Specials @ Plastic People (Lnd)/Masta Ace & Ed OG (Leeds)

Specials @ Plastic
Well! this has been a crazy weekend for me but i love it so i can't moan. After a hard week with dealing with life i needed to get my DJ set ready for Fri 27th as i was booked for Tony Nwachukwu & Gavin Alexander's Burntprogress "Special @ Plastic" for Plastic People. I was far from ready as i had too much on my mind at the time and i don't deal with stress but who doe's. Anyway, Friday comes and am all set. Making sure that i leave Leicester as i had booked three DJ's for three bars (Job 1 done for this weekend) as i didn't want any phone calls while am dealing with my own set being in London, i was on the go. Before meeting Gavin and my midlands co partners (Atjazz, Christo and Red Rack'em) i hooked up with an old friend of mine (Great woman) for a drinks (@ East Village) which did help make me get loose cause my mind was still shady. After catching up with her then went on a mission to find Plastic People (Am not from London). Gavin was outside the place and Atjazz, Christo and Red Rack'em where across the road. We all where there and on time.

We do what most DJ's do and that's get in the place, chat shit, set up, chat some more and get back to setting up while checking each other tunes. I was getting stressed to play Hip-Hop and do a little turntablism set but with Plastic Peoples big disco tech mixer, the trixmixing was out the window. Didn't really have in mind to do a Hip-Hop cause i see Plastic People as a place more for broken bop, boogie, funk, soul and i didn't want to fall into the same box as Oh! he plays Hip-Hop, he must have J Dilla in his set. No disrespect to the late great J Dilla but we do have other phat producers but with dj's like Spin Doctor that keeps over playing him people minds are just locked on to think thats all we have in the Hip-Hop Underground.

Gavin started of by playing a lovely set of Soul, old, new and the unheard while people where coming in. I was chilling with my homeboy Kenny Dust at the table with the other DJ's watching the people come in. I was up first out of the midlands lot joking to myself... am not playing any Hip-Hop, ya'all crazy. Gavin comes for me as it was my time to shine. The system banging out nice and load, my mind went from not knowing what to play to am going to put my co-partners under pressure for 1 hour. Soon as i set up my tunes on my Serato, i hit em hard. Started with some funk classics, to a James Brown trix mix, dropped some Soulful Hip-Hop not pitching down the tempo with Q-Tip, Erykah Badu, Georgia Anne Muldrow Shafiq Husayn and Amp Fiddler then ramming the place with some Broken Beat. The place was packed but it only took three of my records from the start to do that. Chrsto came on after me with a powerful Deep House set then AtJazz rocked it after making everybody sweat. Red Rack'Em ended the night with a nice but banging hard set as i ears was pumping from the bassline of his tunes. As it came to the end of the night, I said my good byes to the others as i headed to Kenny Dust's crib as i was staying their for the night. Bus trip to his yard was long but talking wack MC's made it short. Nights like this makes me say... I Love My Job.

Masta Ace & Ed OG (Leeds)
Next Day i was ready to head out to Leeds but had i few thing to do but am not going into that so am a go into about Leeds The Elbow Rooms where Masta Ace & Ed OG performing. The event started at 9 with a B-Boy Battle, i didn't get to the venue untill after 10. Was happy to see alot of people in the place but this was a pools table place, didn't looked like the right place to hold a Hip-Hop event, don't get me wrong I've DJed here before and when i did DJ in there i didn't really enjoy it. That same feeling came to me again. The B Boy battle was still on and my homeboy Shan who was hosting did a great job but the DJ was not doin a good job in my books. Breaks are for Breakers to break to so why the fuck am i hearing the full song of the record and rap tracks with the rappers on it? I could go on and talk about how some of the breakers but why was their a (a full white) reggie act on at a hip-hop event?????. What was worse was the stage, it was small as hell (You can check Masta Ace twitter page, he wasn't happy). Now I don't know how many rap acts where on but the last one before Ace & Ed where cool but the others sucked, you could not here a word they were saying and some turntablist from Leeds was wack as hell fe real. The House DJ needed to do his homework as the joints he was playing was more for a MTV/1xtra crowd, think about.

After the bullshit, Masta Ace & Ed OG save the day. Real Hip-Hop was in the house. Performing joints from their new album Arts & Entertainment (from A's & E's (This Is What We Do), Ei8ht Is Enuff, Little Young to Fans) their solo classic's (Ed's Boston to I Got To Have It, Ace's Crooklyn to The Symphony) to doing a tribute to other rap acts (A Tribe Called Quest, Nice & Smooth, EPMD) and they sounded clear on the mic too (Even tho Masta Ace had trouble with The Elbow Rooms microphone).

Peace out to Spanna, His brother G, DJ Mongoose, Minx, AI, Sammy, Blue Eyes and Shan. Was good to see you there, wish i was at The Jazz Cafe or even in Birmingham to see Masta Ace and Ed OG on a real stage. Leeds, next time booked em at the Hi-Fi Club.

2 Turntables and A Microphone Trailer (JMJ Documentary)

On December 1st a documentary entitled, 2 Turntables and A Microphone, will be released via DVD. The doc will chronicle the life and death of legendary Run DMC DJ, Jason Mizell aka Jam Master Jay. JMJ's tragic murder is still a mystery to this day. "2 TURNTABLES AND A MICROPHONE documents the investigation of the unsolved murder of Jam Master Jay, RUN- DMC's groundbreaking DJ and producer, deftly revealing the history of hip-hop and mainstream rap along the way. Exclusive, candid interviews with 50 Cent, Ja Rule , Russell Simmons, RUN-DMC and more offer insight into Jam Master Jay's life - including information that could finally help police solve the murder that shook the music world to its core."

ROC RAIDA - OFFICIAL UK BENEFIT FUNDRAISER @ Vibe Bar London

ROC RAIDA - OFFICIAL UK BENEFIT FUNDRAISER @ Vibe Bar London

Derek B
dies of heart attack age 44.

Rapper Derek B has passed away after reportedly suffering a heart attack yesterday (November 15).

The musician, real name Derek Boland, is said to have been taken toLondon's Charing Cross hospital early yesterday morning. Paramedics were unable to resuscitate him, reports Mad News. He was 44.

A pioneering figure on the UK hip hop scene in the '80s, Derek B initially worked as an A&R man for the Music Is Life label, but recorded the track'Rock The Beat' when a proposed compilation ran short of tracks. The song went on to be released as a single, and was followed by other releases including 'Good Groove' and'Get Down'.

The singles' popularity led to a number of high-profile appearances for Derek B on mainstream UK television and radio shows including 'Top Of The Pops' - one of the first instances a UK rapper had been afforded such recognition.

Simon Harris, who founded Music Is Life, paid tribute to Boland today, telling NME.COM: "It is with great sadness that I heard the terrible news that Derek Boland has passed away. Derek was a wonderful person and a great talent, it was a privilege to have known and worked with him over the last 25 years.

"Derek was always a huge inspiration to me and can never be replaced, his tragic death at such a young age is a great loss to everyone who has known him and also his many fans. May I offer my love and sincere condolences to his family especially to his dear mother Jenny. Rest in peace Derek B, Bad Young Brother."

Derek B co-wrote the lyrics for Liverpool FC's 'Anfield Rap', as well as remixing and producing for acts including Eric B and Rakim.