[RH Photos] America's Most Wanted Music Festival in Austin
Photography by: Virgil Solis
I have to admit that I was pretty excited to hit up the America's Most Wanted Music Festival because I had never seen any of the artists on the bill. Whenever 2 Chainz, T.I., and Lil Wayne are on the same lineup, you know you're going to have a good time and few ratchet moments. The first person up to kick off the night was producer/rapper Hitboy who hit the stage with a lot of energy. His set was very short and probably maxed out at 10 minutes long, but he did what he had to do and that was to hype of the crowd. He dug into his catalog of songs he produced and had the crowd jumping and reciting the lyrics when performed both "Clique" and "Ni**as in Paris;" after he was done 2 Chainz was up.
As you've come to expect from 2 Chainz, he came out on stage with leather shorts, and of course, his gold chains. From the start, he had the crowd going and the majority of the crowd knew every lyric. From "Started From The Trap" to "U.O.E.N.O." and even "Beez in the Trap," the crowd knew everything. There were so many hits that he played that I can list, but it would be too many to mention. Of course, my favorite song was "Spend It," and I kept hoping that T.I. would jump on stage and spit his verse, but no such luck. He would go on to mention that his new album would be dropping September 1oth and closed out his set with "No Lie," paving the way for T.I.
I admit that I was really looking forward to see the king of the south because I have been a fan of his for a long time... well at least before all the legal problems. From the start, he came out on stage with a lot of energy accompanied by two hype men and a full live band in the back, which I didn't expect. He had a pretty cool backdrop as well, and the stage resembled a house from the movie ATL, giving us a performance that seemed like he was just rhyming in front of his crib. He kicked it off with "Down Low" and just going hit after hit after hit. I was pumped, and the crowd was too; everyone was having a great time, even the 40 year olds next to me were diggin' the performance. Even with the controversy surrounding the song "Blurred Lines," he performed the song, but unfortunatetly none of the models from the video showed up on stage. T.I. didn't forget that he was in Texas and brought out Houston native and Screwed Up Click member Trae Tha Truth out to perform with him. The venue turned up at that very moment. T.I. played a couple more songs and eventually closed out his set with "What You Know," and if that would've been the end of the show, I think everyone would have been satisfied, but we still the headliner Lil Wayne up next.
Now I've been listening to Lil Wayne for as long as I can remember and never seen him live, and I was interested in seeing him on stage for the first time since his big health scare. When the curtains opened, all you could hear was the sound of guitars going off, and it felt like you were at a rock concert rather the a rap concert. In true Weezy fashion, he came out on stage accompanied by skaters who would spend the entire time doing tricks on the ramps that were on stage. Now Weezy had a very long set, and it was hard to believe how many hits that he has in his catalog. I was pumped and the was crowd definitely into his performance. With the way he was commanding the stage, it looked like the health issues didn't slow him down one bit. He had fireworks going off all through the performance, and he had back up dancers doing what they do best. He had the crowd in the palm of his hands, and everyone was completely out of control when he brought out 2 Chainz for "Bandz A Make Her Dance" and other songs the two are featured on. The only time the night slowed down was when Wayne went and did a quick costume change. When he finally came back, he had a skateboard and started going towards the ramp, and I admit I was wondering if he was going to fall, but he didn't. Then he went on to continue the show and had some ladies come up on stage who may or may not have been strippers, but we'll never know. The night continued with hit after hit, and he brought out T.I. to do some songs with him, and you know Birdman had to make an appearance with "Stay Fly," which was pretty awesome. It was good to see Lil Wayne perform and see him not miss a step. Everyone there had a great time, and Lil Wayne clearly had no worries that night.
[Video] Kids Use Hip-Hop As A Way To Understand Science
Dr. Christopher Edmin a professor of education at Columbia University's Teacher College has gone a different route in hopes of influencing public school children to learn about science through hip-hop. What Edmin ended up creating was a program called, "Science Genius which is part of a national push to try and influence minorities into taking interest in science." This program eventually in true hip-hop fashion birthed a competition where the kids battled it out on the mic with lyrics centering around the topic of science. Titled B.A.T.T.L.E.S. (Bring Attention to Transforming Teaching, Learning and Engagement in Science) the students performed to a panel of judges that included the Wu Tang Clan’s GZA. Looking back it just seems right to have a member of Wu Tang on the panel because there had to be at least one reference to science in every Wu track. It's refreshing to see alternative ways to teaching the youth of this country and if hip-hop can help do that I don't see why more educators wouldn't want to explore it as an option. Check out the video below and see what the kids learned and who took home the trophy.
[Via Frank151]
[iframe id="http://www.npr.org/templates/event/embeddedVideo.php?storyId=207348197&mediaId=" mode="normal" align="center"]
[Video] Pusha T's "My Name is My Name" includes production from Joaquin Phoenix
In an exclusive video interview with Vibe, Pusha T shared an interesting anecdote about his upcoming full-length album debut, My Name is My Name. The Clipse rapper revealed that one of the beats rap megastar Kanye West showed him for the album's consideration was produced by none other than notorious actor, Joaquin Phoenix. Pusha T apparently liked it so much that he's insisting on making the song the intro to the project.
