The 2011 Rock the Bells Festival, sponsored by Boost Mobile and Blackberry, kicked off with a bang at the House of Blues this Tuesday night. Rock the Bells founder, Chang Weisberg, welcomed veterans and newbies to the stage to announce an airtight line up that rivals last year’s stellar offering. This year’s line-up boasts Lauryn Hill (Miseducation of Lauryn Hill), Nas (Illmatic), Erykah Badu, Black Star (Black Star), Raekwon + Ghostface (Only Built For Cuban Linx),  Mobb Deep (The Infamous), GZA (Liquid Swords), Souls of Mischief (93 to Infinity), Blu & Exile, Evidence, Childish Gambino and many more!

At the House of Blues, the stage was hot and spirits were high. Even Evidence began to circulate a joint for the press to share. Artists, such as RZA, B Real, and Supernatural, expressed their respect and affinity for Rock the Bells festival, fans and founder. Others also shared their apprehensions about debuting never performed songs from classic albums. “We’ll be doing songs that we’ve never ever performed before,” Tajai from Souls of Mischief shared.  Havoc, 1/2 of Mobb Deep, divulged “there are about 4 our 5 songs that I’m a bit nervous about.” It is that same respect for the craft and dedication to the fans that Weisberg hopes that every concert-goer experiences. “At the end of the day, this is all about the fans and I make sure that I communicate that to all of our artists who perform at Rock the Bells” Weisberg exclaimed. From the passion and excitement that emanated from Tuesday’s launch party, Rock the Bells 2011 will be one for the books.

Tickets for this year’s Rock The Bells go on sale 6/3. Stay tuned to Rock The Bell’s Twitter, Facebook and Website for updates on the line-up and exclusive content.

Hello my name is…
EXILE Manfredi.

I was raised in…
South CA all day..

The reason that you’re reading about me is…
Because I turned on the radio and decided to record it and manipulate it into music. Which will be released as Exile Radio AMFM out August 31st on Plug research/Dirty Science Records.

Right now I’m working on…
Another Blu and Exile album, a Emanon album (Aloe Blacc and myself), my solo Rap album, Exile Manfredi Four Track Mind, and Dagsavage (Exile and Johaz). …Oh and I am making an album using nothing but my fathers reel to reel tapes from the 60′s to the 80′s!!! Garage Phscyc rock madness and more..Im out of my mind.

But I’d rather be…
Watching a baby cow be born.

My most prized possessions are…
My zip disks.

But I’d give it all away for…
a year round pass to Knott’s Berry Farm.

The first thing I do in the morning is…
Try to remember the dream. Then get up and walk around in it.

The last thing I do at night is…
Watch YouTubes of myself performing while eating goat cheese and grapes…and by goat cheese and grapes, I mean Cheetos.

My momma always said…
TURN THE FUCKING MUSIC DOWN!!!

I love it when people…
give me San Pedro Cactus in the desert.

I hate it when people…
Try to tell you how to chop onions when your trying to cook. Fool, I know how to cut fuckin onions bro.

If you ever see me walking down the street…
Say Hello. Invite me over for Thanksgiving (I love the food, hate the pilgrims).

My most notable run-in with the law…
The cops staked out my house when I was 13 to see how me and my crew kept getting away with bombing the freeway (we had a secret route). They saw me climb out my window then followed me to the wall and drew guns on me when I was just armed with paint. I ran, got away, hid in a massive bush till the morning. FUCK THE POLICE!!! (They caught me on my way home)

If I had to say sorry it would be because…
I didn’t live my life to its fullest.

I get real aggro when…
Mother fuckers try and tell me how to chop ONIONS!!! Fuck you JOSH!!! I know how to cut onions!!

The last time I swore I’d never drink was after a night of…
Heckling Gaslampkiller to play Depeche Mode.

Future projects and plans…
Emanon, blu and Exile, Exile playing live music, Flipping my father and grandfathers music into my own,(RIP ALBERT MANFREDI AND ALBERICO MANREDI), and the DAGSAVAGE album. Also projects with ADAD, J Mitchell, FASHAWN, DREAM SEQENCE, DIRTY SCIENCE CREW 2010

And before I leave I’d like to give a shout out too…
All who contribute to love and positivity.

