NYS Music 202​2

Category: Hip Hop/Rap

  • East Goes West for WONDERFRONT Music and Arts Festival 2022

    After two years under wraps, The Wonderfront Music Festival makes its first return since 2019. Running from November 18-22, 2022, Wonderfront was started by CEO Paul Thornton and is located right in the marina along the waterfront piers and parks of downtown San Diego. Wonderfront is a multi genre annual festival hosting over 80+ artists, including award winning headliners Gwen Stefani, Cage The Elephant, G-Eazy, and The Zac Brown Band. 

    Wonderfront
    WonderFront 2019

    One of Southern California’s biggest cities, San Diego has become the perfect location for festival grounds in the SeaPort Village Marina. The Wonderfront Festival is bringing a full package to the comeback lineup for 2022 with many art installations, food vendors like Sophias Kitchen, Pressed and Smash City Burgers, in addition to hosting various retail vendors and partnering with The San Diego Museum of Art, one of the region’s largest and most-visited art museums to accentuate the visual arts experience.

    Wonderfront
    WonderFront Music and Arts Festival Lineup

    The lineup includes artists coming from around the globe. Headliners include Gwen Stefani, G-Eazy, The Zac Brown Band, Cage The Elephant, Young the Giant and EARTHGANG. While hosting over 80 artists, Wonderfront pulls from rock, alternative, rap, pop rock to appeal to a wide range of community for the fans. Not only does Wonderfront bring award-winning headliners but brings deserving attention to many more well established artists. Other artists featured on the lineup include Fitz and The Tantrums, Bea Miller, Joey Purp, Hippie Sabotage and many more.

    Wonderfront
    Wonderfront 2022

    NYS Music will head west for WonderFront Music and Arts Festival and will be reporting back on members of the East Coast music community, several of which are making an appearance at Wonderfront Festival 2022. Bea Miller from Maple Wood, New Jersey, launched her career after placing 9th on X- Factor at the age of only 13. Some of her top hits from album Aurora include “Song Like You,” “Like That,” and “Motherlove.” Another artist representing the East Coast is Two Feet, originally from Manhattan and gained attention in 2016 and rose to success after releases Pink and Max Marco is Dead Right? in 2021.

  • Dave Chappelle Hosts Post-Election SNL Show with Musical Guests Black Star

    Dave Chappelle hosted his third post-election Saturday Night Live show on November 12, with musical guest Black Star, who has worked with and performed alongside Chappelle over the years.

    Dave Chappelle
    Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC

    The cold open started with a spoof on Fox News with Fox & Friends, featuring news anchors played by Heidi Gardner, Mikey Day, and Bowen Yang. They interviewed Republican candidate Kari Lake (Cecily Strong) about the election fraud, and how when Lake was winning, she was happy, and when she was losing, she was saying it was fraudulent, much like a lot of Republican candidates. The cold open also had an interview with Trump (James Austin Johnson) about his endorsements of candidates that lost.

    In his opening monologue, Dave Chappelle spoke against Kanye West’s antisemitic tweets and West’s hatred of Jewish people. He joked about Jewish culture as well but did it in a tasteful and non-offensive matter. Chappelle also spoke about the midterm elections, and how “ominous” they were and called Herschel Walker “observably stupid.” He also spoke about the ongoing Russia and Ukraine conflict.

    https://youtu.be/_m-gO0HSCYk

    The next sketch featured the show “P.M. in the Afternoon” with Dave Chapelle as Willy T. Hawkins, talking about his new album My Potato Hole. The rest of the anchors made cringy jokes about the potato hole, and the meaning of the word was revealed as a food hole slaves had, making it very awkward.

    Chappelle came back out to talk about House of the Dragon and the black characters on the show, and also showed a parody video of the show, with Chappelle featured in the sketch as characters from Chappelle Show. The next sketch featured Chappelle in a barber shop, with Kenan Thompson, Ego Nwodim, Punkie Johnson, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker, poking fun at Kanye West, and the election, featuring the awkwardness of a white barber (Longfellow) trying to comment on race issues.

