Sean Price and Smif-N-Wessun played Highline Ballroom
January 24th, 2012 by chocko
Sean Price
Smif-N-Wessun
Duck Down was definitely in the Building…Highline Ballroom that is. Anytime you got members of Brooklyn’s Boot Camp Clik performing a show, you know you’re going to get some REAL Hip Hop. Opening up the show last Wednesday, was Maffew Ragazino from the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. A couple years ago he was on a Sean Price Mixtape titled “Kimbo Price” and now it’s great to see him branching out, making things happen in the world of hip hop. He’s got excellent flow, swagger and energy on the stage. I like the way he got the audience involved in the performance particularly on the track “Slum Lord.” I couldn’t find the dude after the show to get a CD, so after stalking him on twitter and a paypal transaction, I got a CD coming my way. I’ll be anxiously awaiting its arrival at my mailbox.
Next up was Phony Ppl a collective of musicians who write songs, produce and sing R&B songs and hip hop. Tonight they were in hop hop mode, a bit on the jazzy side at times but these young dudes had oodles and oodles of energy. They lost most of the crowd later in their set who grew impatient and yelled out for “SEAN P!”
Smif-N-Wessun (Tek and Steele) aka Cocoa Brovaz came out next along with the debut of Duck Down Man, the record label’s mascot! Tek and Steele went right into “Let’s Git It On” from their classic 1995 debut album, Dah Shinin’ and proceeded to crank out the hits. Smif-N-Wessun shared the stage with a few cats including Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire and Jakk Frost from the mean streets of Philly who showed some of his lyrical skills and busted some rhymes…The Beards In The Building! A highlight was bringing out Sean Price for the classic Boot Camp Clik track, “And So.” Another highlight of the Smif-N-Wessun set was their performance of “Bucktown” from the top of the bar.
Sean Price headlined the show and shortly brought out Rock which made it an official Heltah Skeltah reunion. By this time, the crowd was pretty toasted but the enthusiasm was always kept at a high level due to the presence of the great MC from Brownsville. Sean Price performed a slew of songs including Heltah Skeltah stuff and solo material “P-Body”, “Onion Head” and “Boom Bye Yeah.” Price brought out Apollo The Great from Camden, New Jersey who definitely looks like he’s got a future in the rap game. Hopefully 2012 brings more Duck Down shows and fingers crossed…a new album from Sean Price titled “Mic Tyson.”
(left to right: Maffew Ragazino, Jakk Frost and Apollo The Great)
photos and video by chocko
Tags: apollo the great, cocoa brovaz, duck down records, hip hop, maffew ragazino, new york city, nyc, show
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happy lunar new year of the dragon!
January 23rd, 2012 by Mr. C
Happy Chinese New Year – the Year of the Dragon! May y’all find health, happiness, strength, & prosperity no matter what galaxy or rock you may crawl out of!
I wanted to drop a few well known flavors in your ear to help celebrate the festivities. This includes a famous cantonese folk song often used to honor & inspire soldiers. This track has become synonymous with Wong Fei Hong, China, & kung fu. It was also the theme song for Tsui Hark’s – Once Upon a Time in China & Drunken Master with Jackie Chan!
Wong-Fei-Hong-Once-Upon-A-Time-In-China by planetchocko
The 2nd tune is the theme song for Drunken Master 2 sung by Jackie Chan himself.
Jackie-Chan-Drunken-Master-2-Theme by planetchocko
Also some videos below to salute some of our well known dragons in cinema.
Tags: chinese new year, mr c
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Santigold played at Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn
January 18th, 2012 by Mr. C
(photo by chocko)
Planet Chocko was in full gear sportin’ a triple fat goose-down & carhartt jacket as we prepared to descend down upon the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn to catch the Santigold show last Monday night despite being low on chi & with mother nature strutting her stuff! The last time we laid eyes on Santigold was in June of 2009 at Terminal 5 so Brooklyn…we come hard! Chocko was squared up to the stage looking to do some post up battles in the paint while I was hovering around the 3 point line by the bench getting ready to launch some John Stark 3’s….video style.
Spank Rock was on offense when we stepped into the Williamsburg arena and they reminded us a little of Digital Underground with their brazen sex’em up songs in a very similar – offbeat & fun package! The live congo drums provided a nice jungle beat to compliment the electronica with the occassional 2 live crew thumping sound & vocal delivery. For a second, I thought Shock G or Play from Kid n Play was on the stage kickin’ it!
Santigold was next on deck as she graced the stage with her blend of dance fusion of pop, dub, reggae, & electronica as she moved the crowd! Some songs make you want to sway back & forth like Courtney Cox did in the Dancing in the Dark video while other jams make you want to bust a groove like Leroy Johnson did in Fame. Santi’s setlist included most of the songs from her debut album, Santogold from 2008 and a few newbies like Disparate Youth, God From the Machine, & Big Mouth. Shove It with Spank Rock, Disparate Youth, & Creator were some of my favorite Santi performances of the night! Chocko had some nice ‘post up’ videos as I lurked by the bench with some of my own. Checkout some of the vids below, y’all!
