Whats Buzzing in the Streets – Page 29

Alicia Keys

Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist and actress. Keys released her debut album with J Records, having had previous record deals first with Columbia and then Arista Records. Keys’ debut album, Songs in A Minor was released in 2001, producing her first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single “Fallin'”, and selling over 12 million copies worldwide. The album earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002. Her sophomore album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, was released in 2003, spawning successful singles “You Don’t Know My Name”, “If I Ain’t Got You” and “Diary”, and selling eight million copies worldwide. The duet song “My Boo” with Usher, scored her a second number-one single in 2004. The album garnered her an additional four Grammy Awards in 2005. Later that year, she released her first live album, Unplugged, becoming the first woman to have an MTV Unplugged album debut at number one.As I Am was released in 2007, producing the Hot 100 number-one single “No One”, selling five million copies worldwide and earning an additional three Grammy Awards. The Element of Freedom was released in 2009, becoming her first chart-topping album in the UK, and selling four million copies worldwide. Keys additionally collaborated with Jay Z on “Empire State of Mind” as her fourth number-one single, and won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2010. Girl on Fire was released in 2012 as her fifth Billboard 200 topping album, spawning the successful title track. Her second live album, VH1 Storytellers was released in 2013. Here, was released in 2016, becoming her seventh R&B/Hip-Hop topping album.Keys made her first television appearance on The Cosby Show in 1985 as a four year old child. She made her film debut in Smokin’ Aces and later in The Nanny Diaries in 2007. Keys then had a NAACP Image Award nominated appearance in The Secret Life of Bees in 2008. Keys also made an appearance on season 2 of Empire in 2015. She is currently a mentor on The Voice as of 2016.Throughout her career, Keys has won numerous awards such as 15 Grammy Awards, and has sold over 35 million albums and 30 million singles worldwide. Billboard magazine named her the top R&B songs artist of the 2000s decade. In 2010, VH1 included Keys on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Billboard magazine placed her number ten on their list of Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years. In 2012, Keys was ranked 14th on VH1’s 100 Greatest Women in Music list. Keys was ranked at number thirty-three on VH1’s “50 Greatest Women of the Video Era” list, and number 10 on their “100 Sexiest Artists” list.Keys was born Alicia Augello Cook on January 25, 1981, in the Hell’s Kitchen area of Manhattan, New York City. She is the only child of Teresa (Augello), a paralegal and part-time actress, and Craig Cook, a flight attendant. Keys’ father is African American and her mother is of Italian, Scottish, and Irish descent. Keys has expressed that she was comfortable with her multiracial heritage because she felt she was able to “relate to different cultures”. Her parents separated when she was two and she was subsequently raised by her mother during her formative years in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan. Keys has 2 younger half brothers: Clay Cook (Branch) and Cole Cook. In 1985, Keys made an appearance on The Cosby Show at the age of four, where she and a group of girls played the parts of Rudy Huxtable’s sleepover guests in the episode “Slumber Party”. Throughout her childhood, Keys was sent to music and dance classes by her mother. She studied classical piano from age seven, playing composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, and Chopin, and enrolled in the Professional Performing Arts School at the age of 12, where she majored in choir and began writing songs at the age of 14. She graduated in four years as valedictorian at the age of 16.In 1994, Keys met long-term manager Jeff Robinson after she enrolled in his brother’s after-school program. The following year Robinson introduced Keys to her future A&R at Arista Records, Peter Edge, who later described his first impressions to HitQuarters: “I had never met a young R&B artist with that level of musicianship. So many people were just singing on top of loops and tracks, but she had the ability, not only to be part of hip-hop, but also to go way beyond that.” Edge helped Robinson create a showcase for Keys and also got involved in developing her demo material. He was keen to sign Keys himself but was unable to do so at that time due to being on the verge of leaving his present record company. Keys signed to Columbia Records soon after. At the same time as signing a recording contract with Columbia Records, Keys was accepted at Columbia University. At first, Keys attempted to manage both, but after a month, she dropped out of college to pursue her musical career full-time.Keys signed a demo deal with Jermaine Dupri and So So Def Recordings, where she appeared on the label’s Christmas album performing “The Little Drummer Girl”. She also co-wrote and recorded a song titled “Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)”, which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1997 film, Men in Black. The song was Keys’ first professional recording; however, it was never released as a single and her record contract with Columbia ended after a dispute with the label. Keys was unhappy with the label because her career had stalled during her two years under contract at Columbia due to executive indecision over her direction and major changes within the company. Keys called Clive Davis, who sensed a “special, unique” artist from her performance and signed her to Arista Records, which later disbanded. Keys almost chose Wilde as her stage name until her manager suggested the name Keys after a dream he had. Keys felt that name represented her both as a performer and person.

