Biz Markie, the ‘Clown Prince of Hip-Hop,’ Dead at 57 “Just a Friend” rapper struggled with health issues related to decade-long battle with Type 2 diabetes DANIEL KREPS & JASON NEWMAN Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Biz Markie, the pioneering rapper, producer, and beatboxer whose jovial goofiness, boundless, off-kilter creativityContinue Reading
7 UGLY TRUTHS BEHIND THE NEW MUSIC INDUSTRY Written by Omari MC The older I get, the more I realize people really aren’t too fond of the truth. As kids most of us are always taught to tell the truth, don’t lie, cheat, or steal. (I’m sure these sound familiar)Continue Reading
Seems the wisdom of man hasn’t got much wiser Than the very beginning of our time Agree or war has been our way of compromising Let live and love has become our biggest lie Seems to me that fools are even more foolish Thinking of themselves and nobody elseContinue Reading
Master P Talks ‘No Limit Chronicles,’ Building Generational Wealth in the Black Community (Exclusive) By Latifah Muhammad 12:29 PM PDT, July 24, 2020 Master P wants to inspire and encourage economic empowerment. The music mogul’s rise to the top of the rap game is the focus of the BET docuseries No Limit Chronicles, debuting Wednesday, July 29. The five-episodeContinue Reading
The monochromatic short displays the luxury fashion giant’s upcoming collection along with stirring recalibrations of gems from Ms. Hill’s catalog. Ms. Lauryn Hill is the latest to score a campaign spot for Louis Vuitton’s upcoming SS21 collection. Appearing alongside her band and daughter Selah in the 20-minute clip, Ms. Hill reimagines reveredContinue Reading
Talib Kweli says “interlopers and culture vultures” are blocking the next Black Star album The rapper also added the album has been finished for “over a year”. The return of Black Star, Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey‘s rap duo, is being blocked by “interlopers and culture vultures” who are stopping them from working withContinue Reading
54ᵗʰ Summer of Music 16 days, 16 streamed concerts! From 3 to 18 July, every evening at 8.30 PM the Montreux Jazz Festival will broadcast an iconic concert from its archives on YouTube. Further surprises will also pop up on the Festival’s social media over the 16 daysContinue Reading
Kanye West: Wash Us in the Blood review – an intensely potent study of race and faith This new track sees Kanye at his very best, corralling his anger with masterful focus into an apocalyptic vision of America Ben Beaumont-Thomas @ben_bt Tue 30 Jun 2020 12.40 EDTLast modified on Tue 30 JunContinue Reading
Song You And I (1981/Live In Long Beach, CA) Artist Rick James Licensed to YouTube by UMG (on behalf of UNI/MOTOWN); CMRRA, EMI Music Publishing, SOLAR Music Rights Management, and 1 Music Rights Societies Song Give It To Me Baby (1981/Live In Long Beach, CA) Artist Rick James Licensed toContinue Reading
“Music is meant to inspire/To elevate and to take you higher” “Luv Letter” Before her untimely death at the age of 54 on the day after Christmas 2010, Teena Marie, known as “Lady Tee,” the Ivory Queen of Soul, wrote, produced, arranged and sang on 13 albums that have sold 2.5Continue Reading
Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine: ‘We’re thinking about who’ll be the next Steve Jobs’ By Jonathan Heaf 19 May 2020 Talking beginnings, business and billion-dollar Beats, Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine reveal how their partnership kickstarted a digital revolution… It takes a beat to find music mogul Jimmy Iovine’s Los Angeles mansion. HangContinue Reading
The Last Poets: the hip-hop forefathers who gave black America its voice Music It is half a century since the Last Poets stood in Harlem, uttered their first words in public, and created the blueprint for hip-hop. At an intimate open house session, they explain why their revolutionary words areContinue Reading
LL Cool J shines a bright light on racist police brutality as he delivers a rapid-fire rap about George Floyd and other high-profile cases By KEVIN KAYHART FOR DAILYMAIL.COM PUBLISHED: 03:49 EDT, 1 June 2020 | UPDATED: 13:04 EDT, 1 June 2020 He’s a legendary pioneer of the Rap/Hip-Hop genre who’s never been at aContinue Reading
Bob Marley at 70: legend and legacy The reggae superstar would have been 70 this Friday. His friend Vivien Goldman asks how a hard-working activist came to represent feelgood partying, and salutes his enduring influence Vivien Goldman Thu 5 Feb 2015 13.54 ESTLast modified on Mon 3 Dec 2018 10.37 EST Bob MarleyContinue Reading
Fela Kuti: Chronicle of A Life Foretold When Fela Anikulapo-Kuti died in August 1997, Nigeria lost one of its most controversial and inspirational cultural figures. Here, the Africa-based writer Lindsay Barrett maps the extraordinary trajectory of Fela’s life, detailing the emergence of his patented brand of Afrobeat, his anarchic lifestyle,Continue Reading
