THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE AMAZING NEWS
We regret to inform you that due to personal reasons MOS DEF was not able to perform Friday 11/15/13 at Shredded Beats but we had HUGE NEWS. One of hip hop’s last living legends, Queensbridge MC Nasir Jones AKA NAS performed in his place. This was most intimate show he’s played in Denver since the 90s!
So-Gnar’s Fall Shredded Beats ft.
NAS (NYC)
Justin Bua (Lecturing and Live Painting)
Dillion Cooper (NYC)
Sol (Seattle WA)
The ReMINDers (CO)
Abstract Collective (CO)
Black Pistol Fire (Austin, Texas)
Reason The Citizen (SanDiego CA/Denver CO)
Typhy (CO)
Friday November 15th 2013
Cervantes’ Masterpiece DUAL VENUE
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Ever since a 17-year-old Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones appeared on Main Source’s 1991 classic “Live at the Barbeque,” hip-hop would be irrevocably changed. Nas. Gifted poet. Confessor. Agitator. Metaphor master. Street’s disciple. Political firebrand. Tongue-twisting genius. With music in his blood courtesy of famed blues musician father Olu Dara, the self-taught trumpeter attracted crowds with his playing at age 4, wrote his first verse at age 7 and, with 1994′s Illmatic, created one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time before he could legally drink. Two decades on, Nas remains an incendiary, outspoken and brutally candid rapper on the recently released Life is Good, his tenth album and sixth to debut at the top of the Billboard 200.
Rapper J-Live once said satirically, “To be a great MC, you have to be a great liar.” It’s safer to not tell the truth; safer to sanitize your existence; safer to align yourself with the producer du jour; safer to rhyme about tropes over truths. Nas’s catalog speaks for itself. Over 10 albums, the rapper has never been one to play it safe. Whether it’s rhyming about politics, hip hop, race, religion, other artists or personal relationships, Nas has consistently brought unparalleled and unprecedented levels of honesty to hip hop, a trait often overlooked in the genre. On Life is Good’s “Reach Out,” Nas rhymes, “So call me a genius/If you didn’t/Now that I said it/I force you to think it.” For most artists, this would be arrogance bordering on hubris. For Nas, who’s remained vital and relevant for nearly 20 years, it’s just fact.
Currently, BUA speaks on the topics of art and the Hip Hop movement at college campuses and events worldwide, while continuing to be a leading innovator in both the fine and commercial art worlds. He continues to exhibit throughout the United States and internationally; recent shows include BUA’s Urban Art Studio at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and BUA NY SEE at Pop International Gallery, New York. BUA’s energetic and vocal worldwide fan base ranges from former presidents, actors, musicians, professional athletes, and dancers, to street kids and art connoisseurs.
Upon entering Berkley College of Music at 17-years-old, the rapper and sometimes actor (he’s been in various nationwide commercials and music videos), has been focused on getting his music to the masses. What better way to do so than hitting up Youtube and finding out how the people take to your talent? View the clips below that DC has created against lush but rugged soundscapes produced by Jay Da Great. The visuals are a stark look into the everyday life of a youngster from NYC’s real people blocks.
Having shared the stage with artists such as Snoop Dogg, Fishbone, Barrington Levy, Black Star, Big Boi, KRS-One, Rakim, K’Naan, and others, the Reminders have established a firm place in today’s changing scene, garnering international acclaim while paving a path al their own. More than a shade of the same color that we have seen time and time again, this group transcends the bounds of what is expected. More than a breath of fresh air, The Reminders deepen the roots of hip-hop’s Golden Era, raising its soul up high, propelling it forward into the future. With the release of their new album, ‘Born Champions’ these two are truly headed for something incredibly special.
Abstract Collective is not your everyday Hip Hop group. Together these five Musicians manage to blend the styles off Jazz, Dance, R&B, and IDM into a fusion that sets them apart from all others. Hailing from Littleton CO, Abstract Collective began in early 2011 and quickly began gaining momentum playing various shows in the Denver area. Over the summer of 2011 the quartet picked up local Vibraphone player Cody Schlueter to finish up the lineup.
Black Pistol Fire are a rock and roll duo originally from Toronto, Canada, but are now based out of Austin, Texas. Their wild and energetic rock-and-roll sound has been described as a mix of classic southern rock and garage punk, garnering comparisons to early Kings of Leon, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Black Keys, and Clutch. It’s clear that the band’s sound spans many different eras and subgenres, relying on a classic rock and roll sound that has been updated for our modern times.
“This Fall, Seattle-based emcee Sol will hit the road on his first ever headlining tour. After a year-long hiatus traveling around Ethiopia, India, South Africa, Brazil, Haiti and more, Sol announces his West Coast Tour along with a new EP titled Eyes Open (also due for a Fall release). In the tour announcement video, you can see Sol back to work with his trusted producers and live band (Nima Skeemz, Elan Wright, and DJ Nphared) and hear snippets of some of the new music. After charting on Billboard and reaching #1 on iTunes hip-hop in the US with his 2012 album Yours Truly, Sol sold out Seattle’s Showbox market and said farewell at a moment when many thought he was poised to be next up. Now having returned to the United States, Sol is rejuvenated and ready to pick up right wh ere he left off.”