Subject:

Kendrick Lamar

  • Blogs

    April 1, 2013

    Paid Dues - San Manuel Amphitheater - 3/30/13

    Paid Dues Independent Hip-Hop Festival San Manuel Amphitheater 3/30/13 Traffic was hellish. Parking was a mess, the outhouses were a disaster, the lines for food were ridiculously long, and one edifice labeled "will call" was not, in fact, will call. The dust was Coachella-like, and after the boil ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 15, 2013

    We Traveled With the Band Hands to SXSW. Craziness Ensued

    This was Los Angeles four-piece Hand's third trek to the festival in the past three years and by far the grandest. With a new van and a new album Synesthesia due to come out in April on Kill Rock Stars, the guys were feeling really good about this year. So good that they foolishly agreed to let me e ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 13, 2013

    Alicia Keys - Staples Center - 3/12/13

    Alicia Keys Staples Center 3/12/13 Not many New Yorkers who could march onto the Staples Center stage to Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York," ahead of a quick snippet of "Empire State of Mind" without getting the crowd fired up. (Even Jay-Z gave a semi-apologetic intro before performing the latter ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 11, 2013

    What's Wrong With Los Angeles' Latin Music Scene?

    Los Angeles is known worldwide as a creative hub, and it has one of the biggest Latino populations anywhere. But on the eve of three of the Western hemisphere's biggest and most important music festivals -- South By Southwest, Vive Latino, and Coachella -- one has to wonder: Where is the L.A. Latino ... More >>

  • Music

    February 7, 2013

    Nosaj Thing Is Back

    But the producer and Low End Theory stalwart is not in the mood to party

  • Blogs

    January 21, 2013

    The Best Concerts in L.A. This Week

    Monday, January 21 Baron von Luxxury, Yellow Alex, Yung Skeeter THE SATELLITE Electro-pop comes in splendiferous shapes and sizes. And Baron von Luxxury brings the wicked-wit version, in which DeBarge, ELO, Hall & Oates and other formerly uncool '80s soul stylists float through the disco in super-s ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 16, 2013

    Some Terrible Person Stole My Beloved Jeep Cherokee

    In November I wrote about how I'd made a mixtape for the guys who were breaking into my car. It was an all the way honest thing, and in the days after it was posted I received several very nice emails, as well as a few Facebook and Twitter messages. I was proud, albeit moderately embarrassed. A coup ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 16, 2013

    Los Angeles Musicians Dominate Pazz and Jop

    Pazz and Jop is here! The Village Voice's annual, venerated, logistically-nightmarish critics' poll has arrived, and there are shit tons of L.A. musicians who placed highly. Frank Ocean won the album poll, which was no big surprise; be sure to peep Eric Sunderman's quite-touching piece about him. ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 27, 2012

    The Ten Best Latin Alternative Albums of 2012

    It has become difficult to define what Latin Alternative is these days. The genre seems to encompass everything from traditional roots band playing an accordion to a progressive hip-hop MCs to singer-songwriters crooning romantic ballads -- and can be sung in Spanish, English or Spanglish. It's a hy ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 26, 2012

    My Favorite Albums of the Second Half of 2012, in Haiku Form

    [Editor's note: Weekly scribe Jeff Weiss's column, "Bizarre Ride," appears on West Coast Sound every Wednesday. His archives are available here.] Kendrick Lamar attributed L.A.'s primacy to the women, weed and weather. He was quoting Biggie, who consecrated the left coast via song, despite his long ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 25, 2012

    The Five Best Los Angeles Rap Albums of 2012

    As Max Bell noted in his round-up of L.A. rap earlier this month, it was a very good year for hip-hop in our city, with all corners of the varied scene -- from Open Mike Eagle's smart 4NML HSPTL to Odd Future's rambunctious The OF Tape Vol. 2 to Ty$ and Joe Moses' raunchy Whoop! -- well represented ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 24, 2012

    The Ten Best EDM Singles of 2012

    The term "electronic dance music" means so many things to so many people, and this year things only got more complicated. Dubstep continued its dance floor takeover, mainstream pop-oriented EDM ruled the radio, and the beat scene pushed on. Although divergent in style and ethos, here are the ten dan ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 18, 2012

