WQHT (97.1 FM, “Hot 97″) is an American radio station in New York City that primarily plays mainstream urban hits, with a few pop-leaning titles on occasion. It is a famous radio station in the hip-hop community across the country, and it is also known for the drama and controversies that occur surrounding its staff and guests. And this past weekend wasn’t any different.

On Sunday evening at hip-hop’s biggest concert the Hot 97 Summer Jam Concert, just hours before she was slated to perform, Nicki Minaj pulled from performing along with Lil Wayne – the president of her label Cash Money Records. The reason? Lil Wayne was angered by disparaging comments made by Hot 97 morning host Peter Rosenberg about Minaj’s song ‘Starships’ in which he suggested that the song was not “real hip-hop.”

“I know there’s some chicks here waiting to sing ‘Starships’ later. I’m not talking to y’all right now,” he said. “F— that bullsh-t. I’m here to talk about real hip-hop sh-t.”

After hearing that, Lil Wayne then canceled Minaj’s performance in a tweet: ”Young Money ain’t doing summer jam,” he tweeted, referring to his rap crew, which includes Minaj who also tweeted: ”I go above and beyond for my fans. But won’t ever go against wayne’s word. What he says, goes,” she tweeted.

In another tweet, Minaj hanked other cities for hosting her: ”I’d like to thank the staff @ philly & boston summer jams for treating their guests w/respect! Had a blast,” she tweeted.

Rosenberg, the self-described “Jewish Johnny Carson,” tweeted: “Tonight just got interesting.”

Hot 97 DJ Funkmaster Flex then backed Rosenberg during the concert, taunting Minaj for recent weaker sales. ”You don’t go gold. It’s all your fault,” he said. “I’m dedicated to tearing you down.”

On Monday night, Minaj called in to the station to explain her decison to pull out of the concert which turned into an hour long heated debate with DJ Funkmaster Flex. Minaj apologized to her fans and promised them a free concert in the New York area this summer. She then made it clear that she had been deeply offended by Rosenberg’s comments.

“When you want our team to come to your show, treat us with respect,” she said. “And that’s all we’re asking.” Later she added: “When you disrespect Nicki Minaj, you’re disrespecting my fans. I don’t have a problem with anyone saying what they have to say to me. But don’t make fans feel inferior in any way for their personal taste in music.”

Minaj also felt that he had singled her out because she’s a woman.

“If that’s not some bitch-ass s**t – for this person to single out the only female on the bill, I’m holding it down for women,” Minaj said. “I respect men who are real men, but if all you do is take shots at women.”

Talking to the morning show crew at the rival hip-hop radio station Power 105.1 Minaj stated that she wasn’t even going to perform ‘Starships.’

“After all this has been said and done, I wasn’t gonna do ‘Starships’ and I think people know that,” she told the crew, The Breakfast Club. “I’m way smarter than that. I know what people wanted to see…It was horrible timing. It was in bad taste.”

Minaj also said she was disappointed because she had a Summer Jam set planned that included surprise performances from Brooklyn’s Foxy Brown and Harlem’s Cam’ron.

“We had an amazing, amazing show, and that was the only disappointing thing,” she said.

Fellow Summer Jam performers Nas and Lauryn Hill slid into the headliner spot and, according to Rolling Stone, pulled together an impressive set that included the Fugees’ “Ready or Not” and “If I Ruled the World.” As rumors surfaced claiming that Hill was invited to Summer Jam as Minaj’s guest and therefore shouldn’t have performed, Hill took to Twitter to clarify the situation and to support Minaj’s decision not to perform.

“No disrespect to Nicki, but I need to clear up an inaccuracy,” she wrote. “I was not scheduled to be a special guest on her set at Summer Jam, I was invited by Nas to perform with him.

“I don’t have details on exactly what transpired between the station and the artists, but I do support artists standing by their beliefs, and walking with integrity. We have to find a better way to commercially exploit music, while giving artists their proper respect.

“This cannot be done while taking their contributions for granted, or trying to control the scope of their growth and power through threats and fear tactics. We can do better than this, there is a better way, or else ‘we’ (the proverbial we) find ourselves in danger of being hypocrites!!!”

As for the Hot 97 staff, Rosenberg refused to apologize for his remarks stating, “There is a get me to apologize movement, to which I can say, I’m absolutely not apologizing, because I didn’t do anything wrong,” he said on Monday evening. “I’m not going to change my stand because I’m at Summer Jam. I’ve been saying it for six months.”

While DJ Funkmaster Flex admitted that Rosenberg didn’t pick the right time and place to say that, he also faulted Lil Wayne for asking Ms. Minaj and the other artists on his label to boycott the show, thus depriving Ms. Minaj’s fans of a chance to see her.

The station’s program director Ebro Darden also appeared on one of the station’s morning shows on Tuesday to make it clear that he stood by Mr. Rosenberg. He said though Minaj’s records were not popular, the station had supported Ms. Minaj for years because she hails from Queens. However, he believes that Rosenberg had a right to disagree with her foray into pop music with ‘Starships’.

