 DIgable planets, Johnny Popcorn & Lady B. |
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JOHNNY POPCORN
Philadelphia’s Johnny Popcorn is a five-man rock band comprised of Lloyd Alexander on guitar, Rah Sungee on bass, Clayton Carothers on drums and vocals from Hezekiah and Jani Coral.
Initially, Johnny Popcorn was founded by producer/bassist Tone Whitfield (Me’shell Ndegeocello and Zap Mama) and songwriter/emcee/producer Hezekiah after several late nights working on Bilal’s Air Tight’s Revenge album. Their early works were pet studio projects released causally to music fans at live shows and digital downloads. Read more....
Initially, Johnny Popcorn was founded by producer/bassist Tone Whitfield (Me’shell Ndegeocello and Zap Mama) and songwriter/emcee/producer Hezekiah after several late nights working on Bilal’s Air Tight’s Revenge album. Their early works were pet studio projects released causally to music fans at live shows and digital downloads. Read more....
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LADY B
“If there was no Lady B, there would be no me” – Will Smith – August 2011
A Legend is born. Starting out in hip hop fresh out of high school, hanging out at Kim Graves (Philly’s top night club at the time) she befriended the late great DJ, Lawrence Levan. She used to pick up the mic and mock Darryl Dawkins and Lloyd (World B.) Free and the other “toasters”, as rap was known at that time. Read more....
A Legend is born. Starting out in hip hop fresh out of high school, hanging out at Kim Graves (Philly’s top night club at the time) she befriended the late great DJ, Lawrence Levan. She used to pick up the mic and mock Darryl Dawkins and Lloyd (World B.) Free and the other “toasters”, as rap was known at that time. Read more....
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Rich and I have about a 20 year history together. As friends first but over the years we've strengthened our working relationship by doing various parties together like Tastytreats, Jump n' Funk, HOME, Lil' Ricky's Rib Shack, most recently, The Roots Picnic Afterparty and many more. I've also held his door down for him at APT in NYC for his event, Lil' Ricky's Rib Shack for a while but only after many years of coming as a fan.
I think part of why I've always loved Lil' Ricky's/APT so much is because of it's parallel vibe to Tastytreats/Fluid. It was special. It's longevity spanned more than a decade, weekly. It's unapologetic freedom of not having to play top 40 music all night. Neither venue really had a "sign". It was the kind of place that if you knew, you knew!
I asked Rich a few questions about what the party, the venue and it's legacy is all about. Check it out below. Then check us out this Friday, June 29th, for our 5th Friday residency at Silk City in Philadelphia. We teamed up to bring Lil' Ricky's Rib Shack to Philly. You can find Rich spinning a 4 hour set and me on the dance floor.
I think part of why I've always loved Lil' Ricky's/APT so much is because of it's parallel vibe to Tastytreats/Fluid. It was special. It's longevity spanned more than a decade, weekly. It's unapologetic freedom of not having to play top 40 music all night. Neither venue really had a "sign". It was the kind of place that if you knew, you knew!
I asked Rich a few questions about what the party, the venue and it's legacy is all about. Check it out below. Then check us out this Friday, June 29th, for our 5th Friday residency at Silk City in Philadelphia. We teamed up to bring Lil' Ricky's Rib Shack to Philly. You can find Rich spinning a 4 hour set and me on the dance floor.
Flygirrl: Tell the folks what Lil Ricky's Rib Shack is all about.
Rich: LiL Ricky’s Rib Shack is all about open minded music appreciation and providing the dance community with a space to celebrate their relationship with the DJ, other dancers, and the remainder of the club community.
F: APT. What did that venue mean to you?
RM: APT means a hell of a lot to me because despite having been a working DJ in NYC for years prior, LRRS was the DJ residency that gave me my own weekly platform and changed my career forever.
F: How did Lil' Ricky's Rib Shack effect New York nightlife?
RM: We were a bit of an oasis in the desert to a degree. There were of course many clubs that were alive and well in NYC at the time, but none had APT’s decorum from design to management to the talent that was booked there on a daily basis for 10 years.
