Check out Asher Roth's behind-the-scenes interview on Zune's Green Room. Check out the trailer below, and head to the Zune Marketplace to download all three videos for free.
He's sold more than five million albums world wide, garnered multiple hit singles ("Ordinary People," "Used to Love U," "So High," "Save Room," "Heaven," "Another Again"), received countless awards (including five Grammys) and wowed rapt audiences across the globe. Music's leading producers clamor to work with him. Fashion aficionados can't get enough of his incomparable style. And the humanitarian community has rallied around his fight to end poverty.
Critics have called him a genius, one of the most compelling and important singer/songwriters of this generation, an elegant ambassador of soul.
With all of the acclaim, it would be easy for John Legend to rest on his laurels, but he continues to push himself, always striving to break new musical ground. "Some people have been making the same album for years and they don't really push the envelope," Legend says. "That's not me. Expect me to experiment. Expect me to always approach the music in new and different ways." read more
GK IN THE NEW ISSUE OF MURDER DOG. IN STORES NOW! And man I want to thank a magazine like Murder Dog for even fucking existing. Out of all the people who we ever wanted to call and get ads placed and get the records rated, I think Murder Dog probably was the first glossy covered magazine to call UGK and ask, “Can we do a story?” They were the first magazine to call and offer us covers. All that type of shit. A lot of UGK’s firsts as far as print media is concerned coincides with Murder Dog. Looking back, on Hip-Hop, I’m not sure if a lot of us would have touched as many people, or covered as much ground as we were able to cover without the support of a magazine like Murder Dog. --Bun B
"$5 Cover" Soundtrack Brings the Memphis Music Scene to You
Soundtrack available through digital music stores on April 28
Features eight never before released tracks featured in new music drama series from MTV New Media and acclaimed director Craig Brewer
New York, April 23rd, 2009 - This May, MTV will present "$5 Cover," a musical drama set in Memphis, Tennessee, and stars the hottest up-and-coming Memphis artists playing themselves as they fight for love, inspiration and money to pay the rent. The series explores the modern-day incarnation of the city's historic music scene through the lens of Memphis-based filmmaker Craig Brewer, acclaimed director of "Hustle & Flow." Fans will have full access to all the music and artists they discover through "$5 Cover" with the release of the series' soundtrack, available exclusively in digital formats, on Tuesday, April 28.
As both a long-form rock musical and 15-part series, "$5 Cover" re-invents the music video format, combining real-life drama with the grit of Memphis. The historic musical city has been home to deep cultural exchanges as well as painful culture clashes, but the birthplace of the blues, gospel and rock 'n' roll has always been a town with a thriving music scene, where people from every walk of life embrace every genre of music - and "$5 Cover" offers music fans a insider's look at the playlist that makes the city so legendary to this day.
The album, which features eight previously unreleased tracks, explores a wide range of musical genres. From the crunk stylings of Al Kapone, whose "Whoop That Trick" was featured in "Hustle & Flow," helping put him on the national map, to the enchanting sounds of songstress Amy LaVere, listeners will be exposed to the full complement of musical offerings that make Memphis the hotbed of music talent it is today.
Track Listing:
1. Killing Him - Amy LaVere
2. Gettin' Mine - Al Kapone (previously unreleased)
3. Too Much Love - Harlan T. Bobo
4. The Icky Muck - Muck Sticky
5. Ain't Got No Money - Jack Oblivian
6. Carrie Rodgers - Two Way Radio (previously unreleased)
7. This N' That - Muck Sticky
8. Nothing I Can Do - Snowglobe (previously unreleased)
9. San Francisco - Lucero
10. We On Deck - Al Kapone (previously unreleased)
11. Run Away - Two Way Radio (previously unreleased)
12. I'm Your Negative - River City Tanlines (previously unreleased)
13. The No Draws Blues - Valerie June (previously unreleased)
14. A Dangerous Thing - Lucero
15. Ms. June - Snowglobe (previously unreleased)
"$5 Cover" was created by Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan). David Gale, (EVP, MTV New Media) is Executive Producer. Scott Bomar, Erin Hagee, and David Harris are producers, along with Jen Ringel as co-producer.
