I was reading in one of these threads, I think wayne or Ti when they were spending time with their kids, and people were making negative remarks. Somebody quoted something like whats wrong with a black man spending times with the kids, something to that effect.
Do you think blackculture, and hiphop culture, brainwash the youth to hate their fathers? I was just thinking this. It's like most people I know are bitter towards their fathers. It's like their mothers can be phuck ups and they will forgive their mothers, but when it come down to the FATHERS, people hold such bitter grudges towards their fathers.
Personaly, I love my father despite his short commings. Half of the reason my father couldnt play a part with my up bringing is because of my mother. I don't understand why black people (especialy) blame everything that goes wrong with their upbrining on their fathers. You hardly hear black people say positive things about their fathers. Why do you think our culture bash father figures? Also on top of that in hiphop culture a lot of people say negative things about their fathers. When the mothers could be twice as wrong, however they still hate daddy...
what you think is causing the hate towards father figures??
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Local Hip Hop Artist Inspires Youth By Combining Entertainment With Education
Today’s generation of youth is more apt to know lyrics written by Lil Wayne than poems by Maya Angelou. They can sing along to a Chris Brown hook but are not able to pick key themes out of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. They recognize the name Tommy the Clown, creator of the Krump dancing movement, but have never heard of Debbie Allen. Older generations call them lost souls, ignorant of their history and identity, left to the trappings of corporate greed and unreachable to those who don’t own a MySpace or Facebook page. All too often it is parents, educators, ministers and care providers that are the makeup of these older generations — the very same people charged with leading these young people into adulthood. However, it would seem that they do not know how to reach this new generation through the maze of internet networking sites, text messages and web podcasts that make up basic communication for today’s youth.
These young people are often left to feel as though no one but their peers understand them and quite often they’re right. This is an age where a student can find any piece of information on the Internet very quickly, but their teacher doesn’t know what the Soulja Boy dance is. It is an age where half the brain stays in cyberspace and the real world moves at a snail’s pace. It is also an age where, according to US Today, 51% of 18-25 year olds’ number one goal is to become famous.
Shyan Selah, Founder and CEO of the Seattle entertainment company Brave New World, Inc., is aware of this. He also knows that there are way too many parents and educators who may not be.
“There is a generational gap between educators and the kids,” says Selah. “Traditional ways are failing, especially in inner-city areas. We want to bridge that gap.”
In addition to owning his own company, Selah is also the Spokesperson and COO of the Jimi Hendrix Foundation and a hip hop/soul artist with his freshman album, Brave New World, currently in stores. He has a goal of using his talents and contacts in the entertainment industry to reach and educate young people where others may have had trouble. In addition to embarking on what Brave New World has called the “Stay in sChOOL” tour to promote his music throughout Washington State, Selah has also partnered his company with the Maxine Mimms Academies for Suspended and Expelled Youth as well as the Southwest Boys and Girls Club in White Center.
“The reason why I deal with the youth is because they deserve a fair chance to get answers about life. Answers that go deeper than the conventional methods.” says Selah.
“Those answers have to come from someone who has extensive experience in the dominant areas of influence in their lives, such as entertainment, especially Hip Hop culture,” he adds.
The golden method for Selah is not fighting the youth culture of today, but embracing it. According to Selah, mass marketing, television, movies and music are how children learn about their society nowadays and people cannot be afraid of using those things to connect to their kids.
“You have too many people in the position of leading our youth that don’t have real experience in dealing with what’s going on in their world so the kids have a form of distrust with authority figures all together,” he asserts.
Dr. Maxine Mimms of the Mimms Academies agrees and states that Hip Hop culture has taken over the top roles of educating youth.
“Hip Hop is the new professor,” she says. “But it confesses, not professes.”
Like Selah, Dr. Mimms says this is why the youth gravitate to Hip Hop music rather than school. To them, it just seems more real.
“As teachers we profess what’s right and we act like we don’t cuss, screw, etc.” says Dr. Mimms who adds that Hip Hop is the exact opposite of professing what should be and instead tells it like it is.
“This music is dirty and filthy and it’s confession,” she says.
Dr. Mimms said she was introduced to the power of hip hop in education back in 2004 when Selah first brought his company to the then brand new Maxine Mimms Academy in Tacoma. For six months Selah and his employees volunteered their time to keep students who had been suspended and expelled learning during their time off from school with one important modification: he used the entertainment business (and his own life) as an educational model. They placed students in to groups of seven or eight — one student would be picked to be a superstar going on tour, another the tour manger, two others would be sponsors vying for top placement, etc. The students had to calculate, negotiate, plan ahead and problem solve how to take care of the star and make everything else run smoothly. Selah would then touch on social science by having the students look at changes they could make in their own communities with their “star” influence. They took a tour of nice establishments in Bellevue and the run down neighborhoods in the Hilltop and discussed how they could make a difference.
“We taught them that there were levels to obtain success other than being a rapper,” says Selah. “We incorporate the business model into our program and yet still provide the star quality so that there’s some resonance developed between the moderator or the teacher and the student.”
And when Selah goes to the kids, he knows to embody that star quality to make them respond even faster.
Educators he’s worked with say it’s not just what he says or sings, but he also looks the part. As a former athlete who maintains a football player’s build, drives a Hummer and dresses in high-end urban fashion, the Federal Way native has the ultimate kitchen pass when it comes to being accepted by the students he talks to. His street credentials are major and, according to Emily Slagle, Executive Director for the Southwest Boys and Girls Club, very necessary when dealing with her kids.
“Shyan is able to reach these kids in a way that I can’t. I’m not an African American hip hop star with a record deal,” says the petite Slagle, who’s Caucasian.
Slagle requested Selah and Brave New World join with the Boys & Girls Club after a certain amount of gang activity in the White Center neighborhood affected some club members. Selah and his staff have agreed to volunteer time at the club, including providing entertainment once a month during their Friday Teen Late Nights. The company has already hosted two teen nights at the SW Boys & Girls Club facility and Selah is currently planning a project for the students to learn about what it takes to produce, market, sell and distribute an album.
“I think including Shyan, who’s lived and felt a lot of what these kids have felt, into the club is important,” says Slagle. “In an age where kids want to be rappers, I like Brave New World’s idea of showing them the whole transition from writing a song to getting an album in stores.”
Despite the fact that the Mimms Academies are educational based and the Boys and Girls Club leans more to providing a recreational after-school venue for kids, Selah says his approach in youth outreach remains the same.
“For us it’s the same movement. It’s not much different at all,” says Selah.
“Our goal is to impact our community with real substance. Something they can take home right away, a living example of that what they’re influence by,” he continued. “It’s two fold: we get to teach them about the industry of influence and at the same time to renew their hope and desire for success.”
Of course some may have misgivings about using an art form that has seen as much controversy as hip hop has through the years to teach impressionable minds. Dr. Mimms herself was not immune to the occasional vulgar expressions found in rap.
“Shyan came in and introduced a new genre,” says Dr. Mimms. “Blues was as offensive to my parents as hip hop was offensive to me. But I love opera and I realized all rap is a new form of opera. Rap songs are new urban operas. What I have an obligation to do is incorporate it into what I know. As long as it has a message, positive or not, it is my job to find a space for it.”
That space is now in a new curriculum she is developing directly from Selah’s Brave New World album.
“Shyan’s lyrics bring the children to their moment,” says Dr. Mimms. “[As teachers] we are the facilitators to remind you of your past and bring you to the future. Music can hold you into the now. Shyan is able to instruct through his music.”
“It’s a perfect combination,” says Selah. “It’s today’s hip hop entrepreneur meets the old regime. It’s exactly what they need to see.”
These young people are often left to feel as though no one but their peers understand them and quite often they’re right. This is an age where a student can find any piece of information on the Internet very quickly, but their teacher doesn’t know what the Soulja Boy dance is. It is an age where half the brain stays in cyberspace and the real world moves at a snail’s pace. It is also an age where, according to US Today, 51% of 18-25 year olds’ number one goal is to become famous.
Shyan Selah, Founder and CEO of the Seattle entertainment company Brave New World, Inc., is aware of this. He also knows that there are way too many parents and educators who may not be.
“There is a generational gap between educators and the kids,” says Selah. “Traditional ways are failing, especially in inner-city areas. We want to bridge that gap.”
In addition to owning his own company, Selah is also the Spokesperson and COO of the Jimi Hendrix Foundation and a hip hop/soul artist with his freshman album, Brave New World, currently in stores. He has a goal of using his talents and contacts in the entertainment industry to reach and educate young people where others may have had trouble. In addition to embarking on what Brave New World has called the “Stay in sChOOL” tour to promote his music throughout Washington State, Selah has also partnered his company with the Maxine Mimms Academies for Suspended and Expelled Youth as well as the Southwest Boys and Girls Club in White Center.
“The reason why I deal with the youth is because they deserve a fair chance to get answers about life. Answers that go deeper than the conventional methods.” says Selah.
“Those answers have to come from someone who has extensive experience in the dominant areas of influence in their lives, such as entertainment, especially Hip Hop culture,” he adds.
The golden method for Selah is not fighting the youth culture of today, but embracing it. According to Selah, mass marketing, television, movies and music are how children learn about their society nowadays and people cannot be afraid of using those things to connect to their kids.
