Mar20

Big Pooh – The Purple Tape Review (Review)

Rapper Big Pooh

The Purple Tape

Released by Hall of Justus


Not to be confused with a "street album" or a run of the mill mixtape, Rapper Big Pooh's come with easily the best compilation of 2010. Partnered up with Detroit Beat King "Black Milk" on the production side of things, this cohesive effort is definitely keeping the Hall Of Justus tradition alive. The concept itself was formed during the end of European tour mid-flight with Big Dho as witness. A response to "Reservoir Dogs" Mixtape which had HOJ alums Joe Scudda, Chaundon, Jozeemo and Pooh all going in over ...

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Mar20

SXSW Day Two Recap: Dropping The Bombs To Dropping The Funk

A variety of sounds stream within a day's travel in Texas. 

As the sun shined along the sunny streets of Austin for the 2nd day of SXSW, the noticeable trend of Sixth Street shenanigans were multiplying rapidly. Jugglers, free-huggers and bands setting up on every street corner were appearing amongst the thousands of patrons walking through the controlled chaos. Straying away from the eventual headache, the Levi’s FADER Fort once again became a hub for bloggers, writers and media as a clubhouse to keep the chaos away. It also turned out to be a bit better than the first day there.

The combination of a perfect sunny day, chilled beverages and great music are a classic amongst many concertgoers. All of that was fulfilled with a greater emphasis on music, as Local Natives took the stage at FADER Fort and absolutely bombarded the crowd with sheer musical force. The energy felt …

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Mar20

Cubic Zirconia Tour: SXSW Day 3 (Video)

I hit the wall yesterday. This whole SXSW thing can run you down.
The group’s first gig was a DJ set with Kingdom and L-Vis 1990 back at Silhouette. A small crowd got in to the mid day acid house set the masses filed in for the day.
I landed in the Levi’s Fader Fort to meet Keys N Krates and catch The Very Best. The set was excellent, and then I fell in love with Marina and the Diamonds. Well, more so Marina than the Diamonds….

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Mar20

SXSW Day Three Picks: The xx and Holly Miranda (Video)

The xx closed out their maiden SXSW voyage by performing in the final slot at the XL Recordings showcase at the Central Presbyterian Church. In the air hung an atmosphere of  intimacy and reverence. The boisterous and booze-laden concert settings of the festival were left at the door and the band performed a well-sounding set–the acoustics and the bass were very intense, similar to the calculated concentration that Romy Madley and Oliver Sim exude. True to form, they kept it cool and barely hinted at smiling until leaving the stage.

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Mar20

J. Cole South By South Next Teaser! (Video)

J. Cole South By South Next Teaser from Budge Rodriguez on Vimeo.

The first ever official South By South Next showcase was super duper OFFICIAL.  URB branded these artists “Next”, and they certainly proved why…

So, while I’m busy getting all this music/media/viral goodness ready for the masses, I thought I’d serve y’all with a little teaser clip of J. Cole’s performance.

Stay tuned for LOTS more coverage, and don’t forget to keep checkin SouthBySouthNext.com for all things South By South Next!

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Mar20

K. Sparks & G.C. – A Day In The Life (Review)

K. Sparks & G.C.

A Day In The Life

Released by HiPNOTT Records


With XXL unveiling their "Top Ten Freshmen" in hip-hop earlier this month, there have been many smiles, many frowns and many "shoulda-beens." Not to jump on the bandwagon--okay, that actually is EXACTLY what is going on here, but please pay attention--K. Sparks is definitely worthy of being a freshman next year (should XXL choose not to change the line-up after this review, of course). With A Day In The Life, this New York artist teams up with producer G.C. to give listeners just that: an album that illustrates a day in the life of the/an aspiring MC. Most of the time, people cringe whenever the word "conceptual" and "album" are put together (kinda like "romance" and "novel," right?) but Sparks actually does a great job.

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