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Posts published in “Music”

Rapper 2 Chainz Donates 5-Bedroom House to Family Of 11 In Need (VIDEO)

By goodblacknews on January 20, 2016
(CREDIT: YouTube)
The profits from 2Chainz’s mega-successful “Dabbin’ Santa” Christmas sweaters is being used for the utmost good. The “Hair Weave Killer” has donated a five bedroom, three bathroom home to a family of 11 through his TRU Foundation.
The TRU (To Reassure U) Foundation is a nonprofit based out of Atlanta which aims to help families living in the Southside of Atlanta and its surrounding areas. 2 Chainz found out about this family in need through a GoFundMe campaign created by Atlanta’s Progression Church, as told in a video posted on Tity Boi’s YouTube Channel. The family, which has nine children including two sets of twins, was living in squalid conditions in a heatless two-bedroom apartment, where they were facing eviction. The father was unable to work due to health conditions.

READ: 2 Chainz Makes $2 Million From “Dabbin’ Santa” Christmas Sweaters; Gives Back to Those in Need

“We ain’t know where we was gonna go,” the family patriarch says. “We was not looking forward to nothing like this. It is way over our head, but we gonna learn how to deal with it. But we thank God for it. … Now we don’t have to cry no more. We don’t have to worry nothin no more.”
2 Chainz, who noted he didn’t want to receive anything from his charitable deed, said that he was looking forward to just helping others who needed it most.
“I’m looking forward to seeing their smiles,” 2 Chainz says. “I’m looking forward to the kids growing up knowing that Uncle 2 Chainz came through. All you gotta do is pray… Keep praying. You gotta have faith. You gotta believe.”
To see the heartwarming video, click below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkUiq0X-ALo&w=560&h=315]
article by J’na Jefferson via vibe.com

HBO Drops Teaser for 'Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill' Starring Audra McDonald (VIDEO)

By goodblacknews on January 17, 2016
"Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill"
Audra McDonald as Billie Holiday in HBO’s “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill” (photo via blogs.indiewire.com)

Audra McDonald brings her acclaimed portrayal of Billie Holiday in the Broadway smash “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill” to HBO, with the exclusive presentation scheduled to debut Saturday, March 12, 2016.
Filmed before a live audience at Cafe Brasil in New Orleans, the special features McDonald in her history-making, tour de force performance as the jazz icon.
Originally written for off-Broadway by Lanie Roberston in 1987, the production tells Holiday’s life story through the songs that made her famous, including “God Bless the Child,” “What a Little Moonlight Can Do,” “Strange Fruit” and “Taint Nobody’s Biz-ness.”
McDonald made history and became Broadway’s most decorated performer when she won her sixth Tony Award, for “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill,” in 2014. In addition to setting the record for most competitive wins by an actor, she also became the first person to receive awards in all four acting categories. The show’s run at the Circle in the Square Theatre on Broadway was extended four times due to high demand.
“Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill” is directed by Lonny Price, who also directed the Broadway production, and produced by Allen Newman and Two Hands Entertainment. It was originally produced on Broadway by Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Jessica Genick and Will Trice.
The special will also be available on HBO NOW and HBO GO.
The network has released a first teaser which is embedded below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llZRcLoV5Ag&w=560&h=315]
article by Tambay A. Obenson via Shadow and Act

Jussie Smollett to Host 8th Season of "AfroPop" Television Series Premiering on MLK Day

By goodblacknews on January 16, 2016

 Jussie Smollett will host the eighth season of the public television show AfroPoP: The Ultimate Exchange. The star of the hit FOX TV show Empire will emcee the popular show about contemporary art, life and culture across the African Diaspora as it premieres on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, January 18, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on WORLD Channel.

New episodes premiere weekly through February 15. AfroPoP is produced by National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) and co-presented by American Public Television (APT), which distributes the series to the full public television system in February 2016.

Smollett will also be seen in the new WGN thriller Underground in 2016. The acclaimed entertainer is also involved in numerous humanitarian pursuits, sitting on the boards of the Black AIDS Institute, Artists for a New South Africa and the RuJohn Foundation. 

