What's Up W/The Blastmaster?

I know that you were asking yourself that very question and thinking: "... I remember KRS-One from back in the day ...". Yeah, those were good time; the BDP - Boogie Down Productions along w/Scott La Rock.

But KRS-One has been solo for some time now and he has always been amongst other things "The Teacha", "the Blastmaster". Schoolin the masses.

I had a chance to interview KRS-One back in the day when I worked for "The Wiz" in Cincinnati. I have a picture somewhere. I'll have to dig it up and post it.

So I was overjoyed when I saw this interview posted on Okayplayer. There's info on the long standing Stop the Violence Movement; talk about memories: remember "Self Destruction"... you gotta remember that joint ...?

Stay up hip hoppers and be on the lookout for the Blastmaster because there is always a message ... kfox

Hey Look ... It's Grandmaster Flash!

Oh, this was such a cool article. Just a little 'day in the life of Grandmaster Flash" from the New York Times.

Check it out: Rewind Time

Oh, and he has a new book coming out “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash: My Life, My Beats,” written w/David Ritz, the music biographer.

I know that you have a memoir in you hip hoppers ... I'm @ the glass ceiling. What's your excuse? kfox.

International Hip Hop

This is good. I don't know what year it was produced, but it's quite positive. It's produced by Nomadic Wax. check out more of their films here. Enjoy hip hoppers.

A Little Vid of Talib, Pete Rock and others

I came across this vid when I was visiting Mick Boogie's webbie Press Play >> Fashion Forward.

As for the vid, it is billed as Talib performs @ the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. I like the vid, but there is not a lot of performance to view. But it's short - 5 min - and sweet.

VIMBY - One Step Beyond: Talib Kweli

Let me know what you think hip hoppers. kfox.

Nas is out there - got get a look!

Nice to know that Nas is getting his hustle on and really promoting his latest release "Untitled". He's out there w/Talib Kweli, Jay Electronica and Green Lantern of a tour called "The Jones Experience". Not only that, but some of his tour dates coincide w/the Rock the Bells Festival dates because both tours are Guerilla Union productions. Tour dates are listed below the vid.

Oh, and check out this recent interview Nas did w/Complex.

Check out Nas' latest vid for "Hero". It seems as if a few of the vids on You Tube have disabled the embedding function. So I went for a Nas classic - "If I Ruled The World":



I know that your discretionary funds are tight, but I think you'll get some bang for your buck on this one.

+denotes Rock the Bells tour dates

+Sat 7/19 Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
+Sun 7/20 Toronto Arrow Hall
Tue 7/22 Montreal, QB Metropolis
Thu 7/24 Burlington, VT Higher Ground
Fri 7/25 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
+Sat 7/26 Boston, MA Comcast Center
+Sun 7/27 Washington, DC Merriweather Post Pavilion
Tue 7/29 Charlotte, NC Amos' Southend
Wed 7/30 Charleston, SC Music Farm
Thu 7/31 Atlanta, GA Center Stage
Fri 8/1 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
+Sat 8/2 Miami, FL Bicentennial Park
+Sun 8/3 New York, NY Jones Beach Amphitheatre
Fri 8/8 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
+Sat 8/9 San Bernardino, CA Glen Helen Pavilion
Sun 8/10 San Diego, CA House of Blues
Thu 8/14 Reno, NV New Oasis
Fri 8/15 Chico, CA Senator Theatre
+Sat 8/16 San Francisco, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
Fri 8/22 Park City, UT Harry O's
+Sat 8/23 Denver, CO Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
Sun 8/24 Austin, TX Emo's
Mon 8/25 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
Tue 8/26 Dallas, TX House of Blues
Thu 8/28 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
Fri 8/29 Detroit, MI Chene Park
Sat 8/30 Champaign, IL Canopy Club
Wed 9/3 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
Thu 9/4 Milwaukee, WI The Rave
Fri 9/5 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
+Sat 9/6 Quincy, WA The Gorge Amphitheatre

It is about getting your hustle on, but it's also about hustling to do the things you want to do ... take some time to enjoy the fruits of summer hip hoppers! kfox.

