Paul Wall and Termanology are back where they first met, at Brooklyn’s Hub Studios. Before our hourlong conversation starts, various people in their circle shuffle by Termanology’s studio room to greet Wall, the amiable Texan who’s visiting the city to promote the deluxe edition of Start Finish Repeat, their second collaborative project.
Wall is clad in all-black attire, including a Houston Texans hoodie. Lounging on a couch before the interview starts, his demeanor is as chill as his beaming platinum grill looks. Lawrence, Massachusetts, native Termanology is similarly showing hometown pride,...
Wall is clad in all-black attire, including a Houston Texans hoodie. Lounging on a couch before the interview starts, his demeanor is as chill as his beaming platinum grill looks. Lawrence, Massachusetts, native Termanology is similarly showing hometown pride,...
- 11/12/2023
- by Andre Gee
- Rollingstone.com
Legendary rapper-producer Large Professor saw no better way to celebrate his 51st birthday than by doing what he loved — rocking a crowd. On March 22, the day after his birthday, the Queens legend played an hourlong set at New York City’s Starchild Lounge rooftop bar to a crowd of hip-hop heads spanning hip-hop’s 50 years.
His set mostly consisted of classic soul and funk songs containing breakbeats later sampled in classic hip-hop songs, such as Brentford All Stars’ “Greedy G,” sampled by Carlos Bess for Ghostface Killah’s “Cherchez La Ghost.
His set mostly consisted of classic soul and funk songs containing breakbeats later sampled in classic hip-hop songs, such as Brentford All Stars’ “Greedy G,” sampled by Carlos Bess for Ghostface Killah’s “Cherchez La Ghost.
- 4/3/2023
- by Andre Gee
- Rollingstone.com
Yui Mok/Pa Archive
Rappers may get all the praise for their abilities on the mic, but it’s producers who truly deserve most of the credit. After all, as hip hop fans have seen time and time again, an Mc can have the most amazing punchlines, craziest flow and majestic wordplay, but if the beat behind it is terrible then it’s going to sound like garbage.
Luckily, hip hop fans have been given a number of outstanding producers who have been able to consistently put together incredible beats for Mc’s to rap too. From the legends like Dr Dre and the most outspoken man in music today, Kanye West, to underrated musical maestro’s like J Dilla and Large Professor, the quality of beat-smiths has only gotten better.
The real question is, who is the best behind the boards when it comes to putting together an actual...
Rappers may get all the praise for their abilities on the mic, but it’s producers who truly deserve most of the credit. After all, as hip hop fans have seen time and time again, an Mc can have the most amazing punchlines, craziest flow and majestic wordplay, but if the beat behind it is terrible then it’s going to sound like garbage.
Luckily, hip hop fans have been given a number of outstanding producers who have been able to consistently put together incredible beats for Mc’s to rap too. From the legends like Dr Dre and the most outspoken man in music today, Kanye West, to underrated musical maestro’s like J Dilla and Large Professor, the quality of beat-smiths has only gotten better.
The real question is, who is the best behind the boards when it comes to putting together an actual...
- 8/18/2015
- by Aundre Jacobs
- Obsessed with Film
Can documentaries about famous rap groups and albums be a new thing please? A few years ago we got the excellent "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest," detailing the fascinating and incredible story of the highly influential hip hop group, and now comes "Nas: Time Is Illmatic," another snapshot of a rapper who has inspired a generation of artists. Directed by One9 (huh?) and featuring the participation of Nas, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, L.E.S., DJ Premier, Pharrell Williams, Alicia Keys and more, the movie goes twenty years back in time to 1994, when Illmatic dropped and turned heads everywhere. The doc chronicles Nas' influences, his life story and career—which saw him signing to major label at 20 years old—and how he developed his unique artistic voice. "Nas: Time Is Illmatic" arrives in select theaters beginning October 1st and on nationwide VOD...
- 8/29/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
It may have been the most New York moment in years.
