What's upper?

MICHAEL JACKSON NOT GUILTY!!!

Last Saturday morning, I experienced a 5.6 on the richter scale earthquake! That's L.A. for ya!... Aiight, the website for the Lions Gate’s upcoming film RIZE is now up and running: http://www.rizemovie.com. Be sure to check out the Battlezone section, and watch the Clowns Vs. the Krumpers! RIZE reveals a groundbreaking dance phenomenon that’s exploding on the streets of South Central, Los Angeles. Taking advantage of unprecedented access, this documentary film by David LaChapelle brings to first light a revolutionary form of artistic expression borne from oppression. The aggressive and visually stunning dance modernizes moves indigenous to African tribal rituals and features mind-blowing, athletic movement sped up to impossible speeds. RIZE tracks the fascinating evolution of the dance: we meet Tommy Johnson (Tommy the Clown), who first created the style as a response to the 1992 Rodney King riots and named it “Clowning”, as well as the kids who developed the movement into what they now call Krumping. The kids use dance as an alternative to gangs and hustling: they form their own troupes and paint their faces like warriors, meeting to outperform rival gangs of dancers or just to hone their skills. For the dancers, Krumping becomes a way of life - and, because it’s authentic expression (in complete opposition to the bling-bling hip-hop culture), the dance becomes a vital part of who they are. RIZE hits theatres June 24^th! Meantime, thank you to our RAP ATTACK panel for their support on Bay Area's Flii Stylz & his debut single "Rize" (Social Capital/Forster Bros./EMI). Peep the movie once it drops!...

The cd release of "Tommy Boy Presents Hip-Hop Roots" (Tommy Boy Records) is off the hook. Produced & compiled by my oldschool homie Tom Silverman, this cd compilation features all the original breaks and in crystal clear stereo sound! Imma break it down on some of the original joints featured; The Jimmy Castor Bunch "It's Just Begun," Billy Squier "The Big Beat," Bob James "Take Me To The Mardi Gras,"  David Bowie "Fame," The Monkees "Mary, Mary" and James Brown Give It Up Or Turn It Loose." Diggin' In The Crates heads will know what I'm talkin' about. This is a MUST HAVE to your DJ collection...

In music news, yours truly can be heard  on the intro of Giant Panda's "Fly School Reunion" (Tres) album. It's the "Rap Attack" intro! Off the album, hands down my favorite track is "T.K.O." If you need to get laced, holla at Mike or Karen at (213) 481-8324 or online at: radio@basementalism.com... Congrats to Deux Process who just signed with Avatar Records! Their single "The Process" drops in a few weeks & the album "In Duex Time" drops on October 25th! I'll be hosting their latest mixtape "Banger Management" featuring cuts off their new album & exclusives. That'll be dropping soon so check your mail...  The I.E. is about to become a household name reppin' the Inland Empire here in Southern Cali as Stico & The Bandit drops their debut 12" "On One" (Rogue Souljah Ent). This is some dope west coast ish that'll work on all coasts. Remember, the I.E.'s Stico & Da Bandit is about to hit your turntables... Barak Records has got a guaranteed hit artist with Emelee "Head Over Heels" single. This R&B/Hip-Hop track is on fiya & will heat up the radio airwaves & clubs fa sho'. Peep it!... A few weeks ago, St. Louis' The All Stars threw a huge party in the Golden Arches with a who's who in the house (sorry I couldn't make it). Make sure you show love to the remix of "DoWhatChaDo" featuring Chingy (BOBQP). This joint puts the k into krunk & tha b into bounce! Shipping this week... VA's back on the Hip-Hop map as early reports are showin' a BIG buzz on Main & Merc with "Passion & Pain" (Big Up Ent.). It's this weeks "RAP ATTACK PICK HIT SINGLE" & debuts OUT THE BOX on this weeks "RAP ATTACK CONFERENCE CALL PICK" so don't sleep on this phat joint... Qadeer with his next single "Burnin'" (Triple P) will be dropping soon as Las Vegas' own continues to make more noise... Lookout for artist, La Bruja! She is puttin' some serious Reggeaton on the map & her debut release of "Brujeria," "La Isla Bonita" & "Fuego" featuring B-Real (Ill Tongue) hits your cd deck in one week! She's a native of the Bronx & this Puerto Rican mami has got some serious flows. Log onto: www.labrujamusic.com for more info on La Bruja. To get laced, holla at Wes Allmond for copies at (314) 785-0171. Tell em' RAP ATTACK sent ya'! Orale'... DJ Quik is no doubt back with "Fandango." This single is da ish. For real... Planet Asia gets ready to release his new joints "The Medicine" b/w "Stick & Move" featuring Prodigy (Battle Axe). CD single will be shipping first to our RAP ATTACK Panel followed by the vinyl. Please show our boy Asia lots of love & support... Here's a couple album release dates from our dawg Sean at Koch: Little Brother “The Chittlin Circuit 1.5” In Stores 6.21.05 FastLife/Koch Records and Capone “Pain, Time & Glory” In Stores July 12, 2005 Fastlife/ Koch Records. For more info, hit up Sean at: 212.353.8800 ext.231 or online at: Sean.Rock@kochent.com... West coast emcee y'all need to lookout for is Blac with his debut joint "Mardigras"(Real Talk Ent). His ish ships to our RAP ATTACK panel this week. Also outta Jackson, MS is artist Corleone with "Holla Ooh If You Like That" (Rich Boy Ent). This kat's ish is like krunk meets NY beats & it works! Stay tuned... L.A.'s the spot for 3rd Degree as their debut joint "Do My Thang" features E-40 (Black Ice Records). Log onto their website for more at: www.BlackIceRecords.com... Mixtape dj's lookout to be the first & break this ish off first in your mix! The artist is BooBlades with "Gangsta" featuring Cion & 730 (Brainwave Records). These kats are from Brooklyn & they come correct with the real BK ish!...

