INTROMAGAZINE

Singer Whitney Houston dies at 48

2012-02-11T20:38:00.001-05:00

(AP)

LOS ANGELES - Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, has died. She was 48.

Houston's publicist, Kristen Foster, said Saturday that the singer had died, but the cause and the location of her death were unknown.

News of Houston's death came on the eve of music's biggest night — the Grammy Awards. It's a showcase where she once reigned, and her death was sure to case a heavy pall on Sunday's ceremony. Houston's longtime mentor Clive Davis was to hold his annual concert and dinner Saturday; it was unclear if it was going to go forward.

At her peak, Houston the golden girl of the music industry. From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals that were rooted in the black church but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen.

Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale."

She had the he perfect voice, and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise.

She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston.

But by the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanor and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.

"The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.

It was a tragic fall for a superstar who was one of the top-selling artists in pop music history, with more than 55 million records sold in the United States alone.

She seemed to be born into greatness. She was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of 1960s pop diva Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin.

Houston first started singing in the church as a child. In her teens, she sang backup for Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson and others, in addition to modeling. It was around that time when music mogul Clive Davis first heard Houston perform.

"The time that I first saw her singing in her mother's act in a club ... it was such a stunning impact," Davis told "Good Morning America."

"To hear this young girl breathe such fire into this song. I mean, it really sent the proverbial tingles up my spine," he added.

Before long, the rest of the country would feel it, too. Houston made her album debut in 1985 with "Whitney Houston," which sold millions and spawned hit after hit. "Saving All My Love for You" brought her her first Grammy, for best female pop vocal. "How Will I Know," "You Give Good Love" and "The Greatest Love of All" also became hit singles.

Another multiplatinum album, "Whitney," came out in 1987 and included hits like "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."

The New York Times wrote that Houston "possesses one of her generation's most powerful gospel-trained voices, but she eschews many of the churchier mannerisms of her forerunners. She uses ornamental gospel phrasing only sparingly, and instead of projecting an earthy, tearful vulnerability, communicates cool self-assurance and strength, building pop ballads to majestic, sustained peaks of intensity."

Her decision not to follow the more soulful inflections of singers like Franklin drew criticism by some who saw her as playing down her black roots to go pop and reach white audiences. The criticism would become a constant refrain through much of her career. She was even booed during the "Soul Train Awards" in 1989.

"Sometimes it gets down to that, you know?" she told Katie Couric in 1996. "You're not black enough for them. I don't know. You're not R&B enough. You're very pop. The white audience has taken you away from them."

Some saw her 1992 marriage to former New Edition member and soul crooner Bobby Brown as an attempt to refute those critics. It seemed to be an odd union; she was seen as pop's pure princess while he had a bad-boy image, and already had children of his own. (The couple had a daughter, Bobbi Kristina, in 1993.) Over the years, he would be arrested several times, on charges ranging from DUI to failure to pay child support.

But Houston said their true personalities were not as far apart as people may have believed.

"When you love, you love. I mean, do you stop loving somebody because you have different images? You know, Bobby and I basically come from the same place," she told Rolling Stone in 1993. "You see somebody, and you deal with their image, that's their image. It's part of them, it's not the whole picture. I am not always in a sequined gown. I am nobody's angel. I can get down and dirty. I can get raunchy."

It would take several years, however, for the public to see that side of Houston. Her moving 1991 rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl, amid the first Gulf War, set a new standard and once again reaffirmed her as America's sweetheart.

In 1992, she became a star in the acting world with "The Bodyguard." Despite mixed reviews, the story of a singer (Houston) guarded by a former Secret Service agent (Kevin Costner) was an international success.

It also gave her perhaps her most memorable hit: a searing, stunning rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," which sat atop the charts for weeks. It was Grammy's record of the year and best female pop vocal, and the "Bodyguard" soundtrack was named album of the year.

She returned to the big screen in 1995-96 with "Waiting to Exhale" and "The Preacher's Wife." Both spawned soundtrack albums, and another hit studio album, "My Love Is Your Love," in 1998, brought her a Grammy for best female R&B vocal for the cut "It's Not Right But It's Okay."

But during these career and personal highs, Houston was using drugs. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2010, she said by the time "The Preacher's Wife" was released, "(doing drugs) was an everyday thing. ... I would do my work, but after I did my work, for a whole year or two, it was every day. ... I wasn't happy by that point in time. I was losing myself."

In the interview, Houston blamed her rocky marriage to Brown, which included a charge of domestic abuse against Brown in 1993. They divorced in 2007.

Houston would go to rehab twice before she would declare herself drug-free to Winfrey in 2010. But in the interim, there were missed concert dates, a stop at an airport due to drugs, and public meltdowns.

She was so startlingly thin during a 2001 Michael Jackson tribute concert that rumors spread she had died the next day. Her crude behavior and jittery appearance on Brown's reality show, "Being Bobby Brown," was an example of her sad decline. Her Sawyer interview, where she declared "crack is whack," was often parodied. She dropped out of the spotlight for a few years.

Houston staged what seemed to be a successful comeback with the 2009 album "I Look To You." The album debuted on the top of the charts, and would eventually go platinum.

Things soon fell apart. A concert to promote the album on "Good Morning America" went awry as Houston's voice sounded ragged and off-key. She blamed an interview with Winfrey for straining her voice.

A world tour launched overseas, however, only confirmed suspicions that Houston had lost her treasured gift, as she failed to hit notes and left many fans unimpressed; some walked out. Canceled concert dates raised speculation that she may have been abusing drugs, but she denied those claims and said she was in great shape, blaming illness for cancellations.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57376028/singer-whitney-houston-dies-at-48/

2012-02-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

Mentally Orgasmic

Valentines Day is approaching and romance is in the air. Find new ways to spice up your love life and fresh dating tips at MentallyOrgasmic.com. Mentally Orgasmic is not the typical relationship website. Need tips on what to wear for a date or want to spice up your love life? The site tackles these topics with very unique and fresh ideas.

Cupids Devastation

If cupid has really pissed you off try checking out Cupids Devastation. Cupids Devastation is a clothing and accessory line that tells the story of the mischievous side of Cupid causing love to leave one's life.

"Evil is his heart, but honey sweet his tongue, No truth in him, the rogue. He is cruel in his play. Small are his hands, yet his arrows fly far as death. Tiny his shaft, but it carries heaven-high. Touch not his treacherous gifts, as they are dipped in fire"

Hearts Broken Iphone Case

Report: Kris Humphries Was Edited To Say He Wanted To Divorce Kim Kardashian ON KKTNY Finale! Plus Kim Is Rejected By Tim Tebow!

2012-02-02T10:44:00.000-05:00

Written By Mary 1 Feb 2012

Obviously not taking Kathie Lee‘s advice, Kim Kardashian is all over the media today dealing with the fall-out from her romantic entanglements. Namely for her impending divorce . In a new report more allegations of falsifying story lines have emerged in regard to Kim’s ‘My marriage wasn’t a sham’ hour, aka her reality show!

Viewers who watched last Sunday’s season finale of Kourtney And Kim Take New York seemingly heard Kris Humphries tell his friend Josh that he wanted a divorce from Kim after he was seen dropping boxes of his belongings off at a storage facility. This scene was preceded by some intense ~~fake~~ tears from Kim over her feelings about her marriage, specifically that she did not want Kris moving in with her.

A new report is now confirming what most fans suspected, which is that Kris never said those words and it was edited to look like he did! You don’t say… “Kris never said that he wanted a divorce from Kim, even though it looks like it in the finale,” a source close to Kris reveals to HollywoodLife.com. “The film was edited to make it look like he said that — he may have actually said, ‘It seems like she’s ready to get a divorce.’”

“His friend Josh, who was in the car with him, is upset because he doesn’t remember Kris ever saying that,” the source adds. And more proof that the film may have been doctored, “Kris’ mouth is covered by his hand when she supposedly says that.” A video and screenshot of the exact moment is below! Indeed the word was so muffled I had to rewind to make sure I heard correctly!

Previous reports have supported that Kris never wanted a divorce, revealing that Kris was hopeful about saving his marriage and truly loved Kim. Sadly, Kim only loves herself and that does not a marriage make!

And even though Kris may have never talked divorce, his family and friends are seemingly happy that his relationship to fameho Kimmie is over (“ho” being the operative word there!). Kris’ sister Kaela Humphries was famously dissed on a recent episode of KKTNY when Kim refused to make any time for her visiting sister-in-law, claiming she was too busy with “work.” What work?

Kaela took to Twitter to reveal that her family is glad Kris is no longer Kim’s reality TV hubby! “So thankful for all of the support over the past couple months. I am excited that today we can finally move on and start to heal,” she wrote. Yikes! Although, justified.

I think it’s pretty obvious Kris was in the dark about Kim’s feelings and her media attention marriage. Kim didn’t marry Kris, she married for attention from the press and thankfully it is backfiring big time!

In a sad, pathetic, and transparent effort to reform her image Kim is apparently trying to move on with the most wholesome man in pro-sports, Tim Tebow!

“Kim has a big crush on Tim,” a source tells the National Enquirer. “She says he’s not only very handsome but seems like a guy with strong values.” Yep, you read that correctly! Just days after posting pictures of herself topless or in a bra on Twitter, Kim is talking about wanting a man with values. Didn’t she just divorce one? #justsayin

Of course, Kim’s crush is likely an ulterior motive. Another source tells the mag, “Kim needs to rehab her image to get her career revved up again. Dating someone like Tim Tebow would certainly do the trick.” Something tells me that Reggie Bush‘s mom is already on the phone to Mama Tebow!

But Tim’s mom shouldn’t worry because the NFL player is not interested in the least. Oh, you think? “Tim has been made aware of Kim’s crush, and although flattered, he’s not interested,” a source reveals.

And stating the obvious, the source cites Tim’s strong moral convictions as the reason he is staying away from Kim! “He’s an avowed virgin who’s saving himself for marriage and is looking for a woman with similar values, not someone with two failed marriages AND a sex tape in her past!” Good call, Tebow, good call.

DO YOU BELIEVE KRIS WAS EDITED TO SAY THE WORD “DIVORCE”? IS KIM DELUSIONAL FOR THINKING TEBOW WOULD GIVE HER A CHANCE?

Kris when he supposedly talked about divorcing Kim.

Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day in theaters 4/13

2012-02-02T09:09:00.000-05:00

WomanThou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day tells a story of secrets, lies anddeception. In this dramatic thriller, shot on location in NewOrleans, a husband (Underwood) and wife (Leal) find themselves in the midstof a crisis after their young daughter is kidnapped. The couple must raceagainst time to find their child, who is believed to have been abducted bya serial killer that symbolically murders his victims ‘On the 7thDay.’ During their desperate search, a series of deep, dark, damagingsecrets unveil a troubling past, putting the marriage and their futures injeopardy.

The use of the number seven in the titleis metaphorical, and symbolizes the timeline within the film by which theprotagonists must resolve the mystery of their daughter's abduction or facedire, unimaginable consequences.

Synopsis:Directed by award-winning filmmaker Neema Barnette,

Pastor, Entrepreneur andFilmmaker, T.D. Jakes proudly presents thesecond installment in his thought-provoking Woman Thou Art Loosed! filmfranchise entitled, Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7th Day. "Onthe 7th Day" is a dramatic thriller starring Golden Globe®Nominee Blair Underwood (Madea’s FamilyReunion, Set It Off) and SharonLeal (Why Did I Get Married Too?, ThisChristmas).

Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On The7th Day is a compelling story that unites love, suspense andfaith into one heart-wrenching package.

Directed by award-winningfilmmaker Neema Barnette (CivilBrand), Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7thDay underscores the impact of secrets, lies and deception on thelives of the featured characters.

David (Underwood) andKari (Leal) Ames seem to have the perfect life until their young daughteris kidnapped, and over the course of seven days they begin to uncoversecrets about their past that threaten to rip their marriage and livesapart.

Also starring NicoleBeharie (American Violet), NicoyeBanks (NBC’s “Law & Order”), EmmyAward® Nominee Pam Grier (2012, The Manwith the Iron Fists, Just Wright), Reed R. McCants(Civil Brand) and JaquelineFleming (2012, Contraband; HBO’s “Tremé”).

PlotOutline:

Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7thDay is the second project in T.D. Jakes’ eponymous“Woman Thou Art Loosed!” franchise. The film will be releasedon April 13, 2012 in select AMC independent™ locations nationwide.

T.D. Jakes Presents a Neema BarnetteFilm
Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7thDay
In Select AMC Theaters April 13, 2012
Codeblack Entertainment
http://tdjakeswtalmovie.com/

Love & Hip Hop Chrissy Lampkin’s Shady Past Exposed! Plus Erica Mena Denies Being A Groupie

2012-01-19T08:22:00.000-05:00

Written By Reality Tea 9 Jan 2012

Uh oh. According to a new report, Love & Hip Hop’s star Chrissy Lampkin might just have the sketchiest past out of all her costars!
It’s no wonder Chrissy, reported to be age 42, ended up with rapper Jim Jones as she has apparently spent her entire life chasing after bad boys.
The report by the DiaryofaHollywoodStreetKing blog alleges that Chrissy has been hustling since age 15 and has even dated very infamous drug dealers such as drug kingpin Alpo Martinez and his partner Rich Porter. Chrissy is also said to have slept with rapper Jay Z at the age of 23 as well as some NBA players. Wowzers. Below is the report:

“Chrissy has been hustling since she was 15 years old. She’s now 42, and she’s been using her p*ssy to get Gucci and gold.

Chrissy and her crew were involved in different crimes like credit card schemes, shoplifters, mules from NYC to D.C. They were setting up dudes to get robbed. Chrissy has dated dope boys like the infamous drug kingpin Alpo Martinez and his partner Rich Porter also three New York Knick players. She even slept with Jay Z when he was 23 years old.

Chrissy’s last trick/sponsor/boyfriend cheated on her with a popular video hoe. Chrissy decided to rob him for $32,000 then she ran to Miami to shop and have fun on his dime. Then dude and his crew tracked Chrissy down. The Nicca knocked out her front teeth and in return Chrissy had her peeps send him a message that if he does not pay for her dental bill and buy her breast implants he’s going to get hit with the Rico Act. Dude paid all Chrissy’s bills and that was the end of her and street dudes.

Chrissy took her skills to reality television hoping her broke rapper boyfriend will help her to continue to live a easy lifestyle.”

Very interesting as Chrissy has criticized costar Kimbella Vanderhee for admitting she slept with rapper Fabolous while dating another rapper Juelz Santana. I guess it’s okay for Chrissy to do the same as long as it’s kept under wraps.
Do I believe this report? Absolutely — I had pretty much heard the same from other reliable sources last year. Plus, Jim has mentioned in a previous interview that he always had a crush on Chrissy before he started dating her a.k.a. Chrissy was “well known” on the scene.
Moving on to Erica Mena, who’s sketchy past also continues to make headlines. Following her fight with Kimbella weeks ago, which she totally instigated, Erica claimed VH1 depicted her in a way that was not classy and detrimental to her “modeling” career.
However, it turns out Erica’s reputation was already tainted way before VH1 came along as TheYBF blog posted an excerpt from a book written by rapper Prodigy – one of the members of rap duo Mobb Deep.
The book alleges that back in the day Erica used to “date” Havoc of Mobb Deep, but after a few drinks in the VIP room one night, she allowed Prodigy to err, how do I put this, get “some finger action.” The excerpt from Prodigy’s 2011 book My Infamous is posted below! As well as some old photos from Erica’s clASSY modeling past!

Poor Erica is definitely not winning lately as Kimbella also revealed last week that Erica was found stripping in the Valley and giving blow jobs for $200. Erica’s rep (she has a rep???) is, however, denying the whorish reports about her client stating Erica was never tagged team by Mobb Deep.
A new episode of Love & Hip Hop airs at 8/7c tonight on VH1. Yandy Smith and Chrissy will get into a major blowout! Must say I’m rooting for Yandy tonight as I feel Chrissy has simply become a bully this season, and seems to have a problem with everyone.

40 glocc - N.W.A. New World Agenda- Track-List

2012-01-05T00:16:00.000-05:00

40 Glocc is back again with a new album called: Big Bad 4-0 New World Agenda. The album is set to drop January 24th. Check out the track listing and the cover art for the new album.

Follow

@40glocc

Album Out

Jan.24th 2012

1. JFK Skit

2. Can’t See Me (Prod. by BlaqThoven)

3. 21 Gun Salute Ft. Prodigy of Mobb Deeb ( Prod. by Kia Miller)

4. The One Ft. Rhona Bennett (Prod. by Big Bad 40)

5. Truth Hurts Ft. Truth Hurts (Prod. by Big Bad 40)

6. One Day At A Time Ft. Demico (Prod. by Apex)

7. Zooin It Ft. RacQ (Prod. by Apex)

8. Money Ft. Chamillionaire, Paul Wall & OJ The Juice Man (Prod. by Big Bad 40)

9. Get To Know You Ft. Tip Toe & Notes (Prod. by Notes)

10. Somebody Ft. Sleepy Brown & Kree (Prod. by D. Vegas)

11. Electric Lady Ft. Cee Lo Green (Prod. by Fingaz)

12. Touch Ft. Brooklyn (Prod. by Notes)

13. Comfort You Ft. Ginuwine (Prod. by Big Bad 40)

14. Damn [Remix] Ft. Twista & Yo Gotti (Prod. by Fingaz)

15. Thump It Out Ft. 3 Six Mafia (Prod. by DJ Paul)

16. Know Why Ft. BlaqThoven (Prod. by BlaqThoven)

17. Welcome 2 California Ft. E-40, Snoop Dogg, Too Short & Xzibit (Prod. by Big Bad 40 & C Sik)

18. America Ft. Kokane (Prod. by Co Tee)

19. Man In The Mirror Ft. Weazel Loc & Goldie Loc (Prod. by Goldie Loc)

20. Bullet With Your Name On It (Prod. by Havoc Of Mobb Deep)

Play The Record - PLAY THE RECORD - 40 GLOCC & MOBB DEEP & RACQ DOLO

Play The Record - PLAY THE RECORD - 40 GLOCC & MOBB DEEP & ...

More Mama Jokes - Guy Torry

2012-01-04T13:54:00.000-05:00

Check out Guy Torry and "Yo Mama" jokes. LOL!!!
shoutout Trillvision for this video:

Secret Kisses Lipsticks vs Keyshia Dior's Ka' Oir Lipstick

2012-01-04T12:27:00.000-05:00


Keyshia Dior:by Aaviana

While surfing the net I recently came across an article on MissJia.com where she talked about how model and recently turned business woman Keyshia Dior stole the idea for her new cosmetics line Ka'oir. This is what was listed on the site:

I normally don’t bother blogging about anything video model related. For one, it’s a celebrity entertainment blog. Two, I’m not on staff at MTO. And three, there’s usually never any real interesting stories about them until now.