Robert De Niro, onstage Wednesday night at the Beacon Theatre, introduced Time Is Illmatic, the new documentary on Nas' 1994 landmark debut Illmatic, to kick off the Tribeca Film Festival. "Twenty years ago, I would've been 20 years too old for this music," quipped the actor and festival co-founder to a boisterous crowd of fans, media and seemingly every important hip-hop figure in mid-Nineties New York.
Nas: My Life in 20 Songs
Unlike music docs that attempt to deify or elevate the obscure — Anvil,...
Robert De Niro, onstage Wednesday night at the Beacon Theatre, introduced Time Is Illmatic, the new documentary on Nas' 1994 landmark debut Illmatic, to kick off the Tribeca Film Festival. "Twenty years ago, I would've been 20 years too old for this music," quipped the actor and festival co-founder to a boisterous crowd of fans, media and seemingly every important hip-hop figure in mid-Nineties New York.
Nas: My Life in 20 Songs
Unlike music docs that attempt to deify or elevate the obscure — Anvil,...
- 4/17/2014
- Rollingstone.com
This is the fourth studio album by Non Phixion member Ill Bill and is the follow up to the 2008 Hour of Reprisal. Ill Bill has always been a hardcore underground emcee with impecable taste in producers and this album does not vary from that route. In fact the album’s production credits could read as a who’s who Hardcore Hip-Hop’s best producers; DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor, El-p, Psycho Les of the Beatnuts and DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill. The list of guests is pretty impressive too; Lil Fame of M.O.P., Jedi Mind Tricks, O.C., Cormega, Shabazz the Disciple and A-Trak. A small point though before I progress on with the review if you are easily offended by bad language, conspiracy theory’s and or hardcore Hip-hop beats then this album is not for you.
The album kicks off with the Ill Bill produced intro,...
The album kicks off with the Ill Bill produced intro,...
- 3/11/2013
- by Scott Ronan
- Obsessed with Film
He previewed it at Sunday's Bet Awards and now it's here: Kanye West and Pusha-t have released "New God Flow," a new track West's long-standing fans will appreciate for its College Dropout-like sound.
Indeed, it's the Mr. West of years ago that appears here, hungry and boastful yet dark and soulful. It's a departure from the larger-than-life brags on "Way Too Cold" and the club-friendly but mostly empty rhyming on "Mercy," which proves that though he's always willing to experiment with new styles, West hasn't forgotten the rapper inside of him. It's the artist which spun self-aggrandizing yet honest emotion into yarns like "Jesus Walks" and "Get 'Em High."
"New God Flow" also features one of the better moments in recent swagger history in West's lyric, "I ain't tryin' to stunt man, but these Yeezy's jumped over the Jumpman" (West's claim that his shoes have outpaced the Air Jordan as...
Indeed, it's the Mr. West of years ago that appears here, hungry and boastful yet dark and soulful. It's a departure from the larger-than-life brags on "Way Too Cold" and the club-friendly but mostly empty rhyming on "Mercy," which proves that though he's always willing to experiment with new styles, West hasn't forgotten the rapper inside of him. It's the artist which spun self-aggrandizing yet honest emotion into yarns like "Jesus Walks" and "Get 'Em High."
"New God Flow" also features one of the better moments in recent swagger history in West's lyric, "I ain't tryin' to stunt man, but these Yeezy's jumped over the Jumpman" (West's claim that his shoes have outpaced the Air Jordan as...
- 7/3/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
With films like Star Trek and Transformers on their combined resumes, actor Chris Pine and screenwriter Alex Kurtzman have become men of power in the Hollywood blockbuster scene. After working together on the successful Star Trek reboot (which Kurtzman co-wrote with frequent collaborator Roberto Orci), the two have reunited for a much more personal film, People Like Us. Though it features a concept that almost seems like fantasy (choosing what to do with the revelation of an abandoned sibling), this movie features no guns, no robots, and no explosions.
Along with this film, Kurtzman and Pine are currently working on the untitled Star Trek sequel, due out next summer. On top of this, Kurtzman and Orci have started scripting a sequel to the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man reboot.
I sat down with Kurtzman and Pine to discuss their dramatic shift from large blockbusters to this intimate drama, and the essential...
