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Columns/Interviews
I have to admit I was skeptical about how many people would wear black and how many would show up in Louisiana. But when I walked out of class and passed the security desk where other African American students, faculty, and personnel were standing and watching the updates of the day, I felt moved. Those men, women, and children that were down there marching, thank you. To those, like me, who stopped to bare witness while on your way to work, meetings, classes, etc remember what you saw. Remember that the power to make change is still within us. For too long the dialogue within the African-American community has been more of debate between them versus us. Older leaders were critical of today's youth; today's youth disconnected from the sacrifices of our elders. The struggle between what worked in the past and what will work today became more of an issue than the issues that already existed. The unfortunate tragedy in Jena, Louisiana reminded both young and old that we still have work to do. It was empowering to see an intergenerational rally that mirrored the efforts of past activists while ushering in new styles and faces. Mychael Bell and the other young men involved in that December 2006 fight are not the first to be faced with a justice system that is not just. How many more are out there? What other futures have been voided of hope? What can we do to restore that hope? I propose a start would be remembering that it is possible to move beyond our differences, whether it is age, gender, or class, to organize and unite against inequality and injustice. Also, we cannot assume that there is only one way to go about things. We all have our own talents, interests and skills. Knocking each other for not being more like others isn't going to get us any closer to our goals. As long as we promote positive change through positive initiatives, we should be about supporting the efforts. It
is so easy to say these things in the throws of all that is happening.
But my hope for myself is that I remember what I saw, remember
what was said, and remember what else needs to be done. Perhaps
more importantly, I challenge myself to question more, to volunteer
more, to discuss ideas with a more open mind, and to be more than
just an observer with a pen but an active participant. -Ericka C. Lee
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Before 2007 is out, Eve, Missy Elliott, Foxy Brown, Trina, Shawnna and Remy Ma should have new albums in stores, setting the stage for a banner year in the world of female rap. For the long-suffering genre, that would mean that more than two or three titles could finish in the top 100 of Billboard's year-end Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Female rap shows few, if any, signs of growth. In 2006, only Remy Ma's "There's Something About Remy: Based on a True Story" cracked the year-end top 100, just making the cut at No. 92. Since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991, only 13 female rappers have appeared on the year-end chart out of a pool of 585 artists. The genre's biggest stars all seem to be winding down in terms of sales. Lil' Kim cracked the million-selling mark with three straight albums, beginning with her 1996 debut, "Hard Core," which has sold 1.42 million copies. But her latest, 2005's "The Naked Truth," has shifted a mere 388,000, a 73 percent decline. Brown, Elliott and Eve also have seen their album sales slashed by more than half in recent years. To be fair, these numbers are in line with the overall slippage in hip-hop market share, which amounted to 107 million albums in 2000 but just 59.5 million in 2006. RULES OF THE GAME It has grown so bad for female rappers that the Recording Academy did away with the best female rap artist category of the Grammy Awards in 2004, two years after its inception, due to a shortage of eligible entries. The category was combined with best male rap artist to create the best rap solo performance field. "We try to have at least 25 entries minimum because that gives a good variety and cross-section of music," said urban music/awards project manager Alan Foster, who revealed that the category won't be present in this year's Grammys either. "The problem we had with the female rap category was we only had like 13 entries." It wasn't always like this. In fact, Foxy Brown was once a bigger star than Jay-Z. But the truth is, females have been playing by male rapper's rules almost from day one. "I believe that is mostly attributed to what being an MC is all about: being arrogant, braggadocious and aggressive," WQHT (Hot 97) New York program director Ebro Darden said. "It's a male domain, and the theme, the images, the styles, the outlooks and perspectives have been driven by men," said author and University of Pennsylvania humanities professor Michael Eric Dyson, who has written extensively about hip-hop. "The success of women (rappers) has suffered as a result of the prerogative of men to set the standards for what's acceptable and not acceptable in hip-hop and, quite frankly, to set the rules of the game as to what lyrics, what styles and what genres will be most popular," Dyson said. "It has been difficult for women to fit in." DISCOURAGED AND INTIMIDATED The danger for female rap now is that
the lack of success turns off tomorrow's would-be stars. Jazmin
Polanco, who organizes the yearly "Unanimous Decision"
MC battle in New York and also serves as general manager of Def
Jam imprint Roc La Familia, said she's been impressed by underground
female MCs like La Bruja and An artist like Trina illustrates the
uphill struggle for female rappers. Her 2000 debut, "The
Baddest Bitch," sold KEEPING UP APPEARANCES
"When labels are losing money by the boatload and records aren't selling, it takes a lot of money to break a rap artist," WQHT's Darden said. "You can double that for a female artist with clothes, makeup and hair stylists because there's no way a female can wear the same pair of shoes every time the people see her." Labels may perceive a female rapper as a bigger risk or at least less of a sure thing. "No one wants to invest in something that sells 100,000," Brown said. "They want to go with the sure shot." IMAGE VS. SUBSTANCE Maybe female rappers have just run out
of ideas. After the rise of Brown and Lil' Kim, "every crew
was like, 'We're gonna go get a girl and she's gonna rap and she's
gonna wear a bikini and open her legs and that's gonna be fly
cause that's what Kim did,"' Brown said. "Or, 'I'm gonna
get a dark-skinned chick and she's gonna be sassy and controversial
and she's gonna be Foxy.' They were clearly carbon copies and
people know that. I believe right now people want their stars
to be stars again, not just fabricated." Dyson
singled out Lauryn Hill as one of
the Chicago rapper Shawnna, who guested on Ludacris' 2003 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit "Stand Up" and was a member of his Disturbing Tha Peace clique up until last year, suggested that female MCs try tackling more in-depth subjects. "Fans are tired of hearing rappers talk about being the top chick or the richest rich or the one with the most diamonds," she said. Warner Bros. VP of urban A&R Naim Ali feels women need to stand alone rather than align themselves with male rappers. "In the past, many of the new female rappers came in on the momentum of being in a clique, either with a group of guys or on the heels of a producer, and their careers were subject to how popular the clique/crew, male artist or producer was," he said. "Female rappers need to be competitive with the guys and be looked at by consumers as having their own identity. If they don't, then whenever the association with the clique, artist or producer expires, their career expires as well."