A few months back, I heard through the beauty blogger grapevine that model, Keyshia Dior (who has been associated with Gucci Mane), was starting her own line of colorful lipsticks called Secret Kisses. I always have love for people who choose to branch out from the norm and make other career moves ~~that don’t involve being the baby mama of somebody famous~~. But not too long after those whispers started, a few beauty bloggers reported back and said that anytime any efforts were made to reach out to Keyshia to inquire about the line, she’d either ignore them or give attitude.

Fast forward to present day….

On the outside looking it in, it seems that one day, Keyshia was steady promoting the brand and then poof, nothing.

Secret Kisses Lipstick went into a partnership with Keyshia Dior in August 2010 but by June 2011, Keyshia disassociated herself from the line, only for the company (who is majority owned by Ronell ‘Big Gates’ Levatte), to later find out that she not only started her own brand (“Ka’oir) using the same manufacturer as them but she also made claims that they stole her idea and company.

And now she’s being sued for breach of contract (there’s usually a non-compete agreement included in endorsement and/or partnership contracts). Additionally, the complaint (which can be seen HERE) alleges that Keyshia slandered the Secret Kisses brand via Twitter & email. She also (allegedly) stole money from the company.

Defendant (Keyshia Dior) established a website known as Kaoir.com and began wronfully diverting Plaintiffs’ existing and potential customers away from Plaintiffs’ website by falsely representing on numerous internet websites that, inter alia, ‘authentic Secret Kisses Lipstick products were no longer available through Plaintiffs’ website and were only available through defendents’ website.

According to the case file, Keyshia also advised fans that if they made any purchases through Secret Kisses, they should automatically dispute them through paypal, as the website/product was fraudulent. She also (allegedly) stated that the Secret Kisses website was illegally selling bootleg copies of the Keyshia Dior brand.

Again, if you have a moment, click HERE to read the case in full; the sh*t really reads like a book. I can’t do anything but shake my head.

This is the primary reason why it’s very hard for me to trust anyone, business wise. The problem is that when money begins to come into the picture (with several hands in the pot), people get greedy as hell and begin losing their mind. They oftentimes forget that there’s a partnership and start thinking about the me factor.

What do you guys think of this?

INTRO Interviews Keyshia Dior

Check out the video where video talks about her career.

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel -"He put a ring on it"

2012-01-04T11:58:00.000-05:00

He liked it so he went and put a ring on it.

Justin Timberlake proposed to longtime girlfriend Jessica Biel while in Jackson, Wyo. over the holidays, according to Us Weekly.

"Justin knows how much she loves snowboarding and the mountains, so it was the perfect place," a source told the magazine of the year-end proposal.

Insiders said Timberlake, 30, has "never been happier" than he is now with Biel, 29.

"He knew it was the right time to propose."

The hot Hollywood couple have been dating since 2007, though they did break up for three months at the beginning of the year.

But "when they reunited, they had a conversation about taking the next step," a source said of their relationship.

In June, Timberlake addressed questions about his then-ex Biel by acknowledging her as "the single-handedly most significant person in my life.

"In my 30 years, she is the most special person, O.K.? ...I don’t want to say much more, because I have to protect things that are dear to me — for instance, her."

The pair were first spotted together at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007.

Nick Cannon hospitalized for mild kidney failure

2012-01-04T11:50:00.000-05:00

Mariah Carey's husband Nick Cannon has been hospitalised after suffering "mild kidney failure".

The songstress - who has eight-month-old twins Moroccan and Monroe with her America's Got Talent presenter hubby of nearly four years - announced the news via Twitter, reports E Online.

The 41-year-old also penned a message on her website asking fans to pray for the family, and uploaded a picture of the couple in the hospital in Aspen.

"This is us in the hospital - role reversal; Last year it was me attached to the machines (after having dembabies) and Nick was there with me through it, and now here we are," she wrote.

"We're trying to be as festive as possible under the circumstances but please keep Nick in your thoughts because this is very painful. They tried to kick me out of the hospital but here I am pon de bed with Mr C."

Game ft. Tyler, the Creator & Lil Wayne – Martians vs. Goblins,” from the Game’s R.E.D. Album

2011-12-21T12:16:00.003-05:00

Young Jeezy - A Hustlerz Ambition (Documentary)

2011-12-21T11:52:00.003-05:00

INTRO MAGAZINE INTERVIEWS ARTIST COCKY

2011-12-10T21:58:00.002-05:00

Thomas Pr Group has a new artist in the fold and he is known as K.O

Born in Louisville but raised in Baltimore Maryland. he said he
was born into the streets so what he raps about is his reality.
He has worked with several local artist and continues to make a
name for himself.

Linkin Park - Rolling In The Deep (Adele Cover - Live)

2011-12-05T23:20:00.002-05:00

Beyonce Pregnancy Fake???

2011-10-17T01:01:00.001-04:00

Machine Gun Kelly Interview from the 2008 Red Carpet issue.

2011-09-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

DjQuest95: We are standing here with Cleveland artist Machine Gun Kelly. Please tell our readers what you are nominated for.

Machine Gun Kelly: I am nominated for best new artist and best live performance.

DjQuest95: Man that is hot. How are you just going to come on the scene and get both best new artist and best live performer. So tell me about the new project?

Machine Gun Kelly: The new project is called "Stamp of Approval" mixtape coming out October 12th and we have a release party at Peabody's. You know we have to do it all ages. We have Lazy Bone and a couple other people that I am not going to reveal right now. You know its hot!.

DjQuest95: You have alot of special stuff going on. (Sly from the back mentions ChipThe Ripper) You have Cleveland's own representing on your mixtape. Let me ask you a serious question right now about the status and presence of hip-hop right versus rap or is hip hop and rap the same thing or do you feel there is a difference with one leading the other or vice versa?

Machine Gun Kelly: Hip-Hop is something that you listen to. Rap is something that you just hear. I am just trying to make good music to listen to. You know what I mean.

DjQuest95: Alright.

Machine Gun Kelly: As far as what the state it is in I am not to sure. I am not sure of the difference. It is obvious that there is a difference between rap and hip hop but to distinguish between the both I would not know. I just make music. Whether it is hip-hop or rap I really don't give a fuck. You know all about Machine Gun Kelly right now.

FIRST LADY OF GRAND HUSTLE INTERVIEW NOV/DEC 2009

2011-09-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

“No offense to Nicki Minaj but I am a deeper artist than that”

Who is the first lady of Grand Hustle? Lady Bola is one half of the Grand Hustle duo Xtaci that is also signed to the label. Lady Bola is stepping out on her own as a solo artist. You can catch her new video with label mate Young LA. INTRO caught up with Bola as she was getting her Cheesecake Factory on.

INTRO: How did you become the first lady of Grand Hustle?

BOLA: I hailed from a group called Xtaci. We were doing our thing for a minute. I am branching off doing my own thing while she is on down time. We been knowing T.I. and the family before it was Grand Hustle. They hadn't even thought of the name yet but it was all a blessing really to get the family together since 1999-2000 and you this where I am at now. Stay down stay loyal so I am the first lady.

INTRO: Female Mc are very few. Right now they are really only talking about Nicki Minaj. What will you do as a female artist. Will you change the game?

Lady Bola: Oh yeah! I feel that the Foxy, Lil Kim and the Eve were different. They each brought a lot to the game. I feel like I have to bring a different vibe to the game (it has been a challenge for me). There has already been a Lil Kim. As a woman you have to bring something different to the table. I feel like I have the best of both artists. No offense to Nicki Minaj but I am a deeper artist than that. I talk about a lot of different things. I do music for different reasons than many other artists. I want people to feel my music. Being a different type of artist breaks down doors for us and shows that there are different types of female artists. We have so much more to talk about.

INTRO: I understand that you have been rapping since the age of 15. Who are some of your influences?

Lady Bola: I am influenced by Pac, Outkast, Nas, and T.I.P. I am really influenced by real rappers. As far as females I am influence by Salt ‘N’ Pepa, Eve and a lot of old school artists. I love all types of music.

INTRO: Where do you see yourself in two years?

Lady Bola: I see myself taking it to the next level, personally as far as what I put on record. I can see growth. I have a lot of goals.

TWITTER:

@BOLABETTYBOOP

The Underground Railroad:Hip-Hop’s express to escape the Minstrel Show PART 3

2011-08-31T12:00:00.002-04:00

"We all chase money 'cause we scared to chase dreams" Talib Kweli is a perennial underground hip-hop artist. His albums Black Star and Reflection Eternal are critical- ly acclaimed classics and considered essential hip-hop records. Since those albums, Kweli has struggled to find a balance between the underground and mainstream audience while maintaining his positive sociopolitical messages. His latest release, Eardrum, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. It was the highest debut he ever had. The album is filled with messages about positivity in hip-hop and the world. Despite the album debuting at number two, the album never received a video for the lead single and the singles never heard the light of day One of his songs entitled “Oh My Stars” shows Kweli speaking to his children. The message that he gives to them is something every parent with a child could relate to. It is also a message that many children should hear. Kweli raps, “And even though mummy and daddy might fight all through the night / Argue and fuss, you a part of us that we've got to get right / I don't love you to death, cause I love you to life / And you a teenager, you might not want my advice / You .might be full of spite, think you're grown, still a tyke / And say things that cut like a patient under the knife / I say this, cause I was once a teenager too / And respect for my peers is really all that I related to / But I made it through, you gonna make it too / So much I wanna say to you...” What parent would not like hearing a song with lyrics like that on the radio? It is very musical and the entire song is filled with similar lyrics. He is an African American man who is professing his love for his children. Most African American males are considered horrible fathers and known for leaving their families behind. To have an artist who is a proud parent is a good thing. It should not be hidden in the underground like it is. Along with Talib Kweli’s messages to children and adults, Lupe Fiasco is an- other artist that talks about things that receive little light in the world of hip- hop. His first single “Kick, Push” chronicles the growth of a kid who uses a skateboard. As the kid gets older, his attachment to hi skateboard grows and the events in his life revolve around it. Hip-hop artists claim to be many things, but a skater is not one of them. A skater is typically viewed as a punk-rock white kid. Yet through Fiasco’s song and lyrics, he has opened the door for an alienated part of the hip-hop audience to find a home. The chorus for the song captures the essence of a young skater. “And so he kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, coast / And away he rolled / Just a rebel to the world with no place to go / And so he kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, coast / So come and skate with me / Just a rebel / Looking for a place to be / So let's kick...and push...and coast.”

Now with Talib Kweli as the proud parent and Lupe Fiasco as the skater, MURS could be looked at as the average joe. He isn’t perfect and does not claim to be. MURS takes pride in being an under- ground hip-hop artist. His appeal is that he comes across as someone a person could bump into on the street and not have nightmares about. His last album, Murray’s Revenge, received positive re- views because of the issues he chose to talk about. The All Music Guide wrote: “In Murray's Revenge, like in his 2004 release, Murs 3:16, his even-paced delivery shies away from ten-cent words and his songs often deal with the standard rap subjects — a hard life, women, and his own talent — but he is also unafraid to dispel some social constructs that many of his peers only help to perpetuate. In "Dreamchaser" he explains that the draw to gang life is because of a lack of positive opportunity ("We all chase money 'cause we scared to chase dreams"), and he discusses the difficulties of not fitting cleanly into racial stereotypes in "D.S.W.G. (Dark Skinned White Girls)," an issue that's fairly common in contemporary, diverse America. When Murs does slide into talking about himself and his skills a topic no true MC can avoid — he's such a good storyteller that his boasting isn't boring, and he's also willing to admit the bad decisions he's made, creating a real sincerity in his rhymes. Some of the songs are meant to be didactic, but he's usually subtle enough to convey his message without being preachy ("For if a soul is avenged through the deeds of a friend/Then success has always been the best form of revenge"). It's not all seriousness, though; Murs has always been one for a chuckle, and there are some humorous tracks (the aptly named "Silly Girl," for example), but there's enough quality, content, and warm West Coast soul samples in Murray's Revenge to make it a good album that should please fans of any type of hip-hop.

If underground hip-hop albums contain so much positive and relatable issues, why aren’t artists such as Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco and MURS heard on the radio? Why aren’t their videos on MTV’s Total Request Live? Why don’t they even have videos? Why are these artists, who are making critically-ac- claimed classic albums, having such a difficult time finding a buying audience? These are very easy questions that all contain one simple answer. Those artists don’t fit in the mold of the hip-hop minstrel show. Through commercialization, industry executives want people to believe that hip-hop is filled with pimps, thugs, gangsters and hoes. They want everyone to think that every woman dresses in scantily clad material and wants sex all of the time. The images produced on the television screen that are considered “hip-hop” make African American males look scary. If a person turns to a channel to find an angry black- man talking about how he will kill some- body, then that is what the person will think? This is not morally right. That is why I believe it is morally wrong for record companies to promote commercial rap over underground hip-hop. What kind of morals do industry executives have if the only things they promote are sex, drugs and violence? They can not be very high at all. Especially not when there are artists out there who show that black people are more than those stereotypes. Hip-hop music originated with African Americans and now in 2008 commercialism has taken away its true meaning. The Minstrel Show will continue as long as people keep a deaf ear to underground hip-hop.

“My culture's not a trend, being Black is not in / But for you it's just a phase you're gonna have to transcend / While even if I tried, I could never blend in / To society's mainstream, American dream / Yeah, it's all one love, but remember one thing / This music is my life, not a cultural fling / It's an expression of the soul when we dance and sing / And you are blessed to have a chance to even glance the scene.” – MURS, And This Is For, MURS 3:16 the 9th Edition.

Rapper Returns, With Punch Lines but Little Soul

2011-08-30T18:59:00.002-04:00

"He’s a punch-line rapper who rarely thinks about his lines beyond the rhyming couplet. Coherent verses are a rarity, coherent songs even more so. And his choice of words often feels arbitrary; he’s not obsessed with picking the right ones or the most important ones or the most revealing ones.

“So misunderstood, but what’s the world without enigma?” he asks on “6 Foot 7 Foot,” setting himself up for a chance at self-excavation. The second half of that couplet? “Two bitches at the same time, synchronized swimmers.” Oh well."

This is part of the review for the Carter IV. I will admit that I have not heard it yet but I thought this was interesting.

NY Times:

There goes Lil Wayne, wearing bleached leopard-print skinny pants — women’s pants, as it happens — and stalking the stage of the MTV Video Music Awards with Iggy Pop attitude. There goes Lil Wayne, riding a skateboard and falling off. There goes Lil Wayne, who can’t sing worth a lick, taking a ballad, “How to Love,” into the Top 10 of the Billboard pop chart.

Judging by his behavior in recent months, rapping seems to be the furthest thing from Lil Wayne’s mind, odd behavior from the person who is ostensibly the most popular rapper in the country. This week he released “Tha Carter IV” (Cash Money), which is on track to have the second-biggest opening sales week of the year, behind Lady Gaga (and notably ahead of Jay-Z and Kanye West’s collaborative album, “Watch the Throne”).

That it’s the least memorable Lil Wayne album in years might not matter, least of all to Lil Wayne, who since his release from jail last November after serving eight months on gun charges has taken his idiosyncratic ascent to the pinnacle of hip-hop in ever odder directions.

He is our strangest hip-hop superstar, and maybe the last antiaspirational one: he’s the one who won’t harp at length about his watches and cars, the one who still thinks it’s acceptable to record a rap-rock album (last year’s “Rebirth”), the one who became more famous the more he rapped about turning into a Martian.

In retrospect, Lil Wayne’s dizzying mixtape output from 2006 to 2007, when he was at his most bizarre, most confusing and most prolific, set an almost impossible standard, one that he has failed to live up to for the last couple of years.

“Tha Carter IV” shows off those flaws, highlights them even, if only because everyone is looking so closely. On a handful of songs, particularly “President Carter” and “Megaman,” he raps as if something were still at stake. He can still toss off a neat double entendre (“I ain’t working with a full deck/But I deal,” on “It’s Good”) or a hilarious left-field insult (“You’re dead to me, brown grass,” he raps on “President Carter,” which amusingly samples the inauguration of Jimmy Carter), but mainly, this is Lil Wayne at his laziest or most uninterested.

He’s a punch-line rapper who rarely thinks about his lines beyond the rhyming couplet. Coherent verses are a rarity, coherent songs even more so. And his choice of words often feels arbitrary; he’s not obsessed with picking the right ones or the most important ones or the most revealing ones.

“So misunderstood, but what’s the world without enigma?” he asks on “6 Foot 7 Foot,” setting himself up for a chance at self-excavation. The second half of that couplet? “Two bitches at the same time, synchronized swimmers.” Oh well.

That reluctance matters quite a bit, actually. Lil Wayne’s been through so much in the last two years, and examined almost none of it in song. In a couple of places he refers to his recent jail term — “John,” “How to Hate” — and on “Nightmares of the Bottom,” there are flickers of reflection: “I’m a gangster by choice/ I hope my sons choose wiser.”

Maybe the most gnomic boast is on the hit “She Will,” on which he declaims, “I’ve been at the top for a while/And I ain’t jumped yet.” Statement on the pressures of fame? Workaday boast combined with cheap imagery? We’ll never know.

Vintage Lil Wayne was the equivalent of speaking in tongues, words flying in unexpected directions, in unlikely combinations. But those were the syrup-sipping years. Sobriety is a condition of Lil Wayne’s probation, and it appears that the lucid Lil Wayne has less interest in bending words into strange shapes.

In recent years, but especially on this album, he’s become the least quotable great rapper, with lines that land harder more because of his voice than because of his wit, which was once prodigious. Because Lil Wayne has been so sharp, so dexterous in the past, it’s tempting (and ultimately necessary) to overanalyze him. But even on this album’s weak tracks, and there are several, he remains a commanding presence, deploying just enough of his insistent croak to tether the song together. He doesn’t bother appearing on two of the best tracks on the album, “Interlude” and “Outro,” which are instead full of eager guests.

read more at NYTIMES
By JON CARAMANICA
Published: August 30, 2011

VMA RE-CAP

2011-08-29T11:47:00.001-04:00

1) Beyonce made everyone forget Alicia Keys pregnant performance

2) Lil Wayne is mad that Jay and Bey's spawn upstaged him

3) Brittany is still confused why she had to introduce Beyonce while she was getting her award

4) Justin Bieber was ready to leave soon as he sat down

5) Lil Mama still lives

6) My caucasian friends are still trying to figure out who Tyler the Creator is?

