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Hip-Hop Rap-Up, Week Ending 03.03.12: Gangrene, V-Nasty, Busdriver, Andre Nickatina, Drake, Dolla Will, ESG, MUMBLS + more

Posted by Billyjam, March 3, 2012 09:20am | Post a Comment

Amoeba Music Hollywood Hip-Hop Top Five Week Ending 03: 03:12

1) Drake Take Care (Cash Money/Universal)

2) Kanye West & Jay Z Watch The Throne (Def Jam)

3) Gangrene Vodka & Ayahuasca (Decon)

4) Busdriver Beaus $ Eros (Fake Four Inc.)

5) Blu & Exile Below The Heavens (Fat Beats)

This week's hip-hop chart from the Hollywood Amoeba store reflects the state of the current hip-hop market - one in which many titles have a long shelf life including the most recent releases from both Drake (Take Care on Cash Money/Universal) and Kanye West & Jay Z (Watch The Throne on Def Jam) - two major label releases that were originally released in early November and August respectively but have been steadily selling/charting ever since. Meantime another steady seller is Blu & Exile's Below The Heavens on Fat Beats which is technically a five year old album but, due to public demand, was reissued recently. The other two album entrants on the new hip-hop chart are the 2012 releases from both LA alt hip-hop talent Busdriver (Beaus $ Eros on Fake Four Inc. featuring the Loden produced track below "Kiss Me Back To Life") and Gangrene's Vodka & Ayahuasca on Decon. Featuring Oh No and Alchemist Gangrene are pretty darn good and this is one recommended album; one of those records that you hear something new in every time you play it.

Hip-Hop Rap-Up, Week Ending 02.24.12: E Lit's Top Five, Hiero's Pep Love + Tajai, Fist Fam's Weekend Cult Release Party, Busdriver, Curren$y, Gangrene, The Promise, The Sessions San Francisco + more

Posted by Billyjam, February 24, 2012 06:10am | Post a Comment

Amoeba Berkeley Hip-Hop Top Five for week ending 02:24:12 with E-Lit

1) Lazerbeak & Edison Kill Switch LP (Fieldwerk)

We received a whole bunch of these over a week early, and sold through our entire supply of them in a matter of days! Given the extremely high quality of the product, it’s no wonder we couldn’t keep this on the shelves. Kill Switch is hip-hop production of the highest caliber, brought to you by the strongest label in instrumental hip hop Fieldwerk Recordings. Doomtree’s Lazerbeak handles side A with a surprisingly subtle approach that occasionally bursts with brilliant color, delivering his finest solo instrumental work to date. San Francisco’s own genius button-masher Edison handles side B with a much rowdier gang of beats that show off his skillful production craft, with menacing guitar jabs and gangsta bleeps that form a cohesive whole. This one’s only available on vinyl, but it does come with a digital download card

Tajai of the East Bay's mighty Hieroglyphics

that’ll get it on your computer in a matter of minutes. Highly recommended!

2) Tajai Machine Language CD (Hieroglyphics Imperium)

Souls of Mischief frontman and Hieroglyphics mainstay Tajai’s new Machine Language mixtape has naturally been doing very well in the Bay. Features fellow Hiero members Casual, Opio and A-Plus, plus a joint with The Pharcyde, all for a super cheap price of $5.98. This mix CD is just a taster of random new Tajai tracks, but should tide the Bay’s Hiero fanbase over until Tajai’s new Rap Noir album drops later this year.

Record Store Day 2011 is This Saturday! Get Details Here

Posted by Billyjam, April 12, 2011 02:51pm | Comments (1)

Record Store Day 2011 Releases Overview by Chris Brown from Bull Moose

As vinyl increasingly becomes a more collectible, sought-after commodity, so too has Record Store Day's reputation grown. Now in its fourth year Record Store Day 2011, which is just four days away -- this Saturday, April 16th -- promises to be the best RSD

to date with even more special, exclusive releases than any previous year! As outlined in the video above with Chris Brown from Bull Moose (the man responsible for creating Record Store Day in the first place), there are oodles of amazing releases, including freebies, this year. In the above clip Chris overviews a great many of the notable RSD 2011 exclusive releases. These include records in all formats (7", 10", 12", LP, colored vinyl, picture discs, and box-sets) from such artists as Ozzy Osbourne (RSD 2011's "Official Ambassador"), Foo Fighters, Flaming Lips, Beach Boys, Buck Owens, Big Star, and Fleetwood Mac. You can get a full RSD release list right here! Fleetwood Mac's latest re-release of their mega-successful 1977 album Rumours is unique because it is a Deluxe 2 LP 180 gram vinyl set that plays at 45 RPM. It has been stretched out on a double LP at 45 speed for attaining the highest playback audio quality.

AMOEBA MUSIC HIP-HOP WEEKLY ROUND UP: 06:26:09

Posted by Billyjam, June 26, 2009 07:38pm | Post a Comment

JenRO (pictured left) was among the artists featured in the new hip-hop documentary Pick Up The Mic: The Evolution of Homohop that graced the stage of Amoeba Music San Francisco yesterday (June 25) for a free in-store performance. The instore both marked the release of the critically acclaimed documentary on DVD, and also helped celebrate Pride '09. As you know, the big SF LGBT Pride parade & party is on Sunday, June 28 -- and Amoeba will be present, with our own booth where you can win fabulous prizes! Details here and here.

JenRO's Amoeba performance was tight and captured the emcee's pure Bay rap flavor and gift for lyrical flow. JenRO is not just a good queer hip-hop artist -- she is a talented emcee, period. For more on this San Francisco female rapper, who, as she rapped at Amoeba yesterday "was born the same year that CDs were created," visit her website, or hit up her official info phone line @ 415-692-5695, or check out the video interview with her on Yo!TV included in the Recognize: Bay Area Female Rappers Amoeblog from a year ago.

Longtime Bay Area homo-hop artists Dutchboy and Juba Kalamka were also performing at Amoeba SF yesterday. After the show I caught up with Juba Kalamka, whom I know from his days with now defunct Bay Area homo-hop crew Deep Dickollective (D/DC). Eight years ago the group's great song "StraightTrippin" (feat. Doug E) was featured on Independent Sounds: Amoeba Music Compilation Vol. III, and two years later fellow D/DC founding member Tim'm T West also appeared on the Amoeba Music Compilation Vol. IV. Check back for an interview here with Juba in an upcoming Amoeblog.