Dam-Funk Live on the Bowery

Luckily for us, tomorrow will be the return of Dam-Funk to NYC. Performing live with the 3-piece Master Blazter outfit, Dam-Funk has been building up a steady momentum in L.A. and this show marks the NYC debut of the live Dam-Funk / Master Blazter collaboration. Also, note the inclusion of DJ Spinna – he should be out an especially opt Boogie/Funk honed set. There are some special guests on the bill as well, one bringing a signature, surely memorable, all video-mix to the night.

Dam-Funk with full live band
Wednesday, March 10, 8 PM
Bowery Ballroom, Delancey Street @ Bowery
$13

Chubb Rock and Dres @ SOB’s

Black Monopoly Records & Underboss Entertainment presents a night of Hip-Hop Legends with “The Craft Afterwork Party & Showcase” featuring Chubb Rock & Dres (Of Black Sheep).

Any person that has ever gone to a Hip-Hop dance party since 1991 has heard Chubb Rock’s ubiqituous hit single ‘Treat Em Right’ at some point. However, it’s obvious after hearing Chubb Rock, that the legend is much more than one song. His most recent work was an incredible verse on K’Naan’s sophomore album, on the song ‘ABCs’. Additionally Chubb has a number of notable collaborations, including a duet with Barry White.

Dres got his start as half of the Hip-Hop duo, Black Sheep, which rose to fame in the early 90’s with the release of their debut album, A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing. With the hit single ‘The Choice is Yours’ leading the way with its ubiqitous refrain “You can go with this/ Or you can go with that”, the album was both a critically success and a commercial one. The message was positive and the song quickly shot up the charts and became a Hip-Hop staple. Black Sheep holds the distinct honor of being the first Hip-Hop group to appear on The Tonight Show w/ Jay Leno.

Dres’ solo career began in 1999 with the release of his debut album and since then he has steadily be making music. Dres a smooth lyrical flow that is clever and filled with story-telling ability.

Joining the pioneering duo are some up & coming artists including Kool G Mims, Triad, Nene Blue, Jayci, Bop Karnegie & Protege.

The Craft Afterwork Party & Showcase
Thursday, March 11th, 9PM
SOB’s, 200 Varick Street
$20

After some delays, Lil Wayne actually going to jail? Vows to keep rapping.

From the AP

Lil Wayne has agreed to go to jail in a gun case, but it has proven unexpectedly hard to put him there.

First, the rap star’s sentencing was postponed last month so he could undergo surgery on his bejeweled teeth. Then, a fire shut down Manhattan’s main criminal courthouse while he was on his way there last week.

But Lil Wayne is finally set to be sentenced Monday to a year in city jail, as planned when he pleaded guilty in October to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. He admitted illegally having a loaded .40-caliber semiautomatic gun on his tour bus in July 2007.

The Grammy Award-winning rapper, born Dwayne Carter, has been one of music’s most prolific and profitable figures in recent years. His “Tha Carter III” was the best-selling album of 2008. His latest album, “Rebirth,” was released last month.

Facing jail with his career in full throttle, Lil Wayne has prepared with a burst of work and farewell shows and videos for fans. He said in a video clip sent last week to MTV News that he shot footage for seven music videos with various artists in one night over the weekend.

He told Rolling Stone for a story last month that he planned to keep working behind bars.

“I’ll be still rapping in there, have a gang of raps ready when I come back home,” he said.

With good behavior, he could be released in about eight months.

City jail officials haven’t said where the multiplatinum-selling artist will be housed among their roughly 13,000 inmates. His lawyer has said she plans to ask for protective custody out of concern for safety, as well as his health after his extended oral surgeries.

The Roots, Clipse, Meyer Hawthorne, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Vampire Weekend and Run DMC?

If you enjoy taking in scenic views of Camden, NJ and don’t mind baking in a concrete ampitheater all day, then Penn’s Landing is the perfect place to take in a show. With the lineup at this year’s Roots Picnic, it might just be worth putting up with the heat and the dirty Jerz. The lineup announcement was made via ?uestlove’s Twitter account with the video below. In the vid ?uestlove announces a huge reunion but won’t come out and say who it is. However, based on the footage below it seems pretty clear that Run-DMC will be in the house. The Roots are also working on a new album with the legandary Booker T Jones; love the green onions.

The Roots Picnic
June 5th, All Day
Penn’s Landing Festival Pier, Philadelphia, PA
$66

Shake off that St. Paddy’s Day hangover and go to…. Texas?

Atlanta’s Fadia Kader and the Leaders of the New Cool showcase series are joining forces with URB Magazine to present “South by South NEXT” stage to feature a diverse lineup of Hip-Hop/Urban artists.

