For some years now, Gordon Curvey's Music Inner City has brought videos, interviews, and live performances into homes across the Puget Sound. Just this year, his long-running program, which regularly featured local artists, became available "On Demand" on Comcast Cable 24/7. Tragically, Curvey lost his South End home to a fire November 10; as he said in an e-mail to the local hiphop community, "I lost everything...Video equipment, everything. I have to start all over again or jump off a bridge and give up. But as Reverend Jackson says, I have to Keep Hope Alive." Curvey is still committed to putting on his program and has been provided with some new equipment by generous donors... in the meantime, he's putting the pieces back together. Any support you can offer would no doubt help. Get at him at 3304 Claremont Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98144. You know, my uncles Fonce and Rod lost their house in a fire years ago—I remember how hard that was.
Y'all remember how I hipped you to the late-night Zulu Radio on KBCS? Well, y'all can get back on a normal sleep schedule to catch it now, as the program moved to a prime slot: Saturdays at midnight. Zulu offers a variety of dope national and local hiphop courtesy of your MadKrew hosts Khazm 247, Gabe Teodros of Abyssinian Creole, and DJ WD4D.
This month's Power Bill at the War Room (November 30) has a great guest in Jurassic 5's DJ Nu-Mark. If you've ever peeped J5 ripping it—and goddammit, I know ya have—you've probably caught Nu-Mark (the J5 DJ who appears to have some interest in personal grooming) pounding out an impromptu beat on his MPC. (Did you catch him using one of those wackass school desks at the Showbox a while ago?)
Have you ever falsely claimed "Shaolin" as your hometown? Do you tend to embarrass your friends with your shitty "Brooklyn" accent? Do you still currently rep Wu-Wear? If so—and even if you're not the caricature of the diehard Wu-Tang fan I just described—then you might be interested in this quarter's proliferation of the Clan. Peep Dreddy Kruger's compilation Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture (now that is a scary fucking title), and Grandmasters, the collabo from the GZA and Cypress Hill boardsman DJ Muggs. The former features "Marvel Team-Ups" of Wu and indie-hop luminaries, with some aiight results. Overall it's kind of contrived, with the notable exception of GZA's mind-exploding duet with Ras Kass, "Lyrical Swords." The Genius doesn't disappoint on his chess-themed Grandmasters; however, his cinematic narration hasn't lost a step ("Exploitation of Mistakes" in particular is a thrillingly detailed slice of ghetto noir), and Muggs's sound fits him like a coroner's rubber gloves. I definitely recommend that one; though not so much the new LP from bitter weakest link U-God, terrifically titled Mr. Xcitement. I could never really fuck with "Golden Arms" past his 36 Chambers appearances anyway—and I can just listen to Dip Set if I wanna hear someone make no sense now. Bong-bong!