The numbers tell a different story. Ten of the 13 charting female rappers, and all five of the biggest sellers, were closely aligned with a male crew or leading male rapper. But Jacki-O, who has teamed up with Shawnna and Remy in hopes of releasing an album together this year, says it's time "to try something different. If we get together, my fans can listen to what you do, and your fans can listen to what I do. You put that together, and we've got a big impact." What's the next step? - Davey D
This was big point of contention, and was also the beginning of how shit started to get co-opted. When we did the boycotts, they were the result of community approval, involvement and support. The boycotts were effective and lasted for a year, and we did follow up interviews with NWA about them. During one landmark interview, Cube spoke passionately about his desire to change and be more political, and even talked about the internal debates he and his group were having about being responsible. It wasn't that long after that that he left the group, and much of what he talked about soon surfaced on his Amerikkka's Most Wanted album. Ironically the NWA boycott was broken by white college deejays who felt like the group's material, and material like it, should be heard, and that NWA was somehow more authentic and real then groups like X-Clan and Public Enemy. This assessment not only played itself out on college radio, but it was replicated on commercial radio as well -- and I personally saw our playlist switch up almost overnight from playing PE, X-Clan and Paris to gangsta rap. Again, non-black deejays like Theo Mizuhara lead the charge in pushing gangsta material over the positive. This attitude was also embraced by several high profile black writers like Cheo Choker, James Bernard and later Toure -- who once bragged to me via email that he "killed the career of Public Enemy" by writing a widely read negative review of their album In hindsight, we can see (and hopefully understand) that it was probably a mistake for us to not have been more involved in demanding what we knew to be right at the time, and we soon began to see people cash on the love that those outside of our communities were showing for gangsta rap. In 2007, we are seeing the end results. The fact that we helped create a climate to start to turn things around is a good thing. If it manifests itself in stations saying they wanna change up then that's great. If it means it will help get more people excited about doing a different type of rap highlighting different subject matter then I'm all for it. If it means Russell (who for the past few years has said he would never try and tell an artist to change his/her lyrics) is now calling for an end to hateful & derogatory words in commercially-released material, I say that's good thing. We should push harder and encourage more to follow suit. What's the next step? That's our collective challenge. Timbaland
Be gentle, guys WHAT
WERE YOUR FAVORITE CARTOONS AS A KID? HOW WAS YOUR PARENTS? RECORD
COLLECTION? NORFOLK
HAS THE LARGEST NAVAL BASE IN THE WORLD. DID YOU EVER THINK OF
ENLISTING? IS THERE ANY MUSIC YOU SIMPLY
CAN?T STAND? VIRGINIA
IS BETWEEN NEW YORK AND ATLANTA. ARE YOU MORE EAST COAST OR DIRTY
SOUTH? HOW MUCH
DID YOU SELL YOUR FIRST BEAT FOR? YOU HAVE
TO PROVE TO A JUDGE THAT YOU'RE THE BEST PRODUCER OF ALL TIME.,STATE
YOUR CASE. DID YOU
HAVE ANY NICKNAMES GROWING UP? WHAT
COULD YOU BUY WITH THE MONEY YOU MADE FROM "GET UR FREAK
ON"? WHAT
DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT AALIYAH? YOU?VE SAMPLED MUSIC FROM INDIA,
EGYPT AND MOZAMBIQUE. ARE YOU MUCH OF A TRAVELER? DID YOU
EVER ASK MISSY OUT IN HIGH SCHOOL? WHO'S
THE GREATEST RAPPER OF ALL TIME? Urban Mystic
Urban Mystic, christened Brandon Williams, the youngest of four, was born and raised in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The son of a minister and church organist, Mystic realized at a very young age that music was in his soul. After nearly a decade of performing in his father's church, before supportive family and congregation, his vocal range, style and abilities grew phenomenally. At the age of 13, Mystic convinced his family that he was destined for greatness as a singer, and began studying the business and craft of music under the watchful eye of his older brother Christopher. In the short number of years since first realizing his purpose in life, Mystic has added a number of rather impressive accolades to his artistic resume. In addition to being a talented singer/songwriter/producer/musician, he has made appearances in a national SPRITE advertising campaign and an independent film produced by Big Baller Records, which is distributed by SONY, entitled "Ghetto Fabulous" (1999). Among Mystic's influences and inspirations, he includes his brother Christopher, Al Green, Bobby Womack, KC and the Sunshine Band, K-Ci & JoJo, Usher and Dave Hollister. On "Ghetto Revelations," Mystic has enlisted the help of producing giants KayGee (Jaheim, Next, Naughty By Nature), Red Spyda (Jadakiss, Twista, Lloyd Banks) and El DeBarge, who also lent his sexy vocals to the soulful track, "Mystic's Spot." When asked what he loves most about performance and music, Mystic replied "I love being able to express myself; when I perform, I forget I'm on stage. I just close my eyes and get in the zone." If his first single, "Where Were You?," is any indication of Urban Mystic's God-given talent, then this young man is sure to please neo-soul and old school r&b listeners alike, who long for soul and rhythm to make a re-appearance in good urban music.
Heather Hunter is sitting across from
me on a loveseat in her publicist's office. We're just down the
hall from Blo Records, a record label she and her manager of twenty
years initiated to unleash The Unexpected, Hunter's debut as an
MC.
Besides hanging out at Harlem's legendary
Latin Quarter watching Public Enemy perform, and singing with
a short-lived group called Sweetness, Hunter also ran with graf
crews in Brooklyn. After being busted, she experienced an artistic
change of heart. "It turned out to be blessing," she
says. "I was put into a class for teens taught by the late
Keith Haring, and I know it helped me become the artist I am today."
Haring inspired her to paint on canvas, a talent she's honed over
the years. Actor Malcolm Jamal-Warner and singer Ginuwine both
own works by her.
But she cannot do it by herself. "I need help. Folks who want to see me develop, I need their support," she says, looking me dead in the eye. "I need my fans' support to make this transition." In the end, Heather Hunter neither rejects nor fully embraces her past as adult star, but it is clear she is not ashamed of the industry that made her a household name. In fact it has helped her get this far, but clearly she has a new incarnation. "I want to have a chance to change and evolve, and not be pigeon-holed as an adult star and that's it."
