J.A.M. Photos, Q-Tip For Prez ‘08, Hostile Gospel Video, 9th + Jean = Jeanius, Cons Entry #4, Blacksmith Apollo Live DVD.
(Photo of Q-Tip from last night’s J.A.M. Awards in NYC)
NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom hosted a massive summit of Hip Hop icons in honor of the late Jam Master Jay for this year’s J.A.M. Awards concert (Justice, Arts and Music - highlighting positivity in rap). The all-star line up included Snoop Dogg, Q-Tip, EPMD, De La Soul, dead prez, Mobb Deep (Prodigy not in jail yet), Marley Marl, Raekwon, Everlast featuring DJ Muggs, Kid Capri, Mister Sinister, Jim Jones (who apparently was booed), Lord Finesse, Bumpy Knuckles, and DJ Kay Slay and DMC who performed some of Run-DMC’s classic cuts. Okayplayer resident photographer BigMell was assigned to the scene to capture photos. And that he did! Great work, Mell!
Q-Tip is busy in the studio cooking up the hotness for his forthcoming album The Renaissance. We had heard some talk of a February release a while back but it looks like its going to be a bit later. Word from 88 Keys is that Tip is about to blow minds with the production. Sounds like its going to be big. Naturally, we all have the highest of hopes regarding new music from one of the greatest lyricists in hip hop history. Read this recent interview with the Abstract from HipHopDX.
We’ve been sneaking peaks at the Okayplayer Music Awards results. We’ll tip you off that our man Talib Kweli is leading the pack in two big categories. Eardrum is definitely all that if somehow you are still sleeping. Okayplayer discovered that Kwe will be headed to Nigeria in December to shoot the video for the Just Blaze produced banger “Hostile Gospel Pt 1.” The shoot will take place at Fela Kuti’s shrine (the new one, not the old one).
There is a new trailer for Blacksmith TV which is currently being shopped to a few television networks. We saw it yesterday and we’re excited! Okayplayer will exclusively premier the new trailer on Monday.
The Jean Grae and 9th Wonder collabo album Jeanius has been reworked from an early version that hit the Web some years ago and is coming soon. There will be four different covers featuring Jean and 9th that spoof classic hip hop album covers of yesteryear. We saw rough versions and we can promise you that you will love them. There currently is no street date but our fingers are crossed for soon.
It seems that the next release from Blacksmith Music will be a “Blacksmith, Live At The Apollo DVD” featuring Kweil, Jean, & Strong Arm Steady from earlier this year. That should be out very soon, in time for Christmas stockings! More info to follow.
More video news. FuseTV will be taking an in-depth look at the story behind the making of Public Enemy’s revolutionary “Fight The Power” music video as part of their Videos That Rocked The World 10- part miniseries. Featuring archival footage and interviews from the people that made the video happen, the show will explore the cultural significance and impact of one of the most influential hip hop music videos in history. Check out Videos That Rocked The World: FIGHT THE POWER on Wednesday, Dec. 5th at 10pm only on fuse.
Consequence is back with tour journal entry #4 titled “Temperature’s Rising” and sees GLC joining in on the fun.
Make sure you let YOUR voice be heard. Vote now in the 1st ever Okayplayer Music Awards and help select this years winners! Read our press release where you can also find buttons to embed on your Social Networking pages, Official Web sites, and blogs if you so choose.
dantana