Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Shady Records History Hall

As reported on Rosenblog below, the Shady Records Brisk Bodega in New York City was a one-day-only event with performances from Slaughterhouse and Yelawolf with a pop-up "museum." The staff at Shady and myself searched our archives, homes, storage facilities and vaults to come up with a collection of artifacts, awards and memorabilia spanning the history of the label and Eminem's career. I was personally very concerned that some things might get damaged and/or stolen in the process but we hired the Shady Security crew to spend the night with the collection to make sure nothing got vicked or ganked. Special thanks to Riggs Morales, Marc LaBelle, Dro Genao, Alvon Miller and Craig Barnes for making sure everything went smooth and putting in overtime hours to make sure that this special collection came together. Below check out two different videos with narration from yours truly describing most of what was on display for those that couldn't make it in person. See you in another 12 or 13 years I guess? Shady Records, Established 1999. TRUST US. (P.S. I know I said "tooken" and that "5 Star Generals" isn't actually on Soundbombing 2 so shutup).

Monday, September 26, 2011

The Knux- Eraser

Tomorrow, The Knux release their sophomore album entitled Eraser. If you aren't aware, The Knux are two brothers (literally) from New Orleans named Krispy Kreme and Joey LeStrat, or just Krispy and Joey (click to follow them on Twitter). We at Goliath Artists, Inc. have managed The Knux since before their Interscope debut Remind Me In 3 Days... and we are firm believers that these guys are a unique and special talent that the world needs to hear. Their new album is a previously never accomplished mix of hip-hop, electronic, pop and indie/garage rock styles that blend together in a rapturous fashion. I hear influences from De La Soul to The Clash to Depeche Mode in their music- and somehow it comes together and works. The guys produced the album themselves and write all of their lyrics, too. If this sounds interesting to you, check The Knux out and pick up their album here or check it out on Spotify or buy a copy in an actual store. You will thank me later. My personal favorite tracks are probably "Eraser", "1974", "Queen of the Cold" and "I See Stars." Let me know what yours are. Here is the LA Times review of Eraser. For more info and upcoming tour dates, visit TheKnux.com.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Yelawolf on Sway In The Morning

This morning Shady Records' own Yelawolf came by SiriusXM's Shade45 to chat with Sway on his Sway In The Morning show. Below hear Yela discuss his new DJ, the Shady Records Brisk Bodega, the song he has with Eminem on his upcoming Radioactive album, his Jim Morrison phase and more.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

NYC Shady Brisk Bodega

This Saturday, September 17th, The Shady Records Brisk Bodega will be open for business- for the day at least. The concept of the Shady Records Brisk Bodega is to turn the experience of copping a bottle or can of Brisk Iced Tea at your local corner store in NYC into a Shady Records corner store run and operated by the Shady brand of entertainment mixed with a little bit of history... See, in this bodega there is a pop-up one day only Shady Records History Hall, which chronicles the inception and rise of the label through rare photos, art, objects, awards, apparel, sneakers, etc. The collection contains items from the Shady Vault, including some of my personal prized possessions such as the Dr. Dre "Missing" milk carton from "The Real Slim Shady" video. The Shady Records History Hall will be open for public viewing from 1-5 pm. Come nightfall, lucky contest winners and invited guests will be treated to exclusive performances from the 2.0 Boys themselves, Yelawolf and Slaughterhouse. Sounds will be provided by the incomparable Dj Enuff. Drinks will be provided by the bar via the good folks at Brisk. Our whole staff spent a ton of time putting this experience together along with the Brisk team and the homies at Cornerstone. If you are a fan of Shady, this isn't something you will want to miss. Unfortunately, tickets aren't available to the public. Follow Yelawolf and the Slaughterhouse guys as well as myself and Shady Records on Twitter to be some of the lucky few. More information is available at BriskBodega.com or by clicking here.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Steve Stoute's The Tanning of America

Tonight I attended Steve Stoute's cocktail party for his new book The Tanning of America. The book is being published by Gotham Books and is available in-stores and online now (it was released on September 8th). Steve is an old friend of mine. We first met when he was the head of Urban Music at Interscope around 2000. I remember my first conversation with Steve- he called me to tell me how big of a fan he had become of Eminem and how he wanted to help us break D12 on Shady. Over the course of the next few years we developed a close friendship as he lived in my neighborhood and we had many mutual friends. Yeah, we fell out for a few years but the problems we had became water-under-the-bridge and we reconnected last year and picked up where we left off- smoking cigars and talking about hip-hop and the landscape of the music world. During those conversations Steve told me about the book he was writing and explained its premise: that hip-hop culture had so greatly affected american culture that it became part of the marketing language and attitude of the mainstream which eventually forced Corporate America to embrace it and ultimately utilize it. Eventually that obviously led to the topic of Eminem and his part in the process. Steve asked to interview Eminem about the subject, and the conversation appears in the book's epilogue. If you get the opportunity pick the book up. There's a very intelligent discussion and explanation of the theory of "tanning" as an american phenomenon that is sure to spark conversation. Below are some photos I took on my Droid from the party. Ok, so Nas, Jigga, Diddy, Fab 5 Freddy, Run, Russel Simmons and Brett Ratner were in the building amongst others- along with the lovely Allison Rosenberg. The Otis Maybach
Steve Stoute and Fab 5 Freddy
A Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince Varsity Jacket
Tom Sachs Grand Piano
Allison Fixing her make-up in a Gold Plaque for Grandmaster Flash

Friday, September 09, 2011

The Knux Feat. Kid Cudi "Run" (Video)

Pleased to present the shiny new BBgun directed video from The Knux and Kid Cudi for the single "Run"... This is the day (every day?) in the life of a young model as she's on the move in NYC. Running, indeed. Maybe her nose too. The Knux sophomore album Eraser is in stores and available online 9/27, or you can pre-order this gem here.