“You have too many people in the position of leading our youth that don’t have real experience in dealing with what’s going on in their world so the kids have a form of distrust with authority figures all together,” he asserts.
Dr. Maxine Mimms of the Mimms Academies agrees and states that Hip Hop culture has taken over the top roles of educating youth.
“Hip Hop is the new professor,” she says. “But it confesses, not professes.”
Like Selah, Dr. Mimms says this is why the youth gravitate to Hip Hop music rather than school. To them, it just seems more real.
“As teachers we profess what’s right and we act like we don’t cuss, screw, etc.” says Dr. Mimms who adds that Hip Hop is the exact opposite of professing what should be and instead tells it like it is.
“This music is dirty and filthy and it’s confession,” she says.
Dr. Mimms said she was introduced to the power of hip hop in education back in 2004 when Selah first brought his company to the then brand new Maxine Mimms Academy in Tacoma. For six months Selah and his employees volunteered their time to keep students who had been suspended and expelled learning during their time off from school with one important modification: he used the entertainment business (and his own life) as an educational model. They placed students in to groups of seven or eight — one student would be picked to be a superstar going on tour, another the tour manger, two others would be sponsors vying for top placement, etc. The students had to calculate, negotiate, plan ahead and problem solve how to take care of the star and make everything else run smoothly. Selah would then touch on social science by having the students look at changes they could make in their own communities with their “star” influence. They took a tour of nice establishments in Bellevue and the run down neighborhoods in the Hilltop and discussed how they could make a difference.
“We taught them that there were levels to obtain success other than being a rapper,” says Selah. “We incorporate the business model into our program and yet still provide the star quality so that there’s some resonance developed between the moderator or the teacher and the student.”
And when Selah goes to the kids, he knows to embody that star quality to make them respond even faster.
Educators he’s worked with say it’s not just what he says or sings, but he also looks the part. As a former athlete who maintains a football player’s build, drives a Hummer and dresses in high-end urban fashion, the Federal Way native has the ultimate kitchen pass when it comes to being accepted by the students he talks to. His street credentials are major and, according to Emily Slagle, Executive Director for the Southwest Boys and Girls Club, very necessary when dealing with her kids.
“Shyan is able to reach these kids in a way that I can’t. I’m not an African American hip hop star with a record deal,” says the petite Slagle, who’s Caucasian.
Slagle requested Selah and Brave New World join with the Boys & Girls Club after a certain amount of gang activity in the White Center neighborhood affected some club members. Selah and his staff have agreed to volunteer time at the club, including providing entertainment once a month during their Friday Teen Late Nights. The company has already hosted two teen nights at the SW Boys & Girls Club facility and Selah is currently planning a project for the students to learn about what it takes to produce, market, sell and distribute an album.
“I think including Shyan, who’s lived and felt a lot of what these kids have felt, into the club is important,” says Slagle. “In an age where kids want to be rappers, I like Brave New World’s idea of showing them the whole transition from writing a song to getting an album in stores.”
Despite the fact that the Mimms Academies are educational based and the Boys and Girls Club leans more to providing a recreational after-school venue for kids, Selah says his approach in youth outreach remains the same.
“For us it’s the same movement. It’s not much different at all,” says Selah.
“Our goal is to impact our community with real substance. Something they can take home right away, a living example of that what they’re influence by,” he continued. “It’s two fold: we get to teach them about the industry of influence and at the same time to renew their hope and desire for success.”
Of course some may have misgivings about using an art form that has seen as much controversy as hip hop has through the years to teach impressionable minds. Dr. Mimms herself was not immune to the occasional vulgar expressions found in rap.
“Shyan came in and introduced a new genre,” says Dr. Mimms. “Blues was as offensive to my parents as hip hop was offensive to me. But I love opera and I realized all rap is a new form of opera. Rap songs are new urban operas. What I have an obligation to do is incorporate it into what I know. As long as it has a message, positive or not, it is my job to find a space for it.”
That space is now in a new curriculum she is developing directly from Selah’s Brave New World album.
“Shyan’s lyrics bring the children to their moment,” says Dr. Mimms. “[As teachers] we are the facilitators to remind you of your past and bring you to the future. Music can hold you into the now. Shyan is able to instruct through his music.”
“It’s a perfect combination,” says Selah. “It’s today’s hip hop entrepreneur meets the old regime. It’s exactly what they need to see.”
Hip-hop is over for me, says Kanye
In an overheated hotel room, Kanye West gives a little introductory speech about his latest album, 808s & Heartbreak, before taking an iPod out of his pocket and plugging it into a speaker.
At regular intervals as the album plays, he does a dance - still seated - to the strange new sounds coming from the iPod. Instead of the hip-hop with which he made his name, the new album mixes a kind of science-fiction synth-pop with an R&B undertow. It sounds like Michael Jackson fronting the Human League in Studio 54.
West is one of the biggest and most interesting artists in music today. It is not an overestimation to regard his second album, Late Registration, as rap's White Album. He is extravagantly talented - and he knows it. Modesty is not his strong suit: when he lost out on an MTV award two years ago, he interrupted the speech of winners Justice Vs Simian to shout out: "This award should have gone to me!" He once posed as Jesus Christ on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
Other times, he makes better use of his public profile. He deviated from a speech he was giving at a Hurricane Katrina benefit to declare on live TV that "George Bush doesn't care about black people". He is also one of the few artists to speak out about rampant homophobia in the rap world.
There are only two things he doesn't want to talk about today: the death of his mother last year and the recent end of his 18-month engagement to the designer Alexis Phifer. There's one other proviso: "If you ask me which do I prefer - producing or singing? - I will walk straight out of this room."
He smiles as he says this. Or at least, his mouth is smiling. His eyes aren't.
The emotional backdrop to the latest album is bereavement and romantic grief: most of the 11 tracks are about West's break-up with Phifer, while one, Coldest Winter, is an elegy for his mother, Donda West, an academic who raised him alone after her marriage broke up when he was three.
West blames himself for her death, which occurred during cosmetic surgery for breast reduction and a "tummy tuck". She had left her job as chairwoman of Chicago State University's English department to be with her son in Los Angeles and he believes she would still be alive if she hadn't made the move to that city. As he puts it: "I lost her to Hollywood."
Today West is in a sombre, workmanlike mood. He casts a baleful look at an assistant who has the temerity to talk during the album playback, but rather sweetly writes a note with the album's track listing for me and whispers clarifications into my ear between tracks.
"The reason why I feel I had to give a little introductory speech before you heard the album is because this is not hip-hop music," he says. "Taking a sample, looping it and doing all that 'throw your hands up in the sky' thing has become such a cliche. Hip-hop is over for me. I sing, not rap, on this album. I now want to be grouped among those musicians you see in those old black-and-white photos - the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles. And I'm not going to get there by doing just another rap album full of samples.
"I've had to create a whole new musical genre to describe what I'm doing now and I'm calling it 'pop-art' - which is not to be confused with the visual art movement. I realise that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of a generation."
Outside his native America, West can come across as an unbearable show-off. But at home he represents the voice of a confident black middle class that will assert their self-belief in blunt terms. His ego may be the size of Illinois but he has the sales figures to match. He's a 10-time Grammy winner whose four previous albums have tallied 12 million sales worldwide. As a producer he has sprinkled his magic over works by Jay-Z, Beyonce and Janet Jackson.
The most immediately striking thing about the new album is the use of a software package called Auto-Tune on all but one of the 11 tracks.
Auto-Tune - used in much of today's pop music - corrects the pitch in a singer's voice but also gives it a slightly distorted, robotic feel (not too dissimilar to how Cher sounded on her big 1998 hit Believe).
"I wanted to use Auto-Tune to distance myself from that traditional rap sound," he says. "I've already braced myself for the critical reaction to it. The other really different thing here is that there are no natural drum sounds on the album.
"I've called the album 808s & Heartbreak because all the drum sounds are made by the Roland TR-808 drum machine which was really big in the 1980s. Most drum machines use samples of real human drumming but the Roland doesn't so you've got that MTV-in-the-1980s feel throughout the whole album."
Before arriving at his new sound, West trawled all the pop music he had grown up with.
"I was listening to the stuff that really excited me when I was a kid. It was Boy George and Madonna and Michael Jackson and Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins. I completely subscribe to popular culture."
He disdains what he calls the snobbery of people who think if something is popular "then it's necessarily bullshit".
"Look at all those indie guitar bands who look down on pop music. My question to them is: 'Do you not want a song of yours to explode and be heard by everyone?' Look at Britney Spears and how people talk about her.
"If you don't like Britney Spears, then you're just wrong."
Telegraph, London
808s & Heartbreak is out now. Kanye West performs at the Acer Arena on Saturday.
At regular intervals as the album plays, he does a dance - still seated - to the strange new sounds coming from the iPod. Instead of the hip-hop with which he made his name, the new album mixes a kind of science-fiction synth-pop with an R&B undertow. It sounds like Michael Jackson fronting the Human League in Studio 54.
