Max Bell

Souls of Mischief The El Rey 8/16/2013 This year marks hip-hop's 40th anniversary. It also marks the 20th anniversary of one of hip-hop's greatest albums, Souls of Mischief's 93 'til Infinity. The title track has been rapped over by everyone from Kanye West to Freddie Gibbs. And though they aren't......

Hanni El Khatib at Twilight Concert Series Santa Monica Pier 8/8/2013 Last night marked another of the free concerts at the Santa Monica Pier as part of the Twilight Concert Series, presented by MySpace on Thursdays this summer. We headed out to see Innovative Leisure singer-songwriter Hanni El Khatib. See......

Let's get one thing straight: I don't dislike Tech N9ne. But recently I made him very angry, which is not ideal, considering he's an aggressive, independent rapper who paints his face, has hordes of hardcore fans and has named himself after a semi-automatic gun. It all started in March, when......

No Age & Tijuana Panthers at Twilight Concert Series Santa Monica Pier 7/25/2013 Last night Tijuana Panthers and No Age performed a free show at the Santa Monica Pier, as part of the Twilight Concert Series, presented by MySpace. We arrived just before sunset, and chilly air was blowing off......

Twenty-one year old Milo is a rapper of a different kind. With no liquor or drug of choice, he's a vegetarian whose only weakness is soda. Rappers are often late to interviews; Milo is early. At a Chinese restaurant in Culver City, he's drinking tea and reading philosopher Jacques Derrida's......

Every stoner has his or her preferred method of cannabis consumption: joints, blunts, spliffs, pipes, bongs, vaporizers, edibles, G-pens, etc. Equally numerous are the different strains, and the typical ganja enthusiast is as educated as most wine connoisseurs. Here at West Coast Sound we and our colleagues have talked with......

Between Low End Theory, Dub Club, Funkmosphere, Funky Sole and the Do-Over, nearly every music scene in Los Angeles has a party it can call its own. But with the closing of places like famed rap haven the Good Life Café in Leimert Park, the L.A. rap scene has lacked......

Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Miguel, Schoolboy Q Staples Center 6/29/13 It may feel like summer all year long in L.A., but there's still something special about summer in L.A. On Saturday night at Staples Center Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar co-headlined as part of the BET Experience event:......

Best friends Wyatt Blair and Tomas Dolas founded Lolipop Records in 2010 in Laguna Beach. They desired to put out their own music, and that of others they liked. Their stuff is mostly psychedelic and garage rock from L.A. artists -- they're homies with Burger Records -- though they've also......

Ty Dolla $ign Listening Party Paramount Studios 6/27/13 Ty Dolla $ign -- aka Ty$ -- is one of our favorite R&B singers. He also has a great name. Danielle Bacher had a wild night with him. He's on Atlantic Records and also wrote, produced, and sang on Y.G.'s hit "Toot......