Here is our new address for 2005 to send material for review, etc (vinyl & cd's)! Same address, just a new Ste. number:

 RapAttackLives.com

4750 Kester Avenue, Ste. 11

Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

Attn: Nasty-Nes

Rap Attack takes a "WHAT'S UPPER" look this week with:

Semp Rok will now be reporting as an Internet reporter "BBOY (www.the305.com/bboy). Here's his current info for your files: 

 BBOY - (www.the305.com/bboy) - Dennis Paredes (Semp Rok)
21034 Grouper Drive
Miami, FL 33189

 

DJ Raw-B (KUSF-SF): " Sup good peoples?! We had a packed house this past Sunday on Beatsauce. Thanks to your music, a solid prescence by local artists, and a very loyal and growing audience our show is as strong as ever. Thanks for your support. First off, big thanks and props to the Hieroglyphics crew. A-Plus and ID came through this past week to promote their new single "What The Funk" as well as their new DVD Hieroglyphics Live. Both pieces are nice. They also gave us word that they've recently signed O.C. to their label. Please support these cats records. They keep getting better with age. Peep their website www.hieroglyphics.com. Next, Ridic from Oakland stopped by to promote his new single "No Apologies". Props to my man for bringing back some smooth Oakland funk. He's a cool dude with a proper attitude. Show him some love....hit up his website www.ridiculousmusic.com.  Finally, Boots Reiley from The Coup dropped by to promote an upcoming show. He also broke down the drama they had with folks over their controversial album cover for their last album. He reassured us that a new Coup album is on the way. If you're in the area check out their show this Friday at 1015 Folsom (SF). Get more info here...

Max Brown (WMHB-ME): " What's happenin' y'all?! Is everyone doing well? I had a pretty cool weekend, I got down to NYC for the RemixHotel, a small convention for all the beatmaker/producer wannabes, like me! :) The highlight of the show was a panel featuring Prince Paul, Pete Rock and Marley Marl all talking about how they came to produce music. Big shout out to the original, (and still the best), superproducers! Good times... But, ok, I'ma keep it moving and give you what y'all came for...P.S. The New York Times has an Op-Ed article about the complicity of record labels and Hip Hop publications in the violence in the Hip Hop community. I thought it made some intriguing points...