CHARLIE WILSON FINALLY FILLS THE GAP: Over 30 years later, the Gap Band - a trio featuring his brothers Ronnie (trumpet/keyboards) and Robert (bass) - still performs their funk-driven staples in shows throughout the country. It's no surprise that some of today's hottest producers count themselves among Wilson's biggest fans. But the love always seemed to thin out a bit when it came to actually getting those beatmakers into a studio to record a project. "A lot of producers always pat me on the back and say, 'Yeah, Charlie. I got your back, man. I love you. I grew up on your music.' But then when you call them, you end up with this third person. You can never get them," he says, without naming names. For eight years, Wilson had been talking with his Chicago buddy R. Kelly about doing a project, but distance kept any actual recording from happening. "He was always so busy, [his client] list was always long, and to try to get in there was so difficult," Wilson told EUR's Lee Bailey. Like all of the other producers with promises, Kelly always told Wilson that a collaboration between them was imminent. Wilson remembers Kelly saying: "I ain't even trippin on you standin' in line. I just need to see you. If I see you, I can get a vibe. If I see you, I can write right there for you. I can put whatever I'm doing aside and we can just start." Problem was, Wilson's schedule never allowed him to just pop on over to Chi-town; not until he joined a play that happened to stage a lengthy run in the Windy City. Wilson says he ambushed Kelly while he was playing basketball at his favorite gym. Wilson invited him to his play later that night, and afterwards, the two ended up at the studio talking for about four hours. The conversation led to the recording of five or six songs a month later, three of which were chosen for a new album to be called, "Charlie, Last Name Wilson," executive produced by R. Kelly. Wilson did not have a record deal in place during the recording sessions for "Charlie"; the result of those empty promises that kept popping up like weeds in dizzying numbers. "I had been going around and asking all these labels, man. Some people we knew real good, some people overseeing conglomerates who were powerful enough to make it happen, and they passed on it," remembers Wilson, who grows physically agitated in the mere recounting of his listen-to-my-demo hustle. But he smiles when remembering how R. Kelly told him to leak the fact that he was involved with the project. "When he said, 'Leak it, tell everybody I'm producing you,' everybody came out the woodworks," said the Tulsa, OK native. "I didn't have a deal, but soon as those conglomerates who could make it happen found out R. Kelly was involved, they was back at the door." With the industry now at Wilson's feet with ears and tails pointing straight up, Kelly said he was ready to shop the project to the highest bidder. Wilson, however, had his sights set on Kelly's label and Kelly's label alone. "I'm taking it straight to Jive," he remembers telling Kelly. "I wanna be over there with you, Joe, N-Sync, Britney Spears - the roster's lean, it's independent, but it's huge. [Jive President] Barry Weiss just straight up said, 'I love Charlie Wilson. I loved him back in the day, I love him now. I don't have to hear no more music. I'm ready to sign him right now.'" In its first week on the charts following a Sept. 13 bow, "Charlie, Last Name Wilson" earned the singer the best sales week of his solo career, moving 71,000 units and reaching No. 10 on The Billboard 200 album chart - another career best. According to Wilson's manager, the
singer's immense popularity even led to his removal from a two-night
stand next month opening for Frankie Beverly in Beverly responded to the allegations over the weekend, saying, "Sadly, the issues reported in the various articles regarding myself and Charlie Wilson are not a complete nor accurate portrayal of events. However, rather than get involved in a public discussion on this matter, we prefer to wish Charlie Wilson and everyone else involved the very best." The whole thing is a minor bump in the road for Wilson, who suddenly finds himself in the kind of tabloid-style articles usually reserved for his the industry's biggest stars, such as label mates R. Kelly and Justin Timberlake. "My manager and I always talked about, 'What if we sign on Jive? What if we get a record with Justin Timberlake? What if we had R. Kelly?' You know, all these things we always talked about for years finally came to life, just how we talked about," Wilson beams. e Helen Little speaks out on today's radio scene Here are some excerpts from Helen Little's interview on - www.Manhunt.com Helen Little: One Of The Musc Industry's Biggest Invisible Stars [ by Tamara Harris ]
Q. So how did you end up on the more business side of things in addition to the radio hosting versus being a musician? Little: Well probably because I sucked at being a musician!!! (laughs.) Like I said I was good at playing the clarinet but I just didn't think it was a hip instrument that I wanted to involve myself with. My passion was listening to the radio because it was a constant source of music for me. I didn't watch a lot of television as a child. I listened to the radio nonstop. When I went to college I had actually been singing a girlfriend and I in high school would play like Kiwanis meetings you know rotary clubs she'd play guitar and I'd sing. Q. Having worn so many hats in the music industry what would you say is the real difference in radio now today versus when you first started listening to it and got involved in it? Little: When I first started listening to it I didn't understand the mechanics of it. It was just about the music and the passion. Once I got on the inside and learned about how it worked it became more fascinating to me. But the biggest difference is the first radio station I worked for the owner had an office in the building. He owned a couple different radio stations not like it is now. So what it became in my last position was you know I was a number on a piece of paper with thousands of people and the owner lived in Texas and he would never know who I was. So that's the biggest difference the amount of stations that are owned by one company. Q. Having worked for Clear Channel you really know that and how does that affect what we hear? Little: I think it affects it in a non-creative way. Because the difference is that you had tons of creative minds and tons of different markets, tons of different sizes of markets doing things the way they wanted to do. It might have been best at every market but it was done the way you felt it should be. Now it's a lot more homogenized and that started before ownership laws changed I think it became where you would get on a plane and go to L.A. and you would hear this in L.A. and say we should do this in New York. And then all of sudden you got 18 Hots and 24 Powers yadda yadda yadda. Q. Knowing what you know and now having Dangerous Entertainment when you're talking to artists about making them successful how do you make marketing decisions and what kinds of decisions are you making? Little: Gotta have hit music period. At the end of the day if you've got a hit song you know you don't have any issues. So being that I spent a good portion of my career picking hit music for radio I have an ear for it. Something that appeals to a large amount of people. Now every single artist because the artists I work with are in different genres of music everybody's not gonna have that big mass appeal. You wanna appeal to your core target where they absolutely love you and they become a long-term fanbase where they buy your music year after year after year. Q. What constitutes a hit? Little: The fact that people want to hear it and two like it. When your check depends on it you tend to figure it out (laughs.) At a station you get hundreds of CD's a day. So you sit down and it's really more about as opposed to good, better and best but does it compete with what's already there. I put this record on and I see how the audience is reacting. I'm listening to this new song I haven't put on yet now competitively speaking does this have the same shot to get the same type of reaction that this one does. And are you 100 percent? No. Sometimes you're the first person