Represent Rock the Bells Contest, Win a Trip to LA

ROCK THE BELLS

In Association With

Budweiser and Myspace Hip Hop

PRESENTS

The Official
REPRESENT ROCK THE BELLS CONTEST!

Enter for a chance to win a VIP flyaway trip to witness Rock the Bells in Los Angeles, California!

Rock the Bells Festival Series is back on the road, hitting all the major cities across the nation! You and one guest could be the lucky fans to fly out to Rock the Bells in Los Angeles, California to kick it with hip-hop’s pioneers and innovators!

Are you talented with the turntables? Ask your friend to videotape you mixing tracks from this year’s Rock the Bells artists. Love rockin the mic? At your next karaoke outing, record yourself rapping along to House of Pain’s “Jump Around.” Got moves on the dance floor? Show us your B-Boy stance! You can freestyle over one of RZA’s beats, drive around your neighborhood with your homies re-enacting Ice Cube’s “It Was A Good Day,” express your undying love for Sage Francis! The possibilities are endless! Be creative!

Once you’ve captured how you Represent Rock the Bells, follow these 3 easy steps!

STEP 1: REGISTER
Register to watch updated behind the scenes footage from the tour, download exclusive tracks from RTB artists, and win dope prizes!

STEP 2: SUBMIT A VIDEO
To win, upload a video showing how you REPRESENT ROCK THE BELLS! Have fun and be creative!

STEP 3: VOTE AND WIN!
Post your widget everywhere and get people to register and vote for your video! The user with the greatest amount of points wins the GRAND PRIZE FLYWAY!

Once you upload, you’ll be able to watch other video-submissions and interact with Rock the Bells fans by sending video-comments and rating their videos.

You’ll also get to interact with the artists while they’re on tour! Stay tuned as they upload backstage footage and behind the scenes antics on tour this summer. They’ll also be watching YOUR videos!

If you don’t win the grand prize, don’t worry! The next 10 fans ranking in with the greatest amount of votes will score signed merchandise from select Rock the Bells 2009 artists!

Remember, we’re not picking the winner, YOU ARE! Want to increase your chances of winning? Convince your friends that you deserve to go to Rock the Bells in Los Angeles and have them vote for your video!

It’s EASY!

To Boost Your Score:
* If a friend accepts your invite: +50 points
* If a friend grabs a widget from your invite: +100 points
* If you get your friends to vote for your vide: POINTS ARE LIMITLESS!

You’ve got until July 6th to grab the Rock the Bells Widget, upload your video, and share it with your friends for a chance to experience Rock the Bells live in the Los Angeles!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

Good luck!

Busta Rhymes on Jimmy Kimmel Live

After 5 Years, Eyedea & Abilities Set to Release New Album

From the title alone, one can only imagine the hype that will soon surround this album.

Brought to you by Ballerstatus:

Minnesota-based duo Eyedea and Abilities are set to return with their first new album in five years this summer, via Rhymesayers Entertainment.

The album will be titled By The Throat, following up their 2004 breakout release E&A.

According to a press release, the album’s songs range from intensely personal topics to the more esoteric (quantum mechanics). The end result is leaps and bounds beyond what MC Eyedea is perhaps best known for, his prowess as a battle rapper (winner of HBO’s “Blaze Battle”, Scribble Jam and several others). DJ Abilities, also a well-known battle vet and contributor to El-P’s now-classic Fantastic Damage, adds heavily to the sonic soundscape of this album, which advances beyond boom-bap hip-hop into rock-fueled guitar riffs, gritty production and melodic songwriting.

The duo were instrumental in the wave of independent hip-hop that includes Atmosphere, El-P, Aesop Rock, Living Legends and several other seminal acts. By The Throat is poised to be their most progressive and refined effort to date.

Until the album drops on July 21, Eyedea and Abilities will be doing shows. First, they will be performing at Rhymesayers’ Soundset ‘09 on May 24th, and will be headlining a tour in the fall of 2009.

They have also been confirmed for the following Rock the Bells dates this summer.

06/27 – Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheater
06/28 – Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
07/05 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheater
07/12 – Washington DC @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
07/18 – Boston, MA @ Comcast Center |
07/19 – New York, NY @ Jones Beach Amphitheater
08/01 – Vancouver, BC @ Deer Lake Park
08/06 – Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheater
08/08 – Los Angeles, CA @ San Manuel Amphitheater
08/09 – San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater

SHOW: The Grouch & Eligh at the Glasshouse

No plans for tonight? Want something to look forward to after a long day’s hard work?

Head over to the Glasshouse in Pomona for some good old underground hip-hop. The Grouch & Eligh are wrapping up their “Say G&E” tour here in LA with openers/new-comers Root Beer, the duo comprised of Pigeon John and Flynn Adam.

