What's Upper? 

Props to last weeks' RAP ATTACK CONFERENCE CALL guest, Malachi Maxxe'l & welcome to our DJ CONF CALL PANEL, DJ Solo (WECI-IN)...

Last Saturday was one of my TOP 5 Moments In Hip-Hop spanning 30 years that I can truly say I went to was one of the DOPEST Hip-Hop shows ever, "Rock The Bells!" DJ JayForce (WRFG-Atlanta) flew up to Cali & we both hooked up & made that long journey to San Bernadino. 25,000 in attendance, 100 plus degree heat & 12 hours of non-stop Hip-Hop. You can peep out all my "Rock The Bells 2010" photos directly on my Facebook photo album page at: www.FaceBook.com/NastyNes. Here's a "ROCK THE BELLS RECAP"  of what went down by DJ JayForce:

Whoever said Hip-Hop was dead didn't tell the 25,000 plus fans from attending the Rock The Bells LA show last Saturday. This year the Rock The Bells tour was only taking place in 4 cities that included Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, & DC. The impressive lineup included great performers such as A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan, KRS-ONE, Rakim, Slick Rick, Snoop Dogg, and the return of Lauryn Hill who had been as elusive to her fans & the media as a winged unicorn in over a decade. What was also different with the performances was the artists were to committed to perform the bulk of their material from one of their classic albums. A Tribe Called Quest's 'Midnight Marauders', Snoop Dogg's 'Doggystyle', & Wu-Tang Clan's "Enter The 36 Chambers" all dropped within weeks of each other. The early 90's were great for Hip-Hop much like the late 60s were for classic rock. While performing on stage Q-Tip highlighted the fact that many classic Hip-Hop albums dropped in 1993 as part of the golden area of Hip-Hop music.

It was important for me to catch one of these show dates because Atlanta was not on the list of tour cities so I decided to hop an early morning flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles to link up with the West Coast homie Nasty Nes & a bevy of beautiful asian honeys (Nes's Angels) to enjoy the show. Attending the show with Nes was not only fun to enjoy the O.G's. company along with the beautiful ladies chillin' with us, but it was also significant because many may need to be reminded that Nes was the first DJ to have a Hip Hop radio show on the West Coast breaking Hip-Hop music on commercial radio. He was instrumental in breaking so many artists on the West Coast through his Rap Attack Radio show back in the day in 1980 on Seattle's 1250 KFOX  that his home is adorned with many platinum plaques from said artists. I don't even think even Nes had a clue during the Rock The Bells LA show about how much he's been responsible for breaking artists out West, but when numerous artists like Chino XL would recognize Nes in the crowd they would stop & spread love.

The Rock The Bells LA show had two stages with shows almost simultaneously alternating between sets. When the main stage had an artist finishing a set, the smaller Paid Dues stage would have performers like the Clipse, Brother Ali, Immortal Technique, Yelawolf, Murs, & 9th Wonder just beginning to represent with their routines. With the large droves of people in attendance it wasn't exactly easy to run back & forth between stages to catch everyone's set, but despite the large throngs of people & managing the various artists committments overall I felt that this Rock The Bells LA show appeared to be very well organized.

Almost all of the performances were great, but the question on everyone's mind was about Lauryn Hill. Several people we talked to prior to her performance were interested in seeing if Lauryn Hill was really back after all the rumors of her going crazy or just losing interest in the music industry altogether. Lauryn Hill took the stage to the sounds of popular reggae artist 'Movado''s hit record "I'm so Special" before launching into several of her album tracks from the "Mis-Education Of Lauryn Hill" album. With the aid of her six piece band & three backup singers I wasn't sure if things were going quite how we or some of the fans anticipated as Lauryn performed sped up remixes to songs like 'Lost Ones' & 'Zion' that didn't quite sound as fully cohesive as it should. At times her DJ's (Rampage) microphone was louder than Lauryn's vocals & he was overtalking the band. Eventually Lauryn Hill's performance got much stronger as she & the band appeared to make some adjustments before launching into more of her solo hits & favorites from the Fugees catalog. Lauryn Hill's performance was definitely stronger from about midway through to the end with her exiting the stage with fans shouting "Lauryn! Lauryn!" in anticipation of an encore performance.

