People’s Party

NYC Hip-Hop And Skate Culture Collide In The Trailer For The Documentary ‘All The Streets Are Silent’

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If you live for sneakers, skateboarding, Supreme drops, and all things hip-hop, you have late ‘80s and early ‘90s New York street culture to thank for that. And you’re probably going to love All The Streets Are Silent, a feature-length documentary debut from Jeremy Elkin that explores this still influential period of American youth culture. For the documentary, Elkin reached out to the kids (and Kids) who grew up in the scene — who better to document that golden age of style and music than the people who lived it?

Premiering today at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival as a documentary select, “All The Streets Are Silent” takes you on a deep dive into the streets of New York City, back to the days when skate culture and hip-hop were still rebellious expressions of street youth and not global commodities with rabid fan bases dominated by hype.

The film, which is narrated by Zoo York cofounder and Uproxx Style editor Eli Morgan Gesner uses archival footage and covers notable figures and locales of the era, including Harold Hunter, Club Mars, Supreme, and DJ Stretch Armstrong. The stars of the counterculture are in full effect but at its heart, All The Streets Are Silent is an examination of being a kid in New York City during a special time in pop culture. With guests like Rosario Dawson, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, DJ Clark Kent, the late Keith Hufnagel, and Yuki Watanabe, “All The Streets Are Silent” offers an exploration of race, society, fashion, and street culture in a culturally significant era in New York City history wrapped in a Paris is Burning meets Kids aesthetic that oozes cool.

Elkin took this project seriously, in addition to linking up with Gesner, he also tapped the legendary Large Professor, the producer that brought us Tribe Called Quest’s “Keep it Rollin” to do the soundtrack. It doesn’t get more vintage New York than that. Check out the trailer for All The Streets Are Silent above and stream it on-demand until June 23rd for $15 here.

Lil Kim Is Releasing Her Memoir, ‘The Queen Bee,’ This Fall

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Lil Kim’s story has been extensively detailed in interviews, movies, and even TV shows, but in a statement to People announcing her debut memoir, she insists, “Many people have thought they knew the story of Lil’ Kim, but they have no idea.” Looking to correct that oversight, Kim teamed up with God Save The Queens: The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hop author Kathy Iandoli to write The Queen Bee, coming out November 2 via Hachette Books. “I’m excited to finally get to tell my story after all this time,” Kim says.

Kim, counted by most — if not all — of today’s emerging female rap talents as one of the biggest influences on their careers, has been revered for decades as a rap pioneer and a fashion icon. Her legacy was already examined in print in numerous books, including the recently released The Motherlode by Clover Hope, which aimed to profile the oft-overlooked female contribution to the history, culture, and music of hip-hop. Lil Kim was one of the rare exceptions.

While Kim hasn’t released very much new material in recent years — with the exception of 2019’s 9, her first full-length album release since 2005’s The Naked Truth and a handful of underrated mixtapes — she’s still very much a fixture of hip-hop’s tapestry, contributing her voice to BET’S American Gangster series as fans continue to clamor for her and Foxy Brown to participate in Swizz Beatz’s Verzuz hits battle.

You can pre-order The Queen Bee here.

RZA Launches His ‘Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater’ WIth A New Single Called ‘Pugilism’

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With Marvel’s release of the Shang-Chi trailer on Monday, expect kung-fu movies to start making a big comeback in the coming year (if they haven’t already; see Raya And The Last Dragon, the renewal of Warrior on HBO Max, and the recently premiered reboot of the classic show Kung-Fu). It’s likely that no one is more ecstatic about this turn of events than RZA, who based the Wu-Tang Clan’s entire aesthetic on hs Saturday afternoon forays to the matinee to catch the latest Shaw Brothers movies growing up in Staten Island, New York.

RZA is about to pay further homage to his first love as he revives his 36 Cinema platform he started at the outset of the pandemic, which hosts weekly screenings of classic kung-fu and blaxploitation films with live commentary from RZA and weekly guests. His new programming slate is fitting titled “Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater” and kicks off — heh — this Saturday, April 24 with a screening of Heroes Of The East at 9 pm ET with Portland’s Hollywood Theatre’s head programmer Dan Halsted.