West is one of the biggest and most interesting artists in music today. It is not an overestimation to regard his second album, Late Registration, as rap's White Album. He is extravagantly talented - and he knows it. Modesty is not his strong suit: when he lost out on an MTV award two years ago, he interrupted the speech of winners Justice Vs Simian to shout out: "This award should have gone to me!" He once posed as Jesus Christ on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
Other times, he makes better use of his public profile. He deviated from a speech he was giving at a Hurricane Katrina benefit to declare on live TV that "George Bush doesn't care about black people". He is also one of the few artists to speak out about rampant homophobia in the rap world.
There are only two things he doesn't want to talk about today: the death of his mother last year and the recent end of his 18-month engagement to the designer Alexis Phifer. There's one other proviso: "If you ask me which do I prefer - producing or singing? - I will walk straight out of this room."
He smiles as he says this. Or at least, his mouth is smiling. His eyes aren't.
The emotional backdrop to the latest album is bereavement and romantic grief: most of the 11 tracks are about West's break-up with Phifer, while one, Coldest Winter, is an elegy for his mother, Donda West, an academic who raised him alone after her marriage broke up when he was three.
West blames himself for her death, which occurred during cosmetic surgery for breast reduction and a "tummy tuck". She had left her job as chairwoman of Chicago State University's English department to be with her son in Los Angeles and he believes she would still be alive if she hadn't made the move to that city. As he puts it: "I lost her to Hollywood."
Today West is in a sombre, workmanlike mood. He casts a baleful look at an assistant who has the temerity to talk during the album playback, but rather sweetly writes a note with the album's track listing for me and whispers clarifications into my ear between tracks.
"The reason why I feel I had to give a little introductory speech before you heard the album is because this is not hip-hop music," he says. "Taking a sample, looping it and doing all that 'throw your hands up in the sky' thing has become such a cliche. Hip-hop is over for me. I sing, not rap, on this album. I now want to be grouped among those musicians you see in those old black-and-white photos - the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles. And I'm not going to get there by doing just another rap album full of samples.
"I've had to create a whole new musical genre to describe what I'm doing now and I'm calling it 'pop-art' - which is not to be confused with the visual art movement. I realise that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of a generation."
Outside his native America, West can come across as an unbearable show-off. But at home he represents the voice of a confident black middle class that will assert their self-belief in blunt terms. His ego may be the size of Illinois but he has the sales figures to match. He's a 10-time Grammy winner whose four previous albums have tallied 12 million sales worldwide. As a producer he has sprinkled his magic over works by Jay-Z, Beyonce and Janet Jackson.
The most immediately striking thing about the new album is the use of a software package called Auto-Tune on all but one of the 11 tracks.
Auto-Tune - used in much of today's pop music - corrects the pitch in a singer's voice but also gives it a slightly distorted, robotic feel (not too dissimilar to how Cher sounded on her big 1998 hit Believe).
"I wanted to use Auto-Tune to distance myself from that traditional rap sound," he says. "I've already braced myself for the critical reaction to it. The other really different thing here is that there are no natural drum sounds on the album.
"I've called the album 808s & Heartbreak because all the drum sounds are made by the Roland TR-808 drum machine which was really big in the 1980s. Most drum machines use samples of real human drumming but the Roland doesn't so you've got that MTV-in-the-1980s feel throughout the whole album."
Before arriving at his new sound, West trawled all the pop music he had grown up with.
"I was listening to the stuff that really excited me when I was a kid. It was Boy George and Madonna and Michael Jackson and Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins. I completely subscribe to popular culture."
He disdains what he calls the snobbery of people who think if something is popular "then it's necessarily bullshit".
"Look at all those indie guitar bands who look down on pop music. My question to them is: 'Do you not want a song of yours to explode and be heard by everyone?' Look at Britney Spears and how people talk about her.
"If you don't like Britney Spears, then you're just wrong."
Telegraph, London
808s & Heartbreak is out now. Kanye West performs at the Acer Arena on Saturday.
Hip-hop is over for me, says Kanye
In an overheated hotel room, Kanye West gives a little introductory speech about his latest album, 808s & Heartbreak, before taking an iPod out of his pocket and plugging it into a speaker.
At regular intervals as the album plays, he does a dance - still seated - to the strange new sounds coming from the iPod. Instead of the hip-hop with which he made his name, the new album mixes a kind of science-fiction synth-pop with an R&B undertow. It sounds like Michael Jackson fronting the Human League in Studio 54.
West is one of the biggest and most interesting artists in music today. It is not an overestimation to regard his second album, Late Registration, as rap's White Album. He is extravagantly talented - and he knows it. Modesty is not his strong suit: when he lost out on an MTV award two years ago, he interrupted the speech of winners Justice Vs Simian to shout out: "This award should have gone to me!" He once posed as Jesus Christ on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
Other times, he makes better use of his public profile. He deviated from a speech he was giving at a Hurricane Katrina benefit to declare on live TV that "George Bush doesn't care about black people". He is also one of the few artists to speak out about rampant homophobia in the rap world.
There are only two things he doesn't want to talk about today: the death of his mother last year and the recent end of his 18-month engagement to the designer Alexis Phifer. There's one other proviso: "If you ask me which do I prefer - producing or singing? - I will walk straight out of this room."
He smiles as he says this. Or at least, his mouth is smiling. His eyes aren't.
The emotional backdrop to the latest album is bereavement and romantic grief: most of the 11 tracks are about West's break-up with Phifer, while one, Coldest Winter, is an elegy for his mother, Donda West, an academic who raised him alone after her marriage broke up when he was three.
West blames himself for her death, which occurred during cosmetic surgery for breast reduction and a "tummy tuck". She had left her job as chairwoman of Chicago State University's English department to be with her son in Los Angeles and he believes she would still be alive if she hadn't made the move to that city. As he puts it: "I lost her to Hollywood."
Today West is in a sombre, workmanlike mood. He casts a baleful look at an assistant who has the temerity to talk during the album playback, but rather sweetly writes a note with the album's track listing for me and whispers clarifications into my ear between tracks.
"The reason why I feel I had to give a little introductory speech before you heard the album is because this is not hip-hop music," he says. "Taking a sample, looping it and doing all that 'throw your hands up in the sky' thing has become such a cliche. Hip-hop is over for me. I sing, not rap, on this album. I now want to be grouped among those musicians you see in those old black-and-white photos - the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles. And I'm not going to get there by doing just another rap album full of samples.
"I've had to create a whole new musical genre to describe what I'm doing now and I'm calling it 'pop-art' - which is not to be confused with the visual art movement. I realise that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of a generation."
Outside his native America, West can come across as an unbearable show-off. But at home he represents the voice of a confident black middle class that will assert their self-belief in blunt terms. His ego may be the size of Illinois but he has the sales figures to match. He's a 10-time Grammy winner whose four previous albums have tallied 12 million sales worldwide. As a producer he has sprinkled his magic over works by Jay-Z, Beyonce and Janet Jackson.
The most immediately striking thing about the new album is the use of a software package called Auto-Tune on all but one of the 11 tracks.
Auto-Tune - used in much of today's pop music - corrects the pitch in a singer's voice but also gives it a slightly distorted, robotic feel (not too dissimilar to how Cher sounded on her big 1998 hit Believe).
"I wanted to use Auto-Tune to distance myself from that traditional rap sound," he says. "I've already braced myself for the critical reaction to it. The other really different thing here is that there are no natural drum sounds on the album.
"I've called the album 808s & Heartbreak because all the drum sounds are made by the Roland TR-808 drum machine which was really big in the 1980s. Most drum machines use samples of real human drumming but the Roland doesn't so you've got that MTV-in-the-1980s feel throughout the whole album."
Before arriving at his new sound, West trawled all the pop music he had grown up with.
"I was listening to the stuff that really excited me when I was a kid. It was Boy George and Madonna and Michael Jackson and Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins. I completely subscribe to popular culture."
He disdains what he calls the snobbery of people who think if something is popular "then it's necessarily bullshit".
"Look at all those indie guitar bands who look down on pop music. My question to them is: 'Do you not want a song of yours to explode and be heard by everyone?' Look at Britney Spears and how people talk about her.
"If you don't like Britney Spears, then you're just wrong."
Telegraph, London
808s & Heartbreak is out now. Kanye West performs at the Acer Arena on Saturday.
At regular intervals as the album plays, he does a dance - still seated - to the strange new sounds coming from the iPod. Instead of the hip-hop with which he made his name, the new album mixes a kind of science-fiction synth-pop with an R&B undertow. It sounds like Michael Jackson fronting the Human League in Studio 54.
West is one of the biggest and most interesting artists in music today. It is not an overestimation to regard his second album, Late Registration, as rap's White Album. He is extravagantly talented - and he knows it. Modesty is not his strong suit: when he lost out on an MTV award two years ago, he interrupted the speech of winners Justice Vs Simian to shout out: "This award should have gone to me!" He once posed as Jesus Christ on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
Other times, he makes better use of his public profile. He deviated from a speech he was giving at a Hurricane Katrina benefit to declare on live TV that "George Bush doesn't care about black people". He is also one of the few artists to speak out about rampant homophobia in the rap world.
There are only two things he doesn't want to talk about today: the death of his mother last year and the recent end of his 18-month engagement to the designer Alexis Phifer. There's one other proviso: "If you ask me which do I prefer - producing or singing? - I will walk straight out of this room."
