March 4-10, 2004

beat box

compiled by Ainé Ardron-Doley

Die-hard hip-hoppers shouldn’t roll up into a ball on the floor and hope for better days. Instead they should take a seat at Michael Coard’s five-year-old Hip Hop 101 class this Thursday. This week’s attendees will listen to, discuss and critique the work of special guest MC Baby Blak, from West Philly.

Chief Kamachi is on deck next week, and Docta Shock and Supreem Da Regulata hit the podium in April.

Thu., March 4, 7-9 p.m., Temple University, Anderson Hall, 11th and Berks sts., 215-204-3448,mc@bowserweaver.com. Then, Roosevelt Franklin (Mr. Len and Kimani Rogers), Kice...of Course, BullyMouth and special guests Jean Grae and Philly transplant J-Live hold up the flag of slumber underground. Thu., March 4, 9 p.m., The Fire, 412 Girard Ave., 267-671-9298, www.iourecords.com/thefire.

Last week the Eavesdrop crew, DJs Junior and Lil' Dave, featured producer, writer and recording artist Eric Roberson on their funky Drexel radio program. This week it's Chief Kamachi, premiering tracks from his forthcoming album, Cult Status, and the spanking-new 12", The Best featuring Guru. Fri., March 5, 6-9 p.m., 91.7 FM, listen online at www.wkdu.org.

In what's become a crowd pleaser, The Illvibe Collective's biweekly dance-off, The Bodyrock, welcomes special guest DJ Blakk the 9th Man (from Prophets of the Ghetto and 103.9 The Beat's "The Realness" show on Sunday nights). Spinning hip-hop, funk, classics and straight up, no chaser culture, it's never hard to get your back up off the wall. Sat., March 6, 10 p.m., $5-$7, Aqualounge, 323 W. Girard Ave.,www.illvibe.net. Don’t forget to tune in any time of day or night to Illvibe Radio for hip-hop, soul, jazz, house, broken beat, Bossa Nova and whatever else the Collective picks up during its musical travels.

Local filmmaker Michael Dennis and Reelblack Presents are screening two hip-hop films, one oldie and one new school award-winner. Last year, first-time filmmaker Brandon Sonnier’s rap melodrama, The Beat, played at the Sundance Film Festival and took Best Director prize at the Pan African Film Festival. Taking it back a few years, 1984’s Graffiti Rock is billed as "the ultimate hip-hop time capsule." Created as a one-off pilot for a hip-hop version of American Bandstand, the show featured Run-DMC, Kool Moe Dee and the New York City Breakers. Sun., March 7, 7-10 p.m., $5, children 12 and under free, Prince Music Theater’s Cinema Lounge, 1412 Chestnut St., 215-569-9700, miked@reelblack.com.