1) Zion I & The Grouch are Heroes in the Healing of the Nation (Z&G Music)

2) Pharoahe Monch W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) (W.A.R. Media/Duck Down Music)

3) Equipto & Michael Marshall Keep it Movin' 2 Love Changes-Solidarity Records

4) Raekwon Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang (Ice H2O Records)

5) Lupe Fiasco Lasers (Atlantic Recording Corp).

Thanks to Luis for this week's Amoeba Hip-Hop Top Five for the San Francisco store where the highly recommended new Zion I & The Grouch's latest collaborative album Zion I & The Grouch are Heroes in the Healing of the Nation is number one after only hitting Amoeba Music's shelves on Tuesday (March 22nd). A sequel to Zion I & The Grouch's similarly themed, successful 2006 collaboration, Heroes in the City of Dope, this latest teaming of hip-hop talent even surpasses that critically acclaimed release. Joining producer Amp Live and emcees Zumbi and The Grouch throughout this release are such guests as Fashawn, Casual, Mystic, Brother Ali, Eric Rachmany, Freeway, Roy Ayers, Jacob Hemphill of Soja, Eligh, Codany Holiday, The R.O.D., and Silk-E, whose soaring vocals elevate the single "Rockit Man," as seen in the brand new video above.

1) Lupe Fiasco Lasers (Atlantic) CD

Love him or hate him, Lupe Fiasco’s new one was last week’s best seller by far, selling out the first day we received it and steadily moving units since. Lasers has apparently been disowned by Lupe himself in interviews, which is somewhat of a testament to his testy personality, but he’s clearly tapped into a special realm of the pop music spectrum if he can appeal to Top 40 crowds and seasoned rap listeners alike.

2) Talib Kweli Gutter Rainbows (3D/Javotti Media) CD

Back in stock! I wrote up a bit on this one the other week, but it was out of stock for a sec and now that it’s back on the shelves it’s moving quick. Talib Kweli’s latest is his first independently released solo project in a minute, boasting production from the likes of Oh No, Marco Polo, S1, and Khrysis amongst others. Gutter Rainbows is one crafted for Talib’s long-time fans for sure.

3) Blu Amnesia (Nature Sounds) 10”

New limited 10” single from everybody’s favorite new school West Coast MC, Blu. Taken from his upcoming full length HerFavoriteColour, which was released as a download a while back but is now newly remastered and available to the DJs on wax. The title track and two additional songs on this 10” highlight not only Blu’s natural flow, but also his interesting lo-fi soulful production. Limited and smooth as hell.

Southern California DJ EtRoNiK took the 2010 US DMC DJ Championship title Saturday night in New York at an entertaining DJ event that included not just scratching, beat-juggling, body-tricks and mixing, but also nunchucks & handcuffs, plus laughter & booing. By becoming the new US DMC Champion, DJ EtRoNiK, who hails from Pico Rivera in Southeastern Los Angeles County, is the first DJ in the US to represent the World in all 3 DMC World Battle Categories. The skilled and seasoned DJ was the DMC US Supremacy Champion 2006, DMC US Team co-Champion (The Angry Exs) 2008, and DMC West Coast Champion 2010. The runner up in Saturday's US Finals was Lakewood NJ DJ Steel, who is part of the Brick Bandits Crew and whose battle titles include the 2009 DMC New Orleans Champion, and the 2010 DMC San Antonio TX Champion. In third place was tireless veteran battle DJ Grandmaster Supreme, who back in 1991 took the NMS (New Music Seminar) DJ champion title (the year before Mixmaster Mike won the title in the legendary & long defunct NYC based annual NMS battles) and whose impressive battle routine Saturday night included a lot of dramatics and body tricks, including flipping a pair of nunchucks as he simultaneously worked the turntables.


Running from 5pm to 10pm at Santos Party House (the downtown Manhattan club co-owned by Andrew WK), the fun-packed five hour event included, in addition to the actual DJ battle, several impressive showcases. One was a jaw-dropping opening set by Rockin Rob. This old school hip-hop DJ, who plays 45s exclusively and all rare funk and breaks seven inches, is a sight to see as he effortlessly cuts and juggles (lots of quick mixes) without ever missing a beat. Everyone in the house loved his set, including the host (and unofficial star) of the night, the ever entertaining Kool DJ Red Alert. The pioneering hip-hop DJ, who used to host the DJ battles way back in the day and thankfully is back doing it again, is the perfect fit as host of the big DJ battle. He is both funny-as-hell and knowledgeable in the art of hip-hop battle DJ'ing, but more importantly, he's well able to good-humoredly deal with the contestants and the audience if and when either need to be kept in check.

Just an hour and a half from now (4pm until 10pm EST) this year's DMC US Finals - National DJ Battle competition will take place at Santos Party House in New York City. DJs from all over the country will be competing for the prestigious title and a grand prize that includes flying them over to London in October to compete in the DMC World DJ Battle. Last year US DJ Shiftee won the title and went on to the UK for the World Finals and won, becoming the reigning DMC World Champion DJ. With that title his life has changed dramatically. "My life as a DJ has been catapulted into overdrive since winning the 2009 DMC World Championship. I have way more gig offers, way more press, way more props/respect, and a much bigger platform to put forth my projects and personality," the talented and quick-witted DJ told me recently, adding, "I also now have probably the best coffee table in the world. All in all, I think it's a good thing I won."

Today's DMC DJ battle will determine who will be the 2010 DMC US Champion and the 2010 DMC US Vice Champion (runner up). Contestants include Florida's DJ Concept; Denver, Colorado's DJ Notch; California's DJ Etronik; Colorado DJ Cysko Rokwel;  Steel from New Jersey; South Carolina's DJ Swift; Colorado DJs Skip Ripkin, B'Money, & Jeff C; Cali DJs Juyadek &  DJ Image; and self-described "Center of the Universe" DJ, Grandmaster Supreme. And for this battle each DJ has put in ridiculous amounts of time practicing for their few moments at a chance to take the title. "I practice six hours a day," DJ Swift told me yesterday during a WFMU pre-DMC Finals radio special.

Tomorrow, Friday April 16th, the 2010 DMC American Battleground kicks off with the first round of this year's National DJ Battle Qualifier events. The DJ battle, being held in New Orleans at the Hookah Club on Decatur Street and hosted by Truth Universal, will also feature showcase sets by New York's DJ Shiftee, who is the current reigning DMC World Champion, and Mista B of San Francisco's 4OneFunk crew, who was runner up in last year's US DMC finals. In the upcoming weeks following the New Orleans DJ battle, other US DMC regional battles will take place in Denver (May 1st), NYC (May 15th), Long Beach, CA (May 21st), and San Antonio TX (May 28th). Then on August 7th the 2010 DMC US Finals DJ Battle will be held at Santos Party House in New York City.

But of all these US DMC battles, perhaps the most noteworthy is tomorrow's opening event since, by hosting the DMC battle in New Orleans for its second consecutive year, the event organizers are not only helping ignite the local competitive turntablist scene but they are also doing their part in the gradual recovery of a post Katrina New Orleans -- a still devastated city that has a ways to go before returning to its former Big Easy glory.
 
Christie Z-Pabon, the DMC USA Event Coordinator, credits local New Orleans DJ/promoter Tony Skratchere (part of New Orleans' Soundclash collective) with making the NOLA DMC event happen in the first place. "Tony Skratchere was just determined to bring it there and get the scene kicking. I remember when DJ Spin from Louisiana was the only person from that state battling in the late 90's," she told me, noting that, "Basically the DJs are taking the lead in all the cities and either becoming the promoters or finding promoters for us [at DMC]."