to play a record sometimes you're the last. Sometimes it's about relationships sometimes it's about the relationship with the artist. It's a lot harder if you have a relationship with an artist and you're working at a radio station it's harder to get their product on your desk and not want to help them succeed. Q. Do you feel the industry is more concerned with hits now than say another era? Little: Definitely. Because record companies and radio stations are publicly traded companies and they have shareholders that they have to report to and provide information and show growth in the money they have invested in. The focus is not so much on art and creativity as it may have been in regard to attract advertisers because listeners are fascinated by your product. It's more about ok at the end of this quarter we have to show them what we've done. So in order to get to that point you know we needed to develop some sort of formula that is going to accomplish that goal. It was also before we were more of a global society you really just served your immediate community. And you served your immediate community with music and information that was immediate to that community. You were more apt to find local artists on the radio in certain markets because there was still a place for them. I don't know necessarily if in a small market you got that opportunity. But definitely in places the size of Philadelphia, Miami or Atlanta that you could get a shot on the radio. We're talking '60s and '70s maybe. As we become more global I think it became less about the intimate relationship with the listener and the radio station. Because they became less intimate as well. When you're thinking about competing with a person's time all the different options they have there's always been recorded music on CD, vinyl, cassette, 8-track whatever. But now there's also videos, there's always been television now there's more than just television there's cable, there's satellite. Now there's XM and Sirius, and Musichoice and video games and movies. There's so many different things to do with your time and attention and the computer. It's a challenge to really find that loyal listener and that loyal consumer to keep them interested in your product. I think you have to be more niche-oriented. It used to be you could turn on the radio and hear country music, rock music, r and b music and pop music and maybe even some Spanish music all on the same radio station. Now it's like a mall with specialty shops. That's what radio stations have become you only get hip-hop or rock and then they get even more specialized well this is adult urban and this is mainstream urban and this is rap. It's become more niche-oriented to try to get at least an audience that's gonna be interested in your product and spend a fair amount of time with it. Q. What's interesting about that is when I cut on my radio I'm only hearing 40 songs a day and why is that? Little: Because the average person first of all the time that they spend with the radio isn't as long as you would think it is. And it varies by format so when they come to you they want to hear their favorite song. That attention span is gone as soon as you put something on they're not interested in hearing. They go to the next station or I guess the next medium. The reason for the short playlist is if you're only gonna listen for an hour anyway you're not going to hear that song anyway. So the shorter list increases that chance of them hearing the song when they come to you. When people say they want variety and you can play I'm talking more of a young format not an oldies format. Q. What about listener feedback if more people were to call in? Little: Who has time to call in? Most
radio stations use call out research and they call a listener
they rate what you feel about the song. That's how they get most
of their information. The request lines have a little to do with
it because you don't know who's calling. You call out you're calling
the people you're trying to attract. Little: It's not so much about urban marketing it's about marketing an urban music to an urban audience to an urban retailer. Is there a difference between marketing Missy for example to a pop audience and an urban audience? Yeah there is a slight difference. The urban audience has a tendency to want to know about it first. If it doesn't succeed there chances are it doesn't do as well in the mainstream unless you're going directly after the mainstream. Most artists that are Black or urban artists that have mainstream success usually start in Black radio or Black retail. Usually not always depending on the sound. There's a lot more money to market to the general public pop market. Although the costs more people involved in the process. The marketing costs in regard to whether or not you're gonna do outdoor advertising, television and etc. it all costs. Q. Are there certain things unique to urban marketing? Little: The mixed tape and creating a credible street vibe. Q. Can you give me one tip on how to get someone to radio? Little: Give me a hit. Period because that's my background, that's my reputation and I'm not gonna take something that I wouldn't put on myself. If I wouldn't put that on the radio why would I ask somebody else to? Q. What kinds of tips do you give these up and coming artists as well as the established ones on how to get success and keep it? Little: That this is a business and you have to work. And to be disciplined in that process and to learn about the business you're in. Be a part of your own success. Show-up take it seriously and want more than I want it. I've got a career I'm good.
Q. Do you think that the video age did anything to the music industry? Little: Yeah costs more (laughs.) And honestly it made it a lot more visible. Music is now a visual medium. You know people now want to see it. When I was a kid we heard it. Q. Why do you feel people aren't buying music as much now? Little: There's a lot to spend your money on is part of it. I think we went through a period in the music industry where we didn't put our best foot forward and it was song-driven not artist development driven. You know karma is real. Q. How are you dealing with that since you have your own company? Little: I'm not taking it in there until the songs are developed, the live performances is good, you've built a fanbase you recorded your own record. Not in every single case but that's the strategy. I want you to be a part of this process. Don't give me three demos and expect me to walk into a label and get you signed because labels don't sign like that. Right now most of them do research and they want to know that you can get radio play on your own. They want to know that you can sell records on your own. They're looking for somebody who's already doing it. That way they don't have to take a big risk. There's an artist that just got signed to Sony Goapele from the Bay Area. And I think she sold somewhere near 60,000 records on her own. That is unbelievable. She built a fanbase she worked it. I'm assuming the reason she worked as long as she did, she didn't need anybody else's money. When you're selling like that you can make a living. It all depends on the individual goal of each artist. Some artists want a mansion and yacht. Some artists just don't want to have to sit behind a desk and work on a computer. Q. What do you advise to musicians looking to succeed in the industry? Little: Don't have your homeboy managing you. If your homeboy has read a book, found mentors and studied the industry that's great. You don't have to go to college to do this. Five Record Industry Myths
"Shows like 'American Idol' lead viewers to believe that there are hundreds of people searching for average or below average talent they can mold into the next big pop star. That view simply doesn't reflect reality. Danica Mathes, a St. Louis, MO-based entertainment attorney, who has worked with artists such as Nelly, admits that record companies do employ A&R people whose job supposedly is to sign and nurture new artists. "But as major labels consolidate, cut staffs and get nervous about the bottom line, they no longer have the time or money to develop new acts," she says. "Instead, they look for artists who are already developed and already attracting fans and selling CDs on their own.