Previous hosts of AfroPoP include Idris Elba, Anika Noni Rose, Wyatt Cenac, Gabourey Sidibe, Anthony Mackie and Yaya DaCosta.

“AfroPoP’s engaging, real-life tales add to the collection of rich Black stories that audiences are clamoring for and I wanted to be a part of bringing them to national attention,” said Smollett.

Kendrick Lamar to Receive the Key to Compton in February

By goodblacknews on January 15, 2016
493841292-rapper-kendrick-lamar-performs-onstage-during-105-1s
Kendrick Lamar (photo: BENNETT RAGLIN/GETTY IMAGES FOR POWER 105.1’S POWERHOUSE 2015)

Kendrick Lamar never forgets where he came from and is always giving props to Compton, California. Whether it’s through his community-service endeavors or always recognizing Compton in his songs, Lamar will remind you he’s Compton-proud every chance he gets. And now the city is showing how proud it is of him.

Compton Mayor Aja Brown announced on Twitter that Lamar will be given the key to the city. Brown expressed how the rapper inspires everyone in Compton and shared positive sentiments about him:
Lamar will receive the key to the city just two days before the Grammys, where he garnered 11 nominations for “To Pimp A Butterfly.”
article by Yesha Callahan via theroot.com

Run-D.M.C. to Become 1st Rappers to Receive GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award

By goodblacknews on January 14, 2016
Run-D.M.C.
Run D.M.C. will receive a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award alongside Earth, Wind & Fire, Herbie Hancock and Jefferson Airplane (Michael Ochs/Getty)

Run-D.M.C. are among the artists who will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the GRAMMYs this year. The iconic rap group will be honored at a ceremony and concert to be held this spring. In addition to naming the Queens rappers, the Recording Academy also announced it will honor Ruth Brown, Celia Cruz, Earth, Wind & Fire, Earth, Wind & Fire, Jefferson Airplane and Linda Ronstadt with the award.

“I just got a call from the Grammys!! They shocked me!! We’re the first rappers to get this award!!,” Rev Run tweeted. “Shocked! Grateful!. God is good!! I’m so honored to be a #GRAMMYs Lifetime Achievement Award recipient this year. Thank you to the recording Academy!”

The trio – comprising Rev Run (given name Joseph Simmons), Darryl McDaniels (D.M.C.) and Jason Mizell, who performed as Jam Master Jay – blended their defining style of rap with hard rock elements and jazz touches, which gained them popularity both on the pop and R&B charts and paved the way for many rap groups to follow.
In 2002, following the group’s tour with Aerosmith and a year after the release of Crown Royal, Jam Master Jay was murdered during a studio session in Queens. In the wake of the tragedy, Run and DMC officially disbanded the group. The surviving members have since performed together, including for their reunion in 2012 at Fun Fun Fun Fest.
Though Run-D.M.C. have never previously won a GRAMMY, they were the first rap collective to be nominated for Best R&B Vocal Performance in 1986 before the rap category had been formed, according to FADER.
The 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards will air on CBS on February 15th at 8 p.m. ET.
article by Althea Legaspi via rollingstone.com

R.I.P. Grammy Award-Winning Legend David Bowie, Global Icon and Innovator in Music, Art and Fashion

R.I.P. Grammy Award-Winning Legend David Bowie, Global Icon and Innovator in Music, Art and Fashion

By goodblacknews on January 11, 2016

David Bowie with Supermodel wife Iman (photo via popsugar.com)
David Bowie with Supermodel wife Iman (photo via popsugar.com)

As Stevie Wonder so aptly put it in his 1976 tribute to the 20th-century pioneers of sound, “Sir Duke”: “Music is a world within itself / With a language we all understand / With an equal opportunity / For all to sing, dance and clap their hands.”
Sir David Robert Jones, aka “Ziggy Stardust”, aka “The Thin White Duke”, but most commonly known around the world as David Bowie, fully understood and embodied the language of this universality, and connected with audiences around the world, no matter what genre he chose to explore. Some of his greatest commercial success came from his exploration of R&B music (“Young Americans”, “Fame”, “Golden Years”,  “Under Pressure,” “Let’s Dance”), but his musical life was one of constant change and innovation, which made this unique singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, arranger, painter and actor a prominent, global figure in popular music for over four decades.
According to the New York Times, Bowie’s last album, “Blackstar,” a collaboration with a jazz quartet that was typically enigmatic and exploratory, was released on Friday — his birthday.  He had also collaborated on an Off Broadway musical, “Lazarus,” which was a surreal sequel to the 1976 film that featured his definitive screen role, “The Man Who Fell to Earth.”

