Rock The Bells,  the yearly mega-nostalgia fest for Hip-Hop purists nationwide, returns to New York City this weekend (September 3rd) to captivate the hearts and test the stamina of the old-heads in and around the Tri-State that make the ferry trip to Shutter Governor’s Island.

Last week’s Afro-Punk Fest (along with the other 90 outdoor music events scheduled) last weekend was unfortunately cancelled due to the critically under-rated Irene, so RTB, should prove to be a well deserved consolation.  The West Coast leg of the festival has gotten rave reviews, so you can be assured that the NY iteration sshould be 90x better.  How do I know? I don’t, but this is New York City, so we can make claims like that!

Tickets are still available via the Rock The Bells website and the tentative set list is below.  Now understand, THIS IS HIP-HOP, so times, acts, maybe even venue are subject to change.  I mean, Lauryn Hill is involved! (I keed, I keed)

We will be giving the live info via the GIANT Twittah, so be sure to follow.  And synchronize your Hublot watches (both of them if you are built like that) because there’s gonna be alot of scramblin around when you got Nas vs. Raekwon and Ghostface vs. Erykah on the menu.

ROCK THE BELLS NYC 9/3/11
ROCK THE BELLS STAGE
9:55 – 11:25 Ms Lauryn Hill
7:55 – 9:25 Nas
6:10 – 7:25 Erykah Badu
4:25 – 5:40 Cypress Hill
2:50 – 4:05 Black Star
2:00 – 2:30 Random Axe

PAID DUES STAGE
10:00 – 11:00 Immortal Technique
8:40 – 9:40 Doom
7:40 – 8:25 Slaughterhouse
6:45 – 7:25 Big K.R.I.T.
5:30 – 6:30 Souls of Mischief
4:15 – 5:15 Fashawn, Blu & Exile
3:30 – 4:00 Freddie Gibbs
2:45 – 3:15 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
2:00 – 2:30 Evidence

36 CHAMBERS STAGE
9:35 – 10:50 Raekwon & Ghostface
8:00 – 9:15 Mobb Deep
6:25 – 7:40 GZA
4:50 – 6:05 Black Moon
3:55 – 4:35 Childish Gambino
2:50 – 3:40 Masta Killa
1:45 – 2:35 Killah Priest
1:00 – 1:30 Roc Marciano

GRINDTIME STAGE
6:30 – 7:00 FINALS
4:30 – 6:00 DJ’s
4:00 – 4:30 Round 2 Battles
3:30 – 3:30 DJ’s
1:30 – 2:00 Round 1 Battles

Apparently Wu-Tang Clan is something to f’ with.

Artist Logan Walters has taken some of the Clan’s most heralded album covers and remixed them with Blue Note Records style art. Check out the gallery below and let us know what you think of the new flips! 

Source: Street Level via SlamxHype

Four years after it was first announced, Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II , the sequel to his (and Ghostface’s) 1995 masterpiece, will finally be released this summer on EMI.

At one point, the project was rumored to be executive produced by Busta Rhymes (whatever that means).  Then, it was slated for release on Aftermath Entertainment before Dr. Dre pulled a Cartman, it seemed like the album was destined for Chinese Democracy Detox status.  Still with no concrete release date, though, there’s still no guarantees it’ll see the light of day.

It’s been fourteen years since the release of the original, often mentioned as one of the most cinematic/best conceptual hip-hop albums ever made—second to perhaps only Mobb Deep’s The Infamous… but that depends on whether or not you care if those art school kids from Queensbridge lived a lick of what they spit. Not saying that Raekwon was the Mafioso he claimed to be on the first Cuban Linx, but I wouldn’t put it past him to pump some crack in his day.

As for the the sequel, it seems rather promising, with production credits from The RZA (making his first appearance on a Rae solo album since the original), J Dilla, and Dre, and guest spots from Busta, Bun B, Jadakiss, and the usual Wu heads (Meth, Starks, Deck). But you know how the story goes with sequels.  Hopefully it’s a Chronic 2001 and not a Carter II (or III for that matter).

-Devin Chanda

Classic rock records got the LEGO treatment a few months back, so it was only a matter of time before hip-hop’s finest got their due. Check a few choice selections in the gallery below, and head over to Format for even more awesomeness. (Thanks to Prefix for the tip.)