live review

There's got to be a rule of some kind that regulates how late an artist goes on stage after their scheduled show time, but even if there was it's doubtful Rick Ross would care. The Maybach chieftain kept fans waiting for over two hours after the scheduled start time of 8 pm at the Best Buy Theater in Manhattan's Times Square last night (Mar...

It's hard to say exactly why I went to see Shaggy last night at Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg, other than to just say that as soon as I saw that he was performing, I knew I had to be in the building, somehow. In my defense, though, the pop-reggae icon doesn't really come around all that often; he barely tours extensively anymore, keeping most of his shows spread out sporadically throughout the yea

If you've never been to a Ratking show before, the first thing you've gotta do is learn how to duck. It was a skill that would have come in handy last night (Feb. 24) at Glasslands in Williamsburg, as the Manhattan-based hardcore-rap trio took their particular brand of heavily rhythmic, bass-driven hip-hop and smacked Brooklyn in the face with it...

Earl Sweatshirt hit the stage at Music Hall of Williamsburg Saturday night as part of his world tour supporting last summer's debut album Doris. The show—his second in three days in New York City after a performance at Webster Hall last Thursday night—also featured fellow L.A. rapper Vince ...

It's not immediately clear to me what I expected to walk into when I showed up at Brooklyn Bowl last night to see Just Blaze and Skrillex perform. Initially, I had thought of it as just another show, albeit with the added possibility of glow sticks and Molly...

It was a crazy night in NYC last night (Jan. 28). Dom Kennedy's Get Home Safely Tour with Skeme invaded New York City at Irving Plaza in Union Square and brought the West Coast with him. In a packed house, Dom K did not disappoint. He rattled off hits from his new album Get Home Safely like "Dominic," "South Central Love," "If It Don't Make Money," "Pleeze,"

As J. Cole hit the Theater at Madison Square Garden last night to ring in his 29th birthday with a packed house of fans, a few unexpected special guests came through making the occasion all the more special for the Roc Nation signee. Gifted with Jay Z's original Roc-A-Fella chain and sipping on a drank or two, it was readily apparent that J...

The first time I saw Drake perform was at Summer Jam in June 2010. I wasn’t that impressed. By the numbers, it was a great show; he performed a bunch of hits and the crowd went crazy. But I’d seen Kanye West on the Glow in the Dark Tour by then. I’d seen M...

“Put your middle fingers up!” screams Hot 97’s Cipha Sounds from the stage at the Gramercy Theater. Hip-hop’s most hated gesture fired up the packed crowd for Pusha T’s My Name Is My Name release party on the eve of its official street date. Like playing a game of Simon...

The day the United States government shut down for the first time in 17 years, there are few better artists to see live than Killer Mike, and he didn't take long to address the situation. After opening his set last night at Brooklyn Bowl with "Big Beast" and "Untitled" off his highly acclaimed R...

It was a Beast Coast celebration last night at Santos Party House, as Flatbush's The Underachievers were the headliners at Noisey's Rap Party in New York, but they didn't come alone—CJ Fly flew the flag for Pro Era, while Dillon Cooper and the BKLYN Stickup crew opened the dynamic night. T...