He smiles as he says this. Or at least, his mouth is smiling. His eyes aren't.
The emotional backdrop to the latest album is bereavement and romantic grief: most of the 11 tracks are about West's break-up with Phifer, while one, Coldest Winter, is an elegy for his mother, Donda West, an academic who raised him alone after her marriage broke up when he was three.
West blames himself for her death, which occurred during cosmetic surgery for breast reduction and a "tummy tuck". She had left her job as chairwoman of Chicago State University's English department to be with her son in Los Angeles and he believes she would still be alive if she hadn't made the move to that city. As he puts it: "I lost her to Hollywood."
Today West is in a sombre, workmanlike mood. He casts a baleful look at an assistant who has the temerity to talk during the album playback, but rather sweetly writes a note with the album's track listing for me and whispers clarifications into my ear between tracks.
"The reason why I feel I had to give a little introductory speech before you heard the album is because this is not hip-hop music," he says. "Taking a sample, looping it and doing all that 'throw your hands up in the sky' thing has become such a cliche. Hip-hop is over for me. I sing, not rap, on this album. I now want to be grouped among those musicians you see in those old black-and-white photos - the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles. And I'm not going to get there by doing just another rap album full of samples.
"I've had to create a whole new musical genre to describe what I'm doing now and I'm calling it 'pop-art' - which is not to be confused with the visual art movement. I realise that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of a generation."
Outside his native America, West can come across as an unbearable show-off. But at home he represents the voice of a confident black middle class that will assert their self-belief in blunt terms. His ego may be the size of Illinois but he has the sales figures to match. He's a 10-time Grammy winner whose four previous albums have tallied 12 million sales worldwide. As a producer he has sprinkled his magic over works by Jay-Z, Beyonce and Janet Jackson.
The most immediately striking thing about the new album is the use of a software package called Auto-Tune on all but one of the 11 tracks.
Auto-Tune - used in much of today's pop music - corrects the pitch in a singer's voice but also gives it a slightly distorted, robotic feel (not too dissimilar to how Cher sounded on her big 1998 hit Believe).
"I wanted to use Auto-Tune to distance myself from that traditional rap sound," he says. "I've already braced myself for the critical reaction to it. The other really different thing here is that there are no natural drum sounds on the album.
"I've called the album 808s & Heartbreak because all the drum sounds are made by the Roland TR-808 drum machine which was really big in the 1980s. Most drum machines use samples of real human drumming but the Roland doesn't so you've got that MTV-in-the-1980s feel throughout the whole album."
Before arriving at his new sound, West trawled all the pop music he had grown up with.
"I was listening to the stuff that really excited me when I was a kid. It was Boy George and Madonna and Michael Jackson and Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins. I completely subscribe to popular culture."
He disdains what he calls the snobbery of people who think if something is popular "then it's necessarily bullshit".
"Look at all those indie guitar bands who look down on pop music. My question to them is: 'Do you not want a song of yours to explode and be heard by everyone?' Look at Britney Spears and how people talk about her.
"If you don't like Britney Spears, then you're just wrong."
Telegraph, London
808s & Heartbreak is out now. Kanye West performs at the Acer Arena on Saturday.
Rappers Remember, Pay Homage To Pimp C
Exactly one year ago today (December 4) the Hip-Hop world was rocked by the sudden passing of Chad Butler, known worldwide as the cavalier Pimp C of the seminal Southern rap duo UGK.
The founder of UGK was found dead in a West Hollywood hotel after accidentally overdosing on codeine syrup.
An autopsy report confirmed that it was the combination of sleep apnea and the recreational syrup drug that proved lethal.
In his native Texas, Pimp C’s name and legacy continues to be an inspiration.
"I'm normally good with words but It took me a while just to put a three sentence quote together about him because there are no words to describe how much he meant to me and so many others,” Houston rapper Chamillionaire told AllHipHop.com. “It really seems like it was just yesterday that he was here and I still can't believe he's not. He is deeply missed an I know his legacy will live on forever."
Rapper Slim Thug credits his late predecessor with laying the difficult groundwork in the 80s and 90s that has culminated this decade with an explosion of Texas artists.
“A year has passed since the Pimp died and he is still missed everyday,” Slim said. “I hear him sampled on hooks and hear all the good music he made while alive and I know we will never forget what he did for Texas. Its UGK 4 life b*tch!”
Madd Hatta, host of The Box’s 97.9 Morning Show, is proud of Bun B and Pimp C’s wife Chinara Butler for valiantly upholding the rapper’s name.
But the host admits it is still hard to comprehend that Pimp C is actually gone.
“The city continues to feel the void of our fallen soldier. The colorful language, sayings, clothes, attitude and rhymes he gave us is missed so much,” Hatta explained to AllHipHop.com. “Bun B continues to keep the UGK name and the legacy of Pimp C, as well as Mama Pimp. It’s still a shock to think he hasn’t been with us for an entire year.”
On this day, Chinara Butler chose to frame her words directly to the spirit of her late husband, who she feels remains with her every day.
“To my husband and best friend words can never express how much you are missed and how much of a gap you left in the lives of family, friends, the industry and your fans!” Butler stated. “I don’t think I’m alone when I say I definitely miss you, speaking the real. You are loved and missed but your spirit and music will live on forever. The Trill is gone!”
In 2009 a final UGK and Pimp C solo album will be released, which represent the last work of the deceased rapper.
On December 29, Pimp C would have celebrated his 35th birthday. Exactly one year ago today (December 4) the Hip-Hop world was rocked by the sudden passing of Chad Butler, known worldwide as the cavalier Pimp C of the seminal Southern rap duo UGK.
The founder of UGK was found dead in a West Hollywood hotel after accidentally overdosing on codeine syrup.
An autopsy report confirmed that it was the combination of sleep apnea and the recreational syrup drug that proved lethal.
In his native Texas, Pimp C’s name and legacy continues to be an inspiration.
"I'm normally good with words but It took me a while just to put a three sentence quote together about him because there are no words to describe how much he meant to me and so many others,” Houston rapper Chamillionaire told AllHipHop.com. “It really seems like it was just yesterday that he was here and I still can't believe he's not. He is deeply missed an I know his legacy will live on forever."
Rapper Slim Thug credits his late predecessor with laying the difficult groundwork in the 80s and 90s that has culminated this decade with an explosion of Texas artists.
“A year has passed since the Pimp died and he is still missed everyday,” Slim said. “I hear him sampled on hooks and hear all the good music he made while alive and I know we will never forget what he did for Texas. Its UGK 4 life b*tch!”
Madd Hatta, host of The Box’s 97.9 Morning Show, is proud of Bun B and Pimp C’s wife Chinara Butler for valiantly upholding the rapper’s name.
But the host admits it is still hard to comprehend that Pimp C is actually gone.
“The city continues to feel the void of our fallen soldier. The colorful language, sayings, clothes, attitude and rhymes he gave us is missed so much,” Hatta explained to AllHipHop.com. “Bun B continues to keep the UGK name and the legacy of Pimp C, as well as Mama Pimp. It’s still a shock to think he hasn’t been with us for an entire year.”
On this day, Chinara Butler chose to frame her words directly to the spirit of her late husband, who she feels remains with her every day.
“To my husband and best friend words can never express how much you are missed and how much of a gap you left in the lives of family, friends, the industry and your fans!” Butler stated. “I don’t think I’m alone when I say I definitely miss you, speaking the real. You are loved and missed but your spirit and music will live on forever. The Trill is gone!”
In 2009 a final UGK and Pimp C solo album will be released, which represent the last work of the deceased rapper.
On December 29, Pimp C would have celebrated his 35th birthday.
The founder of UGK was found dead in a West Hollywood hotel after accidentally overdosing on codeine syrup.
An autopsy report confirmed that it was the combination of sleep apnea and the recreational syrup drug that proved lethal.
In his native Texas, Pimp C’s name and legacy continues to be an inspiration.
"I'm normally good with words but It took me a while just to put a three sentence quote together about him because there are no words to describe how much he meant to me and so many others,” Houston rapper Chamillionaire told AllHipHop.com. “It really seems like it was just yesterday that he was here and I still can't believe he's not. He is deeply missed an I know his legacy will live on forever."
Rapper Slim Thug credits his late predecessor with laying the difficult groundwork in the 80s and 90s that has culminated this decade with an explosion of Texas artists.
“A year has passed since the Pimp died and he is still missed everyday,” Slim said. “I hear him sampled on hooks and hear all the good music he made while alive and I know we will never forget what he did for Texas. Its UGK 4 life b*tch!”
Madd Hatta, host of The Box’s 97.9 Morning Show, is proud of Bun B and Pimp C’s wife Chinara Butler for valiantly upholding the rapper’s name.
But the host admits it is still hard to comprehend that Pimp C is actually gone.
“The city continues to feel the void of our fallen soldier. The colorful language, sayings, clothes, attitude and rhymes he gave us is missed so much,” Hatta explained to AllHipHop.com. “Bun B continues to keep the UGK name and the legacy of Pimp C, as well as Mama Pimp. It’s still a shock to think he hasn’t been with us for an entire year.”
On this day, Chinara Butler chose to frame her words directly to the spirit of her late husband, who she feels remains with her every day.
