Belgian Hip-Hop History Exhibition and Festival 2017 in Brussels

Belgian Hip-Hop History Exhibition

Before heading off for a few days in Brussels, Belgium, I did a bit of research about what was on during my stay. I fell upon the following PDF article from Bozar and visit.Brussels about a Belgian Hip-Hop History Exhibition and Festival 2017.

That article teased my curiosity and 👀 I decided to check Bozar’s website further. When you visit their homepage, you will be given the option to select between French (FR), English (EN) or Dutch (NL) languages before landing on the programme page.

If you are interested in Hip Hop history from the very beginnings in the USA to its export and expansion in Belgium, you’ll be enjoying this post!

The hip-hop festival organisers enabled online booking. Online ticket bookings entitled you to:

• a free coffee upon order of a pastry
• a free glass of wine or a meal.

However, if you were not around for that period of time, don’t worry, I will take you through the exhibition by sharing with you few pictures and videos. 😉 (I can’t talk about the other programmed events, though).

DANCE VIDEO TUTORIALS

When I entered the Centre for Fine Arts, there was a screen showing a b-boy doing few moves. It was also providing visitors with dance tutorials on basic b-boying steps. Take a look at some of the video snippets filmed with Snapchat!

 

 

DANCE COMPETITION

After that, I walked up the stairs to enter the exhibition area, which was a mix of audio, visuals, and videos explaining the hip-hop movement history. There was a big screen displaying a film of all world b-boying dance competitions.

HIP-HOP IN ALL ITS FORMS: MUSIC, ARTS AND DANCE

Then, the exhibition went through the hip-hop evolution in all its forms, i.e music, arts and dance.

Again, the exhibition was in French, Dutch, and English. Please note however that for some of the pieces, I couldn’t get the whole translated text in pictures.

Remember that you can pause each picture in the slideshow to read the information. You will find 2 short videos below this slideshow showcasing:

• B-girls dancing,
• Stromae singing
• Rab djing.

 

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At the very end of the exhibition, they had a 360 degrees screen showing different clips simultaneously.

I have recorded few bits of the main ones:

I hope you learnt a few things about the hip-hop evolution.

Any of you want to volunteer to translate into English the few pieces that do not have a translation?

 

 

 

 

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Nigerian b-boy music history from 1980s-1990s in videos

Today, I’m going to share with you some mixed tapes for break dancing from Nigerian artists. But before doing so, if you don’t know yet the general origins of b-boy music and dance themselves, just have a read of this article 

http://breakdancingninja.com/bboy_history.html

In Nigeria, Hip-hop music and dance only began to gain popularity in the mid-1990s. The initial success of The Remedies was probably the catalyst. Formed in 1997, the group released two songs, “Judile” and “Shako mo”, which became overnight hits in Nigeria.

Enjoy this Youtube videos’playlistt from The Remedies!

I have also found especially for you some rare old Nigerian funk music :

Now show us your moves on one of these music tracks by copying your video link in the comment box! Can you be as good bowler as b-boy?

‘Wildstyle’ film clip and US/Irish DJ set of breakbeats makers

BREAKBEATS MAKERS

You may not have watched the ‘Wildstyle’ film nor attended the breakbeats makers event  at The Sugar Club, Dublin (2015) showcasing DJs:

• Mek (Ireland),
• DJ Peanut Butter Wolf (USA)
• Breakbeat Lou (USA).

But, don’t worry, you can catch up with most of the event now!

PEANUT BUTTER WOLF

As a young kid growing up in San Jose, Chris Manak sought out an escape from suburban life in the Silicon Valley.

He took on the name Peanut Butter Wolf in the late-80s when he realized that a girlfriend’s youngest brother feared the “peanut butter wolf monster” more than death itself.

After the release of Peanut Butter Breaks, PB Wolf found himself in demand as a producer. His track for the all-scratching compilation Return of the DJ was labelled “incredible” by The Source magazine.

In 1996, Peanut Butter Wolf founded Stones Throw Records. Lately, PB Wolf has moved away from producing (save the odd remix or compilation track) to build the Stones Throw label and to travel as a DJ to Europe, Japan, Australia, Canada, and across the US.

BREAKBEAT LOU

Louis Flores better known as BreakBeat Lou is a staple and legend in the music/entertainment industry. Starting as disc jockey 1974, he turned professional in 1981 when he also began his production career. Louis is one of the few that can make the statement that they had over 20 years successful in the industry.