7) I am stiil trying to figure out who Tyler The Creator is?

8) Lil Wayne still dreams of being a rock star

9) Bruno Mars dressed and performed like Frankie Lymon to give a tribute to Amy Winehouse

10) Lady Gaga reincarnated Pony Boy from the Outsiders and Billy Joel during her performance

RIZ INTERVIEW

2011-08-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

“I have discipline. I have a good work ethics. I am not a person that will go to a studio for 20 hours and make one record”

“RIZ is a talented songwriter and visionary with concepts and flow. His songs have a vast array of style that will provide him longevity in the industry” Lenny S. Senior A&R, Def Jam. It is not often that I start off an article with quote but I wanted you to understand how serious this Harlem artist is. We now INTROduce to you RIZ.

INTRO: I know that you have been in the industry for a minute and you have been working on a new project. Can you elaborate more on that?

RIZ: I haven’t been on the scene for about a year or so. I took a break from it because I was being pulled in different way creatively. There were a lot of different people involved with the project. I really wasn’t able to make the records that I felt good about because I wasn’t putting up the money. When you get in situations like that its really a rough situation. So I just stepped away for a minute to just redeem my own artistic views. I am just approaching it different now.

INTRO: How would you describe yourself as an artist?

RIZ: I am well rounded artist because I understand that the music business of today is nothing like in the business of yester year or the B-boy days. It’s a different structure. It took me a lot of years to really understand the business. I have identified a sound that I was comfortable with. You have to have a u certain so people can identify you. When you hat hear 50 Cent you know its 50. When you hear Drake you know its Drake. When you hear Lil Wayne you know its Lil Wayne. They have that niche. Years ago it was hard to find that niche. I found that out working with so many producers that and being pulled by so many people. In that nature I could not find a consistency so now I am able to create an identifiable voice. I have discipline. I have a good work ethics. I am not a person that will go to a studio for 20 hours and make one record. I am not going to blow a budget just sitting in the studio. I am going to make sure it sounds good before I leave the house. I don’t roll with an entourage. I used to that and try to put people on (trying to do positive stuff). You can’t control other people’s actions because what they do that stigma falls on you. I just really had been moving light. I feel like I am full circle and more prepared.

INTRO: How did you hook up with Sha MoneyXl?

RIZ: I hooked up with Sha Money through David the Jeweler. I had been doing records with David for about three or four years before meeting Sha Money. Dave has all these music industry types that he makes jewelry for so he wood take me around me around video shoots. I went to 50’s video shoot and Lloyd Banks video shoot. They would see me around but they just didn’t know what I was doing. So at the time Dave was it was James Cruz from Violator Management that came to Dave and was talking about some jewelry and Dave jumped on it and played some of my music so we started a venture with Violator. Then right after that we linked up with She Money cause he was mixing Young Buck’s album at the time while he was still with G-Unit. Dave went into the studio and played some of my music. Sha was blown away and he said to Dave “When I hear that kid he giving me that feeling like when I first used to hear Fif out with that hunger” so that attracted him so we started working on some records. We around to a few labels but things didn’t pop off they way we wanted them to pop off.

INTRO: So you are still independent? Self Made.

RIZ: You got it. Self Made is a company that I started in 2005. I was doing other things. I had caught a case and the case slowed me down and like changed my life. I wanted to do things different in my life after that so I wrote all down all my experiences. The music is really a form of expression for me because I really don’t talk much. I am sort of like a loner because people will mess your whole world up. People are so negative and I am really trying to stay away from negative people. When I got to the studio its like therapy I get to say whatever I want and talk over these beats cause the beat don’t talk back. I put a tape together and put it out in my neighborhood and people were feeling it and they said I should stick with it and that’s what I did and I haven’t stopped since. We are still basically are in a process of building a following. I have had a meeting with Jay-Z and I have met with Atlantic records, Fifty and all the top people in this industry people. The research in the industry has changed in the industry so now we are in the progress of developing a new following with the new way that I am making my music as compared to a year ago. I am starting over ago again and building a new awareness.

INTRO: What artist have you worked with that you haven’t worked with yet?

RIZ: I am at the point in my career that I don’t want to work with anyone that doesn’t want to work with me. I am not the type of person that picks and chooses who I work with. If it makes a good record, it makes a good record. I don’t intend to make albums with other artists to boost my own morale. Some artist will do an album with another artist because that artist is relevant to other people. That’s not how I function. People tend to see that I did the video with Ray and tend to think that I tried to attach myself with something hot and that is not why I did it. I did a favor for him way back so I went to shoot the video with him. I did it to show him love cause he asked me to come through so I did it. In the end it was like a return. I prefer to work with people that are keen to working. I tried to work with Bun B and he was like $16,000. He wanted $1,000 a bar. It kind of threw me because here I am an up and coming artist and here it is this guy is trying to make money off of me. He deserves to make his money but for me to pay $16,000? I would rather take that money invest it into another song and make a couple videos. That’s why I don’t do songs with a lot of rappers cause they are thinking about making that quick bread. I am not really trying to do a feature with nobody if I don’t have to.

INTRO: Where do you see yourself in the next 5yrs?

RIZ: Retired. I come from a community where people feel like its nothing left for them to do besides drink, smoke, and be violent. I want to make a shift in that. If I make it then I will be in a position to give back. I want to start an organization like a basketball AU team but it also has a nutritionist and personal trainers to show them how to work out. They would also have the schooling because you can have all the knowledge in the world but if you can’t pass that SAT then you will be back in the streets. I see myself doing some really ground breaking things once I get this foundation set.

INTRO: Do you have any shows coming up?

RIZ: I used to do showcases where I was the featured artist but I stopped that because it was a scam. I really don’t do many shows now because I am focused on rebuilding my awareness. I am working hard on the Internet because it is extremely hard to get the radio. It’s hard to get the radio because it’s controlled. The only people that you hear on the radio is the artists that labels have paid to the stations because those artists have to make it than the average artist off the street because they are not benefiting from it because they are in the business of making money.

INTRO: Do you think that Djs are important when it comes to breaking a record?

RIZ: I say no and yes. The DJ has to feel a connection with the artist that he is breaking the record for because there are so many people in the business that. What one Dj think is hot 10 other Djs may not. What I am starting to see is that some people only want to attach themselves to certain people because it only makes themselves look better. If I come to the club tonight and see me with some jewelry and I am popping bottles the Dj is going to give a shot out cause it looks good. If I come to the club and I don’t have any jewelry and I only have a cup the Dj is not trying to rush to play my record. It’s a ruff business. Its crazy that I say that and I am trying to get in the business. It’s a million people out here waiting to get your money because you are uninformed about the business.

FOR MORE INFO:
@RizSelfMade

JUNE/JULY 2010

INTERVIEW WITH LMFAO

2011-08-22T01:00:00.000-04:00

“We got into Dj-ing real heavily because we wanted to really wanted play our shit”

LMFAO also known as Redfoo and Sky Blu have been getting the party started with their smash hit “I’m In Miami Bitch!”. So how did they get the name LMFAO? “While searching for a name for his Electro/Hip-Hop group, Sky Blu decided to shoot an iChat message to his grandmother with the latest idea, seeking her opinion. "Our new name is gonna be Sexy Dudes...what do you think of that?" Grandma Goodfoot replied, "LMFAO". The two knew grandma was on to something”. If that is not enough check out the origins for their names. Sky Blu (his given name is Sky and the sky is Blu, after all) and Redfoo (the Red symbolizes his passion, and the fact that he acts a Foo.... in bed). While the tour schedule has stayed packed the duo were able to take the time to get with INTRO.

INTRO: How did you guys end up on Will.I.Am's label?

LMFAO: Well, we grew up with Will and we have been friends for a long time. He was familiar with our project and the internet buzz was pretty crazy so Will called us and said “We should be on his Goddamn label. Black Eyed Peas”. Through a long process we ended up on the label.

INTRO: Did you expect the song "I'm in Miami Bitch" to take off the way that it has?

LMFAO: Hell Yeah! No! We were surprised at the longevity of the song. We now realize what it is. We have made a classic kind of song for a traveler to Miami and has that feeling of being in paradise. I’m in Miami Bitch! Actually it’s really done way over what we init-ially thought but as we analyze we realize what the song could be. It’s really becoming that great song

INTRO: I know that this song has an electro pop feel. Is this the particular style that we can expect coming from your album?

LMFAO: It has a POP feel but it also has a jazz feel. There are a lot of feels on the album. Its all party but its different types of party. We have B-more on the album. We have songs on the album like “Lil Hipster Girl” that are a little more aggressive. It represents one side of the party. If we are talking club terms Miami is like the dance floor. You got the bathroom that you take the Freakies you know after the drinks. We are building a club. Its part of the layout baby.

INTRO: How long have the two of you been working together?

LMFAO: On this project we have been working together on this project for 3yrs. Well 2yrs. No wait a little over two years but we have always been working together on things. You know hanging out and vibing. We was selling t-shrts before. It was always a hustle.

INTRO: What other artists have you worked with?
Continued pg 14

LMFAO: Lil John, Pitbull, Paradiso classic kind of song for a traveler to Miami and has that feeling of being in Girls. Done a lot of remixes. You really don’t get to work with the artists on that. We have also worked wit Eric Deluxe.

INTRO: How did you make the transition from Djs to artist?

LMFAO: We have always been artists. We made the transition from actually we have been artists and producers first. Dj-ing is a way to solicit new music. We got into Dj-ing real heavily because we wanted to really wanted play our shit in the clubs. We didn’t really know that many Djs ourselves we said that we have to do it ourselves. We have to D. I. Y. So we started playing our own music and songs in the same type of lane like electro and we tried to break that sound in the mainstream clubs in Hollywood and thats how we did it you know. It started catching on and we started writing more and more songs about our experiences in the club. We started getting ideas from the blogs. Stuff like that .

FOR MORE INFO ON LMFAO:
www.myspace.com/lmfao
MAY/JUNE 2009

NEWS: NYC Fashion Week Opportunity for Models & Designers Courtesy of Blazetrak

2011-08-18T10:34:00.003-04:00

BLAZETRAK PROVIDES UNIQUE NY FASHION WEEK OPPORTUNITY FOR ASPIRING MODELS & FASHION DESIGNERS
Winners will work with designer Mychael Knight on his NY Fashion Week "Lost World" show

NEW YORK, NY (August 15, 2011): Blazetrak, the world's first website that allows direct video access to the world's top superstars in music, fashion, entertainment, is announcing a unique, official NY Fashion Week opportunity for aspiring fashion designers and high-fashion models.

Designer Mychael Knight, best known for his appearance on Project Runway (where, in Season 3, he was voted the "Fan Favorite" and placed fourth in the overall competition), is accepting submissions for both an assistant, and a high-fashion model, to work with him at his "Lost World" show during NY's Fashion Week on September 10, 2011.

"During this month, I will be searching (via Blazetrak) for an enthusiastic, down-to-earth young lady ready to blaze down the runway!" said Knight. "Each submission will receive a video response from me and whether or not you are in the running for the opportunity. The chosen model will be notified on September 5th, 2011 and will receive one (1) domestic flight to NY and one (1) night hotel accommodations. The show is on the evening of September 10th 2011, so be prepared to travel between September 9th - 11th. The event will also be streamed to a live audience via Ustream."

To qualify, models must be between the ages of 18-25, must have measurements of 34-25-36 (dress size 2/4), and be at least 5'9" in height. Applicants not meeting those requirements will not qualify.

In addition, Knight is also accepting submissions for an assistant to work with him behind-the-scenes on the day of the "Lost World" show at NY's Fashion Week. This is a perfect opportunity for aspiring fashion designers to get first-hand experience at a prestigious NY Fashion Week event -- a resume booster like no other!

Said Knight: "Create & submit a video (up to 2 minutes) and clearly explain why you deserve this opportunity. You can show me past work, projects, photos, ANYTHING you want to prove you have what takes! No sewing or garment construction skills are required, BUT you must have a strong style sensibility and an acute appreciation of fashion! Applicants must be ages 18 and over. Each submission will receive a video response from me and whether or not you are in the running for the opportunity. My assistant will be chosen and notified on September 5th 2011 and will receive one (1) domestic flight to NY and one (1) nights hotel accommodations."

Interested applicants are directed to apply at: http://www.blazetrak.com/mychaelknight -- opportunity is accepting submissions beginning August 15, 2011, at 11AM!

Additional opportunities in music, fashion, acting, & entertainment are available at http://www.blazetrak.com -- SIGN UP TODAY!

Kreayshawn - Gucci Gucci

2011-07-23T10:57:00.002-04:00

http://kreayshawn.com/
Grab exclusive download of 'Rich Whores' from @KREAYSHAWN, and NYC, CHI, SF, LA, PHL pre-order tix! http://t.co/0d2Vgnc

Shaolin MCs Ft Sage - Collie Weed OFFICIAL

2011-07-20T09:44:00.002-04:00

INTRO MAGAZINE INTERVIEWS MAINO AFTER THE 2011 SUMMER JAM CONCERT

2011-07-20T08:43:00.001-04:00

CLEVELANDS Z1079 SUMMER JAM 2011

2011-07-20T08:40:00.001-04:00

CLEVELANDS Z1079 SUMMER JAM 2011

YC WORLDWIDE PRESENTS THE "RACKS' REMIX VIDEO

2011-07-02T15:57:00.001-04:00

Fresh off his BET Awards red carpet performance this past Sunday, Atlanta's YC Worldwide brings you the "Racks" remix video. A few of the cast members from the 16-verse original are missing but YC managed to round up Nelly, B.o.B., Yo Gotti, Trae Tha Truth, Cyhi Da Prince, Dos and Ace Hood for the Atlanta shoot, which is no small task.

Look out for YC's new single, "I Know" which also features Ace Hood, coming soon to a radio/blog near you @1YungChris

Young Yonny Young Younny speaks on his secrets to success in the entertainment industry

2011-06-29T01:21:00.003-04:00

Originally on Trillvison
http://www.trillvision.com/2011/06/young-yonny/

2nd Annual 2011 Female Hip Hop Honors Awards Part 2

2011-06-06T08:54:00.004-04:00

On May 21st 2011 INTRO Magazine covered the 2nd ANNUAL 2011 FEMALE HIP-HOP HONORS that took place in Los Angeles California. The 2nd Annual 2011 FEMALE HIP-HOP HONORS were created to acknowledge and honor the achievements and contributions of legendary females in hip-hop, unsigned and independent artists within the urban music scene. The Female Hip Hop Honorees this year was Hip Hop Legend/ Breast Cancer Survivor, Roxanne Shante. Rapstress, Songstress, Songwriter, Actress, Producer, Educator, Businesswoman/CEO and the founder of "Sprinkle Me Fragrances" Tenina Stevens (a.k.a. Suga-T). A special award presented to Legendary Songstress "Michel'le". Another Special Award for the Evening: "Female Publicist of the Year" to Treavion Davenport CEO of Trea Day Management & Publicity. Check the video below with exclusive interviews with Shawna, Roxanne Shante, Oaktown 357, Trea Davenport, Blake Hightower and many more. Check out part 2 of the interviews with Ms. Toi, Iceman, Medusa, Justin Reynolds, Lady Enchantment, Joe Exclusive, and many more.

2nd Annual 2011 Female Hip Hop Honors Awards

2011-05-30T11:59:00.009-04:00

z1079 WENZ Summer Jam 2011

2011-05-25T21:58:00.003-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Cleveland, OH- May 23, 2011):

THE HOTTEST CONCERT OF THE SUMMER IS BACK!
Z107.9 ANNOUNCES 2011 SUMMER JAM LINE-UP TO TAKE PLACE
SUNDAY, JULY 10TH AT JACOBS PAVILION AT NAUTICA!

Z107.9 WENZ, CLEVELAND’S HIP HOP AND R&B STATION, IS PARTNERING WITH
ENTERTAINMENT POWERHOUSE LIVE NATION TO HOST THE Z107.9 SUMMER JAM
2011! THE BIGGEST HIP HOP AND R&B SHOW TO HIT NORTHEAST OHIO WILL STAR
WIZ KHALIFA, MIGUEL, LLOYD, MACHINE GUN KELLY, TRAVIS PORTER, BIG SEAN,
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Handshakes and Middle Fingers is what Classified is giving

2011-05-04T11:56:00.005-04:00

Oh Canada stand tall and proud as we INTROduce Classified. Hip Hop artist Classified has had over 2 million views for his tribute to his beloved Country called "Oh Canada" . Now he brings to you his new 14th album entitled "Handshakes and Middle Fingers". His first single "That Ain't Classy" reached #45 on the Canadian Hot 100 and the album debuted at #7 on the Canadian Albums Chart, making it his highest charting album to date.

The album is reminiscent of 90's hip-hop where hip hop had a more layed back feel. Fourteen albums in and Classified shows that he still has passion for what he does regardless of what others may feel about him as a rapper. He wants you to know that he is going to kill your misconception of him and he is not just talking about his complexion.

‘Lollipop’ Producer Deezle Speaks On His Lawsuit Against Lil Wayne

2011-04-19T09:47:00.000-04:00

The producer is seeking $20 million dollars from the rapper and his label.
In March of this year Deezle, the man who produced Lil Wayne’s hit “Lollipop”, filed suit against the New Orleans rapper and his Young Money/Cash Money label seeking $20 million. In the suit Deezle claimed that he was owed unpaid royalties from sales of the single and its parent album, Tha Carter III. Now, according to AllHipHop.com, Deezle has issued a statement regarding his lawsuit.
He says, in part, “After consultation with my team I have decided to make a statement as it relates to the litigation pending against Cash Money and Young Money. At this time I am owed a sufficient amount of money and will protect the rights afforded me by the State of New York. My team is of the opinion that the matter will be resolved in a timely fashion.” Deezle, born Darius Harrison, is also seeking $2.5 million in owed royalties for another Tha Carter III track he produced, “Mrs. Officer.”
In Deezle’s suit he states that Tha Carter III has sold six million copies, amounting to over $70 million dollars in revenue. Deezle won three Grammy’s for his work with Lil Wayne. Neither Wayne nor any of his representatives have commented on this new statement.

by KEVIN S. GARY (IStandard Producers)
Source: HipHopDX.com

The Underground Railroad:Hip-Hop’s express to escape the Minstrel Show PART 2

2011-04-04T10:15:00.000-04:00

“She dances seductively and is always seen with her pimp or thug”

Every African American man and woman does not deal with street violence, drugs and pimping women. They deal with everyday issues that any white, Mexican or Asian person would struggle with. Topics such as religion, school, genuine love, friendship, homo- sexuality and abuse are discussed in underground hip-hop. These are very important issues that someone may face in his life, but commercial hip-hop stays away from it. One underground artist who does not stay away from it is Common.

