Peep the new Lil Mama video featuring Chris Brown and T-Pain!

Musicbox Video URL: http://musicbox.sonybmg.com/videos/lil-mama/shawty-get-loose-featuring-chris-brown-and-t-pain
YouTube Video URL:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hXKRilPNpc

Wine It available now on I-Tunes

UK R&B sensation Youngman releases debut single

Having heated up airwaves in the UK with his debut single Wine It, Youngman, the new face of R&B is ensuring that people are able to familiarize themselves with his craft. The song which has been played on Kiss FM, BBC/1Extra and Choice FM is now available for download on sites such as I-Tunes, Rhapsody and Napster. Wine It, having already captured the attention of radio DJs not just in the UK, but in Italy, Germany, Canada and the US is nothing short of a club anthem.  Produced by Natural Born Hustlaz the single is guaranteed to have listeners moving with the pulsating beat in no time as well as warming to the fresh sound that Youngman is delivering. Having already established a fanbase of DJs, producers and label executives, Youngman proves with this his debut single that he is the future of R&B.  “Youngman is hot I like his style. I think he has the potential to be the next big male R & B superstar,” explained XM’s DJ Scream who will be hosting the premier mixtape from the budding star along with XM contemporary DJ Furious Styles. The tape Who I Be will hit the streets in early Spring and will allow Youngman to show his diversity, his unbridled passion and his unique ability to become the UKs hottest export. Understanding the fundamentals of the music industry Youngman has been fortunate in securing a production deal with the Canadian based company that produced his debut single, Natural Born Hustlaz. “I’ve always wanted to develop my own artist and when I heard Youngman’s potential I knew he had all the right ingredients to become a high quality artist. I think his positive attitude, motivation and willingness to always improve will be the key to his success,” said producer/manager Natural. So with a solid team of professionals behind him and a constant flow of hits to follow on from Wine It, Youngman is just beginning his ascent in R&B. With youth, skill, ability and eagerness all on display, for this singer, the only way to go is up. Youngman will be embarking on a promotional run for the single to Canada, For dates, venues and to hear Wine It check his myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/officialyoungman

FLO RIDA MAKES HISTORY AS “LOW (FEAT. T-PAIN)” HITS #1

“Low (Feat. T-Pain),” the blockbuster hit single from Poe Boy/Atlantic recording artist Flo Rida, has hit #1 on this week’s CHR/Top 40 national airplay chart.  The track’s massive mainstream success is indeed momentous – “Low” is officially the first-ever debut single by a rap artist to reach the top spot in chart history, as well as only the fourth rap title to ascend to #1 since 2005. 

Flo Rida – whose hugely anticipated debut album, “MAIL ON SUNDAY,” is set to street on March 18th – has instantly catapulted the upper ranks of hip-hop superstardom.  Along with its CHR/Top 40 triumph, “Low” continues to light it up at Rhythmic outlets nationwide, maintaining the #1 airplay ranking for 8 uninterrupted weeks and counting. The track’s success marks the longest-reigning debut track from a male artist since Nelly’s classic “(Hot S**t) Country Grammar” held the top spot for 10 weeks in 2000. 

The Carol City, FL native will celebrate the amazing accomplishment of “Low” with an eagerly awaited live performance on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, scheduled for tonight, February 6th (check local listings).  In addition, Flo Rida will appear on MTV’s TRL on Wednesday, February 13th. Both appearances come in tandem with the single’s inclusion on this week’s Atlantic Records release, “STEP UP 2 THE STREETS – ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK,” the musical companion to the upcoming Touchstone Pictures dance film which debuts in theaters nationwide on February 14th.

The “Low” companion video is proving equally unstoppable, coming in this week as the #1 most-played clip on both BET and MTV.  “Low” – which also topped the countdowns on BET’s 106 & Park and MTV’s TRL– is now in “Heavy” rotation at BET, “Big 10” rotation at MTV, “Elite 8” rotation at MTV2 (where it is the network’s #2 most-played video), “Summa Cum Laude” at mtvU, “Blazin’” at MTV Jams, a top 5 “Power” rotation smash at MTV Hits, and the #1 ranked clip on MTV.com. As if all that weren’t enough, “Low” is also a top 10 success on Fuse.

