*DAILY ESSENTIALS* GO OUT AND TAKE IT – THE ROOTS – UNDUN – ALBUM REVIEW
“It’s about a passion that’s unyielding. I need you to know today, It is YOUR time. It is YOUR hour. It is YOUR moment. GO TAKE IT!!!” ~The Roots.
Listening to the Roots new album Undun, it becomes more clear that the hidden jewels of hip-hop are not hidden. The jewels are blatant and in your face. The jewels are in the form of beats that move you. They are the lyrics that motivate you. That push you rhythmically to go beyond your limits. To exceed in your desires to succeed. If you listened to their last album “How I Got Over” and their latest release “Undun” or practically any of the other Roots’ albums, it’s clear that this group has a unique style of their own. A style that incorporates socio-political issues, common struggles and even street knowledge. I believe all true hip-hop fans will agree, the Roots never fail to disappoint. But don’t take my word for it, listen to the album(s) yourself. In the meantime, take that quote from the song “Stomp” [track 163] and incorporate it into your day—Engrain it into your LIFE.
It is YOUR time. It is YOUR hour. It is YOUR moment. GO TAKE IT!!!!
Essentially Essence…
DRAKE’S OVO FESTIVAL (TORONTO) FT * RICK ROSS * THE WEEKND *
Over the weekend I had a chance to visit Toronto , Canada to attend Drake’s 2nd annual hometown OVO festival . I had the opportunity to take photos at the concert that featured Rick Ross and The Weeknd The crowd enhanced my experience as they took the concert to another level with tons of energy through out the whole night. The artist performed hit after hit while moving the audience all night. Drake surprised the crowd by bringing out J.Cole as they performed their collaborative hit “In the Morning”. Moments later Nas hit the stage and performed classic hits “If I Ruled The World” and ” Nas Is Like”. Drake continued hit after and hit and surprised the crowd again by introducing Lil Wayne as they performed various tracks together.
JAY-Z AND KANYE WEST ALBUM “WATCH THE THROWN” TRACKLIST AND STUDIO PHOTOS
Jay-Z held a private listening session for “Watch the Throne,” his highly anticipated collaborative album with Kanye West, (July 7) in New York City.
The listening was held in a suite on the second floor of the Mercer Hotel, in SoHo, and lasted for roughly three hours, with Jay-Z playing eleven songs from an Apple laptop for a select group of music journalists and two teenage fans who had won access to the session for being the first two customers to pre-order the album through Jay-Z’s lifestyle site, Life and Times, which began accepting pre-orders on Monday, July 4. Kanye West did not attend.
IT’S NOW OR NEVER!
Written and Posted by Ron Tillman // @MrTillman
A true emcee is hard to come by these days, and rap has become the new commodity to the streets. A tough job market has a lot of people taking on rap as their gateway to the money. Some rappers prevail, but most fail. And just like the ailing economy, the rap industry is affected just as much as any other corporation. The money is shorter, and the budgets are tighter, so record execs are on the hunt for the next wave of creative musicians, but with more skepticism.
So the question lies here; what are the inspiring artist willing to do to just be heard by a record exec these days? Talented artist are out there, so don’t let me discourage anyone. But one man is on a mission to the top and he has no intention stopping once he gets there.
Darnell “Khidaman” Jackson out of Detroit is not letting anything keep him from reaching his goals of inking a deal with a record label. Not only does he have the potential to get in a crazy, debauchery filled rap industry, he has what it take to be big. Khida has been rapping since 2001. He, along with some friends started a rap group; they went by the name Hood Life Entertainment then changed it to E.B.E. And as a group, they tore up the local rap scene. Now, ten years later Khidaman still rock shows and put out some the best material to grace the city of Detroit.
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WIZ KHALIFA | NAS | THE ROOTS & ESPERANZA SPALDING “ROOTS PICNIC”
Another classic event! I was thrilled to attend the 4th Annual Roots picnic saturday with some of my all time favorite artist. The crowd was engaged and the stage was rocking. I arrived just in time to see Esperanza Spalding perform , Spalding is the 2011 Grammy award recipient for best new artist , making her the first Jazz artist to win the award. Her performance was chilling as she did a outstanding job maintaining her soulful vocals while playing multiple instruments. In a matter of minutes Spalding became one of my favorite artist.
Wiz Khalifa also hit the stage bringing tons of energy as he performed hit after hit. I was struck by surprise a bit as I under estimated Khalifa’s stage presence. He seem to have lots of fun on stage as he danced and engaged the crowd. Wiz also showed love and admiration for Philly’s own artist Beanie Sigel , Young Guns and Freeway by letting them perform during his set. State Property artist performed classic hits turning the crowd up a couple more notches.
