A decade after taking the world by storm, fans of Hamilton will no longer have to wait for it to come to physical media. Disney has announced a special collector’s edition 4K UHD blu-ray will be available on June 16!
Continue reading “‘Hamilton’ on 4K will Blow Us All Away”
The Golden State Warriors played the Los Angeles Lakers last night, as they do in the closing act of the new film Freaky Tales from filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, set in the East Bay Area (Oakland and Berkeley mainly) in 1987, in which many cultural rivalries are lovingly recreated. The genre-bending mixtape movie from the directors of Captain Marvel and Half Nelson is timely, nostalgic, punk rock and old-school hiphop, inspiring and often hilarious.
Continue reading “‘Freaky Tales’ is a Love Letter for Funny Folks Fighting Fascism”
Shawn Taylor returns for a special Hard NOC Life to break down Kendrick Lamar’s instantly iconic halftime performance during Super Bowl LIX. Together, he and Keith take in the symbolism and artistry that was on display and speculate where hip-hop goes from here.
For one night only on September 28 at The Ford, Blue13 will be having an extraordinary dance performance that blends contemporary and traditional dance forms with everything from hip-hop to Bollywood and ballet, challenging perceptions of South Asian American dance.
Continue reading “‘100 Seconds to Midnight’ Challenges Perceptions of South Asian American Dance”
I’ll be the first to admit I’m not hip to the music of today’s generation. I’m a movie guy, not necessarily a music guy. But even an old square like me has heard of Quavo! So it’s really cool that he’s got a new track with Ty Dolla $ign and composer Brian Tyler for Transformers: One. (Dear lord I sound old).
Continue reading “‘Transformers One’ Shares New Single from Quavo, Ty Dolla $ign, and Brian Tyler”
ATARASHII GAKKO! is another step closer to conquering the world. Having just completed the first leg of their World Tour, the four new school leaders — Suzuka, Mizyu, Rin, and Kanon — have teamed up with Thai-rapper MILLI to debut a music video for the song, “Drama,” featured on their latest full length album, AG! Calling.
Continue reading “ATARASHII GAKKO! Teams Up with MILLI for “Drama” Music Video”
There’s no greater way to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Legendary’s MonsterVerse than with a new movie as big as Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire! And there’s no better way to celebrate Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire than with a new song by rising hip hop stars BigXthaPlug and Ro$ama! Get ready for “Beast Mode!”
Continue reading “Listen to BigXthaPlug and Ro$ama’s New Track from ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’”
On a brisk Thursday night on Wilshire Boulevard, Petersen Automotive Museum’s uppermost floor became center stage as the outdoor, rooftop red carpet (green, in this case) unfolded beneath clear skies in anticipation of Hulu’s upcoming screenings of Drive with Swizz Beatz.
Continue reading “Music Mastermind Swizz Beatz Takes on Car Culture Across the Globe in Hulu’s ‘Drive’”
When you think of Jack Daniel’s whiskey… the first thing you don’t think about is hip hop. Yet, Brooklyn-based music group Phony Ppl and Jack Daniels want to change that perception by collaborating on an immersive virtual experience and concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip hop.
Continue reading “Jack Daniel’s Launches ‘Arts, Beats + Lyrics’ VR Experience Called ‘The Verse’”
Rapper and activist jason chu releases his new album We Were the Seeds this Friday, September 15 on all streaming services.
Continue reading “Rapper/Activist jason chu to Release New Album ‘We Were the Seeds’ This Week”
It was a pleasant surprise to see an email invite from Super Smack inviting me to the listening party for his next single. It had been a few weeks since I had last seen him but I heard his voice everywhere. “Cute!” and “Grind!” started to show up in rotation through my TikTok For You Page and several of my personal friends would remark hearing the songs in their feeds as well. It was no denying his songs were picking up traction, but what exactly was resonating with the listeners? I finally had the perfect opportunity to find out.
Continue reading “Super Smack is Shamelessly Asian American in “Orange Chicken!””
On this special episode of Hard NOC Life, Shawn Taylor returns to join Keith as they look back at the legacy of De La Soul, one month after the group’s entire catalog was finally released to streaming platforms and a new generation of hip-hop fans.
