Solange jams with Ghostface, Animal Collective jams with ‘Police Academy’ guy, Macca jams with history

10. Foals
The pallid Brits of Foals might not write the most memorable hooks or have winning stage personalities, but at Bonnaroo they will forever be remembered as the group who played music good enough to convince a woman to crowd-surf on an inflatable crocodile. Midway into their “Bad Habit,” a standout among the group’s bass-heavy, danceable noise-rock, something must have snapped in her, because she took to the croc like Captain Hook in search of his lost hand. The inflatable animal was confiscated just in time for Foals to play “Milk & Black Spiders.” KORY GROW

9. Superjam, feat. DJ Jazzy Jeff, Schoolboy Q, Solange, Chad Hugo, RZA, Redman, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, and Inspectah Deck

The first hip-hop-themed edition of Bonnaroo’s long-running “Superjam” noodle sessions was anticlimactic and messy — but we should have expected nothing less than disappointment after ?uestlove unearthed D’Angelo for his own Superjam in 2012. With a parade of rappers backed by ’70s-tweaked hard-funk crew Lettuce, the set was mostly Wu-Tang members wandering over after completely dominating the Which Stage. There was some serious jamming involved — DJ Jazzy Jeff and Lettuce drummer Adam Deltch ran circles around James Brown’s “Funky Drummer,” though Deltch’s heavy right foot seems more indebted to DJ Premier than Clyde Stubblefield. And, yes, it certainly seemed most special when famous people popped by to do covers: Schoolboy Q covered Nas’s “NY State of Mind,” (this was a beautiful moment in which a California rapper got a Tennessee crowd to yell, “New York, New York”) and Solange covered the Fugees’ version of “Killing Him Softly,” hitting those soaring notes in the bridge with relaxed ease and liquid cool. Unannounced guests Redman and Method Man finished everything with their usual shot of crowd-surfing, water-throwing, adrenaline — even though they had already surprised us once with “Da Rockwilder” a few hours earlier.

But when it was bad, it was brutal. The tepid crowd response to Neptunes’ Chad Hugo playing N.O.R.E.’s “Superthug,” made one of the greatest hip-hop beats of all time feel like homework. And RZA, taking swigs from a bottle of vodka, couldn’t seem to remember his own lyrics, wandering around the stage like Ozzy. When he got lost (which was almost immediately) he would begin rapping other songs. What probably should have been Gravediggaz’ “Diary of a Madman” became Wu-Tang’s “Protect Ya Neck”; “Triumph” ultimately turned into “C.R.E.A.M.” Other times, he just stood in place and danced. “I got to make a confession,” he said. “I’m getting nice and fucked up in here.” CHRISTOPHER R. WEINGARTEN

Superjam partial setlist
DJ Jazzy Jeff – “Funky Drummer” (James Brown)
DJ Jazzy Jeff – “The Payback” (James Brown)
Schoolboy Q – “NY State of Mind” (Nas)
Schoolboy Q – “There He Go”
Schoolboy Q – “Collard Greens”
Chad Hugo – “What Happened to that Boy?” (Baby feat. Clipse)
Chad Hugo – “Superthug” (N.O.R.E.)
RZA –”Diary of a Madman”
RZA – “Triumph”
RZA and Chad Hugo – “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” (Ol’ Dirty Bastard)
RZA – “Family Affair” (Sly and the Family Stone)
Solange – “Killing Me Softly” (Fugees via Roberta Flack)
Solange – “Umi Says” (Mos Def)
Ghostface Killah, U-God and Solange – “Cherchez La Ghost”
Redman – “Tonight’s the Night”
Redman – “Da Goodness”
Redman and Method Man – “Part II”
Redman and Method Man – “Da Rockwilder”
Wu-Tang Clan – “C.R.E.A.M.”

8. Wilco
With a vintage nearing 20 years, alt-rockers Wilco are ripe enough to know how to work a crowd. For 90 minutes, they leaned on their oft-celebrated 2002 album Yankee Hotel Foxtrotslightly more than their most recent record, 2011′s The Whole Love. And while a good portion of the concertgoers laid down, waiting for Sir Macca later, Wilco still managed to turn a few heads. They invited members of Calexico, who played earlier in the day, onstage to join them on the Yankee song “I’m the Man Who Loves You,” and in between frontman Jeff Tweedy & Co.’s seamless texturing of guitars, the singer even took a few minutes to crack wise. “Stick around, Paul McCartney’s next,” he said “I’m not familiar with his work, but stick around.” K.G.

