September 18, 2007

SCRATCH: Is This The End?

Yep, the rumors are true. Issue #20 will be the final issue of Scratch. But don’t mourn us—remember the good times, rap nerds!

Now check out what’s in the final issue, which will drop by the end of September. We’re going out with a bang!:

-Timbaland explains why “pop is the new hip-hop,” why he’s still homies with Scott Storch and why he’s had trouble working with Jay-Z and Missy Elliott.

-50 Cent discusses working with no-name producers, getting creative with Timbaland and why other big name beatmakers like The Neptunes and Kanye didn’t make the final cut on Curtis.

-RZA breaks down each track on the Wu-Tang reunion album 8 Diagrams.

-Irv Gotti on plotting Ja Rule’s comeback, his new reality show and how 50 Cent affected his career.

-An introduction to the producers behind Soulja Boy’s “Crank Dat (Soulja Boy),” 50 Cent’s “I Get Money,” Playaz Circle & Lil Wayne’s “Duffle Bag Boy,” Nelly’s “Wadsyaname” and Gucci Mane’s “Freaky Gurl.”

-David Banner explains how he came out of his depression and why he has a hard time rapping on his own beats.

-Without Little Brother by his side, 9th Wonder talks about begining his new movement in North Carolina.

-A detailed break-down of the infamous MP3 Ripping Groups that supply us with the illegal music we love.

-Chicago producers Cuzo and Xcel go inside the world of juke house music with their new hip-hop fusion.

-The Alchemist breaks down his beat-making process from the ground-up.

-Just Blaze tests out the Roland V-Synth GT and remembers his most influential pieces of gear.

-DJ Envy rates hip-hop’s greatest DJ/MC duos.

-Stones Throw’s Egon goes shopping for Turkish vinyl.

-DJ Toomp remembers the creation of his 5 best beats.

-A day in the life of Cali’s biggest DJ, Felli Fel.

-DJ Camilo tests out Traktor Scratch digital DJ system.

-Zion I’s Amp Live gives a tour of Oakland’s hip-hop scene.

-Hot 97’s underground hip-hop savior Peter Rosenberg remembers his most influential albums.

PLUS A HELLUVALOT MORE!

Now pour one out!

August 27, 2007

REVIEW: Black August in NYC

words: BK CYPH

Attention Mos Def Stans: The BK MC is “NOT a jukebox” and will not be taking any requests nor will he be performing any songs that you actually like during any of his shows. You have been forewarned.

Black August celebrated their 10th anniversary show last night at the Nokia Theatre in NYC. Their goal is to raise money/awareness for political prisoners and to encourage all oppressed peoples to get free. I’m figuring the show was success because it was sold out.

With that in mind it is only right that dead prez set off the proceedings after a few opening acts (one of ‘em being Lah Tere – a dope female MC from Chicago who recalled a female Pun). Dpz, who seemed a tad less militant then they did 10 years ago, got the revolutionary party crunk breezing through songs like “We Need a Revolution” “I’m an African” and “Hip-Hop.” I can’t front, after DPz left the stage, I was all ready to bang on the system and what not. At the very least I know I will be voting in the upcoming election as soon as I find out who is running.

Since I’m reppin’ SCRATCH Mag, it was nice to see that the DJ was full display, as the show coincidentally fell on the 20th anniversary of Scott La Rock’s death. DJ Scratch must’ve caught the Holy Ghost because he rocked an amazing set of ’90s rap classics with an insane array of turntable tricks. At one point, while playing Black Sheep’s “The Choice is Yours,” the former EPMD DJ cut the phrase “pick it up, pick it up” while actually lifting his turntable in the air simultaneously. I used to think Jazzy Jeff took the crown, but Scratch is the illest DJ on the planet, hands down. Poor Evil Dee followed a tough act but managed to work the crowd into a frenzy with his crate (or MP3—I think he had a Serato, but I could be wrong) diggin’ abilities playing some O.G. hip-hop samples.

DJ Dummy took the stage next and since most heads couldn’t pick him out of a line-up, they had no idea what was in store. But after a few warm-up scratches, Dummy dropped the beat to Common’s “The People” as the Chi- Town MC hit the stage harder than Beyoncé when she bust her ass down a flight of steps (a Youtube classic). Why Rasheed wasn’t chosen to close the show is beyond me. It’s clear that as far as hip-hop goes, no single artist has greater command of the stage. Much to the crowd’s delight, Com rocked a short set that included “U, Black Maybe?” “Testify” and “The Corner.” The crowd went ape shit!

