KANYE, CHRIS BROWN,RIHANNA HIT ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL JULY 4TH!!

The 14^th annual Essence Music Festival presented by Coca-Cola will celebrate another momentous year in New Orleans this July 4, 5 and 6 with the biggest names in entertainment and the nation’s most influential speakers, artists, authors and leaders. The Essence Music Festival is the nation’s largest annual gathering of African-American music and culture; featuring an unprecedented three days of cultural celebrations and empowerment seminars and three nights of performances by some of today’s greatest African-American artists.

 

Performing on the mainstage at the Louisiana Superdome: Kanye West; Mary J. Blige; Chris Brown; Rihanna; Chris Rock; Keyshia Cole; Jill Scott; Maze featuring Frankie Beverly; Morris Day & The Time; LL Cool J; J. Holiday; Musiq; plus, a star-studded celebration of living legend Patti LaBelle featuring original LaBelle members Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx; Angie Stone; Ledisi; Chrisette Michele; Ruby Amanfu; and more!

 

It was more than 30 years ago in New Orleans, when Patti Labelle, Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx, recorded their famous hit, “Lady Marmalade”, produced by legendary musician Allan Touissant. The trio are set to record a new CD this fall and the Essence Music Festival will be their first performance together before they go on tour in September.

 

Running concurrently with the mainstage performances in the Superdome’s four Superlounges are shows by some of today’s rising stars, living legends and New Orleans hometown favorites: Bamboula 2000; Big Sam’s Funky Nation and the New Orleans Funk Soul Explosion; Terence Blanchard; Peabo Bryson; Mint Condition; Cupid; Raheem Devaughn; Estelle; Grandmaster Flash; Gil Scott-Heron; Lyfe Jennings; Karina; Kermit Ruffin’s Tribute to Louis Armstrong; Ledisi; Irma Thomas and the Professionals; Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra; Chrisette Michelle; Nicholas Payton Quintet; Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s Gospel Revival; Purple Disrespect; Rebirth Brass Band; Christian Scott; Solange; Angie Stone and Marva Wright.

 

“The Essence Music Festival is truly the ultimate party weekend this Fourth of July; celebrating Black culture with an unparalleled combination of music, arts, and empowerment,” says Michelle Ebanks, President, Essence Communications Inc.

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“We have an extraordinary line-up of A-List talent in the Louisiana Superdome and the daytime Essence Empowerment Seminars are covering the issues impacting our community with critical examination, motivation and inspiration.” 

 

The 2008 Essence Empowerment Seminars will host three full days of free and open-to-the-public socio-political dialogue, spiritual inspiration and motivation led by dynamic speakers at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The Essence Empowerment Seminars will kick off Friday, July 4^th, with a celebration of the multi-talented film director, playwright, actor, and New Orleans native, Tyler Perry. This year, ESSENCE has partnered with CNN, the world’s leading news source, for a special presentation themed “Reclaiming the Dream”, led by CNN correspondents Roland S. Martin and Soledad O’Brien. The Seminars will close out Sunday, July 6^th, with an afternoon of praise and worship featuring spiritual leaders Dr. Juanita Bynum, Bishop Paul S. Morton and Co-Pastor Debra Morton, Tye Tribbett, Regina Belle and more!

 

In addition to the Essence Empowerment Seminars, the Festival’s daytime offerings also include the Essence Marketplace, a showcase of quality fine arts & crafts by African-American vendors from all over the world. The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center will also feature interactive sponsor presentations, celebrity meet-and-greets, Festival souvenirs and a book fair with author book signings.

 

Tickets for the evening concerts are on sale immediately at ticketmaster.com or (800) 488-5252.  To find performance dates for your favorite artists, hotel accommodations, ticket prices, weekly promotions and volunteer opportunities for the 2008 Essence Music Festival log on to www.essence.com/emf.

 

Sponsors of the 2008 Essence Music Festival include presenting sponsor, Coca-Cola; major sponsors Chevrolet, CoverGirl Queen Collection, McDonald’s, Pantene, U.S. Army, and Wal-Mart; and official sponsors Budweiser, My Black is Beautiful, Southwest Airlines, TBS, TVOne, Vaseline and VH1 Soul.

