This Wednesday in Toronto: Polaris Music Prize Record Salon #12 – the Hip-Hop Panel

At The Drake Hotel in Toronto:

Polaris jurors who love and cover hip-hop will gather for Polaris Record Salon #12, December 14 in Toronto. Your panelists are Ty Harper (City on My Back), Anupa Mistry (freelance journalist), Dave Morris (freelance journalist) and Thomas Quinlan (Urbnet), moderated by Spinner Canada’s Josh Ostroff. They will present their fave hip-hop recordings released so far this year eligible for 2012’s Polaris Prize. We’ll play some tracks plus discuss the state of the genre in Canada. Do they think Drake is a shoo-in or a shut-out? Come find out! As always, cool prizes from our sponsor ClairityOne Earbuds. And did we mention it’s free?!

Wednesday, December 14

Polaris Music Prize Record Salon #12: Hip-Hop Panel
Drake Underground
1150 Queen Street West,
Toronto, ON M6J1J3

FREE EVENT!!!

Doors at 7:30 (runs ’til 10:30pm)

If you claim to love Canadian hip-hop, want to help this country’s hip hop industry infrastructure grow and live in the GTA, you need to be at this!!!!

CLICK HERE for more details via the Facebook event page.

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New Kitchen Blogger Brendan Philip introduces you to Shabazz Palaces…

Over the past 8 years I’ve been running the Kitchen, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve had by guest writers post here on the blog.

It’s not that I’m selfish or proprietary but I never really started the blog to turn it into the basis for a media empire. It was really supposed to be a platform for me to share things, music, art, news, sneakers, event, whatever that I personally was into or wanted to support. That being the case, having outside contributors seemed to dilute that purpose. However that changes today.

Below is the debut post by Brendan Philip (@brndnphlp), a Toronto-based artist and producer who I met through some new but very close friends of mine. It’s kind of eerie how similar his taste and outlook on music are to mine but at the same time, different (hey!). Also, Brendan is serious about his music and is constantly digging and searching for fresh new ish! So starting today, on an ongoing but not necessarily regular basis, Brendan is going to share music & sounds that turn him on here at The Kitchen. It should be nice compliment to my efforts which I know have slacked off somewhat as compared to in the past due to new, heavier work & life commitments. Check him out and leave comments if you dig what he’s talking about. For his debut post today he starts with Seattle group, Shabazz Palaces. Read on….

…Shabazz didn’t come to kill a sound, just to shine their own incandescent lamp on this. Hear. Hard and clear.

2011 seems to have been the ‘year of mystique’, and through the veil came one of the best and ultra progressive hip-hop albums since MadVillain: Black Up by Shabazz Palaces. Originally introduced as Plcr (pron: palaceer) Lazaro, the spokesman for Shabazz Palaces was later revealed to be Ishmael Butler, formally of Digable Planets. Having produced two EPs (the first self-titled; the second called, Of Light) in 2009 and now one full-length, Ish has somehow reconfigured the Black power algorithm last found on Blowout Comb and put a Sun Ra spin to it and in the course of doing so became the first hip-hop act signed to the legendary Seattle alternative rock label, Sub Pop.

Check out these two short films released to celebrate Shabazz Palaces:

Title track, “Black Up” (called the Video of the Year by The Seattle Times!!!)

“Belhaven Meridian”:

Listen to the entire Black Up album here:

Dig what you see/hear? Hit the jump to hear bonus music: a session by Shabazz Palaces live at KEXP FM.

Follow Shabazz Palaces online – website | facebook

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[Event] In Toronto Dec. 10: 88 Days Of Fortune Presents Last Jam of the Year feat. DJ Sebastian

Event featuring a lot of local, T.dot favorites here at The Kitchen. Plus turns out new friends of mine are deeply involved in this 88 Days movement so I’m most likely gonna be up in there next week. Will you though??!

LAST JAM OF THE YEAR!!
SATURDAY DEC. 10, 2011
@ THE CRAWFORD {718 COLLEGE ST}
19+ EVENT
10PM-2AM
… $5

PERFORMANCES BY:
Bahia Watson
Abstract Random
Brendan Philip
Yasmine
Spek Won
WolF J
KJ

FEATURING
Dey:


Kyauna Clarke:

DJ Sebastian {BKLYN BOIHOOD}
New Orleans Bounce, South African House, Dub Step,
Vogue, Go-go, Reggae, Dancehall, Hip-Hop, R&B

Hosted By: Ayo Leilani!

http://88days.ca/
http://bklynboihood.com/
http://crawfordbar.com/

CLICK HERE for more details at the Facebook Event Page.

And here’s an 88 Days of Fortune mixtape from earlier this year for those of you who might’ve missed it (like me!)

[MP3] Raekwon feat. M.O.P. & Kool G Rap – Ill Figures (Remix)

MP3 Download: Raekwon – Ill Figures (Remix) ft M.O.P. & Kool G Rap by 7emcees

C’mon, you KNOW I’m gonna love this! Shout to Eazy-E (R.I.P.) and Yellowman!

[Music Video] Jus Randy – This is War from the InfoBahn Album

Spotted via DJ Mel Boogie. Video by T.dot (Scarborough, jheah!) MC, Jus Randy from his InfoBahn mixtape album dropping tomorrow. Release event at Rockwood TONIGHT. CLICK HERE for details.

Jus Randy online – website | facebook | twitter