NO I.D. | Talks Kanye & Common History | Juan Ep

NO I.D. | Talks Kanye & Common History | Juan Ep

Timbaland Talks the Aaliyah Movie w/ Ebro in the Morning

Timbaland calls into the the Morning show and tells the crew why he went ham on Instagram.

Nas Discovers Family Past On PBS Show Finding Your Roots

Nas is a veteran MC at this stage of the game, he still has lots to learn. The Queensbridge artist appeared on the PBS series Finding Your Roots, and discovered plenty regarding his family’s history.

In its second season, Finding Your Roots, hosted by Harvard University scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., takes its celebrity guests on a trip to the past using DNA testing to reveal to the stars their ancestry. In a panel discussion on Wednesday, Nas spoke about what it was like to learn more about his family tree as reported by the Associated Press.

From the AP:
When Nas became the first rapper invited to trace his family tree through the PBS series “Finding Your Roots,” he welcomed the opportunity.

But it hit him hard when he saw 1859 documentation of an ancestor being sold as a slave, he said during a panel discussion Wednesday.

“First I was enraged when I looked at the bill of sale,” Nas said. “I was like, that guy that owned property owes me some cash. My people made him really wealthy, so maybe I should find his family and talk.”

Joining Nas at the panel discussion as part of the Television Critics Association Press Tour event in Beverley Hills, Ca. were actor Courtney Vance, actress Khandi Alexander, author Anna Deavere Smith, and Gates as well.

Nas says he intends to dig even deeper, but doesn’t have plans to include his discovery in his music.

The second season of Finding Your Roots debuts on PBS Sept. 23. View the preview for the show here.

Twista | History | Chicago

Twista | History | Chicago

Darkhorse Drops August 12. Pre Order the album on iTunes now!

J Dilla's Equipment To Be Featured At Smithsonian's National Museum Of African American History And Culture

By Dennis Lynch/IBT


Ma Dukes poses with gear used by her son, J Dilla.

The Smithsonian Institution will include two pieces of music equipment owned by revered hip-hop producer James “J Dilla” Yancey in its soon-to-be-finished National Museum of African American History and Culture, or Nmaahc.

Yancey’s Akai MPC3000 sampler and his custom-made Minimoog Voyager will be featured at the new museum. His Voyager was one of the last such machines famed synthesizer builder Robert Moog personally made for an artist.

The announcement about the equipment was made at the annual DC Loves Dilla tribute concert in Washington Thursday. The gear was donated by Yancey’s mother, Maureen Yancey, aka Ma Dukes.



“J Dilla’s body of work is a testament to creativity and innovation, the very elements on which hip-hop was founded,” said Timothy Anne Burnside, a music historian for the Nmaahc. “He was fearlessly dedicated to music, following in the footsteps of many musical greats; as a child. he first danced to James Brown, and like Duke Ellington, he was uncannily versatile. It is in the company of the greats that he belongs.”

Yancey, or Dilla, as he’s commonly known, died in 2006, but he produced a hugely influential body of work until his passing from lupus at age 32. Yancey grew up in Detroit and gained recognition for his production work as a part of Slum Village, a hip-hop trio he formed with two friends. He went on to work with A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, The Roots and more. He’s known as one of the most important hip-hop producers ever.

Yancey moved to Los Angeles from Detroit in the early 2000s. His assets were spread between the two cities, and after he became sicker and eventually succumbed to his disease, some of his massive collection of records and demo tapes were lost in the ensuing chaos. Bits and pieces turn up periodically, but this has only added to the late producer’s mystique.

Check out a tape of beats Dilla produced on his beloved MPC3000, which he used until his death:

Hip Hop Beginnings | Cros1 (Freestyle Session/Armory) | Feature Interview | #SXSTV

Cros1 of Freestyle Session, Armory Massive, and Pro Breaking Tour (UDEF) sat down with Step x Step to give history on his beginnings with Hip Hop culture and all the elements involved. Cros also explains his organizing Freestyle Session, starting Armory Massive, and the evolution of Bboying.

We are excited to continue this interview feature series with Cros1, a true legend and influential individual for Hip Hop, street dance, and communities around the world.



Armory Hip Hop:
http://www.armoryhiphop.com/

Pro Breaking Tour:
http://www.udeftour.org/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxRS...
https://www.facebook.com/UDEFtour

Off The Wall | The Clark Family Treasures At Christie's

One of the first American titans of industry, William A. Clark (1839-1925) founded Las Vegas through his railroad ventures and also served as Senator of Montana in the early 1900s. In his lifetime, he amassed an incredible fortune and a trove of treasures that reflect American history during the late 1800s.



