the people they are- recording
artists. These artists really work hard with their music
and we as DJs, whether it be college, commercial,
internet, mixtape are not doing our jobs. I hate to
criticize about this situation, but it just really gets
on my nerves when a label rep loses his or her job over
their artists not getting the proper spins on a record
each week or an artist's album not selling units that he
or she is supposed to sell. Explain to me how Usher
(1.1 million copies first week) and Outkast
(album approaching Diamond status) are the biggest acts
on Arista's roster and the label is folding in to
another label?????? What kind of sh*t is that????? As
somebody who has been in this industry for about 7 years
now, when I hear a hot artist or when a label rep sends
me wax or CD on an artist they're pushing, I make every
attempt to expose that artist in my market so that other
people know who that artist is and what they're all
about....and we as DJs should do the same in our
respective markets. We all know that this game is grimey
as hell, but it's up to us- the DJ- to get that
grimeyness out and doing our jobs. It's also up to the
label reps out there (you know who u are) to seek out
what DJs are makin' it happen in their market and make
every attempt to get that wax or CD or MP3 in the DJ's
hands to get rotation or feedback or something that
gives the label that the artist is signed to something
so they can move on to the next step in that artist's
career. if not feedback. At least we as DJs should at
least reach out to the label reps and ask the question
"what are your prorities this week" and the rep will be
glad to tell you. I don't know about you, but I don't
want to see any labels folding into each other,
otherwise this game will be much more shady than it
already is. Hit me back with your feedback; call at
(914) 659-2065 (cell) or drop me an email with your
comments at
reggielove_88@hotmail.com. Let's make sh*t
happen for us and the artists so 10 years from now, hip
hop won't be extinct"... With Arista Records merging
with Jive Records, make sure you holla at my dawg D.
Wright if you need to get laced at:
dwright1695@yahoo.com. Tell him, Rap Attack
sent ya'!... This just in from my homie, Cleavon
Shuler from SRC/Universal, " I
appreciate all your support you have given me while at
SRC. I will be moving on to Atlantic Records
starting this April 26th. Feel free to reach me on my
cell at (917) 324 0499"... With so many "COLORED"
versions of Jay-Z's "Black" album, producer D-Cyde
came up with the idea of combining the vocals from
Jay-Z with self produced beats using samples from
Prince's "Purple Rain" album! This kat does his
thing in the mix & you gotta peep his work out at:
http://www.purplealbum.com/Music.html... As
urban street culture continues to diversify and fuse
influences from Hip-Hop, electronica, rock and more, one
of the primary figures of this urban alternative culture
is producer Sharkey. His debut release,
"Sharkey’s Machine" will be released May 25th
on Babygrande Records (home also to Jean Grae,
Canibus, Brand Nubian, Jedi Mind Tricks
and others). One of the preeminent up and coming
DJ's on the DC scene, Sharkey got his start as a
founding member of the Elektra-signed group "The
Crownsayers." He's since performed and produced with
such heavyweights as Eminem, Mickey Petralia,
Mario Caldato, Jr., Everlast and Rick
Rubin. Sharkey has most recently been performing
with his group The Spark, supporting Wyclef
Jean and the Black Eyed Peas. A Hip-Hop
heavy, electronica, and rock-laden reflection of his
diverse musicality, Sharkey's Machine features guest
appearances by Cannibal Ox, The Pharcyde,
Jean Grae, Grand Puba of Brand Nubian and
Cherrywine (formerly of Grammy Award winning
group "Digable Planets") and features
co-production by Mario Caldato Jr. (Beastie Boys)
and Mickey Petralia (Beck). For more info, log
onto:
www.babygrande.com ... On the Brand Nubian tip, it's
great to see them back with their new 12", " What Ever
Happened...?" b/w "Momma." Our homegirl Alma G.
outta Room Service has the vinyl hookups by
calling (718) 237-2045 or via her email at:
alma@roomserviceinc.net... Mixtape reporter,
pinoy P.I.M.P. & soon to be married, DJ Yoshi
reppin' New Jersey copped up the debut joint from
NSS16 featuring David Banner "OopDeeWopDee"
(featured on the RapAttackLives.com "Rock The
Beat-Volume One" Double Promo Vinyl). Here's my pare's
review of NSS16; " Who Said
16 Had to Be Sweet? Fresh on the music scene is a
new girl group uniquely named, ‘NSS16.’ Straight from
Tommy Mottola’s revamped Casablanca
Records/Universal Music Group label is what
could be deemed as refreshing.
