sprite in my left hand

Question: The Large Professor and this Nubian MC appeared together in a Sprite Commercial in the mid 90's
Answer: Grand Puba

Corporate brands like Boost and Scion are not the first to use Hip-Hop to move product and up their own cool factor. Before Boost used weird effeminate rappers in their ads, Sprite had some real Hip-Hop heads calling the shots. These 90's commercials also featured Pete Rock and CL Smooth, KRS and MC Shan and Kid N Play (don't front, they were cool at one point). Speaking of Boost, who is that dude in the commercial with Jeezy and Jermaine Dupri?

(Side note: kids beware of corporate representatives who talk in big words that make no sense. They really are full of s**t)

grand puba = very special

ABOVE: A rare Elektra Records promo video for Grand Puba Maxwell - dope 10 minute piece on one of the Greatest of the Greats.

operation two videos

The classic Operation Lock Down... THIS is the video I remember... never saw the 'original' above. I wonder who's idea it was to scrap this one and go the pow-wow route. I mean, you gotta commend them for wanting to exercise some creative muscle, i.e. a make-up and costuming budget - which is always welcome. Just saying, the shadow walker creepy room with the preschool intro is pretty fantastic too.

fresh denim

Fresh Daily will be making an appearance at Denim's B-day party tonight. Check out the Knitting Factory for all of the details.

western union

Question: These two MC's were collectively known as the Cali Agents
Answer: Rasco and Planet Asia

Does anybody remember Footwork in Philadelphia? The one in Philly was run by Rich Medina before he decided to become the superfunkadelic DJ that he is now. Footwork was the brainchild of Bobbito Garcia, serial Hip-Hop entrepreneur. The NY store was in the original Fat Beats location (9th bet 1st and 2nd?). The Philly store was without a doubt the illest record store I had ever seen. It had ill 12"s, albums, and gear. I still remember the tfs jacket I copped there. Anyway, I digress. One day while I was in Philly kicking it with Rich and Steph Tatas, they put me onto the self-titled Planet Asia joint. This EP is why Planet Asia can still put out records. Everyone is waiting for that magic to return. One of the best indie releases ever.

The Soulbrother Rasco was Peanut Butter Wolf's Madlib when the Bad Kid was still cutting demos with the Lootpack. Together they should have been Rae and Ghost. The 1st Cali Agents record never really lived up to expectations. I think the somewhat disappointing album took a lot of the shine off the both of them. Remember kids: you only get one chance to make a good impression.

BONUS: A COUPLE BANGERS OFFA PB WOLF'S CULT-CLASSIC, 'MY VINYL WEIGHS A TON'
PLANET ASIA • IN YOUR AREA

RASCO • HOLD UP

last minute love...

Not doing anything later this evening? Then come to the Highline Ballroom where a showcase of artistic talent, hosted by none other than Uncle Ralph. Also, Maya Azucena, a performer at the 2006 BHF will be there to bless the mic with her vocals. The Highline Ballrom is located at 431 W. 16th St. Between 9th & 10th Ave. in Manhattan. For more details check out Fusicology.

hempstead high

The Ruffian's Random Rapper Spotting of the weekend: Grand Daddy I.U.
Details are sketchy, but Ronzo Bonzo found himself kicking it in LI yesterday with the "Smooth Assassin". We figure that's enough of a reason to dedicate a Monday morning post to the kid old man.

SOMETHING NEW
DON'T STRESS ME
SUGAR FREE
THE U IS SMOOTH

it's friday...

TONIGHT AT THE KNITTING FACTORY!! Get a jump on the weekend with one helluva dope show. Longtime homie J-Live and recent BHF performer Homeboy Sandman round out the line-up. BE THERE!

Deja Vu All Over Again...

Another Bodega approved event at Libation this Thursday. This time it's a birthday celebration for Hot 97's Peter Rosenberg and an after-party for KRS-One's show at East River Park. Uncle Ralph will be in the building, spinning classics with the birthday boy. For more info on this check out Fusicology.

For more info on KRS-One's free performance at East River Park, click here.

