Category Archives: Music
Rockaway Riot Squad Co-Founder Speaks Out
The Rockaway Riot Squad was created in the early 2000’s, when four up-and-coming young rappers from the same neighborhood in Far Rockaway— Bynoe, Chinx Drugz, Cau2G$ and Stack Bundles — joined forces to create a hip-hop “supergroup.”
Chinx Drops Second Posthumous Album
Tragically, in May 2015, Chinx was unexpectedly shot and killed on Queens Boulevard in Ridgewood. He never made it to see the success of his debut album, Welcome To JFK, which debuted at No. 2 on Billboard.com’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop album charts.
In an interview with Salute Magazine, last year, the slain rapper’s Executive Producer/Manager Douglas “Biggs” Ellison indicated that Chinx left behind several unreleased demos, which were used to construct the rapper’s second posthumous release, aptly named Legends Never Die.
So, on the first anniversary of the slain rapper’s death, Ellison and 4 Kings Management honored his memory by announcing the release of his sophomore album.
Q&A w/ August West
Why not go a “little bit farther than you’ve gone before” on May 7, with the Grateful Dead cover band August West. Inspired by the character portrayed in Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia’s “Wharf Rat,” August West is more than just a five member cover band from Brooklyn.
Source: August West @ Thai Rock
Jazz Festival Returns To Rockaway
Despite looming threats of high winds and rain, brought on by a potential hurricane, more than a hundred beachgoers came out to Low Tide Bar at the Beach 97th Street concessions, on Saturday, Sept. 3, for the third annual Rockaway Beach Jazz Festival. Since its inception, the Jazz Festival has continued to attract world-class musicians from New York and beyond, to the shores of Rockaway Beach.
Q&A w/ Singer Songwriter Mike Benedetto
Singer-songwriter Mike Benedetto can now add “record producer” to his list of credits, with the release of The BEasy Band’s new Spring EP—the first of four to be released as part of the group’s forthcoming album, Seasoned.
Making Shilelagh Law At Riis Park
Be sure to swing by the Rockaway Rugby Club in Riis Park, following the 41st annual Queens County St. Patrick’s Day Parade, this Saturday, for a performance by the “thirstiest” Irish band in the Tri-State area—Shilelagh Law. For nearly 17 years, these five lads have continued to perform to crowds which predominantly celebrate and embrace Irish- American music and culture.
Rae Sremmurd Stay Busy, Tease SremmLife 2, “By Chance” Video
Hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd have been keeping busy, following the success of their 2015 debut album SremmLife—which premiered at no. 1 on Billboard’s Top Hip-Hop and Rap charts.
Last December, Mississippi natives Swae Lee and Slim Jimmi went on the air with radio host Tim Westwood to announce plans for their follow-up SremmLife 2, which they were hoping to release February 2016.
Luckily, for fans eagerly await the duo’s sophomore record, Rae Sremmurd returned last week with Trail Mix—a brand new mixtape featuring the extended SremmLife Crew.
Originally appeared for AWMStyle.com
Q&A w/ Luxury Dutch
Growing up on the concrete sands of Far Rockaway, 28-year-old rapper Davon “Luxury Dutch” Portee, has been making music since he was just 9-years-old after the loss of his mom.
Over the years, he has performed at several clubs across the New York- Metropolitan area, including Arena Lounge in Elmhurst, Magnet in Elmont and Mavi Lounge in Hollis.
The Wave recently caught up with Luxury Dutch to talk about his music, concerts and life in Far Rockaway.
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Q&A w/ Rapper Porche Boxx
Far Rockaway rap artist Donald Bradley, a.k.a. “Porche Boxx,” feels his community always gets a bad rap. That’s why he hopes to spread a more positive message to the easternmost part of the peninsula, with his upbeat bars and rhymes.
Bradley grew up in a difficult situation. Never knowing his father, he was raised by his mother, who inspired him to write. Outside of school, Bradley spent a lot of his time at the Ocean Bay Action Center.
“We would play ball to stay out of trouble,” he recalled.
The Wave recently met up with the upand coming rapper, Porche Boxx, at the Queens Public Library on Mott Avenue in Far Rockaway, to talk about his music, community and his love of basketball.
Q&A w/ Rockaway Riot Squad Co-Founder Cau2Gs
Flashback to the early 2000’s, when four up-and-coming rappers from the same community in Far Rockaway, Queens, joined forces as the Hip-Hop “supergroup,” Tha Riot Squad. Rappers Bynoe, Chinx Drugz, Cau2G$ and Stack Bundles grew up in the same neighborhood, attended the same schools and knew a lot of the same people.
However, in 2007, Stack Bundles was shot and killed by an unknown assailant outside of his apartment building. To this day, investigators have not found any leads on the perpetrator. The following year, when Chinx was released from prison after serving a three-year sentence, members of the Rockaway Riot Squad tried to pick up where they left off.
Sadly, the 31-year-old recording artist also met with an untimely death on May 17, 2015, when he was shot and killed at the wheel of his Porsche Panamera in Briarwood, Queens – just three months before the release of his debut album, Welcome to JFK.
Now, more than a year later, both of the surviving members of the Rockaway Riot Squad will be reuniting on a new track, entitled “All Good,” dedicated to the memory of their fallen comrades.
Riot Squad Co-Founder Cau2G$ has worked with such big name artists as Nicki Minaj, Tony Yayo, Kanye West, Joe Budden, and Cory Gunz, and has been featured on several of the Riot Squad’s mixtapes. AMW recently caught up with Cau2G$, outside of his childhood home on Mott Avenue, to talk about new music, living in Far Rockaway and the current trend of violence in Hip-Hop.
