During its long gone and long missed lifetime 1990's Daly City record store Cue's Records, owned and operated by Frank "DJ Cue" Cuevas of the Bullet Proof Hamsters/Space Travelers, was more than simply a shop to cop that latest rap 12" single ,or battle record, or other DJ supplies from.

Rather Cue's was a cultural crossroads for hip-hop devotees: a place where Bay Area (and beyond) hip-hop fans, party DJs, and turntablists would gather in support of their shared love of records and all things hip-hop.

For six years up until 2000 Cue's Records, which sat atop that famous hill in Daly City across from what was once Steven Matthew David's heavily advertised electronics store, was the setting for many memorable events. And who would have expected anything less from a store owned and operated by a founding member of the Bay Area's legendary turntablist crew (along with Eddie Def and DJ Quest and later Marz and Eddie K) who were responsible for making the first DJ battle break record Hamster Breaks. In its time Cue's was revered and supported by DJs and hip-hop diehards; many of whom who would trek in from far outlying places like Stockton just to stop by Cue's. Indeed Cue's unique independent Bay Area hip-hop record shop, opened in 1994, quickly built a positive rep for having cool in-store sessions and holding DJ battles inside the store. And of course you could buy records that DJ Cue was himself directly involved in. That included the Cue's Hip Hop Shop volume one and two compilations that came out via Stray Records (DogDay Records' spinoff label).

Generally libraries are one of the last refuges in today's high decibel world to find peace, solace, and a quiet environment to just sit, read & study, completely undisturbed - a place where stereotypically silence is enforced with noise offenders been shut down with glares of "Sshhh, be quiet" from irritated librarians. But that will not be the case over the next few days at the libraries in Monterey County, CA where, as part of the Monterey County Free Libraries' (MCFL) Summer Reading 2012 program, several branches will host scratch/hip-hop DJs in both turntable performances and Q+A seminars - presented by a series of DJs headed by longtime friend of Amoeba DJ Quest.

"The library system's goal is to reach out to the teenage group in Monterey County, utilize the library's resources as offered, and to also get numbers up for funding due to increasing budget cuts. They have Summer Reading Program performances each summer featuring clowns, theatre, storytelling, singers, but this year is the first time MCFL will feature scratch DJ's. We are really hoping to touch as many audiences and just keep this art alive for the younger crowd. Though geared toward teens, it is open to all age groups," said Jeoanne April Martinez who was instrumental in kick-starting this wonderful free public program during her 3 1/2 years working for MCFL. Recently relocated to Las Vegas, NV Martinez continues to work in a support capacity with the Central Coast California libraries.  "DJ Quest and I worked for about three months on a self-published Beginner's Handbook which will be first released for free during this tour," she said.

          


1) Gangrene Vodka and Ayahuasca (Decon)

2) Drake Take Care (Cash Money/Universal)

3) Moka Only & Chief Crickets (Feelin Music)

4) The Roots Undun (MCA)

5) Lazerbeak Lava Bangers (Doomtree)


Thanks again to diehard hip-hop music fanatic E-Lit at the Berkeley Amoeba store for this week's top five chart plus overview of some of the new releases for this exciting new year in hip-hop including the brand new 20 track Lazerbeak album Lava Bangers from the gifted member of the midwest hip-hop collective Doomtree who coincidentally will be doing a special Amoeba Music Berkeley in-store on Monday, Jan 30th 2012 in advance of their Slims San Francisco show the following night, Jan 31st. They will also be playing Santa Cruz the following night (Feb 1st) at the Catalyst (show info here) and Hollywood's Troubadour on Thursday Feb 2nd on a recommended bill with 2Mex. If you are in the East Bay on Monday (Jan 30th) do yourself a favor and stop into Amoeba Berkeley for the Doomtree family in-store since, as E Lit points out in the above video, it will be a great opportunity to meet and chat with such collective talents as Dessa, P.O.S., Sims, and Lazerbeak. More Doomtree Amoeba in-store info here