There won’t be any half-stepping from legendary MC, Big Daddy Kane, as he is set to perform while aboard the Antiguan shores. Hosted by travel association, The Ultimate Soul Escape, the storied hip hop veteran will see himself, beatboxing pioneer Greg Nice of Nice & Smooth, as well as comedian Majah Hype — known as the King of Caribbean Comedy – in the ultimate mixture of business and pleasure.
Set for July 21-25, The five-day cruise/excursion will see the performers and attendees alike enjoy live musical performances, comedy concerts, music jamborees, and beach parties that will be held throughout the tropical island of Antigua. The event is expected to bring revelers to Antigua and contribute an estimated $10 million to the local economy.
Big Daddy Kane began his career as a member of the fabled Juice Crew and is considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MCs in hip hop. Known for his advancement of hip hop lyricism and multi-syllabic rhyming, Kane has been an inspiration for many historic rappers that have come behind him. His proteges include the likes of Jay – Z, whom Kane mentored and took on tour during the late 1980’s, exposing him to a much greater audience.
The Ultimate Soul Escape is a travel association that brings together professionals, event planners, promoters, entrepreneurs, and friends. Up to 400 people from around the country travel to exotic destinations such as St. Lucia, Costa Rica, Aruba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, and St. Maarten, to expand their networks, socialize, and have fun.
It is always an honor to work with Ultimate Soul Escape. The professionalism of their staff and the 5-star quality of services, visually energizes their guests. It is such a worthwhile travel experience!
Big Daddy Kane
Ticketing information and further announcements on Antigua Takeover 2022 can be found here.
The ultimate soul escape is the ultimate escape for Grown folks to congregate. You can wine and dine maybe even meet a new playmate. The hospitality is straighter than straight so get your tickets now because you don’t want to miss this date July 21st-25th Greg Nice Approved!
BUKU Music and Art Project returns to New Orleans for the 10th edition on the banks of the Mississippi River later this month. Taking place in the shadow of a 100 year old power plant, the festival boasts industrial art installations mixed with traditional New Orleans subculture to create a “playground with an edge.”
NYS Music will be covering the 2-day festival which takes place on March 25th and 26th. Headliners include Tame Impala (Friday) and Tyler, the Creator (Saturday) but the lineup also features a deep mix of underground and experimental bass, techno, rap, and hip-hop artists. Head over to the festival’s website for the full lineup and ticket information.
With a 2-day general admission ticket coming in at $120 before fees and a lineup full of up and coming artists, BUKU created a modern music festival focused on growing the underground music culture. Of course there are headliners and big names on the bill to grow the festival to a certain size, but even these artists fit the vibe of BUKU. A founding member of the underground rap group Odd Future, Tyler, the Creator has been on the cutting edge of rap with every bit of new music he releases, including his incredibly successful two album run of Igor and Call Me If You Get Lost. Tame Impala’s fresh take on classic 1960’s psychedelia inspired a massive new scene of Australian bands that are creating the best psych-rock in a generation. Every aspect of the 2022 BUKU lineup stays true to the mission of the festival.
BUKU has now released the daily schedules, creating some tough conflicts. Porter Robinson or Dom Dolla? Tame Impala or Liquid Stranger? Glass Animals or Maxo Kream? There are odd standouts on every festival lineup, and for BUKU 2022 it has to be Taking Back Sunday. We will certainly be front and center for their set, but the classic emo rock band from the early aughts certainly is the black sheep of the festival. In our experience however, these legacy bands with mid-day sets can sometimes draw the largest crowd and loudest sing-alongs of the weekend.
BUKU has also just announced the BUKU Late series of after parties taking place at various New Orleans venues. The night before the festival there is a kickoff party featuring GG Magree B2B Mija taking place at Republic NOLA. Friday night parties include Troyboi and Tokimonsta at Republic NOLA as well as a BUKU x Wakaan show headlined by Liquid Stranger at The Orpheum Theater. Saturday night has three options with Alison Wonderland (house set) at Republic NOLA, BUKU x BASSIK featuring Svdden Death B2B Sullivan King at Joy Theater, and a BUKU x Lab Group party featuring a “special closing Lab Group family B2B” at The Orpheum Theater. Tickets for all of the BUKU Late parties range from $25-$35 and are currently on presale for festival ticket holders.
NYS Music photographer Joseph Buscarello will be down in New Orleans covering the festival. Stay tuned for our daily recap and artist photo galleries from BUKU.