Peter Tosh: the Stepping Razor still cuts deep in Jamaica Peter Tosh Day is 20 April in Jamaica – an appropriate time to celebrate the singer of Legalize It. But there’s far more to the reggae legend than his love of ganja Vivien Goldman Wed 20 Apr 2016 04.00 EDTLast modified onContinue Reading
Minnie Riperton – 10 of the best She had a five-octave vocal range, inspired Stevie Wonder and gave birth to Maya Rudolph – the tragedy is that this huge musical talent died aged only 31 Stevie Chick Wed 29 Jun 2016 06.56 EDTLast modified on Wed 31 May 2017 11.37 EDT 1. TheContinue Reading
Setlist: 1. Let’s Go Crazy 00:20 2. Delirious 06:23 3. 1999 09:14 4. Little Red Corvette 15:05 5. Take Me With U 18:44 6. Yankee Doodle Dandy 23:41 7. Do Me Baby 27:34 8. Irresistible Bitch 32:25 9. Possessed 34:21 10. How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore 38:46 11.Continue Reading
‘Coachella: 20 Years In The Desert’ Documentary Bows Via YouTube Originals On Former Opening Day If the world were normal, the opening of the 21st Coachella Music & Arts Festival would be taking place today at noon. For reasons everyone knows, that won’t happen until at least October, presuming health conditions permit. ButContinue Reading
Erykah Badu and Jill Scott’s Instagram “Battle” Had Fans Shook BY CHRISTIAN ALLAIRE May 10, 2020 Photo: Getty Images Last night, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott participated in an “Instagram battle” on a Verzuz live stream, which gained over 700,000 viewers at its height. The three-hour session was the first battle betweenContinue Reading
Little Richard (1932–2020), one of the founding fathers of rock & roll Little Richard, the flamboyant father of rock ‘n’ roll whose “Tutti Frutti” changed the world, died Saturday at the age of 87. Over the course of a career that veered from down-and-dirty rock ‘n’ roll to raising theContinue Reading
MARVIN GAYE JR. (1939-1984) POSTED ONFEBRUARY 13, 2008BY CONTRIBUTED BY: ASHLEY JONES Born on April 2, 1939 in Washington, D.C. Marvin Pentz Gaye, Jr. was named after his father, a minister of the apostolic church. From a young age, the church played a large role in Gaye’s music career. He beganContinue Reading
Cherish the Day You’re ruling the way that I move And I breathe your air You only can rescue me This is my prayer If you were mine If you were mine I wouldn’t want to go to heaven I cherish the day I won’t go astray I won’t beContinue Reading
As the hip-hop world looks back at Jay-Z’s debut album — Reasonable Doubt, — and the lasting impact it has on rap music, some of the project’s key architects have spoken about the seminal project. Kareem “Biggs” Burke, Roc-A-Fella co-founder, might have been known as the silent partner, but he was one ofContinue Reading
Helen Folasade Adu was born in Ibadan, Nigeria. Her father was Nigerian, a university teacher of economics; her mother was an English nurse. The couple met in London while he was studying at the LSE and they moved to Nigeria shortly after getting married. When their daughter was born, nobodyContinue Reading
Nat King Cole crowns a very short list of the most identifiable and memorable voices in American music. This ground breaking American icon’s impact continues to cross the world’s cultural and political boundaries. The story of his life is a study in success in the face of adversity andContinue Reading
By Jack Hamilton WONDER WEEK The Greatest Creative Run in the History of Popular Music It’s Stevie Wonder’s “classic period.” Stevie Wonder, circa 1970s. Credit: RB/Redferns Too often, we wait till our favorite artists are gone to tell them how much we love them. Welcome to Wonder Week, a celebration ofContinue Reading
J Dilla: the Mozart of hip-hop ‘His music is full of subtle things’ … J Dilla. Photograph: Johnny Tergo/AP Childhood cello lessons paid dividends for the late J Dilla when he shook up urban music with his maverick beats. Now the classical world is saluting one of its own TheContinue Reading
What type of music will bring Celebrities, LGBQT, Heterosexuals, Wealthy, Poor, Freaks, and Geeks in the same room. Free and enjoying the hell out of themselves. Why did Disco Die? What was so bad about it? People where Free to be themselves.Continue Reading
“If I cant change the people around me, I change the people around me.” Chuck DContinue Reading
The Father of Funk, the Godfather of Soul, Mr Dynamite, Soul Brother Number One: in a career spanning five decades, James Brown certainly lived up to his names. Continue Reading
