THE BLUE SCHOLARS @ Mercury 2/15

Seattle rap duo bring the neo-Northwest sound to NYC this Friday at the Merc and it is your opportunity to see what the buzz is about. By championing a new high intellectual scene in Seattle with fellow contemporary rap groups, the Blue Scholars manage to produce socially conscious rhymes and groovy beats that can work on several levels for their listening audience. By the close of 2004, the duo had pressed their own debut album to sell at shows and with help of local Seattle media such as progressive radio station KEXP and alternative press Seattle Weekly, The Blue Scholars LP was named the album of the year in Seattle. Come out this weekend to see the self proclaimed "true-school" hip hoppers in action.


RIYL: Jurassic 5, Hilltop Hoods, Gangstarr, Common

This is the Scholars opening for Kanye West in Seattle:

The E-Xecutioners - The Knitting Factory - 09/05

The New York based, DJ group extraordinaire known as The X-Ecutioners are heading downtown for a night of scratch mayhem. It's a rare occasion to witness multiple turntablists working together on one stage. Since the disbanding of The Invisibl Skratch Picklz in 2000, there have been hardly any followers nothwithstanding the X who've excelled and gained comparable recognition as a turntablist band. Consisting of Rob Swift, Roc Raida, DJ Eclipse and Mista Sinista, the X-Ecutioners tend to dismiss melody in favor of a kind of rhythm that could be considered experimental or avant-garde. The idea that not one, but four DJs can scratch a word, such as "Fresh" and break down its sound and pitch into a sequence of reverberating fragments is something worth seeing.

NYCUG HIP HOP SERIES feat. NO QUESTION & DIZZY D - 7/27

Due to popular demand, NYCUG is throwing a Party Series dedicated to showcasing some of the hottest Hip Hop artist emerging out of NYC. This is the first of many to come, so come out and show your support!

Friday, July 27th 2007 at 8:00pm

Come check out one of the illest groups coming up - NO QUESTION. Along with NYCUG's very own DJ DIZZY D.

DRINK SPECIALS BEFORE 10pm

$5 shots/ $4 Draft and Well

no cover - rsvp for guaranteed entry

For all questions or to be considered for future events, email hiphopseries@nycug.com.

NO QUESTION is a dynamic trio made up of WhatzIsFace, GuessWho, and H.Fraud. Informally collaborating as far back as '98 - each has achieved modest success individually. WhatzIsFace has performed on several stops of the Warped Tour '05 and has opened up for notables such as BLESSTeNATION. Guesswho, formally of Bad Newz, reps the underground hip hop circuit equally as hard having performed several shows locally and on the Lyricist Lounge Tour. H.Fraud, producer and DJ, did A and R for the recently released Black August Album.

I saw NO QUESTION recently opening up for Mark Ronson and the Cool Kids - and straight up, these guys have something special worth checking out. They come with a high energy performance, veteran level stage presence, hard hitting lyrical content, and complex rhyme structures that range from arrhythmic draw to rapid fire. Check out their Myspace pages where you can sample tracks from their upcoming Got Game Mix Tape(dropping 9/11), where Guessy Guess and WhatzIsFace rip it over their take on our favorite Nintendo game soundtracks. Also, look out for the video for Double Dragon - due out mid august.

Mark Ronson and the Cool Kids - tonight!

Mic Check...

Sorry for the late notice but hear dis! Mark Ronson and the Cool Kids - tonight!

Opening up the night for the Cool Kids, and DJ Mark Ronson is a filthy emerging group outta NYC - No Question (that's What's His Face and Guess WHo).

In an appropriate plug - No Question is also going to opening up the first annual NYCUG Summertime Hips Hop Series. Peep their sh*t and check back for more details!

*links comming soon*

Krs-One @ Sputnik - 6/9

Native New Yorker, Kris Parker, also known as Krs-One will appear at Sputnik Saturday night. The Krs-One show could be the ride of your life as it was for me 4 years ago when he performed at Toad’s Place, in New Haven. Note that the price is also a bargain for any of you hip-hop fans. Furthermore, $5 of the $15 will be donated to the Darfour Coalition. It goes without saying that Krs is bound to not only demonstrate superior skills on the mic, but also wax philosophical on topics, such as faith, culture and the current state of hip-hop. He is going to challenge you to perceive hip-hop as more than just a mere source of entertainment. “You are not just doing hip-hop, you are hip-hop/like if you have a badge and a gun you are the cop/like if you practice medicine you are the doc/you just forgot that rappers rap about cars a lot.” While having never gained much airplay on the radio, Krs’s unrivaled longevity in the rap game is a testament to his underground appeal and lasting substance as an emcee. Go see how Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone…that is to say, KRS-One breaks it down.

Method Man and the Gza @ Webster Hall - Tuesday 6/5 - $15

I remember when I was a kid, kicking it in the courtyard of middle school during recess...all the boys in the crew gathered around jostling to be, for that day, their favorite member of the Wu Tang Clan. I always tried to be Method Man but somehow always ended up settling for the legendary ODB. The Wu Tang Clan was very instrumental in taking the torch from the forefathers of Hip-Hop and running it in to it's dominance over Pop Culture for the next decade plus. I've never had the pleasure of seeing the Wu-Tang Clan, rolling out Deep with the Clan’s 10 plus members, or any of their numerous offshoot solo projects. Not going to miss the opportunity to check out two of these living legends, Mr. Meth and the Genius, live in concert this coming Tuesday at Webster Hall.