Sound Mind Live have announced their fourth annual Sound Mind Music Festival for Mental Health. The event will take place outside on May 21st at 4 PM in New York City’s Central Park. Performances include Cold War Kids, Big Boi, American Authors, KAMAUU, Wrabel, and Allison Russell. The event will be hosted by Bronx-raised comedian Gina Brillon.
Cold War Kids
As brought into the public eye, the coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on a lot of people’s wellbeing and mental health. This year, the Sound Mind Music Festival for Mental Health will focus on the mental impact that this virus has imprinted on us. Artists will have the opportunity to share their own pandemic experiences and information will be readily available including mental health resources, suicide prevention resources, and self-care practices.
Leading up to the event, Sound Mind Live will also host an open panel about mental health at Prime Produce Social Impact Cooperative on West 54th Street. Wrabel, ELSZ, and Pronoun will also perform stripped-down performances of their sets. The event will go deep into mental health struggles in the LGBTQ+ community, communities of color, and the music industry. The event is free and will begin at 5:30 PM. Those who are interested must register on the Sound Mind Live website beforehand.
Two items will also be raffled off, a microphone signed by Big Boi and a drumhead signed by Cold War Kids. By signing a petition for improved crisis services, you will be granted three entries. Moreover, every dollar donated to Sound Mind Live grants you ten entries.
For the first time, those unable to catch the event live can watch a live stream on TikTok. Tickets for the event go on sale Friday, March 11th at 10 AM ET. General admission tickets will cost $40 and VIP tickets will cost $149.50. For more information, go to www.soundmindlive.org.
Queens crooner Kyngjo is back with his latest summer anthem with the Utopian single “Six in the Morning.” Featuring fellow afrobeat/hip hop artist, LAFROMNEWYORK, the Ghanian duo paint a blissful reminder of the entrapments of a passionate romance.
“Six in the Morning” is a catchy record that sees both artists showcase the kind of artistry that creates stars. Kyngjo starts off with his charmed delivery of a jaded womanizer.
“When she hit me on my line I can’t help but to count all me pesos. When she tell me she want diamonds I buy double cause I can’t really say no.”
“I could show you what it’s really like. 3 a.m. on the hill that’s my vibe. But baby I can’t stand the way that these girls lie,”
he whispers as he sets the tone for the well-known tale of men, women and money. LAFROMNEWYORK brings the afro inspired vibe full circle, seamlessly interloping with Kyngjo.
This is a strong effort as Kyngjo builds anticipation for his upcoming debut EP. The Lefrak native is hitting his stride, as he seems to be even more sure of his own sound. His best records have seen his show his most potential. Songs like “Need Em” and “I’m Good Luv” are both stolid records.
“Six in the Morning” has nice replay value as the summer nears.
The Chautauqua Institution in Jamestown has announced its 2022 Amphitheater shows, with a huge lineup of artists and comedians.
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater.
Prominently, singer Sheryl Crow will be playing on July 12, bringing hits like “All I Wanna Do” and “Soak Up the Sun” to the Amphitheater. Her openers will be five-time Grammy-winning bluesman Keb’ Mo’ and blues band Southern Avenue.
Sheryl Crow.
On July 11, Cuban pianist and composer Aldo-López-Gavilán will be performing. Excelling as a recitalist and performer, he will also be joined by his brother Ilmar Gavilán, who is a child prodigy and began his career at age 14.
The Gavilán Brothers.
July 15 brings ABBA The Concert, said to be the most authentic tribute to ABBA. They will play all the songs that made ABBA great, including “Mamma Mia,” “S.O.S,” “Money, Money, Money,” “The Winner Takes All,” and “Waterloo.”
On July 16, Chautauqua School of Music faculty members Aaron Berofsky, Kathryn Votapek, and Felix Wang with pianist Phillip Bush will be performing.
Aaron Berofsky, Kathryn Votapek, Felix Wang, and Phillip Bush.
On July 23, pianist Brian Zeger and the members of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and School of Music will be performing. Zeger appears regularly as guest faculty at the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory and is widely recognized as one of today’s leading collaborative pianists.
Brian Zeger and other members of the Orchestra.
On August 5, Brett Eldredge will be performing. He is a country music star, with seven number one radio hits, nine gold and platinum-certified singles, two gold-certified albums, and multiple CMA, ACM, and CMT Music nominations and wins.