 

The Essence Music Festival started in 1995 as a one-time event to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of ESSENCE magazine. Now the Festival has been heralded as one of the country’s “Top 10 Leading Brand Events” in 2007 by Advertising Age; highlighted prominently among well-known consumer events such as NASCAR and Spring Break. The Essence Music Festival has featured a host of legendary performers over the years, including Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Beyoncè, Chaka Khan, Chris Brown, Destiny’s Child, Earth, Wind & Fire, Gladys Knight, LL Cool J, Jamie Foxx, John Legend, Kanye West, The Isley Brothers, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, Mary J. Blige, The O’Jays, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Toni Braxton, Patti LaBelle and Yolanda Adams, to name a few.

 

The 2008 Essence Music Festival is executive produced by Essence Festivals LLC and produced by Rehage Entertainment. Essence Festivals LLC is a division of Essence Communications Inc. (ECI).

Reggae’s Top Artist featured on Snow Cone CD – Instores Aug. 19th

Beenie Man, Mr. Vegas, Junior Reid, Lady Saw, Nadine Sutherland, Kevin Lyttle, Spragga Benz, Wayne Wonder, Bounty Killer, Hollowpoint, Kat DeLuna and more featured on hit producer, Snow Cone’s compilation album, Reggae Dancehall Nature instores August 19th.