Bowie wrote songs, above all, about being an outsider: an alien, a misfit, a sexual adventurer, a faraway astronaut. His music was always a mutable blend — rock, cabaret, jazz and what he called “plastic soul” — but it was suffused with genuine soul.  Bowie, in turn, influenced many of today’s prominent R&B, soul, pop/rock and hip-hop artists, (remember Queen Latifah’s collab on the “Fame ’90” redux?) many of whom are already honoring him:

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/686449257767776256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/Pharrell/status/686460230318698496

Bowie is to be honored with a concert at Carnegie Hall on March 31 featuring the Roots, Cyndi Lauper and the Mountain Goats.

Bowie lost his 18-month battle with cancer on Sunday night, and is survived by his son, director Duncan Jones, wife Iman and their daughter Alexandria.

To read more about Bowie, his life and career, click here.  To see him perform live in 1974 on “The Dick Cavett Show” with Luther Vandross on background vocals, check out the video below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydLcs4VrjZQ&w=420&h=315]

article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)

 

Boyz II Men to Collectively Play Teen Angel in Fox’s ‘Grease: Live’

By goodblacknews on January 10, 2016

Boyz II Men
The three current members of Boyz II Men have been tapped to play a character popularized by just one actor in the original 1978 version of “Grease.”
The group has been cast in Fox’s production of “Grease: Live” which will air on January 31 at 7pm EST. They’ll collectively deliver a three-part harmony version of the guardian angel character made famous by Frankie Avalon.
They’ll sing the classic song “Beauty School Dropout,” a number normally addressed toward the character of Frenchy (played by Carly Rae Jepsen in this version).
The group announced the news via social media.

article via eurweb.com

ART: Now You Can Take a Virtual Tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art with Nas & Rakim

ART: Now You Can Take a Virtual Tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art with Nas & Rakim

By goodblacknews on January 10, 2016

Nas and Rakim are part of the NY Met's Hip Hop Project (photo via ambrosiaforheads.com)
Nas and Rakim are part of the NY Met’s Hip Hop Project (photo via ambrosiaforheads.com)

Hip-Hop and art have once again merged in an exciting way, thanks to the inventive mind of a graduate student. Regina Flores Mir is the brains behind the Hip-Hop Project, a program being implemented at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that allows visitors to navigate the various collections with guiding narration from MCs. Lyrics from songs by artist including Missy Elliott, Notorious B.I.G., Eric B. & Rakim, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Queen Latifah, and more are used as keywords and then cross-referenced with the Met’s massive archive of art, providing listeners with a Hip-Hop-centric blueprint by which to examine and understand the museum’s collections.
hip hop project
According to the Hip-Hop Project’s website, “although the rap lyric may not be directly correlated to the art work in meaning, it allows visitors to see work that they may not have otherwise known existed,” allowing for the kind of accidental discovery that could inspire Heads to establish bridges between music and art in uniquely individualized ways.
As Kari Paul wrote for Vice’s Motherboard channel, the relationship between the lyrics and pieces of art in question aren’t necessarily straightforward, but are nevertheless engaging. “For example, in ‘Juicy’ when the Notorious B.I.G. says ‘fuck all y’all hoes,’ the Hip-Hop Project pulls up an ancient hoe artifact. Users can click on it and explore this work and others,” she explains. The Hip-Hop Project’s site allows users to experience the museum tour without a trip to the Met, simply by picking a rapper and delving into the lyrical matches to items available for viewing. Heads will also appreciate the website’s domain (www.rappersdelight.nyc).
article by Bonita via ambrosiaforheads.com

