promo vdo of sorts for the limited edition vinyl

via ottn

I wasn’t sure what to expect at this show. How many people were going to be there? Who was getting on? Was Stretch, Bob and Lord Sear going to sit there and snap on cats in the crowd all night? Two things I definitely didn’t expect were the large turnout and the energetic crowd. I’ve been to enough classic Hip-Hop shows in NYC to know that people don’t come out to shows anymore. And, for those that do make it out, most like to stand in the crowd and give artists the face like “yeah, I’ve seen better.” Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the crowd. But where are all these dudes and the handful of lovely young ladies at other NYC shows? Where were they at the Nice & Smooth show in BB Kings a few years back, where there was literally no one left after the mud wrestling opening act was through. Yeah, I know. Things got so bad that the venue started giving out free tickets to people on the street outside…for a show that costs 30 bones previously. So the crowd was chock full of random tourists and passerbys with nothing better to do that night. Where are all these “real” fans hiding? Do people not care enough to make an effort anymore? Do people even know about these shows? It takes me less than five minutes online to see what’s going on in the next few months so I can’t imagine it’s a question of accessibility. Which means it has to be a lack of interest. For a long time, and even still, I’m mad bitter about all the shows I go to and seeing a thin crowd. I’ve gotten used to it but it doesn’t mean I’m happy.

Enough ranting. Stretch & Bob 20th anniversary. Classic. Audio below and videos after the break.

update: Peep the audio this Wednesday on EVR.

update 2: Audio below.

Stretch & Bobbito 20th Anniversary Celebration @ Le Poisson Rouge 2.10.11 by GRANDGOOD

Beat by Nottz

previously: Maffew Ragazino – Battle Of Metropolis ft. Dj Clark Kent / video

via

Masta Ace & EDO. G – A’s & E’s feat. Marsha Ambrosious

Even though I have to get up at 7am the next morning to drive to PA, I’m thinking about going to this. For those considering doing the same, just to let you know, shows at Sputnik are notorious for starting hours after the advertised time. Don’t expect the show to start anytime before midnight.

Sputnik
262 Taaffe Place
Brooklyn NY 11205

New MC Paul Barman album featuring Prince Paul, ?uestlove, Masta Ace, MF Doom, Del The Funky Homosapien, Memory Man and more. via

Not sure why we never posted this but another dope story from Masta Ace courtesy of D-Nice. link

Masta Ace discusses his role in creating the classic Juice Crew recording “The Symphony”.

Masta Ace: N.W.A., Def Squad, Wu-Tang Clan, Flava Unit, Juice Crew

I would go to this but it’s the same night as the Hip-Hop Pioneers show in Harlem and I ain’t missing that. Let’s hope NYOIL gets to perform the full version of NightStick this time.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Lyricist Lounge

Hosted by Masta Ace
Performances by NYOIL, Torae, Farah Burns, Luquantumleap, The Crowd (feat. Akil Dasan), Swiss Chris (drums / samples / light sticks)

@ 92ytribeca 200 Hudson (off Canal St. / near the Holland Tunnel)
Doors 9pm / Show 10:30pm
$12
18 & over

Freudian slip qu heads might be familiar with (or regional slang, up to you). Watching is better than reading. Transparency on the rise, u betta recognize.

see also: Homeless in San Francisco

Classic track and near-classic performance of The Symphony. If only Kool G Rap was there to do his verse… Link

More videos @ youtube.com/grandgood.

I recorded this at the Big Daddy Kane 20th anniversary show last night in NYC. Look out for show footage coming soon. The best video will be where Marley Marl, Masta Ace, Craig G and Big Daddy Kane perform The Symphony. Sadly, Kool G Rap was not there to do his verse. Also, although most of them didn’t come out on stage, there were a lot of big names in the building such as DJ Polo, Eric B, Sugar Hill Gang, Greg Nice, Roxanne Shante, Mister Cee and more. Legendary night.

Download Biz Markie Short DJ Set Live

Extensive interview with Lord Digga. His “The High Plains Drifter EP” is available for pre-order at One Leg Up Records. Thanks Haj. Link

So how exactly did the connection start? How did you end up in the mix with Masta Ace and the whole Juice Crew family?

That right there happened really on the connection from the football team. Ace was on the football team at one point when he was in high school. Then, you know, he used to come back from college and visit the school and get to know the younger players and know me or whatever, and from that time we was on some hangin’ out shit. One of his peoples that also went to the school had brothers that were almost in the same age group as me so they were in school still and they were comin’ back to watch us play, so that’s how the connection got started. Eventually I was goin’ to a couple shows that he had and then it went from that to hangin’ around Kane, Craig G, all of them.. It was crazy. You know that’s the shit as a kid you dream about. Like cause you look at Video Music Box and all the shit that was poppin’ and you be like “Damn, son!” and you see somebody downtown like “That’s this dude! Yo, son I seen the nigga T.J. Swan..” You know, little shit like that you dream about as a fan. Not to say that I’m a groupie, but I’m a rap fan first before I was even an artist. I went through every phase of hip hop, that’s the way I feel. Other than graffiti and that aspect or whatever, the stages that I took to get to this point I feel I paid all of those dues. From being a fan, like standin’ next to these dudes.. “Symphony” part 1 video shoot.. “Symphony” video 2.. It’s just shit you dream about.

You guys ended up producing a chunk of tracks on Notorious BIG’s classic “Ready To Die” album. How did y’all end up landing that production gig?

I’m gonna say it was great hustle and a pretty good assist to make it all conect. It was mainly due to my hustlin’ with our product up to The Source magazine and being recognized in an Unsigned Hype column with the first artist I ever produced for, which was Sir Essence Don.. and Matt Life, Matty C.. was the spearhead of Unsigned Hype. So I had a repoire with him and I just had an open door to be with The Source magazine which was another time in my life and in my travels in hip hop that I felt was significant. You know, that was a major, major, major hip hop source.. Literally.. Givin’ fans a lot of information and great pictures and just a lot of crazy shit. You know, a good magazine for its time, until it got fucked up! But anyway, I’m up at The Source and chillin’ with the editors and walkin’ around with one of my good friends Kierna Mayo, that’s my homegirl. I used to be up there with Matty and fuckin’ around with them and you know, bringin’ tapes.. just tracks all the time to Matt.. Just bringin’ shit, all the time.. One of those days I left one of them shits with him and then he goes and plays it for Big. He played it for Big and Big picked it.

Ahh, so that’s how the beats landed in Biggie’s hands…

Yup. Big would say, “I want it!” and it wasn’t even finished, like “I want that NOW!” (laughs) It was just crazy, man. Like at the time, I don’t think any of us knew. Like me and Norm didn’t know that it was gonna really be some crazy shit like it was. We knew the shit was ill and the dude had mad talent, but we never imagined it would be what it is today.

According to the venue, this event has been postponed to a later date. That’s weak. I had my ticket, ready to see Biz rock tonight. Link