Written by Dianne Washington

Jenifer Lewis

Jenifer Jeanette Lewis (born January 25, 1957) is an American actress, comedian, singer and activist. She began her career appearing in Broadway musicals and worked as a back-up singer for Bette Midler, before appearing in films Beaches (1988) and Sister Act (1992).Lewis is known for playing roles of mothers in films What’s Love Got to Do With It (1993), Poetic Justice (1993), The Preacher’s Wife (1996), The Brothers (2001), Think Like a Man and in the sequel Think Like a Man Too (2014), Baggage Claim (2013), and The Wedding Ringer (2015), as well as in The Temptations TV miniseries (1998). As such, Lewis earned the title, “Black Mother of Hollywood”. She also provided the voice for Mama Odie in Disney’s animated feature, The Princess and the Frog (2009). Additional film roles include Dead Presidents (1995), Cast Away (2000), and Hereafter (2010).On television, Lewis starred as Lana Hawkins in the Lifetime medical drama, Strong Medicine from 2000 to 2006. She also had the recurring roles on sitcoms A Different World, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Girlfriends. In 2014, Lewis began starring as Ruby Johnson in the ABC comedy series, Black-ish, for which she received two Critics’ Choice Television Award nominations.Lewis is best known for playing roles of mothers in films What’s Love Got to Do With It (1993), The Preacher’s Wife (1996), The Brothers (2001), Think Like a Man and in the sequel Think Like a Man Too (2014), Baggage Claim (2013), and The Wedding Ringer (2015), as well as in The Temptations TV miniseries (1998). As such, Lewis earned the title, “Black Mother of Hollywood”. She also had roles in films include Dead Presidents (1995), Cast Away (2000), and Hereafter (2010).On television, Lewis starred as Lana Hawkins in the Lifetime medical drama, Strong Medicine from 2000 to 2006. She also had the recurring roles on sitcoms A Different World, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Girlfriends. In 2014, Lewis began starring as Ruby Johnson in the ABC comedy series, Black-ish, for which she received a Critics’ Choice Television Award nomination.Lewis was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a nurse’s aide mother (Dorothy Lewis) and a factory worker father. She is the youngest of seven children. Lewis also sang in her church choir at age five. She attended Kinloch High School and then college at Webster University in Webster Groves, Missouri. After college she moved to New York to focus on her career in performing. She was cast in a Broadway musical called “Eubie.” Soon after she was offered to work on the famous musical “Dreamgirls” but was later recast by Jennifer Holliday. After she went to work as a background singer for Bette Milder. They worked together in live performances and in the film, “Beaches.” She was a Bette Midler Harlette. In 2012, she married Arnold Byrd who is a retired Marine 1st Sargent. She has a daughter named Charmaine Lewis from a previous relationship. Lewis has revealed she has Bipolar disorder. Lewis at first hid her disorder as she was ashamed of it. “But after 17 years of therapy and 10 years of being medicated for bipolar disorder, actress Jenifer Lewis decided to stop hiding her mental illness from others.” Early worksSoon after, she arrived in New York City, Lewis debuted on Broadway in a small role in Eubie (1979), the musical based on the work of Eubie Blake. She next landed the role of Effie White in the workshop of the Michael Bennett-directed musical Dreamgirls, but when the show moved to Broadway, Bennett chose Jennifer Holliday for the role.Lewis accepted a position as a Harlette, a back-up singer for Bette Midler which led to Lewis’ first TV appearances on Midler’s HBO specials. She also landed her first screen role as a result, appearing as one of the buxom chorines in the ‘Otto Titsling’ production number in the Midler vehicle Beaches (1988). At the same time, Lewis was developing her nightclub act, The Diva Is Dismissed, an autobiographical comedy and music show in New York City cabarets. She performed the show off-Broadway at the Public Theater. In 1987, Lewis was hired as the Pre-Show announcer on the Star Tours ride at Disneyland.After Lewis relocated to Los Angeles, she began appearing on television sitcoms, include Murphy Brown, Dream On, In Living Color, Roc, Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, and Friends. From 1992 to 1993, she played Dean Davenport in the sixth and final season of NBC sitcom A Different World. She also had a recurring role as Will Smith’s Aunt Helen on NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 1991 to 1996. As regular, Lewis starred alongside Patricia Wettig in her short-lived legal drama Courthouse in 1995, playing Judge Rosetta Reide, the first main African American lesbian character on television.In 1992, Lewis was cast as one of the back-up singers to Whoopi Goldberg in comedy film Sister Act. The following year, Lewis played the mother of Tupac Shakur’s character in drama film Poetic Justice, and as Zelma Bullock, Tina Turner’s mother in the biopic What’s Love Got to Do With It starring Angela Bassett. Lewis originally auditioned to play Tina Turner. Lewis is only one year older than Bassett. For her performance, she received her first NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture nomination. In 1994, she followed with other comedic supporting roles, including Mrs. Coleman the Unemployment Office lady in Renaissance Man and as Whoopi Goldberg’s sister in Corrina, Corrina. In 1995, she was cast in maternal roles to Kadeem Hardison in Panther and to Larenz Tate in Dead Presidents.In 1996, Lewis appeared as Theresa Randle’s telephone sex line boss in Spike Lee’s comedy-drama, Girl 6. Later that year, she went to play Whitney Houston’s character’s mother in Penny Marshall’s romantic comedy-drama, The Preacher’s Wife. She received another NAACP Image Award nomination for her role in The Preacher’s Wife. She also has had roles in The Mighty (1998), The Temptations TV miniseries (1998), Mystery Men (1999) and Blast from the Past (1999), before landing the leading role on mockumentary comedy Jackie’s Back about the struggling comeback of a diva in turmoil.In 2000, Lewis had supporting role in the adventure drama film Cast Away directed by Robert Zemeckis. Also in 2000, she began starring as Lana Hawkins on the Lifetime television medical drama Strong Medicine. The show ended in February 2006. Lewis also performed the theme song for Strong Medicine. She also had a recurring role as Veretta Childs (Toni’s mother) in the UPN sitcom Girlfriends. In film, she appeared as Morris Chestnut’s mother in the 2001 romantic comedy The Brothers. In 2006, she had a featured role as the wedding planner in Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion, and also appeared in Perry’s 2008 comedy-drama Meet the Browns as Vera Brown. She also appeared in Juwanna Mann, The Cookout, Nora’s Hair Salon, Dirty Laundry and Not Easily Broken.On April 22, 2008, Lewis replaced Darlene Love as Motormouth Maybelle in Broadway’s Hairspray. On television, she guest starred on That’s So Raven and Boston Legal. Lewis also had number of voice over roles, include Walt Disney’s animated musical The Princess and the Frog (2009), for which she received Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production nomination.In June 2010, Lewis’ distinctive voice was in fine form as she told The Jazz Joy and Roy syndicated radio show, “I just did a production of ‘Hello Dolly’ at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle and it had to be one of the greatest productions that I have ever done, because I got to just do a character, Dolly Levi, and it was just great.” In 2012 Lewis began working with Shangela on the online reality show parody, “Jenifer Lewis and Shangela,” where she acts as herself alongside Shangela, a “drag queen living in her basement.” She later appeared in Shangela’s music video for “Werqin Girl (Professional).”In 2010, Clint Eastwood cast Lewis in his fantasy film Hereafter. The following year, she starred alongside Rosario Dawson and Tracee Ellis Ross in Five, for which she received another NAACP Image Award nomination. She also co-starred in the short-lived NBC series, The Playboy Club. She played Terrence J’s overbearing mother in box-office hit Think Like a Man (2012), and in its sequel Think Like a Man Too (2014). In 2013, she played Paula Patton’s mother Baggage Claim. In 2015, she starred in The Wedding Ringer.In 2014, Lewis was cast as Ruby Johnson, Anthony Anderson’s character’s mother in the ABC comedy series, Black-ish. She was upped to regular as of second season. In 2016, she received Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series nomination for her performance. She has also been featured on various TV advertising commercials.Lewis has been married to her husband, Arnold Byrd, a retired Marine 1st Sergeant, since 2012. She has an adopted daughter named Charmaine Lewis.In 2017, she published a book about her life and career, entitled “The Mother of Black Hollywood.”

Written by Dianne Washington

Free Ya Mind: The Story of Demetrius Clayton

Patience is most definitely a virtue. It’s something I had to learn for majority of my life. I always hated waiting and I sometimes hate not being able to come across stuff on my own. Even worst when someone is trying to put you on to something or someone but they keep asking “Yo! Did you check it out yet?!” Then I’m like “No! Stop frickin’ asking me!” LMFAO!!! Anyways, I love to come across interesting new people and things all on my own. The experience is much different because it’s organic and authentic. Not saying that someone else introducing you to something or someone isn’t but it hits differently when you discover it on your own. Sometime a week ago, I was scrolling on my Instagram, regular thing, and this guy pops up on my feed. I don’t know how long I’ve been following this guy but I was glad to be able to finally go through his page real quick. I would like to point out that there’s a huge difference between a beat maker and a producer. See a beat maker just makes beats but a producer creates magic. They’re like magicians. They take those beautiful sounds they create and put together to create something much, much larger than life. A soundtrack for the perfect artist that depicts their aura presence so perfectly. I was going through this guy’s page and loved what I was hearing. Not your typical, monotonous, mainstream “turn up” sounds, this when you go downtown shopping in those random thrift stores and hear a Joey Badass or some other ill ass, dope, underground sounds that you never heard before. It’s super refreshing and original and most definitely captures your ear. Y’all should know already that I had to get at this guy and see what’s up. So I got the 411 on this dope producer. Turns out his stage name is Free Mind, born Demetrius Clayton on April 23rd, 1986 in Watts, California but raised in Los Angeles. A Taurus from the West Coast whose a dope ass producer. This is going to be really interesting right here. A’ight, so boom! I’m automatically thinking about N.W.A. This is the West Coast during the late 80’s. Never mind my thoughts right now, Clayton talks about his life growing up. “Growing up for me was like some real storybook shit. I grew up in the projects and It was crazy around my way. I saw and experienced things that cause PTSD in people. It wasn’t all bad though. There was definitely a balance.” Of course. Balance is key. Where there’s good, there’s also the bad. Gotta know how to maneuver through it. Obviously, music is the good in his life. He continues about his inspirations. “Musically, I was inspired by J Dilla, 9th Wonder, and the “old” Kanye West. If you listen closely you can definitely hear their influence and inspiration in my beats. And as far as inspiration in my life outside of music, I would have to say my children are my biggest inspiration. It’s because of them that I am who I am today.” Great inspirations right there and a father? Nice! It’s all good indeed, there’s always story of the beginning of when the good started. Clayton continues, “Music is a way to express what’s in your spirit and soul. It’s a way to communicate the intangible and immaterial. I just wanted to tell my story through my music. It was the only outlet I had at the time I first started. Not having anything gave me my start. I didn’t have the money or other things that keep people complacent and content with where they are. All I had was my will to be great and do something that would outlive me.” So relatable! It’s always the will power to be great in our heads and minds that pushes us to heights and levels to getting what we want and where we want to go in life. It’s a weird but scary and beautiful way of reaching for the stars that’s hard to explain. Sort of like a Super Mario Bros. video game, you have to go through all these obstacles in order to get to the goal at the end. You’ll often fall off, slip up, lose energy and power, all these things coming your direction to destroy you but you keep popping back up and you keep going. The best part is actually getting there. Then there’s this big sigh of relief like “Wow!” Then, the music actually comes in. Clayton talks about his work. “I just dropped “Soul Immortal 2”. That’s my latest instrumental album. It was released on December 31st, 2020. I have a lot of projects coming in the near future. I’ll keep that on the low until the time comes for the release of those projects.” Dope! Definitely have to check it out and stay on the lookout for those future projects. Lots of lessons that comes with a journey of an artist and how they got to where they are creatively in their careers and life; as well as regrets. Sometimes we regret not knowing enough earlier or not pushing ourselves or in Clayton’s case, none. He says, “I don’t have any regrets, but I would for sure do a lot of things differently. All I can do is learn from my mistakes and keep striving to become a better musician and most importantly, a better human being.” No truer words have been spoken. Beautifully said there sir! You’ve came this far and still have a lot to look forward to in the future. Many more years to come. Where do you see yourself years from now?, “I see myself happy! Living a life of purpose. I have a lot to contribute to this world. I plan on doing that before my demise.” Amazing. For music and more, keep up with Free Mind by following him on all his social media platforms.

