THE ZRO HOUR- The Return Of POINT DOT PERIOD

I know its been a while but we are back with a great show featuring some knockin' joints and the return of some of our most requested guests- ZEPS, MIKE SWIFT & J-HON. from POINT DOT PERIOD. This time they rolled through with DAMA NILZ, the female emcee in the crew. The crew laced us with ill freestyles, verses and high energy as usual. I was supposed to up this show last week but got caught up in outside biz so apologies to all...






The music on the show this week is fire as well. I set it off with a classic from RAMPAGE of Flipmode Squad and follow through with joints from DANGER ZONE (emcee Bru Lei & producer Amos Famous), BASH BROS., DA KREEK, PACIFIC DIVISION, KRS One, BLACK MOON and TALIB KWELI. Cop this now!

THE ZRO HOUR- The Return Of Point Dot Period

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PLAYLIST

BEWARE OF THE RAMPSACK-Rampage
WRITER'S BLOCK-Danger Zone
ROCK THE SPOT-Bash Bros. feat. Big Pooh, Sean Price & DJ Icewater
NASTY-Pacific Division
REAL RECOGNIZE REAL-Talib Kweli feat. Styles P
BUCK EM DOWN-Black Moon
LEAVE ME ALONE-Da Kreek feat. Aarophat
THE RETURN OF POINT DOT PERIOD feat. Mike Swift, J-Hon, Zeps & Dama Nilz
THE PROMO '08-Zeps
OVER 30 (RMX)-KRS One
VIDEO GAMES-Danger Zone
YOU-Zeps

VIDEO: Hood Certified Presents BEKAY

Hood Certified dropped a video featuring our boy BEKAY in the grimiest light. We get a view inside the crib of this flawless Brooklyn emcee. This aint no MTV Cribs jumpoff. Its the realness amplified by the fact that black or white, we are all caught up in the struggle to survive. Much respect to Bekay- give this man a deal!



Above is a video from his page on WOOZYFLY.COM featuring Bekay spitting "Deadly Potency" (off of his Horror Flick LP) in studio. Shout out to DJ Dutchmaster on the 1s and 2s..

MIXTAPES: Kid Novice- NOVEMBER ICE & SHYNE REGARDLESS

Our peeps KID NOVICE dropped two hot mixtapes this month. NOVEMBER ICE is a 25 track release featuring Postaboy, L.E.Z., Heat, Juno and Elus. SHYNE REGARDLESS: Only Came Too Eat Vol. 1 comes straight out of the DipSet camp. The 25 track release was created by DJ Moe Sticky and features Kid Novice on 3 tracks. Other artists include 5 Starr, Major Problemz, Canz, Priceless and Intense. Check out Kid Novice's blog for the track lists and where to cop 'em.

Slick Rick Granted Full Pardon By NY Governor David Paterson

After many years of fighting possible deportation by U.S. immigration, pioneering rapper Ricky "Slick Rick" Walters has been granted a pardon by NY's first black governor, David Paterson. Slick Rick served 5 years in prison after being convicted of attempted murder following a highly publicized incident in 1991 involving his cousin and another man. He completed his sentence and probation while continuing to rehabilitate his life and returning to performing. In 2002, he was arrested on an old immigration and naturalization warrant from 1997. He remained in jail for 17 more months as many inside and outside the industry (Rev. Jesse Jackson, Will Smith, Russell Simmons and Chris Rock to name a few) spoke on his behalf. After paying his dues to society, Rick was in danger of returning to his country of origin, England. Due to his work with children and positive lifestyle over the last 10 years, Governor Paterson granted Rick the pardon. This was his first pardon since taking office after the resignation of disgraced former governor Eliot Spitzer. I think its great that the very first pardon was someone who truly deserved it and who holds a legacy like Slick Rick. You can read more of the article from the AP HERE

ZEPS & Mavric Present WILLIAMSBURGER w/CHEESE

If you are in Brooklyn tomorrow night, check out our peeps Zeps, Point Dot Period and Bekay at the Galapagos Art Space. They will be performing along with Wee Bee Foolish, Poo Face & Rutherford, Tha Freak Show and Lex & Tae One of N.Y.R.E. and others. Don't miss that true hip hop!

