Backed by Mannie Fresh’s keyboard, Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter was the greatest display of lyricism by a New Orleans rapper at the time. Although without any input from Fresh, The Carter 2, maintained the bounce sound, re-introduced Wayne to the rap world as a good lyricist, and was an ode of sorts to New Orleans [...]
With the demise of his long-time rapping partner, Pimp C, II Trill appeared to be a platform for Bun B as a solo artist. Instead, Bun proves to be selfless, giving spots to other artists and highlighting dark parts of society. On “Damn I’m Cold,” Lil Wayne supplies two solid verses and Lupe Fiasco’s flow [...]
If there is any hip-hop scene that would be well served by a conscious rapper, it would be New Orleans’. However, wearing the hybrid title doesn’t excuse one from the traditional question: Can you spit? On Self Determination, Truth Universal attempts to define himself as the KRS-One of the Crescent City: “We Boom-Bap, not rap [...]
Matt Miller’s documentary, Ya Heard Me, provides a historical and cultural view of New Orleans bounce music, complete with sensual shaking and vulgar popping. But will you get to see it? The first-time director ventured to New Orleans three weeks at a time for two years to complete the project. That effort culminated into a [...]
The International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE), formally the National Jazz Association, filed for bankruptcy April 28. IAJE functioned as a network for the broad jazz community, and its annual conventions served as a showcase for talent. This year’s conference took place in Toronto in January, and New Orleans was scheduled to host the 2011 [...]
It’s spring, and a young man’s fancy turns to music, not love, in the south. Jazz Fest is here, Festival International is in Lafayette, and the Memphis in May International Festival begins Friday, May 2 with the Beale Street Music Festival. The three-day music festival includes performances from Aretha Franklin, Lou Reed, the Roots, Santana, [...]
Basin Street Records will celebrate its 10th anniversary and the release of four new albums Saturday, May 3 at Le Chat Noir on St. Charles Avenue. The label started in 1997 when it released Kermit Ruffins’ The Barbecue Swingers. Katrina’s forced owner Mark Samuels to move the business into his house, and he released one [...]
The third annual Bayou Boogaloo will take place May 23 from 5-9 p.m. and May 24 from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. on the banks of Bayou St. John in Mid-City. The free event features music, food and art from New Orleans, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to an afterschool music program for [...]
The intro of rapper Bayou Boy’s The Bidden War, plays out as a group of people looking for their favorite radio station. The group turns down the station that is playing Lil’ Wayne’s mixtape version of “Money in the Bank,” and celebrates as they find their desired station which starts the second track of the [...]
Corey “C-Murder” Miller has channeled his inner Tupac Shakur into the area of publishing art while incarcerated. Tupac released Me Against the World, while serving a sentence for a rape charge in 1995, and Miller released The Truest S!#@ I Ever Said (which a variation on a line from Tupac’s “Against All Odds”) while serving [...]