Social media handles:

https://www.instagram.com/3rdeyefree

https://freemindsoul7.bandcamp.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7hkdcwn2cNAWHKak8Ffkbw

Written by Jalen Hemphill

John Singleton dead

John Daniel Singleton (January 22, 1968 – April 28, 2019) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. He was best known for writing and directing Boyz n the Hood (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, becoming, at age 24, the first African American and youngest person to have ever been nominated for that award. Singleton was a native of South Los Angeles, and many of his films, such as Poetic Justice (1993), Higher Learning (1995), and Baby Boy (2001), had themes which resonated with the contemporary urban population. He also directed the drama Rosewood (1997) and the action films Shaft (2000), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), and Four Brothers (2005). He co-created the television crime drama Snowfall. He was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special for “The Race Card”, the fifth episode of The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.John Daniel Singleton was born in Los Angeles, the son of Sheila Ward-Johnson, a pharmaceutical company sales executive, and Danny Singleton, a real estate agent, mortgage broker, and financial planner. He attended Blair High School, Pasadena City College and the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He graduated from USC in 1990 and was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He had considered pursuing computer science but enrolled in USC’s Film Writing program under Margaret Mehring. The program was designed to take students directly into the Hollywood system as proficient writer/directors. He cited the original Star Wars film as one of his strongest influences, and the work of Steven Spielberg as a source of inspiration.Singleton’s film debut Boyz n the Hood (1991), an inner-city drama starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Angela Bassett, Ice Cube, and Laurence Fishburne, was both a critical and commercial success. For his efforts, Singleton received Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. At age 24 he was the youngest person ever nominated for Best Director, and the first African American to be nominated for the award. (Four others; Lee Daniels, Barry Jenkins, Jordan Peele, and Spike Lee have been nominated since.) The film has since attained classic status and, in 2002, the United States Library of Congress deemed the film “culturally significant” and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.His directing ability led to the “Remember the Time” music video for Michael Jackson, His next films were Poetic Justice (1993) and Higher Learning (1995). The film Rosewood (1997), Singleton’s historical drama about racial violence, was entered into the 47th Berlin International Film Festival. Both this film and Baby Boy (2001) received very positive reviews and helped establish Singleton’s critical reputation. Additionally, his adaptation of Shaft (2000), starring Samuel L. Jackson in the title role, was successful critically and commercially. Singleton later turned to directing action films, such as 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) and Four Brothers (2005). Also, in 2005, he teamed with Craig Brewer and financed the independent film Hustle and Flow. After directing episodes of the TV shows Empire and American Crime Story, he served as an executive producer of the crime drama series Rebel for BET and co-created Snowfall for FX.Singleton had five children. With former wife, Tosha Lewis, he had a daughter named Justice Maya Singleton (born in 1992) and a son, Maasai Mohandas Singleton (born in 1994). In 1996, he married Ghanaian actress Akosua Gyamama Busia, the daughter of Ghana’s second Prime Minister Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia. The couple had a daughter named Hadar Singleton, born in 1997, who appeared in Tears of the Sun (2003) and other films. Singleton and Busia divorced in June 1997. He also had daughters, Cleopatra Singleton (born 1998) and Isis (born in 2010) with Mitzi Andrews, an actress/model based in Toronto, Canada.In 2014, Singleton criticized popular studios for “refusing to let African Americans direct black-themed films”. The black films now—so-called black films now—they’re great. They’re great films. But they’re just product. They’re not moving the bar forward creatively. …When you try to make it homogenized, when you try to make it appeal to everybody, then you don’t have anything that’s special. In 2017, Singleton was accused of sexual harassment by a journalist who interviewed him.On April 17, 2019, Singleton suffered a stroke and was placed under intensive care. He reportedly began to experience weakness in his legs after returning to the United States from a trip to Costa Rica. On April 25, it was reported that he was in a coma, but his daughter stated otherwise. On April 28, Singleton was removed from life support, and he died at the age of 51 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He is survived by his mother, his father, and his seven children.Dozens of actors and musicians paid tribute to him.Rapper and actor Ice Cube, who worked with Singleton in Boyz n the Hood and Higher Learning, said: “There are no words to express how sad I am to lose my brother, friend & mentor. He loved [to] bring the black experience to the world.” Cuba Gooding Jr., who was given his first major role by Singleton in Boyz n the Hood, paid tribute to his late friend by singing “One Day More” from Les Misérables, a favorite song of Singleton.A private funeral was held on May 6, 2019 in Los Angeles, and Singleton was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills. The official cause of death was acute ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and hypertension.

