Category: Whats Buzzing in the Streets

Joe Jackson dies at 89

Joseph “Joe” Jackson, the patriarch who launched the musical Jackson family dynasty, died Wednesday at a Las Vegas hospital, a source close to the family tells the media. The source also said that he had been battling cancer for some time, with doctors telling the family that he had a limited amount of time left to live, and that the illness was untreatable. Jackson was the father of and at times manager to pop stars Michael and Janet Jackson, along with the sibling singing group, The Jackson 5. He also has a daughter Johvonnie  Jackson. His Twitter account posted a cryptic tweet Sunday that said, “I have seen more sunsets than I have left to see. The sun rises when the time comes and whether you like it or not the sun sets when the time comes.”

Joe Jackson was 89 when he died.

Travel in peace Joe Jackson

The Apollo

This date celebrates the opening of The Apollo Theater in 1933.

Located at 253 West 125th Street in central Harlem, New York City, The Apollo Theater was the most important venue in Black show business from the 1930s through the 1970s, when waning popularity caused it financial problems. The theater itself began its life in 1913 as Hurtig and Seamon’s Music Hall, a venue frequented by white vaudeville acts that entertained predominantly white crowds until the 1930s. Sidney Cohen purchased the theater in 1933 and renamed it the Apollo, replacing the vaudeville fare with black entertainment.

The Apollo’s first show in 1934, Jazz a la Carte, featured Benny Carter’s big-band and helped to solidify the theater’s new role as the City’s primary African American performance venue, overshadowing the Lincoln and Lafayette theaters. With live broadcasts that featured the Duke Ellington and Count Basie orchestras, the Apollo became a mecca for jazz bands in the 1930s and 1940s. By the 1950s, the Apollo Theater was the nation’s top stage for established black artists and the Apollo’s famous Amateur Night, in which unknown performers had their talent assessed by the notoriously raucous Harlem audience, had become a springboard for numerous careers.

Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Pearl Bailey, for example, were all early Amateur Night winners, and later acts like the Jackson 5 and Stevie Wonder also enjoyed their first major exposure at the Apollo. As musical styles changed, the theater evolved with the times, booking rhythm and blues, gospel, funk, soul and hip-hop acts, and hosting landmark performances by artists like James Brown. During the 1970s the Apollo steadily lost money, forcing its closure in 1977. Its declaration as a national historic landmark in 1983 secured the building’s survival, but efforts to make it a viable performance house throughout the 1980s failed.

The theater was taken on by a nonprofit organization in 1991, which intended to make the theater a significant part of Harlem’s 125th street renewal.

Written by Dianne Washington

 

Don’t Be Cruel: The 30th Anniversary

Continuing on the subject of New Edition’s 30th anniversary of “Heart Break”, Bobby Brown, who at the time was no longer a part of the group, released his sophomore breakout album the same day. “Don’t Be Cruel” was not only a mega hit for Bobby, but the album was stamped as one of the staples for the New Jack Swing movement at the time in R&B music. Also stamped as one of the greatest albums in R&B history, Bobby was on top of the world. Winning awards, killing stages, music videos, and doing interviews, it was a great time in R&B music to witness something that big. To be a huge success outside of your group while they’re also getting bigger with a new member, it’s hard to ignore the slight competition that was going on and placed on the fellas by the industry. This was all just a master plan to see who would flop and who wouldn’t. Pure R&B brilliance. “Don’t Be Cruel” was done by the man himself, Teddy Riley. The man who at the time was with Guy and their album was just out weeks ago. The album also gave birth to and open doors for future R&B acts like Usher, Omarion, and Chris Brown. 30 years of pure greatness and it’s still untouched. An album that signifies a revolution in a young man’s rise to the top. Reminding the world also that it’s his way, it’s his prerogative and that’s the way he just wanna live. Not giving a care about what others say but unapologetically just being Bobby Brown, the original bad boy of R&B. 

Heart Break: The 30th Anniversary

The group that we all were used to in the beginning were the bubblegum pop little boys from Boston, Massachusetts. They were from the ghetto but the music never reflected that. Their first four albums were all teeny boppish/R&B music until one member was replaced and they were much older. With a new member in the group and a new sound and image, the masterpiece was their fifth album. On June 20th, 1988, New Edition released their highly anticipated fifth album “Heart Break.” With an already steady and heavy fanbase, the fellas really came back more mature and polished with a sound to reflect that and it was far away from what their fans were used to. With Johnny Gill on board now, it was bound to be a smash, a hit. The fellas could do absolutely no wrong this time around. Between 1988 and 1990, the album had six singles and it went double platinum by RIAA. The masters behind the sound of the album were none other than the super producer team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The same guys who were responsible for giving Janet Jackson “Control” and helping Janet become a breakout superstar. The team had the magic touch to give the same energy to New Edition. On this album, Johnny does most of the lead vocals besides Ralph, another thing that fans weren’t used to. The group was not only a success with this album but now their careers were much bigger and headed down a different direction. Crazy enough, the same day this album dropped, Bobby Brown also releases his breakout sophomore album called “Don’t Be Cruel.” A master plan to garner the success and attention the same time as your group to see whether or not who would flop. In the end, this was a memorable day for New Edition fans. A memorable day in R&B history. It’s just like when A Tribe Called Quest dropped “Midnight Marauders” the same day Wu-Tang Clan’s debut album “Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” but for R&B. 