What makes ‘NSS16’ different from other girl
groups-o-the-day is a combination of things. First, in
an age where most female acts are in a rush to
“grow-up,” NSS16 embraces their youth. Members Alicia,
Jasmine, Karla and Hanukah’s ages
range from 15 to 17. The other noticeable difference is
that the girls, although extremely cute, downplay the
glam image that is often forced upon young female teens.
Part of NSS16’s charm is that they appeal to their
demographic (young females) in a non-threatening,
trendsetting, but very marketable manner (TLC,
Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, etc.). Wrapped in
catchy hooks, memorable melodies and the illest beats,
the music of NSS16 reflects the playful, energetic and
sometimes deep issues that all teens of today face.
Girls around the world are sure to identify with one of,
if not all of the members of NSS16 because of the
girl-next-door quality that they all possess. Brainchild
of hit making songwriter/producer and C.E.O. of
Invisible Entertainment, Greg Lawson, has
also penned and produced hits for the likes of J-Lo,
Ginuwine, and Anastasia. Mr. Lawson, while
under the tutelage of music mogul Tommy Mottola, wanted
to put together a girl group. However, the way that it
all happened was more like the group just naturally came
together. There were no auditions, no advertisements;
all of the existing members of NSS16 came through the
word of mouth basis. Two of NSS16’s members Karla and
Hanukah, both live in Racine, Wisconsin and were
referred through a mutual friend of Mr. Lawson’s. Alicia
and Jasmine Hanukah both reside in Moreno Valley,
California, and were referred by a friend who happens to
be an instructor of dance at the school where both
Alicia and Hanukah attend. Mr. Mottola instantly saw the
vision and with great anticipation, is moving ahead with
the NSS16 project, the first offering being the sure to
be a club bangin’ single called “OopDeeWopDee,”
featuring David Banner which is a euphemism for a female
body part that tells young boys in the hook, "You know
you want, you know you need, been beggin’ please, but
you ain’t gon' get the OopDeeWopDee.” And while getting
the "OopDeeWopDee” is out of the question, you’ll just
have to settle for great music and star power from these
girls that should last for years to come. With all of
the key components in place, it is just a matter of time
before NSS16 is as indelible in the minds of everyone as
their name suggests"... My pare, DJ EQ from BK's
WBCR radio is back on the grind. Peep this, EQ
Promotions presents, "Mic Control Championship MC
Battle" this coming April 28th at NY's Club Opaline
(85 Avenue A). This event will be hosted by MC
Supernatural with DJ Evil Dee on the wheels
and performing live, Jeru the Damaja, Self
Scientific & more TBA! This is a 21 & over event &
ID is required. Be there...
BREAKING NEWS from Chris "DJ Kristyles"
Westbrooks from PA.'s WSYC, " What’s up
peoples? I got good news and I got bad news. The bad
news is due to the fact that I graduated last December
'03, the higher powers of my college radio station are
cutting me off the air May 16. So I will not be doing
WSYC 88.7fm at Shippensburg University
anymore, but I am going to finish my shows up until
then. Don’t worry tho, the good news is I just saved
money switching to Geico! (jus kiddin), But for
real I will not be doing the show anymore. The good news
is I jus been added to
www.717hiphop.com
thanks to my man DJ Meddafore. I will be
writing two columns a month reviewing Mixtapes and
Albums. First up will be the latest DJ A-Beats
mixtape. Also, 717hiphop.com will be featuring shows
every month in Harrisburg, PA., so if you want your
artist to perform, contact me at (717)773-5578 or shoot
me an email to:
DJKristyles1@aol.com. The first official
show is on May 4, 2004, so start sending me music now.
