Justin Timberlake appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s show to plug the movie, Social Network. After reminiscing a bit about Timberlake’s knowledge of Hip Hop, Fallon and the former NSYNC star turned actor, took to the stage with the show’s house band, The Roots, providing the beats as a backdrop to a Fallon/Timberlake rendition of classic Hip Hop songs. From Sugar Hill Gang to Jay-Z, with stops along the way, including the Beastie Boys, Biggie Smalls, Missy Elliot, Q-Tip, Eminem, and Kanye West, Jimmy and Justin secured a spot that will go down as one of the best musical tributes in television history.
We’re sorry, the original SNL video has been pulled from the web by Hulu over copyright restrictions, but you can watch it here on HipHopDx.com.
From iHeartRadio.com comes these amazing video performances by Alicia Keys of singles, “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart” and “Empire State of Mind Pt II”, from the upcoming album, The Element of Freedom.” The performance took place at the P.C. Richard & Son Theater in Tribeca. There are two song perfomances in this video widget, but if you wish to skip right to and play “Empire State of Mind,” click the Playlist tab and then click the play icon for that performance.
Having moved to NYC in 1996 to make live my dreams of success in the music business, the original with Jay-Z (YouTube video below) and now this live performance both deeply resonate with me. They remind me of how difficult it really is to make it in New York City. But, if you stay strong and on the grind you will make it, because dreams are made here. I’ve been listening to the original for weeks now on the radio or my iTunes. Having just left my full-time day job to focus more on Netmix and consulting, it’s been an anthem that has energized and inspired me to make a go of it and do what I love.
We’ve had odes to New York City before, but this one is different. It comes out of Hip-Hop, a genre of music born on the streets of the Bronx. With the rap lyrics in the original version delivered by Jay-Z, Hip-Hop’s king pin (move over Diddy), the song comes alive as a testament to the power of one’s self-motivated drive. Sure, there’s some chest-bumping ego going on too, but sometimes that’s the kind of attitude you need to have to move mountains.
I always loved Arrested Development for their socially inspired rhythms. Here’s the premier of their latest video, “The World Is Changing.” For more on Arrested Development, check out their web site at http://www.arresteddevelopmentmusic.com
As reported on Pitchfork, The Roots just announced that Estelle and Gym Class Heroes will be joining them on the majority of their upcoming U.S. tour dates. The band will be finishing up a string of festival dates in Europe before heading over to the States in early September.
I’m recently back from a trip to Washington D.C., where I was fortunate enough to see the Recognize! exhibit; art, spoken word and video mashups commemorating hip hops contribution to American life.
Hmong Hip Hope is emerging from Minneapolis as a new art form, merging American musical sensibility with Laotian’s troubled history, to teach a new generation of Laotian-American Hmong children about their roots.
netmix : Just posted a Netmix Global House Sessions Classics Mix on MixCloud - Episode 4! Check this one out. It's pretty awesome. One of my best mixes ever! Lots of my favorite tracks, including Seal "The Beginning," Eddie Amador "House Music," Armand Van Helden "Witch Doktor", Danny Tenaglia "Elements" and De'Lacy "Hideaway." This is definitely a blast from the past. (about 2 weeks ago).
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at Amazon.com. DJs can get 
For more info on Alicia Keyes, visit her 