Here, Life + Times takes a look at Clark's collection on auction at Christie's--acquired from his famous reclusive daughter, Huguette Clark--including artwork from John Singer Sargent, literature from Walt Whitman, and one of the greatest viiolins ever made.

Slug & P.O.S. | Talks

Slug & P.O.S. Talks Kidney Transplant, Soundset History, & If Popular Artists Matter at the Festival.

It seems like it was just yesterday when Atmosphere's Slug stopped by Sway in the Morning to discuss the Soundset Festival, and now he is back. Rappers P.O.S. spoke about his kidney transplant and why he did not write music during that time. Also, Slug talked about the history of the Soundset Festival and how it differs from other music festivals.

CASTE x Magenta | Part 2

Part two of CASTE‘s collaborative project focusing on the history, perspectives and approach surrounding the identity of France based, Magenta Skateboards.
During travels to Paris, Bordeaux, and San Francisco over the past year, Magenta’s Soy Panday, Vivien Feil, Leo Valls, Jimmy Lannon, Ben Gore and Yoan Taillandier have helped illustrate the ideas that embody a brand pushing in their own direction.



http://www.magentaskateboards.com

SpinMasta Saul | BRICKHEADZ | Power Style Radio

Saul Portillo aka SpinMasta of the Legendary BRICKHEADZ on Power Style Radio, this Tuesday February 11, 2014.

Seattle Seahawks | Derrick Coleman | Duracell Commercial That Will Give You Chills

The above words are spoken by Seattle Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman in a breathtaking commercial for Duracell.

A 60-second spot that tells the story of Coleman’s life, from the time he lost his hearing until now.

Coleman is the first and only legally deaf offensive player in NFL history.

The Iconic Artist | Chuck D

Serato is proud to share a new piece we made with Chuck D from Public Enemy. His booming raps became a soundtrack for resistance in the '80's and Public Enemy continue to be one of the most iconic groups in Hip Hop. We're also working together to release a special Serato Pressing later this month.



Music:

'Get Up Stand Up'
By Public Enemy

'Can't Truss It'
By Public Enemy

'Shut Em Down'
By Public Enemy

'Everything'
By Public Enemy

'I Shall Not Be Moved'
By Public Enemy

#TBT KRS One Details Early Hip-Hop History

Back in the day, KRS One sat down with Rugged Entertainment filmmaker Peter Spirer, where he detailed the early history of hip-hop, and what it means to him.

Art Talk | Mike Brown

Mike Brown is a tattoo artist who, if you know your history, always comes up when people talk about those who pioneered tattooing in the late 1970s. He worked at China Sea (formerly owned by Sailor Jerry), ground zero for traditional American tattoos, and at the birthplace for black grey penitentiary-style tattoos, Good Time Charlie's Tattoo Land. His life has had some ups and downs over the years, and they've made him a little hard to track down if you're looking to get a Mike Brown tattoo. But we had the chance to visit Honolulu in January and made sure to stop by the shop Mike works at to ask him about the old days. He still tattoos five days a week, and we'd wager that most people who see him have no idea about his pedigree. His portfolio alone is a history lesson in tattooing, with everything from the most beautiful Chola's, Pin Ups, mean ass biker skulls, and touristy sea turtle tats. Mike Brown still does it all, and does so with the most humble manner.

DANNY DAN THE BEATMAN (History)(Biz Markie Producer|DJ) #DustyFingers

The heavy beat-diggers out there amongst you will know the name DANNY DAN THE BEATMAN. Either from his brief appearance in the short movie THE FUNK HUNT (where he takes a headbutt for his records!), or simply for being a legendary bronx veteran with an incredible arsenal of dope ass breakbeats - there's no denying this cat's qualifications. DANNY DAN grew up in the early days of Hip Hop and had already begun to DJ Funk, Soul and R&B from the age of 13, but was later influenced by the legendary KOOL DJ HERC to become a drum break junkie. He was fascinated by watching him spin two copies of the same record mixed seamlessly back-to-back.