"That's a huge misconception," says Derek Sivers, founder and president of Portland, OR-based CD Baby, a web site that in 2003 sold $4.6 million worth of CDs (more than 400,000 units) by unsigned acts. " I'm blown away
by the tremendous amount of quality music being produced outside the mainstream,"
he says. "Many amazing musicians have decided they're happier selling 10,000
CDs on their own and making a hundred thousand dollars, than selling a million
CDs and being broke on a major label. That's the reality of today's music business."
Myth
#3 "If you wait for someone to give you the green light to create and perform music, you may be waiting a long time. Artists should use their inner conviction and the response they get from fans to fuel their progress." " Every major label in the U.K. passed on both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in their day," says Peter Spellman, director of career development at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and author of "Indie Power" and "The Self-Promoting Musician." "That gives you a sense of what label gatekeepers know about an artist's potential. Who knows what talent they're passing on today?"
"While
major label deals have a purpose in the industry for some artists, I definitely
preach the independent gospel," Mathes says. "I've heard countless
stories of artists that got signed and never went anywhere, or groups that had
record deals and ended up falling far short of their expectations. Myth
#5 Most musicians would love to get the high-impact TV exposure that "MTV" can give but nationwide media coverage is not a requirement for ultimate success in music. "When most people think of successful artists, they mainly think of who they've heard on the radio or seen on TV," Baker explains. "However, there are thousands of lesser-known artists who actively write, record and perform great music under the radar. And, contrary to popular belief, many of them make decent money, have large armies of devoted fans and are quietly, but steadily, building careers." Baker adds, " The artist with the best odds of success take their careers into their own hands, promote themselves relentlessly and create their own lucky breaks." Eve Shows Softer Side In UPN Show He cites her fondness for frilly slippers, little dogs and movies like "The Sound of Music" to explain the flip side of a woman who describes herself as "a pit bull in a skirt". Eve plays fashion designer Shelly Williams on UPN's "Eve," which follows a group of friends struggling with modern attitudes about romance. Now in its second season, the series airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET. When Eve first signed on, the series was titled "The Opposite Sex." She acknowledges being uncomfortable when the network decided to name it after her. "What if it fails and my name was on it?" she recalls thinking at the time. The network eased her doubts, explaining the importance of letting audiences know it was her show and that viewers wouldn't find it confusing to have the title name not match the name of the main character. Eve, of course, is used to name changes. Born Eve Jeffers 26 years ago in Philadelphia, when she first started rapping she was known as Eve of Destruction. Then "I looked at myself as an artist and decided I didn't want any title," she explains. "I just wanted to be myself." So she settled on just one name, Eve, "the name my mother gave me." After it was retitled, the sitcom naturally shifted its focus a little, but at its heart, the show remains the dilemma of six friends -- three female, three male -- trying to make sense of their love lives and better understand the opposite sex. Ali Landry plays Rita Lefleur and Natalie Desselle-Reid is Janie Egins, who are Shelly's girlfriends and co-workers in their Miami-based fashion business, DivaStyle. There's a great deal of laughter and chat on the stage at Sunset Gower Studios as the three women rehearse a scene for an upcoming episode. "We talk too much," Eve confesses, noting that, like a bunch of kids misbehaving in class, they often need to be told to focus and stop their extracurricular fun. Such on-set levity wasn't always the case for Eve. Last season she admits there were moments when, "I just wanted to leave because there was so much to learn, it's just a different world ... It's hard to play funny, there are certain beats you have to learn." But it's been easier this second season. She's still working on her tardiness, but she's come to like the stability. "It feels like 'Wow,' this is home. I love my cast, I love my crew ... it's exciting. I'm having fun." Eve is expected to release a new studio album in 2005 as well as relaunch her clothing line, Fetish.
Jill
Scott No Longer So Quick To Slash Tires
Although it is the title of her award-winning 2000 debut, nowadays the last question you want to ask Philly's R&B "it" Girl is Who Is Jill Scott? "People ask me that all the time when I first meet them, and it really gets on my nerves," Scott grumbled. "To be honest, sometimes it makes me want to hang up the phone!" Despite the serene, soulful vibe the singer gives off in most of her music, you don't want to get on Scott's bad side. If pushed, she just might flash back to her younger days and be tempted to whoop your ass right there on the spot. "I've done a lot of fighting in my time, and I'm down to do some more," the Grammy-nominated artist said, reflecting on growing up in the projects of North Philadelphia. "I don't want to, but you know, there's just certain things that you can't sit down and take. I'm better with my tongue now than I used to be. Before, it would just take a few words and fists were flying." Fortunately for fans, Scott has better things to do with her time these days than serve knuckle sandwiches. Having just dropped her second studio album, Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds, Vol. 2., which debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 this month, the self-described "street girl" is too busy enjoying herself: She recently shed 35 pounds, married her longtime sweetie, Lyzel, and fulfilled a lifelong dream, opening a concert for the Great Purple One in her hometown. "I am a huge Prince fan," Scott said giddily over the phone from downtown Los Angeles, where she was shooting the video for the follow-up to her first single, "Golden," a shiny, infectious tune about living life to the fullest. "It's a very rare thing for him to have people open for him. It's been the Time and Sheila E., and that's about it. Building a relationship with him has been like a dream come true. I've been looking for a mentor, and I feel like I have that in him." Scott, who's been busy penning a forthcoming book of poetry titled "The Minutes, the Moments, the Hours," says that other collaborations with Prince may be in the works. "We've been talking about doing a few things together. I have something for him to do, and I think he has a few things for me to do, too. I'm really excited about what the future holds." Like many of the most personal songs on the singer's often poignant and mellifluous new offering, the second single, "Whatever," is inspired by Scott's muse, her co-manager and husband of the past two years. "Not to sound arrogant, but Lyzel and I know that we are in some ways a beacon for folks who don't believe in love anymore," Scott said. "He is my soul mate, my equal, and I wish everyone could have that. "The video for 'Whatever' is kind of a documentary in a way," she continued. "It's showing that love can last. Not just in your early 20s or your late 30s, but in your 50s, 60s and 70s. There's an awful myth out there that when you get married, love and lovemaking fade. It's not true. When you're really in love with somebody, the experience is far more superior than a thousand shags and a thousand funky hotel rooms. It's magic. You know, you don't need a lot of chocolate to know how good it is." The clip, shot by director Lenny Bass (Nappy Roots, Craig David), takes place in a 150-year-old mansion in downtown L.A. "The video is so pretty," the singer said. "It's very colorful. The character is there with her husband, and basically, we're showing how they progress in their lives together from about age 30 to 65. The video showcases a part of the black family that you just don't see enough of. There are black marriages that are still going strong 40 years later. You hear so many myths that there aren't any people making it, but there are. As long as there are some, there's hope." The voluptuous Scott, who plans to embark
on her own "Big and Beautiful" tour next year, is perhaps
the strongest testament to the hope she sings about in her music.
