In the age when the Roots released their eleventh studio album, the epic How I Got Over, all bands intending to use live instrumentation with hip-hop vocals and elements had better come correct. With the release of No Object, Whiskey Blanket, three vocalists who blend the live sounds of cello,…
TALIB KWELI With Chicharones • Food Chain 12.03.10 | Cevantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom Talib Kweli embodied the tried-and-true show-business rule that no matter what, the show must go on. Having seen him live tons of times, I usually come with the premise that if you’ve seen the Brooklyn MC rock once,…
The most immediately noticeable thing about Kalyn Heffernan is that she’s in a wheelchair. What takes a little more time to absorb and appreciate is that the petite Irish woman in the Timbaland boots and paint-covered electric chair (she’s also a sometime graffiti artist) fashions herself as the real deal…
Wolf Blitzer, the white-haired politico from CNN, can usually be found musing on the hysteria of world politics. Last night, however, he stole the show at the Soul Train Music Awards by hitting his illest and meanest “Dougie,” the dance craze sweeping the nation — and, it appears, the Situation…
Jewell Tyme affiliate Haven the Great is an absolute beast on the mike. You probably known him either from backing up other members of the crew or guesting on albums like Dispensary Music by his cousin King FOE and Whygee. But on King Kong, his debut release, Haven is proving…
Kanye West released My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy yesterday amid rave reviews — Pitchfork gave it a perfect ten rating, Spin gave it nine out of ten stars, Rolling Stone gave it five stars, Urb gave it four and a half out of five stars, and XXL has reportedly given…
Ludacris, Carmelo Anthony, his wife, Lala Vasquez, and Sway Calloway from MTV surprised 1400 students at George Washington High School on Friday afternoon for the Get Schooled national challenge and tour, aimed at engaging students and their families to help improve high school graduation rates. GW was chosen because it…
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 producer plays a variety of roles, everything from acting as an artistic filter to being an almost shaman…
J. COLE With K. Michelle • CJ Hilton • J Blev • Pries • KDJ Above 11.17.10 • Fox Theatre, Boulder While J. Cole brought the house down at the Fox Theater in Boulder for the BET Music Matters tour, the real comedy took place long before he hit the…
Kid Hum is as thoughtful about his choice in food and drink as he is about his process of making beats. Early on, he sips wine and discusses Minnie Riperton; later he chooses a Bloody Mary while marveling at the genius of Pimp C. “I’m a foodie when I can…
GHOSTFACE With Sheek Louch • Frank Dukes • Black Pegasus • Liquid Assassin 11.06.10 | Summit Music Hall Ghostface swooped through Denver over the weekend for a performance at Summit Music Hall with Sheek Louch, Black Pegasus and Liquid Assassin. The venue, with its blue lights and dark interior, created…
DOOMTREE With Yonnas Abraham 11.05.10 | Marquis Theater Doomtree, the hip-hop consortium out of Minneapolis, rocked the house for a sold out crowd on Friday at the Marquis. There’s seven members of the rap crew (nine, including producers), so what began as individual displays of rap endowment sectioned off in…
At Casselman’s Monday night, at a listening party for Gypdahip’s latest mixtape, Magic, in a move that surprised everyone — if for no other reason than no one saw it coming — brikAbrak was asked to join GirlGrabbers, the production and beatmaking consortium of Gypdahip and Qknox. For the producer…
Dispensary Music is a compilation of soulful beats and political rhetoric that centers on the unprincipled use of drugs and an appreciation for marijuana, in particular. With beats by Kid Hum, TC Crook and Graffiti Dopeness, the soundscape is an artful example of the perfect producer/rapper collaboration. While an entire…
Yonnas Abraham of The Pirate Signal has been busy revamping the look and feel of his group, adding a new DJ and guitarist, along with a ton of new material. A new album titled, You’re Always Leaving Me, is in the works and due out sometime after the first of…
Young Doe puts a little hip-hop spin on the show Cheaters with his new video for the song “Droptop,” featuring Texas recording artist Chalie Boy. The Damon Jamal-directed clip features a host of local cameos from cats like Mr. Colorazzi, DJ Ktone and Rockie, as well as Kevin Kain, who…
“Supa Lovin'” is the track that just won’t go away. Not only does the cut appear on Pries’s second mixtape, Late for Class, but it’s also slated to appear on Transfer Student, his forthcoming album, which is scheduled to drop next month. A radio-ready anthem, “Supa Lovin'” is driven by…
This weekend’s Sneaker Prom and Shoe Shine are easily becoming among the most popular sneaker events in the country. Having involved over 200 artists and businesses over the years, both are outstanding community-oriented events, as well as a can’t-be-missed showcase the most sophisticated stylings in sneaker art. If you’re serious…
CURREN$Y Big K.R.I.T. • Smoke DZA • Corner Boy P 10.21.10 | Marquis Theater It was little testy last night at the Marquis. Things got off to a tense start with a heavy-handed security presence combined with a restlessness on the part of the crowd as they waited for the…
BrikAbrak, the vinyl-slinging, Al Green- and Old Dirty Bastard-mixing DJ, can most often be found rocking a party to high heaven or backing up one of Denver’s premier MCs on any given night. On the daily, though, you can find him at 3237 East Colfax Avenue, watching dough rise and…
Pilot Talk, the latest album from the New Orleans-based rapper known as Curren$y (Shante Anthony Franklin), is a guaranteed smoker’s delight, taking the listener for a trip down the sonic rabbit hole with the help of his Island Def Jam labelmate Ski Beatz, the producer largely known for his production…
This past Saturday night at Beta, during Red Bull’s Thre3Style competition, celebrity judges ?uestlove and Jazzy Jeff closed the night out with a live drum and DJ peformance. Before the competition kicked off and before ?uestlove and Jazzy Jeff set the place on fire with their impressive finale, the pair…
