MOVIES: Capoeira and Brazilian Mysticism Combine in Martial Art Film "BESOURO (BEETLE)"

Due to hit Brazilian screens in October 2009, "BESOURO", showcases the deadly, acrobatic martial art Capoeira in a way never seen before. Ailton Carmo plays the title character, Besouro (beetle), in an era that seems to be set during the time of slavery. Capoeira was a fighting style created by the African slaves in Brazil in the early 16th or 17th century. The art was developed and practiced under disguise of music and dance. The dancing movements involved flips, sweeps, high kicks and feints. The music of Capoeira is percussive with rhythmic chanting. The comparison to b-boy dance demonstrates the uncanny similarities of two disciplines, spiritually and culturally developed centuries apart. The trailer is sick and the fights look brutal. Although elements of the movie involve mysticism and supernatural themes, the screen fighting talent of Ailton Carmo could make him the "Tony Jaa" of Brazil.

BESOURO Film Blog (In Portuguese)

Thanks to TWITCH for the heads up..

EDIT***

Here is the trailer with English subtitles:

VIDEO: CYMARSHALL LAW- "R.I.P. Michael Jackson"

CYMARSHALL LAW drops a heartfelt tribute to the legend with whom he shares a birthday. He rocks over Madcon's instrumental of "Beggin'". Cymarshall Law states, "I started writing this yesterday a few minutes after the word became official I wasnt going to put it out it was for me , but I woke up and listened to what I had made yesterday and felt I should share it with the world because there are so many people who can relate , Me and Michael had the same birthday so I always felt I could be great like him too he was a big inspiration on my life. So I made this song I was full of emotion and my pen was pretty much moving without me doing any thinking".

Download HERE

Beloved Superstar Michael Jackson Dies At 50

The Greatest Entertainer in the World has died due to cardiac arrest early this evening. Michael, we will always love and remember your musical legacy. 50 years old is too young and his life was taken too suddenly. There are not many words to add. It is almost difficult to comprehend the loss of someone of his stature and cultural influence..


For now, I am going to pump Rhymefest's tribute to Michael Jackson- Man In The Mirror:



And enjoy the brilliance of his performance:

VIDEO: THE ZRO HOUR: Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival 2009

THE ZRO HOUR: Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival 2009 from EDAYE on Vimeo.

THE ZRO HOUR was in the house for the 5th annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival presented by brooklynbodega.com. Although it rained off and on throughout the day, the turnout was great. Many lucky attendees received free copies of the limited edition CD, THE ZRO HOUR: RESPECT THE ARCHITECTS VOL.1. Our favorite rapper that wears a skirt, ETERNIA, stopped by our table to shout us out.

DUBELYOO's Piece for THE ZRO HOUR Promo CD Wins 2nd Place in Painting Challenge

JerrysArtarama.com presented a SOHO brand Painting Challenge in which our CD cover artist, DUBELYOO came in second place. Dubelyoo of Atlanta, GA utilized the SOHO brand of paint for the first time in creating this piece. Congrats Dub! Making us look real good...

Did Michael Bay Cross the Line with Racist Portrayals of Robots in TRANSFORMERS Sequel?

Today, director Michael Bay releases his anticipated sequel to "TRANSFORMERS", "TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN". Like many fans of the first film, I am anxiously looking forward to seeing a ramped up sequel to one of the most incredible effects heavy films of our time. Being a film buff and someone who reads early reviews to gage excitement, I came across this review of the new Transformers film and was deeply disturbed by the description of the new characters above, Skids and Mudflap. Apparently these two robots are the "urban" element in the film. Massawyrm, author of the article at the link above (aintitcool.com), says "They speak in clichéd urban slang, tossing around phrases like “I’m gonna pop a cap in your ass” while fist bumping and mumbling unintelligently in a voice that sounds like a bad Chappelle Show sketch. Then you get a close up. And they each have bug eyes and a gold tooth. Then there’s this jackass comment about them not being able to read." I searched around for other reviews and many of these same themes are expressed. COMPLEX Magazine's online blog had this great article along with a video clip of Skids and Mudflap expressing their lack of literacy. In another review at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, it is noted that the robots "are shockingly crass and unfortunate black stereotypes, jive-talking fools who can't read and bumble their way from one mishap to the next. They are Jar Jar Binks in car form." I will likely see the film for myself but this does not sound very positive or necessary. If true as many reviews reveal it to be, the question that comes to mind is how could executive producer Steven Spielberg (DreamWorks) and film distributor, Paramount, co-sign this type of buffoonery?