For those that don't remember (and really, how could you not?), Phoenix "retired" from acting in 2008 to focus on a rap career. The entire episode was documented in the film I'm Still Here, directed by brother-in-law and fellow actor, Casey Affleck. While it was all revealed to be part of a highly-dedicated satire on celebrity, "reality TV," and the media's relationship with both artists and audiences, apparently Phoenix actually worked on some music.
Whether or not the Phoenix-produced beat will appear on My Name is My Name will have to wait to be seen, but it could be an interesting wrinkle in the rapper's resume: Is it a legitimately good beat, or is Pusha T trying to build up hype for the album by stoking such a controversial fire? I'm sure we'll find out for sure before the album is released.
http://youtu.be/FzNFT--y1Zo
[via Vibe]
[Video] A$AP Rocky brings out B-Real in Austin
photo by Virgil Solis
Headlined by Wiz Khalifa, the The Under The Influence Tour has a pretty stacked line up of some up and comers in the game. While the crowd was clearly there to see Wiz judging by all the band tees, I was looking forward to seeing A$AP Rocky. I hadn't seen A$AP live since last summer in Chicago when he performed at Pitchfork, and this was the first time he'd been back to Austin since he tore up SXSW two years ago. While I enjoyed his set at Pitchfork, I could see his growth since then at last night's show. He just commanded the stage, and after the first song, he had the crowd in the palm of his hands; all eyes were on him. One of the best things about his performance was that he came out to a full band, and that just added so much more to the whole experience.
What really made the night for me, however, was when A$AP brought out B-Real to cover some Cypress Hill classics like "How I Could Just Kill A Man." After that, the night belonged to A$AP as he closed out with hits like "Goldie" and "F**ckin' Problems." Check out the video to see both ASAP & B Real perform at the Austin 360 Amphitheater. More photos are coming soon.
http://youtu.be/T0TaCXHpxTA
Rappers & Cereal
We've all become accustomed to artists putting their name on a number of products and really showing us their entrepreneurial spirit, from the clothing brands to alcohol, headphones, restaurants and even clubs. Many do anything to make a dollar, and for whats it's worth, I respect that artists venture into the world of business. But like any business, some succeed and well... some are destined to fail. Now think of all the products that we've seen rappers put their name behind, then imagine if your favorite rappers branched off into the world of cereal. The minds over at Rappers & Cereal made it a reality by creating some awesome images with our favorite rappers on the boxes of some of our favorite cereals. Check out some of the hilarious images below, and for more visit Rappers & Cereal.
Photos by Rappers & Bread
Pitchfork Music Festival Recap 2013
As hot as it was this weekend, (thank the sweet lord for the breeze), the heat didn't stop all the cool kids from coming out to see their favorites at this year's Pitchfork music festival. Union Park was crowded with fans, as it was with tons of local food and art vendors. The full photo set from Pitchfork Music Festival 2013 will be coming up soon, as well as a special R. Kelly-exclusive post where we share our thoughts on his performance.
Wu-Tang Clan: "Family Reunion"
Wu-Tang is set to return to the living world in the biggest way. While they have a few select tour dates this summer (including a headlining set at this year's North Coast Music Festival) and dropped a previously unreleased track, they're set to make things a little more official. To commemorate their 20th anniversary, the Wu has dropped a new record, "Family Reunion." With classic RZA production and vocals from Masta Killa, Method Man, and Ghostface Killah, the legendary group is ready to return for the new children of the world. This is all in preparation for a brand new album set to drop this fall.
Check out Wu-Tang's return below, including their confirmed summer tour dates. You can also pre-order the track on 7" on Soul Temple's bandcamp.
6/14/13 - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Festival
7/5/13 - Quebec, Canada - Festival d'Ete International de Quebec
7/6/13 - 80/35 Festival 2013 - Des Moines, IA
7/7/13 - Ottawa, Canada - RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest
8/30/13 - 9/1/13 - Chicago, IL - North Coast Music Festival
[RH Premiere] Jarred A.G.: Luxury Tax
After both a First Listen on Jarred A.G.'s single "Play Around" and a First Look on the emerging Chicago act, we're now proud to premiere his debut project Luxury Tax. Featuring appearances from Dally Auston and Ibn Inglor, there is a presence of youthful Chicagoans imbued in the tracks. Couple that with fire production from Jarred's brother and frequent collaborator Smoko Ono, as well as C-Sick, Samiyam and Benny Nice. After experimenting with hip hop for only "a year and a half", he's got an extensive catalog, and the Luxury Tax EP is seemingly only the tip of the iceberg. The six track EP comes across as a cohesive product and is a great introduction to the young artist. Listen below and stay on the lookout for more from A.G.
Download: Luxury Tax EP here