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Posts published in “Hip Hop/Rap”

R.I.P. Henry Jackson AKA "Big Bank Hank" from The Sugarhill Gang

By goodblacknews on November 11, 2014
Big Bank Hank (center) of The Sugarhill Gang
Big Bank Hank (center) of The Sugarhill Gang

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Big Bank Hank, one of the members of the pioneering hip-hop group the Sugarhill Gang, has died at the age of 57.

The performer, whose real name was Henry Jackson, died from kidney complications due to cancer, according to reports.
Jackson formed the Sugarhill Gang with Master Gee and Wonder Mike, having a big hit in 1979 with “Rapper’s Delight.”  The record sold several million copies worldwide and helped establish rap as a vital genre of music.
The full version of “Rapper’s Delight” ran nearly 16 minutes long and was recorded in a single take.  A shorter single version was also released and became a radio staple in the early 1980s.
http://youtu.be/ljUnyv5XUA8
Jackson’s death was reported by website TMZ and confirmed to Fox News by David Mallie, who manages the two remaining band members.  “So sad to hear of our brother’s passing,” said Wonder Mike and Master Gee in a statement. “Rest in peace Big Bank.”
article via bbc.com

Jay Z Buys Armand de Brignac "Ace of Spades" Champagne

By goodblacknews on November 6, 2014
(Photo: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images)
Jay Z is officially in the champagne business. The rap mogul has purchased luxury spirits brand Armand de Brignac, whose gold bottle he helped make iconic in his 2006 video “Show Me What You Got.”
New York-based Sovereign Brands said Wednesday it sold its interest in  — better known as Ace of Spades after the image on its bottle — to a new unnamed company led by Jay Z. “We are proud to announce that Sovereign Brands, a New York-based wine and spirits company owned by the Berish family, has sold its interest in the Armand de Brignac (‘Ace of Spades’) Champagne brand to a new company led by the globally renowned Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter,” the company said in a statement.
The bubby, which starts at $300 a bottle, is served in the luxury suites at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets (Jay used to be a co-owner of the NBA team). The Roc Nation boss and his wife, Beyoncé, also had a custom-designed, 18-foot-tall tower of the champagne served at a 2012 fundraiser for President Obama that took place at Jay’s 40/40 Club.
Jay got behind Ace of Spades after he boycotted rival Cristal over its decision to distance itself from its hip hop clientele.
article by Evelyn Diaz via bet.com

Pharrell Named to Apollo Theater’s Board Of Directors

By goodblacknews on November 3, 2014

pharrell-williams-getty
“It’s Showtime!”
Pharrell Williams continued his incredible run of musical accomplishments on Tuesday, by being named to the Apollo Theater’s Board of Directors. The multi-talented producer joins a list of 32 that includes New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Quincy Jones, John D. Dempsey of Estee Lauder, and many more.
Skateboard P made his debut on the famed stage on June 3, which was streamed live as part of a digital series, Unstaged. The project was directed by Spike Lee and sponsored by American Express, and seemed to open new doors for hollowed grounds. The global reach of Pharrell’s performance coincided with the technological upgrades that the venue is going through, as part of a $20 million dollar initiative for its 21st Century Apollo Campaign.
The singer/songwriter stated that he’s excited to preserve and expand upon the Apollo’s legacy in American culture. In other words, he’s “Happy.”
article by @TheKidSkoob via theurbandaily.com

Sasha and Malia Obama, Mo’ne Davis Top Time Magazine’s "25 Most Influential Teens Of 2014" List

By goodblacknews on October 13, 2014

Mo'ne Davis
First Daughters Sasha Obama and Malia Obama, Little League superstar Mo’ne Davis and Jaden Smith are included in Time Magazine’s “25 Most Influential Teens of 2014” list.
Davis (pictured above), is the first girl to earn a win and pitch a shutout game in Little League World Series history.  The braided cutie is also the first Little League baseball player to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a Little League player.
The Obama girls are bright, opinionated and it is already very evident that they will one day be accomplished, strong, opinionated leaders in their own right, just like their famous mom and dad.
Jaden Smith (pictured), the 16-year-old son of Hollywood A-listers, Will and Jada is an accomplished actor in his own right and the kid already has quite a way with words.  Known for his brow-raising Twitter postings, Jaden has managed to garner 5 million followers on the popular social medium.
The unranked list, which was released Monday morning, “analyzed social-media followings cultural accolades, business acumen and more” in order to highlight worthy candidates who influence society in a positive way.
article by Ruth Manuel-Logan via newsone.com