(photos by mr c)
The song – L.E.S. artistes has a beat that reminds me of a Tegan & Sara tune while other tracks such as “Creator” & “Unstoppable” bring the M.I.A. style quirkiness & outer-space sounds! The stage sets, costumes, & choreography from Santi & her crew brought back hot flashes of Janelle Monae with her outrageous performances. Santigold’s two dancers, basically the female versions of Scoob & Scrap lover from Big Daddy Kane’s dynamic dance duo were definitely shaking that thang with a robot like gyrating-rhythmic-synchronous swing!
All in all, Santigold brought mucho fun music to the table enabling all at the music hall to shake that ass without any inhibitions. Lookout for her new album, Master of Make-Believe sometime in the near future!
(all videos by chocko & mr c)
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I am Bruce Lee – opens february 9th
January 18th, 2012 by Mr. C
Who hasn’t been influenced by Bruce Lee one way or another – martial artists, kung fu movie freaks, musicians, athletes, artists, dungeons & dragon nerds, hollywood…the list goes on & on. Being chinese, Bruce Lee adds even more pride to the equation for his people especially at a time when we needed an inspirational figure to look up to the most while growing up in the wild wild ‘gweilo’ west. He was a strong person – mentally, verbally, & physically. Lee was a well educated, brazen, & passionate individual. We all shared the love of his art and the very special way that he manifested it. His spirit still lives on!
I AM BRUCE LEE is a neat looking documentary on the man himself and based on the trailer, looks like a nice rewind for all of us especially it being the Year of the Dragon to celebrate the Little Dragon! There probably hasn’t been any footage on Bruce Lee that we as fans haven’t seen but the awesome image quality of the trailer and the cameos in the documentary that lent to some inspirational words on Lee Siu Lung (Lee – the Little Dragon) seems to be a very nice & modern way to repackage the spirit of Bruce in documentary format to a newer generation of fans!
I AM BRUCE LEE opens on a limited run on February 9th at a theater, hopefully listed near you : http://www.iambruceleemovie.com/ .
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Belleville Street Art
January 14th, 2012 by chocko
Belleville is a working class and multi-cultural neighborhood in Paris and is also home to one of the city’s two Chinatowns. Belleville is really easy to get to by Metro or spaceship. Located not too far from the Metro Station is Rue Dénoyez, a stretch of cafes, stores and tons of street art and graffiti. Artists paint there all the time, transforming the walls into a constantly changing canvas of lively colors and images. Not too many tourists come by the neighborhood, but if you do find yourself in the City of Lights, Chocko recommends the spot for some great food and art.
(a big shout out and merci beaucoup to Sandra!)
Tags: france, graffiti, paris, photos, street art, travel
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Hong Kong movie soundtracks
January 12th, 2012 by Mr. C
This is just a brief list of some of my favorite slit-your-wrist Hong Kong movie soundtracks in no particular order. THE KILLER, INFERNAL AFFAIRS, & A BETTER TOMORROW are the only movies in this group that I consider to be some of my favorites. I tried adding Andy Lau’s ‘A Moment of Romance‘ and Faye Wong’s cantonese cover version of “Dream” by The Cranberries (CHUNGKING EXPRESS), but I was slapped on the wrist by the internet police. Enjoy, my young flock of seagulls! And never-ever leave your berettas at home!
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Faye Wong – “Dream” – Soundtrack_Chungking_Express
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Andy Lau – “As time goes by” – (A Moment of Romance)
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Tsai Chin – forgotten time : soundtrack from INFERNAL AFFAIRS by planetchocko
Leslie Cheung – soundtrack from A BETTER TOMORROW by planetchocko
Sally Yeh – shallow drunk life : soundtrack from THE KILLER by planetchocko
Shu Qi – goodbye : sountrack from LEGEND OF THE FIST by planetchocko
Shu Qi – soundtrack from BLOOD BROTHERS by planetchocko
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DJ Z-Trip
January 11th, 2012 by Mr. C
Listening to Z-Trip mixes make wearing those flairs that much more bearable.
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Planet Child: Z-Trip Remix
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All Access Beastie Boys megamix by Z-Trip
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Beastie Boys-Santigold – Don’t Play no game that I can’t win remix by Z-Trip
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Busta Rhymes-LL Cool J- DJ Z-Trip : Killin ‘Em
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The Dead Weather – Treat Me like your Mother remix by Z-Trip
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Chinatown Dragon Fighters – FDNY
January 9th, 2012 by Mr. C
Just dropping a few bon-bons and popcorn trails before January 23rd to celebrate Chinese New Year — The Year of the Dragon!