Lionel Richie

Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. Beginning in 1968, he was a member of the funk and soul band the Commodores and then launched a solo career in 1982. He also co-wrote the 1985 charity single “We Are the World” with Michael Jackson, which sold over 20 million copies. Richie has sold over 90 million records worldwide, making him one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time. He is also a five-time Grammy Award winner. In 2016, Richie received the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award.

Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. was born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama, the son of Alberta R. (Foster) and Lionel Brockman Richie Sr. He grew up on the campus of Tuskegee Institute.

Richie graduated from Joliet Township High School, East Campus. A star tennis player in Joliet, he accepted a tennis scholarship to attend Tuskegee Institute, and dropped out of Tuskegee Institute after his sophomore year. Richie seriously considered studying divinity to become a priest in the Episcopal Church, but ultimately decided he was not “priest material” and decided to continue his musical career. He is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi, a national honor fraternity for band members, and an active life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

As a student in Tuskegee, Richie formed a succession of R&B groups in the mid-1960s. In 1968, he became a singer and saxophonist with the Commodores. They signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 1968 for one record before moving on to Motown Records initially as a support act to The Jackson 5. The Commodores then became established as a popular soul group. Their first several albums had a danceable, funky sound, as in such tracks as “Machine Gun” and “Brick House.” Over time, Richie wrote and sang more romantic, easy-listening ballads such as “Easy”, “Three Times a Lady”, “Still”, and the tragic breakup ballad “Sail On”.

By the late 1970s, Richie had begun to accept songwriting commissions from other artists. He composed “Lady” for Kenny Rogers, which hit No. 1 in 1980, and produced Rogers’ album Share Your Love the following year. Richie and Rogers maintained a strong friendship in later years. Latin jazz composer and salsa romantica pioneer La Palabra enjoyed international success with his cover of “Lady,” which was played at Latin dance clubs. Also in 1981 Richie sang the theme song for the film Endless Love, a duet with Diana Ross. Issued as a single, the song topped the Canada, Brazil, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and US pop music charts, and became one of Motown’s biggest hits. Its success encouraged Richie to branch out into a full-fledged solo career in 1982. He was replaced as lead singer for the Commodores by Skyler Jett in 1983.

Written by Dianne Washington

Eddie Levert

Edward Willis “Eddie” Levert (born June 16, 1942) is an American singer–songwriter and actor. Levert is best known as the lead vocalist of the R&B/Soul vocal group, The O’Jays.

Levert was born in Birmingham, Alabama, but was raised in Canton, Ohio. While attending high school, he met buddies Walter Williams, Bill Isles, Bobby Massey, and William Powell. They were motivated to sing after seeing a performance from Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers. They formed in 1958. The O’Jays were originally known as The Triumphs and The Mascots. They were officially known as The O’Jays after they got their name from DJ Eddie O’Jay. Their first big hit was “Lonely Drifter”in 1963 which was lifted off their debut album Comin Through. The O’Jays are mainly known by their hits “Back Stabbers”, “Love Train” and “For the Love of Money”. Levert starred and performed in the movie (The Fighting Temptations) and performed the song “He Still Loves Me”in 2003. Levert and his group members received the BET Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 BET Awards. Eddie Levert Sr.

Written by Dianne Washington

 

Ice Cube

O’Shea Jackson (born June 15, 1969), better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American hip hop artist, record producer, actor, screenwriter, film producer, and director. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined N.W.A (Niggaz Wit Attitudes). After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer, director, actor and producer in cinema. Additionally, he has served as one of the producers of the Showtime television series Barbershop and the TBS series Are We There Yet?, both of which are based upon the two films in which he portrayed the lead character.

Cube is noted as a proficient lyricist and storyteller and is regarded as a brutally honest rapper; his lyrics are often political as well as violent, and he is considered one of the founding artists in gangsta rap. He was ranked #8 on MTV’s list of the 10 Greatest MCs of All Time, while fellow rapper Snoop Dogg ranked Ice Cube as the greatest MC of all time. About website ranked him #11 on its list of the “Top 50 Greatest MCs of Our Time.” Allmusic has called him one of hip-hop’s best and most controversial artists, as well as “one of rap’s greatest storytellers.” In 2012, The Source ranked him #14 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time.

