Welcome to Play Count, the Volume’s weekly mix of the best in recent hip-hop. In this edition, new music from Jon Hope, Daytona, Consequence, Joe Budden and more.

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Welcome to Play Count, the Volume’s weekly mix of the best in recent hip-hop. In this edition, new music from Pill, Clipse, Wale and more.

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Photos: Dan Dealy

Before Bowery Ballroom was filled with smoke—and the smooth sounds of the G-Funk era that were part of the liquor-sipping set from Warren G (check out our preview here)—the stage was rocked with some of hip-hop’s new high-energy crews. Chi-Town’s rambunctious Kidz in the Hall kicked things off—you may remember that the duo made our couch their stage when they played a Live at TONY session. Last night, Double-O and Naledge paid no regards to the “cooler than you” New York crowd and were determined to have as much fun as possible, even dragging a couple fans on stage for their latest, “Jukebox.” Keeping the energy up was the West Coast team U-N-I, bringing along friends Curtains and their DJ for the night, Theo Martins; the crowd may have started the show unfamiliar, but they embraced the duo by the time they were through. Finally, Warren G made his entrance, smooth-rolling through most of his performance with a drink in hand. The audience erupted into a frenzy when G announced he was there to celebrate his birthday, launching into a medley of West Coast classics from his group 213 (with Nate Dogg and step-brother Dr. Dre). The night hit its climax when the song that everyone came to hear, “Regulate,” blared through toward the end of G’s set. Before calling it a night, the birthday boy passed the mike on to a few MCs in the building—including a second appearance from Curtains and a freestyle from New York’s own Donny Goines.

As you can see in our highlight vid above, Swedish pop outfit Peter Bjorn and John performed last night at Webster Hall alongside an eclectic assortment of pals. Before the headliners performed, hip-hop DJ Mick Boogie, who has produced his own PB&J inspired mixtape, Re-Living Thing, spun an eclectic mix of hip-hop, indie rock and dance music, between sets from Bjorn-produced newcomers The Suzan and fellow Swedes El Perro del Mar. Peter Bjorn and John’s set featured guest appearances from L.A. hip-hop duo U-N-I and local rapper Spank Rock, along with a second appearance from El Perro’s Sarah Assbring to help out on “Young Folks” and some impromptu dancing from Andrew W.K.

Welcome to Play Count, the Volume’s weekly mix of the best in recent hip-hop. In this edition, new music from Lupe Fiasco, Kida, Chip tha Ripper, Beanie Sigel and more.

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Welcome to Play Count, the Volume’s weekly mix of the best in recent hip-hop. In this edition, new music from Drekidd, Lil Wayne, Jared Evan, Jay Electronica and more.

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Photos by Dan Dealy

Hip-hop lovers had a pretty grim end to their CMJ fest: It seemed that five straight days of running around took its toll late Saturday evening, resulting in fights, theft, arrest and um, people deliberately clogging up the toilets in one venue. There were some great moments to be had, however:  In the slide show above: photos from the Fader fort party at Ace Hotel, Red Bull Space’s showcase with Shameless Management and Scott on the Rocks, and more pics from an impromptu showcase at BLVD; plus, Theophilus London, Sam Sparro, Donnis, Pill, Jared Evans and more. The story of the night’s adventure after the jump.
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Duke University senior Mike Posner performed at a classic CMJ hip-hop showcase at S.O.B.’s Thursday night, headlining a bill of mostly new and young talent at the Elitaste x NUE Agency showcase presented by Puma. Above, a video of highlights from Posner’s set with his guests Big Sean, 2AM Club and Eric Holljes. After the jump, a recap of the night’s lineup, featuring Camp Lo, Brandon Hines, Theophilus London, Pill and Freddie Gibbs.
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Check out our video of Blu & Exile performing new tracks and classics from their collaboration, Below the Heavens, and read our full recap of downtown’s hip-hop showcases after the jump.

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Photos by Dan Dealy

Last night kicked off the whirlwind action of the 2009 CMJ Music Marathon. This year boasts a strong hip-hop lineup, and things started right with performances from The Clipse, Donnis, Wiz Khalifa, Grand Puba and U-God. Hit the jump for a full recap of the night’s showcases, including a video from Wiz Khalifa and a very special guest at Southpaw.
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Welcome to Play Count, the Volume’s weekly mix of the best in recent hip-hop. In this edition, new music from Nyle, Phonte of Foreign Exchange, Oddisee, Freddie Gibbs and more. This week we highlight some of the best shows coming to town next week for CMJ.

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Welcome to Play Count, the Volume’s weekly mix of the best in recent hip-hop. In this edition, new music from Young Jeezy, Joell Ortiz, Ghettosocks and more.

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It all started out as a side project for Andrew Cohen (then calling himself DJ Haircut) when he played a few fun demos for his friend Peanut Butter Wolf while in L.A. The Stones Throw Records label head was impressed with the tunes and signed Cohen as Mayer Hawthorne to a record deal. His first release? A 1,000-copy run of his single “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” on seven-inch red heart-shaped vinyl.

A year on, Mayer Hawthorne has released his full-length debut, A Strange Arrangement, and is now touring with his band the County, plus longtime Detroit friends Buff 1 and 14KT. On day two of his three consecutive days of performing in NYC, TONY caught up with Hawthorne before he hit the stage at Mercury Lounge. Check the video above to hear the inside story, and don’t miss more photos from the show after the jump.

