[[  November 9, 2009  ]]

What's Upper? 

RAP ATTACK will shut down for the Holiday season on December 9th (last day to report) & back on January 13, 2010 (1st day to report). Also debuting on Monday, January 18, 2010 our weekly Rap Attack Top 30 chart will now expand to a Top 40 chart. So our DJ's will now be able to chart & break 10 more Hip-Hop singles on their ALL NEW Rap Attack Top 40 chart!...
 

The New York Yankees captured their 27th World Series Title! Hideki Matsui tied a World Series record with six RBIs, Andy Pettitte won on short rest and New York beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 in Game 6 on Wednesday night, finally seizing that elusive 27th title. It was the team's first since winning three straight from 1998-2000...

The best fighter in the history of mixed martial arts did it again on Saturday night, as Russia's Fedor Emelianenko beat Minnesota's Brett Rogers by second-round technical knockout in the main event of the M-1 Global/Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers show...

Props to Black Kent who was our guest on last weeks' Rap Attack Conference call. Here's what DJ D-Tragic from 805HipHop.com had to say about our guest, " The call was cool! That cat Black Kent from France and he sounded pretty cool too! He kind of broke it down as to what it’s like for him out there in France, etc.. How people don’t embrace it like we do, and felt unexplainable. Not a lot of artists over there too he said"...

History is made! The House on Saturday narrowly approved a sweeping overhaul of the nation's health care system, handing President Obama a hard-fought victory and advancing legislation Democrats said could equal Social Security and Medicare as a social policy achievement.

After a daylong clash with Republicans over a proposal that has been a Democratic goal for years, lawmakers voted 220 to 215 to approve the $1.1 trillion, 10-year-plan that Democrats said would provide relief to Americans struggling to buy or hold on to health insurance in light of escalating costs and industry practices...

Also on the Obama tip, peep out artist Arash in the ALL NEW, "Obama Does Thriller" video. Arash plays one of the zombies dancing with Pres Obama played by Alpha Cat. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgJ4Q70FBWU...

Rap Attack spoke with artist Soulstice & here's what's up straight from Soulstice's mouth, "Quick update to let you know that I'm going to be in a movie! Well, more accurately, my voice will be in a movie. Those of you in the film business know that the music in a movie is often one of the last things to be finalized. Many times they'll insert songs into the rough cut of a film as placeholders. These tend to be songs that would blow the music budget if they actually tried to license them for the film. OK, right to the punchline.

I have a song in an upcoming film "The Blind Side" with Sandra Bullock: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878804/

I was actually tapped to write a "thuggish" song for a scene in the movie where we get introduced to the hood that the main character is from. Or something like that, I haven't actually seen the movie at this point. So I hit my man Mighty Wyte for a beat and we turned a rough version of the song around in a day or two. The director really liked it and here we are. I love movies, so I'm very excited about this placement!

They asked for "street" on this one, so you'll get to hear me getting my 50 Cent on. The movie hits theaters on Nov. 20th. I'll hit you again closer to the date with the song, so you'll know what to listen for.

Peace!
SoulStice
www.thinkbeyondborders.com
www.youtube.com/chitownsoul
www.twitter.com/ashleyllorens
 

A-Side Worldwide is proud to announce the official partnership of Crown Royale (Buff1 + DJ Rhettmatic) to the Bay Area's MYX Music Label. Look for the debut to be released early next year...

Roxanne Shante' is fighting breast cancer & all of us at RAP ATTACK wish her well & that she will fight that cancer & come out victorious. Roxanne Shante (Lolita Shante Gooden) is widely recognized as the first female Hip-Hop artist to break through the male dominated industry. At the age of 16, she became a household name with songs including "Roxanne's Revenge" an answer record responding to U.T.F.O.'s popular "Roxanne, Roxanne"...
 

Fans of Bruce Lee will be happy to know that the official Bruce Lee site is online at: www.BruceLee.com...

MICHAEL JACKSON "This Is It" is Definitely Worth The Price of Admission by: Davey D

As was the case with his death, the haters coming from places like the NY Post or so-called music critic Chuck Arnold of People Magazine, simply could not wait to find an opportunity to spit their venom on Michael Jackson the King of Pop. Lucky for us all of us got to see the movie at the exact same time as his critics, thus the negativity they spit will be overshadowed because folks who sat along side them have a vastly different opinion of the movie ‘This Is It’ and have been able to express it. How does one go to a packed theater see, people clapping and dancing in the aisle and just feeling it and then go back and write some garbage about it was ghoulish??