Bill Withers was in his 30s with a job making toilets. Then ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ changed his life. Singer and songwriter Bill Withers’s discography flourished long after he retired from performing, but he opted out of the spotlight in favor of spending more time with his family. (Michael Ochs Archives/GettyContinue Reading
“All my favorite singers have always been the female singers. To me there is nothing, nothing more beautiful esthetically in the world than the black female voice” ~Luther VandrossContinue Reading
Hannibal Buress has this joke about Atlanta strip clubs, the sort that Drake and Future shut down in lyrics and real life. “Those DJs are the most amazing DJs vocally, ever, because they drive the tipping,” he once said. “They crack jokes. It’s just so funny, it’s like, ‘Man, youContinue Reading
Bright moments Bright moments always come back vivid. The fifth great was epic citywide test pressure The pre-crack era! Mr. Schollmen, what a prick, attitude matches wardrobe, uglier then sin. This is Bed Stuy 82′ 9th floor three tiny rooms one view. Buck-town, Roosevelt house They green grass is greenContinue Reading
We miss ghetto blasters. Even if we managed to dig one of them up, we wouldn’t have any cassette tapes to put in the damn thing anyway. If you’ve ever dreamed about walking down the street blasting tunes off your shoulder again, or maybe pulling a Cusack and getting verticalContinue Reading
Who is AVERY*Sunshine? “I am a self-proclaimed therapist! I want to start the conversation that will lead to individual healing and in turn will affect our collective healing. Let’s get people talking about their experiences so that we can learn from them, grow from them and more importantly, move onContinue Reading
We seem to be inching closer to getting Jay Electronica’s Roc Nation debut album, Act II: The Patents Of Nobility (The Turn). The New Orleans rapper announced last month that the project was finished. Jay didn’t give a release date but 2DopeBoyz got their hands on artwork for the project thatContinue Reading
Wake up everybody no more sleepin in bed No more backward thinkin time for thinkin ahead The world has changed so very much From what it used to be so there is so much hatred war an’ poverty Wake up all the teachers time to teach a new way MaybeContinue Reading
Nas celebrated his 38th birthday in style yesterday [September 14] at Catch in New York City. Steve Stoute, Ne-Yo, Zoe Saldana, Carmelo Anthony, Lala, AZ, DJ Premier, Jay-Z and Common all partied with the birthday boy. Peep the pics below. Via: Thisis50.comContinue Reading
Armstrong was one of the first truly popular African-American entertainers to “cross over,” whose skin-color was secondary to his amazing talent in an America that was severely racially divided. It allowed him socially acceptable access to the upper echelons of American society that were highly restricted for a person ofContinue Reading
“Over all, I think the main thing a musician would like to do is give a picture to the listener of the many wonderful things that he knows of and senses in the universe. . . That’s what I would like to do. I think that’s one of the greatestContinue Reading
“It’s a must that I bust any mic you’re hand to me, It’s inherited, it’s runs in the family I wrote the rhyme that broke the bull’s back, If that don’t slow ’em up, I carry a full pack. Now I don’t want to have to let off, you shouldContinue Reading
Trash men didn’t get my trash today Oh why? because they want more pay Buses on strike want a raise in fare So they can help pollute the air But that’s what makes the world go round The ups and downs the carousel Changing people [incomprehensible] all around Go undergroundContinue Reading
It’s not far down to paradise At least it’s not for me And if the wind is right you can sail away And find tranquility The canvas can do miracles Just you wait and see Believe me It’s not far to never never land No reason to pretend And ifContinue Reading
Some of the smartest dummies Can’t read the language of Egyptian mummies An’ a fly go a moon And can’t find food for the starving tummies Pay no mind to the youths Cause it’s not like the future depends on it But save the animals in the zoo Cause theContinue Reading
“Over all, I think the main thing a musician would like to do is give a picture to the listener of the many wonderful things that he knows of and senses in the universe. . . That’s what I would like to do. I think that’s one of the greatestContinue Reading
” I guess I should have known by the way you parked your car sideways that wouldn’t last.” Full interviewContinue Reading
“I feel that it is healthier to look out at the world through a window than through a mirror. Otherwise, all you see is yourself and whatever is behind you.” ~ Bill WithersContinue Reading