Written by Dianne Washington

The Sounds of Ondré!

Life has a beautiful of connecting you to people. So many people I’ve met and connected with over the years and I’m still pretty much cool with majority of them. From 2014 to about 2019, I was a student attending Hostos Community College here in The Bronx. Those are my glory days both educationally and creatively. I had a lot of fun during those days but the real fun I had was outside of the classrooms. There was a studio upstairs on the third floor and when I used to go to the studio, it was such an amazing experience being in there with everybody that I knew. We laughed, we chat, we created, we debated, and most of all, we were the same crowd that was a big part of the talent shows that was created way later during the day. Seeing everybody performing and having fun was the greatest. There’s also a political side of how things used to work at the school as far as the people and the events but that’s a whole other story to tell. Anyways, so much talent was there at Hostos Community College. One guy in particular who I always thought was super cool and of course talented, every time we seen each other it was always love and respect. This guy even hired me to DJ one of the very last talent shows I performed at and paid me cash and said “I gotchu bro!” One of the coolest, realest, and most talented dudes I’ve ever met. Smooth with it too with a bit of seriousness that didn’t intimidate you but enough to show this guy respect. He goes by the stage name Ondré. Born in New Rochelle on January 25th, 2000, Nashon Deondré Headley was raised here in the Boogie Down Bronx. BX stand up! Represent, represent! LOL! This is where the real story begins. Headley talks about life growing up. “Life was full of music for me growing up. I grew up in the church so I was always around gospel music and instruments. I picked up an acoustic guitar and started learning chords. I picked up drum sticks and started learning rhythm. I pressed piano keys and learned melody. I even plucked the bass and learned to groove. My whole life growing up revolved around music and God. I then used my skills that I learned from a young age and brought it over to the digital world. Producing beats, mixing vocals & mastering tracks was the next step I took to elevate my skillset. From there I became an artist, writing about real life things that many can relate to, while still mentioning God and how he’s helped me.” That incredible! Very inspiring. The only instrument I learned how to use was piano. Took a class on that while I was at Hostos. I remember feeling so good and elevated as a creative. I learned quick too. Music always came easy to me so to hear about someone knowing how to play so many musical instruments is truly inspiring. Makes me wanna relearn the piano again too. He continues, “Growing up I listened to a lot of gospel rap like Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Tedashii. I even started to listen to Chance the Rapper (my favorite rapper at the time) and I was inspired to make music with a message. Today, taking my music more serious and stepping into the industry, I learn from people like Russ, who talks about gaining leverage by doing things independently and without a record label. I’m also inspired by many of my mentors and friends, Brandon Jhon, Mark Ferg, Eric Penn, Kyle McEvoy, & Professor Joesph Carvhalo.” Nice! I love the confidence and wisdom that’s pouring out. Doing your thing and learning the ropes along the way, that’s very important. Headley also tells me about his start as an artist. The exact thing that makes one truly inspired to step into their greatness. He says, “There was an old cartoon called Class of 3000, where Andre 3000 was the teacher and had a band. They made an online game that allowed you to have different instruments and drums and put it together and make a whole song (and save it as well). This sparked the digital creation of music for me. Also In high school, I saw a couple of friends making music and rapping, when I saw the support they got and how good their music was, a light flickered in me and I told myself, I could do better (not in a bad malice kind of way). In high school I started to make music and I never looked back.” Of course it isn’t in a malicious way. That’s jealousy and spite, this experience is authentic, pure, organic, and truly from the heart of just wanting to be great. Big difference! Sad to say though, there are people doing music for other reasons besides it being something they’re passionate about but that’s nobody’s business but there’s. I love a purely talented individual with a drive to match. It hits differently. Especially when you actually have music out for people to hear. Headley talks about his projects. “Right now, I have an EP out called “Two Emotional” and a single called “I Can’t Breathe.” In the future, I’m releasing a song called “Love Talk” for Valentines day and a song called “Limbo” in March.” That’s exciting! Can’t wait to hear them all. Only dope talent makes me excited. Being an artist takes so much time, money, and patience to be. Definitely to prefect and hone your skills too. It’s a great feeling when you’ve been doing it for some years now and are able to acknowledge that. Even in this journey as an artist, we sometimes have regrets. What’s yours bro? “I regret not being more consistent. You could make the best music, release it and get amazing feedback and stats, but if you’re not continuously doing it over time, your hype starts to die out.” Yes!!! That’s wisdom right there! I quickly learned that as an artist, you definitely have to be consistent but you have to learn to keep the people’s attention by showcasing other sides of you. What others talents you can showcase? Keep doing that until you have new music coming out. It’s like having side jobs. Your main thing is being an artist but you have something on the side to keep you going while still keeping your main audience. So many loopholes to this artist thing, especially in the social media/digital age now. Completely different ball game but yes, super relatable. Consistency is the key. With consistency and hard work, your talent definitely shines through and keeps you in the game. That’s called longevity. You want to be here for more years to come so what are your goals years from now? “Years from now I see myself in my own commercial media studio. A studio that has many different rooms for different purposes, recording, photography, videography, live room with instruments, etc. I see my self managing various artists under my new record label Sound Supply Records.” Much respect! Incredible. Follow this talented brother on all his social media outlets. IG: @soundsupplyrecords & @thatsondre, Twitter: @thatsondre, Facebook: facebook.com/thatsondre & Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/thatsondre.

