(Washington Post) Nick Ashford, one-half of the legendary Motown songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson, has died at age 70. His longtime friend and former publicist Liz Rosenberg told The Associated Press that Ashford — who along with wife Valerie Simpson wrote some of Motown’s biggest hits — died Monday in a New York City hospital.
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Today is Saturday, February 04, 2012 11:37PM
Nick Ashford of Motown songwriting team Ashford & Simpson dies at age 70
August 22, 2011 by BBN Editors,
Prince Donates $1.5 Million in Line of Credit to NYC Arts and Education
February 08, 2011 by BBN Editor,
During a press conference yesterday at Madison Square Garden in New York City Prince donated $1. 5 million in lines of credit to three New York City organizations - the Uptown Dance Academy, the American Ballet Theatre and the Harlem Children’s Zone.
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The Prince We Will “Adore Until the End of Time”
January 23, 2011 by Sharon D. Toomer, BBN Managing Editor
The last concert that I experienced in 2010 was Prince’s “Welcome 2 America” tour on December 29th. The first concert in 2011 was Prince on January 18th.
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Farewell to our Dear Teena Marie – 1956 to 2010.
December 27, 2010 by BBN Editors,
(BBN Editors: We celebrate the life and legacy of our dear “Lady Tee” and thank her for honoring and sharing her God given gift as a writer and songstress. If you think you know all there is to know about Teena Marie, you might find a few surprises in the bio below we pulled from Jambase for you.
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Farewell and Thank You Our Dear Teddy Pendergrass.
January 14, 2010 by BBN Editors,
Teddy Pendergrass leaves behind a body of work that transcends generations. His strong, raspy voice and ballads of love and romance are listened and danced to by grandparents, parents and their children.
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(Video) Farewell to Mr. Levi Stubbs. We Thank You for Your Gifted Voice.
October 23, 2008 by bbn editors,
(BBC) Levi Stubbs, lead singer of legendary Motown band The Four Tops, has died at his home in Detroit, US, aged 72. The performer, who had suffered ill-health for several years, passed away in his sleep.
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To Be Invisible. Tribute to Curtis Mayfield & Interview with Todd Mayfield.
February 18, 2008 by sharon d toomer w/sean allison, writer-producer
For a span of nearly 40 years the legendary Curtis Mayfield produced a body of work that today is not only listened to in its original form, but covered and sampled by countless mainstream, pop and Hip-Hop artists. He is among the most profound contributors to music history that only few earn a right of claim.
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música electrónica de criolla
December 28, 2011 by bleugargoyle (View Source)
Trip-hop came together in the bohemian, multi-ethnic city of Bristol, where restlessly inventive DJs had spent years assembling samples of various sounds that were floating around: groove-heavy acid jazz, dub reggae, neo-psychodelia, techno disco music, and the brainy art rap. .
. . . More...
Sylvia Robinson, Pioneering Producer of Hip-Hop, Is Dead at 75
September 30, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) Sylvia Robinson, a singer, songwriter and record producer who formed the pioneering hip-hop group Sugarhill Gang and made the first commercially successful rap recording with them, died on Thursday in Edison, N. J. She was 75. . . More...
The Drawbacks Of Being Dark Skinned In The Music Industry
March 10, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(thebyf) “I kind of started off as a solo artist, and I was doing that for a very
long time. And you know, just coming up against obstacles; they was like,
you know, ‘you too black,’ or ‘you’re not marketable. ’ Whatever they came
up with in their minds to say that I wasn’t artist material, you know. I
just said I’m going to be a businesswoman, and I’m going to be like the
Missy Elliotts, and the R. Kellys, and the Keith Sweats. More...
Teena Marie dies at 54; R&B singer-songwriter
December 27, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(lat) Teena Marie, the singer-songwriter known for such funk-infused 1980s hits as "I Need Your Lovin'" and "Lovergirl," and one of the few white musicians to achieve renown on the R&B charts, has died. She was 54.
Marie was found dead at her Pasadena home Sunday, Pasadena Police Lt. Diego Torres said. Police and paramedics were called to her home about 3 p. More...
Jamaican reggae singer Gregory Isaacs dies at 59
October 25, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(msn) Gregory Isaacs, the Jamaican reggae singer whose smooth style earned him the nickname "Cool Ruler," has died at the age of 59.
Isaacs' manager, Copeland Forbes, said the singer died Monday at his London home. Isaacs had been diagnosed with lung cancer a year ago, but continued performing until weeks before his death.
His wife Linda said Isaacs was "well-loved by everyone, his fans and his family, and he worked really hard to make sure he delivered the music they loved and enjoyed. "
Born in a Kingston, Jamaica slum in 1951, Isaacs began recording in his teens, and went on to produce scores of albums. More...
