THE ZRO HOUR- In Studio w/LIN QUE & BEKAY

THE ZRO HOUR returns with a great show featuring special guests LIN QUE and BEKAY! We worked hard to get these two to come through THE ZRO HOUR and it resulted in two of the best interviews we have done. Many may remember Lin Que as "Isis" from the group X-Clan and from her solo work in the 90's. Lin returns to the scene with a tight new album, "GODspeed" and drops wisdom on her experience in the industry, her company and current projects. One of 2007's Rawkus 50, Bekay "The Lyrical Horror Flick" sits in for a hilarious interview and drops some vicious bars in the process. We have long supported Bekay on the show and it was a pleasure to let him rock. We play a few new joints from JEAN GRAE, TOUCH and NATO feat. WORDSWORTH, CEE-ROCK "THE FURY", TRIBECA, MONSTER (whoo-got an interview with him due next week!) & CYMARSHALL LAW and take it back with classics from the FAT BOYS and 3XDOPE! Enjoy the show..

THE ZRO HOUR In Studio w/LIN QUE and BEKAY (108MB)

PLAYLIST

JAILHOUSE RAP- Fat Boys
#8- Jean Grae
KILL DA KILLIN'- Cee-Rock "The Fury"
HELLO BROOKLYN- Jay-Z feat, Lil Wayne (Shuko & Gunna RMX)
THE WIRE FREESTYLE- Tribeca
LET IT FALL- Lin Que
GODspeed- Lin Que
LIN QUE INTERVIEW
LAST CALL- Lin Que
FUNKY DIVIDENDS- 3XDOPE
SOMETHIN' REAL- Touch and Nato feat. Wordsworth
WHAT IT TAKES- Cymarshall Law
DEAR EAST COAST- Monster
I'M THE REASON- Bekay
BEKAY INTERVIEW
ALPHABITCH- Bekay
I NEED SLEEP- Bekay

NEW SINGLES-Check the Exclusives, Early Heat & Flashback section

Talib Kweli-Hostile Gospel


CL Smooth (produced by Pete Rock)-Multi Barz of Fury


Torae feat. Skyzoo (produced by DJ Premier)-Click


Cee-Rock "The Fury"-Catchphrase


Hero-Mogadishu


Buckshot feat. 9thWonder-Go All Out

NEW MIXTAPES: BABY SHAM + 2 FROM DJ RHUDE

Flipmode Squad's BABY SHAM has dropped a new mixtape THE BEST OF BABY SHAM hosted by DJ SYLENT. Download HERE




XXL MAG's DJ RHUDE dropped Volume 8 and 9 of his BLOCK MUZIK series. You can download them here:

DJ Rhude - Block Muzik Vol. 8 hosted by David Banner
DJ Rhude - Block Muzik Vol. 9 hosted by MC Lyte

VIDEO: KARDINAL OFFISHALL "GRAVEYARD SHIFT"

Props to HeRBan LyRiX for posting this great overview of KARDINAL OFFISHALL's career. Above is the new video "Graveyard Shift" featuring Akon from his upcoming project on Akon's label Konvict Music.

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Although his actual birthday was last week on 1/15/08, we celebrate his legacy today. His work to overcome segregation, promote equality and unite all people still resonates in my heart. What would Dr. King say if he were alive to see the conditions that people of color still exist in? Some great, some worse. Its as if we have taken several steps back. What would he think of Hip Hop culture and the current music that represents it? Would there be less black on black crime? More respect for our women and elders? As a people, we have to struggle through corrupt governments, biased hiring practices, under representation and class based systems. Many of these ills will always remain but the way we relate to other can change. Dr. King pressed for the rights and freedoms of all people of color- Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Jews, Arabs and poor immigrants who are taken advantage of. Many forget that Italian, Polish and Irish immigrants were heavily discriminated against upon their arrival in this country. It is sad that some people within these cultures in turn discriminate against others. Keep hope alive as Jesse Jackson says but also enact change, increase your world view and take the reigns from the unjust. We Love YOU Dr. King!