Written by Jalen Hemphill

Aaliyah

Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, and model. Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, she first gained recognition at the age of 10, when she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At the age of 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive Records and her uncle Barry Hankerson’s Blackground Records. Hankerson introduced her to R. Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her debut album, Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number. The album sold three million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). After facing allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly, Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive and signed with Atlantic Records.Aaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her second album, One in a Million, which sold 3 million copies in the United States and over eight million copies worldwide. In 2000, Aaliyah appeared in her first film, Romeo Must Die. She contributed to the film’s soundtrack, which spawned the single “Try Again”. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 solely on airplay, making Aaliyah the first artist in Billboard history to achieve this goal. “Try Again” also earned Aaliyah a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocalist. After completing Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah filmed her role in Queen of the Damned, and released her self-titled third and final studio album in 2001.On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and eight others were killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas after filming the music video for the single “Rock the Boat”. The pilot, Luis Morales III, was unlicensed at the time of the accident and toxicology tests revealed that he had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system. Aaliyah’s family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Blackhawk International Airways, which was settled out of court. Aaliyah’s music continued to achieve commercial success with several posthumous releases, and has sold an estimated 24 to 32 million albums worldwide. She has been credited for helping redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames “Princess of R&B” and “Queen of Urban Pop”. Billboard lists her as the tenth most successful female R&B artist of the past 25 years, and the 27th most successful in history.

