Lupe Fiasco Closes the Hip-Hop Take Over of The BEACH

This Saturday, Lupe Fiasco will be kickin', pushin', and boatin' his way over to The BEACH @ Governors Island to mesmerize the crowd with mellow Hip-Hop, cool lyrics and his well produced beats. Over the last half decade, Lupe has quickly risen to the top ranks of Hip-Hop's best artists and performers.

With the production assistance of superstar Jay-Z, Lupe's first album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor became a household name due to the instant success of “Kick, Push.” This debut album brought a cool, laid-back style of Hip-Hop to mainstream culture, which turned out to be very attractive as a contrast to the heavy hitting club rap that continues to dominate the airwaves. 

As a New York gal, I've always preferred the cool aspect of Hip-Hop and cannot wait for Lupe Fiasco to hit the stage this Saturday night.

Lupe's second album Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, featuring “Superstar” with vocalist Matthew Santos, drove Lupe even higher in the ranks of Hip-Hop. Soon after its release, he formed the megagroup Child Rebel Soldier with Pharrell Williams of N.E.R.D. (another of my favorite visitors to The BEACH) and Kanye West.

This Chicago born star will be releasing his third, and apparently final, album at the end of the year titled Lasers. It's a three-disc album that features singles “Shining Down” (released in June 2009), “Army Girl,” “Ladies and Gentlemen,” and “2 Ways.”

I hope to hear the old and new Lupe songs that I've grown to love as Lupe closes the so-called “Hip-Hop Take Over of The BEACH.” It was a great, quick run, and an amazing way to experience the many variations of Hip-Hop music.

On Saturday I will feel like a superstar!

Lady Liberty

Your Hip-Hop Diva

N.E.R.D. Opens the Hip-Hop Take Over of The BEACH @ Governors Island

Next Wednesday, September 9th kicks off a ten-day span featuring three of Hip-Hop's best performers. N.E.R.D., Mos Def, and Lupe Fiasco will rule The BEACH @ Governors Island until September 19th.

Beginning this Hip-Hop stretch are N.E.R.D. with special guest Asher Roth next Wednesday evening at 6pm. N.E.R.D. has dominated the live Hip-Hop/Rock scene since their debut album In Search Of... exploded on the airwaves in late 2001. Featuring the singles “Lapdance” and “Rock Star,” In Search Of... transformed the production duo The Neptunes into Rock Stars as N.E.R.D.

N.E.R.D. consists of Pharrell Williams (lead vocals, piano/keyboards, rhythm guitar and percussion), Chad Hugo (lead guitar, piano/keyboards, saxophone and bass guitar) and Shae Haley (drums, percussion and backing vocals). But N.E.R.D. is grounded by the production ingeniousness that is The Neptunes.

The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) is a production duo responsible for many Hip-Hop and Pop hits of the late 90s and 2000s. Some of their famed work includes Justin Timberlake's Justified album, “Beautiful” and “Drop it Like It's Hot” by Snoop Dogg, and “Money Maker” by Ludacris. But producing was not enough for Williams and Hugo; they wanted to perform their music live instead of letting everyone else get all the credit.

N.E.R.D. will surely put on quite an energetic show on September 9th. These guys know and love music. They have been playing/producing since very early ages and have a superb knack for creating party music.

Aside from music, Pharrell Williams is a very passionate artist and has created an online social network where all kinds of artists may meet, share work and collaborate. www.ARTST.com showcases people's passion for art, music, film, dance, clothing, architecture, photography and much more.

As an ambassador to the greatest melting pot on Earth, I applaud Mr. Williams in his effort to create an artistic melting pot via the internet. I just hope to see this collaboration hit the streets of New York City so that I may once again witness the makings of the world's best art.

Peace ya'll,

Lady Liberty

Bad weather for Badfish, Reggae Beach party postponed until October 4th

When I heard that Liberty Event partnered with Water Taxi Beach and Highline Ballroom to create New York City's newest and best place to see out-of-doors rock 'n' roll in NYC on Governors Island, I could not be happier because I knew I would have the best and cheapest spot to watch the shows from my historic perch in the New York Harbor.

Unfortunately, this summer's weather seems to be on a different page than my favorite hard-working producers. Outdoor concerts are always tricky because of rainouts. So instead of taking the risk of a rainout, The BEACH @ Governors Island producers decided to postpone tomorrow night's Badfish show until October 4.

I was ready for a late summer Reggae party. Now things will be a little bit quiet this weekend. Guess I’ll be sneaking tunes from my ipod hidden in my tablet.

At least, The Barclay's Golf Tournament will give me something to watch, but it's no rock concert. If you miss me, check out The BEACH @ Governors Island website to see if you can spot me in one of the pictures. Here's a hint: look behind the stage.

Hopefully all the rain is gone for the summer and the remaining BEACH shows will go as planned. Next weekend will be a great family Labor Day Weekend with The End of the Line, a documentary film about today's fishing industry on Friday September 4, followed by Turntables on the Hudson's 11 Year Anniversary Music & Dance Festival on Sunday September 6.

I'll be resting up for next weeks shows, and all the other shows on the calendar:
 
N.E.R.D. w/ Asher Roth Sept. 9 
Mos Def w/ Jay Electronica & Medina Green Sept. 12
Lupe Fiasco Sept. 19
Buckethead w/ Hellzapoppin Sideshow Sept. 26
Brazilian Girls w/ Man Man & The Phenomenal Handclap Band Oct. 2
50 Cent w/ Kid Cudl, Wale & Mike Posner, Oct. 3 
And of course! Badfish w/ Easy Star All-Stars, The Cannabis Cup Reggae Band, Maui Waui & DJ I, Storm Oct. 4


Lady Liberty