Hip Hop Theater Festival ... days later

I had intended to write about this before it happened, but oh, well. I did not want it to be a total missed opportunity. And hopefully, there will be some video at some point for those of us who could not make it.

I've been to the Hip Hop Theater Festival in D.C. in 2005. Lots of events in about 5-7 days. Very intriguing stories on the stage w/hip hop as the theme to bring it all together.

Here's the link to the webbie for the Washington, DC events (for the weekend that just passed). There is also a festival in NYC that one is September 23 - October 11, 2008, so you could mark your calendar and witness the thrill in person.

The stage is yours hip hoppers "To be or not to be ..." kfox.

Get Ya Hustle On!

I know that I work hard and so do many others, but do you really get your 'hustle' on? I do okay selling some things and persuading people about, say, participating in community related events. I can even promote my own positive traits.

But the hustle that is the 'hustle' ... I don't know if I'd be able to brave it on a daily basis. I'm really referencing an article in the NY Times about rappers promoting their cds on the streets of New York:
On the Sidewalks, Rappers Peddle Their Own Voices

I really like the audio slide show that compliments the article:
Recreating Himself, One Album at a Time

Here's to getting your hustle on hip hoppers ... and it don't stop! kfox.

Cultural Lesson: The Fist Bump

I thought that it was interesting when the Obama's did the 'fist bump' after he clinched the Democratic presidential nomination.

Check out this brief article in the New York Times for the delayed scoop.

I'm here to help you stay up on things, you can now represent properly, kfox.

Just Getting the Memo ...

... but P.O.S. is on tour. However, if you live anywhere other than the western part of the U.S., you are out of luck.

He's covering a good amount of terrain in his short stint - less than three weeks. So if your sked collides w/his sked, then go ahead and pony up the cash, because he will certainly deliver.

Check out this vid for confirmation:


So go ahead and show P.O.S. some love. He's part of the Rhymesayers crew and that is all good, right?

Get ya grind on hip hoppers, I know I am .... kfox.

What I'm Listening to

I am often on the computer. I produce a weekly list of events that I distribute and it nearly consumes my Wednesday evenings. Love it though; my little 'community service.' So while I whittle away, I like to either watch a bit of television, usually reality TV, and/or listen to some hella good hip hop.

I've been trolling around Imeem, but I usually just go after oldies there. But the OkayPlayer webbie is looking better and better. Lots of good music, vids and just a wealth of information. They have an audio playlist on the front page that I am liking more than a little bit.

I created this screenshot to give you an idea of where the playlist is. I thought the image would be larger, but I think you can at least see the red arrow at the bottom or the image. Then the word circled in red is 'audio.' Check it out. Good stuff.

So the newest music that I actually have on my computer is:

Usher "Here I Stand"
N.E.R.D. "Seeing Sounds"
Amy Winehouse "Frank"

I am so diggin that "Frank." Just good music and original. The N.E.R.D. is cool. I like it, though it reminds me of their last project, which I also liked.

What's new to you and your playlist? Share the musical love hip hoppers ... kfox

Don't Punch Me for Bloggin About the BET Awards

I was on the fence about this post. I know it's over a week old, but that Al Green set was FYE-ur! That's fire if you can't follow my slang; I should keep it simple, right?

I could really give a hoot about who won since many of the winners were not present anyway, but the performances were ... interesting.

Since I've mentioned Al Green, I will focus on that. His musical tribute began w/Jill Scott; followed by Anthony Hamilton and then Maxwell. I enjoyed Scott and Hamilton, but where the hell did they dig up Maxwell. I absolutely LOVED his performance. He looked fly and sounded even better. Where the hell has he been ...?

Now, since the Rev. Al has taken that title, I expected a gospel set. How pleasantly surprised when he broke out w/his classic! His voice was wonderful; he had a sense of humor and everyone was enjoying his performance.

So check out this post on OkayPlayer.com with their recap and a clip of the Al Green performance.

Let's Stay Together hip hoppers ... kfox