On August 8, there will be a dynamic ensemble filled with America’s top brass players, called Seraph Brass, performing. They are winners of the 2019 American Prize in Chamber Music.
Seraph Brass.
On August 17, jazz pianist and organist Matthew Whitaker will be at the Amphitheater. Profiled on shows such as 60 Minutes and The Today Show, Whitaker has played at places like Carnegie Hall and with artists like Jason Moran and Jon Batiste.
Matthew Whitaker.
There are loads of other events happening at the Chautauqua Amphitheater including comedian Jay Leno, The Voice winners Girl Named Tom, The Avett Brothers, and Stars of the Peking Acrobats.
This summer’s shows at the Chautauqua Amphitheater in Jamestown will be packed with loads of talent, from musicians to comedians to even acrobats. Tickets can be found here.
The biggest stars of underground hip-hop today, Earl Sweatshirt, Action Bronson, Boldy James, and The Alchemist brought their “NBA Leather” tour to New York City’s Terminal 5 venue on Thursday, February 17th, for their second of back-to-back shows. With a rapidly eager crowd hungry for concerts to continue post-Omicron surge, this quartet certainly did not disappoint.
The Alchemist at Terminal 5, 02/17/22. Photo by Kunal Khunger
They all performed a variety of tracks, ranging from recently released albums like Earl Sweatshirt’s “Sick!” (released this year) to Action Bronson’s classic “Blue Chips 7000” (released 2017). Some guests were brought out as well, most notably Benny the Butcher of Griselda fame. The New York hip-hop scene was well represented.
Boldy James at Terminal 5, 02/17/22. Photo by Kunal Khunger
All the artists engaged the crowd in their own unique ways, from Action Bronson asking his DJ to play old instrumentals to see if he remembered the words to some of his more niche songs, to Alchemist playing his well-known role as a great hype man. Earl Sweatshirt, as he is known to be, was a very low-key stage presence, solely focused on his raps. The variety of sounds and styles was on full display Thursday night, giving an enthusiastic crowd a little bit of everything.
Action Bronson at Terminal 5, 02/17/22. Photo by Kunal Khunger
The “NBA Leather” tour with Earl Sweatshirt, Action Bronson and The Alchemist has a few more stops left, mainly on the East Coast of the US. You can see more tour dates here. Be sure to check out the photo gallery below!
Earl Sweatshirt, Action Bronson, and Boldly James headlined at Terminal 5 on Wednesday, February 16. This was the ninth stop on their tour together, but a special one, being their first in New York City and bringing a number of local acts to the stage.
The show opened with the Alchemist, who then brought Boldly James out to perform an entire set.
Next, Earl Sweatshirt came out to preform songs from his new album SICK! as well as a number of classics. Sweatshirt individually brought out the likes of Navy Blue, Wiki, MIKE, and Zelooperz.
Action Bronson graced the stage with his iconic machismo. His stage presence is unrivaled, as is his posing as a greek statue in interludes.
Analyzing the motive behind a politician’s actions or words can be tricky, for deception is often their one true ally. For every politician elected, no matter how prosperous their tenure, there is a group of people left feeling bamboozled or unnatended. From a historical perspective, it’s clear that politics are about control and the ability to generate waves with one flick of the tongue, which is sometimes guised in the want to build a better all-around community (depending on the politician). A preacher and a politician aren’t too dissimilar, there is a performance aspect to holding office and the theatrics of a reverend/preacher is of good use when dealing with the media. Which is why it’s seamless for a member of the clergy to slap on the title of “activist” and enter the political world.
In the case of New York City mayor, Eric Adams, momentary power doesn’t seem to fit his bill, having held dignified positions of authority and moving on from each for greener pastures, Adams gives the impression of a man with a larger play in mind. New York City is a tough place to govern and win over. If one wants to truly make their mark (and be elected for a second term and maybe more), they must find an agenda and make it their focus mission. For Giuliani, it was the mob and his “tough on crime” stance, for Bloomberg it was the implementation of stop & frisk. Adams may have found his silver bullet with his recent harping on the negative impacts of drill music and the need to keep it off social media and radio airwaves.