Written by Dianne Washington

Slick Rick

Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965); better known as Slick Rick, Rick The Ruler and MC Ricky D, is a British-American rapper. He has released four albums: The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988), The Ruler’s Back (1991), Behind Bars (1994) and The Art of Storytelling (1999). His music has been sampled and interpolated over 600 times, in over 35 songs by artists including Eminem, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, The Beastie Boys, TLC, Nas, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, Black Star, The Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, MC Ren, Montell Jordan and Color Me Badd. In the process, Walters has become the most-sampled hip-hop artist ever. Many of these songs based on Slick Rick samples went on to become hit singles. He’s been a VH-1 Hip Hop Honors honoree, and About.com ranked him No. 12 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time, while The Source ranked him No. 15 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. He has acted and cameoed in 10 movies and videos.Walters was born and raised in the southwest London district of Mitcham, to a British-Jamaican family. He was blinded in the right eye by broken glass as an infant. In 1976, he and his family migrated to the United States, settling in the Baychester area of the Bronx. At Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music & Art, where he majored in visual art, Rick met Dana Dane. The pair became close friends and formed The Kangol Crew, performing at school contests, parks and local hole-in-the-wall clubs.At a 1984 talent showcase he entered, Rick met Doug E. Fresh. Impressed by Rick’s talent, Doug made him a member of his Get Fresh Crew (which also included DJs Chill Will and Barry Bee). Doug’s beatbox and Rick’s fresh flow turned “The Show”/”La Di Da Di” into an international anthem that turned rap music on its head and became the launching pad for “Hip Hop’s greatest storyteller.”His career began in late 1985; Walters first gained success in the rap industry after joining Doug E. Fresh’s Get Fresh Crew, using the stage name MC Ricky D. He was featured on the single “The Show” and its even more popular B-side, “La Di Da Di”, which featured Walters’ rapping over Doug E. Fresh’s beatbox. Both tracks gained some mainstream attention, they appeared on Top of the Pops and Soul Train with the Get Fresh Crew. Reflecting on the double-sided gem in Rolling Stone magazine, Roots drummer and Tonight Show bandleader Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson said, “Point blank: Slick Rick’s voice was the most beautiful thing to happen to hip-hop culture […] Rick is full of punchlines, wit, melody, cool cadence, confidence and style. He is the blueprint.”In 1986, Slick Rick joined Russell Simmons’ Rush Artist Management and became the third artist signed to Def Jam Records, the leading rap/hip-hop label at the time. Collaborating with his friend, DJ Vance Wright, Walters produced his solo debut, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, which came out in 1988 on Def Jam. The album was very successful, reaching the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop chart. It also featured three charting singles: “Children’s Story”, “Hey Young World”, and “Teenage Love”. The release is known for its storytelling and vocal characterizations. “With the combination of Rick’s Dick Van Dyke-on-dope accent and his unique narrative style, the record was an instant classic,” wrote critic Matt Weiner. “Each of Rick’s songs was an amusing, enthralling story that lasted from the first groove to the last.”In 1989, Walters’ mother, Veronica, hired his first cousin, Mark Plummer, as his bodyguard. By 1990, Plummer had become a liability, having tried numerous times to extort money from the artist. Plummer was fired and, unsatisfied with his severance package, tried to rob Walters on numerous occasions and also threatened to kill the rapper and his mother. When Walters found bullet holes in his front door, he bought guns for protection. On July 3, 1990, Walters spotted Plummer in his neighborhood, and fired at least four shots. One bullet hit Plummer; another caught a passerby in the foot. Neither suffered life-threatening injuries.He eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder and other charges, including assault, use of a firearm, and criminal possession of a weapon. The rapper called it an act of self-defense. He spent five years in prison, two for the then-second-degree attempted-murder charges he received for the shooting, and three for his struggle with the Immigration and Naturalization Services over his residency in the U.S. He was released from prison in 1997After being bailed out by Russell Simmons, Walters recorded his second album, The Ruler’s Back, released in 1991. Despite peaking at No. 29 on the Billboard 100, the album received mixed reviews and wasn’t as commercially successful as his debut. In the documentary film, The Show, Russell Simmons interviewed Walters while he was imprisoned on Rikers Island.Walters’ third studio album (the fourth for Def Jam) Behind Bars was released in 1994, while he was still incarcerated. It was met with lukewarm sales and reviews. Behind Bars peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and No. 51 on the Billboard 200.Walters remained with the Def Jam label, and on May 25, 1999, released a fourth album, The Art of Storytelling. Generally considered the authentic follow-up to his 1988 debut, The Art of Storytelling was an artistically successful comeback-album that paired him with prolific MCs like Nas, OutKast, Raekwon, and Snoop Dogg. The Los Angeles Times announced it as the “triumphant return of rap’s premier yarn-spinner,” calling the song “2 Way Street” “a much-needed alternative to rap’s misogynistic slant.” It charted higher than any of Slick Rick’s prior releases: No. 8 on the Billboard 200; No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.After performing on a Caribbean cruise ship in June 2001, Walters was arrested by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) as he re-entered the United States through Florida. He was promptly told that he was being deported under a law allowing deportation of foreigners convicted of felonies. Rick was continuously refused bail, but after 17 months in prison he was released on November 7, 2003. In October 2006, the Department of Homeland Security began a new attempt to deport Walters back to the United Kingdom, moving the case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit based in New York to the more conservative Eleventh Circuit. The court is based in Atlanta, Georgia but the trial was expected to proceed in Florida, where immigration agents originally arrested Walters.On May 23, 2008, New York Governor David Paterson granted Slick Rick a full and unconditional pardon on the attempted murder charges. The governor was pleased with his behavior since the attempted murders. Slick Rick has volunteered his time to mentor kids about violence.Walters married his wife Mandy Aragones in April 1997, four years after the couple met at a Manhattan nightclub. The performer has two children, Ricky Martin Lloyd Santiago and Lateisha Walters, from a previous relationship. He and his wife have donated about a dozen items from his collection to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.Slick Rick and the Soul Rebels Brass Band collaborated on June 21, 2012 in Washington, D.C. at the historic Howard Theatre which re-opened in April 2012.In 2014, Rick participated in Will.i.am’s “Trans4M” concert, which raised more than $2.4 million for the music producer’s i.am.angel Foundation.In addition, Rick recently was a Mixx Cares Humanitarian Award recipient.On April 15, 2016, Rick was granted U.S. citizenship, remarking, “I am so proud of this moment—and so honored to finally become an American citizen.” He will also retain his UK citizenship.On November 2, 2018, Rick released the single “Snakes Of The World Today”.

Written by Dianne Washington

Teddy Pendergrass dead

Theodore DeReese “Teddy” Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American singer–songwriter and composer. He first rose to fame as lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 1970s before a successful solo career at the end of the decade. In 1982, Pendergrass was severely injured in an auto accident in Philadelphia, resulting in his being paralyzed from the chest down. He subsequently founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, a foundation that helps those with spinal cord injuries. He commemorated 25 years of living after his spinal cord injury with the star-filled event, “Teddy 25 – A Celebration of Life”, at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center. His last performance was on a PBS special at Atlantic City’s Borgata Casino in November 2008.

Written by Dianne Washington

Mary J. Blige

Mary J. Blige was born on this date in 1971. She is an African American singer.Blige was born in Savannah, GA, moving with her mother and older sister to the Schlobam housing projects in Yonkers, NY, as a young girl. Her rough life there produced more than a few scars, physical and otherwise. Blige dropped out of high school in her junior year, spending time doing her friends’ hair in her mother’s apartment and hanging out.When she was at a local mall in White Plains, NY, she recorded herself singing Anita Baker’s “Caught Up in the Rapture,” into a karaoke machine. Her stepfather passed the recording on to Uptown Records’ CEO Andre Harrell. He was impressed with Blige’s voice and signed her to sing backup for local acts like Father MC. In 1991, Sean “Puffy” Combs took Blige under his wing and began working with her on her debut album, “What’s the 411?” Combs and his stylish touches added to Blige’s unique vocal style, created a stunning album that bridged the gap between R&B and rap in a way that no female singer had before.Her 1995 follow-up, “My Life,” again featured Combs’ handiwork, stepping back from its urban roots and featuring less of a rap sound and making up for that with its subject matter. “My Life” was full of ghetto pathos and Blige’s own personal pain and rocky relationship with artist K-Ci Hailey, which likely contributed to the raw emotions on the album.The period following the recording of “My Life” was also a difficult time professionally for Blige as she severed her ties with Combs and Uptown, hired Suge Knight as a financial advisor, and signed with MCA. 1997’s “Share My World” marked the beginning of Blige’s creative partnerships with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The album was another hit for Blige and debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. Critics soured somewhat on its more conventional soul sound, but Blige’s fans seemed undaunted.By 1999, the fullness and elegance of her new sound appeared more developed, as Blige displayed a classic soul style aided by material from Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Stevie Wonder, and Lauryn Hill. She made it obvious that the ghetto and harsh aspects of her music were gone, while the sensitive power remained. That power also helped carry the more modern-sounding 2001 release, “No More Drama,” a deeply personal collective effort musically with more of Blige’s songwriting than anything before. “No More Drama” allowed listeners to see her musical path that produced an older, wiser, but still expressive artist.Before Corona, Blige has been touring and acting. She started her own label, MJB Records. To many, Blige is more than the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul. Through all of her life, she was determined to find and maintain her own musical voice. By doing so, she has become one of the most successful R&B/hip hop writer/performers in the country, and has paved the way for many others who have followed her course.

