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Basquiat Videos: Toxic, Macklemore And Al Diaz Speak On SAMO's Inspiration And Legacy (VIDEO)

By goodblacknews on May 12, 2013

Basquiat VideosWhether seen in a market report, an art history book or a rap verse, the name Jean-Michel Basquiat is legendary. The dreadlocked young artist quickly rose to fame after taking up graffiti in New York City, becoming an incandescent art star before his untimely death in 1988 at only 27 years old.

Twenty five years later, the late artist is experiencing a massive global resurgence. In New York, his blowout Gagosian retrospective saw record attendance and his work is slated to appear later this month at Gagosian’s posh Hong Kong gallery for the first time ever. And yet, we often get so tied up in Basquiat the legend we forget he was a real person.
A new three-part video series released by Christie’s remembers Basquiat not only for his artistic genius, but also his energy, audacity and growing pains. The series begins with Basquiat’s high school friend and the other half of the graffiti duo known as SAMO, Al Diaz. “What we were doing was a response to everything around us…everything we were disillusioned by.”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCHe7HCBF1s&w=560&h=315]
Next we hear from Toxic, Basquiat’s friend and contemporary, who paints a picture of the Haitian artist’s meteoric rise to fame.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-NvULWRxdw&w=560&h=315]
Finally we hear from Ben Haggerty, aka Macklemore — yes, the singer of “Thrift Shop” — for a surprisingly touching meditation on Basquiat as a source of inspiration in his work as he grapples with his own success. “When he got with Warhol it was like everyone just tore him down.” Macklemore continues, “That’s such a weird feeling as an artist to make something that’s pure, that’s from the heart, that is who you are, and have a group of people shit on you.”
In a conversation with the curator and critic Henry Geldzahler in Interview, the 23-year-old artist delivers a deceptively simple, thought-provoking line: “The more I paint the more I like everything.” The films above honor the mind and legacy of a star that burned too bright, too fast.  Basquiat’s collection will show at Gagosian Gallery in Hong Kong from May 25 until August 10, and “Dustheads” (1982) is expected to fetch $25-35 million at Christie’s Post-War & Contemporary Art Evening Sale on May 15.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdJ82FqXn4g&w=560&h=315]
article by Priscilla Frank via huffingtonpost.com

Chuck D Getting an Honorary Doctorate from Adelphi University

By goodblacknews on May 11, 2013

chuck dLegendary rapper Chuck D will be a featured speaker at Adelphi University and will also receive an honorary doctorate degree during the school’s 117th graduation on May 19.
He actually attended the university from 1978 to 1984 and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and had a hand in expanding the school’s radio programming.
In an interview with Ebony magazine earlier this year, he spoke of his work with the university’s program.
“I always used to do a lot of hosting and I was on college radio in the early 80s. So I was always a part of something that wanted to break deejays and parties out,” he said. “And that was with Hank Shocklee and Spectrum [City] back on Long Island. What made me want to become a recording artist; I was the first artist that was repeatedly asked by a label to record with them. That label was Def Jam Records.”
He continues, “So I was the first recruited artist ever by them. I originally told them no, but a year later, I eventually said yes. It wasn’t like I sent someone a demo. I was feverishly requested to make records.”
article by Brittney M. Walker via eurweb.com

Fuse Music Channel Sets First Scripted Series, Hip Hop Dramedy ‘The Hustle’

By goodblacknews on May 9, 2013

Music TV network Fuse is making its first foray into scripted programming with The Hustle, which will premiere June 19 at 11PM. The six episode, half-hour dramedy is in the vein of Entourage set in the hip hop world and centers on aspiring artists trying to break into the business. It is produced by Alloy Digital-owned Generate. The Hustle will be joined by a companion after-show, The Hustle After Party, which will be taped in front of a studio audience in Fuse’s street-front studio on 7th Avenue in New York City. Hosted by Esteban Serrano (host of Fuse’s Top 20 Countdown), The Hustle After Party will feature interviews and performances with hip hop stars, along with discussions with industry experts and appearances by the cast.