Toast (WRPI-NY): " I have been putting this off for some time. I think it is because I am in denial.

Just-O was a friend of mine. It started out like most record promoter and DJ relationships. Back when Just-O was an intern at Nervous, he would always talk to me about records. Smif-N-Wessun, Mad Lion, Black Moon. I remember meeting up with him at the Impact Convention in Atlantic City one year (1993?). We got in my car and drove to a Chinese joint for dinner off-site where we could build and just talk about music. I played him a copy of the in-studio radio interview I did with Smif 'N Wessun off their first album. He was talking about starting some company called "Double Edged Bangers" or some shit. Before email became the primary form of communication, I used to write a weekly newsletter to include with my weekly radio chart and I FAXED it to over 200 record industry contacts. I was young and cocky and I used to talk a lot of shit. (Fuck GAVIN). Just-O used to encourage me to keep it up. He was the first to tell me to use my position as a radio DJ who doesn't rely on this stupid industry for my livelihood, and tell it like it is. As years went by, I kept doing my thing and he moved on to major labels. But he would always look out for me. He was always there with anything I asked. Most of our conversations revolved around things other than music. Children, life, getting older, shit like that. He always repped BK, especially with the ink on his arm. At another Impact convention in Miami Beach, he brought his son with him. I remember sitting in the hotel room cutting inserts for his All-Star mixtapes. Or when he stalked the lobby of the ImPact convention when it was at the Reno Hilton. He had this huge boombox and was blasting the music of his artists ad talking to everyone who would listen. I remember the first Mixtape Awards and the humble beginnings. Shout out to Dwight Willacy. Back in the beginning he was always high on honoring those DJ's that passed. He established the Pinkhouse award in honor of the mixshow DJ from Chicago that died. He honored DJ Threat and I met Threat's family at the event one year. Whenever I would go to NYC, I would holla at him. One time I had extra tickets to a rap concert at SOB's, so I called Just-O to see if he wanted to go. We went to the venue and it was great to see him at industry events and concerts because he was cool with everyone. When Biggie was killed, Just-O paged me at like 3am to tell me. The NY Post ran a huge article on Biggie's death and the article had a quote from Just-O. I worked many years at the Mixtape Awards helping him out. He always said that us old-school cats needed to look out for each other. Shout out to Cage. I remember when he did the event at Club Vinyl I think, he brought DJ Screw in from Texas and no one in NY really knew who Screw was at the time. But Screw was mad cool and hung out. When Screw died, just like when DJ Threat died, Just-O always remembered them and honored their legacy at the events. One year when the Mixtape Awards were at the Apollo, he was having beef with some clown mixtape DJ. We came out after a long night at the awards and went to get into Justo's van, and someone had slashed one of his tires. Here we are in Harlem on a week night, 2am or so, it was mad late. We drove on that flat for like 20 blocks to get to an all-night taxi repair spot. We sat there talking about records, life, kids, his house in the Poconos, etc. for a long time. Thanks for everything Just-O. Especially everything I didn't get to thank you for in person! I won't forget you. Just-O was a friend of mine. He was a friend to DJ's everywhere"...

Brett Johnson (WUPX-MI): "Pistons are doin it again y'all, come and get. With a real squad they showing and proving once again that a collective is stronger than any one person. Egos are checked and individual achievements put second. A group of stars always shines brighter than one or two large ones. We as DJ'z should take notice. "This is what we do!"...
 