The first thing I tell people is go see this movie is bring your kids. Michael is incredible . Yes, its rehearsal footage, but having covered concerts for the past 20 years from U2 to Public Enemy and everyone in between, I can honestly say what you see with Michael is better than 90% of the folks have graced the stage. If you’re an artist, I strongly urge you to go see this movie, bring pen and pad, check your ego at the door and take notes so you can learn the real meaning of the word ‘ENTERTAINMENT“.

If I’m to believe the stories about Michael Jackson being a drug addict, out of shape and out of wack, unless this movie has some new special effects I never seen, than MJ puts that to rest. I want whatever it is he’s has, because he comes with a skill set very few will ever reach-and again this is just rehearsal. You can tell he’s hasn’t brought the entire package not by a long shot. MJ is off the chain.

Several things stood out We know that his staff was working his young dancers day and night. They were doing everything from ballet to spending hours perfecting complicated and grueling routines. These men and women are half MJ’s age, but when they danced together, MJ who was supposedly on drugs was not only able to keep up, he surpassed them. Just to see how he did his routines is worth the 8 bucks. To see his incredible work ethic and desire for perfection is worth the 8 bucks. Just to see how he was dedicated to bringing entertainment to his fans is reason enough for anyone who is an artist from any genre or discipline to pay the price of admission. If you’re an artist this film is required viewing.

It’s ironic that I saw the BET Hip Hop Awards just before seeing this movie. I gotta tell ya its gonna be hard to go back and see Gucci man or Souljah Boy hit the stage after seeing MJ.. It’s not so much that he spent money on his stage sets, it’s the perfection he demanded of himself and the people around him. It’s the precision in his dance moves. It’s him knowing every note and lyric to his songs. It’s him unwilling to come up short in his executions. You really come to appreciate good artistry and might find yourself getting annoyed and upset the next time you see someone do a half baked bullshit show.

What also stood out was the staging and sets he was going to unveil in concert. Wow. The way he flips Smooth Criminal, Thriller and my favorite Earth Song are breath-taking. In fact the Earth Song scene is something that President Obama and his fellow politicians who are hedging on getting a comprehensive impactful Climate Change bill, should see. Michael hits a home run with that and actually speaks to the issue in the film. He talks about the direction we are headed where we may do irreversible damage.

The film has a lot of bright moments. As I was watching it, I couldn’t help think about how Michael had saved and eventually transformed the music industry. His creativity especially when it came to videos saved the music industry. After seeing this film, I think many will use his film as a template and follow suit. Yes, we’ve had movies of band concert footage and their backstage rehearsals, but they pale in comparison to Michael Jackson. He raised the bar on this one. if the movie does well, I’m willing to bet that we will see the music industry rush to do similar films with other performers…

Congrats & props to DJ Commando who is now  the Program Director for www.Raw973.com...

TurntableU.com - LEARN TO DJ - Register Now & Get 3 Lessons Free   (see photo above)

 www.TurnTableU.com  is "The World's Premier Online DJ School." Our curriculum is structured to sharpen your talents, emphasize fundamentals, and define your strengths and weaknesses in order for you to become a successful DJ. Beginning DJ's will be able to grasp the basics of mixing, blending and scratching within a few lessons. Intermediate and Advanced DJ's will be able to brush up and fine-tune their skills and stay up to date on today's cutting edge techniques and scratches. Whether you want to learn the basics, expand your scratch techniques, or learn how to be a radio DJ, Turntable U makes learning easy, accessible, fun and affordable.

Turntable U is the first on-line DJ school to provide DJ's around the world with access to dozens of world-famous DJs through high quality DJ tutorials. All lessons are presented through state of the art digital video production. We bring you unequaled access to turntable fundamentals that are essential to being a well-rounded DJ. In addition, Turntable U will help you to refine your own DJ style—which is the secret to success. Turntable U's world renowned faculty of DJ instructors takes the guesswork out of learning. All you have to do is PRACTICE! Learn to how to rock the party from DJ legends you know and respect. No matter what type of musical genre you prefer—or your skill level—with Turntable U you will be able to rock the party.

