PAID DUES 2011 | RECAP

I feel sorry for all the poor blokes that missed out on Guerilla Union's 6th Annual Paid Dues Festival this year. A great day of Hip-Hop and breezy Southern California weather, and after it all, I just had two words to say - BLACK STAR.

The crowd during Binary Star.

My homie MC Futuristic stays on the grind. Check out his music. It's fresh.

Mistah FAB wearing a Hiero tee, representing for Oakland and the whole Bay Area.

Hyphy.

This is my good friend Mondo from the one and only Matt and Mondo's Punk Rock Power Hour. We talked about girls and Pokemon. I'm serious.

I like this picture a lot. Visionaries onstage.

P.O.S. is not a piece of shit at all. He's actually a really nice guy and is great at what he does. One of my favorites for sure.

Met this dude with a cool Supreme cap and I snapped a pic.

Security guards and Scarub (Living Legends/Afro Classics).

I ate here. The food wasn't great, but the stand looked cool.

Rawth (Asher Roth and Nottz) on the main stage with this sunset. Until next time.

ORIGINAL KNOCKOFF PRESENTS: MC PROTOTYPE

Remember Gabe and Dennis from the "Work in Progress" videos I posted a while ago? They were doing a lot of work at Paid Dues this year, too! They got to interview some of the big names on the bill, like Ice Cube and...MC Prototype?! Watch the rest of their videos here.

Oh, before the interview you get a sneak peak of Proto's new music video, "Can't Hide."

PROTO AND HIS FANS (PAID DUES PT. 2)

While I was at the show, I met a lot of cool people. Some of these people were familiar with Proto and his music, but some never heard of him or his music until the show. Here are some more pictures I took that day.

This is Kayla and Kenny. They're from New Mexico and they drove all the way to San Bernardino, CA for the show. I talked to Kenny for a little while before the show and he said that he has never heard MC Prototype. I ran into him after the set and it looks like they'll be taking something back with them to New Mexico.

Met this guy walking around while he was doing some promo work for Ballin' for Peace. He said he knew Prototype's music through his cousin. Peep the GCS shirt he's wearing!

These kids have never heard any of Proto's music, but still decided to pick up some shirts.

This is Billy. He drove to Paid Dues from Arizona. He's a true fan of hip-hop. Read his story here.

This kid said he didn't know about Proto before Paid Dues, and he ended up picking up a shirt. He actually wanted a couple different colors, but we were out of his size in the other color he was looking for. Next time, homie!

This is my friend Matt and his girlfriend. We go to school together. He just had surgery on his knee and he was still on his feet all day at the show. Another true fan of hip-hop.

These kids were dope!...and that's Proto being Proto.

This is Kareem. I was talking to him while he was in line to meet Murs and 9th Wonder. He told me he followed the Proto For Paid Dues videos and that he was a fan. Coincidentally, Proto was walking by and ended up standing in line for Kareem while he went to pick up a copy of The Ones Overlooked.

This guy works for Rhymesayers.

PAID DUES 2010

This year's Paid Dues Festival was incredible. The fact that I got to spend it with some great friends made it even better. This year's show was exceptionally special because my good friend MC Prototype was on the bill. He even got a special introduction by Murs. Congrats Proto!

While I was doing promotional work for Proto's new EP The Ones Overlooked, I got to watch a lot of other performers' sets. One that really stood out for me was Afro Classics. Scarub(Living Legends) and Very are really good at what they do. After their set, I picked up 2 of their CDs and talked to them for a bit. Those guys are real down-to-earth.

On the main stage, we saw Psycho Realm, Dilated Peoples, Tha Dogg Pound, Jay Electronica, Raekwon, Murs and 9th, and West Coast legend, Ice Cube. I could go on for days talking about how cool it was to see each of these artists. Paid Dues has gotten better every year since they started it, so I can only imagine how good next year's show is going to be.

Proto doing what he does. Photo by Dennis Chung for Original Knockoff. The rest of the pictures are mine.

1 part of the team - Lex Diamond, Kray-Z K, and me on the curb. These guys host a show called Daily Duels. Any MCs want to battle, hit them up! Oh, they battle too and they're both really good.

SuperB and Proto. Check out this video SuperB did with our friend Shane Romero.

I'm a fan too! Me and Scarub(Afro Classics/Living Legends).

Another part of the team, David (BLK) and Kei-O. 3 tracks on Proto's new EP were produced by Kei-O.

To be continued...

A MESSAGE FROM MURS

The last installment of Murs' Paid Dues video blogs. The show is this Saturday and we're all gonna be there. Are you? Get there early. Doors open at noon this year, and you don't wanna miss any of the artists from this year's lineup. You know I have to mention MC PROTOTYPE one more time before the show... from what I've heard, him and DJ Nickyboi go on at 1pm. If you've never been to one of Proto's shows before, you're definitely in for something special. See you on Saturday.

MUSIC MONDAY

So Brother Ali, BK-One, and Fashawn are on tour now, and they just released the "theme song" of their tour, "Breakin' Dawn." The track was produced by Ali and BK. To me, the beat has a similar feel to the songs on BK's album, Radio Do Canibal, which features a fresh, hip-hop blend of traditional Brazilian music. Download the song here.

Straying away from the use of videos on this post, my good friend MC Prototype's new EP, The Ones Overlooked is now available in limited quantities at Radio Futura in Downtown Pomona, or from Proto himself. The EP's official release will be at Paid Dues this Saturday, April 3, and will also be available at other independent record stores. I highly recommend picking up a copy of this album. You can preview 3 tracks from the EP on his Myspace.

MUSIC MONDAY

The new Murs and 9th Wonder album, "ForNever," comes out April 13th. The first video off the release, "The Problem Is," features two legendary Los Angeles emcees, Murs and Sick Jacken, with the help of Uncle Chucc and, of course, 9th on the beat. You can catch Murs and 9th, as well as Sick Jacken and Psycho Realm at Paid Dues on April 3rd. Get your tickets soon, it's less than 2 weeks away! My boy Proto is gonna be there too! If you keep up with my blog, you would have already known that.

Another album to look out for is "Revolutions Per Minute" by Reflection Eternal. It's been 10 years since 'Tek and Kweli have released an album together, and from what I've heard so far, I might have this album on repeat for a while. It drops April 20th. Here's their new music video for the song "Strangers," featuring Underground King, Bun B.

PROTO FOR PAID DUES

When it comes to Hip-Hop, spoken-word artist, emcee, and friend, MC Prototype brings more to the table than your typical underground emcee. Hailing from California's Inland Empire, Proto is a founding member of the Urban Poets Crew and also hosts Urbane Culture, a music and spoken-word open mic at his venue, The Bakery in Downtown Pomona. He has recently announced a Free Speech Tour to promote his campaign, PROTO FOR PAID DUES, where he will be proving that he is the most worthy candidate to perform at this year's Paid Dues Festival. Sign the petition, watch the video, and support your local scene.