VIDEO: Buckshot & 9th Wonder feat. Talib Kweli- HOLD IT DOWN

VIDEO: Invincible's Album Release Party @ Southpaw

Earlier in the month, I rolled thru INVINCIBLE's album release party for her project titled "ShapeShifters". It was hosted by Eternia and Queen Herawin. The ladies ran the house that night and it was a great show all around. The Anomolies (Invincible's original crew) represented thoroughly and we were treated to all elements of hip hop featuring the female side of the equation. Props to all..

ANOMOLIES @ Invincible's Album Release Party


ETERNIA w/CHESNEY SNOW & QUEEN HERAWIN @ Invincible's Album Release Party


INVINCIBLE @ Release Party for "SHAPESHIFTERS"

MUSIC TECH: Nintendo DS Scratching Video Game

The culture of handheld gaming is at an all time high and many have designed and created "homebrew" games across multiple platforms. "Homebrew" games are created by fans and independents who use developer kits and other software hacks. The video above demonstrates one of the illest applications available- Protein DScratch. With this game, you can manipulate waveforms and create stutter (note repeat) effects and virtual scratching using just your fingers and the control buttons. Thanks to TUAW for the heads up to the original article posted on createdigitalmusic.com. Check out the developer's site HERE

Remy Ma Sentenced to 8 Years

From Tracey Ford at theboombox.com:

Remy Ma was sentenced to eight years in prison for shooting her longtime friend Makeda Barnes-Joseph in the stomach for allegedly lifting $3,000 from her purse. The 26-year-old rapper was found guilty of first-degree assault, criminal weapons charges and attempted coercion on March 27.
READ MORE HERE

Roc Raida's GONG DJ BATTLE 2008- NYC Heat

If you are in the NYC area tomorrow night and feeling like seeing some of the top scratch DJs battle for supremacy, roll through the Knitting Factory and witness Roc Raida's 2008 Gong DJ Battle. Established in 2006, Roc Raida's Gong DJ Battle is an intense competition that promises to showcase the most innovative talent. Hosted by Lord Finesse and Lord Sear, along with a set by the one and only Joell Ortiz, this is one not to miss..

Official Site for GONG DJ Battle

THE ZRO HOUR Podcast Update

We have been getting a lot of requests for the next show and as a few of you know we were planning to drop a special 4th anniversary edition of THE ZRO HOUR. We are still working on getting some elements and guests in place for that and I PROMISE it will be worth the wait. We will drop a new show or two as a set up for the anniversary within two weeks and bring you the big one early to mid June. Alexie F. and I appreciate all the support and visitors past and present. We are inspired by the talent that we present and will always deliver well crafted, engaging entertainment. Stay tuned...

Video Music Box 25th Anniversary Concert

Many of you outside of the tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT) know of Ralph McDaniels and Video Music Box. In New York, "Uncle" Ralph is one of the most revered figures in hip hop. Video Music Box, originally hosted by Ralph and Lionel C. Martin ("The Vid Kid"), was a pioneering hip hop/R&B video show waaaay before Yo! MTV Raps. It was the only outlet that featured music videos from local and independent hip hop artists as well as those who could not get placement on the major video shows such as Friday Night Video (NBC), Hot Traxx (ABC) and MTV network. Ralph and Lionel established Classic Concepts, a video production company that produced some of the earliest videos for some of the biggest stars in hip hop and R&B from the mid 80's through the 90's. Lionel C. Martin was the Hype Williams of his time. The show is regarded dearly due to the classic moments of hip hop pioneers and sincere artist interviews. Uncle Ralph used to (and still does) bring the camera to the clubs and show you all the party goers in their sweat induced glory. We all looked forward to hearing the screaming shout outs and dissected the scenes to see if we recognized anyone in the crowd. Video Music Box was must see TV and the streets were quiet when it was on. I have some history with VMB also. I appeared in a PSA one summer with a crew called Fresh Productions. We did a song called "Stop Cracking It Up" (EDAYE on the beatbox) and it ran for several months in 1986. Everybody in my hood gave props was expecting us to get a record deal. Needless to say, I enjoyed the attention. What was more important to me was the idea that I had a chance to be a part of one of the most influential and inspiring outlets in hip hop...



