DJ Eclipse ripped the audio from The Halftime Radio Show’s 15 year anniversary event which was broadcast live on WNYU March 6th. The show brought out a whole bunch of legendary MCs, DJs and producers, including Ill Bill, BBAS, Malik B, Jakk Frost & the Beard Gang, Spit Gemz, Nems Guttah, Sadat X, DJ Q-bert (!!!), Buckwild, Lord Finesse, Showbiz, Esoteric, Scram Jones and much more. Stream/download the audio below, and check here for the live recorded visuals.
This past Wednesday, the Halftime Radio crew, consisting of DJ Eclipse and DJ Riz (what up DJ Skizz, Petey Cologne, Navani & Dharmic X) celebrated their 15 year anniversary which brought out a whole bunch of legendary MCs, DJs and producers, including Ill Bill (go get that Grimy Awards album!), Malik B, Nems Guttah, Sadat X, DJ Q-bert (!!!), Buckwild, Lord Finesse, Showbiz, Esoteric, Scram Jones and much more. Peep the show in video format up top. Congrats guys!
DJ Eclipse has been an even busier man as of late, what with touring overseas, working on the new La Coka Nostra album and now managing Rasheed Chappell. Still, he found some time to take out of his busy schedule to hook the dopehouse up with another editorial.
DJ Eclipse: It’s been a couple months since I made a post. Been busy working on some albums as well as touring. I knew I had to write something for 2dopeboyz, but I honestly couldn’t think of anything interesting I wanted to say. Well, this week we lost another member of our Hip Hop community…and now I have a lot to say.
Many of you may not be familiar with I.G. Off (I.G. Off & Hazadous), but he was one of the nicest, both in terms of personality as well as talent to come from our scene. He lived for Hip Hop. He rocked at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe amongst many local freestyle veterans. He was a staple in NYC college radio making appearances on WNYU, WKCR & WBAI to name a few. He put out some banging joints with DJ Spinna on Beyond Real Recordings. His rhyme partner then, Hazadous, was nice too, but I.G. was more the one to do the politicing. He had a gift for gab and was just as dope as Craig G or Supernat when it came to “off the top” freestyles. AND he was from Queens.
Photo by Photo Rob. Halftime Radio Crew, new and old
Two days before this year’s official Biggie Day, DJ Eclipse and company celebrated their 14 year anniversary show on WNYU, where the fellas worked hard digging through shoeboxes of old and rare tapes, containing even older and more rare freestyles. Some came straight from Eclipse’s vaults, while other’s were pulled from obscurity by Petey Cologne. I tuned in a for a little (but kept getting kicked from the chat for whatever reason ha) but what I did catch were some incredible freestyles. One that stood out was an off-the-dome freestyle by Common, another was a Kanye West x Rhymefest battle, during the genesis of the Kanye x Roc-a-Fella days. You can find all these and more in the two downloads from this four + hour show. Thank those fellas for 14 years of authentic Rap! Hit the jump for tracklist.
My mellow my man DJ Eclipse blesses the Dopehouse with another interesting editorial. This time, he shares HISstory, from his move to South Carolina via Providence, RI to the formation of his friendship with producer extraordinaire, T-Ray (Wrong Side of The Tracks or Back To the Grill (rmx) anyone?). Check it out, and hit the jump for the rest of the story plus some gems E pulled out of the vaults, including some really rare demos.
DJ Eclipse: A good friend of mine named Erik Blake came to visit me the other day while in town for business. He’s one of my “non Hip Hop” friends. He used to DJ a little back in the day, but didn’t choose music as a path in life. BUT, he does play a part in this little story I’m about to tell if for nothing more then refreshing my memory on “the good ol’ days”. In the mid 80’s I went to high school in Providence, RI with my man Marvin Fowler. Both of us were on the same page with the type of music we liked. We’d run down to Rainbow Records every week to pick up the latest 12” (before Hip Hop LPs existed). Then we both left RI around ‘85. He went to California and my family moved to South Carolina.
For the upcoming Saint Patrick’s, DJ Eclipse put together a mix celebrating the binge drinking day, as well as a homage of sorts for Danny Boy of House of Pain / La Coka Nosta fame. Tracklist and download link after the break.
As Eclipse mentioned a couple of weeks back, the legendary Halftime Show marks it 14 year anniversary today. 14 years of real authentic, non manufactured rap. The show will run from 10:30 PM – 1 AM EST (although I wouldn’t be surprised if it runs even later, and who could be mad at that). You can tune in to the show at WNYU or Ustream. Congrats and much respect to Eclipse, DJ Skizz and all those involved, past and present.
As Eclipse mentioned a couple of weeks back, the legendary Halftime Show marks it 14 year anniversary March 7th. 14 years of real authentic, non manufactured rap. The show will run from 10:30 PM – 1 AM EST (although I wouldn’t be surprised if it runs even later, and who could be mad at that). You can tune in to the show at WNYU or Ustream. Congrats and much respect to Eclipse, DJ Skizz and all those involved, past and present.
Last month, DJ Eclipse blessed the dopehouse with an incredible and insightful editorial, building on the notion of the “instant artist” and how the game has become deplorably saturated. Today, E comes through with yet another dope article and reflects on “14 Years of Rap,” and in traditional Eclipse style, also comes bearing gifts. And trust me, this is a great gift! Peep his words:
DJ Eclipse: On March 7th, 2012 I will be celebrating the 14th anniversary of The Halftime Show on 89.1FM WNYU. As some of you know I usually recruit around 30 MCs, a couple DJs and 3 or 4 producers. The theme of the show is to capture Hip Hop in it’s purest form…live rhyming, DJ routines and beat making. It’s definitely a challenge each year trying to get that many people into one room all the while making sure it’s a different batch of people from whoever was up the year before. And being that next year (2013) will be my 15th anniversary and should be a monumental show I thought this year would be a good time to reflect. So this year’s theme will be “14 Years Of Rap.” A collection of some of the best past freestyles from guests we’ve had up on the show. Mainly focusing on the first few years.
Along with the 2DBz’s new editorial initiative we’ve recently launched, we’re also bringing a different perspective from a legend who has been a positive contributor to the culture for nearly 21 years now. For those who may be unacquainted with the man, I’ll give a short history lesson: DJ Eclipse held down the spot as a member of, and official DJ to the Non Phixion outfit since it’s inception. On top of that, he’s a proud member of the Rock Steady Crew, a member of the Brooklyn Slumlordz (who’s crafted some of your favorite Hip-Hop party breaks) and has sat behind the boards of some really ill, and unfortunately, very slept-on 90s remixes. And it doesn’t stop there. He’s been the official DJ to 3rd Bass, has rubbed shoulders with Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito on WKCR, held down a great job at Fat Beats NYC, and currently heads The Halftime Show with DJ Skizz on 89.1 WNYU. This humble brother, originally from Rhode Island, has even sat in on the Illmatic sessions (which I just only recently discovered, furthermore showing his humility). So when it comes to Hip-Hop and it’s vulnerable culture, you need to stop what ya doing, pay attention and listen.
For those of y’all out in NYC, if you find yourself bored at home tonight, head out to the Brooklyn Bowl for a great tribute event to Grandmaster Roc Raida. The line up alone should be a no brainer: A-Trak, DJ Craze, DJ Premier, Stretch Armstrong, DJ Eclipse and the rest of the X-Ecutioners family. Speaking of DJ Eclipse, you can download the latest Rap Is Outta Control show after the jump. Lots of new and unreleased burners in the mix.
