Needle 9:14 in the Windsor Star

[MBC]

Needle Reloads for Harrow

Dalson Chen, Windsor Star
Published: Monday, April 09, 2007

Rap music and farmland might seem an unlikely combo.

But Windsor's most diehard urban radio personality, DJ Needle 9:14, says Essex County has much love for hip hop. That's why he's bringing rap to rural Harrow on Friday.

"I did a Halloween show out there and it was packed and they loved it," Needle says. "So I said I'm definitely comin' back out here."

Hip-Hop in Harrow starts at 9 p.m. at Shooter's Roadhouse, 307 Queen St. Featured performers include Academy, MicLordz, the One Take team, DJ Trixx and Harrow's own Canada South Entertainment. No cover, 19+.

Call 519-738-3000.

Ever the voice of reason in Windsor's hip-hop community, Needle is always ready to give his thoughts on the local urban music scene.

In an interview last summer, he put the whole city on blast for not stepping up and submitting songs for airplay. Have things changed?

"It's a better predicament than it was six months ago," Needle says. "Artists are still slacking off a little bit, but they are trying to do the things you need to do."

Yet the biggest problem with area hip hop, by Needle's reckoning, remains the lack of street-level promotion by individual artists.

"Handing out flyers, handing out CDs," Needle explains. "They need to go out to shows that they're not performing at. Stop being a big head, and go out to other artists' shows."

There'll be a perfect chance for hip-hop talent to do just that on Saturday when Needle hosts his MySpace

Party at Dirty's Lounge, 576 Ouellette Ave. Meant as a promo opportunity for artists, Needle says some of his industry connections (he won't identify them further) will be attending to check out who's working hard in the 519. Detroit female MC Xplicit Lyric will perform, doors open at 9 p.m., 19+.

In the meantime, count on Needle to hold down Windsor rap radio, just like he has for the past five years -- in spite of whoever else or whatever else may come and go.

"You've got to think, the South has took over right now. Every song is crunk, crunk, crunk," Needle points out. "It's time for something new. It's time for the Midwest to get on. It's time for Windsor to get on."

Stay up to date at www.windsorhiphop.com. Holler at Needle at www.myspace.com/theneedle914show. Tune into the DJ Needle 9:14 Show every Tuesday night and Wednesday morning from midnight to 2 a.m. on CJAM (91.5-FM).
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[JaeCyphe]

i heard dalson doesnt do interviews with artists anymore....man we should seriously start looking into getting our own section in the newspaper so we can keeep people updated.....that way they'll have NO excuse to not know whats going on in our scene

[Noxshus]

unless of course you don't get the paper...which I don't

let's just grafitti a lot more

[MzBrilliance]

Jae Cyphe wrote: