De La Soul

L.A.'s Open Mike Eagle Discusses Indie Rap's Mostly White Audience

No. 4 Gorillaz - Countdown of the Best Concerts of 2010

​ Over the last days of 2010 Up On The Sun will be counting down the best live shows of 2010. Today we look at the #4 show of the year, Gorillaz at Comerica Theatre.

Gorillaz at Comerica Theatre Last Night

Luke Holwerda​ Gorillaz Comerica Theatre 10/26/2010 Twelve years ago Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett decided to create a cartoon band. The concept was to separate celebrity from pop music. This was the perfect vehicle for someone like Albarn, who is probably best known as the front man for B ... More >>

Are the Newly Serious Gorillaz Any Less Fun? Naw

Luke Holwerda​ Gorillaz Comerica Theatre 10/26/2010 Twelve years ago Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett decided to create a cartoon band. The concept was to separate celebrity from pop music. This was the perfect vehicle for someone like Albarn, who is probably best known as the front man for B ... More >>

Are the Newly Serious Gorillaz Any Less Fun? Naw

Luke Holwerda​ Gorillaz Comerica Theatre 10/26/2010 Twelve years ago Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett decided to create a cartoon band. The concept was to separate celebrity from pop music. This was the perfect vehicle for someone like Albarn, who is probably best known as the front man for B ... More >>

American Negro Aim to Bridge the Gap Between Indie Hip-Hop and Mainstream Rap -- And They're Doing It "Imageless"

Luke Holwerda​ Gorillaz Comerica Theatre 10/26/2010 Twelve years ago Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett decided to create a cartoon band. The concept was to separate celebrity from pop music. This was the perfect vehicle for someone like Albarn, who is probably best known as the front man for B ... More >>

Pigeon John

Luke Holwerda​ Gorillaz Comerica Theatre 10/26/2010 Twelve years ago Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett decided to create a cartoon band. The concept was to separate celebrity from pop music. This was the perfect vehicle for someone like Albarn, who is probably best known as the front man for B ... More >>

Pigeon John

Luke Holwerda​ Gorillaz Comerica Theatre 10/26/2010 Twelve years ago Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett decided to create a cartoon band. The concept was to separate celebrity from pop music. This was the perfect vehicle for someone like Albarn, who is probably best known as the front man for B ... More >>

Black Eyed Peas

Luke Holwerda​ Gorillaz Comerica Theatre 10/26/2010 Twelve years ago Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett decided to create a cartoon band. The concept was to separate celebrity from pop music. This was the perfect vehicle for someone like Albarn, who is probably best known as the front man for B ... More >>

Black Eyed Peas

Luke Holwerda​ Gorillaz Comerica Theatre 10/26/2010 Twelve years ago Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett decided to create a cartoon band. The concept was to separate celebrity from pop music. This was the perfect vehicle for someone like Albarn, who is probably best known as the front man for B ... More >>

Madlib, Blatz, Deerhunter, and Crystal Stilts are Part of What's Selling at East Side Records in Tempe

Otis Jackson Jr. (a.k.a. Madlib) wins the award for the coolest bedroom ever.With apologies to Russell Simmons, Madlib's arguably the hardest working cat in hip-hop.Besides creating his own jams and flows under a few different noms de guerre (Quasimoto, Sound Directions, Yesterday's New Quintet), t ... More >>

The Old School Jingle Jam Reminds Us of the Ghosts of Hip-Hop’s Past

Otis Jackson Jr. (a.k.a. Madlib) wins the award for the coolest bedroom ever.With apologies to Russell Simmons, Madlib's arguably the hardest working cat in hip-hop.Besides creating his own jams and flows under a few different noms de guerre (Quasimoto, Sound Directions, Yesterday's New Quintet), t ... More >>

Q-Tip's Do-Over Kills Momentum at Marquee

By Martin Cizmar Q-Tip is a perfectionist. Or so he said Monday night as he derailed his show one song in, taking a five-minute interlude to adjust the sound. “Any of ya’ll bloggers out there? Any bloggers?” he asked. “So when you blog about this, just be a little gracious. ... More >>

