Words: Kel Murphy

If you’re in NYC, more likely than not you’ve been to a party where Melo-X has rocked. He’s opened for hip-hop heavyweights like Clark Kent and 9th Wonder, but for the self proclaimed “renaissance man,” spinning records is just the beginning. Besides moving the crowd via turntables, Brooklyn-born Melo raps, writes songs, photographs, produces and even pimps (yikes). At 22 years old, he cites J-Dilla and Erykah Badu as inspiration for his recent instrumental album, “Dusty Time Warped Vibes.” We recently caught up with the Jack-of-all-trades to talk about the project, why he dissed the Jay-Z on it, and how reggae vibes make him get damn near butt-naked. (more »)

Besides being the birthday of the legendary James Brown (The Godfather!), this Saturday May 3rd, there is another event worth celebrating. Fuse gallery plays host to Sweet City Woman, an all female art show featuring esteemed graf artist and former Mass Appeal art director, Queen Andrea. Fuse is located at 92 2nd Ave between 5th and 6th streets.

Why, yes we did just get a shipment of Trojan condoms to use in upcoming photo shoots. We have to give a big, big thanks to Trojan. It’ll be a very safe week for everyone over here. Oh yeah, on the Magnum box, it says “Living Large.” Nice.

Image: Randy Smith

Indeed it went down, and it was marvelous. We got net love from a couple of homies, but the official gallery is on it’s way. Heavy stunting. Stay tuned…

While it came as no surprise to many that the X-games killed the vert skating event following a meeting directly regarding it, a few people (most notably vert skaters) are not too happy about it…to the point of a proposed boycott.

Graf caught on tape is usually bad news for anyone involved. Just ask Ket. But for the Photo Kings, their love of the craft trumped any such dangers and allowed them to document the end of an era in NYC graffiti. Check out the latest Mass Appeal TV feature in the player to the right to see how these friends made sure the train pieces they admired could be enjoyed long after the trains stopped running.

This Thursday, April 10th it goes down! We haven’t had a proper release in some months so all that built up tension is guaranteed to splash [a good time] all over everyone. Grammy award winner Killer Mike will be rocking, as well as Kid Cudi. Treats and Sureshot on the whizzeels. Open Bar from 10-11. Rebel NYC 251 West 30th Street (btn 7th and 8th Ave). RSVP to rsvp@massappealmag.com. Come get some.

This past week, Mass Appeal was one of a select few, specifically #167 out of 500, hooked up with a limited edition GTA IV Xbox 360. (more »)

Rap life for the Game, a talented black rapper, hasn’t been easy, so one can only imagine the struggle of a young John Brown. Nevertheless, “The Face of LA” opted out of an appearance on egotrip’s The White Rapper Show, or what would have been a chance to school some young bucks on, well, the game. Check out the Mass Appeal TV video on the right, for a preview of the issue 50 cover story, where, amongst other things, he talks to Lord SHR about why he wasn’t down with it.

As far as most janitors are concerned, specialized graf mops are the work of the devil. The ink is thick, long lasting, and drips just right (Ayo!). One of the finest (or worst if your a custodian) would be Harlem’s own Do Em Dirty. Mass Appeal TV sat down with the mind behind Do Em Dirty, Shaun RFC, and got the scoop on his inkin’ empire. Check it out in the Mass Appeal TV player to the right.