“To my husband and best friend words can never express how much you are missed and how much of a gap you left in the lives of family, friends, the industry and your fans!” Butler stated. “I don’t think I’m alone when I say I definitely miss you, speaking the real. You are loved and missed but your spirit and music will live on forever. The Trill is gone!”
In 2009 a final UGK and Pimp C solo album will be released, which represent the last work of the deceased rapper.
On December 29, Pimp C would have celebrated his 35th birthday. Exactly one year ago today (December 4) the Hip-Hop world was rocked by the sudden passing of Chad Butler, known worldwide as the cavalier Pimp C of the seminal Southern rap duo UGK.
The founder of UGK was found dead in a West Hollywood hotel after accidentally overdosing on codeine syrup.
An autopsy report confirmed that it was the combination of sleep apnea and the recreational syrup drug that proved lethal.
In his native Texas, Pimp C’s name and legacy continues to be an inspiration.
"I'm normally good with words but It took me a while just to put a three sentence quote together about him because there are no words to describe how much he meant to me and so many others,” Houston rapper Chamillionaire told AllHipHop.com. “It really seems like it was just yesterday that he was here and I still can't believe he's not. He is deeply missed an I know his legacy will live on forever."
Rapper Slim Thug credits his late predecessor with laying the difficult groundwork in the 80s and 90s that has culminated this decade with an explosion of Texas artists.
“A year has passed since the Pimp died and he is still missed everyday,” Slim said. “I hear him sampled on hooks and hear all the good music he made while alive and I know we will never forget what he did for Texas. Its UGK 4 life b*tch!”
Madd Hatta, host of The Box’s 97.9 Morning Show, is proud of Bun B and Pimp C’s wife Chinara Butler for valiantly upholding the rapper’s name.
But the host admits it is still hard to comprehend that Pimp C is actually gone.
“The city continues to feel the void of our fallen soldier. The colorful language, sayings, clothes, attitude and rhymes he gave us is missed so much,” Hatta explained to AllHipHop.com. “Bun B continues to keep the UGK name and the legacy of Pimp C, as well as Mama Pimp. It’s still a shock to think he hasn’t been with us for an entire year.”
On this day, Chinara Butler chose to frame her words directly to the spirit of her late husband, who she feels remains with her every day.
“To my husband and best friend words can never express how much you are missed and how much of a gap you left in the lives of family, friends, the industry and your fans!” Butler stated. “I don’t think I’m alone when I say I definitely miss you, speaking the real. You are loved and missed but your spirit and music will live on forever. The Trill is gone!”
In 2009 a final UGK and Pimp C solo album will be released, which represent the last work of the deceased rapper.
On December 29, Pimp C would have celebrated his 35th birthday.
source: allhiphop.com
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Hip-Hop Rumors: Nas Loses His "N-Word"
NAS LOSES A SONG – AN N-WORD SONG!This was sent to me from some of my elite intel. Remember Nas’ “Be A N****r” too? Yeah, the one with the video. Well, that record has been dumped from the album that has no name. It didn't make the album because Nas and his people couldn't get the sample in the beat cleared. Isn’t that something? But it gets even deeper from what I understand. I don’t know that you all know, but the hook of the song is actually borrowed from a jingle of soft drink soda “Dr. Pepper.” Yea, the original hook said, “I’m a Pepper, He’s a Pepper…wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper too.” Well, Nas essentially replaced “Pepper” with “N****r” and that was a “no-go” for the people over at Dr. Pepper. They refused to let Nas use the hook melody, because of the N-Word in the music. At any rate, I heard the album is really impressive. I don’t think that one song is going to affect that anyway.
NYOIL GOES IN ON NAS ABOUT “THE N-WORD”
There is one person (or more) that is probably happy that Nas’ N-Word song got cut. A lot of people outside of the New York area might not have heard of NYOIL, but he is a very dope MC that has a conscious angle. He’s outspoken and lyrically advocated certain rappers to get “lynched” for selling out. Check the features section for the interview with him.
“I don’t believe that he is going to adequately handle this issue. This is an issue, when you get to talking about certain things…for example, if I start talking thug s**t right, the expectation is that I better be prepared to live that thug s**t because when you talk that thug s**t and you go to different towns muthaf**ers is gonna test your metal. If I was talking that pimping hoe s**t, I better be prepared to do what a pimping hoe do. So if you’re trying to be this conscious dude, you gone speak on conscious issues not just lyrically but orally and be able to articulate your position. If you can’t articulate that position, you don’t got no business building on that s**t. Leave it alone, it ain’t for you.”
MY BAD!
My bad…shout out to all the “folk” I missed yesterday. King High Pimpn – shout out to the big homey. Also shout out to Venus and Serena! I see what y'all doing at Wimbleton!
"I let you win the last one so give me this one."
"OK, fine, but I am getting that Puma endorsement this time."
"Deal!"
DISCLAIMER:
All content within this section is pure rumor and generally have no factual info outside of what the streets have whispered in our ear. Read on.
Rock Steady Crew Celebrating 31 Years July 24-27
By Chris Richburg
Legendary collective Rock Steady Crew (RSC) will celebrate 31 years of preserving Hip-Hop culture during its annual anniversary celebration.
The four-day event will kick off with the celebrity benefit basketball challenge and Against The Grain Concrete B-boy/B-girl battle on July 24 at The Cage in New York City.
The day will also feature a popping/locking and B-boy dance workshop presented by RSC members Mr. Wiggles, Fabel, Suga Pop, Crazy Legs, Servin' Ervin, Bonita and Ynot at the Red Bull building.
"For some reason, Hip-Hop has that natural ability to bring people together and bridge the gaps that divide us, because of our common interest,” RSC Founder Crazy Legs told AllHipHop.com in a statement. When people come to the RSC anniversary, it becomes more than the anniversary. It’s a pilgrimage to the Mecca of Hip-Hop. It’s a way to get in touch with why they got in to Hip-Hop, and to meet some of the people that help to pioneer this culture.”
The week will honor legendary DJ Red Alert, who will celebrate 25 years on the radio as special guest DJ during the UK B-Boy Championships US qualifier, which takes place on July 25.
The Spy Awards and 5-on-5 crew battles will highlight the third day of celebration as B-boys and B-girls compete for a grand prize during round-by-round eliminations on July 26.
The day holds an additional meaning for RSC supporters and members, as it marks the official Rock Steady Crew Day in New York City.
The Rock Steady Crew will conclude it’s celebration with a free all-day outdoor concert and food drive on July 27.
The event will be held in conjunction with the third annual Lincoln Park Music Festival. Artists scheduled to perform include the Beatnuts, Buckshot, Craig G and Marley Marl, Sadat X, Soul Sonic Force, Positive K, Grand Master Caz, DJ Premier featuring NYG’z and Blaq Poet, Termanology and DJ Statik Selektah, A-OK, Akrobatik, Skyzoo and others.
A food drive will be held in honor of Wayne 'Frosty Freeze' Frost, who died after a long illness on April 8.
Prior to his death, Frosty Freeze gained mainstream exposure with an appearance with his Rock Steady brethren in the 1983 film Flashdance.
"Frosty Freeze was one of the last B-boys who embodied the very DNA of the original style, character and moves that existed when this dance began in the early '70s," Crazy Legs said.
For more details on the Rock Steady Crew 31st anniversary, visit www.rocksteadycrew.com.
Legendary collective Rock Steady Crew (RSC) will celebrate 31 years of preserving Hip-Hop culture during its annual anniversary celebration.
The four-day event will kick off with the celebrity benefit basketball challenge and Against The Grain Concrete B-boy/B-girl battle on July 24 at The Cage in New York City.
The day will also feature a popping/locking and B-boy dance workshop presented by RSC members Mr. Wiggles, Fabel, Suga Pop, Crazy Legs, Servin' Ervin, Bonita and Ynot at the Red Bull building.
"For some reason, Hip-Hop has that natural ability to bring people together and bridge the gaps that divide us, because of our common interest,” RSC Founder Crazy Legs told AllHipHop.com in a statement. When people come to the RSC anniversary, it becomes more than the anniversary. It’s a pilgrimage to the Mecca of Hip-Hop. It’s a way to get in touch with why they got in to Hip-Hop, and to meet some of the people that help to pioneer this culture.”
The week will honor legendary DJ Red Alert, who will celebrate 25 years on the radio as special guest DJ during the UK B-Boy Championships US qualifier, which takes place on July 25.
The Spy Awards and 5-on-5 crew battles will highlight the third day of celebration as B-boys and B-girls compete for a grand prize during round-by-round eliminations on July 26.
The day holds an additional meaning for RSC supporters and members, as it marks the official Rock Steady Crew Day in New York City.
The Rock Steady Crew will conclude it’s celebration with a free all-day outdoor concert and food drive on July 27.
The event will be held in conjunction with the third annual Lincoln Park Music Festival. Artists scheduled to perform include the Beatnuts, Buckshot, Craig G and Marley Marl, Sadat X, Soul Sonic Force, Positive K, Grand Master Caz, DJ Premier featuring NYG’z and Blaq Poet, Termanology and DJ Statik Selektah, A-OK, Akrobatik, Skyzoo and others.
A food drive will be held in honor of Wayne 'Frosty Freeze' Frost, who died after a long illness on April 8.
Prior to his death, Frosty Freeze gained mainstream exposure with an appearance with his Rock Steady brethren in the 1983 film Flashdance.
"Frosty Freeze was one of the last B-boys who embodied the very DNA of the original style, character and moves that existed when this dance began in the early '70s," Crazy Legs said.
For more details on the Rock Steady Crew 31st anniversary, visit www.rocksteadycrew.com.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Hot Items
Nas 'Nas(w/ FREE EXCLUSIVE DJ Rugged One - 'Escobar Season Has Returned' Mix CD!)'
Jean Grae & 9th Wonder
T.H.U.G. Angelz(Hell Razah of Sunz Of Man + Shabazz The Disciple)
Immortal Technique
& DJ Green Lanternfeat. Chino XL, Diabolic, Poison Pen, Psycho Realm, Ras Kass
'The 3rd World(w/ FREE DJ Food Stamp - 'Axis Of Evil' Mix CD and Poster!)'
Snowgoonsfeat. Apathy, Ill Bill,
R.A. The Rugged Man,
Reef The Lost Cauze, Slaine, Smif-N-Wessun
Vast Aire
(of Cannibal Ox)feat. Copywrite,
Geechi Suede(of Camp Lo), Karniege, Vordul Mega
Bobby Digital
(aka Rza of Wu-Tang Clan)
feat. Inspectah Deck
Alchemistfeat.
Devin The Dude, Evidence, Lil Dap, Mobb Deep,
Prodigy, Styles P, Tony Yayo, Twins
Atmosphere(Slug + Ant)
Blue Sky Black Death
Tanya Morgan
Pacewon & Mr. Greenfeat. Cymarshall Law
Shawn Jacksonfeat. Guilty Simpson
Various Artists(B-Boy Records)
(.MP3 DVD-ROM BOX SET)
(w/ FREE B-Boy Records T-Shirt - Size Large!)'
B. Dolanfeat. Sage Francis, Sole
'The Failure'
Effectfeat. Akrobatik,
D-Tension, Krumb Snatcha, Termanology
Kon & Amir
Space & Jonathan Toth From Hoth
Hip Hop & Rap Music Artist "LT" in Radio Rotation on Australia’s ZFM Countrywide
by Editor Choice
The debut single by hip hop and rap music artist “LT” titled “The Candle Always Burns” feat. Multi-platinum singer Imarri has been added into frequent radio rotation on Australia’s ZFM Countrywide satellite radio station.
ZFM Countrywide website:
http://www.zfmcountry.com/
At the moment LT is receiving more than 120 spins per week on ZFM’s Urban Channel 103. New music from the subsequent 30 days is added to the radio station play list at the change of every calendar month (ie. the 1st) and LT’s single and his B-side track “U Can Change” have both been added.
ZFM Urban music play list:
http://www.isonliveradio.com/playlists/
LT commented, “I’m very excited that Z-103 is playing my music on the air. As a kid that’s all I ever wanted and now it’s a reality. Australia is a great country and because Hip Hop is so big there it makes me want to catch the next plane to do a show there tomorrow. I have lots of fans there that are just as excited as I am about this great opportunity. I want to thank DJ James Exton and the entire ZFM family for their support of my music.”
His single “The Candle Always Burns” was recently nominated for the Hip Hop/Rap MP3 Music Awards in the UK. The MP3 Awards is designed to support new music and aims to provide a platform for new talent from around the world to showcase musical ability. If chosen as a Finalist for the competition LT will travel to Europe to perform and compete live.
“For an independent artist to achieve what LT has in such a short time is an accomplishment”, said Joanne Pepitone. “With the combination of frequent radio play on ZFM in Australia and the nomination for the MP3 Music Awards in the United Kingdom we feel we’ve been able to build a global buzz for LT and his music”.
Official LT websites:
http://www.myspace.com/LTgotHEAT and http://www.LTgotHEAT.com
About ZFM Australia:“The Z” targets a wide range of music listeners under general genre headings. Their demographics are male-female 20-40. The Z can be listened to from the greater majority of anywhere spanning Australia. ZFM owns affiliate stations in Russia but has subscriber based stations spanning the globe including the USA, Canada, Europe, Asia, South America and more.
ZFM Subscriber stations lists:
http://www.zfmcountrywide.com/international/
The debut single by hip hop and rap music artist “LT” titled “The Candle Always Burns” feat. Multi-platinum singer Imarri has been added into frequent radio rotation on Australia’s ZFM Countrywide satellite radio station.
ZFM Countrywide website:
http://www.zfmcountry.com/
At the moment LT is receiving more than 120 spins per week on ZFM’s Urban Channel 103. New music from the subsequent 30 days is added to the radio station play list at the change of every calendar month (ie. the 1st) and LT’s single and his B-side track “U Can Change” have both been added.
ZFM Urban music play list:
http://www.isonliveradio.com/playlists/
LT commented, “I’m very excited that Z-103 is playing my music on the air. As a kid that’s all I ever wanted and now it’s a reality. Australia is a great country and because Hip Hop is so big there it makes me want to catch the next plane to do a show there tomorrow. I have lots of fans there that are just as excited as I am about this great opportunity. I want to thank DJ James Exton and the entire ZFM family for their support of my music.”
His single “The Candle Always Burns” was recently nominated for the Hip Hop/Rap MP3 Music Awards in the UK. The MP3 Awards is designed to support new music and aims to provide a platform for new talent from around the world to showcase musical ability. If chosen as a Finalist for the competition LT will travel to Europe to perform and compete live.
“For an independent artist to achieve what LT has in such a short time is an accomplishment”, said Joanne Pepitone. “With the combination of frequent radio play on ZFM in Australia and the nomination for the MP3 Music Awards in the United Kingdom we feel we’ve been able to build a global buzz for LT and his music”.
Official LT websites:
http://www.myspace.com/LTgotHEAT and http://www.LTgotHEAT.com
About ZFM Australia:“The Z” targets a wide range of music listeners under general genre headings. Their demographics are male-female 20-40. The Z can be listened to from the greater majority of anywhere spanning Australia. ZFM owns affiliate stations in Russia but has subscriber based stations spanning the globe including the USA, Canada, Europe, Asia, South America and more.
ZFM Subscriber stations lists:
http://www.zfmcountrywide.com/international/
Friday, July 4, 2008
G-Unit: Terminate On Sight
By Adam Thomas
It must have been a New Year’s resolution for G-Unit to shake things up. Think about it, they start the year with a brand new mixtape series, and conspicuously Young Buck is left out. It sounded like Buck was given his discharge, and lo and behold, by June, there are multiple diss tracks and taped conversations all over; from print to pixel.
Like battle hardened soldiers, G-Unit seems the best when they are in battle. General 50 Cent is a mastermind of controlling the heat and keeping the beef fresh in people’s minds. Hate it or love it, it has kept us talking about them even after a relatively quiet 2007, whose high point was CURTIS.
As such, their latest offering, T.O.S. (G-Unit), probably has more press based on the conflicts and beef than the actual music. Fans expecting the same as their first commercial outing, Beg For Mercy, may find themselves a bit out of sorts. However, those who’ve enjoyed the recent tactical barrages of Whoo Kid tapes will find themselves at home within T.O.S.’s musical trenches.
The opener, “Straight Out of Southside” pays homage to N.W.A’s original gangster posse cut “Straight out of Compton” with each member giving their toughest introductions to their personas. Banks takes the cake with harsh lines like “F*** the police with an HIV carrier / No Vaseline and an M-16”. If you need another reason to realize that Banks is the lyrical sharpshooter within the clique, look no further than “T.O.S.”, where Banks delivers potent bar after bar with deadly accuracy.
“No Days Off” features elements that made G-Unit famous in the first place. The gloomy harp and tapping bass resembling rain creates a terrific drop for a sinister track. Also the smoothly produced “Piano Man” catches the entire Unit dropping potent verses. Fan Favorite “Rider Pt. 2” made the album, featuring 50 on a synthesizer and some now ironic lyrics from Buck like “ If 50 ever dropped me, I still wouldn’t sign:”
This isn’t to say this disc is all grit grime and good times. There are two songs (“The Way She Do It,” “Kitty Kat”) are just down right awful. You can tell that 50 and company are trying to recreate a "Wanna Get to Know You," but the magic just seems to be missing in action.
By the time “ Money Make The World Go Round” delivered by sergeant at arms Tony Yayo finishes the disc, you have an idea of what they have been building towards with the mixtape push and makeover they experienced this year, shedding some of their commercial feel and replacing it with more hardcore sound.
By the time “ Money Make The World Go Round” delivered by sergeant at arms Tony Yayo finishes the disc, you have an idea of what they have been building towards with the mixtape push and makeover they experienced this year, shedding some of their commercial feel and replacing it with more hardcore sound.
Is the mission accomplished? Not by any means, as some of the forgetful tracks (“Close To Me”) on this album makes their flaws that much more visible. However, Terminate On Sight at its best, creates the sound their hardcore fans felt their individual albums were missing. While it does not win the war, it’s at least a tactical victory.
