The Blog

Free Mixtape from Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip (The Abstract and The Dragon)

Last week Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest fame and Busta Rhymes released a collaborative mixtape which is appropriately titled The Abstract and the Dragon. You can enjoy the smooth, boom bap sounds right here or download it for free on their website www.theabstractandthedragon.com.

It’s good to hear some of that Native Tongues Posse sound again! The Abstract and The Dragon album is filled with classics from over the past 20+ years, but don’t worry, there’s also some remixes and new collaborations.

Executive production was handled by Shaheem Reid and there are guest appearances by Redman, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Raekwon, Big Daddy Kane, Missy Elliot, Leaders of the New School, and Talib Kweli on the classic J Dilla track Lightworks.

Be on the look out for new music from Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip as both are due to release solo albums in 2014. Busta is releasing on E.L.E.2 (Extinction Level Event 2) and Q-Tip is working on The Last Zulu.

Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip – The Abstract and The Dragon (Tracklisting):

1. Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip – Intro
2. A Tribe Called Quest Feat. Busta Rhymes – God Lives Through
3. Q-Tip Feat. Busta Rhymes – Gettin’ Up (DJ Scratch Remix)
4. A Tribe Called Quest Feat. Busta Rhymes & Redman – Steppin’ It Up
5. Busta Rhymes Feat. Q-Tip, Lil Wayne & Kanye West – Thank You (Kid Capri Remix)
6. Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip – Always Add On (Interlude)
7. Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip – The Abstract & The Dragon
8. A Tribe Called Quest Feat. Busta Rhymes – Wild Hot
9. Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip – Speaks (Skit)
10. A Tribe Called Quest Feat. Busta Rhymes – One Two Shit
11. Bust Rhymes & Q-Tip – We Taking Off
12. Q-Tip Feat. Busta Rhymes, Raekwon & Lil Wayne – Renaissance Rap (Remix)
13. Q-Tip Feat. Busta Rhymes – Get Down
14. Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip – Butch & Sundance
15. Shaheem Reid – Speaks (Skit)
16. Busta Rhymes – Pardon My Ways (ELE 2 Exclusive)
17. Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip – Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Programming (Skit)
18. Busta Rhymes Feat. Q-Tip – For The Nasty
19. Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip – Come On Down (Skit)
20. Big Daddy Kane Feat. Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip – Come On Down
21. Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip – J Dilla (Skit)
22. Busta Rhymes Feat. Q-Tip – You Can’t Hold The Torch
23. Busta Rhymes Feat. Q-Tip & Talib Kweli – Lightworks
24. Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip – Chris Lighty (Skit)
25. Q-Tip Feat. Busta Rhymes & Missy Elliott – Vivrant Thing
26. Busta Rhymes Feat. Q-Tip – Ill Vibe
27. A Tribe Called Quest Feat. Leaders Of The New School – Scenario
28. A Tribe Called Quest Feat. Hood & Leaders Of The New School – Scenario (Remix)

Video of Lazylegz interview and breakdancing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show

As mentioned in my post from over the weekend, Canadian B-Boy Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli was on The Ellen DeGeneres Show today! Luca sat down and briefly spoke with Ellen before being invited to dance for the crowd and people at home. After Lazylegz was finished making their jaws drop, Ellen turned the tables and gave him a big surprise!

The video of Lazylegz breakdancing on The Ellen Show is below:

[youtube]MfvtXQaEK5o[/youtube]

 

Here’s the word from The Ellen Show on YouTube:

Ellen met an inspiring performer who has overcome great challenges to pursue his passion. Check out his incredible skills, and see the surprise Ellen had for him!

And the last word comes from Luca himself, via Facebook:

Thank you to everyone for the overwhelming positive responses. This experience on Ellen has been a dream come true and I appreciate all your support! I believe we are all inspirations for each other and all of you have helped me get to this point in my life and my career. Thank you for that!

Want to learn more about Lazylegz or Ill at Will breakdance crew? You can read about Lazylegz and see a video of his crew dancing with Ill at Will by clicking here.

