History
Behind The Scenes: The Making Of The Pharcyde’s ‘Drop’ Video
March 27, 2011
Before he began focusing his interest into doing feature length films, Spike Jonze was a dope video music director for not only rock bands but he also was the mind behind the Pharcyde’s classic ‘Drop’ video. I knew the Pharcyde’s ‘Drop’ was a hot record the first time I heard it, but when the video actually dropped it became the tipping point to pushing the song & video into classic status. Check out the making of the video above & under the hood the finished product for which I’m sure you’ve already seen at one point or another….Classic
Happy Birthday Teddy Pendergrass (1950-2010)
March 26, 2011
Happy Birthday to one of the greatest R&B legends ever…..Teddy Pendergrass makes me proud to be from North Philly. Take a moment to remember how his life & music continues to lives on….check out some of my favorite songs from Teddy P & a few tribute mixes that follow….. Happy Birthday Teddy P! Â (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010)
TEDDY PENDERGRASS – WHEN SOMEBODY LOVES YOU BACK
TEDDY PENDERGRASS – BELIEVE IN LOVE (PHILLY REMIX)
DOWNLOAD: DJ WONDER – TEDDY PENDERGRASS HIP HOP SAMPLES TRIBUTE MIX
Posted in Hip-Hop, History, Mixtapes, Music, R&B | 
Tags: Happy Birthday, Philly, Philly Soul, RIP, TEDDY PENDERGRASS | 
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Pharoahe Monch Talks About Working With Nate Dogg (Video)
March 23, 2011
Riding high with the release of his banging new album ‘W.A.R.’ (We Are Renegades), Pharoahe Monch took time out to reflect on his time working with Nate Dogg for the Rawkus single release of ‘Oh No’ featuring Mos Def. Back then I remember people saying it was an odd collaboration that worked because Nate Dogg was just so West Coast G-Funk while Mos Def & Pharoahe were firmly cemented in New York’s hardcore underground hip hop scene. We added the video under the hood…..
DJ Premier On His First Time Meeting Bumpy Knuckles & Guru (Video)
March 23, 2011
Posted in Hip-Hop, History, Videos | Tags: Bumpy Knuckles, DJ Premier, Guru, Interview | No Comments »
Media Gasface: The Dean Brothers (Video)
March 22, 2011
“Meet the Dean Brothers, TD and Waah :
the first one fathered Swizz Beatz, and the second one the whole Ruff Ryders movement.
You know when people say Kool Herc is the roots to it all ?
That’s true for these guys too, only litteraly : the man was living in the apt under them back in the 70’s.
Ain’t that unexpected ? So is learning that the blueprint of DMX’s career was designed by Mount Vernon’s most notorious Overweight Lover, Heavy D.” -Gasface
Posted in Cover Story, Hip-Hop, History, Videos | Tags: DMX, Gasface, Interview, Media Gasface, Ruff Ryders, Swizz Beatz, TD, The Dean Brothers, Waah | No Comments »
Jay Smooth Provides Excellent Insight On The Legacy Of Nate Dogg (Video)
March 21, 2011
Jay Smooth is one of my favorite commentators on the web but he hasn’t been doing his video blogs in quite some time. In fact, he hasn’t been on twitter as much & I kinda miss his commentaries on a variety of issues. Jay Smooth is usually on the money when it comes to music, politics, & just about anything other topic that is being debated throughout our days. His strength is in his ability to adequately break down complex thoughts into cohesive video blogs that end up saying exactly what you were thinking in a very intelligent manner. Jay Smooth does it again in this most recent video blog in expressing what exactly made Nate Dogg a significant figure in music. Any & everything that I wanted to say about my feelings about Nate Dogg is broken down expertly in a little over 2 minutes by Jay Smooth in the video above…..
Posted in Hip-Hop, History, Videos | Tags: Commentary, Jay Smooth, Nate Dogg, Opinion | No Comments »
Classic Clips: Pete Rock – “The Making of Soul Survivor” (Video)
March 21, 2011
To Hip Hop enthusiasts, Pete Rock is generally considered one of the top 5, if not the best Hip Hop producer of ALL TIME. His classic horns, bass lines,melodic pianos, James Brown samples, and gritty drums generated a signature sound to produce timeless joints such as “The World is Yours” and “T.R.O.Y”. I always though it was dope when artists gave glimpses into their world as they were creating material, so as a fan we can see what their creative process is and how they get down. Well this documentary gives us a look into the Chocolate Boy Wonder’s world as he was creating what I would consider a classic in “Soul Survivor”. With the likes of Ghostface, Big Pun, Mc Ehit, Nore, Sticky Fingaz, Prodigy, Inspectah Deck, Kurupt, CL Smooth, Method Man, Raekwon, Tragedy Kadafi, Cappandonna, Heavt D, O.C, Common, Large Pro, Kool G Rap, Black Thought, and Beenie Man, some would agree that this may be one of the great all time line up’s for a solo/concept album (I would throw Prince Paul’s Prince of Thieves in the there too). With PR’s navigating and directing this magnum opus of a project , no artist seemed out of place, and each track banged out as they transitioned into each other smoothly creating a great album flow. Check the the rest of history in the making after the jump!-Isreal Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Hip-Hop, History, Music, Producers, Videos | Tags: Hip HIp Documentary, Hip Hop, Pete Rock, Soul Survivor | No Comments »
The Child From Biggie’s Classic ‘Ready To Die’ Album Cover Is 18
March 20, 2011
The NY Times was able to locate the kid who appeared on the Notorious B.I.G.’s classic album cover for ‘Ready To Die’. 18 year old Keithroy Yearwood said his mother was paid only $150 for the 2 hour shoot, but he just wanted people to know that it was him on the cover as he became older. He says when he turned 8 is when it began to hit him after seeing friends & family hanging posters of the album on their walls. Yearwood says he wanted people to at least know it was him on the iconic cover, but many people including family didn’t believe him. Yearwood says it was a honor to be on such an iconic album & adds that his favorite Biggie songs today are “Juicy” & “Big Poppa”.