Please contact: info@TurntableU.com for more information...

WHAT'S BLAZIN' WITH BLAZE WONG? by: BLAZE WONG:

A lot of excitement and sadness has been in the air this past week....my "Empire State of Mind" has been in full effect with the New York Yankees as world champs yet again! On the other side my heart is saddened by the soldiers we lost (RIP) and were wounded during the Ft. Hood shootings.

On the musical side, shouts to the new breeds of the Duck Down Records family - Torae and Skyzoo - going on tour opening up for Ghostface Killah this past month! Look out for these dudes! Both albums are now in stores. (Marco Polo & Torae - "Double Barrel" / Skyzoo "The Salvation")

Now, the "Triple Freshness" this week will be some leftovers left from a previous feast! Yes, it's the 4th quarter rush, we need to end the year proper! Please show your support!

1. LL Cool J "NCIS: No Crew Is Superior" (Boomdizzle)
2. Timbaland f. SoShy "Morning After Dark" (Interscope)
3. Skyzoo "Popularity" (Jamla / Duckdown)

The above are available for download at www.1200squad.com and always remember, "The DJ is The Cornerstone of Hip-Hop"! Please feel free to hit me up with anything.
Blaze Wong

Cornerstone Promotion / National Manager of Urban Promotion

blaze@cornerstonepromotion.com

www.cornerstonepromotion.com

www.1200squad.com

www.twitter.com/1200squad

Ok it started years ago with Friendster & then I joined MySpace & then FaceBook and now Twitter! Soooooooo follow me on Twitter at: www.Twitter.com/NastyNes1...

WE'VE GOT SOME OF THE WORLD'S BEST DJ's! THE RAP ATTACK DJ'S! GET TO KNOW OUR DJ's BY LOGGING ONTO:
www.MySpace.com/RapAttackLives  AND PEEP OUR UPDATED PHOTO PAGE...

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

Wonder Twinz (SIRIUS) - BLOG from The Middle East: "USO TOUR 2009 DAY THREE" :"The days just get better and better out here in the desert. I wonder if we’re the only group of guys out here that don’t want to leave just yet. We’re only a few days in and I’ve already lost track of what day it is.

 Today was a short day and I finally got some much-needed rest last night. Granted, I did stay up until 6am writing my blog and watching CNN, we didn’t have to check out of our hotel until 6pm, so I was good-to-go today. We all piled onto the bus and drove about an hour out into the desert to an airfield where we eventually boarded our luxury airliner, but first we stopped into the M.W.R. (Morale, Welfare & Recreation) building on base and looked around for a bit. The M.W.R. is a rec room where soldiers can go play pool, watch TV, play video games, buy bootleg DVDs, sneakers, snacks and listen to music through the jukebox. These soldiers need a place where they can unwind and relax. Needless to say, they were happy to see all of us and by the time that we left that MWR, they were playing HipHop Hooray and O.P.P. They were even selling Treach’s latest masterpiece “Art of War 3” on DVD. We all got a kick out of that. From sneakers to snickers they sell it all on these military bases. They even have local fast food chains from back home, like Subway, Baskin Robbins and even Starbucks. I bought my sister a collector’s mug and kept it movin’.

