Amoeba Music Berkeley Hip-Hop Top Five Week Ending 01:13:12


1) The Roots Undun (MCA)

2) Common The Dreamer/The Believer (Warner)

3) Pac Div The Div (RBC)

4) Onra Chino Series Pt 2 (All City)

5) Thirsty Fish Watergate (Mush)

Thanks to my man E-Lit for both the above latest top five hip-hop chart and the video interview in which the diehard Berkeley Amoeba employee/ hip-hop fanatic gives a nice run down of both brand new releases and some upcoming 2012 hip-hop releases that we should keep an eye out for. As E-Lit says and I fully agree 2012 looks like it is going to be a really exciting year for new hip-hop. E-Lit mentions some of the upcoming 2012 releases in the video clip above. I also mentioned some, including Gift of Gab's sure to be dope forthcoming 2012 album The Next Logical Progression, in last week's Amoeblog Weekly Rap Up and again in a recent Amoeblog on both Pep Love's forthcoming Rigmarole album on the Hiero label. Other upcoming 2012 releases to keep an eye out for include a new one from Blacastan and a DJ Premier produced joint by Big Shug that features guest spots from both M.O.P. and Fat Joe.

San Francisco's Dregs One, the conscious hip-hop artist featured in the above video for his uplifting 2011 song "Wake Up," will be among the numerous local artists uniting tomorrow night (January 13th) in a performance at the Eastside Arts Alliance in Oakland to both help spread awareness and raise money for  the legal defense funds of Mumia Abu Jamal and Leonard Peltier.  Aptly titled From Oakland to Freedom! Peltier Abu Jamal! Shut It Down! Free 'Em All this fundraiser has been inundated with artists wanting to donate their time and talent for a cause that strikes a nerve with so many. In addition to Dregs One artists scheduled to perform include Aztec, Fly Benzo, De-Colonized Rymerz, Sogorea Te Warriors, Salah Shambe, Eseibio The Automatic, Abdul Malik, Mestiza, Seneca, Jeremy Goodfeather, Mikhael, and Shango Abiola. The organizers, who say that there may even be some last minute additions to this line up, time permitting, in their official statement for the event say that, "We of Labor Black Brown as well as numerous allies are organizing a fundraiser for the Legal Defense of Mumia Abu Jamal and Leonard Peltier." 

Yesterday I caught up with Dregs One to ask him why he and all these other artists were so willing to donate their time and collective talents to this event and what he sees as the importance and implications of this concert? "Even though Peltier and Abu-Jamal were locked up decades ago, it's beautiful that people are still fighting for their releaese - and ugly that they're still in prison," he said. "I think it's important for people to know that there are American citizens who are jailed as political prisoners and it's sad that more folks aren't informed of their story. Hopefully we can change that through the music we make and events like this one!," said Dregs One who did an instore performance at Amoeba San Francisco a couple of months ago for his latest album The Wake Up Call.

As you may already know, "the cold winds are rising" - much like my expectations when it comes to the adaptation of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire epic fantasy series from sequential novels to the HBO-helmed Game of Thrones teleplay. Within a few months I find myself irrevocably hooked on the books, having thus far ruined every plot twist and intriguing turn through the season three finale (A Storm of Swords might just be the very best book in the series) and after having recently seen the first episode of season one, I have to admit that I'm beginning to feel a kinship with those people out there in the great wide nerdiverse that identify as gamers, though the alignment of said familiarity be chaotic neutral at best.

That said, I cannot waaaiiit for the proper DVD release of Game of Thrones season one; I just wanna hold it. That first episode was such satisfying viewing, even given my foreknowledge of what's to come, that I'm saving all my geeky esteem for the March 6 release date so I can dig leisurely into said boxed set, desperately laden with extra features and all. And if details like the three horn blasts that punctuate the season two teaser below don't make everyone of your hairs stand on end, shivering with dreadfully sweet anticipation, then consider your craven gamer ass on notice!