F: Who was your favorite guest DJ at Lil' Ricky's Rib Shack?
RM: Shit...that’s a tough one...there were so many incredible moments there...but I would have to say the night Yasiin Bey and Q-Tip came and both freestyled impromptu for a good 45 minutes and then Q-Tip joined me on the wheels for the night, unplanned. It was spontaneous, electric, and definitely a night to remember for many people.
F: What are 5 songs in your rotation at the moment?
RM:
Thundercat - Oh Sheeeit it’s X
Black Thought - TeoFifteen
Moody Man - Pitch Black City Reunion
Nas - Cop Shot The Kid
Josh Milan - Thinking About Your Body
Rich: LiL Ricky’s Rib Shack is all about open minded music appreciation and providing the dance community with a space to celebrate their relationship with the DJ, other dancers, and the remainder of the club community.
F: APT. What did that venue mean to you?
RM: APT means a hell of a lot to me because despite having been a working DJ in NYC for years prior, LRRS was the DJ residency that gave me my own weekly platform and changed my career forever.
F: How did Lil' Ricky's Rib Shack effect New York nightlife?
RM: We were a bit of an oasis in the desert to a degree. There were of course many clubs that were alive and well in NYC at the time, but none had APT’s decorum from design to management to the talent that was booked there on a daily basis for 10 years.
F: Who was your favorite guest DJ at Lil' Ricky's Rib Shack?
RM: Shit...that’s a tough one...there were so many incredible moments there...but I would have to say the night Yasiin Bey and Q-Tip came and both freestyled impromptu for a good 45 minutes and then Q-Tip joined me on the wheels for the night, unplanned. It was spontaneous, electric, and definitely a night to remember for many people.
F: What are 5 songs in your rotation at the moment?
RM:
Thundercat - Oh Sheeeit it’s X
Black Thought - TeoFifteen
Moody Man - Pitch Black City Reunion
Nas - Cop Shot The Kid
Josh Milan - Thinking About Your Body
In 1998, I was managing Brave New World on 7th and Arch. That's where I met Ahmir aka Questlove. He was chilling one night, I think on Tiffany Bacon's night in the Red Room which was the smaller side of the venue. We became friends and started to hang out... Shortly after, Jam from KBA HQ (remember all of the cigarette promotions and parties?! That was KBA) came and offered me a Program Manager position. I was looking to get out of being at BNW til 3am every night so I took the job. EVERYONE worked at KBA. Sao, Jenn Bragg, Tony Allen, Wayne, Yameen and more... Me, Yameen and Ahmir started to hang out a lot together. Going to parties, going to Tower Records every Tuesday - literally every Tuesday in my VW Bug, lots of memories at The South Street diner and more. The South Street Diner is where our future was kind of born. At the time, we had been talking about how there was something missing party wise in the city and we were itching to do a party... Our friend Jack Boogi at the time was working with a new place called Filo's which was at 2nd and Pine. He offered us Saturday nights which he was running with DJ Train. So, we said yes! It was the The South St Diner in 2000, where we dreamt up Tastytreats, Jawn Tshirts, Tastykakes at parties, and a little company called Squarebiz..
At the time, I lived at 455 Fairmount, and remember us in my living room on my computer making our logo. We had no idea what was to come. We launched Tastytreats at Filo's with DJ's Questlove and Train in May 2001. And it was an instant hit. We packed that place every Saturday night for almost 2 years. Even had legends DJ Jazzy Jeff and DJ Cash Money guest DJ a few times, if you can believe that with as small as it was. One night, our great friend Oronde (RIP) came one night and could barley get through crowd it was so tight. I often would camp out in our tiny DJ section because it was so crowded. Lol. At the time, he was doing security over at Fluid. He was like, "Yo, you wanna move this shit?" He offered us Saturday nights and we knew it was time to expand so we said yes! At the time, DJ Mike Nyce was spinning at The Palmer. I think it was Yameen that suggested we bring Mike with us for the move. We reached out to Mike and ironically, he was looking for a change so he accepted. We made the seamless transition and never looked back.
