Eat to Live

My good homey Darryl Phillips from the ICU did Talib Kweli's latest video "Eat to Live." The song, about the lack of healthy food options and subsequent bad eating habits in the hood is a rare positive gem of a track that addresses an actual problem that incomprehensibly gets almost no attention from the media or our society at large. I guess Bloomberg is too busy putting up 15 million dollar fake waterfalls to work on getting some veggies into the projects. I'm not hating on those waterfalls but damn.

Jayceeoh x Akrobatik x BRASIL!!!!

My homie DJ Jayceeoh just got back from an ill two week tour of Brasil with Beantown's favorite MC, Akrobatik. They ripped it up from SP to Curitiba as the video below clearly shows. Expect Jay back very soon. And this time we goin to Rio - Babao I see you!

All My Nillaz!!!!!

The illest underrated underachieving crunk rock lunatics of all time are invading Williamsburg tonight! If you don't know, Nilla you better aks somebody! All my Nillazzz!

Brooklyn Academy

During the tail end of the Golden Era of hip hop, the Lyricist Lounge Vol 1 double disc was released. Featuring everyone from the Liks to Common to Mos Def to Company Flow it was among the last releases to feature dope hip hop for hip hop's sake, and matched artists together that would never again be seen within the same context due to the impending divide between mainstream and underground hip hop. It's been ten years since true hip hop got lost in the shuffle and backpack and bling were positioned as polar opposites. However, all may not have been lost as there seems to be a recent shift back to originality and creativity in hip hop.

Marking the occasion is the long, long, long overdue debut album from Brooklyn Academy, Bored of Education. Since being featured on that fateful Lyricist Lounge album, Mr Metaphor, Pumpkinhead and Block McCloud have stayed true to their original sound and refused, perhaps even to their own person detriment, to conform to formulaic standards. But on July 22 2008, they'll finally have the chance to shine.

I lived in Park Slope for a long time and got to know Brooklyn Ac so to celebrate the upcoming release, which is being distributed through Caroline via a joint deal with K7 and Gold Dust Media, the homies invited me down to their listening party. It was a necessary breath of fresh air for someone struggling to stay in love with hip hop. Check some pics below.

Gully Sign = Real Hip Hop Inside

Greeted by my homie Marc Bars mean muggin it.

Brooklyn Academy: Mr. Metaphor, Pumpkinhead, Block McCloud

First look at the cover art.

Brooklyn Ac with Michael Bull, SVP Caroline Distribution and Dave Watkins of Gold Dust Media.

A lot of love in the room including Danny Castro (Lyricist Lounge), Fiona Bloom, DJ Bizarro (Jean Grae), Dantana (Okayplayer), and Poison Pen. Big up Brooklyn AC!

New Neighbor = Free Hip Hop

I just moved to Cobble Hill a lil while ago and as luck would have it, one of the city's illest DJ's lives in my building. Orignally from Boston, DJ Jayceeoh is a fiend on the tables and a straight up blend fanatic. It's mad ironic, cause I caught dude at 205 a few months ago and was blown away. And I'm pretty jaded when it comes to hip hop these days. Anyway, now I've got fams in the castle for the occasional tree in need and you've got some free music. Click here to download DJ JAYCEEOH: CUTS N SEW Vol. 1 You need this.

Stay tuned for an interview with Jayceeoh in the near future.