J Dilla

Beatport selling $7 albums for the next week

If you're not a streaming devotee and you're the type that simply has to own all of your music, here's a quick tip: For the next week, Beatport is having a summer sale in which you can pick up select EDM titles and hot new releases like Overgrown, James Blake's new album, Anything In Return, Toro Y ... More >>

The fifty greatest rap groups of all time

There's something great about a hip-hop group. From the beginning, it was never intended to be a solo endeavor; rap began in cyphers at block parties, and the first established rappers were components of a collective centered around the more important DJ. Even now that the rapper is the star, it's n ... More >>

The fifty greatest rap groups of all time: 50-26

There's something great about a hip-hop group. From the beginning, it was never intended to be a solo endeavor; rap began in cyphers at block parties, and the first established rappers were components of a collective centered around the more important DJ. Even now that the rapper is the star, it's n ... More >>

Here's what we're all listening to right now. What's rocking your world this week?

As people who think about, talk about, write about, listen to and make music, it's not surprising that the most common (and favorite) topic of conversation among us is the same: "What are you listening to right now?" Stick a quarter in us, and, boy, wouldn't you know it, off we go, on and on about t ... More >>

SnowBall Music Festival 2013 tipsheet: The eight must-see acts you should catch Sunday

Ah, yes, Sunday morning coming down. I believe that's how Kris Kristofferson once described the tail end of an epic bender, what, with no way to hold his head in a way that didn't ache and what have you. Hopefully you didn't go too hard the past two days; there's still one day of great music to look ... More >>

The Solution celebrates six years with #TheSolution6 tonight through Friday

With two events down, including the offical re-launch of the Solution weekly at the Meadowlark a few weeks back and last weekend's Denver Dre Day, #TheSolution6, a celebration marking the sixth anniversary of the Solution's founding at Milkbar, is well underway. Tonight at Beauty Bar, the Solution c ... More >>

The best concerts in Denver this weekend

YO GABBA GABBA! @ PARAMOUNT THEATRE | SUN, 2/24/13 Sesame Street couldn't handle mixing kids' programming with Katy Perry cleavage, but Yo Gabba Gabba! gets it right every time. Perhaps it's because one of the show's creators, Christian Jacobs, is MC Bat Commander of the Aquabats. After becoming a f ... More >>

Chaz Bundick of Toro y Moi on J. Dilla and reserving his side project for experimentation

Toro y Moi started as the solo project of Chaz Bundick, who took his solo musical endeavors to greater and greater heights of sophistication on a series of releases with the encouragement of his friend from school, Ernest Greene of Washed Out. Live, Bundick has likewise progressed from his early day ... More >>

New Denver shows: Rush, Rodrigo y Gabriela, the Postal Service, Death, Danzig and more

Bunch of new shows to let you know about this week, including Rush, who's coming to the Pepsi Center in August, plus new dates featuring the Postal Service, Rodrigo y Gabriela with the Colorado Symphony, Death, Danzig and Deer Tick. Keep reading for the full rundown of all those shows, including tic ... More >>

Ten acts that helped make hip-hop more accessible to mainstream audiences

Hip-hop is a world unto itself. Its rich tradition of spoken word poetry, self-referential subject matter and electronic and sample-based production make it, in many ways, a difficult musical form to adapt to, especially if you come from a more traditional background. These ten acts helped make rap ... More >>

Qknox and Kalyn Heffernan on Quantized Fitness, their new monthly hip-hop showcase

Quantized Fitness is new monthly hip-hop showcase being hosted by Qknox (aka Jerod Sarlo) and Kalyn Heffernan of Wheelchair Sports Camp, two artists who have contributed considerably to the local hip-hop scene over the last five years. In honor of this evening's inaugural edition of Quantized Fitnes ... More >>

Flying Lotus

Thursday, October 18, Ogden Theatre, 888-929-7849.

Flying Lotus on how J Dilla really did change his life by making music that was deep and heartfelt

Flying Lotus is one of the most innovative electronic producers out right now. Born Steven Ellison but better known these days by his stage handle, the L.A.-based artist began making beats at the age of fourteen, and with his omnivorous taste in music, he's gone on to create lush, detailed music wit ... More >>

The ten best concerts this week: October 15-19

Hope you got good and rested this past weekend, because you're going to need to tap into your energy reserves for the insane amount shows going down this week. We have all of them listed in our concert calendar, of course, if you'd like to get the full view. Otherwise, below, we've narrowed it down ... More >>

Five famous record collections and a look at their doomed (and almost doomed) fate

See Also: • Five reasons Dilla's still missed five years later • In honor of Record Store Day this Saturday: Ten records we treasure. • Record Store Day 2012: The hunt for Junta • Complete Record Store Day coverage When Michigan record store owner Jeff Bubeck acquired several thousand recor ... More >>

As Black History Month comes to a close, we reflect on the influential Sounds of Blackness

Black History Month 2012 has been a doozy. Beginning with the tragic and shocking death of Don Cornelius to dealing with equally troubling news of Whitney Houston's passing as the month wore on. Most interesting about this time is the ways in which the music healed us. When Whitney died, DJs played ... More >>

The Solution celebrates five years with #TheSolution5, which kicks off tonight at Beta

If you're a hip-hop head in Denver, there is simply no place else to be tonight than Beta for #TheSolution5's kickoff event, the Solution's 6th Annual J.Dilla Celebration, which of course is a celebration centered on the life and music of the late J. Dilla. Actually, if hip-hop's your thing, if you ... More >>