A Tribe Called Quest delivered one of the best performances of the whole Rock The Bells LA event as they performed various songs from their 'Midnight Marauders' album. The almost hour long set didn't completely stay with 'Midnight Marauders' theme as they broke out a few surprises by going back to hits from their "Peoples Instinctive Travels" & "Low End Theory" albums. It was at this time that they brought out their sometimes estranged bandmate Jarobi who often toured & peformed with them prior to the Midnight Marauders album's release. Another surprise came as Busta Rhymes appeared on stage with his hypeman Spliff Starr as A Tribe Called Quest performed a special remix of Busta's new hit song "Stop The Party" that was produced by Swizz Beatz.

It was a fun surprised that many in the audience didn't expect coming. Eventually they segued into their other hits that also included Busta Rhymes like the classic 'Scenario' record. Up until that point during the festival, A Tribe Called Quest had the best performance hands down.

Wu-Tang Clan took the stage like an army & launched into their hits from the classic 'Enter The 36 Chambers' album. At times it seemed like too many of the clan all on stage at once doing their own thing, but the thing the crowd understood about Wu-Tang Clan is that their show isn't as much about routines & choreography as it's about lyricism & pure energy that they delivered. It was amazing to see people all around us who knew the words to every song they rocked almost verbatim. At one point during the show there appeared to be a guy that looked & acted just like the legendary Ol Dirty Bastard that passed away. Lo & behold it was Ol Dirty Bastard's biological son Boy Jones now known to the world as the 'Young Dirty Bastard' who hopped out in the crowd at times & displayed mannerisms very similar to his father's while performing his hits. Ol Dirty's son even rocked the same hairstyle & took off his shirt while peforming Ol Dirty Bastard's classic Hip-Hop record "Shimmy Shimmy Ya' for the crowd of over 25,000 people.

Snoop Dogg was the headliner for the Rock The Bells LA festival & coming behind strong shows from KRS-ONE, Lauryn Hill, Wu-Tang Clan, & A Tribe Called Quest he definitely didn't disappoint offering the total package & best performance of the evening. Snoop's show saw the return of many of his cronies instrumental in making his first album a success such as the DPGC click of Kurupt, Daz, Lady Of Rage, RBX, & Warren G, but the only two parties missing from the live performance were Dr. Dre (who only appeared in short video segments) & Nate Dogg who is currently recovering from a recent stroke.

Snoop Dogg's set was well choreographed using a big screen for short mini-movie transitions in between songs & funny props & characters that appeared on stage at times like a person in a large Snoop Dogg suit with a blue bandana tied to it's head who danced around on the stage. The West Coast crowd represented to the fullest with people singing along to the hits from his Doggystyle album like "What's My Name?", "Aint No Fun", as well as others such as "The Next Episode", "Regulate" with Warren G, "Drop It Like It's Hot", & "I Wanna Rock". Snoop Dogg's show as like a festival within the Rock The Bells festival with everything going on with it. If it took the Rock The Bells organizers to cut a few cities to focus on making Rock The Bells an overall better experience then they have surely been successful as this year was definitely one I will always remember. Special thanks to Guerilla Union organizers Chang & staff,  Jessica Weber (Co-Sign), Brother Ali, Mazzi Behi (Def Jam), Freestyle Session's Cross1 & DJ Chill Will (WCBN-MI)!...

After 16 years, Fat Beats has announced the closing of the legendary label's two remaining retail locations in New York and Los Angeles. Fat Beats will celebrate the legacies of the stores, which are scheduled to close in early September (New York: September 4th, Los Angeles: September 18th) by throwing a series of blow-out sales and tribute parties open to the public during their last weeks. Fans can check www.FatBeats.com for updates.

