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Posts published in “Hip Hop/Rap”

John Singleton Back as Director for Tupac Shakur Biopic

By goodblacknews on February 17, 2014

John Singleton Tupac Movie
Director John Singleton (Lester Cohen/WireImage)
After falling off the project two years ago, all eyes are on John Singleton to return to Morgan Creek’s untitled Tupac Shakur biopic — a film he’s long wanted to make.  Singleton has closed a deal to rewrite, direct and produce the biopic about the iconic rapper, which would follow his rise to being one of the most popular hip-hop artists as well as his murder following a boxing match in 1996 in Las Vegas. Morgan Creek is co-financing the film with Emmett/Furla/Oasis.
“Tupac was the guy who I planned to do a lifetime of films with,” Singleton said. “His passing deeply affected my life as well as countless people in this world. His life story is as important to my generation.”  The next move is to find the actor to play Shakur. Singelton will soon dive into rewriting the script, with hopes of beginning production sometime this June.
Singleton had once been linked to the project, but the deal fell through and the film has been in limbo ever since. James G. Robinson and David Robinson, along with Program Pictures’ L.T. Hutton, are also producing the pic.  The film’s long history also includes a legal battle between Morgan Creek and Shakur’s mother, Afeni Shakur, over the rights that eventually led to a settlement and Afeni becoming an exec producer on the project. Training Day director Antoine Fuqua attached himself after Singleton’s original flirtation, but bowed out after he couldn’t get the right script in place or find a lead (Morgan Creek tried an open casting, but that didn’t pan out).

Pharrell Williams Tops Grammys with Producer, Record of the Year Wins

By goodblacknews on January 27, 2014

Pharrell Williams, Daft Punk and Nile Rodgers accept Best Duo/Group Grammy Award
Pharrell Williams, Daft Punk and Nile Rodgers accepting Best Duo/Group  Performance Grammy Award

Although he easily could have been remembered solely for his avant garde Vivienne Westwood hat this Grammy year, Pharrell Williams‘ musical forays trumped his sartorial whims last night, garnering him Producer of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance honors.  Williams also has partial claim to the Album of the Year award, which electronic duo Daft Punk won for Random Access Memories (featuring two Pharrell collaborations.)  Other notable winners were Mackelmore & Ryan Lewis, (Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Album), Alicia Keys (Best R&B Album), Bruno Mars (Best Pop Vocal Album), Ziggy Marley (Best Reggae Album) and Jay Z and Justin Timberlake, who won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Holy Grail.”
Beyoncé and Jay Z opened the show with the steamy, risqué “Drunk in Love,” kicking off a night filled with larger-than-life performances including Pink‘s literal and vocal acrobatics on “Try” and “Just Give Me A Reason,” Katy Perry‘s witchy snap vibe on “Dark Horse” with Juicy J , Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons‘ brilliant, burning mash up of “m.A.A.d City” and “Radioactive,” and Pharrell, Nile Rodgers and Daft Punk with Stevie Wonder on a version of “Get Lucky” that flawlessly blended in Chic’s “Le Freak” and Wonder’s “Another Star.”
One of the biggest, funnest surprises of the evening came late in the show when Queen Latifah introduced Mackelmore & Ryan Lewis, Mary Lambert and Trombone Shorty‘s performance of “Same Love.” Midway through the song, Latifah re-appeared to officiate a wedding ceremony for thirty-three couples – heterosexual and homosexual – in the aisles of the Los Angeles Staples Center.  As they said their “I dos”, Madonna strolled out in a white suit, hat and cane, melding the chorus of “Open Your Heart” into “Same Love.”
A full list of the Grammy winners follows below:
Album of the Year: “Random Access Memories,” Daft Punk

Record of the Year: “Get Lucky,” Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams
Song of the Year: “Royals,” Joel Little, Ella Yelich O’Connor (Lorde)
Best Country Album: “Same Trailer, Different Park,” Kacey Musgraves
Best Pop Vocal Album: “Unorthodox Jukebox,” Bruno Mars
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: “Holy Grail,” Jay Z and Justin Timberlake
Best Pop Solo Performance: Lorde
Best Rock Song: “Cut Me Some Slack,” Dave Grohl, Paul McCartney, Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: “Get Lucky,” Daft Punk
Best New Artist: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Outkast To Embark On 40-Date Festival Tour