THEATER REVIEW: Craig Grant, aka "muMs", Sets His Life Story to Hip-Hop in "A Sucker Emcee"

By goodblacknews on September 28, 2014
“A Sucker Emcee”: Craig Grant, also known as muMs, in his show at the Bank Street Theater. (Credit: Ruby Washington/The New York Times)

Like Jean-Jacques Rousseau set to a hip-hop beat, Craig Grant offers his confessions in “A Sucker Emcee,” produced by the Labyrinth Theater Company. While a D.J. (Rich Medina) moves between two turntables, scratching and spinning, Mr. Grant tells the story of his life in rhymed couplets.

Mr. Grant, also known as muMs, speaks in a gentle growl with just a trace of a native Bronx drawl, though he can send his voice swooping up and down the social register. Dressed in Nikes and a T-shirt proclaiming “The Truth,” he spends most of the show near the front of the bare stage, lips pressed close to a microphone.

Though he’ll occasionally speak as his mother, his father, a friend or a teacher, he spends most of the piece as simply himself, narrating youthful screw-ups with fondness and exasperation.

In some ways his story is standard bullet-point autobiography. He begins with his volatile Bronx childhood, darts through some dissolute college years, chronicles his subsequent ups and down as a rapper and actor (best known for his role in the HBO prison drama “Oz”) and finally returns, with hard-won maturity and grace, to the borough of his birth. So far, so familiar. But what adds urgency and fierce pleasure to the monologue, directed by Jenny Koons, is his debt to music. D.J.’s, it seems, saved Mr. Grant’s life. “Before hip-hop, I couldn’t speak,” Mr. Grant recalls. The music gave him a voice, a place, a future, helping him to “turn all that hate into a dance and a chant.”

Mr. Medina provides backing beats to Mr. Grant’s chants and sometimes helps him pay more direct homage to the heroes of his youth — KRS-One, Rakim, the Sugarhill Gang. Even when the show threatens to turn into some sort of lecture demonstration, it’s still pretty good fun, with Mr. Medina illustrating each style and technique while Mr. Grant narrates and occasionally threatens some B-boy moves.

Even when the story ends with Mr. Grant’s returning to the Bronx and caring compassionately for his aging mother, the beat and the applause don’t stop.

“A Sucker Emcee” continues through Oct. 5 at the Bank Street Theater, 155 Bank Street, West Village; 212-513-1080, labtheater.org.
article by Alexis Soloski via nytimes.com

Dr. Dre is Forbes’ Highest-Paid Hip-Hop Act at $620 Million for 2014

By goodblacknews on September 28, 2014

Dr. DreDr. Dre tops Forbes list of highest-paid hip-hop acts with a total of $620 million earned this year. This is the most money ANY entertainer that has been evaluated by the magazine has earned in one calendar year.
What makes this even more incredible is that Dr. Dre alone made more than all 24 of the people combined on the 2014 list.  Two second-place entries, both tied at $60 million, made 10% of what Andre “Dr. Dre” Young did. But, with that total, Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs won’t be cashing any unemployment checks any time soon.
Cash Money claims a large stake in the money game as well, with Drake in fourth place at $33 million, Birdman (Co-CEO of Cash Money) at No. 7 with $24 million, Lil Wayne a hair behind him with $23 million and Nicki Minaj, the only female artist on the list, at No. 11, with $14 million.
The complete “World’s Highest-Paid Hip-Hop Acts” list follows:
1. Dr. Dre: $620 million
2. Sean Combs: $60 million
2. Jay Z: $60 million
4. Drake: $33 million
5. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: $32 million
6. Kanye West: $30 million
7. Birdman: $24 million
8. Lil Wayne: $23 million
9. Pharrell Williams: $22 million
10. Eminem: $18 million
11. Nicki Minaj: $14 million
12. Wiz Khalifa: $13 million
13. Pitbull: $12 million
14. Snoop Dogg: $10 million
15. Kendrick Lamar: $9 million
16. Ludacris: $8 million
16. Tech N9ne: $8 million
16. Swizz Beatz: $8 million
16. 50 Cent: $8 million
20. Rick Ross: $7 million
20. J. Cole: $7 million
20. DJ Khaled: $7 million
20. Lil Jon: $7 million
20. Mac Miller: $7 million
article by Cedric “Big Ced” Thornton via blackenterprise.com