    New York-based hip-hop duo Black Star (Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey) were the musical guest tonight, making their SNL debut. They just released their highly-anticipated album No Fear of Time – their first in nearly 24 years. Chappelle introduced them as “Brooklyn’s finest.” The group was confident, rapping about the issues facing the black community today in the song “So be it.” Behind the group was a photo with lyrics so people can understand what they are rapping about. Madlib, who produced all the beats on the new record, was DJing behind the group.

    https://youtu.be/rCIJrpcpWdg

    Weekend Update with Colin Jost and Michael Che focused on the midterm elections. Jost joked about how polling places are run by old people. Che joked about Biden running for President in the 2024 election despite his old age and also joked about the new female governors. Candidate Jose Suarez (Marcello Hernández) spoke about his campaign and that “everything is basically fine.” He also joked about how people complain about too much today despite the hard issues in other countries. Cast member Sarah Sherman was featured on the show as well, joking about herself in a sketch called “Sarah News.”

    Dave Chappelle came back out to introduce the next sketch, saying he was too old to do it and needed to rest. The sketch was called “Black Heaven” and the God figure, who was supposed to be Chappelle, is comedically played by a white actor. Chappelle was off-screen smoking, and laughing with other people. The sketch focused on stereotypes in the black community.

    The second performance by Black Star was much chiller, with a different photo in the background and no lyrics. The song, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing,” speaks about white supremacy and guns. The group will be playing a special show at Sony Hall in NYC on Nov. 15, with tickets on sale here.

    https://youtu.be/UKY8J8z0mlo

    There was another sketch about Election Night, with newcomer Molly Kearney becoming Ohio’s Attorney General after a drunk tweet. Chappelle ended the show by mentioning Migos rapper Takeoff (Kirshnik Khari Ball), who had performed on SNL in 2018 and was tragically shot and killed on Nov. 1.

    During the episode, it was announced that Keke Palmer will be hosting the Dec. 3 show, with musical guest SZA.

  • Nas To Perform First Ever Headline Show at Madison Square Garden

    Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (MSG Entertainment) and Live Nation announced that Grammy Award winning rap legend, Nas, will perform at Madison Square Garden on Friday, February 24, 2023, marking the icon’s first headline show at The World’s Most Famous Arena.

    Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, November 18 at 10:00 a.m. Chase cardholders will have advance access to tickets from Tuesday, November 15 through Thursday, November 17. Tickets will also be available in person beginning on Saturday, November 19 at the Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre box offices.

    Embed from Getty Images

    Fresh off the success of the NY State of Mind Tour, with Wu-Tang Clan and special guest Busta Rhymes, Nas will once again hit the road on the heels of his latest release, King’s Disease III. The first two-installments of the series both earned him grammy nominations, with the former earning Nas his first-ever win. As such, the fabled rapper has once again recruited Hit-boy to complete the trilogy. The duo has worked together extensively the past few years, producing three King’s Disease albums and their Christmas EP, Magic.

    A headlining performance at MSG will culminate the career of one of New York Cities most devoted sons. Nas’ career was made off of his incredible storytelling in which he depicted inner-city New York living. One of his more renowned records “NY State of Mind” has become a hip hop staple, with Nas becoming an embodiment of the city. Having influenced so many, Nas will finally get to take his rightful place as an MSG headliner.

    Nas’ Other Ventures

    Recently, Nas executive produced the limited three-part SHOWTIME docuseries, Supreme Team with Peter J. Scalettar. The documentary recalled the notorious New York drug syndicate and its long-standing cultural influence. Moreover, the film made its debut at this year’s Tribeca Festival this past summer. Furthermore, Nas also narrated and executive produced The Invaders documentary, following the rise and fall of a militant black power group based in Memphis, Tennessee in the late 1960’s.

    Fans can access exclusive King’s Disease III content, merchandise, and experiences here, while a limited deluxe version of the vinyl is exclusively available on Mass Appeal’s website.

  • Black Star Announces Last Minute NYC Show After SNL Debut

    Hip-hop duo Black Star (Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey) announced a last-minute show at Sony Hall on Nov. 15, coming off the heels of their SNL debut on Nov. 12.

    Black Star is a rap group from NYC, that changed music forever in 1998 with their album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. yasiin bey and Talib Kweli first united to form what they penned “the best alliance in hip-hop,” and continue to make history with their highly-anticipated album No Fear of Time – their first in nearly 24 years.

