Tag Archives: Hip-Hop

Featured Gallery Music Wu-Tang Is For The Children… and Everyone Else

by Rich Thomas and Joe Gall
January 18, 2012 - 10:53 am

Though Kanye West’s notorious bum rushing of the VMA stage in 2009 will go down in the pantheon of bizarre award show moments, it still plays second fiddle to the granddaddy of all podium-jackings. Next month marks the 14-year anniversary of O.D.B.’s proclamation to a stunned Shawn Colvin and an international Grammy contingent that, regardless of how you saw it, Wu-Tang was the best. Let me repeat that. Fourteen years ago this happened, and the full-length that lost the Best Rap Album award (to Puffy no less) was Wu-Tang Forever, far from their best work. But who’s laughing now? Who’s managed to singlehandedly keep the spirit of posse cut alive in an era of me-first rappers who myopically extol the virtues of popping bottles and not much else? The Wu. That’s who.

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Music My Old School Hip-Hop, Part 5: Busdriver

by Rich Thomas
January 9, 2012 - 3:39 pm

School is back in session. Today, ChinaShop features Regan Farquhar (a.k.a. Busdriver), the fifth artist in our six-part series highlighting former students of LA’s Pilgrim High School who have become integral parts of West Coast hip-hop and DJ culture. Check the links for features on DJ StoneRokk, Project Blowed co-founder Abstract Rude, Brooklyn’s DJ Icewater, and international hip-hop star Roscoe Umali. Still to come this month: J*Davey’s Brook D’Leau.

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Music Talib Kweli Focuses on “Distractions” (Music Video)

by Shop Keeper
December 26, 2011 - 10:00 am

True to form, Talib Kweli‘s latest song and video does not shy from political themes or social justice issues. The video, shot in New York and directed by Darryl Phillips, features Kweli delivering fiery lyrics at Zucatti Park flanked by Occupy Wall Street protesters.

Video after the Jump

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Featured Music My Old School Hip-Hop, Part 4: DJ StoneRokk

by Rich Thomas
December 21, 2011 - 9:56 am

School is back in session. Today, ChinaShop features Mike Stone (a.k.a. DJ StoneRokk), the fourth artist in our six-part series highlighting former students of LA’s Pilgrim High School who have become integral parts of West Coast hip-hop and DJ culture. Last month we featured Project Blowed co-founder Abstract Rude, Brooklyn’s DJ Icewater, and international hip-hop star Roscoe Umali. Still to come: J*Davey’s Brook D’Leau and Busdriver.

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Featured Music My Old School Hip-Hop, Part 3: Roscoe Umali

by Rich Thomas
December 7, 2011 - 10:09 am

School is back in session. Today, ChinaShop features Roscoe Umali, the third artist in our six-part series highlighting former students of LA’s Pilgrim High School who have become integral parts of West Coast hip-hop and DJ culture. Last month we featured Project Blowed co-founder Abstract Rude and Brooklyn’s DJ Icewater. Still to come: DJ StoneRokk, J*Davey’s Brook D’Leau and Busdriver.

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Music My Old School Hip-Hop, Part 2: DJ Icewater

by Rich Thomas
December 1, 2011 - 10:26 am

School is back in session. Today, ChinaShop features DJ Icewater (a.k.a. Rodney Sino-Cruz), the second artist in our six-part series highlighting former students of LA’s Pilgrim High School who have become integral parts of West Coast hip-hop and DJ culture. Earlier in the week we featured Project Blowed co-founder Abstract Rude. Still to come: Roscoe Umali, DJ StoneRokk, J*Davey’s Brook D’Leau and Busdriver.

After graduating from Pilgrim in 1996—two years after myself—Icewater moved to the Berkeley, CA where he appeared on seminal hip-hop shows “The O-Zone” (from ’96-’98) and “The Beatdown” (from ’97-’00). In 1998, he and fellow turntablist DJ Mpact started a student-run course at UC Berkeley called “Turntablism 101,” the first of its kind at a public university. Over the next few years, he would tour with Living Legends alums Grouch & Eligh, Japanese American MC Shing02, and the Pharcyde, all the while serving as one of the Bay Area’s most in-demand recording engineers.

Icewater currently resides in Brooklyn, NY where he continues to work as an audio engineer and DJ. Drop in on his tracks, mixes and current projects at www.djicewater.com.

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