Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Cool Kids
The Cool Kids is a hip hop duo from Chicago, Illinois and Detroit, Michigan. The duo consists of Antoine "Mikey Rocks" Reed (originally from Matteson, Illinois) and Evan "Chuck Inglish" Ingersoll (originally from Mount Clemens, Michigan).[1] The Cool Kids' music has been released primarily via their MySpace page, but have been signed to the independent Chocolate Industries via their own label C.A.K.E Recordings. Reed and Ingersoll have collaborated with several other musical artists and made appearances in numerous media.
Here they are performing at Blender Theater on Oct 21st
All Star Cast to Star in Adaptation of Iceberg Slim's "Mama Black Widow"
Mos Def, Rihanna, Macy Gray, Anthony Anderson and others have come together to star in the upcoming film adaption of late writer Iceberg Slim's classic, Mama Black Widow.
Set in the 1930s, the plot revolves around an African-American family's migration from the racially tense state of Mississippi to the ghetto-themed underworld of Chicago, Illinois. Focused on lead actor Brian J White's character, "Otis Tilson," the story emphasizes his difficulties in trying to keep his family together as they encounter alcoholism, prostitution, sexual deviation and racial injustice.
Directed by Darren Grant, the film will also star actresses Kerry Washington and Angela Bassett.
Rapper-turned-actor Ice-T will also be paying homage to the author by producing a documentary on Slim's rise from pimp to established novelist.
"Iceberg Slim has been one of the most influential people in black culture," Ice-T previously told New York Post. " Few people know the story behind the man and it's time that story is told."
No release dates have been announced on either production as of yet.
In related news, Uproar Entertainment will be re-releasing the Slim album Reflections originally produced in 1976 by David Drozen. The disc offers listeners a poignant and memorable look at Slim's true life experiences.
Reflections will hit stores on Tuesday, October 28.
Often quoted and referenced by a range of hip-hop artists including Ice Cube and Jay-Z, among countless others Slim published 8 known novels before passing away in April 1992.
COURTESY of SOHH
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Hip Hop Violinist Miri Ben-Ari Releases Obama Dedication Video
Grammy Award-winning violinist Miri Ben-Ari has released a new music video entitled “Stand With Me,” a rendition of the National Anthem dedicated to Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama.
Recruiting mogul Russell Simmons and fashion designer Marc Ecko for the project, Ben-Ari is aiming to capture the excitement of the American people before the 2008 Election Day.
And with her native Israel being an important foreign policy subject, Ben-Ari hopes to influence the Jewish community to place more support behind Senator Obama.
“At this time of economic crisis, we need leadership that can bring change to our country while capturing the essence of the American Dream,” Ben-Ari explained to AllHipHop.com. “Coming to America as a new immigrant, poor and without my family helped me to better understand and appreciate the American Dream.”
Assisting with the video is accomplished filmmaker Kenzo Hakuta, who apprenticed under internationally acclaimed video artist Nam June Paik.
Hakuta’s previous work has played in the Tribeca and Mill Valley Film Festivals, and garnered him a nomination as a Rockefeller Film Fellowship nominee.
A former student of late classical teacher Isaac Stern, Ben-Ari has come to be affectionately known as the “Hip-Hop Violinist” for her innovative fusion of Hip-Hop, Classical, and R&B.
The Hip Hop View
Kim Osorio over at Global Grind recently premiered her own version of the Barbara Walters-helmed ABC talk show The View.
There seems to be range between the four women. You may remember Jenn The Penn from BET’s Ultimate Hustler, that Apprentice-like reality series Damon Dash had a few years back. I’m not sure what she does now, but her name seems to be circulating a lot.
You already know KO’s resume. First Editor In Chief of The Source, stint at BET.com and now Vice President of content at Global Grind. Angela Yee is responsible for 50% of World Star HipHop’s good footage in the last few months. She’s killing it these days. I see her eventually shooting to the top as a radio personality. Last but not least, Tionna Smalls. She’s the lesser known of the bunch, but by far the more outspoken.
The quartet discussed hip-hop couples like Jayonce (Jay and Beyonce) and Chrianna (Chris Brown and Rihanna) in the first episode. See it for yourself below.