    The Top 10 L.A. Albums of 2012

    Los Angeles music was a big part of the national conversation this year, from Frank Ocean and Miguel's artisan R&B to Top Dawg Entertainment's hip-hop dominance to the electronic inspirations of Flying Lotus and Gaslamp Killer. Picking but ten albums from this crop as the West Coast Sound writers ha ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 17, 2012

    The Best Rap Singles of 2012

    Let's be honest: It's been a great year for hip-hop. Mainstream and underground MCs made some of the most refreshing and innovative work in years. It's been a good year for albums, for sure, but also a dynamite one for singles. Here are our picks for the five best five, from artists around the count ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 15, 2012

    Power 106 Cali Christmas Concert - Gibson Amphitheatre - 12/14/12

    Meek Mill, Rick Ross, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, Kendrick Lamar Power 106 Cali Christmas Gibson Amphitheatre 12/14/12 Ah, the holiday season in L.A. -- a crisp chill is in the air, every twinkly light installment and bit of tinsel available has been vomited onto that particular property on Los Feliz Blvd. ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 14, 2012

    The Best Beat Tapes From L.A. Producers This Year

    Instrumental albums -- also known as beat tapes -- give hip-hop producers a direct connection with fans, without any of those annoying lyrics on top of them. These can often be a nice change of pace. But make no mistake, they aren't albums to zone out to, or to put on while you do a crossword puzz ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 11, 2012

    2012: A Landmark Year in L.A. Hip-Hop

    L.A. hip-hop hasn't seen a year like this one since 1992, when the word G-Funk was (re)defined and art-rap was steadily making noise in and around Leimert Park. Twenty years ago saw, of course, the release of The Chronic, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, The Predator, Spice 1, and Way 2 Fonky, among ot ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 30, 2012

    Jhene Aiko Wins with the Hand She's Dealt

    Singer Jhené Aiko has had more than her share of setbacks and misfortune. When she was in second grade, her family's house in South L.A. burned down. She says that as a preteen no cliques accepted her because of her mixed ethnicity -- she's a blend including Japanese, Native American, Dominican, bl ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 12, 2012

    Jay Rock: Our Interview With Kendrick Lamar's About-to-Pop Crewmate

    Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city is the frontrunner for hip-hop album of the year, and one of its most discussed verses comes from his Black Hippy crewmate Jay Rock. Far from new to the game, Jay Rock has put out music both on major labels and independently, he's been in boardrooms and boarde ... More >>

  • Music

    October 25, 2012

    Kendrick Lamar's Mood Music

    The Compton rapper carries the expectations of his city on his shoulders. It's tiring

  • Blogs

    October 22, 2012

    Kendrick Lamar Flash Mob Near Staples Draws LAPD Response (PHOTOS)

    Updated at the bottom with some info from the LAPD. First posted at 6:06 a.m. See also: *Skateboard Riot in Hollywood ... Another youth gathering gone out of control in L.A? Not entirely. It looks like this one was behaved. But a Compton rapper named Kendrick Lamar did appear to attract hundreds ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 18, 2012

    Kendrick Lamar - Club Nokia - 10/17/12

    Kendrick Lamar Club Nokia October 17, 2012 From a distance, it looked like a lazy protest was being staged at L.A. Live last night -- a handful of people dressed alike in baggy white t-shirts wandered the sidewalk or propped themselves up on fire hydrants, occasionally waving placards that announc ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 4, 2012

    The Best Musicians in L.A., 2012

    Our Best Of issue just hit stands! We found our fairy tale, and now we present it to you: 435 of the most fabulous things in all of Los Angeles. From the city's most amazing restaurants to its tawdriest dive bars, from its edgiest art exhibits to the top spots for live music, we've got it all covere ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 12, 2012

    The Five Upcoming L.A. Rap Albums We're Most Excited to Hear

    Top Ten Rap Albums For People Who Don't Know Shit About Hip-Hop Top 60 Worst Lil Wayne Lines on Tha Carter IV Top 20 Greatest L.A. Rap Albums Of All Time The 20 Worst Hipster Bands Ah, the fourth quarter. The season of brown leaves, event records and holiday shopping -- also known as "the least bad ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 8, 2012

    Is The Dove Shack's "Summertime in the LBC" the Perfect Summer Song?