13 years later, in 2014 when Fluid closed, we looked back at a weekly event for 13 years that changed nightlife culture forever. We booked DJ's that weren't being booked in Philly and gave them a home. A home that wasn't centered around Top 40 music. They were able to come and spin the music they loved al the while folks singing all of the lyrics at them dancing the night away. No fights, no issues, just people enjoying the vibes. I'll never forget one of the times I booked Biz Markie. I booked him for being Biz. Spinning Classics, Hip-Hop, etc.... He spun a few Wu-Tang songs and the crowd, in true fashion, sang word for word and Biz was hype. So hype, that he spun nothing but Wu-Tang for his entire set! Ha! I was mad but the crowd loved it. Over the 13 years, we booked DJ's (Questlove + Mike Nyce), DJ Jazzy Jeff, Q-Tip, Premier with Guru (GangStarr), 9th Wonder, Ali Shaheed Muhammad (ATCQ), DJ Scratch (EPMD), Biz Markie, Kool Here, Luvbug Starski, Da Beatminerz, Rich Medina, Spinna, Bobbito, Pete Rock, Beverly Bond, Mr. Sonny James, Ultraviolet, lil' Dave, Afrodjiak and many more. We've even had some guest hosts like Phonte of Little Brother, GrandMaster Melle Mel, Lady Alma and more. I feel so blessed to look back and see such a legendary list of talent that really, genuinely loved what we were doing.
It's almost hard to explain how special those years were to those who were to young to remember or the folks that just never knew. But if you know, you KNOW! It was classic. It was special. It was a moment in time. It was years of memories that I will never forget and will forever feel blessed to have done what we've done, to share what we've shared and to have met so many of you. Tastytreats and Squarebiz brought folks together. There are so many people that met at our party and continued to raise families and businesses together. Or have formed lifelong friendships. Shout out to the Squarebiz Message Boards! Haha.
So, Philly, we thank you. We thank you and invite you to come enjoy our one night reunion with us on Thanksgiving Weekend in Philadelphia on Saturday November 25, 2017 at Tastytreats with DJ's Questlove + Mike Nyce plus, host Yameen Allworld. You can find us at Mousai at Cibo on 1227 Walnut St. Doors open at 9m with drink specials plus, discounted parking above the Starbucks at 12th and Walnut Sts.
Please tell a friend and we'll see you on the dancefloor.
At the time, I lived at 455 Fairmount, and remember us in my living room on my computer making our logo. We had no idea what was to come. We launched Tastytreats at Filo's with DJ's Questlove and Train in May 2001. And it was an instant hit. We packed that place every Saturday night for almost 2 years. Even had legends DJ Jazzy Jeff and DJ Cash Money guest DJ a few times, if you can believe that with as small as it was. One night, our great friend Oronde (RIP) came one night and could barley get through crowd it was so tight. I often would camp out in our tiny DJ section because it was so crowded. Lol. At the time, he was doing security over at Fluid. He was like, "Yo, you wanna move this shit?" He offered us Saturday nights and we knew it was time to expand so we said yes! At the time, DJ Mike Nyce was spinning at The Palmer. I think it was Yameen that suggested we bring Mike with us for the move. We reached out to Mike and ironically, he was looking for a change so he accepted. We made the seamless transition and never looked back.
13 years later, in 2014 when Fluid closed, we looked back at a weekly event for 13 years that changed nightlife culture forever. We booked DJ's that weren't being booked in Philly and gave them a home. A home that wasn't centered around Top 40 music. They were able to come and spin the music they loved al the while folks singing all of the lyrics at them dancing the night away. No fights, no issues, just people enjoying the vibes. I'll never forget one of the times I booked Biz Markie. I booked him for being Biz. Spinning Classics, Hip-Hop, etc.... He spun a few Wu-Tang songs and the crowd, in true fashion, sang word for word and Biz was hype. So hype, that he spun nothing but Wu-Tang for his entire set! Ha! I was mad but the crowd loved it. Over the 13 years, we booked DJ's (Questlove + Mike Nyce), DJ Jazzy Jeff, Q-Tip, Premier with Guru (GangStarr), 9th Wonder, Ali Shaheed Muhammad (ATCQ), DJ Scratch (EPMD), Biz Markie, Kool Here, Luvbug Starski, Da Beatminerz, Rich Medina, Spinna, Bobbito, Pete Rock, Beverly Bond, Mr. Sonny James, Ultraviolet, lil' Dave, Afrodjiak and many more. We've even had some guest hosts like Phonte of Little Brother, GrandMaster Melle Mel, Lady Alma and more. I feel so blessed to look back and see such a legendary list of talent that really, genuinely loved what we were doing.