Along with this film, Kurtzman and Pine are currently working on the untitled Star Trek sequel, due out next summer. On top of this, Kurtzman and Orci have started scripting a sequel to the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man reboot.
I sat down with Kurtzman and Pine to discuss their dramatic shift from large blockbusters to this intimate drama, and the essential...
- 6/27/2012
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
'All his verses on the album, it sounds like you're getting smacked upside the head,' producer tells Mixtape Daily.
By Rob Markman
Nas
Photo: C Flanigan/ Getty Images
Behind the Beats: Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi and Nas didn't start out as buddies, but some things are just meant to be.
By the time Nas was putting out his classic rap LP Illmatic, Salaam was separately making his mark, already having produced for seminal hip-hop star Kurtis Blow at the age of 14. Though they hailed from the same Queens, New York, neighborhood and ran in similar circles, Nas and Salaam didn't hook up until 2001, when Nas requested a beat from Remi for his Stillmatic LP.
Now, 10 years later, he and Nas are still at it, working on God's Son's upcoming 10th solo studio album.
"Life is different, and at this point, life is good and dudes is looking younger now...
By Rob Markman
Nas
Photo: C Flanigan/ Getty Images
Behind the Beats: Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi and Nas didn't start out as buddies, but some things are just meant to be.
By the time Nas was putting out his classic rap LP Illmatic, Salaam was separately making his mark, already having produced for seminal hip-hop star Kurtis Blow at the age of 14. Though they hailed from the same Queens, New York, neighborhood and ran in similar circles, Nas and Salaam didn't hook up until 2001, when Nas requested a beat from Remi for his Stillmatic LP.
Now, 10 years later, he and Nas are still at it, working on God's Son's upcoming 10th solo studio album.
"Life is different, and at this point, life is good and dudes is looking younger now...
- 11/18/2011
- MTV Music News
Mobb Deep, Slaughterhouse, Erykah Badu and more revisit classic material for a day of hip-hop celebration on New York stop.
By Rob Markman
Nas at Rock The Bells
Photo: MTV News
New York — Thousands of rap fans gathered in hip-hop's birth city for a daylong celebration of the genre's classics. Nas, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu and Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon and Ghostface Killah all performed at the Rock the Bells 2011 festival on Governor's Island in New York City on Saturday (September 3).
The musical tour was comprised of four stages, including the main Rock the Bells stage, the Wu-inspired 36 Chambers stage and the underground-themed Paid Dues stage. More than 20 acts, including Mobb Deep, Slaughterhouse, Black Moon, Big K.R.I.T., the Immortal Technique and Gza, performed, with some dedicating their sets to their own classic albums; others devoted their shows to just a gang of fan-favorites.
The festivities kicked off at approximately 2 p.
By Rob Markman
Nas at Rock The Bells
Photo: MTV News
New York — Thousands of rap fans gathered in hip-hop's birth city for a daylong celebration of the genre's classics. Nas, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu and Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon and Ghostface Killah all performed at the Rock the Bells 2011 festival on Governor's Island in New York City on Saturday (September 3).
The musical tour was comprised of four stages, including the main Rock the Bells stage, the Wu-inspired 36 Chambers stage and the underground-themed Paid Dues stage. More than 20 acts, including Mobb Deep, Slaughterhouse, Black Moon, Big K.R.I.T., the Immortal Technique and Gza, performed, with some dedicating their sets to their own classic albums; others devoted their shows to just a gang of fan-favorites.
The festivities kicked off at approximately 2 p.
- 9/4/2011
- MTV Music News
Getty Chang Weisberg
Since launching in Southern California in 2004, the Rock the Bells hip-hop festival has grown into a leading music showcase. After distinguishing itself in the past by recruiting acts such as Wu-Tang, A Tribe Called Quest and Snoop Dogg to perform the albums that made them famous – notably from start to finish, in 2011 the festival continues its focus on headlining “classic” recordings, this year enlisting artists like Nas to perform his blockbuster debut, “Illmatic,” and Lauryn Hill to...