Snow Cone Rohan “Snow Cone” Fuller knew as a child that he wanted a career in music. Born and raised in the Crescent Road, Kingston 13 community of Jamaica, he was exposed to an eclectic mix of music; but Dancehall, with its pulsating raw energy, was what drew him in. With over a decade of recording experience under his belt, Snow Cone has transcended the ranks of aspiring artist and businessman to become one of the most sought after producers in the game. A highlight of Snow Cone’s career was receiving an ASCAP Award for Sean Paul’s hit single “Tempature” (off the The Trinity album) the most performed song for 2006 which reached the top of the R&B and rap music charts.  The Trinity garnered a Billboard Award as the “Top Selling Reggae Album of the Year” for 2005 and its single “Temperature” earned the 2006 Billboard award for “Hot 100 Single of the  Year.   After phenomenal success with several riddim compilations, Snow Cone is back with his self-produced full-length album Reggae Dancehall Nature. Boasting appearances from today’s chart-topping Dancehall and Pop artists including Beenie Man, Mr. Vegas, Junior Reid, Lady Saw, Nadine Sutherland, Kevin Lyttle, Spragga Benz, Wayne Wonder, Bounty Killer, Hollowpoint, Kat DeLuna and more. The compilation album will be released on August 19, 2008 through New York-based Phase One Communications with distribution through EMI.   After beginning his career as a warm-up act on Lees Unlimited, the young deejay moved to New York with his family at the age of fifteen. At the time, artist like Shabba, Patra, and Shaggy were huge hit-makers introducing Dancehall and Jamaican culture to U.S. audiences.  Snow Cone became an MC/Selector for popular New York sound GT High Power, where he met legendary Jamaican producer Jack Scorpio and Salaam Remi (Amy Winehouse, Fugees, NAS). Remi took a liking to the determined youth, and hired Snow Cone to be Mega Banton’s and Ricky General’s Road Manager.   When not on the road, Snow Cone also began spending time in the studio, learning from Salaam and getting more involved with audio engineering and production. The renowned artists who frequented the studio – Beenie Man, Bounty Killa, Sean Paul, Elephant Man, and Red Rat, just to name a few – started encouraging Snow Cone to go back to Jamaica to establish his sound. Armed with the knowledge of the years in Salaam’s studio, he returned to Jamaica, excited about the possibilities of starting his own production company, but not just as a sound bwoy, but as a song writer.  He scored his first hit with rhythm compilation Rice & Peas, writing and producing several tracks.   Over the next few years, Snow Cone continued to build his impressive resume and reputation, writing and producing for such artists as Bounty Killa, Spragga Benz, Elephant Man, Wyclef Jean, and Wayne Wonder. His production and songwriting style of making catchy but profound songs soon caught on and he was sought out to write and produce for some of the leading DJs.   In 2001, Snow Cone established Jah Snow Cone Entertainment. The company, focused on developing young talent within the Urban and Pop genres, boasting an impressive roster of up and coming artists, including Bridgez, Delicious aka Wifey, Scabanga aka Mr. Pang, The Beat Bangers and Izes. He released several rhythm projects, including Rice & Peas (2001), Earth Wind & Flame (2002), Pen and Paper (2002), The Beach (2002), Applause (2004/2005) and Cheerful (2007).   After scoring the #1 song in Jamaica, Shane O’s “Lightning Flash” off of Applause, Atlantic Records artist Sean Paul’s camp picked up on the buzz and contacted Snow Cone. Soon after, Sean recorded a song with Snow Cone that would be used on his upcoming album, The Trinity (2005). The result of their collaboration was the song “Temperature,” which was chosen as the album’s second single. Sean’s ability to ride a rhythm and talent as a songwriter, along with Snow Cone’s pulsating production and a slick video, gave Snow Cone his first cross-over hit.   Snow Cone is now recognized as an international producer, and he has had his hand in several major projects. His new album Reggae Dancehall Nature takes his stunning work on previous riddim albums a step further for 2008. Snow Cone’s polished production shines with a stellar line up of stars.  Although each brings a different sound to the compilation, its consistency makes it difficult for Snow Cone to pick favorites.  “Most of the songs inspire feelings of peace, love and unity.  We’re living in turbulent times and that’s one of the things I was striving for with Reggae Dancehall Nature,” explains Snow Cone.   ”Glory’ by Spragga [Benz] and ‘JahJah Is My Light’ by Nadine Sutherland stand out to me, because these are two spiritual songs produced through rough times, and they offered me spiritual upliftment,” he offers. “I also enjoy “You’re My Baby” by Kat DeLuna and Hollowpoint, because of the merger between Dancehall and R&B on the track.”   When Snow Cone partnered with New York-based Phase One Communications for the album, the relationship was a natural fit.  “Snow Cone is an outstanding producer who has a keen ear for commercial hooks and melodies,” asserts Steve Oaklander of Phase One. “He has written and produced hit records, and can easily do so again.  We are hoping to give him a home where he can bring us new music by well-known artists from the Dancehall genre, and possibly develop some new artists who can have an impact both in Dancehall and the clubs with potential for crossover to the mainstream.”   “Today’s scene is missing Snow Cone’s prodigious talents,” continues Steve. “There are other albums of this sort coming out all the time from other labels, producers and artists, but I am particularly excited about the opportunity to expose Snow Cone to fans, and to bring new music from important Jamaican artists to the U.S. market.”   Snow Cone agrees, and exudes positivity about what the future holds for Reggae Dancehall Nature. “I think that it is the beginning of more good things to come. This album took about six months to record. Every studio moment was just as memorable as the one before, and there are so many memories that will carry on. I am a creative producer who loves his music, and I want to give fans a depiction of how I experience Reggae music and the beauty and joy that it holds.”   www.myspace.com/jahsnowcone

PLIES ANNOUNCES NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

Big Gates/Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic recording artist Plies has announced details of his very own non-profit organization, Big Gates and Plies Power Of Visions Foundation, Inc., as well as a scholarship program, the “Somebody Loves You” Scholarship Fund.  This all comes as the Ft. Myers, Florida-bred rapper continues to ride the wave of success proven by his sophomore release, “DEFINITION OF REAL,” which debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200, selling 215,000 copies in its first week.  In fact, the album’s first week sales gave Plies the highest selling first-week numbers in the history of Miami-based Slip-N-Slide Records.