It's almost hard to explain how special those years were to those who were to young to remember or the folks that just never knew. But if you know, you KNOW! It was classic. It was special. It was a moment in time. It was years of memories that I will never forget and will forever feel blessed to have done what we've done, to share what we've shared and to have met so many of you. Tastytreats and Squarebiz brought folks together. There are so many people that met at our party and continued to raise families and businesses together. Or have formed lifelong friendships. Shout out to the Squarebiz Message Boards! Haha.
So, Philly, we thank you. We thank you and invite you to come enjoy our one night reunion with us on Thanksgiving Weekend in Philadelphia on Saturday November 25, 2017 at Tastytreats with DJ's Questlove + Mike Nyce plus, host Yameen Allworld. You can find us at Mousai at Cibo on 1227 Walnut St. Doors open at 9m with drink specials plus, discounted parking above the Starbucks at 12th and Walnut Sts.
Please tell a friend and we'll see you on the dancefloor.
Get to know one of Philly's Hottest New Soul Singers in this up-close-and-personal short documentary. This documentary was an official Selection Dever Pan African Film Festival and was created by ReelBlack. She's one of our many featured performers for our hurricane fundraiser on Saturday October 21, 2017 at Johnny Brenda's in Philadelphia. She's donating her time and talent so that we can raise money to provide for families in the USVI who have been devastated by the hurricanes. Through the Adopt a Family Program, we will purchase, pack and ship each families requests with love, from Philly. For more info and tickets please click here.
Lady Alma’s fans run the gamut – from progressive artists like Moby, Kindred the Family Soul, India.Arie, Joan Osborne, Musiq and Les Nubians to regular working-class folk in West London clubs and West Philly barber shops. In cities everywhere from Atlanta and Amsterdam to Toronto and Tokyo, vocal sensation Alma Horton — known to her fans worldwide as LADY ALMA – has become the name to know, deemed “the heart & soul of Philadelphia’s soul scene” and heralded as “the truth in a roomful of lies” among tastemaker’s circles.
Lady Alma’s fans run the gamut – from progressive artists like Moby, Kindred the Family Soul, India.Arie, Joan Osborne, Musiq and Les Nubians to regular working-class folk in West London clubs and West Philly barber shops. In cities everywhere from Atlanta and Amsterdam to Toronto and Tokyo, vocal sensation Alma Horton — known to her fans worldwide as LADY ALMA – has become the name to know, deemed “the heart & soul of Philadelphia’s soul scene” and heralded as “the truth in a roomful of lies” among tastemaker’s circles.
In 1997, hip-hop was enjoying a unprecedented boom. For the better part of a decade, the genre had had been growing creatively and expanding commercially. New York rap had been enjoying four year post-G-Funk resurgence that had been highlighted by acclaimed debuts from iconic acts like Wu-Tang Clan, the Notorious B.I.G., Nas, and Jay Z, as well as landmark releases from Redman, A Tribe Called Quest and Mobb Deep, among others. 1997 opened with New York’s dominance firmly re-established.
While the year would come to be defined by the murder of the Notorious B.I.G., and the resulting “jiggy” shift in the wake of that tragedy, the debut album from Bronx duo Camp Lo, would follow a quirkier tradition; celebrating their refreshingly underground style and even flirting with the mainstream–courtesy of one of the greatest rap singles of all time.