WWE and Sean "Diddy" Combs Team to Fight Bullying Globally

By goodblacknews on May 9, 2013

DiddyWWE and Sean “Diddy” Combs today unveiled a new global anti-bullying public service announcement encouraging kids to stand up to bullying. It will begin airing tonight during Monday Night Raw.
“Bullying is a very serious issue and needs to stop now,” says Diddy in the release. In the video, he says, “In this digital age sometimes it just doesn’t stop when the days end. … If it’s not you being bullied, help someone who is. … Stand up to bullying.”
The music mogul will serve as an ambassador for Be a Star, the anti-bullying initiative co-founded by WWE and The Creative Coalition to encourage young people to treat each other with tolerance and respect.
Combs is also trying to encourage an end to bullying with his Invisible Bully clothing line. The motto there: “The mind is the most powerful tool you possess. Thoughts are invisible and only those that believe in the invisible can achieve the impossible. The dream is real if you believe.”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9Pr1XMJUDw&w=560&h=315]
article by Ann Oldenburg via usatoday.com 

First Official Photo from TLC Biopic Released

By goodblacknews on May 3, 2013

(L-R) Drew Sidora, Keke Palmer and Lil Mama in VH1's "Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story"
(L-R) Drew Sidora, Keke Palmer and Lil Mama in VH1′s “Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story”

No, that’s not Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes as TLC circa 1992.
It’s Drew Sidora as T-Boz, Keke Palmer as Chilli, and Lil’ Mama as Left Eye in VH1’s upcoming TV movie about the 90s r&b/hip hop trio.
VH1 released this photo today as an official first photo from the upcoming biopic “Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story.”
“Drumline’s” Charles Stone III is directing from a screenplay by “What’s Love Got To Do With It’s” Kate Lanier.
The real T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli from TLC (1992)
The real T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli from TLC (1992)

The film started production in March in Atlanta where Chilli, Left Eye and T-Boz started their rise to multi-platinum fame as one of the most successful musical trios of all time.
The two surviving members of the group, Chilli and T-Boz, serve as consultants and executive producers on the movie. The pic is scheduled to premiere toward the end of the year.
article via eurweb.com

Jay-Z Joins Pitch to Redevelop Nassau Coliseum

By goodblacknews on May 3, 2013

Jay-Z attends the 'The Great Gatsby' world premiere at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on May 1, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
Jay-Z attends the ‘The Great Gatsby’ world premiere at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on May 1, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

NBC New York – Jay-Z is part of a group trying to renovate Nassau Coliseum.  The music mogul attended a meeting Thursday on Long Island, where the media was briefed on four proposals to renovate the arena and surrounding property.  Nassau County officials have been trying to come up with a plan to redevelop the 40-year-old arena for many years.  Its primary tenant, the New York Islanders hockey team, is moving to the new arena in Brooklyn when its lease expires in 2015.  Jay-Z’s Roc Nation is part of a group that built Barclays Arena and is bidding for the Long Island project.

Click here to read more.
article via thegrio.com

R.I.P. Chris "Mack Daddy" Kelly of Atlanta-Based '90s Rap Duo Kriss Kross

By goodblacknews on May 1, 2013

Kris Kross
According to the AP and ABC News, Chris “Mack Daddy” Kelly (pictured left) from the hip-hop duo Kris Kross, has reportedly died in Atlanta today. He was announced dead around 5 p.m. this evening at the Atlanta Medical Center. Kelly was only 34 years old.
Because it is so soon, authorities are unclear about the cause of his sudden death, and an autopsy will be performed. Kelly and Chris Smith had a huge amount of fame in the 90s, bringing us classic jams like “Jump,” “Warm It Up,” and “I Missed The Bus,” the anthem for habitually late students everywhere in the early ’90s. The duo was also known for wearing their clothes backwards, going with their name, Kriss Kross. They were discovered by Jermaine Dupri at a shopping mall in Atlanta, and the two even performed together again for the first time in years during the So So Def 20th Anniversary concert earlier in the year. There was talk of them possibly working on new music in the future.
Sadly, that won’t be happening. But we’ll always have their past work, especially Totally Krossed Out. As more information comes out about Kelly’s sudden passing, we’ll keep you updated, but keep his family in your prayers and play “Jump” at least once before you call it a night.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=010KyIQjkTk&w=420&h=315]
article by Clarke Gail Baines via madamenoire.com