Although she's now blissfully married, Scott says her deeply intimate
lyrics are probably the reason why so many fans approach her on
the street and tell her their relationship woes. Listening intently
and sometimes crying along with them, Scott says she feels their
pain and frustration deeply because she once walked in their shoes.
"Heartbreak was the impetus
to me writing poems and music in the first place," she explained.
"Over the years I had my heart broken so badly that if I
didn't find a way to get all the pain out, I was going to lose
my mind. I was crazy! Like, wanting to slash tires and smash car
windows. Crazy! I was so hurt that I had to write. Then I went
to poetry readings and shared my work, and it was like, damn,
people really understand where I'm coming from. I was like, OK,
this is not only for myself, it's for other people, too. Fortunately
a lot of those painful days are behind me. When I'm going through
something, I've learned to nurture myself, and I stay surrounded
by people who love me. Now I can definitely say I'm living one
of the best periods of my life."
Brand Nubian - By André Coley
It's been almost six years since your last collaboration as a group. Does this new album contain the intrinsic values and beliefs of Brand Nubian (i.e. religion and politics)? It's part of our life; you know…it is our life. The reality and things that's going on in society, that's what we talk about, you know…keeping it balanced. How does it feel to be "Veterans" of the music industry, holding an established group career of 15 years? As far as rap goes yeah we feel like veterans all that type sh*t, we don't feel old, but we definitely seen a lot…We seen people come and go in this industry…You can learn but so much from someone in a certain amount of years but you can learn a lot more from someone that's been there for years. This new album is entitled Fire In The Hole. Is there any political, religious or philosophical meaning behind the title? I mean it's fire in the hole, you know it means like prepare yourself…you could take that however you want to take that-musically, et cetera, you naah mean? It's just fire in the hole that's what we want it to be about. So it could be like you're warning the industry to look out or beware of Brand Nubian, the next big group to hit the scene once again. <laughter> Fire in the hole man.
Brand Nubian's first three albums were recorded with Elektra Records, the fourth with Arista Records, both of which are major labels. However this fifth album is with Babygrande Records, an indie label that has been steadily on an upward bound. What made Brand Nubian sign with Babygrande Records? Yeah, umm, it just didn't work out at those places man. I mean the type of music we do and the type of group we are, we don't really fit in [to a] corporate structure I mean where the radio and you know I mean they concentrate more on the sales than, than the artistry of what you're doin'. I mean the records is good and all that but I mean the fact is we'd have to be other than ourselves to sell that type of record…we on an independent label not telling us we need to make records like this or like that. Since I can remember Grand Puba you were one of the first, if not the innovator of certain styles that are resurfacing today, such as Kanye West and the backpacks and polos or Ja-Rule and the singing melodies. What do think of rappers that are using these styles?
Grand Puba and Sadat, you came out with your own individual projects. However, Lord Jamar you're the only one that hasn't, but you're also the only one that has gone into acting. How was that for you going into acting and how is it different, I mean is it different from hip-hop?
Let's flashback to 1990 - I'm talking high-top fades and geometric cuts, pending war in Iraq (sounds familiar, doesn't it), and hip hop becoming a lasting genre in modern day music. Enter Grand Puba, Sadat X, and Lord Jamar better known as Brand Nubian. With their politically and socially conscious lyrics and left of center way of story telling, they became a standout group. Since they're debut on Elektra over a decade ago, they've changed record labels, and taken time to pursue other interests, but they've never stopped making music, and haven't let issues that affect other groups-such as solo projects-damage their cohesive bond. Speaking with them about the state of hip hop today, and their position as pioneers, it is evident that they realize not only their contribution, but also the contribution of all hip hop artists in the industry. However, they do cite that originality in the game is lacking. Sadat goes on to say, "Back in the day, you never really wanted to sound like another person…but now, you know, I guess that's what they're [record execs] going for." With hip hop pioneers and Black Conscious Teachers like Brand Nubian back in the game maybe we'll see some of the originality we once saw over a decade ago. By André Coley
Angela Winbush
After Rene & Angela ended, Winbush worked behind the boards at a time when African-American female producers were nowhere to be found. She produced such artists as Janet Jackson (her first album), Sheena Easton, Rufus & Chaka Khan, Evelyn "Champagne" King and the Isley Brothers. Winbush says it was difficult working as a producer then. "There were no females controlling the budgets, putting the records together. Even when I was producing the Isleys, I was given a lesser budget. I had to fight. It was really something. It was tough. It's easier now for Missy (Elliott) and other people. For me, it was absolutely No." During this time, she also set her solo career in motion. "Rene told everybody I didn't know how to do anything. I had to re-prove myself, as usual. In this business, you have to re-prove and reinvent yourself all the time. I don't take it personally." She kicked off her solo career with the 1987 album "Sharp," which featured the signature single "Angel." "That was my transition song from Rene & Angela to Angela Winbush. I started growing up. By that point Ron and I had already worked together and we started dating." Winbush and Ron Isley popped up on each other's albums, perhaps most notably on "Hello Beloved," also from "Sharp." She wrote the song while working with Wonder, though she didn't record it until almost a decade later. "Since Ron and I were together at that point, he almost had a hard time with the duet. But it wound up one of those special songs." Another special song was "I've Learned to Respect (the Power of Love)" from 1989's "The Real Thing." Winbush wrote the song as a teenager, and she was told it would be her torch song one day. But Stephanie Mills scored a huge hit with it first. "It started off being a gospel song, 'I Learned to Respect the Power of God.' I don't know where the song came from. It was the spirit. I was going through a lot, and the Lord gave it to me." Winbush's last CD was 1994's self-titled effort, and she has mostly worked on Isley Brothers CDs since then. But she plans to work on a CD of her own later this year after lending her services to rapper/producer KayGee's camp. Winbush says her music "will be contemporary, but with my chord changes. It's gonna be me. It will be recognizable. It won't be hip-hop. It'll be in my vein and of whoever came after me, the Jill Scotts and the India.Iries." Winbush is ready to return to performing now that her health is restored. Angela was diagnosed with ovarian cancer
in December 2002. Winbush underwent six months of chemotherapy
she describes as "radical," losing her hair in the process.
