DOWNLOAD “THATS MY WORD”

The Roots have announced the lineup for the 5th Annual Roots Picnic.

Acts to perform on June 2-3 include The Roots, Kid Cudi, De La Soul, Rakim, Wale, Dice Raw, Diplo, OCD: Moosh & Twist, Danny Brown, Flosstradamus, Mr. Muthaf***in’ eXquire, DJ Afrojak, Stretch Armstrong and many more.

The Roots will back both De La Soul and Rakim – both acts are set to perform classic material from previous albums.

This year’s Picnic will take place at the Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing in Philly. For more information and tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com

Keep up with XY on their official website! http://www.xyrock.net/

Bronx hip-hop legend, Kool Keith is scheduled to perform in London. The Ultra Magnetic MC rapper will perform along side Kutmaster Kurt with DJ’s Snuff (Speakers Corner) Trol23 and DJ Dister from Berlin.

The showcase will take place at North London’s Islington Metal Works on May 31st. For advance tickets, visit www.skiddle.com

Be sure to look out for Yaheard’s documentary on  Kool Keith “Keeping it Kool” – coming soon to a movie theatre near you!

Yauch was born an only child in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Frances and Noel Yauch, who is a painter and architect. During his High School years, he taught himself guitar and bass and soon after formed the Beastie Boys. He was only 17 and still attending Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn when they played their first show. He attended Bard College for 2 years before dropping out. Two years later, when Yauch was 22, the Beastie Boys, now performing as a hip hop trio, released their first album Licensed to Ill on Def Jam Records. Licensed to Ill was Columbia Records fastest selling debut, and is the biggest selling Hip-Hop album of the 80s.

MCA directed many of the Beastie Boys videos under the moniker Nathaniel Hornblower. He also directed the 2006 Beastie Boys concert film Awesome; I Fuckin’ Shot That!, though in the DVD extras for the film, the title character in “A Day in the Life of Nathanial Hörnblowér” is played by David Cross. He also directed the 2008 film Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot about eight high school basketball prospects at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic at Rucker Park in Harlem, New York City.

The Beastie Boys represent and era of music, and were one of the original catalysts to bring Hip-Hop into households all across the world. Their effortless blend of Hip-Hop and Rock, gave their music a light hearted and universal appeal. For as much fun as the Beastie Boys promoted on their classic records like Ill Communication and Pauls Boutique they were also champions of serious causes, like the freedom movement in Tibet. MCA became a vegetarian at the suggestion of Tibetan Monks.

His raspy, signature voice, that is the voice of many different generations, will be missed by ALL music fans. Who doesn’t love the Beastie Boys?

More quality Hip-Hop music from Ricta as he drops this superb new music video for his track “This Year”, which is the first single taken from Ricta’s long awaited and much anticipated debut album ‘Snacks & Deception’. The album is out on 26th May 2012 on Beat Back Records and features guest appearances from the likes of Craig G from legendary Juice Crew, Reks, Dizzy Dustin from Ugly Duckling and more. This is the warm up for what’s to come

Get ready people. Ricta is ready to unleash the fire!!!

You can purchase Ricta ‘This Year’ single now from:
iTunes - http://bit.ly/Ib6sLe
Amazon - http://amzn.to/JR4oLi
Play - http://bit.ly/JGIlVK  

PRE-ORDER ‘Snacks & Deception’ NOW - http://bit.ly/IFqFsA

Connect with Ricta:
beatbackrecs@gmail.com
www.therealricta.com
www.facebook.com/therealricta
www.twitter.com/therealricta
www.youtube.com/RictaMusic
www.last.fm/music/Ricta

Santigold is dropping her new album, titled Master of My Make-Believe! The album features the first single “Disparate Youth” and is available on May 1st. Head over to Santigold.com to pre-order exclusive Make-Believe packages now, including the Ultimate Make-Believe Package for $54.99!

The Ultimate Make-Believe Package Includes:

· Master of My Make-Believe CD
· Master of My Make-Believe Limited Edition Black & Gold Colored Vinyl
· Master of My Make-Believe Digital Album (emailed to you on its release)
· Exclusive T-shirt
· “Disparate Youth” Poster
· FREE GIFT: Santigold Big Mouth Sticker Set
· Instant MP3 downloads of “Disparate Youth” and “Big Mouth”

BUY NOW

Here are some Santigold Tour Dates, and an album preview courtesy of NPR

ALBUM PREVIEW

Santi on Tour

Marley, a documentary on legendary reggae artist, Bob Marley, hit UK screens on 20th April. Directed by Oscar winning Kevin Mcdonald (The Last King of Scotland) this is one documentary many music fans around the globe have been waiting for – and it was worth the wait!

The film is a chronological portrayal of Marley and is the first official documentary to be made about Marley. The opening shots sets the scene. The documentary starts of in Ghana, Africa exploring slavery and links to Jamaica, Marley’s home country. The film goes on to explore Marley’s roots (his father was an English solider, who didn’t stick around too long and his mother was a young Jamaican woman.) You quickly learn that Marley often felt like an outcast for being mixed, until he discovered rastafarianism and reggae music. The documentary goes on to show how Marley’s career in music grew and his impact around the globe (and rightly so!) It also explores his family (Marley has 11 children but the documentary only features two) and his cultural and political impact – particularly in Jamaica.

Co-produced with Bob’s son Ziggy, McDonald had access to the family’s private archives and spoke to various friends, family members and fellow musicians including Neville ‘Bunny’ Livingston and Lee ‘Scratch’ perry.

The film was filled with engaging stories, which provided an intimate feel. Sadly, the documentary has no video of Marley’s early life, largely because none exists. However, some electrifying concert footage including his shows in the US and UK, and a host of black and white photographs, brought the audience closer to Marley. The documentary features a host of Marley’s songs (we couldn’t stop bopping our heads throughout the screening!)

During the premiere, McDonald was asked what he wanted from the film. His reply was for audiences to learn more about the reggae legend and to walk out wanting to listen to Marley’s music again. We certainly did! One Love.

Director : Kevin Macdonald
Producer : Steve Bing, Charles Steel
Starring : Bob Marley, Rita Marley, Cindy Breakspeare, David ‘Ziggy’ Marley, Cedella Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Chris Blackwell, Neville ‘Bunny’ Livingston

We still don’t have many details, but we want to pay tribute the one of the best to ever do it. He represented New Jersey, and was known world wide for his potent lyrics, and superstar demeanor. I had the honor of doing a few shows with him, and seeing in person, how he was able to captivate an audience. He had a great vibe about him, and you the best part was you could feel his realness. Viro The Virus will be missed, and this is a huge blow to the world wide Hip-Hop Community- Marchitect

SnowGoons ft. Viro The Virus- Starlight

Viro The Virus – Kid You Not