***Thank you to DAVEY D for posting MLK's I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH set to a Ghostface track. Download HERE

THE ZRO HOUR- ROOTS OF HIP HOP: ELECTRO

THE ZRO HOUR is back with a salute the the Electro pioneers who helped shape the sound of Hip Hop. Kraftwerk laid the foundation for AFRIKA BAMBAATAA & THE SOULSONIC FORCE's PLANET ROCK which became the backbeat to many early and current Hip Hop classics. The blips, beeps and synth textures were surrounded by driving, pulsating rhythms from drum machines such as Roland's TR-808, TR-909, TB-303, TR-727 and Oberheim's DMX. MANTRONIK, one of the genre's genius producers, broke out with some of the hardest beats ever to lace Hip Hop. His work with the group MANTRONIX and JUST-ICE remains the blueprint for 808 beats. Of course we can't forget ART OF NOISE and their B-Boy classic BEAT BOX. The 80's were among the most experimental period for Hip Hop and artists from other genres such as MALCOLM MCLAREN and HERBIE HANCOCK fed off of these sounds and became a part of the movement. We cannot forget PAUL HARDCASTLE and his classics RAINFOREST and 19. Today if you look at the work of some of our greatest producers (LIL JON, TIMBALAND, THE NEPTUNES, KANYE WEST, will.i.am to name a few) you can hear crazy amounts of synth work and electronic drums. It is widely known that Kanye's song STRONGER utilized samples and influences from another great Electro band DAFT PUNK. Dance music and Hip Hop are cousins. Everything comes full circle. Enjoy the show!


THE ZRO HOUR- ROOTS OF HIP HOP: ELECTRO (85MB)

PLAYLIST

TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS- Kraftwerk
NUMBERS- Kraftwek
PLANET ROCK- Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force
PLAY AT YOUR OWN RISK- Planet Patrol
LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT BEAT- Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force
ONE FOR THE TREBLE- Davy DMX
ROCKIT- Herbie Hancock w/Grandmaster DST
BUFFALO GALS- Malcolm Mclaren & The World Famous Supreme Team
BEAT BOX- Art Of Noise
MOMENTS IN LOVE- Art Of Noise
RAINFOREST- Paul Hardcastle
19- Paul Hardcastle
M.A.R.R.S.- Pump Up The Volume
NEEDLE TO THE GROOVE- Mantronix
COLD GETTIN" DUMB- Mantronik feat. Just-ICE
DIN DAA DAA- George Kranz

Saving Hip Hop's First House

I found this great article and follow up to earlier posts (HERE & HERE) I did on the birthplace of Hip Hop, 1520 Sedgewick Avenue in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx. As reported by Tanyanika Samuels, the residents of 1520 Sedgewck are attempting to purchase the building to ensure its proper place in history as well as continuing to keep their rent affordable. Kool Herc along with Coke La Rock had a press conference with Senator Chuck Schumer calling on the "Will Smiths and Queen Latifahs" of the industry to help with securing this purchase. The tenants have raised 11 million out of the 14 million dollars needed to make the purchase. There is a website set up for this cause- www.save1520.org. Kool Herc has a point. There should be some type of help coming from some of the biggest bread winners in Hip Hop music. If we don't preserve our own history, who will? Read the article HERE

VIDEO: PACIFIC DIVISION "F.A.T. BOYS 08"

One of my favorite new groups out of Cali, PACIFIC DIVISION, drops a great new video to their new joint "F.A.T. BOYS 08". ENJOY!

MUSIC TECH: Ball Bearing Based Beat Machine

Found this on ENGADGET

"Ball Bearing Based Beat Machine"- What?? That's what I said to myself as I watched the above video and read the brief backgound of the device in the original article at the above link. BeatBearing is designed by Peter Bennett and is described as a simple user interface that uses ball bearings to program a sequencer. Check the video above for this device in action.

NEW SHOW: THE ZRO HOUR 01.08.08

A little late uploading this but enjoy:

STEP UP FRONT and center in 2008 as THE ZRO HOUR returns with classic heat from POSITIVE K, KOOL G RAP, LEADERS OF THE NEW SCHOOL and BOOGIE DOWN PRODUCTIONS. The one and only ICE CUBE is back with that dominating flow in his new track "GANGSTA RAP MADE ME DO IT". PLus heat from JOE BUDDEN's MOOD MUZIK 3, PACIFIC DIVISION, GHOSTFACE and RUDY. For those of you you haven't heard SKILLZ' WRAP UP 2007, we got that on the show and BEKAY weighs in with his YEAR IN REVIEW 2007 (giving credit to SKILLZ in the process). We also premiere a new track by DAYO- "BABY I'M GONE".

This month, we will have a few special guests coming on the show so check the site for updates..


