Hip Hop Horns - Ezra Brown and Blitz the Ambassador

The music below doesn't need much of an intro...

These tracks feature the combined talents of two artist; Blitz the Ambassador and Ezra Brown.  The latter, I've known for a few years; ever since first seeing him play at a basement club in the Village frequented by many great indie artists I know.  The former, I had never heard of until last Friday when I attended the launch party for Hycide Magazine. I made an introduction between my godsister Yaba and a fellow Ghanian (of hers; not mine...scratch that...who knows) I had met at the party.  Yaba asked the cat if he was going to see Blitz the Ambassador.  In my head, I was like: "Who the hell is that?", but I didn't want to show my ignorance around a stranger and had meant to ask her about Blitz later and totally forgot (one red wine and two mixed drinks later).  However the beauty of the "interweb" freed my mind once again and thanks to my varied social networking outlets, I discovered a connection between a talented friend and my new amazing musical crush.

Listen

Dying to Live feat. John Forte ( Blitz the Amassador ) by eZrabrown

Dear Africa (Featuring Les Nubians) - Blitz the Ambassador by eZrabrown

Instrumentalude - Blitz the Ambassador by eZrabrown

Arts and Music Night Part 2 - Cole Williams at Rockwood Music Hall

After the Hycide Magazine Launch party, I had some time to network at a local restaurant with some of the folks from the event, but time somehow got away from me and I had only an hour to get from Newark to the Lower East Side to check out my friend Cole Williams and her band (That's My Cole) at Rockwood Music Hall.  Three trains and one crazy cab ride later, I was able to catch the last half of Cole's jam-packed set.

I gotta tell yall, I've been having the darndest (yes I use this word) time trying to classify Cole's sound.  When I have a hard time pigeon holing an artist, I usually say, "If so-and-so and so-and-so were to have a baby...", but I can't even do this when I try to explain Cole's music.  She would probably like the fact that I can't describe her or her music.  I can say however, that she has that "soulful" quality to her voice that makes you sit up and listen. And if I was forced at gunpoint to describe her style, then I would say, it was an incredible mix of reggae, funk, ska and soul (sorry gurl lol).

What I loved about this crowd at Rockwood's was that it wasn't the usual cadre of fellow musicians and diehard friends who follow the artist from gig to gig.  Instead, this energetic and supportive audience was comprised of new fans who were thoroughly enthralled with Cole, her voice and of course her amazingly crafted outfit for the evening.

Keep your eyes and ears open people. Cole's new EP is soon to be released (hopefully this month) and I can't wait!  I've heard some of the tracks, still in production and what I am hearing is pure creativity, heart & soul.  Here's a sneak peek track from this upcoming sophomore project Out of the Basement, called Good Thing.



For more information on Cole, click here. And make sure you check out her upcoming tour dates!

Arts and Music Night - Part 1 Hycide Magazine Launch Party

I love, love, love hangin' out. And what do I love more than hangin' out??? Hangin' out on a BUDGET!

Summer is here and I started off my usual marathon string of social activities in Newark at an awesome launch party for Hycide Magazine.  The crowd was cool, eclectic and fun.  I was refreshingly impressed with Akintola Hanif; his gift, his energy and his spirit.  The room was filled with love.  Take a look at the video highlights from the event.

Inside My Love - Ghosts of Past, Present, and Future

In 1975 Minnie sang that crazy note like she always managed to do.  Even at the tender age of eight, in my mind, I figured she must have been part of some strange vocal tribe.   Like so many songs during that time, the lyrics were risque and yet my parents somehow allowed and tolerated my at-the-top-of-my-lungs rendition of this song along with In the Bush (Musique), and Mary Jane (Rick James). I had no idea what I was singing about, but I knew it made the grown-ups uncomfortable and that was a great added benefit anyway.