    Madlib produced all of the beats for the album’s nine songs and according to Pitchfork “the people need Black Star now more than ever,” saying the songs “So be it,” “Sweetheart. Sweethard. Sweetodd.,” and “Supreme alchemy” are the “best performances across the album.” 

    Earlier this year, they performed alongside Robert Glasper, Dave Chapelle, Thundercat, Flying, and Lotus, at the debut Blue Note Napa Festival.

    The group will be going to Sony Hall, an NYC venue that opened its doors in 2018. It presents world-renowned performing artists across all music genres at capacities of 1,000 standing and 500 seated, with a full-service restaurant and bar. Sony Hall is equipped with Sony’s technologies which provide enhanced experiences for the audience.

    Tickets to see their performance at Sony Hall on Nov. 15 are on sale here. Black Star will also be performing on SNL on Nov. 12, with host Dave Chapelle.

    https://youtu.be/PMKxRn0Xgj4

  • Busta Rhymes Announces EP, The Fuse is Lit, Set for November 18 Release

    Hip hop legend Busta Rhymes will be adding another chapter to his illustrious discography. The “Touch It” rapper took to Instagram to announce his latest EP, The Fuse is Lit, to be released on Friday, November 18.

    Originally set to hit airwaves this Friday, the EP has been pushed back in light of the death of Takeoff. The popular rapper and 1/3 of the Migos was fatally shot at a bowling alley in Houston, Texas on November, 1. The Slain rapper’s funeral and celebration of life takes place this Friday, November 11, on The Fuse is Lit‘s original release date.

    As such, Busta Rhymes took to Instagram to share his condolences to Takeoff’s family and announce a new release date.

    “I just want to start this off by saying, let us all collectively send love and light to our brothers. Takeoff, sending love and light to his beautiful family. Sending love and light to our brothers Quavo and Offset. the quality control family, P and Coach K. Family and friends affected directly and indirectly by this tragedy. In light of supporting this beautiful sending off of our beautiful bother, I have decided to push back the release date of my EP, The Fuse is Lit to November 18. Let us all send our love and beautiful energy to our bothers, the Migos and quality control and their beautiful families. Salute.”

    The Fuse is Lit

    Despite the delay, the five-track EP will feature a number of “whose who” in hip hop lore. The Fuse is Lit has guest appearances/ production from Big Daddy Kane, Marley Marl, Swizz Beatz. Additionally, The EP’s promotional single and music video “slap” sees Busta align with Big Daddy Kane and Conway The Machine. The song and music video alike are an ode to hip hop and New York City’s golden age. The production is reminiscent of the culture’s golden era, while the three emcees present themselves as powerful Don’s. Moreover, The Fuse is Lit can be another reminder that hip hop’s golden age is ever present.

  • In Focus: Hip-Hop Legend Rakim at Water Street Music Hall

    Water Street Music Hall hosted a living legend when they brought in Rakim on Saturday, October 29.

    Dating back to the late 1980s, there have been countless MCs making music and trying to earn their 15 seconds of fame. Among the best, according to people like Marley Marl, Dr. Dre, and Kool Moe Dee, was Rakim.

    Rakim center stage in Rochester NY

    Rakim burst onto the scene in 1985 as half of the duo Eric B. and Rakim and immediately gained praise and recognition as a skilled MC and lyricist. Working together until 1992, the duo released 4 studio albums, including the debut Paid in Full and their final album in 1992 Don’t Sweat the Technique, both of which were big sellers and remain highly regarded to this day.

    Moving on to a solo career, Rakim released The 18th Letter in 1997 and is now touring as he celebrates the 25th anniversary of this lyrical masterpiece.

    Setting up the crowd for Rakim was Rochester, NY based The Frank White Experience (Notorious B.I.G. tribute band) and Styles P., both of which were welcomed by the crowd. If you are a fan of Biggie, The Frank White Experience needs to be on your radar as they cover the late rapper with their own unique twist. Styles P played the crowd for about 45 minutes with some street style raps and eventually did a little freestyle set in the crowd.