With “The Fighter” winning two Academy Awards on Sunday night, will the life story of Bernard Hopkins do the same in a few years? That’s what’s Hopkins, who turned 46 in January, is hoping for. Hopkins will once again bid to become the oldest world champion in boxing history whenContinue Reading
If your goal is to DJ a really great Sweet Sixteen – invest in some good music and a few lights. If your goal is land on the shores of Ibiza – invest in the Hoerboard Scomber Mix DJ Stand. Having the sleek appeal of an Apple product – especially in white, but youContinue Reading
Pop star, makes a fortune, retires to the country and lines lounge walls with leather. So far, so cliched. But a passionate knowledge of his estate’s English civil war history? Jay Kay gives Live a guided tour of his home (and oddly compelling life) ‘I think these days a lotContinue Reading
Smile on my face, tears of a sad clown Feelin’ out of place as I whistle a cab down If I tip extra, can I huff a cig? Blow my smoke out the window, droppin’ ashes on the bridge I’m in New York now, like Akeem and Semi was TrynaContinue Reading
Many remember Damon Dash as one of the brilliant business minds behind Roc-A-Fella Records. Now, Dash has ventured into other arenas of lifestyle and art entertainment with America Nu, an exciting continuation of his brand in magazine form.Continue Reading
Dizzy Gillespie & Louis Armstrong – Umbrella Man after jumpContinue Reading
The much anticipated album of newly completed recordings from Michael Jackson entitled MICHAEL will be released on December 14 by Epic Records in conjunction with the Estate of Michael Jackson. Tomorrow, an exclusive teaser for the project will appear on www.michaeljackson.com; on Monday, November 8th the world premiere of “BreakingContinue Reading
(Born April 2, 1939, Washington, D.C., U.S.—Died April 1, 1984, Los Angeles, Calif.) American soul singer-songwriter-producer who, to a large extent, ushered in the era of artist-controlled popular music of the 1970s. Gaye’s father was a storefront preacher; his mother was a domestic worker. Gaye sang in his father’s EvangelicalContinue Reading
When Lupe Fiasco decides to vent, he goes full throttle. The Chicago rapper is fed up with today’s MTV, and wants the old one back. Lupe took to Twitter today, and went in on the Viacom owned network. Peep some of what he had to say below.Continue Reading
“It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” ~ Albert EinsteinContinue Reading
Kanye’s G.O.O.D. music roster gets deeper with the new additions of Pusha T, Charlie Wilson and CyHi Da Prynce. But in this month’s latest issue of XXL Mag, the “Monsters Inc.” article reveals his long-time compadre Mos Def has also joined aboard the G.O.O.D. Music imprint. It reads the following:Continue Reading
Monday, hip-hop fans all over the globe marked the fourteenth anniversary of Tupac Shakur’s passing. A larger than life legend in the rap world, Pac has been the subject of numerous documentaries that range from Oscar-nominated to cash grabs. The new one, entitled ‘Tupac Uncensored and Uncut: The Lost PrisonContinue Reading
Outkast “Prototype” from Michelle Van Der Water on Vimeo. FreestyleContinue Reading
“They say the secret of Success is knowing who to BLAME for your failures. BLAME has successfully hindered us from having any understanding of our humanity.”Continue Reading
This film is a must see. I found the film very informative and also it was kind of “strange” and eerie to see Jim Morrison in this way. Johnny Depp does an excellent job narrating the film as well. Check it out. It’s available on DVD now.Continue Reading
Singer-composer-arranger Donny Hathaway is perhaps best known for his duets with singer Roberta Flack, but the body of solo work he left behind when he died 30 years ago is part of the foundation of American soul music. His songs have influenced performers from R&B singer Alicia Keys to rapperContinue Reading
Questlove, Black Thought, and the rest of The Roots gang are back on How I Got Over ($9), the hip-hop troupe’s ninth studio album. With a title that references the gospel song of the same name, How I Got Over isn’t overly spiritual, but does find the band — manyContinue Reading
You probably don’t want to miss out on this. “This super-deluxe edition celebrates one of the most remarkable albums in Miles Davis’s career and jazz history in general. Originally released in 1970, Bitches Brew became Davis’s first gold album. This anniversary 4-disc package offers the original album on CD plusContinue Reading
“Cop this CD, it will not disappoint.”Continue Reading
As many people expected, and as Bumpy Knuckles very clearly stated yesterday, there was no way Guru wrote that letter (or made any sort of statement for that matter.) The Elam family wishes to thank the fans of our son/brother/father uncle/nephew/cousin Keith aka GURU for the outpouring of love, concernContinue Reading
