Michael Jackson 29/08/1958 – 25/06/2009

Big Smoke, like everyone else all over the world, has been deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of the legend that is Michael Jackson, which has dominated the news today.

Marsha Gosho Oakes was at a U-N-I gig in London when the news broke last night. She describes on her website http://www.soulculture.co.uk/;

"They moonwalked during their set. Two songs later, the entire room (including rappers Chipmunk and Sway) finds out about Michael Jackson’s death. Nuts. They stop their set and play a tribute to MJ…"

Marsha captured this footage of the moment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVVwAMsrp0M

Video by Marsha Gosho Oakes @ http://www.soulculture.co.uk/

RIP MICHAEL JACKSON, YOUR LEGACY WILL NEVER DIE

Posted by Anna Nathanson

See ?uestlove this Saturday

Soundcrash @ Cargo

with
QUESTLOVE (?uestlove)
plus
Speakers Corner Quartet
DJ Cheeba (Solid Steel/Live AV set)
Left Step Band

Sat 13th June @ Cargo
8pm - 3am
£6 before 9, £12 after

www.ticketweb.co.uk
www.cargo-london.com

With time edging closer still to mid-summer's night what better place to spend an eve than the beautiful timbered yard of Shoreditch's premier drinking hole, accompanied by some of the fine musical talent on offer courtesy of Soundcrash? With a hip-hop superstar sharing the stage with some well versed Ninja Tuners and a deft Bristolian our June clubnight is set to continue our 2009 tradition of high-quality tunage.

Founder member, drummer and DJ of THE best live hip-hop band of all time Questlove (aka Brother Question) comes from a highly-educated musical background that is all too apparent in the eclectic styles of The Roots. Crossing the Atlantic for one night only, just for us, ?uestlove is taking to the decks to demonstrate hip-hop as he sees it, and we can all expect to learn a thing or two from this grand master.

Also along for the celebrations are live hip-hop/jazz combo Speakers Corner Quartet, with their ground-breaking take on live beat-making and deft instumentalism, DJ Cheeba with his fantastic AV set, showing just what can be done with Serato, a TV and some imagination, and old favourites Left Step Band funking up the place our June night is set to be an pedagogic party with sun, sounds and sights to feed your souls.

www.myspace.com/questlove

Posted by Anna Nathanson

Nemesis & Arrogance Performance Tomorrow

NEMESIS & ARROGANCE - DA REAL SHO MIXTAPE LAUNCH

@ THE CARHARTT OUTLET STORE [HACKNEY]

THURSDAY 11th JUNE 18:30pm – 21:30pm

18 ELLINGFORT RD
HACKNEY
E8 3PA

PERFORMING ON THE NIGHT:

NEMESIS & ARROGANCE
MR TI2BS
JELLUZZ
F.L.I.P [SUPAR NOVAR, BIG BEN & RAPPER RAGZ]
SUGAR DZL
INNERCIRCUIT
TWIN BLU TAC
STARRY DAYZ

ALL BACKED BY LIVE HIP HOP BAND – LAZY HABITS!!!!

PLUS VERY VERY VERY SPECIAL GUESTS

DJ 'S ON THE NIGHT:

FORM
CHARLEE BROWN

Da Real Sho – Out Now!!!

Featuring: Sincere / Wretch 32 / Faith SFX / Bashy / Mr Drastick / Skinnyman & others...

The North London Hip Hop duo NEMESIS & ARROGANCE have been working hard for some time now releasing their debut album last year and underground smash single ‘CHANGE YOUR HEART’ ft SKINNYMAN. With the unquestionable quality of their latest offering DA REAL SHO, they stand to start seeing some of that hard work pay off.

This pirate radio-themed project, spawned from their popular show of the same name and features a breathtaking list of talent including: BASHY, WRETCH 32, SKINNYMAN, SINCERE, FLIRTA D, FAITH SFX, MR TI2BS, MR DRASTICK, SUPAR NOVAR, JELLUZZ, NUTTY P, SUGA DZL, LAZY HABITS, MARK HENRY, BIG BEN and many more...

