CAN-I-BUS RECAP - FAREWELL FOREVER FRESH

Its been quite a journey for The Greatest Rapper That Never Made it.

The journey continues for Jah C, the mind behind the increasingly popular Forever Fresh concert series.

Canibus came into the game with Nas-like buzz, blitzkrieg-ing mixtapes and battle cyphers in the mid to late nineties like a German offensive — terrorizing would be lyrical foes metaphor after metaphor. Had his fortunes been different, had he never brazenly blasted LL Cool J on the infamous diss track “Second Round KO” or teamed up with Wyclef to drop one of the most disappointing debut albums in Hip Hop history (Can-I-Bus), perhaps his legacy would be more substantial. Perhaps we would remember him less for his untapped promise, and more for those 7 other — rather obscure — albums he dropped over the course of the last decade.

Frontman for Underground jam band The Antidote, Jah C has financed, organized, and promoted Forever Fresh, a steadily growing, consistently reliable Brooklyn based Hip Hop concert series. Since 2008 he’s hosted legends like KRS-ONE, Nice & Smooth, Talib Kweli, Styles P, to popular under the radar rappers like R.A. The Rugged Man, AG & OC, to rising stars such as Homeboy Sandman, Wordspit, YC The Cynic. Had his fortunes been different, had Forever Fresh been less successful and not opened additional doors to more conflicting responsibilities brand managing events for Red Bull, perhaps he would be able to continue crafting and adding to the Forever Fresh legacy.

This past Monday, Canibus headlined the Forever Fresh Finale, the concert series’ final throw down.

CONTINUE READING @ BROOKLYNBODEGA.COM

Two KRS ONE Shows In Two Weeks....

Two KRS shows in two weeks…this happened both times.

Nearly twenty-three years and twenty-two albums following his Boogie Down Productions debut, you’d think the routine of rocking mics on the reg would feel, well, routine.

Boring even.

Countless classic tracks. Countless fans that have witnessed him rock countless times. A brand new generation of Hip Hop heads born since his undisputed reign as THE alpha Emcee.

After two decades of edutaining audiences worldwide, even a legend with God like presence such as KRS ONE would battle his own personal disinterest at some point, right? Its human nature.

There was an interesting dynamic to the last two shows the Blastmaster blasted through (MIND BODY SOUL at The Knitting Factory, and Farewell Forever Fresh at Southpaw): the true, off the top, freestyle.

CONTINUE READING AT BROOKLYNBODEGA.COM (CLICK HERE)

KRS ONE, DONNY GOINES, ETERNIA

Most rappers toss mixtapes or T-shirts into the crowd....KRS tosses out 600 page Hip Hop Bibles. Hazardous? Only if you're a little too drunk, a little too blind, or a little too short on hand eye coordination to catch or deflect a text book flying at you across a crowded club.

Enjoy these blurry KRS vids...









A little Donny Goines with a side of Eternia for your boom-bap fix...







I just might be feeling Eternia a little too much...

MIND BODY SOUL Wrap Up

“When’s the last time you heard a funky diabetic?” – Phife Dawg

It was one of those nights where everyone seemed to be in the building. Where “New Skoolers” and “True Skoolers” rocked mics side by side. Where the guest appearances brought out guest appearances.

Billed as a diabetes awareness event honoring Hip Hop legend Malik Isaac Taylor (better known as “Phife Dawg” from A Tribe Called Quest) who is affected by the disease and making his first NYC appearance since his successful kidney transplant surgery last year, MIND BODY SOUL rolled more like a mini Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival than the average concert.

CONTINUE READING BROOKLYNBODEGA.COM

Anthems Interrupted - The Downside to the 2009 Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival

“They givin‘ us the boot, man. They tellin‘ us we gotta go, man!” - Pharoahe Monch’s DJ

Pharoahe Monch’s raucous headlining performance met an unfortunate fate during the 2009 Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival. Midway into the first hook of his classic anthem, “Simon Says” - just as Monch writhed into his groove, spitting “New York City, gritty committee pitty a fool that act shitty in the midst of the calm and witty” as the capacity tent rhymed along with the Queens bred Emcee - his DJ unexpectedly cut production, bellowing “They givin‘ us the boot man! They tellin‘ us we gotta go, man!”

On a micro level, the metaphorical “WTF??” unleashed by those in attendance reflected the collective frustration behind witnessing this festival’s apogee castrated by an imposed curfew. Pharoahe Monch was the headlining performer. “Simon Says” is his most popular song and an immediate party starter anywhere in the Hip Hop Universe. A live performance of that track, karaoke or otherwise, should NEVER be interrupted.

