Tag: hip hop
Janky Fresh Friday: New Releases from Nas w/ DJ Premier & Danny L Harle
Janky Smooth Central Command
December 12, 2025
Here at Janky Smooth, Friday’s are for nerding out on new releases. This week, we dive deep into new music from Nas and DJ Premier VS Danny L Harle w/ Rachika Nayar-artists that are rarely mentioned side by side. In contrast to the two reviewing them, Rob Shepyer and Danny Ryan should ALWAYS be side by side- especially when discussing new music. Nas and DJ Premier: Light-Years (released December 12, 2025): Mass Appeal Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones aka Nas is one of hip hop’s most legendary and authentic children. His seminal album Illmatic still slaps, sounding like it was recorded in ancient history, 1994, yet carrying forward through time like a hip hop heirloom. Something passed down from generation to generation, almost like an oral bible or a survival guide to help people endure the insanity that is New York City. Illmatic remains true so long as New York remains chaotic, and as America’s greatest city, neither will ever change whether it is Giuliani or Mamdani as mayor. This is 2025 though, and Nas’ relevancy far surpasses his classic efforts. When paired with producers from newer generations he inspired, Nas shines to new audiences that may not have been
Read More
Danny Brown And Friends at The Bellwether: HyperRap Revolution
Danny Ryan
December 4, 2025
Danny Brown has always been one of the most innovative and genre-bending rappers since the day he arrived on the scene, bringing hip-hop to avant-garde territories that had never been explored or even thought about. Even if he were to retire today, he would go down in history as one of the most imaginative and pioneering rappers of all time. Yet he keeps finding more and more new ways of surprising his fans (and detractors), with his recent performance at The Bellwether on November 26, 2025 being absolute concrete proof that he has no plans of slowing down this innovation anytime soon. Rather than having other rappers or hip-hop DJs open, Danny Brown made the genius and risky choice of recruiting recent hyperpop collaborators femtanyl and underscores. The Bellwether could not have been a more suitable venue for this experimental hodge podge of a lineup with its futuristic club-like atmosphere, especially considering how the entire night felt like experiencing a performance straight from outer space in the visual setting, but more importantly in the hyper-electronic music that filled the venue all night. click to expand truncated photos One of the first things that one would notice upon entering The Bellweather
Read More
Janky Fresh Friday: New Releases by Drain and Danny Brown
Danny Ryan
November 7, 2025
Welcome to Janky Fresh Friday- the busiest day of the week for artists and labels to drop newly released music. Check in every Friday for a fresh squeeze. As part of Janky Smooth’s Janky Fresh Friday series, we’ve been comparing two albums that come out on the same day and seemingly have nothing in common- for the sole purpose of discovering the wealth of similarities between two disparate things. In some respects, it’s an exercise in empathy, learning how to appreciate differences, placing yourself in the shoes of a different subculture, and putting forth an effort to celebrate music as a whole. related: Janky Fresh Friday – Chat Pile w/ Hayden Pedigo and Guided By Voices Today’s albums for Friday, November 7th, 2025, are two of the most ambitious releases of the year from scenes that used to be more closely connected than you see nowadays. The relationship between punk and hip-hop has a long history and this fusion was a staple of underground shows in Los Angeles for the longest time. There are very few rappers that cross over into punk, hardcore, or metal anymore but Danny Brown has consistently been dedicated to these collaborations since his tour
Read More
Deltron 3030 Re-Unite At The Bellwether for 25 Year Anniversary
Taylor Wong
August 7, 2025
The thing about seeing Deltron 3030 live is that it’s not just a concert—it’s a time machine. Not one of those glitchy, steam‑punk contraptions with brass pipes and smoke pouring out the back, but a sleek, fully automated warp gate run by a mad scientist producer, a turntablist wizard, and a hip‑hop storyteller who sounds like he’s rapping dispatches from the year 3030 straight into your eardrums. On Friday night, The Bellwether didn’t just host a rap show; it hosted a landing. This was the first of two sold‑out LA dates on the 25th anniversary tour for Deltron 3030, a debut, self titled album that’s not just music for me—it’s a life marker. related: Tyler’s Camp Flog Gnaw 10 Year Anniversary Intersects w/ Chromakopia Number 1 My cousin handed me the Deltron 3030 record when I was 13 years old. I still remember the look in his eyes—half‑mischief, half‑knowing—when he slid the jewel case across the table like contraband. Up until then, rap for me meant whatever MTV and Power 106 were pumping out: a lot of chart‑chasing hooks, a lot of swagger, not much in the way of world‑building. But the Deltron 303 album… it was cinematic. It was
