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 2013 lineup. Seated on stage with the likes Black…
Where to begin? #raptwitter had a big day yesterday, with big stories breaking left and right. From a Foxy Brown hoax to a pseudo-Big Tymers reunion, here are your biggest hip-hop news stories of the week: Yesterday started off with a shocking report of Foxy Brown dishing out some pretty…
Lauryn Hill will be gone till October. A week after making headlines for signing a million dollar five-song deal with Sony, she showed up to court on Monday with a check for $970,000. But it wasn’t enough to save her from jail time. The five-time Grammy winner and highly esteemed…
This is a complicated story to tell. Misogyny, misandry, rape, consent, slut shaming and victim blaming are not exactly pleasant topics of discussion, but this week they were all brought to the forefront of #raptwitter. Danny Brown’s Old & Reckless Tour is well underway. The Detroit rapper’s first headlining national…
Your ungratefulness sickens me RT @joeybadass_: If I’m under Trinidad James I’m not doing the Under The Influence Tour. Straight— Rodney Mac (@RappersRActors) April 22, 2013 Joey Bada$$ is under the influence of blog hype. Monday, the New York rap wunderkind, caused quite a stir when he reacted publicly to…
Over the weekend, Rebirth Brass Band packed out Oak Cliff’s Kessler Theater in a sold out show. I arrived early, walking six blocks from Bishop Arts District to the historic venue, because it was a beautiful evening for a stroll in one of my favorite Dallas neighborhoods. On the way…
The best show you had no idea was going on this week is almost upon us. Tonight, Heroes Sports Lounge weekly Paid In Full Fridays emcee battles will feature a very special guest. A legend in the game, and arguably the most talented female emcee to ever pick up a…
At 25 years old, Chadrick Honore has lived the life of a man at least twice his age. The New Orleans native and esteemed trumpet player for Rebirth Brass Band has traveled the world, won a Grammy, and contributed to the critically acclaimed HBO series Treme. But the devoted father…
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…
Rick Ross is having a rough week. The Maybach Music Group kingpin is currently being crucified by the media & women’s interest groups all over the country, for a guest verse he gave on Atlanta rapper Rocko’s new single, U.O.E.N.O. Featuring a hook from autotune boy wonder, Future, the song…
This weekend, Dallas hip-hop fans are going to be busy. Just as we were starting to recover from festival season, two inaugural local fests pop up to remind us that there’s still plenty going on in right here in our own backyard. Between April Foolin in Deep Ellum and Function…
Nestled in a residential area off Cesar Chavez Boulevard in Austin was a hidden gem for the hip-hop community at South by Southwest this year. Away from downtown, the Rap Genius Ranch was an oasis from all the day party chaos. Mystikal, Ab-Soul, Mike G and Chance the Rapper were…
For the past three years, Spring Break in the state of Texas has been a frantic, music-fueled experience. 2009 brought us the first year of what is now commonly referred to as “festival season”, when Chris Flemmons brought a budding young fest called NX35 to Denton. The idea? A small…
We here at the Observer are seeing to it that St. Patrick’s Day in Dallas will be a deeper, hazier shade of green this year. After the annual Greenville Avenue parade this Saturday, our St. Patrick’s Day Concert in the Energy Square parking lot will be headlined by the quintessential…
If you’ve found yourself at Beauty Bar on a Thursday night anytime within the last few months, you are already well aware that there is no one in the city of Dallas who can turn a party up like DJ Sober and Picnictyme can. Though Will Rhoten (aka DJ Sober)…
Last Sunday, Dallas lost a true beacon in the scene. Christopher Evans Kelly, a.k.a. DJ Quick Chris, died of pneumonia and congestive heart failure after a year-long fight with lymphoma. “Even through his ongoing stays in the hospital, Chris continued to create new and original sounds,” says his sister, Melanie…
It was a clear crisp Valentine’s night in Dallas, Texas. As a matter of fact, it was one of the most gorgeous nights we’ve had in awhile. A slight cool breeze blew through Victory Plaza, and I thought to myself that it would have to be a holiday for the…
Those looking for a romantic and soulful Valentines date with their mate this year should look no further than American Airlines Center. Tomorrow, three out of six members of New Edition (Ralph Tresvant, Johnny Gill, and Bobby Brown) will open up for a night with the inimitable Patti Labelle. Though…
Kevin “Tunk” Arradondo is not afraid to tell you that he’s been broke all of this life, and on his latest mixtape, Direct Deposit, he does many times. “I’m not tryin to sit here and lie on the record. Sooner or later that can be your downfall,” says the 23…
On Sunday night I found myself huddled in a group around a computer monitor at Jesse Porter’s two story walk up apartment on the East side. It was around 10:30 p.m. and the Cool Beings founder was hosting a small recovery get-together of sorts. To my left was Cash’mir of…
This Saturday night, The Granada is hosting what will surely be one of the biggest nights of 2013 in Dallas rap. For the release of their highly anticipated new project, DiveHiFlyLo, hometown heroes A.Dd+ are bringing out -topic, Tunk, and Brain Gang to throw a drop party that is 100%…
Faces from two of the fastest growing squads in Dallas rap joining forces is always a good look, but the new effort from Brain Gang’s Cash’mir, featuring A.Dd+’s Slim Gravy, far exceeds expectations. With slow-dripped production from Trakboy (who contributes heavily to Cash’mir’s upcoming project, Brilliant Society), Slim and Cash…