Common is a Grammy award winning hip-hop artist who is known for spending the majority of his career in the underground. Just recently, mainstream media has be- gun to give him the credit that he so rightfully deserves. His catalog of music is one of the most impressive and critically-acclaimed hip-hop music since its birth. He has constructed songs that every man woman and child can relate to. Some of the serious topics he has covered include abortion, finding religion and death. Common is one of the most respected hip-hop artists in the genre today.

Common’s 2002 album Electric Circus is his most personal and diverse. He covers topics such as the effects of child molestation, cancer, homosexuality and true love. Many hip-hop albums before and after Electric Circus have not delved into those topics with so much sincerity. Critics recognized the range of topics discussed on the album and praised it for its bravery. “The album may not be for everybody,” according to a December 10, 2008 Prefix Magazine review of the album. “Songs like "Heaven Some- where," which includes many of the guest artists singing gospel, may turn you off. But Common brings together many different textures and goes off on several musical tangents but still man- ages to have DJ's cutting over a few tracks -- a refreshing touch. Still, Electric Circus is one of the most daring albums released in a while, and Common shows a lot of balls to put out such a diverse collection, regardless of how hip-hop fans might react to it. If you like conscious rap mixed with a fresh, original sound, you should dig this.”

Another issue that is rarely, if ever spoken about, in hip-hop is the acceptance of adultery. Little Brother is an underground hip- hop group whose song “Breakin’ My Heart” on their recent album, Getback, tackles the issue head- on. In the second verse of the song, Phonte of the group raps about a woman who learns that her husband is having numerous affairs. She ends up leaving and taking the children to her mother’s house. Although the scenario could be described as typical, Phonte’s set of lyrics give light to a very real issue that is never discussed. Phonte raps, “Momma was like, "Baby now, I hate to see your tears / But I been with your daddy for bout 35 years / And in my day, I had to turn a blind eye to cheatin'' / but I ain't never had to wear no black eyes from beatings / As long as he doin right, by you and the kids / How you gon expect that man not to be who he is? / I ain't sayin’ that it's right, but we often pay the price / cause a woman's life is love, a man's love is life / and he gon live it to the fullest, / and I ain't tryna pull you down, or sound like a broken record / But you should know by now that ALL n**as is dogs / Better to have a rich Pit than a broke German Shepard, uh!” In commercial rap, the Ho accepts infidelity only for the chance to have her revenge. Phonte’s verse shows that all women don’t want to have their own affair. It shows that some women really do love their husbands, but it is their mother who tells them to continue living a mistreated life.

Real issues such as the ones that described above are hidden from a person who just turns on the radio to hear music. The real issues are hidden from those who are trying to find people that are talking about them. It is because of artists like Common and Little Brother that make underground hip-hop so great. They are talking about real issues that everyone con- fronts at some point in their life. The growth of underground hip-hop will show that African Americans are more than thugs, gangsters, pimps and hoes. Despite what commercialism has done with rap, underground hip-hop maintains the essence of what hip-hop has always been about. It holds the reality of everyday life that people from all ages can enjoy. That is what made hip-hop grow into one of the largest forms of musical entertainment in the world today. Its ability to define a culture in a way that everyone can see and relate to is what makes the growth of underground hip-hop to mainstream media important and morally right. There are many artists nowadays that are saying motivational things but just need the chance to be heard. Artists such as Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco and MURS rap about topics that are relevant and fun.

INTERVIEW WITH 112'S SLIM

2011-03-27T20:59:00.000-04:00

“When God has a plan for you sometimes the devil comes in and tries to mix things up for you. You have to see the bad before you can see the good”

INTRO: So tell me about the new album.

SLIM: Yup, well this is what it is its Slim from 112. Actually I have my own label entitled M3 productions. Its under- neath Asylum/Atlantic so the way that I am doing it is that I assigned myself as an artist to my own label. I am doing it the independent way. Basically the al- bum “Loves Crazy” is suppose to come out in September. I have my single “SoFly” featuring Young Joc and Shawty Lo in the remix. Its doing really well. Its in the top 20 across the board. Its do- ing extremely, extremely well. That's what it is. I didn’t want to do a solo project really but to start up the label faster I knew that I already had a sound/brand and the type of system that they had in Asylum worked for me. I put my stuff just to get things started. I am work- ing on my new artist Die- sel AKA Fresh Money. He also performed with me today. I am getting him groomed. Getting him on the stage so that he can get used to it so I can sit back relax and watch him grow.

INTRO: You didn’t want to do a solo project. Will you be doing another group project or better yet will there be another 112 album?

SLIM: There will definitely be another 112 project. I can say that for sure be- cause I am the CEO.

INTRO: I loved 112! I will admit I didn’t like the way that the last album was promoted. I don’t think that it was promoted properly.

SLIM: Here is the thing the one pro thing about being on Bad Boy. Its a boutique label and when it is a boutique label its not that many artists so that they can concentrate on one particular artist. Puffy is a marketing genius. So of course your gonna see us whether you like it or not. Fortunately for us we made quality music so our fans were there for us thru and thru. Once we left the system and went to another we had to get used to the system. The last album “Pleasure and Pain” went platinum. We have a fan base following.

INTRO: You have a large fan base.

SLIM: Fortunately for us when we drop an album our fans are like “We got you”. We sell the records its just the the hype around it. Some- times we work with the hype and some- times we work without it. We feel that as long as we make great music we can we have the have the outlet to get it out there. We kinda have ourselves 68% out there. That is why I started my own label. Me and Puff are in cahoots right now. He is grooming me to be a young CEO. He hit me up and said that “ I feel you, I am feeling you right. You are making the moves” I reached out and asked him to help me out. We are still boys. He seen me out there working. I didn’t ask him for anything. He came to me and said “I got you”.

INTRO: Tell me a little about Diesel. Who is he?

SLIM: 19 yr old phenomenon. He is probably the best 19 yr old rapper that I never heard. I will go on record with that. You don’t have to baby-sit him. He can really put his words together. He knows how to write songs and put them together. He can work with the younger artists that are out right now. We did a song called “ Freak Bunch” with legends like 8 Ball, MJG, and 36 Mafia. I don’t know many 19 yr old s that can get down like that.

INTRO: He was able to step to the plate.

SLIM: I think I found a diamond in the ruff. I have to give a big shout out to my M3 staff. They really hold me together because I will admit at one particular point in time I was ready to give up. When God has a plan for you sometimes the devil comes in and tries to mix things up for you. You have to see the bad before you can see the good. There were a lot of times where I thought that certain people had my back didn’t. So just going through that over and over again I decided to got to Australia to do some soul searching. I went to Bondi Beach and said to my self what am going to do? I had incredible investments. I was mak- ing a whole lotta money their. However I still had a love for music. I wasn’t sure if I was going to give up music or what. My staff and I were all friends first before we were in business together. That’s why we call ourselves Fam First. They grabbed me and said “listen to yourself. Tell your fans that you don’t want to sing anymore and listen to what they have to say”. So I did it first in Australia. I told the fans that I wasn’t going to sing anymore and they started crying. I had some fans asking me “How could you do that to us”? I had one guy come and ask me that he has been there since the beginning and that my songs helped him through his life why my songs don’t help me through mine. That is why the new album is called “Loves Crazy”. Its like a music type therapy situation. Not only will it help every- body else but it will also help me. You know I said that if this was my last hurrah then I said that I am going to do it my way. Frank Sinatra my way. I said that If I am going to do it then I want to be the CEO. I thank GOD for using his talents through me. special edition 2008

KEYSHIA DIOR INTERVIEW

2011-03-24T21:15:00.000-04:00

"I would wear different color lipsticks and my fans wanted to know where they could purchase them"Keyshia Dior is the new “It Girl” that has been featured in the Timbaland and Drake video “Say Something”, the new Gucci “911” video, “Loose My Mind” with Jeezy and Plies, and also the next issue of Show Magazine. As the new “It Girl” it hard to make time for interviews but we got a chance to get one from Keyshia Dior.

INTRO: I understand that you are in the beginning stages of creating your own cosmetics line. What was the inspiration for the line? What do you think will make your line different from current cosmetic lines?

KEYSHIA DIOR: What inspired my lipstick line was my fans. I would wear different color lipsticks and my fans wanted to know where they could purchase them. My line would definitely be different from other lines because I will
have crazy unique color lipsticks.

INTRO: I read that you are also a stylist. Who have you styled and for
what occasions?

KEYSHIA DIOR: I've styled for many people for different occasions.

INTRO: You wear many different hats as a business woman. What lead you to become a model? What other videos have you been in?

KEYSHIA DIOR: People would automatically think I was a model when I wasn't, so I took that and ran with it. I've done Say Something w/ Timbaland feat Drake... 4my town w/ Birdman, Wayne and Drake also Bedrock with Young Money.

INTRO: I read in an interview that you did with 24HourHipHop that you are interested in acting. Are you currently taking any acting classes or
audition?

KEYSHIA DIOR: Yes, I just started acting classes.

INTRO: How did you get the name Keyshia Dior?

KEYSHIA DIOR: Keyshia is actually my real name. The Dior represents my fashion side.

INTRO: Who is your favorite photographer and what photographer would you like to work with?

KEYSHIA DIOR: My favorite photographer is Alain Green. I would love to shoot with Derek Blanks.

INTRO: What video/movie director would you like to work with and why?

KEYSHIA DIOR: I would love to work with Hype Williams because he's very creative and so am I.

FOR MORE INFO:
@KeyshiaDior
www.keyshiadior.com

Secret Kisses Lipsticks vs Keyshia Dior's Ka' Oir Lipstickhttp://www.intromagonline.com/2012/01/keyshia-diorby-aaviana-while-surfing.html

J. HARDEN INTERVIEW BY LOLA SIMS

2011-03-11T09:25:00.000-05:00

“165 shows won in a year and a half, 36,000 single giveaways, 4 shows a night until I was hoarse for a month”

Hailing from Atlanta, GA, J. Harden is the original “King of Hood and Blues.” With a sound that is uniquely his own, his new single “Work Dat Pole,” which pays homage to the women who take their craft seriously, is making quite a few waves. Inspired by Marvin Gaye, Teddy P, BB King, R.Kelly, Prince, and a number of other greats his sound is completely different from what is out today. Bringing originality, power, excitement and a one of a kind stage performance, J. Harden has the ability to make a mark.

LOLA SIMS: What makes you different from other new artist that are now coming out?

J HARDEN: I do HOOD & BLUES. I don't have a direction. My direction is whatever comes to heart weather it be motivational, street, inspirational. do what the artist of the past did. I write what I see and just so happen a lot of people can relate to it. For instance work dat pole, Strippers can relate to it and professional pole dances can relate to it. It is art imitates life. Another song is. We fucking , everybody fucks lol. Songs like lifting me up feat. Jadakiss in today’s economy people need to be lifted up spiritually. People don't understand the state of society shit it's about more than the bezzeled out necklaces, 32 inch rims and super models. health care is down, houses are foreclosing left and right and instead of bringing our troops home we are sending thousands of them away. So I understand that someone needs to be lifted up!!

LOLA SIMS: As an independent, what do you find is one of the biggest challenges you face in trying to get your music out there?

J HARDEN: Finding real people ,that do real shit, to help you accomplish a real goal and what I mean is that you have real people out here like Wendy Day, Bigga Rankin, and list of other DJ's and promoters that will see you grinding hard and will jump in the game with you. Then you have these other people who just want suck your pockets dry and won't give a dam if you make it or not.

LOLA SIMS: You had some early success with your 1st single. How do you feel you were able to make such a great first impression without being on radio?

J HARDEN: 165 shows won in a year and a half, 36000 single giveaways, 4 shows a night until I was hoarse for a month, performing in front of 1000 people, 100 people, performing in front of just chairs, loading up my pole by myself on cold winter nights and searching hot summer days riding from town to town trying to prove myself, having pole dancers come and go, having business partners stop believing and parachute out of what they thought was a burning plane and last but not least believing in J Harden and hoping that god would make a way and he did. "Work Dat Pole" has been making money for me and that shit feels awesome.

LOLA SIMS: How do you stay consistent in your genre?

JA HARDEN: Stay grinding and sticking to my single and sound no matter what " WORK DAT POLE". and " THE KING OF HOOD & BLUES!

LOLA SIMS: What are you working on now and when can fans expect to hear more from you?

J HARDEN: I'm Working on taking Work dat pole to radio and letting the masses here it and feel this Hood & Blues. The street album is coming The King Of Hood & Blues!!!

@lolasims

The Underground Railroad:Hip-Hop’s express to escape the Minstrel Show PART 1

2011-03-07T21:27:00.001-05:00

“Hip-hop, as a culture, was a masterpiece painted by folks with no art supplies, no art training, and whose arts funding had been cutoff.”

African Americans have always been faced with negative stereotypes in the United States. During the U.S. colonial period, African American slaves used the Underground Railroad as a means to es- cape slavery. The Underground Railroad was not an actual railroad, but a system of routes and checkpoints designed to help slaves reach free states. Along with the Underground Railroad, white people showed what they really thought of Afri- can Americans through min- strel shows. Minstrel shows made fun of African Ameri- cans and displayed them as lazy, buffoonish, cheerful, ignorant, gullible and musi- cal. The Underground Rail- road and minstrel shows were major issues through- out the 19th century. Al- though no longer utilized, there are traces of both that exist in today’s music industry.

Today, hip-hop is one of the most popular forms of music throughout the world. What originally started as a cul- tural movement in the 1970s has become a million dollar industry. Hip-hop was used as a musical way for African-Amer- icans to speak about things that were hap- pening in their lives. Over time hip-hop has divided into two distinct sub genres, commercial rap and underground hip- hop.

A hip-hop artist named Derek Jennings wrote an article about hip-hop in the booklet of Little Brother’s 2005 The Min-strel Show album. In the article he gave a timeless definition of hip-hop. Jennings wrote, “I know what it started out as was ‘party music.’ But it was also more than that. It was some- thing created by marginalized people living in marginalized conditions. Hip-hop, as a culture, was a master- piece painted by folks with no art supplies, no art training, and whose arts funding had been cutoff.”

Commercial rap is hip- hop music made strictly for the radio by very wealthy record compa- nies. The music is typi- cally hollow in regards of meaningful messages for African-Americans. Underground hip-hop is hip- hop music that is not backed by wealthy record companies and not made for the radio. The music usually consists of hip-hop artists who speak about more adult issues such as politics, church, reduc- ing gun violence and raising a family. I believe it is morally wrong for record companies to promote commercial rap over underground hip-hop because 1) commercial rap is the modern version of a minstrel show, 2) the issues spo- ken about in underground hip-hop need to be heard, and 3) the growth of underground hip-hop will show that African Americans are more than thugs, gangsters, pimps and hoes. Commercial rap is the modern day version of a minstrel show. The common themes of pimping, gangsterism, bling and slang are typically found in every song. Every artist claims to be a pimp or thug. Whether they are in color- ful suits with long hair, wife-beaters and sagging pants, or oversized shirts with doo-rags, they are displayed as a typical black male. They come off as male pri- ma-donnas and are shown in videos as being extremely narcissistic and very chauvinistic. These “pimps” are loaded with jewelry from head to toe. Their necks are covered with large pieces of jewelry that hang to their waist. If the man is not in a suit, his pants start at his knees and end at his ankles capped off by the newest pair of tennis shoes or Timberlands. On top of his appearance, the rapper stresses how easily he will kill or stomp somebody into the ground. They are the standard characters in com- mercial rap.

The second, and maybe the more important, character is the “Ho.” She is in every single rap video there is wear- ing almost nothing. The Ho always makes sexual gestures with her lips. She dances seductively and is always seen with her pimp or thug. The Ho is always considered to be a conniving “bitch” who is very promiscuous and the subject of verbal and physical abuse. She is degraded to the point where she is noth- ing but eye candy on her man’s arm that can easily be replaced.

These characters are the most preva- lent in commercial rap and looked at as the typical African-American. It is this collection of images that the music in- dustry pushes over underground artist who don’t fit that mold. The artists that the industry pushes justify it by saying they are making music for the people.

50 Cent, a rap artist best known for being shot nine times, justified the con- tent of his music over an underground artist in Spin magazine. He stated, “In the music business, you do what makes sense for music and business. So if the artist makes a record they know ain't gonna sell, then why do they allow the company to spend money marketing it?” When the music industry has an artist justifying the violent degrading nature of his music because of record sales, it only makes the industry right. It allows the industry to continue making deci- sions they believe are accurate about black people. The artist is selling mil- lions of records and he fits into the mold that works. The industry executives know that the artist is not a direct repre- sentation of all black people, but it is their representation. They are in control of the music that comes out and those images are the ones they push. It is a modern form of minstrelsy where whites are once again mocking African Ameri- cans. The minstrelsy of commercial rap is the main reason why the issues spoken about in underground hip-hop need to be heard.

“To be blunt, there are many avenues available for black folks wishing to live fulfilling lives in this country, but still precious few (*cough* rap and sports) that get the Good House Negro Keeping seal of approval from the mass media,” Jennings continued. “And boy it seems like the road to riches in the music biz is much easier for those whose subject matter mostly includes pimping, selling crack, strip clubs, and materialism. Sure, all those things exist, but is that ALL there is to talk about? ALL there is to us?”

NICKI MANJI INTERVIEW

2011-02-28T20:11:00.000-05:00

“I talk about “Nicki Manji” in a third person because that is the only way that I know I am not suicidal"

Hate her or love her you can’t deny that Nicki Minaj has brought back the buzz for female Mcs. “Its Barbie Bitch” has become the most popular phrase among the ladies of this Hip-Hop generation that have been patiently waiting for someone to help bring the focus back to them. Nicki Minaj has not only brought back the hardcore lyrics and sexiness that was first seen in rapper Lil Kim but she has also gained the attention and respect from Lil Wayne who signed her to his label “Young Money”. I got a chance to sit in on a conference call conducted by Rapstarpromo as they conducted an open conference with Nicki Minaj.

Rapstarpromo: Wow! Where does the motivation come from? What gear are you in?

