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James Ralls

Bio: James Ralls is a native upstate New Yorker; and a graduate from SUNY Fredonia where he majored in English and Music. James is passionate about music, film, philosophy and politics. He is hoping this opportunity with NYC tastemakers will help him hone his writing and editing skills.
Exclusive Feature

DJ Lucho: The Curious Case Of The Quiet Music Maverick

It’s 3pm.  The cursor is blinking at me. I really really hate the pulse of a cursor on a blank screen; but this is where we are at.  I just interviewed one of the most revered and loved DJs on the planet; and yet my ink has run dry.  “There ...

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Exclusive Feature

Tony Moran: A Leader; A Servant; A Musical Giant

“Tssst!”  “What is that?” “Tssst!” “What are you doing?” “I’m just doing this” *He eases his foot off of the hi-hat pedal, just a little bit, and taps the cymbals with the stick before closing the two cymbals tightly once again* “That’s called a hi-hat sizzle.” To this day, I ...

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Exclusive Feature

Frankie Cutlass: The Freestyle & Hip Hop legendary producer takes a victory lap

In the eyes of many, the 80s belongs to pink scrunchies, hair spray, leg warmers, overdone make-up, all on a caucasian pin up styled mannequin or a caricature of blackness with a chunky chain, chunky rings, shell tops, a fresh cut.  But if you actually lived it –or you’re too ...

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Exclusive Feature

DJ Doo Wop: How a student of the game became a legend

Shortly after this interview, I observed a car with a gentleman ( seemingly in his mid 40s) playing what sounded like it could’ve been some mid to late 90s hip hop.  This was the stuff I grew up on, albeit reluctantly.  Gospel was the state/household enforcement musical diet; and when ...

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Music PlaylistPast

July 2023
Playlist

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Exclusive Feature

Don’t miss the blockbuster middleweight match between undefeated Champ Edgar Berlanga vs Jason Quigley Sat June 24th at Madison Square Garden!

Undefeated 20-0 NABO-WBO Super middleweight boxing champ, Edgar Berlanga returns to the ring for a highly anticipated bout against 20-2 Irish juggernaut, Jason Quigley on Saturday, June 24th at Madison Square Garden! The road to boxing stardom and financial freedom has been a long one for Berlanga.  Starting at the ...

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Exclusive Feature

Ray Negron: 50 years bridging the gap between the Yankees and the community

The word “Humanitarian” can often be an incredibly lofty word.  It gets tacked on the end of 3 or 4 more titles.  Almost everyone knows what it means but it’s amorphis, hazy, a throwaway.  I’m not going to insult Mr. Negron with a throwaway word you put behind “actor” “author” ...

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Exclusive Feature

Tyson Beckford: Jamaica’s crown jewel shares some gems of wisdom

In journalism, I’ve always felt this sense that there is a hands off decorum in the interview process: The subject is there. I am here.  My questions are a bridge between us; but, really, there’s less of a camaraderie and more of an air of a research facility.  I’m just ...

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Exclusive Feature

Fredro Starr: 30 Years of Jamaica Queens’ Finest!

Fredro Starr… Let’s stop here for a minute.  A preface is needed: I invite the reader to put aside what they think a rapper is.  Gold chains, iced out watches, models, fast cars, fast lifestyle, etc.  If you make the mistake of boxing Fredro in with a cookie cutter definition, ...

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Exclusive Feature

Javier Rodriguez: New producer to keep an eye out for!

In a world where social media aims to offer only the highlight reel of one’s life work, and even the struggle to “make it” as a creative are romanticized, it is rare to see an account that is simply honest.  That is the story of Javier Rodriguez aka The Ghetto ...

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Books

The Book Club is the new Salon (If I have anything to say about it)

In my sophomore year of college, I took an English course with a young, fiery-tongued professor; who used the class as a…place to vent his worldly frustrations, as well as an incubator for the future.  We traipsed through books that could also be journalistic variations on Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle.  ...

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Books

Prince Harry Sets the Record Straight in his memoir, ‘Spare’

Prince Harry’s ‘Spare’ could be many things if you just take the word of any tabloid or recent pop culture headline: Scathing; a full-throated rebuke of the royals still at court; another heap of media fodder to expand upon the already near decade long shelf life of Prince Harry and ...

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