Sounds of Blackness: J Dilla

Happy birthday, J Dilla!​Ah, J Dilla. His influence and production style brought forth beatmakers carrying their backpacks filled with treasures from the basement into the mainstream. Even more so after his death. A cult-like following surrounds his legacy. Born James Dewitt Yancey in February ... More >>

Celebrate the life of J. Dilla at Beauty Bar on Tuesday night

​Celebrating the life and legacy of J Dilla, the super producer from Detroit, has become a yearly occurrence since his passing from Lupus in 2007. Started by New York DJ Dee Phunk, the Donuts are Forever parties have been going strong for the past five years. Recent Denver transplant, audio en ... More >>

Win free tickets to Dinner at the Thompson's at Cervantes tomorrow night

​What do you get when a New York-born, California-bred songstress and a French-born producer with influences ranging from J. Dilla and DJ Shadow combine forces? The duo known as Dinner at the Thompson's. An electro-funk-soul outfit with enough talent to fill a room twice between them, vocalist ... More >>

Download a free track from Collapse and a preview of Patrick Lee's new album

​If you don't recognize the name Collapse yet, rest assured, you will. The band, which was formed by Zac Joe from Cephalic Carnage and is fronted by Ben Pitts of To Be Eaten, just released its first 7-inch split on the relaunched Ash From Sweat Records.

Hip-hop's ten most impactful deaths

​Today marks the anniversary of the day that the world lost the greatest rapper of all time. Christopher Wallace's untimely death on March 9, 1997, had a significant impact on the rap game. If Biggie had lived, for instance, his presence would have essentially erased the need for Jay-Z. Unstop ... More >>

Five reasons Dilla's still missed five years later

​ The hip-hop purists among us are very familiar with the story and legacy of James Dewitt Yancy, better known as J. Dilla. Having come up in the hip-hop underground scene in Detroit and later emerging as one of the most influential producers in hip-hop, it was Dilla's death at the height of ... More >>

Kraddy: Dubstep is just slow hip-hop

Denver's emerging hip-hop producers speak out

Anatomy of a hip-hop song: Local producers weigh in on what it takes to make a great track

David Lang / Red Bull PhotofilesBoonie Mayfield (top) and Xperiment Beats​The term "producer" has very different connotations in the worlds of rock and hip-hop. Although they're both instrumental in shaping the sound, they serve very different functions. Generally speaking, in rock, a produc ... More >>

Danielle Ate the Sandwich, Otis Taylor and Trace Bundy top our weekly playlists

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" So whether you're looking for recommendations, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of ... More >>

Hey, DJ! Q&A with DJ Amen

​ Every Friday we spotlight the hottest cats (and kittens) behind the decks in the MHC, grilling them to gain some insight on what it takes, exactly, to get the party rocking, to find out about their most treasured crate digging experiences and what they really think when we stumble up to the ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top spins for the week of October 12, 2009

​As music critics, the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation, our latest feature. For the benefit of those who happen to be curious, we've compiled a list of ... More >>

Starlight Mints top seller at Wax Trax

​Starlight Mints, who play tonight at the hi-dive, moved up to the top slot at Wax Trax from last week's third slot with their latest Barsuk release, Change Remains. The Dead Weather's Horehound, Magnolia Electric Company's Josephine Bardo Pond's Peri also grabbed spots in the top five. See the fu ... More >>

Dead Weather top seller at Wax Trax

Dead Weather's debut, Horehound, was the top seller at Wax Trax while Cage's Depart From Me came in second for the week ending July 19. Clutch's Strange Cousins From the West, J Dilla's Dillanthology 2 and Tortoise's Beacons of Ancestorship rounded out the top five. See the full breakdown after the ... More >>

Kid Hum charts on CMJ

screenshot (click to enlarge) straight jacked from Ralphie Another Colorado hip-hop artist has charted on CMJ's hip-hop chart. Massive props go out to Kid Hum, who checks in this week at number eighteen, just one spot being J Dilla, with his latest effort Offshore Drilling. Certainly a good look for ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top five spins for the week of May 11, 2009<

As music critics, the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation, our latest feature. For the benefit of those who happen to be curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

Black Milk

Thursday, February 19, Fox Theatre, Boulder, 303-443-3399.

Dent offers sneak peek of new album

Dent, a respected elder statesman of hip-hop in Denver, has been toiling in the studio with his ace cohort, Noel Zancanella, putting together a brand-new album, the followup to his last release, the excellent Confi-Dent, which contained the feel good track "Sunshowers." After the jump, check out a p ... More >>

Westword's favorite national albums of the year

Friday Rap-Up: ManeLine, Hip-Hop Stars React to Obama win, Shakir Stewart Suicide, Mos Def

The Friday Rap-Up: Ice Cube, Phife, 50 Cent, Jam Master Jay

Peanut Butter Wolf

Friday, October 10, Vinyl, 303-860-8469.

Q&A with Ahmir ?uestlove Thompson of the Roots

Friday Rap-Up: The Pirate Signal, Remy Ma, Tupac, Diddy, 50 Cent

Last Night ... The Pirate Signal, Digitata, Sims, and Mel Gibson and The Pants

Scene and Heard

Sounds Supreme and Low Key have The Solution.

Nationalistic

Our music writers pick the year’s national bests.

Listen Up

Fast reviews of recent releases

Triple P

Platinum Pied Pipers (Ubiquity)

Slum Village

Detroit Deli: A Taste of Detroit (Priority Records)

Common

Electric Circus (MCA)

Styles, Slum Village and Clipse

A Gangster and a Gentleman (Ruff Ryder)
Trinity (Past, Present and Future)
Lord Willin' (Star Trak)

Universal Man

Cultural awareness, positivity and groove are all part of the Common cause.