In celebration of the release of Blueprint 3, Jay-Z paid a long awaited visit to the Hot 97 Cipha Sounds and Rosenberg Morning Show. They greeted Hov wearing suits, and offered up wine and cheese while discussing all the latest news surrounding him, from the new album to his relationship with Barack Obama to his recent interviews with Oprah Winfrey and Bill Maher, and much more. Check part one of the Hot 97 video footage above (I’ll update this post as more footage goes up), and the audio link to the full interview below (props to Dre at Nahright for that)…
Though I won’t be in the building for Jay-Z’s 9/11 Benefit Concert at MSG, I’m definitely looking forward to watching it on Fuse TV this Friday night. Don’t miss it!
*UPDATE*
Here’s parts two and three from the interview:
Also, the link to his interview with David Letterman. Now this is classic. WATCH NOW!!!!
Top Quality (also known around the way as TQ), was the first rapper to ever come out of White Plains and get a major label record deal. We used to see him at Kennedy Fried Chicken from time to time back in my high school days, but I never knew him personally until a few years ago. He was down with PMD (of EPMD), and had basically one hit, “Magnum Opus”. It was a cool track, and though it never really got that big he was kind of a living legend to those of us in WP who were into the hip hop scene. He was the guy from our city who made it. I still remember reading his album review in The Source (peep him in the mag’s Unsigned Hype column below). Check out the video for “Magnum Opus”…
When I returned to White Plains after being down in Maryland/DC for seven years (working and going to college), I linked up with DJ Destro, a local disc jockey with big dreads and heavy skills on the turntables who lived a few blocks away from me. I was doing lots of shows in NYC and Westchester at the time, and Destro would DJ for me. We became friends through working together at a local after school program at Highlands Middle School in White Plains (I was the Director and he taught a DJ’ing workshop). Destro was Top Quality’s cousin, and also the producer of “Magnum Opus” and a bunch of other songs on TQ’s album. He was a White Plains hip hop legend in his own right (he’s a few years older than me) and we had a blast doing shows, working together, and just hanging out and building about music. Check out this video of Des and I performing a MC/DJ routine we made a regular part of our set called “Boom Bip”. Peep what he does with the A Tribe Called Quest record, it’s ill. Live from CBGB’s…
One night TQ was in town (he lives in Ohio I think now) and him and Des came over to my crib, and we chilled the whole night, getting twisted and playing music and exchanging freestyles and writtens. It was a thrill for me, to not only share a moment in time like that with a guy I used to look up to as a kid, but also to get so much respect from him in return. It sounds corny, but I think that respect from older dudes I grew up with in White Plains is more important to me than anything else I could get back from making music.
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I am the proud owner of Top Quality’s album Magnum Opus, and feel blessed to be connected to the hip hop greats of my hometown (what up Lord Judah). With Matisyahu bigger than ever, I wonder who will be next to come out of WP and make it big? As someone who still works closely with the youth, I can vouch that there’s alot of talent in White Plains. We’ll just have to wait and see. For now, let’s reminisce a little more with Top Quality’s second single and video “What” featuring Third Eye . This is that hardcore 90’s scully cap rap…
Stay tuned for my next month’s installment of 90’s Grab Bag, it’s gonna be a doozy. Fall back Dirty Jax!!!
Every year at the end of the eight weeks of BGC Adventure Camp, each group puts together a performance to share at our Annual Variety Show. This year, one of the middles school boys groups made their own rap song called “Summer Camp Studs”. And the beat was so infectious that everyone who heard it wanted to add on to the song with their own verse. So what started as a small posse cut turned into an epic summer camp anthem featuring 20 MC’s comprised of both middle school boys and male staff (and one female staff who added a cherry on top LOL). Props to my 8th grade dude Justin aka Snowflake for making the beat on Garage Band, and shout out to all the campers and staff who hopped on the song. Everyone did their thing (you know I had to get on it), and for most of the campers, and staff too, it was their first time rapping on a song. We had a blast recording it in our Cultural Arts Center studio (I helped with the arrangement of the song and general production duties), and even more fun performing it at the show last night in front of the whole camp and all of our family and friends. Give it a listen here, and if you dig it the download link is below too…
Ok, Matisyahu Season is officially in full swing. In celebration of his new album Light, which comes out next Tuesday 8/25/09, our boy DJ Roz (WP/MD represent) teamed up with Matisyahu and put together an official mixtape to promote the upcoming release, titled No Sleep Till Brooklyn. Yeah, Matis is a White Plains homeboy, but Crown Heights is where he’s been laying his head for years now, so the title is very appropriate. Download the mixtape below (and peep the tracklist), which has exclusives from the new album, some great Matisyahu non-album releases, DJ Roz blends, live performances, and even a couple appearances from yours truly Stan Ipcus (check out the new verse I put down on “WP”). BE CLEAR, THIS MIXTAPE IS A WESTCHEDDAR EXCLUSIVE!!!!!!! DOWNLOAD NOW!!!!
Oh, and this is still my favorite of all the new Matisyahu songs. Not on the mixtape, but it’s the first song on the album (and was also on the Shattered EP released last year). “Smash Lies”. Listen below…
For those who keep asking me, no, I’m not on Light, but check the hidden tracks on the mixtape for a new Matis and Ipcus collabo. Congrats to my brother from another mother Matisyahu on another classic album, WP rides with you always. And big ups to DJ Roz, you did it again my dude!!!!!! Thanks for the exclusive!!!!