THE ZRO HOUR 01.08.08 (73.5MB)

PLAYLIST

STEP UP FRONT- Positive K
GOOD COMBINATION- Positive K
2007 WRAP UP- Skillz
YEAR IN REVIEW 2007- Bekay
GANGSTA RAP MADE ME DO IT- Ice Cube
ACK LIKE YOU CHILLIN'- Pacific Division
REC-ROOM THERAPY- Ghostface feat. Raekwon & U God
5TH GEAR- Joe Budden
BABY I'M GONE- Dayo
MEN AT WORK- Kool G Rap
LIKE A THROTTLE- Boogie Down Production
INTERNATIONAL ZONE COASTER- Leaders of the New School
THE RANGE- Busta Rhymes, Rah Digga, Dilla
THE OTHER SIDE- Rudy
CUSTOM LOVE-Wildchild
NIGHT SHIFT- Positive K

Check Out BEKAY, JO JO PELLEGRINO, ETURNAL AND DIABOLIC @ SOUTHPAW 1/17/08

For more details click HERE

Where Has The Romance Gone?

It has occurred to me that all of the crooners have disappeared. For all of you young folks who may not know what a crooner is, a "Crooner" is a male singer who sings true love songs. Songs about being in love, making love, and the pain that comes out of being in love. Songs to have the ladies swoon (hands in the air, eyes closed, and often shaking her head back and forth, or screaming to the point of passing out) and tossing their undergarments in concerts. I personally haven't gone that far because underwear cost too much. Ok.... I have been known to throw them at my television and radio but I gather them up after the song or performance. Anyway.... I'm speaking about guys/groups like Keith Washington, Howard Hewett, Brian McKnight, Jesse Powell, Today/Big Bub, Christopher Williams, Freddy Jackson, Alexander Oneal, New Edition/Johnny Gill, TROOP, Keith Sweat, Silk, Glenn Jones, UNV, Donell Jones, and Joe (just to name a few). Those guys sing what I like to refer to as "Grown & Sexy" music. It's not all about being in the bedroom and under the sheets. They sang songs that reached beyond that. You could play most of their music in front of your parents and grandparents without trying to explain anything or being embarrassed. Sure there's Tank (man oh man is he hot) but most of his music is about getting caught cheating and sex (don't worry baby.... I aint mad at ya). R.Kelly has some great love songs in his collection of music but most of what he is known for is sex (and I aint mad at you either). Babyface was known for having the ladies swoon in the 90's but now lately most of his music (in my opinion) is what I refer to as "Razor Blade" music. Just depressing and so sad. Boyz II Men and Silk has tried to bring back the "Grown & Sexy" by remaking some of the true love songs from the past and introducing it to the audience of today. It's almost refreshing to me. Sure I like to hear the freaky stuff but I want to hear some of the sappy stuff too. Bring back the romance because it sure is missed!

-DREA

MC LYTE Forms New Group ALMOST SEPTEMBER + Behind The Scenes Video

2008 sees the return of MC LYTE in a new group called ALMOST SEPTEMBER. With a debut album due the first quarter of 2008, the trio includes producer/ writer/ vocalist Whitey and producer/ writer Jared Lee. There is a single, "Beautiful" leaked on their Myspace page and below is a behind the scenes video. More info to follow soon...



**UPDATE**

Thank you to Jared for dropping the bio off in my email so that I can hit you with a little more info about the group:

Arriving to quench the thirst of the true lovers of Hip-Hop is the new inviting trio pronounced ALMOST SEPTEMBER. Composed of veteran lyricist MC Lyte, producer/writer/vocalist Whitey and producer/writer Jared Lee, ALMOST SEPTEMBER is a fresh, new offering for music lovers across the globe. The name itself is a foretelling of what the trio can do. September is the ninth month and is nestled in the astrological sign of Virgo. Virgo is in constant search of perfection and although, the three of them know that no one and no thing is perfect; they are determined to come as close as they possibly can every time they step up to the mic. Their first single, "Beautiful", is a shining example.

With 10 albums, two Grammy's and a laundry list of other accomplishments to her credit MC Lyte is still making history. This time she decided to bring along two others to help revolutionize the industry she broke boundaries in. Whitey and Jared Lee may not be household names but their talent has touched millions. They have written and produced for the likes of Macy Gray, India.Arie, Tyrese, Usher, Floetry, Toni Braxton, JoJo, Nichole Scherzinger, Paula Deanda, Jon B, Steph Jones, Chingy and many more. Whitey has also won the coveted Grammy and Jared Lee has received several Grammy nominations. Both men love what they do and paint musical pictures within every song.