Written by Dianne Washington

Tupac

Tupac Amaru Shakur born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac, Makaveli, and Pac, was an American rapper and actor. As of 2007, Shakur has sold over 75 million records worldwide. His double disc albums All Eyez on Me and his Greatest Hits are among the best-selling albums in the United States. He has been listed and ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time by many publications, including Rolling Stone, which ranked him 86th on its list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. He is consistently ranked as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time. On April 7, 2017, Shakur was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Shakur began his career as a roadie, backup dancer, and MC for the alternative hip hop group Digital Underground, eventually branching off as a solo artist. Most of the themes in Shakur’s songs revolved around the violence and hardship in inner cities, racism, and other social problems. Both of his parents and several other people in his family were members of the Black Panther Party, whose ideals were reflected in his songs. During the latter part of his career, Shakur was a vocal participant during the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry, becoming involved in conflicts with other rappers, producers, and record-label staff members, most notably The Notorious B.I.G. and the label Bad Boy Records. Apart from his career in music, Shakur also acted in films and on TV. He starred in various films in the 1990s, including Poetic Justice (1993), Gang Related (1997) and Gridlock’d (1997).

On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot in a drive-by shooting at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was taken to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, where he died from his injuries six days later.

Written by Dianne Washington

30 Years: The Story of GUY

Coming from Harlem, NY, two childhood friends joined forces with a third member who they recruited to create a group. Not only were they great singers but they were great songwriters as well. So great that they also written for others such as Bobby Brown and Johnny Kemp, just to name a few. Teddy Riley, Timmy Gatling, and Aaron Hall were the trio known as Guy. Teddy was already a known producer for joints like “Go See The Doctor” by Kool Moe Dee, “The Show” by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick, “I Want Her” by Keith Sweat, “Just Got Paid” by Johnny Kemp, and “My Prerogative” by Bobby Brown. In 1987, a year before their debut album released, Guy became a group and was managed by Gene Griffin and on June 13th, 1988, their self titled debut album was released. The group became the pioneers for the “New Jack Swing” style and era of R&B during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. With four singles released on a 10 track album, none of the singles reached Billboard 100 but it sold two million copies and the singles were still great hits. The album was filled with only both party and love songs. You can enjoy a night out at a party rocking and grooving and then go back to your lover’s place for a romantic evening afterwards. That’s the vibe you get when you listen to this R&B classic. After the release of the album, Timmy Gatling left the group to go solo and continue writing for other acts and was later replaced by Aaron’s younger brother Damian. They continued on with the success of the album with a soundtrack joint for Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing in 1989 with “My Fantasy”, which was another hit for the group. The group then split after their second album and the Hall brothers continued on with solo careers while Teddy continued writing and producing for other artists and even formed a new group called Blackstreet. 30 years later, there’s no denying the impact of this group and what they’ve brought to the group. New Jack Swing became a movement in R&B music up until 1993 or 1994. So many artists worked with Teddy Riley to have a similar sound to reflect the times. The times were about partying and having a good time and indeed, there’s no party without New Jack Swing to get it going. 30 years later, “Guy” is still a timeless R&B album that people still enjoy and play til this day. Big Sean even sampled “Piece of My Love” on his single “Play No Games” featuring Chris Brown. Mary J. Blige used “Goodbye Love” on a track she did on her “My Life” album called “Don’t Go” and even “I Like” appeared on the “Love & Basketball” soundtrack starring both Sanaa Lathan And Omar Epps. One of the greatest R&B albums of all time. 

Never Say Never: The 20th Anniversary

After a successful debut album, a number one sitcom on television and movie roles underneath her belt, this 18 year old was on a different high, a different kind of successful that was extremely inspiring to little Black girls all over the world. She dropped her debut album in late 1994 with a innocence of a young girl who just wanted to be “down.” 4 years later, it was her time to make a comeback but things weren’t working in her favor in the beginning. The songs weren’t right, the producers she wanted weren’t coming to her, it was all the signs of the classic “sophomore album jitters.” So she had a new plan, a whole new idea that was going to take her to another level and with that, another masterpiece was born. On June 9th, 1998, Brandy Norwood released her sophomore album “Never Say Never.” This album was more mature sound than her previous work and there was definitely a more mature look and an even bigger step than her first album. Brandy takes it to another level when she did the classic duet with Monica called “The Boy Is Mine.” The perfect song at the time when everyone thought they weren’t getting along. Great marketing and play along. Other singles like “Top of The World” featuring Mase, touches on the subject of the media depicting her as a lost successful girl “on top of the world”, “Have You Ever”, a slow love ballad that’s easily one of her best vocally. With seven singles released, the album reached Number 3 on the Top 100 and it became and is still is Brandy’s most successful and highest selling album to date. She went from that innocent 14 year old to a mature, more bolder 18 year old and even still after “Never Say Never”, Brandy continues to keep on doing her thing. “Moesha” lasts until 2001, and she kept dropping more albums and more hits becoming one of the greatest singers on the planet with an impact that’s hard to ignore and a resume that proves her work ethic and legacy.