Some of you might recall the legendary nights... They've all been amazing! We rekindle our love w/ these stellar nights this weekend w/ DJ Spinna once more:
NY's own DJ SPINNA plays it all night long, like he's done so wonder-fully in the past. This time, in the surroundings of the GREAT HALL, let the day's sunshine guide you to a enchanting night of delight, euphoric dance and dizzying enjoyment. Wear your soft shoes!
SOUL SLAM featuring DJ SPINNA Saturday June 19th 2010 @ The Great Hall - 1087 Queen St west (@ Dovercourt) Tickets Are $20 and are avail here online. Doors @ 10p.
I've talked about it time and time again. I can't stand it here. There's too much ground to cover. I don't have enough time to do all of this. And that's just me chatting about all the pretty women here. ;) Shouts to Phar-REAL, Com and Rose Royce (I see you!)
But seriously Toronto. You spoil me.
This past Monday, we just had Common/N.E.R.D. come thru for a show. Shouts to my girl Sinah! Miss you (wo)man. ;)
But we're getting on bombardment of performances in the next 4 weeks. Which you ask??
This will be one big party. Look for AA chicks running around in neon tights, and me hanging in the cut with the cute ones. Lidell?? That will be the sh*t. say wrd.
Saturday and Sunday Oct 11-12: Digable Planets.
A reunion tour? All good. Well... Just show me where Lady-Bug is staying, ya ddig? With 2 'Ds' for a double dose of that xxxxxxx. Holla if you know how that phrase ends.
Oh... and I have no flyer for this one, and I'm still unsure if I'll be going, but your man Maxwell is here. Oct 12th - long weekend Sunday.
Opener, Jazmine Sullivan?? Hmmmm..... I in fact have tckts already but was MAYBE going to move them. Might go now that I see the opener. Oh yeah... it's my bday weekend. Shhhhhh.
I love a wide stage and a packed house. Good Look to my man Jon Jon who got me some seats so close to the stage that I could see the clasp on the backup singer's Maidenform T-back bra, thru were loosely tied blouse.
Anyhow, your man had a blast. Good show, great company and great ppl - MI GENTES! Shouts to J. Ramos again for the seats. the soft seater was not that bad after all. Good Look to Ayana for the shots - shudda brought my digi! All love. They came out nice same way. Say wrd.
Click for larger view.
Shouts to Zaki who I had not seen perform yet, but her release party is next week, so I'll chat about she later.
"Serious as your life is, and you can find these bizalls where eva your wife is...."
I have said it many times over and over again: Toronto get's spoiled. We've had a monstrous start of 08 with all the shows and all the nights. It's getting better all the time, and I know this summer will be even more bananas. In any case, next in line:
The Long awaited Guilty Simpson Release Party. Even better, special guest will be none other than World Famous DJ HOUSE SHOES - one of the Detroit Disco Dynamite key holders. Prolly the most official. This event will be like none other in Toronto. It'll be House Shoes' 1st time in the famed Megacity and he's been wanting to come up for quite a whilst now. Almost did it a whilst back, but the starts weren't aligned. I chatted about HS a whilst back after his famed HVW8 podcast. That one reverberated around the globe a few times, Ty G will tell you all about that one.
Anyhow, Guilty's record drops March 25th 2008 off Stones Throw. Make certain you cop that one. It's been too long in the making, and the time has arrived.
We'll be celebrating Sunday night March 23rd w/ House Shoes in Toronto. Long weekend Sunday. Could it get any better?? I think not. Here are the very Official Deets:
Stones Throw Records Presents....
Guilty Simpson - Ode To The Ghetto The Official Toronto Release Party Sunday March 23rd (Easter Long Weekend) @ The Drake Hotel - 1150 Queen St. W) Official FaceBook deets are here.
No doubt. We do. There are certain events and conversations that i will never ever forget. ♥ The original Slum Village lineup performing @ Comfort Zone. ♥ Dilla showing up in a limo @ the Opera House right before the SV set, with and MPC under each arm. ♥ Dave1, former (?) senior music writer @ Vice magazine and now co-head of famed Chromeo inexplicably watching women lose it whilst ?uestlove played some SV during his 1st Toronto DJ Set. ♥ Dilla showing up minutes before his set @ the now defunct Roxy Blu, and cutting thru the crowd amidst the jubilation.
yyz got it - yep. Toronto does Love Jay, in case you knew not. Say Wrd.
