Damn thats one hell of a line-up! Tickets go on sale this Saturday at Ticketfly.com. These tickets will sell out. I’m not speculating, I’m being real. Don’t get left behind.

Photos by: Ace Knuckles

At Rock the Bells in San Bernadino, it was a great day to be in California. Backdropped by a characteristically Californian 86-degree sun,  hip-hop enthusiasts were blessed with performances from some of Cali’s best: La Coka Nostra, Cypress Hill, Evidence, Alchemist, and Ice Cube.  They shared stages with Nas, Damien Marley, The Roots, Reflection Eternal, Slum Village, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Murs, Pete Rock, Raekwon, RZA, and GZA among others who rocked both stages for almost 11 hours straight.

Main stage performer Tech N9ne, who is releasing his 10th studio album K.O.D. this Fall, shared what keeps his stage show kinetic. “[You have to] keep the energy up…it has to be ‘out of this world’ because ‘out of this world’ will never depreciate.”  The energy from this Rock the Bells tour has already led to a Slaughterhouse + Tech N9ne tour this October.

Ice Cube closed the show and summoned up enough West Coast love to resurrect Tupac. I knew he struck a cord when our photographer started crip-walking (no lie!). If you missed the festival, you can live vicariously through the photos after the jump

“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

Before midnight, right after Tech N9ne’s suprise set, a guy behind me screamed “I’m loving this shit!!!” I don’t know if he was drunk or not, but I can’t blame him for not being able to contain himself. In a matter of 2 hours, fans were treated to surprise performances by Nas, Damien Marley, Raekwon, Murs,  Supernatural and Psycho Realm with a suprise appearance from B-Real and Fatlip on the tables. These artists along with Common, Reflection Eternnal, Big Boi, The Roots, RZA and Slum Village (T3, Elzhi, AND Baatin!) will be gracing the stage at this year’s Rock The Bells Festival. This year’s tour will kick off on June 27 and run on consecutive weekends in 10 cities (Toronto, Washington D.C., Boston, New York, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami and Vancouver) through August 9. The inauguration at the Key Club Sunset set the bar and expections high for what to expect this year. All present talent agreed that they are looking forward to sharing the stage with each other this summer. “Its a blessing to share the stage with these brothers,” Supernatural shared. Everyone will be practicing their own rituals in order to bring the heat on stage. Murs confided that he wears the same Vans and hoodie all tour, Sick Jacken of Psycho Realm only needs a bottle of whiskey and clean underwear to keep him happy and Raekwon just smokes a blunt and is “good to go.” From the energy & anticipation generated from the performances and press conference this summer is going to get a lot hotter with Rock the Bells. Relive the experience when you

Words by: Chase

Belief is a producer who thinks music is progressive. He uses it as a means to infiltrate and inspire the public consciousness around the world. For him, his name “evokes nothing but good things” and, when coupled with faith, is a force to be reckoned with. While that’s still open to interpretation, it’s exactly how he meant it to be.

What type of album is “Let It Breathe?”
Think of it as a mix album. It’s an album in mixtape format, all original music, and the feel of a dj set.

How do you decide when the album was done?
After I’ve gone too far. I did really in depth tedious editing, remixing, rerecording and rearranging. Finally, I decided to take all of the vocals off. I thought it would be a more “pure” expression of me. That was boring, I put them back and it sat for 6 weeks. When I came back to it I was happy.

Do you feel that hip-hop is dying or in transition?
Transition. There are natural progressions to music, and art in general. I am certainly not trying to stand in the way. I’m into seeing art evolve. Hip-hop is being influenced by genres like indie rock and electro. I’ve always felt these genres have a lot to offer. It’s also a good time for artists to take more control of the business, its not like the way it’s been working has worked that well for us. That’s part of the reason I’m releasing this album for free. I feel like it’s hard to ask people that listen to my music for money. They all have the technology to find it for free. I haven’t paid for music in years. We should be paid by major corporations and giving the music out for free. I call it the Robinhood model.