Engine 9 – Ladder 6 in Chinatown is one of the oldest companies in the New York City Fire department. Engine 9 has shifted from various locations throughout its history in lower manhattan including from the Bowery in 1784 to eldridge-division street in 1832 to Henry-Catherine street in 1846 to East Broadway until they moved to this current location at 77 Canal Street in 1969!
Thank you Engine 9 – Ladder 6 for keeping our streets, homes, & businesses safe!
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David Carradine vs Michael Jai White — Kill Bill 2 : deleted scene
December 29th, 2011 by Mr. C
I never knew about the deleted scene in Kill Bill 2 that showcased the fight between David Carradine and Michael Jai White…Kung fu style, until one of the outlawz from planet chocko reminded me about this! Now I know why the scene was deleted. It looks like it was Quentin Tarantino’s attempt to pay homage to the old skool kung fu movies with the horrible but humorous dubbing that we all grew up to love! In any event, the deleted scene was comical and had potential but it definitely seemed out of place. How cool would it have been if the fight sequence was done straight up with a more serious & pissed off Michael Jai White in all his badass karate glory vs the tag team of Carradine & Uma Thurman?! Then again, Kwai Chang Caine probably wouldn’t have wanted that!
Check out the deleted scene on the Kill Bill 2 DVD extras or see it below…
courtesy of muzzlewump via @youtube
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All Star Western #1
December 27th, 2011 by Mr. C
“He had no friends, this Jonah Hex…But he did have two companions…one was death itself..the other, the acrid smell of gun smoke.“
Part of the new 52 from DC comics, I finally caught up with ALL STAR WESTERN #1. The story takes place in the sleazy & grimey-urban confines of Gotham City set in the 1880’s. Jonah Hex, a severly scarred up, outlaw bounty hunter outfitted in a confederate uniform accompanied by his only friends, two long barreled revolvers on each hand, steps into this urban hell-hole known as gotham looking to collect bounties on 3 men. Right from the start, bullets & bodies would start flying around like there was some cheap fire sale going on! In parallel, a string of serial murders involving prostitutes would spring up in gotham. Dr. Amadeus Arkham, a medical doctor with specialties in the psychology realm would get enlisted to help with solving these murders of passion. Unfortunately, Amadeus will need the help from an abrasive-cranky one man machine known as Jonah Hex.
Story written by Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti — artwork by Moritat.
Hey, can someone tell Jonah that the civil war is over & that his side lost!?
All Star Western – Check it — Thumbs up!
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5 Pointz – long island city
December 19th, 2011 by Mr. C
We went strolling by the mecca of graffiti in queens yesterday on a cold sunday afternoon and discovered a few new goodies on the wall including a dedication to Jam Master Jay by Obe,Peril, & Paris, a hip hop tribute by the jellybean lady of 5 pointz straight outta Japan — Shiro, & a neat piece by Lake! Yok and Creepy made their presence known with an Owl & the Bird Man! There was also a really cool wall outfitted with an octopus getting quite intimate with a skulled out statue of liberty!
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Fred Armisen played Other Music
December 17th, 2011 by chocko
Last Sunday, Fred Armisen was scheduled to make an appearance at Other Music, a local NYC record store for what was billed as Fred Armisen’s Playlist LIVE. I was totally expecting the well known comedian of Saturday Night Live and Portlandia to just show up to the store, plug in an ipod and press play. Little did I know, Armisen would bring the noise while surrounding himself with amps, guitar pedals and playing a variety of instruments including an electronic drum set, guitar, bass, and a Drum Buddy which is a light activated, rotating drum machine invented by New Orleans musician, Quintron. Drum Buddy…youtube that shit. It’s crazy!
The crowd that showed up was treated to a special night of songs by bands such as The Clash, The Stranglers, Kraftwerk, Hüsker Dü and Devo. Armisen utilized every instrument on nearly every song with the help of a loop pedal. Some highlights from the set were “Police On My Back” by The Clash, “Pocket Calculator” by Kraftwerk and “Life Goes On” by The Damned which he described as his favorite song ever! Armisen joked around with the crowd in between songs and did a little “showing off” by playing the bass line to Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” and taking an audience request of Prince by playing a snippet of “Raspberry Beret.”
Armisen announced that he wanted to make this a weekly event somewhere in the city (he mentioned Union Pool in Brooklyn as a possible spot) where he could just get on a stage and play some of his favorite songs. He also invited anybody that wanted to play or sing to be a part of it too. Clearly he is passionate about his music and hopefully we get a chance to see Armisen’s one-man punk band play again soon.
Fred Armisen performing “Police On My Back” by THE CLASH
Fred Armisen performing “Life Goes On” by THE DAMNED
(photos by chocko)
Tags: drum buddy, fred armisen, in store performance, nyc new york city, portlandia, punk, saturday night live, snl
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