But she's in complete remission today. "I
went through horrible changes, but I'm fine now," Winbush
says. "When people look at me, they say I don't look like
I've ever been sick. I didn't lose weight, and my skin didn't
change. It was a horrible experience, but the Lord walked me through
it."
I'm truly irritated at this activity from these two so-called "learned men", the only thing they've seemed to learn is how to perform as traitors in the eye of the media. Two successful black "teachers" on stage calling each other nigger is the equivalent of wearing a big red nose and dancing for the master. Thank god for Bobbie Booker as she seems like the only person with enough guts to call these two men to task - When will we ever learn, No matter what anybody ELSE thinks of us -WE ARE NOT NIGGERS! - Docta Shock Michael
Eric Dyson, Carl Singley and the 'N-word' at race forum When a discussion of the city’s racial divide was held this week, lawyer Carl Singley and author Michael Eric Dyson made one point clear: If you’re Black, use of the N-word is socially acceptable, and expected. Singley took the stage of Huntsman Hall at the Wharton School of Business this week, grabbed a copy of Dyson’s new book, “The Michael Eric Dyson Reader,” and declared, “This nigger is brilliant!” to a standing-room only audience of more than 350 people. Singley joined with Penn professor and noted author Dyson during the Philadelphia magazine-sponsored event held on the Penn campus. The panel was moderated by the magazine’s Editor in Chief Larry Platt, and Kenneth Shropshire, head of the legal studies department at Wharton. “Racism, in and of itself, is an analytical thing that is useful to all people. Otherwise, how do you explain it?” asked Singley during the “Tale of Cities: Race in Philadelphia” dialogue. “Covert racism is the present challenge.” “(African-Americans)
don’t have equal power,” concurred Dyson, who described
himself as a “paid Panelists
stuck to a national agenda loaded with pop-culture references
and shared the stage with “Race in Philadelphia wasn’t really discussed,” noted Shropshire, who noticed the difference between this discussion session and more traditional ones. “It did seem like people seemed ready to go at it again to figure where we should go and probably some better ways to deal with this issue.” Even though Singley, who worked as an adviser for the recent Sam Katz mayoral election team and has been in a well-publicized spat with Mayor John F. Street for years, several members of Street’s family were at the event. Mayor Street’s son Sharif viewed the dialogue on closed-circuit television in the overflow room, while mayoral nephew Shawn Fordham mingled with audience members afterward. The main recurring topic included the use of the N-word, something that both delighted and puzzled the audience. “I
can use it, but I can’t tell you why you can’t,”
said Singley, who had explained earlier during his Dyson,
who joked that his use of the N-word is “promiscuous,”
explained, “The context of white “That
(use of the N-word) certainly was unscripted,”said Shropshire.
“It is a word that gets your Philadelphia Tribune is Copyright © 2004 by ThePhiladelphia Tribune, Co. Bobbi Booker - Lifestyle Correspondant/Book Review Editor - Philadelphia Tribune 520 S. 16th Street - Philadelphia, PA 19146 - 215.893.5716-direct
By: Victoria Vogt, PR NOW! So, you want to get into the music game, huh? Then, put your money where your mouth is! In this day and age, where technology makes the modern world go 'round, it's not surprising to see so many people who can't get their businesses "poppin' " because they don't realize the value of utilizing the computer.
Look around-everywhere you go-the grocery store, the gas station,
Mickey D's, even video games-all make life easier and more enjoyable
with the use of computers. Every successful business utilizes
the benefits of computers.
Here's how having a computer at hand will help you: Especially now, when computers are at an all-time low price, it only makes dollars and sense to get yourself what your competition already has: the ability to research, communicate, and market yourself from the convenience of your home, office, or hotel. So what part don't you get? Get with the progra |
Jena
6 - We Have Not Forgotten
Female
hip-hop artists struggle for sales-
Mariel Concepcion 
684,000
units, while 2005's "Glamorest Life" has shifted 398,000.
But the latter album spawned Trina's biggest hit to date, "Here
We Go" featuring Kelly Rowland, which reached No. 3 on Hot
Rap Songs and No. 8 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. That
success wasn't enough to keep Trina at her longtime label home
of Atlantic, however. "Because of where Trina is with her
career and where we are with our label, we felt we could put out
her record on our own," said Slip-N-Slide project manager
Aaron Lucas, who inked a new deal with EMI to distribute Trina's
"Baddest Bitch II," due August 14. "The
consumer, the public, they believe in the females in the game,"
said Trina, who claims the new album will make people listen again.
"I'm stepping my game up like 10 notches, and somebody is
going to tell somebody about it, and they might just want to pick
it up this time."
Billboard
spoke to artists, managers, executives, retailers and radio programmers
to get a sense of why female MCs still lag behind the commercial
achievements of their male counterparts. Some claimed the extinction
of the female MC began when Lil' Kim and Brown made it trendy
to be high-maintenance. "They were overtly sexy, their rhymes
were raunchy, they only wore designer outfits, and their attention
to hair and makeup rivaled
few
female rappers who have been able to court fans of both genders.
"When she was with the Fugees, she spit serious game and
talked about the issues men think about: police brutality, struggling
against a white supremacist society, dealing with ignorant Negroes
who didn't want to learn and forcing them into different pastures,"
he said. "She was able to hang with the fellas at that level.
Then when she did her solo album, she was able to send wisdom
to young women who were being seduced by and hoodwinked by these
men."
Miami
rapper Jacki-O believes that relying on men for credibility and
support hasn't gotten female rappers far enough. "The majority
of the female artists that came out were backed by males. So,
why didn't they sell?" she said. "You don't need a man
to back a woman up. We are natural-born leaders. If we ride with
each other, we get our strength from each other. We just need
to work together and stop trying to always be No. 1."
NWA,
with its booming beats and harsh lyrics, put LA and the west on
the map and got Cali some acceptance. This was a big incentive
for folks out here to overlook their own morals and common sense
and get behind those gangsta groups that knocked the doors down.