NEMESIS received his first break when he was spotted by the KEMET ENTERTAINMENT RECORDS [KLASHNEKOFF] label team who invited him to host DJ FILP [MUD FAMILY] weekly ITCH FM show. Him and ARROGANCE first met through a mutual friend, excited by ARROGANCES extreme lyrical ability he invited him in the studio to lace some tracks and it was during these initial sessions that an impenetrable partnership was born.

The pair officially formed a duo when they begun to host their own ITCH FM show called TUESDAY TUNE IN, the format was extremely successful, receiving up to five hundred calls an hour at the height of it’s popularity. The show ended in 2005 when NEMESIS had to move to Brighton to study music production.

During this period NEMESIS & ARROGANCE continued to record and produce together. Culminating in the release of their independent debut album ‘LEND ME YOUR EARS’, which created an underground buzz with the success of the first two singles, ‘CHANGE YOUR HEART’ Feat. SKINNYMAN & ‘NO PEACE’, which between them received airplay on BBC RADIO 1, BBC 1XTRA, KISS FM, CHOICE FM, ITCH FM, PYRORADIO.COM & HHBRADIO.COM, heavy music video rotation on CHANNEL U & MTV BASE and positive reviews in RWD MAGAZINE, HIP HOP CONNECTION, BIG SMOKE and DJ MAGAZINE, in which we were compared to ‘GOODIE MOB or early OUTKAST’.

It was off the back of the ‘CHANGE YOUR HEART’ single that the pair found themselves on a national UK tour alongside SKINNYMAN, performing at MINISTRY OF SOUND, FABRIC and venues across the country from Limington Spar, Newquay, Oxford, Bristol, Brighton and many many more opening up for the legendary SUGAR HILL GANG along the way!!

This momentum propelled the pair back to their spiritual home on the radio and alongside DJ FORM ‘DA REAL SHO’ was born.

The first single taken from DA REAL SHO, is this massive - LIVE FROM THE CAPITAL - Featuring fellow north Londoner JELLUZZ and STARRY DAYZ, DA REAL SHO is out NOW on REAL RECORDS.

Posted by Anna Nathanson

Kyza @ Jazz Cafe this Friday!

KYZA & FOCUSED FEW // DAJLA // GENTLEMAN'S DUB CLUB // RANKING RECORDS DJ's // DJ NONAMES, ORIFICE VULGATRON

Friday 12th june sees Kyza's long awaited Project SHOTS OF SMIRNOFF stratospheric launch at London's prestigous Jazz Cafe...

More than your average rap showcase, Kyza will be performing with The Focused Few live band & Foreign Beggars own Dj Nonames & Pravvy Prav on the beats. Y'all seriously need to come see this show, they've been cooking up a storm for a minute now, band members include ex Roots Manuva/Lotek Hi Fi/Plantlfe members and is off the chiaaaiin!!

And if that ain't enough, there'll be none other than one of France's finest exports, Dajla and Benji, pioneers of the Soul Poetry movement gracing us with an exclusive London showcase...
To top it all off there will be one of the most hyped bands out there, fresh from performing with the likes of The Wailers, The Bays and Finley Quaye...GENTLEMAN'S DUB CLUB...wow
Ranking Records Dj's Ruckspin & Planas and DJ Nonames tearing out the Dubstep to see you through!

please see below for the facebook link:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=62499574913&ref=ts

Tickets available here
http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/event/1F00427BB7EE8391?artistid=988416&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=1

Posted by Anna Nathanson

DMC UK DJ Final and Battle For UK Supremacy

02 Academy Islington, N1 Centre, N1 0PS
Thursday 9th July 7pm – Midnight

Plus Live PA's from:
+JEHST
+DMC World Champions DJ SWITCH V DJ SHIFTEE in a UK V US Showcase Battle
+INJA performing his brand new single ‘Hat Low' live featuring SKINNYMAN
+Hosted by INJA and BILLY BIZNIZZ

For 25 incredible boundary pushing, trend setting, scratched, cut and mixed years, the world's largest DJ organization, DMC, has been the authority on the DJ battle. The DMC's annual World DJ Championship competition brings together the world's brightest DJ talents, vetted by a series of gruelling global heats. By doing so, DMC continues to host one of the most entertaining and jaw dropping shows you will ever witness. This year's show is no different. In the 25th Anniversary of this prestigious competition, DMC is bigger than ever…

Kicking off 2009's UK events, the UK DJ Final and Battle For UK Supremacy takes place at the 02 Academy Islington on Thursday 9th July with the winners going head to head with the best in the world at the World DJ Championships at the Indig02 on September 11th and 12th.