By goodblacknews on January 14, 2014

Outkast on stage
Ingenious and iconic recording artists and performers, Antwan “Big Boi” Patton and André “3000″ Benjamin announced via Outkast’s newly launched social media platforms and www.Oukast.com that their return to the stage for their 20th anniversary will include festival dates around the world. After headlining Coachella this April, the influential group will be the marquee act at over 40 festivals around the world throughout the Spring/Summer of 2014.
“It’s truly an honor to celebrate 20 years and still be free to do music the way we choose,” said Big Boi. “Don’t just think outside the box, know that there is no box. I’m looking forward to rocking the stage with my Bro Ski and to all the fans – stank you smelly much, this is for y’all!”
“And imagine, all we wanted to do was rap,” said Andre 3000. “I am thankful to have been a part of a group that allowed me to explore anything that came to mind and have fun doing it. Returning to the stage together is the most exciting way for us to thank everyone for their 20 years of supporting Outkast.”
It is impossible to quantify the creative impact and influence of Grammy-Award winning rap duo, Outkast, or the work of its members, André “3000″ Benjamin and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton. Together and individually, these Atlanta natives have set the bar for originality, blasting genre boundaries and combining mediums since their debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzikwas released in 1994.
In January 2014, to celebrate Outkast’s 20th anniversary, the duo confirmed plans for a headlining festival run that will begin Friday, April 11 at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, then continue with dates throughout the spring and summer.
article by via theurbandaily.com

Rapper Juicy J Awards $50K Scholarship To Biology Student Zaire Holmes (VIDEO)

By goodblacknews on January 13, 2014

Juicy J
Last summer rapper Juicy J announced that he was giving away $50,000 in scholarship money. The initial Tweet stated, “I’m giving out a 50K scholarship to the best chick that can twerk” and it illicit a firestorm of response–and applications.  After going through submissions Juicy has selected a winner, but insists that no twerking was required to win.  “50K is a lot of money and I don’t want to waste it on some chick twerkin’ her ass,” he says. “Next time I send a Tweet out about a scholarship take it serious and read the words!”
The winner is 19-year-old Zaire Holmes, a mother and student at the State College of Florida who did read the rules and submitted a video explaining why she deserved the money.  “I’m a biology major so the scholarship would be able to cover all of my lab expenses,” she said hopefully. “A lot of people thought you had to twerk, but you actually had to read the rules!”
Watch Juicy J present Holmes with the check:
http://youtu.be/9fc-vqqjZzs
article by Jerry L. Barrow via theurbandaily.com

Tupac Shakur-inspired Musical Heads to Broadway This Summer

By goodblacknews on January 9, 2014

Tupac ShakurA new musical inspired by the rap songs of the late Tupac Shakur is heading to Broadway. Holler If Ya Hear Me is scheduled to open at the Palace Theatre in New York on June 19, with preview performances set to begin on May 26. Holler isn’t a biographical account of Shakur, who was killed at the age of 25 in 1996 following a shooting in Las Vegas. Rather, the musical production will use the rapper’s lyrics to tell a story of contemporary inner-city lives.
Among the producers of the musical are Afeni Shakur, the rapper’s mother; movie and TV producer Eric L. Gold; and Chunsoo Shin, the prominent Korean theater producer who recently collaborated with the La Jolla Playhouse on another musical, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. Kenny Leon (Steel Magnolias, A Raisin in the Sun), will direct Holler, which will feature a creative team that includes Wicked choreographer Wayne Cilento.  Rumors of the Shakur musical had been circulating for months, though no official announcement from producers had been made until Wednesday.
article by David Ng via latimes.com

Nas Gives a Benediction for Harvard's Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship

By goodblacknews on November 1, 2013

Nas performing in New York in June.
Nas performing in New York in June (Karsten Moran/The New York Times)

The rapper Nas made his first appearance at Harvard University on Thursday, not to perform but to give his blessing to a new fellowship in his name – formally, the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship.  The fellowship will be awarded to two scholars or artists annually, chosen by a Harvard faculty committee. It is primarily a research fellowship, although Marcyliena Morgan, a professor of African and African American Studies and the founder and director of the Hip-Hop Archive and Research Institute, which will administer the fellowship, said on Friday that fellows could teach courses as well. The application process, she said, has just started.
“The main purpose of the fellowship,” Ms. Morgan said, “is to support people doing work that has to do with the ways hip-hop itself reaches out to youth through the world, and particularly how it brings together issues of social justice, art and politics. That relationship – and how difficult it can be – is an important aspect of what we’re looking at. Hip-hop has been a way of getting the word out in very difficult situations.”

Beyoncé and Jay Z Rank as Forbes’ Highest Earning Power Couple

By goodblacknews on September 22, 2013

Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z attend a rally honoring Trayvon Martin outside One Police Plaza in Manhattan on July 20, 2013 in New York City. Demonstrators have gathered in various cities across the country to protest the acquittal of neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman and press for his federal prosecution in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images)
Beyonce and her husband Jay Z attend a rally honoring Trayvon Martin outside One Police Plaza in Manhattan on July 20, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