Celebrating the announcement, RZA also resurrected his Bobby Digital persona for a new single called “Pugilism” — the first such release since 2008’s Digi Snacks album. It’s the first single from RZA’s upcoming fourth solo album, Bobby Digital: Digital Potions, which he’ll share more info about during this Saturday’s screening.

Listen to “Pugilism” above and get tickets for the inaugural Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater showing of “Heroes Of The East” here.

Dave Chappelle Is Launching His First-Ever Podcast, Along With Talib Kweli And Yasiin Bey

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“Last summer, Yellow Springs [Ohio] was what Hollywood is supposed to be,” says Talib Kweli about the much mythologized “Chappelle Summer Camp” of 2020, which has now given birth to Dave Chappelle’s first podcast. “What we realized is that Hollywood and all that stuff is fake. The real dopeness is where the people are. If someone like Chappelle says, ‘Well, I’m in Yellow Springs.’ Then that’s where the people are going to be.”

The show, co-hosted by Kweli and Yasiin Bey and called The Midnight Miracle, will air on the subscription podcast network Luminary, will reveal the inner workings of Chappelle’s covid rapid tested events (along with the even more legendary after-parties), held in Ohio through the summer and deep into the fall. The first episodes are set to drop “in the coming weeks” and will feature wide-ranging conversations as well as sketches, archival clips, and impersonations from Chappelle, along with a roster of his incredibly famous friends.

“The constant isn’t fame,” Kweli says, “it’s contributions to the culture. Chappelle, one of his many talents, is curating great rooms, so what people will hear on the podcast is essentially what they would hear if they were in the room with us. It’s very organic, very free-flowing, it’s non-linear… we just happen to associate ourselves with greatness.”

“The Midnight Miracle” was recorded in a retrofitted mechanic’s garage turned clubhouse, and the trio has already banked over 100 hours of content recorded with a jaw-dropping list of guests from Common and Tiffany Haddish to Questlove and Chris Rock (plus a soundtrack that includes Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk, and D’Angelo).

As for where the seed of the show first blossomed, Kweli credits his longtime Black Star partner in rhyme, Yasiin Bey. The trio’s friendship has endured since the Chappelle’s Show days.

“We speak often and the last few years we’ve spoken more, as we’ve gotten older,” Kweli tells us. “It was actually Yasiin’s idea to do this type of podcast, when he and Dave first heard people talking about my show, The People’s Party. [People’s Party is produced by Uproxx] Yasiin said to Dave, ‘you should be doing a podcast, too’ and Dave said ‘well the only way I’m doing it is if I do it with ya’ll,’ It was just that simple.”

“Making a podcast isn’t the obvious next move for me, but it’s the right one,” Chappelle said in a press release announcing the show. “The Midnight Miracle gives you a look into how me and my friends process the world around us, and I think it will change the way listeners think of what a podcast can be.”

Look for The Midnight Miracle to drop on Luminary in the weeks to come.

Questlove Analyzes 50 Years Of Pop Culture In His Upcoming Book, ‘Music Is History’

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Thanks to his bookish knowledge of pop culture and gift for storytelling, The Roots drummer Questlove has become one of music’s foremost historians — albeit, an informal one, in most cases. So, it’s fitting that his next book is titled Music Is History and will take on the task of examing the last 50 years of pop culture through the lens of the music that inspired it and was inspired it. The book is due in October through Abrams Image.

According to a press release, in the new book, Questlove will choose an “essential” track he believes defines each year, and “unpacks each song’s significance, revealing the pivotal role that American music plays around issues of race, gender, politics, and identity.”

Choosing the year 1971 as the book’s starting point, Quest gives it a link to his own personal history — he recently celebrated his own 50th birthday — and will also include personal anecdotes to highlight the way grand themes like race and politics can have a huge impact on the individual, as well. Topics will include the blaxploitation era, disco, and “the secret ingredient in all funk songs,” which will also be the theme of one of the playlists Questlove is curating to promote the new book. He’ll also be recording the audiobook version, releasing it through Recorded Books.