The format of the "$5 Cover" series allows for the experience to be developed in other cities around the country and the globe, exploring music and culture from the point of view of filmmakers who are as knowledgeable and passionate about their local scenes as Craig is about Memphis.
Catching the Series In addition to Friday night episode premieres, music fans can get their "$5 Cover" fix throughout the week and around the clock with TV, online and mobile content.
· AMTV - AT&T will host a full "AT&T $5 Cover Week" from 3 a.m. to 9 a.m., Mondays through Thursday, that gives fans access to exclusive videos, interviews and short form segments.
· MTV2 - A "Memphis"-themed week beginning May 4 will include short form series episodes airing nightly for three weeks at 11 p.m., along with the documentaries, music videos, and more.
· mtvU - "$5 Cover"-themed programming, packaged music hours, interstitials, and other short form efforts will be featured, driving to fivedollarcover.com.
· MTV.com and Fivedollarcover.com - Viewers can watch the content on demand, listen and download the music, learn about these artists and take a deeper dive into this fascinating scene.
AT&T mobile phones - AT&T wireless customers will be able to access content from the series in the form of Cellular Video (CV) clips, ringtones and content available through their mobile Web browsers.
Al Kapone video : http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/367241/five-dollar-under-cover-al-kapone.jhtml
Don't miss Rick Ross performing on BET's 106 & Park Live tonight at 6:00pm! Right after 106th and Park, catch the Rick Ross BET Special "Deeper Than Rap: The Rick Ross Story" tonight at 7:30pm!
DJ Enuff Interviews Rick Ross on ALISTRADIO.NET http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dffK6UzT2Ts
Rick Ross - Deeper Than Rap on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=312427200&s=143441
1. Mafia Music 2. Maybach Music 2 ft. T-Pain, Lil Wayne & Kanye West 3. Magnificent ft. John Legend 4. Yacht Club ft. Magazeen 5. Usual Suspects ft. Nas 6. All I Really Want ft. The Dream 7. Rich Off Cocaine 8. Lay Back ft. Robin Thicke 9. Murda Mami ft. Foxy Brown 10. Gunplay ft. Gunplay 11. Bossy Lady ft. Ne-Yo 12. Face ft. Trina 13. Valley of Death 14. In Cold Blood
A new, affordable two-deck DJ solution with MIDI and time-code control offers versatile feature set, based on acclaimed TRAKTOR PRO platform.
Native Instruments announced the launch of TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO to bring the quality and creative functionality of the acclaimed TRAKTOR PRO platform into a new price range, offering an affordable entry into the world of digital DJing.
To celebrate the launch Traktor have brought 3 times DMC World Champion DJ Craze & twice US champion, DJ Klever, together on this video, using Traktor their new DJ platform of choice.
DMC Champs Craze and Klever Battle on Traktor Scratch Duo - VIDEO
For aspiring DJs who want to start spinning their digital tracks on vinyl and CD, TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO is the complete solution that provides both the software and hardware to perfectly fuse the worlds of analog and digital DJing.
TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO comes with the powerful TRAKTOR PRO-based TRAKTOR DUO software, the professional AUDIO 4 DJ interface, ultra-precise control records and CDs plus many more valuable features to get you spinning in no time.
The new TRAKTOR DUO software, which is at the heart of TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO, offers many of the advanced features of TRAKTOR PRO in an easy-to-use two-deck configuration. It is based on the same concise, performance-optimized user interface, and offers a host of intuitive DJ features like auto-syncing, looping, integrated EQs and filters, and more. Automatic beat-gridding in combination with the "Sync Lock" function makes sure that the tracks in TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO never drift out of sync, giving users more time to focus on the creative aspects of digital mixing. Extensive "Crate Flick" cover artwork support also allows users to visually browse music libraries in an especially efficient way.
TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO combines the DUO software with the robust and full-featured AUDIO 4 DJ 24bit/96 kHz audio interface into a professional time-code controlled DJ system. Both powerful and highly affordable, TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO is the two-deck DVS solution for users that do not want to compromise on quality in any way. It is based on the industry-leading 2kHz high-resolution time-code technology of TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO that allows for extremely responsive and precise hands-on control through turntables and CD decks.
Two performance effects sections offer six studio-quality algorithms including DJ standards like flanger, delay, reverb and more. To give DJs convenient control over their performance, the DUO versions also offer state-of-the-art MIDI controller integration, and come with mappings for all relevant hardware controllers on the market.
Owners of TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO will also beable to upgrade to the TRAKTOR PRO software at a discounted price at any time, gaining access to two additional decks, a full range of over 20 effect types, Internet broadcasting an audio recording functions, as well as extended sync and MIDI features.
The introduction of TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO is accompanied by a demonstration video featuring iconic turntablists DJ Craze and DJ Klever, who recently adopted TRAKTOR as their new DJ platform of choice.
Pricing and availability
TRAKTOR DUO and TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO will be available from April 1st for a suggested retail price of $119/99 ? and $399/349 ? respectively.
TALENT BIOS
DJ Craze
While Craze is regarded internationally and unquestionably as one of the best scratch DJs in the world, it's still astonishing to see his overwhelming number of titles on paper:
Craze has won first place for the USA DMC Championships in 1998, World ITF Scratch Off Championships in 1998, ITF Western Hemisphere Scratch Off Championships (1998, '99), Winter Music Conference Scratch Off Champion (1996, '97, '98, '99), East Coast DMC Championships (1997), East Coast Rap Sheet Championships (1996) and Zulu National Championships (1995, '96), to name but a few.
On top of his untouchable turntablist skills and scratch champion showmanship, the world has also recognised that Craze is a second to none club DJ - he has toured the globe over, from Jamaica to Australia to Japan to Iceland to France to the country he was born, Nicaragua.
All DJing aside, Craze is also a world- renowned producer, releasing wildly successful drum'n'bass records with labels such as Cartel Recordings, Breakbeat Kaos,C.I.A., and other hip hop inspired productions with the likes of DMC Records, Ninja Tune Records, OM Records and K7 Records.
DJ Klever
DJ Klever aka Josh Winkler was born on the fourth of July in 1977. Before he could even walk, let alone strut, Josh was spoon fed the world of rhythm by way of his pops, famous blues musician, Juke Joint Johnny.
Growing up with a hip hop background, Klever studied djs like Premiere, Cash Money, Afrika Bambaataa and Jazzy Jeff for their mixing and scratching arrangements even as a youngster; but he was also heavily influenced by the wilds of Atlanta and was a regular attendee of Freaknik. There he was intrigued by the booty music of Luke, 2 Live Crew, and Kilo.
In 2000, Klever seized the national DMC championship title and while at the international DMC competition, he was inducted into the world famous Allies crew, consisting of world-renowned turntablists such as Craze and A-Trak.
In 2001, Klev successfully defended his national DMC title. He then represented the states in London for the international title. Later that year, he also took national ITF title in San Fransico.
In the past 5 years, Klever has been performing his signature sets non-stop around the world (Taiwan, England, Ireland, Germany, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Australia, Japan, etc). He consistently amazes crowds and party-goers from 60 to 60,000 at world renowned venues such as (but not limited to) Miami's Ice Palace, Tai Pae's Ministry of Sound, NYC's Roxy and Irving Plaza, Club Fabric in London, numerous House of Blues venues throughout the U.S., El Rey Theatre in L.A., and Atlanta's Tabernacle.
REEBOK PARTNERS WITH HIP-HOP ARTIST KID SISTER FOR THE REEBOK CLASSIC REMIX COLLECTION KID SISTER RE-INTERPRETS THE CLASSIC SONG "I'LL HOUSE YOU" BY JUNGLE BROTHERS
The re-interpreted song will be available exclusively at Foot Locker stores with the purchase of footwear from the Reebok Classic Remix collection beginning April 21, 2009.