KRSening

Tee Smif has his newborn officially blessed by His Hip-Hop-Holiness...

tone's daps

TONIGHT!! IN MONEY MAKING MANHATTAN!! IT'S WHO THE F%#K STOLE TONE'S CAMERA??!?
A BENEFIT BLOW-OUT FOR NY PHOTOG AND ALL GOOD DUDE, TONE

Featuring the party rocking talents of DJ SOUL, AMIR, DJ EQUAL, SYNAPSE, MELO X, 2 HUNGRY BROS, $AUCEY, and O SPINDLES... Hosted by a gaggle of night-life familiars! $10 suggested donation puts you in the raffle, feat. giveaways courtesy of a whole bunch of dope motherlovers. Plus the cash goes to TONE's new camera fund (he got his jacked recently, as the party's title so delicately suggests) Good reason to throw a party -- COME THROUGH!

SUTRA LOUNGE • 16 FIRST AVENUE BTWN FIRST & SECOND STREETS • 9PM

call and respond

We managed to brave the heat Friday night just long enough to drag our asses to Central Park for Uncle Ralph's All-Star VMB 25th Anniversary Extravaganza. The place, although roof-less, was packed to the gills - and needless to say, the over 30 crowd was in full effect. This was a plus, as it's far more enjoyable watching Special Ed kill it with a sea of people screaming back entire versus at the kid like it was 1990. For real, there were ladies swooning for Ed like you would expect your 15 year old-cousin to behave at a Chris Brown concert.

Other highlights included Schooly D's dusted rendition of PSK (he let the whole beat rock in it's entirety before rapping the lyrics accapella, and then finally syncing the two a third time around) and Milk Dee of Audio Two's spirited performance of (what else) Top Billin'. Crowd participation reached a fevered pitch at that point, and Milk responded in kind, nailing every line right on beat - a task many of his "old-school" peers seemed to find difficult in the 90+ degree heat.

Thankfully, it appears the homie Dante Ross was in the place to be - camera in hand. Above is a clip he caught of Treach and Vin Rock midway through Hip-Hop Hooray. See what we're saying about trailing the beat? Just sayin'. Check Dante's blog for more videos, including Mr. Cheeks of the LB Fam, Chubb Rock's G-Rated anthems, and Nice & Smooth getting funky for all.

a man of the people

KRS & Uncle Ralph choppin' it up post performance. Plus: Kris doing drops, interviews, signing autographs, philosophizing, and blessing little babies into the twilight. You gotta love it!

big ups to State Of The Arts Ent. for the footage.

it's the OFFICIAL

Crazy big dookie shout-outs to HIP-HOP OFFICIAL for the lovely BHF08 spot they cooked up (see above) -- we keep telling you, more on the way!

say uncle

above: sucio paying his respects. photo by robert adam mayer

Still haven't had your fill of classic hip-hop at dope outdoor events? You are greedy, but much like a generous grandparent, New York shall keep on giving. Tomorrow night, Central Park Summer Stage welcomes our Uncle Ralph as he celebrates the 25th Anniversary of his seminal music video program VIDEO MUSIC BOX. Scheduled performers include inhale DJ Jazzy Joyce, The Crash Crew, TSki-Valley & Spoonie Gee, Luv Bug Starski, Sugar Hill Gang, Joe Ski Love, Entouch, Special Ed, Dana Dane, Naughty By Nature, DJ Clark Kent, Ralph Ray Dejon, OC, Chubb Rock, Jeru Da Damaja, Milk Dee, DJ Chuck Chillout, Jeff Redd, Red Alert, DJ Kid Capri, and Nice N Smooth exhale!
...and that's only the confirmed list, people.

The show is FREE - check right here for more details.

the howling comes to bk

So if you (like us) are not going to be in LA this coming August for PB Wolf's 888 party madness advertised above, maybe you (like us again) can take a minor amount of solace in the fact that he'll be coming to BK this week. That's right chilluns, the Birdman/Baby of Stonesthrow Records PEANUT BUTTER WOLF will be at Studio B this Thursday night, the 17th of July. Check the flyer and cop your discounted tickets before the show RIGHT HERE... We'll see you in Greenpoint.