There's a Millennium Music Conference coming soon
here in Harrisburg, PA. this June 24-26. This is
their eighth year and getting bigger every year. If you
want to attend or perform on their showcases, log on to
their website at:
www.musicconference.net and check out all
the details. I want to give special shout outs to: DJ
Splif (Sony-see photo above), Papa D, Nasty-Nes
aka Camp Jim, Cleavon (SRC), Romeo (Teflon),
Nash (Sony), Rap-A-Lot Records, Jessica
(Spectre Music), Rebecca (Conspiracy
Sounds) and the entire RapAttackLives.com
College/Internet & MixTape DJ panel. Aiight peeps, gotta
go & peace, Chris Westbrooks aka DJ Kristyles"... What's
upper in the land of OZ (Kansas City)? Here's the latest
411 from DJ Kiz-One from the Soul Providers
& Rap Attack reporter reppin'
WickedKarma.com, " Just wanted to say a few words on
what is happening on my end of the world. First off, I
have just landed two nights at one of the best clubs in
Kansas City (Kabals
www.kabalkc.com). On Wednesdays I spin underground
and old school Hip-Hop from 10pm to 3am. And on
Saturdays, I'm spinning Hip-Hop and R&B joints from 10pm
to 3am on the top floor. The club is really packed on
Wednesdays and Saturdays and I'm looking to maybe
breaking in another night like on a Thursday happy hour.
So to all the record promoters please make sure that I'm
on your mailing list to get serviced, I really want to
break your artist in my market. Also my radio show is
going pretty good now. I had to take 2 weeks off due to
shooting a video for my film class project for an artist
that's trying to make a dent on the scene. The video is
way different than what you would see on BET. I
didn't want to go the route of just a lot of girls
shaking their asses and kats popping bottles. I figured
that after Nelly's "Tip Drill" video how much
farther could the "video hoe" go? No offense to my
ladies, just a figure of speech. So it might not make it
on BET, but you never know. Also Vol. 5 of "THE AGENDA"
will be dropping within' the next few weeks. The last
issuse that we did was our first double issuse and we
couldn't keep up with the demand. We gave out 400 cd's
which is a lot being that the cd's are free and we never
charge for them. So once again I can't strees enough to
the record promoters to make sure that I'm on your
mailing list to get service from your company. Here's my
current info: Darnell "KIZ-ONE" Williams, 2524
Troost - Apt#102, Kansas City, MO. 64108, phone #: (816)
729-2857, 2 Way:1-888-463-3570 or
4633570@skytel.com,
my email:
williamsdb@umkc.edu or
funkdigga@aol.com"...
DJ Chela #1 is keeping ish hot in NC & on her radio
show at WXDU. " Thanks to everyone that supported last
weeks Hip Hop conference at Duke! We had some
excellent performances and a few incredible discussions.
Our panel discussion will be available on DVD in the
future. Thanks to Saigon for coming down (www.abandonednation.com);
I can't stress how amazing this MC is. He is not only an
incredible MC but also a prolific speaker. Big thanks
also to Glenn Toby for making it happen (www.glenntoby.com).
More similar events are following. I will speak and DJ
at a panel discussion April 14 at Greensboro, NC's
A&T alongside KRS ONE and will also speak and
DJ that weekend at the University of Wisconsin's hip hop
conference. I am now DJing "Blazzin Sundays" alongside
DY Nasty of K97.5 at the Limelight,
the Triangle's most successsful Hip Hop club. I also
entered my 1st DJ battle this past week which was
awesome and I'm looking forward to many more! As always,
holla @ ya girl," Chela... WRFT NY's, DJ
Primetime will be throwin' down on his wheels in
Philly for two dates. This Saturday, April 17th,
Primetime will be opening up for Jedi Mind Tricks
/ 7L and Esoteric / Outerspace & Chief
Kamachi at The Trocadero. Also, Skeme Richards
and Fredy Blast will be at The Motion
Sickness B-Boy Jam at UPenn at Houston Hall
the same night. Primetime will also be opening up for
Royce 5'9" / Cunninglynguists / Pack FM
& Tonedeff at SOB's this Wednesday
April 14th...