Since launching in Southern California in 2004, the Rock the Bells hip-hop festival has grown into a leading music showcase. After distinguishing itself in the past by recruiting acts such as Wu-Tang, A Tribe Called Quest and Snoop Dogg to perform the albums that made them famous – notably from start to finish, in 2011 the festival continues its focus on headlining “classic” recordings, this year enlisting artists like Nas to perform his blockbuster debut, “Illmatic,” and Lauryn Hill to...
- 8/20/2011
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Have a look at the new trailer for Michael Rapaport’s Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest opening in NY & La on July 8th. (via Yahoo! Movies)
In April 2011, Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, Co-Chairmen of Sony Pictures Classics, announced that starting July 8th Michael Rapaport’s Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest would commence its platform release. Following in the tracks of A Tribe Called Quest concerts, the release of the film will mirror that of a concert tour. “Sony’s release strategy is a perfect tribute to the spirit of this film. I’m really excited to go on the road this summer and meet other true fans like myself” says Rapaport.
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A tribe Called Quest is a documentary film directed by Michael Rapaport about one of the most influential and groundbreaking musical groups in hip-hop history.
In April 2011, Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, Co-Chairmen of Sony Pictures Classics, announced that starting July 8th Michael Rapaport’s Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest would commence its platform release. Following in the tracks of A Tribe Called Quest concerts, the release of the film will mirror that of a concert tour. “Sony’s release strategy is a perfect tribute to the spirit of this film. I’m really excited to go on the road this summer and meet other true fans like myself” says Rapaport.
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A tribe Called Quest is a documentary film directed by Michael Rapaport about one of the most influential and groundbreaking musical groups in hip-hop history.
- 6/3/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
True hip hop and rap fans should check this film out. Yahoo! Movies released the documentary of “Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest.” Here is film’s synopsis: Having forged a 20-year run as one of the most innovative and influential hip hop bands of all time, the Queens NY collective known as A Tribe Called Quest have kept a generation hungry for more of their groundbreaking music since their much publicized breakup in 1998. The documentary presents interviews from singers and rappers from De La Soul, The Roots, Kanye West, Common, Mos Def, Nas, Busta Rhymes, Pharrell, Ludacris, Beastie Boys, Mary J. Blige, Monie Love, Pete Rock, Large Professor, The Jungle Brothers and the members of A Tribe Called Quest. Actor Michael Rapaport makes his feature directorial debut to document the inner workings and behind the scenes drama. The film will be released in New York...
- 6/3/2011
- LRMonline.com
'How many groups got documentaries — hip-hop — being done about themselves?' Phife Dawg asks.
By Rebecca Thomas, with additional reporting by Sway Calloway
Phife Dawg
Photo: Jmtv News
The hardest part about being in a group is "constantly considering someone else — even before yourself," Q-Tip says in one scene from the documentary "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest."
In 1990, four friends from a Caribbean-flavored, middle-class hamlet in Queens, New York, became the focus of a bidding war that landed them a (then-whopping) $350,000 major-label deal. All in their late teens at the time, Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi would go on to become one of the most groundbreaking groups in the history of hip-hop — and eventually one of the most divided.
That tragic division was apparent on Wednesday, when the 5-foot Assassin himself, Phife, made a solo visit to MTV News' "RapFix Live,...
By Rebecca Thomas, with additional reporting by Sway Calloway
Phife Dawg
Photo: Jmtv News
The hardest part about being in a group is "constantly considering someone else — even before yourself," Q-Tip says in one scene from the documentary "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest."
In 1990, four friends from a Caribbean-flavored, middle-class hamlet in Queens, New York, became the focus of a bidding war that landed them a (then-whopping) $350,000 major-label deal. All in their late teens at the time, Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi would go on to become one of the most groundbreaking groups in the history of hip-hop — and eventually one of the most divided.
That tragic division was apparent on Wednesday, when the 5-foot Assassin himself, Phife, made a solo visit to MTV News' "RapFix Live,...
- 4/28/2011
- MTV Music News
Jay-z, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz and other famous admirers join the hometown girl onstage.