Nicki Minaj: Well, to be completely honest I have been trying to step it up. I think people were losing site of my lyrical abilities. I just slacked off. I am not even going to lie, I was dealing with a lot of and craziness and I just started relying o n stuff that was just getting me by. I was doing a lot of get by verses. I had a long talk with Wayne and its funny how a confrontation at the moment can change your life. It was crazy throughout the whole conversation but he mentioned to me “Nick you used to be cold what happened”? Having him tell me that I really had to stop and re-evaluate my lyrics and everything. Wayne said “I didn’t sign you because of the way that you looked. I wanted to sign you because I heard you and I felt that you was spitting as the dudes. We fucked with you cause of that”. For the Djs that are not familiar he was talking about the “Come-Up” Dvd volume 11. Thats what he saw Nicki Minaj do. I think that I stopped focusing on that thinking “I don’t have to do that but I do need to do that because I think its important to show that I am smart enough to do metaphors just like the boys and witty enough to do playful flows and all that stuff. Recently I stepped it up and on the Robin Thicke song it was a perfect example of me doing that.
My Motivation is that girls look up to Nicki Manaj now and I have to go hard for them. There are so many girls that argue my case everyday so now I have to give them a crazy buzz cause every time I am out there so they can say; “Nicky said this, Nicki said that.. She is nice. She can go up against the boys”. I need to do that for them.

Rapstarpromo: What was your mind frame during the “Come-Up” dvd days, before the whole Young Money thing.

Nicki Minaj: I just wanted to make money and take care of my mother. My frame during the “Come-Up” Dvd days was “grind, grind, grind, grind, grind”. I was going up on Jamaica Avenue and handing out my Cds and selling my mixtapes to the Africans in the mixtape spots and and speaking to the Djs. I would ask them “would you host my tape” and speaking to people like Jadakiss and asking “can you do a feature on my music”. It was grinding season for me at that time and it still is. It was a more grinding time at that time because I wasn’t getting that money at that time. I wasn’t being booked at that time so it was do or die. I now have that luxury to say that “ I am not doing shows for the month of December”. At that time I didn’t have the luxury so it was like my life depended on that and I think that’s why I illustrated that in the way that I rapped I was a little more hardcore at that time. When I started living a little better my rhymes started to get a little more playful so now I am just trying to balance the two.

Rapstarpromo: What projects do the Djs need to be looking out for?

Nicki Minaj: Well the Robin Thicke album I have a song with him called “Shaking It For Daddy”. I am on a record on Gucci Mane’s album called "Crazy”. I am on a record on Baby’s album, the Young Money Compilation, Wayne’s “rebirth”, and Maria Carey’s remix album. I am mostly gearing up for the Young Money tour.

Rapstarpromo: Do you miss anything from those days? Like before fame, money, facebook, twitter with the 300,000 followers.

Nicki Minaj: You know what I will say that I miss them (those days) but I have taken them with me. I allowed them to make me remember when I didn’t have anything and so many people did not believe in me so I take that. I don’t miss anything.

Rapstarpromo: I have to ask “how does it feel to be Nicki Manaj” ? You have a cult following. You got a bunch of “Barbies” coming up.

Nicki Minaj: Why does it have to be a “cult”? That is such a strong word.

Rapstarpromo: For real, for real I see chicks that used to look “bummy”, that are used to looking a certain way and I believe that you have motivated them seriously to put on a little eye shadow, whatever yall call it, for real. How do you feel about that?

Nicki Minaj: I feel blessed to be given a forum to speak to girls. That is why I try to have more if an intelligent interview now and because they watch everything I do cause they listen to everything that I say. It is is important for me to show them that they have to be smart. Being cute and sexy and all that stuff means nothing if you are stupid. You just get taken advantage of. That is all you get. I like that the girls wanna be pretty I do shows every weekend and you can ask anybody that has ever come to my shows and they will tell you that I always speak about college and being independent because that is what I want the girls to take away from Nicki Minaj. I am not going to act like I am a saint. I may say the most craziest freakiest shit in my raps at times but no matter what I say in my rap I have never been loose. Since I was little I was always the girl that the boys wanted but could never have. I anything.

Rapstarpromo: I have to ask “how does it feel to be Nicki Manaj” ? You have a cult following. You got a bunch of “Barbies” coming up.

Nicki Minaj: Why does it have to be a “cult”? That is such a strong word.

Rapstarpromo: For real, for real I see chicks that used to look “bummy”, that are used to looking a certain way and I believe that you have motivated them seriously to put on a little eye shadow, whatever yall call it, for real. How do you feel about that?

Nicki Minaj: I feel blessed to be given a forum to speak to girls. That is why I try to have more if an intelligent interview now and because they watch everything I do cause they listen to everything that I say. It is is important for me to show them that they have to be smart. Being cute and sexy and all that stuff means nothing if you are stupid. You just get taken advantage of. That is all you get. I like that the girls wanna be pretty I do shows every weekend and you can ask anybody that has ever come to my shows and they will tell you that I always speak about college and being independent because that is what I want the girls to take away from Nicki Minaj. I am not going to act like I am a saint. I may say the most craziest freakiest shit in my raps at times but no matter what I say in my rap I have never been loose. Since I was little I was always the girl that the boys wanted but could never have. I always kept myself as exclusive and that is what I speak about. You can be a freak with the person that you are with but if you are running around giving it to any and everybody then you are not a “Barbie” you are “Corny”. That is what I hope they are taking away from me.

Rapstarpromo: That was deep but you didn’t answer my original question so I gotta go back: “How does it feel to be Nicki Minaj”?

Nicki Minaj: I can’t answer that cause it is like a double edge sword because “Nicki Minaj” is either hated or loved. There is no in between so to answer that is to be reminded of some really mean things people say and to also enjoy the great things that people say so I tend to black it out o be honest. I don’t think of myself as “Nicki Minaj”. They either ‘love her or hate her”. I talk about “Nicki Minaj” in a third person because that is the only way that I know I am not suicidal.

Rapstarpromo: I think they do love you but they are not looking at themselves in a good way. A hater will be the first person to go out and buy your cd. They just add to your first week sales.

Nicki Minaj: You know what part feels great? The amount of people that have reached out to work with me. I never thought that in a million years that at this stage in my life I would be contacted by Maria Carey, Robin Thicke, Jennifer Lopez, Usher, and Puffy Daddy. Interestingly enough Jay-Z recommend me for the Robin Thicke feature. Does it get Any better than that? It really feels good when I think about it in that light.

Rapstarpromo: People wanna know when is the “Nicki Minaj” doll coming out?

Nicki Minaj: I have no idea. I am more focused on when the “Nicki Minaj” album is coming out. My album is slated for the second or third quarter of 2010. I would rather it come out in the third quarter because I try and take my time. My last mixtape that was “Beam Me Up Scotty”. I you know anything about me I like to take my time. I am not going to rush it because people think that is what you are supposed to do. I am going to let my features come out and I am going to work on a master piece. I don’t think females have had something and this is no disrespect to anybody and I respect all those girls that paved the way for me but I remember when Lauren Hill came out with “Miseducation” and you cried with her and the cd was on repeat for 10 years I want it to be monumental. I don’t want to rush it. People should know that I am taking my sweet time and that I am being a perfectionist which is what I do so when you get the album it will be worth the wait.

For More On The Interview Visit:
Young Money TV or
@rapstarpromo

More Nicki Manaj Info Visit:
@nickimanaj
JAN/FEB 2010

B.o.B AKA BOBBY RAY INTERVIEW JUNE 2009

2011-02-21T20:49:00.000-05:00

"My love for music will never go away even if I take a year off to act I would not stop doing music. I just can’t stop"

In June 2009 I caught up with B.o.B aka Bobby Ray as he toured with Asher Roth and Kid Cudi on “The Great Hangover” tour at the House of Blues.

INTRO: So how did you end up on the tour?

B.o.B: I ended up on the tour because it seemed like the most logical thing to do. My affiliation with Kid Cudi and Asher Roth. We are on the cover of XXL Magazine for the “Freshman Issue”. I am real cool with Asher. We really didn’t have anything to do this summer. We didn’t have any tours lines up so it just seemed like the most productive, proficient, and proactive thing to do, so here we go.

INTRO: You are very different from other rappers. You are an artist not a rapper. How did you become an artist?

B.o.B: (laughs) I became an artist basically from circumstances and what I have been thru. Basically I became an artist thru life. The type of inspiration that you receive from this industry you can make it negative or positive energy but I always wanted to do it. When I was a kid I used to play and write songs on the piano and sing. I didn’t know what The hell I was doing but finally after all these years I finally got it right. I play the guitar on my set. Whenever I can I bring my whole band and my back up singers. I have my back up singers on tour with me right now. I try to keep it as musical as possible. Its really a growth process. Growing into being a musician and a musical artist and you really have to learn the music. You can’t imitate it. It has to come from the soul
and when it doesn’t it just looks like you are trying to be something.

INTRO: Do you find that more artists are more appreciative of you because you are opening doors for the type of music that they want to create.

B.o.B: Definitely. I definitely feel that a lot of artists are fans and its kind of humbling. A lot of artists can take that and respond to it with a cocky type of perspective. Its really humbling because you realize that the influence you have to be able to inspire millions of people to or correction I don’t know how many people. You never know but to inspire people in general whether its just one person or a billion you inspire them to do more than what the norm is. If It wasn’t for artists that inspired me like Gnarls Barkley, Andre 3000, Mos Def, and other artists that grew out the norm and said “fuck it I’ma do what I want to do” I would not have that audacity to do something.

INTRO: what happen at the ESPY Awards. What was the experience like?

B.o.B: ESPY Awards (laughs). Samuel Jackson said whassup . It seemed like he was paying attention to the performance. The ESPY was crazy because there is a lot of preparation that goes into producing these shows. I did the BET Awards for two years but I didn’t realize that there was so much money in sports. The hotels were branded ESPY. The hotel decals said ESPY. They gave out gift bags with hundreds of dollars worth of gifts. Its just crazy how much they put into it but the overall experience was great. I got a lot of priceless exposure.

INTRO: I know that you have been doing this for awhile but where do you see yourself in the next two years?

B.o.B: I see myself in a movie. I see my self winning a Grammy or a couple of Grammies if GOD desires.

INTRO: Do you do any acting?

B.o.B: Yeah videos require acting but I want to really act. My passion for my music is greater than my passion for acting. I want to see how deeper I can go with my music before I aspire to do something more. My love for music will never go away even if I take a year off to act I would not stop doing music. I just can’t stop.

INTRO: What artists would you like to work with that you haven’t yet?

B.o.B: Seth Gold, M.I.A, Janelle Monet. Its a lot of female artists that but its because they are very unique and very bold. I feel like the feminine energy in this day and age is really balancing out. For so long its been a man’s world or perceived to be a man’s world for such a long time. Like James Brown said “This is a man’s world, but it would be nothing without the touch of a woman or a girl”. I feel that because this feminine energy is balancing out on this planet a lot of female artists are aspiring to be something greater than just a sexual image or sex symbol. Its nothing wrong with that because we are sexual beings but when everything gets the same it gets monotonous. I want to do a track with Cee-Lo. I don’t want to do it where we email tracks to each other. I would rather get in the studio with you or not do anything at all. Its more organic when you actually there with that person.

INTRO: So I understand that you are going to be working on tracks later.

B.o.B: Yeah me an Asher are talking about doing a mixtape together. He has a studio on his bus so I am going to roll with him and kick it on his bus. We are just going to have some fun. Even though this is my job you still have to keep that balance between work and play so you don’t go stale. You know what I mean?

INTRO: I don’t know what you mean?

B.o.B: You know what I mean!

INTRO: I don’t know what you mean. I work all the time.

B.o.B: You gotta have fun sometime. You deserve it.

40GLOCC INTERVIEW

2011-02-18T20:54:00.000-05:00

“I don’t feel like you should be in the Position that you are in”

Infamous/G-Unit artist 40Glocc is back with his brand new album with his Zoolife family entitled “Concrete Jungle”. I met 40Glocc back in 2007 at the One Stop Shop Music Conference. I recently touched base with him to talk about the new album and what he has been doing since we last spoke. I spoke to 40Glocc prior to him running Plies into the bathroom at his video shoot.

INTRO: You have the new album coming out called “Concrete Jungle” what can people expect from this album?

40Glocc: Its real and its street. Its everything thing that music is.

INTRO: I understand that you have been doing a bit of acting. How did you get into acting?

40Glocc: I was in the movie “Miss March”. The movie is now available on DVD. The movie is an urban comedy. Mark Walberg hooked me up with that.. I always wanted to act. I knew Mark from when he was younger. He got me into it and I made it happen.

INTRO: I am following you on twitter and I have come to find that you are a very political person. Do you see yourself eventually getting into politics in the future?

40Glocc: Definitely. I believe that no one should get bullied on. You think that the system is suppose to help us out but the system ain’t always fair. I fight for the underdog. I am definitely going to pursue politics in the future.

INTRO: I am going to call you the ‘West Coast Bully” because it seems like you have gotten into it with a lot of artists?

40Glocc: (laughs) Some people call it hating but I call it fighting for what you believe in. Its competition at the same time. I believe that if you a fake you a fraud, you trying to be me I don’t feel like you should be in the position that you are in.

INTRO: I feel you!

40Glocc: That’s as simple as I can put it.

INTRO: I know that you are doing your thing overseas touring. What is it like to tour overseas?

40Glocc: We go big, we go hard. Trying to stay in Europe as much as possible. That's where the euros at (laughs)! Fortunately 50 (50cent) was able to put us in a position to travel like that. A lot of other artists aren’t fortunate like that.

Nov/Dec 2009

CONTEST: WIN A 72 HOUR DATE WITH YUNG BERG TO CELEBRATE THE VALENTINE'S DAY DROP OF "72 HOURS"

2011-02-13T10:07:00.002-05:00

With smash hit's like"Sexy Lady" , "Sexy Can I", "The Business" & "Sex 'N the City"

it is only appropriate that multi-platinum selling Yung Berg give a lil something back

to the people that helped put him where he is.........THE LADIES!!!

With that in mind, Yung Berg is offering one lucky young lady the opportunity

to come to Miami and 'kick it' with him for 3 days, all expenses paid, to celebrate

the Valentine's Day drop of his single "72 Hours."

Stay tuned to @TheRealYungBerg and http://srv.ezinedirector.net/?n=4440089&s=102641266

for full details.

WATCH the trailer for "72 Hours" here - http://srv.ezinedirector.net/?n=4440090&s=102641266

INTERVIEW WITH GANGSTA BOO

2011-02-07T20:06:00.000-05:00

“The whole thing was super surreal. It was like I was in a fucking movie”

Inquiring minds scrambled to get the 411 on the news reports that were plastered on the news and the Internet that Lola “Gangsta Boo” Mitchell was a suspect in an armed robbery case. The news caused Lola “Gangsta Boo” to issue an official statement in regards to the case on Friday, December 11, 2009

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM GANGSTA BOO
"I, Lola C. Mitchell aka Gangsta Boo, was not, I repeat, was not involved in any kind of conspiracy of any kind involving a robbery.

I am being implicated false on statements and terms. I have no connections with any unlawful activities with the suspect Marcus Curtis or anyone else involved in this matter.

I was neither questioned nor informed of any such charges brought against me before a warrant was issued which lead me to turn myself in.

I feel like I have been publicly slandered and targeted because of my career, I am innocent on all charges and the truth will prevail in the end."

So what’s next on her list? Well INTRO got the chance to talk to Gangsta Boo while she was in the studio in New York.

INTRO: I have read the reports and went over you official statement. I know that a lot of people are more interested in knowing if you committed the crime or not. I really want to get away from that get away from that and ask how did you first find out about the charges?

Gangsta Boo: I found out from my mother. The detective came to see her and she called me after he left. You know how it is when you see your momma’s number in the caller id when she calls. You are thinking “what she want now”? She told me “The police just came looking for you” I was like “Oh my God, what the hell, the police came”? She gave me the number and I called the detective and he told me what was going on. I asked him “Me? Are you sure”? The whole thing was super surreal. It was like I was in a fucking movie. I just couldn’t believe it. I just got a DUI. Right now that is the worst thing on my record right on my record.

It is crazy! The process is crazy. It makes me look at a lot of people in jail saying that they are innocent different. I am now on the inside verses the outside looking in on some shit like this and I don’t even know where the hell it came from. It was like a fan gone mad. I am guilty by association. I knew the but I didn’t know him like that. He was an associate of an associate. It was somebody that I kicked out my crew months ago. I don’t know where this came from.

INTRO: So it was someone still holding animosity.

Gangsta Boo: Ain’t no probably to it. Everybody that knows me knows I don’t have to do anything like that. First of all there is nothing for me to get in a Dollar General. Don’t take this as being conceited but I try to surround myself with a lot of successful people. If I am ever down to that point I am cute enough, single, no kids, so I can always go to a dude or one of my friends. I would never have to do nothing low level or some shit like that. I can always spit a verse or something. There is a whole lot of things I could do than to do stuff that would end my life or my career. I preach about that. My brother has a robbery charge and I was mad as hell at him when he went to jail and then he went right back in for it. I am super pissed at him you know. Its not something that I am worried about getting props for or not. Its just the whole process. God must really be trying to show me who really down. This is so huge. It was a huge question mark in my life. I know for a fact that a blessing is coming behind it. That is my thing cause that is what I believe. Things being that crazy in your life can’t nothing but good come to you later in life.

INTRO: How has the industry responded towards your situation? Did anyone reach out to you or were people choosing not to associate with you because of the charges?

Gangsta Boo: I know a lot of people but that doesn’t mean that I associate with them. I am cool with the people that I was cool with before this happen. The situation brought a lot of attention to my name. I have a lot artists hitting me up on Twitter like “Yo! I been meaning to get in touch with you” I am like “Damn ok” you know what I am saying. So its like a gift and a curse at the same time. I am not being mean but I am not really into to this whole industry friend thing. I been in this for a long time. Making friends in the industry is something that I am not really keen on doing anyway cause it ain’t sincere. For the most part its strictly business anyway. I am down for those that are down with me. Like I said its God’s way of saying that “I am about to bless you and these are the type of people that you are not going to want around you because whatever you are what ever happens this is what they are going to do”. Only time will tell.

INTRO: I know that you have a lot you are trying to get done in the studio. What type of feel are you going to have for the new album?

Gangsta Boo: A lot of emotion. There is not a particular feel that I am going for. I have always been one of those type of artists to write about how I feel. Whatever I am feeling is what the people are going to get. They are going to get a whole lotta “Gangsta Boo” stories about her life.

INTRO: do you have any special features on the album?

Gangsta Boo: Well right now the mixtape that is out right now is like an album. Its not your typical mixtape where I would freestyle over everybody else’s beats. I am with Drumma Boy and everybody know s who he is He produced half the tracks. Shawty Red produced a couple of tracks. I have a record with Gucci, Shawna, Crunchy Black, Angel Lola Luv talking for me. I recorded a record with Nicole Ray and Lil John. I gotta couple things under my sleeve.

INTRO: Who would you like to work with that you haven’t worked with yet?

Gangsta Boo: I am going to be honest with you it would not be another rapper it would be more like a Rockstar like Pink.