Fast forward 22 years and KABOOOOM!!! One of the best Black love story flicks in the WORLD premiered; Love Jones.  Not only did it include the most memorable storyline and cast BUT THE SOUNDTRACK!!! WOW! Inside My Love re-emerges again, this time sung by Trina Broussard and again, you are drawn in and hold your breath in anticipation of "that note".  Trina delivered.  Had a chance to see her perform it live a couple of years ago and even though she was suffering from a terrible cold, she rocked it and I added her to the tribe.

Speaking of live...I have a strong passion for live music and I am blessed to count among my acquaintances, some of the most amazing independent recording artists in the country.  I usually meet these folks after seeing them perform, but I had the rare experience of meeting Gloria Ry'ann before hearing a note out of her mouth.  We always seem to run into one another at a local club here and there and we'd rabble rouse with the rest of the crew.  I've had plenty tell me that they are singers and I immediately give them back that plastered Stepford Wives grin.  Meeting Gloria was no different (sorry Glo LOL).  Eventually I did hear her sing live at an open mic, of all places, and what did Miss Gloria sing??? Right!

Maybe I'm not making myself clear...In my opinion, how a woman sings THIS SONG live tells me exactly what kind of vocalist they are.  It is the Mt Everest of soul songs and Gloria made it to the apex without losing one bit of oxygen.  Miss gurl has recorded her version and it is lovely.  Take a listen below and let her know what you think! (Listen for "the note"!)

INSIDE MY LOVE SNIPPET, GLORIA RYANN, PRODUCED BY HERB MIDDELTON NUVYBE RECORDS by nuvyberecords

Sex Crimes Against Black Girls: The Anthology - Share Your Story

Two sistah girl friends of mine are calling for submissions for this very important anthology they are editing.  Here is a note they sent me recently.  Please read the instructions below if you're interested in participating.

sex crimes against black girls: the anthology

Edited by:
Shantrelle P. Lewis & Yaba A. Blay, Ph.D.

Share your Story.

Since we put out the Call for Submissions last month, we have been overwhelmed with not only inquiries and submissions, but with general words of support and encouragement. Many of the people we've spoken to have said to us I want to submit something...but I don't know what to write. Knowing that the topic of sex crimes touches so many of us, we want to make every effort to include as many people as would like to be a part of the project as possible. After all, part of the purpose of this work is to "give voice" to those who have been silenced.

We would like to include a series of first-person narratives (memoirs) in the sex crimes against black girls anthology. Each memoir will be accompanied by the person's portrait taken by a professional photographer. In doing this, we intend to put a face with a story - figuratively and literally. Potential contributors would not have to write their own memoir. Instead, we will interview you, transcribe the conversation, and edit your memoir from it. We will work with you on the final edits - you will have the final say in what gets published. We will then arrange to have your photograph taken.

Have a story to share? Please email us at blackgirlvoice@gmail.com by May 30, 2011. Please include "my story" in the subject line and give a brief, general description of your personal story (1 paragraph). Though we anticipate receiving a large number of stories, we will not be able to include each and every one. Should we select your story, we will contact you by June 15 to schedule the phone interview.

Please note that although we welcome the participation of women of all ages, we are particularly interested in connecting with women in the 40+ age sets.

Because of the location of the photographers we will be working with, we are only able to accept stories from individuals in, near, or who can easily get to one of the following cities:

NYC

Newark, NJ

Philadelphia

Washington D.C.

New Orleans, LA

Kingston Jamaica

Lima, Peru

Port au Prince, Haiti

For more information about the Sex Crimes against Black Girls project, please visit http://www.sexcrimesagainstblackgirls.com/.

When sistahs say, “That White boy can saaaang!”

As most of my friends know, I tend to get out and about “on the town” almost every weekend.  No more needs to be said here on that topic.

Early last month, my homegirls (yes I still use this term…exclusively actually to describe my “besties”, as my kids will say), and I were meeting up in the Village to celebrate the birthdays of two other homegirls.  First, we hit a comedy club to check out an old high school friend who was hosting for the night (Mike Britt in case you’re wondering).  He did his thing.  We laughed and drank (I was actually a little tipsy from a couple of vodkas at the salon beforehand), and continued on to our next stop to hit the party.  Without getting into details, we never quite made it into the full swing of things at the club and ended up leaving after spending only 15 minutes there (UGH!  I’m so mad at myself for that but hopefully I am forgiven by now).

