Interview: DJ Z-Trip - Crate Diggers Unite!

Z-Trip is best known for his Uneasy Listening Vol.1 DJ mix (with DJ P) from 2001's and help popularize the mash-up albums that Girl Talk seems to have taken over lately. He sits down with Crate Digger's TV and talks about his collection, storage issues, losing girlfriends to vinyl, tracking BPMs for his vinyl, and how he developed his style. This is not a new feature, but it is one of many interviews with Crate Diggers like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Pete Rock, Da Beatminerz and many more that all fans of music should enjoy.

Fine Art Friday: Rammellzee

Rammellzee has a mythical place in hip hop history as one of the original MC's/artists/everything man to create a character for himself, much like MF Doom has done today, coining the term "Gothic Futurism" to describe his "advanced styles". He also contributed to one of the most storied recording sessions in hip hop history by collaborating with Jean-Michel Basquiat, Fab 5 Freddy and K-Rob on the 1983 release "Beat Bop.

This was an era when all of these guys were at the top of their game and monsters of the burgeoning hip hop culture and art movements. The meeting of minds on this 12" makes it a crown jewel of vinyl collector's and while you may never get one, you can listen to it below or read about it on wikipedia.

DJ Premier vs Pete Rock: Front Row Seats

My inner-Golden Era stan came out in full effect yesterday when I got to see the Dj Premier vs Pete Rock battle at the East River PArk in NYC. The stage itself is a sort of Hip Hop icon because it is where the now famous "Wildstyle"movie was shot back in 1983. The event started out chill, with DJ Enuff spinning original breakbeats for the crowd, then the Lyricist Lounge crew came out to introduce PR and Preemo. P and P started off with a tribute to Heavy D, then built up with hits through the decades from other artists before starting to play there on hits.

However, it looked like the Hip Hop gods didn't want anyone to win because the power went off right as the 90's hits were about to play and never came back on. Overall, it was great to see 2 of my personal favorites live on stage for the first time, for me. Check the videos below and see some of what you missed!

LYRICIST LOUNGE INTRO
MIDSHOW CROWD PARTICIPATION MINI-MC LYTE VS AUDIO 2 BATTLE BETWEEN PR AND PREEMO

DJ Premier X Young Guru: Hip Hop Education

Media Assassin Harry Allen's GrindXDesign is kicking off an eight-week digital conference series featuring Chuck D, ?uestlove, DJ Drama and some top magazine, online Hip Hop and industry executives.

GrindXDesign will launch its digital conferencing platform this week. The New York City-based consortium of Hip Hop artists, producers and executives is led by famed journalist, radio host, activist and "Media Assassin" Harry Allen, as a way to educate and empower hopeful artists and industry movers and shakers.

The first of GrindXDesign's digital conferences will include legendary Gang Starr deejay/producer DJ Premier as well as longtime Roc-A-Fella/Roc Nation Records engineer Young Guru. The hour-long live conference on August 29th at 8pm will be moderated by Harry Allen, featuring an interview, followed by live Q&A from attendees.

Future guests in the eight-week series will include The Roots' ?uestlove, Public Enemy's Chuck D, DJ Drama, XXL's Editor-in-Chief Vanessa Satten, The Source's Editor-In-Chief Kim Osorio, DatPiff.com's founder Marcus Frasier, Rap Coaltion founder Wendy Day, attorney Dan Booth, Tunecore's Jamie Purpora, social media strategist Lena West, and film exec Arthur Wylie.

The conferences are built to take up to 1,000 simultaneous participants, and may run as long as 90 minutes based on guest availability and engagement.

"What's incredibly exciting about GrindXDesign," began Allen in a statement, "is that, if you're a beat-maker in Argonne, Wisconsin, through digital conference call technology, you'll have as much access to DJ Premier or Young Guru as someone from New York or L.A. If you want the mixtape success of a Lil Wayne, but need to understand what makes this format
hot, you'll be able to listen to, and maybe get a question in to, DJ Drama, or the founder of DatPiff.com; the dominant mixtape website."



"Like Twitter," Allen continued, "the technology eliminates geographic or other boundaries, connecting fans and students directly to knowledgeable authorities. Unlike Twitter, you're not limited to merely sending or receiving extremely short pieces of text."

"Our objective is equipping people who want careers in Hip Hop with the right information, at an incredibly low cost; certainly cheaper than what even small mistakes in any of these areas could cost them."

To attend these conferences, tickets may be purchased by credit card or Paypal at GrindXDesign.com. If purchased before August 23, tickets are $77, and $97 following.

(via hiphopdx and grindxdesign)

DJ Premier vs Pete Rock: Epic NY Battle

DJ Premier is always busy, whether producing tracks for MC's and crews from around the globe or DJ'ing parties around the block, and continues to help promote the culture of Hip Hop in all forms. Not too long ago, I wouldn't pick an album up unless it featured at least one track from "Preemo" and Pete Rock, which often meant if they co-signed you that you were at least worth a listen. Tonight these 2 legends in the game face off in a friendly battle of beats and skills in front of a crowd for FREE and to honor the Lyricist Lounge 20th Anniversary in NYC.

If you are in the NYC area, you should come out and support these two greats and if not, then I will tell you about it soon. Check the link here for times and directions LINK.

Interview: Skyzoo - A Dream Deferred

Recently, Skyzoo sat down with 2DopeBoyz to talk about his upcoming album, due Sept. 18, and preview some of the tracks that will be featured. With production by 9th Wonder, illmind, DJ Khalil, Focus, Tall Black Guy and others, A Dream Deferred looks to be a promising album from the reliable Skyzoo.

He has come a long way from battle raps on 106 and Park and has built a notable career from linking up with 9th Wonder's Jamla Records and Duck Down Records in the past, to his current situation without a label home. Skyzoo seems to grow with each new release, mixing bravado and story telling but always with a sense of truth and honesty.

With guest appearances on the album from Talib Kweli, Freeway, Jill Scott, Raheem Devaughn and some lesser known acts like Jessy Wilson and Jared Evan, Skyzoo knows how to balance the album without overloading the features. Watch the interview above and be sure to pick up A Dream Deferred when it drops. Help support quality music and shine the light on MC's who care about the music they make. (via 2DB & TheWellVersed).

Video: D-Styles - Live In Chicago

For all my fellow scratch nerds out there, I just found this video of D-Styles cutting up some of his classics from earlier this year. However, it made me think of what folks in the Chicago area got to see  this past weekend (08/17/12) where he performed live at the @Darkroom . It is just a short highlight of his time on the decks, but shows his flawless cuts in HD quality (via Jam1photo.com).

Glad to see him out making the rounds and excited about making new music. If you have never heard Phantazmagorea, and you like DJ scratching, then please check it out on itunes or wherever you can find it. Probably the most famous track form it "John Wayne on Acid" is posted below. Keep in mind that the entire album is made of just scratching and try to imagine that process when listening to it.

Interview: Action Bronson - Foodie Champ

Action Bronson has steadily been building a buzz for his Ghostface-esque rhymes but also for his focus on high-end food related content. He constantly drops reference to the wide palette of tastes, spices and foods that he frequents in his native Queens, but also around the world. New York magazine recently sat down with Action to detail his recent journeys with food and family and name checks some secret spots in New York to stuff your face.

Check out the full interview here and open your mind to some new flavor.

Follow him on Twitter for comedy and cooking tips @actionbronson