FACT.

Where the micro view bred frustration, the macro breeds concern. Not only was Monch’s anthemic performance of “Simon Says” curtailed at its apex, but his scheduled 30 minute set was severed at the nineteen-minute-and-forty-four-second mark. Attending fans were denied ten-minutes-and-sixteen-seconds of the headlining action!

The assumption is that a series of overages in earlier performances led to the headliner’s time reduction. Similarly to Pharoahe Monch, Styles P’s DJ - exclaiming “We gotta get up outta here!” - bogarted “I Get High” like a shot clock violation. Looking back over BHF’s past, Ghostface Killah (2007) and KRS-One (2008) received less egregious interruptions (neither had their production shut off), but the same issue persisted - headlining performances were penalized by the time constraint.

The BHF packs in so many acts and artists (and politicians) that headlining acts are penalized. The build and pace of the festival is great. Generally speaking, each performer brings more energy and more fans to the event than the previous, allowing for a beautifully rising cascade of Hip Hoppery. But given The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy’s curfew, any potential overage is subtracted from the acts The City paid to see. Styles P and Pharoahe both had anthems interrupted. ANTHEMS!! As a festival organizer, live music planner, or paying concert-goer, this is the most unacceptable outcome.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Summer Jam and Rock The Bells host festivals outside of NYC. Both events are more established in patronage, Giants Stadium and Jones Beach Amphitheater are much larger venues (than Empire Fulton Ferry State Park), and both shows rock much later than 8 o’clock. Are New Jersey and Long Island more accepting of late running concerts than Brooklyn or New York? How much higher is the cost within The City than in other cities in the tri-state area? What is the effect on ticket prices if the curfew is extended?

Or maybe Brooklyn Bodega’s proposed solution was circumvented by the rainy day. The initial two stage format - newer acts performing on the Second Stage, Main Stage reserved for the headliners - was condensed into one stage for weather related reasons . How would the 2-stage format have effected each artist’s time allotment? Would the Main Stage have been set up by the river a la 07 and 08 BHF’s and the Second Stage within the Tobacco Warehouse? Would there have been a scheduled overlap between stages allowing two acts to perform simultaneously? Would that set up have provided better time spacing allowing Styles P and Pharoahe Monch to rock longer?

Could it be that the artists themselves caused this problem? Are headlining acts accustomed to more lenient venue operating hours and longer set times? dead prez, Styles, and Monch rock longer sets “on the reg” (word to Kenny Powers). Are the artists the reason The City shut us down right as we were about to climax?

Does the BHF need an earlier start time? Should there be fewer scheduled acts or shorter set times? Is adding an extra day the solution? What is keeping NYC’s largest Hip Hop festival from extending past 8pm?

If the strategy is to continue growing the BHF as it has over the past 5 years, then Brooklyn Bodega seriously needs to find a way to give the people all of what they want (and paid to see). These questions must be addressed. No organization wants to be known for cutting the paramount performances. The headliners are the ones moving the tickets. Never should they be the one’s Sandman’d off stage Apollo-style.

FACT.

In the end, its Brooklyn Bodega's choice to address this situation. Either way, the Bodega Fam deserves props and recognition for once again assembling a mostly fantastic Hip Hop experience for both artists and fans at an affordable price. I mean, how can I complain? I’d pay $10 to witness a live set from any of these acts.

Shortened sets or otherwise, it feels like I stole something.

[Editors Note] Pharoahe Monch was allowed to finish his performance of "Simon Says"

The Grandfather of Hip Hop

In an interview with Allhiphop.com, Hip Hop icon KRS-One had this to say about the legendary James Brown:

"There is nobody who is more influential to Hip-Hop than James Brown. Kool Herc said that James Brown was the A-1 b-boy, the first MC, the first DJ – ‘cause he had two drummers. The drummer was what the turntable was today. When one finished playing, the other’d start, and sometimes they’d play together! Tell me this man is not the Christ! Tell me this man is not is Hip-Hop, straight up! James Brown is our artistic father. We all sample from him. This is a day where we exchange gifts. The gift exchanged with us from James was our culture. He freely gave his music to our culture. To me, that brings tears to my eyes! That’s some god s**t. That’s the lord and savior. On December 25th, James Brown gives the gift of himself to his children. What’s the gift we should be givin’ back? We should be givin’ back his request. “These record companies stole from me, get it back.” Get it back, children. There should be a James Brown Soul Museum, not a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. James Brown."

R.I.P James Brown (May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006)

Carry On...