Vic Mensa Beats Up Uncle Sam In His Fiery ‘Fr33dom’ Video With Zacari

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Vic Mensa‘s triumphant comeback continued today with the release of his I Tape EP, the follow-up to his August V Tape release. To accompany the new EP, Vic also shared the fiery “Fr33dom” video with TDE singer Zacari. The video finds Vic Mensa once again in conflict with the authorities, as viewed through the framing device of a child’s room filled with posters of revolutionaries. In one scene, Mensa stands victorious over one of the greatest symbols of the establishment, Uncle Sam, clad in boxing trunks and gloves.

Vic’s two most recent projects have highlighted his redefined role as a rebel with a cause. Whereas prior efforts saw him position himself as a punk rock rabble-rouser along the lines of a Sid Vicious, all chaotic energy and self-destruction, he seems to have shaken off that outlook on newer tracks like “Shelter,” on which he reunited with longtime friend Chance The Rapper.

His community-focused efforts have taken the forefront of his artistic messaging, and he continues to promote them despite some setbacks — like when his nonprofit was robbed of $40,000 worth of donated sneakers on New Year’s Eve. In all, though, watching him tap into his socially conscious roots has been an encouraging sight.

Watch the “Fr33dom” video above.

I Tape is out now on Roc Nation Records. Get it here.

Open Mike Eagle Laces Up His ‘Gold Gloves’ For Battle On Mello Music Group’s New Compilation

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Iron sharpens iron. That’s why Open Mike Eagle, Oddisee, and the rest of Mello Music Group are practicing their Bushido on a new compilation album from the independent rap label coming out in April. Featuring production from the likes of Apollo Brown, The Alchemist, L’Orange, The Lasso, and more, and vocal appearances from Homeboy Sandman, Joell Ortiz, Murs, and Stalley, the compilation assembles some of rap’s best underground spitters, with the friendly competition bringing out their best.

Ahead of the release, MMG (heh) has shared a new track featuring Open Mike Eagle and The Lasso titled “Gold Gloves.” The track, produced by The Lasso on “a glitched-out Moog,” finds Open Mike lyrically shadowboxing, describing the process of getting focused for an upcoming fight while reflecting on the toll previous battles have left on him.

The Bushido compilation arrives in Mello Music Group’s tenth year of operation. The description for the project on Bandcamp positions the label as a band of the last samurai in rap, “religiously devoted to the upholding of standards and values.”

Bushido is due 4/2 via Mello Music Group. You can pre-order it here. See the tracklist below.

1. “Iron Steel Samurai” (feat. Quelle Chris & The Alchemist)
2. “Gold Gloves” (feat. Open Mike Eagle & The Lasso)
3. “One of the Last” (feat. Marlowe)
4. “Yours Truly” (feat. Homeboy Sandman & Kensaye Russell)
5. “No Trouble” (feat. Oddisee)
6. “Gwan B Ok” (feat. Zackey Force Funk & The Lasso)
7. “Ta-Nehesi The Vocals” (feat. Skyzoo & L’Orange)
8. “Symbol of Hope” (feat. Open Mike Eagle, Namir Blade & Elaquent)
9. “Never Lived” (feat. Oddisee)
10. “None” (feat. Homeboy Sandman & Iman Omari)
11. “Bane Brain” (feat. James Shahan & Quelle Chris)
12. “Black Rock” (feat. Joell Ortiz, Namir Blade, Stalley & Solemn Brigham) 05:08
13. “Outlast” (feat. Dueling Experts, Joell Ortiz & Apollo Brown)
14. “Black Man” (feat. RJ Payne & Apollo Brown)
15. “Turnt Garveyite” (feat. Murs & Georgia Anne Muldrow)
16. “Nightmare” (feat. Cambatta & Apollo Brown)
17. “Rap” (feat. Homeboy Sandman & Eric Lau)
18. “You To Me” (feat. Oddisee)
19. “ZeroFux” (feat. B-Real, Kool Keith, Joell Ortiz & Nottz)
20. “Banners” (feat. The Perceptionists & !llmind)

Raekwon And Ghostface Killah’s Verzuz Battle Date Has Been Set

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A few weeks ago, Swizz Beats and Timbaland confirmed that rap legends and Wu-Tang bandmates Ghostface Killah and Raekwon The Chef would participate in an upcoming episode of the popular streaming concert series Verzuz, and today, they revealed the specifics of the upcoming kung-fu duel. Raekwon Vs. Ghostface has been set for Saturday, March 20 at 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET. Fans will have a new viewing option, as well; in the wake of Swizz and Tim’s partnership with Triller, the next battle will stream on the app rather than Apple Music, where it has previously streamed.

