Wu-Tang Clan

Eazy-E and Old Dirty Bastard Holograms will Headline Rock the Bells. We're More Excited About Snow Tha Product

Rock The Bells season is officially here. This Tuesday, promoters Guerilla Union held their launch party/press conference for this year's festival. Hosted by HOT97's Peter Rosenberg, the festivities started off with the longstanding tradition of freestyle extraordinaire MC Supernatural rapping the 2 ... More >>

Danny Brown Wishes People Would Stop Trying to Be Impressive

Danny Brown is getting OLD. While he has stated that the title of his forthcoming album is a tribute to Wu-Tang legend and strong creative influence, Old Dirty Bastard, there seems to be a deeper context behind it. Detroit's grimy casanova is now 32, and though the young fanbase he's acquired in his ... More >>

Why The Chronic is the Greatest Album in Rap History

Here are the Winners of the 2012 Dallas Observer Music Awards

Six Acts to Catch at this Weekend's Index Festival

Six Acts We're Excited For At This Weekend's Index Festival

With the arrival of fall, we're knee-deep in festival season, and Spune Productions is testing its fest powers in the heart of Deep Ellum with this weekend's first-ever Index Festival. The roster features a handful of locals (Yells At Eels, The Cush, Datahowler, The Angelus, Telegraph Canyon, A.Dd , ... More >>

Bro Fest, St. Patrick's Day Concert, DXDW & the Rest of This Weekend's Shows

​In case you haven't read almost every item on DC9 at Night for the last two days, South By Southwest music festival is happening in Austin this weekend, and we're reaping all the benefits. Actually, some of us are missing the whole damn thing. Thankfully, Parade Of Flesh has the cure. Bro Fest 20 ... More >>

A.Dd+ Can't Sit Still

Sore Losers Collectively Reinvent Themselves

Cheers Meets the Cotton Club: Sandaga 813 Bridges the Old and New in Expo Park

The doors just opened on January 3 and the paint is barely dry, but Sandaga 813 has a long history leading up to their current revival of the former Minc space in Exposition Park. Co-owner Darryl "Sandaga" Thomas has been in Dallas 26 years and spent a portion of that time hosting an underground j ... More >>

Best Local Hip-Hop of 2011

A.Dd When we heard Paris Pershun and Slim Gravy teamed up with super producer PicnicTyme and DJ Sober for When Pigs Fly, we couldn't help but be excited for A.Dd 's 2011. They confidently took the city by storm, and When Pigs Fly achieved local legend status thanks to a Kickstarter campaign. Add t ... More >>

The Conversation: Lead Singer Stage Behavior, How Much is Too Much?

Mick Jagger, the ultimate frontman​Make no mistake; there is a big difference between a run-of-the-mill lead singer and a bona fide frontman. Huge, really. Not just anybody has the magnetism required to convince 20,000 people at the American Airlines Center to raise their hands above their heads a ... More >>

Cha Cha's Rock and Roll Charity Gala, Adam Ant and the Rest of This Week's Show Announcements

​For the last eight years, local music advocate Chelsea Callahan has been celebrating her birthday with rock-and-roll and charity in mind. Every year, she books a solid bill of local bands and gives all the proceeds away to charity. This year, Cha Cha's Eighth Annual Rock & Roll Charity Gala o ... More >>

Beats by Dallas' Own Hip-Hop Doctors

Rock The Bells tour with Raekwon, Ghostface and Mobb Deep

Sunday, August 14, at House of Blues

The Strangest Stage Names In Music History

Metta World Peace​When Lakers forward Ron Artest announced last week that he is legally changing his name to Metta World Peace, the Internet exploded with bafflement and criticism. Obviously, this is coming from sports fans. We in the music world are accustomed to odd stage names. Dallas' own Eryk ... More >>

SXSW Meets Its Odd Future

SXSW 2011 Buzz Power Rankings: Odd Future Slips Just Past Kanye, Mostly Because People Are Sick of Talking About Kanye.

Swag!​Well, mercifully, the last night of SXSW 2011 is finally upon us. And, on this final day, in which luminaries such as Kanye West, Perez Hilton and Rachel Ray are finally letting their presence be known, we finally have a new act sitting atop our buzz power rankings.That's right: Later Kanye; ... More >>

On Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All. (Or: Believe The Seemingly Outlandish Hype.)

​ Oftentimes, the hype an act has built up heading into South by Southwest can be so overwhelming that it creates an insurmountable hurdle for an otherwise pleasing, if hardly life-changing, outfit (see: Vampire Weekend, circa 2008). And no doubt this was the theoretical case heading into this yea ... More >>

SXSW 2011 Buzz Power Rankings: Kanye West Stays On Top, But His Lead Is Shrinking...

Everybody knows he's a motherfucking monster.​Thursday at SXSW 2011 has come and gone -- but Kanye remains solidly in his spot atop our buzz power rankings, as determined by chatter we're hearing on the street. His lead is shrinking, though -- Odd Future is hot on his tail, proving once again that ... More >>

SXSW 2011 Buzz Power Rankings: Kanye Is On Top For Now... And Pretty Easily, Too.

