Review: Raphael Saadiq Live in NYC
From the first second to the last downbeat, the band played nonstop. There were no pauses, there was no break. Raphael Saadiq was flying a fully packed time machine to the ’60s—and luckily for us, the captain assured us it was going to be a smooth ride.
But before talking about Saadiq, I have to set the mood for where he transported the crowd to the gilded era of Motown and Stax at NYC’s cavernous but packed Terminal 5 last Friday. His band, seven musicians dressed in crisp black suits complete with slick black ties, backed his equally dapper self as he took us through New Orleans, Oakland and New York, mastering the classic soul sound, yet always with a distinctively original flavor. Despite Raphael Saadiq being the star of the show, he also spotlighted his bandmates, fully cognizant of their talent. Perhaps the most surprising part of the night was about two hours into the show when Charles, the formerly silent keyboard player, was prodded by Saadiq to sing a few notes. Starting off modestly, with Saadiq comically donning a huge “Charles” sign behind him for support, Charles unleashed into an ascending scat that brought our plane up to maximum altitude. The initially timid Charles couldn’t be stopped once he got a taste of the audience, continuing throughout the rest of the show. Raphael said he only plays with people who are better than him and this, combined with surprise appearances by Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Mohammed from A Tribe Called Quest, was proof he wasn’t kidding. Even Raphael grabbed a turn on bass, musicianship from a leader with a smart ability to foster a talented group of musicians.
Fortunately, it seems the concert represented a microcosm of how Saadiq runs his life. Right after he stops touring in January, Saadiq plans on going back to the studio to finish his next album. If you aren’t already counting down the days on this one, you crazy. —Eric N. Sandler
More pictures after the jump.
Live: Hennessy Artistry Tour f. Common & the Roots
Last night we caught the strong finale date of The Hennessy Artistry Tour at Terminal 5 in NYC, the birthplace of hip-hop and therefore the best place to close up the tour. The event got pretty live—not to mention Grown. And. Sexy.— with a number of celebs, aerial stunt professionals, and free booze (Hennessy, duh) and hors d’oeuvres all night long. New York City got down as headliners The Roots and Common shared the stage with soul legendaries Bilal, Don Omar, Consequence, Karen Wheeler of Soul II Soul (!), Santos mainstay Q-Tip, and first lady Queen Latifah. Celebrities watching the festivities included Eve, Robin Thicke and wife Paula Patton, Colin Munroe, Tyrese, Andre Harrell, Ashanti, Lucy Liu, and Rocsi. Good music, beautiful people, and free drinks? Like we said: Grown. And. Sexy. A good look. Keep Suite903 locked for tons of exclusive footage and pics from the show. -Azza Gallab
Dame Dash presents: The Blakroc Project
http://www.vimeo.com/6591029In the past few years, Dame Dash hasn’t really been a name to tie to a lot of great music projects. I hear his name and see a video link and figure its probably an old video of him going off in a label meeting, or telling stories on his ex-homeboy Jay-Z. I can admit that I haven’t been too fond of him personally, but I must say I’m quite fond of his latest endeavor. Coining it the Blakroc Project, he’s paired his “new favorite band,” The Black Keys (not that one) with hip hop artists The Mighty Mi (of Hi & Mighty), Mos Def, Rza, Pharoahe Monch, Raekwon, Jim Jones, Q-Tip, Billy Danze and Nikki Wray. You guys remember Nikki Wray, aka Nicole Wray…aka “Make It Hot”? Yes her! That said, this is definitely something I’m checking for. And from the footage and sound above, its seems like this is going to be one soulful album. The Blakroc Project is currently scheduled for release on Black Friday, November 27th.
Q-Tip Pens A Book
Q-tip has signed himself another deal… to publish Industry Rules, his first book, under the Ballentine imprint. Providing insight to all things industry, the book will feature Tip’s views on music, love, fashion and much more. The artist and DJ explains, “It was important to me to write a book because on the whole, I feel we could all be more literate, and as an artist, I’m always looking for ways to do something cool, different, and both light and introspective at the same time. With so many influences, like Duke Ellington’s writing, or the music played by radio DJs in the ’70s, or just what you see hanging out on Linden Boulevard, there’s a lot to say, and I look forward to reaching a bunch of colorful dudes and gals with the project.” Some outlets are reporting that he may even air out the industry’s dirty laundry due to his famous line “Industry rule # 4,080..Record company people are shady.” Whether this is the route he is going or not, this should prove to be a very good read.
Q-Tip, Raphael Saadiq & D’Angelo are Lynwood Rose
Q-Tip, Raphael Saadiq & D’Angelo together on a mixtape—what is this, the Super Friends? Think Differently Music Group releases Lynwood Rose (The mixtape’s title? A made-up name for the trio? Lucy Peal’s play cousin?) at a time when all three superstars have kind of been coasting since their last projects, one, a bit more than others. The wishful thinking of a D’Angelo comeback aside, the mixtape is filled with previously released favorites from each artist as well as collabs between them. Check out the tracklist and download after the jump.
Read the full story
Suite903 DJ: Ge-ology
Suite903: No.15
Back in the late 80’s under the name “DJ Plainterror”, GE-OLOGY was once the DJ/producer of a four member group “Born Busy” including high school friend, the legendary Tupac Shakur “MC New York”… uniquely cementing him historically as the only producer privileged to record Pac’s very first and earliest recordings. And in the early 90’s he co-founded the infamous “Dooable Arts” with Matt Reid aka “Matt Doo”, through which he first made his mark. Since then he’s become synonymously known for album cover art, T-shirt graphics, magazine illustrations and collaborative mural paintings with his fellow Barnstormers crew (a famed artist collective created by Davd Ellis aka SKWERM), as much as he’s known for producing tracks with the likes of Mos Def, Vinia Mojica, Talib Kweli, Sadat X, Pharoahe Monch, Jem, Mystic or his remixes for Pete Rock & Grand Agent. Boasting international acclaim, one of his most recognized paintings is the Rawkus classic “Body Rock” cover featuring Mos Def, Q-Tip and Tash from Tha Alkaholiks (featured in Andrew Emery’s “The Book of Hip Hop Cover Art” and listed at #3 in “EgoTrip’s Book of Rap List” 25 Great EP, 12″ & CD Single Covers section).
But to truly understand GE-OLOGY, one must not underestimate his influence, depth and versatility. Embracing the sacred principles and wisdom of great masters yet challenging convention with youthful rebellion, GE-OLOGY’s instinctual balance is somewhat of an anomaly in today’s clone driven mass-produced digitized society. His recognizable identity through sound, vision and consistency hasn’t gone unnoticed, thus resulting in a steady stream of exposure in numerous magazines such as XLR8R, The Fader, Frank 151, Style and Urb; cable network staple MTV News “You Hear It First”; and creative involvement in projects with international corporate giants such as Sweden’s Hennes & Mauritz (H&M stores) and the prestigious French cognac maker Hennessy. Though creatively venturing from the street level to infiltrating the creative commercial world, GE-OLOGY has never wavered from keeping his craft responsibly honest to the delight of longtime supporters… always maintaining his creative integrity. As evident in the barrage of fan mail from his international core audience, GE-OLOGY continues to open eyes… and this is only the beginning.
Ge-Ology Myspace
Download: Ge-Ology feat. Yukimi Nagano, “Blues Alley”
Download: Ge-Ology feat. Mos Def, “Superstar”