Fivio Foreign: The most commercially-successful living drill rapper with an upcoming album executive produced by Kanye West
While discussing the shooting death of Bronx drill rapper, C-Hii Wvttz, an emotional Adams apologized to the teens’ parents and made plans to meet with civil rights activists including Al Sharpton and state NAACP President Hazel Dukes to pitch his plan to crack down on gun violence. Which all seemed fine and dandy after all, isn’t that what you do after the tragic death of a young Black man? Meet with Al Sharpton. Until Adams pivoted and began to use drill — a violent hip-hop sub-genre in its own right — as the scapegoat for the many unfortunate deaths of Black youth. Adams even went as far as to say that he had never heard of drill music and learned of it from videos his son (who works at RocNation) sent him, claiming he was alarmed by his findings.
22Gz: recognized as the founder of the Brooklyn Drill wave
Drill music (which gets its name from the slang term for killing someone) derived as a sub-genre from Chicago rappers like King Louie, Edai, Lil Durk and Chief Keef in the early 2010’s. It is composed of threatening lyrics, constant references to gun violence, disrespectful disses aimed at dead rivals and most importantly, gang culture. Once popularized, the genre made its way to New York City. Brooklyn, New York to be specific. Adams, who served as Brooklyn borough President from 2013-2021 watched as Brooklyn artists the likes of 22GZ, Sheff G, Sleepy Hallow, Fivio Foreign and most of all, Pop Smoke (who took over the world musically in the year 2020) reached commercial success while trading insults, threats, injuries and fatalities all on the back of drill music.
The most popular drill artist ever as he took the genre to unforeseen heights before and after his tragic death.
The irony in all of this is that the current incarnation of the ever-evolving drill sub-genre derives not from Brooklyn but from the Bronx. This latest version where a pop-friendly record is sampled, sped up and laced with heavy drums, while backed by menacing lyrics has put the Bronx back on the map. With its most recognizable names being the currently incarcerated Kay Flock and Dthang, as well as B-Lovee.
It’s why when Adams says things like,
We are alarmed by the use of social media to really over-proliferate this violence in our communities. This is contributing to the violence that we are seeing all over the country. It one of the rivers we have to dam.
The public stops and rolls its eyes, because this has been happening for quite a few years and prominently in his own borough.
Gang culture in New York has been prevalent since the 1990’s, yet none more so than in the past decade (when social media became a factor). Adams himself comes from an under-privileged background — much like many gang members and drill artists — and was around during the crack epidemic and witnessed the gangster music culture it fostered. While hip hop has always been about reflecting one’s reality, emcees went from rapping like this, to this, to eventually this. As the streets became more menacing, so did the music, as it reflects the anger and angst that comes with growing up in project buildings and crime-infested areas.
One of the faces of the Bronx drill scene, Kay Flock, is currently incarcerated on a first-degree murder charge and is awaiting trial
Quite honestly, drill music could be the last bit of realism left in the rap game. Southern trap, which was once hip hop’s ugly stepchild has transformed into the main segue into the music industry and drill music may not be too far behind with the mainstream success of several Brooklyn and Chicago drill artists. Yet, as of now, drill is the voice of the streets. It is honest, brave and raw. So much so, that the constant dissing and shooting between rival gangs may be too much for New York City’s bright lights. When a drill artist makes a diss record and is then the victim of retaliatory gun-violence, it comes as a surprise to absolutely no one. The fans and artists alike know what’s to come. Yet, the inevitability of it all tends to make law enforcement look like helpless bystanders, especially when innocent civilians are also affected by these reckless shootings, as they look to the police to put a stop to it.
Called the founder of Bronx drill, Dthang is also serving time for a weapons charge
However, would banning drill music from hitting airwaves change anything? Adams referred to former President Trump’s Twitter ban as precedence but, are the two instances even comparable? Donald Trump is a privileged white man with enough wherewithal to know exactly who he is provoking with every word. Drill artists are teenagers who — for many — have yet to leave their own neighborhoods. Donald Trump had conflict with Russia and the Ukraine. These kids beef with each other because that’s all they know and where they’re from, death and murder are commonplace.
Blovee: the Bronx rapper represented his borough in the meeting with mayor Eric Adams
Instead of using drill music as a scapegoat, why not eliminate the problem at its core and focus on nurturing a more positive outcome for the youth. How about focusing on the vast number of underperforming high schools and making sure they meet certain standards? After all, education is one of the things that helped turn Adams’ life around. Schools could even begin introducing trade programs for kids who feel as though their future does not lie in a textbook, exposing them to legal income at an earlier age certainly would pique interest.
Rather, this past Wednesday, mayor Adams met with several drill artists to hear their opinions on the matter and clarify his stance.
