Historic hip-hop imprint Priority Records has been given a new lease on life, this time as a producer-centric electronic music and progressive urban music label. A joint venture of Insurgency Music and Capitol Music Group, the refurbished label will be headed by Insurgency co-founder Michael Cohen, the two companies announced July 22.
Operating out of the Capitol Records building in Hollywood, the new-look Priority will officially launch in August with single “Higher,” a collaboration between hip-hop beatmaker Just Blaze, “Harlem Shake” creator Baauer and Jay Z.
As Cohen explained in a statement: “We are looking to establish the new Priority as a home for producers. The emergence of the producer as an artist and brand within the global electronic music scene and beyond has heralded a paradigm shift in the way music is created, discovered and spread. We are firm believers in nurturing artists and scenes that develop in the underground, and we intend to infuse the label with the most progressive artists we can find, wherever they may be.”
Founded in 1985 in Los Angeles, Priority first hit paydirt with novelty releases from the California Raisins, but it was as a hip-hop imprint that it truly made its mark. The label released such landmark gangsta rap albums as N.W.A.’s “Straight Outta Compton” and Ice Cube’s “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted,” and later forged a hugely successful alliance with Master P’s No Limit Records in the mid-1990s. Priority pacted with EMI in the 1990s and was eventually merged into Capitol.
Priority releases will be distributed by Caroline in the U.S., with parent company Universal Music Group handling international.
via Priority Records Relaunched as Electronic Music Label | Variety
Posts published in “Entertainment”
Spike Lee has turned to Kickstarter to raise $1.25 million in funds for his next film. The filmmaker said the project will focus on human beings who are addicted to blood. “Funny, sexy, and bloody (and it’s not “Blacula”),” he added. Lee appealed to potential supporters by touting the film as counter to the current high-priced tentpoles.
via Spike Lee Joins Kickstarter: Seeks $1.25 Million | Variety
Jay Z and Justin Timberlake took a moment out of their recent show at New York City’s Yankee Stadium to honor the late teenager Travyon Martin. The duo was in New York City this weekend for the latest stops on their co-headlining Legends of the Summer Tour.
Jay Z and Timberlake closed their Friday show with a performance of Jay Z’s “Forever Young,” dedicating the song to the 17-year-old Martin who died last year.Take a look at the duo’s dedication below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQqLhBGaV3o&w=560&h=315]
While in New York this weekend, Jay Z also attended a rally for Martin with his wife, Beyonce, joining a crowd speaking out against the recent ruling that aqcuited Florida man George Zimmerman in the case of the shooting death of Martin. Beyonce also recently made her own tribute to Martin, holding a moment of silence for the young man at her Nashville show after the ruling was announced.
Other celebrities who have spoken out on the case include singer Bruce Springsteen, who dedicated his song “American Skin (41 Shots)” to Martin at a show in Ireland, and Stevie Wonder, who announced that he will no longer perform in the state of Florida until it changes its Stand Your Ground laws.
article via huffingtonpost.com
Jay Z and Timberlake closed their Friday show with a performance of Jay Z’s “Forever Young,” dedicating the song to the 17-year-old Martin who died last year.Take a look at the duo’s dedication below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQqLhBGaV3o&w=560&h=315]
While in New York this weekend, Jay Z also attended a rally for Martin with his wife, Beyonce, joining a crowd speaking out against the recent ruling that aqcuited Florida man George Zimmerman in the case of the shooting death of Martin. Beyonce also recently made her own tribute to Martin, holding a moment of silence for the young man at her Nashville show after the ruling was announced.
Other celebrities who have spoken out on the case include singer Bruce Springsteen, who dedicated his song “American Skin (41 Shots)” to Martin at a show in Ireland, and Stevie Wonder, who announced that he will no longer perform in the state of Florida until it changes its Stand Your Ground laws.
article via huffingtonpost.com
LOS ANGELES – The Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) is ready to take movie goers on a cinematic journey with international film screenings from around the globe with the announcement of its call for submissions. The 22nd annual PAFF will be held on February 6-17, 2014 in Los Angeles. The film festival is the nation’s largest and most prestigious Black film festival. Over the years, it has showcased films from all parts of the world, representing such countries as Angola, Austria, England, Bermuda, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Brazil, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, Nigeria, and of course, the United States.