RAPHAEL SAADIQ – GOOD MAN
Get out the time machine, Raphael Saadiq is back with his new rock-infused LP, Stone Rollin’. As you’ll see, he’s remained faithful to the retro soulful roots that caught our attention in his 2008 hit album, The Way I See It. The old-school inspirations have always been there for this music veteran who started as member and founder of Tony! Toni! Toné about 20 years ago. He started from a more R&B-inspired style with delicious Stevie Wonder-esque tracks like “Still Ray” on his first album as Raphael Saadiq in 2002. And now, a well-rounded artist to a T, Raphael has created a vintage gem with his single, “Good Man.”
Click the link to listen to this track
COREY LATIF H.U.R.L – THE LEAKS AND LOVE SONGS VOL 1
Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Corey Latif has released a 23 track album of some of his leaked songs. Not only is he one of my favorite artist he’s a great friend of mine who I’ve known for years. He has written hit songs like “Deserve U More” and “Teach Me” for Musiq Soulchild, “Damage” for Chris Brown and most recently ” Gone Already” by Faith Evans. Check out these exclusive tracks from Latif’s latest project. Click the link below to download.
|DOWNLOAD|| LATIF – The Leaks | H.U.R.L & Love Songs Vol. 1
Micheal Jackson Rare Collectibles
Check out Micheal Jackson’s rare original collectible items. Click the link for more photos.
Rare Biggie Smalls Quote on Philly
” A way to stay ahead on game is to keep a Philly cat in ya corner”
Lupe Fiasco x Dosage
April 15th The University of Penn held its 2011 Spring Fling concert for the student body. The concert featured artist Ratatat , Flo Rida , Dosage and Lupe Fiasco. This concert was well deserved for the students that worked hard throughout the challenging academic year. Check out some photos of the event
Post by Shaheed Rucker // @Change_makers . Photos by Curran J // @Curran_J
Big Sean | Dannie Phantom | DJ Sylo | Freeway | Ricky Codio
Photographer Ricky Codio captured dope shots from this cool event featuring local talents Dannie Phantom , DJ Sylo , Freeway and G.O.O.D music’s own Big Sean.
Photographer Ricky Codio / @RickFallenStar
Meagan Good introduces La’Miya
A couple years ago I was invited to Meagan Good’s splash party at the Hotel Victor on South Beach. The event was well polished and very intimate. The event was a showcasing of Meagan’s older sister La’Miya singing talent. La’ Miya has appeared in various films and sitcom’s such as “Sister , Sister” , “The Wood” , “The Parenthood” and “The Parkers”. La’Miya was also in the R&B group Isyss , As a group they achieved moderate success in 2002 with their debut album “The way we do” and “Day & Night” ft rapper Jadakiss. The event featured various entertainers and celebrity guest such as basketball players Drew Gooden , Keith Bogans and Roger Mason , Model Eva Pigford and Danger from “For The Love of Ray J”. The performance was live and energetic and many of the attendees showed awesome love and support. Be on the look out for La’Miya’s future projects
Common – Sense
A couple years ago I attended the Common , N.E.R.D and Chester French concert in Orlando and had the opportunity to catch up with Common after the show. It was a grand opportunity , We conversed about education , following your plans and staying true to yourself and your goals. In the grand scheme of it all the message was focus on SENSE not CENTS , Focus on your passion and project the good grade will come. Many artist focus on the funds which destroys integrity in the art of Hip Hop. Common has been consistent throughout his career and has never changed his approach to music . ”I refuse to lose self and try to win fans over” – Common – “Nag Champa” – Like Water For Chocolate.
We shared a SENSE of business in COMMON striking our movement motivated through “Change” not “Change”. Changemakers Organization focuses on the Social Change oppose to the monetary Change valuing our adage “Its not about the Change , Its about the Change” .
Post by Shaheed Rucker @Change_makers
J.Cole | DJ Diplo | Chase Allen | DJ Aye Boogie
I enjoyed a well organized show by SPECTRUM ( Student Planning Events Commitee To Represent Undergraduate Minorities)at the University of Penn. Under the warm “Friday Night Lights” 3 artist and 3 DJ’s hit the stage for a dope concert. I had a chance to check out a few of my current favorite artist in J.Cole and Philadelphia native Chase Allen (www.IamChaseAllen.com). There was never a jaded moment as DJ Aye Boogie(www.ImAbstract.com) and DJ Diplo kept the crowd engaged by spinning the latest in House , Hip Hop and R&B. Check out the Photos by clicking the link below.
Photos & Post by Shaheed Rucker @change_makers