“That’s a hip-hop show,” he said referring to Summer Jam. “When artists want to go out and make songs for other formats, that’s their prerogative, but that doesn’t mean our hosts have to like it. It was not a direct shot at her, at her personality, at her as a woman — there was no sexual reference, there was no disrespect…It’s a real hip-hop stage, and in real hip-hop, things get said.”

Image Courtesy of   Nicki Minaj

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Celebrate Brooklyn continued its successful series with a sold out concert by popular Bon Iver, on August 10.

The annual summer performing arts festival hosts a variety of outdoor music concerts, dance performances, and movies, all taking place in the Prospect Park Bandshell.  Fans lined up in the late afternoon hours to catch Bon Iver’s performance.

While ticket holders filled up the packed concert area, hundreds of others brought blankets and picnicked in the park while listening to Bon Iver’s music. New Yorkers waited patiently for the Wisconsin band to begin the night of outdoor music.

Front man Justin Vernon, known for his folk sound, created the band in 2007. The band’s first album, entitled For Emma, Forever Ago, was created while Vernon spent months in seclusion, tucked away in a log cabin in Wisconsin. The rise of this first album has brought international recognition for the indie band, certifying the album to be gold in Denmark, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Just released in June of 2011, Bon Iver’s second album is a self-titled compilation of 10 songs that move their music in a new direction while still holding claim to their famous indie flavor.

Kicking off the evening of music was opening band The Rosebuds.  Sharing in Bon Iver’s indie style, the Raleigh, North Carolina band was welcomed to Brooklyn with much appreciation. The band has a close relationship with Bon Iver that has grown since 2007.

Justin Vernon, close friend of The Rosebuds, helped record their latest album and made an appearance during their set, accompanying them on vocals and guitar. The Rosebuds were able to energize the crowd with catchy songs and were a solid start to the main event.

As Vernon and the band walked onto the stage, fans erupted in applause as the atmosphere of the park turned to excitement. The Prospect Park Bandshell lit up with orchestrated lighting as the nine member band began serenading concert goers throughout the evening hours.

Bon Iver dived into their first song, “Perth”, capturing the attention of music lovers in the park. The band went into other popular songs such as “Minnesota, WI,” “Towers,” and “Creature Fear.” When it was time for them to perform “Beach Baby,” Justin Vernon explained that the song was for the memories of having a crush on someone and wanting to kiss them on the beach, but never having the chance to.

During the concert, Vernon took time to show his appreciation to the audience. The band gathered up large applause from the viewers when Vernon said that this concert was by far the biggest show they had ever played. With a cloudless sky and the moon shining down on the Brooklyn stage, Bon Iver produced a captivating and meaningful performance for fans to enjoy.

As audience members watched the performance, some danced to the beats of the music, while others scattered in groups across the grass, dining with homemade dinners and enjoying the outdoors.

For one night, the often hectic lifestyle in Brooklyn slowed down for a relaxing evening under the stars, listening to the indie songs of Bon Iver. The melodic tunes of the set list continued as the band played “Blood Bank”, “Flume”, and ending with “Beth/Rest”.

As the show wrapped up, concert goers cheered and brought back Bon Iver for an encore. The band performed “Skinny Love”, as well as a cover of the Bjork song “Who Is It”. After the encore finished groups of audience members filed out of the park.

But for the loyal fans that stayed just a bit longer, Bon Iver came back on stage for a second encore, where they performed their last song, “For Emma”. The remnants of a good concert lingered in the atmosphere as people packed up their picnics and headed home, leaving memories of a summer night in Brooklyn spent with the Rosebuds and Bon Iver.

Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com

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I heard them live playing for the first time about 3 months ago at the Café Glocksee in Hanover. This was the first time that I heard about this group, Houston’s Wild Moccasins. I was there as any other person in the bar, where suddenly I begin to hear them play. My first impression was that they look pretty young but I was quite amazed by the way the just entered the stage and begin to play.

At first what grabbed my attention was the beat and sound of the tracks, they exposed a unique blend of Indie pop. The woman vocalist of the band, Zahira Gutierrez has a unique voice. Her voice mixed with the rest of the music instruments is the perfect combination.

5 young artists, Zahira Gutierrez, Andrew Ortiz, Cody Swann, Nick Cody and Andrew Lee, integrate the band. The minute that you begin listen to them you just have a feeling of immediate connection. The feeling is strange, cause you know it’s the first time you listen to them but at the same time you feel as if you are familiar with their style and rhythm.

I was listening to them and the whole crowd was cheering and dancing along the songs, and it did not take me long to just begin to move my head and then a minute later I was almost jumping and trying to mumble the songs and pretend to know the lyrics.

I write this article for all the indie fans, I know that you will like this group, and therefore I just let you know the talent that this band has, and just put it out there for you to grasp a touch of their music.

They just finished their European tour 2011 that covered many cities and countries in Europe such as: Belgium, Germany, Paris, Austria, United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Luxemburg.

Two upcoming concerts are coming on the month of June, at Houston, Texas, where the band comes from. The First concert starts on June 4 at the  Summerfest – Eleanor Tinsley Park, and the next one will be June 10th at Fitzgerald’s w/ The Thermals.

The band has already recorded two labels, the first on in the year 2009, Microscopio Metronomes, and the second one Skin Collision Past released on 2010.

Video: Wild Moccasins, \”Skin Collision Past\”

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