A friend commented to me on Tuesday that this blog has become “increasingly hip-hop centric.” He’s got a point, but it just speaks to the number of quality artists that have put out stellar material this year (Open Mike Eagle, Nocando, Isaiah Toothtaker, 5 O’Clock Shadowboxers, El-P, etc.). Ideally, the site serves as a somewhat … Continue reading Incoming: Freddie Gibbs, Jan. 29
After about three dropped calls in a failed attempt to record using Google Voice, I scrapped that plan and typed as fast as possible to keep up with everything Zilla Rocca had to talk about – from the pitfalls of the scene in his hometown Philadelphia to his love of noir fiction to 5 O’Clock … Continue reading Q&A with Zilla Rocca
The 48th installment of I Used to Love H.E.R., a series in which artists/bloggers/writers discuss their most essential or favorite hip-hop albums and songs, comes from Curly Castro, the Philadelphia-based emcee who will be appearing with Zilla Rocca and Random on Friday at the Hidden House, where he will unleash a solo set and perform … Continue reading I Used to Love H.E.R.: Curly Castro
If I procrastinate posting about Zilla Rocca’s new Fade to Blonde: A Summer Mix the way I have the 5 O’Clock Shadowboxers’ excellent Broken Clocks EP – and I have a draft that I started in March … sorry, Zilla and Douglas – then summer will be over and, well, what would be the point? … Continue reading Zilla Rocca’s Fade to Blonde: A Summer Mix
Sometimes, the most obvious answer is right in front of your face. I went around and around, mentally juggling my favorite songs of the year – all of which were great but none of which really stood out above the rest. In a year that I felt was just sorta “eh,” singling out one track … Continue reading Favorite song of 2009