While Ghostface and Rae have spent much of the last year laying — typical of the Wu-Tang brotherhood as a whole when they’re not promoting a new album (or squabbling over it) — Ghost did reveal in 2019 he’s working on a horror thriller with RZA and in 2017, he was early on the cryptocurrency bandwagon, so don’t be surprised if he flogs an NFT or two during the show. Meanwhile, Raekwon celebrated the 25th anniversary of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx with a deluxe vinyl reissue, teasing work on a second sequel to turn the Cuban Linx brand into a trilogy. The Wu-Tang as a whole has an elaborately-produced photobook coming out but getting ahold of it sounds like the luck of the draw.

Check out the upcoming Verzuz on 3/20 on the Verzuz Instagram and Triller app.

Vic Mensa Delivers A Defiant Performance Of ‘Shelter’ On ‘The Late Show’

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Chicago rapper Vic Mensa appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to perform a medley of new songs, “Shelter” and “FR33DOM.” Recruiting “Shelter” guest Wyclef Jean and longtime Windy City collaborator Peter Cottontale, Vic’s prerecorded performance finds him performing from the floor of an empty warehouse and visually condemning the prison system. For the second half of the performance, red highlighting accentuates a riotous rendition of the defiant “FR33DOM.”

Both songs are due to appear on Vic’s upcoming EP, I TAPE, the follow-up to last year’s V TAPE. The activist/rapper revealed the I TAPE due date via a press release after the performance: March 26. It’s clear that Vic is building up to a larger project, so a C TAPE can’t be very far behind that.

“Shelter,” I TAPE‘s first single, featured the reunion of Vic and his musical brother-in-arms Chance The Rapper. The two rappers came up at the same open mic together and had parallel career tracks early on, but when Chance’s Coloring Book took off, the two apparently had a falling out that lasted for several years. In the meantime, Vic released an experimental punk album, became an outspoken critic of various US policies, and even visited Palestine, deciding to recommit to the social justice cause and apparently getting back to his musical roots. You can read more in Uproxx’s new interview with Vic Mensa here.

Watch Vic Mensa’s The Late Show performance of “Shelter” and “FR33DOM” above.

I TAPE is out 3/26 on Roc Nation.

Killer Mike Delays Reopening His Barbershop After A Nearby Shooting Damages The Windows

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Killer Mike, who recently closed his Atlanta barbershop due to safety concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, is delaying re-opening the shop after a nearby shooting damaged the windows. However, in the social media post announcing the delay, he clarified that the shop was not the target of the shooting, blaming it on “Black men who could not shoot for sh*t.” He also stated he wasn’t upset, but indirectly admonished the perpetrators to think about the consequences of their actions.

“Last night at 1am (non biz hours) while I was in the booth I got a call ‘Mike the OG Store windows were shot out,’” he explained. “It was not a personal attack but it was black men who cud not shoot for shit shooting at one another. I am not upset as property can be replaced. I am sorry to my customers as this will continue pause the re launch of the OG SWAG Shop barber Shop & store. I wanna say to the brothers tho: Please consider what would have happened if one of y’all actually hit one another. The jail, the lawyer fees, the funeral cost and two black families loss. I’m glad y’all cud not hit the side of a barn with a shot gun cuz this am y’all all are alive.”

Mike recently appeared on ESPN to talk about the importance of ownership and financial responsibility, explaining how seeds planted by prior generations of his family allowed him the economic freedom to expand the family’s wealth. He also recently launched his Greenwood digital banking platform to help give other Black people access to the same wealth-building tools and expanded his business interests into the world of cannabis alongside his Run The Jewels partner El-P.