NPR Interview: The Many Voices Of Lauryn Hill
July 02, 2010 by editor2 (View Source)
BBN recommends reading this interview of musician and artist Lauryn Hill, who explains why she stopped putting music out. . . . . More...
The Making of OutKast's Aquemini. Andre 3000, Big Boi and cast look back on a classic.
June 26, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(creativeloafing) By the time Aquemini was due to drop in the fall of 1998, no one knew what to expect from the-soon-to-be-iconic OutKast.
They'd gone from red clay players to extraterrestrials - down-to-earth to out-of-this-world - in the span of two albums. But if the contextual leap from their Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik debut to ATLiens was fueled by an Afrofuturistic flight of fancy (and, lest we forget, their feelings of alienation from hip-hop's East Coast vanguard), then Aquemini was OutKast's return mission home.
Not only were Antwon "Big Boi" Patton and Andre "3000" Benjamin eager to prove that they were still down, they wanted to lift the 'hood a little higher.
The resulting mix was earthy and ethereal - a perfect bridge between their artistic extremes. More...
In Maryland, George Clinton, Parliament-Funkadelic and a missing Mothership. This is a story about a UFO. Not just any UFO. The Mothership.
April 12, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(wapo) It might be the most awe-inspiring stage prop in the history of American music and it belonged to funk legends Parliament-Funkadelic. Since the Mothership vanished in Prince George's County in 1982, rumors of its whereabouts have mutated into local lore: It burned in a fire. It was disassembled. It was stolen. Scrapped. More...
Erykah Badu's 'Window Seat' Video Is Meant To 'Inspire,' Directors Say. 'She wanted to show expression.'
March 29, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(mtv) Erykah Badu's "Window Seat" video almost didn't end with the singer getting shot on the grassy knoll where JFK was assassinated. Several endings were tossed around, including one where a naked Badu turned the camera away from herself and onto her camera crew, who were also going to be nude.
The fatal ending was a group effort between Badu and the video's directors, Coodie and Chike of Creative Control.
"She's evolving," Coodie said. "So it's almost like you have to kill off the other person to do that. More...
Sade: A Reluctant Return to the Spotlight
February 10, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) WHEN a man from a radio station asked Sade what she had been doing in the 10 years between albums, she told him, “I’ve been in a cave, and I just rolled the boulder out of it. ”
She chuckled as she recounted the exchange, with her feet tucked up on the couch at her Georgian house in the north London neighborhood of Islington.
A January rain pelted the trees outside the window of the second-story drawing room, atop a graciously curving staircase. Sade, a slender figure in black pants and a black V-neck sweater, made things cozy, feeding kindling to a crackling fire in the hearth. An interview about her new album, “Soldier of Love” (Epic) — only her sixth studio album dating back to her 1984 debut, and due for release on Tuesday — stretched into a four-hour conversation. More...
Teddy Pendergrass Dies in Pennsylvania at 59.
January 13, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(abcnews) A relative says soul singer Teddy Pendergrass has died in suburban Philadelphia at age 59.
The singer's son, Teddy Pendergrass II, says his father died Wednesday at Bryn Mawr Hospital.
Pendergrass' son says his father underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had "a difficult recovery. ". . More...
Latin artist Mercedes Sosa dies. Argentine folk singer and activist Mercedes Sosa has died aged 74 after suffering kidney problems.
October 04, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(bbc) Argentine folk singer and activist Mercedes Sosa has died aged 74 after suffering kidney problems.
Sosa's popularity in Latin America spanned four decades, but she fell foul of the Argentine junta in the 1970s.
Her latest album has been nominated for three Latin Grammy awards, which are due to be announced in November.
Dubbed "the voice of the silent majority", Sosa was credited with championing the poor and fighting for political change.
Along with her first husband, Manuel Oscar Matus, she became a founding member of the mid-60s Nueva Cancion movement. More...
Jimi Hendrix murdered by manager, claims roadie
September 13, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(guardian) Jimi Hendrix was murdered by his manager, according to a new book by one of the guitarist's former roadies. James "Tappy" Wright has claimed that manager Michael Jeffrey confessed to making Hendrix swallow sleeping pills, because he hoped to collect on his client's life insurance policy.
Jeffrey feared being replaced with a new manager, Wright writes in his book Rock Roadie, and decided Hendrix was "worth more to him dead than alive". Jeffrey was allegedly the beneficiary oo the guitarist's $2m life insurance policy (worth around £1. 2m in 1970). More...
If you wondered why Beyonce and not Etta James sang “At Last” at the inaugural ball, you’re not alone. The legendary Ms. James wants to know too.
February 04, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(msnbc)
If you were wondering why Beyoncé and not Etta James was asked to serenade the president and first lady with "At Last" during their first dance at an inauguration ball on Jan. 20, you're not alone.