Although African-Americans weren’t prominent in Forbes’ annual list of the richest Americans, they are definitely well-represented among Hollywood power couples.  The finance magazine has released its list of the highest earning celebrity couples and perhaps to the surprise of no one rapper Jay Z and his wife, pop icon Beyoncé, top the list.  The chart topping duo earned $95 million last year through their concerts, album sales and endorsements, putting them ahead of couples like Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen, as well as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, who just welcomed their first child, a daughter named North, into the world, came in 5th overall, earning $30 million.  Still none of these couples’ earning power combined reaches the height of say Oprah Winfrey, who, bolstered by rising OWN ratings, has made close to $3 billion in the last year.
article via thegrio.com

Pharrell Williams Talks Music, Fiancée and Fatherhood on "Today" Show

By goodblacknews on September 2, 2013

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdv5FbuK4rY&w=420&h=315]
Even if Pharrell Williams isn’t a household name where you live, the music he’s had a hand in creating most likely is. He’s featured in this this year’s song of summer, “Blurred Lines,” Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” and he’s co-collaborated on songs such as Snoop Dogg’s “Drop it like it’s Hot” and Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.”
083013-music-pharrell-williams-today-showSixteen Grammy nominations (and three wins) later, the music producer-song writer-recording artist sat down with TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie to talk about the path to getting to top of the Top 40. 
“I can write pretty much anywhere, but in the shower it’s, like, where it’s, like, really great,” Williams told Guthrie of where he’s come up with some of his best work, including “Hot in Herre” Nelly’s super-successful 1992 hit. 
But before he was sharing top billing with the likes of Nelly, Justin Timberlake and Ludacris, he was any other kid growing up in Virginia Beach, playing the drums and going to band camp. “Most of us were kinda nerdy,” Williams said. “Nobody sort of walked in, like, you know, Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl-cool.”  It was at that camp where Williams, then 12, met his producing partner Chad Hugo. By the time they were 19, the duo had helped write and produce the 1992 Wreckx-N-Effect hit song, “Rump Shaker.” 
Fast forward two decades and many successes, Williams says he can point to the singular best song he’s ever co-written. “My son,” he told Guthrie of Rocket, his little boy with new fiance Helen Lasichanh. “Every night’s like a sleepover,” he said of Lasichanh, who he calls his “bestie.”
So what else does the super-successful Williams hope to accomplish? “Honestly? It’s … more music,” he said.  That said, music isn’t the only thing on the artist’s plate: Beginning Nov. 5, Williams will appear as a mentor on Rihanna’s new fashion reality competition show “Styled to Rock” on the Style Network.
article by Courtney Hazlett via today.com

Jay-Z's ‘Made in America’ Festival Documentary to Air on Showtime

By goodblacknews on September 1, 2013

jay z on real timeDirector Ron Howard will debut the “Made in America” documentary about the Jay Z-curated music festival in Philadelphia Oct. 11 on Showtime.
Close to 50,000 fans attended Jay-Z’s “Budweiser Made in America” festival on Labor Day weekend last year. The two-day event included performers such as Pearl Jam, Drake, Run DMC, Skrillex, D’Angelo and Calvin Harris.
The year’s festival kicks of this weekend with performances from Beyonce, Nine Inch Nails, Imagine Dragons, Deadmau5, Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.  Howard’s documentary serves as a backstage pass to the event, which showcases performers sharing stories of how they are “making it in America.”
It will debut Sept. 7 at the Toronto International Film Festival.
article via eurweb.com

Kanye West Launches “Got Bars” Music Program for At-Risk Chicago Youth

By goodblacknews on July 30, 2013

kanyeblogsabouthismom
Rapper and Chicago native, Kanye West, has plans to give back to troubled youth in his hometown this summer with the upcoming launch of the “Got Bars” music writing and production program.  In August, West’s nonprofit organization, Donda’s House — founded in honor of his late mother Dr. Donda West — and the ARK of St. Sabina community center, will kickoff the 10-week course open to youth ages 15 to 24. The “Got Bars” program aims to educate participants on how to write and record their own music and in turn help them to develop problem-solving skills. The program will also teach youth about the benefits of eating well, working out and other life skills.
West credits his mother’s passion to teaching as the inspiration behind the program. “My mom spent her life as an educator and I am happy Donda’s House can pick up the torch and honor her life’s mission,” West said in a statement early last week.  The Chi-town rapper has chosen Che “Rhymefest” Smith, co-founder and assistant director of Donda’s House to spearhead the program, along with his wife Donnie Smith. Rhymefest will oversee the music and production aspects of the 10-week course, while his wife Donnie, an English teacher, will serve as executive director.
“I am so happy to launch “Got Bars” to honor Kanye West’s mother’s memory and to fulfill one of my Alder manic campaign goals,” said Rhymefest in a statement. “Got Bars” will change our youth musically, get them healthy and keep them busy in a creative, peaceful environment.”  Donda’s House will eventually release an EP featuring songs from the program’s participants. Applications for “Got Bars?” will be accepted until Friday, August 2. For more information on the program, visit the Donda’s House website.
article by Hayat Mohamed via newsone.com