maestro knows is an online show based around levi maestro’s day-to-day life. hailing from in the city of angels, Maestro bounces from region to region, using his LA frame of mind as his compass wherever he goes. so far in ‘09, he’s been grinding heavily – i’ve posted a video of his before, when he was skateboarding with the air yeezy’s. well, he’s back, hitting DC and the A with his charm and grace. i wish one of y’all cmonwealth + stussy guys woulda told me he was in town so i could shake his hand and let him know that i appreciate his hard work. geesh. and i can’t forget about BJ the chicago kid, either!

i wonder how many breezies he gets with this stuff!? enjoy.

DC:

Atlanta:

i love when great mixes are released, and on may 27th, that happened on better than yours. i’ll let its creator, spinmaster and current DC resident jerome baker III, explain the vision behind the joint:

Bottle Service Please was inspired by the top 40 bottle service clubs that I’ve been fortunate enough to play in the last few years, specifically the Saturday night “Good Times” party @ Napoleon that we’ve (StereoFaith and I) been KILLING! This mix is DEFINITELY inspired by the Beckys, Chads and their ridiculous requests that I seem to always be nice enough to play.

This mix is 50+ Minutes of club friendly FIRE!!! There are super commercial bangers (please don’t stop the music, american boy, etc.) but there are some club bangers (u don’t know, hood n*gga) and its all fused together seamlessly to help create a TIGHT mix!!! If you like it download it, tell a friend (or a promoter or a skam artist rep) and come out to NAPOLEON on Saturday nights in DC.

so there you have it. it’s fire. like he said, it’s 50+ minutes long, similar to the cush cush mix i dropped the other day, so you can take this joint to the gym with you, or throw a house party and let it run through a couple times. you can sample it before you downloading through the link below.

LISTEN / DOWNLOAD: Jerome Baker III & Better Than Yours Present: Bottle Service Please!!!

my man adrian hooked me up with vimby’s crucial footage of a definite highlight from over inauguration weekend, the stussy x commonwealth inaugural bash. check it below.

everybody came out. wale was in there posted like a lamp, 9th wonder was spinning classics on the 1’s and 2’s, bun b was leaning a bit, and yelling out every word of every track 9th threw on the turntables (in a much higher-pitched voice than i would have expected. i mean, i’m not saying he had a high-pitched voice. but go listen to those tracks, his voice is booming. in person, it doesn’t really sound like that. just a mere observation. i know there are some co-signers out here on that statement!) i arrived as david banner was being escorted into the store from his luxurious whipsicle, and saw the big ass crowd that a party with this type of hype attracts. i was taken aback, but  luckily i caught j.ben.ok outside, and him and jay promo got me in that joint with the quickness. shout out to those two, otherwise i’d still be out in the cold.

click on picture to see the rest of the pics, courtesy of BeatiFoul

once i got in there, it was glorious. i got a chance to chop it up with everybody. dizzy was in there, taking flicks like the local celebrity he is. X.O. and benji were in there having a great time. i finally met oddisee, the man who i used to harrass to help me make beats back two years ago. really cool guy, and my favorite producer out of the DMV by far. he can rap too, look out for some of his new stuff on here soon! oh, and  i had to school VJ on his twitter game, because it was limbo pole low. yikes. met a bunch of cool people, and saw some of the sexiest ladies i’ve ever seen in the area. i always feel like they only come out on nights like that, because i can’t ever find them otherwise. somebody tell them to holler at me, man. you already know i’m a shy guy.

highlight of the night? my man lucas hooked me up with the collector’s tees. you know i’m frugal, but i had to let people know i was around for the day history was made. 1.20.09, aka “yes we did day” in my book.

shout out to everybody who came out, and to stussy and commonwealth, for putting on something special, and adrian and the others involved in the coordination. that whole DMV scene, if i can call it that without sounding lame, is a great community. happy i’m a part of it.

i’m a huge clipse fan. seen them three times live. unfortunately, i missed their appearance at DC’s cmonwealth, one of the illest streetwear boutiques in the DMV. but my homies over at EF lifestyle caught it ALL ON TAPE! and everybody (in DC) and their grandmothers showed up. X.O., wale, tabi, and more! check it out.

friday, august 22 is not just another midnight sneaker release. it’s actually the official grand re-opening of Stussy DC, featuring new pieces for the fall season. you need to stop by if you’re in town. they got music, entertainment, food, drink, all that good stuff.

shout out to everybody who works there and shows me any sort of love, even though they know i never really buy anything. and another shout out to the guys @ real mango juice, because i just feel some sort of super affiliation with stussy/cmonwealth dc, and it’s only right that i acknowledge those dudes. tastemakers, i call them.

you already know i’m broke. but i may be there to support, though.

wale’s new mixtape just dropped over @ elitaste.com. but we’ll help you out and link you to it.

download the mixtape about nothing: pt. 1 and pt. 2.

it’s actually marvelous. and there was one part where i said, “uh oh. too many slow joints on this thing.” and then he did something i’ve never heard before. that joint is called “the manipulation,” and it is INSANE!i’m giving props where they are do, and this man is one clever ass guy. he hit the game with an unheard of angle. and i co-sign it all. i hate to be on anybody’s johnson but he wins mixtape of the year. early. yes, i’m biased. but it’s also that good.

my opinion means nothing though. but it’s a crucial mixtape. i just gave it 4 stars in itunes. and that’s rarer than that steak i was eating in paris.

bonus track: the hacksaw jim juggan (feat. skyzoo)

candidate for greatest track i’ve heard this year. why didn’t it make the mixtape!? and the song title makes sense after you hit that wikipedia.

(note: if you’re not in DC right now, this post is worthless. go read the other stuff below this post to be entertained.)

the dmv won’t stop pushing until they are recognized as a place that breeds hip hop. the dudes over at inner loop, along with their sponsor roland, decided to take things a step further with a crazy exclusive producer showcase. first of it’s kind as far as i’ve heard. the 3 day extravaganza pops off today, and goes until saturday. it looks like it’ll be pretty solid, and features a whole lot more than just a mere beat competition. some celeb appearances, some major label head honchos, some interesting panels, and some nice parties. if you’re in the music thing, this is your weekend to shine.

click the pic for more info.