Then things went sour when Mos Def (who from this point on I will refer to by his government name “Dante” because only people who actually rap deserve to be called by their rap monikers) hit the stage. Someone should tell Dante that fans expect artists to put out these little shiny things called “CDs,” and on these “CDs” there are songs that, if said artist should be so lucky, people actually like. Now Dante has three of these “CDs,” one of which is an actually classic called Black on Both Sides. The other two (The New Danger and True Magic) are routinely used for breaking up weed. When a fan who spent his hard earned duckets to support Dante had the audacity to request songs from the classic CD, he was told, “Nah, don’t do that. I’m not a jukebox. It ain’t goin’ down like that.” Hey Dante: jukeboxes take quarters; Black August tix cost $30 a pop. Woe is the life of a performer who has to suffer on stage and sing songs that they wrote in front of a throng of adoring fans. Keep ya shit up Dante and you could be the next Lauryn Hill, dog. After a 45-minute string of poorly sung Marvin Gaye renditions, Dante finally obliged and brought Talib Kweli on stage to rock a few Black Star classics. Problem is, after the Black Star set, Dante refused to leave the stage and went on to hijack Kweli’s set.

Thank god for Talib, though. Dude rocked songs that people actually wanted to hear. After running through joints like “The Blast,” “Move Somethin’” and “Hot Thing” with DJ Cocoa Chenelle at the helm, Kweli brought out Saigon to drop a verse on the crowd. Truthfully, seeing Saigon rock the stage was the only reason I left my house. Dude was supposed to do an entire set but apparently some Black August official called Sai-giddy and told him the show was cancelled. When Sai finally learned that the he’d been bamboozled, it was too late for him to get on. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I think it was Dante who sabotaged Sai’s set so he could sing cover songs and talk shit. Isn’t self-indulgence a sin? If not, it should be.

Strangely enough, after Kweli closed with his Kanye-produced hit that everyone knows and loves (“Get By”), Dante, who never left the stage, decided to up the ante and finish the night off with “Umi Says.” All in all, it was a very dope night with crazy hip-hop energy that went to a great cause. Still, it didn’t quite make up for me missing T.I.’s Madison Square Garden extravaganza earlier in the week. I’d take watching Tip, Hov, Kanye, Diddy and 50 over going to a Dante show any day; oh well!

August 10, 2007

WANNA ASK PETE ROCK A QUESTION?

Calling all Pete Rock stans!

Scratch is preparing a feature for our next issue where we allow YOU, the readers, to ask legendary producer Pete Rock anything you want. Simply leave your question as a comment on this post (click the button that says “comment” at the end of this post, for you slow folks) and we will bring the best questions to the Chololate Boy Wonder!

Look for his responses in the Nov/Dec issue of Scratch (out at the end of September)!

August 7, 2007

DJ Bay Bay Arrested on Rape Charges

Hurricane Chris (left) and DJ Bay Bay

Bad news for the Scratch world—the Louisiana radio and club DJ who inspired Hurricane Chris’ smash hit “A Bay Bay” was arrested yesterday on a count of rape and intimidation of a witness. Terrence “DJ Bay Bay” Stewart is a DJ at a club called Kokopelli’s in Shreveport, where a woman was allegedly found drunk and unconcious at 4 a.m. on Thursday, August 2nd.

For the full story, check out XXL.

And CLICK HERE to read Scratch’s Front Lines profile on Punk Dawg, the producer behind “A Bay Bay”.

August 1, 2007

The Definitive Disco D Story

When up-and-coming producer Disco D committed suicide this past January, we all lost one of the most original minds in hip-hop. To many, it seemed baffling: why would someone so young and with so much potential take his own life?

Finally, someone has told Disco’s story in-depth. The big homie Adam Mattews has a new article in the Village Voice that really gets goes deep, centering around the ups-and-downs of working in the urban music business while dealing with a biploar disorder. The story definitely sheds some light not only on Disco’s demise, but also on a lot of the same issues that hip-hop producers have to face on a regular basis.

Read the article HERE!