Old School Hip-Hop

Last Night: Beastie Boys Still Cool After All These Years

Hey DJ! Friday Q&A: Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist

Schools of Thought

The Roots, the Nonce and DJ Hurricane take hip hop to the next level

Keeping It Real

Redefining hip hop with Spearhead, Ben Harper, and Aceyalone

The Beastie Connection

How Adam Yauch and Erin Potts conceived the all-star Tibetan Freedom Concert

Outside Lands Announces Ace Lineup: Beasties, Ween, Tom Jones, Dirtbombs, and More

Soren Solkaer StarbirdSan Francisco's giant music marathon, Outside Lands, announced its lineup this morning, capping its press release with headliners like Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys, Black Eyed Peas, Modest Mouse, and, yes, Dave Matthews Band hitting Golden Gate Park between August 28-30. Also in the ... More >>

Grandmaster Flash spins his story in new autobiography

Soren Solkaer StarbirdSan Francisco's giant music marathon, Outside Lands, announced its lineup this morning, capping its press release with headliners like Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys, Black Eyed Peas, Modest Mouse, and, yes, Dave Matthews Band hitting Golden Gate Park between August 28-30. Also in the ... More >>

Instrumentally Challenged

Beastie Boys clam up on The Mix-Up

Life After Dark

Godfather Mel Cheren's eternal dance floor

Get your funk on for free

Godfather Mel Cheren's eternal dance floor

The Holy Spirit of Breaks

From church pews to dancefloors, Kurtis Blow knows how to party

Hip hop heroes school the new kids

From church pews to dancefloors, Kurtis Blow knows how to party

Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos

The misunderstood adventures of the Bishop of Hip Hop

BeatBox

DJ Toph One mixes it up at a new Friday happy hour; Digital Underground offers a silly reprieve from silly hip hop

Merry Christmas, Beeyotch!

Forget caroling. Here are a few hip hop jammy-jams to warm your yule log.

Pawns in the Sun

Rock Ninja! encounters the rules of a summer concert at BFD

R.I.P. JMJ

A hip hop happening in honor of the late, lamented Jam Master Jay

Hear This

A bite-sized installment of the large (and no doubt geek-laden) celebration of synth

House of Tudor

The godfather of hip hop graces S.F. with his presence, as do some Filthy Thieving Bastards

Northern State

Dying in Stereo

Best Dorky But Cute Hip Hop Act

Lil' Pocketknife

Hear This

Legendary DJ Afrika Bambaataa brings his b-boy esoterica to town

Got Live If You Want It

What do a cappella, opera, and jazz have to do with hip hop? Ask Felonious.

Handsome Dan

Dan "The Automator" Nakamura loves hip hop -- but he loves music more

Hear This

Dan "The Automator" Nakamura loves hip hop -- but he loves music more

Nuthin' But a She Thing

Dan "The Automator" Nakamura loves hip hop -- but he loves music more

Reviews

Dan "The Automator" Nakamura loves hip hop -- but he loves music more

Riff Raff

Dan "The Automator" Nakamura loves hip hop -- but he loves music more

Reviews

Dan "The Automator" Nakamura loves hip hop -- but he loves music more

Recordings

Dan "The Automator" Nakamura loves hip hop -- but he loves music more

Dr. Purpthumb in the House

SMC RecordingsCarded up: G-StackGoood morning, all you pot smokers! Today, as you all know, is April 20th, or 4/20 (wink wink nudge nudge cough cough). And though it's still several long, sober hours until 4:20 proper, ASD has a lil' somethin' somethin' to help all you cubicle jockeys make it throug ... More >>

Outside Lands Asks Public for Headliner Suggestions

Now that the Beastie Boys have pulled out of Outside Lands, announcing the bad news that MCA has to undergo treatment for cancer of the parotid (salivary) gland, the festival has turned to the public to ask what artists should be considered as replacements for Sunday night's big finale. Outside Land ... More >>

Kid Koala reimagines heavy rock with the Slew

Now that the Beastie Boys have pulled out of Outside Lands, announcing the bad news that MCA has to undergo treatment for cancer of the parotid (salivary) gland, the festival has turned to the public to ask what artists should be considered as replacements for Sunday night's big finale. Outside Land ... More >>

Souls of Mischief embrace the Prince Paul regime

Now that the Beastie Boys have pulled out of Outside Lands, announcing the bad news that MCA has to undergo treatment for cancer of the parotid (salivary) gland, the festival has turned to the public to ask what artists should be considered as replacements for Sunday night's big finale. Outside Land ... More >>

What To Do? Thursday's Pick: Left Fest w/ Souls of Mischief

Souls of Mischief​Left Fest w/ Souls of Mischief @ MezzanineOakland rap quartet Souls of Mischief is most fondly remembered for a 1993 hit. Prince Paul is a legendary oddball production Svengali from Long Island who also goes by the aliases Chest Rockwell and Filthy Pablo. The idea of holing them ... More >>

Nas and Damian Marley show the wrong way to Africa

Souls of Mischief​Left Fest w/ Souls of Mischief @ MezzanineOakland rap quartet Souls of Mischief is most fondly remembered for a 1993 hit. Prince Paul is a legendary oddball production Svengali from Long Island who also goes by the aliases Chest Rockwell and Filthy Pablo. The idea of holing them ... More >>