Pharrell’s Making the Ocean Happy with Fashion Line Using Environmentally Conscious Recycled Plastics

By goodblacknews on September 10, 2014

G-Star RAW Presents RAW For The Oceans SS15 CollectionMother Earth is certainly “Happy” with Pharrell Williams. The music genius, fashion icon (remember that Arby’s hat), NBC’s “The Voice’s” new judge and king of all things cool has teamed up with “G-Star RAW,” “Bionic Yarn” and “Parley for the Oceans” to make a splash at New York’s Fashion Week.
This past weekend, Pharrell led New York underwater for the ocean night event to unveil the second season in his co-designed collection. Ready for the 2015 Spring/Summer season, this collection is dedicated to helping Mother Earth’s oceans as well as revolutionizing the denim industry.
Pharrell took to the stage to present the environmentally conscious collection. The clothing line seeks not only to make a statement on style, but also to fight plastic pollution in our oceans by using technical innovation. Pharrell said, “Denim is one of the most cherished fabrics on Earth–and one of the most traditional. With ‘RAW for the Oceans,’ we have created its next generation.”
The collection is a creative collaboration among “G-Star,” “RAW for the Oceans” and “Bionic Yarn.” “Bionic Yarn” develops and manufactures premium yarns and fabrics made with fibers derived from recycled plastic bottles. They have joined forces to innovate denim while making a serious impact on plastic bottles. Plastic bottles, you see, often end up in our oceans. The collaboration hopes to address the fast-growing threat of plastic pollution by retrieving plastic debris from the beaches and oceans and recycling it into yarn and fabric. The collaboration also urges awareness for the pollution problem and encourages people to support the cause by becoming a part of the solution.
article by Melissa Unger via act.mtv.com

Sugar Hill Record’s Co-Founder Sylvia Robinson Biopic In The Works

By goodblacknews on August 24, 2014

Sylvia Robinson
The film rights for the “Mother of Hip Hop,” the late Sylvia Robinson (pictured), who helped put the musical genre on the map, was acquired by producer Paula Wagner, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Robinson co-founded Sugar Hill Records, the label that produced the Sugarhill Gang’s 1979 classic “Rapper’s Delight,” credited as the first monster hit to get folks to sit up and pay attention to Hip-Hop.  Robinson was also the machine behind such early Hip-Hop artists as Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five, who recorded the classic song, “The Message.”
Wagner secured the rights to Robinson’s life story from her son, Joey, who will reportedly act as the biopic’s consultant and executive producer. Grandmaster Melle Mel, another Hip-Hop pioneer, will also wear the hat of consultant on the film.
According to Wagner, the film will span Robinson’s four decade career and encompass all of the important aspects of her busy life, including the music business, her mercurial love life and the indelible mark she left on a genre of music that has grown to immense proportions.
“Sylvia Robinson’s life story has all the elements of a great film,” said Wagner in a statement according to The Hollywood Reporter. “It is not only the story of female empowerment at a time when the world of music was male-dominated, but it’s also a story of the origin of Hip-Hop and how this woman’s determination, immense talent and savvy business sense fostered an entire musical movement.”
“This movie is going to show how my parents were able to remain independent, keep control of their publishing and master recordings and how they later dealt with the major record labels and mob associates,” added Joey. “Sugarhill paved the way for a new genre of music that the industry had no knowledge of back in 1979. You will see the struggles of what Sugarhill went through to keep Hip-Hop music alive when the industry wanted to bury it.”
Besides navigating the musical careers of performers, Robinson, herself, was a recording artist with such hits under her belt as “Love Is Strange” in 1957, as part of the duo Mickey and Sylvia and the 1973 R&B hit, “Pillow Talk,” which was a solo project.
article by Ruth Manuel-Logan via newsone.com