Its been almost 6 months since the tragedy in Haiti and the country is still trying to pull itself together. Some of hip-hop’s finest have collaborated with Oxfam America to bring to you Notes of Haiti (Ayiti). This compilation features Exile, Blu, Karriem Riggins, Invincible, Buff1 and many more.  Fans can download this 16-track banger by donating what they can ($1 to $100) to help Oxfam expand their efforts in Haiti.  The music is just as real as the cause. If you don’t believe me, just press play above. Every little bit helps. Peep the playlist after the jump

1. Karriem Riggins – Virgo 02:57
2. eLZhi – Growing Up feat. AB 05:00
3. Invincible – Taxicab Confessions 03:45
4. Fashawn – Father 03:24
5. SlopFunkDust – Rushing 01:45
6. Astro – Underdogs feat. MEDaphor 03:20
7. Crown Royale (Buff 1 & DJ Rhettmatic) – Photographs 03:44
8. Jordan Rockswell – Ten 02:31
9. Blu – Spanish Winters 02:43
10. Now On (DJ Haircut, Jackson Perry, IX Lives) – Doo It 02:46
11. Aloe Blacc – Very First Time 03:41
12. Exile – Exbox (Live on the MPC) 01:27
13. CoSS & Sene – Let’s Begin 03:29
14. Marv Won – Ways To Go 03:27
15. 14KT – Less Than Enough feat. AB 03:52
16. Houseshoes – Everything 02:16

21 AND OVER | 8PM-2AM

[$10 LIMITED PRESALE TICKETS via ticketweb.com]
$15 DOOR

Click here for more information

The first person to send an email to elosi@overamerica.com with the subject line “Happy New Year” will win 2 tickets to Twenty Ten. You don’t want to miss this one.

Plug Research Records has been getting it in this year, most recently with the addition of Bilal to it’s roster and the release of Shafiq Husayn’s En-A-Free-Ka. If you’ll be in NYC for CMJ, you won’t want to miss ‘Can I Get You High’ presented by Plug Research & V-Tech. Vapors and Plug Research are giving away a pair of tickets for a chance to see  Shafiq Husayn, Bilal w/ 6-piece band, Exile and  Blu, with DJ sets from DJ Spinna, J.Rocc, Large Professor and Blu Jemz. You can purchase tickets  for this event for $10 (advance) at WantTickets.com or you flirt with lady luck and send an email to elosi@overamerica.com with the subject line “I want to get high” to be entered into a random drawing to win a pair of tickets.  I don’t care how you get there, get tickets soon. This event will sell out. Don’t hear about it the next day.

Words by Andres Reyes

“I’m going to be completely honest with you, it took me a very long time to develop my style.” Jason Rutkowki, also known to some as MC Blame One, is soft-spoken, humble and brutally honest—not the kind of qualities you expect to find in a rapper. “Some people run into their own style in four or five years, but as far as me really finding my niche it wasn’t until the late 90’s. I was emulating people I loved up to that point and in the late 90’s I started really finding my own sound.”

Despite any stumbling blocks Blame might have encountered while discovering his identity as an MC, the trait that runs constant in his music is his ability to clearly translate his passion through his music. While that may be trite in that technically every musician has some sort of passion for their output, Blame’s dedication to his craft is a very particular one. Unlike many of today’s masters of ceremonies, Blame actually has a full life outside of his music with a full-time day job and a family. “It’s very hard to balance. I work 9 to 5 and I come home and hang out with my kids till they go to sleep, around 9, then I start working on music till 2 or 3 in the morning then its right back up for work the next day. It’s tough to balance, but it’s definitely a labor of love and at this point there is no way I can let it go.”

With Blame’s latest release, Days Chasing Days, it seems this is the album where the passion matches the output. Executive produced by longtime friend and associate Exile, Blame’s Soulspazm Records debut boasts a cohesive energy that truly makes the record an album rather than just a collection of rap songs. Blame credits a large part of this to his partner on the MPC, Exile. “We both have a mutual respect for each other but the one thing that Exile has learned that I really didn’t learn as well is how to construct an album instead of just dope songs. I would have dope songs but not necessarily be able to format them into an album that was something people could relate to, he definitely figured that out and I appreciate that he’s given me the time to helping me with it.” The spirit behind the album stays grounded in the golden era, but the sound is far from dated. Although other stellar producers like Black Milk, Kankick, Blu (yes, he makes beats) and newcomer G Rocka contribute, the tracks with Blame Uno and Exile show a chemistry that is a decade plus in the making.