    [Editor's note: Jeff Weiss's column, "Bizarre Ride," appears on West Coast Sound every Wednesday. Be sure to also check out the archives.] See also: KDAY, the Gangsta Rap Oldies Station, Breaks New Ground by Playing Music From the Bad Old Days This is the city and the season for the summer jam. Yo ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 9, 2012

    Dom Kennedy On 'The Yellow Album,' Maybach Music Group Rumors, And Funkmaster Flex's Tupac Comments

    By J. Pablo Top 20 Greatest L.A. Rap Albums Of All Time: The Complete List Over the last few years, hip-hop artists who grew up in the hood but wanted to go beyond clichéd gangsterisms have been on the rise; Kendrick Lamar, Curren$y, A$AP Rocky, Big K.R.I.T. Hailing from L.A.'s Leimert Park neig ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 16, 2012

    Rock the Bells 2012 Lineup Announced

    See also: Our review of Rock the Bells 2011 Last night Guerilla Union announced this year's Rock the Bells 2012 dates, headliners and lineup. Beginning in 2010, the hip-hop festival's headliners -- famous acts whose first few albums often outshine their later work -- have performed their classic ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 14, 2012

    The Best Of Coachella: Friday, April 13

    See also: *Coachella: The Garbage Situation Is Out of Control *Coachella Preview 2012: Everything You Need to Know About the Performers Day one of The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival brought something more unusual than ironic outfits or that poor guy who couldn't get his flip flops on ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 9, 2012

    Odd Future, Dipset, Ab-Soul - Paid Dues 2012 - 4/7/2012

    Paid Dues 2012 NOS Events Center, San Bernardino 4/7/2012 Posted by the Paid Dues media check-in, the announcement, "ATTENTION: Photo Pit Closed for Odd Future Performance," seemed an ominous sign. Though it likely was just to ward off further lawsuits, it felt a little pretentious -- and Murs' ind ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 6, 2012

    Drake - USC Galen Center - 3/5/12

    See also: *Our slideshow of Drake, Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky at the USC Galen Center *Fuck Guilty Pleasures: Drake Is an Incredible Lyricist No current rapper is more divisive than Drake. Despite only recently relocating to L.A., he's been both championed and criticized on West Coast Sound. S ... More >>

  • Music

    March 1, 2012

    Music Picks: Smokeout Festival, Mike Miller Group, Zola Jesus, Saul Williams

    Also, New Multitudes, Cool Moms, Alpha & Omega, Cloud Nothings and others

  • Music

    February 2, 2012

    Schoolboy Q's Questions and Answers

    He didn't know what to do with his life. Rap was the last resort

  • Blogs

    February 2, 2012

    Schoolboy Q on Kendrick Lamar, How Rappers Influence Kids to Gangbang and the One Question He Hates

    See also: Schoolboy Q's Questions and Answers: He Didn't Know What to Do With His Life. Rap Was the Last Resort This week's music feature is on Schoolboy Q. Lounging on a couch in his manager's house in Carson, the rapper told us about transitioning from stuffing a baggie of crack in his cheek to s ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 4, 2012

    Bizarre Ride: Jeff Weiss's Five Los Angeles Music Archetypes

    [Editor's note: Longtime Weekly scribe Jeff Weiss's new column, "Bizarre Ride," begins today. You can find it on West Coast Sound every Wednesday.] The L.A. cliché is a war of shadow and light: fallen stars gone to seed, saccharine pop and gangsta rap. But this is 2012 and Dr. Dre is a headphone g ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 12, 2011

    The Top Ten Los Angeles Albums Of 2011

    ​The best albums of 2011 from Los Angeles artists came from a suitably diverse Angeleno cast of characters; there are rappers and singers, legends and transplants, folks with great careers in front of them, and those who may have peaked this year. One thing's clear: it was unquestionably a gre ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 28, 2011

    Iman Omari Isn't Ashamed To Be Emo

    Iman Omari's uncle Josef Leimberg is scuttling around his Eagle Rock studio, working on improving its feng shui. He pauses by a door that's become unhinged. "A 400-pound dude busted through this, trying to get his rappers in to record." That wasn't going to fly, however, because Bootsy Collins was w ... More >>