AUSTIN, TX – March 3rd, 2010 – On Thursday, March 18th, Peter Rosenberg of Hot 97 with Platinum producer and DJ, Don Cannon, will host a talented and diverse group of artists that reads as a who’s who of today’s most promising emerging acts during URB Magazine’s Official Next 100 stage at Light Bar located at 408 Congress Avenue in Austin, TX. This event will coincide with the popular SXSW festival taking place at the same time. Highly respected promoter, Fadia Kader has paired up with the Leaders of the New Cool team of Hollywood East Entertainment, Free Integrated Media and Soul Rebel NYC, to present this special engagement featuring performances by artists who have previously graced her stages in Atlanta as well as Leaders of the New Cool stages across the country during the past year. All of these artists share one major factor: their ability to redefine the current urban music landscape.

Artists scheduled to grace the URB stage include: 88 Keys, ADaD + Exile, BJ The Chicago Kid, Brittany Bosco, Chiddy Bang, Curtains, Diz Gibran, Dom Kennedy, Don Will, Donnis, El Prez, FKi, Freddie Gibbs, Game Rebellion, Grillade, Hollyweerd, Izza Kizza, Jinx, Kid Daytona, Laws, Mic Terror, Nikkie Jean, Outasight, Pac Div, Phil Ade, Pill, Really Doe, Spree Wilson, Stalley, Tiara Wiles, TiRon, Von Pea, Wil May, XO, Yelawolf, and Young Scolla.

URB is one of North America’s longest running and most trusted independent music publications, covering emergent music and the lifestyles that surround it. Fadia Kader is one of Atlanta’s premier planners of major events and promotions. In addition to her exclusive promotion of Drake’s debut Atlanta performance, Fadia has developed and executed such major events as The Goodie Mob Reunion, and Atlanta’s annual A3C Hip Hop festival. As the Leaders of the New Cool traveling showcase and Internet movement has made its rounds in cities including New York City, Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles, it has quickly be-come a nationally recognized “go-to” for those looking to discover what and who defines the “new cool,” as well as an opportunity for emerging artists to gain exposure.

Fadia Kader and the Leaders of the New Cool Present -URB Magazine Official Next 100 Stage
March 3rd, 2010
Light Bar, 408 Congress Ave
Austin, Texas

See For Change – Bodega Approved Charity Event

See For Change
Thursday, March 25, 6 pm – 10:30 pm
The Griffin, 50 Gansevoort Street NY NY
$25 – Dress to impress

See for Change is s benefit to raise money and resources for youth (ages 4 – 13) in the 5 boroughs and abroad. ALL PROCEEDS are going to the organization New Eyes for the Needy. This organization is better known for sending resources abroad but also helps visually-impaired people locally so that they too can live active and productive lives.

PLEASE BRING ANY USED EYEGLASSES OR SUNGLASSES YOU MAY HAVE. Collection bins will be set up inside the entrance of the venue. The eyeglasses collected in good condition are sent to medical missions and international charitable organizations for distribution to the poor in developing nations. Last year New Eyes provided eyeglasses to 161,000 people in developing nations and 5,167 needy residents of the U.S. It costs $60 to purchase 1 pair of eyeglasses for someone in need. The goal is to raise $10,000 which will give glasses to 166 young people in the 5 boroughs.

There will also be an auction with the following items:

YC the Cynic and Homeboy Sandman

Hot off the presses, er, camera, check out Homeboy Sandman and YC the Cynic throwing down at SOB’s on February 24th.

2nd Round Knockout

Raven gets an exclusive with Canibus and talks with him about many things, including his new album “Melatonin Magik.”

K-OS at Le Poisson Rouge

Kheaven Brereton, aka K-OS (pronounced: chaos) is a bit different than your average MC. A singer as well as a rhymer, and a producer to boot, he can be preachy without being boring. He uses lush, instrument-driven arrangements to go with the traditional hip-hop elements of drum programming and samples as well as acoustic guitar and piano. He turned this well roundedness into a slot opening for Drake on his upcoming college campus tour.

K-OS
Tuesday, March 2nd, 7:30 PM
Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street
$15

Hip-Hop Humanities – Breakdance Lecture

As part of Hip-Hop Theater Festival’s Humanities Series, Joe Schloss Ph.D., will join the legendary Ken Swift in a conversation about aesthetics of Breaking and Rock (two distinct forms of Hip-Hop Dance), cultural history, the need for documentation and the absence of institutional support in preserving the heritage of New York’s Hip-Hop cultural legacy. Come join the conversations contributing to the growing body of discourse around these important forms of urban American culture. The respondent for the evening will be Imani Johnson, Ph.D., who is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Performance Studies at NYU.

A Conversation w/ Ken Swift & Joe Schloss, Ph.D.
Friday, February 26, 2010, 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Tisch School of the Arts, NYC
Free & Open to the Public (Only 60 Seats)

Also check out this mixtape celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Hip-Hop Theater Festival in NYC – DJ Center on the mix:
HHTF 10th Anniversary (Dj Center Mix) by hhtfuser

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