    The Frank White Experience

    Styles P

  • Ladies Love Cool Jazz: LL Cool J Reimagined

    Following his collaborative album with the legendary Eric B. & Rakim, Jonathan Hay and company have decided to tackle another iconic artist from the golden era of New York hip-hop and reimagine it as jazz. This time around, the billboard charting Hay and co. will look to channel hip hop’s first superstar, LL Cool J, into a 14-track jazz album of quintessential LL songs. Slated for a January 13-14 release (LL’s birthday), LL Cool Jazz, will look to repeat the success of Follow the Leader (Reimagined As Jazz), which spent 11-consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard Jazz charts.

    LL Cool J
    LL Cool Jazz will reimagine hip hop’s first superstar

    Ladies Love Cool Jazz

    Jazz music and hip hop have long been distant cousins, with both genres rooted in similar strife. Despite the generational gap, rap music’s edginess was built on the back of Jazz’s more controlled chaos. In light, hip hop’s rhythms could not exist without the Jazz Symphonies to inspire it.

    Similarly, Jazz runs deep in LL Cool J’s blood. His grandfather was a saxophonist and helped jumpstart a young LL. “They embraced me, they built me up. They made me believe in myself,” LL said of his grandparents, with his trademark bravado leading him all the way to a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.

    Like all of our music, when Rakim and I first sat down to write and record Follow the Leader, we took inspiration from our Jazz icons in creating its signature sound,

    – Eric B revealed in promotion for their collaboration with Hay.

    Moreover, LL is no stranger to hip hop and jazz working synonymously. The Rick Rubin produced single “Going Back to Cali” — released over 34 years ago on Def Jam Records — showed the versatility of a young LL. The song opens with a memorable jazz and horn intro, along with a saxophone solo, something completely different for hip-hop at the time. 

     Recording sessions for LL Cool Jazz will take place in Brooklyn, with some of the final step mixing at Quad Studios in Manhattan. Additionally, the album will be distributed through Fat Beats Records.

    LL Cool J is a true pioneer who changed the sound of modern music as we know it. I can’t wait for the world to hear LL Cool Jazz. Now that the pandemic is in our rearview, our team is back on the road with its aggressive mission of bringing back jazz music to pop cultural relevance. What I’ve learned so far on this journey is that ladies love cool jazz, so it’s appropriate that we are reimagiing hip-hop’s first sex symbol.

    – Jonathan Hay

  • NNAMDÏ to play Baby’s All Right on US Tour

    NNAMDÏ, the genre bending rapper, singer and producer from Chicago will be coming to the East coast on Friday, October 28 to play Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn. The rapper has been releasing music since 2013, but his latest record is some of his most technical yet.

    NNAMDÏ

    “Dedication,” track nine on NNAMDÏ’s newest album Please Have A Seat, contains a myriad of influence and originality. The song starts out with squeaky sounds, like two balloons rubbing against each other, in a “Thug Tears” by JPEGMAFIA type of avant garde, deconstructed beat. Then it breaks down into a Tierra Whack-esque perky r&b beat, which NNAMDÏ sing-raps over in a simple monotonous sound. But not even a minute later the song explodes, with layered melodies that evoke Kanye’s gospel choirs. By the time the song ends, with sparkly electric ad-libs and harmonious voices chanting, “It’s dedication,” I can barely remember how it started.

    These hops from genre to genre are performed absolutely seamlessly; you don’t even realize it has happened by the time it is over. It’s that consistent inconsistency that defines NNAMDÏ himself; in his songs, performances and personality.

    NNAMDÏ came up in the Chicago DIY scene but he broke into the mainstream in 2020 with his eclectic album BRAT. His previous albums had a rep for being weird and inaccessible, so in this album NNAMDÏ set out to make a “hummable” album, hoping to reach a wider audience. 

    I consciously wanted to make more communal things, some things that bring people together rather than alienate them — even though I love music that is dissonant and jarring and sometimes off in different ways.

    NNAMDÏ, as told to FADER.

    In the next months, NNAMDÏ is heading on a tour across the US that will finish in London and Berlin. He’ll be at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn on October 29, click here for tickets. On October 30, he’ll be doing a Q&A and record signing at Rough Trade NYC. 