Eventually we “landed” at a live music venue I used to frequent like a second home.  I hadn’t been there in a long bit, but it was close by and my homies were down to go and just wanted to get out of the cold.  I know just about every soul who works there and was happy to see everyone for the most part. 

Nothing had really changed.  I was pleased to hear the band singing a few new songs but what really struck a chord for the four of us, was this new White dude playing guitar in the back.  I personally didn’t pay him any mind; thinking he was just another pretty face they had found to fill the shoes of the former guitar player (who I actually love and respect) who used to play there.

It wasn’t until this dude opened his mouth, or larynx, or whatever the f*** he uses to sing, that all of our mouths dropped in unison to exclaim “Whoa! that White boy can saaaang!”  Needless to say (but since not all of my 13 readers know me personally, maybe it does need to be said), I am uber-critical and I typically hang with like-minded folks.  I don’t and won’t give props to anyone if I don’t like them.  Maybe they’ll get a silent nod that signifies, “hey, it looks like you’re trying your best buddy”, and I am a mother after all, so I’ve had a ton of  practice getting the nod just right.

Anyway, back to the scene.  I really can’t recall everything he sang but the cover of U2’s Carry Each Other was…OMG!!! (yep I went there…yuck.).

Normally I pay close attention to the deets on my new “finds”, but again, we were partying heavy, had one too many pineapple vodkas, and I left the place forgetting to find out “who the HAIL was THAT!”

It took me a few weeks before I remembered that there was a live stream from this club and I immediately made an appointment with my computer for the night, with the hope that this dude wasn’t just there sitting in for that night…and dreams really do come true…it CAN happen to you…

Colin Smith

You MUST….nah you HAFTA click on his name.  I will not fill the rest of these pages tellin’ you anything else about him.  Once you click and listen, you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Wait, wait, wait one more thing…and it kills me to do this…

You have to go and listen to him live.  I’m not going to tell you where.  Follow him…Facebook him…whatever…lemme know what you think.

Wait, wait, sorry one more thing; a disclaimer of sorts. His music is available on his website and I did download the free version, but what I did promise to do in return was to let my peeps know about him…I would have done it regardless.

Keepin’ it Real in Social Media…a long overdue note regarding high-profile and celebrity posts

The term is “social” media!  Not “stiff” media. 

I have held my tongue long enough.  I have been using all of the top social networks for quite a few years now.  A few years ago, I was even the “social voice” for a couple of famous recording artists, BUT my intention for those clients was to make sure they were set up technically and strategically to engage their fans without an intermediary.

I’m not trying to put social network promoters out of business.  I believe institutions like corporations, schools or churches should have someone in place to manage a centralized and consistent voice to the public, but I also strongly feel that individuals should speak with their own voice on social networks.  The beauty of these networks is that they allow you and your fans to feel more connected and by not speaking in your own voice, you’re gonna get busted (by me eventually) which may lead to a drop off in your following or lackluster engagement with your peeps.

I stay on Facebook and Twitter (I can hear my friends cheering, “yes yes it’s true!”) and I come across a myriad of posts and tweets from “celebrities” or high-profile individuals.  You can instantly tell who is really posting for themselves and who isn’t.  I have purposely refrained from naming names (I need a job!), but what I would love to advise those that aren’t posting for themselves is this…

Text your assistant or whomever you do have working on this for you, what you’re thinking throughout the day.  Let them post YOUR words for you (frankly if you have enough time to text someone, you should have the time to post the tidbit your damn self).

Here’s a link to a cool article on Black Enterprise magazine’s website (thanks to Alfred for finding this for me).  They offer some other great, more general, advice on “keeping it real”.

3 Simple Ways to Shine on Social Media - BLACK ENTERPRISE