We headed outside to the trucks where they were handing out our stylish, yet not-so-comfortable bulletproof vests and helmets. I strapped my vest and helmet on and let me tell you, these things are H-E-A-V-Y and feel like they could stop a tank. Although I wont be testing that theory out. Treach, of course, takes this opportunity to whack the top of my helmet to make sure it works. And it does. There’s a certain camaraderie that builds between guys when you’re stuck with each other for a certain period of time. Put that same group together in the middle of the desert and you start to become like a family. As the youngest in the group, I‘ve become the little brother or nephew and Treach is that uncle that loves to poke fun at the youngsters. I’m cool with it, cause I get my fair share of jokes in there too. After the fun and games are over, which they never fully are, they escort us out onto the runway where a huge C-130 military plane is waiting for us. We board the aircraft up a giant ramp in the back of the plane. As the only passengers on this flight, we take our first class seats and strap on our seatbelts. The soldiers then load on two pallets full of gear behind us and the ramp rises up and closes us inside. We feel like kids playing with our giant army toys in the sandbox. We all start joking around and taking pictures, Skribble starts off the flight by asking what our in-flight movie is and the lack of flight attendants, windows or even normal seats pretty much answers that question. These military planes are bare metal top to bottom and we’re sitting on net seats. We get some brief safety instructions along with the location of our puke bags (just in case) and we’re off. Once they manage to get this humongous steel monster in the air, they invite us, one by one, to join the pilots in the cockpit for courtside seats of the flight. You can’t see much in the pitch-black cockpit except for the Christmas tree of lights, gauges and switches that just keep blinking and flashing and flashing and blinking. Once I’m up there, I realize that these guys are busting their asses up there to get us to our location safely, silently and undetected. There are 5 guys in the cockpit, each doing their own job. They hand me a helmet with night vision goggles and suddenly the whole world is visible in neon green. I’ve never felt so close to the real-deal and I have a feeling this ain’t even the realest part of the trip yet. It’s amazing to look out the front windshield of an airplane; its even more amazing when you need night vision goggles to do it. What a breath-taking moment that was. No autopilot on this bad boy. When I was a kid, my pops use to let me drive the car once in a while but I didn’t have the balls to ask these guys if I could give it a swing. I just took off my goggles, shook their hands, told them I’m proud of them and returned my ass to my seat where it belongs.

 About 30 minutes later, we’re told to strap in for landing. The exterior lights on the plane all go to black, the interior lights switch from white to green and suddenly it feels like the opening scene from “The Predator”. As a kid who played with army men when I was young, this is beyond surreal. I actually wanted to clip on to the cable along the ceiling and parachute out, but for some reason, they said no and Treach just whacked the side of my helmet… again. These military flights don’t exactly come down all slow and mellow like a regular flight, instead they just kinda drop out of the sky and land quick, real quick. Your stomach sits somewhere right around your throat and it stays there until you touch down, which believe it or not, was a softer landing than most of my flights into JFK. They unload the cargo and we step off, like a rugged platoon of DJs and MCs. Gangster!!

 We’re escorted onto the base and sign-in at the front desk. After meeting the Mayor of the base we head directly to the D-FAC (“Dining Facility” for those who missed yesterday’s acronym lesson). We eat our dinner, and are escorted to our trailers where we drop our bags and go to the M.W.R. to see the venue for tomorrow’s show. It’s salsa night at the M.W.R. and there’s a bunch of soldiers who are burnin’ up a Latin storm on the dance floor. Across the hall is a state-of-the-art weight room, full basketball court, pool tables, TV room, Internet stations and a ton of other recreational things for the troops to do in their off time.        

After we managed to pry Scribble’s boy, Johnny Shine, out of the salsa room, we headed back to our C.H.U.’s (Containerized Housing Units) to get some sleep. I’m bunking with D-Square, who’s inside sleeping right now. Sitting outside my C.H.U. in the desert as I type this, it’s a clear night with more stars than I’ve ever seen. I can hear the military K-9’s barking and helicopters in the distance. Soldiers are walking past with their M-4 assault rifles ready to start their assignments for the day and I’m typing away in my socks, trying hard not to look like a tourist.

All in all… today topped yesterday and yesterday topped the day before. Like I keep saying, I can’t wait to see what we’re gonna do tomorrow. I know we have two shows to do and I’m sure they are gonna show us some interesting stuff along the way.

For now, I’m gonna smoke my last cigarette and enjoy the peace and quiet of this moment. Tell my girl I love her, and tell my mom I’ll be home real soon. Wow… I feel like a soldier writing letters back home.

Peace from the Middle East. (HA!… I’ve always wanted to be able to say that.)-Twin aka Vader / The Wonder TwinZ / Naughty By Nature"...

DJ SAGE (CFRO-Vancouver, BC): "We started off with a Double Shot from BeKay's debut album, "Hunger Pains", which is available and recommend for next week on Coalmine Records. We had the privilege of interviewing the NY emcee a couple weeks ago, when he busted out a crazy new acapella. We kept it moving by playing a couple cuts off his album, which features the likes of Illmind, Marco Polo, R.A. The Rugged Man, Masta Ace, Heltah Skeltah, Inspectah Deck and many more. Don't sleep on this one, and hit Bekay up at www.MySpace.com/Bekay!