Keeping in the tradition of Plies’ philanthropy, Big Gates and Plies Power Of Visions will provide funding for legal representation and aid to needy individuals, specifically those who are incarcerated, with the goal of promoting a more functional, productive, and just community.  The organization will also provide educational forums, classes, workshops, trainings, opportunities, and other charitable activities aimed at individuals in the community, in particular focusing on rehabilitation.

In addition, Big Gates and Plies Power Of Visions will focus on promoting activities for youth and minorities, including education, mentorship, cultural experiences, and preventative measures aimed at combating incarceration in the Tampa and Ft. Myers, Florida areas.

The organization’s first effort will be the “Somebody Loves You” Scholarship Fund 2008 (named after the song “Somebody (Loves You) “from his current album), which is designed specifically for students attending an accredited college or university, who have a parent(s) that is presently incarcerated and who is financially disadvantaged.  The scholarship is open to students who are currently enrolled or who will be entering school this fall.  Two scholarships will be awarded to one male and one female in the amount of $5000 each.

According to a published Senate report in September of 2000, as many as 70 percent of children of incarcerated parents will become involved with the criminal justice system unless effective intervention strategies are set in place.  Big Gates and Plies Power Of Visions, Inc. hopes to inspire and encourage these at-risk youth to break the cycle of incarceration.  Co-founder Plies comments, “We want to provide those who have been and continue to be affected by the negative impacts of the prison system with a sense of hope, and to let them know that they are not forgotten.  No matter what adversities one may face in life, one thing remains true – and that is that somebody loves you.”

For more information on the organization and scholarship, as well as scholarship application details, visit www.pliesworld.com/somebodylovesyou.

In other Plies news, “Bust It Baby Part 2 (Feat. Ne-Yo),” the first single from “DEFINITION OF REAL,” continues to be another massive hip-hop hit for Plies.  The track is ranked at #2 at Urban outlets nationwide this week.  What’s more, “Bust It Baby Part 2” is turning out to be a pop mainstream summer sensation, coming in this week at #3 on Billboard’s “Hot 100 Airplay” ranking, as well as #8 on the overall “Hot 100.”

“Bust It Baby Part 2” is also continuing Plies’ incredible run of blockbuster ringtones.  The single is currently #3 on Nielsen Ringscan’s “Top 200 Mastertones” ranking.

Plies recently shot the music video for his next single, “Please Excuse My Hands (Feat. Jamie Foxx and The-Dream),” which is slated to hit video outlets nationwide early next month.

For up-to-the-minute news and information, visit www.pliesworld.com, www.myspace.com/plies, and www.imeem.com/plies.

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It’s All About The YOOOOOUTH: An Educator’s Perspective on the Pursuit To Diss Souljah Boy

By Tony Muhammad

Hiphopeducator19@gmail.com

www.myspace.com/tonymuhammad

 

Even before Souljah Boy broke into the mainstream over a year ago with the song Crank Dat Souljah Boy along with the dance that came with it he has been both a cultural icon for young people and a subject of ridicule for many traditionalist Hip Hoppers.  What’s changed in the past few months is that veteran limelight artists such as Snoop Dog are now going out of their way to publicly diss the 17 year old.  Newer underground artists such as Naledge of Kidz in the Hall have joined the carnival by jumping on top of speakers at their concerts and frequently chanting “F**K SOULJAH BOY!” (I personally witnessed Naledge doing this at a recent concert at Club Cinema in Fort Lauderdale).  As I’ve been sitting back and watching these displays I’ve been asking myself questions “Is all of this really necessary?  Why are they giving so much negative attention to this 17 year old kid?”

 

Then came perhaps the most extreme case; the Ice T mixtape recording in which he blames Souljah Boy for “single handedly killing Hip Hop” and telling him that he should go “eat a d**k.”  The 50 year old pioneer claims that he did not intend for the recording to be heard publicly.  After Souljah Boy dissed the Hip Hop pioneer through Youtube, Ice T apologized through the same means.  However, in reviewing how the “apology” was delivered, in my own assessment it was practically like saying no apology at all.  Besides Ice T saying that he still thinks Souljah Boy’s music is “garbage,” Ice T’s son appears at the end and says that he thinks Souljah Boy should go “eat a d**k.”  In great disappointment, I ask the question “Is Ice T really showing and proving that he is a responsible elder in this culture we know as Hip Hop?”  At the same time I question how mature of an elder a man could be when he continues to try to (at least in image) re-live his childhood dream of being a pimp.

