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CHRIS FARAONE

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Nas rocks the bells

The rapper fronts the tour that erased lines between commercial and underground, white and black, alternative and trendy
Six months ago my teenage cousins told me they'd been listening to Big Pun. And Nas, and Ghostface, and every other artist who inspires regular road rage in male rap fans between the ages of 28 and 35.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | September 09, 2011

The Narcicyst rises as hip-hop's preeminent post-9/11 auteur

Iraqnophobia
Less than a year ago, the Narcicyst was on his way to a speaking engagement at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington DC, when customs hawks stopped him in his tracks.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | September 07, 2011

Reclaiming the M Word

Pushing the future
In an ad age where even grandma showcases her swag and status, "marketing" is no longer a dirty word.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | September 07, 2011

In the Shadow of Walmart

The Superstore hasn’t touched down yet, but Roxbury is already divided against itself
Only one company on earth summons fevered joy and outrage by merely showing interest in a market.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | August 31, 2011

Heavy burden

More than any other city on the East Coast, Boston is addicted to property taxes. Could the Hub be hitting a crippling tax-levy ceiling soon?
In 2012, collections on homes, buildings, and private infrastructure will feed more than 65 percent of Boston's $2.4 billion budget.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | August 17, 2011

Skate of the union

Pissed pedaling
The malt angels from Pabst Blue Ribbon were on hand to fuel us up, and to hook up sweat bands that, incidentally, would come in handy to absorb the blood.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | August 17, 2011

The tireless street hustle of Grey Sky Appeal

Allston rap city
Allston alt-rap crew Grey Sky Appeal more or less avoid the local scene altogether, opting instead to play shows where people give a shit, and sometimes even enjoy themselves.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | August 17, 2011

Review: How to Live Forever

Wexler mocks the "anti-aging marketplace"
Take the most depressing movie imaginable, add The Golden Girls , multiply by Cocoon , and that's How To Live Forever .

By: CHRIS FARAONE | August 16, 2011

Urban Fest gets ugly

Gimme Shelter Dept.
It didn't take long for the largely suburban horde to erupt into a frenzy at the free outdoor concert, which was dubbed, somewhat ironically, the Boston Urban Music Fest (BUMF).

By: CHRIS FARAONE | August 10, 2011

Do the fight thing

Bostonians rising in anger -- and action -- against ableism, racism, Verizon, and Fox News
Union flags were flown, loud music roared, and fleets of motorcycles rumbled, as several thousand people marched for civil rights and human dignity, and, in at least one case, to scold moguls for banking gross salaries at the expense of workers.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | August 10, 2011

Kool Keith had a purple keyboard and green synth

Odd past
Keith's ubiquitous props are often trumpeted on rap sites and comment boards, where he's cited as the chief influence behind everyone from Tech N9ne to Tyler, the Creator.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | August 04, 2011

A study in anarchy

With no campus, accreditation, or heirarchy, Corvid College thrives underground
Named after a family of birds that is markedly playful and diverse, Corvid is a benevolent underground anarchist institute fostering eclectic inter-disciplinary thought.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | August 01, 2011

Review: If a Tree Falls

A ggressive hippies
Director Marshall Curry's If a Tree Falls tells the full tale of the ELF's genesis in Oregon, and of the group's badass campaign of "economic sabotage" that left more than 1200 symbols of bourgeois excess (a Vail ski resort, an SUV dealership) burned to the ground.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | July 26, 2011

Rudy Hypolite brings Push back home

Beyond hoop dreams
I asked Hypolite what it was like to film a train wreck in real-time, and about his opportunity to screen Push for the home team at this week's Roxbury International Film Festival.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | July 20, 2011

Review: Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest

The most boring movie imaginable
First of all, Michael Rapaport's feature-length doc on A Tribe Called Quest should have been called People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm .

By: CHRIS FARAONE | July 19, 2011

Are Logan Airport pollution and Massport indifference killing Boston's proud clam-digging tradition?

Shucking fit
Denehy and other Boston clam farmers have come to face two seemingly impervious hurdles: a safety expansion at Logan Airport that will deplete two of their richest beaches, and a jet-fuel spill from last October that some allege wiped out half of Boston's soft-shell population.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | July 18, 2011

Random Axe | Random Axe

Duck Down (2011)
It's no wonder that it takes a 10-ton Uzi to get rap fans psyched about posse cuts these days.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | July 12, 2011

Phyllis Karas finds Whitey

Good timing
Good timing

By: CHRIS FARAONE | July 05, 2011

Vast Aire | OX 2010: A Street Odyssey

Man Bites Dog (2011)
Although it's an imperfect effort in some regards, the somewhat conceptual OX 2010: A Street Odyssey testifies to Vast's highly developed steez, and does so with complements from MCs who effortlessly jibe with his arcane rhyme selections.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | June 29, 2011

In a rundown office, two watchdogs struggle to keep an eye on $2.4 Billion

City sticklers
Steps inside the entrance of 152 North Street, exposed electrical boxes dangle out of a demolished drop ceiling. Dust fills the light beams bouncing through the hallways. There's a layer of gray soot fused into the tiles of the bathroom.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | June 22, 2011

Hickey's Current event

Tinseltownie Dept.
Four months ago, the Boston Phoenix published an exclusive story about Charlestown native Johnny Hickey, and his metamorphosis from Oxycontin bandit, to undercover anti-drug agent, to aspiring filmmaker. In the time since, his feature-length hometown tragedy, Oxy Morons, had a successful two-month test screening at Showcase Cinemas in Revere, where it placed second in the theater's box-office sales in its first week of showing.

By: CHRIS FARAONE | June 21, 2011

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