Check It ... The Sixth Independent's Day Showcase (Pics)

The sixth Independent's Day Showcase came and went on April 13th. If you were there, you were one of the many that bugged out with us to some dope acts at Southpaw as well as DJ Jon Blak's skills on the turntables. If you weren't, well, I don't know what to tell you. But.....I got pictures to show ya. Haha. Check these out by clicking "Read More". Aight? Aight!

Interview: Two Piece and a Biscuit Interviews @ThroatChopU

As the person who usually does interviews, I always find it odd to be on the other end being interviewed. Well, a week ago through TMB contributor Steph, Dan of Two Piece and A Biscuit reached out to me about being interviewed about The Mad Bloggers, the state of Hip-Hop and Hip-Hop in general. I was humbled by the offer. It was a pretty cool 13 minute conversation with some great questions. Check out what a brother had to say over at twopieceandabiscuit.blogspot.com. Chea!

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Check It ... Fifth Independent's Day Showcase (Pics & Vids)

If you were in the building for our fifth Independent's Day Showcase, you were part of the dope folks that got to experience what we bring to you in the form of these talented artists and their incredible music. They all were hyped and kept the crowd entertained throughout the entire night. We ended with our first ever open mic cypher which added even more intensity to what was an already successful night. All mentioned was caught on camera. Check it by clicking Read More.

Independent's Day Showcase (2/16/11)

Independent's Day Showcase presented by iHeartDilla.com and TheMadBloggers.com February 16, 2011 at Southpaw in Brooklyn, New York. Featuring live performances from Otis Clapp (twitter.com/OtisClapp), BIC (twitter.com/BICAllDay_), Signif (twitter.com/Signif) and Grace Kalambay (www.myspace.com/somegrace). Doors open at 7:30pm. Show begins at 8:30pm and runs through 11. $10 at the door. 18+

Be there!

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Check It ... Hip-Hop at Acoustic Cafe with Sketch Tha Cataclyms w/Full Band, Top $ Raz and Jesse Abraham (Pics)

Shoutout to everyone that came through Acoustic Cafe in Bridgeport, CT to see three great acts.  Top $ Raz, Jesse Abraham and Sketch Tha Cataclysm with his full band performed at the spot bringing energy, a live crowd and most importantly good music.  It's been a great week of music and this last event capped off the week full of dopeness.  The Mad Bloggers (Q and I) were in attendance as well as fellow bloggers Jessica Estevez from iheartdilla.com and Adam from adamsworldblog.com.  Good times with good people and good music.  Definite dopeness.  Click "Read More" to check out all the pics from the night.

Check It ... Fourth Independent's Day Showcase (Pics)

 

Finally, the pictures from our fourth Independent's Day Showcase are here.  It was such a dope night and I think everyone who was in attendance can all agree.  Music was dope, crowd was live, energy was through the roof.  Thank you to everyone who came out, everyone who performed and everyone else in between.  Now...without further ado, click Read More to check out the pictures from the eventful night.

Check It ... Third Independent's Day Showcase (Pics & Vids)

Check out the footage from our third installment of the Independent's Day Showcase we hold at Southpaw. Great night. Dope music. What more do you need? Check out the pics and vids after the jump.

Catch Us On The Internets: Bloggerhouse Mention

Shouts to the folks over at Bloggerhouse.net (Eric, Dart, Trav, O) for the mention in their Blog Love Pt. I post. We're honored to be mentioned in such dope company. Check out the full list over at Bloggerhouse. Chea!

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Check It ... Independent's Day Showcase Pics

On Thursday, October 14th, Jessica Estevez of iheartdilla.com and Q and I of TheMadBloggers.com joined forces to host a show for four independent acts that are doing big things in music. It was our first show of many that we will be holding once a month at Southpaw and the night was successful. Filled with dope Hip-Hop artists, great music provided by DJ Wayne Ski, really cool crowd and all. If you couldn't make it to the show, you definitely missed a fun night. Hope to see you at the next one. Much love and respect to Brokn.Englsh, DJ Wayne Ski, Gramz, Jass Bianchi, TreZure and everyone else who came out to perform and support. Check the pics out after the jump.

Always Remember, Never Forget ... Tha Lady Blogga on 9/11 (Repost)

I remember this day 9 years ago like it was yesterday. It holds especially firm in my mind because I watched the events unfold live across the water in my classroom full of students.

