Dope female emcees can be hard to come by. Sure, you may find one here or there, but as a rule, the majority of hip-hop shows and street corner cyphers are filled with male dominated line ups. The few females people get to hear on a mainstream level are, for the most part, using their sexuality to get attention, rather than attempting to learn, or hone, any kind of rhyming skills. This is why listening to Rita J’s debut album, Artist Workshop, is such a nice change of pace. She’s a smooth emcee with a style of her own, and what’s between her legs is not a topic of conversation. Point blank, Rita J has skills, and this week I caught up with her to find out more about her path leading up to her first LP, her thoughts on why there’s such a dearth of female emcees in the game, and how a hurricane picked her up and moved her.

Read the full interview at:  http://adambernard.blogspot.com/2009/12/artist-of-week-rita-j.html

From K-Murdock:

I'm sure for those who follow me or my blog, you have heard LOTS of talk about the 2nd installment of my "Mood Muzik" series aka "Piano-rama"... Well, i just got word from Tasteful Licks Records, aka the label releasing this album and many of my future, solo projects, that it'll be out in January on CD, itunes, etc.  I'm so excited by the news that i had to share the artwork design for the album they sent me with you all, check it...

From Mr. Green:

Pacewon and Mr. Green "Who I Am" Official Video

This should really go without saying, but after an incident I had earlier in the week I guess it needs to be reiterated; if you’re an artist, no matter what stage of your career you're in, if someone wants to give you press, make the time for the interview. If you’re one of the highly intelligent artists out there reading this, thinking “man, that’s a no-brainer,” you ain’t gonna believe this sh!t...

Read the full story at:  http://adambernard.blogspot.com/2009/12/obvious-advice-dont-turn-down-press.html

From UDub News:

And you thought MTV's "Hottest MCs In The Game" top ten list caused an uproar in the hip hop community. Nominations for the 2010 Grammy's were released yesterday and Beyonce, Kanye West, Jay-Z and Drake are all up for a few statuettes. Beyonce snagged three nods including Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Record of the Year, while Jay-Z oddly misses out on his "Blueprint 3" monster album missing the Grammy deadline; he's up twice in the same category for "Run This Town" and "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune" featuring Rihanna and Kanye West. West and Young Jeezy's "Amazin" is nominated for Best Rap Performance by Duo or Group. Newcomer Drake continues his hot streak in 2009 with two nominations in separate categories.

http://www.udubnews.com/article.php?id=2843

While the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards tapped some of hip hops finest such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, Drake, Mos Def, Q-Tip and Eminem a chock full of rap albums were overlooked. Jadakiss, Rick Ross, and Fabolous are just a few names who were completely overlooked although their albums were the talk of hip hop conversations and all made decent debut on the Billboard charts. Rick Ross' "Deeper Than Rap" debuted at number one on the Billboard charts making it his third debut in a row.

http://www.udubnews.com/article.php?id=2842

From Chris at Koch Records:

B.G. Speaks on His New Album "Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood"

From Terrorbird Media:

DJ Food Returns Once Again!
"The Shape Of Things That Hum - EP" out 14th December on Ninja Tune

MP3: All Covered In Darkness (Mr P Remix Part 1 Vocal)
* http://terrorbird.alphapupserver.com/online/All_Covered_In%20Darkness_%28Mr_P_Remix_Part_1_Vocal%29.mp3 *

DJ Food aka Strictly Kev - one of Ninja Tune's true veterans and powerhouses - returns with the next installment from his forthcoming, long-awaited album, "Stolen Moments." And while the personnel of "DJ Food" has changed over the years, as has the musical vision, the name is always a guarantee of the utmost quality.

"Sentinel (Shadow Guard)" is the first ever studio collaboration between Kev and longtime DJ partner and Solid Steel producer DK. A track of contrasts - harp, acoustic guitar and ringing electronics versus filthy bass, heavy drums and rattling percussion. All held together by Ninja labelmate King Cannibal working the mixing desk, the results are driving and sinuous, but subtle, too. "Extract from Stolen Moments too" is a further peep at the creepy piano theme which will be visited and revisited across Food's forthcoming EPs and woven throughout the album that will follow. "Brother John" is a tribute to the great John Rydgren, now sadly deceased, a pastor from the Lutheran church who subtly blended the word of God with the music of the day back in the 60s and 70s via his radio shows. This is classic Food - a seamless blending of vocal samples and musical goodness. "GIANT is voiceless cover version of the closing track from the classic "Soul Mining" album by The The. Literally years in the making and still not finished, The The's main man Matt Johnson has given it his blessing and will be providing a new take on the original vocal for the album next year. "Sentinel (Lunar Defence)" We end where we came in - kind of - a completely different take on the opening track transforms it into a brooding guitar-led theme that delves into dark afro-percussion without warning - beautiful and unsettling in equal measure.