Ellen DeGeneres Show to feature Canadian B-Boy Lazylegz on Dec 16

UPDATE [Dec 16]: See the video of Lazylegz breaking on Ellen’s TV show here.

Remember when Ill-Abilities Crew came to Kings College in London, Ontario for a free show and inspirational presentation last November 2012? If not then here’s a video of Ill Abilities jamming with local crews Ill at Will, Space Invaderz, and Air Borne Precautions (the dancing starts around the 3:00 mark):

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnXj9303fbk[/youtube]
ill abilities and ill at will performing last Nov 2012

Well now that your memory has been refreshed I’m excited to tell you that Luca Patuelli (aka Lazylegz of Ill Abilities) will be doing his thing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Monday, December 16th! So be sure to set your DVR, PVR, or even VCR if you’re old school; or better yet just tune in live. Also, #NoExcusesNoLimits is the hashtag to use for your social media.

Ill Abilities Crew - No Excuses, No Limits

Here’s the word from EllenTV.com:

Making more moves on the stage, Canadian b-boy LUCA “LAZYLEGZ” PATUELLI dances for Ellen! Luca doesn’t let anything stop him from dancing; not a muscular disorder, not the rain or cold, not even gravity. He’ll walk his stunning walk for Ellen, and it will not only be entertaining, it will be inspiring for all.

The following are some select excerpts from Lazylegz’ bio on his website:

Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli was born on July 28, 1984 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was born with Arthrogryposis (multiplex congenita), a rare disorder that is explained by limited joint movement and poor muscle growth.

In 1999, at the age of 15, Luca discovered “B-boying” also known as Breakdancing. Although quite challenging at first, he began to learn moves and modified them to create his own unique style that incorporates both extreme upper body strength and the use of crutches. “Lazylegz” was born.

Lazylegz has worked with world-renowned artists such as Kanye West, Talib Kweli, K-OS, the Nappy Roots, Luther Brown, and many more. He has made appearances in the movies Kickin’ It Old Skool and Sur le rhythme. He was also featured on several international media sources including NBC Today ShowSo You Think You Can Dance CanadaMuch Music, MBC Korea, NTV Japan, CBC, TF-1 France, and many more. In Montreal, Lazylegz has actively organized many internationally known breakdance events, such as Pro-Am, City vs. City (Team Montreal), & No Limits. In 2010, Lazylegz and Illmask performed in the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics Opening Ceremonies starring in the “One inspires all” segment, where a world record was broken for the biggest flash mob dance.

Shad feat Lights – Remember to Remember Music Video

This week London rapper Shad released another single from his latest album, Flying Colours (No, Mr. Spellcheck, I’m spelling that the Canadian way!), and it comes with a music video ft Lights which you can watch below.


Shad feat Lights – Remember to Remember
(unofficial epilepsy warning starting around 2:40)

Parts of the video remind me of The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army video, with multiple Shads walking towards the camera, which is cool, but there should probably be an epilepsy warning around 2:40 where there’s a bit of a dance sequence that’s hard to make out because of all the flashing… lights… But it’s all good!

Shad has been active since 2005 and is known for being a breath of fresh air in a rap music scene filled with redundancy and ignorance. His Flying Colours album continues this pattern of engaging lyrics and slick flow over crisp production. Remember to Remember features fellow Canadian musician Lights, which makes for a great collaboration. Throw in production from Mike Tompkins and the video direction of Justin Broadbent and you have yourself another quality rap track to play back, most likely “again and again“!

Here’s the word from Shad K’s FB page:

Special thanks to MuchFACT for the support, Justin Broadbent for the directional excellence, LIGHTS and Mike Tompkins for their work on the track!

Yesterday Mass Appeal posted an episode of Off Tha’ Wall which contained an interview where Shad talks about a death row meal, Flying Colours, and dream studio sessions:

 

For more goodness from the homie Shad you can buy the album on iTunes or check out some his recent collab with DJ Skratch Bastid called The Spring Up. Lastly, here’s another music video from Flying Colours called Stylin feat Saukrates:


Shad – Stylin (featuring Saukrates)

Recap: Western’s Fall Cypher and Movembreaks at O.N.E.