The RapAttackLives.com "Rock The Beat Promo
Only Double Vinyl-Volume One" will be dropping
within' the next two weeks! "Volume Two" will be
dropping in May 2004 & we have three slots already
filled & room only for two more artists. Deadline for
"Volume 2" is on April 26th. Get at me to be on Volume 2
at:
nastynes1@aol.com. Here's an advanced heads up
on who will be featured on our "Volume One" vinyl
compilation;
STRANGE FRUIT: Strange Fruit
are
two emcee's, Stonehands and Ol' Soul based
outta L.A.'s "818" & "213" area codes. Rhyming together
as a group for the past four years, Strange Fruit
describes their sound as raw & uncut Hip-Hop bordering
between the sounds of Outkast to Black Eyed
Peas. "We don't just use samples in our music but
incorporate live instrumentation," says Ol' Soul.
Strange Fruit can best be described as the neo-soul &
ambience of Hip-Hop & after you peep their debut "Who
Killed Hip-Hop (Gangsta's Die Young)" you will soon see
& hear this group becoming the next big ish to break out
big from Southern Cali!
HILL-B:
Ex-NFL
linebacker & former member of the Denver Broncos
& Seattle Seahawks, Hillary Butler,
aka Hill-B is no stranger to the mic since he was
13 years old! Just completing his 1st solo album debut
as a Producer/Artist with "Different Game,
Same Aim," you'll get to peep his debut single "It's A
Fiesta" on your one's & two's. Unlike other kats from
pro NFL & NBA status turned part time rapper,
Hill-B stands out on his own & has the lyrical skills &
production skills to prove others wrong as he takes his
passion to full time status. Hill-B expects nothing less
than the same success "off the field" that he has
experienced "on the field" as he focuses on his new
venture into the music industry.
SPECIFICS: Specifics
is a
three man crew outta Montreal, Canada with local DJ
Goser from Montreal, Think Twice originally
from the west coast U.S. & Golden from Vancouver,
B.C.. Together as a group for four years, the name
Specifics comes from attention & detail to the beats,
lyrics & cuts. Already making a huge buzz & big noise in
Montreal, their name speaks for itself, "Expression &
learning about each other through music & making people
come together & nodding heads!" Each group member's
musical influences ranges from Dean Martin to
Pete Rock to Busta Rhymes. Get ready as
Montreal blesses the U.S. with their single, "TGIM" &
the name Specifics becomes one of Hip-Hop's household
names as our Rap Attack panel gets the
opportunity to be the first to break & make this group!
NSS16 FEATURING DAVID BANNER:
Get
ready as these four very diverse girls (African
American, Asian, Latina & White descent) hit the mic!
NSS16 is their name & they've landed a sweet record
deal under record label mogul, Tommy Mattola's
new label, Casablanca Records. "OopDeeWopDee"
featuring David Banner is produced by Grammy
winner & hitmaker, Gregory Lawson. NSS16
covers it all musically when it comes to pop, Hip-Hop,
r&b and soul. Rap Attack is very
privileged to be picked as one of the outlets in
breaking NSS16 via our loyal & dedicated Rap Attack
dj's! "OopDeeWopDee" is Hip-Hop meets reggae &
again, we get the opportunity to be the first to break
NSS16 before this group crosses over!
J
BULLY:
A
native of Raleigh, NC & now reppin' the ATL, J Bully's
been rapping since he was in the 4th grade! "When
breakdancing was the shit, I was too fat to backspin, &
too broke to buy turntables so rapping became my
forte'," says J Bully. Describing his sound as "Educated
Thug Muzik," J Bully is a battle emcee who focuses on
his lyrics but his education & street influences have
made his style gutter, witty & unpredictable. Thousands
of viewers have caught his lyrical skills battling on
BET's 106 & Park "Freestyle Friday."