7. Pretty Lights
Someplace invisible in the mist of smoke that surrounded the Which Stage, DJ Derek Smith affirmed his Pretty Lights moniker with a wide array of lasers, bright mattes of color and, of course, the ubiquitous and effective all-white background. The mammoth-sized audience reciprocated, throwing fistfuls of glow sticks towards the heavens and shining their own custom lights from a football field away, as Smith assaulted them with a hip-hop–inspired blend of EDM. He didn’t speak much, instead offering the occasional aside, like, “If y’all like this jazzy shit, let me know.” K.G.

6. Charli XCX
On stage, British sensation Charli XCX seemed like an Internet-generation pop star around which multiple ideas collided at once — a voice like Björk, a look like Britney, a band that looks like Wavves, a grip on the mic as tight as Trent Reznor’s, a cover of the Backstreet Boys (not everyone was singing along, but the people who did were really singing along), and a nod to EDM culture: “This song’s about taking E, so if you’re on pills, this song’s for you,” she said before introducing “Take My Hand.” But some things never change — like having a hit song. When she got to Icona Pop’s “I Love It” (she made sure to mention she was featured on it and wrote it), the crowd went ballistic, bounding up and down, raising hands, and smacking beachballs. C.W.

5. Animal Collective
The most notable jam of the evening wasn’t even advertised as “Super.” Michael Winslow, a.k.a. “the Man of 10,000 Sound Effects,” a.k.a. “the guy who makes all the noises in the Police Academy movies,” stopped by Animal Collective’s very late performance, making EDM-centric sounds until the band joined him and it blossomed into a song. As the night progressed for their 2 a.m.(!) set, the music became  a mushy boom caught somewhere between the idyllic vibes of chillwave and the delirium of rave music — i.e., it was very early. C.W.

4. Bombino/Fatoumata Diawara
African music took over the That Tent in the afternoon, hypnotic grooves prompting a small but sturdy crowd to sway like blades of grass. Niger’s Bombino took heroic guitar solos for songs of rebellion — not a lot of English was spoken, but his raised hand said a lot (though the audience member yelling “Bombinoroo” could probably use a better battle-cry). Following his set, Mali’s Fatoumata Diawara took a sunnier approach, her voice soaring and floating, her body spinning, her hair whipping back and forth. C.W.

3. ZZ Top
How does a band take to a stage immediately following a Beatle? Well, with a devil-may-care, hearty “haw-haw-haw,” some fuzzy white guitars and, of course, beards that stretch out for days. Although ZZ Top delayed their set by about a half an hour, as Sir Paul floated over his published ending time, they took the stage with aplomb and promptly rattled through a bevy of blues, including “Tush,” “La Grange,” “Tube Snake Boogie,” and “Waitin’ for the Bus.” As vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons and an unusually plush-looking vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill swapped verses on songs like “Pincushion,” they drove it home with coordinated body grooves which thankfully steered clear of drummer Frank Beard’s giant skull-front drumheads. These Sharp-Dressed Men even had a costume change. K.G.

2. Wu-Tang Clan
Despite only rolling with seven of the eight living members (they’ll still do “Ice Cream” without you, Raekwon!), the Wu-Tang were a powerful, merciless force. Barely giving the sea of fans time to catch their breath, they played hits back to back to back to back, going a good 30 minutes before dwelling outside of RZA’s 1993-1996 victory run. Ghostface Killah and Masta Killa had energy and volume that seemed ready to swordfight with Death Grips, RZA asked for some Southern hospitality (that’s applause), and Method Man got to interpolate Hall & Oates at a fest where Oates was actually playing. As for the lyrics of Ol’ Dirty Bastard? Those were chanted by everyone; no hologram needed. C.W.

1. Paul McCartney
Only Paul McCartney can tell a story about Jimi Hendrix asking Eric Clapton to tune his guitar and not sound like a total name-dropping douchebag. Only McCartney can play songs like “Yesterday,” “Let It Be,” “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Eight Days a Week,” “Band on the Run,” and “Live and Let Die” — the latter, punctuated by pyro-kabooms and streamers of fireworks — and not sound like the live band at your mom’s Saturday-night bar. Only Paul can cap off “Back in the U.S.S.R.” with a “Free Pussy Riot!” and a story about Soviet dignitaries telling him they learned English from “Love Me Do.” Only Sir McCartney can play for nearly three hours and still have a crowd in the tens of thousands captivated enough to sing every “na-na-na” of “Hey Jude.” K.G.

