Kweli In China, Red Bull Music Academy Radio, Black Thought The Robot, Sharon Jones And The Dap Kings.
MTV news brings us along as Talib Kweli experiences China in their “You R Here” blog. Following in the footsteps of The Roots and Common, Kweli is one of the first hip-hop acts to be invited behind the Iron Curtain (after some serious scrutiny of his lyrics and artistic message he got the pass, unlike Jay-Z and Will.i.am who were both denied). Kweli blogs about it all, from Beijing to Shang Hai, Tiananmen Square to The Great Wall to the hip hop crowds and the clubs.
Speaking of Kwe, the Smoking Section hips us to a free download of Black Star B-Sides & Rarities (just scroll down, you’ll see it). And yes, we want another Black Star album as badly as you do!! For now, I’m snaggin’ these b-sides.
With Halloween approaching and all it feels like The Red Bull Music Academy Radio has just handed me a giant trick-or-treat bag full of tasty treats! Peep our Now Hear This! and see all the incredible programming RBMA radio has got going on, including featured mixes from ?uestlove, Waajeed, Marc Mac, Steve Spacek and more. Make sure you scroll down the right-hand for a special lecture series too, with podcasts from ?uesto, Cut Chemist, Black Milk and Phonte. Click around, Red Bull Music Academy Radio has more than 500 shows and mixes.
XXL mag’s blogger Billy Sunday has got some serious ish on his mind. Read as he defends his hypothesis that Black Thought is The Last Emcee Alive. We don’t know about The Last ever, but we agree with this post where Kweli co-signs the “Black Thought Is A Robot” sentiment (which, after watching BT spit all 3 verses of “Men At Work” without a falter in his breathing or a slip of his tongue, must prove it… ROBOT!).
We’ve got reviews for you too. Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings come in at 4 ?uesties with 100 Days and 100 Nights on Daptone Records. We’ve got some insider info that Black Thought is a fan - he even went to their sold-out show at the legendary Apollo Theater this past weekend for his birthday! It seems that The Dap Kings haven’t stopped making noise this year, since they bursted onto the scene as Amy Winehouse’s band. Make sure to cop their latest effort with songstress Sharon Jones, and believe us you won’t be sorry. This is the real deal!
Congrats to Tony, aka DJ CyNot, who won $100 from Guitar Center (Check your email)!! There were 170 entries but only 15 of those answered correctly. The right answer was Danja Handz. Stay tuned for the winner of the Zune contest who will be announced tomorrow.
-gingerlynn