Fat Beats’ longest running and most famed location is at 406 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan. Since the 1994 opening of Fat Beats' flagship retail location, hip-hop fans have traveled far and wide to visit the iconic store. With locations soon following in Los Angeles (7600 Melrose Ave.), Atlanta, Amsterdam, and Tokyo, the record stores were a place to experience hip-hop culture and its legacy, which became a global phenomenon. “The closing of Fat Beats is just like one of my friends passing away. They promoted vinyl at its highest degree for the culture of good music and that makes it more difficult to say goodbye," says DJ Premier.

The announcement of the closings is a reflection of the woes that have been plaguing the industry for years. Global chain HMV closed their last US location in 2004. Tower Records shuttered in 2006. Last year saw the close of the last Virgin Megastore, and the story is no different in 2010. For Fat Beats, maintaining two stores well into 2010 is a testament to the stores' importance to the music and to fans and consumers continuing to support independent hip-hop.

While news of the stores' closing marks the end of an era, the future is not doom and gloom. Digital sales continue to increase industry-wide; for Fat Beats, currently operating a profitable and growing online retail store, this has provided a boon to business as fans continue to order mp3s, vinyl, and CDs from FatBeats.com. Although digital sales continue to grow, executives at Fat Beats understand the importance of independent retail stores and are planning to re-open a brick and mortar hip-hop lifestyle location sometime in the near future.

The future looks just as bright for Fat Beats Distribution and the label. Fat Beats Distribution, which has been renamed FB Distribution, continues to strike noteworthy distribution deals with independent and major labels worldwide and is now working with different genres of alternative music. Fat Beats Records will continue to release notable albums from their own impressive roster of artists including ILL BILL, TruMaster/KRS-One, Black Milk, Trinity, Sha Stimuli, Q-Unique, and more. Fat Beats owner and President Joe Abajian says, “This is the start of a new era for Fat Beats. We’re adapting to meet the needs of our demographic by revamping and improving our existing systems. While our website, which stocks everything available in our retail stores, continues to do very well, we’re still exploring our options for alternate retail locations in the future. We’re proud of our legacy and will continue to re-invent ourselves. For now, we’ll see you online at www.FatBeats.com
 

Style Wars Fundraising Event at BAM

Iconic Film To Kickoff Restoration Fundraising with a Program
at The Brooklyn Academy of Music on September 9th
 

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103619599071&s=7178&e=001CXaiW37O3b0a8y8rNC

HI1eHytPqK5jtuvMJhtyItmk0mV3ObrnUdFC3lrpLYIkh8UJEMmraILLKghW5yCtGbldlm

_Afs3k-3UwOHc6xER2-Bk7kIfMr2XA==Globally recognized as the indispensable document of New York Street culture of the early '80s, Style Wars is the visual record of a golden age of youthful creativity that exploded into the world from city in crisis. Its vibrant legacy is alive everywhere. Style Wars has had an extraordinary impact around the globe, inspiring succeeding generations of youthful fans.

But today, the film's negatives - including hours of unseen footage - are in decaying with age. This iconic cultural document must be preserved before it's too late.

Style Wars won high praise from the local graffiti writing community for its authenticity and the Grand Prize for Documentaries at the 1984 Sundance Film Festival, the first of many awards and citations. Style Wars screened on PBS television around the country beginning in early 1984.

On September 9th, The Style Wars Restoration fund will kick off its fundraising efforts with a bang at BAM. There will be three screenings and a reception with delicious food provided by Farinella Bakery in addition to plenty of graffiti masters, B-boys and other special guests!

