Mochilla. Next week at MOP LA.

Being the sporadically updated blog this is, I didn't have much time to tell you all how amazing Carlos Nino & Miguel Atwood-Ferguson's J Dilla tribute EP was. Suite For Ma Dukes contained amazing orchestral interpretations of Hip-Hop classics inspired by Dilla himself.

But I also forgot to tell you how awesome Mochilla is for putting out such an EP.

Their name might ring a bell, slightly.

Mochilla is a production company based out of Los Angeles, comprised of photographers, Eric Coleman and B+. Aside from releasing Suite For Ma Dukes and collaborating with V-Tech in the very live Timeless Series, Mochilla has a variety of promising photography projects under their sleeves...

Some of which will be coming up next week.


You can check out Mochilla at next week's Month of Photography LA exhibitions.

One thing in particular that intrigued me was the description for B+ 's "Ghost Notes" exhibit, which, the description reads, "relies, in its basic construction, on ten years of consistent beat digging. It is littered with narratives within and around the subject. As opposed to ten years of photographs of hip hop, this is ten years of hip-hop photography."

Sounds verrry interesting!

For more information on Mochilla, visit www.mochilla.com. And don't forget to hit up MOPLA this week for some great photography, free drinks, and good music. Thanks Dylan for the heads up!

KUCI Coachella Ticket Giveaway

KUCI is giving away Coachella tickets!  Fill out an entry form via e-mail.  The deadline to enter is April, 5, but they are also giving tickets away on-air, so watch out for that.  I do love a good sweaty music fest. 

For more information, visit kuci.org/coachella

From sulk.....to Swag

Today's top 40 charts are often inundated with songs of heartbreak, pain, anguish, and relationship-induced self-destructiveness.

It's hard to avoid these types of songs.  Girls, at some point, we have all been guilty of sitting in our rooms shamelessly bumping 90s R&B jams that seem to be the remedy to whatever issues we may be having with our significant others.  Didn't come home?  Neglecting you?  Guilty of promiscuous cupcaking?  There's a song for almost every situation I can think of, and although these tracks may be comforting, they encourage a habit that i absolutely loathe: sulking.  Frankly, I'm sick of it.  And apparently, so are many of mainstream radio's leading ladies.

Lately I've been noticing an interesting trend among a lot of singles coming out right now.  It appears that many recording artists, too, are sick of moping.

Right now, Beyonce claims that a diva is "the female version of a hustla" (of a hustla, of a, of a hustla) and Keri Hilson advises that all-too-touchy dude at the club (yeah, you know who I'm talkin' about) to "recognize a real woman."   

Can it be that "sulk" has finally been replaced with swag?  Let's hope so.  Rather than having feelings of pity, self-loathe, jealousy, and all those other wasted emotions, it would nice to see more songs written that inspire confidence, independence, and ambition:  things that define the true allure of a woman.

So ladies, take a cue not only from the newfound female swag in mainstream radio, but also from those more independent artists we know and love.  

Just a reminder. From Fresh Cuts Radio :)

J.Period & Q-Tip/The [Abstract Best] Mixtape

I'm a  bit late on this one, but J.Period's latest mixtape release, The [Abstract Best] has been on constant rotation in my iTunes.  The [Abstract Best] is the latest mixtape from the man dubbed by many as the "mixtape king."  It boasts a collection of brand new tracks , as well as "behind the scenes" musical insight from Tip himself.  If that's not cool enough, the mixtape has an awesome lineup as well, with contributors such as De La Soul, Talib Kweli, The Beastie Boys, and Nas.

So what are you waiting for?!  You can download J.Period's mixtape for free on his website.