(Source: Spin)

The stretch of highway from the Nashville airport to Manchester, Tennessee — which, if you’ve ever, even once, even accidentally, heard a Phish song, you might recognize as the home of the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival — is, for the most part, as standard as they come. There are a couple of deviations: for one, instead of just your regular McDonald’s and Burger Kings, roadside Krystals and Chick-fil-As beckon as well. Oh, also: Say you think, at first, you’re listening to a radio station that’s soberly analyzing Middle Eastern geopolitics. What you’re actually hearing, it turns out, is a conversation about whether or not recent clashes in Damascus mean the biblically prophesied end of days are nigh. And they will break out the appropriate Book of Revelation verses to compare and contrast. Welcome to the South!

Before I actually arrive at the campgrounds, I get a phone call from a Bonnaroo rep: Would I like to check out rehearsals for a Superjam? If the term sounds familiar, it might be thanks to one of last year’s iterations, when Questlove lured beautiful recluse D’Angelo onto the Bonnaroo stage for an instantly legendary set of Hendrix and Zeppelin cuts. This year, Bonnaroo has put together its first hip-hop Superjam. On hand will be: RZA, Solange, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Schoolboy Q, Pharrell’s partner in crime Chad Hugo, and, serving as the spine of the operation, the long-serving funk band Lettuce. Of course, I answer “yes” immediately, turn the car back toward Nashville, and find — tucked between Civil War–era Fort Negley and the local Dianetics Center (“How does Scientology work? Come in and find out!”) — SIR Studios.

The rehearsal room is a big, wide space with high ceilings and padded white walls dotted with black rhombuses of, presumably, sound-muffling material. I get there during what’s supposed to be a dinner break, but the music hasn’t actually stopped. Jazzy Jeff, in dark sunglasses and a Phillies hat, is spinning early Michael Jackson; as I walk in, Chad Hugo, casually rad in a white T-shirt and Lennon glasses, struts by me, still singing along to the bass groove on “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough.”

Meanwhile, the dudes in Lettuce are running between instruments, jamming along: These are the kind of music nerds who consider it a fun break from work to play instruments other than their regular instruments. (Later, Hugo will pick up a trumpet and jam like he’s been playing it his whole life; at another point, a guy with a snapback pulls out, I swear to God, a flute.) Guest keyboardist Borahm Lee, who’s played with Kanye West, jumps on Nigel Hall’s Rhodes, and promptly gets booted. “You can’t play Rhodes anymore,” Hall, in cargo shorts and a GI Joe hat, shouts out. “You’re done!” Lee, quietly, smiling: “Oh. You just smashed me.” Then the band turns its attention to the deep cuts Jazzy Jeff is dropping. “Sounds like a Fela Kuti beat,” one of the horn guys calls out. “That’s Harvey Mason! Are you fucking kidding me?” Hall responds, bug-eyed, incredulous about the obscurities being trotted out.

VINYL DESTINATION | Episode 12 from DJ Jazzy Jeff on Vimeo.

DJ Jazzy Jeff is back in the States and the party continues. Jeff starts out in Vegas then heads straight to Detroit to warm up the crowd for Jill Scott’s Summer Block Party show. The next stop is LA for a day off, Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles and a (not quite) DJ battle with Skillz and DJ Spinone. The crew routes back to Vegas for an exhausting run of three shows and a TV appearance in two days, but will Jeff be able to stay up?

LA darlings Moonchild have made quite an impact on the underground music scene since the release of their debut album Be Free that landed tops on my Best Of 2012 list. Receiving bigups from the likes of 9th Wonder and Jill Scott the latter of which they’re in the studio with this week along with Robert Glasper and Lil Jon Roberts. They’ve also made fans of Philly legends DJ Jazzy Jeff and James Poyser who have now provided a remix of the title track from the album. taking the jazzy moments of the tune on a more classic jazzy boombap ride. Check it out.

by Duane Powell (source Kevin Nottingham)

AMIRACLE, son of the legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff, today releases a video for his third single Cocky Doe. Things aren’t exactly what they seem in this video directed and edited by Cristopher Schafer (Vinyl DESTINATION). Cocky Doe has a classic sound. AMIRACLE’s flow is the perfect compliment to his fathers timeless production. In less than a year, AMIRACLE has already shown us his limitless versatility with I’m About it and Think Back. And this 13 year old rapper, actor and singer is currently in the studio working on a forth coming project with his grammy winning dad.