***BONUS: CHARIZMA & PEANUT BUTTER WOLF RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT

if youtube it...

KRS ONE
BUCKSHOT
DJ PREMIER
KEITH MURRAY
JERU THA DAMAJA
BLU & EXILE
MICKEY FACTZ
FRESH DAILY
HOMEBOY SANDMAN

There are a ton of videos on Youtube from Saturday - good looks to all who have posted them. More BHF08 wrap-up on the way, including interviews, overviews, and other views...

thank you brooklyn

photos by sunburn james - frank and photo rob have tons of pics too - lots more on the way!

respect the fresh

We collaborated with rising fashion house Emperial Nation to create some one of a kind t-shirts. We posted some pics of them the other day in the Festival section, but we have more info for those interested: T-shirts are $15 and will be available on site at The Fest. They are limited edition and a definite collector's item.

tomorrow night!!

FRIDAY, JULY 11TH • HIGHWATER MUSIC PRESENTS...BROOKLYN KEEPS ON TAKING IT Night One of the 2008 Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival!!

Live performances by Sadat X, Fresh Daily, Sputnik Brown, P.Casso + More! W/ DJ Sucio Smash
powerHouse Arena 6-9pm • 37 Main Street, Dumbo / Brooklyn

FREE! No Tickets Required. Complimentary refreshments, courtesy of the good folks at Brooklyn Brewery. More info about High Water Music right here.

Put On: Sucio Smash

Still not sure about Sucio Smash? Find out a little bit about him in this video.

in case you ain't heard...

For those that still haven't heard, the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival is having a special promotion. If you take this embed lil' playlist right here and post it on your blog, Mypsace, Facebook, etc. and send the link to imeemcontests@gmail.com, you could win some fly gifts. Check out our Imeem page for more details...

krs meets premier

THREE (+ about a half) DAYS AND COUNTING TIL THE 2008 BHF! In honor of our legendary headliners, we've put together a nice lil' 9 track compilation of Premier produced KRS tracks: 3 from his self-titled album, 6 from Return Of The Boom Bap. Just a sample. Stay tuned...

• KRS ONE ATTACKS
• OUTTA HERE
• MORTAL THOUGHT
• I CAN'T WAKE UP
• P IS STILL FREE
• HIGHER LEVEL

• RAPPAZ R.N. DANJA
• MC's ACT LIKE THEY DON'T KNOW
• WANNABEMCEEZ

DOWNLOAD HERE/NOW!!

who is sputnik brown?

With the Festival just days away, we figure we put you on to Sputnik Brown, one of the acts who will be showing off their respective talents at the powerHouse Arena on Friday evening. So who exactly is Sputnik Brown? They are the following:

• A rap group down with High Water Music
• A trio of creative souls
  
• One of freshest acts in the underground Hip-Hop scene

Check them out on Myspace.

NEWS 7/7/08

•Two for one: Just a little leak from last week to get you ready for the Fest. Called "Keep Moving," the track features Mickey Factz and Fresh Daily, two of the finest that will grace the stage this weekend. Enjoy! NAH RIGHT

•Lots o' candles on this cake: The legendary Rock Steady Crew celebrates its 31st birthday this month. For the occasion, the crew will celebrate with a four-day event starting with a "celebrity benefit basketball challenge and Against The Grain Concrete B-boy/B-girl battle on July 24 at The Cage in New York City." Mark your calenders. ALLHIPHOP

•Yay! A top ten list: Last summer was more friendly to top ten lists; not so much this summer. So it's good to see XXL put this collection of indie artists together. Can you count how many on this list are going to be at the BHF this year? XXL

happy 4th of july

must be deja vu

Not doing anything tonight? Bring in July 4th at Libation tonight over on 137 Ludlow (btwn Stanton and Rivington). Hot 97's Uncle Ralph & Peter Rosenberg will be assisting with the music for the evening. Free before 12:30 am (for more details peep Fusicology).

oklahoma!

