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 | Posted by marshall
| Mon, November 15, 2004 at 5:11 PM |
 I confess. I listened to a few people's opinions and read a few reviews about Mos Def's latest album, 'The New Danger', before I had the opportunity to critique it myself. And let me just say this: the reviews and opinions were NOT pretty. I was even more nervous because these people were amongst those whom I consider to be hip-hop aficionados and Mos Def experts to the fullest! Well, to those naysayers and narrow-minded folks who have shown this album NO love I can only say...open your mind!
Where do I start? How about at the eclectic, variety of genres Mos exhibits on this album. You hear everything from hip-hop to hard rock to jazz to funk to blues (and I swear I'm leaving something else out). Anyway, Mr.Def (I know, sounds weird) presents a musical masterpiece that embraces a cornucopia of styles and traditions as well as a variety of vocal ranges (he raps and sings throughout the album).
Where do I go next? How about to how Mos manages to mesh these different styles of music together on multiple tracks. Love hip-hop but don't mind rock, play "Ghetto Rock." Don't mind mixing your funk with your blues (who does?), play "Blue Black Jack." Looking for Mos at his lyrical apex? Listen to "Sunshine." Ever heard him cut a track that could double for a slow jam?!? You've got to hear "The Panties".
If you're looking for hip-hop and ONLY hip-hop from Mos Def, this album is definitely not for you. I see an artist who's grown as he's been in the music business and, perhaps, also from his burgeoning film career. This album is worth the money and is a good listen from start to finish (Modern Marvel notwithstanding...it's a 9-minute track after all).
BV Rating: 4.5 out of 5 BVs
Production includes: Kanye West, Raphael Saadiq, Mos Def, others
MosDefMusic.com
Geffen.com  Share on Facebook ·  Bookmark on Delicious | Posted by marshall
| Sat, November 06, 2004 at 9:52 PM |
 What's Goin' On In The World Of Lil' Jon???
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LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY
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Lil Jon & ESB will be taping Last Call with Carson Daly this Wednesday!
Here's an amazing opportunity to be a part of LIL JON & THE EAST SIDE BOYZ' performance on LAST CALL with CARSON DALY show on Wednesday, Nov 10th. Our friends at 1iota Productions are looking for diehard fans to be a part of this performance. The show will take place in New York City. If you are one of the lucky fans they ultimately and exclusively invite, know that you are an integral part of the show!
To get your tickets, Click Here
Then follow the simple registration directions. They will respond back to you via email about a week prior to the show day, with a confirmation letter that will have all the necessary information that you will need to attend this SPECIAL EVENT!!!
VOTE ON TRL
Lil Jon will be on MTV's TRL this Thursday!
Tune in or grab your coat and head to Times Square and VOTE for "What U Gon' Do"!
Click Here To Vote
Get information on MTV's Spanking New Music Week:
Click Here
RADIO COMMERCIAL
Listen to Lil Jon's radio shout out for "Crunk Juice"!
Click Here To Listen
BONUS DVD
"Crunk Juice" LIMITED EDITION Bonus DVD including the "What U Gon' Do" video, 2004 MTV Video Music Awards footage, 2004 MTV Movie Awards footage, 2004 BET Awards footage, BET's How I'm Living footage, and The Making of Crunk Juice.
See the DVD information and watch a clip!
Click Here To Watch
CRUNK ON YOUR CELL
Get the crunk sent straight to your cell phone! Hear music from "Crunk Juice" and send it to a friend, enter in the Features section!
LilJonOnline.com
LIMITED EDITION
Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz "Crunk Juice" LIMITED EDITION featuring the singles "What You Gon' Do" and "Roll Call" drops November 16th!
The LIMITED EDITION includes
-6-fold embossed digipak
-"Crunk Juice" CD
-Bonus CD
-Bonus DVD
"Crunk Juice" features special guest artists R. Kelly, Ludacris, T.I., Bun B, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, Trillville, 8 Ball and MJG, Nas, Elephant Man, Bad Brains, Ying Yang Twins, Pitbull, and more.
With production by Lil Jon, Rick Rubin, and The Neptunes, "Crunk Juice" will be the most crunktastic album of the year.
"Crunk Juice" hitting stores 11/16!
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LilJonOnline.com | Posted by marshall
| Wed, November 03, 2004 at 6:50 PM |
 FADER Films presents
HOOKED: The Legend of Demetrius "Hook" Mitchell
Available NOW on DVD @ BlackVibes.com!
"He was better than me, he was better than Jason [Kidd], Antonio [Davis], he was better than everybody."
- Gary Payton
'Hooked' tells a story that anyone that grew up in the inner city can relate to: that one guy or group of guys who were athletically superior to everyone else in the hood but didn't realize their potential because of the streets.
Who is Demetrius 'Hook' Mitchell? The DVD starts with clips of childhood friends Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Brian Shaw and Antonio Davis, all NBA superstars, describing him as nothing less than a streetball legend and stating, in fact, that Hook was better than all of them.
Growing up in the rough neighborhoods of West Oakland (aka Lower Bottom), California, Hook became immediately known for being able to do spectacular dunks for a guy only standing 5'9". He was legendary for dunking while jumping over cars as well as doing 360s over motorcycles (the DVD provides actual footage of this).
