NYS Music 202​0

Author: zac geddies

  • A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad Celebrates 50th Birthday

    Give your favorite A Tribe Called Quest album a spin today. The man behind the turntables, Bedford-Stuyvesant’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad, who mixed up the beats that Q-Tip and Phife Dawg rhymed on celebrates his birthday today.

    Ali Shaheed Muhammad

    Born August 11, 1970, Ali Shaheed Muhammad became one of New York City’s underground rap legends. As a hip hop producer, Ali Muhammad is responsible for the early jazz rap sounds that A Tribe Called Quest is known and loved for.

    Growing up in Bed-Stuy, Muhammad’s uncle, Michael Jones, who was a bassist and DJ himself, began teaching him at the age of eight. Ali would DJ parties in his Bed-Stuy neighborhood and recorded demos before joining Tribe in 1985.

    Coming together in the early 1980’s in Queens, A Tribe Called Quest consists of Ali Muhammad (the only member not from Queens), who held the role of co- producer, assisted by the groups main composer, Q-Tip, along with Tribe’s MC, Phife Dawg. Together, the trio would be looked back on as pioneers of the alternative hip hop sounds which are still popular today. Muhammad was just 19 when the group released its first album, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, in 1990

    Ali Muhammad and A Tribe Called Quest rose in popularity through their second album, the 1991 jazz-influenced album Low End Theory. The album was stripped back compared to their previous, with instrumentals consisting mostly of bass, drums, and the regular use of Jazz sampling, all sounds that find themselves synonymous with the underground alternative hip hop scene.

    Later on in 1995, Muhammad co-wrote and co-produced the Top 40 pop hit that launched the neo-soul movement, D’Angelo’s “Brown Sugar,” and earned another Grammy nomination via Lucy Pearl’s “Dance Tonight” in 2000. Muhammad has remixed songs for Janet Jackson, Maxwell, Maroon 5 and KRS-One, and has writer, producer or co-producer credits on more than 20 albums. He would also go on to found The Ummah, a production company with Jay Dee and Q-Tip.

    Throughout the early to mid 90’s A Tribe Called Quest maintained their commercial success through the release of their 1993 album, Midnight Marauders, which saw technical improvements in the groups dynamic. A Tribe Called Quest seemed to be on an unstoppable rise to success however, the group went on an eight year hiatus. Despite not working together during those years, individual members had the chance to pursue moderately successful solo careers until their reunion in 2006.

    Have a great birthday Ali Shaheed Muhammad!

  • BOMBZR Bring Funk Back to Life with “Butterscotch Baby”

    BOMBZR, one of New York City’s many exciting up and coming musical acts, is here to share some groovy tunes. Born out of the City’s underground funk and jazz scene, BOMBZR are the perfect accompaniment to any Friday night club scene.

    BOMBRZ

    “Butterscotch Baby” is one of the groups highlights featuring a slick, infectious hook and a indisputable groove. This track showcases the wide range of talent BOMBZR bring together as a group.

    Rich Bomzer, leader of the group says “For me, Butterscotch Baby is a soul driven love song with a little bit of everything that makes up a good R&B song- with horns, strong vocals, talkbox and a great hook.”

    “Butterscotch Baby” features Ramon Jackson on vocals, a friend of Bomzer. The two met working with Valerie Simpson at the Sugar Bar in NYC.

    Comprised of musicians with working alongside artists such as Elton John, Kanye West, Valerie Simpson and Roy Ayers, BOMBZR have their own original music that mixes retro throwback soul with the new music of today.

    To find out more about the band and keep up with what they have going on, follow them on ReverbNation.

  • Philly Pop-Punk Outfit Goalkeeper Release Heated New Single “Happy”

    Philadelphia band Goalkeeper have come through with “Happy,” an upbeat pop punk banger of a track just in time for the dog days of summer.

    Goalkeeper

    Full of crunchy power chords, and catchy melodies, “Happy” is the bands first release off of their upcoming EP Life in Slow Motion which will be released this upcoming September 25th on the Lost Music Collective independent label. “Happy” encapsulates everything Goalkeeper have been about thus far; writing nostalgic-flavored pop punk songs from the early 2000s coupled with roaring vocals and hefty breakdowns.

    Goalkeeper have proven themselves to be a group who is constantly seeking out new sounds in an effort to push the genre they operate in to the next level. Opening for bands such as State Champs and Real Friends, Goalkeeper are determined to leave their mark on the east coast pop punk scene.

    Pre-save the Life in Slow Motion EP here and visit the band’s webpage to learn more!