    NNAMDÏ Tour Dates

    October 18 –  Davenport, IA – The Raccoon Motel 

    October 19 –  Minneapolis, MN –  7th St. Entry 

    October 20 –  Milwaukee, WI – Cactus Club

    October 22 –  Chicago, IL – Metro 

    October 24 –  Cleveland, OH – Mahall’s 

    October 25 – Toronto, ON –  The Garrison 

    October 26 – Montreal, QC – Diving Bell Social Club 

    October 27 – Johnson, VT –  Northern Vermont University 

    October 28 – Boston, MA – Crystal Ballroom 

    October 29 – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right 

    November 1 – Philadelphia, PA – PhilaMOCA 

    November 2 – Washington, DC – Comet Ping Pong 

    November 3 – Durham, NC – Pinhook 

    November 4 –  Atlanta, GA – 529

    November 5 – Nashville, TN – DRKMTTR

    November 11 –  London, UK – Pitchfork London

    November 14 – Berlin, Germany – Sooper Secretly Slang @ Marie-Antoinette

  • NY Rapper Dylan Owen Produces and Scores Film Pairing for Album

    How To Find Yourself is a new film produced by rapper Dylan Owen and directed by Brian Petchers. In it, the two try to answer that very question by following teens through those familiar coming of age film tropes: traipsing through wheat fields, impromptu fight clubs, screaming for joy on a roof in slow motion, motorcyling through back alleys. The characters speak over those portraits of adolescence in interviews — airing the regrets, joys and discoveries their juvenile years brought them.

    And playing underneath it all is a heartfelt acoustic score by Dylan Owen, of the same name, made for the film and featured on the artist’s upcoming EP, Take Care Of Yourself.

    Dylan Owen

    Dylan Owen found himself moving all around Upstate NY as he grew up. He’s from Orange County, NY, and has lived in Goshen, Middletown, Circleville and Chester; Owen now calls himself proudly a “nowhere kid from a nowhere town.” Now living in NYC, Dylan Owen’s poetic songwriting and sensitive style has found him a wider audience and prompted comparisons to icons such as Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa. How to Find Yourself is Owen’s foray into film making, and fans who know of Topaz Jones’ short film – that paired with his album Don’t Go Tellin Your Momma which looks at Jones’ own upbringing in Montclair, NJ – will connect with Owen’s film.

    Through the testimonies from the film’s characters and the emotionally evoking scenes of innocence juxtaposed with violence and sudden danger, the film creates a space for people to openly share their stories of growing up, with an emphasis on those working through mental health problems. How to Find Yourself focuses on the harrowing journey to love and know other people and yourself while working through obstacles of anxiety and depression.

    The short film will be released on October 25, and Owen’s album will be out in November. 

  • Cypress Hill Lights up Del Lago

    B-Real, Sen Dog, Bobo, and Dj Lord, better known as Cypress Hill, took to the stage at The Vine, at Del Lago Casino in Waterloo, NY on Friday October 21, as the band celebrated 30 years of mainstream hip hop and rap, as well as promoting new album, Back in Black.

    The Vine @Del Lago

    Activists for legalization of cannabis, the band members routinely take the stage with blunts in hand and enjoy the Mary Jane throughout the show and this show did not disappoint! After an approximately 18 minute intro by DJ Lord who seemed to be in his own little haze, B-Real took the stage with blunt in hand and continued to get the crowd pumped up with collaboration of “Roll It Up, Light It Up, Smoke It Up,” “I Wanna Get High,” “Cisco Kid,” “Dr. Greenthumb,” and “Hits From the Bong.”

    30+ years and 10 albums later, these guys from South Gate, CA can still kick it and toke it just as hard as they did in 1988. Fans were in the aisles, on the steps, and on section dividers grooving and moving as the beat played on.

    Setlist: DJ Lord intro/ Roll It Up, Light It Up, Smoke It Up, I Wanna Get High, Cisco Kid, Dr. Greenthumb, Hits From the Bong/Real Estate/Hand on the Pump/Sound of da Police/When the Shit Goes Down/Tequilla Sunrise/Lowrider/Illusions/Latin Lingo/Lick a Shot/How I Could Just Kill a Man/Throw your set in the Air/I Ain’t Going out like that/(Rock Superstar)/Insane in the Brain/Jump Around (House of Pain cover)

    Check out Cypress Hill’s newest album here: Back In Black | Cypress Hill | Official Website

    B-Real
    Sen Dog
    DJ Lord
    The crowd loving the show
    Bobo