n an exclusive interview with DatzHott, Transgender author Toni Newman known for her book, "I Rise" where as a memoir, she gave details about her sexual encounters as a street prostitute who once...
Brooklyn emcee Maino is taking his talents and hitting the stage but it's not one he is known for. The "That Could Be Us" rapper is set to star in the upcoming hip-hop musical Freedom. The play is...
What is it like being the Hottest MC in the game? Sway found out during his live broadcast at SXSW with Compton's own, Kendrick Lamar. Along with the release of his new remix, B**ch Don't Kill My...
Netflix has struck a multiyear licensing deal with Flavor Unit Entertainment, the production company owned by Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere.
The agreement, which begins in spring 2013, will give Netflix a first opportunity to stream movies from the Flavor Unit collection after they are released in theaters. Flavor Unit is behind the upcoming Terrence Howard thriller House of Bodies and the crime title Percentage, among others. "Shakim and I are thrilled to do business with Netflix," Latifah said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "Netflix is such a strong brand and the perfect place to showcase our projects."
The company has produced the Latifah titles such as Bringing Down the House as well as Beauty Shop and the Lifetime original movie Steel Magnolias, which generated 6.5 million viewers in October.
"We are delighted to work with Queen Latifah to be the exclusive destination for what are sure to be relevant, entertaining movies," said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer of Netflix, in a statement. "Queen Latifah has a long track record of creating hits, and Flavor Unit Entertainment is a fresh and exciting voice in the industry."
Netflix has been on a content-buying binge in recent years, singing up studio libraries as well as new releases. The service also has launched an aggressive push into original series, with its first home-grown effort, House of Cards, debuting on Feb.1 to strong reviews.
The homies over at @BlackTreeTV got their hands on some rare, unseen footage on Tupac. 2 Pac talks about controlling the world in which he lived, community building and much more.
Rasha Entertainment sat down with Maino while he was in Atlanta promoting his forthcoming album, "The Day After Tomorrow". Maino discussed fatherhood, his new album as well as the value of friendship and why his friendship with Atlanta's native T.I. is bigger than rap.
Whitney Houston will soon make her triumphant return to the big screen after 15 years in "Sparkle," and only Access Hollywood's Shaun Robinson was on the movie's set in Detroit to talk with the global superstar about her movie comeback.
"I feel honored; I feel humbled that I am able to still do what I do and it just is fun, actually," Whitney told Shaun -- in an exclusive interview, which will air on Monday and Tuesday on Access -- of her return to the screen.
PLAY IT NOW: Access Hollywood Exclusive Preview: Whitney Houston Returns To The Big Screen With 'Sparkle!'
"I think everybody's going to love this film. I do, I think it's going to be a loved film," she added.
The project, near and dear to Whitney's heart, took over a decade to make as the starring role was originally slated for R&B singer Aaliyah. After the then-22-year-old's tragic death in 2001, the movie was shelved for years.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hollywood's Favorite Leading Ladies: Then & Now
"This was [Aaliyah's] movie," Whitney told Shaun. "When we brought it to her, she was so enthusiastic about it and she wanted it, to do it so badly. She was our Sparkle.
"Unfortunately... it just didn't go that way," she continued. "I put it down. I said, 'My Sparkle has gone to a better place,' then we just left it alone."
After bringing the project to life again with "American Idol" Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks in the title role, Whitney said she strongly identified with her character (playing Jordin's mother).
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Whitney Houston: From '80s Pop Princess To Superstar Singing Sensation
"I just, I felt it. I felt the role," she told Shaun. "I felt the love a woman has for her children -- in the '60s, the late '60s, trying to keep her family together, single mother."
Tune in to Access Hollywood for the full exclusive one-on-one interview with Whitney on Monday and Tuesday's shows (check local listings).
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Young Hollywood Starlets!
Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. @yahoonews on Twitter, become a fan on Faceboo
EarthTones & Hip Hop Connect present a set of groundbreaking international collaborations by conscious hip hop and R&B artists including KRS-One, K’Naan, Nneka, Ziggy Marley, Talib Kweli and Les Nubians, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Debbie Allen Dance Academy.
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 16, 2011
Social entrepreneur and multi-platinum music producer Frank Fitzpatrick had a bigger plan in mind when he created the music for the international dance film Beat the World. More than just another film soundtrack, Beat the World brings together some of the world’s most prominent conscious Hip Hop artists as part of Fitzpatrick’s growing vision to build new social paradigms through music and film.
When Somalian born, new-school rapper and World Cup ambassador K’NAAN joined forces with one of Hip Hop’s most respected founding fathers, KRS-One, to record the film’s title track, “Hip Hop Nation”, they too were on a mission: to represent the positive voice and power of the world’s largest music-based cultural movement – Hip Hop. In addition to helping Fitzpatrick bring an original voice to the film, they created an anthem for the evolution of the global Hip Hop movement.
In “Express Yourself”, reggae Icon Ziggy Marley and Nigerian-born powerhouse Nneka join forces to unveil another simple but crucial theme both for the film and Hip Hop culture: our need for self-expression, whether through music, dance, art, film or freedom of speech.