This summer, July 18 2008, Central Park's Summerstage concert series presents a FREE 25th anniversary concert celebrating Video Music Box and Ralph McDaniels. You can expect a who's who of hip hop to appear on the bill. I will be there and will post pics and footage of this important event in hip hop history..

Check the Summerstage link HERE

Happy Belated Birthday Godfather!

This past Saturday, May 3rd, was the birthday of the one and only Godfather Of Soul- James Brown. Its been two years since his passing and James Brown still continues to resonate in our hearts. Keep 'em grooving in heaven...

Eternia Hosts Release Party For Invincible @ Southpaw May 8th

5th Element and Emergence presents a showcase/album release party for Detroit emcee INVINCIBLE. Invincible, a member of the Anomolies (an all female collective) is celebrating the release of her album SHAPE SHIFTERS. The showcase will be held at SOUTHPAW in Brooklyn, New York and will feature performances from Anomolies, Wajeed, Wordsworth, Abeer, Indeed, Tiombe Lockhart and Jocelyn De Leon. There will be several DJs (Laylo, Chela & Flavorful) and dance crews in the house (Fox Force Five, MAWU, The Ingines and Rokafella + Full Circle. This dope female showcase will be hosted by Eternia and Herawin. THE ZRO HOUR will be in the house that night to report and cop some visuals..

MOVIES: The Latin Dragon- KILTRO and MIRAGEMAN star Marko Zaror

pictured above: MARKO ZAROR & EDAYE

Okay, I have to confess something. I am a NERD! A big one at that. But its cool because I am a nerd for all things martial arts, fantasy, comics, animation and of course HIP HOP! Now that you know this, I can openly admit that I spent this past weekend at the New York Comic-Con. It was my second year attending and I geeked out over all the artists, action figures, video games and movie buzz flowing through the Jacob Javitz Convention Center. As I trolled the isles scanning any and everything, I came across the booth for Magnolia Pictures. Many may not be familiar with this distribution company but I knew them as the one responsible for bringing Tony Jaa and his film ONG BAK (if the name is not familiar, Google NOW!) to the U.S. I was aware that Magnolia Pictures also copped the rights to two other independent martial art productions- KILTRO and MIRAGEMAN. After talking with the representative at the booth, he informed me that the Chilean star of KILTRO and MIRAGEMAN, MARKO ZAROR, was in the building and would be back soon. I was interested to meet Marko and give him props because I had seen KILTRO months ago in non-subtitled form and was heavily anticipating his followup MIRAGEMAN.

MARKO ZAROR Highlight Reel:



READ MORE..

MIRAGEMAN trailer:


DOWNLOADABLE VERSION
*thanks to twitchfilm.net*

Marko Zaror, born in Santiago, Chile, is a high caliber martial artist, actor and stuntman. Marko doubled Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in the 2003 movie, THE RUNDOWN. He went on to win a top stuntman award for that very same film. Marko returned to Chile and produced KILTRO through Mandrill Films with his friend, Ernesto Diaz Espinosa, directing. KILTRO (2006), the first Chilean martial arts film, gave notice that a new action star was born. Although it was filmed on a lower budget, the action was very well produced and showcased the acrobatic and hard hitting style of screen fighting that Marko can deliver.

KILTRO was recently released direct to DVD and is available at AMAZON along with an earlier film from Mexico, CHINANGO. His next feature to be released this year is the vigilante/superhero themed MIRAGEMAN. MIRAGEMAN promises to showcase even more hard hitting, full contact action. Festival audiences that have screened the film have given strong thumbs up. When I did finally talk to Marko at the NYCC I told him that he is an inspiration to Latin people and others of color who refuse to wait on Hollywood to showcase their talents. Major stardom is around the corner for Marko Zaror and I look forward to his future projects.




pictured above: Director ERNESTO DIAZ ESPINOSA & EDAYE