You can do it, put your stinger into it.​South by Southwest is a static thing -- both in theory and in practice. It's a chance for bands to fans to see the established acts they've been wanting to see and for new, up-and-coming acts to try and make names for themselves. And that latter part very m ... More >>

2011 Village Voice Media and Frank 151 SXSW Party to Feature Wu-Tang Clan, Yelawolf, Trae Tha Truth, Wild Flag and an Erykah Badu DJ Set

Erykah Badu​This morning, our parent company, Village Voice Media formally announced the 2011 lineup for our annual SXSW party, which this year will take place on Thursday, March 17, from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Austin Music Hall. The all-ages affair, co-sponsored by Frank 151, will feature performanc ... More >>

Plagiarism In The Local Show Poster World? Very Much Looks That Way, Unfortunately...

Hey, this one thing looks like that other thing...​Local poster art, when done well, is pretty impressive. There's reason, after all, behind our decision to call out our favorite show poster in the space every week. Been doing it for years at this point. Over that time, sure, we've developed some ... More >>

Good Friday: Wu-Tang Clan, The O's, New Riders Of The Purple Sage, Dead Twins, Whiskey Folk Ramblers, James McMurtry, Stoney LaRue, Boys Named Sue & More!

​The biggest concert this weekend is undoubtedly the already sold-out Wu-Tang Clan show at Granada Theater tonight. With the obvious exception for Old Dirty Bastard, every member of the Wu will be at the performance except for RZA. But even without the drum machine genius, this is one of the most ... More >>

Catching Up With Talib Kweli and Ozomatli In Advance Of Tonight's Red Bull Soundclash...

​Right about now, over at the Palladium Ballroom, the stage is being set for tonight's Red Bull SoundClash, featuring Talib Kweli & The Rhythm Roots AllStars and Ozomatli. The two groups spawned from vastly different scenes, but share a similar alternative hip-hop jam--and we were able to watc ... More >>

Show Announcements: Wu-Tang Clan, Old 97's, Centro-matic, The Queers, Devil Wears Prada, Robert Earl Keen, The Goards, Hinder, Alien Ant Farm and More!

The Wu-Tang Bunch​The biggest show announcement we've had in a while--no, not you, Aaron Neville--is the Wu-Tang Clan's just-announced show at the Granada Theater on Friday, December 10. Although billed as an all-original line-up, there is a certain issue with one Old Dirty Bastard, who passed awa ... More >>

Fun Fun Fun Fest Day 2: Astronautalis, Metallagher, Broadcast, HEALTH, Crystal Castles, GZA, Of Montreal

Patrick Michels​Some people attribute weather changes, fortunate or otherwise, to God. The Riverboat Gamblers' Mike Wiebe thought someone else was responsible for the all-day drizzle and showers that turned Waterloo Park into Mudderloo Park. "Someone said, 'It was sunny yesterday, I'm surprised it ... More >>

Gig Alert: Arlington Info Shop Grand Opening Saturday

​The Arlington Info Shop's Grand Opening tomorrow proves that Dallas isn't the only North Texas city with music-loving bicycle activists. The community venue's opening fete includes performances from an eclectic array of experimental acts--all donating their time--all day Saturday from 2 p.m. to 1 ... More >>

Play-N-Skillz Launch Label, Sign Local Artist

The proud owners of a new major label imprint.​ Yesterday, two-time Grammy-winning Dallas hip-hop production duo Play-N-Skillz announced a deal it has signed with Universal Music Group urban imprint SRC/Universal to launch its own imprint, which will be called G4 Muzik. After the jump, the full pr ... More >>

Q&A: Darius Holbert Tells Us How To Get Into The Movies (Kinda)

Darius HolbertWho needs a corner, window office? Former Dallas resident and musician Darius Holbert proves you don't need a 9-to-5 to keep up with the mortgage. Just a little creativity is all.That's how Holbert says two of his tracks ended up in the upcoming films World's Greatest Dad (starring Rob ... More >>

Over The Weekend: Viva Voce, Cut Off Your Hands, and Robert Gomez at Hailey's

Viva Voce, Cut Off Your Hands, and Robert GomezHailey's ClubJune 12th, 2009Better Than: imagining Clap Your Hands Say Yeah covering Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends in its entirety.Hailey's hosted another fine show on Friday night, but only a couple dozen people came out to see it. Luckily, ... More >>

Last Night: The GZA Performs Liquid Swords At The Palladium

Test My Balls of Fury

You want answers to last week's quiz? We got answers.

Odds & Ends

Nas no-shows; Lil' Flip is going to trial; and RIP, ODB

A Good Buzz

Jim Jarmusch serves the perfect blend: Coffee and Cigarettes

The Definitive Take

Indie hip-hop label Definitive Jux plays kingmaker for the underground

You're Covered

The Curtain Club/Club Clearview deal will get you in for one low (hopefully) price

Muggs

Dust (Anti-)

End Hits

Now that's what I call music

Ming & FS

Subway Series (Om)

Pop is Dead

Hip-huh? Antipop Consortium doesn't expect you to get it at first.

A Taste of Kiki & Herb

Playing to the "bothered" community

Moby

Lacking subtlety

Green light

Human Traffic is the rave movie that Doug Liman's Go should have been

Ice ice babies

Iceland expatriates Gus Gus are Reykjavik's answer to the Wu-Tang Clan...and KISS

Hip hope

Celebs and poseurs mix-a-lot in this surprisingly effective look at rap, race, and sex

Out There

Into the groovy

Raving about Simon Reynolds' techno history, Generation Ecstasy

Real McCoy or decoy?

Dallas hip-hop 1997

Battle stations, damage control

Jeru the Damaja aims to save rap from itself