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A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece discussing the difficulties J Dilla's estate has had in enforcing copyright law and paying off the six-figure IRS debt left behind. In the aftermath of the story's publication, I had the chance to speak with his mother, Ms. Maureen Yancey about Dilla's legacy and ... More >>
Still a little stunned by this one. I suppose we can chalk this up as some minor triumph to the power of the media, at a time when the Fourth Estate isn't exactly going through its finest moment. I'm not in the habit of running press releases in full, but I'll make the exception after the jump. I ... More >>
I can't tell how much I like Q-Tip's, The Renaissance. It's good sure, but it's impossible to listen to without noting the elephant in the room: the fact that Q-Tip has been a.w.o.l. for most of the decade and y'know, that whole "centerpiece of one of the greatest groups of all-time" thing. So wi ... More >>
No Age, Chapin Sisters, Mia Doi Todd, the Knux, Flying Lotus, Madlib and more
You better believe they serve Pepsi at Medieval Times. 30. Los Campesinos-Hold On Now, Youngster (Wichita/Arts and Crafts) Gareth Campesinos and Co. clearly grew up not just liking music but being obsessed by bands, and they've done the only honourable thing you can in that position: they've ... More >>
And people acted surprised when Jerry O' Connell landed Rebecca Romjin. 10. Why? Alopecia (Anticon) It's tough to write about Why?'s breakout record without anxiously jotting down a few choice lyrics from songwriter Yoni Wolf's notebook. Not to downplay its musicianship, but Alopecia is forem ... More >>
Build an Ark at Knobworld "Give me swirly!" Joshua Spiegelman calls out from behind his flute. Three musicians hold handmade strands of bells out in front of them, tracing fancy configurations in the air like delicate kites. "Robust, curvaceous!" Spiegelman exclaims, offering up a poetic biology ... More >>
David Axelrod, the legendary LA-based jazz/funk/breakbeat king whose work has been heavily sampled by hip hop producers, will perform some of his classic tracks live for the first time ever (though he did do something similar in London in 2004) this spring as part of the Timeless Concert Series, a ... More >>
Erin Broadley Los Angeles is always hot, but it's rarely warm. And cold, cavernous Amoeba Records is hardly an emotional bastion, unless you're talking caustic clerks castigating a moldering collection of Chicago records. But behind me, a group of saucer-eyed sophomore girls, eyebrow rings and flann ... More >>
Randall Roberts (with apologies to professional photographers everywhere)Miguel Atwood-Ferguson conducts his Suite for Ma Dukes at the Luckman Last night at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex composers/producers/musicians Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Carlos Nino debuted their "Suite for Ma Dukes," a colle ... More >>
Randall Roberts (with apologies to professional photographers everywhere)Miguel Atwood-Ferguson conducts his Suite for Ma Dukes at the Luckman Last night at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex composers/producers/musicians Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Carlos Nino debuted their "Suite for Ma Dukes," a colle ... More >>
Four on the floor
Hip-hop producer's legend ascends posthumously; estate struggles to maintain control
Ghostface Killah at the Key Club
The fantastical real-life story of L.A.’s Stones Throw Records, a hip-hop legend in the making
The fantastical real-life story of L.A.’s Stones Throw Records, a hip-hop legend in the making
Fatlip: the Stoneliest Pun Ex-Pharcyder rocks the Blue Café, Long Beach, Feb. 10
GARTH TRINIDAD & FRIENDS “Chocolate City” birthday at The Roxy, February 10
GARTH TRINIDAD & FRIENDS “Chocolate City” birthday at The Roxy, February 10
Edited by Kateri Butler
Echo Park producer and mastering engineer Dave Cooley, who owns Elysian Masters, has worked with a lot of LA bands you know. He's produced Silversun Pickups, Darker My Love and Mickey Avalon, among others. But it's as a mastering engineer that Cooley really seems to thrive. He's been the final ear ... More >>
Takashi Okazaki always liked the idea of being a DJ. In fact, he apparently has a pretty hefty collection of hip-hop, funk and soul on vinyl that needs to upload to his computer. But, as Okazaki said through a translator during our interview at Anime Expo, he thought that all DJs "were really cool ... More >>
Top of the Hip-Hop Or, how Dan LeRoy learned to stop worrying and love da bomb. Â While year-end, catch-all wrap-ups are common to every musical genre, in no other style of music do they turn into the hand-wringing, "state of the game" examinations that hip-hop seems to provoke. (I've certainly wr ... More >>
From Beck and Dilla to Fiona, Jenny and Quasimoto, a mishmash decade of Southern California sounds
Suite for Ma Dukes Orchestra "Take Notice" Video Premiere [MP3]
(stonesthrow.com)It's no secret that L.A.'s best-kept secret, hip-hop producer extraordinaire Madlib, is a prolific dude. During the aughts, he helmed upwards of 20 albums operating under numerous pseudonyms -- Quasimoto, DJ Rels, Yesterday's New Quintet -- and released a handful of classics ... More >>