Intel, 50 Cent Pair Up on Headphones That Can Measure Your Heart Rate

By goodblacknews on August 17, 2014
Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson attends an autograph signing event at SMS Audio.
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson attends an autograph signing event at SMS Audio. (Marcel Thomas | FilmMagic | Getty Images)
Chipmaker Intel and SMS Audio, the consumer electronics company founded by 50 Cent, are partnering to launch a pair of heart-rate-measuring headphones.
The SMS Audio BioSport In-Ear headphones have an optical light sensor in the earbuds that, combined with other sensors, infer the wearer’s heart rate during both intense exercise sessions and regular, continuous wear.
Unlike LG’s heart-rate monitoring earphones, the Intel-SMS earphones pull power from your smartphone’s audio jack, which means there’s no additional charging required. And rather than requiring the user to go through a proprietary app, these earphones integrate directly with popular app RunKeeper. The companies say there are likely more app integrations coming.
The BioSport In-Ear headphones will launch sometime in the last quarter of the year. Pricing has not been announced.
For SMS Audio, the partnership with tech giant Intel and the new product are part of an effort to gain traction in a crowded headphone market. NPD analyst Ben Arnold has said that, while the premium headphone market has grown 16 percent over the past year, SMS Audio’s dollar share has shrunk to less than one percent. The company’s headphones, which range in price from $70 to more than $200, have gotten mixed reviews.
For Intel, it’s another step in the wearables market. At the International CES earlier this year, Intel revealed a variety of small-device prototypes, seemingly intent not to miss the early wearable wave the way it did with mobile.  In May, Intel showed off a “smart” shirt, embedded with sensors and conductive fibers, that it expects could ship sometime next year.
And just yesterday, the company announced it had teamed up with the Michael J. Fox Foundation to launch wearable devices that would monitor and gather data around Parkinson’s disease. That data will be shared with researchers, who will study the effects of Parkinson’s medications on motor skills.
—By Lauren Goode, Re/code.net.

Sisters with Strings: Jasmin “Char” Charles and Margaux Whitney are Brooklyn-based Classical Duo Chargaux

By goodblacknews on August 7, 2014

Chargaux

If the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words “classical music” is stuffy older folks politely clapping for elevator music, you may want to reconsider. Chargaux, a Brooklyn-based duo that play the violin and viola, are using classical string arrangements in bold, soulful ways, and incorporating stunning visuals to help you see their sounds. (Think neon-colored box braids moving furiously over a classical orchestration of a Beyoncé cover.) Chargaux produces sounds that would have kept you focused in your high school music class.

Jasmin “Char” Charles and Margaux Whitney met on a street in Boston and immediately connected over their love for music. Both classically trained, it wasn’t long before the two started jamming in New York City train stations, drawing diverse crowds of strap-hangers from across the world–and it took off from there. The beautiful chords at the end of Kendrick Lamar’s “B*tch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” is also Chargaux’s work. This year, they performed at Opening Ceremony’s fashion show and their latest EP, Broke and Baroque was released this month. EBONY chatted with the duo on their creative process, what it’s like to be Black classical musicians in the industry and why there is really no one quite like them.
EBONY:  What kind of stories do your music and visual art pieces tell? What kind of people do they speak to or do you hope they reach?
MARGAUX:  I love my generation despite our flaws, so I want our music to reach them. The Internet has made us a little impatient. Everyone wants what they want right away and likes what they like. Our art is a way of changing that, of giving people something they didn’t know they wanted, a new experience. On the other hand, I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to reach, well, basically everyone. If somebody’s grandma is jammin’ to my song, I’d be ecstatic. As girls from Detroit and Atlanta braving New York and experiencing some of the best and challenging moments in our lives thus far, I think the music tells a beautiful story. We want you to have fun and enjoy what you hear but also feel the passion and drive behind it.