ALMOST SEPTEMBER united while working on an album for Macy Gray. Lyte describes their meeting as destiny. One night when Macy was unable to attend a scheduled session, Lyte heard a song Whitey and Jared were working on immediately began penning some lyrics. By the end of the night they had literally made beautiful music with the emergence of their first single “Beautiful.” The chemistry between them was so undeniable that they decided to keep it going and ALMOST SEPTEMBER was born. ALMOST SEPTEMBER is currently in the studio putting the finishing touches on their self-titled album, which is scheduled to drop during the first quarter of 2008. Together MC Lyte, Whitey and Jared Lee will make history and leave behind a legacy for all the true music lovers to appreciate and follow. ALMOST SEPTEMBER is the newest addition to the Family Tree roster that includes Outkast, Nas, Kelis and more lead by Blue Williams.

New York Times: The Shrinking Market Is Changing the Face of Hip-Hop

I overlooked this article in the December 30th edition of The New York Times. Times writer, Kelefah Sanneh, wrote a thorough piece observing the shift in Hip Hop music as well as noting some of the best, most slept on releases this past year. You can check the article Here. In the meantime, here is an excerpt:

"UNTIL a few weeks ago it seemed like one of the few happy stories to emerge from an otherwise difficult year in hip-hop. UGK, the Port Arthur, Tex., duo that influenced a generation of Southern rappers, returned after a five-year hiatus. They came back bearing a sublime single, “Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You).” And they came back bearing a great double album, “Underground Kingz” (Jive/Zomba), which made its debut atop Billboard’s album chart. hen, on Dec. 4, the news arrived: Pimp C — the duo’s flamboyant half, a slick drawler and an even slicker producer — had been found dead in his hotel room. His bereaved musical partner, Bun B, gave a handful of eloquent interviews, trying to explain what he had lost, what fans had lost.

“I appreciate the concern,” he told Vibe. “But I wouldn’t ask anyone to stop their life, because Pimp would’ve wanted us all to keep grinding.”

If you’re looking for a two-word motto for hip-hop in 2007, you could do worse than that: “Keep grinding.” This was the year when the gleaming hip-hop machine — the one that minted a long string of big-name stars, from Snoop Dogg to OutKast — finally broke down, leaving rappers no alternative but to work harder, and for fewer rewards. Newcomers arrived with big singles and bigger hopes, only to fall off the charts after selling a few hundred thousand copies, if that. Hip-pop hybrids dominated the radio, but rappers themselves seemed like underground figures, for the first time in nearly two decades.

Sales are down all over, but hip-hop has been hit particularly hard. Rap sales fell 21 percent from 2005 to 2006, and that trend seems to be continuing. It’s the inevitable aftermath, perhaps, of the genre’s vertiginous rise in the 1990s, during which a series of breakout stars — Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, the Notorious B.I.G. — figured out that they could sell millions without shaving off their rough edges. By 1997 the ubiquity of Puff Daddy helped cement hip-hop’s new image: the rapper as tycoon. Like all pop-music trends, like all economic booms, this one couldn’t last..."

FREE Jay-Z/Marvin Gaye Download - Mick Boogie presents: Brooklyn Soul - produced by Shuko and The Gunna

Props to FOUNDATION MEDIA for sending me this-

Keeping his string of hits going, Foundation Media's Shuko linked up with The Gunna and Mick Boogie for Brooklyn Soul - a Jay-Z remix album using only Marvin Gaye samples and elements. Perhaps the most talked about of all the recent Jay-Z remixes, this album takes a great album and makes it classic. To download the album go to www.jayandmarvin.com, where you can also check out the remix version of the "Blue Magic" Video. Download "Brooklyn Soul" now and spread the word!

Hailing from Mainz, Germany (near Frankfurt), Shuko is one of Europe's top hip hop producers. Shuko's production credits range from major label to indy and include work with Keith Murray, Jedi Mind Tricks, Saigon, Immortal Technique, Bubba Sparxxx and more. '08 is going to be an exciting year as there are many placements yet to be announced. To purchase Shuko beats, or for more information, contact Foundation Media at info@foundation-media.com.