Read More
Cali Vibes Festival 2025- Peace in Long Beach
Dave Unbuckled
June 18, 2025
The sun shined bright all weekend at the 2025 Cali Vibes Festival, where tens of thousands of music lovers gathered in downtown Long Beach to escape the tension of nearby LA protests and soak in the mellow vibes of Marina Green Park for a melodic respite from all the unrest. Now in its fourth year, this Southern California reggae and hip-hop festival drew a massive crowd of roughly 75,000 attendees—greeted on Ocean Blvd by protesters waving Mexican flags and holding signs that read “Fuck ICE”. Despite the potential for tension, the crowd remained peaceful, mellowed out by good vibes and good music. And though this year’s lineup stuck close to its reggae roots, the inclusion of acts like Kid Cudi, Cypress Hill, and Ludacris elevated the experience with a fresh, genre-blending energy. Reggae, Hip-Hop, and a Touch of Punk: 2025 Lineup Highlights The 2025 Cali Vibes Festival lineup offered a carefully curated mix of reggae legends, hip-hop icons, and emerging artists. Familiar names like Slightly Stoopid, Iration, and Stick Figure returned, joined by younger talent including YG Marley and DENM, creating a truly multi-generational experience. For fans looking for more than music, the festival also expanded its offerings with
Read More
Tyler’s Camp Flog Gnaw Year 10 Intersects w/ Chromakopia Number 1
Aria Silva-Espinosa
December 17, 2024
A long hike up the hills of Elysian Park is a small price to pay for the view from the top. Three massive stages situated in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium and boasting a wildly impressive hip-hop centric lineup, Camp Flog Gnaw celebrated its 10 year anniversary this past weekend and sold out well in advance, and the lineup wasn’t even announced until a month before the festival. related content: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: Camp Flog Gnaw 2019 From legendary acts to tributes, DJ sets and soulful serenades, Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival is a uniquely curated exhibition of mainstream and underground artists, youth culture and untethered creative expression. The fan engagement and level of commitment to the art is evident in the way the incoming fans have chosen to dress. It’s early November and we’re up on a hilltop so everyone is a bit bundled up knowing that once the sun goes down it’ll be about as cold as Los Angeles is willing to tolerate. Workwear, faux fur and puffer jackets are out which would make a New Yorker giggle to see how dramatic we are about the shift into cooler weather. Among the masses it’s
Read More
Partying Like It’s 2004: IHEARTCOMIX 20th Anniversary
Danny Ryan
October 29, 2024
IHEARTCOMIX have established themselves as one of the most forward-thinking and distinct promoters in recent LA history over the past two decades; dipping their toes into events celebrating nearly every form of art not limited to raves, parties, movie premieres, album release events, and interactive art exhibitions. Celebrating their 20th anniversary, IHEARTCOMIX threw an absolutely wild party with a complete hodgepodge of a lineup; Featuring The Dare, Boys Noize, Fcukers, Nation of Language, Chela, and even Yo Gabba Gabba blessing the night with their presence. Comedy legend Reggie Watts hosted the entire event, completely taking ownership of the evening’s vibes and making sure everybody in attendance had the most memorable night possible. Although the early 00’s where they started may be long over, IHEARTCOMIX went above and beyond in providing a futuristic lineup that still evoked a nostalgic feeling that celebrated their history in the most crafted way possible. As soon as I approached The Bellweather, it was instantly apparent that this was not the average club event with the eccentric and colorful outfits that everybody was decked out in. While it was a more formally dressed crowd, IHEARTCOMIX’s brand is entirely based on being as expressive and colorful as
Read More
Photo Recap: Onyx at The Echoplex
Janky Smooth Central Command
April 11, 2023
If you’ve ever been in a mosh pit or slam danced at a hip hop show, you can thank Onyx for that type of singular release of tension. Something that is so common place now started with this group from South Jamaica, Queens in New York City. And regardless of Rick Rubin’s early rock influence in the beats he made for Run DMC and Beastie Boys, Onyx were one of the first to truly fuse metal and rap, ala the soundtrack for the movie Judgement Night . On March 29th, 2023 Onyx returned to play a show at The Echoplex in Los Angeles. Photographer Greg Flack was there to document the occasion.