Edgie Kokoski (WUNH-NH): "My love affair with Wal-Mart has pretty much ended. There was once a time when I enjoyed roaming their sprawling aisles looking for cheap crap while weaving through an obstacle course of inbred white trash (both patrons and employees). But I have finally had it with Wal-Mart. The Achilles heel in the Wal-Mart experience is the check out line. Not only are the lines always long, but it is even more frustrating as you stand in line realizing that they have 35 check-out aisles and only 6 are open. This problem was temporarily vanquished when they installed the “self checkout” machines. These machines, that were intended for people like me (single guys with 3 items, and only cash), have now been overrun by the Mom with the 35 items for the baby, the 13 year old kid who thinks using the scanner is cool, and the feeble old man who can’t grasp the concept of the internet, let alone pushing a button on a t.v. screen to select his payment type. So I am forced to sit there and grit my already ground teeth and hold my 3 items and try to pass the agonizing time by reading Enquirer head lines about Brad Pitt fucking Angelina Jolie, Kirstie Alley being back on coke, and Michael Jackson’s secret sex chamber in his ranch. My friend told me that Wal-Mart measures the units that each of their cashiers scan per hour, and then slightly under-staff the shift based on that statistic so that they make sure every employee is busy all the time. That way they squeeze every last dime out of their man hours. Damn you Wal-Mart, damn you to hell. I finally got a chance to check out Star Wars this past weekend, and I have to say, I was fairly impressed. It was by far the best of the Star Wars prequels. But don’t get ahead of yourself by declaring Star Wars the sequel of the summer. That honor belongs to State Property II. I haven’t seen any previews for it yet, but if I’m sure of one thing, then I’m sure it’s not about urban youth caught up in a drug fueled gang war. There’s no way it could be about that.Well, at least XXL magazines didn’t put any Interscope artists on the cover this month. Except for Tony Yayo and 50 Cent. Speaking of the Gorilla Unit, I guess that 50 Cent and Game are once again on the opposite sides of a pissing contest. Game lashed out this past week at 50 and the G Unit during his performance at Summer Jam. In front of the packed Giants’ Stadium crowd, Game invited his fellow cronies to suck his this, and blow his that, et cetera, et cetera. But the strike that stung the most was Game’s introduction of his new catch phrase, “G-G-G-G-U-Not!”. Wow, that will bring a grown man to tears. Why does that make me feel like I’m on the school bus in 1987? I don’t know why Game was so pissed anyways. Maybe he was standing in line at Wal-Mart before the show"...

DJ Lazy (WMNF-FL): " Whattup folks!?!! Is it June already??? Performed with The Roots last friday in St Pete and it was absolutely amazing!!!! Vernon Reid was their guitar player (HOW COOL IS THAT??!!??!!)!!! They hit so many high notes in the show that a little paragraph doesn't do 'em justice. I will say that they covered "The World Is A Ghetto" by WAR (one of my favorite songs!!) and it was hot hot hot! Plus, Afu Ra is comin with Inspektah Deck and Planet Asia (all three drop it like it's hot on records right now...just check the charts folks!) so i'm really excited to see 'em do their thing live and in person. AND THEN... C-Rayz Walz with VAST AIRE AND J-LIVE!!!! WOO HOOOO June is off the meter for Florida shows!!! And I cannot wait for the CODE OF THE CUTZ TOUR 2005!! www.codeofthecutz.com  Red Tide will be playin the florida dates for that along with an absolute ton of great artists so stay tuned for more on that as the summer moves along. I'm STILL LOVIN' THE NEW MED ALBUM!!!!!!!!! Anybody else with me??? Crazy good beats and MED brings the heat! And that MODILL 12" ft Truth Enola is definitely fire. Is anybody else diggin' the new HEZEKIAH??? The record is really nice. I'm feelin that psycho chick track. It brings the funk for real. Stay tuned for LOZT BOYZ: PROJECT SLICED (w/ rmx by lazy, ran mecca, mudd buddha, blenda, 2%, BC, & nak1)"...

This will be featured in an upcoming issue of www.ustyles.com in their "DJ Of The Month" feature featuring our own Dan Shores (see photo above) from WHRW in Binghamton, NY! Big ups to Sean Rock and Vers for showing DS love on their site. Here's the advance & exclusive peep:

1)Introduce Yourself? I'm Dan Shores. DS are my initials and moniker i use on air and w/ the mixtapes we put out . I've been doing the live and direct radio show for approx . 5 years on WHRW 90.5fm Binghamton. I 've also headed up the Urban Direction at the aforementioned station for the last four years.

2)How long have you been djing....? Well , I've been in and out of it since the early 90's . I'm not really a bonafide Turntablist . I'm more of a record collector and fan of music. So I have rooms of wax, but don't expect any crab scratches or heavy beat juggling.