To become a DMC World Champion, DJs around the world use techniques such as scratching and cutting to manipulate turntables and vinyl in order to create their own musical arrangements, performing live in front of an enthusiastic audience filled with both the extremely knowledgeable DMC fans and lucky newcomers being initiated to this fantastic contest.

The standards will be set on the night as two previous DMC World Champions collaborate for an amazing dual display of battling in its purest, most ferocious essence as DJ Switch and DJ Shiftee take to the wheels of steel to show how it's done.

With World Championship winners over the years including the superstar likes of the Scratch Perverts, A-Trak (Kanye West's DJ), Q Bert, Craze and Mixmaster Mike (Beastie Boys), fame and respect could well accompany the bountiful prizes on offer. And speaking of prizes - a veritable treasure trove awaits the winner. Full details of the prizes are yet to be announced, but there have been confirmed goodies provided by sponsors Calvin Klein.

In between the turntable mastery, the one and only Jehst will be performing an extremely special set in anticipation of his forthcoming album. He will be joined by Micall Parknsun, performing his banging new single ‘All 4 Hip-Hop' and former DMC competitor DJ Jazz T. Charismatic host Inja will also be launching his brand new smash single ‘Hat Low' exclusively at the DMCs, featuring a special live guest appearance from the incredible SkinnyMan.

The Battle for UK Supremacy will also take place on the night, where past UK Champs go head-to-head for a place to compete in the Champions League of the DJ world in September, a competition that will determine who goes home as the universal winner of all winners…

DMC: A Brief History
From its humble DJ record service beginnings in the early 80s, to establishing magazines, a street wear brand and music compilation CDs [including Back to Mine, described by NME magazine as 'probably the greatest compilation series ever'], DMC has been vital in the growth of the DJ as a highly influential modern day cultural icon.

DMC redefined the role and image of the turntablist, believing strongly in the idea that the DJ could create something new and exciting armed with nothing but two decks, a mixer and healthy selection of vinyl. 25 years of hard fought battles later, and DMC has built an army of dedicated followers worldwide, housing successful branches and competitions in 25 countries. In the UK, host venues have included The Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Arena ,The Millennium Dome, Brixton Academy and the Hammersmith Apollo. Whilst the Championship Finals were staged internationally in Italy, Paris and New York, the spiritual home for the DMC World DJ Championship has become London. With DMC making appearances everywhere from Richard and Judy and Blue Peter to MTV and even being entwined within the plot of an episode of CSI: NY, it is clear to see the organization's impact on popular culture.

Many great names have taken part over the years and are now etched forever within the historic visual series of DVD's and on the DMCWORLD.COM web site's DMC Hall of Fame. The inspirational performances of the world champions have advanced the art of turntablism and go down in the history books for pushing the limits of what humans can do with technology.

2009's UK Finalists battling it out for a coveted place in September's World Finals are to be announced as soon as all the regional finals are finished.


www.dmcworld.com

Tickets - £12.50 available from
http://www.dmcworld.com/ (01628 667124)
http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/ 0844 477 2000
http://www.o2academyislington.co.uk/

Posted by Anna Nathanson

Raekwon new album!

Raekwon gushes that ‘the wait is finally over’ for new album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2...

The Wu-Tang Clan Rapper has signed a deal with EMI music services to release his hotly anticipated follow-up to his 1995 hip-hop classic this summer!

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 features Dr. Dre, J Dilla, The RZA and others.

Ready to give his worldwide following what they’ve been waiting for, the Wu-Tang Clan’s rhyme slinger extraordinaire Raekwon is set to return this summer with Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2.