FLICKS: THE ZRO HOUR Reps Hard at The 5th Annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival

Last weekend's 5th annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, presented by brooklynbodega.com, was our first time doing promotion at an event like this. We had been doing a lot of networking behind the scenes and through online venues. I booked a booth and used the festival to serve as the launch of our free promo CD, THE ZRO HOUR: RESPECT THE ARCHITECTS VOL.1. A limited run of CDs were pressed and they will be distributed through the summer at various events. For those that may not obtain a copy, there is a download link at the top of the page.

It rained steadily off and on throughout the whole day but that did not stop several hundred hip hop heads from showing up and enjoying the sounds of Marco Polo & Torae, DJ Premier, Styles P, Pharoahe Monch, Smif -N- Wesssun and many upcoming acts including the Brown Bag All-Stars. A couple of hundred people stopped by the booth and 300 CDs were given away in total. Most people were blown away by Dubelyoo's artwork and excited to hear more about THE ZRO HOUR. Eternia, DJ JS-1 and Randy Mason stopped by during the day to show support.


EDAYE & ALEXIE F.



DJ JS-1 & EDAYE


EDAYE, ALEXIE & DREA


DREA & ETERNIA


ETERNIA, ALEXIE & EDAYE



SHEEK LOUCH (The L.O.X./D-BLOCK) & EDAYE





BETH THE SUPERFAN & EDAYE

VIDEO: GRAND PUBA Speaks on His Fourth Solo Album "RETRO-ACTIVE"

VIDEO: GRAND PUBA Speaks on His Fourth Solo Album "RETRO-ACTIVE" from EDAYE on Vimeo.

I was able to speak with Grand Puba for a few minutes during his listening session at Frank's Chop Shop in NYC for his new album "RETRO-ACTIVE". We build on his early contributions and his reasons for wanting to drop new music again after several years away from the scene. Puba's album, "RETRO-ACTIVE" is out today, June 23rd, on Frank Radio/Babygrande records. It features appearances by Sadat X, Rell. Lord Jamar, Kid Capri, Q-Tip, Talee, Sarah Martinez, Khadija Mohammed, Big Phil and Tiffani Davis. Production is largely handled by PHD & Grand Puba with tracks by Large Professor and Q-Tip respectively. Grand Puba laces the CD with his tested formula- party tracks, punch lines & wisdom. Stand out tracks include the first single, "This Joint Right Here" w/Kid Capri, "How Long?", "It Is What It Is" and "I See Dead People" w/Rell & Lord Jamar.

VIDEO: "LIVE in BROOKLYN" Eternia & MoSS - Road to Release: Episode #3 Feat. PHAROAHE MONCH

VIDEO: WU-TANG's U-GOD Speaks On His New Album "DOPIUM"

THE ZRO HOUR: Interview with WU-TANG's U-GOD from EDAYE on Vimeo.

I caught up with Wu-Tang's U-GOD and spoke with him about his solo career and his new album "DOPIUM", dropping June 23rd on Frank Radio/Babygrande Records. "DOPIUM" features appearances by Ghostface, Cappadonna, Gza, Raekwon, Method Man, Large Professor, Killah Priest, Jim Jones, Scotty Wotty, Sheek Louch and Mike Ladd. U-God sounds refreshed and ready for the current musical sound scape. Many will be surprised by the production choices and diverse sounds on "DOPIUM" as it appears that U-God is on a mission to widen his audience.