Three 6 Mafia: Last to Walk
2
By Felicia J. Barclay
Whether you’re a fan or not of Three 6 Mafia, who wasn’t happy to see a Hip-Hop act win an academy award? Still riding high off their Oscar win, the remaining duo releases their eighth album Last 2 Walk (Columbia). While this effort doesn’t top their best work, it still remains on track with their original sound combined with a dose of commercial singles.
Capturing the core of the group’s signature hard-hitting beats mixed with gritty lyrics is the opener “I Told ‘Em.” “Trap Boom” which features Project Pat, gives an account of the everyday dealings of the trap-house. The pulsating storytelling track blueprints what is offered in the trap inventory, to the idealistic transmission of goods from pick up to delivery. “Playstation” also takes things back to vintage Three 6 with rhythmic bells interjected midway with a thumping tempo.
With only Juicy and Paul left in the group, this album lends to a lot of guests. Cuts like “I’d Rather” featuring Unk, “Weed, Blow, Pills” and “Rollin” featuring Lil Wyte may not hold the attention of the pair’s new found audience that came with The Most Known Unknowns due to its content, however all can appreciate the melodic high each track carries you away on.
“Hood Star” featuring Lyfe Jennings, slows things down a bit. It depicts the tribulations of going from hood assailant to hood star and the stress that follows. Akon lends his vocals on “That’s Right,” while “First 48” features a slew of appearances including Eightball & MJG, on an edgy track consisting of a conglomerate of different sounds.
“My Own Way” oddly features Good Charlotte, lending their vocals not once, but twice with the remix. The album winds down with the current single, “Lolli lolli (Pop That Body)” which is not the typical ruggedness that we’re used to hearing from Three 6.
Despite their compliance of taking a slightly different approach with certain tracks on this project, they still manage to stay true to the essence of the days when they were known for tearing up clubs.
Three 6 Mafia - Last 2 Walk - We Got Da Club
By Felicia J. Barclay
Whether you’re a fan or not of Three 6 Mafia, who wasn’t happy to see a Hip-Hop act win an academy award? Still riding high off their Oscar win, the remaining duo releases their eighth album Last 2 Walk (Columbia). While this effort doesn’t top their best work, it still remains on track with their original sound combined with a dose of commercial singles.
Capturing the core of the group’s signature hard-hitting beats mixed with gritty lyrics is the opener “I Told ‘Em.” “Trap Boom” which features Project Pat, gives an account of the everyday dealings of the trap-house. The pulsating storytelling track blueprints what is offered in the trap inventory, to the idealistic transmission of goods from pick up to delivery. “Playstation” also takes things back to vintage Three 6 with rhythmic bells interjected midway with a thumping tempo.
With only Juicy and Paul left in the group, this album lends to a lot of guests. Cuts like “I’d Rather” featuring Unk, “Weed, Blow, Pills” and “Rollin” featuring Lil Wyte may not hold the attention of the pair’s new found audience that came with The Most Known Unknowns due to its content, however all can appreciate the melodic high each track carries you away on.
“Hood Star” featuring Lyfe Jennings, slows things down a bit. It depicts the tribulations of going from hood assailant to hood star and the stress that follows. Akon lends his vocals on “That’s Right,” while “First 48” features a slew of appearances including Eightball & MJG, on an edgy track consisting of a conglomerate of different sounds.
“My Own Way” oddly features Good Charlotte, lending their vocals not once, but twice with the remix. The album winds down with the current single, “Lolli lolli (Pop That Body)” which is not the typical ruggedness that we’re used to hearing from Three 6.
Despite their compliance of taking a slightly different approach with certain tracks on this project, they still manage to stay true to the essence of the days when they were known for tearing up clubs.
Three 6 Mafia - Last 2 Walk - We Got Da Club
Hancock Expected To Gross $100 Mil; Will Smith, Jazzy Jeff Reunite
By Ismael AbduSalaam
With his new movie set to be another summer blockbuster, rapper/actor Will Smith surprised audience members at the Hancock premier party earlier this week, by reuniting with long-time collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff.
The duo showed no rustiness from years apart, as they started their set with their Hip-Hop classic, “Summertime.”
Harking back to his early shows in seminal places like Union Square, the former Fresh Prince utilized his trademark call and response interaction with the crowd, as he fashioned additional rhymes over 50 Cent's “In the Club.”
While the crowd was mostly full of reserved movie goers, there were a few knowledgeable Hip-Hop fans in attendance.
As Smith tried to make an exit, the fans chanted loudly for the duo to perform “Brand New Funk,” off their Grammy winning and multi-platinum sophomore album He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper.
The group obliged, and Smith had no problem delivering the rapid-fire rhymes of his youth.
Jazzy Jeff, who has become a highly sought after party DJ and producer since the group’s amicable split, had no problems re-creating the frenetic scratches of the classic record, to close out the performance.
As a group, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince have 5 albums together: three gold, one platinum and one multi-platinum.
The duo is planning a summer tour together in conjunction with the Hancock film, which debuted on July 2.
Hancock is predicated to gross $70 to $80 million this July 4 weekend.
Counting projected ticket sales from the 3,695 theaters that screened the movie late Tuesday night (July 1), other analysts are predicting a total North American gross of over $100 million dollars.
Smith’s previous opening weekend best was I Am Legend, which grossed $77.2 million last December.
With his new movie set to be another summer blockbuster, rapper/actor Will Smith surprised audience members at the Hancock premier party earlier this week, by reuniting with long-time collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff.
The duo showed no rustiness from years apart, as they started their set with their Hip-Hop classic, “Summertime.”
Harking back to his early shows in seminal places like Union Square, the former Fresh Prince utilized his trademark call and response interaction with the crowd, as he fashioned additional rhymes over 50 Cent's “In the Club.”
While the crowd was mostly full of reserved movie goers, there were a few knowledgeable Hip-Hop fans in attendance.
As Smith tried to make an exit, the fans chanted loudly for the duo to perform “Brand New Funk,” off their Grammy winning and multi-platinum sophomore album He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper.
The group obliged, and Smith had no problem delivering the rapid-fire rhymes of his youth.
Jazzy Jeff, who has become a highly sought after party DJ and producer since the group’s amicable split, had no problems re-creating the frenetic scratches of the classic record, to close out the performance.
As a group, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince have 5 albums together: three gold, one platinum and one multi-platinum.
The duo is planning a summer tour together in conjunction with the Hancock film, which debuted on July 2.
Hancock is predicated to gross $70 to $80 million this July 4 weekend.
Counting projected ticket sales from the 3,695 theaters that screened the movie late Tuesday night (July 1), other analysts are predicting a total North American gross of over $100 million dollars.
Smith’s previous opening weekend best was I Am Legend, which grossed $77.2 million last December.
Killer Mike & Ice Cube Drop Controversial Song On Holiday
By Chris Richburg
This year’s Fourth of July celebration will include a bit of revolution, courtesy of a new video from Atlanta rapper Killer Mike.
The clip, titled “Pressure,“ debuts today (July 4) and features West Coast rap icon Ice Cube.
The video for the politically-charged track will offer an honest and discouraging view on the current state of affairs in America.
This year’s Fourth of July celebration will include a bit of revolution, courtesy of a new video from Atlanta rapper Killer Mike.
The clip, titled “Pressure,“ debuts today (July 4) and features West Coast rap icon Ice Cube.
The video for the politically-charged track will offer an honest and discouraging view on the current state of affairs in America.
For Killer Mike, "Pressure" provided a way for the rapper to tap into "a frustration that’s bubbling in all parts of this country."
"You can only get upset for so long before you stop holding back. So I let loose and said some s**t that no other rapper has the balls to say," Killer Mike told AllHipHop.com in a statement. “We as black people should not be just blaming whites, but making black politicians, social and religious leaders take responsibility and accountability for selling out their community."
Killer Mike touches on topics ranging from "the police department being the state sanctioned killers of blacks" to "the Sean Bell aftermath," to "the police killing of a 92-year old grandmother in Atlanta," on "Pressure."
Produced by The Bizness, "Pressure" is one of the songs featured on Killer Mike’s forthcoming album I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II.
The album, which features appearances from Shawty Lo, 8ball and MJG and Chamillionnaire, is set to hit stores on Tuesday (July 8).
The following is a tracklisting for I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II:
"You can only get upset for so long before you stop holding back. So I let loose and said some s**t that no other rapper has the balls to say," Killer Mike told AllHipHop.com in a statement. “We as black people should not be just blaming whites, but making black politicians, social and religious leaders take responsibility and accountability for selling out their community."
Killer Mike touches on topics ranging from "the police department being the state sanctioned killers of blacks" to "the Sean Bell aftermath," to "the police killing of a 92-year old grandmother in Atlanta," on "Pressure."
Produced by The Bizness, "Pressure" is one of the songs featured on Killer Mike’s forthcoming album I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II.
The album, which features appearances from Shawty Lo, 8ball and MJG and Chamillionnaire, is set to hit stores on Tuesday (July 8).