Raekwon, whose 1995 classic Only Built 4 Cuban Linx was universally hailed as a rap classic and has SoundScanned more than 1.1 million units, has signed a distribution deal with EMI Music Services for his ICEH20 Records to release Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2.

“The wait is finally over,” Raekwon says, “Words cannot describe how extremely happy I am to have EMI Music as a home for my album.”

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 buzz single and video “The New Wu” features fellow Wu-Tang Clan members Method Man and Ghostface Killah and is getting mixshow airplay at radio stations across the country, including Hot 97 in New York. The album features a spectacular line-up of guest appearances and producers: The RZA, Dr. Dre, J Dilla, The Wu-Tang Clan, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes, Bun B and The Game, among others.

Rap fans were mesmerized by Raekwon’s distinctive brand of street slanguistics when he emerged as a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. The Staten Island, New York rap group’s debut album, 1993’s Enter The Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers), was a landmark collection that introduced the group’s signature blend of kung-fu inspired reality rap. Raekwon established himself as a solo star in 1995 with the release of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. The mafia minded album, which peaked at No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album chart, unfolded like a cinematic crime caper, with such imaginative songs as “Criminology,” “Incarcerated Scarfaces” and “Ice Cream” propelling the album to platinum status.

Raekwon’s second album, 1999’s Immobilarity, was certified gold. To date, Raekwon has SoundScanned more than 1.6 million units.

Now, with the impending release of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2, Raekwon is ready to release his second masterpiece. “It’s been a long time coming,” he says, “and I’ve put my blood, sweat and tears into making this classic album for my fans.”

ALBUM AUGUST TBC

Posted by Anna Nathanson

New Paul Wall album out

Paul Wall

The Fast Life

Released on Swisha House/Asylum

Out Now!

Paul Wall grew up in Houston with a devout passion for music. Wall was one of Texas's most successful independent musicians, with releases like "The Chick Magnet", "How to be a Player" and his group albums with fellow Texan Chamillionaire such as "Get ya Mind Correct" and "Controversy Sells". His independent success earned him a major record deal with Swisha House Records' joint venture with Atlantic Records.

Wall's 2005 national debut "The People’s Champ" debuted in Billboard Magazine’s Top 200 at the number 1 spot and quickly reached Platinum status. Paul Wall was instrumental in taking Texas Hip Hop to the National level. His 2007 release "Get Money Stay True" debuted as the number 1 rap album in Billboard Magazine and quickly approached Gold status. His 2007 Honda Civic Tour with Fall out Boy widely expanded his fan base, as well as the 2006 Dub Car Show Tour.

In 2005 Wall was nominated for a Grammy with the number 1 hit song "Grillz" along with Nelly, Ali and Gipp. The song sparked a global trend for the diamond encrusted gold (grillz) caps for which Paul is famous for making and selling to various celebrities that include Kanye West, P Diddy, Ashton Kutcher, Lil Wayne, Venus and Serena Williams plus many others.

Wall also modelled in the national campaign for Reebok's Artic 5 trainers and also for Avirex Clothing throughout 2007. In the spring of 2008, Paul Wall joined Strange Music recording artist Tech N9ne on a nationwide tour, which also featured Brooklyn rapper ILL BILL. He is currently a member of the diverse group Expensive Taste which includes Travis Barker (Blink – 182) and Skinhead Rob (The Transplants). The group also released a clothing line in which Paul Wall is a co owner and founder.

Wall has just released his 3^rd major label album "The Fast Life". Featuring the first single “Bizzy Body” featuring Webbie and Mouse the video premiered on Myspace on Friday 27^th March. Too $hort, Skinhead Rob, Tech N9Ne and Young Joc, and Z-Ro also feature on The Fast Life. When asked about “The Fast Life” album Paul replied “Its straight hood stuff, but we got some different stuff that I haven’t done before people are gonna like it when they hear it. My homeboy Travis Barker he jumped down and did a lot of production with me we had a lot of fun in the studio.”

Posted by Anna Nathanson