So this week in Edmonton we had all sorts of dope HIp Hop events to take in around town, from a fashion show to kick it off last weekend, to a really informative talk with Politic Lives Arlo Maverick at the Hip Hop Town Hall meeting Monday, to the spoken word slam followed by an open mic cypher at Crown Tuesday, to MC battles Wednesday, production battles Thursday, and Hip Hop in the Dark at ISBE tonight, it’s been a really busy time for everybody on the scene, and it’s been dope to see how much local talent and support there is here in YEG.
Saturday the 25, tomorrow, the music starts at noon in Louis McKinney park (beside Shaw Conference), and aside from the 20 or so rappers and DJs who are gunna perform, there’s live graffiti being sprayed up by some of the cities best artists, and tons of breakers ready to go big dancing for the crowds. Its always an interesting scene, and its free, so head down and check out some of the home grown Hip Hop.
My set’s at 430 with DJ Dice spinning the records. You can check out the set list for the day, the performers are too numerous to list. I tweeted a pic off my phone of the email I got, cuz I hadnt seen it anywhere else for the public. I dunno if its up on the FB page or if Im letting you guys into the YEG rap Illuminati again here, but I see no reason people shouldn’t know..
Oh, and good news too, the homies from ClinksTV tirelessly documented every event this week, so if you missed out on anything, wait for that, should be a good wrap up.
La Musica de Hairy Frog.
My homies with ClinksTv were down at the fifth annual Global Marijuana March. I was sposed to be there, I went to the planning meet and everything, but my dogs ear swelled up with blood the day before it, so I had him in at the vet for surgery on May 4 when it happened here in Edmonton downtown.
So sometimes, when I have nothing on my mind to tell you about, and I just wanna crank out some lazy posts anyways, I’ll scan the shelf above my computer for a CD at random, and choose a song I think you should know off of it. Today I saw Phrenology by the Roots, and this was the song that came to mind, because I saw them play it live in 08 at Rock the Bells, and shit was dope, definitely faster tempo than on the album.
I chose this video from Paris because of the hockey themed intro. Now Im going to watch some playoffs.
So this really happened, this guy was really in space floating with his guitar singing David Bowie. People have paid billions and billions of dollars to get us out there, but Chris Hadfield (https://twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield) the “Canadian Astronaut” found time to put this together in 0 gravity.
Serves em right for sending a Canuck into space. We love our music.
Test Their Logik just started up an IndieGoGo campaign to raise funds for their new album, “Be”. I heard some tracks from the album live about a month ago (?) when they were in Edmonton with Lee Reed, and I opened with Ras Bee. They put on a hell of a show, and the content in the music is some real shit that someone has to say, real anti establishment. Because they’re some good dudes who carry the torch for Canadian MCs with something to say, I’ll be adding to that funds total as soon as Im paid. We gotta stay together, we all have the same cause here.
http://igg.me/at/testtheirlogik is the Indiegogo site if you want to donate. You can buy the new album, exclusive tracks, and merch, check it out.
Friday night/Saturday morning I was on Hip Hop Buffet on 88.5 CJSR, had a great time, did about an hour long feature on my whole catalog, including a really well informed interview and about 5 live songs. ClinksNET.com was on hand as usual to take video footage of the whole experience, and I’ll post the audio on here as soon as I have it so everyone who isn’t nocturnal can hear it.
Big thanks to Jonathan Deschenes, Maurice Douglas, Cartright the Architect, DJ Double Booked, and DJ Butter Chicken Wolf!
Tune in to the Hip Hop Buffet at 1 AM on Friday nights on 88.5fm in Edmonton, or online at http://cjsr.streamon.fm/ in this picture Cartright’s holding onto the award that they just received for best hosts (!? I think?) on CJSR. So it sounds like they won’t be going anywhere.. except possibly to an earlier time slot?
If I ever need ring entrance music, I’m usin this song, every time. This is the epitome of fight music to me. I mean mug everybody, old ladies included when Billy and Fame are in the headphones, unapologetically.
Stoked to see these guys when they come to Edmonton at Starlight Room on June 6, so far I couldn’t find the FB event page, but Dj Creeasian (https://www.facebook.com/creeasian) said he has tickets for 25 bucks a piece, so get at him. Not too many of you though, cuz I don’t have mine yet. Next week.
I’ll post some slightly more obscure Mash Out Posse closer to the date, and hopefully can link to a FB event then, but I figured everyone needs to know this banger right here, and I don’t trust you for shit when it comes to knowing rap music that isn’t on your FM dial.
Speaking of obscure, but dope: opening for M.O.P is Bronze Nazareth, a producer/rapper who’s Wu Tang affiliation led me to become the owner of a gem of an album called The Migration some years ago. This show’s definitely worth the money.
RA redefined a rap flow. This guys pretty fuckin absurd. You really oughta listen to this Legends Never Die album. Good shit.
So one of my favorite things to the only show I really listen to on terrestrial radio for the past… 12 years has been CJSR’s Hip Hop Buffet (@HipHopBuffet) and tonight, *Friday May 10* Im gunna be doing a bit of an interview, and probably dropping some rhymes live on air with them. Tune in at 2AM at the link above this, or on your way home after the bar on 88.5 fm. Swerve responsibly.
Its always been the case that there’s not a ton of people in Edmonton who can really sit and talk Hip Hop at the capacity that I’d like to. I find myself making references and catching the blank stare fairly often, cuz people just dont know what the hell Im talking about. Intellectual rap talk is my favorite shit the odd time that I do run into someone with a deep knowledge of the culture. Normally I gotta tune in to Combat Jack, Juan Epstien, or a Redbull interview to get it, but Im starting to meet a few more people in the community who know their shit, some who can teach me a thing or two, and Im always happy to go shake hands with some fellow Hip Hop heads.