  • Buffalo Rapper Westside Gunn Celebrates his 38th Birthday

    Prolific Buffalo rapper Westside Gunn celebrates his 38th birthday today, July 27. Born Alvin Lamar Worthy, Westside has dominated the western New York rap scene along with the help of his brother, fellow rapper Conway the Machine, and their cousin, Benny the Butcher. The three have made a name for themselves in the current hip hop landscape through the formation of Griselda Records in 2014 which led the “Griselda gang” on their trip to stardom.

    2016 saw the release of Westside’s debut studio album Flygod which lent further credit to the rapper’s name. The following year saw Griselda Records made a deal cosigning with Eminem’s Shady Records which further accelerated the groups career. The groups deal with Shady Records, a subsidiary of Interscope records, made Westside and his brother Conway the Machine the first Buffalo based rappers to sign to a major record label, giving the two an almost untouchable status in the Buffalo rap scene.

    Recently, Westside Gunn has been a hot feature for artists such as Rick Ross and Anderson .Paak, collaborations that would have been hard to land without the backing of Eminem’s label. Westside has also made a name for himself in the music festival route playing massive summer events such as Coachella and Governor’s Ball.

    This past April Westside Gunn released his Pray for Paris LP which debuted at number 67 on the Billboard 200. The album features sample heavy production handled by both The Alchemist and Tyler, The Creator who also guest stared in a verse on the track “327.” Other features on the album include Freddie Gibbs and Wale along with the rest of the Griselda gang, Conway The Machine and Benny The Butcher.

    During the recording process for Pray for Paris, Westside learned that he had contracted COVID-19 which, he recounts, led to much of the promotion for the album to be handled while sick and isolated. Pray for Paris is yet another musical project that has faced obstacles placed by the global coronavirus pandemic. Following the mandated cancelation of large gatherings, the initial release party was postponed and traded in for a live stream event which took place on Twitch.

  • J. Cole Drops Two New Singles And Announces New Album

    J. Cole dropped two singles following a string of Instagram Story posts hinting towards an upcoming release. The singles are the first confirmed tracks on the southern rappers upcoming album, The Fall Off.

    On Wednesday night, J. Cole made an Instagram post announcing the upcoming release of “The Climb Back“, produced by Cole, and “Lion King On Ice“, production arranged again by Cole aided by T-Minus and Jetson. The Fall Off will be Coles first solo project since 2018’s KOD.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CC6mFLeFC02/?utm_source=ig_embed

    The first of the two singles, “The Climb Back” has J. Cole performing in his pocket, spitting bar after bar over a sparkling piano melody and a high-pitched vocal sample leaving plenty of room for Cole to switch up his flow which he finds himself doing several times. The song is missing a strong hook however, the understated vocals Cole croons out serve towards the emotional potency of the track.

    The second track released, “Lion King on Ice” is a J. Cole track by the numbers. Cole is again operating in his comfort zone; with an stripped back trap instrumental beat featuring similar pitched vocal sampling present in “The Climb Back”, Cole is able to ride the beat comfortably verse after verse.

    Cole has made it clear that he has an album coming on the way. However, he is seemingly under little pressure to release the album because he has also made it clear he has no planned release date for the album.

    For more information visit J. Cole’s website.

  • Disney Renaissance Composer Alan Menken Celebrates 71st Birthday

    Renowned composer and New Rochelle High School graduate Alan Menken turns 71 today. Born in 1949 at the French Hospital in Manhattan and raised in New York City, Menken grew up to be one of the world’s most recognizable musicians by ear.

    Before being the composer behind the beloved Disney Renaissance, Menken was a playwright and musical composer starting with works such as God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater after being recruited to organize the music by playwright Howard Ashman’s 1979 adaptation of a novel written of the same name by Kurt Vonnegut. 

    Alan Menken later worked with Ashman again in the early ’80s co-writing Little Shop of Horrors which first opened in 1982 at WPA theatre to a warm reception by the audience. Little Shop of Horrors then moved to the off Broadway Orpheum Theater where it ran for five years, and later became a successful movie and found a new life on Broadway in recent years.

    Following the success of Little Shop of Horrors, both Menken and Ashman were hired by Walt Disney Studios to write music for The Little Mermaid and later Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocohontas, among others, a major part of the Disney Renaissance. 

    Menken went on to compose music for several animated Disney films that earned him eight Oscar wins for the Best Score and/or Song (in a span of eight years) as well as 11 additional nominations.  

    Alan Menken is true New Yorker who has made his name as a composer, making an impact on both the film and music worlds.

  • Mongolian rock band The Hu raise much needed COVID-19 relief funds

    Mongolia’s highest praised rock band, The HU, have released a beautiful new acoustic video for their newest release, “Shireg Shireg.” The video offers insight of the bands recording process in the studio while also showing clips of live performances by the band. The video also showcases some of the traditional Mongolian folk instruments the band utilizes in their music.