However, with his parents addicted to drugs and living in an unstable home environment, Hook quickly turned to the streets. He started smoking weed at 10 years old, introduced to cocaine in the seventh grade then progressed to heroin by the time he was in high school. He started to hang with drug dealers who would give him a small amount of heroin for every dunk he performed in high school. He stopped attending class but was passed on because of his basketball abilities. Although he eventually dropped out of high school he was able to attend a junior college because his coaches forged his documents so that he would be eligible.
He reached his lowest when he was sentenced to 5 years in prison for attempted robbery of a Blockbuster. The film actually takes place while he's incarcerated and shows him playing heavily-contested prison league games as well as it allows Hook to expose how he has changed and grown since kicking his drug habit and converting to Islam (his name is now Waliy Abdur Rahim).
Hook was released from prison April 3, 2004, after serving 51 months and now lives in Oakland, California where he has founded 'Project Straight Path,' a non-profit program to mentor young people not to make the same mistakes he made.
Director: Michael Skolnik and William O'Neill
Bonus Material:
- "Hook Comes Home" - includes emotional moment with Hook reading letters from his now-deceased grandmother.
- 1 on 1 with Steve Francis, Baron Davis and Master P
Rating 5BVs out of 5
For more info, go to HookMitchell.com
Also, be sure to check out the cover of Bounce Magazine, showing Hook dunking over a car at BounceNYC.com | Posted by marshall
| Wed, November 03, 2004 at 6:02 PM |
 213 The Hard Way featuring Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Nate Dogg is the long-awaited album from the three West Coast heavyweights and childhood friends. Featuring production from the likes of DJ Pooh, DJ Hi Tek, Missy Elliott and Kanye West, you'd think you would've heard more radio cuts from the album, right? So why haven't you? It's got West Coast flavor and definitely some tracks to (insert your favorite pasttime here) to. It doesn't include a bevy of guest MCs diluting the talented artists. As well, it has plenty of ol'skool funk for the playas (authentic or wannabe).
Here, however, is where the album's greatest pitfall lies (along with Warren G's questionable lyricism). 213 The Hard Way is TOO ol'skool. I respect what seems like an attempt to enlighten today's TRL/106 & Park generation to good ol' back-in-the-day music but I'm not sure if they're buying it. If you're a fan of much of what came about in the '70s and early '80s you'll certainly appreciate the album's sampling of great tracks such as James Mtume's "Juicy Fruit," The Emotions' "Rejoice," and Eddie Kendricks' "Intimate Friends" to name a few. The core audience for 213 The Hard Way is 25-35...unfortunately they're not the biggest CD-purchasing group.
Strong points: "Groupie Luv," which was the 1st radio release, "Another Summer" produced by Kanye West and "So Fly," produced by Missy Elliott and features the Monica "So Gone" beat.
Featuring production by: Kanye West, Missy Elliott, DJ Pooh, Quaze
For more info, go to 213music.net
Ratings: 3BVs out of 5
Marshall Lyons can be reached at marshall@blackvibes.com | Posted by marshall
| Fri, October 01, 2004 at 11:59 PM |
 The 7 man crew known as the Athletic Mic League came together while still attending high school in Ann Arbor, MI. Buff, 14KT, Grand Champ, Sunny Star, Texture, and Vital joined forces with DJ Haircut and after two years of love and support from the local hip-hop community they made it official. Athletic Mic League was out to show the world what their brand of hip-hop was all about.
Athletic Mic League drops it latest gem, 'Jungle Gym Jungle.' Jungle is at its best early in the album with some of its best production courtesy of V-Tech on tracks like "Xoom" and "Heavy Medal." Other tracks such as "Lasersteps" and "People Mover" (shout-out to Detroit) show how this group demonstrates versatility and unity along the same vein as Outkast & D-12.
Lyrically this album is nothing less than outstanding with particular emphasis on tracks such as "Feel It", "Watch Me" and "Let's Go." If you're in the hunt for one of the best lyrical groups in the game, Athletic Mic League is for you. By the way, don't sleep on "Whatchuknow" for its ability to take you down memory lane for the ol'skoolers.
Bottom Line: Athletic Mic League is a group of stars waiting to be discovered. They tend to shine better on tracks that require a faster delivery but they can hold their own in any arena.
Track Listings
1. Forestshadowing/Opening Credits
2. Xoom
3. Feel It
4. Watch Me
5. Lasersteps
6. Team Player 2
7. People Mover
8. Heavy Medal
9. Birth Control
10. Heartless/Ain't Livin'
11. Whatchuknow
12. Take 'Em High
13. R U?
14. Jungle Gym
15. Let's Go
16. Promised Land
17. Blinders
18. Rip/End Titles
For more info, visit AthleticMicLeague.com | Posted by marshall
| Mon, July 01, 2002 at 11:59 PM |
Recently, Black Vibes' Chief Operating Officer and Vice President Marshall Lyons interviewed the hot new Motown group Her Sanity. During the interview, they talked about their background, the politics of the music business, and what type of men they like to date.
Interview [Part 1] (4:36)
Interview [Part 2] (5:04)
Interview [Part 3] (5:31)
Their debut album, Xclusive, is in the stores now.
Check out a preview of their first single, Xclusive (Real Audio / Windows Media). Visit our Music Search Library, for more information on the group
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