Originally known as "Tha Jugganaut" then "Jugga
The Bully," J decided to shorten his emcee name to
"J Bully" to keep from having to whoop muthaf#cka's ass
when they mispronounced his name! "Hot Shit" is the
single that's gonna put this bully on the maps via
college rap radio, internet rap shows & of course
mixtape dj's! Watch the streets, clubs & radio react to
"Hot Shit" as J Bully bullies his way onto your wheels
of steel!
King Gordy
is on
the road this week touring the U.S. & we've got the
cities & dates. For more info regarding tickets & King
Gordy radio interviews in your paret of town, hit up
Hahnsolo at WEB Entertainment: Office:
248-414-9100 / Cell: 734-945-5156 / email:
hahnsolo@webentertainmentrecords.com.
Dates
with Tech N9ne:
April
9th Minneapolis MN
April
16th Oklahoma City OK
April
17th Columbia MO
April
19th Urbana, IL
April
20th Springfield, MO
April
28th Fort Collins CO
April
29th Denver CO
May
4th Santa Rosa, CA
May
8th Las Vegas, NV
May
12th Reno NV
May
13th Chico CA
May
14th Seattle WA
May
15th Portland OR
May
16th Eugene OR
May
22nd El Paso TX
May
27th Merced CA
May
28th Sacramento CA
May
29th Peteluma CA
May
30 Gilroy CA
June
25th Sioux City IA
Check
your mail for a couple of phat bangers from Planet
Asia "Right Or Wrong" (Avatar - #323.878-1100)
and straight outta the AZ., Survivalist "Bang
Bang" (Slave Ent.- #602. 295-0026)...
The
Urban Network Conference is the place to be from
May 5-8 at Palm Springs' Riviera Resort. A couple of
panels worth peepin' on the Hip-Hop tip are: DJ
Symposium: Mixshow & College DJ's (Friday-May 7th
from 2:30PM-4PM) featured guests on the panel are Rap
Attack's DJ Yoshi, DJ B-Mello outta Seattle's
KEXP & KUBE 93, DJ Solo from
Ch'rewd Mktg. in Chicago, Jessica Weber outta
SPECTRE & more! Hip-Hop In The Round
(Saturday-May 8th from 11AM-1PM) featured guests on the
panel are King Tech from the Wake Up Show,
Carmelita Sanchez, from BET's Programming Dept.,
Kelly G., from the group Salt-N-Pepa, DJ
Spinderrella who's now an on air personality on
L.A.'s KKBT (The Beat) & more! I've
already contacted my panel on who has plans on going. I
need to know who is going for sure so Christina
Alonzo (UN's Rap Editor-see photo above) & I
can work on getting hotel rooms locked down for our dj's.
For more info you can call Christina directly at (213)
388-4155 at extension 108 or via her new email address:
calonzo@urbannetwork.com...
I
want to thank Philly's Number One MixTape DJ, Meddafore
for giving me love on
www.717hiphop.com.
I rarely grant interviews but I couldn't say no to my
nephew in Hip-Hop, Med. So if you've got a minute, peep
out the interview to get the exclusive dirt on yours
truly covering my past 24 years in the biz! Find out how
I got my nickname to how I got in the biz & conquered a
lot of the drama that goes with it. Here's the direct
link:
http://717hiphop.com/717/sl/med/nes.htm...
SHOUT OUT TIZIME:
Happy
Birthday to Kevin Cooper from Ruff Ryders
Records. Vishaal & Rajnish from All
Season Fashion Watches! (It's all about the Jacob!).
Kate Livingston outta WOZQ in Northampton,
MA. (Much love & respect 2 you baby!), Angie Hunt
(Get well. xoxo), HahnSolo at WEB Ent. (Sending
out my love & prayers that your dad will make a full
recovery!).
PEACE, LOVE & HIP-HOP UNITY (God Bless & Isa Mahal),
Nasty-Nes
(Pinoy
Pride4Life
/ John 3:16) |