2 Chainz’s ‘Dabbin’ Santa’ Sweaters Make $2 Million, Help Him Give Back to Those in Need Via T.R.U. Foundation

By goodblacknews on January 1, 2016

IMG_8983-1200x800
2 Chainz (photo via clutchmagonline.com)

According to Forbes, 2 Chainz conquered Christmas with his timely and super cute “Dabbin’ Santa” sweaters. While the rapper has been toying with merchandising ideas for years, he finally found a hit when “the dab” (a dance) found its way into primetime courtesy of NFL star Cam Newton.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySilAPr6fW4&w=560&h=315]
“I don’t want people to think this was an overnight success. We’ve been trying with a bunch of designs for a couple years now. This is just timing meets opportunity,” he explained. “There’s the whole dab thing, and Atlanta’s always been somewhere that actually moves the culture a little bit. We have been the backbone of hip-hop for the past couple years. So with dabbing coming out of Atlanta, it just began to grow legs and start moving on its own.”
The sweaters became wildly popular and grossed around $2 million in revenues for 2 Chainz and his team. Instead of spending the profits on frivolous things, the Atlanta native decided to help others.
“I had a numerous amount of celebrities helping with the shirt. It was on the NFL, it was on TNT, it was on Good Morning America, it’s on ESPN. So I could not continue receiving those blessings without giving back at the end of the day,” he said.
2C380-SantaDab-Black_t3q74u
A large slice of the profits went into 2 Chainz’s T.R.U. Foundation, which is “dedicated to promoting balanced, respectful and enriched relationships and aim to create life changing moments and help build a positive outcome for our young generation.”
Because of the “Dabbin’ Santa” craze 2 Chainz’s organization was able to pay the rent for one family for an entire year, and donate a minivan to another. The move not only benefitted the families in need, but also helped 2 Chainz as well.
“For us, it’s about putting it together independently, with nobody really being the boss. We’re creating our own way to give back, to do something for people,” he told Forbes. “We’ll trickle down to the kids and lead by example. Like I say, actions speak louder than words. We could have spent this money on possessions, but giving a family that needs it will actually go further for them and for me.”
article via clutchmagonline.com

R.I.P. Grammy Award-Winning Singer and Chart-Topping Artist Natalie Cole

By goodblacknews on January 1, 2016
Natalie Cole performing in 2007. (Credit: Radek Pietruszka/European Pressphoto Agency)

Natalie Cole, the Grammy Award-winning singer whose hits included “Inseparable,” “This Will Be,” “Our Love,” “Pink Cadillac” and “Unforgettable,” a virtual duet with her father, Nat King Cole, that topped the Billboard charts in 1991, died in Los Angeles on Thursday. She was 65.

Maureen O’Connor, a spokeswoman for Ms. Cole, confirmed her death without giving a cause, according to The Associated Press. Ms. Cole had undergone a kidney transplant in 2009 and had suffered from other ailments recently, forcing the cancellation of a series of tour dates in November and December.

Ms. Cole — who was raised around jazz royalty in the company of her father and her mother, Maria Hawkins Cole, a singer who worked with Duke Ellington and Count Basie — came into her own as a singer in the 1970s by staking out her own territory in R&B. Her first album, “Inseparable,” in 1975, won two Grammys, and “Sophisticated Lady,” on a follow-up album the next year, won another.

Ms. Cole’s reputation declined for several years, partly because of struggles with drug addiction. But she came back, creating the biggest hit of her career by uniting, at least in the studio, with the legacy and voice of her father, singing along with him on a recording of his standard “Unforgettable” and winning several Grammys in 1991.

The song reached a level of success that Ms. Cole said stunned her, even with the combined wattage of her name and her father’s.

“The shock of it all is that this record is getting airplay,” Ms. Cole said in an interview at the time. “It’s absolutely shocking to see it between Van Halen and Skid Row on the charts, totally out of its element. It should be encouraging to record companies and my contemporaries.”

Watch Ms. Cole perform one of her biggest hits, her debut single from 1975, the #1 R&B hit and #6 Pop hit “This Will Be”, live on “Midnight Special” below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-LBiZcN5RI&w=420&h=315]

article by Randy Kennedy via nytimes.com; additions by Lori Lakin Hutcherson