Freestyle 101: Shyheim & Illy Ale

Wu Tang Clan fans know Shyheim when he was known as The Rugged Child, the youngest affiliate of the legendary hip ho collective. He made his debut in 1995 with Shyheim a/k/a the Rugged Child and an appearance on Big Daddy Kane’s “Show –n- Prove” alongside Old Dirty Bastard and a young Jay-Z. The Lost Generation followed, and by 1999 Shyheim released Manchild and was all grown up. The Greatest Story Never Told hit in 2005 and Shyheim has been on the mixtape grind ever since. He is currently getting much attention from his song and video for “Fat Boy,” a diss against Wu Tang’s Raekwon. It seems Rae shut Shy down when he was trying to get a DVD drop from P. Diddy backstage at a recent Wu tang show. And we all know that disrespecting an MC ain’t a good move, even if you are a legend.

In his Freestyle 101 session, Shyheim discusses the beef with Rae, his relationship with Wu Tang, and the hip hop scene in Staten Island . He even brought his cousin Guy (a.k.a. Illy Ale) along to Play Studios in Manhattan and the duo tag-teamed rapped about what kind of videogame they’d make over a chill Messiaz beat. Shy plays the man on the street in the big city, while Illy Ale plays the role of death as it sweeps through the streets. Life as a videogame…an interesting and unique approach.

This edition of Freestyle 101 is our first from what we’re calling The New York Sessions, a recent week-long trip to the Big Apple where we shot just about every known rapper you can think of. Fat Joe, Sheek Louch, Ice-T, M.O.P., Mob Deep, Heltah Skeltah, Buckshot, Immortal Technique, Thirstin Howl III, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Ali Vegas, Hell-Razah, Shabazz the Disciple, Big Noyd, Teflon, Smooth da Hustler and more. Yup, it’s about to get real hood up this b*tch! Check out the behind the scenes photos here.

Next week is Prodigy of Mobb Deep, shot about a week before his 3 ½ year prison sentence, so hit us up at 3 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 19th. In fact, we are also posting an exclusive interview with prodigy here tomorrow where he discuss his arrest and how he believes New York police tried to use him to set-up labelmate 50 Cent.

So visit us on MySpace, watch past episodes, rant in the Forums or check out some freestyles from other Wu Tang affiliates like Killah Priest or Prodigal Sunn, or fellow New York MCs Papoose, Joell Ortiz, Guru and Trife da God.

www.myspace.com/shyheimthemanchild

www.g4tv.com/freestyle101

http://www.myspace.com/messiaz

http://forums.g4tv.com/forum.jspa?forumID=107

http://www.myspace.com/g4freestyle101

http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/photo_gallery/552/Freestyle_101/index.html

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lSoK7lNPFKA

Romeo Brings Independence to Reality TV

World famous teen entertainer/athlete Romeo is in production on Romeo’s World: Welcome to the Good Life – a reality TV series with a positive message.

“Reality TV is just cameras following you around and if you own the cameras and the production company then you own the content so you are able to control the series,” said Romeo who is bringing independence to reality TV the same way his father Master P brought independence to hip-hop 15 years ago.

The show aims to give viewers a glimpse into Romeo’s busy life at school, on the court, and around the town. The series will follow Romeo from high school, to the prom, through graduation and into college as a student athlete.

Romeo’s World: Welcome to the Good Life emphasizes the importance of education, hard work, entrepreneurship, and a positive attitude as elements that contribute to Romeo’s healthy and successful lifestyle and serves as constructive programming for today’s youth.

“A lot of people get caught up with the hype and what other people want you to do,” said Romeo. “I always make sure I’m doing what I love doing and I think that goes a long way.”

Despite Romeo’s celebrity status, he is still a teenager that goes to a regular public high school, and is now on his way to becoming a top student athlete in his sport of choice, basketball. Ironically, some have questioned Romeo’s decision to attend college at USC in the fall.

“I decided to go to college because it’s probably the best thing someone can do to further their education, and it’s something important to me and my family,” said Romeo.

Networks across the nation are vying to be a part of this reality show due in part to the ongoing writers strike.  You can help Romeo pick a network for his series by participating in a poll on officialromeo.com and myspace.com/romeo and vote for the channel you’d like to see Romeo’s World airing on.

Viewers will also be invited to logon and watch a live streaming feed of Romeo’s World on Yahoo! and MySpace (exact webcast dates and times will be announced shortly.)

The production company responsible for the show is owned by Romeo himself and will be producing similar programming for other celebrities and star athletes.

Fans are invited to take a sneak peek at the new series, Romeo’s World: Welcome to the Good Life online at:

officialromeo.com/05EF3FFFF009B67CA0016000741D4/
myspace.com/romeo

OurStage and John Legend Present New Artist: Hip-Hop Duo Trouble City

Boston-based hip-hop duo Trouble City is the latest band to emerge from OurStage’s stable of talented, unsigned bands, earning them an afternoon of songwriting with R&B artist John Legend as part of the company’s ongoing “Artist Access” program.Trouble City won the “Channel Prize” for hip-hop in September 2007, receiving the highest rank in OurStage’s Hip Hop Channel, the sites most popular music genre. OurStage offered the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to Trouble City (a duo comprised of Lorenzo “Renzo The Kid” Marshall, Jr., 24 from Waterbury, CT and Patrick “Pat-G” Gouch, also 24 from Hartford, CT) to work with one of their favorite artists. The humble group with infectious beats and a heart-wrenching backstory met with Grammy-winning artist John Legend and received his feedback on their tracks. The video is available here: http://www.ourstage.com/profile/alyssajh7/posts/1

“Connecting a band like Trouble City with an artist as influential as John Legend is precisely what OurStage aims to offer all rising talent on the site,” said Ben Campbell, CEO of OurStage. “OurStage is the world’s premier marketplace for independent music where artists, fans, & industry professionals all come together to: discover, judge, rank, enjoy and buy the best new music, as well as offer cash, real gigs, and career-launching opportunities to high-ranking artists.”