Tonight: TO Love Jay. Click here for FB group & deets. Shout outs to BLK BTLZ. (you looking for the ni**az, yea we be dem...)
Have fun folks. Again, I'll reach in spirit but duty calls. Shouts to Merv and Cairo. Good look on the adv tee.
So whilst TO shows you the deal, this SV rmx will show the mandem how I feel.
"So much coke, that you could run the slalom" - Jigga Man.
Enough of that white stuff to make both Tony Montana and Alberto Tomba aka Tomba La Bomba hella proud. Yo, we got dumped on - straight up. In fact, I was almost stranded in NYC this past week. Anyhow, I have no contretemps or quarrel with Mother Nature or her snow. I actually think it's fun to get to play in these frozen flakes, as you will soon see. Just hate the fact that I have no winter tires and must remain nearly quarantined and leave my car parked. Sucks. And all of this has happened still days before the very 1st day of winter - which is 4 days from now I believe. In anycase, I'm in all likelihood going riding this week. Not been in almost... 6 years?? Ha. This will be a blast! How fun was it to pull out some old DUB brand pants (what happened to them anyhow?? I just know they were bought out), and I got to wear my Analog Audex jkt. Still love it.
Man. That was kinda fun. Tobogganing must be next. Gunna! Where you @?? I'm all in. I'll leave the broom behind still.
This will be the start of a busy week. I should be concluding things up @ work which I am desperately looking fwd to despite the fact that it's been fun of late. Seriously. It's that time of year where I take long road trips w/ some good uninterrupted music. It promotes clarity. Ha. But the week's end (and I say this as the week as yet to even start) brings a litany of lavish nights, starting with one of my most anticipated:
My man King Britt is in town to bring us some of that sulty, soft red glow, sweet susurrus, Hotel Victor bizness. Toronto chapter of IML checking in King. I'll be in my best accoutrements, and my worst comportment. Ladies, your Fave Ex BF™ will be there to take your mind off worthless worries and share splendid spirits (double entendre).
Whilst I was Barcelona bound via London this summer, King hits me like "Dude, I'm in Paris for a gig. Come thru. I got you." ARGH! I tried to make the dots connect. No dice. 2wo weeks ago, whilst LA bound and stranded in Philly, I again hit up the Pharoah of Philadelphia himself, and he then tells me that he's having a birthday party the monday night. Again, I was a hair away from confirming plans, but work was hollering with a cut throat deadline. Man. No luck. But it's all love. Good look King. Let's break bread when you're here. Looking fwd to it.
I wish I could get out of this rut I'm in. No really it's just been in an exceptionally busy 3-4 months. But I think that I'm finally over it. I will say that mymanhenri.com is still in beta form. I plan to do lots to it over December and get ready for what will be a busy new year. That's almost certain.
In the mean time, the next few weeks will be hella busy. Trying to stay up after that super hectic sched that was RBMA - I feel like I still have trace amounts of it in my blood, which is likely why I have some nights in. Oh yea.. it's cold out now as well. Anyhow, most know that I did LAX a few weeks past. So I hit the Stones Throw launch of the 2K Bounce tour. Went for a few reasons, meetings and greetings, but mostly to see the lineup as it was meant to be: PBW, Madlib, J-Rocc, Percee P, Guilty Simpson, Aloe Blacc, K. Riggins and Supreme Team etc...
As you might know, Dec 1 is the Toronto tour stop for this show (Shouts to Nasty Nav). This show is still a must by all means. J-Rocc and Madlib. Period. Anyhow, here are some clips from the LA gig.
Ahhh... That quixotic Madlib. Here he is doing the robot. This was so classic.
MED with that live sh*t.
If you're a fan of the music, make sure you make it out. Rumors have been flying about some of the merch including some tour exclusives, like Perseverance instrumentals. Count me in dude.
More schools, Less prisons More freestyle, Less written More serious shit, Less kiddin More history, Less mystery More Beyonce, Less Britney!
More or Less - Talib Kweli
Fa sho Kweli!