There seems to be range between the four women. You may remember Jenn The Penn from BET’s Ultimate Hustler, that Apprentice-like reality series Damon Dash had a few years back. I’m not sure what she does now, but her name seems to be circulating a lot.
You already know KO’s resume. First Editor In Chief of The Source, stint at BET.com and now Vice President of content at Global Grind. Angela Yee is responsible for 50% of World Star HipHop’s good footage in the last few months. She’s killing it these days. I see her eventually shooting to the top as a radio personality. Last but not least, Tionna Smalls. She’s the lesser known of the bunch, but by far the more outspoken.
The quartet discussed hip-hop couples like Jayonce (Jay and Beyonce) and Chrianna (Chris Brown and Rihanna) in the first episode. See it for yourself below.
Chuck D Lectures Red Bull Music Academy
As Public Enemy’s mighty mouth that roared, Chuck D upped hip hop’s aesthetic ante like no emcee before or since. B.C. (before Chuck) the genius of rap was most often its stylistic sophistication. A.D. (after D) we all recognized the power of hip hop to mobilize the masses and elevate mind-states without losing an iota of its visceral appeal; “food for the brain, beats for the feet,” as Chuck himself once rhymed, the bourgeois and boulevard both rocked with seminar-worthy precision. You’d think P.E.’s legendary recordings, production innovations (the handiwork of Chuck and Hank Shocklee’s beats-by-hardcore-committee, the Bomb Squad), and turbulent career twists and turns would be more than enough to fill his resume. But over the past several years Chuck’s singular voice as a revered political and social commentator, Air America Radio host, author and publisher, and progressive entrepreneur (having been an early proponent of the Web as a means of sharing music) has kept him as, if not more, active than in P.E.’s golden era heyday. Given the present precarious state of the States (and the rest of the world), we need Mistachuck now more than ever. He’s still # 1 (one, one… one, one… one, ONE!).
Courtesy of RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY
Diddy Can't Stop, Won't Stop
Sean “Diddy” Combs has announced today that he’s bought out the popular streetwear clothing line ENYCE from Liz Claiborne Inc.
"Enyce is a brand that I have always admired, and they have been a very important player in the young men's sportswear arena for over a decade. I am really excited to bring it into our portfolio of brands that already includes Sean John and Zac Posen,” Diddy said in a release. “Given our track record of success in marketing products such as Ciroc Vodka, Unforgivable by Sean John, and all of our television titles, I look forward to adding our expertise to an already hot fashion line. Our long-term plan is to grow the Enyce brand through innovative marketing, expansion of the menswear and boy's lines, and launching into new licensing categories.”
The Sean John owner says that in spite of the current economic woes, he’s confident the purchase was a great investment. “The current economic climate may be challenging, but we believe it is also an opportunity, and we are really excited to add Enyce to our lineup.”
iPhone goes almost 7 times platinum
FROM ENGADGET:
Hey, turns out that people seem to like a little thing called the iPhone 3G. Apple just announced that it's sold 6.9 million of 'em during its financial fourth quarter, beating out the 6.1 million total first-gen iPhones sold in the previous five quarters -- and beating RIM's total sales this quarter, which Apple seems excited about. Of course, that represents worldwide availability in 51 countries vs the initial US-only launch, so it's not totally unexpected that the numbers are up, but it means that Apple's hit its goal of 10 million iPhones sold in 2008, which should cause some celebration in Cupertino. Apple also seems pleased with Mac sales, which are up 21 percent over a year ago to 2.1 million -- more than it's sold in any other quarter ever. All that combines with 11 million iPods sold for a total profit of $1.1 billion on revenues of $7.9 billion -- that's a lot of scratch. Still times are tough, so Steve, do you have a seemingly-cautious statement about the US economy that also doubles as a smug shot at your competitors? "We don't yet know how this economic downturn will affect Apple. But we're armed with the strongest product line in our history, the most talented employees and the best customers in our industry. And $25 billion of cash safely in the bank with zero debt." Yeah, we thought you might.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Gangsta Ice Cubes
For those who like their drinks on the rocks, here is an interesting Ice Cube Tray which will make you ice into an AK 47 bullet:
COURTESY OF BBCB
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