This past weekend London, Ontario enjoyed back to back dance events on Friday and Saturday November 29 and 30. Here’s a quick look at how it went down!

First up, we’ve got a short (15 second) clip of our very own b-boy Kayo back peddling his way into a clean power combo.

http://instagram.com/p/hUlH88zTBN/

The above Instagram video was taken during Western’s 2013 Fall Cypher, which had plenty of UWO Breakers on hand but also brought in competitors from Waterloo and Buffalo, New York. It was the first time I’ve been to an event hosted in the Physics & Astronomy building (lower atrium) and I wasn’t disappointed!

Western 2013 Fall Cypher (breaking and all styles)

The crowd watching the 2 on 2 breakin’ battles

Ill at Will showed up in force to support and represent in both the battles and the general cyphers. Congratulations to JFX (ill at will) for winning the All Styles competition for the 2nd year in a row! Congrats also goes to Kayo (ill at will) & Ju Rock (Ground Illusionz) for winning the 2 on 2 breakin’ competition! Here’s an Instagram video of Kayo & Ju Rock in the semi-finals:

http://instagram.com/p/hUnigLzTEw/

Special thanks to the UWO Breakers for throwing the event and DTWB for the fine track selection as he was DJing. Here is a recap video courtesy of Khang Ha of Flip Pictures:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyV8G9he4wk[/youtube]

 

The following night O.N.E. Dance Studio hosted their 2nd annual dance-driven, charity-supporting, fun-filled Movembreaks jam! It was great to have choreo dancers, freestyle dancers, breakers, house dancers, and more all jamming in the same circle. By the power of their moustaches and many generous donations, Loebz (ill at will) and DTWB (the DJ!) raised over $1000 for prostate cancer and mental health awareness!

So much talent, passion, positive energy, and inspiration was exchanged and we THANK YOU for making this all possible.

Awards were given out to recognize individuals who have been putting in work, supporting, repping hard, and being a positive element in the scene. Big ups to those that received recognition; you all deserved it! Congrats Angela E, Joseph Y, Jordan B, Matt H, Malcolm H, and Shanonn P!

There was also a surprise performance and some freestyles by local MCs Bill Beamin and Mike Sea toward the end of the night.

Special thanks to our maestros Jon and Woody on the drums and turntables, respectively. You guys delivered the fire and kept the vibe hot all night long! You can get a glimpse of what I’m talking about in this next clip:

http://instagram.com/p/hXQ91BTTGx/

What a rare treat it was to have 2 breakdance events in 2 days in my home town! At the risk of sounding old I want to point out that back in the day London bboys always had to travel if they wanted to compete because London jams happened maybe once a year. It’s great to see the scene come so far.

Keep supporting & keep dancing!

ka_boom out.

He Started from the Bottom Now He’s ILL!

Despite the title I’m not talking about Drake; I’m talking about our crewmate Nasty Nick! Recently Nick, who was born in Holland, received the good news that he can legally work in Canada and will become a permanent resident in December. But first, let’s go back to the beginning.

In late 2008 a young Nick came to Canada from the Netherlands to study abroad at London’s Fanshawe College. He was new to breakdancing and new to North American society but, despite his sometimes brash behaviour, he made a friend in Doug (Logic) from Ill at Will. The two started practicing breakin’ together and hanging out. They both learned from each other, with Doug showing Nick the ropes around here.

Nick and Doug matching sweatpants

Throwback: Nick & Doug wearing the exact same outfit. We swear it wasn't always like this 😛

Throughout the next five years Nick and the crew would both grow in terms of maturity and dance prowess. There was a long journey from foreign student who would unintentionally offend Canadians with his unfiltered comments or actions, to the man he is today.

The man Nick is today is one who loves his wife, Diane, and his step-daughter, Sarah. He is a positive force in the London community and the dance scene. We’re blessed to have Nick as part of the Ill at Will family and are so happy that he’s here to stay and now able to move forward with life in Canada!

Ill at Will: We on the rise like the sun; if you think that we’re done, we ain’t even begun!

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