Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts tagged as “MTV”

MUSIC MONDAY: “AfroBowie” – A Soul-Filled David Bowie Collection (LISTEN)

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

I’m back with another batch of tracks. AfroBowie” is a collection devoted to David Bowie, who,  in a 1976 Playboy interview, described his own album Young Americans as “the definitive plastic soul record. It’s the squashed remains of ethnic music as it survives in the age of Muzak, written and sung by a white limey.”

[spotifyplaybutton play=”https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1jO16S5awIEKB9cpxkcTJf?si=9c8629b0d66f41fa”]

Though those funky soulful tracks made Bowie one of the few white performers to be invited to perform on Soul Train.

He would also go on to call out MTV on not featuring Black artists: “I’m floored by the fact that there are so few Black artists featured on [MTV]. Why is that?” “The only few black artists one does see are on in about 2:30 in the morning until 6:00,” Bowie continued, “Very few are featured prominently during the day.”

Almost a decade before James Brown would become constantly sampled, the Godfather of Soul would borrow Carlos Alomar’s guitar riff from David Bowie’s crossover hit “Fame” to create his track “Hot”.

Bowie would later team up with Queen Latifah for a version “Fame” in 1990. This collection features Bowie covers from Black artists like Robert Glasper & Bilal, Durand Jones & The Indications, Rhonda Dakar and others.

There are Bowie tracks written with his longtime collaborator Alomar including: “D.J.”, “Fame”, “Never Let Me Down”, “Red Money” and “The Secret Life of Arabia”. And of course his team-up with young Luther Vandross on “Young Americans” is in the mix.

I’ve included David Bowie’s covers of “Almost Grown” by Chuck Berry, Nina Simone’s “Wild is the Wind” and versions of “Knock on Wood” (by Eddie Floyd) and “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow” (by Ohio Players) from DAVID LIVE.

There are a few tracks from Ziggy Stardub, a spectacular reggae recasting “Ziggy Stardust” by the Easy Star All-Stars.

There are also songs from the tribute record Modern Love. It features covers from across Bowie’s catalog by Helado Negro, Khruangbin, Jeff Parker, We Are KING, Meshell Ndegeocello, and more. P

lus, Seu Jorge’s beautiful set of Bowie covers from Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Hope you enjoy AfroBowie as much as I’ve enjoyed making it.

As always, stay safe, sane, and kind. See ya next month.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)

Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson to Host 2016 MTV Movie Awards

Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart (photo via blackamericaweb.com)

article by EURweb via blackamericaweb.com
Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, stars of the upcoming summer film “Central Intelligence,” will team up to host the 2016 MTV Movie Awards, airing Sunday, April 10 at 8 p.m., Variety reports.

Taking a page from Fox’s “Grease Live!,” this year’s 25th anniversary telecast will take place across the Warner Bros. backlot, filming outdoors across multiple locations in a taping on April 9. (“Grease Live!” also taped on the Warner Bros. lot.)
“We want to do a big, brave thing to celebrate movies,” the show’s executive producer Casey Patterson says of filming across the backlot. “We love Kevin and Dwayne for doing big, risky, bold things. Most award shows play it safe. They’re the right guys to take big swings.”
“It’s an honor to be hosting the ‘MTV Movie Awards’ with a guy who’s not only one of the funniest guys on the planet, but who’s often mistaken as my twin, Kevin Hart,” said Johnson. “We live for our fans and promise to make this an epic, historic unforgettable night for them.”
Hart commented, “I love hosting — it’s my thing. Dwayne and I are the perfect team for the epic 25th anniversary show. It’s going to go down.”

YouTube's Todrick Hall Lands MTV Unscripted Series

Todrick HallAccording to Variety.com, MTV has ordered a new unscripted series, “Todrick,” which takes a docu-style look at the elaborate performance videos crafted by YouTube star Todrick Hall.  
“Todrick” revolves around the lives of Hall (pictured) and the troupe that helps him choreograph and stage his weekly musical efforts.  The half-hour series has an eight-episode order and is on target to debut next year.
“We’re excited to bring Todrick’s tenacious energy and multi-dimensional talent to MTV for his first-ever series,” said MTV programming president Susanne Daniels.
“Todrick” hails from Brian Graden Media. Graden, a former MTV and VH1 chief, executive produces with Danny Salles, Lois Curren and Gaurav Misra as well as Hall, Scooter Braun and Danny Rose.  If you’ve never seen Hall’s work, start with the creative “Cinderoncé” below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r7mGAxWB04&w=560&h=315]
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)

Jamie Foxx to be Honored at MTV Movie Awards

jamie foxx
Jamie Foxx will get some special love during this weekend’s MTV Movie Awards.  The actor, who won an Academy Award for 2004′s “Ray,” will be honored with the “MTV Generation Award” at Sunday’s event. The trophy acknowledges an actor who captivates the network’s audience. Past recipients include Reese Witherspoon, Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise and Sandra Bullock.
Foxx is also nominated for four MTV Movie popcorn statuettes for Best Male Performance, Best Fight, Best Kiss and Best WTF Moment in Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained.”
“As a comedian, Academy award-winning actor and Grammy award-winning artist, Jamie Foxx is a triple threat superstar unlike any we’ve seen in a long time,” said MTV President Stephen Friedman in a statement. “Jamie has captivated audiences for nearly two decades with a dizzying array of memorable performances, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate him at this year’s Movie Awards.”
Foxx will next be seen on the big screen opposite Channing Tatum in the action thriller “White House Down,” which hits theaters June 28.  Actress Rebel Wilson is host of the ceremony, which will air live on the East Coast at 9 p.m. on Sunday via MTV. The broadcast will be tape-delayed for the West Coast.
article via eurweb.com