RIP Adam Yauch aka MCA of Beastie Boys

I just walked past this mural of MCA today and thought I would post it for the world! It was put up in the East Village/ NYU neighborhood and I walked past it today on my way to chow down on ice cream. It stopped me in my tracks for 2 reasons...it was done quick (within a day or so or his death) and the well-crafted layout and placement.

Though my interest in the Beastie Boys waned in the last few years, I will always remember the LICENSED TO ILL as the first cassette tape I eve bought and for the follow up crazy antics of PAULS BOUTIQUE and other albums. The last album I checked for was the 5 BOROUGHS album. Less so for the rhymes, but just to see where BB were at in the ever changing landscape of music.

Regardless of what you think of the Beastie's, they made a lasting impact on rap, it's ability to cross cultures, and they were able to create their own "lane" and keep it interesting for damn near 25 years as a group. MCA will be missed, but the legend lives on! Now in mural form!

Props to Cram Concepts

El-P : The Soundtrack to A Riot

It happens that as I rock my iPod on the subway daily, I keep getting drawn in to the EL-P spell of recent projects both as a solo artist CANCER FOR CURE and his collaboration with KILLER MIKE - R.A.P. MUSIC. Two tracks that stick out to me, actually three, are as follows:

DRONES OVER BROOKLYN - EL-P
THE FULL RETARD - EL-P
GHETTO GOSPEL - KILLER MIKE

These songs have some hypnotic, chaotic sounds going on that somehow seem perfectly suited to be the backdrop of a riot, bar fight, or boxing match. Both projects are full of paranoia, conspiracy, political, truth about industry, life and other subjects. Kind of a mix Public Enemy, Ice Cube attitude and "Little Johnny From the Hospital" (or any of El-P's earlier work). There are better comparisons, but I seem to be enjoying the "amped up" feeling of rocking these tracks while stomping the pavement of NYC.

Check out the sounds below and start your own revolution!

Follow the link to Killer Mike's album streaming on SPIN here. Click on GHETTO GOSPEL! Break stuff! SPIN.COM

Check out THE FULL RETARD by EL-P here! PROMO DOWNLOAD LINK . Break stuff again!

Check out an unofficial video but authentic audio of DRONES OVER BKLYN on Youtube! Turn it up and break stuff for the third time! DRONES VIDEO

Dope album covers too!

Fine Art Friday

The Brooklyn Gold Necklace

To switch it up a bit and bring a bigger spectrum of interests to the site and for anybody who is interested in the creative arts beyond music, check out the links below:




MOMA open call for submissions to sale in the MOMA store:
http://www.momastore.org/wcsstore/MOMASTORE1/images/pdfs/NYC.pdf

Steve "ESPO" Powers talking about his recent work


Interesting set of rules to help improve city behaviors
http://urbanetiquetteproject.blogspot.ca/

The Importance of Side Projects: How to keep your creativity alive


Willis Earl Beal - Evening's Kiss
I saw him at the BAM Shuffle Culture show last month and recently found this video. He drew it, made the music and got his David Lynch on with some simple, effective, hypnotic work. This should make you realize that you can do more than you think:

J. Hurt

The Known Unknown: Rappers You Should Know About - Part 4

J.Hurt


As quoted from Tumblr he is the "originator of the Elephant in the Room Music Collective." As a producer myself, I approached J.HURT about a collaboration, as I find his style kind-of a throwback to lyrical story telling that I miss from the golden Era. Check out samples of his music below and stay tuned for more. 


http://whotfisjhurt.tumblr.com/

http://www.datpiff.com/JHurt-Elephant-In-The-Room-Presents-Lost-In-Obscenity—mixtape.263535.html 


CHECK OUT HURT FLOWING OVER SOME 9TH WONDER:

Alex Chadwick

The Known Unkown: Rappers You Should Know About - Part 3

Alex Chadwick, formerly of 3rd Brillyance on Rawkus, has been putting out music for several years now. Always a good balance of introspective lyrics and upbeat life anthems, he quickly earned recognition from the Rawkus 50 around 2007/2008. Chadwick has since been living life and putting out projects under his name, using borrowed instrumentals and some original production. You can check out his past work below. He has been working on new material for an upcoming mixtape, so I will keep you posted, but check out the samples below.

http://alexchadwick.bandcamp.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Rawkus-Presents-Grass-Roots-Explicit/dp/B000YJYYEK

Bread Bread - The Reunion

The Known Unknown: Rappers You Should Know About - Part 2   New Music! 

BREAK BREAD - THE REUNION

Break Bread is a group I had featured here in the past. Made up of Dana Coppafeel and Da Ricanstrukta, the group disbanded around 2003 and re-grouped in 2012 to release THE REUNION. An album filled with an updated sound, mixing boom-bap production with some radio-friendly vocals. Check out the music on Bandcamp and DJ Booth below:


http://breakbread.bandcamp.com/


DOWNLOAD THE NEW ALBUM HERE
http://www.djbooth.net/index/mixtapes/entry/break-bread-reunion/

RIP Maurice Sendak

Though I am and was a fan of Maurice Sendak's books as a child and more so as an adult, listening to the man talk was both humorous and refreshing. He somehow walked the line of grumpy, old man and funny, honest comedian. I hadn't thought of him in a while, but when Stephen Colbert interviewed a few months ago, I couldn't help laughing out loud at his honesty about children's literature, mundane art and all of the perceived "rules of life". He as brutally honest and I am glad that video tributes (like below) exist in addition to his many books. Check them out again or for the first time and realize that the complexities of life can take many forms. RIP Mr. Sendak!

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak Pt. 1
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak Pt. 2
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

Subway Series: Gross things I have seen on the NYC subway

To pay tribute to the hundreds of gross things I see in NYC everyday (mostly dog and horse shit on the sidewalks) I decided to start posting these things to give the not New York crowd an insiders guide to the NY streets. Feel free to share your own, but this one was so over-the-top that I had to share:

SUBWAY STORY: Volume 1:


On my way home last night, while waiting for a train, I noticed a mumbling, cursing and arm-waving crazy lady was standing on the platform peeing on herself (wet pants, puddle at bottom of leg). 

In an effort to avoid her when the train pulled up, I waited for her to pick a car and I went to the next one. However, as soon as I entered the subway car, there was a guy sleeping upright in a seat who woke up, puked what looked and smelled like Cheeze-Its into his hand, then wiped it on the door, then went back to sleep. yay!