    The video was dropped as a teaser for the deluxe version of the bands latest studio album The Greg set to drop July 10th. The album features performances from a star studded feature list including artists such as Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach, and Lzzy Hale of Halestorm. The original copy of the release has sold an impressive 130,000 copies thus far.

    Last weekend, The HU played their homecoming show after their recent sold out world tour, with a televised performance at White Rock Centre in Ulaanbaatar in aid of the Mongolian Covid-19 relief. The concert was aired on TV in Mongolia raising a total of 53 million MNT, approximately $19,000 USD. The concert was also made available to a global audience through streaming on Facebook and YouTube, raising $5,000 and counting.

    To find out more about The HU visit their website.

  • NYC Indie Outfit Longwave release video for “It’s Not Impossible,” share Bowery Ballroom concert footage

    Acclaimed NYC indie rock band Longwave have teamed up with filmmaker Bill Moldt to debut a music video for their song, “It’s Not Impossible,” from their latest album If We Ever Live Forever.

    The idea was to create a unique experience by presenting a choose-your-own-adventure style video for the song. “It’s Not Impossible” is the band’s first debut single off an album in 10 years making the release of If We Ever Live Forever a big deal.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEvH1Y7Ybdg&feature=youtu.be

    The music video was constructed through a series of bi-weekly Instagram story posts, each depicting a possible scene painted in watercolor. Each post contained a video of the scene being created, a caption, and a question prompting the band’s Instagram followers to determine the direction of the next scene. The video used the “poll” feature on Instagram Stories to tally the audiences choices. The process left director Moldt with 10 scenes that were ultimately created and assembled into what become Longwave’s official music video for “It’s Not Impossible.”

    Additionally this week, Longwave have shared full concert video of their November 2018 performance at The Bowery Ballroom. The performance was filmed by Erik Braund at Braund Studios.

    Connect with Longwave on Facebook, Instagram, and stream their music on Spotify.

  • “Congratulations” to Post Malone on his birthday

    Austin Richard Post, known professionally as Post Malone, is celebrating his birthday today, July 4th. Born outside of Syracuse in 1995 and known for his combination of pop-trap and rock balladry, Malone has been one of the quickest rising stars of the past five years since his 2015 single “White Iversion” went viral after gaining recognition on SoundCloud.

    Voted “most likely to succeed” by his high school graduating class, Post got an early start in music learning guitar at the age of nine. Before making his first beats in the audio workstation FL Studios, Malone spent time in various heavy metal and screamo scene bands- a background that has helped fortify and define his style.

    Known for combining the music he grew up on, such as grunge and indie rock with trap-beat instrumentals and pop-rock song structures, Post Malone has earned numerous spots on the Billboard 100 and several Grammy Nominations. The cloud rap anthem, “Congratulations” featuring Quavo, off Posty’s 2016 Stoney album led the pop singer to nab his first Grammy nomination at the 61st edition of the Awards. Although passed up for the win, “Congratulations,” has garnered the Upstate native worldwide recognition.

    In Septemberr of 2019, Post Malone released his most recent album Hollywood’s Bleeding which included hit songs such as “Circles” and “Sunflower” featuring Swae Lee which was also part of the soundtrack for the recent Spider-man: Into The Spider-verse Marvel animated movie soundtrack.

    Most recently, Post Malone has been performing livestream performances including his full band nirvana cover set which featured Travis Barker of Blink 182 on drums.

    Have a great birthday Post Malone!

  • Shepard Fairey Praises Chuck D with new “Fight The Power” OBEY Print

    Flushings, Queens native and Public Enemy co-founder, Chuck D, and Shepard Fairey, the artist behind OBEY, have come together bringing us a cross-sectional introduction of street art and hip hop. The artists, each citing the other as an influence, have announced the “Fight The Power: Chuck D” print, which memorializes the 1989 Public Enemy politically centered rap song, “Fight The Power.”

    Fairey has cited Public Enemy to be one of the many influences behind his socially and politically charged propaganda-like art style which was tagged throughout the streets of cities on the East Coast in the late ’90s.

    Along with announcing the release of the “Fight The Power” print, Fairey has urged his audience to listen to Public Enemy’s music, giving attention to the groups latest single, “State of The Union (STFU),” released last week.

    “Chuck D has long been a hero of mine as founder and leader of Public Enemy. He’s an outspoken social and political voice, and activist. Chuck’s lyrics always spoke truth to power.”

    Shepard Fairey

    After receiving the invitation to participate in Chuck D’s art show, “The Terrordome,” Fairey decided to create his first portrait of the Public Enemy MC. Presented in a dulled orange and blue colorway, the “Fight The Power” print will be available at the OBEY online store Tuesday, June 30th.

    Limited to 500, each print will be delivered signed by Shepard Fairey and Chuck D with all proceeds going to Black Lives Matter Greater NYC.