A neighboring teacher alerted me of the crash. He was a character so I thought he was kidding. I continued to teach. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a trail of smoke. When I went to the window and followed the trail, I saw a gaping hole in the Tower side... "Oh Shit!! was my initial thought. But my thoughts were disturbed by the loud rumble of a low, fast flying plane that flew over our heads. When you live in Rockaway, plane rumbles are the norm. The flight path from JFK is always live. Little did I know, that was plane #2.

Now my students are looking too, some of them crying because their parents worked in the Trade Center. As I am trying to calm them but still looking with amazement out the window, the next Tower just blew up.

I panicked and started packing my stuff. And I told the students to pack up too. I had no idea what was going on. I swear, it looked like a Sci-Fi flick when the aliens attack and stuff gets shot at. I didn't know that the plane crashed into the other building until later on. My plan was to take the children (all 25 of them) in my SUV to someplace safe. That was just the panic talking.

Once I came to my senses, I talked to the children and tried to calm them down. I tried to let some kids call their parents but I had no cell service. We were locked down and we tried not to look but my windows had no shades. We kind of had no choice. We watched the buildings crumble and the white smoke engulf Lower Manhattan and drift across the water. The kids were screaming, especially the ones with parents that worked there. I prayed they got out. Some did, some didn't.

I made my way downtown the very next day. The City was chaotic and security around the site didn't exist yet. I remember standing about 5 blocks from the wreckage. I couldn't get any closer because it was too hot. I could feel the heat and the smell the different smells of things burning. I had to see it. I didn't believe it.

In my Social Studies class, history unfolded before our eyes. My condolences go out to the families who lost loved ones in this horrific act of selfishness. Especially Hubert Hinds whose wife, my friend, Clara perished in those buildings. I will always remember. Never forget.


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Egypto Knuckles & TMB - The Labor Day Mix

I'm one big on surprises, so for my post, allow me to present to you the Labor Day Mix.

The mix itself was compiled with the theme of Labor based around it. So here you have 11 jams built around the course of what goes through my mind on a workday. It may sound foolish at times, other times it may sound downright demented but you know, the whole purpose of labor is to work, so regardless of my thoughts, these might work for the rough work day you might be having on your days. Take today (and Monday if you got it off or not) to listen to these songs and reflect. Thanks to my fam over at The Mad Bloggers and my crew, Background Noise for the vision.

Please note: This mix was compiled from artists that are in no way, shape or form affiliated by The Mad Bloggers, Egypto Knuckles or Background Noise Crew, this is simply a labor of love where I wanted to just get this out to the people and open 'em up to new artists you may not be aware of. So without further adieu, go to the Bandcamp link below to download the mix and enjoy!

twitter.com/EgyptoKnuckles

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Tha Lady Converses With A Legend: An Interview With DMC

Legends are important to Hip Hop. Being able to share thoughts and ideas with a Hip Hop legend was almost surreal. I was given the opportunity to have a chat with the King of Rock himself, DMC from the timeless trio, Run DMC. He is buzzing with projects and videos in the works. More importantly, he is running a contest called DMC Wants To Know (click for details). He is asking the public to submit sample playlists for iPod categories. As I am posting this, the theme for this week is Hip Hop. The winner of the contest gets a free iPod, autographed and engraved by the Legend himself.

The interview below can be downloaded and actually placed in your iPods so you can listen to it on the go. We talked about music now, music then and where music is going. It was an very interesting chat and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed interviewing him. Take a few and listen to “A Chat with a Legend...”

Follow DMC www.Twitter.com/TheKingDMC

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The Journey to Hip-Hop ... Milwaukee: The Lab Partners

Peace to the good folks at Uni-Fi Records. I caught The Lab Partners over on their site. Impressed with the music. Check their bio courtesy of Uni-Fi. You can catch more info on them (and other artist) at www.unifirecords.com

"The Lab Partners is a collaborative effort between super producer, The LMNtlyst and emcee, Phantom Channel (Rusty Ps) that began as a random experiment. The result was a pleasant surprise. With no expectations and nothing confining them, the duo created a batch of unique musical specimens. Listening back on the session left them both excited by the prospect of being a part of something so different. The two partook in a few more extremely productive sessions that lead them to begin honing in on the sound they were going for; open and refreshing funk-based metamorphic grooves mixed with an experimental vocal elixir.