With the pulse on the international film market, PAFF has opened the minds of its audiences, and transported them to lands far away and back home again. “Over the years, the filmmakers from around the world have become more sophisticated in telling their stories,” says Asantewa Olatunji, the director of programming for PAFF.
This year, PAFF has been feted with several awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Awards from the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) and the first ever Special Achievement Award in the Film Festival Category by African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) for its contribution to cinematic arts. In February, the festival screened a total of 154 films, representing 34 countries — that is, 23 documentaries, 13 short documentaries, 67 narrative features, and 51 narrative shorts.
Currently, PAFF is accepting submissions of independent features, shorts, narratives and documentary films made by or about people of African descent. Applications are available via the PAFF website at www.paff.org, by emailing ao@paff.org or calling (310) 337-4737.
ELIGIBILITY:
The PAFF is currently accepting applications for films and videos made by and/or about people of African descent. (Please note: the filmmaker(s) need not be of African or African American descent.) Films should preferably depict positive and realistic images and can be of any genre — drama, comedy, horror, adventure, animation, romance, science fiction, experimental, etc. PAFF accepts features and shorts both narrative and documentary. The film festival will accept submissions of works in progress; however, the final version of the film must be completed no later than January 2, 2014.
Robin Roberts received a standing ovation at the ESPY Awards on Wednesday night as she went up to receive the prestigious Arthur Ashe Courage Award from basketball star LeBron James. As a recipient, the “Good Morning America” host joins the likes of Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali, for “possessing strength in the face of adversity.” Roberts went public with her battles with breast cancer in 2007 and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in 2012 – chronicling her bone-marrow transplant and recovery on the morning show to spread awareness.
“At this moment, I am filled with such gratitude,” Roberts, 52, said, thanking her presenter, and adding that her mother – who died last year – was a big fan of “King James. There are many worthy of holding this honor, others who have exhibited far more courage, strength and resilience, and it’s humbling for me to represent you tonight,” she said.
The veteran TV journalist also thanked First Lady Michelle Obama, who spoke kindly of Roberts in a video tribute. “Robin has inspired all of us with her courage and tenacity as she overcame a life-threatening illness not once, but twice,” Obama said.
“I draw strength from you,” Roberts continued in her heartfelt speech. You give me the courage to face down any challenge, to know when fear knocks, to let faith answer the door.”
article by Chiderah Monde via nydailynews.com
“At this moment, I am filled with such gratitude,” Roberts, 52, said, thanking her presenter, and adding that her mother – who died last year – was a big fan of “King James. There are many worthy of holding this honor, others who have exhibited far more courage, strength and resilience, and it’s humbling for me to represent you tonight,” she said.
The veteran TV journalist also thanked First Lady Michelle Obama, who spoke kindly of Roberts in a video tribute. “Robin has inspired all of us with her courage and tenacity as she overcame a life-threatening illness not once, but twice,” Obama said.
“I draw strength from you,” Roberts continued in her heartfelt speech. You give me the courage to face down any challenge, to know when fear knocks, to let faith answer the door.”
article by Chiderah Monde via nydailynews.com
This morning the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced this year’s nominees for the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards. Among them were first-time nominee Kerry Washington for her leading role in ABC’s Scandal. According to ShadowAndAct, this is the first nomination for an African-American woman in a leading role since Cicely Tyson’s nod for Sweet Justice in the 1994-1995 awards season.
Don Cheadle was similarly honored (his sixth nod altogether) for Showtime’s House of Lies and four-time Emmy winner Alfre Woodard was recognized for her supporting turn in Lifetime’s remake of Steel Magnolias.
Additionally, recently-elected Director’s Guild President Paris Barclay was nominated for his direction of the “Diva” episode of Fox’s Glee, and The Science Channel’s Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman was nominated for Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Series.
The winners will be announced during the awards ceremony televised live by CBS on September 22, 2013 at 8:00 p.m. ET /5:00 p.m. PT from the Nokia Theatre/L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson
NEW YORK (AP) — Jay-Z’s new album has sold more than 500,000 units its first week. Nielsen SoundScan said late Tuesday that preliminary data shows that “Magna Carta Holy Grail” moved about 527,000 copies. It will debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart this week. The album was officially released on July 7. Samsung bought and gave 1.2 million copies of the album to Galaxy mobile phone users on July 4. Billboard is not counting those sales on its charts.