Etta, 71, whom Beyoncé went blonde to portray in last year's "Cadillac Records," is wondering the same thing, and she candidly expressed her displeasure during a concert stop in Seattle last week.
"You guys know your president, right?" she asked the crowd amid cheers (listen to it here. "You know the one with the big ears? Wait a minute, he ain't my president, he might be yours, he ain't my president. More...
Shakir Stewart, Def Jam Records Executive Vice President, Committed Suicide
November 02, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(enews) Shakir Stewart, the executive vice president of Def Jam Records died on Saturday. Stewart was the one who helped Jay-Z to be the head of the famous hip hop music label
and who signed artists like Rick Ross and Young Jeezy to the label before being named in June to the post once filled by Jay-Z. He used to discover new talents and develop them. He managed producers and was taking care of the label’s vision.
Def Jam Records is owned by Universal Music Group in the United States and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Music Group. More...
LeRoi Moore Saxophonist and Founding Member for Dave Matthews Band player dies.
August 20, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ap) Dave Matthews Band saxophone player LeRoi Moore, one of the group's founding members and a key part of its eclectic jazz-infused sound, died Tuesday from sudden complications stemming from injuries he sustained in an all-terrain vehicle accident in June. He was 46.
Moore died at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, according to a statement released on the band's Web site. The statement did not specify what led to his death.
Moore was initially hospitalized in late June after the accident on his farm outside Charlottesville, Va. More...
World's Best Cities and Festivals for Music Lovers
July 08, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(msn) World's Best Cities and Festivals for Music Lovers. . . . . More...
Bo Diddley, a Founding Father of Rock 'n' Roll, Dies at 79.
June 02, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ap) Bo Diddley, a founding father of rock 'n' roll whose distinctive "shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm and innovative guitar effects inspired legions of other musicians, died Monday after months of ill health. He was 79.
Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Fla. , spokeswoman Susan Clary said. He had suffered a heart attack in August, three months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa. More...
“Rapper Akon’s Con-Job Exposed.” Street Cred, well, not credible. Akon's invented tales appear to be part of a cynical marketing plan.
April 20, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(thesmokingun) Akon's ad nauseum claims about his criminal career and resulting prison time have been, to an overwhelming extent, exaggerated, embellished, or wholly fabricated, an investigation by The Smoking Gun has revealed. Police, court, and corrections records reveal that the entertainer has created a fictionalized backstory that serves as the narrative anchor for his recorded tales of isolation, violence, woe, and regret. Akon has overdubbed his biography with the kind of grit and menace that he apparently believes music consumers desire from their hip-hop stars.
While the performer's rap sheet does include a half-dozen arrests, Akon has only been convicted of one felony, for gun possession. That 1998 New Jersey case ended with a guilty plea, for which the singer was sentenced to three years probation. More...
Sean Levert , Singer and Son of Eddie Levert of the O'Jays, Dies in Jail at 39
March 31, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(btn) Legendary R&B singer Eddie Levert is mourning the loss of his son Sean who died of natural causes just before midnight last night. The 39-year-old was pronounced dead at the Lutheran Hospital after being rushed there from Cleveland's Cuyahoga County Jail. Levert was being held on charges that he didn’t pay $80,000 in child support.
Sean, a member of the 1980's R&B group Levert, was the younger brother of Gerald LeVert who died in November 2006, following an accidental drug overdose at the age of 40.
An autopsy on Sean’s body will be done this morning. More...
Erykah Badu returns to recording with 2-part release.
February 05, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(reuters)In her decade-plus career, R&B artist Erykah Badu hasn't been afraid to wait long periods between projects.
But now Badu is making up for lost time. Five years since her last release, the "Worldwide Underground" EP, she is putting the finishing touches on "Nu AmErykah," a double album to be released in separate installments.
The first disc, dubbed "4th World War," arrives February 26 via Universal Motown, while the second, as yet untitled installment is tentatively slated for the summer.
Badu isn't particularly concerned about whether the extended layoff may have affected her fan base. More...
Chad "Pimp C" Butler's Death Ruled Accidental. Combination of drugs caused death.
February 05, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ap) Influential Southern rapper Pimp C died of an accidental overdose of a combination of drugs he had named in his lyrics — codeine and promethazine, the county coroner's office ruled Monday.
The drugs are key ingredients in "syrup," a narcotic of choice in Southern rap circles that was most famously celebrated by Three 6 Mafia and Pimp C's group Underground Kingz in the 2000 single "Sippin' on some Syrup. "
The coroner's office said Pimp C had sleep apnea, which causes people to stop breathing for up to 30 seconds at a time while sleeping. That illness combined with large amounts of prescription-strength cough syrup is what killed the rapper, coroner's Capt. Ed Winter said. More...
ROBERT MOE'S CD
January 27, 2008 by ROBERT
HELLO LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. . .
MY NAME IS ROBERT MOE.
