Last week, Bob James held a concert residence at New York City's Blue Note alongside Talib Kweli and a live band for the second consecutive year. An esteemed panel of guests joined the Grammy-winning Jazz keyboardist and famed producer during 2023's three-night residency. D.M.C. joined on February 7, Slick Rick... Read more

DJ Green Lantern has been Nas' DJ for years. The accomplished mixmaster who has worked with Eminem, The LOX, and dead prez has become a fixture in Nas' stage show. A native of Rochester, New York, Green has also produced Ludacris' Top 20-charting hit "Number One Spot," Busta Rhymes' Rick... Read more

Since the early 1970s, pioneering Hip-Hop DJs played records with specific instrumental breakdown sections that could make B-boys and B-girls dance. As the culture grew, one of the artists who created breaks that DJs—and later, producers, gravitated towards was Bob James. The keyboardist, arranger, and record producer has since become... Read more

DJ Spinna is one of Hip-Hop's most versatile mixmasters. The Brooklyn, New York native has shined a light on House, Funk-Rock, and the all-encompassing genius of Stevie Wonder, while introducing The Jigmastas, Polyrhythm Addicts, as well as early works by MCs ranging from Eminem to J-Live, Thirstin Howl III to... Read more

Even if through animation, people make the world go 'round. Cee Lo Green's latest single "Sign Of The Times" captures the careful balance that is the world in 2015. Over-top a beat bases on Bob James' "Taxi" theme (also known as "Angela" to Jazz Heads), this song strikes its own... Read more

Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez's name does not come up as often as it should. The Brooklyn, New York producer/DJ is one half of Masters At Work. Also known as Nuyorican Soul, the team of Kenny and "Little" Louie Vega remixed Michael Jackson, Madonna, Tito Puente, and Earth, Wind & Fire. Additionally,... Read more

Long before Heads could go digging in the crates with two tabs of YouTube, Louis "Breakbeat Lou" Flores was a trusted source of dusty-sonic knowledge. One of the creators of the Ultimate Breaks & Beats compilation series, the New York City native helped take deep cuts by Dennis Coffey, ESG,... Read more

Who can deny that sampling has become a fundamental element that has put numerous Hip-Hop classics on the map? Since the very earliest days of Hip-Hop music, sampling has been integral. With it have often come lawsuits, allegations of copyright infringement, and a series of settlements. Recently (April 10, 2015)... Read more

Termanology just dropped a new music video for "Get Away," a highlight off of his new album Shut Up And Rap, which was just released last month.  The song features guest appearances from some dope MCs, all of whom released new albums in 2014: Skyzoo & Torae, who released Barrel... Read more

David Banner is a force to be reckoned with. The Mississippi veteran MC/producer infuses much of his music with information, passion, and a fiery delivery. Such is the case on "Who Am I?," a Bob James-sampling track that tells the story of Patrice Lumumba, Congo's first democratically-elected Prime Minister who,... Read more

New Jersey professor/educator !llmind has been knocking around the music industry for over a decade. In addition to full-length work with Skyzoo, 'Mind has credits with G.O.O.D Music's Cruel Summer release, Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP 2, and joints with Boot Camp Clik, Redman, and Pharoahe Monch. After letting The Roots'... Read more

Heads love samples, from Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express" in Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force's "Planet Rock" to Twin Sister's "Meet The Frownies" in Kendrick Lamar's "The Recipe." The folks at Eclectic Method made a three-minute reel that traces the chronology of sampling through the years, stopping in some pretty... Read more

When Heads get into rare groove/sample sources, pianist, composer and arranger Bob James is an ideal starting point. To laymen, James may be best known for creating the smooth theme song to "Taxi," however to those who read the labels, James has a massive catalog of hits that's resurrected by... Read more