Hype Men Podcast X Jonathan Mannion

EPISODE 37: Legendary photographer Jonathan Mannion joins the Hype Men to discuss how he got DMX to bathe himself in blood + what Jay-Z thinks of his Jay-Z impression + breaking new artists from Eminem to Lil’ Mama + Game’s Compton street reality + trashing hotel rooms with Sum 41 + the madness of Foxy Brown + Lil’ Wayne’s genius water + the ODB-Donna Summer connection + so much more!



Big Krit At Southpaw (Brooklyn)

Big K.R.I.T. brought his Return of 4Eva tour through Brooklyn’s South Paw and served up a special order of his classic southern fried beats, lyrically smothered raps and a highly energetic performance. Amanda Diva takes a few takes a few minutes to talk to Krit and get the scoop on touring, mixtapes, and what we can expect next.

"Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest" Opens Tonight at Tribeca Film Festival

Starts Tonight in NYC 6:00 (NY RELEASE)


BMCC Tribeca PAC (BMCC)
199 Chambers Street
Between Greenwich & West Streets

Synopsis

One of the most pioneering and beloved groups of all-time, A Tribe Called Quest seminally defined the sound of an early-’90s New York hip-hop scene that reverberated across the nation. Formed in 1985 by Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jarobi White, Tribe melded jazz-infused musicscapes and Afrocentric rhymes with bass-heavy rhythmic vibes, eclectic sampling, and intelligent lyrics addressing social and political issues with infectious energy.

Acclaimed actor Michael Rapaport (Zebrahead, Mighty Aphrodite) paints a remarkably personal portrait of the characters behind the group’s sonic genius through their five albums, their highly publicized breakup in 1998, and beyond. Emotionally honest and forthright interviews with group members are intercut with electrifying footage of live performances, music videos from back in the day, and commentary from Common, Busta Rhymes, Mary J. Blige, De La Soul, Kanye West, Common, Mos Def, Ludacris, and the Beastie Boys. Whether or not A Tribe Called Quest will create another record remains a question—but the group’s profound contribution to musical history and unparalleled artistic success undisputedly blazed a trail for future generations.

–Roya Rastegar

They don’t have final cut. I don’t think in a documentary as intimate as this – as emotional, as personal as it is – that the people it’s about should have a say. It’s hard for them to have perspective,” Rapaport told Rolling Stone.
That said, “Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest” is a great story about a great band that was at the heart of a movement that left an indelible stamp on popular music and still has heads bouncing all around the world 15 years removed from their heyday.
“Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest” is showing at the Tribeca Film Festival April 27 & 28
RUSH TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE.

2Pac “Becoming Clean” Photo Shoot

Here’s film from set of 2Pac’s iconic “Becoming Clean” photo shoot. Shot by photographer David Lachapelle, the photo was taken following Pac’s release from prison. Below is an interview of Lachapelle discussing the shoot.

DM: I feel that a lot of your work emphasises on beauty in people, regardless of colour or size. One of my favourite pieces of your work is “Becoming Clean” with Tupac Shakur amongst others. How was it like work with him?


DL: Tupac was great, he was very sensitive and is truly a good person. I wrote to his mum when he died and she sent me flowers and gave me his last song, “Ghetto Gospel.” When we did the shoot, he had just come out of prison and every shot has a reason, it’s never random, so this was the idea of the photo shoot, him becoming clean. He had given this interview when he was still in prison and he really opened up and was so honest. I had read it and thought it was so truthful so for the work I did with him, there was this idea of washing away and rebirth. And we did another shoot where he posed as a slave on a cotton field. They traced rapping and rhyming to “call and repeat” during slavery time in sugar cane and cotton fields to pass the time. It’s on the Hotel Lachapelle book. Tupac came to the shoot 2 hours early, which was very unusual for a rapper. So I wasn’t ready for the shoot and he didn’t care. He reminded me of my black friends whom I went to art schools with, he was so cool, open-minded and chill. He wasn’t judgemental. Then later on, I found out that he had gone to an art school. He left behind a big bag of socks and underwear because he had just come out from prison and never picked it up. He died shortly after. I still wear his socks sometimes (laughs

Props: Urban Empire

DJ Quicksilva & Young Guru At Cafe Asia This Saturday

Click the image to RSVP.
Now here’s a hell of a “matchup”: a local legend in his own right matching turntables with who might quite possibly be the number one engineer in Hip-Hop? Sounds like a win for the crowd to me…
In one corner, we have DJ Quicksilva, a DC/Baltimore area DJ that’s been doing big things in radio for over 10 years, working with the likes of one of DC’s biggest urban radio stations (WKYS) and premiere urban fashion entity DTLR (aka Downtown Locker Room). This doesn’t even include the various clubs and lounges he’s had locked down in the nation’s capital and around the world.
In the other corner, we have the man responsible for mixing a lot of of Roc-A-Fella Records catalog since the turn of the century: Young Guru went from being an independent engineer to being the key head at the legendary Bassline Studios (and later Roc The Mic Studios) after a few chance encounters working with Jay-Z’s right hand man Memphis Bleek. This naturally led to him becoming Hova’s very own engineer and DJ. Needless to say, his extensive resume of projects worked on are nothing short of Hall of Fame…
…and he will be rocking the crowd in DC for the first time ever this Saturday.
Who will rock the crowd the hardest? Only one way to find out, but one thing is definitely for sure: whoever comes to this event can’t lose either way. Don’t get caught missing out.
Click the above image or here to RSVP for complimentary admission.

Consequence – The World Is Watching…

Yo….what the hell is this?

I use to hear the term “TroubleMaker” and equate it as something negative. I now regard it as a term of endearment. With that being said, if what you’re about to witness makes me a “TROUBLEMAKER” then indeed… It’s time to start some TROUBLE. The moments depicted in this clip have been in front of US all along. I hate to be the “Bearer of Bad News” but ‘Movies On Demand 3’ will be the MOST CONTROVERSIAL project that Hip-Hop has seen in some time.