Pharoahe Monch - some real hip hop

It was all about the hip hop last night as I went to 33 1/3 Records to hang with Pharoahe Monch as he judged a local MC Battle in Los Angeles. Hundreds of hip hop fans crammed into the tiny hip hop record store on La Brea and Pico to witness how real hip hop heads truly get down - showcasing their improv skills on the mic as eight upcoming emcees battled it out to win a microphone signed by Pharoahe and $100 cash. This wasn't that wack Yo Momma shit that you see on MTV - these cats were busting punchlines as rhymes and to a beat. With all the commercial rap on the radio and TV it was wonderful to witness some real hip hop. Check out some photos from last night. By the way Pharoahe's album "Desire" is out now . . . Don't Sleep!

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Little Brother "Getback" With Fresh New Music

They say that the third times the charm, but what happens when one and two were both hits. In the case of Little Brother it means you get back to why you wanted to make music in the first place.

“When I sat down to write my first rhyme I didn’t say, ‘Maybe if I write this, the people at Clear Channel will love me…I never gave a sh*t about that…so when I saw myself caring about that, I knew it was a problem and I had gotten away from the original reasons why I started making music.”

After 2003's classic "The Listening" and 05's equally classic "The Minstrel Show" we find the group has been reduced to a duo and off Atlantic Records but with a new found hunger to focus on the music and not the label. “I think this is the closest we could get to the feeling and energy we had when we made our first record.” says rapper Big Pooh.

The first single off of "Getback" is definitely a return to the kind of hip hop you come to expect from Little Brother. Matter of fact it's the kind of Hip Hop we'd like to see more of. "Good Clothes" is a care free track that's all about growing up and trying to stay fresh and by fresh we don't mean draped in half million in diamonds. We mean fresh like clean white shoes, cardboard creased jeans and brand new shirt.

Little Brother's "Getback' drops on September 25th and you can download the first single "Good Clothes" below. It's to late for it to be a summer banger but at least it will keep you feelin fresh until you can get the rest.


Download Little Brother "Good Clothes" Gander On!

Beastie Boys bigger than Sasquatch

George, WA -- The crowd was swaddled in Easy Street sweatshirts, North Face fleeces and garbage bags on this blustery Sunday Night. Anything to keep warm. Thankfully, the Beastie Boys brought the heat. As soon as the Bboys picked up their instruments and the first licks of "Gratitude" kicked in, everyone was up on their feet. The gorge was rocking. The Beastie Boys may have aged, MCA sports a silvery mop and Mike D looks like Dustin D now more than ever, but tonight they proved they can still rock the mic and the jam.

They peppered this evenings performance with extended instrumental tracks off their new album, The Mix-Up, and kept people on their feet with classics like "Body Movin'". It was amazing to see Mike D man the drums for one song then run out to rock the mic for the next. The energy never waned and the crowd only got wilder as the night went on. Supplementing the on-stage action was Money Mark on the keys who, when not playing, would pop up all over the stage and Alfredo Ortiz on percussion. And just when you forgot about him, Mix Master Mike would change things up with a new sample or a crazy scratch routine.

Halfway through their set, the winds died down and all that was on stage were Adam, Adam and Mike. They tore through a punk song then slowed it down and got funky with some new shit. They played and played and just as my mind was about to wander they crank it back up with the classic bass line from "Root Down". Everybody's on stage now doing what they do best. They seamlessly move into "Pass the Mic" and end with a rowdy version of "What'cha Want". The lights go out and the crowd goes nuts. This shit ain't over. The crowd knows this and begins to chant "Beastie Boys. Beastie Boys. Then we hear the familiar "chk chk chk" of Mike's turntables and a lone spotlight on him.

A few scratches later, we hear the familiar beginnings of "Intergalactic" and it's on. The crowd goes nuts. I look back up the hill and everybody's on their feet. They play three more raucous songs and end the night with "Sabotage". They'd given the crowd two nights of insanity and their work here was done.

Check out The Mix-Up in stores July 26.


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Keith Richards will never drop it like it's hot

Courtesy of NME

The Rolling Stones' Keith Richard has declared he hates hip hop.

The guitarist explained his disliked the genre for its vocal delivery and computer aided beats.

"Hip-hop leaves me cold. But there are some people out there who think it's the meaning of life," he told Rolling Stone magazine. "I don't wanna be yelled at, I wanna be sung to."

"I never really understood why someone would want to have some gangster from L.A. poking his fingers in your face," he added. "As I say, it don't grab me. I mean the rhythms are boring - they're all done on computers."

I guess this means I'll never get to hear the Jumpin Jack Flash remix feat. Fat Joe I always dreamed of. Gander On!