In addition, canvases by the legendary graffiti kings, courtesy of "The Legends of Style", will be hung at the reception, and DJ Kay Slay will be on the turntables.
Schedule:
Screenings: 4:40pm, 6:50pm and 9:15pm
Q&A: 6:50pm
Reception: 6:50pm
Tickets and Screening information: http://www.bam.org/p2486
Style Wars Restoration Fund: http://www.StyleWars.com

WHAT'S UPPER WITH DJ MEDDAFORE: "Let 'em Know has been the title of my mixtape series, and my column for Grind Mode Magazine, I've now taken it up another level. The Let 'em Know http://meddafore.blogspot.com site launched June 1st and already has over 40 interviews with artists, producers, djs, models, and others that you need to be aware of! Wrekonize, Reef the Lost Cauze. PackFM, Kar-Lethal, Kyle Lucas, and many more have already been featured. Also, Updated numerous times throughout the day with exclusives, audio, and videos!

Log on today and read the interview with Forever Fam's R&B songstress Shannon Swain, http://meddafore.blogspot.com/2010/08/let-em-know-shannon-swain.html , the new voice everyone is starting to buzz about, has multiple projects available and on the way, and is still recording more. Her soul and her grind are unmatched! Don't be the last to hear, check the site, and let 'em know!!

Blasting off Let 'em Know PR too, so if you're looking for someone to handle your public/media relations, hit me up now, let's work! Meddafore@gmail.com or LetEmKnowPR@gmail.com...
 

Public Enemy is looking to see what DJ and/or Producer can create the BEST remix for their newest single: "Say It Like It Really Is"

This contest is pretty straight forward.... Please use the link located near the bottom of this email to download all the available versions of the song. Then take them and come up with a Brilliant & DOPE Remix...

Your remix can be as long or as short as you want it to be....

.

But Remember ... the name of the song is "Say It Like It Really Is".... So be as creative as possible with the remix.... No Holds Bared!!!!!

ALL remixes must be submitted BEFORE September 15th, 2010

As a thank you for entering the contest.... Public Enemy will send ALL of the remixes submitted for this contest to iTunes to be available for free download

However.... Only the 3 best will be picked as the official PEmixes

The Best 3 PEmixers will have their remix included in the 7 Piece "Say It Like It Really Is" collection which will be sold on iTunes

The 1st place remix will also be synced up to the "Say It Like It Really Is" Video, to create a Special Remix version....

The 3 top PEmixes will make their on-air debut on Chuck D's Radio show "And You Don't Stop", which airs on WBAI (99.5 FM) in NYC. All three PEmixers will be spotlighted during a special Presentation conducted by The Wonder TwinZ....

Remixes will only be accepted by submitting them to : www.SPITdigital.com/contest

Public Enemy will own ALL rights to every remix that is submitted for this contest

Additional Prizes for the Top 3 PEmixers:

1st Place will receive:
$300 Remix Fee
BRING THE NOISE, THE HITS, VIDS, and DOCS BOX (Public Enemy Collector's Edition Box)
Public Enemy Hoodie, T-Shirt, Hat & Dog Tag

2nd Place will receive:
$200 Remix Fee
BRING THE NOISE, THE HITS, VIDS, and DOCS BOX (Public Enemy Collector's Edition Box)
Public Enemy Hat, T-Shirt & Tote Bag

3nd Place will receive:
$100 Remix Fee
BRING THE NOISE, THE HITS, VIDS, and DOCS BOX (Public Enemy Collector's Edition Box)
Public Enemy Hat, T-Shirt & Key Chain

If you've got teenage kids, make sure they watch this video & see if you get the message in BAMBU's "OLD MAN RAPS" video (WARNING: uncensored). RAP ATTACK gives this "2 THUMBS UP": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pnSpUbOyLI

Christopher Laroche known by his stage name “Freedom” was born in Haiti with a new single out "Move On" (Freedom Recordz/Xyion/Bungalo/UMGD). Already getting out the box support here's what DJ's are saying about "Move On":

DJ ICY ICE (World Famous Beat Junkies/Power 106 L.A.): "Freedom is a talented MC with a mission to help his home country of Haiti. He's going to make noise in 2010."

