RnB, Soca, Soul, Rap, Reggae, Rock, Hip Hop, Jazz, Dancehall, Spoken Word, Quotes, Photographs, Each Post On The #SoultrainAfterDARK Blog Is Dedicated To Inspire & Uplift, To Encourage & Motivate
Enjoy the 27th annual Harlem Meer Performance Festival virtually with the extraordinary music of Paul Beaubrun & Zing Experience! Originally from Haiti, Paul Beaubrun and his band have created a unique sound that he calls “roots/blues.” Performing in a smooth mélange of English, French, and Creole with Zing Experience, Paul weaves together his impeccable guitar skills, rich vocals, musical ingenuity, and cultural history.
Courtesy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEnJm0xfqGM
"Walkin' on the Moon" is the third single by The-Dream from his second album Love vs. Money. The song features rapper Kanye West.
The video was premiered on May 20, 2009 at a Def Jam event.[3] On May 27, 2009, the video was premiered on 106 & Park. The video was directed by Hype Williams. The video doubles as a homage to Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson's hit 1995 music video, "Scream". The video ranked at #71 on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2009 countdown.
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkin'_on_the_Moon
Jorja Smith performs "By Any Means" in a classical version with the WDR Funkhausorchester, the orchestra of Germany's TV & radio station WDR. The song is part of the series "Machiavelli Sessions". All songs arranged & conducted by Gordon Hamilton. --- Jorja Smith singt "By Any Means" in einer Klassik-Version, gemeinsam mit dem WDR Funkhausorchester. Der Song ist Teil der Reihe "Machiavelli Sessions". Alle Stücke wurden von Gordon Hamilton komponiert & dirigiert.
Courtesy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmQ72PKhLRc
In My Songs is the ninth studio album by American singer Gerald Levert. It was released posthumously on February 13, 2007 on Atlantic Records. Levert reteamed with longtime collaborator Edwin "Tony" Nicholas to work on the entire album which was completed shortly before his death from an apparent heart attack in November 2006. In My Songs debuted and peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200, becoming his highest-charting effort, and won Levert his first Grammy Award in the Best Traditional R&B Performance for the title track at the 50th awards ceremony.
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_My_Songs
Of the many musical acts which call Trinidad & Tobago home, perhaps none embody its polyglot culture more than KES, the eclectic soca outfit behind some of modern Caribbean music’s most indelible anthems. Celebrated for Carnival hits [“Wotless,” “Savannah Grass”] and island pop jams [“Tuesday on the Rocks,” “Endless Summer”], the band has brought Trinidad to the world, sharing stages with the likes of Will Smith, Major Lazer and John Legend. For the group — charismatic singer Kees Dieffenthaler [aka KES] and his brothers Jon (guitar) and Hans [drums], along with childhood friend, Riad Boochoon [bass] —blending soca, pop, rock, reggae, calypso, dancehall and afrobeats together is one part of their greater calling: To spread good vibes. The last three years have proven to be the most successful in the band’s decade-plus-run. “Hello,” a fusion of afrobeats and soca originally released in 2017, continues to reach new audiences over two years after its release. With over 40 million plays on YouTube alone, it is one of the most streamed soca songs of all time. We Home, a live project recorded during the Covid-19 quarantine, is the band’s first album in over five years, with fresh renditions of KES’ carnival classics showcasing their prowess as a live band par excellence.
Courtesy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRtvV-CgLQg
"Jack and Jill" is a 1978 hit song by R&B vocal group Raydio. It was the first single from their eponymous debut album Raydio, and became an international top 10 hit. It reached number eight on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number six on the Cashbox Top 100. It reached number five in Canada, number four in Australia, and the top 20 in UK. It was the first of five U.S. top 10 singles by Ray Parker Jr. and/or Raydio. The song describes how "Jack" is lonely and so, in spite of his good intentions, wanders down the hill to find love elsewhere after being neglected by "Jill," who is seldom home. In 1981, "A Woman Needs Love [Just Like You Do]" became a hit as an answer song to "Jack and Jill". Parker wrote an antithesis from "Jill's" perspective, according to the lyrics, "By the time poor Jack returned up the hill, somebody else had been loving Jill." In 1982, Parker recorded an extended version of the song. It was released on a re-issue of his second solo album. In this version, Parker performed all of the vocals instead of just some of them.
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_and_Jill_(Raydio_song)
Artists and activists assemble to learn, to heal, and to raise awareness for the Equal Justice Initiative.
The conversation has begun - and now it’s headed for the next level. More artists and activists than ever are joining in to discuss and confront the issue of race in America. #BearWitnessTakeAction 2: Continuing the Movement, hosted by Common & Keke Palmer.
Bashar Barakah Jackson [July 20, 1999 – February 19, 2020] known professionally as Pop Smoke, was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He was considered by many to be the face of Brooklyn drill. Born and raised in Canarsie, Brooklyn, Pop Smoke began his musical career in 2018. He often collaborated with UK drill artists and producers, who employed more minimal and aggressive instrumentation than drill artists from Chicago.\ Pop Smoke rose to fame with the release of his breakout single "Welcome to the Party" in April 2019.