They came in with a lot of energy — of, you know, here’s a 62-year-old guy that [doesn’t] understand young people and you want to destroy. And I let them talk and then I told them what I said: That violent people who are using drill rapping to post who they killed and then to antagonize the people who they are going to kill is what the problem is.
Eric Adams on his meeting with NYC rappers
And they heard me, and we’re going to be rolling out something in the next few days to deal with this issue. It was a great conversation, and I was happy to have them there.
The antagonizing lyrics Adams refers to have been happening in hip hop for decades, the difference is, rappers of yesteryear were more discreet with their disses, it was an “if you know you know” kind of thing. As we’ve entered the social media era, where anything and everything gets shared publicly, the reality that New York City is fostering youth that have such little regard for human life is a little too real for some and it reflects poorly on its leaders.
Besides, what can one meeting solve when only two of the people in attendance are actual drill rappers (Fivio Foreign and B-Lovee), and none of the rival gang members/ drill rappers who their antagonizing lyrics are aimed at are present? Isn’t that how you come to a treaty, by having opposing factions sit down and come to a resolution?
Nonetheless, this might be a strategic move from the mayor. With his denouncing of drill lyrics and vague rapper meetings, he can give his “hey, I tried” answer the next time a young driller rapper is killed, or he can continue to attack the sub-genre itself, but we’ll all know the problem was never the music. The music itself is a voice for the problems. But then again, the mayor may have just found his long-term cause to hang his hat on.
The Pine Boys are an electric combination of alternative rock, funk and hip-hop from Albany releasing their new album Vacationland today, February 18th.
These artists provide such a unique musical interpretation with a blend of character-driven storytelling and memorable guitar riffs. The group was founded by multi-instrumentalists, Brett Maney and Andrew Cerone, in 2016. When they started playing live in 2019, they added their longtime friend Sam Lasky on the instrument, the keytar, since they have been together, they have released 6 albums and played all over Upstate NY, anywhere from basements to bars.
The Pine Boys Live
Many of their songs are part of an interconnected universe set in the fictional town of “Vacationland,” this is the groups hometown and place of origin. This is also the mindset that you need to have when you see them live. Seeing a live Pine show should serve as a time to take a vacation from your normal reality and temporarily venture into their world.
The Pine Boys “Vacationland”
Their top song on Spotify, “Electric Minnow,” provide a mixture of funky guitar riffs along with a catchy rhythm throughout the song. By blending a hip hop style of lyrics with indie sounds, the band creates a unique blend of music.
Other songs like “Fat Al” are melancholy but have a funny twist. Throughout listening to the song, the guitar has a shadowy feeling yet satisfying because of how beautiful it is played. “If Walls Could Talk,” “Enter the Sauce,” and “Duneman” have made their top 5 despite being all on different albums. Each provides different genre mash which they include throughout their peruana of “Vacationland.”
Sunday February 18 at the Westcott Theater is round two of “It’s a party fest” to keep the 2022 Winter festivals rolling. The event will be hosted by actor & artist JT Campos. He is featured on the NETFLIX series “Queen of the South” and has been a guest on BREAL’ TV’s show Smokebox. For the first time ever in Upstate New York the Luniz will be performing their hit song ” I got 5 on it”.
The 1995 song “I got Five on It” by rap duo Luniz was released more than two decades ago and is still an anthem among the cannabis culture. On Christmas 2019 Academy award winner Jordan Peele dropped the trailer for “Us” that resurged the songs popularity through a new horror movie.
It’s a Party Fest host & actor JT Campos told BREAL on his show that he when he reads a script he likes to vibe out and listen to music in the background. Westcott Theater will have that vibe on 2/18.
I’m trying to get some stories told. Ya know? I’ts about telling your stories and sharing them, invigorating & motivating people to inspire them to tell their story
JT Campos
Other artists filling in the all day indoor music festival will be DJ Dice Brooklyn of Redman, YO$#!, Maddabber710, Jam Master J Son, Yukmouth of the Luniz, Michael Taylor, Richie Banks, Frank Stepanek, Justin James Bridges and friends, Shawn Seals SXM, Matt Romano, Ebb N Flow, Milly G, Ricky Versetti, Bob Holz and a vision forward, Sliksly, Aerolyn Mansion, N2, Mozay Calloway, Moe Betta The Goddess and more. Tickets are available here.