He has worked in every facet from The Ultimate Breaks and Beats Compilation to the late Leonard “BreakBeat Lenny” Roberts. This legendary series has been sampled by many of hip-hop’s elite producers.

Contemporary producers such as the late J Dilla, Salaam Remi and Just Blaze to name a few, continue to heavily sample the compilation.

MEK

Pete Mescalero, professionally known by his stage name DJ Mek, is an Irish award-winning hip-hop DJ/turntablist and producer. He has won 5 Irish national Disco Mix Club championships and remixed/produced artists like Ian Brown.

In 1989, DJ Mek became the first DJ from the Republic of Ireland to enter the U.K. DMC Championships and went on to win 5 Irish national titles.

His group ScaryEire were the first Irish rap act to be signed to a major label. He retired from competitive mixing competitions in 2000 and contributed a monthly Megamix to RTÉ 2fm from 2000 to 2012.

WILDSTYLE FILM AND GRANDMASTER FLASH

If you want more information about the Grandmaster Flash, the DJ behind the ‘Wildstyle‘ film, please check the following articles:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandmaster_Flash

http://www.grandmasterflash.com/about/

WILDSTYLE CLIPS AND DJ SETS VIDEO RECORDINGS

Although I will not be able to share with you the full ‘Wildstyle’ film nor breakdancer videos, you can still enjoy this film clip and DJs’ recorded videos:

DJ Qmutat playing Funk, Afrobeat, Jazz at Mojo Cafe, Hamburg (Germany)

DJ Qmutat

I have listened to German DJ Qmutat playing a nice mix of funk, afrobeat, jazz at Mojo Cafe, Reeperbahn 1, Hamburg on Friday 24th July 2015.

I hope you will enjoy the few video and soundtracks below. You can following him on Facebook, if you like his work.

Black party meets MS KOI hip-hop and dancehall boat party (Germany)

HAMBURG HARBOUR ACTIVITIES

First of all, if you have never been to Hamburg (Germany), I would like to tell you briefly a few facts about this beautiful town.

Hamburg is a city located at the river Elbe. It has a very dynamic harbour. Its harbour is named Germany’s “Gateway to the World”. It is also the largest port in Germany.

Secondly, the port of Hamburg is the second-busiest port in Europe (after the port of Rotterdam) and the 15th-largest worldwide. In 2014, 9.73 million TEUs (20-foot standard container equivalents) were handled in Hamburg.

Furthermore, Hamburg port isn’t only a shipping trading centre. It also offers:

• many boat trips,
• museums tracing the history of the harbour in the ‘Speicherstadt’ (recognised as a World Heritage by UNESCO),
• visits of old boats,
• lots of organised boat parties.

Black boat party

I have been to one black boat party. It lasted 4 hours between the boat leaving the harbour and coming back to it.

WHERE DOES THE ‘Black boat party’ NAME COME FROM?

Simply because the event took place on a boat, which had DJs playing black music such as hip-hop and dancehall.

WHAT iS ‘MS KOI’?

MS KOI is a ship for maritime events and parties since 2011.

MS KOI is a very modern boat composed of 3 different decks. On each deck, you have a bar and quality sound and light systems. Each deck has its own atmosphere with distinct music style.

The upper-deck is open-air and obviously most enjoyable during summertime when the weather is good. The lowest deck contains a cloakroom and seating space.

BLACK BOAT PARTY PICTURES AND VIDEOS

Let me share with you pictures, audio and videos from the event on 18th July 2015. I hope you’ll enjoy this as much as I did!

If you have issues playing some of the videos due to potential country restrictions, use this link: https://www.proxfree.com/.

Then type next to the lock picture the direct link to the YouTube video. Next, change country (to Amsterdam, Netherlands) in the ‘server location’ field, and hit ‘prox free’ button!

You can find more pictures on the following facebook fan page (21st July’s post):

https://www.facebook.com/mskoi.eventschiff/

Street School Dance Battles organised by Vigozone in Hamburg (2015)

STREET SCHOOL DANCE

While planning a holiday trip in Hamburg (Germany), I researched any interesting hip-hop dance events in the city.

I came across the street school dance battles event. I received a free ticket for the dance live performances.

The street school dancers were teenagers of different ages with one common goal: giving the best performance they could to the audience.