By Shaheem Reid
Lauryn Hill performs at Rock the Bells on Saturday
Photo: Bennett Raglin/WireImage
New York — When you ask Lauryn Hill what it feels like to perform in New York City again, the legendary Mc/vocalist simply says it's "something special, home."
"I thought it was great," she told MTV News about this year's Rock the Bells concept, which had each act performing a classic album out of their catalog. "I just wanted to be a part of it. As soon as they asked me, I was like, 'That's it. Let's do it. Let's do it.' Joshua Boumel and Chang [Weisberg], who are promoters of this particular event, we have a little history. When they asked me, I was honored to be a part of it."
In hip-hop, your longevity not only depends on your talent,...
By Shaheem Reid
Lauryn Hill performs at Rock the Bells on Saturday
Photo: Bennett Raglin/WireImage
New York — When you ask Lauryn Hill what it feels like to perform in New York City again, the legendary Mc/vocalist simply says it's "something special, home."
"I thought it was great," she told MTV News about this year's Rock the Bells concept, which had each act performing a classic album out of their catalog. "I just wanted to be a part of it. As soon as they asked me, I was like, 'That's it. Let's do it. Let's do it.' Joshua Boumel and Chang [Weisberg], who are promoters of this particular event, we have a little history. When they asked me, I was honored to be a part of it."
In hip-hop, your longevity not only depends on your talent,...
- 8/29/2010
- MTV Music News
By Shirt King Phade
I have only good memories of Guru. I first saw that "Manifest" video and was amazed at the flow over he laid down over the "A Night in Tunisia" sample that Premier chopped up. Not many could handle a jazz beat — only Rakim or Large Professor or A Tribe Called Quest, who showed an appreciation for jazz fused with hip-hop, what was amazing.
I used to see Guru (aka "Keithy E") on Fordham Road in the Bronx. I believe he moved up there for some time. I knew of his Brooklyn ties and Boston start. He was a hard Mc who did not come from New York but respected the craft and got with Premier and formed the illest team on the planet. With hit after hit, he became a force to reckoned with and someone to follow just to see what he would cook up next.
I have only good memories of Guru. I first saw that "Manifest" video and was amazed at the flow over he laid down over the "A Night in Tunisia" sample that Premier chopped up. Not many could handle a jazz beat — only Rakim or Large Professor or A Tribe Called Quest, who showed an appreciation for jazz fused with hip-hop, what was amazing.
I used to see Guru (aka "Keithy E") on Fordham Road in the Bronx. I believe he moved up there for some time. I knew of his Brooklyn ties and Boston start. He was a hard Mc who did not come from New York but respected the craft and got with Premier and formed the illest team on the planet. With hit after hit, he became a force to reckoned with and someone to follow just to see what he would cook up next.
- 4/23/2010
- by MTV News
- MTV Newsroom
Literally thousands of albums get released every year. Of those thousands, maybe a few hundred get some sort of recognition, and only a couple of dozen will actually be praised as great. A handful might be declared the best of the year or the best of a decade. But every once in a while, an absolute classic hits store shelves and music remains changed forever. That's exactly what happened on this day in 1994, when the 20-year-old Nas released the watershed album Illmatic.
Born and raised in New York City's Queensbridge neighborhood, Nas (still known in some circles then as Nasty Nas) took the no-flinching elements of hardcore rap and applied a sense of poetry and structure that hadn't been seen before in rap LPs. With the help of producers Large Professor, DJ Premier, Pete Rock and a handful of others, Illmatic had a sonic depth that sounded hard but also allowed for artistry,...
Born and raised in New York City's Queensbridge neighborhood, Nas (still known in some circles then as Nasty Nas) took the no-flinching elements of hardcore rap and applied a sense of poetry and structure that hadn't been seen before in rap LPs. With the help of producers Large Professor, DJ Premier, Pete Rock and a handful of others, Illmatic had a sonic depth that sounded hard but also allowed for artistry,...
- 4/19/2010
- by Kyle Anderson
- MTV Newsroom
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.