Show starts at 7pm. Don’t be late.

Ice Cube Added to RTB Los Angeles

Ice Cube

Gangsta rap pioneer, West Coast king, silver screen celebrity, and just all around bad ass Ice Cube got added to this year’s 2009 Rock the Bells Festival in Los Angeles.

Ice Cube gave us some of the best classics from the 90s to now—music and film wise. So LA fans: hope you guys are happy. It is his hometown by the way.

The only hip-hop touring festival will be hitting 10 of the hottest cities in America, but for a chance to see the legend live on stage and spittin that OG West Coast sound in your face, treat yourself to a road trip on over to LA—and bump “It Was A Good Day” all the way over here. But not to worry America, we still got love for the rest of the nation. Expect more announcements in the coming future.

For tickets, routing, and all the necessary information, visit www.guerillaunion.com/rockthebells.

Artist Preview: Raekwon

Raekwon live on stage at Rock the Bells 2007

We’re kickin off this summer with a bang, bringing the Chef directly to you! Raekwon is live and direct with his hotly anticipated, constantly buzzed about, and soon-to-be classic Only Built for Cuban Linx 2.

As you may know, it’s been about 4 years since the follow up was announced.  We here at Guerilla Union have passionately followed the evolution of the album and were ecstatic when Raekwon announced at the Rock the Bells 2009 Launch Party that he would officially be releasing OBFCL2 this year.

Meaning, an array of long overdue dope joints and car-bangers ensues.

Below is a video of one of our all time favorites, cooked up nicely by the Chef himself. Press play and reminisce with us. Then catch him live exclusively on the Rock the Bells Tour this summer.

And check out the link below for music from his most recent mixtape.

Raekwon – Staten go hard (Staten Go Hard Vol. 1)

Rock the Bells Updated Lineup

Just added:

BUSTA RHYMES | GZA | THE KNUX

Reflection Eternal – Back Again

Reflection Eternal. They’re back. Get ready.

PROPS: ThisIs50

Tech N9ne Responds to LA Times

Jeff Weiss, contributor, writer, and blogger for the LA Times had some strong opinions about the recently past Paid Dues Festival. Here’s what Tech N9ne had to say about it.

Indie rap juggernaut, Tech N9ne, recently lashed out at a Los Angeles Times writer, who claimed he lip-synced during a recent performance at the Southern California Paid Dues concert.

In the LA Times story, journalist Jeff Weiss wrote that “It appeared that N9ne was lip-syncing” during the recent headlining performance, and to no surprise, Tech N9ne was not feeling that.

According to AOL’s BlackVoices, the 37-year-old rapper, who hails from Kansas City, responded at the Tuesday’s (April 7) Rock The Bells press conference where he had some strong words for Mr. Weiss.

“All my life I have put all my energy into doing a wonderful show, a hardcore show — I push until I lose my voice, and I say every word,” explained Tech. “And for somebody to say, ‘He appeared to be lip-syncing because it sounded so clear’ — To me, if I’m trying to use Paid Dues as a vehicle get on Rock the Bells, he would’ve ruined it, which would in turn would’ve ruined money I make for my children, which makes me really, really upset.

According to Tech, his main goal is to “impress” his fans, and along the way, move up the ladder. When a writer jeopardizes it, he takes it to heart.

“I’m out here to impress people, to get to the other plateau,” the rapper continued. “This is the other plateau (Rock The Bells). Thank God I made it after somebody said something stupid about me that a lot of people knew was bullsh**, because something like that, I take it personally.”

Tech continued to state his case, asking how anyone could put him into the same category as an act like Milli Vanilli when time after time, he’s proven he can pack venues across the country.

“When it comes to Tech N9ne you say sh** that you know. And what he said was speculation: ‘It appeared that he was lip-syncing.’ No, you can’t say Tech N9ne and Milli Vanilli in the same sentence,” Tech N9ne said. “I can’t sell out all these shows and people keep coming back if I was just cheating them with lip-syncing. So to Jeff Weiss, no I didn’t appreciate it and I don’t appreciate it. Tech N9ne works very hard. So hopefully he’ll come to another show and he’ll give me a f***ing apology because I deserve it.”

Tech appeared and performed at the recent Rock The Bells press conference, where it was announced that he’d been added to the bill.

The indie rapper has made a name for himself over the years, thanks to his constant work on the road. In 2008, Tech was reported the third highest grossing rap tour act, behind Jay-Z and Kanye West.

PROPS: ballerstatus.com

Busta Rhymes ft. Estelle “World Go Round”

May 19th is only weeks away, but yet seems so far as we anticipate impatiently the release of Busta’s new album Back On My Bullshit. Here’s something to keep us occupied. The album version of the supposed single just released, entitled “World Go Round” featuring Estelle.

Click to download

Props: theyoungkingzdaily