Lecture series hosts De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest members

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

The Red Bull Music Academy is residing in New York this year, but the traveling music workshop is giving L.A. artists a sample of its uber-exclusive program of lectures and seminars Saturday at downtown L.A.’s Ultra Lounge. Every year, the RBMA chooses musicians from all over the world to travel to select locations and meet and learn from a group of heavy hitters in the music industry. Past celebrity lecturers includes funketeer bassist Bootsy Collins and psychedelic soulstress Erykah Badu.

Hoping to whet the appetite of future applicants to the academy’s annual 14-day musician’s boot camp, the event — happening from 4 to 7 p.m. — features two hour-long lectures lead by hip-hop heroes Maseo of De La Soul and Ali Saheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest, respectively. New York natives themselves, both rappers will discuss how their neighborhoods shaped their music careers and their early days at the forefront of the ‘90s hip-hop movement often dubbed the “Golden Era.” Each of the moderated discussions will end with an audience Q&A session.

After the lecture series, the pair will also hit the stage at Boombox, a weekly club night at Grand Star Jazz Club, as part of Boombox’s 5th Annual Celebration of the Life and Music of J. Dilla starting at 9:30 p.m. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales for their performances later that evening are going to the J. Dilla Foundation.

Taking place in locations all around the world since 1998, RBMA’s ability to select top musical talent from tens of thousands of applications has given the program a strong reputation and has even mentored a few celebrated alumni from the local music scene including Aloe Blacc, Tokimonsta, Teebs and Flying Lotus.

ALSO:

Madonna’s ‘Give Me All Your Luvin’ video premieres everywhere

‘Soul Train’s’ Don Cornelius remembered by friends, colleagues, fans

Drummer Bill Ward calls his new contract with Black Sabbath ‘unsignable’

-- Nate Jackson