RZA and GZA speak on re-uniting and performing 36 Chambers for this years Rock The Bells tour as well as working on Liquid Swords 2

THIS IS A BATTLE , FOR ALL TRU HIP HOP HEADZ, A BATTLE OF THE 5TH ELEMENTS , ITS GOING DOWN LOUNGE BATTLES 8 IN ORLANDO , IT DONT GET BETTER THEN THIS..ONLY THE REALIST FEEL THIS!! Peep the video!

Lounge Battles has been running strong now for over 8 years, highlighting some of the most talented hip hop artists from across the Nation.

If you are a true hip hop head then you can't miss this event held in Orlando, featuring some of the biggest names in hip hop. In Orlando, July 15-18

For more info, check out www.loungebattles.com and http://grindtimenow.com

Sage Francis is touring America & Canada in May/June (2010) with B. Dolan & Free Moral Agents (feat. Ikey Owens of The Mars Volta.) This promo video is a Superbad parody called "Supabeard" directed and edited by Kyle Harbaugh. Visit www.SageFrancis.net for all details/updates on the tour. Sage Francis "Li(f)e" drops on May 11, 2010 via Epitaph/Anti Records and B. Dolan "Fallen House Sunken City" is available now on Strange Famous Records http://www.strangefamousrecords.com/

Tour Dates:
Cambridge, MA – Middle East – 5/12/10
Burlington, VT – Higher Ground – 5/13/10
Portland, ME – Port City Music Hall – 5/14/10
Ottawa, ON – Ritual Nightclub – 5/15/10
Toronto, ON – The Opera House – 5/16/10
Detroit, MI – Alvin’s – 5/18/10
Chicago, IL – The Bottom Lounge – 5/19/10
Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall – 5/20/10
Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue – 5/21/10
Columbia, MO – The Blue Note – 5/22/10
Denver, CO – Gothic Theater – 5/24/10
Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge – 5/25/10
Missoula, MT – Badlander – 5/26/10
Edmonton, AB – The Starlite Room – 5/28/10
Calgary, AB – Distillery – 5/29/10
Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret – 5/31/10
Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo – 6/01/10
Portland, OR – Berbati’s Pan – 6/02/10
San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore – 6/04/10
Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst – 6/05/10
Los Angeles, CA – HENRY FONDA THEATRE – 6/06/10
Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern – 6/07/10
Pomana, CA – The Glass House – 6/09/10
Tempe, AZ – The Clubhouse – 6/10/10
Tucson, AZ – Club Congress – 6/11/10
Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater – 6/12/10
Dallas, TX – Granada Theatre – 6/14/10
Austin, TX – Mohawk – 6/15/10
Houston, TX – House of Blues – 6/16/10
Orlando, FL – Club at Firestone – 6/18/10
Atlanta, GA – The Loft – 6/19/10
Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle – 6/21/10
Washington, DC – Rock and Roll Hotel – 6/22/10
Baltimore, MD – The Ottobar – 6/23/10
Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero – 6/24/10
New York, NY – Webster Hall – 6/25/10

Pre-sale package deals will be made available next Monday along with a new blog dedicated strictly to the Li(f)e album at www.SageFrancis.net

Duck Down Music and 2K Sports have partnered to present an exciting contest for all aspiring producers and MCs to create unique and original music, along with the special opportunity to have their song included in the upcoming soundtrack for NBA 2K11, the next iteration of the hugely popular NBA 2K series.
Starting today, March 8th, producers will have two weeks to create one sample-free instrumental.

http://www.duckdown.com/nba2k11/contest/index.html

After killing it at the 2009 Cypress Hill SmokeOut this past October, Sublime with Rome are back again! The trio will be hitting the stage at The Palladium in Los Angeles, CA on the most appropriate of dates…4/20. GU subscribers can get in on the pre-sale action that begins TUESDAY, 3/2 @ 10am. If you’re not in the LA area, Sublime with Rome will also be performing 5 additional dates nationwide.

Sublime with Rome on vocals (Live in studio) Los Angeles

TOUR DATES:
APRIL 20 | THE PALLADIUM | LOS ANGELES, CA
APRIL 23 | FOX THEATRE | OAKLAND, CA
APRIL 26 | THE FILLMORE | DENVER, CO
APRIL 28 | THE RIVIERA THEATRE | CHICAGO, CA
MAY 1 | ROSELAND BALLROOM | NEW YORK, NY
MAY 5 | ELECTRIC FACTORY | PHILADEPLHIA, PA
Get Tickets
For More Info Visit Sublime Here

TICKETS

Hilltop Hoods - Still Standing, Watch Video Here
This month Hilltop Hoods is bundling up, hitting the clubs and going back to square one.

It's definitely a contrast to what we're doing here (in Australia)," says Daniel Smith, a.k.a. MC Pressure, speaking over the phone from his home country. "But it's kind of good at the same time. It keeps you grounded having to work from ground zero again ... it kind of reminds us of how good we've got it here."

Over the last seven years, Hilltop Hoods has led the charge to bring homegrown hip hop to the Australian mainstream, long after rap stars began invading the airwaves in North America.

When the group started out in 1991, the Aussie scene consisted primarily of club DJs spinning U.S. acts like Run DMC, Public Enemy and Big Daddy Kane.

"There wasn't many Australian hip-hop acts putting on shows; there was probably only one in the city and a small handful of other dudes in the mid-90s around the rest of Australia putting on concerts of their own," Smith says.

Hilltop Hoods took advantage of open mic nights around its hometown of Adelaide to build a following and slowly fashioned its American influences into something fresh and positive.

The group's persistence would pay dividends after 12 years of hard work, when two singles from its 2003 album The Calling unexpectedly found heavy rotation on a national radio station.

"Everything just sort of snowballed for us from there and we kind of blew up," Smith says. The group's follow-up The Hard Road hit No. 1 on the Australian Recording Industry Association charts, making them Australia's first bona fide rap superstars.

With its latest album State of the Art also topping domestic charts and earning rave reviews, Smith and company have brought not only recognition, but also respect to the Aussie hip-hop scene.

"Media ... never really took hip hop seriously until five years ago. It's taken a while for us to kick down a lot of doors and break a lot of barriers to make people stand up and take notice," he says.

Hilltop Hoods is now building something of a hip-hop empire. They've paired up with the Australian government on the Hilltop Hoods Initiative, which awards a $10,000 grant to one hip hop act each year (selected by the Hoods themselves), and they recently started their own label, Golden Era Records, to lend an additional hand to up-and-coming talent.

Thanks to their efforts, the scene is starting to thrive. "At the end of the day it's not just that we're passionate about the music, but what's good for us is good for everyone else as well," Smith says.

He hopes the Aussie scene can continue to spread a positive vibe and take lessons from rap's pioneers rather than the gun-toting, materialistic stars running their mouths on today's MTV.

"The scene in Australia is younger, it's a lot less commercial-driven and I guess hasn't been exploited yet and hopefully won't be as badly as hip hop has been in America," he says.

"Hopefully we can get nurtured and keep it sort of where it is; or get it to grow slow enough that it doesn't get ruined all over."