MY CD FOR 2007: ROBERT MOE - CALLING YOU
I AM NEW TO THIS WEBSITE, BUT I WANT TO PERSONALLY THANK MANY OF YOU WHO KNOEW OF MY MUSIC TO CONTINUE LISTENING TO MY MUSIC. More...
Shrinking Market Changing Face of Hip-Hop. Sales slid 21 percent from 2005 to 2006, and that trend seems to be continuing.
December 30, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) If you’re looking for a two-word motto for hip-hop in 2007, you could do worse than that: “Keep grinding. ” This was the year when the gleaming hip-hop machine — the one that minted a long string of big-name stars, from Snoop Dogg to OutKast — finally broke down, leaving rappers no alternative but to work harder, and for fewer rewards. Newcomers arrived with big singles and bigger hopes, only to fall off the charts after selling a few hundred thousand copies, if that. Hip-pop hybrids dominated the radio, but rappers themselves seemed like underground figures, for the first time in nearly two decades.
Sales are down all over, but hip-hop has been hit particularly hard. More...
"MERENGUE, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!" Is merengue an endangered species?
November 07, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) Look at the nominees for Best Merengue Album in the Latin Grammys and you can't help but notice: All five - Kinito Mendez, Juan Luis Guerra and Tono Rosario from the Dominican Republic, and Elvis Crespo and Limi-T 21 from Puerto Rico - have been stars for well over 15 years. And all arguably reached the pinnacle of their careers in the 1990s.
It's a clear indication of what anyone who listens to Spanish-language radio already knows: There's trouble in merengueland. Where are the young artists? Have reggaeton and bachata gobbled up the fan base so completely?
An upbeat but slightly frustrated Mendez addressed the decline of merengue as he made his way through New York on a tour through Dominican strongholds like Lawrence, Mass. , and the Bronx. More...
Soul Survivors: Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. True to the art of Funk.
October 31, 2007 by editor (View Source)
This editor has seen Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings perform. She and they are true, funk performers. Check them out when you get a chance. Funk lovers won't be disappointed.
(newsweek)
Apollo may have been the sun god, but the Harlem theater that bears his name is a temple of funk. More...
Nas Explains Controversial Album Title (“nigger”), 'We're taking power from the word'
October 19, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(mtv) Nas says you shouldn't believe anything you've heard about Def Jam putting the kibosh on his next studio album. In fact, he insists he hasn't come across any resistance from the label.
The name of the LP has changed slightly, though. He's going all the way there: It's now called Nigger, and it is set to hit stores December 11.
The MC said he's just two weeks from completing the LP and has done most of the work with his friend and constant collaborator, Salaam Remi. More...
Music industry’s biggest names are considering offering their music free online following success of the experiment by the band Radiohead.
October 09, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(telegraph) Some of the music industry’s biggest names are considering offering their music free online following the success of the experiment by the band Radiohead to let fans download their new album without charge.
The band’s website topped the chart of music websites with an 11-fold increase in internet hits after the announcement, according to internet monitoring agency HitWise.
Now Jamiroquai and Oasis, two major names that are not contracted to a record labels, are rumoured to be considering following Radiohead by offering work for free, according to industry sources.
Radiohead refuse to reveal how many fans have pre-ordered their seventh album, In Rainbows, but figures from HitWise show the move pushed the site up from number 43 to the top slot for music websites in the UK.
While CD sales are falling dramatically, download sales have grown from zero in 2003, to 26. More...
Producer Sues 50 Cent, Lil Kim Over "Magic Stick"
September 17, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(allhiphop) Rapper 50 Cent and Lil' Kim have been with a $2 million lawsuit by producer Carlos "Phantom of the Beats" Evans, who claims he was never paid royalties for producing the hit single "Magic Stick. "
The lawsuit was filed yesterday (September 11) in Manhattan State Supreme Court by Carols Evans, who claims he signed an agreement to produce and mix "Magic Stick," featured on Lil Kim's 2003 album La Bella Mafia.
Evans claims he was paid $7,500 for his production work on the single, which hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over two million copies.
He hasn't seen any royalties since the album's release in 2003.
"It was one of the hottest tracks on that album, and I didn't collect my royalties," Evans told the Associated Press. More...
Janet Jackson’s 2004 Super Bowl striptease back on center stage. Court to determine 'intent' of wardrobe malfunction.
September 11, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(AP)A federal appeals court on Tuesday will consider whether a notorious "wardrobe malfunction" that bared singer Janet Jackson's breast during a televised 2004 Super Bowl halftime show was indecent, or merely a fleeting and accidental glitch that shouldn't be punished.
The case is the second recent test of the federal government's powers to regulate broadcast indecency. Last June, a federal appeals court in New York invalidated the government's policy on fleeting profanities uttered over the airwaves.
The 3rd U. S. More...