What you can expect to hear is a reprieve from the mundane, stereotypical music of late in favor of an honest approach to creating music. There are no samples, only computer manipulated live instrumentation. You won’t be inundated with round after round of lyrical artillery, nor will you be auto tuned out of your mind in an attempt to conform to the current trend in radio airplay. The Lab Partners sound is a lot like ice water on a 95 degree day, exactly what you’re thirsty for.

This project sees Phantom Channel branching out into the world of live instrumentation for the first time, sitting behind the drum kit and handling various other percussive instruments as well as the vocal side of things while The LMNtlyst handles everything from guitar to bass to melodica to keys and xylophone as well as the engineering.

The best music is not over thought, over analyzed or forced. It happens naturally. It’s not until you’re able to truly capture a moment musically that you begin to notice how unique each moment is. The Lab Partners are bottling those moments and pouring you a sonic cocktail."

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"Reach Out" The Lab Partners

Flashback to Def Poetry Jam

I posted this joint a year ago and felt the need to re-post. At the time I had been talking about Def Poetry Jam and recently thought about the show again. Below are some joints I found from the show. Enjoy the post.

"MySpace" by Shannon Matesky

"A Letter to the Law" By Common



"Wife ... Woman ... Friend ..." By Dana Gilmore



"Hell" By Talib Kweli



"Daddy's Song" By Suheir Hammad



"The Ugly Show" By Black Ice



"Worth" By Black Ice

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Check out the new leak for Basic Vocab, "What They Want". Dope track. Enjoy.

"On April 13th, 2010, Basic Vocab (JL Sorrell, Mental Growth and Tony Galvin) return with their sophomore LP, A Better Way, which once again is primarily produced by Tony Galvin.

After leaking "There You Are" f/Donwill (of Tanya Morgan) before the holidays and more recently, "Prescription," today we hit you with "What They Want.""

Basic Vocab "What They Want" [Click to download]


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ETERNIA: 5 Minutes Ago (VID) + KRS-One this Friday!

I'm a huge Eternia fan! I caught this video via email earlier today. Fresh. I felt the need to pass it on.

"Was just feelin' the moment ... I hope you can take it for what it is: a first take of a new rhyme that I was just inspired to write."




Eternia LIVE w/ KRS-ONE!
w/ Chesney Snow, Colin Dean & DJ Boo @ SOUTHPAW in Brooklyn 01/29/10!

125 Fifth Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11217
door time: 8PM / 9PM SHOW
$15 advance / $18 @ the door
21+

Performances by:
Eternia w/ Chesney Snow, Colin Dean & DJ Boo,
Jah C & The AnTiDote, Donny Goines and
The Legendary KRS-ONE

CLICK HERE for TICKETS


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Check It ... Kil Ripkin "Aftermath Part 1"

Check out new music from Kil Ripkin off the upcoming release, "The Balancing Act". This joint, "Aftermath Part 1" is dope! It's currently on repeat. Enjoy!



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Check It ... @MalaReignz featuring AC "Paper Cities"

I caught this track in the email a day or so ago. Once I finally had the chance to listen, I was blown away. A deep and dope track! "Paper Cities" (produced by Mike Cash) is off Mala Reignz's new mixtape, "The Calm Before the Storm", due out January 29. I've heard a few tracks from the project, all VERY dope! Enjoy the track!

"Paper Cities" [Download]


TWITTER.COM/MALAREIGNZ
TWITTER.COM/ACONDEMAND


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A Song For Haiti ... Melanie Fiona "Redemption Song"

A great and fitting cover of "Redemption Song" by Melanie Fiona, sung for Haiti. Like she said, she felt to do her part. Let's also feel to do our part. Hope for Haiti!



Ways to donate:
yele.org
hopeforhaitinow.org
www.redcross.org


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Survival Kit ... Tanya Morgan "Gotcha Opin Original"

Check out the second leak off the Survival Kit Mix CD, dropping tomorrow.

Second leak off the Mick Boogie + nVMe + Duck Down SURVIVAL KIT Mix CD featuring today's rising stars paying tribute to the creators of Survival Skills.

The complete, 11 track mix cd, will be dropping tomorrow, January 21st at 3pm EST at www.duckdown.com/survivalkit

Enjoy Tanya Morgan's version of "Gotcha Opin Original" produced by nVMe

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