[Listen Live] Closed Sessions Radio with DJ RTC and JR Bang
Listen live to Closed Sessions Radio with DJ RTC and JR Bang. Today we play new music from Chance The Rapper, Local Nobodies, Add-2, and more. Plus a preview of Digital Freshness with Roc Marciano.
Coffee With The Rza
The opportunity to have coffee with a genius, one of Hip Hop's greatest minds, doesn't come around too often. That very opportunity fell into my lap a couple weeks ago, on a cold and rainy October morning in the windy city. Rza was in town promoting his new film, "The Man With The Iron Fist", and sat down with me at the People's Lounge before starting a press junket at the Double Door down the street.
"The Man With The Iron Fist" is Rza's directorial debut, and a story that goes all the way back to his childhood in "Shaolin". His love for Kung-Fu flicks, a love that found its way into the very core of the Wu-Tang Clan, served as a driving force behind his new film. And it was his experience leading the Wu-Tang Clan, and his own career in Hip Hop, that prepared him to take the director's seat. He explains in the video below.
Shot and Edited by Andrew Zeiter. Read more from the interview here... Don't tell Jim Jarmusch.
Coffee With The Rza...
It pays to be early sometimes.
I had an interview with Rza yesterday. It was scheduled for 12pm at the Double Door. In the hours before the interview, it was raining outside, and a little cold. Perfect weather to not be doing interviews at the Double Door on a Saturday, especially when your apartment has coffee, old Law & Order episodes, and plenty of good refreshments (virtual wink-wink).
I got to the Double Door early, only to find that it was still locked. This was a surprise to all involved, as the people setting up this press day with Rza were outside the Double Door as well, umbrellas in one hand, cellphones in the other. They were nice too, offering me an umbrella, repeatedly thanking me for being early. It's cool, I said, my Saint Alfred Penfield jacket was all the protection I needed. After a couple calls to someone went unanswered, the production people moved to plan-b, scoping Milwaukee Avenue for a place where we could grab a few words with Rza, who was in town to talk about his upcoming film, "The Man With The Iron Fist".
People's Lounge provided what we were looking for. It was open, it was almost empty, and they turned off the music without acting like jackasses about it. We setup our equipment at a corner table by the window. A couple minutes later Rza walked in, and eased himself into the booth, ordering coffee with brown sugar. While I can't get into the details of the interview or the movie just yet, you'll have to wait til October 29th for that, I can say that speaking to Rza in the restaurant rather than the Double Door is a small detail that makes a big difference. The conversation flowed a little better, the room was a little brighter, and we captured a picture that is almost iconic given Rza's film and music history. I'm pretty sure Rza did a slew of interviews yesterday, and I'm sure they were pretty good, but none others at a window table with coffee and brown sugar.
It pays to be early sometimes.
[RH Mixtape] Mic Terror x DJ RTC: Can I Borrow A Feeling?
Mic Terror's long-awaited Can I Borrow A Feeling? arrives just in time for some weekend loving. The new set is geared specifically for the ladies, and shows Mic do something just a little bit different. I must say that I had a great time being involved in this project, and it's the next step in what I hope becomes a long career for Mic T. Listen and download the mixtape below.
[RH Mixtape] Marion Write x DJ RTC: Write History
My introduction to Marion Write came back in June of '09 when his song "Dream Merchant" hit my inbox. I checked it out and posted it to RH. The song got a great response on the blog and in our office, and I continued to build with Marion. We sponsored his last mixtape, The Epilogue To Greatness, and started to talk about a proper collaboration. Almost a year later we have Write History, a 15 track mixtape showing Marion's growth over the last year and his introduction to RubyHornet. The tracklist and DL link are below. Enjoy.
[RH Mixtape] BBU: Fear of A Clear Channel Planet
BBU's debut mixtape, Fear of A Clear Channel Planet is now available for worldwide consumption. A sleek 13 tracks, the mixtape contains juke-standards such as "Chi Don't Dance", and "BBU Who" as well as more Hip Hop leaning "Jukin' On Landmines" and "This Is Chi". Hosted by Million $ Mano, and mixed by DJ RTC, it's a very dope effort from one of Chicago's rising groups.
Download free right here.
Just Me And My Flip: Warm-Up Session With Rhymefest
"Yeah I gotta cold heart, Crucial Conflict man"
Rhymefest has pretty much finished work on his sophomore album, El Che. With the new LP wrapped up, Fest has teamed up with DJ RTC for The Warm Up, a mixtape to get fans ready for El Che. Last night RTC went to Che's crib to go through some music. One song that came up was "What You Might Miss". Check it out and look for the mixtape coming soon.
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RH Music: The RTC Post
This week saw the release of two new projects from our in house DJ, DJ RTC. We've done the easy thing and put them both here for your enjoyment. First grab his free 99 project with QuEST out of Miami: There's Only One Month Left...Then pick up your copy of The Chicago Picasso, the solo project from Naledge of Kidz In The Hall, co-hosted by DJ Timbuck2 and Mick Boogie. More info, and links below.