Download AMIRACLE’s Think Back and I’m About it here

Twitter: @officialamiracl Youtube: officialamiracle  Soundcloud: AMIRacle

“Even if DJ Jazzy Jeff retired twenty years ago, a spot in the Hip-Hop history books would still be his.  As one half of the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, he and Will Smith were the first rappers to ever win a Grammy (“Parents Just Don’t Understand”), their album, He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapperwas Hip-Hop’s first double album, and then they won a Grammy again for their timeless hit, “Summertime.”

But by the mid-90s, Will had become a television and film star.  And even though him and Jeff remained close friends (and still are), Will’s work on screen began to take precedence over his work in the mic booth.  Jeff, however, has continued on with music and, among other things, released solo albums, produced records for other acts, and currently spends most of his time touring the globe as a DJ.

For AllHipHop.com’s continued Lessons from a Legend series, we recently spoke to Jeff and he had plenty of wisdom to share- from his early days to traveling the world to how he still brings the “Brand New Funk” after over 25 years in the game.

Lesson #1: Everything Happens for a Reason

I knew it was something special (working with Will) because before we recorded it
(“Girls Ain’t Nothing but Trouble”) we would go to parties and we would do it.  I would play the record and he would rap.  And I would watch everybody just stand there [and hang] onevery word that he said. SoI knewif it had that kind of impact live, that we could have that kind of impact on the record.

AllHipHop.com: And you guys first worked together by accident because your emcee didn’t show up to a gig, right?

Uh, huh [laughs].  He (the original emcee) actually missed the night.  And I had to do it, so I ended up taking my equipment and  when I got there, the first person that walked in the basement was Will.  And I recognized him.  And he asked, “Hey man, where’s your emcee?”  I was like, “He couldn’t make it.”  And then he said, “Mind if I get on the mic and rock?”  And I replied, “No.”  That was it.  And that’s crazy to even think that if my guy would have shown up what might have not happened.  Know what I mean?  That would be a real interesting story.  That if you take my guy showing up, how much different…I probably would’ve been working at the post office with a wife and nine kids.  Who knows? [laughs]

Lesson #2: DJs Make Better Producers

As a DJ, your job is to produce on the fly.  Sometimes you have to make last second decisions.  You have to be able to read a crowd.  You have to know when [you] can take those chances.  I’m very big on taking chances.  When I play, I can play all of the stuff that people want you to play.  But when do I throw that curve ball in?  But it’s the same thing as being a producer.  If you learn how to produce on the fly, then it’s a little bit easier to learn when you have time to produce.  But I think DJing and producing go very much hand-in-hand.

Lesson #3: Keep Your Ears Open and Change With the Times

The crazy thing about a DJ is [that] I think keeping longevity has a lot to do with keeping your ears open and knowing what people like.  It’s not me actually making the records, it’s just me keeping my ears open-what  are the records the people are really vibing to now?  And even forecasting-what did you hear that you think might be big later?  But as a rapper, you kind of have to physically go in there and know that this is where it’s going and what record [you are] gonna do.  And that’s not easy for people to do.  But I just think, as an emcee, if you’re trying to have that kind of longevity (with commercial acceptance), then you have to  really, really change with the times.

Lesson #4: Hip-Hop is Cyclical

I just think we’ve been around Hip-Hop long enough to watch the cycle go around.  It’s kind of like when we did the Jill Scott record, that was reminiscent of the seventies.  Nothing is new, it just goes out of style and comes back in.  It’s like me looking and realizing everybody is wearing Starter hats and Starter jackets and I did a Starter commercial in 1985.  It just all comes back around.

Lesson #5: The Journey is More Significant Than the Destination

The first thing that runs through my mind (about the Vinyl Destination footage) is that I’m extremely tired [laughs].  The funny thing about Vinyl Destination is that I look at it almost like it’s not me.  Just for the places you go, the travel you put in, and the different people you play music for.  To kind of be a third person, you can really appreciate a lot of it.  I get a better appreciation for [the fact] that we’ve been doing it and just the impact you make playing music for people all over the world.  Especially Hip-Hop, you’re sitting here saying, “Wow, I remember the first time I heard a Hip-Hop record and now I’m in Indonesia playing Hip-Hop for people.”  It’s an amazing journey.”

Bonus: Check out the reunion of Carlton, Fresh Prince and Jazz – oh and Jaden!

Article by Shad2487 of All Hip Hop

(Source All Hip Hop)