What’s one thing you would change about hip-hop?
I wish rappers would show up on time.

Tell me more about your Lone Wolf release?
Lone Wolf is a collaboration album with Sumkid Majere. It’s a blues/hiphop album: very organic and melancholy, sounds like a dirt road. It drops early 2009.

What else do you have in the works?
I’m conceptualizing another project along the lines of “Let It Breathe”. But maybe more focused this time. I’m producing an album for Kosha Dillz, just did a song for Beenie Man, a remix for El-P, a R&B album for Jeanine Smith on Quannum, and lots of music for television.

Do you still see yourself producing 20-30 years from now?
I do. There’s an infinite amount of things to learn. I could do this forever. I have a lot of goals for just beat making. Working with other genres and scoring films are just some of the other things I’m looking forward to.

What’s one piece of equipment that you can’t live without?
I could do without any of it. Gimme a tuba and I’ll get something funky out of it.

Click here to download Let it Breathe for free.

1. Murs-Murs for President (Reprise Records): He’s got my vote! (Sorry Barack)

2. DJ Malachi-Chocolate Luv Luv Mixtape: Something to bob your head or get head to.

3. The Black Ghosts-The Black Ghosts (IAMSOUND): Electric Hipster Soul

4. People Under the Stairs-The Om Years (Om Hip Hop): Some Bay Area Slap

5. N.Y. Oil-Hood Treason (Babygrande Records): You should get lynched if you don’t get this album.

6. Land of the Rising Sound-Land of the Rising Sound Vol. 1 (N20 Records): They go hard in Japan

7. The Presets-Apocalypso (Modular Records): Bohemian Rhapsodies

8. The One-Superpsychosexy (Om Hip Hop): Something to strut to

9. The Jacksons-Destiny Expanded Edition (Legacy Records): Classic Soul Revisited.

10. Joan as Police Woman-To Survive (Cheap Lullaby Records): Ooooh Feist-y!

It’s all too easy to overlook the stylistic diversity of hip-hop. Many MCs, though pure to the art form, naturally go against the grain and reset the livable parameters of our beloved genre. Since his beginnings in the music business, the living legend known as the Grouch has never been one to follow a set recipe when it comes to his music. Often praised for his ‘everyday man’ approach to hip-hop, the Grouch brings his fans more than just the ordinary.

Real heads may still be vibing on the Grouch’s last solo outing. A raw and innovative dusty-fingered epic, Making Perfect Sense catapulted listeners into his world. Though celebrated by fans, MPS, according to the Grouch, only scratched the surface of his musical potential. “I feel that album was just real raw and gritty,” says the Grouch. “Not to take anything away from MPS but I feel like my music is much more polished now, much more cohesive and thought out.’’

Moving on to make his presence well known as a beat conductor (with collaborations with groups such as Felt and Zion I), five years have passed since the Grouch did it solo. When asked about his resurrection from his solo hibernation, Grouch replied, “I feel as if I haven’t represented who I am right now for a while. I like to work with other artists, but your solo work is totally you, the decisions are all yours.”

Still not one to shy away from shared creativity, the Grouch’s new offering titled Show You The World (a title motivated by the birth of his daughter, Rio) is full of guest appearances ranging from underground heroes like Murs and Abstract Rude to neo-soul icon Raphael Saadiq. Show You The World displays the production and lyrical maturity the Grouch underwent. His no-nonsense, straightforward cadence over seismic melodies is infectious. Track after track, the Grouch confirms his ability to grab listeners by painting pictures of blue-collar concerns mixed with eye-opening social awareness. “I feel that with this album, I just want people to come with an open mind,” says the Grouch. “I think there is music on this album that will convert listeners to fans and if they are already fans, I just want folks to take SYTW as its own thing and not compare it with my past.”

www.therealgrouch.com / www.myspace.com/thegrouch