Make sure you check out his new album AMBITION coming out 11.1.11!!!

AmericanCOOL Live Music Series is a multi-dimensional platform celebrating things that make America better, specifically music, design, fashion, philanthropy, and social entrepreneurship.

The series was created in partnership with brand and event strategist Wil May and architect Graham Knox.  Both, May and Knox, are musicians with a knack for intelligent design and a soft spot for social issues, and will release music projects this Fall, AmericanCOOL and Boomtown, respectively.  The idea behind AmericanCOOL was to create a music event that could potentially affect change in the community, activate great design, and cause a diverse group of entities to engage and feel invested.

And of course, you can’t be AmericanCOOL without a little bootlegging (a la the Kennedy’s).  So…

Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey – OPEN BAR – 8pm-9pm

$10.   Vinyl – Center Stage.

1374 West Peachtree Street Northwest

Atlanta, GA 30309-2965

Purchase tix and more details – www.AmericanCOOL.eventbrite.com

The Unknown is Inertia’s first single; which is Niko Villamor’s latest project that will be officially released on October 22nd, 2011. Atlanta is hungry for great talent and has a lot of diamonds in the rough. I can proudly say that he is one! Check him out and hit him up  on Twitter @villadoesntrap.

The Unknown- Niko Villamor

“You on point Tip?” .. “All the Time Phife“

Last week, I was sitting in traffic on 85 North, rushing to get to the office before I had to jump on a conference call (I was on my grown woman swag).  While looking for my 50 cents to hit the toll…and panicking cause I couldn’t find my change in my car…my step dad hits me with a text message “hey, when does the atcq documentary come to Atlanta“.  In the middle of thinking about what Im gonna discuss on this dreaded call, and looking for 50 cents before I have 10 drivers on the toll road wanting to kill me, I could not figure out what the hell my stepdad meant by ATCQ… nothing was coming to me at all.  So I hit him back with a “HUH?? ATCQ whats that???” text.    Now I follow the law, and shouldn’t have been texting and driving, but I had to figure out what the hell this man was talking about, still all in the middle of my toll road panic.  Then he says “omg…and I thought you were a fan”…

THEN it hits me!! A TRIBE CALLED QUEST!! How could I not immediately know he was talking about my favorite rap group in history???  Being an avid film lover since childhood, and then later going to school and becoming and film and video minor, I have always found that any documentary about art, music, or fashion is wayyyy up my alley.  I didn’t become a fan of Tribe until my mom started dating my stepdad, I clearly remember him always listening to Tribe in his honda accord, with me and sis in the backseat.  I was in middle school at the time, but had a good view and taste of music.  I heard “Bonita Applebum“, “Award Tour“, and my alltime fav “Electric Relaxation” and I was SOULED.  I’ve been a fan since I was a pre-teenager, wearing braces, knock need…with a dreaded uni-brow.   So pretty much, my response to my stepdad’s text was “hell yeahhhhh (minus the hell) I wanna see that documentary!!”.  He purchased the tix, and we were in there.

The documentary was very inspiring, and gives you an inside look at the group, from the late 80′s to their very last album in the late 90′s.  It starts off discussing how Q-Tip and Phife Dawg were best friends since they were kids, and how they met ..back in the day on the boulevard of Linden (chime in on that ‘Check The Rhyme’).  Besides being bff’s, they both had a passion for rhyming, and knew those talents couldn’t go to waste.  Q-Tip was introduced to Ali Shaheed Muhammed in H.S., who could play any instrument, but had a skill on the turntables.  They were introduced to a DJ, got a record deal, Jarobi joined the group, and the rest was history.  Tribe was born.

It’s pretty unique to learn about how some of their hit songs and titles came about.  “I Left My Wallet In El Segundo” references how Fred Sanford would always randomly mention El Segundo on “Sanford and Son”, and that clever “Electric Relaxation” line “bust off on your couch now you got semen’s furniture” came from the Old School furniture store Semen’s..where the ballers on a budget would buy that $900 4 piece leather living room set.  Im not gonna lie, it made me wanna shed a tear hearing them discuss their major fallout, and Phife discussing his battle with diabetes…but it was incredible seeing them reunite for their tour.  Fan or no fan, you will gain a ton a respect for not only ATCQ, but REAL hip-hop, and conscious music, by watching the documentary.  I give it all 5 stars, and am looking forward to seeing it again.

So take your sibling, boo, or like me, take your dad, and Check it out while its showing at Midtown Art Cinema, in Midtown!

It’s the refreshing return of the lyricist. The Rewind button can now be used again. Philadelphia’s own Darryn “NycePhil” Walters has arrived with an arsenal of lyrical wit, stellar flow, and a tone of conviction.

NycePhil speaks to his audience with direction; he aims to capture the ears, hearts, and minds of his listeners all across the board.

He is indeed a student of the game. NycePhil’s lyrical approach is heavily influenced by artists such as The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Rakim, and Big Daddy Kane. Regardless of ranking on Hip-Hop’s totem pole, NycePhil appreciates great artistry. Outside the realm of rap music, NycePhil values the likes of Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, Kings of Leon, FM Static, Donald Byrd, and Judas Priest. It is obvious when NycePhil opens his mouth to deliver flow or debate on music; he is no stranger to it. NycePhil follows familiar footsteps. The grandson of a Philadelphia International Recording artist and the byproduct of two DJs, NycePhil fell in love with music; from the overall feel to the musician’s ability to translate emotion into melodies and harmonies.

With his EP A Motion Preview, now available online, NycePhil is back in the studio allowing the pot to brew for his debut mixtape dropping this year. If you are looking for strong lyrics and music with a “nice feel,” then the moment has arrived.

Check him out!

Leave it to the ladies to bring the bass back! This badass babe reps Zone 6 like no other and is a beast on the turntables. She’s recently introduced her mixtape debut to the bass knockin’ trunks of all the old school Chevys ridin’ ’round on these Hotlanta streets. Don’t know who I’m talkin’ ’bout yet? None other than @Speakerfoxxx!

Her mixtape ‘Dope Boy Anthems Vol. 1′ is available for download on Soundcloud! It features some of our favorite hits from the 90s Atlanta we all knew and loved. Lil’ Will, Shawnna, DG Yola, Gucci, D4L, Youngbloodz, and Jeezy are all in the mixtape lineup. The icing on this booty shakin’ cake is the voice of ATL’s own @Gripplyaz who hosts the tape.