SO Kweli is back in Toronto on Thursday Aug 30th 2007 @ the Phoenix. I think the last time he came to Toronto, he was scheduled to shoot his video for More Or Less. He also wanted to rawk a small show on a last second's notice. So the good ppl @ REMG whipped one up real good @ the Reverb, and it resulted in a Sept 2006 show that was phenomenal. Peep the footage below (again, shot with the Nokia N90).
This is gonna be a hot.
Kweli got a deep catalog now, and he's got some certified bangers - even though there are some that I never hear any longer (like 2000 seasons--> love that joint!). Looking fwd to this show, in fact I am trying to make it back in time from Sin City to make it (as well as get some real work done).
Do yourself a solid, and make it out to this show. You'll get to see how some emcees really put it down.
More Dilla Dawg, less wack sh*t, More Jack Davey, less fake chicks, More multi cultural, less segregation, More broken beat, more inspiration. More hair picks, less colored contacts, More indie labels, less funny contracts More partying, less lineups, More originals, less mash-ups More Madlib, more Liberation EP More James Brown, Less Elvis Presley More Spike Lee, less minstrel shows More College Radio, less FLOW.
Freestyle - My Man Henri.
I'll never be able to write rhymes, let alone rap. My career's a wrap though. This took me like, all day to script - and it's still not tight. LOL.
Anyhow, I thougth that you should @ least get a sight & sound of the original work of art that is the "More or Less" vid by Hi-Tek and Kweli. As I mentioned, shot in Toronto. Styled by GetJanet, and features some TBG (aka Too Black Guys), rawked by none other than Talib himself. Say wrd.
pls look @ this post as more of a kind of mea cupla, displiceo. Earlier this year, anyone who asked or cared to listen would have heard me tell them how I was looking fwd to leaving town as I thought I couldn't handle the associated commotion of Toronto's and the West Indies' pride and joy: Caribana 2007. I just thought I had seen enough, heard enough, jumped enough and ate enough. I could not be any more further from the truth.
Already, I am a fan of Sound & Color, and you had it all. So how could I not be around for this? Already, I'm more impassioned w/ the sun than Icarus himself. The sun was @ it's shiniest, the sky was clearer than the beaches in the most celebrated West Indians beaches, the JBLs and Cerwin Vegas were booming and the colors were bold.
I 1nce again speak of my ppl w/ more pride than Common's new single. ;) I had such a blast. Hope you did to. Enjoy some of these photos and videos.
I'll see you next year dear. ;) I got that spare room for you. Can't wait.
Hizzla.
How could we have Bana w/o a little slackness?
Ok. Just trying some new photo interface. Enjoy the pix.
Well, almost 9months to the day I've been trying to make this happen, it's here.
I wanna thank JD and all the ppl @ Red Bull for having that listening ear. It's going to be a great show! $ayer in the building!
RedBull Muic Academy is proud to present:
BLACK MILK w/ special guest TBA
Wednesday, July 25th @ Revival 783 College St Doors @ 10pm, show @ 11pm.
$10 Adv tix available @:
Play De Record (357A Yonge Street, Toronto) Rotate This (620 Queen Street West, Toronto,) Slinky Music (442 Queen Street West, Toronto) Ticketweb.ca (search for Black Milk)
I had not (thankfully) been to Tonic since the infamous exercise in grandstanding aka that BBL show. Wow, What a distant memory - and I would submit myself to shock treatment to forget it too. In any case, The Clipse were in town to essentially remind us how to VA ni**az cook that contraband. The main direction is to apparently stir vigorously. And stir they did. Fearing that they would show up with a Major Label attitude, i went expecting the worse. But they rawked the show with this indie artists zeal and hunger that I certainly did not expect - esp in light of having guys like the 'Tunes in their corner. The Neptunes?? Pshhhhh. But man, by the end Pusha-T an Malice were perspiring like they would have been after cooking that good batch - working the mic like it were a spatula over the stove. Crack cooking co-hort, high caliber carrying Ab-Liva was also in the cut, and kicked some verses over R-E-U-P G-A-N-G classics. In any event, pix and videos are avail below. Man, Shouts to Q who always knew. Say wrd.
Size med, thinn finns, 1nce constantly bespectacled but now more off than on. Now on 1st name basis with foreign immigration. Window seats if I have my say. Amaretto sour when I play the back, banana jacks when I spark the night, Jager bombs when I'm calling the shots - let's do it right. Family all day long.