3)What's your future aspiration in the radio industry? To continue playing quality music, maybe set up a label , and Travel the globe.

4)What motivates you to continue doing your thing? Just the love for the culture . Having people come up and tell you that you put on a hot party , you put some nice mixtapes out, you introduced them to their favorite emcee. Just spreading the good word basically , and helping people avoid top40 music, which usually all sounds the same , and is all fluff and phoney.

5)Which artist did you enjoy having on your show? Oh , Wow so many guests. Canibus,Grafh, Jean Grae, Kardinall Offishall, Last Emperor, Dj Babu, Phonte of Little Brother,Guru. We've been doing this for about five years and sometimes we have three our four interviews per show.A lot of the names escape me right now.

6)List some of the Hip Hop artists you help break at College Radio First? Well ,Let me say that , a weekly three hour radio show is hardly enough nowadays to break an artist. but it does help . I wouldnt say I really broke artists out here, but i certainly have put people on to a number of artists. What we'd usually do , is play the hell out of an artists records, bring that artist up to perform , or do a number of phone interviews with said artist, and do a joint mixtape with them . This formula works really well . We've put large numbers of people onto emcees such as Wordsworth,PackFM,The Last Emperor, Grafh, Tribeca, Pumpkinhead, El da sensei, Kev Brown .

7)Is there any difference between College Radio 5yrs ago compare to now? Well, there is more of a community element to it all . I think just putting it down for so long u meet different people in the game, and other college dj's are always down to build and network . but With forces such as rapattacklives.com and CEO of rapattack Nasty Nes, I gotta big up Nes, he's working overtime to get college dj's unified for one common cause. Bumsquaddjz.com and LatinPrince too is also one of the big spots for dj's to build with each other, Ustyles.com too of course,and Myspace.com also. In addition to that , the music is reaching me in different forms , the mp3's via email and Instant messenger are on the rise. I don't think it's changed really there are still dj's playing quality music on college radio stations all over , but some of the behind the scenes aspects of it have.

8)Do you feel College Radio gets enough respect from Record Labels?

For the most part, but they arent going to respect you if you arent impacting your market. As a Dj , You have to establish ,maintain and cultivate relationships with these labels and let them know you are doing parties, radio shows, mixtapes , open mics . They want to know if they are giving a Dj free music, that that dj is getting out their music to Hiphop fans in all mediums possible. I get servicing from just about every label that puts out Hiphop records, but the independent labels are more likely to respect college radio because mainstream radio won't play any of their releases, in most cases indy is better music. Major labels are starting to look out for college and recognize its power . And, as a sidenote , I just want to Thank all of those promoters and labels that send us music, both major and indy they know who they are .

9)Which radio shows do you tune in to? I try to listen to them all , to get a feel what other Dj's are doing,spinning, talking about etc. I listen to Dj Chela,Sidewok.com,Btsradio.net,Halftime radio show, Squeeze radio, Divine Forces Radio, Dj Third Rail , Future Flavors, DJ opal with the worldwide show , Thirdfloorradio.com , WICB also. I try to soak it all up .

10) Top 5 albums you feeling right now?

Good question , Lately I've been listening to El da Sensei's " This is Me" a lot (about to drop this summer) , Gangstarr's " Daily Operation", "Hard to Earn" ,"Step in the Arena" M.I.A's " Arular" . I listen to DITC a lot , Foreign Exchange, Little Brother, Gato Barbieri , Fela Kuti, Copperpot's album " Chapter Seven" , Quasimoto.. A bunch of stuff...

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SHOUT OUT TIZIME: Happy Birthday this week to Papa-D (WRBB-Boston) celebrating on Tuesday, June 14th & to Arabian Prince celebrating on Friday, June 17th. Happy Birthday also to my OG homies Rockbarry Benson & my uso, Big Paul outta Universal Records!

PEACE, LOVE & HIP-HOP UNITY (God Bless & Isa Mahal),

Nasty-Nes

(Pinoy Pride4Life / John 3:16)