Written by Dianne Washington

Greatness Speaks!: The Story of Hākeem Turé

As a person like myself whose incredibly in love with hip hop culture, I always stress how much I love meeting someone who has a similar mind, aesthetic, or vision as mine. It’s when they either open their mouths to express some incredibly dope talent or they say things in conversation that mirrors exactly how I feel. It’s like being in some sort of exclusive hip hop club for those who completely understand the root of the culture. For real tho, there’s this tall, dark, dope MC who followed me on Instagram some months ago; I’m not really sure how long ago. One day I finally went through his page and actually heard what he had to say on the mic. Every single photo, every single video of this guy on the stage, his style, his presence, his energy, his attitude, his overall aura screams HIP HOP!!! No fillers, no saturated over hyped, catchy hooks & simple “raps”, this isn’t to diss, this is what we call it in the culture, preserving or simply keeping it real. I was absolutely blown away and became an instant fan. He didn’t harass me with his links and about what he do. I naturally discovered how dope he is myself. I love that. Him being dope was just an extreme bonus for me. I had to hop on the opportunity to connect with this talented brother and give y’all this piece about the one and only Hākeem Turé. A Virgo MC born on September 21st, 1991 and raised in Harvey, Illinois. Turé begins to tell his story, “Life growing up for me was extreme neglect from family, teachers, and friends who didn’t know how to identify, nurture, or assist a young rebel and creative. I learned how to deal with black man hood through hip hop and Islam.” That definitely hits home! Sounds all too familiar. So many of us black men have a similar upbringing. It’s super cliché but it’s reality. It’s real life. This is everyday and the effects it has on us runs deep in both good and bad ways. With life experiences comes with inspiration. Ture continues, “My 6th grade poetry teacher Mrs. Garderner made me Walter in ‘A Raisin In The Sun’ and read to me an Amiri Baraka poem and told me I would be famous for my voice.” I remember “A Raisin In The Sun.” Not what it was about but actually learning and studying it. That was years ago. Also, there’s always that one person who changed your life with just a little bit of encouragement and a push. Feels good to be understood and supported in ways you don’t know could effect you in a very positive way. He continues, “Master P was the first rapper I heard no matter where I went or who I was with, so he stuck with me, BUT I knew I wanted to be a rapper when I saw Nas perform ‘Street Dreams (Remix)’ on “All That.” I remember seeing that performance with the black skully hat and crewneck sweater that Nas was wearing too. That’s one of my favorite songs from him as well and I prefer that version over the original. The MC then goes in about his start. “Man, I’m trying to hold on to and replenish the culture. Around my 7th grade year all my homies switched from east coast rap to down south rap and we became a product of a fatigued culture. Ain’t nobody reading no books, ain’t no body dropping the knowledge of self that I was raised on.” That’s what I’m talking about! Took me years to understand knowledge of self. I wasn’t raised on it but when I did my homework, it changed my life forever. It truly feels amazing to hear someone else talk about the culture in this way. A conversation like this nowadays can be refreshing. It’s like one big battle in hip hop between whose who and who represents what. It can be frustrating. Once you understand someone’s mindset in hip hop, that can tell you everything about the type of music that they make. I definitely wanted to know what this dope MC is working on and what he already created and put out. “I’m getting ready to drop my album “Will Rap 4 Dap” featuring Saba, Vic Spencer, and Gabe Gizz. I’m excited to let the world hear my story but also for the responsibility to cultivate some young black minds. After that, I’ll be dropping another album called “Blood In My 3rd Eye” that I wrote in solitary confinement.” Awww man! Definitely excited about this! It’s very rare that I get excited about new music anymore. Only real shit gets me excited. You can come a long way in life and might have regrets…. or not. “No regrets, just lessons learned. I’ve learned that you can not make anyone see greatness that they do not see in themselves. Many people have talent but few have the discipline.” Ain’t that the truth!!! We can go on and on about that. It’s a different time, a different era, a different world. Definitely gotta set an example that’s going to create a new world. “Years from now, I see myself using hip hop as a tool strengthen our Moorish-American influence throughout the African diaspora and reafrikanize not only our music but our youth.” Looking forward to that!!! Such an inspiration indeed. If you were inspired, you can find Hākeem Turé on IG @hakeemturespeaks.

Written by Jalen Hemphill