For those of us wishing to give back this holiday, and to hear some music devoid of the treacly sentimentality of traditional holiday fa-la-la, Gabe’s presents the 1st Annual Hip Hop for the Holidays Donation Drive this Friday at 9 p.m. There are three things I like about this event. 1. I don’t have to […]
Hip-Hop
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Hip hop house show: Chicago’s Pivot Gang to put on first-ever Iowa City performance
Chicago’s hip-hop collective Pivot Gang will be visiting Iowa City this Friday at 10 p.m. for a house show at 125 N Gilbert St. Hot off the release of a new mixtape…
Posted inArts & Entertainment
These 319-area emcees want to know who’s best
The Cypher Committee released its first-ever 319 Cypher this week. The video is a joint collaboration among primarily Cedar Rapids-based rappers, though it’s packed with plenty of shout-outs (The Hawkeyes are a big hit), so there’s quite a bit to bite on if you’re a navel-gazing Iowan like myself. The group encourages viewers to jump […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Trina Thompson is turning 40: this is why people care
Those that follow the local hip hop scene have probably seen the name Trina Thompson pop up from time to time. When she’s not taking photos at various hip hop shows, Thompson is usually busy spreading the word about the shows themselves. A pro bono promoter, of sorts. She doesn’t dedicate her time to this […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Gabe’s patio to host free ‘very special’ performance prior to Run the Jewels show
This Thursday’s Killer Mike and El-P show at Gabe’s is one of those “get there early” events. The doors will be packed, true, but the real reason you’ll want to show up…
Posted inArts & Entertainment
'95 'TIL INFINITY: A Personal Narrative of Hip-Hop and Place in Iowa City
Features: March 2010 – Where they were from was just as important as what they were saying, almost from the beginning. To be down was to be in the house. Location in Iowa City was and is the same—while rappers can and will rap anywhere, and come and go, it is the places that get […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Show Review: Yung Joc at The Industry 10/9/2009
-Clarence Johnson’s narrative review of Yung Joc’s show at the Industry
-Next-day video wrap up with Clarence and the Tallboy
-Photos by Jared Harrison
-Video clips of all the openers
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Testifi | 2 the World
Testifyi 2 The World www.myspace.com/testifyi There’s a lot of recording artists now that give credit to God for their success, but their music has nothing to do with religious themes. Testifyi takes a different approach: There’s nothing but religious themes on “2 The World.” Testifyi has mastered the style of modern hip hop; if you […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
I Pledge Allegiance to the HIP HOP
Even if the Wu-Tang Clan is a peripheral blip on your music radar, you probably at least have a vague notion that they’re nothing to fuck with, especially if you’ve seen more than a couple episodes of Chappelle’s Show. Their 1993 debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), became the prototype for over a decade of […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Man with a Plan
Here’s what promoter Tanki Nyane wants out of IC: Local hip hop pinned down, weathered posters of emcees competing with indie rockers, people strolling down Clinton Street on their iPods listening to Animosity and his future brethren. Nyane wants to clog the Iowa rhyme drain, build a scene worth cultivating, drop “Iowa” and “hip hop” […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment, Prairie Pop
Mix It Up
[audio:Double_Dee_Steinski_-_Lesson_1_The_Payoff_Mix.mp3] Double Dee & Steinski – The Lesson 1 – The Payoff.mp3 [audio:Double_Dee_Steinski_-_Lesson_2_The_James_Brown_Mix.mp3] Double Dee & Steinski – The Lesson 2 – The James Brown Mix.mp3 [audio:Double_Dee_Steinski_-_Lesson_3_History_of_Hip_Hop_Mix.mp3] Double Dee & Steinski – The Lesson 3 – History of Hip Hop.mp3 The most unlikely outsiders to make a distinct, lasting impact on hip-hop were two ad […]