And what a show! I felt the dance level was pretty high! I watched incredible crew choreography and battles from all styles, such as:

• new style hip-hop,
• locking,
• popping,
• b-boying
• k-pop,
• dancehall,
• afrobeat
• salsa.

STREET SCHOOL DANCE EVENT STAKEHOLDERS

The host himself was pretty good at dancing. He was also very entertaining. 🎉

One of the judges and his dance partner performed their duet choreography.

If you’d like to know more about the stakeholders at this event, check their Facebook event page.

Now, impatient to see what it looked like? Please find below a small slide show.

I filmed:

• 4 battles,
• 5 crew/duet choreography
• 2 dance demonstrations from the presenter.

To watch them, I invite you to subscribe to my YouTube Channel!

If you encounter country restriction issues (blocked videos), I recommend you to download ‘youtube unblocker’ for Firefox and Google Chrome.

Want to catch up with 2pac Shakur’s band ‘The Outlawz’ concert (2015)?

Outlawz BAND

Do you like old-school hip-hop? Do you miss listening to 2Pac sounds? Well, even though Shakur died a while ago, his ‘The Outlawz band‘ is still pretty much alive and touring!

ABOUT THE BAND

The “Outlawz” band set up by “Tupac” in 1995 is a perfect blend of :

• seasoned lyricists,
• musical innovators 
• responsible storytellers.
  

The band members are:

“E.D.I. Mean”
His aggressive, no-frills style is perhaps the more Diplomatic, yet his delivery reveals a mastery of conveying complex messages, in an unmistakable straight to the point manner.

“Young Noble” 
The aptly named-rebellious perfectionist exudes integrity in life and throughout his lyrics. In both cases, he chooses his battles wisely, with an evident persona that silently confirms that he does not play!

“Hussein Fatal” 
The one who says what others won’t. A distinctive witty voice whose experimental mature, position him as the group’s mad scientist combining all elements, creating the perfect chemistry.

OPENING ACTS

They gave us a great concert on Saturday 11th April 2015 at the Tivoli Theatre, Dublin 8 (Ireland). They were preceded by equally good live opening acts with DJ Spaqz and ‘Trigger’ Irish hip-hop singer amongst others.

DJ SPAQZ

DJ Spaqz is a DJ, producer and artist based in Dublin, Ireland. He plays an eclectic mix of African pieces of music and Hip-Hop.

TRIGGER 

Trigger is a 23-year-old Cork city rapper. Although he is new to the scene, he is already stirring up some reaction on the underground circuit. He has appeared on such radio stations as RTE radio 1, 96FM, Red FM among various other pirate radio stations.

Raised in Cork city’s northside. He partly lived with his grandmother growing up in Gurranabraher. He talks about matters that have affected him and those around him. Poverty, neighbourhoods surrounded by drug abuse and rapid unemployment are key subjects in his songs, although some are humorous, upbeat and political.

Check out pictures (slideshow) from the event and listen to audio and video tracks below! Enjoy!

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The Outlaws BAND live concert videos and soundtrack:

Funky Merry Christmas wishes to you all in music and dance!

FUNKY MERRY CHRISTMAS

First of all, I would like to send you all my warmest season greetings. 🎅

I wish you a Funky Merry Christmas holiday..in music and dance, of course! 🎶👯

CHEERFUL CHRISTMAS MUSIC

 Secondly, here a few lovely tunes to get you into a happy mood:

• soul,
• funk
• and old-school hip-hop Christmas soundtracks:

If you want to listen to full songs of old and modern funk songs, check this YouTube playlist:

UPLIFTING CHRISTMAS DANCE MOVES

Finally, if you have put on weight after all this seasonal food stuffing,  here are some street dance choreographies to get you back in shape! The dance styles are new style hip-hop and locking. But, let’s start dancing the boogie, breaking, locking or whatever dance you like.

Who knows? You might get inspired to create your own one!

Dead Prez hip hop duet live concert in Dublin, Ireland (2014)

DEAD PREZ

First of all, Dead Prez is a hip-hop duo from the United States, composed of stic.man and M-1 since 1996. M1 is originally from Brooklyn, New York. Stic.man is from Tallahassee, Florida.

The pair of rappers is inspired by revolutionaries from Malcolm X to Public Enemy.

They immersed themselves in political and social studies to forge their own confrontational style of hip-hop.

