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MJ News in review for
3 Apr 08
again today.. its just about [URL="http://blog.messenger.yahoo.com/images/emoticon_shh.jpg"]
Rhymefest - Rhyme &
Posted: 4/3/2008 8:48:45 AM by Serge Fleury
In life, some things are certain; two of the most notable ones are death and taxes. Other things aren’t always that inevitable, but they are always entertaining to watch, or be a part of especially when it includes a patented tirade by everyone’s favorite rapper—Mr. Kanye West. You don’t have to be a Hip-Hop connoisseur to know his history about not taking losing lightly, but when he does win, he makes sure everybody in the universe knows about it.![]()
During his first glory run, his debut album College Dropout won a Grammy for best rap album of the year, and for best song in “Jesus Walks.” But as Kanye was proclaiming his greatest for his multiple wins and complaining about how The Source Magazine gave his ‘master piece’ a 4.5 mic rating instead of the coveted 5 mics, the co-writer to “Jesus Walks” had more of a behind the scenes type of celebration about the Grammy he won for contributing to one of the best Hip-Hop songs of all time.
Rhymefest, born Che Smith (named after the Argentinean Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara) co-wrote the hook along with the first verse, and then added a third verse which didn’t make the album, but that version appeared on his A Star Is Born Mixtape.
In 2006, his Blue Collar album was released, and its content mirrored the blue collared professional he truly is: Before music, he was reduced to working low-paying jobs like being a janitor at a university while his wife attended school at Purdue University.
His album was widely accepted by Hip-Hop fans, and even with heavyweight producers such as Mark Ronson, Kanye West, No I.D., and Cool & Dre behind the boards, it didn’t receive the notoriety it should’ve. But in true fashion, he returned to his blue-collar work ethic and released The Man In The Mirror Mixtape (an ode to Michael Jackson). [Download the mixtape]
http://www.sixshot.com/interviews/10694/
Dance Competitions Rev Up Reality TV
New Shows Reach Out to Younger Demos
By SHEILA MARIKAR
April 3, 2008
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It's why "Fame" remains a pop culture point of reference 28 years after it left theaters. It's why you stop and stare when a street performer starts doing head-spins on a concrete sidewalk. It's why ridiculous crazes like the Macarena catch on.
(Bravo Photo/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc./ABC)![]()
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People love to dance. Or more accurately, people love to watch people who love to dance.
That may explain the recent boom of TV dancing competitions. Sure, ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" has been cha-cha-ing strong for six seasons, and Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" kicks off its fourth go-around in May.
But a new crop of shows -- the hip-hop driven "America's Best Dance Crew," which last week wrapped its first season on MTV, and pro-competition "Step It Up & Dance," premiering tonight on Bravo -- is reviving the genre of reality TV and scoring younger fans.
I've always loved dance and I felt like nothing really spoke to the youth of America," said Randy Jackson. The "American Idol" judge created "America's Next Best Dance Crew," the first dance competition to put groups head-to-head rather than individual performers.
"Every time they're in a club, they see people dancing," Jackson said. "Every time they see a video, every time they see a commercial, they see people dancing. But there was nothing that spoke to that group.
"This show ... it harkens back to the Michael Jackson video of him getting out of the sewer with his crew, getting ready to battle another crew. It harkens back to 'West Side Story,'" he said. "The passion of these dancers, it just shines through and shows on the screen."
It's true -- far from coiffed "America's Next Top Model" contestants or nervous "American Idol" hopefuls, the kids on "America's Best Dance Crew" pop-and-locked their hearts out and looked as if they were having a good time.
Viewers responded -- the show's season finale drew 7.9 million viewers. More than 38 million votes were cast -- a record number for a single event on a cable reality series -- to crown San Diego masked marvels JabbaWockeeZ the winners of the show, which brought them a $100,000 prize.
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=4577153&page=1
more mentionings....
The Farr Side: Carey that weight: Make way, Fab Four
[SIZE=-1]Sturgis Journal, MI - 2 hours ago[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Michael Jackson has earned 13 solo No. 1's, and four more if you throw in his chart-toppers with the Jackson 5. Madonna has 12, Whitney Houston has 11, ...[/SIZE]
HAMMER HITS THE COAST
[SIZE=-1]San Luis Obispo Tribune, CA - 41 minutes ago[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Eventually, Smith, who had once planned on becoming a math teacher, became a session player, performing on songs recorded by stars such as Michael Jackson ...[/SIZE]
Day 119 What the media don't show about Michael Jackson the business man –
News Brief
Rob Kaplan Named SVP/Global Marketing At Sony/ATV Music
Wednesday, Apr 2, 2008 5:00 AM ET
THE FORMER MCGARRY BOWEN MUSIC exec will report to Martin N. Bandier, chairman and CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
Kaplan will be responsible for overseeing the promotion and exploitation of Sony/ATV's songs around the world in advertising, merchandising, and in strategic alliances with digital and terrestrial corporate partners.
His team will work alongside the publisher's film and TV departments worldwide to capitalize on opportunities opening up in all delivery formats. The structure of the U.S. Film and TV department under head Ron Broitman remains independent of the Global Marketing division, with Kaplan and Broitman working closely together on cross-divisional initiatives.
Kaplan was previously the director of music production at McGarry Bowen, New York. There, Rob and his team oversaw all original music production, music supervision, music licensing, radio production and music branding initiatives for the agency's work. --Nina M. Lentini
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=79719
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