  • Music

    November 17, 2011

    Music Picks: Overdoz, The Cure, Lucinda Williams

    Also, K. Flay, The Civil Wars, Bob Mould tribute

  • Music

    September 29, 2011

    Music Picks: Esperanza Spalding, Elbow, Toro Y Moi, Blink-182

    Also, Glen Campbell, the Smashing Pumpkins, Lanie Lane and others

  • Blogs

    September 28, 2011

    Evidence: A Conscious Rapper Who Doesn't Mind Being Called As Much

    See also: Pictures Of Rappers' Cats (Including Evidence's Mr. Drummer) Evidence has a history as a tagger. An apt metaphor since, like graffiti, he's not loud and you can see him everywhere. But only if you're looking. The Los Angeles native came of age in the '90s with Dilated Peoples. Since the ... More >>

  • Music

    August 18, 2011

    The Ettes, Sade, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Benefit for Nick Curran

    Also, Kendrick Lamar, the Punk Rock BBQ, Katy B and others

  • Blogs

    July 25, 2011

    1st Generation at Club Nokia, 7/23/11

    Ian Cohen​1st Generation Club Nokia July 23, 2011 Better than: Compton High School's annual talent show, but possibly not. It's been said that you can instantly judge the economic health of a neighborhood based on the prevalence of barriers: fences, security systems, especially speed bumps. ... More >>

  • Music

    July 21, 2011

    Music to Pick Up/Download

    Ian Cohen​1st Generation Club Nokia July 23, 2011 Better than: Compton High School's annual talent show, but possibly not. It's been said that you can instantly judge the economic health of a neighborhood based on the prevalence of barriers: fences, security systems, especially speed bumps. ... More >>

  • Music

    April 21, 2011

    Music Picks: Prince, Amanda Jo Williams, Kendrick Lamar, Xzibit, Civet,

    Also, Miguel, L.A. Bluegrass Situation, Heidecker and Wood, the Ditty Bops and others

  • Blogs

    April 5, 2011

    The UnderDawg: Ab-Soul's "LongTerm Mentality" Starts Paying Off

    ​Back before ScHoolboy Q, the third artist to be fired like a cannonball from the TopDawg Entertainment camp, sold out his first solo show at the Key Club, we theorized that the local label was strategizing the rap game like a war. With two of its artists, Jay Rock and Kendrick Lamar, rising t ... More >>

  • Music

    March 10, 2011

    Music Picks: Liz Phair, DeVotchKa, Peter Murphy, Fergus & Geronimo

    Also Whitechapel, Motorhead, Juanes and others

  • Blogs

    March 9, 2011

    Thank you, Based God(s)! 9th Wonder Takes Up for the Underdog

    ​Originally published Monday, March 7. Updated Wednesday, March 9, 4:30PM. We have to bow to a new Based--acclaimed producer and professor 9th Wonder. Releasing "Base 4 Ya Face," a mostly other coast affair featuring Jean Grae and Phonte, he changed a few folks' minds about the ever-controve ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 9, 2011

    Five Must-See L.A. Rappers at SXSW

    Pac Div​ We know Odd Future's SXSW show will be swarming with ... everybody, and admittedly, we add to that mass media feeding frenzy with our special spread in this week's print issue, out tomorrow. But we like being able to breathe a little bit (which is why we live in this sprawling, sparkl ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 8, 2011

    SXSW Bands from A-Z: I - L

    ​ As SXSW gets ever closer, we figured we'd continue being servicey and give you a guide to some of the highlights of the official showcases, alphabet style. Yesterday we gave you E - H, today it's I - L. So here we go: five more awesome bands to see in SXSW's official lineup.

  • Music

    February 3, 2011

    Music Picks: Breakestra, Slang Chickens, the Muffs, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson

    Also Meth Leppard, Tennis With Lord Huron, Kid Infinity and others

  • Music

    January 20, 2011

    Born and raised in Compton, Kendrick Lamar Hides a Poet's Soul Behind "Pussy & Patron"

    Also Meth Leppard, Tennis With Lord Huron, Kid Infinity and others

  • More >>
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