Diggy Simmons Talks About His Graduation Plans, Why Education Is Important

By goodblacknews on April 28, 2013


If you know anything about the Simmons household it’s this; yes, they are all talented and musically inclined, but education comes FIRST.
That’s why the non-profit organization, Get Schooled, is collaborating with rapper Diggy Simmons to engage and inspire the youth to help them excel in school and imporve graduation rates.
And – speaking of graduation – guess who is about to walk across that stage?
So we had to get the details straight from Diggy about his plans after high school, why he thinks education is important, and of course, if there are any graduation parties.
We caught him right after he played Celebrity Principal for the day at Baltimore’s New Era Academy with the Get Schooled foundation. Here’s what he had to say.
How did the title “Principal Diggy” sound to you?
It was incredible. I don’t know if they ever did anything like this but I was happy I got to be a part of it and we answered questions and we were just talking about school and the importance of education, and I’m just so happy for them. The fact that they have perfect attendance and I got to come here for that and just the fact that I can do that and I can be a part was just a real big deal for me.
What are you’re favorite subjects or subject?
My favorite is English. I’ve always liked English. English is dope.

So you like to read?
Yea. I like a lot of the books that I get. I just like writing – like creative writing- and that’s where it lead into why I love writing music so much. I’ve liked history a lot too this year. I’ve taken a liking to it.
Another month you’re graduating high school. How’s that feel?
Yes, yes, yep! It’s a good feeling man. I mean, just from starting school all the way up ’till now it’s like I’ve really done it and I’m really doing it and I’m happy that I have people around me who care. And through them caring and letting me know the importance, it made me care and know the importance and that has carried into me being a young adult and wanting the best for myself.

‘American Idol’ Judge Nicki Minaj Joining Fox’s ‘The Other Woman’

By goodblacknews on April 25, 2013

Nicki Minaj, whose clever and sassy commentary makes American Idol bearable, has signed on to star with Cameron Diaz in The Other Woman, a film that Nick Cassavetes is directing for Fox. Diaz plays a woman who realizes she is not her boyfriend’s primary lover, and teams up with the man’s wife to plot revenge. Game Of Thrones‘ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau plays the cad, and Leslie Mann, Kate Upton and Chicago Fire‘s Taylor Kinney also star. Minaj makes her screen–starring debut, playing the larger-than-life assistant to Diaz’s lawyer character. The assistant is opinionated and sharp and brutally honest, and we know Minaj can handle that. The film shoots in New York in May. 
article by Mike Fleming Jr. via deadline.com

Snoop Lion 1st Guest Editor of Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy; Offers Listen of New "Reincarnated" CD

By goodblacknews on April 23, 2013


In the 20 years since Snoop Dogg released his genre-defining debut “Doggystyle,” the rapper’s name has become a sort of hip-hop shorthand, and he’s become a larger than life figure in popular culture over a string of albums and movie roles (“Starsky & Hutch,” “Training Day”). So it came as something of a surprise when the MC rechristened himself “Snoop Lion” last year after studying the Rastafari religion in Jamaica, and announced he was recording a reggae album, “Reincarnated,” which comes out Tuesday.
Snoop today takes over Speakeasy as the first-ever special guest editor, and in that role wrote an essay that explains his reggae transformation, assigned a story about the part youth sports programs play in communities, and will answer questions from readers. Check back in throughout the day to read Snoop’s contributions.
It only makes sense to pair his guest-editing stint with “Reincarnated,” which Speakeasy is streaming in its entirety. To listen, click here. The album features contributions from Drake, Akon and Miley Cyrus, and production from Diplo and Major Lazer. If you have questions for Snoop, send them on Twitter with the hashtag #AskSnoop.
article by Eric R. Danton via blogs.wsj.com