In celebration of the Reebok Classic Remix collection, Reebok is partnering with today's top emerging hip-hop artists to re-interpret an original, influential 80s or 90s song to be distributed exclusively with the purchase of styles from the Reebok Classic Remix collection, including women's Straptastic and SK 7000 and men's LS Ease and Work-out Mid, exclusively at Foot Locker.
The Reebok Classic Remix collection launched in March 2009 with Kidz In The Hall re-interpreting "I Got It Made" by Special Ed. Reebok supported the song with a music video and launch event at Foot Locker Times Square in New York City. The success of this collaboration continues to grow within the hip hop community.
On April 21st, Kid Sister (Downtown Music) will be the second artist in the series to re-interpret a classic song, with "I'll House You" by Jungle Brothers. The new track will be available for download exclusively to customers who purchase styles from the Reebok Classic Remix collection, at Foot Locker stores nationwide.
Reebok will offer new styles and color ways from the Collection throughout the year, each featuring a new artist and re-interpreted track. Next in the series will be B.o.B.
Musician Dereck Rose wins One Billion Fans Contest
Although CD sales are down there is still a lot to be gained by connecting musicians directly to company sponsors. Re/Max sponsored artist Dereck Rose was recently picked by an international jury consisting of Arne Frager who hosted the illustrious Metallica in his studio, Gary Platt founder of Full Sail University, Mike Linksvayer VP of Creative Commons Worldwide and Sem Bakker, nineties bass hero who played the major European concert stages.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, April 8th, 2009
During the last six months ten artists were carried to the top by fans direct internet voting. This years winner of the One Billion Fans Contest, Dereck Rose, was hand-picked by an international group of music connoisseurs.
Rose, a self-described “singer/songwriter and multi-instrumental musician” was born in Jamaica, moved with family to England where he was misunderstood and thus wrongly placed in a school for Autistic children. A world citizen, he traveled throughout Europe, crossing into Israel which he credits for his true musical inspiration.
One Billion Fans Judge, famed Arne Frager, owner of Plant Studios, host to many of the world’s greatest artists among them Prince, Fleetwood Mac and Aretha Franklin, said of Rose, “Excellent music and poetry, very versatile, a true Artist.”
The One Billion Fans Contest was an initiative of Tribe of Noise, the music sharing site which invokes Creative Commons to insure the legality. Mike Linksvayer, Vice President of Creative Commons Worldwide, said it is “innovative and forward thinking to allow the commercial use of music” and it can be done easily through the by-share alike license.
In keeping with the Tribe of Noise mission, artists were matched up with corporate sponsors. Rose’s Re/Max sponsor, Melissa Miller, lauded, “Dereck defines his sound as ‘True Homemade Music’ that caught our Real Estate eye and listening to his “Painted Boots” sealed the deal.” Re/Max In Motion promoted his music on their site, blogs, and shared his MP3s with their sphere of influence.
Another OBF judge, Gary Platt, co-founder of The Recording Workshop, Full Sail University, and Ex'pression College said, “Quality on Tribe of Noise is fantastic, I’m turning all my producers and people who need great music onto Tribe of Noise. Platt has worked with Bon Jovi, King Crimson, and McDonald's.
As the winner, Dereck Rose will be featured on the World’s Largest Digital Billboard in Times Square, NY. His winning music can be found and shared 24/7 on the Tribe of Noise site.