Happy Birthday to my Pops Jimmy Izo (above left dancing like a maniac with me at my wedding) who turned 64 this past weekend. To celebrate, I took him over to the East Coast National Sports Card Show at the Westchester County Center. It was a nice stroll down memory lane for both of us. I used to frequent those card shows on the reg back in the 80’s, and he was enjoying the nostalgia of looking at all the baseball and basketball cards from his youth and sharing the stories of some of the great players of his generation. It was a nice father/son morning. Then we met up with our wives (my Mom and Dana Izo) for some Greek food, and my Mom was talking about The Beatles song “When I’m 64”. I thought it would be cool to post it up here to rep for my Dad. Check out the cartoon clip from The Beatles movie Yellow Submarine:
And here’s a nice reggae cover of the song from the Easy Star All-Star’s project Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band :
By the way, Matisyahu is featured on that album too, on their cover of “Within You Without You”…listen HERE
…I’m about to post the new Matis’ mixtape with DJ Roz right now so stay tuned.
There’s a great article in today’s New York Times Magazine about my cousin Chris Isenberg at No Mas NYC aquiring the official licensing to sell his Cassius Clay shirt (see above). The shirt, which was actually his first No Mas creation (but was off the market for some time), will be available again online and in stores this month, the legit way. Check the article for more info…
The first ever River Ciphers, live from The Rec Room in Dobbs Ferry, was an absolute success. The store was packed, the performances were great, and the vibe was super positive and fun! Special thanks to Bahr for helping us to make it happen and providing us with the perfect venue for our cipher. And a shout out goes to all the performers (some of my young boys from the BGC did their thing as did my boy Matty B above), and of course my dude Marlon “Moshe” Sobol for holding it down on his 28 instruments…HAHAHAHAHA!! Moshe and I performed some Stan Ipcus songs unplugged in between the open mic performances which came out pretty fresh. Here’s my two favorites….”Wifey Material” and Let’s Walk”….peep it…
Oh, and we played a game of “SWITCH” with Moshe too. That was fun, though towards the end he started to auto-switch….ha! Check it out…
Thanks to everyone who came out to the first ever River Ciphers. Hope you can make it out for the next one. All performers and listeners are welcome. We’re gonna do it again before Labor Day so stay tuned. Come through and perform, or just sit back and enjoy the music and have a glass of wine or sangria or iced tea. Or do both!!!! For more videos from the event, including clips of the open mic performers, please click the link below. See you next time!!!!
Happy 30th Birthday to my dude Peter Rosenberg aka 1/2 of Juan Epstein (the Jewish half). Here are some mockups of Dirty Jax’s new collaboration t-shirt with the very popular online Jew-Rican hip hop podcast Juan Epstein hosted by Rosenberg and Cipha Sounds. Look for these to be available soon. Oh yeah, Happy One Year Anniversary to the Cipha Sounds and Rosenberg Hot 97 Morning Show. I’m proud to say that “My Ferris Buellers” was the first song they ever played on the air during their morning time slot (not to mention that they used to bump my intro with Matisyahu on the reg). Peace out.
Westcheddar alumnus Nick Kroll was recently featured by Variety on their 10 Comics To Watch list. Click the link below to read about all the projects he’s currently working on, and how he’s found his comfort zone doing stand up comedy. It’s always good to see a friend’s name in print…
I think this summer is the perfect time to introduce my young dude Nivele’s music to the hip hop blogosphere. Nivele, formerly known as Sosa (birthname Xavier Simmons), is DMX’s oldest son. Born in Yonkers, Nivele has lived in Mount Kisco, NY for the past decade, and is entering his junior year of high school in the fall. He’s sixteen, but you’d never know it from his rap skills, or his work ethic. This kid is dedicated and passionate about his music, and can rap better than most grown men. His vocab is excellent, his flow is precise, and he’s a professional when it comes to getting in the booth (he one takes most of his verses).
Nivele and I have known each other for two years now. He frequents the Cultural Arts Center I run almost daily, making use of the recording and production equipment we have. He keeps mostly to himself, but is very popular, and respected by his elders for his talent too. I posted some of his stuff last summer after he was featured in XXL magazine (see article above), both solo and with his group Hood Legacy, but since then he’s been focusing mostly on his own career and his first official project, 1st Semester, recorded professionally at a local studio with his older friend and mentor producer Black. He’s sold a bunch of burned copies at school, but for the most part it is still unheard. So here at Westcheddar, we are going to give it an official launch. But not today. Next week, on July 29th, we will release the entire project, which features production by frequent DMX collaborator Dame Grease, his high school friend Matt Millz, and some original production too (in addition to him going in over some industry beats). Check out this three part interview I did with Nivele where he discusses his creative process, suburban lifestyle, thoughts on current and past rappers (including his dad), meeting Nas and Jay-Z and hanging out with the LOX as a kid, how he plans to make his mark as a rap, uh, excuse me, pop star, and much more…
And here’s three exclusive songs from 1st Semester, which officially drops online for free download next week…
Stay tuned to Westcheddar for more Nivele, including a track by track interview breakdown of 1st Semester, coming next week along with the free download of the full project…hollerrrrrr.
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