Flo Rida is also breaking big online, where he is currently MySpace’s #2-ranked Top Indie Artist, logging a remarkable 8.5 million total streams thus far at his www.myspace.com/officialflo page.  At YouTube, the video for “Low” has received more than 6 million views via Flo’s official channel, www.youtube.com/user/officialflo.

Without question one of 2008’s most anticipated albums, “MAIL ON SUNDAY” sees Flo Rida teaming with some of today’s biggest hit makers, including Timbaland, The Runners, J.R. Rotem, and Atlanta’s DJ Montay, who produced “Low.”  He’s also recruited a who’s who of A-list collaborators like Atlantic Records labelmate Trey Songz, Lil’ Wayne (who appears on the street savvy “Guns And Roses”), Yung Joc (featured on the raucous party anthem “Furniture”), and Timbaland, who shows up on the album’s second single, “Elevator.”

For more information about Flo Rida, visit www.officialflo.com, www.myspace.com/officialflo, www.youtube.com/officialflo, and http://florida.imeem.com.

For more information about Step Up 2 The Streets, visit www.myspace.com/stepupmovie and www.stepup2soundtrack.com

DIDDY NAMES THE BAND DAY26

At long last, Diddy has unveiled the name of Making The Band 4’s series-winning quintet.  The group – currently starring in the latest and greatest season of MTV’s hit reality series – will officially be known as DAY26.  The moniker is derived from the band’s official formation last August 26th, when the five gifted performers were chosen by Diddy and MTV viewers around the world on the blockbuster Making The Band 4 season finale.

DAY26 – which includes Brian Andrews, Mike McCluney, Qwanell Mosley (aka “Q”), Robert Curry, and Willie Taylor – is currently starring in Making The Band 4, Season 2 alongside previous MTB sensations Danity Kane and additional MTB4 finalist Donnie Klang.  The new season finds all three acts living together as they work to complete new albums, which will then be released in the weeks to follow.

The releases kick off on March 11th, with the arrival of DAY26’s hotly anticipated debut album.  Executive Produced by Bad Boy CEO, Sean “Diddy” Combs, and Bad Boy Entertainment president Harve Pierre, the as-yet-untitled debut album is heralded by the talented MTB4 performers’ first single, “Got Me Going.” Produced by the one-and-only Mario Winans – a longtime Bad Boy family member, famed for his work with Diddy and The Notorious B.I.G., not to mention Destiny’s Child, Mary J. Blige, Keyshia Cole, and countless others – the digital-only single is now available via all online retailers.

In addition to Winans, DAY26’s debut features production from The Runners (T.I., Chris Brown, Rick Ross), Jim Bean, Grammy Award-winner Adonis (Diddy, Usher, Danity Kane), and multiple Grammy Award-winner Bryan Michael Cox (Usher, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey), who was featured on Making The Band helming the quintet’s debut single, “Exclusive (No Excuses).”

MTV’s Making The Band 4 airs each Monday at 10 pm ET/PT (check local listings).  

For more information, please visit www.badboyonline.com and http://makingtheband.mtv.com.

HIP-HOP FILMS SCREENING AT THE PAN AFRICAN FILM AND ARTS FESTIVAL IN LOS ANGELES

The Hip-Hop Association [H2A] is proud to collaborate with the esteemed Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF) to provide a diverse segment of global Hip-Hop film programming from throughout the African Diaspora including Uganda, Morocco, Cuba, Sierra Leone, Australia, and the US. PAFF, one of the largest African film festivals in the U.S., will be held from February 7 – February 18 in Los Angeles, CA.  For tickets, passes, and full festival details, please visit www.paff.org

Films screening in association with the Hip-Hop Association are listed below and will be taking place at the Magic Johnson Theaters: 4020 Marlton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90008.

DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH: A UGANDAN HIP-HOP REVOLUTION

Los Angeles Premiere
Director: Brett Mazurek
74 min., Uganda/US, 2007
Feb.14, 3:50pm / Feb.15, 10:45pm (Photography showcase 8:30pm-10:30pm)
The incredible journey of the hip-hop group the Bataka Squad, who use hip-hop to spread awareness of their country’s troubles, and to offer positive alternatives for the youth. Narrator Michael Franti, of Spearhead, guides us through an incredible journey from the riot-torn streets of Uganda to remote villages in the countryside and finally to the concrete jungle of the United States. The voice of a new generation and heroes of their community, they are active, enthusiastic, and energetic young people more concerned about global change than the amount of change in their pockets. Their music teaches struggle with optimism and remaining positive against seemingly insufferable odds presenting a refreshing contrast to American commercialized “bling bling” gangster rap. Q&A.
**You can also check out artists featured in the film performing at an INTERNATIONAL HIP HOP SHOWCASE on Feb. 8  – Bataka Squad : Rah-P : Okai a Negus : Legezzin and other special guests at
On The Rox above The Roxy, 9009 W Sunset Blvd, 9pm – 2am, $10 at the door

HIP-HOP: BEYOND BEATS AND RHYMES
Director: Byron Hurt
63 min., US, 2006
Feb.10, 8:55pm / Feb.18, 4:45pm
A riveting documentary that examines representations of gender roles in hip-hop and rap music. Conceived as a “loving critique” from a self-proclaimed “Hip-Hop Head,” it tackles issues of masculinity, sexism, violence and homophobia in today’s hip-hop culture. Mos Def, Fat Joe, Chuck D, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons are interviewed; along with commentary from Michael Eric Dyson, Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Kevin Powell, and Sarah Jones. The complex intersection of culture, commerce and gender are revealed through on-the-street interviews with aspiring rappers and fans at hip-hop events throughout the country. The film provides thoughtful dialogue from intelligent, divergent voices of rap artists, industry executives, rap fans and social critics from inside and outside the hip-hop generation.

BLING: A PLANET ROCK

Director: Raquel Cepeda
90 min., US, 2007
Feb.13, 9:00pm / Feb.16, 9:10pm
This documentary film focuses on the complex relationship between “blood” diamonds, conflict, the influence of Hip-Hop music and culture, and community development. It examines American Hip-Hop culture’s obsession with diamonds—“blinging”—and all its social trappings, and how this infatuation correlated with the ten-year civil war in Sierra Leone, West Africa in which over one million people were killed, maimed, raped or displaced. The film follows three rappers—Paul Wall, Tego Calderon, and Raekwon—as they trek to Sierra Leone to meet the survivors, perpetrators and diamond miners in the country. Making appearances are Kanye West, Ishmael Beah, Jadakiss, Bishop Don Juan, Johnny Dang, Big Daddy Kane, Tego Calderon, Raekwon, Paul Wall.

I LOVE HIP HOP IN MOROCCO
Director: Joshua Asen & Jennifer Needleman
80 min., US/Morocco, 2007
Feb.8, 5:30pm / Feb.18, 8:40pm
A group of Moroccan Hip Hop artists share a single dream: to rock a professional concert for a hometown crowd. Unfortunately, in addition to a lack of resources and freedom of speech, these young artists get virtually no support from their own society or cultural institutions. So, with the help of an American filmmaker, they appeal to the American Embassy for funding for the first Moroccan Hip Hop festival. Although the organizers face roadblocks along the way—diplomatic bureaucracy, disputes over money, unscrupulous stage-builders and general chaos of business in the Third World–they pull it off and the festival plays to massive crowds of young Moroccans in three cities, fulfilling the dream of the artists and catapulting Moroccan Hip Hop from the underground into the spotlight.

