celebrities
Music celebrities in the growing entertainment industry.
#OverloadMondays: New Releases from DJ Khaled, the OVO Clan, Diddy and more.
Before I start, I of course have to address the loss in Hip Hop we had to face this week. Prodigy of Mobb Deep passed away at 42 last Tuesday. The news came suddenly and was just overly shocking. I remember first hearing Mobb Deep, I was maybe 7 or 8, and I was just obsessed with the sound of it. Obviously, it took me some time to catch up to the content but I got it eventually. Their music takes you somewhere. A legend himself, the man was the voice of Hip Hop. The gritty sound Mobb Deep, of Prodigy himself, embodied New York. And he was just 42… damn. Now having to keep up with the current music, I haven’t played my throwback playlist in quite some time. I can’t recall last time I heard a bar from Prodigy. Salute to a real G.
By Sadé Sanchez9 years ago in Beat
German Country Singer Gunter Gabriel is Dead!
Germany's Johnny Cash is dead. As a pioneer of the German country music scene, singing in German and therefore connecting directly to the blue collar masses, country music and especially trucker-song-singer Gunter Gabriel passed away on Thursday, June 22nd. He died from complications from an earlier fall down a set of stairs, on the eve of his 75th birthday.
By A. Michael Uhlmann9 years ago in Beat
Prince: Purple Rain (Deluxe Expanded Edition)
In 1984, Prince became a household name when his popularity soared into the stratosphere upon the release of his film debut and its accompanying soundtrack, Purple Rain. Eventually selling over 25 million copies to date, Prince’s sixth studio album concurrently served as a full-length release of new material as well as underscored his dramatic first appearance upon the silver screen.
By Eric Allen9 years ago in Beat
Must Listen: Jay-Z Greatest Songs
"... First I snatched the streets then I snatched the charts/First I had they ear, now I have they heart..." These lines could summarize Jay-Z's career but it hardly covers everything that Jay-Z has accomplished. Jay-Z made history one more time when he became the first hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Former President Barrack Obama made a tribute towards the other inductees but made a special shootout to the hip-hop mogul. Jay-Z has accomplished so much from MC of Marcy Projects to business mogul and philanthropist and music legend.
By J.R. Gonzalez9 years ago in Beat
Review of Rob Sheffield's Dreaming The Beatles: 7 of X
Been a bit since I posted a review of Rob Sheffield's Dreaming the Beatles, mostly because this is not a book to be rush-read or even normally read (whatever pace that might be), but savored, and also because I've been writing some science fiction, and there's also the lure of the cool water and soft beach of Cape Cod Bay. But I wanted to record a few words about Sheffield's chapter on "Ticket to Ride", about as rich and satisfying an extended analysis you can find of a Beatles or any worthy song.
By Paul Levinson9 years ago in Beat
Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Country Artists Of All Time - Do You Agree?
Greatest Artist compilation lists had, have and will always stir up controversy. Nothing is as sacred as your own favorite singer and when he/she doesn't make the list or is ranked in the nose-bleed section, fans feel betrayed. Part of it has to do with a social feeling of suddenly being marginalized by listening to an artist that did not make the A-List. Such compilations also always come up with omissions or inclusions that shouldn't be listed. And the new list by music publication Rolling Stone magazine listing the "100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time" does exactly what I just tried to explain.
By A. Michael Uhlmann9 years ago in Beat
Pop Punk Bands that Adapted to Modern Music
It used to be simple for pop rockers, all it took was a few guys with a loud distorted guitar, a smooth riffing base, and some bumping drums. As time goes on and music progresses, making music is no longer as easy. Modern popular music is all based off of electronic beats, synthesizers, and mixing boards to modify music in any insane and intense form that one pleases. As the electronic dance music, or EDM as it is popularly referred to, and "trap" music industry has taken over music, it leaves bands in a sticky situation. Pop singers easily adapted to this change because most of their music was produced for them as they only needed to write the songs and sing them, but this is not the case for bands.
By Corey Gittleman9 years ago in Beat
Tupac, The Man He Was and Always Will Be
Lesane Parish Crooks. Tupac Amaru Shakur. 2Pac. Makaveli. What can I say. A legend of Hip Hop that was taken from us far too soon. The California-raised-Harlem-native made such a huge and everlasting impact. Pac died after being gunned down in a drive-by shooting, and now it’s 21 years later. 21 years. It’s unimaginable that a whole person could be born, grown up - now legal to drink - and they might not know who Tupac is. His legacy is set in stone, and forever it will remain.
By Sadé Sanchez9 years ago in Beat
