“I Shoot People” marks the debut unveiling of Trevor Traynor’s Hip Hop photography, his first step outside of his fine arts background. Trevor has been documenting the culture for the past six years; shooting live concerts, portrait shots, album covers, magazine spreads, and more. Notable artists he’s worked with include Afrika Bambatta, Rakim, KRS-One, Nas, N.E.R.D., Mos Def, Q-Tip, De La Soul, M.I.A., Public Enemy, Wu-Tang Clan and much more. His portfolio is a who’s who of Hip Hop culture, from the underground to the mainstream, from the old school to the new school.

The opening reception is June 20th from 7:00 – 11:00 at Tradition.

Photos by: Ashley Queen

There really is no other way to kick off summer in Los Angeles.  Beautiful music and beautiful people. The UCLA JazzFest stage was blessed by De La Soul, People, Under the Stairs, Leela James and Ms. Erykah Badu. I don’t know how she managed to still look super fly in a Public Enemy sweatshirt, hot pants and a bowler hat, but she pull that shit off!  More photos after you 

The Cool Kids

The Bake Sale EP

Chocolate Industries

Rating: 3.5/4

The Cool Kids The Bake Sale EP Chocolate Industries 3.5 Headphones Old school throwbacks with a new school sensibility, Chicago hipsters the Cool Kids may claim on their debut album that they’re “bringing ’88 back,” but to my ears The Bake Sale EP plays like a time capsule straight outta 1989. You’d have to go back at least that far—to the year the Beastie Boys stunned fans with the game-changing Paul’s Boutique and De La Soul expanded our concept of what rap music could be with 3 Feet High and Rising—to find hip-hop records that were so clearly invested in the simple act of having fun. Which is not to say that the duo of Mickey Rocks and Chuck Inglish (who also recall the Neptunes, if Chad and Pharell dropped rhymes as hot as their beats) are lacking in lyrical substance: They cut wannabes to the quick with razor-sharp quips like, “I love the hypocrites/hate it until you make it/wack swagger jackers/but my steez ain’t for the takin’,” with a tossed-off cool that wears laissez-faire like a designer logo. From the opening “What Up Man” and the Rick Rubin-influenced “88” to the NWA-sampling “Gold & A Pager” and the LL-referencing “Jingling,” the Cool Kids’ debut establishes them as one of alt-rap’s most exiting new acts in years, with a perfectly-paced 10 tracks that leave listeners hungry for more.

Photos by: Ashley Queen

Words by: Yo Mama

I have to admit I pouted for the first 2-3 hours of Rock the Bells. My ticket only granted me access to the nosebleed section and I wasn’t about to see Pharcyde from that kind of ungodly distance. I have to admit the press was treated like an illegitimate step child while groupies and homies of the band had all sorts of unspeakable access. I digress. Thanks to some cleavage and an altruistic security guard, I was able to see the ATCQ reunion from the front of the stage. That extinguished any snark I had from my experience. Rock the Bells was still the shit this year with an impeccable line up including but not limited to: Nas, Mos Def, Immortal Technique, De La Soul and many more. If you were on the second stage, maybe you caught the MF Doom “imposter“. Hip hop hilarity! See more pictures from Rock the Bells 2008 below