“Magna Carta” has the second-best first-week debut of the year after Justin Timberlake’s “20/20 Experience.” The album features Timberlake, Beyonce, Frank Ocean and Timbaland. Jay-Z’s 12th album had more than 14 million streams in its first week on Spotify, beating a record that Daft Punk set in May with “Random Access Memories.”
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press via thegrio.com
Forbes magazine has released its annual list of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. This year, Robert Downey Jr. topped the list with $75 million in earnings from his work in the mega-blockbusters Iron Man 3 and The Avengers. Denzel Washington and The Rock were the two performers of color to make the top 10. For 1o straight weeks in 2013 Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had a film in the top 10 of the box office. This year he headlined hits like GI Joe: Retaliation and Fast & Furious 6. He earned a whopping total of $46 million this year, placing him at #5 on the list.
Washington is on an upswing following his 2012 hits Safe House ($126 million at the box office) and Flight ($93 million). His deal for back-end profits on the latter film, which earned $162 million worldwide on a $31 million budget, paid off for the actor. He earned $33 million last year, ranking him at #9 on Forbes‘ list. Washington is poised to capitalize on his A-list status again this summer with his highly anticipated action film 2 Guns, co-starring Mark Whalberg, which opens August 2nd.
article via thegrio.com
Nas has found a new home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard University’s W.E.B Du Bois Institute and Hip-Hop Archive announced the creation of the Nasir Jones Fellowship. The fellowship named after the rapper who is known for his philosophical bars, will allow scholars and artists to use their education through a creative outlet. The Nasir Jones Fellowship key purpose is based on the motto: Education is real power.
The Hip-Hop Archive press release states the mission:
“To seek projects from scholars and artists that build on the rich and complex hip-hop tradition; to respect that tradition through historically grounded and contextualized critical insights; and most importantly, to represent one’s creative and/or intellectually rigorous contribution to hip-hop and the discourse through personal and academic projects.”
The fellowship will cover the works of Nas and other prolific hip-hop artists who contributed monumental work to the genre. Recipients of The Nasir Jones Fellowship will be selected by Harvard faculty.
The MC who received the privilege of his own fellowship at the Ivy League states:
“In my roller coaster of a life I’ve endured good and bad for sure, and I’ve truly been blessed to have achieved so much through art in my short life thus far. But I am immensely over-the-top excited about the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship at Harvard. From Queens, NY to true cultural academia. My hopes are that greed for knowledge, art, self-determination and expression go a long way. It is a true honor to have my name attached to so much hard work, alongside great names like Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and W.E.B. Du Bois and to such a prestigious and historical institution, and all in the name of the music I grew to be a part of.”
Before forming his own fellowship, Nas has helped Grammy-award winning music producer 9th Wonder with his own academic research project called These Are The Breaks. The research was based on compiling original samples from hip-hop albums that were permanently archived in the Harvard Library; Nas’s Illimatic was a part of the research. 9th Wonder’s research project and journey to Harvard has become a documentary called, The Harvard Fellow.
article by Lauren R.D. Fox via madamenoire.com
Jay-Z reached out to a number of producers while creating Magna Carta Holy Grail, his 12th studio album. The usual suspects — Timbaland, Pharrell, and Swizz Beats — were there, but a budding 16-year-old producer from Canada, Ebony Oshunrinde, a.k.a. WondaGurl (pictured), also made her mark on the album, according to The Star.com.
WondaGurl produced the track “Crown” on Holy Grail, which was released digitally July 4th and in stores Tuesday, but the Brampton native first got in to creating beats after watching a video of Jay-Z and Timbaland in the studio together. “It inspired me, and I wanted to do the exact same thing that he did,” she said. At age 9, Oshunrinde downloaded music software, teaching herself to use it via YouTube tutorials.
She coined the WondaGurl name by switching the name of fellow Canadian producer Boi-1da (pronounced boy wonda). In 2011, she caught her big break, winning the Battle of the Beatmakers competition. This caught the attention of Boi, who began mentoring WondaGurl at Toronto’s Remix Project Studio. A year after winning the competition, the musical prodigy signed an exclusive management deal with label Black Box and began working in a studio.