Personally, despite doing some of NWA's first interviews, I felt
uncomfortable calling what they did revolutionary because I recall
both Cube and Eazy telling me they were cursing up a storm as
a way to initially be funny and that they enjoyed seeing the shocked
look on people's faces. They weren't doing it because they really
felt that way (as many like to romanticize). Look at some of the
old articles on them and you'll see them admitting to that.
At
the age of 19, Urban Mystic, an up-and-coming singer/songwriter/producer,
is in the midst of redefining contemporary r&b with the release
of his debut album, "Ghetto Revelations." "Ghetto
Revelations" is due for release in October 2004 on SoBe Entertainment/WMG.
Mystic's name reflects the combination of luscious vocals and
street flair present on his sultry tracks. He's poised to resurrect
the rhythm that is undeniably absent from today's rhythm and blues.
Heather
Hunter - Sexy Sex Star Seeks Rap Career
be
inducted into the Adult Film Hall of Fame and has been referenced
in songs by LL Cool J, Lil' Kim, and Snoop Dogg, and she has also
collaborated with Tupac. Hunter is an icon whose life (and body)
has been clearly shaped, revered and honored by hip hop.
about
to be transformed with an "unexpected" challenge to
spit rhymes with hip hop artist/producer Akinyele.
*One
thing is apparent after sitting down with singer Charlie Wilson
- the brother has had his share of empty promises. Launching to
superstardom in the seventies with the Gap Band, Wilson's soul-drenched
lead vocals - the spirit of which later emerged in Aaron Hall
and R. Kelly - powered such funk classics as "Party Train,"
"Early in the Morning," "You Dropped a Bomb on
Me" and "Outstanding."
Washington
D.C. When Beverly heard that Wilson was booked to take the stage
before him, he reportedly called the promoter and threatened not
to perform unless Wilson was removed from the bill or "replaced
with a less intimidating performer," read the release from
his manager.
Helen
Little is a music lover and an industry veteran who has worn many
hats in her path of successes. She is the co-chairman of Dangerous
Entertainment who manages such artists as Dice Raw and Kenli.
As a consultant Dreamworks and Def Jam have called on her services.
Her membership in the Philadelphia chapter of NARAS is the carriage
she uses to take her knowledge and educate young people about
the twists and turns of music in the commercial matrix Billboard
named her Program Director of the Year in her radio journey, which,
at one point landed her working side by side with the legendary
Frankie Crocker. Her major status in the industry has not gone
unnoticed by her Black peers either. The National Black Programmer's
Coalition also awarded her Program Director of the Year in addition
to several other organizations. RuffNation/Warner Brother Records
was lucky to have her as the president of US Operations. But behind
the job titles and praise is someone who chose to take her love
of music and make a commitment to nurturing the artist in the
creative sphere and in the marketplace. Ms. Little wants nothing
more than for the people she works with to see their dream realized
because it is the pith of her professional desires. In this lengthy
interview Ms. Little tells her story and gives her thoughts on
various parts of the industry that many of us ponder in our music
obsessions and our ambivalence towards the industry. 
Myth #1
Myth
#4
Starring in her
own sitcom is allowing Eve to reveal a side not usually associated with the
hardcore rapper image that made her famous. "The part that people know
the least about her comes across most in this show: There's a seriously girlie
girl side to her," says co-star Jason George.
by
Tomika Anderson
Brand
Nubian 
To
recap, 1989 spawned the creation of the aforementioned group,
Brand Nubian. While as a collective they embraced the New York
suburb of New Rochelle, fans throughout the New York area embraced
Brand Nubian's music. Grand Puba (born Maxwell Dixon), Sadat X
(born Derek Murphy), Lord Jamar (born Lorenzo DeChalus) and DJ
Alamo (Sadat's cousin) made up the original Brand Nubian cell.
The group signed with Elektra and released their debut album All
for One in 1990, with hit singles such as "All for One,"
and "Slow Down." In 1993, Lord Jamar and Sadat X with
the efforts of DJ Sincere (born Terrence Perry) released Brand
Nubian's second album, In God We Trust that produced the hit single,
"Punks Jump up to Get Beat Down." Again with only the
two original members (Lord Jamar & Sadat X), Brand Nubian
followed up in 1994 with the album, Everything Is Everything,
which depicted the struggles of poverty and unjust tribulations
that have been affecting the urban cities in the United States.
In 1998, with the regrouping of the original four members of Brand
Nubian, Foundation was released under Arista and received with
high acclaim and positive reviews. With a healthy resume consisting
of two major labels, four well respected albums and a slew of
individual projects (i.e. Lord Jamar's acting career and Sadat
X and Grand Puba's solo rap careers), Brand Nubian is now releasing
its fifth album with the indie label Babygrande Records. Former
Priority Records A&R Executive, Chuck Wilson, founded Babygrande
Records, the New York based indie label. The label has since developed
a roster of well-known artists from hip-hop's underground scene
such as Jean Gray and Canibus. 
Grand
Puba: As far as the backpack yeah you can credit that to me,
but as far as the singing-melodies rap I actually derived that
from Slick Rick. It's basically the same thing being done over-and-over
again just at different times. And it's a good thing because it
shows me that what I did back then can still be relevant for use
in today's music line-up. 
Lord
Jamar: It's different in a way, but then there are a lot of
similarities with music. 
After
singing in Stevie Wonder's backing band in the late '70s, Winbush
hooked up with Rene Moore, and they became Rene & Angela,
an Ashford & Simpson-like pair specializing in strong, meaty
ballads. Hits such as "My First Love," "Your Smile"
and "You Don't Have to Cry" came before a nasty breakup
that involved disputes over who contributed what. "We
split because he got so greedy," says Winbush. "God
gave me those songs at a particular time in life. They all had
to do with something happening to me, and they mean a lot to me.
They're songs people like and have become classics, I'm told.
And I had to fight for them and share 50 percent with a person
who didn't write them. I had to do that to move on. Everybody
in the industry has a story like that." Winbush
spent years correcting the situation legally and learned from
it. "Watch who you get into business with," she says.
"I was very gullible and naive. I was straight out of school
and the church, and had never dealt with people in the industry.
They'll use anybody and anything to get over. That was my lesson."
PERSONAL
COMPUTERS: THE REAL "HOOK-UP"