INTRO: What! I think that would be a hot collabo.

Gangsta Boo: To be honest I don’t really listen to a lot of rap unless its me, some ole shit if mine., 3 6 Mafia, Kanye, Outkast, stuff like that. I may listen to a mixtape here and there just to hear what they are talking about. I mostly listen to alternative music. I listen to the Alanis Morrisettes, the Aviril Levines, the Sticklebacks, One Republic stuff like that. Rap to me right now is at a state of emergency. It sucks right now. It ain’t gonna make or break me to collab with someone. It would be cool but its not something that I am dying to do. I would rather do a collab with a Rockstar or somebody that is on a higher plateau that can bring certain things out of me. I feel like I have capitalized and mastered this rap shit. I need somebody that is going to pull something else out of me than the regular sixteen bars.

INTRO: Do you have any other projects that you are working on?

Gangsta Boo: I am working on voice overs. I have been in and out of LA looking for the best agent so if anybody has an agent to refer I am looking in California or even in Atlanta. If you know anybody that needs a voice over let me know. I also have my own record label Crazy Mind Entertainment. I had a couple of artists. One is incarcerated and the other one doesn’t listen cause he is set in his ways. I am definitely looking for some artists preferably producers. I can consult a lot independent artists and producers. I can help the producers get their beats sold. That is how I met Drummer Boy. I was buying beats from him and helping him get his beats sold. In my free time I do study law and psychology.

INTRO: Do you have any charities that you are working with or that you support?

Gangsta Boo: At the moment I do not. I would love to speak to the youth, young pregnant females, and black males because I am from Memphis and I have seen a lot coming from Memphis. I have four brothers. Feel that can offer words of encouragement for them.

More info:
@GANGSTABOO

YOUNG BREED INTERVIEW

2011-02-01T21:11:00.000-05:00

“That mixtape market is Triple C’s we claiming that and and owning it”

INTRO: Whats been going on with Triple Cs? What mixtapes did you guys do?

YOUNG BREED: We back in the lab. Our album is in stores now “Custom, Car, Cycles”. We are working on the new album. “Custom, Cut, Clarity”. We have “Sticks & Stones” we about to release in a minute. That is the groups whole mixtape that features Gunplay, Torch, and myself. We also have our own mixtapes we are gonna drop. You have Rick Ross about to drop that “Teflon Don” so you know that is definitely about to be a problem.

INTRO: I heard that this one is suppose to be better than the last one.

YOUNG BREED: Yeah its got a movie coming out with it.

INTRO: Are you in the movie as well?

YOUNG BREED: Yeah! The whole Triple C’s in the movie. I want everyone to check that out. I am going to be about 7ft tall. That is the only time you are going to see me that tall.

INTRO: How did you hook up with Triple C?

YOUNG BREED: Well I was a solo artist here in Miami and I was just putting out street singles. They were catching its buzz all throughout Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. You know that the whole southern market. Ross noticed me cause I had the streets blazing. The birth of Maybach was 2008-2009 and that is around the time that I got signed to the label. Since then I have been working and grinding. I was in the studio with Gunplay, Torch, and Ross and we were dropping so many hits that they felt that it was time for Triple C to get that new look and that is what we did.

INTRO: What started you to become a rapper?

YOUNG BREED: I always had a love for music. I used to want to be a DJ and scratch the ones and twos every now and then. I have developed a liking for the music so I started writing rhymes and free-styling in high school halls. Everybody in the hood started listening to what mixtapes I put out. I just grew a fan base and kept it pumping from there.

INTRO: The character that you played was it more so like playing yourself?

YOUNG BREED: Yeah! I don’t want to give up to much of the movie but its about stuff that we have been thru. Its one of those classics. It was just some thug shit. I was kinda self portrayed by myself. I wouldn’t mind persuing a career in acting. Yall gonna see whassup.

INTRO: How would you describe yourself as an artist?

YOUNG BREED: I am just a real around the board rapper.

INTRO: What is the feel of the mixtape “Sticks and Stones” that fans can expect?

YOUNG BREED: Its straight hardcore gutta street shit. Its not like other albums. Its just us cutting loose in the studio, rapping, and making music for the streets. We are so much focused on making radio singles. We are giving the streets a lot of freestyling and just hot songs that are bubbling in the clubs. We just gave them the Triple C flow you know what I am saying.

INTRO: As a solo artist did you have any mixtapes that you did?

YOUNG BREED: Yeah we got my “Extortion” series out. I think we up to volume 5 on that. I had “Young Boss, Dollars and Donks”. We have “Project President and Trap Talk” coming soon. That mixtape market is Triple C’s . We we claiming that and and owning it by saturating the mixtape market. That’s for the streets and I feel that is who we need to feed. Those are our consumers, audience, and fans. They love us so I am not going to stop doing it for the mixtape circuit.

INTRO: Is there a particular artist that you would like to work with that you have not worked with yet?

YOUNG BREED: I would like to work with Justin Bieber. On the female side I would like to work with Jazmine Sullivan. She is real talented she does her thing.

INTRO: Do you have any other projects that you are working on?

YOUNG BREED: I have my clothing line called “Uptown Appereal” under StillIncOriginals.com. You can order our sweat shirts and we also have nice shirts for the ladies. You know I am just pumping my brand right now. We rep so hard that they liked the way that we dressed so we decided to give the public an opportunity to get their hands on it. Its going to be in stores soon. We also have a book deal on the table. We are in the process of working on book tour right now.

INTRO: Is the book an autobiography about yourself?

YOUNG BREED: Its almost like a autobiography. Its about one of my homies that just got out of a federal institution. Its based on a true story vibe. The book is called “Diversity” by Andrea Pearson and its at Barnes and Nobles. The sells of the book have been good and we have been on a few tours for that. We are thinking about doing a movie for the book. Its about a young youth growing up and his uncle was a made man and he got murdered so its up to the nephew to continue on with the family business. Its a real good book and I think that my hood and ghetto niggas can relate to it. It will open up their mind so they can see something new.

FOR MORE INFO:
@YOUNGBREED

JUNE/JULY 2010

GUNPLAY INTERVIEW

2011-01-24T21:16:00.005-05:00

“That was cool to build the brand but now we trying to make money with it”

GUNPLAY: Grinding hard and letting them know that Gunplay coming. I am about to drop a mixtape with Dj PCutta out of Philly . The mixtape is called Don Logan. Don Logan is my alter ego and my company name as well I am starting to implement that in my music so that people know that I am not only Gunplay but Don Logan as well.

INTRO: So Don Logan is your music label as well?

GUNPLAY: Yeah that’s my label right there. We are in the beginning stages. I grind out Maybach Music and Triple C so I am doing the same for myself.

INTRO: Do you have any artist on your label?

GUNPLAY: Yeah! Gunplay

INTRO: What kind of feel can we expect from the Don Logan mixtape?

GUNPLAY: I get to talk about that street shit. On my mixtape I can really talk that street shit versus an album where you have to cater to a broader audience. I cater to the streets wit the mixtape. The streets know me. They know what I am about. They like to hear what I am talking about when I get on that street shit. That’s really the masses (the streets). When I do the album I tone it down to appeal to the masses. The mixtapes are strictly for the streets, slums, and ghettos.

INTRO: Are you in the movie Teflon Don?

GUNPLAY: No.

INTRO: You didn’t want to be in it?

GUNPLAY: I didn’t know they were shooting a movie.

INTRO: Yeah! Young Breed just told me about it.

GUNPLAY: Its news to me baby.

INTRO: What else are you working on now?

GUNPLAY: We working on the second album now. Color, Cut, Clarity” I am doing three projects right now. I am working on mixtapes but I am also working on my solo album now called “Kill Switch”. On the last album we kept it street. On this album we are really trying to crossover with this one. We are trying to get on the radio. The last album really didn’t hit the radios like that. It just hit peoples CD players. That was cool to build the brand but now we trying to make money with it. I also have “Apples and Onions” magazine and a modeling agency I am trying to start up. The motto of “Apples and Onions” magazine is “you gotta have a waist like a wasp and a ass like a horse”. Hopefully I can spin off with a strip club cause you know Don Logan loves the ladies.

INTRO: The ladies that are reading this and want to be part of the magazine Apples and Onions how would they be able to contact you?

GUNPLAY: I don’t have the web site up yet but you can send your pictures and info to donlogandjs@gmail..com I am about to get things set up now. Once the web site is up you would be able to see the girls that I am already working with.

INTRO: You mentioned earlier that you would like to be able to spin off and do a strip club. What location would be ideal for you to open up your club?

GUNPLAY: I would do it in Atlanta. Down here it is a lot of competition. There is competition in Atlanta also but the way that I want to do it is different. You will be able to get a hair cut in mine.

INTRO: So after a fresh cut they can run over to see the ladies.

GUNPLAY: Yeah you can get ya shape up, you play ya pool, and get ya sports on the plasma. You got pretty girls doing your manicure if you want.

INTRO: Are you doing any shows or features at the moment?

GUNPLAY: We are doing some spot shows here and there in Florida, Texas, and New York. We aree back in the lab working on the second album. I am doing features and people can reach me at donlogandjs@gmail.com or they can hit me on twitter @gunplay. I do want people to know that the features cost.

INTRO: Is there any particular artist that you would like to work with?

GUNPLAY: I would love to work with Sade. I have already worked with a lot of people like Young Jeezy, Bun B, Game, and Gucci however I would really love to work with Sade.

FOR MORE INFO:
@GUNPLAYCCC

JUNE/JULY 2010

KRAVE INTERVIEW

2011-01-24T20:21:00.007-05:00

“We are taking it back to when the Temptations rehearse for 10-12 hours a day”

Krave is the new girl trio presented to you by rapper Akon and Devyne Stephens of Upfront Mega entertainment. These ladies are planning to take the world by storm with there fresh new sound and they plan on showing the world what it is to be truely entertained. INTRO got the chance to converse with the lovely ladies as they were getting ready to shoot their first video.

INTRO: I really wanna focus on the music. What are you guys working on? Are you working on an album or a new single?

Chanel: We are working on a new album and the album is going to be self titled. It should be out early May 2010. We have been trying to keep busy with the music.

INTRO: What kinda feel is the album going to have to it?

Chanel: Its gonna have a party vibe to it. We have a lot of uptempos, a lot of club records but at the same time we have other records for the ladies. You when your guy is fooling around and you wanna let them know. We are big on girl power dealing with unity, confidence and knowing who you are. Thats the type of feel you are going to get from this album. Its a feel good album.

INTRO: Do you have any special features on the album.

Chanel: Yes! We have our big brother Akon, Nelly, Twista, and RockCity. We don’t want to let too much out. We want to keep it a surprise for when the album comes out. Its gonna be a crazy album and we are really excited about it.

INTRO: Who are your influences? The last really big girl group that we had was Destinys Child.

Chanel: That is true. We get a lot of our influences from TLC, BBD, Jodeci, Xscape, Grace Jones, Madonna, and Michael Jackson (RIP). Music is in our there are just so many people. We love everybody. Music is in our soul. We like different types of music.

INTRO: What makes you different from any other group?

Jazzy: I would say what makes us different is or what makes us tick a little different is that we are have open minds. We really want to touch on everything. We don’t want to stay in the box of urban music or R&B or hip hop. We are eclectic and we like different styles that make us want to incorporate that into our music. We started with Devaughn and he modeled the group from the ground up. He taught us about etiquette when it comes to interviews, its about the look, its about the performance, its about the music. We are taking it back to when the Temptations rehearse for 10-12 hours a day. Its about putting in hard work for the audience and showing them that you are putting in that hard work for them. I think that some artists just focus on just being fly all the time. Of course you need to be fly but this is a business and we need to bring the focus back on the music and the substance of it all.

INTRO: What artists would you like to work with.

Shan Q: I would love to work with Swizz Beatz. His tracks and just his energy alone is just high and fun and we represent that. Another artist we would like to work with is Missy Elliot. She is dope. She is creative, innovative, funand her energy is high too. We have a lot of other artists that we would like towork with but right now those are the main two.

INTRO: Where do you see your self in the next two years:

Shan Q: Let me see. Krave album drops. We go platinum maybe even diamond. A couple houses cars! Naw, after the album drops hopefully we will eventually be headlining our own tour or touring with our big brother Akon overseas. We want to continue to make good music and continue to better ourselve and making legacies that will live on. Hopefully in the near future future we want to do like a Krave movie, Krave accessory line and make-up. We want to make everyone a part of our movement, part of our brand. We want to be big and universal and expand Krave worldwide.

INTRO: What country would you like to go to?

Shan Q: I want to go to Japan. I am a fashion freak. I want to go over there and snatch up everything. I might find me a little boyfriend over there you know and bring him back to the states.

Jazzy: I want to go to Paris. I am the romantic of the group. I love fairy tales and stuff.

Chanel: I would love to go to Africa. I think the scenery even though I have only scene it television is gorgeous and of course I would like to work with the charities over there. I want to see Egypt so bad. I am obsessed wit the pyramids and the sphinx so I definitely have to make my way over there. I am not excited about the shots that you have to get before you go to Africa but I have to go.

INTRO: How would you describe each others personality.

Jazzy: I would say Shan Q is a wild child. By that I mean you never know what you are going to get. One she might have on a neon jumpsuit and the next day she may have on a wedding gown. She is just very out there. Chanel is the median. She is the peacemaker of the group. She is very compassionate but on an extreme level I would say she is the rapper.

Shan Q: I would say Jazzy is the sexy one. She is the seductress. She is like a guitar/vintage. She is a bookworm. Jazzy will come out of now where and say things like “ You know Sir Humphry Davy is the guy that invented the light bulb”. She also likes fancy clothes. Chanel is goofy as well even though she is the more laid back one. She is a meddian like Jaz said. She is watered, very calm. I am a scorpio and I love the water. Jaz is a Scorpio to so we have two waters and one fire. She is like water somewhat.

Chanel: I would say Jazzy is more girly because she isn’t really tomboyish. She is very head strong at times. She is funny. She has cynical humor like the kind you see on Family Guy. I would say that Shan Q is all over the place. She is very creative. I love that about her. Those are my girls. These are my homies. We all have different facets to us. We can all be goofy at times and standoffish at times. We are just one big melting pot mess but I mean that in a good way. Like my mom says I am a “organized mess”. My room is always messy but it is proportioned and that is how we are. LOLA

More Info:
Myspace.com/riverward

Follow Kr ave on Twitter:
@Chanelkrave
@shanqkrave
@kraveworldwide

INTERVIEW WITH ROCCETT

2011-01-24T19:58:00.006-05:00

“They liked my music and thought that I would be a good fit for the company”

Roccett is know by some as Jeezy’s young protege. He is also know to many as one of the west coasts hottest rappers in the game. He has also been seen as one of the many artists that can be seen in the Makaveli Branded clothing advertisements. Currently he is getting prepares for his 2009 album debut with Corporate Thugs Entertainment.

INTRO: You have been in the game for awhile now. Who are some of you influences?”

Roccett: Dr. Dre, Snoop, Tupac, Jay-z just to name a few.

INTRO: What projects are you working on?

Roccett: I just got off the phone with Trey Songz and he was talking about doing a joint together. I am also working on that new “Chronic 2009”. I also have my own record label called Get Your Green Up Ent and we currently negotiating with labels and for all the labels out there interested we still talking so holla at us.

INTRO: I have seen you in the “Makaveli” clothing advertisements. How did you end up getting that deal? Did they approach you or was it vice versa?

Roccett: They liked my music and thought that I would be a good fit for the company.

INTRO: I know that many ladies would like to know if you are single and if you are what do you look for in a woman?

Roccett: Currently I am in a relationship but what I do look for is a a woman that is strong minded woman that knows what she wants. I need a woman that can handle the truth.

INTRO: You are making quiet a few moves right now with your career right now. Where do you think you would be in the next two years?

Roccett: Sky’s the limit. Hopefully I will have 3 albums done and a movie.

LINKS:

Official site: www.roccett.com
http://www.iamroccett.com
http://www.twitter.com/iamroccett
www.myspace.com/roccett
MAR/APR 2009

INTRO would love to thank all its readers for its support. Check out our past interview with Triple C's Torch

2011-01-05T23:28:00.006-05:00

INTRO: Since I last spoke to you “Yams” was going hard in the streets and in the clubs and in the streets. Whats the next single we can expect to go hard if not harder?

TORCH: There are a couple and I really don’t put the names out right now cause we want everyone to focus on “Teflon” right now. We got that Maybach Music in the streets right now but trust me there is one called “Lay It Down” you ain’t heard it from me but watch for it.
INTRO: Since the last time we talked you were getting ready to drop your first album and now you are working on your sophomore album. Can you tell us what we can expect from this album?

TORCH: Its gonna be a certified classic unlike the last album this is a more polished look for Triple C. Its not going to be so raw and rugged like the last album. We are going to have a few cuts for the ladies on this one as well as a few radio cuts. You are going to get a more grown Triple C on this one.
INTRO: You were very street and rugged on the first one.

TORCH: You still gonna get that gutta appeal but you know you what I mean. At the end of the day the gutta is always gonna love us but we are not trying to go back there so we gotta appeal to the masses.

INTRO: What kind of features are you going to have on the album? TORCH: The features on the album are going to be more calculated. We are going to have a couple of the O.Gs in the game like Jay-Z and all that stuff. The last album was oversaturated with features. We are going to keep the features this time to a minimum. We may have a few singers for the hooks but this album is going to be more Triple C and less features.
INTRO: What singers do you have featured on the album?

TORCH: We got Trey Songz checking in. We got Lloyd checking in and the big homie T-Pain just to name a few. We got a lot of surprises in store. We have a song called “Diamonds and Maybachs part 2” with the homie Ryan Leslie. Look out for that its gonna be a banger.

INTRO: Now are you in the new movie Teflon Don with Rick Ross?

TORCH: Of course I am! You know I also have my own thing going on with “Specialyst Films Beyond Vision” I am in the process of writing a screen play. Its like a biography but I don’t want to call it that. movie that is why it is taking me so long. It really easy to verbally tell someone but it takes more work to write it down. The name of the screen play is called “Tell Myra” its going to be a good movie. I am in the perfect position to make it happen on the production end cause I own a film crew. Usually you go through screen writers but I am doing this myself. We are going to put it down and look for a company to put it out. We already have all of the filming in the bag.