ABOUT Tribe of Noise - the largest worldwide community connecting musicians & companies by sharing music legally & hassle free! All music on Tribe of Noise is uploaded by independent artists under a Creative Commons 3.0 By Share Alike license. To find out more about Tribe of Noise, go to http://www.tribeofnoise.com
Love Overboard Tour Dates: Apr. 28 - Julie Rogers Theater - Beaumont, Texas Apr. 29 - May 3rd - BAAL (Brutton Theater) - Dallas, Texas May 5 - May 10th - Hobby Center - Houston, Texas
Award-winning writer, producer and director Je'Caryous Johnson along with his partner, Gary Guidry have assembled some of Hollywood's most colorfully candid and comedic actors, along with some of R&B's most talented voices of today to give "LOVE OVERBOARD" all the elements necessary to create one of the most unforgettable romantic comedy stage plays this year. The ensemble cast, which includes multi-platinum selling R&B singer Avant, actors Khalil Kain ("Girlfriends" & Juice), Miguel A. Nunez, Jr. (Juwanna Mann & Life) and Carl Payne ("The Cosby Show" & "Martin"), actress Karen Malina White (Lean On Me & "A Different World") and R&B singer KeKe Wyatt is sure to keep audiences in stitches from the point they gather on stage to moment they take their last bow.
82 million men and women in the United States are unmarried, 20 million are divorcees, 48 million have never been married (2000 US Census) and over 40 million Americans aged 19 to 45 have visited online dating sites (Us Report & World Report, 2003). Without a doubt, people are either looking for love, vowing to leave love alone or have become lost in love. But, numbers don't lie and more people than not are throwing in the towel when it comes to relationships. Now, a new stage play has been created to look at love in a very humorous manner and address the state of love within our society. That new play is Je'Caryous Johnson's "LOVE OVERBOARD."
"LOVE OVERBOARD"centers on various male and female relationships, the dynamics of them and the different arrangements that exist between men and women. Whether it's a couple who hopes to reignite the romance within their marriage, a woman who loves to be wooed and woo married men, women and men who love to have their way and just play or those men and women who hope to find Mr. or Mrs.
"LOVE OVERBOARD" will have audiences rolling in the aisles and at the same time reflecting on their own relationships, old and new. It has something for everyone at every stage on their relationship journey. Whether it is those looking for love, those lost in love or even those just simply vowing to leave love alone, Love Overboard will have you hooked from the moment it sets sail.
"LOVE OVERBOARD" is the tenth in a series of box-office breaking critically acclaimed stage plays from Award-winning writer, producer and director Je'Caryous Johnson. He, along with his partner, Gary Guidry have transformed the world of urban theatre under the helm of their Houston based music and production company, I'm Ready Productions. They have created a powerful partnership that has managed to propel them into mainstream success, starting with their insight to turn African-American romance novels into stage plays. Their other hit plays have included Men Cry in the Dark with Allen Payne, The Maintenance Man with Richard Roundtree, Friends and Lovers, Cheaters with Grammy Award winning singer Brian McKnight, Confessions with the late Gerald LeVert, Men, Money & Gold Diggers with actress Robin Givens, Whatever She Wants with Vivica A. Fox and 3 Ways To Get A Husband with legendary actor Billy Dee Williams. To date over 2 million people have seen their shows and they have grossed over $90 million dollars in revenue. They are also next in line to turn their plays into full length feature films like Tyler Perry and David E. Talbert did.
For more information about "LOVE OVERBOARD", please visit www.imreadyproductions.com
Keep your Block Lockdown, your block lockdown... Sneak Peek of Jada's first verse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0seSRoBgres Check out Jadakiss' "Block Lockdown" LIVE On Jadakiss TV http://www.jadakiss.com/tv THE LAST KISS IN STORES NOW!!!
Also, check out her first single "Bang" (Featuring M.I.A.) here: http://www.myspace.com/tharealryerye http://www.imeem.com/ryeryemusic/music/D9CNuglt/rye-rye-bang-feat-mia/
Here is some video footage of her performances at SXSW: http://www.kyte.tv/ryerye
So what do you think about Rye Rye and her music?
In case you know anyone in the Los Angeles area who would want to check her out live, she will be performing 4/14 at Cinespace.
Saturday April 4th Live Your Life Saturdays The Official Capone-N-Noreaga Album Release Party "Channel 10" Guest List For This Absolutely Star Studded Affair Includes Capone N NORE's Closest Friends: Busta Rhymes / Fat Joe / Ron Browz / Clipse / Mobb Deep Ladies In Free & Drink Free Til 12