Read More
PHOTO RECAP: Mike Jones at Echo Flex
Janky Smooth Central Command
July 23, 2021
The last concert before Los Angeles’ mask mandate was put into effect had to be LA’s premiere 90’s hip hop party, Echo Flex at the Echoplex where late into the evening fans got up close and personal to each other to romp and dance to hip from the greatest era of the genre’s history, only to top it off with a rare performance from one of the OG’s himself, Mike Jones. Photos by: Rodney Campos Mike Jones
Read More
Hip Hop Oasis: Day N Vegas 2019
Janky Smooth Central Command
November 12, 2019
Words by: Mario Chavez Photos by: Rodney Campos “In the desert you can remember your name cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain…” “A Horse with No Name” by AMERICA was the soundtrack on repeat in the back of my mind as we made the trek towards the Las Vegas desert oasis, on our way to the rookie music festival, Day n Vegas. This was a first of its kind gathering on the northern part of the strip, where Hip Hop and R&B can live & breathe as one in one of the entertainment capitals of the world. related content: Rolling Loud SoCal 2017 Doses The Youth With The Latest Opiate Of The Masses Day 1 On its inaugural day, we entered knowing only that it was a Dreamville takeover line up, but all that was yet to be seen. Later, a long-awaited set by Lil Uzi Vert was about to commence. He began his set with his hit “XO Tour Life” and it was off to the races. In true Lil Uzi Vert fashion, he became a tangible part of the show, jumping in to the crowd while performing songs amongst his fans. The Philly
Read More
Photo Recap: The Happiness of Pursuit Fest
Janky Smooth Central Command
October 22, 2019
Photos by: Rodney Campos True hip hop was given center stage at The Happiness of Pursuit Fest which catered to the tastes of both true hip hop heads and to those seeking enlightenment through bars. None of the artists present were Billboard darlings or ever really mainstream but all were beloved in the eyes of those who understand the true art form of hip hop as a means of speaking truth to power purely through lyrics and a dope beat. Whether it be Murs, R.A. The Rugged Man, Crooked I or Slaughterhouse, or Havoc of the legendary Mobb Deep, all these artists made a mark on the underground. Murs R.A. The Rugged Man Havoc Crooked I Curtiss King Self Provoked
Read More
Take This: Win Two Tickets to The Happiness of Pursuit Fest
Janky Smooth Central Command
September 26, 2019
Hip hop heads rejoice, we are giving away a pair of tickets to a stellar and true hip hop lineup that is sure to get all the real heads in the room excited. This is that enlightening school of hip hop that The Happiness of Pursuit Fest is representing. Expanding minds through fire verses, we can’t wait to check it out and see you there. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO THE HAPPINESS OF PURSUIT FESTIVAL OCTOBER 5TH Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up every time you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2 – Tag a Friend in the comment section of our INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, or FACEBOOK THOP Fest Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON SEPTEMBER 30TH AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION
Read More