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Urban Lights Music in St. Paul reflects on 50 years of hip hop

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Urban Lights Music in St. Paul reflects on 50 years of hip hop


ST. PAUL, Minn. — Inside Urban Lights Music in St. Paul, hip hop reigns supreme. 

“The blessing that this store has had is that so many people have been through the doorway,” said owner Timothy Wilson.

Wilson grew up listening to hip-hop in south Minneapolis. His life’s journey allowed him to meet and work with some of the greats in the industry.

“Everything I’ve done and been blessed to do in the entertainment industry retail is all because of hip hop,” said Wilson.

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He says growing up in the Twin Cities every hip hop head knew the drill.

“I can remember us listening to Alan Freed and Tracey Crulson every Friday night on KBEM so we could hear the latest hip-hop records,” Wilson said. “And then we would race downtown Minneapolis to Music City or Musicland to see who could get the 12-inch first to see who would be the first to play them at the park parties.”

Wilson and his crew would throw parties backed by the park board.

“We had graffiti artists, we had breakdancers. You know, we all had the Kango hats on, and we had the Puma suits on, the Adidas suits and we played the latest hip-hop records from New York,” Wilson said.

The Twin Cities had its own native New Yorker breathing life into the hip-hop scene — Travatron, or Travis Lee, came to Minnesota and brought with him everything hip-hop.

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“He brought his swag his technique of playing music, his djing, and his ability to find talent in the city, rappers and put together probably the first show on KMOJ, the Hip Hop Shop,” Wilson said.

Wilson says bars are back, or artists are rapping again, bringing back a style initiated by some of the greats.

Ice T, LL Cool J and others have walked into Wilson’s record shop.

Wilson hopes the next generation of artists return to independent stores that have promoted hip hop for all its 50 years.

Wilson says album release parties are back and stores like his are once again becoming the preferred place for artists to make connections.

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Minneapolis, MN

Yes, Minneapolis Really Is That Small

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Yes, Minneapolis Really Is That Small


Love Is Blind–ers at the bar.
Photo: Netflix

Watching the Love Is Blind reunion, one question kept coming up for us: Is Minneapolis really that small? Seriously, when describing the past year of their lives, a constant thread nearly every ex-couple brought up was that the participants can’t stop running into one other. At one point, it comes out that Madison Errichiello went “out” because she heard Mason Horachek was at the bar; a smoking gun against Devin Buckley during his spat with Virginia Miller comes when Madison and Molly Mullaney reveal something he said to them when he was out one night. So, how small is the Minneapolis bar scene, exactly? “There are four bars,” Monica Danús confirmed during a live discussion of the reunion at SXSW. “In Minneapolis, North Loop is where a lot of people live and a lot of people hang out, so when you go out, you have to mentally prepare yourself: I’m going to run into somebody that I want to see, and I’m going to run into somebody that I don’t want to see.”

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It turns out that, in the time between production and the reunion, the cast of Love Is Blind, season eight, saw each other out pretty often. “A lot of us live on the same street,” Danús said. “I run into some people at my favorite coffee shop, so that’s interesting. I mean, we’re cordial, we’re fine, but we definitely see each other even if we don’t necessarily want to.” Sounds like a nightmare to this New Yorker, but we’re happy for those who love the Twin Cities!



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Minneapolis, MN

Minnesota weather: Bright with record warmth possible Monday

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Minnesota weather: Bright with record warmth possible Monday


Monday will come with very warm temperatures, a bit of a breeze and a fire danger for parts of the state.

Monday’s forecast in Minnesota                  

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What to expect:

Temperatures will climb into the 60s and 70s across much of Minnesota on Monday, though areas along the Canadian border will see cooler highs in the 40s and 50s. 

The Twin Cities metro daytime high is 68 degrees, breaking the previous record of 66 degrees set in 2015 and 2012. 

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Expect a bright day with sunshine filtering through high thin clouds. The afternoon will be a bit breezy with southwest winds at 10-20+ mph. A red flag warning is in effect for parts of western Minnesota from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. due to gusty winds and low humidity. Any fires that develop could spread rapidly. 

A cold front will bring gusty winds of 30-35+ overnight, and cause temperatures to fall into the 20s for a chilly start on Tuesday. 

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The week ahead 

What’s next:

After a colder start on Tuesday, the afternoon will be calmer and slightly cooler, with highs in the 40s. However, it’s still slightly above the average high of 39 degrees. 

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A warming trend will kick in midweek, causing temperatures to climb into the 50s on Wednesday, the 60s on Thursday and potentially 70 degrees on Friday. 

There’s a chance for thunderstorms on Friday night, followed by a rainy mix on Saturday and falling temperatures. Sunday will be the coldest day of the week, with a high of just 33 degrees. 

Here’s a look at your seven-day forecast: 

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Weather Forecast



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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis head-on ambulance crash hospitalizes 5, including 2 paramedics

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Minneapolis head-on ambulance crash hospitalizes 5, including 2 paramedics


An ambulance crash in Minneapolis sent five people to the hospital, including two paramedics, just before 4:30 a.m. Saturday. 

Minneapolis ambulance crash 

What we know:

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A news release from the Hennepin EMS Public Information Office said the ambulance was responding to a non-urgent call without any lights or sirens and was “following normal traffic patterns.” The ambulance, which was an advanced life support unit, was staffed by two paramedics. 

The ambulance crew then reported at about 4:24 a.m. that they were involved in a crash and requested help while they began to render aid. Officials say police, firefighters and three additional ambulances then responded to the scene. 

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A total of five people were then taken to area hospitals for evaluation, including the two paramedics, who have since been released from the hospital, Hennepin EMS officials said. 

The news release states the ambulance was eastbound on Lake Street West in Minneapolis when “a westbound sedan entered the eastbound lanes prior to the crash.”

Minneapolis police say three of the people in the sedan were taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and no arrests were made. 

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What we don’t know:

No reason was given for why the westbound sedan entered the eastbound lanes.

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Further details on the crash are still being investigated. 

The Source: A news release from the Hennepin EMS Public Information Office and statements from the Minneapolis Police Department. 

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