Hosted by the one and only Big Jeff.

Produced by Just Blaze

New reality show to debut on BET next week. Before you proceed to “x” out of the page and curse me out, check out the actual premise of the show. With Kid Capri and Just Blaze playing host, big name DJ’s such as DJ Scratch, Jazzy Joyce, DJ Revolution and Rich Medina among others compete for the title. If I was a betting man, my money would be on Scratch. link

Just Blaze and Mike Chav present this tutorial on chopping samples quickly and easily using the Logic program.

via Mike Chav

Long discussion with Saigon about you know what and you know who. Peace to Ben from Splash! Magazin

. . . and here goes the final version, the other leak might have been a bit premature.

Jay Electronica – Exhibit A (Transformations) (prod. by Just Blaze)
Courtesy of themegatrondon

. . . and here’s the full track, again courtesy of fwmj.

Jay Electronica – Exhibit A (Transformations) (prod. by Just Blaze)

At least I think that’s the title. Only a snippet for now. Apparently recorded for a Guitar Center Compilation. (via the megatrondon, by way of fwmj)

Jay Electronica – Transformations (Prod. by Just Blaze) / snippet

This is pretty extensive, he must have gotten upset. Link

I thought I would have time to get into what I started to talk about last week, but I really don’t

But really, Akai, you have 100% let me down for the first time with the MPC-5000.

I really didn’t even expect much, once I realized that it was based on the 2500/1000 architecture and not the 4000 series.

I looked at it more like hey, I need something for the house, it’s got a smaller footprint than the 4 (which I have no room for), and it’s got a synth in it. I guess it can’t be all that bad.

Now I know, whenever you are an early adopter, you are the beta tester, and the rest of the folks will go out and wait for version 2 or something.. I can deal with that. I’m a beta tester by nature. I love playing with things before they become commercially available.

My problem here is: THIS THING IS COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE AND SHOULD NOT BE!

Some of the bugs in this thing are ATROCIOUS.

related:
AKAI MPC 5000 Set For Release This Year [VIDEO]

Came across the first few reviews to hit the interweb of Jay Electronica’s performance last night at Nokia Theatre. The first one I read appears to have been written by a fan of Mos Def who was not familiar with Jay. His perspective as a new listener is noteworthy. He was obviously disappointed and seemed almost a bit annoyed. This being the second mumbling of a mixed live performance and considering all the interest in performing live being spouted by the man himself, I was hoping to find something with a bit more insight. Lucky for me someone (update: Dj Newby) left a comment on that post with a more comprehensive review of Jay’s set. And it seems to have been written by a hardcore Jay Electronica fan which makes it even more relevant. These two write-ups plus the grunting over at okayplayer make it sound like his set didn’t go down the way he had hoped. But as so many have already pointed out, Mos Def fans and Jay Electronica fans might not go hand in hand. That, and this is Jay’s what, second live performance? Link

Jay on stage is like Jay in person, and it turns out to be a blessing and a curse. As Jay’s 3d graphics of jotted words whiz by on the projector behind him, he puts his heart into his raps on the front of the stage. But his mic doesn’t work to well, and he doesn’t hold the it close enough. The sound guy in the back of the venue could care less and isn’t monitoring the levels, so he’s hard to understand for most. In-between songs he tried to talk to the audience as if they were in a conversation, but he hadn’t yet gained the respect from the crowd to earn talking time. He tries to tell a story that happened to him in elementary school but the crowd isn’t having it. Jay gets angry and threatens the crowd by saying Mos won’t perform if they don’t listen. This is where Jay’s emotions conflict with his performance. The crowd barely remains attentive until Erykah Badu comes out and sings the hook of one of Jay’s raps called “Victory is in My Clutches.” Jay talks some more, but this time the crowd listens as he proceeds to question the motives of mainstream media and rappers, asking them to step their game up. Among the names of rappers being thrown out, someone in the crowd yells out “Lil’ Wayne,” who Jay tries to defend as he describes the squalor of Lil’ Wayne’s neighborhood he grew up in. Jay continues to struggle with the audience’s reluctance, and shifts focus from himself to getting the crowd hyped for Mos Def’s performance next. You can sense his disappointment towards his reception as he wears his emotions on his sleeve. Jay leaves by angrily and confidently throwing down the mic as a picture of his face that is reminiscent of 50 Cent’s latest album cover fills the projection screen, the crowd is left more confused than dumbfounded. They weren’t ready.

Marketing campaign announced by Cornerstone Promotion and Smirnoff getting ready for launch tonight. It will involve well respected hip-hop figures including Krs-One, Q-Tip, Dj Premier, Cool & Dre and more. Three popular and classic songs (Common’s “The Light,” A Tribe Called Quest’s “Midnight,” and Boogie Down Productions’ “Criminal Minded”) will be revisited by the original artists and new producers. I’ll toast to the hope that the artists can strike a comfortable balance between promotion and artistic integrity. It’s tough enough to revisit classics. I commend Smirnoff for their goal of “fostering and promoting both established and emerging musical talent.” But I can’t help but feel a bit skeptical about how a particular flavor of Vodka can get translated into a particular collaboration. Will fans familiar with the body of work here be able to connect the beach and swimsuits imagery that Pineapple Juice evokes with the reality rap that Criminal Minded is known for? Whatever happens, I’m just glad to hear new stuff from these artists and I look forward to the videos and shows that are being planned as part of the series. And although I prefer Bourbon to Vodka, parent company Diageo also happens to own my favorite beer, Guiness. So big up to them. I guess. Visit SmirnoffSignatureMixSeries.com (good looks Roberto)

“The Southside,” made with Smirnoff Green Apple flavored vodka and cranberry juice, is the inspiration for Common and Just Blaze’s collaboration. “The Blueberry Abstract,” made with Smirnoff Blueberry flavored vodka and lemonade, is linked to the partnership between Q-Tip and Cool & Dre. “The Cypha,” an exciting blend of Smirnoff Raspberry flavored vodka and pineapple juice, represents the collaboration between KRS-One and DJ Premier.