In memory of Flint’s Finest, MC Breed, who passed away Saturday …

R.I.P. Breed.

All-star cast of characters showing out on stage at the G.O.O.D. Music after party in London. Nas performing “Halftime”? Yes, I’ll take more of that, please. Thnx. (I could have done without Will.I.Am tho) …

Shout out to future-contributer Dat Boy Dirty Red for passing on the link.

I’m really late on this, but I just stumbled upon this dude’s videos. Lil’ Doogie is a young puppet from Marrero, Lousiana (outside of New Orleans) who’s a regular-ass dude and, like everybody else, is an aspiring rapper. His videos range from the day in the life of Doogie chillin with his homies, to footage of his live performances and freestyle sessions. His EP My Mind is available for download and features beats by Chippy, a chipmunk producer.

Lil’ Doogie gives some shouts & wishes a Happy Thanksjibbin

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yerns from lil Doogie on Vimeo.

Wow, this was one of my favorite cuts back in ’99. A certified backpacklassic.

BONUS: Speaking of which… Just because you got Self Scientific & Scientifik (R.I.P.) confused, I present the illest ever outta beantown (Sorry Guru).

Danny Boyle is a living legend and quite possibly the most versatile director in Hollywood. The movie shares similar visual style to some that are present in Fernando Meirelles’ movies and in Rodrigo Prieto’s work. Slumdog Millionaire is gritty, heartbreaking, depressing and beautiful all at once. Make it a point to see this movie before it leaves theatres.

Bonus: Freida Pinto is the single most gorgeous thing on this planet. Deal!

Not new, but new to me. Digging this on the throwback vibe. Teriyaki Boyz with Kanye West. No auto-tune.

The performance kicks in at about the three-minute mark.

Shout out to the dude Masa for passing on the link.

Houston, my hometown, has gotten a lot of long overdue press over the years for it’s deeply talented rap scene. Most of that publicity has reached only a few aspects of Houston’s diverse sound. Now, our good friends Damien (D.) of the Legendary K.O. aka the K-Otix and FWMJ and his Rappers I Know juggernaut blog are putting some needed shine back on my city. Here’s what D. has to say:

There’s a movement going on at the bottom of the map. If you haven’t paid attention, then you’ve been missing a modern renaissance taking place in Houston, Texas. If you take a look back over the last few years, most of us have been involved in or connected to some of the most inspiring, influential creations to come across your iPods and computer screens.

Remember these names: Kay, The ARE, K-OTIX, Chris “Daddy” Dave, D. Rose, The Foundation, J “8 Months” Lewis, Neon Collars, H.I.S.D., The Niyat, DJ Cozmos, and Flow Factory. …

Peep the video below, with a cameo on the hook by none other than Devin the Dude. Houston, Stand Up!

Rappers I Know “New Flava” Video from FWMJ on Vimeo.

Six years. Damn. Our good friend Pushermat, founder of Houston’s legendary Damage Control radio show and an inspiration to me for many years, reminded me with a tweet earlier today that it’s been six years since Hip-Hop legend and pioneering DJ Jam Master Jay was killed. In remembering that sad day, Matt linked to an article he wrote shortly after Jay’s death:

Jay was an artist, a family man and an inspiration. We can’t be so naive as to believe that only sick thugs kill or get killed. But I would like to think that such a shining star in what can be such a dark business would have been exempt from the bullshit of this culture that sometimes seems as rife with murder and mayhem as it is with creativity and spirit.

Jam Master Jay left behind a wife, three children and a billion rap fanatics like myself who can only say goddamn, that DJ made my day.

It’s already past midnight here in NY, so this is officially one day after the anniversary of Jay’s death. But the remembering never stops. Y’all should peep the rest of what Matt had to say, and put a little Run DMC in your rotation in memory of a legend who touched the lives of so many people.

I had a few words about it back then as well:

I went up to KPFT last night to hang out with Matt Sonzala and Zin and to see what people were saying about Jam Master Jay. He was murdered in Queens last night while working in his studio. Some unidentified guy came in and shot him in the head, shot another man in the leg, and then disappeared. Motive is yet unknown.

I actually got a call shortly after it happened from Brent, who was at a show in New York when he heard the news. Unbelievable. Jam Master Jay was a pioneer. An inspiration for many of us who are fond of playing with records. It’s so bizarre. Dude was a family man. Had a wife, three kids. Ran a studio in his community where he would often let neighborhood emcees come in and record for free. If you’ve ever seen how much studio folks charge for studio time in the music world, you know that’s showing some real love. And that’s from Jam Master Jay, one third of Run DMC, the crew responsible for making Hip-Hop global. So you know his shit was hooked up real nice. I got homeboys that have apartment studios where they record vocals in a dirty bathroom and run sound through their living room. Most of them dudes won’t even let their best friends record for free on shit equipment.

Never met JMJ. But you always heard good things about him. I always regretted never seeing Run DMC live. Their shows are the stuff of legends.

I did talk to Darryl McDaniels, aka the DMC in Run DMC, a few years ago for an article I was writing for the Texan. The story was supposed to be about the group, but much of the conversation was about Jam Master Jay, and how their music, and that of the entire culture of Hip-Hop is centered around the DJ. He referred to Jay as the foundation. How true.

KPFT was an interesting mix as usual. There must have been 20 people up there for the Damage Control show. It’s one of the things I love about this city. You just can’t get that kind of mix of culture and talent in too many places around the state. Not like they do it here.

Everybody was talking about Jay. Hood folks and suburban folks. Self-proclaimed gangsters and thugs and squirmy backpackers. Dude affected the whole lot of them. It’s just ill thinking about how much influence Jam Master Jay had. Ill.

Jay, we miss you, man, and we’ll never forget. In parting, here’s one of my all-time favs, Jay laying down the law on that Big Beat:

And of course, the turntables might wobble but they don’t fall down!

New shit from SF’s J-Boogie featuring Lunar Heights. Throwback jammy jam called “Inferno” off J-Boog’s new Soul Vibrations album:

Ninjasonik, I like you. You make me laugh.