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 

$25 for Jam Day

$25 Reggae Day

VIP passes available for both days. Can’t beat these prices with a bat.

Visit http://www.jazzreggaefest.com to buy tickets!

If you need more convincing just…

Words by: Ackley Kidd

Ok so I may be a bit biased on this one! Yes it is my job to pull the old “I’m an objective writer and I won’t unevenly express my own opinion” shit but when writing about this particular group, I simply can’t.  A huge reason for this author’s (possible editor irritating) bias is that I, like many of you 80′s babies out there, can easily trace most of their musical education (or snobbery) back to what many call the golden era of hip-hop; the early to late 90′s. So when I was assigned to interview none other then southern Cali’s very own People Under the Stairs, I knew I was destined  to break my super sacred writer’s oath  to remain (as much as possible) objective. With their latest album, Fun DMC, P.U.T.S once again puts their effortlessly creative brand of hip-hop on display.

It’s hard not to jump on the P.U.T.S band wagon. Since 1998 the rapper/producer duo Double K and Thes One have been a mainstay in hip-hop music and at the forefront of the genre’s preservation. Gaining notoriety for their debut album, The Next Step, the duo caught the attention of every head from Cali to the boogie down. Today, with 4 albums and 10 years of experience under their belt, K and Thes still have the ability to bring their fans the best of what the boom-bap has to offer.

“Really what keeps us going is just the music.” says Thes one. “A lot of groups look for a sound that is right now and that will please the kids right now but that’s not our deal. We make music to keep ourselves happy and even though I’m pleased with the music me and K are doing, I always feel like we can do more.”

Keeping their sound traditional, yet experimental, appears to be an easy feat for P.U.T.S. It’s quite ironic how a group with their amount of exposure and notoriety still has the ability to possess almost complete creative control in an industry that thrives off uniformity.

“Before we even released our first album we were a complete package” says Double K. “Me and Thes would produce at home, sneak into U.S.C. library to make the cover art, then promote the album all by ourselves. So before we ever got a deal we were self-sufficient. The label already knows that if they want to mess with us that’s who they’re getting, the complete package.” 

Since LA is the group’s primary stomping grounds and driving force of their creativity, Thes and K have always kept a strong presence amongst the local hip-hop scene. With years of quality performances and Angel city venue hopping, P.U.T.S decided to take their act on the road. Rocking shows from Baltimore to Nebraska, Double K and Thes One found inspiration in some of the most unexpected places which ultimately led to their next opus.

“We feel that it is important as a hip-hop group to go on tour” says Thes One. “So December of last year we did about fourteen dates in Australia. We were rocking with De LA Soul and many other cats having a great time. We found that some of the rappers that got on stage were sort of raw and gritty so I looked over at Double K and said ‘lets go out there and be Fun DMC.’ That name and that experience got us real inspired to head back home and make the album and after that moment we have been touring ever since.”

 Despite their demanding tour schedule P.U.T.S kept their word and made time to give birth to Fun DMC which is their 5^th studio offering. Fans of all stages can attest to their unexpectedly witty and soulful catalogue. So a question that comes to mind is what does Thes and double K have in store for us this time?

“We basically want people to feel like they were there with us when we were recording have a good time chillen on 52^nd street.” says Double K. “When listening, people should just have fun like how it was to listen to Run DMC album back in the day. I also feel that people will recognize that this is just a real LA album. I’m not talking the glitzy Hollywood type stuff but the disco, Peter Brown, funkadelic style of west coast music.” 

It’s hard not to sing many praise for a group that has kept their music as pure and creative as People Under the Stairs but with such a heavy tour schedule and a new album set to be drop, maybe it’s only a matter of time before you do.

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!