In today’s saturated hip-hop scene everyone is constantly on the grind for recognition and fame in one way or another. Blame seems content with being appreciated solely by those who feel his music on a very personal level, unaffected by the bright lights and hoopla that is abundant in today’s climate, “my key goal with people is to be honest. I still have a braggadocio side of me because that’s what I was founded in, but overall in my music I try to truly express myself. I’m more honest because I’m around my family so much. It’s a no holds-barred thing in my music; I think I say things in my music that I wouldn’t actually tell people in everyday conversation, unless I was extremely close to them.”

Blame One’s Days Chasing Days is out on iTunes now!

Words By Preach Jacobs

In hip-hop, it’s sometimes hard to make the distinction between beat-makers and producers, but with Exile the choice is clear. Best known as one of the heroes in the independent game, Exile is pushing the envelope on what we are accustomed to hearing from producers, and Exile’s collaborative effort with emcee Blu on Below the Heavens has skyrocketed him to the top of the list of most-sought-after producers.

“While we were recording the Below the Heavens record, there were some commercial records we did that we didn’t put on the album. We wondered if we should go in the commercial direction, but we chose not to. Instead we decided to do us. We agreed to make the music we enjoy.”

As a result Exile gained a reputation for having a sound that captured the golden age of hip-hop, as well as going beyond the norm with his new concept record Radio.

“Everything on this album is sampled off the radio. It was a way to make beats in a different way. I hate to say it, but I got bored and wanted to challenge myself. This album was the perfect way to go about it,” Exile admits. The grandson and son of acclaimed musicians, Exile is a product of his environment, explaining how his upbringing crafted his sound.

“My grandfather played traditional Italian stuff, and one of his pieces was actually stolen by Ricky Ricardo and used for the Lucy show. My father was with a group called Lost & Found in the 60s. I grew up around that, it’s in my blood.”

On Radio, Exile orchestrates the songs with a unique brilliance. Every random sound from radio static, classic talk radio vocal clips and weird sound effects were blended seamlessly to make the songs. Sonically speaking, the album is unlike anything I’ve ever heard and will no doubt get him more attention for his beats. Exile acknowledges this but still is able to remain grounded.

“I’m willing to make beats for major labels and artists, but the only thing I’m afraid of is my sound changing. When I got my beat on the Mobb Deep album, I was getting my beats pitched to a bunch of places and I started to cater to them. I had to catch myself and I promised that if I do it, I have to make the beats the way that I want to.” It’s becoming clear that he’s a producer with very vintage hip-hop morals.

“I still wish we were still rocking tapes and vinyl. There’s something special about it. Back in the days you got props for having the dope tape with shit on there nobody else had. Now, with the internet, even though it opened the door for everybody to get some recognition, the mystery was lost. With this new stuff I’m doing, that’s something I want to bring back.”

Radio is in stores now!

Photos Courtesy of Ed Canas

As you can tell the house was PACKED, but you really can’t be too suprised with that kind of line up. U-N-I opened the show with a suprise appearance from Evidence. Blu & Exile energized the crowd with a classic emcee/DJ set-up. The waiting period for Wale’s show wouldn’t have been so unberable if the DJ (or CD???) hadn’t been playing Akon, Rihanna and other assorted wacknesss. The crowd eventually reached their boiling point and booed the DJ. All gripes were forgotten once Wale hit the stage.  Check out more flicks from the show after the jump. 

Idle Warship (Talib Kweli, Res & Graph Nobel) wsg/ BLU & Exile

9pm

BB Kings
237 West 42nd Street
Times Square NYC

For those that never met DJ Dusk, let me tell you a little about my friend. Dusk (along with Miles) was the man behind LA’s most authentic underground hip-hop weekly, Root Down. During the years he put the party on, he and his event’s reputation attracted the creme de la creme of the music industry, who usually performed for free just because that’s how loved Dusk was. A few years ago, tragedy struck when Dusk was run over by a drunk driver. Typical of his character, he saved the life of another person by pushing them out of the way of the car, giving his life in the process. Dusk was a hero in life, and he remains a hero in death. RIP, friend.

Peep the video of him MCing the Soundclash to get a feel for how hype his shit was. Much more than a DJ battle, Soundclash had ill producers like Will.I.Am making beats live onstage for the crowd’s reaction. Watch for the full length version from Mochilla.