Estelle and Kardinal have come through with a new track “Freak”, check it out.

This weekend will be great for Wyclef Jean, as he’s set to receive The Harvard Foundation’s most prestigious medal at their annual Cultural Rhythms award ceremony on Feb. 27. Check out the info below…

…“His contributions to music and distinguished history of creativity have been appreciated by people throughout the world,” said S. Allen Counter, director of the Harvard Foundation, “and he is admired worldwide for his humanitarian efforts on behalf of the people of Haiti.”…

…He is widely known for his humanitarian work through the Yéle Haiti Foundation, which promotes sports and the arts in Haiti. This support includes thousands of annual scholarships, soccer programs for at-risk youth, and free outdoor films in neighborhoods without electricity. The organization distributes food to communities in need throughout Haiti and mobilizes emergency disaster relief, including its current efforts in response to the devastating earthquake in the Port-au-Prince area.

The Harvard Foundation, the University’s center for intercultural arts and sciences initiatives, honors the nation’s most acclaimed artists and scientists each year. Previous awards have been presented to such artists as Sharon Stone, Andy Garcia, Will Smith, Matt Damon, Halle Berry, Jackie Chan, Denzel Washington, Salma Hayek, and Herbie Hancock….

Check out the full article on his honor and purchase tickets to the event, if you’re in the area, here: Haitian-American artist honored.

Homeboy Sandman is still at it again - and going off in a way that only he can. This is just a snippet of what’s to come off of the next 2 Hungry Bros mixtape, check back for updates on that.

Sand Luc Picard

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Download here

DJ Spinna’s always been one of my favorite producers, and to see him working with one of my favorite MCs, Homeboy Sandman, is something really special to me.

Check out his video for “Get On Down,” which also features Fresh Daily and P.So (Formerly P.CASSO) below…

Also, make sure you congratulate Mr. Spinna on his daughter Mylah being born yesterday morning.

VIA.

I’m a little late on this one, given the date on the video, but given the fact that the opening ceremonies for this year’s Winter Olympics just went down, now is as good a time as any.

Check out the video of Kardi taking part in the relay for the torch below…

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…via TSS.

The new video and first single from The Land Of Make Believe, dropping everywhere on March 9th. Check it out below….

Also, check out the dates for the Crowd Control Tour, featuring 88 Keys, Donnis and Izza Kizza, after the jump…

(more…)

Dope new video of the Kardinal track I dropped in December. From the upcoming Mr. International album….

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This coming weekend at The Bronx Museum will host a special tribute to the late, legendary hip-hop producer J Dilla as part of their monthly First Fridays series. As usual, everything is curated by out peoples, Asho. Check out the info below…

First Fridays! @ The Bronx Museum presents:
Looking for the Perfect Beat: A Tribute to J Dilla
Celebrating Black History Month.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2010, 6:00pm to 10:00pm
Free!!! (No Cover)

Hosted by Black45 from MTP Jersey

Music by DJ Meltplus
& Sucio Smash.

Performances by
John Robinson,
El Da Sensei, Illmind,
Daniel Joseph
Yahzeed + DJ Preservation ( Mos Def’s DJ)
+ Many More Special Guests.

Co-presented by:

MTP Jersey: myspace.com/mtpjersey
Brooklyn Bodega : www.brooklynbodega.com
Fat Beats: www.fatbeats.com
High Water Music: www.highwaterismusic.com

J Dilla Portrait Courtesy of Vanessa Chakour www.vanessachakour.com

About J Dilla:

James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American Grammy Nominated record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan. According to his obituary at NPR.org, he “was one of the music industry’s most influential hip-hop artists, working for big-name acts like De La Soul, Busta Rhymes and Common.” Yancey’s career began slowly. He has now become highly regarded, most notably for the production of critically acclaimed albums by Common, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, and The Pharcyde. He was a member of Slum Village for their acclaimed debut album Fantastic, Vol. 2. In the early 2000s, Yancey’s career as a solo artist began to improve; A solo album Welcome 2 Detroit was followed by a collaborative album with California producer Madlib, Champion Sound, which catalyzed the careers of both artists. Just as his music was becoming increasingly popular, Yancey died in 2006 of the blood disease TTP.

About MTP (Meet The Producers)

MTP (Meet The Producers) is a monthly beat battle held in Newark, New Jersey. It was established in March 2005. MTP (Meet The Producers) was created for the sole purpose to showcase men and women creative ability’s behind the art of music productions and beat making. MTP (Meet The Producers) was created by Black45, DJ Max Jerome, and DJ Priority, with the departure of Max Jerome in 2006, Black45 and DJ Priority have strength their business chemistry and push the movement of the MTP (Meet The Producers) to the next level.

For more info on everything, see the flier above or check out the museum’s official site.

Also, if you’re in the mood for more Dilla, be sure to make it out to the 4th-Annual Donuts Are Forever party in BK on Saturday. Click the image below for more info on everything….

Joell Ortiz spits a quick history lesson on Haiti over the instrumental of the moment nowadays, Jay Electronica’s “Exhibit C”. Check out the audio below…

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Download it here: Joell Ortiz - “Exhibit H”.

…via RapRadar.

DONATE: Text ‘Yele’ to 501501, ‘Haiti’ to 90999 or directly through yele.org and redcross.org.

The guys over at chromemusic did their due diligence and found the sample that was used in the track “As We Enter”. The sample originates from the Ethiopian jazz legend Mulato Astatke’s track “Yegelle Tezeta”. It’s also nice to see how the Distant Relatives project is coming full circle. Part of the premise of “Distant Relatives” is about the links to Africa that are shared by Nas and Damian so its only right the production reflects that.

Spotted on Seen

Damian Marley & Nas “As We Enter”

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Mulatu Astatke “Yegelle Tezeta”

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