B.L.A.C.K.-AN ABORIGINAL SONG OF HIP HOP
Director: Grant Leigh Saunders
26 min., Australia, 2006
Feb.11, 6:30pm  / Feb.16, 1:35pm
B.L.A.C.K. is a cipher scribed by independent and Indigenous Hip Hop artist, Wire MC, who urges his audience to fathom what it might means to be Black in contemporary Australia. Through interview and observation, the song is visually and dialectically deconstructed to speak of contemporary theories of Aboriginal blackness, politics and culture.  This film explores the complexity of Aboriginal society through the seductive rhythm, rhyme and reason of the Hip Hop lyric. The film also demonstrates an active Aboriginal participation in Hip Hop on an underground level, revealing some amazing dance sequences and live performances by some very talented young Aboriginal MC’s, B-Boys and B-Girls. It shows how traditional story telling and dance is being re-invented by adapting the elements of Hip Hop culture to enliven the quest to maintain traditional values, cultural knowledge, language and B.L.A.C.K. (Born Long Ago Creation’s Keeper) pride.

SHORT RADIOGRAPHY OF HIP HOP IN CUBA
Director: Ricardo Bacallao
20 min., Cuba, 2004
Feb.10, 9:05pm / Feb.16, 4:15pm
Despite significant social change in Cuba, Blacks continue to be ostracized and subjugated by a colonial outlook. In 1995, a group of creative young people founded the Rap Festival; since then, the government has taken control of the Hip Hop movement, undermining its intentions. This is the story of struggle within a struggle waged by Black youths trying to maintain their voice and control the product of
their culture and creativity. Q&A

THE ART OF LOVE AND STRUGGLE
Director: Jessica Habie
79 min., US, 2006
Feb.11, 1:10pm / Feb.13, 10:20pm
A film of passion, profiling 12 amazing women delves deep into the underground movement of female artistry. Artists, singers, emcees, activists, poets and writers come together in an explosive exploration of feminine creation. Independent-minded women with voices that must be heard, each lady brings to the screen her innermost struggles in an attempt to outline the obstacles that face the female artist. Based in New York City, this journey is narrated by the mystica Smokifantastic, and navigates the challenges of poverty, politics and personal sacrifice while exploring love, identity and urban culture. Features artists Raqiyah Mays, Amanda Diva, Helena D. Lewis, Claudia Alick, Elizabeth Mendez Berry, Toni Blackman, Nemesis, Denise De La Cruz, Vista, Kyana Brindle and Rosa Clemente.

BLACK AND BLUE: LEGENDS OF THE HIP HOP COP
Director: Peter Spirer
86min., US, 2005
Feb.12, 8:00pm
Retired first-grade NYPD detective Derrick Parker established a so-called “Rap Intel” unit following the murder of Notorious B.I.G. in 1997. The unit became officially sanctioned in 2000. In 2004, word of Parker’s secret unit was leaked to the press, unleashing a firestorm of controversy. Members of the hip-hop community–under girded by media outlets ranging from the Village Voice and Newsweek to the Miami Herald–argued that the NYPD’s rap unit blurred the line between monitoring and profiling. The ACLU launched a crusade against “hip-hop surveillance,” which they deemed the “the new Cointelpro.” Via exclusive, in-depth interviews with Parker–as well as rappers, security guards, civil rights activists and other members of the hip-hop community—viewers are taken inside the so-called “hip-hop
patrol” in New York City and Miami. Narrated by Saul Williams. Q&A

About The Pan African Film and Arts Festival
The Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF) was founded in 1992 as a non-profit corporation dedicated to the promotion of cultural and racial tolerance and understanding through the exhibition of film, art and creative expression. It is the PAFF’s goal to present and showcase a broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images and help to destroy negative stereotypes. The PAFF believes film and art can lead to better understanding and foster communication between peoples of diverse cultures, races, and lifestyles, while at the same time, serve as a vehicle to initiate
dialogue on the important issues of our times.
www.paff.org

About The Hip Hop Association
Formed in 2002, the Hip-Hop Association [H2A] is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community building organization and Union Square Arts Award recipient. The H2A educates and empowers the community through the use of media, technology, resources, social entrepreneurship, and leadership development. The mission of the H2A is to facilitate critical thinking, foster constructive social change and unity to instill tolerance, civic participation, social reform, and economic sustainability, while advancing Hip-Hop’s culture through innovative programming.
www.hiphopassociation.org