August 19th, 2008

Need we say more??

Here's a preview of the inner sleeve:

This summer you will find us out at many festivals around town doing a little something we call SpinArt-

We take a vinyl record (usually one that hasnt gotten much love on the turntable) and turn it into a piece of art for kids and adults to enjoy-

Our goal:  to raise enough money to send a couple kids to our Hitmakers SummerCamp in August-

Whats up readership, this is Toi, known by some as Lady Verb. (That's not me in the pic, btw.) I'll be dropping content here every once in awhile. Nice to meet you.

So last night I went to the Erykah Badu concert at the Greek. The Roots opened for her (I freaking missed that part due to the hellish parking situation at the venue, darn it!) but some fellow concert goers informed me that they rocked it. Shouts out to my peeps in row K! I wasn't too peeved about missing them since I knew I would see Questlove and Black Thought at Crash Mansion after Ms. Badu's performance, so it was all gravy.

Ms. Badu, or Low Down Loretta Brown, as she refers to herself, tore the roof off that piece like Parliament. Her energy is crazy, she made a crowd of thousands feel like a small, intimate gathering of friends. She made everyone hug a neighbor, fostering an  environment of fellowship and community amongst the crowd. If you weren't friends with the people next to you, you became friends with them at that moment, if only for the duration of the show. In the midst of global madness, the people of Los Angeles came together in the name of soul music. It was truly a beautiful thing.

The performance itself was ill. Her style is so all over the place - B-girl to Billie Holiday, Funkadelic to Janis Joplin, Nina Simone to Texas hip hop - she takes it there. And she makes you a believer.

Homegirl went from playing an African talk drum to beating out old school hip hop beats on a drum machine. It absolutely made me fall in love with her all over again. I almost fell out when she rapped a verse from NWA's "Straight Outta Compton." It was a dope low key shout out to the West. She took it way back to another place, where chicks wore dolphin earrings, everyone wore color skinny jeans (the first go 'round), a place where kids spit rhymes and banged out beats on school lunchroom tables. It was a nostalgic moment.  My soul was touched.

Ms. Badu's show felt like a lesson. Halfway through the show she stopped to explain the meaning of a vortex to a crowd: "a swirling force of energy that sucks everything into its orbit." Sort of like a hurricane, a tornado, or water draining down a sink. Chaos with a center of calm. Homegirl drops major knowledge on those who aren't up on it. She's on a whole 'nother level with the life game. 

I can say with absolute conviction that this is one of the best live concerts I've seen in my entire life. I have no more words.

Peace,

Lady Verb

We are giving 2 Tickets away to the anyone who can name ALL MEMBERS OF THE LEGENDARY ROOTS CREW (Past & Present).

Email us your answers to rehabprojects@gmail.com.

You can still pick up tickets from REHAB for a discounted price ($15)

Good luck!

"But when it comes to rap music, the connectivity between audience and artist is the best selling point, kind of like how Wu-Tang Clan’s last album caught a brick but their shows always sell out. One of the best performances I ever saw Nas do was the instore at Rehab Projects in LA. He just asked people what songs they wanted to hear and then had a Q & A session with the audience. It was like request line, but with Nas."

-Big ups to Satchel of Gravel blog!

peep their lateste blog on the subject of hip hop's performers / performances at www.satchelofgravel.com

-Val The Vandle / E a R s

This is probably one of THE sickest parties south of the valley. If your cool, wear a bathing suit and get some numbers from some of the FINEST chicks around. Tell em the Vandle sent you!!

Mr. Cartoon, Estevan Oriol, & Upper Playground are showcasing the "NEW" downtown.

Check out http://therealmrcartoon.blogspot.com for more info.

Defintely stop by and check out the artwork!

I'm gonna try and make it down, so holla at me if you see me.

-Val The Vandle / EaRs

Here's what my homboy K-Fresh about the leaked MCA Album:

"By now, most of you are aware that material from the shelved MCA Records album from J. Dilla has leaked on the Internet. Personally, I’m extremely angry and disappointed by the leak, and more disappointed by the actions of people and other web sites with their perpetuation of this unfortunate act. Everyone is so blinded by the hype, that no one sees the reality of the situation. It isn’t time for this material to be out here like this. This is it. This is the final chapter in the story of James Yancey. After this material is released, there is nothing else. These are the final pieces of music fully overseen by J. Dilla. Anything else – beats people purchase from now on and I believe there is a whole album or so worth of material that was suppose to drop on Operation Unknown – will have to be finished, mix, and touched by someone else. The MCA material is it, period!

The leaking of this album is not like any other album. Its not like there is a ton of material for this project recorded. There are probably additional tracks recorded that haven’t leaked yet, but the ones that did constitute a great deal of it. If 50 Cent or Snoop Dogg material leaks, they have avenues to combat it. The Dilla/MCA situation is completely different. This is unreleased material from a specific period in J. Dilla’s career, and the release of it takes time to get through on the legal and ownership issues. There is no going back in the studio. There is not remixing these tracks. There is nothing. Once this material leaked, the damage was done.

I’m greatly disappointed in the lack of responsibility of web sites and DJs regarding this situation. If a DJ plays or web sites leaks material of an up and coming artist that is creating a huge buzz, that does nothing but help the artist build that buzz. This is a totally different situation folks! We don’t need to build anticipation or buzz for J. Dilla. The linking of these joints on your sites or playing on your show is only self-serving, trying to earn your J. Dilla brownie points. I couldn’t get away with ANY of the things all these sites and blogs have been getting away with and the site I’m most disappointed with is Okayplayer. They should know better but they have openly linked in their daily new updates to other blogs that have CD quality tracks to download. You would think people that are fans of J. Dilla would understand the situation, but I guess they don’t. Not just them but everyone. Do we have to lay out all the facts again? Do we have to lay out the medical bills figures again? What do we have to do, really?

I have faith that when this material is properly released that most of your will purchase it, but that is not the only point. Its just not time for this material to be out here like this. This is the final chapter and it was all suppose to come when the time was right. Whoever the person who leaked this material, are you a Dilla fan at all? Would you like to look Mr. and Mrs Yancey in the face and tell them what you did? They would probably be disappointed in you and even more, KILL YOU WITH KINDNESS.

Isn’t it ironic that this material has been labeled Pay Jay? In no way are you paying James Yancey anything. You are not paying him any money. You are not paying him homage. You are not paying him respect."

In the words of Spike Lee, DO THE RIGHT THING!!!

-Val the Vandle / Ears