Keon Supreme – ‘Just Cause’ (Album)
March 20, 2011
Keon Supreme is a visual hip hop artist from Claremont California who just dropped his second full-length project entitled ‘Just Cause’. I took the time to give it a listen over the weekend & thought it sounded pretty good from the concept, the storytelling, & the most importantly the music itself. The album plays out like the day in the life of an average guy with dreams & aspirations to move beyond the regular 9 to 5 to pursue his passion. The overall theme is ‘Love’ as it pertains to the love of family, friends, a girlfriend, & most importantly loving what you do. Key tracks include ‘Lobster Talk’, ‘Roll It Up’, ‘Pretty Lady’, & my favorite from this project ‘Joyride’ that I posted below, but you’ll really appreciate the concept when you listen to how the project flows from beginning to end. It’s a free album so you can download the entire project from the link provided & should you want an hard copy of the project Keon Supreme does have a pay link on his bandcamp page. Check out his EPK here
KEON SUPREME – ‘JOYRIDE’ FEAT. BLAKFACE
The Legendary Kurtis Blow Gives A History Lesson With ‘Fokis’ (Video)
March 20, 2011
Kurtis Blow links up with our homie Fokis for a special interview that allows the Hip Hop Legend to go deep with the wisdom & many stories from his lengthy career in music. Part two of this interview is under the hood……
Sway Calloway Is ‘Living Proof’ Interview Part I, II, & III (Video)
March 17, 2011
Part 2 of the interview under the hood…..
Read the rest of this entry »
A Tribe Called Quest Discuss Problems With Their Documentary On MTV (Full Video)
March 17, 2011
Posted in Cover Story, Hip-Hop, History, Videos | Tags: A Tribe Called Quest, ATCQ, Documentary, Interview, Jarobi, Michael Rapaport, MTV, Phife, Q-Tip, Sway, Sway Calloway | No Comments »
DJ Culture & History: Philly Jam ’85 At The 52nd St YMCA (Audio)
March 16, 2011
Posted in Hip-Hop, History, Music | Tags: DJ, DJ Culture, DJs, Live Performance, Live Recording, Philly, Philly Jam '85 At The 52nd St YMCA | No Comments »
Q-Tip Tells His Side Of The Story About The ATCQ Documentary (Video)
March 15, 2011
Hmmmmm……I have a feeling that the movie may show Q-Tip in a really negative light according to people who have saw the movie already ….
Posted in Hip-Hop, History, Videos | Tags: A Tribe Called Quest, ATCQ, Jarobi, Michael Rapaport, Phife, Q-Tip | No Comments »
The History Of Reggae Music In The UK Documentary (Video)
March 14, 2011
Check out this great documentary from the BBC about the history of reggae music as it immediately captured the hearts of fans in the UK from the 60’s to present day. British bands & artists of every genre from rock, pop, soul, & others were influenced by the reggae music that came from Jamaica & it was evident in the sounds that these bands were producing. The documentary is about an hour & a half long, but very interesting and educational if you are a fan of musical history like us.
Posted in History, Reggae, Videos | Tags: Dancehall, Lovers Rock, Music History, REGGAE | No Comments »
Rare Footage Of Tupac At 19 Years Old During The Movie ‘Juice’ Filming (Video)
March 12, 2011
Check out this video of some rare footage of Tupac during the time he was filming the movie ‘Juice’ with Omar Epps & Khalil Kane. The raw & largely unedited video captures some truly candid moments of Tupac in the studio & with the fellas as they kick it during down time on the movie set.
Posted in Hip-Hop, History, Videos | Tags: Film, Juice, Khalil Kane, Movies, Omar Epps, Rare Footage, Tupac | No Comments »
Steve Rifkind Talks About The Rapidly Changing Music Industry (Video)
March 10, 2011
If you don’t know who Steve Rifkind is by now you need to go do some serious research. In the video above he drops some serious jewels as to why the music industry is in such a disasterous condition at the moment.
Raekwon, Fred The Godson, & Lil Cease Biggie Tribute (Video)
March 10, 2011
Raekwon, Fred The Godson, & Lil Cease paid homage to Biggie in NYC last night commemorating the 14th anniversary of Biggie’s passing…..
Posted in Hip-Hop, History, Videos | Tags: Biggie, Fred The Godson, Lil Cease, Notorious B.I.G., Raekwon | No Comments »
