HHCF founder Adisa Banjoko shares the organizations philosophy on overcoming obstacles. Its part of their Live The Game summer camp. They are hosting an open house June 2nd in The San Francisco, Bay Area. For more information visit www.hiphopchessfederation.org/camps
"The first question that arises is, isn’t alternative R&B and arthouse the same thing? Clearly not! You can’t say that artists like Jamie xx, James Blake, Blawan, Deadboy, Eliphino or Sibian & Faun make alternative R&B, simply because they take elements out of it. There is a difference between alternative R&B and music that is influenced by R&B. We’re talking about music that is influenced by R&B. “Okay fine, so let’s just call it all post-dubstep, why do we need another term like arthouse?”. Because there is a pattern, because it makes sense, because it works, because the term post-dubstep is invalid as previously explained. The amount of producers that take elements from dubstep and alternative r&b is ridiculous. Take a look at this"
"But what is indie rock, really? If a band was “indie” it just meant they were on an independent label. This definition no longer applies, however, as “indie” now refers to a specific sound. You see, there are an exponential amount of fantastic indie rock bands that have gone on to have great success in the mainstream while still retaining their artistic integrity. Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, Phoenix, and more recently, Bon Iver are among them."
From a label perspective, what's your take is on Spotify so far?
I enjoy, appreciate and embrace anything that gets people to discover music. So I would say in the last 12 months, from the United States perspective, Spotify has been one of the most exciting places to discover music.
The traffic and the amount of action on Spotify is just fantastic. That's clear. The amount of people sharing music through their Facebook application on Spotify is great. The people who run Spotify -- Steve Savoca, Daniel Ek and Sean Parker -- were very sensitive to the North Americans, because they flushed out so many issues in Europe and the U.K. before it got to America. So, it's been really good what Spotify has done.
"The significance of Don Cornelius to American culture — and to the American culture business — is told nowhere more eloquently than in one brief exchange between Cornelius and singer James Brown, a story that Cornelius himself recalls in VH-1′s excellent 2010 documentary Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America."
"These popular misconceptions might have to do with his biggest hit. For all of its impact, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" had the side effect of narrowing the memory of Gil's work. That tiny string of words wasn't a mission statement, just one small fragment of his message. And a tongue-in-cheek one, as well. The poem was heavy with bluster but weighted with wordplay. In it, Gil critiqued crass sloganeering, mocking everything from Agnew to Ajax campaigns. The bitter irony, of course, is that it became a slogan itself. "He was commercialized by the [current] generation," says Leon Collins, who lived with Gil in D.C. throughout the 60s and 70s. "That's been co-opted and exploited a billion different ways." As time passed Gil himself seemed mostly indifferent to these developments, though quick to clarify his original intent."
"[The revolution] is not all about fighting and going to war-- it's about going to war with a problem and deciding how you can affect that problem."
Soulja Boy, Keri Hilson & Ray J for Black History Month
Ok, I admit I'm not keeping up with Soulja Boy and I don't know what changes his fashion style's going through but, damn, don't he look like Wiz Khalifa in a Yankees cap?
[UPDATE: I swear I never heard about Inked and Tatted! Yeah, I may be out of touch, but I sense this sh*t! By the way, that's a redundant title, but I'm sure that "controversy" has been blogged to death, lol.]
Wiz Khalifa - Black And Yellow
I assume Music Choice's "I Am Black Music" Campaign will include a solo spot for Soulja Wiz, so we'll see what's up!
By the way, even though I'm white, every month is Black History Month at my house cause you just can't keep up with the reality of America without keeping up with black people. No, I'm no w*gger, I just know what's up!
Naledge of Kidz in the Hall has taken up the Eat to a New Beat Dance Off Challenge sponsored by Applegate Farms.
From the press release:
"Kids are invited to visit www.EatToANewBeat.com to download "Change the Game," and make their own dance video submission. The current video on the site stars Naledge and The Happiness Club, a group of Chicago kids who dance to make a difference. Kids can view and vote for videos on the site through June 1, 2011. The video submission with the most votes will win $1,000."
Naledge Accepts the Challenge
"This song and the dance off is close to my heart," said Naledge. "Much of my music is about encouraging kids to be their best, especially when it comes to school, and what they eat at school is a big part of that success."
Note: Naledge doesn't show till about halfway through the video. I think he does a nice job with the lyrics cause that can be rather tough on these educational projects.
How to Enter the Dance Off Challenge
"Kids between the ages of 13 to 18 can submit videos at www.EatToANewBeat.com through June 1, 2011. Winners will be selected by the most votes and notified on June 15, 2011. The participants in the winning video will receive $1000. Second and third place cash prizes also will be awarded in the amounts of $500 and $250, respectively."