It's All Love

What do b-boys do when they're not recording or touring? Why play tennis, of course!

Matter of fact, I got it now

Shot caller

Greetings blog crew!

For those who follow myself (@haubrowncow) and Urthboy's (@urthboy) Twitter, you would know that last week we went head to head (PAUSE!) in a game of tennis. This was organised and shot for triple j tv.

Sure it's a predominately white sport and there are no noted Pacific islander players, but hell... the NRL was too once. Look at it now. So with that in mind, I had a go.

One thing I didn't know before heading into the game was that Urthy has had previous tennis experience. Sure it was years ago when he was a kid, never the less, that's more than I had (unless playing guitar with a tennis racket is counted). So needless to say, he handed me a good ol' fashioned hiding (with the help of umpire Gusto of Hermitude with his bias arse). I'm not embarrassed to admit that though. The better man won. True gentlemen sh*t. Haha...

Anyway, here is a couple of pics from the day. Enjoy. Oh, and stay tuned for it to air on triple j tv on both ABC 1 & 2!

Shalom.

(photos by me)

Dem Bonez

What it is, blog crew...

Hoping all are well.

If you haven't seen Bonez's (djbonezblog) blog post about us working together yet, well, this may be some pleasantly surprising news. I have known Bonez for years now. I mean years. It's funny that even though we've moved in close circles, we're just getting to work together.

I've always respected the man as a DJ. I guess cos he comes from the same school / era as myself. He's got the funky & simple (and I don't mean 'easy', when I say that) cuts which I dig. Similar stylings to Danielsan. So you know we had to click when it came to working on a tune.

Bonez gave me a ring one day, said he had an idea, and I was like, "hell yeah... about time you asked me to do something with you!". Haha. So he sent me the beat, I laid down some demos, he dug it and, as you can see from the photo, I came through Bonez's studio and we got busy. Great bloke to work with, too. And yeah, I'm fortunate to work with the top dudes in this country.

So... what does it sound like? Ahhh... you'll have to wait for Bonez's album to be released for you to check it out. I jokingly said I was going to leak it on the net. He wasn't having it. Haha...

Sydney crew! 

Hoping all are well.

If you dig genuine hip hop, then make your way to this event this Friday night (25th Sept.) @ Melt, Kings Cross. Finale is a talented Detroit MC who has worked with the likes of J Dilla, Black Milk and Flying Lotus on his solid debut album, 'A Pipe Dream and a Promise' (out now!!!). If you haven't heard it yet, please get acquainted.

I'll be hosting the night, so come down, say hello, have a drink and witness Finale and one of Australia's premier hip hop producers, M-Phazes,  let it fly.

Click pic for details. Blam!

RIP Grandmaster Roc Raida

The X-ecutioners: (l-r) Rob Swift, Boogie Blind, Total Eclipse, Roc Raida (RIP), me & Precision

Being apart of the hip hop community is like being part of a big family. When some one dies, you are immediately affected. This year we've seen the passing of some great artists - Baatin (Slum Village), DJ AM, of course, Michael Jackson, and now, DJ Grandmaster Roc Raida.

Big fella was and is still a big part of the whole turntablism movement. A true pioneer. Roc Raida is well respected in the hip hop community and has the skills to warrant so.

I had the honour of meeting Roc Raida when he and the X-ecutioners came into the triple j Hip Hop Show for an interview and for them to do what they do best - mash up the turntables. Roc Raida seemed like a very focussed dude yet he still had a top sense of humour. Much like the other boys.

So with all that being said, I do a big salute to Mr. Raida, his legacy, his family and his supporters. Bless up, my man.

The Jacob Giles Sessions Ep. 2

OK folks. On the last entry, I mentioned that myself and Jacob were in the studio when he issued a challenge. Here it is...

The challenge:
Writing 16 bars in 16 minutes.

The result:
Nothing that would feature on 'The Blueprint 4', but it ain't too shabby either.

In this clip, see us through the writing and recording process of this 'untitled' track.
Stay tuned for part two to hear the whole song.

The Jacob Giles Sessions

How's it, blog peoples?

Hoping all are well.

If you don't know the name 'Jacob Giles' - that's cool. But I'm sure you will start to hear that name more often. Who is he? He is a top bloke who also happens to be a talented producer and lyricist. A breath of fresh in this sometime stale scene. He is also one half of 1NFO (long side the man, Nick Knowledge) and the man also has solo ambitions (az a ridah! Hehe...). Oh, if you haven't got the free (yes, free) 1NFO mixtape, get it right HERE!

OK, getting back to it. On my down time, I have been coolin' with Jacob - building, making music and doing some recordings for a side solo project. He has an appreciation for the art of sampling but loves to mix it up with some live instrumentation. So the sessions have been going well as Jacob is an inspirational person to work with. Stay tuned to hear some of that goodness we've created.

During our last session, Jacob laid down a challenge for the both of us, right there and then in the studio. Watch for the next post as to what we got up to. Hold tight, curious crew.

The Roof, the Roof, the Roof is On Fire!

How art thou, blog crew?

Just letting you know about this event coming up real soon. Yes, yes I know. I thought the same thing, too, when my man, Carlos, told me about it. Being on top of a tall'ish building's rooftop on 9/11? ¿Está usted loco, el hermano?

Nah, the brother ain't crazy. Just passionate about his music and city. So what better way to celebrate the two by putting this on? Exactly.

There will be a live band mashing it up and I think guest vocalist and musicians will be joining them on stage throughout the night. Who knows? I may even grab the mic to do my damn thang. Keep me charged off the vodka & soda and that will be more than a possibility.

OK brothers & sisters - I hope to see you there. Bam!