Naming your record label after the drug trafficking gang that funded it is a bad idea, especially when they’re responsible for 12 murders and moving a million dollars of weed per week for 7 years. Whoever thought people wouldn’t make the connection between John Shop Crew, the murderous drug dealers, and John Shop Records, the reggae label, is a fool. It’s interesting that John Forte, producer for the Fugees, worked with John Shop. He’s currently serving 14 years for trafficking thirty pounds of liquid cocaine. [NYDN]
March 6, 2008
Selling Weed to Sell Records
Photos from James Top’s ‘Afrology’
Through March 22nd, Afrology, featuring the paintings of James Top, legendary graffiti writer turned artist and controversial educator, is on display at the Essex Street Gallery (27 1/2 Essex Street, between Hester and Grand Streets). The image of an afroed man forms the foundation of seventeen works, which explore elements of the African American experience. Graffiti letters running across the top label these themes while the collaged images below provide a more nuanced look. Several paintings feature the work of street photographer Jamel Shabazz.
March 5, 2008
A.A. Branson on Art Talk!
Art Talk! on VBS features artist AA Bronson, as he shows off “his ‘School for Young Shamans’ show in New York and discusses his participation in the Toronto-born General Idea collective, from its founding at the end of the sixties to its early-90s demise from AIDS. He then describes his work as a “healer” over the past 15 years, most notably in the field of butt massage.” Butt Magazine got a massage from Bronson and wrote about it. You can also watch Part 2 of Art Talk!.
March 4, 2008
Birthplace of Hip Hop Safe For Now
Hip hop was born in the Bronx, at 1520 Sedgwick Ave, when DJ Kool Herc started throwing parties and playing the breaks, something nobody had done before. But for the last year, the future of 1520 Sedgwick Ave, or Sedgwick and Cedar, has been in question as the landlord tried to remove the 100 unit apartment complex the Mitchel-Lama housing program, which gives landlords tax breaks for renting below market rate. Fortunately for fans of hip hop and affordable housing, the city has made an unprecedented move to block the sale because it “was not viable under current rent restrictions,” protecting the building from being bought and turned into luxury hip hop condos.
Here’s a piece of documentary with a British narrator and DJ Kool Herc explaining how hip hop was born. It also features Grandwizard Theodore, more recently caught performing the little known blindfolded-record-on-the-head scratch.
March 3, 2008
RJD2 - Work It Out
This music video for RJD2’s “Work It Out” features “Crutchmaster” Bill Shannon dancing around Brooklyn’s Borough Hall.
Having failed to have a graffiti decorated energy drink taken off store shelves, Councilmember Peter Vallone has introduced a bill to stop daredevils from jumping off tall buildings, “to protect citizens from being landed on.” “I don’t know if it’s a recurring problem, but one time is too many,” says Vallone. Too bad we can’t introduce a bill to protect citizens from superfluous knee-jerk legislation. [NY Sun]
What’s Happening Monday?
+The Lovely Brenda presents ‘Art Party‘ a group show with works by Anna Marra, Matt Siren, Emily Raw, Edina S., Knox, Faro, Brenda and Hayden Staudenmaier. Red Bull, Sparks, wine and beer provided. (145 Roebling (Basement), between Metropolitan Avenue and Hope Street, Williamsburg)
Know something happening? Add it to the calendar.