INTRO: Whats going on with Specialyst Ent?
TORCH: Its huge! Its one of the biggest movements in New York. When Ross talk about that muscle he got he is talking about me and my homies. We run New York. The Bronx is officially in the building!We have a mixtape out right now. We are working on another one that will drop after my solo album drops. My solo album will drops after the next Triple C album. I would go on the record and say the name of it but people be biting and shit so I am just going to keep that to myself.
INTRO: When can we expect the albums to drop?
TORCH: You can look out for that in Spring 2011. The Triple C album should be out in December of this year coming up right after the Teflon album. We have a lot of albums coming out this year. We have the mixtapes that are out such as “Sticks and Stones” and my new mixtape “Crash Course”. Young Breed and Gunplay have their mixtapes out right now and Ross just dropped a Timeless collection. We are about to drop more mixtapes, more albums which means more money.

INTRO: For the ladies that want to get with the modeling “Means and Models” how would they get in contact with you.
TORCH: You can send them pics to ceotorch3@gmail.com . We are always looking for models. We are not all about the cosmetics stuff. We like genuine girls. You know even if you have a couple of flaws still send a pic. There is

INTRO: Since I last spoke to you “Yams” was going hard in the streets and in the clubs and in the streets. Whats the next single we can expect to go hard if not harder?
TORCH: There are a couple and I really don’t put the names out right now cause we want everyone to focus on “Teflon” right now. We got that Maybach Music in the streets right now but trust me there is one called “Lay It Down” you ain’t heard it from me but watch for it.

INTRO: How long have you been working on the screen play and are you working with anyone to produce the movie once its done?

TORCH: I have been working on it for two months right now. This is my first time trying to write a movie that is why it is taking me so long. It really easy to verbally tell someone but it takes more work to write it down. The name of the screen play is called “Tell Myra” its going to be a good movie. I am in the perfect position to make it happen on the production end cause I own a film crew. Usually you go through screen writers but I am doing this myself. We are going to put it down and look for a company to put it out. We already have all of the filming in the bag.

INTRO: What made you want to start a production company. Torch: I wanted to eliminate the general. You know I see how you stay prevalent in the game is to maintain the internet presence, being able to do your own videos, and own your own business rather than blowing your money on trivial stuff like most artists. I invested in myself with the films and the studios.

INTRO: Now as far as the models that you have working with you what videos did you have them cast for? Were they just for Rick Ross/Triple C videos?
TORCH: Yeah just that to name a few. They have also been featured in a couple Khaled videos and most of the videos shot in Miami. We just keeping it low key right now, A lot of people don’t even know that we are a team but Amazing Models is definitely going to be the next thing up.

INTRO: Is that going to include model Amazin Amie?
TORCH: Hey!! How do you know about that? Shout out to Amazin Amie she doing big things. That is my partner right there.

INTRO: How do you feel that the fans have accepted you as far as the Ross and 50 Cent beef?

TORCH: At the end of the day beef is when there is blood on the floor and someone is dying. That is the element that I love. It is like wrestling to me so I don’t even consider it beef. As far as the fans, after Ross did what he did they showed us even more love because it takes a strong team to accomplish what he did. Ross is still here and relevant in the game as one of the best and that is enough in itself.

JUNE/JULY 2010

FOR MORE INFO:
www.torchisny.com
@TORCHCCC

D. Woods talks about Danity Kane Reunion

2011-01-05T23:12:00.012-05:00

“I just really think that whatever my presence at the time they did not want anymore”

D. Woods has continued to make moves since her departure from the girl group Danity Kane. D. Woods is now currently working on her new mixtape series “Independence Day”. She is also expanding her career by working on some other new ventures. D took some time out to give us an update on her career and to give her side of her departure from Danity Kane.

INTRO: I understand that you are working on a new project. Can you tell us a little more about it.

D. Woods: I working on a mixtape series called Independence Day. It will be a series of mixtapes online. I am a very creative person. I do some rapping and singing on the album. I really am not one particular genre because I don not compartmentalize myself.

INTRO: What producers have you worked with on the new album?

D. Woods: Kwame, Stroud (affiliated with Grand Hustle), Jay-Lac he did Lloyd’s get it shorty, Keyes and the Apple Juice Kid. I am working with a lot of younger producers. I want to create my own sound instead of someone trying to stamp me with their sound. I love going to beat battles. I find some people during that battles and I run up to them and be like “You were hot, you should have won, give ya number” (laugh). That is how I met the Apple Juice Kid.

INTRO: I know that many people want to know what happened with the break up?

D. Woods: I am saying this with the up-most respect. The break-up was on its way before it the group even started. It was on very shaky ground from the beginning. I applaud each girl for trying to make things work but there were too many odds and ends and to many people in each girls ear with divide and conquer tactics and a lot of bad business. I you don’t handle your business right no matter how talented you are its not gonna work. There many to many variables working against us especially for us having to compete against each other and then having to get on the same team. We didn’t have that foundation. I did my best. It was really, really hard.

INTRO: Why didn’t you show up to the reunion.

D. Woods: For one I showed up to quite a few meetings, “lets get it together” situations and the meeting where I was ultimately fired from when I had no idea even that was what the meeting was for. After being fired (laugh) I showed up to the Christmas Party and was told and I quote “Get out I don’t want you here. As the Chief Executive of this company I am making this executive decision and I don’t want you here. You after someone tells you that to you face and you ask them if they are sure and they say yes then that is ground one. What can you say to that? You just have to bow out gracefully and move on with you life. After time went by and they wanted everyone to come back fro the reunion show and I basically said I would love to be there and say my piece however I have moved on with my life and I have do have a prior commitment and I am not going to cancel the commitments that I had already made to walk into something especially after being fired and not knowing what I was going to be walking into. That is the situation with reality tv. You never know what you are going to walk into. I just had to make a decision for my well being and I decided to go to London and do host The Music of Black Origin Awards with Reverend Run and Mel B of the Spice Girls than to go to MTV and be humiliated. I definitely offer many different solutions. I asked could we do it via phone or satellite and Badboy declined on both options.

INTRO: How is it working for Diddy?

D.Woods: Its everything that you could imagine it to be. Its one big emotional roller coaster.

INTRO: What was the situation that brought him to take you out of the group?

D. Woods: Really, I don’t know. I just really think that whatever my presence at the time they did not want anymore. I know that he was going forward with Dawn’s solo project and maybe he wanted to disband the group so that he could focus on her.

INTRO: How do you feel about the solo project that Dawn is working on and Diddy’s relationship with her?

D. Woods: I definitely feel that I had a lot to offer that I had to down play almost make myself smaller. In my last conversation with Puff I told him congratulations with and that I am glad that he wanted to move forward with Dawn’s project. He had always voiced that she was his favorite in the group. I never really expected for him to see that in me because I never really got a chance to show it because I was pretty much downplayed but I did my best in the situation. Once you do your best you can’t be mad at yourself you can’t be mad at someone else. You can’t be mad if you did your best. You have to know that there is a place where you can go to ultimately be your best instead of just doing your best and that is what I did.

INTRO: What is the single that you are currently pushing?

D. Woods: The new song is called “On My Side”. It is produced by soundz. That is the main single that I am pushing. The other songs on the album are re-mixes of other people’s joints. I like to put a whole new spin on songs so that it is just not a remix but a whole new song. (A lot support from the Future Star DJs)

INTRO: What other projects are you working on right now?

D. Woods: Right now I am working on a work out dvd it is currently in pre-production. We are still working on all the nuts and bolts of what we are going to film. We definitely want to have it out late summer early fall in 09. My schedule is crazy.

INTRO: I heard that you had an interesting story on how Lil Wayne got the “Milli” beat. Can you share that with us?

D. Woods: I can definitely say that Wayne is like a brother figure to me. We really have been cool since 2006-2007. Girls Club member Shanell passed him some beats from other producers that we know like Bangladesh and Mystro and those were the producers that we have had a good relationship with for a very long time. It was just like friends helping out friends. That’s also how he got “Prom Queen” (laugh). Wayne and Shanell have been in this Kurt Cobain rock star world and Prom Queen was the result. Anyone that did not get the prom date that they wanted can relate. Please go to the website and support my brother Wayne and Shanell.

INTRO: What is the Girls Club and who are the members?

D. Woods: The Girls Club consist of Mika Means, Shanell and myself. We are a group of women that are writers, dancers, choreographers, singers, and rappers. We do a lot of writing for other artists and groups.

INTRO: How is your relationship with the other group members?

D. Woods: I talk to some of the girls. The relationships are pretty much the same.

Myspace.com/yagirldwoods
www.dwoods.com
Mypace.com/thegirlsclub07
@yagirldwoods

MAR/APR 2009

El DeBarge Interview

2010-11-29T23:50:00.000-05:00

INTRO Magazine interviews El DeBarge as he talks about his new album Second Chance available on Itunes right now.

"JAY, 50 & WEEZY" TAKES DEE-1 TO MTVu's "THE FRESHMEN"

2010-11-09T09:33:00.003-05:00

CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO WATCH

"JAY, 50 & WEEZY" ON YOUTUBE

(over 100,000 views)

New Orleans, LA - As a former educator, it is only fitting that Dee-1 get his start at MTV on MTVu's "The Freshmen." His Jay, 50 & Weezy video is up for voting on the site all this week - http://freshmen.mtvu.com/ after making its debut on MTV Jams last weekend. Today also saw the video go over 100,000 plays on YouTube, with over 42 pages of comments.

Some typical reactions from viewers include: "A breath of fresh air!!! FINALLY!!!", "That was HOT! One of the few rappers that I would pay to see" and "This was very poignant, real, and heartfelt. Shoutout to Dee-1." They just go on and on.

David Augustine aka Dee-1 always had a passion for music. After graduating from Louisiana State with a bachelors in marketing, he began teaching middle school as a way of funding that passion. The strong bond he built with his students, even as his notoriety as a local artist began to grow, made him realize that being Dee-1 gave him a much larger platform to enlighten than being Mr. Augustine and so, his career choice was made.

Since then there has been his highly successful mixtapes, Still We Rise, I Am Who I Am and I Hope They Hear Me, an independent album, David & Goliath (nominated for for Hip Hop Album of the Year by Offbeat magazine) and live performances alongside the likes of Lil Wayne, Drake, Lupe Fiasco, Trey Songz, Akon, Talib Kweli and more, where his star power was evident. Dee-1 was also the first rap act to win the annual Louisiana State University "Battle of the Bands."

Next up for this unapologetic musical educator is his new mixtape, I Hope They Hear Me: Vol. #2, set to drop as a free download later this year. The first single/video for the tape is "Jay, 50 and Weezy", a lyrical challenge from Dee-1 to those he looks up to in the game.

VIDEO: - "Jay, 50 & Weezy" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1IGfv8zSgw

To keep the buzz alive until his tape drops, Dee-1 is dropping mixtape tracks and freestyles, along with original material from I Hope They Hear Me, Vol. #2. Below is a link to download Gold & Platinum, Dee-1's interpretation of Black & Yellow.

DOWNLOAD LINK: http://tinyurl.com/dee1GoldandPlatinum

THIS Friday Nov 13 Party with Legendary DJ & Producer PrincePaul

2010-11-09T09:32:00.003-05:00

November is Hip Hop History Month

Come Celebrate the Culture with LEGENDARY PRODUCER & DJ PRINCE PAUL (Stetsasonic, De La Soul, Gravediggas, Handsome Boy Modeling School, etc, etc, etc...)

http://www.myspace.com/princepaulofficialmyspacepage

Saturday, November 13, 2010

10 PM $10

B Side Liquor Lounge

2785 Euclid Heights Blvd

Cleveland, OH

According to the Universal ZULU Nation, November is the birth month

of Hip Hop Culture. Afrika Bambaataa, it's founder and one of the God Fathers

of Hip Hop Culture states that "Hip Hop is the Vehicle to Deliver Innumerable

Lessons!" Bambatta doesn't believe that Hip Hop heads should just have knowledge

of Hip Hop. He promotes and proves that Hip Hop can be used as a vehicle for

teaching awareness, knowledge, wisdom, understanding, freedom, justice, equality, peace, unity, love, respect, responsibility and recreation, overcoming challenges, economics, mathematics. science, life, truth, facts and faith. www.zulunation.com

Diamond Responds to Critics, and Releases Music from Cocaine Waitress

2010-11-05T08:14:00.005-04:00

Diamond responds to critics, and naysayers with the leak of "Shots Fired" from her latest mixtape project Cocaine Waitress. "This record was just a release for me. I was able to say all the things that had been building up inside, and just the space to really breathe," Diamond explains.

"Shots Fired" is released on the heels of slanderous misinformation being presented about a car she received as a gift being repossessed. Although the actual car dealer spoke candidly about the situation being false, (Part 1 http://bit.ly/cy9kIx & Part 2 http://bit.ly/aCAlKR), very few outlets issued a retraction or event posted the update. She also did an exclusive in depth interview with AllHipHop.com about the ordeal http://bit.ly/9NJnVn. "At the end of the day, I've done everything to present the truth to the public. They'll chose to see the truth, or they'll run with what's more entertaining, either way I'm moving forward."

http://bit.ly/aKp3X4 "Shots Fired" (from Cocaine Waitress)
The photo credit goes to Robert Ector.

Conya Doss Nominated for three 2010 SoulTrack's Awards alongside Badu,Dwele, Raheem, John Legend & more

2010-10-14T09:39:00.005-04:00

THE WORLD'S #1 SOUL MUSIC WEB PORTAL SOULTRACKS.COM ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR READER'S CHOICE AWARDS 2010

Soul Vocalist Conya Doss Nominated in 3 Categories at the 2010 SoulTracks

Reader's Choice Awards ("Album of the Year," "Song of the Year," and "Best

Female Vocalist") alongside talent Erykah Badu, Janelle Monae, John Legend

& The Roots, Kem, Leela James, Lyfe Jennings, Mary J. Blige, Melanie Fiona,

Monica, Raheem Devaughn, Ryan Leslie, Toni Braxton, Bilal, Dwele, N'Dambi,

Keke Wyatt, Angie Stone, Calvin Richardson, Maysa and more.

In Fall 2010 Cleveland's Reigning Queen of Indie Soul Conya Doss broke digital

download records on Soultracks.com with her emotionally resonant fifth studio

album Blu Transition, now the Ohio based school teacher turned charismatic

songbird whose garnered accolades from BET J, Soultracks, iTunes and more

continues to receive rave reviews

Purchase Album Blu Transition
Listen to Singles "All in You" and "What We Gone Do"Currently playing on

Music Choice, Sirius Satellite, XM Radio, WGPR/Detroit, WBTJ/Richmond,

WKKV/Milwaukee, WOWI/Norfolk and WHUR/Washington DC

DukeDaGod "The D.I.P. Agenda" Press Release

2010-10-14T09:34:00.004-04:00

Dipset Member DukeDaGod enlists Cam'ron, Jadakiss and others to carry out The D.I.P. Agenda

THE D.I.P. AGENDA WILL BE RELASED ON NOVEMBER 23rd

New York, NY – SMC Recordings, one of the leading independent hip hop labels, along with Distrolord Inc, is excited to announce their upcoming release from Diplomats member, DukeDaGod. This will be the first album from the Dipset family before the infamous reunion album drops and will give fans a taste of what they've been missing. The album includes appearances by a slew of Dipset members and other heavy hitters including: Cam'Ron, Jadakiss and of all people - Katt Williams.

DukeDaGod, a founding member of the group, The Diplomats aka Dipset; is a savvy businessman, rapper, producer, and master marketer. As an artist that has consistently had impressive outings, Dipset fans have been anticipating a project from DukeDaGod since his last official release, Dipset: More Than Music, Vol. 2, which is one of the DipSet best selling indie endeavors.

"This is the best album I've ever done. I've been away for so long that I took my time to really perfect it. It's my graduation album." Said DukeDaGod. "This is all brand new music so it's like a new Dipset album. If you like Dipset you are gonna love this album."

The D.I.P. Agenda features Dipset members; Cam'ron, Freekey Zekey, Hell Rell, J.R. Writer, 40 Cal. and Katt Williams and guest appearances by Jadakiss, Lil Flip, Sheek Louch and production by AraabMUZIK, and DukeDaGod.

The dual singles from the album are, "Dipset/DBlock Pt. 2" featuring Hell Rell and Sheek Louch. DukeDaGod shares, "It's a real street record. It's going to touch the souls of people and the video is going to be dope. The next single, "After the After party" features Hell Rell, 40 Cal. and J.R Writer. "It's something you wouldn't expect from us but you'll definitely feel it." Said DukeDaGod.

DukeDaGod's release The D.I.P. Agenda is the first of many in a new partnership with Distrolord, an innovative music and technology company that supports digital optimization and development, which is right in sync with the model of the digital savvy SMC Recordings helmed by CEO Ralph Tashjian. Future projects through this partnership include releases from: Big L, 40 Cal., Neek The Exotic & Large Professor, Tragedy Khadafi and Streetlife featuring Method Man.

"SMC has a great machine behind them and amazing people working for them. They have had great success with a bunch of artists and really know how to dial into an artist's fanbase and expand it." shared CEO and founder of Distrolord, Gustavo Guerra.

"We are confident about this new partnership with Distrolord, they have the same vision as us, a roster of artists that have a real following and have done well independently." Said CEO Ralph Tashjian.

The D.I.P. Agenda on SMC Recordings/Distrolord/Duke Productions will be available in stores and online 11/23/10.

Black Rob Inks Deal With Duck Down Music

2010-10-14T09:30:00.003-04:00

New album, 'Game Tested & Street Approved' For 2011 Release Date

Black Rob is the newest affiliate of Duck Down Music. The former Bad Boy, Harlem rapper is poised to release his first studio album in over five years. This past May, Black Rob was released from prison after serving four years for failing to show up to a previous sentence hearing for a grand larceny charge. Over the past seven months Black Rob has returned to the studio where he's always felt most comfortable.

Black Rob explains the LP is a "testimony of what I stand for and how I feel. The people have been asking for true hip hop music, and that's what I'm giving them. I stayed away from features. I've been away for 4 joints, so I feel the people deserve to hear me. When I came home, I went right to work, and didn't have time to reach out to cats. On my next project you will get that. As for producers, I have some up-and-coming cats on there. I believe in giving cats a chance. As far as named producers you may hear a joint or two from Buckwild, Self Service, Bishop, Scram Jones and Pete Rock."

On his decision to work with Duck Down Music, Black Rob reveals that he "always respected their movement and also been a fan of their music. If I'm going independent why not go with a team I respect, and they have always had a true family setting & environment."

During the course of his career, Black Rob has recorded several successful projects. In 2000, he released 'Life Story,' which has sold over 1 million units & featured the well-known single, "WHOA!" Five years later, he returned with 'The Black Rob Report,' which surpassed sales of 100,000 units. Again, five years later, Black Rob is readying a new album entitled 'Game Tested & Street Approved.'

