The local hip-hop community celebrates a big milestone Saturday, when the Grassroots! concert series celebrates its 10-year anniversary at the Dragon’s Den. Lyrikill, Chels, Thaione Davis, Marcel P. Black will perform with resident DJ Def D and founding host Truth Universal. Grassroots! has been crucial to the underground hip-hop scene in New Orleans. It began [...]
Tag Archives: hip-hop
YouTube du Jour: Wu-Tang Clan Ticket Giveaway
January 10, 2012 – 8:02 pm
In 1992, the Wu-Tang Clan hit the scene with their debut single “Protect Ya Neck”. The following year the Staten Island collective released their first album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), and the rest is history. The song featured original members RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and the late Ol’ [...]
Back to the Playoffs and 504 Connect
January 6, 2012 – 9:56 am
Brian Boyles’ December story on the phenomenon of Saints songs in 2009 started before a game this season when he was DJ’ing at Handsome Willy’s (as he’ll be Saturday afternoon) and played “Saints Anthem” by 504 Connect. I’d never heard it before, and he explained that someone from the group brought in a home-burned CD [...]
No Limit Forever: Dawn of the Don II?
January 1, 2012 – 12:11 am
Recall New Orleans, 1998, around midnight. Your sweaty back cools against the passenger seat of a silver Maxima buzzing along I-10 under a lavender sky. From the carpet of shingles and treetops below the elevated highway, the billboard rises, white with blue block letters. “Thou Shall Not Kill.” A half-mile later, another billboard, a man [...]
YouTube du Jour: 2-Cent’s Odd Christmas
December 29, 2011 – 4:29 pm
For the last few years, local video production team 2-Cent, led by director Brandan “bmike” Odums, has released an annual Christmas-themed video spoofing popular rap and pop stars. This year’s video skewers everything from Beyonce’s “Party” to Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now”. The parodies are spot-on; if you’re not familiar with the originals, check [...]
YouTube du Jour: Stalley
December 20, 2011 – 12:03 am
Tonight, rapper Stalley performs at the Howlin Wolf. Although he hails from Cleveland, he worked with local director Brandan Odums/Bmike (nominated for a Best of the Beat Award for Best Music Video) for a tour through New Orleans in this video for his song “Babblin’”. Produced for the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the video [...]
YouTube du Jour: Mystikal
December 14, 2011 – 11:13 am
Yesterday, Cash Money Records announced the signing of Mystikal and his first track, “Original,” with guest spots by Lil Wayne and Birdman. “Gimme my mantle back,” he raps with his trademark flamethrower flow. It’s audio only and, strangely, features the image of Lil Wayne and not Mystikal. Still, it’s good to have him back. For [...]
Prospect.2: I Love a Parade
December 9, 2011 – 1:37 pm
I first saw work by artist Bruce Davenport, Jr. in 2008, when his diagram-like illustrations of marching bands had a strong, inexplicable quality to them. Done in colored markers, they were geometric depictions that focused on the bands’ formations in the street, and nothing differentiated one from another more than the colors of the uniforms, [...]
YouTube du Jour: Biz Markie
December 5, 2011 – 1:13 pm
Biz Markie‘s in town tonight at The Maison upstairs in the Penthouse before he appears tomorrow as the special musical guest at Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! at the Mahalia Jackson Theater. The show tonight at Maison is free, but you must RSVP @ maisonevents@gmail.com. Here’s footage of him demonstrating beatboxing on Yo Gabba Gabba! and [...]
YouTube du Jour: Fiend/International Jones
December 2, 2011 – 10:15 am
In the new December issue, Drew Hinshaw looks at the 2011 output from the JETS crew—the New Orleans smoke-centric rappers who were almost absurdly productive this year. Curren$y has the highest profile among them, but the rest of the bunch—Fiend, Trademark, Young Roddy, Corner Boy P, Street Wiz—will play a late night show at House [...]