Rappers Sonny Cheeba and Geechi Suede hailed from the mean streets of The Bronx, and were originally separate entities. Producer Ski Beatz introduced the two; soon thereafter, Geechi Suede, who had already been working under the tutelage of Ski, would begin to bounce ideas off of Sonny Cheeba, who was attending school in Virginia at the time.
While the year would come to be defined by the murder of the Notorious B.I.G., and the resulting “jiggy” shift in the wake of that tragedy, the debut album from Bronx duo Camp Lo, would follow a quirkier tradition; celebrating their refreshingly underground style and even flirting with the mainstream–courtesy of one of the greatest rap singles of all time.
Rappers Sonny Cheeba and Geechi Suede hailed from the mean streets of The Bronx, and were originally separate entities. Producer Ski Beatz introduced the two; soon thereafter, Geechi Suede, who had already been working under the tutelage of Ski, would begin to bounce ideas off of Sonny Cheeba, who was attending school in Virginia at the time.
On Friday, April 21, 2017, marks 1 year since the greatest to EVER do it passed away. Prince Rogers Nelson left us but left us his magic that we can live with forever. At Philly Loves Prince, we'll celebrate him through his music, film, videos, art and so much more. I'm planning a very special night and would love for you to save the date to be in attendance. Stay tuned by signing up for my email list or by joining the Facebook event.
In the meantime, please enjoy the entire night of music from Purple Vibes - the 5 hour night we produced the night after Prince passed away. DJ's Cosmo Baker, Mr. Sonny James and Lean Wit It poured their heart and souls into that night. It was bittersweet.
Enjoy.
In the meantime, please enjoy the entire night of music from Purple Vibes - the 5 hour night we produced the night after Prince passed away. DJ's Cosmo Baker, Mr. Sonny James and Lean Wit It poured their heart and souls into that night. It was bittersweet.
Enjoy.
Music Soulchild, Raheem DeVaughn and V live
at DJ Jazzy Jeff's The Magnificent Album Release 2002
Wonder-Full Philly 2003 at The Lowes Hotel
with DJ Spinna and guest Questlove feat. Black Thought
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My cameo! I'm dying. This is theeeeeeeeeee best.
These were 3 of the greatest nights of my life! I lived on 2nd and Girard, Mike and I were chilling on my couch and Ahmir calls... Next thing you know, i'm at The Sofitel picking up Prince's assistants to go look at venues! I literally spent 3 nights in Tragos [chosen venue] with Prince, Mayte, India Arie, Jerome, Quest, Mike and 5 of my friends, lol. It was bazaar and surreal and incredibly amazing.
My Mom had bought me front row tickets for my birthday and Prince's team gave me tix for the 2nd 2 nights. I remember on the 3rd and final night, Patti Labelle came out and performed with Prince. Amazing. After the concert, when we were at the party, Prince requested to see that footage of the show, of him and Patti... No problem. Put it on, standing watching. Next thing you know, I realize I am standing next to Prince, watching Prince. GAH! If you know me, you know that this is the ULTIMATE. Like you have no idea. The man had on wedge flip flops. I saw his toes! Lol. Really, just amazing.
Thanks Okayplayer and Ahmir Khalib Thompson [and Happy Birthday] for the amazing memory and forever immortalizing me and Mike Nyce in this EPIC video.
On January, 22nd, there's no other place to be than at Silk City in Philly... I'm bringing legendary DJ Pete Rock back to Philly for another classic night of music. Dj Lil Dave of Illvibe Collective is opening the night and getting the vibes right for Chocolate Boy Wonder to step in the booth! Doors open at 9pm with drink specials all night. See you on the dance floor!
Flygirrl presents
The Legendary DJ Pete Rock
with opening DJ Lil Dave of Illvibe Collective
Friday January 22, 2016
9pm-2am | 21+ with id
$10 until midnight $12 after
Silk City 435 Spring Garden Street Philly
Flygirrl presents
The Legendary DJ Pete Rock
with opening DJ Lil Dave of Illvibe Collective
Friday January 22, 2016
9pm-2am | 21+ with id
$10 until midnight $12 after
Silk City 435 Spring Garden Street Philly
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