Rock the Bells, DC 2010 by D

Concert Review: Rock the Bells 2010, DC First let me say props to A Tribe Called Quest (ATCQ/Tribe) who stole the show with the best performance of the evening. I was privileged to see them get it in with Busta, and Jarobi. Q-Tip and Pfeife Dawg were on point y’all, seriously. Q-Tip ran out in [...]

NPR interview with Lauryn Hill by D

NPR Interview and article

Website review: Disco-Poetry.com (Disco Poet Khari B.) by D

Artists always rebel against that which is simple, mundane and half-hearted. Artists restate differences, provide interpretation and display differently those things that have meanings of multi-level importance. We do it because we simply do not like the way things are framed philosophically in the “normal world,” and what we do is make our reality evident [...]

R.I.P. GURU: Top 5 Favorite Guru Performances by Wheels

What a sad day. The great Keith “Guru” Elam, one of the most gifted, thoughtful MCs of all-time, passed away today after a battle with cancer. Rather than focus on the shadiness surrounding his passing and the controversy with producer Solar, I want to honor the man with my five favorite Guru performances. His smart, [...]

Newsweek Article: Musykal Maveryk by Seth Colter Walls

photo by Kenneth Cappello By Seth Colter Walls | NEWSWEEK Published Mar 25, 2010 From the magazine issue dated Apr 5, 2010 Erykah Badu’s latest album is filled with plenty of gonzo touches, not least of which is its title—New Amerykah, Part II: Return of the Ankh. One of the best moments comes toward the [...]

Album Pick: Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part 2 (Return of the Ankh) by Wheels

Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part 2: Return of the Ankh (Universal Motown) In recent interviews, Erykah Badu has been calling the New Amerykah series her “magnum opus”, the defining music of her career. When Erykah Badu dropped New Amerykah Part 1: 4th World War back in 2008, people weren’t quite ready. Coming from the “queen [...]

A Tribute To Herbie Hancock: Christian McBride & Friends Live Review by Wheels

Tonight I was lucky enough to have seen Christian McBride and crew do a Herbie Hancock tribute on campus. Despite a 45 minute late start, McBride and the sextet put on a truly worthwhile, inspiring show. In the beginning of the show, McBride announced that they would be focusing their attention to the Mwandishi sextet [...]

Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part 1: 4th World War Appreciation by Wheels

Some of my favorite lyrics from Badu on this one. This track seems to be along the more mellow, introspective direction of Part 2. Produced by Shafiq Husayn. Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner killing that bass line. Such an intense, eerie track. Beautiful tribute to J Dilla. Erykah’s vocals on this are incredible. Production from ?uestlove and James [...]

An open letter to Tavis Smiley By Anthony Coley, Special to CNN, March 19, 2010 7:37 a.m. EDT

Editor’s note: Anthony Coley is the former communications director and chief spokesman for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy and former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine. He works as a director at the Brunswick Group, a communications consulting firm. (CNN) — Dear Tavis: Although we’ve never met, I feel like I know you. I’ve followed your [...]

Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part 2 Artwork by Wheels

Badu revealed the gorgeous cover to her new album yesterday on okayplayer.com.  Artwork by Emek, who also worked on the cover of her last album.

Gang Starr Appreciation by Wheels

In light of Guru’s recent heart attack (he’s doing OK now though, fortunately), I just wanted to drop some Gang Starr gems. ‘Mass Appeal’ – the definitive Gang Starr cut ‘Royalty’ is one of the most slept-on GS tracks. What a banger! One of my favorite Premier beats. This track alone cemented Guru as one [...]

Common – “Electric Circus” by Wheels

Common + Stereolab?! Hell yes. Dilla speaks about producing the Electric Circus album in the middle section of the interview. As the years go by this album ages really well. Definitely ahead of its time.

Wheels’ 20 Favorite Albums of 2009 (Sorry it’s late!)

Yep, I know it’s February 2010. With that said, I didn’t want to leave 2009 without giving due praise and credit to the great releases that kept my ears happy throughout the year. To me, it was a pretty damn good year for music all-around with a surging second half that saw highlights in hip-hop, [...]

Erykah Badu – “Window Seat” by Wheels

First single from the upcoming album (3/30/10), New Amerykah Part II: Return of the Ankh. Production from James Poyser and ?uestlove on drums for this lovely joint. Here’s the tracklisting for the album: “20 Feet Tall” (Produced by Erykah Badu and 9th Wonder) – “Window Seat” (Produced by Erykah Badu and James Poyser) – 4:25 “Agitation” (Produced by [...]

J Dilla Limited Edition Print by D

click here for the print at www.hypebeast.com “In a battle with lupus which ultimately took his life, music producer J. Dilla touched the hearts of many through his powerful legacy. For J. Dilla’s mother “Ma Dukes” Yancey who was a tireless helper through Dilla’s battle with the disease, she is also is affected by the [...]