Rock the Bells 2010: Classic performances of hip-hop albums

Souls of Mischief​Left Fest w/ Souls of Mischief @ MezzanineOakland rap quartet Souls of Mischief is most fondly remembered for a 1993 hit. Prince Paul is a legendary oddball production Svengali from Long Island who also goes by the aliases Chest Rockwell and Filthy Pablo. The idea of holing them ... More >>

Afrika Bambaataa on the Origins of Hip-hop, the Perfect Beat, and His Most Treasured Record

Afrika Bambaataa​For those who haven't heard of Afrika Bambaataa, the Godfather of hip-hop, his resume looks something like this: 1969-1971: Warlord, Black Spades, Bronx River Houses, Bronx NY. Responsibilities included: Tagging turf; crossing enemy lines to forge relationships with other gangs ... More >>

Today at Papalote: All-Day Benefit for Godfather of Hip-Hop Kool Herc

Joe ConzoKool Herc doesn't have health insurance, and needs to come up with a hefty deposit for surgery.​Kool Herc (born Clive Campbell) threw the first-ever hip-hop party in 1973, and has been critically celebrated as the godfather of the youth culture that later took over the world. So it's ... More >>

To Help Hip-Hop Father Kool Herc, Eat a Papalote Burrito Today

Kool Herc​By now you may have heard the bad news about Kool Herc, one of hip-hop's founding fathers: He needs a stent from a recent kidney stone removed, but doesn't have health insurance. Father Herc has to throw down a hefty deposit to get the medical work done.To help out, both locations of S.F ... More >>

Peanut Butter Wolf: Show Preview

Kool Herc​By now you may have heard the bad news about Kool Herc, one of hip-hop's founding fathers: He needs a stent from a recent kidney stone removed, but doesn't have health insurance. Father Herc has to throw down a hefty deposit to get the medical work done.To help out, both locations of S.F ... More >>

Hip-Hop Legend Grand Wizard Theodore on His Three Favorite DJs

Grand Wizard Theodore​Friday night, old school hip-hop legend Grand Wizard Theodore will team up with one-time De La Soul producer Prince Paul for a night of grand grooves laced with a playful dose of turntable trickery at 330 Ritch. The Bronx-born and based Theodore's pioneering contribution ... More >>

Rock the Bells Brings Classic Hip-Hop Debuts to the Stage

Grand Wizard Theodore​Friday night, old school hip-hop legend Grand Wizard Theodore will team up with one-time De La Soul producer Prince Paul for a night of grand grooves laced with a playful dose of turntable trickery at 330 Ritch. The Bronx-born and based Theodore's pioneering contribution ... More >>

Mixtape Challenge: How Long Can You Listen to the Beastie Boys Go "OOOOoOOOo?"

​ Fairly few mixtapes entertain, point out a musical trend, and ask interesting questions of their listeners at the same time. But, over at Uptown Almanac, Serg and DJ Hunnicutt have just posted a mixtape that does both of those. It's called "oooOOOoooOOOooo..." (The Mixtape), and it consists ... More >>

Chris’ Cross

​ Fairly few mixtapes entertain, point out a musical trend, and ask interesting questions of their listeners at the same time. But, over at Uptown Almanac, Serg and DJ Hunnicutt have just posted a mixtape that does both of those. It's called "oooOOOoooOOOooo..." (The Mixtape), and it consists ... More >>

Five Hip-Hop Album Covers That Would Make Insanely Difficult Jigsaw Puzzles

This week, a new candidate emerged for the spot of hip-hop's fabled fifth element: The jigsaw puzzle. With a canny eye on the not-too-far-off Christmas season, the Boston-based Get On Down Records has released jigsaw versions of classic rap album covers by Biz Markie, Kool G Rap, Boogie Down Produc ... More >>

Justin BUA's Top Five Illustrated Hip-Hop Album Covers

"Historically, artists painted the court and the aristocracy. I'm the court painter of hip-hop -- the artists are that important." So says Justin BUA, the hip-hop generation artist who celebrates the release of his new book The Legends Of Hip-Hop with a signing session at Booksmith this Friday start ... More >>

Baron Ambrosia: Public-Access Weirdness Hits Food TV

​Each week we take a quick, cautious look at what's going on with televised cooking. This week: The Culinary Adventures of Baron Ambrosia, a half-hour primer on mugging for the camera, Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. on the Cooking Channel. Or you can gape at it here. If Baron Ambrosia seems like just ... More >>

Stretch Armstrong on the Demise of FM Radio and the Inanity of Celebrity DJs

​One half of the Stretch and Bobbito Show on New York's WKCR through the '90s, DJ/producer Stretch Armstrong has played an essential part in the integration of hip-hop into mainstream radio. A fixture in the '90s hip-hop scene, he used media outlets such as mixtapes and radio programs to launc ... More >>

Veteran Rappers: Do You Really Need to Continue Making New Records?

KRS-One: Great live, but the records aren't what they used to be.​There was a time, back in the late '80s, when the legendary Bronx rapper KRS-One was a candidate for the title of Greatest Rapper of All Time. Twenty-five years later, though, the self-anointed Blastmaster's latest long-player, ... More >>