The following is a tracklisting for I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II:
1. Intro
2. 10 G's
3. Can You Hear Me
4. 2 Sides feat. Shawty Lo
5. Pressure feat Ice Cube
6. Big Money, Big Cars feat. Chamillionaire & Messy Marv
7. God in The Building
8. Super Clean/ Super Hard feat. 8Ball & MJG
9. Woke Up This Mornin'
10. Bang!
Hughes Brothers Explore Pimpin' In New HBO Special
By Tai Saint Louis
Nearly ten years since the release of their groundbreaking documentary American Pimp, the Hughes Brothers have signed on to work on a new drama based on the lifestyle they surveyed and brought to the mainstream.
Albert and Allen Hughes will direct the pilot of HBO’s new Gentlemen of Leisure, the story of a legendary pimp attempting to retire.
Nearly ten years since the release of their groundbreaking documentary American Pimp, the Hughes Brothers have signed on to work on a new drama based on the lifestyle they surveyed and brought to the mainstream.
Albert and Allen Hughes will direct the pilot of HBO’s new Gentlemen of Leisure, the story of a legendary pimp attempting to retire.
The show will be set in Oakland, California and is described by writer Evan Reilly as being about a guy who wants to get out, but keeps getting sucked back in by the allure of the game and by extraneous circumstances that have to do with his family.
In addition to the Hughes Brothers and Reilly, Gentlemen of Leisure will be executive produced by Interscope Records Chairman Jimmy Iovine and Polly Anthony, an exec in Interscope’s TV unit.
Iovine was reportedly interested in creating an “urban mob drama” with ties to Hip-Hop when the new project was brought to his attention.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gentlemen of Leisure is expected to have a very strong musical element.
“You’re not going to see a bunch of colorful, goofy 70’s pimps,” Allen Hughes said. “This is a film noir-style urban drama based in rich characters that will explore the human conditions across the board.”
He went on to explain that the series will take a close look at the conflict that exists between old school-pimps and the younger guys who ignore the code created by their predecessors.
The younger generation of pimps are often accused of mixing the pimp lifestyle with a more violent approach, associated with the drug culture.
In addition to the Hughes Brothers and Reilly, Gentlemen of Leisure will be executive produced by Interscope Records Chairman Jimmy Iovine and Polly Anthony, an exec in Interscope’s TV unit.
Iovine was reportedly interested in creating an “urban mob drama” with ties to Hip-Hop when the new project was brought to his attention.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gentlemen of Leisure is expected to have a very strong musical element.
“You’re not going to see a bunch of colorful, goofy 70’s pimps,” Allen Hughes said. “This is a film noir-style urban drama based in rich characters that will explore the human conditions across the board.”
He went on to explain that the series will take a close look at the conflict that exists between old school-pimps and the younger guys who ignore the code created by their predecessors.
The younger generation of pimps are often accused of mixing the pimp lifestyle with a more violent approach, associated with the drug culture.
Kanye West Partners With Absolut For "Be Kanye" Campaign
By Ismael AbduSalaam
Superstar Kanye West teamed with Absolut Vodka to release a comical video yesterday (July 2) entitled “Be Kanye.”
The lighthearted, 1 minute commercial is an advertisement shot in retro 80’s format complete with loud colors and cheesy sound effects.
In the commercial, Kanye hawks a fictional product named “Be Kanye.”
Superstar Kanye West teamed with Absolut Vodka to release a comical video yesterday (July 2) entitled “Be Kanye.”
The lighthearted, 1 minute commercial is an advertisement shot in retro 80’s format complete with loud colors and cheesy sound effects.
In the commercial, Kanye hawks a fictional product named “Be Kanye.”
The dissolvable tablet enables the user to receive the “famous superstar power” of West. The spot ends with a toll free number to order and pricing at the familiar figure of $19.95.
The commercial is the latest project between West and Absolut Vodka since a sponsorship deal was announced in February 2008.
The influential brand recently organized after parties for West on his Glow in the Dark tour.
The commercial is the latest project between West and Absolut Vodka since a sponsorship deal was announced in February 2008.
The influential brand recently organized after parties for West on his Glow in the Dark tour.
Master P. Makes History With Wal-Mart
By Tai Saint Louis
Master P and Romeo are out to prove their clothing line’s motto as “The Great American Brand,” by making P. Miller Designs accessible to more families.
The affordable clothing line aimed at teens and young adults will now be available at Wal-Mart stores nationwide, becoming the discount chain’s first African-American Hip-Hop supplier.
Hoping to provide an alternative to higher priced brands, P. Miller offers working class families the option of following Hip-Hop styles, for a fraction of the price.
Master P and Romeo are out to prove their clothing line’s motto as “The Great American Brand,” by making P. Miller Designs accessible to more families.
The affordable clothing line aimed at teens and young adults will now be available at Wal-Mart stores nationwide, becoming the discount chain’s first African-American Hip-Hop supplier.
Hoping to provide an alternative to higher priced brands, P. Miller offers working class families the option of following Hip-Hop styles, for a fraction of the price.
In addition to the existing men’s line – with prices running from $9 dollars for a shirt to $20 dollars for a pair of jeans, the company will introduce a new women’s line as part of the new partnership with Wal-Mart.
Miller Peaches will consist of items retailing for no more than $10 apiece.
“We use the same factories and the same materials as Sean John, Rocawear, and Ed Hardy,” said Master P. “These are quality clothes you'd normally find at a department store like Macy's. Now you can pick up the same high-end fashion at an affordable price.
“This is the makings of a great partnership with the number-one retailer in the world,” continued the father/business impresario. “Wal-Mart is making a lot of opportunities available to minority-owned companies that are ready to do business with a big corporation. Together we’re making it cool to shop for clothes at Wal-Mart.”
As the P. Miller Designs brand continues to expand, with shoes, jewelry, fragrances and an eco-friendly organic line on the way, the company is also committed to continuing Master P’s longstanding history of community improvement and empowerment.
P. Miller Designs offers inner-city kids the chance to explore the world of fashion and design, creating jobs and opportunities those youngsters might not usually have access to.
Miller Peaches will consist of items retailing for no more than $10 apiece.
“We use the same factories and the same materials as Sean John, Rocawear, and Ed Hardy,” said Master P. “These are quality clothes you'd normally find at a department store like Macy's. Now you can pick up the same high-end fashion at an affordable price.
“This is the makings of a great partnership with the number-one retailer in the world,” continued the father/business impresario. “Wal-Mart is making a lot of opportunities available to minority-owned companies that are ready to do business with a big corporation. Together we’re making it cool to shop for clothes at Wal-Mart.”
As the P. Miller Designs brand continues to expand, with shoes, jewelry, fragrances and an eco-friendly organic line on the way, the company is also committed to continuing Master P’s longstanding history of community improvement and empowerment.
P. Miller Designs offers inner-city kids the chance to explore the world of fashion and design, creating jobs and opportunities those youngsters might not usually have access to.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Nas Explains Fila Deal
By Tai Saint Louis
On the eve of the release of his highly anticipated and controversial tenth album, Queensbridge rapper Nas has inked a one-of-a-kind partnership with Fila.
The Italian sportswear brand has chosen Nas to represent it’s new Fila Italia Footwear Collection, serving as the new line’s “sole ambassador.”
On the eve of the release of his highly anticipated and controversial tenth album, Queensbridge rapper Nas has inked a one-of-a-kind partnership with Fila.
The Italian sportswear brand has chosen Nas to represent it’s new Fila Italia Footwear Collection, serving as the new line’s “sole ambassador.”
As part of their new deal, Fila will release a series of ads this month to commemorate both the July 15 release of Nas’ Untitled album and the launch of the Fila Italia Collection in stores nationwide.
On the album’s release date, BET will exclusively run a series of ads featuring Nas as he speaks on his experiences with the Fila brand.
“The first person that was close to me with a pair of Fila's was my younger brother,” Nas recalls. “I remember being scared for him. The sneakers were from a prestigious brand, a new brand to our neighborhood. Fila represented money, style and success. My best friend [Ill] Will and I loved Fila. It represented prestige and everything that was cool to us. When Will passed, we buried him in a black Fila sweat suit, so doing a deal with them has a lot of significance for me."
“The first person that was close to me with a pair of Fila's was my younger brother,” Nas recalls. “I remember being scared for him. The sneakers were from a prestigious brand, a new brand to our neighborhood. Fila represented money, style and success. My best friend [Ill] Will and I loved Fila. It represented prestige and everything that was cool to us. When Will passed, we buried him in a black Fila sweat suit, so doing a deal with them has a lot of significance for me."
The Fila Italia Collection will be available in stores starting with the Holiday 2008 season.
In a statement, Fila expressed pride in having the opportunity to build a relationship with an artist of Nas’ caliber, as the company continues to set itself apart from other sportswear brands in today’s industry.
“It is not every day that a musical artist such as Nas comes into Fila and speaks from his heart,” said Fila President Jon Epstein. “When Nas speaks, consumers listen. He is the truth and has real meaning and like Nas, Fila stands for something.”
In a statement, Fila expressed pride in having the opportunity to build a relationship with an artist of Nas’ caliber, as the company continues to set itself apart from other sportswear brands in today’s industry.
“It is not every day that a musical artist such as Nas comes into Fila and speaks from his heart,” said Fila President Jon Epstein. “When Nas speaks, consumers listen. He is the truth and has real meaning and like Nas, Fila stands for something.”
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