Seattle Supersonics / NBA Chamionship, 1979

"its ironic, I had the brew she had the chronic / the lakers beat the supersonics" - ice cube

Did you hear the news? The Seattle Supersonics are leaving Seattle. 41 years of history, bought and sold, and moving to The Sooner State. Oklahoma City, OK to be exact. While Seattle must be reeling from the loss, Oklahomans are no doubt very excited about the impending move. Expansion sports teams bring great boosts to any metropolitan economy, not to mention the urban renewal programs surrounding the new stadium construction. New bars, clubs, shops, restaurants; all byproducts of a revived sports community. And the very best part of all? RE-NAMING YOUR TEAM!!

Like if when the Nets move to Brooklyn for example, we're gonna rename them "The Brooklyn Bull-Shits" or something equally hip hop. We have to - I'm pretty sure Hovito put that in the contracts somewhere. But how unbelievably HIP HOP of OKlahoma would it be for them to name their new team "The OK Players"? MAN!! Then they could draft a bunch of dudes from Philly, maybe start some online message boards...

real talk!

If memory serves correctly, this little banger came out on a Hiero compilation a few years back, just before the phrase REAL TALK lost all of it's meaning and gradually became down right insulting. Never saw the video, but it's a good example of how dope Ladybug Mecca is/was/will be at the Fest... wink wink, nudge nudge.

NEWS 7/2/08

•He makes commercials now too: Kanye, through his connection with Absolute Vodka, is now making humorous commercials. And yes, he's using it as yet another avenue to exploit how amazing a musician he is. Granted though, this little clip is funny. Fake tigers always seem to work: WOOOHAH

•Pump your breaks: Six more tracks leaked yesterday from Nas' previously Untitled album. Then you have the actual album getting pushed back two more weeks and you start to hope homie has a few new songs for us on the new album... SMOKING SECTION

Bridging The Gap

Whoop...Whoop...The Festival is in 11 days!

If you're not familiar, get familiar. Before Mickey was stirring up interest & controversy with "50 Shots (I'm Sean)", Kris was doing the same with this above recording.

the wild cowboy

Just added to our FREE Friday July 11th date at powerHouse... The Dead Eye, With the Red Eye, From Chi to L.I... The Great Datty X

Sadat has so many classic lines, it's not even funny. Most of my favorite non sequiturs hardly even rhyme... shit like "I'm responsible for that body in the alley / I'll Louisiana Purchase that ass with with Remy's purchase(?) / and hard shots of Tequila, where the dancin girls?" or "The Brand Nubian combo, Grand Puba ensemble / We'll make a n*gga hungry, give him a piece of fried fish / Known Alamo for 25 years!"

THIS RIGHT HERE may be one of the best verses in hip hop history though. Glad to have X man back to rock with us this year.

NEWS 7/1/08

• Mos, Jay Electronica, and Gil Scott-Heron: Last weekend Carnegie Hall hosted what sounded like a serious-type show. From carnegiehall.org: "Already a wildly successful vocalist, musician, and actor, Mos Def has taken the next logical step with the creation of the Mos Def Band, rolling hip hop, jazz, and soul into one thrilling sound. Special guest Gil Scott-Heron first made his name decades ago with his no-nonsense anthem “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” Together, the two artists have created an evening of music and spoken words with material drawn from Miles Davis, Beyoncé, James Brown, and others." Read/listen here: OKP

•Reflections of the RZA: Here's our favorite Wu-Tang interviewer talking seriously about the 8 Diagram fallout. Apparently, the Abbot is looking forward to "re-bonding" with the team, but in no rush to record with them.... : NAH RIGHT

•BET sponsor-less: Last week, and just before The BET Awards, the channel lost some mjor advertisers. "According to Paul Porter of media watchdog group, Industry Ears and CNN, Proctor and Gamble, Pepsi and General Motors pulled their ads from Rap City and 106 & Park after the companies viewed “The Rap on Rap,” a content analysis of BET and MTV programming. The study found that children were exposed to violence, profanity or obscenity once every 38 seconds." That'll do it... HIPHOPDX