 SWAY (MTV/Wake Up Show): "Move On is a blatant reminder of how much work is still needed in Haiti. It is a powerful musical tribute that is more than just another song. Freedom is another worker that captures the spirit of the resilience of the Haitian people."

 DJ Tony Touch "Great song. Very inspiring & well needed during these times." 

DJ Muggs (Soul Assassins): "Move On is very uplifting & inspirational."

Peep the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN4-RrhnCMw ...

Mojo Morgan is about to heat up the airwaves & charts with "Million $ Check" (Gedion Soldiers Ent., LLC). The son of 80's hit sensation Denroy Morgan of "I'll Do Anything For You" fame, Mojo is gonna take the torch & keep it lit in 2010. You peep his video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvTEPCUQxsI . Already an instant OUT THE BOX "MOST VIEWED" video on S.I.N.'s SINTERNET: http://www.sinternet.com/sin_video/index.php ...

Rap Attack's CEO & Seattle's own Nasty-Nes makes his cameo in the "I Dip" video reuniting with E-Dawg & Sir Mix-A-Lot's Rhyme Cartel Records 15 years since E-Dawg's "Drop Top" single/video dropped back in 1995 on (Rhyme Cartel/Def American Records). Expect this to blow up big in 2010. You can peep Nes & E-Dawg here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMGz4D9CFHw ...

Rodney-O & Joe Cooley have reunited & are back! These West Coast pioneers dating back to the 80's with "Everlasting Bass," "Cooley High" & "Get Ready To Roll" will hit the stage in Los Angeles on September 18 at The Nokia's "FRESH FEST" opening up for Ice Cube! Rap Attack will have the exclusive to their new single "Eat Em Up" dropping late August!...
 

"BACK IN DA 206," it's the original Crazy Pinoy of Seattle DJ "NASTY-NES" hosting and djing with DJ's R-Sin and D'Lemma. After being away from the northwest Nes decided to visit the 206 and record a new 60 minute Hip-Hop mix with the next generation of CRAZY PINOYS! Enjoy everyone!DOWNLOAD NOW...LOG on NOW...and LISTEN NOW: www.seattledjs.podomatic.com...

If you'd like your artist to be on the ALL NEW RELAUNCHED www.RockTheBeatOnline.com  "You're #1 Source For Clean Radio Edits" hit up Ahsan from WRSU at: admin@rockthebeatonline.com  Get your NEW single on our site NOW! Once again for more info contact: Ahsan "The Golden Child" from NJ's Longest Running Hip-Hop show on WRSU at: admin@rockthebeatonline.com  "You're #1 Source For Clean Radio Edits"...

 
Here is an excellent article giving props to Ricky Leigh.He is the man who started the DJ CONF CALLs & gave Mixshow DJ's their recognition.Ricky passed his legacy to me at HITS Magazine back in 1997 so I could do the same with College Radio DJ's.13 years later my RAP ATTACK DJ's have kept that legacy alive. THANK YOU RICKY (R.I.P.):  http://newsroom.mtv.com/tag/ricky-mensh...

Attention RapAttack Fam from Kevin Sakoda: "For the last couple years I've been working closely with a company called Fileblaze (www.fileblaze.net). We offer a fast and flexible solution you can use to manage and send out music, video, and any other large digital files. In addition, Fileblaze also allows you to view/listen to your files right within your browser - over 40 file formats are encoded automatically as soon as you upload, so you can listen to music, watch video, as well as view documents (MS Word/Excel/Powerpoint, pdf, etc.) instantly without having to download anything.
If you get the chance, please log on to Fileblaze.net and check it out for yourself. You can click "Register Now" in the upper right corner of the home page and start testing it out. If you like it, just hit me with an email and I can increase your account storage...just let me know: kevinsakoda@gmail.com "...

