The Gorillaz were one of the featured bands on Later With Jools Holland this week and were joined by album guests Mos Def and Bobby Womack to do “Stylo”.  Also featued were Kano, Bashy and The Lebanese National Orchestra For Oriental Arabic Music (say that 10 times fast) to perform “White Flag”.  Video streams and audio rips are below.

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Amanda Diva headlined a show at Highline Ballroom this week and brought out some friends for a cipher on stage while her band played some classic hip-hop beats.  Miss Diva was joined by the young and talented Esso, Donny Goines, Skyzoo and Daytona, who all ripped the mic.  Next, Black Thought emerged on to the stage and absolutely smashed it.  Here is our exclusive audio of the cipher, plus Amanda Diva performing “SupaWoman” and “Devils” with Styles P from the show as well.  Also check out video of Amanda and Black Thought doing a rendition of “You Got Me”, all after the jump.

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Black Milk finally stopped over in NYC this past weekend to passthrough Fat Beats for an intimate in-store performance to celebrate Record Store Day 2010.  Hip-hop heads packed the tiny store to show respect for one of the best up-and-coming talents in the game.  Somehow, they managed to make room for Daru Jones on drums, AB on keys and Bill Sharp on the wheels so Black could rock with his usual band set-up.  They put on a hell of a set and I hope they return to the big apple soon.  His new release, Album Of The Year, is slated for a summer release and is looking like it will ive up to its name. The full 30 min set is available to download after the jump.

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Back in 2007, The Roots took the VH1 Hip Hop Honors on the road, with the help of Big Daddy Kane and MC Lyte.  It was one of my favorite tours from The Legendary as they did nothing but hip-hop classics all night long.  One of their covers was the Gang Starr staple, “Just To Get A Rep”.  The Roots crew nailed the beat and Black Thought brandished a slow flow that would have earned the respect of the master of the slow flow himself, Guru.  Here’s the flawless cover of a timeless hip-hop classic.

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Back in 2000, The Roots embarked on an Okayplayer Tour with Reflection Eternal, Slum Village, Bahamdia and Guru among others.  It was amazing to hear Guru perform backed by The Roots.  As we continue to honor the memory of Guru, here’s another great gem from the Okayplayer Tour 2000 stop in Phoenix, AZ.  Setlist and download after the jump.

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Its with great sadness that we mourn the loss of one of hip-hop’s most iconic figures.  With Gang Starr, he and DJ Premier became the definition of street hip-hop, but his versatility and appreciation for music stretched far beyond the confines of hip-hop, ushering in jazz hip-hop fusion with his JazzMatazz releases.  Its a shame that his passing, and events leading up to it, have been clouded by a certain self-proclaimed “super producer”, but I’ll choose to focus on his music and legacy as we pay our respects.  Here is our tribute to Guru:  Gang Starr live in Germany from 2003, Guru doing a solo show in London from 2005, and a JazzMatazz concert from France featuring the legend and his band.  Also, we will be posting a Guru + The Roots live set from the Okayplayer Tour back in 2000 shortly.

Rest In Peace Keith Elam.  July 17, 1966 – April 19, 2010.

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