Kendrick Lamar Takes Over NYC
As I was in the train heading towards the Kendrick Lamar concert tonight, I questioned if the $72 I paid for the ticket was worth it. Kendrick had a performance at Lettermen before his first Roseland Ballroom show. The TDE rapper had a busy night planned on February 26th, but he did not disappoint. He stormed the stage with a ton of energy.
The Compton native began the concert after a 30 minute delay with his Jeezy collaboration, “Westside, Right On Time,” and then transitioned into his Section .80 classic, “Hol Up.” K. Dot started off with mostly mixtape tracks and then performed some album tracks towards the end of the night. Top Dawg Entertainment took over Roseland Ballroom. Ab-Soul came out to perform “Terrorist Threats,” Jay Rock was around to spit his verse in “Money Trees”, and lastly Schoolboy Q performed his hit single “Hands On The Wheel.” Q even went on to say that he is tired of performing that track and is ready to show off his new music. Kendrick held his own on stage. He flowed naturally from one song to the next giving the crowd the ultimate concert experience. It also didn’t hurt that he added a light show that included lasers and a great stage production. Overall Kendrick’s performance surpassed my expectations. His delivery, stage presence and discography is unrivaled by any other freshman in the game right now. As Peter Rosenberg said before Kendrick’s set, “He is the greatest young artist doing this hip hop thing right now.” No doubt about that. Watch footage from the early Roseland Ballroom show and Kendrick’s performance on Letterman after the jump. Also check out his debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, if you have been sleeping.
Kendrick Lamar live at Terminal 5 in NYC
via BoweryPresents
Saturday night, I was lucky enough to finally see Kendrick Lamar live in the big city. Kendrick has had multiple shows in the NY/tri-state area for the last few years, but I always happened to be busy when the concerts came around, so I was really looking forward to his Terminal 5 stop on the B.E.T. Music Matters tour.
Kendrick Lamar along with TDE heavyweights Jay Rock & Ab-Soul came out in full force and proved that they are currently running the rap game. K. Dot opened the night by having the crowd put three fingers in the air and dropping “HiiiPower.” He then went on to say how “it feels good to be home” and continued by playing a couple more popular tracks off of Section 80. You can watch Kendrick Lamar performance of ”ADHD” below and see the crowds energy.
ADHD-
Before Kendrick even hit the stage, New York City was already witnessing an amazing hip hop night with Ab-Soul bringing out Joey Bada$$ & Pro-Era and Jay Rock bringing his energy to the stage beforehand. You can watch Joey Bada$$ and Pro Era rockin’ out on the stage below.
Kendrick blessed the hyped up NYC crowd with Cartoons & Cereal towards the end of the night during his encore. Kendrick exceeded my expectations with his stage presence and flawless performance. You can watch more videos from the night recorded by David. Kendrick Lamar’s debut album, good kid, mA.A.d city, is due out October 22nd.
Cartoons & Cereal-
[C&C via DealWithNoDeal]
Swimming Pools (Drank)-I Am (Interlude) Acapella-
Preview: Flux Pavilion & Childish Gambino New Track At Electric Zoo
I never thought I’d see the day where Childish Gambino and Flux Pavilion would collaborate on a new track. Flux dropped his new bass heavy collaboration featuring Gambino during his live set at Electric Zoo in NYC and although the preview is only two minutes long, you can get a good feel of the track. Definitely looking forward to the official release.
“Imma wait ’till the beat go in”- Childish Gambino
That drop at 1:13 son.
#YesGoodComedyAndMusic!!
Amnesty International Presents: The Secret Policeman’s Ball
The Secret Policeman’s Balls is the collective name informally used to describe the long-running series of benefit shows staged in England to raise funds for the human rights organisation Amnesty International. The shows started out in the mid-1970s primarily as comedy galas featuring popular British comedic performers and later expanded to include leading musical performers.
Alesso Performs New Track At Pacha, NYC [Live Video]
December 30th Alesso performed at Pacha for the second time this year and what a perfect way it was to end off a great year by Alesso. He performed a new track during his set and it sounds like another hit. The Swedish DJ is on the rise in 2012.
Kendrick Lamar Live @ SOB’s Performing ‘Hol Up’
Last week, one of my favorite upcoming rappers performed live @ the SOB’s for the second time this year. Not only did he kill it, but his performance attracted the likes of A$AP Rocky, Mac Miller, Talib Kweli and more backstage. Who doesn’t want to see the legendary Compton rapper take on the Big Apple. Watch BlowHipHopTV‘s footage of K. Dot performing ‘Hol’ Up’ to a sold out crowd above. Cop Section .80 on iTunes now (one of my favorite albums of the year).
Skrillex w/ Skream & Benga at Terminal 5 on Feb 04, 2012 (Presale on Dec 21st)
Skrillex will be performing at Terminal 5 on February 4th with Skream & Benga. This is not a concert you want to miss. The American Express Pre-Sale starts at 12PM Wednesday and the General Sale starts at 12PM on Thursday. Tickets will definitely sell out fast, so make sure to have your computers ready. Skrillex is just coming off of the release of his epic Dubstep remix to Avicii’s hit “Levels”. You can purchase that remix on iTunes here.
Buy Tickets from Ticketmaster HERE
Update: Skrillex just added two three more NY dates..
New YorkTuesday, January 31 @ Webster Hall (Skillex, AC Slater)Wednesday, February 1 @ Pacha (Skrillex, Zedd, Sazon Booya)Friday, February 3 @ Roseland Ballroom (Skrillex, Zane Lowe, Spank Rock, Special Guest TBA)
Swedish House Mafia Live @ Madison Square Garden ~Review, Footage, & Setlist
On December 16th, history was made. Swedish House Mafia took on The Garden in NYC and “turned MSG into a night club” as Steve Angello tweeted late Friday night. The Swedish DJs came up with the idea to perform at the legendary Madison Square Garden as a joke, but with the help of alcohol that night, one of the members ended up booking it in late summer (RollingStone).
Common Feat. John Legend- “The Believer” & NYC Show @ Highline Ballroom 12/19/11
Sorry for being late on this track, but I felt like it wasn’t a track that I could just skip. Common’s new album, The Dreamer, The Believer is shaping up to be a classic. I know it is way to early to make that conclusion, but he has delivered on every single thus far. “The Believer” features John Legend on the chorus and is produced by No ID.
Download: Common Feat. John Legend-”The Believer”
Also, Common just announced that he will be playing in New York City at the Highline Ballroom on Monday, December 19th. You can get tickets here for $35, make sure to cop them before it is too late. The show will definitely sell out. The Dreamer, The Believer out December 20th, 2011!
Mac Miller Live @ Best Buy Theater 12/2/11 Review and Footage
Photo taken by @iTweetRK
Last night Mac Miller was back in the big apple for his second NYC stop for the Blue Slide Park Tour. His show at the Best Buy Theater sold out months in advance and the hype around it was huge. The prices on StubHub alone proved how high the demand for this concert was, even though Mac was just in NYC back in September.
Hit “Read More” for the rest of the review, concert footage, and pictures.