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Photos: Dan Dealy

When it comes to the business of hip-hop, no one does it better than Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. The artist has parlayed one of the biggest debut albums in the genre—2003’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’—into a gig plugging Vitamin Water, book deals, fragrances, clothing, sneakers and websites. This past Saturday, 50 added ringmaster to his impressive résumé, as he staged a festival (sponsored by his website, thisis50.com) on par with Summer Jam and Rock the Bells. The early part of the day featured performances from some of hip-hop’s new class of talent, with sets by Mike Posner, Wale and Kid Cudi, but the fest hit full stride toward the evening. Jackson kept things New York to the core, offering a performance that felt more like a mixtape than a concert. After brief sets by Cory Gunz, Papoose, Uncle Murda and crowd favorite Slaughter House, 50 took the stage with his G-Unit soldiers Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks. The crew never rapped for more than three songs at a time, but instead tag-teamed with some of New York’s biggest names, including Dipset, D Block, Maino, Red Cafe and Wyclef Jean.

The affair was an obvious success, and Angie Martinez announced Fif’s plans to make the show a yearly occurrence, possibly branching out to other cities in years to come. For now, check out our slide show above, with images of some of the night’s big-name performers.

Welcome to Play Count, the Volume’s weekly mix of the best in recent hip-hop. In this edition, new music from Homeboy Sandman, Diz Gibran, Theo Martins and B.o.B., and more.

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On Saturday, October 3, Queens hip-hop icon 50 Cent brings his “This Is 50 Fest” to Governors Island, which he claims shall be the “new Summer Jam.” A collection of some of the biggest names in the genre from the last year are set to hit the stage, including Wale and Kid Cudi. In addition, 50 will most likely keep to his bigger-than–Summer Jam promise by bringing out a surprise guest or two.

Of all the stars on the bill, the name that might be least well-known to fans belongs to a young pop singer, Mike Posner, who is still putting the finishing touches on his college career at Duke. Before Posner headed off to school (and a schedule of different parties every weekend), we caught up with the singer on a visit to New York.

Photos by Dan Dealy

Governors Island hosted another of its spectacular hip-hop shows, pairing producer and MC 88-Keys with one of Chicago’s most talented young artists, Lupe Fiasco. Lupe has flip-flopped a number of times this year on when and what projects he would be pursuing, but it seems that he has finally settled on a late-fourth-quarter release for his next one, Lasers.

The young crowd was extremely supportive of the artist while he performed major singles from his previous albums, Food & Liquor and The Cool. Lupe also performed a new freestyle over Jay-Z’s big single, “Run This Town,” and later spoke out about his new single, “Shining Down.” He proudly announced that the single, featuring hooks from Matthew Santos, had moved 30,000 digital downloads without any support from the label…which lead to only more ecstatic cheers from fans.

Photos by Dan Dealy

Over the past few weeks, catching a hip-hop show at S.O.B.’s has been well worth the price of admission. It seems that the artist on the marquee is rarely the only big name in the house. Above, check out photos from the album-release party for KRS-One and Buckshot’s collaborative project, Survival Skills. The two pulled out all the stops, bringing along Tek of Smif-N-Wessun, Skyzoo, Funk Flex, Busy Bee, Sean Price and Pharoahe Monch.

After the jump, view another slide show, featuring photos from Peter Rosenberg’s Who’s Next Live event with Raekwon. The Chef put on a stellar set, performing both classics and selections from his latest, Only Built for Cuban Linx…Pt. II, and freestyling alongside Wyclef.

S.O.B.’s hosts the latest installment of Who’s Next Live tonight, with GOOD music’s Consequence. Rumors are already flying about who will show up to support. For one thing, we’ve received word that John Legend will be stopping by to guest on Con’s first single from Cons TV, “Whatever U Want.”

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Welcome to Play Count, the Volume’s weekly mix of the best in recent hip-hop. In this edition, new music from Jadakiss, Sha Stimuli, Royce da 5′9″, Consequence and more.

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Consequence ft. Rick Ross - “The More I Get”
Queens MC Consequence links up with Officer Ricky for a feel-good tune about hustling and the constant want for more. Cons has always had an exuberant work ethic leading up to new projects, and appears to be back to the grind for the upcoming Cons TV.

Royce da 5′9″- “Taxi Driver”
Nickle Nine gets on his storytelling tip, taking you on a journey with his passengers, “hip” and “hop.”  Careful listeners will pick up the hints in Royce’s wordplay and borrowed flows, revealing the travelers as caricatures of the late greats, Pac and Biggie.

Sha Stimuli ft. Freeway & Young Chris - “Move Back”
The latest leak from Sha Stimuli’s next project, My Soul to Keep, finds the MC hooked up with stars from the once-great Roc Dynasty, including superproducer Just Blaze.

Mike Dreams - “Gettin Ours”
An upbeat tune about focusing on numero uno, while ignoring the ever-prevalent “haters” of hip-hop.

Sir Aah ft. The Clipse - “Let’s Go”
DMV’s Sir Aah brings in talented Virginia duo the Clipse, who impress once again with their ability to catch and flow on any beat.

Charles Hamilton ft. Show Tufli - “Long Socks”
After local rapper Charles Hamilton was dropped by Interscope, his unreleased major-label debut, This Perfect Life, found its way to the Internet. Although the album was overshadowed by controversy over Hamilton’s personal life, the project still shows signs of the talent that impressed throughout his Hamiltonization Process, and has been missing for months since.

Vibes - “Fly”
Newcomer Vibes may have some top talent on the mike (Tanya Morgan, Royce da 5′9″) to draw listeners into his mixtape, The New Generation, but it’s his solo tracks and stellar production from Trackfiends and 6th Sense that make this a standout project.

Jadakiss - “Take Me to NY”
Kiss spits a short dedication to New York. Great as it is to hear new Jada, it’s still a far cry from Hova’s “Empire State of Mind.”

Welcome to Play Count, the Volume’s weekly mix of the best in recent hip-hop. In this edition, new music from Sky 7th, Sene, Lee Bannon, Thee Tom Hardy and more.

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