Call It A Comeback: Cousins Of The Wize

By Martin Cizmar Q-Tip is a perfectionist. Or so he said Monday night as he derailed his show one song in, taking a five-minute interlude to adjust the sound. “Any of ya’ll bloggers out there? Any bloggers?” he asked. “So when you blog about this, just be a little gracious. ... More >>

'06 Pandemic Poll; the So Much Silence edition

By Martin Cizmar Q-Tip is a perfectionist. Or so he said Monday night as he derailed his show one song in, taking a five-minute interlude to adjust the sound. “Any of ya’ll bloggers out there? Any bloggers?” he asked. “So when you blog about this, just be a little gracious. ... More >>

Plugged Up

By Martin Cizmar Q-Tip is a perfectionist. Or so he said Monday night as he derailed his show one song in, taking a five-minute interlude to adjust the sound. “Any of ya’ll bloggers out there? Any bloggers?” he asked. “So when you blog about this, just be a little gracious. ... More >>

Bring the Noise (Back)

Tommy Boy's founder reclaims history from hip-hop's dustbin

Bluntabulosity

Hollywood Alley's thicker than super-chunky Skippy as the Crown City Rockers help celebrate Blunt Club's birthday

Blunt Club 4 Year Anniversary

More party than usual

Overseas MP3s

For pennies a tune, you can build a primo music library and support free enterprise in Russia

Digable Planets

Back like dat

Jules of the Desert

How ugly ads, good beer and neurology make an artist

Merry Christmas, Beeyotch!

Forget caroling. Here's a few hip-hop jammy-jams to warm your Yule log

Aceyalone and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien

Socially conscious, lyrically lush

De La Soul

Thugs rap, rap, rapping at the door

Brand Nubian

Hip-hoppers reunite, with a "slightly more peaceful demeanor"

Can We Kick It?

Old-school hip-hop is ready for a revival

Ugly Duckling

Taste the Secret (Emperor Norton)

DJ Spinna

Here to There (BBE)

MC Paul Barman

Paullelujah! (Coup d'État)

Styles, Trinity, Clipse

A Gangster and a Gentleman (Ruff Ryder), (Past, Present and Future) (Capitol), Lord Willin' (Star Trak)

Still Rising?

Racing to release part two of its Art Official Intelligence trilogy, De La Soul finds itself at a crossroads

KRS-One

The Sneak Attack (Koch Records)

Open to All

Black Eyed Peas hope they're luckier in 2001 than they were last year

East Coastin'

DJs Megadef and Fact bring a touch of youth and New York flavor to the local hip-hop scene

Slum Village

Fantastic, Vol. 2 (GoodVibe)

Common

Like Water for Chocolate
(MCA)

Locals

Like Water for Chocolate
(MCA)

Playing for Keeps

The Jungle Brothers continue to chart new territory on their latest effort, V.I.P.

The Manhattan Project

N.Y.-bred Lyricist Lounge explodes on the hip-hop nation with a national tour

Risky Business

Seventeen years after its advent, sampling remains mired in legal and aesthetic controversy

Recordings

Seventeen years after its advent, sampling remains mired in legal and aesthetic controversy

Recordings

Seventeen years after its advent, sampling remains mired in legal and aesthetic controversy

Z-Trippin'

Seventeen years after its advent, sampling remains mired in legal and aesthetic controversy

96.Rant

Seventeen years after its advent, sampling remains mired in legal and aesthetic controversy

Recordings

Seventeen years after its advent, sampling remains mired in legal and aesthetic controversy

BOXING YOUR EARS

IF YOU'VE GOT CASH IN YOUR WALLET AND TIME ON YOUR HANDS, BOXED SETS ARE FOR YOU

PLANETS OF THE APERS?THEY SOUND FAMILIAR, BUT RAPPERS' ORBIT BY MILES

IF YOU'VE GOT CASH IN YOUR WALLET AND TIME ON YOUR HANDS, BOXED SETS ARE FOR YOU

BUSTIN' OUT OF BLACKFACE

WHITE MEN CAN'T RAP. OR CAN THEY?

Sons of Beatles

Wouldn't you like to be Sgt. Pepper, too?