We hate to be the bearers of bad tidings, but there are difficult decisions for Food lovers to make. The 12" single once again comes with an A2 poster cover of exclusive artwork by 2000AD artist Henry Flint with colours and design by Openmind aka Strictly Kev. On the other hand, the download comes with three bonus tracks, the "All Covered In Darkness" Mr P remiix suite. Ex-DJ Food veteran and sometime Cinematic Orchestra member PC (Patrick Carpenter aka Mr P) returns from a musical hiatus to deliver not one but three versions of "All Covered In Darkness." A favourite from the last Food EP, it features the dulcet tones of Ken Nordine and harmonies from The Dragons. He twists it from 4/4 to 6/8 time and back again, making it his own across an epic 13 minutes.

Maybe get both...?!

DJ Food cover

Tracklist:
1. Sentinel (Shadow Guard) DJ Food & DK
2. extract from Stolen Moments too
3. Brother John
4. GIANT (instrumental)
5. Sentinel (Lunar Defence)
6. All Covered In Darkness (Mr P remix)
7. All Covered In Darkness (Mr P remix in3)
8. All Covered In Darkness (Mr P beats remix)


5 Track 12" vinyl with poster cover

Side A
1. Sentinel (Shadow Guard) DJ Food & DK
130 bpm 6.32
2. extract from Stolen Moments too
86 bpm 3.47
3. Brother John
86 bpm 2.53

Time: 13.12

Side B
1. GIANT (instrumental)
108 bpm 8.10
2. Sentinel (Lunar Defence)
97.5 bpm 5.55

* www.myspace.com/strictlykev *
* www.ninjatune.net *

From Ballin' PR:

December 2, 2009—LOS ANGELES, CA—When you’ve been on the indie grind for a decade, you learn to disregard industry bullsh*t and forge your own path. For L.A.’s CookBook and UNO Mas, that means making a record that reflects maturity. This dynamic duo are back again with their sixth release, C & U Music Factory (Just-Us/Audio Sketch Book Records). Undoubtedly their most complete work to date, the 16 track collection features guest appearances by Evidence (of Dilated Peoples), Scarub (of Living Legends), DJ Rhetmattic (Beat Junkies), L.A. Symph alumns Pigeon John and Sareem Poems (fka Sharlok Poems), and vocalist Raquel Rodriguez.

“C & U is first record that I think truly represents our sound,” explains CookBook. “We’re not claiming to re-event hip-hop,” notes CookBook.  “We’re just trying to do what we do best.”
 
Reminiscent of notable up-and-comers like Blu and Tanya Morgan, CookBook and UNO put a fresh twist on old-school hip-hop. On “When You Rock & Roll” Evidence calls out cats who sell their soul for the game. “They used to want advice/now they tryin to son me/It's funny how the tides change/When you rock n roll.”
“Presente!” is a Latin-flavored track about family and ethnic pride. “Since I’m Puerto Rican and UNO hails from Mexico, our Latino fans always come up to us and ask when we’ll do a song in Spanish,” explains CookBook of what motivated the track. “We really did this for them!”
 
Thoughtful, cliché-free lyrics over mesmerizing beats and beautiful vocals, “Song of Our Lives” reflects two artists who have come full circle. CookBook and UNO trade verses about growing up. An ode to his sister who passed away, UNO raps about being the child of immigrants and the sacrifice his parents made for him to have the opportunities he’s had in life.
 
Like so many artists, CookBook and UNO have experienced the industry shuffle that goes along with the rap game. In ‘98, the two formed a group called LA Symphony with Pigeon John, Flynn, Joey the Jerk, and Sharlok Poems. In `99, the group’s critically acclaimed debut album, Composition No. 1, catapulted them into the national spotlight. Since then, they’ve released five full-lengths, and two EPs.  The last record, Unleashed, was released in 2007.
 
Although the group is planning a reunion someday in the future, CookBook and UNO Mas stay busy at “the factory” churning out new projects of their own. Together they’ve released Stereo-types (2001), Robertson Bullies (2006), While they Slept (2006). Their fifth LP, The Overflow, resulted in 40,000 hits by the first five months.  Last year, CookBook released a critically acclaimed, a retro themed concept album, I Love the 80s.

Production on C&U Music Factory handled largely in-house by CookBook with some help from JJ Brown, Muneshine, & Million Watts (CookBook & DJ Rif).
 
For more info: myspace page: www.myspace.com/cookanduno .