Several weeks ago I had the privilege of interviewing Jay-Z’s engineer and DJ, Young Guru, as part of iStandard’s “Beast Of The Beats” producer showcase. On this particular night Hov and Yeezy were making their Jersey stop of the Watch The Throne tour, so I asked Guru what it was like being a fly on […]
Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, is releasing his fourth (!) album, Camp, on Glassnote Records today. The rapper/actor/comedian, who many know for his role as Troy on NBC’s “Community,” has been rapping for almost as long as he’s been in front of the camera, and it shows. On the reflective “Hold You Down” he spits, […]
Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, is releasing his fourth (!) album, Camp, on Glassnote Records today. The rapper/actor/comedian, who many know for his role as Troy on NBC’s “Community,” has been rapping for almost as long as he’s been in front of the camera, and it shows. On the reflective “Hold You Down” he spits, […]
Nowadays, it’s not just mashed up music. It’s mashed up people. Everybody hangs out with each other now. Black kids are skateboarding and white kids are rapping. – Clinton Sparks “Get Familiar!” If you claim to be a hip-hop mixtape fan that calling card is embedded in your mental Rol0dex right next to your Two-Way […]
How do you become the go-to DJ for all of HBO’s events? Don’t mess up. “I never let them down, showed up on time and always played what I call a ‘bulletproof’ set,” says Marvin Coleman, a Philadelphia-born mix master who has used his signature, seamless blends and music knowledge to establish an enviable career […]
Muhsinah is smarter than you. Well, at least your favorite singer. The winner of our “One Minute to Shine” contest had the beautiful audacity to name one of her recent projects Oscillations: Sine and Triangle. “I was in recording school and I wanted to be an engineer,” she says with a smile. “I was learning […]
In this exclusive interview with TheUrbandaily, producer Ski Beatz talks about his latest project 24 Hour Karate School 2, working with Dame Dash‘s son and what he thinks of Jay-Z and Kanye’s Watch The Throne album. Ski was one of Jigga Man’s first producers, providing the beats to “In My Life Time,” “Feelin It”, “Politics […]
At a mere 23 years old Orlando-born Daniel Johson, aka Kane Beatz , has already helped make hip-hop history. While he is proud of music he’s produced for Trey Songz (“Bottom’s Up”) and Trick Daddy (“Tuck Your Ice”) his hit for Nicki Minaj, “Super Bass ” just helped her set a Billboard record. After ten […]
This year Wu-tang mash-ups seem to be all the rage. Earlier this year there was Shaolin Jazz: The 37th Chamber, an ethereal remix of Wu classics using samples of Jazz greats like Pharoh Sanders . Next we had Wugazi, an unlikely pairing between the Wu and punk rock group Fugazi. Now we have “Black Gold,” […]
One of the hardest things about being a hip-hop producer is getting your name out. Unless you have the inclination to shout your name out on a track a-la Pete Rock or Diddy, it’s hard to let people know that you were the brains behind a dope record. This has become especially difficult in the […]
Singer and producer Verse Simmonds is about to be a household name. Not only does he have a sexy duet with Kelly Rowland entitled, “Boo Thang”, the Caribbean-born artist contributed to two tracks on Kanye West and Jay-Z’s Watch The Throne project. Here the producer tells TheUrbandaily how he landed “Who Gon Stop Me” and […]
Outkast fans have not had an album from the group since 2006’s Idlewild Soundtrack. With Andre 3000 shifting his attention to acting, listeners have had to settle for the occasional guest verse from 3-Stacks. His partner Big Boi has been enjoying a great solo career, but there is nothing quite like having the two of […]