 

As an educator who grew up in the Golden Era of Hip Hop, I have my personal sentiments about Souljah Boy’s music, particularly the song Crank Dat Souljah Boy in which the immature yet misogynistic phrases “Superman that H*” and “Super Soak that H*” are chanted.  When the song was being pumped heavily on the air waves at all hours last year, I maintained a very negative stance towards it knowing that little children were listening.  I even called the FCC complaining about it.  However, when school started in late August, I was confronted with another reality … MY STUDENTS LOVED IT!  They especially loved Souljah Boy when he made a special guest performance a month later at a football pep rally at my school.  Over half the students were on the gym floor hopping side to side to the hollow beat.  I didn’t blame the students for jamming to the song; I blamed the adults that were in charge for allowing the song to be sung.  Behind closed doors, I confronted those in authority over the issue.

 

When I close my classroom door after the bell rings each and every class, I am very protective of what enters my students’ eyes, ears and minds.  Unlike other teachers who are much looser, I don’t allow them to listen to their ipods or PSP’s while they are working.  However, I frequently engage them in questioning their likes, dislikes and world view in general.  One day I was reviewing some reading material in my American History classes.  When it was time for new students to read, I called on them by yelling “YOOOOU!!!” just like how it’s chanted in the song Crank Dat Souljah Boy.  Needless to say, my students were enjoying the experience.  After we read and discussed the material, I asked my students “You guys really like that song, hugh?”  Most of them said that they did.  I smiled in response and rhetorically asked “Yeah, it’s pretty catchy isn’t it?”  I followed by asking “But is it responsible?”  … “Do you think an elementary school student should be listening to the message ‘Superman that H*?’”  Without judging them and just simply questioning them in what they believe to be right and wrong I achieved greater results in those few minutes than in years prior in which I constantly criticized their music.  I had learned through hard trials that in order to get my students to listen to me I can not first destroy what they love.

 

Later on in the school year, when I covered the history of Hip Hop (which, by the way, they absolutely enjoyed and demanded more as we went further and further into it) I discussed with them the reasons why major record labels sign artists such as Souljah Boy, who owns these labels, what they are actually trying to sell and why practically the same set of songs are played on urban radio no matter where you go.  To simply jump on a speaker at your concert and scream “F**K SOULJAH BOY!” to a group of white suburban “back packers” or broadcasting yourself on Youtube with messages about why you think an artist’s music is garbage is not addressing the real problems surrounding Hip Hop music and Hip Hop culture today.  You are certainly not affecting the most critical audiences that would most ensure Hip Hop’s longevity.  If conscientious artists truly wanted to change the current state of Hip Hop and youth culture, they would need to devote more energy towards collaborating on community projects that transcend music, speaking to students at schools and community centers and creating alternative marketing and distribution outlets for their products.  In these endeavors young people should be included on an entrepreneurial-internship type level as Hip Hoppers such as Wise Intelligent is doing with his Intelligent Kids mentoring program and Dr. Roxanne Shante is doing in New York with an ice cream shop in Queens, New York.

 

One last thing, let us be mindful that Souljah Boy himself is just 17 years old and in definite need of mentoring, just like thousands of other youth who aspire to become artists.  Instead of putting up barriers between themselves and what they believe is not “Real Hip Hop,” it would make more sense for veteran artists to work and serve as advisers to young artists such as Soldier Boy with the goal of steering them on a better path.  This makes complete sense if your mission is to authentically improve the state of the music and the culture since it is young artists such as Souljah Boy who have the attention of the youth.  Souljah Boy by himself is not the reason why Hip Hop is in such a low state.  A huge part of the reason why things are the way that they are is because the older generations complain too much about the way things ought to be, yet they do nothing about it.