DALEK @ Mercury Lounge – 2/27/07

Combining elements of shoegaze, trip-hop, ambient noise, and poignant rap lyrics, Newark’s Dalek are forerunners in the newest wave of underground rap, challenging their listeners both verbally and musically. While many critics claim that contemporary rap has reached a lull, DJ Oktopus creates sprawling ambience not typically associated with rap or hip-hop; the type of music that hearkens back to early Sonic Youth, Radiohead, or later Brian Eno. To top this off, MC Dalek, flows with an intense tone that would not be out of place for the likes of Mobb Deep or Talib Kweli. They have already won plenty of critical acclaim and it shouldn’t be long before the rest of the music world takes notice. Look for the newest release, Abandoned Language, on Mike Patton’s label, Ipecac later this month.

RIYL: TV on the Radio, Glenn Branca, Gang Starr, Tricky, Blackstar

Krs-One @ S.O.B.'s - 12/11 - 8pm - $20

Native New Yorker, Kris Parker, also known as blastmaster KRS-One is taking it to the S.O.B.’s this Tuesday...a rowdy and uplifting affair you won’t wanna miss. Hailed as “the teacher”/metaphysical philosopher in the hip-hop world, his appearance signals that class is in seshion. Unlike the majority of rappers, KRS has never hesitated to address social issues regarding faith, American culture and the current state of hip-hop. For those in attendance at his show, KRS is gonna challenge you to perceive hip-hop as more than just a source of entertainment. “You are not just doing hip-hop, you are hip-hop/like if you have a badge and a gun you are the cop/like if you practice medicine you are the doc/you just forgot that rappers rap about cars a lot.” Despite his lack of commercial exposure, KRS’s unrivaled longevity in the rap game (’87-today) is a testament to his underground appeal and lasting substance as an emcee. Go see how Knowledge.Reigns.Supreme-Over.nearly.everyone aka KRS-One breaks it down.

Cut Chemist with Lyrics Born @ Webster Hall - Friday, 11/10

So it is in fact true that Cut Chemist, formerly a DJ for the west coast underground crew Jurassic 5, has gone solo with the recent release of his album, “The Audience Is Listening.” Similar to DJ Shadow, who played Webster Hall two weeks ago, this L.A. native continues to cultivate the art of mixing rare, never-before heard tracks into a hip-hop format. The results that emerge from Cut Chemist's lab experiments are definately worth checking out: no broken glass, just smooth playfully polished rhythms that elicit his penchant for funk and old-school rap.

Enter Lyrics Born, the first artist to record on DJ Shadow’s Solesides record label (which is now Quannum). Lyrics Born is not your average west coast underground rapper or rapper in general. Just listen to him sing “I Changed My Mind,” a classy funk throwback. His sing-song voice resonates on any recording, while it translates even better in a live setting.

DJ Shadow with Lateef The Truth Speaker - Webster Hall - $35/$32 In Adv - 10/17 & 10/18

Ten years ago an underground DJ emerged from the Bay Area with an album called “Endtroducing.” By weaving samples of non-mainstream artists into the fabric of his work and using distinctive, intricate drum breaks, Shadow produced one of the quintessential trip-hop albums to date (preferable on a dark rainy night or when you wanna chill out and don't want lyrics). Now, the frightening thing is that Shadow also gets very ill on the wheels of steel, doing straight-up party shit which is evident on his recent mixtape, “Funky Skunk.” For the next two days he’s DJing alongside Quannum labelmate Lateef the Truth Speaker, at Webster Hall, so expect to get the West Coast conscious rap style and grade-A beats.

Bad News @ NYCUG Launch Party 10/12

Birthed from the carnival midway, social experimentation, and their parent’s sexual bloopers Bad News is exactly that. New York based MC’s, Guess Who and Filthy Rich, have teamed up with hip-hops hardest working producers to bring you strong lyrics, comedic content and hard hitting beats to get you off of your feet. "They make music for the kidz, it’s all over the place" Bad News pulls as much influence from limericks and Ike Turner as it does the Fat Boys and Rakim and keeps you coming back like an open face coke buffet.

We are proud to have Bad News help us celebrate our Launch. Make sure you are there for all the craziness!

Flyer Designed by our friend Anthony

Dead Prez, Saigon, Da Backwudz - 9/25 - Galapagos

“Hell Yeah!” Need I say more for those in the know. The Floridian duo, Dead Prez, is playing Bucktown. As if that isn’t enough - you’ve got Saigon rapping on his home turf having already signed to the record label of famed hip hop producer Just Blaze. And then there's that guest spot on Entourage, which hate it or love it has boosted his sales and image. Saigon is percievably at the peak of his underground career…the commercial horizon not far out of sight. Along with the dirty south crew, Da Backwudz, this show is bound to be wild with flavor raw and rhymes hardcore and political.