We were then joined by Queensbridge legend, the one and only Cormega. We got into discussion about his new album, "Born & Raised", upcoming videos, loyalty to the fans and the artform of Hip-Hop and why it's important to be interactive! Check Cormega at www.LegalHustle.net for all the latest and the chance to chat online to the QB veteran!

Unfortunately, our Strong Arm Steady has been postponed to November 17th. Better late than never though, right? Instead, we launched into a segment we've been getting off the ground, "Who Flipped It Better?”. This week's contestants were Show & A.G. - You Know Now (Buckwild remix) and Heltah Skeltah - Letha Brainz Blow. We aren't going to reveal the winner here in the blog, so check out the podcast to hear the results!

We had three hours tonight, so we filled it with tracks from The Dogg Pound, Jay Kin, Pharoahe Monch, Saukrates, DITC, Ghostface, Kid Cudi and plenty more. Download the podcast at www.UrbanRenewalProject.net shortly!

Want more music download this new URP Radio/Finale Design CD mixed by DJ Sage. Here is the link and share with the rest of World
http://www.zshare.net/download/67554046c9b12aa6"...
 

DJ CHILL WILL (WCBN-MI):"What's the deal? Another great week at the clubs. First Po pi O's on Thursday and then Killa Priest, 60 Second Assassin(Sunz of Man) came to town and did there thing on Saturday. Shout to Nikki P, Donte, and DJ Virus who rocked the stage also. Got another great week of the same, plus Ghostface Killa and Skyzoo will be in town rocking the Blind Pig on Monday. Headz will be in the building!!! For more information about me DJ Chill Will go to www.myspace.com/djchillwill734"...
 

Jeffrey (WMHB-ME): "Naughty by Nature was up at my school last weekend with Educated Advocates opening up for them. Still riding the high of all that Hip-Hop music"...

Nate Abney (WKDU-Philly): "Well it is November and the year is almost over wow. I was surprised by all the birthday comments left on Facebook for me yesterday, I didn't know people paid attention. It was truly humbling for me, big thanks to everyone who sent well wishes. In a few days JJ BROWN'S CONNECT THE DOTS album hit stores please look out,it is on WELL DONE ENTERTAINMENT. This is a fine piece of work and should be supported. That's it for now later"...

Savvy (KSJS/KDON-CA): Peace everyone. I'm finally back from NYC and I must say it feels good to be home. CMJ was doper than dope and I am so happy and honored to have attended Grand Master Roc Raida's tribute at BB Kings. The event was magic and has changed my life, no joke. RIP Roc...  Shouts out to Statik Selektah, we had a dope time catching up .Believe me when I say this - and I promise you- you are not ready for what is to come! Dude blew my mind with all the beats he has cooking. absolute fire. Check the blog for my re-cap if you want more at: http://www.kdon.com/pages/ProjectHipHop.html"...

Kevin Sakoda (KSPC-CA): "Hope everyone's doing well. If you're not in the LA-area, you can catch the show live (via iTunes) every Saturday, 5-7PM (west-coast time): http://www.kspc.org/popup.html  You can also find archived playlists and download links 24/7: http://blogs.myspace.com/kevsakoda  Enjoy!

Here is our address for 2009 to send material for review, etc (vinyl & cd's)!

 RapAttackLives.com

4750 Kester Avenue, Ste. 11

Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

Attn: Nasty-Nes

 (FOR MP3's): nastynes818@gmail.com 

Attn MySpace heads! If you haven't joined our exclusive RAP ATTACK page on MySpace, log on NOW & join at: http://www.myspace.com/rapattacklives...

SHOUT OUT TIZIME: Happy Birthday this week to our homie4life Rich "DJ Imperial" Lawson celebrating this Wednesday, Nov 11... To Latin Prince of The Bum Squad DJz celebrating this Thursday, Nov 12... To Arash celebrating this Sunday, Nov 15! Check him out in this video "Obama Does Thriller": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgJ4Q70FBWU...

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

Nasty-Nes

http://www.myspace.com/nastynes

http://www.myspace.com/rapattacklives 

(Pinoy Pride4Life / John 3:16)