He hailed from the Bronx 183rd street, and in this area DAN and his crew would rule the streets from 1975 to 1984 involved in organising and spinning at street jams, block parties, school yards etc.. This is where he earned his reputation as a master of drum breaks. DANNY tells us...
"THE TWO TUFF BROS, TBB CREW...we had some good times, we had it all - real B-Boys & B-Girls just havin' fun..... JOJO, MONGO, SPY, TRAC 2, WHITE BOY TRACE, BOM 5, RIP 7, BATCH, ABBY, WEBBLES, JIMMY DEE, JIMMY LEE, MR FREEZE, FROSTY FREEZE, LEFTY, MIKE MIKE, BIG LEE, LEON, 2TUFF FRED, EDDIE ED, KIN 1, SHICK SALSA, SLICK2, WASP 1, OZ 109, TRACY 168, KING 2, CHI CHI 133, P.NUT 2, CLIFF 159 and many other they all came to rock the house including DJ DESTINY, DJ BUCK O, DJ ECSTASY, DJ JONNY JOHN, DJ MIKE MIKE, DJ PILL 170, and the one and only MIX MASTER SUPREME, not forgetting FUNK MASTER J..."



But DANNY DAN is also known for creating dope beats for artists including Biz Markie's "You Got What I Need", Doo Wop and The Bounce Squad's "Hit em in the Head" and many more. He was also the man responsible for the hugely popular DUSTY FINGERS break comp series and has now compiled a treasure of the rarest break beats in the Dusty Fingers collection and now presents his first CD release, DUSTY FINGERS - THE MIX CD. THE BEATMAN has returned to his dusty archival collection only to discover over 50 more rare tracks including more rare international break beats from far afield including Europe. DUSTY FINGERS - THE MIX CD contains over 50 rare break beats that are almost impossible to find. You can preview & purchase DUSTY FINGERS - THE MIX CD at ROCKNSOULRECORDS.

It can be argued that DUSTY FINGERS was the first breakbeat comp to continually go beyond the well-travelled world of LENNY ROBERTS's much revered Ultimate Breaks and Beats series. I'm sure many of you will remember how DUSTY FINGERS was very much shrouded in mystery (is it Diamond D?). DAN made a quantum leap in the digging world, introducing many to euro-breaks, badder than the original cover versions, and also that elusive genre known as library records.

"For the first time DANNY DAN THE BEATMAN has been commissioned to create a mix from the series. With such incredible source material, it'd be hard to fuck this up, but Dann does an excellent job playing guide through the now massive catalogue. There's 57 tracks in total, with just enough editing (tracks average about 1:30 in length) and nicely timed doubles. Well over an hour of music." - Turntable Lab

Big Daddy Kane Tells Untold Pac/Biggie Stories | Rakim

Stay tuned for part 2!

Thisis50 & Young Jack Thriller recently spoke with Big Daddy Kane for an exclusive interview!

In part 1 of our interview, Big Daddy Kane talks about people debating if he is better than Rakim or not, being almost the same age as Jay-Z, his generation of Hip-Hop, remembers Biggie not wanting to collaberate with a certain big artist because he was a biter, having sex with a girl before Tupac did & much more!



Follow @bigdaddykane @jackthriller @thisis50

Talib Kweli | No One Wanted To Hear Kanye West Rap

Famed Brooklyn rapper Talib Kweli opens up about his relationship with Kanye West, which started when Kanye showed up to the studio to drop off beats for Mos Def, and the two hit it off from the start. He also explains how Kanye's passion has always led him to be outspoken, which Talib gave an example of with a story of Kanye opening up for him at the House of Blues in Chicago.

Shawn "Pecas" Costner | THE ROUND UP w/ Shaheem Reid

Today on The Round Up, Shaheem travels to his home borough, Queens, to meet up with new executive VP of Def Jam Records, Shawn "Pecas" Costner at his steakhouse, S Prime. Costner talks growing up in the Bronx with Big Pun and J. Lo, being inspired to write sitcoms by Lucille Ball, and the meaning behind his nickname, "Pecas", as well as becoming one of the most influential people in the music business.

Photographer | Sante D'Orazio's | Off The Wall

Photographer Sante D'Orazio takes JAY Z's Life+Times on a guided tour of his recent auction at Christie's. Hailing from Brooklyn, D'Orazio has shot some of the most iconic people in the world -- ranging from Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Pamela Anderson to Keith Richards, and artist George Condo -- to create timeless images. Here, he speaks on how he captured these moments, and the concept of "icons."

Kid Capri on What "Master of the Mix" Has Done for Music

Legendary Bronx DJ Kid Capri explains what his show, "Master of the Mix," has done for music and how it's adding to the world of music. Kid Capri also discusses how the show came about and why he still stands behind it.