J Dilla Day: Remembering the Legendary Producer 4 Years Gone
The late, great Jay DeeAs West Coast Sound scribe Drew Tewksbury just reported, Wednesday marked the fourth anniversary of the tragic passing of legendary hip-hop producer J Dilla, a.k.a. James Yancey. After years of excellent behind-the-scenes production work, Dilla rose to fame as a member ... More >>
Dilla for the digital DJThough we know very little about the man's culinary tastes, it makes a certain kind of sense (the stoner-y kind) that the donut has become a symbol of late, great hip-hop producer J Dilla. Tasty loops were a widely known specialty of the beatsmith, who lived out his ... More >>
Classy 'Timeless' poster art show opens at Mochilla headquarters Thursday
An exclusive interview with underground hip-hop's most elusive producer
via MySpaceMiguel Atwood-FergusonTonight's installment of Grand Performances at California Plaza -- one of our town's finest, free music al fresco opportunities -- figures to be especially grand. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, the composer/producer/arranger/multi-instrumentalist who boasts a resume ... More >>
Mayer Hawthorne meets NottzIt's been an incredible year for Mayer Hawthorne. He's turned Snoop Dogg's ear. He's released a series of awesome music videos. He'll be doing the international festival circuit into October and--perhaps most importantly--he just beat Fitz & the Tantrums to the thr ... More >>
E1 MusicSlum Village's T3: No fear of a black hat"The idea for a Slum Village reunion album came from a conversation I had with J Dilla before he passed away," says T3, the last living member of the beloved Detroit rap group. Released this week, Villa Manifesto is a fitting end to the Slum Vi ... More >>
E1 MusicSlum Village's T3: No fear of a black hat"The idea for a Slum Village reunion album came from a conversation I had with J Dilla before he passed away," says T3, the last living member of the beloved Detroit rap group. Released this week, Villa Manifesto is a fitting end to the Slum Vi ... More >>
Kasey StokesMethod Man of Wu-Tang ClanAs it turns out, you should not fuck tha police. Our Rock the Bells road trip began promisingly: left for San Bernardino early, avoided traffic. We'd maintained a cool objectivity all week, but now were free to exclaim over the lineup, a mix of ones-to- ... More >>
New Flying Lotus Track and Video With Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble from Grand Performances
Aquacrunk: noun, a name for a style of electronic music that incorporates heavy beat-based music and earthy, organic textures which sometimes resemble the aquatic. Yeah, it's news to our eyes and ears as well, but not surprising. In the era of the blog, a new genre name pops up every other day, and ... More >>
Rebecca HaithcoatBlack Milk, Master of Ceremonies"We at nine right now; I wanna bring it up to ten," Black Milk instructed the orchestra of fans near the end of his set last night at The Roxy. Actually, they'd already surpassed his directive. The crowd's energy, simmering dangerously close to ... More >>
Also, Jesus Makes the Shotgun Sound, Octavius, Cosmologic and others
Also, Jesus Makes the Shotgun Sound, Octavius, Cosmologic and others
Only the good die young. J Dilla -- the Detroit producer who was a founding member of the Soulquarians collective (along with Questlove, D'Angelo and James Poyser) and is heralded as one of the most influential producers in hip-hop -- passed away five years ago this month. But House Shoes, Di ... More >>
J.Rocc at the Do-OverOne of Cali's finest, the world famous J. Rocc, drops his double album, Some Cold Rock Stuf, tomorrow on similarly solid label Stones Throw. Because he's as nice in real life as on the turntables, he gave us an exclusive mix in anticipation of the release. One of the or ... More >>
Editor's note: For our music issue, out on Thursday, Ian Cohen, Rebecca Haithcoat, Jeff Weiss and Ben Westhoff run down the top 20 L.A. rap albums of all time. We're unveiling the list all this week on West Coast Sound. The party waits for no man. So while we watched the tubes for Detox, Los ... More >>
Editor's note: In conjunction with our music issue we rolled out the top 20 L.A. rap albums of all time this week, as picked by Ian Cohen, Rebecca Haithcoat, Jeff Weiss and Ben Westhoff. But the list was broken up into four posts, which can get a bit unwieldy, so we've compiled the full list ... More >>
The story of the influential party from those who created it
See also: Erykah Badu Responds to D.O.C., Speaks On Their Private Life Together Erykah Badu The Wiltern 12/8/11 From landmark debut Baduizm -- which helped defined the neo-soul movement -- to the more recent electronic and hip-hop inspired material created with producers Madlib, 9th Wonder ... More >>
Common House of Blues December 21, 2011 Attempting to get everyone in the mood last night, Power 106's DJ Reflex spun classics from folks like Souls of Mischief, A Tribe Called Quest, and Pete Rock & CL Smooth. He attempted to throw in some more recent, mainstream songs and played a few cuts ... More >>
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