Fans in New York City will get to see Black Rob perform at the Duck Down VS Blacksmith CMJ Showcase on October 19th at Le Poisson Rouge located on 158 Bleeker St (between Thompson and Sullivan) at 10PM. 18+ event. Tickets are only $20. The first CMJ Badge holders to arrive will receive free access (limited-number).

For tickets visit: http://lepoissonrouge.com/events/view/1552

Attention Midwest Artists It's Time to 'Get Your Buzz Up' - Now Booking Slots/ 2 Day Pass Registration is NOW Open!

2010-10-07T00:47:00.011-04:00

The premiere artist showcase in the Tri-State area,"Get Your Buzz Up" is now coming to a brand new market!

Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday November 8th & Tuesday November 9th @ The Annex Club

On Day One, 30 artists will perform 1 song in hopes to take home a prize package which includes an all expense paid trip to NYC to meet with 3 A&R's at Major Labels (Shady, Virgin and Asylum Records), perform that same night in NYC @ Club Element, conduct a full press day with various DVD's and 12 site interviews, a high quality professional photo shoot, an HD Music Video, $2000 in clothing from The World is Ugly, a gift bag with gear from Troop Jackets, Stall and Dean, Timo, and Billionaire Mafia and much much more (see below)

On Day Two, Come out and meet some of the top industry's movers and shakers from A&R's to Platinum Producers to Media entities that you can legitimately build relationships with. Come prepared with your professional press kits, USB drives, as well as a notebook and pen to take notes on how to succeed to the NEW music industry. Also, the 5 finalists announced at Day 1's end will come back Day 2 and perform 2 songs, at nights end 1 will be crowned winner and receive the prize package.

Prize Package for Winning Artist Includes
• Hotel and Airfare for 2 nights in NYC- dates tba
• 3 A&R Meetings in NYC w/ Shady Records, Virgin Records
• and Asylum Records
• Ventilation X camera crew will follow you all day and get
• behind the scenes footage/edit
• Digital Distribution Deal w/ Who Mag Distribution
• A Myxer.com 'Get Your Buzz Up' Mobile Marketing
• and Digital Distribution Package
• Full Press day in NYC w/ various DVD Mags and
• TV shows
• Professional Photo Shoot w/ Iris View Photography
• Professionally Filmed/Edited HD Video from BRL Productions (have done videos for Saigon, Lil Mama, Lords of The Underground, Nipsey Hussle and more)
• 10 Email interviews for various online websites
• Live feature performance @ NYC Get Your Buzz Up Showcase (included in promo)
• Digiwaxx Sponsored Single Blast to 61,000 DJ's
• Your single on 100 mixtapes via Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes
• Interview w/ AllOutAllStarDJ.ning.com and You will host their next mixtape
• A gift bag w/ product from Billionaire Mafia, Stall and Dean, Timo, Troop Jackets and more
• Complete 2010 Line from TheWorldIsUgly.com/ Certificate to 2011 line (over $1000 value)
• 100 CD Duplication w/ double sided color inserts and slim cases
• 12 Custom T Shirts (up to 6 color press) from The Wearhouse
• Industry Alternative Sponsored Press Release Email blast to over 20,000 contacts consisting of BET, MTV, Top Blogs and publications, Licensing coordinators and other tastemakers
• Artist that wins showcase performs at a show in Ohio
• Write up on www.ohiohiphopawards.com
• Feature artist of the month on www.starmusicmedia.com
• Interview on www.officialstreetradio.com and call in interview on
www.ueradiolive.com
• Bio, Audio, Video Post on Maadmanagement.com
• Rhymesayers Gift bag w/ CD's, Tees and more
• More to be announced

To be considered to perform please send mp3 to getyourbuzzup@gmail.com w/ WISCONSIN in subject line, a $300 fee is required if chosen, several perks offered as well. nominated for the SEA Award for
'Industry Event Of The Year' Please Vote
http://www.southernentawards.com/ballot/vote.html

Follow us @getyourbuzzup or on facebook.com/getyourbuzzup

For full agenda, prize package, sponsors and additional info go to:
www.GetYourBuzzUp.com

Sponsored By:

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To Critic's Nods Award Winning Soul Vocalist Conya Doss Releases LP "BluTransition" Today 9/28

2010-09-28T11:58:00.004-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 28, 2010

BREAKING DIGITAL DOWNLOAD RECORDS ON SOULTRACKS.COM, AWARD WINNING VOCALIST CONYA DOSS RELEASES HER FIFTH LP BLU TRANSITION TODAY 9/28

Cleveland's Reigning Queen of Indie Soul Conya Doss received rave reviews worldwide for her debut albums while gracing the covers of local Cleveland publications and collaborating with Dwele in McDonald's nationwide soulful McCafe commercial, now the Ohio based school teacher turned charismatic songbird whose garnered accolades from BET J, Soultracks, iTunes and Ohio Hip Hop Awards releases her emotionally resonant fifth studio album Blu Transition
Purchase Album Blu Transition
Listen to Single "All in You"
Conya Doss 2002 thru the present A Video Documentary

"Conya has the voice of song bird, beauty of a Demont "Peekaso" Pinder painting and artistry of timeless poetry" Raheem DeVaughn "Doss has a vocal style and ability to make you feel like you know her. Comfortable to listen to yet lovely and soothing. An awesome and underrated talent." Anthony Hamilton
"Conya knows how to capture and create a vibe with her music!" Dwele
"I voted for Conya as "Best Underground Artist" at the 2008 BET J Virtual Awards!" Ledisi
"A whole lot of soul in a beautiful package...a must hear." DJ Jazzy Jeff
"When people look back at the building of this independent soul movement they will realize Conya's angelic voice and music have been one of the strongest parts of the foundation this music stands on." Eric Roberson
"No matter what twists and turns relationships may take, they never seem to make this honey-voiced newcomer from Cleveland lose heart. Her poem is a smooth and sexy one worth more than just a cursory reading." USA Today
"A product of Cleveland, the town that gave us Tracy Chapman, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Conya Doss manages to embody all those disparate aesthetics-and then some. Her CD warms the heart with soothing vocals and finger-snappin grooves." Vibe Magazine
"Cleveland schoolteacher turned neo-soul songstress who's written for 3LW and others, might be Ohio's best kept secret since Hi-Tek." Complex Magazine
"An embarrassment of riches isn't a phrase generally associated with today's music. One exception: the next-generation R&B emanating from the likes of Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, India.Arie, Alicia Keys and Angie Stone. Well, make room for this strong contender – Conya Doss. Her engaging voice whose slight rasp adds to her organic vibe. The Cleveland native applies lyrically rich life and love lessons to a mixture of R&B, funk, jazz and pop music." Billboard Magazine
"McDonald's Golden Arches just got a little brighter, and drinking coffee just got a little sexier thanks to Conya Doss and Dwele, who lend their heavenly voices to the new McCafé campaign, the company's budget-conscious version of Starbucks. The duo is the first African-American singers to serve as the voice for the caffeine-themed jingles." Essence.com
"Conya is a move into the straightforward, historically rooted R&B that hasn't been heard much in more than a decade; music that embraces pop hooks and lowdown funk as it plies the smooth, mid tempo groove of the classic R&B pioneered by Gaye. Her music is bluesy organ vamp and funky vocal-caught insider's ears for the neo-soul veneer." Cleveland Magazine
"If you haven't heard Conya Doss yet, chances are you will soon enough. Cleveland isn't the only market excited about her - already, a number of record industry players consider Doss to be a female version of D'Angelo. All these signals indicate that Doss could become Cleveland's very first neo-soul diva - filled with well conceived changes in timbre, emotional content, vocal delivery, tempo and mood, Conya Doss is a journey instead of a collection of recordings." Cleveland Free Times
"After one listen to Doss's debut single it becomes clear why the Cleveland songbird has become such a hot item. Spry and instantly infectious, the luminous cut has gained steady airplay on major stations from Miami to New Orleans to Chicago. With a voice that's equally tender and tensile, Doss exhibited striking range, interspersing candied soul with touching torch songs." Cleveland Scene
"And so it is. Conya Doss, seventh grade teacher is poised and ready to teach the world to sing. If the whole world is to be her stage, we get a front row seat at the first period assembly." Cleveland Call & Post "This Cleveland native joins the ranks as a special needs teacher whom seems poised on the brink of stardom. It is always wonderful to hear someone like Conya, who can really sing!" Venus Magazine
"Conya has got the sultry and she's got the soul. Songs such as the title track "What I'd Do" place her in the same league at Jill Scott, India.Arie and Co. The combination of her influences- education, her family, her students and old school music has resulted in her warm, organic sound." Smooth Magazine
"If Eric Roberson is the King of Independent Soul Music, then Conya Doss has got to be in line for the Queendom." Soulbounce
"Doss has respect in the industry as one of the major figures in the indie soul movement. Through her albums, Doss fused the elements that true soul lovers desire - plain spoken lyrics that avoid cliche positivity that eschews preachiness; high quality musicianship and vocals. She also displays a deft ability to bring something new to that many splendored and much discussed thing called love. Doss gives her fans more than enough of the soul music that has made her a top draw in Europe and one of soul music's hidden gems on this side of the Atlantic. Doss has one of the most appealing new soul voices, with a slight raspiness that gives it a touch of church behind her cool, confident delivery." Soultracks
(Los Angeles, California – September 28, 2010) Nestled between Indiana and Pennsylvania, lies a state that has yet to be fully tapped of it's musical capacity. In a region whose lineage reflects that of Babyface, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Tracy Chapman, Marilyn Manson, Gerald Levert, The O'Jays, Macy Gray, James Ingram, Roger Troutman and Zapp, The Gapp Band and Avant among others, Conya Doss is the latest female vocalist to emerge over the past decade and hold steadfast to her Midwestern roots. Much like what her predecessors Erykah Badu, India.Arie and Jill Scott did for Dallas, Atlanta and Philly, Doss has already pinned Ohio on the soul music map. Having graced the covers of numerous local publications, regularly performing to sold out Midwestern venues and garnering 500k Myspace profile views as an indie artist she also appeared in and recorded a song alongside Detroit vocalist Dwele for McDonald's McCafe commercial. Conya's awards include "Best Female Vocalist" by Soultracks, the leading online resource dedicated to classic and modern Soul music, "Heineken Redstar Soul Artist of the Year," "Best Female Vocalist" at Ohio Hip Hop Awards, a nomination for "Best Underground Artist" at the BET J Virtual Awards and was listed on iTunes as "Best R&B Underground/Indie Artist" and "Best R&B Indie Track" for the single "It's Over." In Fall 2010 Conya Doss' buzz single "What We Gone Do" made history, setting a digital download record on Soultracks.com (The world's #1 Soul Music Web Portal), replacing a record previously set by Lalah Hathaway in 2008.
Inspired by Bonnie Raitt, Ani DiFranco, Mint Condition, Rude Boys, Jane Child, Donnie Hathaway, Angela Winbush and Nina Simone, Doss attended Cleveland's famed School of the Arts at the same time as R&B crooner Avant ("Conya was an upperclassman, she's always been very talented.") Popmatters.com has referenced her "pleading and yearning" vocal style to Lauryn Hill and Doss is frequently voted as one of the "top acts to watch" by local Cleveland publications.
Of lately the singer has been busy burning the midnight oil composing and arranging music for this dazzling, well-crafted 2010 album that sets the tone for what lies ahead. Her unabashedly emotional fifth studio album Blu Transition, with Blu being the name of her newborn son, is not only a collection of words set to music, it is a gift; an energy exchange that reflects the duality of love and pain. It's an anointed story. It's one of endurance, but more importantly it is about life being full of unexpected moments with both tragedies (death) and triumphs (birth).
With a refreshingly crisp and remarkable vocal range, as well as sparse yet beautiful instrumentation, Conya Doss has found success in simplicity. Blu Transition continues in Doss' brilliant delivery of sweet, supple and heartfelt lyrics but she plunges deep into a bluesy-jazz vibe with spiritual undertones reminiscent of a 70's sound in both harmony and mood. The music carries a laid-back, earthy quality that features various moments; from truly moving and haunting to a rootsy reflection of where the singer has come from with messages steeped in love, risk-taking, rejection and heartbreak. Composing yet another intricately crafted and cohesive body of work that illuminates her unequaled musicianship, Conya only scratches the surface of what she is capable of. Her music is not lost among the pantheon of new crooners, but instead invokes the spirits of legendary composers-singers such as Chaka Khan, Betty Wright, Natalie Cole, Me'shell N'Degeocello and Alanis Morisette.
Blu Transition stretches Doss once again to express herself to the bare bones, this time around in impressive varieties of vocal styles. On the single "Best Thing" we find the songbird flying high in a falsetto tone while dipping low into baritone territory on "Wi Fi." Doss is most poignant on the records that expose her soul, acknowledging what her life has been like since her last album. "All In U", "Celebrate" and "Never Be The Same" are sure to overwhelmingly echo the sentiment of fans, newcomers and singers alike that will qualify them as classics. Each note she parts her lips to sing, Doss sets free a pure tone that moves you through lifetimes, which is like a light bulb turning on in one's head; a gentle reminder that there are other people to consider in life besides oneself.
"Unlike artists in other regions, the Ohio area is very limited when it comes to enabling me to practice my craft--especially the kind of music that I do," says Doss, "Cleveland has a tremendous amount of talent, and I chose to stay local and utilize some of our amazing producers and songwriters. Originally I had the opportunity to work with musicians on the East and West coasts but ironically while searching for the sound that I wanted it was at home all the time."
Conya possesses an indistinguishable reverence to the soul divas of yesteryears by encompassing invigorating vocals with thought-induced messages that silhouette charismatic, rhythmically charged production that simultaneously blazes a trail for her brand of melodic soul. Conya's music is an organic experience- a hybrid collection of up-tempo jams and fluid slow grooves that artistically join her sleek voice with intoxicating melodies. She is just as comfortable with lascivious R&B wails as she is with gospel-themed fare. In a time when many pop stars have become further and further removed from the folks that they speak to with their custom made looks and unattainable lifestyles, Conya remains a lot like us: a tender, tough, self-possessed young lady who puts her community before commercial concerns.

AWARDS

About Conya Doss:
There's a reason Conya Doss looks so comfortable onstage, gently swinging her hips like a day lily caught in a summer's breeze, singing in a voice that's equal parts honey and hellfire. It's because she's used to it. As a teacher of children with special needs within the Cleveland public school system, this thirty something soul ingénue faces an audience tougher than most, nearly every day. Of late, this audience has also come to include throngs of R&B and neo-soul aficionados enticed by the Cleveland native's sweet, supple delivery and heartfelt lyrics.
But long before she was standing in front of sold-out clubs and crowded arenas, Conya faced perhaps an even more daunting audience: rambunctious young kids ready to learn. Ironically, in working with underprivileged youth in the public schools, Conya has learned as much from her students as they have from her. These lessons were painted in broad strokes on Conya's candid, endearing 2002 debut, A Poem about Ms. Dosswhich she co-wrote and co-produced and whose title was inspired by a letter to her from a student in her classroom. "I incorporate music as part of my class, the traditional way of learning can be boring, so I have kids project academics through poetry or singing." Emotionally resonant and wondrously infectious, Conya's debut was open-hearted and down-to-earth, receiving rave reviews.
With her 2004 sophomore album Just Because there were no tales of wanton bed hopping, no bling-bling, just earnest, expressive songs of heartbreak, salvation and praise. Conya fluently took her listeners on a journey of finger snapping and head gyrating wondrous grooves laced with an electric blend of instruments that rode each beat with finesse. It was songs like "Sweet Love," "Miracle" and "Stay" that became indie scene classics. In 2006 Conya released Love Rain Down, pouring passion and appealing eccentricity into a dozen stunningly inventive jams that reflected quintessential soul music infused with a pinch of subtle funk. "The music was more like a tribute and a praise to icons I grew up listening to such as Bonnie Raitt, Doobie Brothers and Jane Child." Each tune effortlessly strong and beautiful, capturing the exuberance of finding love, as well as the disappointment associated with losing it. Doss encompassed far more than infectious rhythms and silken-voiced hits, she established her own definite sound instead of following radio trends. We last heard Doss on 2008's Still, a culmination of all of her previous studio albums that offered yet another glimpse into her musical journey and fans appreciated her growth, while her assortment of sheer emotions and retro-flavored genius blew newcomers away. The exceptionally mature and inventive effort also blew critics away, landing the soulstress on the Billboard Charts. The single "What I Do" peaked at #78 and placed #39 on Adult Contemporary Radio.
If what you covet is vintage soul with modern appeal and instrument-heavy beats embellished with flavorful sounds, then the music of Conya Doss is for you. The divine vocalist wraps her seductive, magical voice and polished rhythmic sounds around personalized confessions like the warmth of a passionate embrace. Through it all, Conya's remained grounded. And therein lies much of her appeal. When summing up what her music is about, Conya offers a simple answer: "Life in general." Not just hers, but ours as well.

Latina TV Reporter And New York Jets Football Team Controversy Offer Ines Sainz A New Job

2010-09-24T12:00:00.004-04:00

CONTROVERSIAL LATINA TV REPORTER AND SUBJECT OF NEW YORK JETS FOOTBALL TEAM CONTROVERSY INEZ SAINZTO RECEIVE NEW JOB OFFER TODAY
NEW YORK, NY (September 24, 2010) - William Ferro of 1-800-CANTASO is announcing today that the New York City-based law firm is offering Ines Sainz, the stunning TV Azteca reporter who was involved in the recent New York Jets sexual harassment controversy, a position as the firm’s official spokeswoman for their multimillion dollar, Spanish-language, national advertising campaign.
As spokeswoman, Ms. Sainz’s responsibilities would include interviewing state and local elected officials, heads of Hispanic organizations, and other prominent community leaders for CANTASOTV.com and ESP51TV.com, which stream online, as well as appearing at events for the firm, which is involved in numerous charitable and philanthropic efforts. As a pivotal part of the firm’s advertising campaign, she would appear in national TV, radio and print advertisements across the United States. As a popular reporter for TV Azteca, as well as the former Miss Spain and 1997 Miss World contestant, Ms. Sainz obviously possesses the poise and charisma necessary for this position.
“We believe that Ms. Sainz’s serving as 1-800-CANTASO’s spokeswoman would be an ideal partnership,” said Mr. Ferro, one of the partners in the firm. “Obviously, she is a woman who stands for social justice, values personal integrity, and aims to treat others with respect (and expects the same treatment in return). These are the same values upheld by the lawyers of 1-800-CANTASO.”
As a prominent member of the Hispanic community and as a role model to young Latinos everywhere, Mr. Ferro says, she would be perfect for the position of 1-800-CANTASO spokeswoman.