Other notable collaborations include the heroic “Infinite Love,” featuring top British rapper Sway together with the renowned lyrical wordsmith Talib Kweli, and the multilingual world-beat dance track “Must Be the Music” performed by Les Nubians (France), Lina (US) and MV Bill (Brazil). The soundtrack also includes the end title “Keep Shining” by Kenya-born, Canadian Hip Hop artist Shad, and is guaranteed to rock and inspire as deeply as the best of Nas or Kanye West.
Beat The World the Original Soundtrack is the first international Hip Hop soundtrack featuring cross-cultural collaborations between such highly prominent and socially conscious artists. Grammy nominated songwriter/producer Frank Fitzpatrick traveled the globe to write and record original songs with these innovative masters to show how the powerful influence of global Hip Hop culture can inspire, empower and connect the world’s youth.
Beat The World the Original Soundtrack is part of EarthTones’ Music with a Heart series, and is available June 21st exclusively on iTunes. A portion of the proceeds will go to a scholarship program for under-privileged kids to study at Debbie Allen's Dance Academy in Los Angeles. The film (coming out in the United States as You Got Served: Beat the World) and soundtrack will be released in over 20 countries this summer.
About Hip Hop Connect:
Hip Hop Connect is an independent label and production company specializing in socially conscious rap, Hip Hop and film soundtracks. Directed and co-founded by Frank Fitzpatrick, Hip Hop Connect’s mission is to connect and inspire young people around the world through compelling and conscientious Hip Hop songs and soundtracks.
About Frank Fitzpatrick:
Frank Fitzpatrick, a multi-platinum selling record producer, Grammy-nominated songwriter and award winning filmmaker, is a leading voice in the use of music for personal and social transformation. In addition to his 25 years creating successful media in Hollywood, Fitzpatrick has worked extensively in the non-profit sector and healing arts. Fitzpatrick has written and p
Gerald Olivari spoke with Crown J right before his first US video shoot for his new single, "I'm Good" feat Young Dro. Crown J spoke about the video, his Korean heritage, and his upcoming plans.
Shoutouts to DJ Kash and Chris 'C Boogie' Thomas (EntertainCorp)!
Clinton Fights Back and Brings Awareness to Years of Business Management Mistreatment and Unethical Behavior
NEW YORK, NY - George Clinton, legendary singer/songwriter and innovator of funk music, best known as the founder of the group(s) Parliament/Funkadelic, has signed on with Exclusive Solutions Management.
His new management Exclusive Solutions Management LLC (ESM) of Houston, TX, according to Clinton, "has been the best management experience of his career." After years of mistreatment Clinton was skeptical to work with new management; however he was won over by their commitment to helping him regain the intellectual property he had lost and seek restoration for him monetarily. ESM is an artist management company operating at the highest levels of ethics and integrity.
Despite his success, George Clinton, the funk music legend, has received little monetary gain over the past three decades from his musical works. He is the creator of hits such as, "Flashlight" and "One Nation Under a Groove." Clinton's smash hit "Atomic Dog" is one of the most sampled songs in history, yet Clinton does not receive any compensation from it since he does not legally own the rights to the song. Clinton is determined to bring awareness to some of the issues he and other artists face with mismanagement in the music industry.
Clinton is also fighting back against his former business partners and managers, Armen Boladian (Bridgeport Music, Inc.) and Nene Montes (Tercer Mundo). George knew early on the value of what he was creating and attempted to take steps to protect it by negotiating ownership with the labels (this was rarely done at the time) and worked hard to secure ownership of his masters, which at the time he did.
In 1984 Clinton filed bankruptcy. Armen and Montes were entrusted to act on Clinton's behalf as administrators only. There were several documents that appear to have George's signature on them which turns most of his publishing and masters over to Boladian and Montes, which caused Clinton to lose all rights and financial gain to all of his songs. Clinton asserts that, being an artist whom worked so hard early on to take care of the business side of his creative works, he would not be so careless as to sign over complete rights to his music for a lifetime. This brings to the forefront the ethical relationship between artist and the third parties whom they entrust to take care of their business.
Clinton has been entangled in various legal disputes for more than 20 years. The disputes have been against his management, record label, and publishing company all in an effort to recoup the money that he has lost through bad business dealings.
Clinton's mission is to bring awareness to the injustice and unethical behavior that continues to take place in the music industry. Many of the legendary artists of the '60s, '70s and '80s were taken advantage of by managers, record labels and others and have not seen the financial compensation they deserved. Many are experiencing financial hardship while someone else is reaping the benefits of their life's work.
A sadder reality is Clinton's mother, Julious G. Keaton, who died last week; however, Clinton is struggling to finance her funeral. Clinton, like so many artists, has experienced financial troubles throughout his career due to bad record label contracts and mismanagement practices. It is frustrating when you are a musical legend who has sold millions of records and spawned universal hits, but cannot pay for your mother's funeral.
At 68 years old Clinton continues to tour annually to generate income. Clinton says he is not afforded the ability to live off the residual income of his life's work of which he wrote, produced, and created because individuals and record label executives took advantage of him. Clinton want
Share on Facebook · 
Bookmark on Delicious