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

DJ Chill Will (WCBN-MI): "Been a crazy few weeks which is good when it comes to music and Djing. Also so hot albums are out that seems like people are sleeping on. The Roots new album is dope and the new Big Boi album is also. Also check for the new Skillz joint "Regular Guy" which is fire and I can't wait for the album to drop. If your in the area you can check me out at Salon Vox, Babs Underground Lounge, Smarty Catz and the Scream 3 wrap up party. For more information about me DJ Chill Will got to www.twitter.com/chillwill734 or www.facebook.com/djchill...
 

Shareef Abdullah (WRFL-KY): "Hip Hop and vinyl takes another hit with the closing of the Fat Beats stores. I was wondering how long it would take for the landmark store to succumb to the onslaught of the digital age. For me I just can't understand how you can preserve an art form and culture without the institutions that built it. Indy record stores such as Fat Beats where probably the only outlet underground artist had a chance to move product to make a profit. Once again what a major loss for Hip-Hop! Nevertheless, I would like to salute the Fat Beats stores for keeping the record store model alive for all these years! Respect due!"...

Nate Abney (WKDU-Philly): "What up all my people. Another week has come and gone in August and football season is near. The Phils took the wildcard lead so the run is officially on. Sick of hearing about Larry Fishburne's daughter, and days off are always cherished. Talk to you all later a nap calls"...

DJ Sage (CFRO-Vancouver, BC): "We set it off with a Double Shot from the new album courtesy of our friend Roc C, "Scapegoat". We've had Roc on the show before and will be getting him back in the weeks to come to discuss the project, which we are feeling here at the URP. Hit up Roc at www.MySpace.com/RocThisWay to keep up on all the moves being made by the California vet!

We then got into an interview with Brooklyn mainstays, The Sleepwalkas. We discussed their history in the game, collaborations with the likes of Sadat X, plans for their next project as well as how the collective came together to put out Hip-Hop music that pays homage to the old, looks ahead to the future and deals with the present. Check out The Sleepwalkas on pretty much every social networking site, including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Bandcamp and Reverb Nation!

Tons of tracks, including new material from KRS-One & True Master, some Big L, The Sleepwalkas, Daytona, Marco Polo, The Roots, Senor

Kaos and many more. Check out the podcast soon and check out all the madness that went down tonight. It'll be available right on the URP blog and www.URPRadio.Podomatic.com!

Check out the podcast RIGHT HERE and at www.URPRadio.Podomatic.com  shortly!"...
 

Ahsan "The Golden Child" (WRSU-NJ): "Pardon on last week's top 40. FYI: looking for MCs (emcee) for upcoming 'Art Of MCing' events send press kit info to bookings@artofmcing.com. Also let me know if you would like to get your artist on The Blueprint Radio show for the upcoming Fall season. September is wide open, we can facilitate phone-ins. Check the site we're making efforts (LOL) to keep it up to date: www.TheBlueprintRadio.com "...

Kevin Sakoda (KSPC-CA): "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!"...

D-Tragic (805HipHop.com): "Oh and just started the new show on air 91.9FM – KCSB Santa Barbara “WORD ON THE STREETS RADIO” Thursdays 4-6 Also First Friday of Month 8-10PM “WORD ON THE STREETS RADIO” www.KCSB.org"...

Matt Chan (CJSF-Canada): "Hi all. As my you may or may not know I have relocated to Toronto. I will still be doing my radio show however it will now be pre-taped and I will still be doing my chart. Please send your emails/mp3's/promos/priorities to my new email address: matthew.chanbros@gmail.com  My contact number is (604) 306-6086 however I might be changing it to get a Toronto area code"
132 Chatham Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
M4J-1K7
Canada
 

Here is our address for 2010 to send material for review, etc (vinyl, dvd's & 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: Everyone I ran into at L.A.'s Rock The Bells last Saturday & special THANKS & SHOUTS to: Jessica Weber (Co-Sign), Brother Ali, Mazzi Behi (Def Jam), Freestyle Session's Cross1 & DJ's JayForce (WRFG-GA) & Chill Will (WCBN-MI)!...

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)