Aside from father and husband, there are few titles that mean more to me than, b-boy. Yes, I have just entered my 50s, but b-boy still resonates for me as an operational position. While I no longer believe hip hop can change the world — the culture did move some things around — I do believe that hip hop can change us, so we can better navigate the world.
Continue reading “De La Forever”
Written by Jamal Olori & Stephen Glover and directed by Calmatic, House Party tells the story of two freshly fired house cleaners — club promoting best friends, Damon and Kevin — as they decide to host the most exclusive party in California at LeBron James’ exclusive mansion, the site of their last cleaning job. While the film does deliver on its premise it isn’t until the later half that it comes into its own.
Continue reading “‘House Party’ 2023 Struggles to Keep the Party Going”
Ice-T portrays Sergeant Odafin “Fin” Tutuola on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. New episodes of season 24 air Thursday nights at 9 PM ET on NBC. It is the longest-running primetime live-action series of all time, and the legendary rapper recently became the longest-running male actor in television history for the role. While covering the Law & Order Season Premiere red carpet, we had a great discussion about his time on the show.
Continue reading “Ice-T on His Incredible ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ Journey”
When I got to Manhattan on Saturday, November 20, after a bumpy four-and-a-half hour bus ride, I didn’t know what to expect. Not only was it my first time in the city, I was there to attend HBO’s first “Scene in Black” event. The event, centered on the new DMX documentary, featured a premiere showing of the doc, a live conversation with director Chritopher Frierson and event host Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins, and a performance by Jadakiss.
Continue reading “HBO Celebrates ‘Scene In Black’ With Launch Party In New York”
Earl Simmons obtained critical success in the hip-hop world with his first major label single, “Get At Me Dog.” It was released and certified gold in February of 1998 — a month after this writer was born and, more importantly, three months before his debut album, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot released. By May of 1998, the world was officially in the hands of “DMX.”
Continue reading “‘Don’t Try To Understand’ Invites Fans on a Personal Journey Through the Life of DMX”
Success never comes easy and especially when the odds are stacked against you, but with an authentic voice it can shape a generation. Daniel Park knows this personally as he is most notably known for his work with Far East Movement and his production company Transparent Agency. Daniel Park has been pushing the boundary of Asian American media and music into the broader American culture for more than a decade. Now as we are starting to see more Asian and Asian American artists take center stage on the path he helped create, we got sit down and talk with him about his thoughts on representation, the music industry and producing the K-drama, IDOL: The COUP.
Continue reading “Daniel Park on Representation and Producing the K-drama, ‘IDOL: The COUP’”
The American Music Awards have announced their musical lineup for their star-studded award show, airing live at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 21st on ABC.
Continue reading “BTS, Megan Thee Stallion, Olivia Rodrigo, Bad Bunny to Perform at the AMAs”
Because I cannot wait for Kate —
Apple kindly drops Dickinson Season 3 —
The final part of Emily Dickinson/Hailee Steinfeld’s quest for Self —
And Immortality.
It looks like Olivia Rodrigo is having a good year. Making her debut for the American Music Awards, Rodrigo received seven nominations, including Artist of the Year and New Artist of the Year.
Continue reading “2021 American Music Awards Nominees: Full List”
Super Smack is a Filipino American rapper that has been leveling up in the music game ever since his first ep, Neon Red, hit streaming services. With a unique blend of gaming culture, anime references, good vibes, and a message for change, Super Smack’s pens music that blend pop and rap in ways that make the nerd in any of us step on the dance floor.
Continue reading “Super Smack is Ready to Smash Stereotypes and the Industry with New EP”
As Bruce Lee might say, we must start with dispelling what is not useful and replace it with what is useful. I won’t rehash any arguments comparing Shang-Chi to Black Panther which are based in speculation, impulse-tweeted, or otherwise made in bad faith. The phrase “Asian American Black Panther” has been tossed around (including by me), in various contexts, since Black Panther came out in 2018.
Continue reading “‘Shang-Chi’ Is Not NOT Like ‘Black Panther’”