As One of OurStage’s signature programs, “Artist Access” was created to provide valuable development opportunities for emerging artists. The program is part of the larger mission at OurStage to bridge the gap between artists, their potential audience, and the music industry’s talent seekers – a mission which also includes providing a neutral, trusted, game-free platform where fans can discover, share and vote on a wide array of content.

The Internet is opening up incredible opportunities for emerging artists,” explains Campbell. “At OurStage, we let the fans decide. Winning acts are offered prizes such as live performances at festivals like Bonnaroo, Virgin Music, Bumbershoot, Starbucks Music Makers, SXSW, CMJ, and more. With Artist Access, we are taking that support to the next level for winning acts like Trouble City, by providing access to established artists who know what it takes to break through.”

Artist Access Mentoring Program

Artist Access provides top-ranking OurStage artists with advice, mentoring and opportunities to work with well-known industry veterans. Musicians who have participated in the program since its launch in September 2007 include five-time Grammy winner John Legend, Devotchka, Tears for Fears, G. Love and Special Sauce, Ozomatli, and Soulive, as well as influential industry leaders like Scott Booker (manager of the Flaming Lips), Tim Palmer (Producer and Songwriter, who has mixed several tracks on U2’s All that You Can’t Leave Behind), Steve Rennie (Manager of Incubus), and Ted Jensen (chief mastering engineer at Sterling Sound, Grammy-award winner for mastering Norah Jones’ multi-platinum album, Come Away With Me).

Film and TV industry leaders have also been actively involved in mentoring OurStage artists and offering sage advice on how to break into the bigger Hollywood scene. Past mentors include Matt Dentler (SXSW), John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), David J. Burke (Law & Order: SVU), Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine), Marcos Siega (Dexter), Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden (Half Nelson), and Nick Goossen (Grandma’s Boy).

In addition to providing one-on-one sessions for top-ranked acts, Artist Access offers advice and tips for all aspiring artists who visit OurStage.com from artists interviewed by OurStage’s EJs (entertainment jockeys), which will appear regularly on OurStage at www.ourstage.com/artistaccess. Artists who have been interviewed on camera for OurStage include Blonde Redhead, Tapes and Tapes, Lupe Fiasco, Plain White Ts, Crystal Method, Kaki King, Rhyme Fest, Shout Out Out Out Out and many more. Future Artist Access Opportunities include mentor sessions with Arrested Development and opening performance slots with Kaki King.

About OurStage, Inc. (www.ourstage.com)

OurStage is the only purely democratic online competition where the fans decide who’s the best in emerging music, film and video. The OurStage mission is to help talented artists achieve critical exposure by solving the greatest challenge on the Internet today: sorting quality content from the sea of mediocrity online. OurStage provides a neutral, trusted, game-free platform, in which the true judgment of the fans drives the best content to the top. Through its wealth of partner programs, including Bonnaroo, Virgin Festival, Bumbershoot, Paste, CMJ, PLUG Awards, Pops on the Edge Fest, Slamdance, Relix, Gen Art, Noise Pop, Videomaker, IFFBoston, and many others, OurStage offers worthy artists real opportunities to actually launch their careers.

Young Director, Rock Jacobs, the talent behind Tiffany Evan’s hot new music video

ROCK JACOBS, aka, The Kid, is the talented director behind the new Tiffany Evans music video for her second single, I’m Grown, featuring Bow Wow, off her debut album. The video was filmed on the gritty streets of the Bronx, New York and plays on the theme of adolescent mischief and teen house parties.   The video is reminiscent of a hip house party from back in the day that only the cool kids attended.  The energy is high, the beat is hot and the party pulls you in.  The video does an excellent job of showcasing Tiffany’s dynamic dance moves as is highlighted through a dance battle that pits the boys against the girls.  The song speaks to every young females outcry, “I’m Grown” and the video does a good job of keeping the subject matter playful and cutting edge.  Interesting camera angles, and slow-mo shots that mimic a cinematic feel, turns a simple concept into a modern day video perfect for Ciara’s protégé, Tiffany, as she looks to establish herself as the next dynamic female artist on the scene.

 

The man behind the action, Rock Jacobs, typically draws his inspiration from art, places he has traveled and everyday life.  Inspiration fused with his creativity makes each of his videos unique and entertaining.  Rock offers a fresh perspective to the world of music videos and he’s getting quite the industry buzz.  One of his most popular videos to date is the controversial Ghost Ride it video, which featured Atlantic Recording Artist Mistah FAB car surfing the original Ghost Buster car through downtown LA.  At the young age of 25, he is making quite the name for himself and is becoming the “go to” guy for cool, cutting edge video concepts.

 Rock entered the game in 2003 and has already has worked with many of the industry’s top talent such as Nelly, 50 Cent, and Lil John to name a few.  A few of his videos have debuted as MTV’s Jam of the Week. When he is not busy making music video, Rock spends his time on his film pursuits as well as commercials. In 2004 he rocked the Festival circuit, winning awards in both the Boston and New Mexico film festivals for his short, An Internal Affair. He recently signed with Lanette Phillips Management, and is currently working closely with, industry legend Craig Fanning at Razor Factory.  Recognized within the industry as one of Hollywood’s youngest, brightest and most promising film directors, we can look out for big things from him in the future.  Contact info

www.rush-films.com

www.myspace.com/rushfilms

http://web.mac.com/firelightdp/RockJacobs/Home.html