Their socialist lyrics focus on militant social justice,  Pan-Africanism and positivity.

The duo maintains an ethical stance against corporate control over the media, especially hip-hop record labels.

For more information about their work, check the following Wikipedia article.

ALBUM RELEASES AND COLLABORATIONS

Secondly, they released three albums “Let’s Get Free” (2000), “Revolutionary But Gangsta” (2004), and “Information Age” (2012) as well as several mixtapes.

In 2006, the group collaborated with the three remaining members of The Outlawz band on the ‘Can’t Sell Dope Forever’ song. A second track,  ‘Soldier 2 Soldier’ is the result of a joint record between Stic.man and Young Noble.

 

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE PROMOTION

Furthermore, both artists promote healthy eating and exercise.

You can find more details about Stic’s founding initiative here:

http://www.rbgfitclub.com/

LIVE CONCERT RECORDINGS

Since you are expecting to listen to them, I will share with you videos of their live concert at The Sugar Club, Dublin 2 on Friday 24th October 2014.

The place was packed! The artists interact a lot with the audience.

I won’t ramble too much.  So, check their four live concert videos!

Finally, if you like their music:

• follow them on Facebook 
• visit their website
• buy their records on Amazon.

Mobb Deep Live Concert and opening acts in Dublin, Ireland (2014)

Mobb Deep

Mobb Deep is an American hip hop duo from New York, that consists of Havoc and Prodigy.

The duo is a respected hardcore East Coast Hip-Hop group.

The group  has a well-known dark, hardcore delivery as exemplified by the single “Shook Ones Pt. II”. Mobb Deep is one of the most successful rap duos in hip-hop, having sold over three million records.

On 27th July 2012, Havoc told AllHipHop in an interview that the group is on an indefinite hiatus. However, he and Prodigy reunited and performed for Paid Dues on 30th March 2013 and an international 20th-anniversary tour starting in May 2013. They explained in an interview that music is the most important thing in their lives and that they had been friends for too long to break up the friendship.

MOBB DEEP RELEASED ALBUMS

Two of their albums received high praises:

• The Infamous (8th released studio album in 2014)
• and Hell on Earth.

Both are classics among avid Hip-Hop listeners and general fans. Critics credit them for the resurgence of East Coast rap in the early to mid-1990s. 

LIVE CONCERT RECORDING AND OPENING ACTS

I had the chance to attend their first performance and few opening acts from UK and Ireland at Voodoo Lounge, Dublin on Friday 1st August 2014. Few local acts got a great response to their performance.

ABOUT BLOODSHED RECORDS

Paul Tall-Order Ritchie is a rapper born in Clondalkin (Ireland). Tall-Order is the owner of Ireland’s biggest hip-hop label Bloodshed Records. He’s worked with Kool G Rap, Wu-Tang Clan, Immortal Technique, Vinnie Paz, Roc Marciano, Block McCloud, Diabolic, Apathy, Ill Bill and many more.

His debut album ‘The Tree of Life and Death’ is a concept storytelling joint with positive reviews worldwide by fellow peers and critics. Its driven by real 90s hip hop lyricism & storytelling content. Tall Order is being described by Kool G Rap as the meanest lyricist he ever comes across & Block Mccloud said recently ‘When he gets his flow polished nobody in hip-hop is getting close to his raw storytelling lyricism’.

 Nas complimented Paul’ for his album concept album and said that the track ‘A Thorne in Roses Side’ & ‘Life in a Colouring Book’ is a real lyrical bomb about cancer & drug abuse.

His track titled ‘Sobriety Vines’ was applauded by writers in the UK & Ireland as shocking how he can depict life in rhymes. The Tree of Life & Death including full-scale book/magazine is available on iTunes and in stores.

Opening HIp-HOp acts

There were many Irish based hip-hop singers and songwriters who performed. I have only recorded a handful of them. I have recorded the following ones:

• DCR, a group of 5 Irish rappers from Dublin.
• Josh Inklusive Mulholland, solo rapper from Kilcock now working as a photographer.
• Stylish murder, a rapper duo.

LIVE RECORDINGS AND PICTURES

Please find below a couple of pictures, soundtrack and videos from the opening acts and Mobb Deep concerts. You can find more photos on the following Facebook event page.

Now here is what you have all been waiting for…few videos and a mixed tape from the event!