Following his rise to fame, Pop Smoke signed a recording contract with Victor Victor Worldwide and Republic Records, and released his debut mixtape Meet the Woo [2019]. The mixtape's second single, "Dior", produced by 808Melo, reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. His second mixtape, Meet the Woo 2 [2020], debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200. Two weeks after the release of the project, Pop Smoke was fatally shot in a home invasion in Los Angeles. His debut studio album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, was posthumously released in July 2020 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with all 19 tracks from the album charting on the Billboard Hot 100.
Bashar Barakah Jackson was born on July 20, 1999, in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jamaican mother and Panamanian father. He spent his childhood in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn. Pop Smoke was expelled from eighth grade for bringing a gun to school, and spent two years in house arrest after being charged with weapons possession. When he was 15, he won a basketball scholarship to Rocktop Academy, a Philadelphia prep school, but was forced to leave after being diagnosed with a heart murmur.
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_Smoke
The 6MS Saturday Session on Stomp Radio from 5 December with JJ and Dave Cooper on the decks, playing a slightly more laid back than usual mix of old and new soul, funk and jazz. Featuring tracks by the Temprees, Moodyman, the Space Invadas, Rene Geyer, Lonnie Jordan, Smokey Robinson, the Alan Parsons Project, American Gypsy, Switch, and others. Enjoy.
"When philanthropist, songwriter, and friend, Denise Rich @nisijoy, asked me to produce the Studio 54 themed virtual edition of her annual Angel Ball fundraiser for cancer research (in which we raised over one million dollars), she asked me to put together something special with @nilerodgers and @kathysledge for the grand finale of the event. I’ve been excited to share this since the event on September 15th, so here it is...“Thinking Of You” and “We Are Family,” Pass The Mic style. Enjoy and get ready for Pass The Mic: Volume 4, coming soon" --- DJ Cassidy
DJ Cassidy’s Pass the Mic: BET Soul Train Edition. DJ Cassidy spreads love and soul with some of his musical heroes as they pass the mic and perform classics! Artists include: Jody Watley, Deniece Williams, Ready For The Word [Melvin Riley], Sheila E., The Time [Morris Day & Jerome Benton], Shannon, Lisa Lis, Cameo [Larry Blackmon & Willy Morris], Evelyn "Champagne" King, Alicia Myers, George Clinton, Chaka Khan and El Debarge! #PassTheMic #SoulTrainAwards
Go For Your Guns is the fifteenth album by The Isley Brothers. Released on April 16, 1977 on their T-Neck label, it was also the band's fifth album to be distributed by their deal with Epic. It is generally regarded by fans, particularly fans of the funk genre, as their best album overall. The album was remastered and expanded for inclusion in the 2015 released CD box set The RCA Victor & T-Neck Album Masters, 1959-1983.
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_for_Your_Guns
Winston Foster OD [born 1956], better known by the stage name Yellowman, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay, also known as King Yellowman. He was popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, coming to prominence with a series of singles that established his reputation.
Winston Foster was abandoned by his parents and grew up in the Maxfield Children's Home and the Catholic orphanage Alpha Boys School in Kingston, and was shunned due to having albinism, which was not typically socially accepted in Jamaica. Alpha Boys School was known for its musical alumni. In the late 1970s Yellowman first gained wide attention when he finished second [to Nadine Sutherland] in the 1978 Tastee Talent Contest. Like many Jamaican deejays, he honed his talents by frequently performing at outdoor sound-system dances, prominently with Aces International. He had success as a recording artist, working with producer Henry "Junjo" Lawes. In 1981, after becoming significantly popular throughout Jamaica, Yellowman became the first dancehall artist to be signed to a major American label [Columbia Records]. His first album release was in 1982 entitled Mister Yellowman followed by Zungguzungguguzungguzeng in 1983 earning instant success. Yellowman's sexually explicit lyrics in popular songs such as "Mad Over Me" boasted of his sexual prowess, like those of other reggae singers/deejays, earned Yellowman criticism in the mid-1980s. Yellowman appeared in Jamaican Dancehall Volcano Hi-power 1983 which featured other major dancehall musicians such as Massive Dread, Josey Wales, Burro Banton and Eek-A-Mouse. Yellowman proclaimed, "I never know why they call it slackness. I talk about sex, but it's just what happens behind closed doors. What I talk is reality."
He had success in 1987 with a version of "Blueberry Hill", that topped the charts for several weeks in Jamaica. Yellowman had met Fats Domino where he performed on the island earlier in the decade, and Domino had presented him with a copy of his version. By the mid-1990s, Yellowman released socially conscious material, rising to international fame along with singers such as Buju Banton. Yellowman became the island's most popular deejay. During the early 1980s, Yellowman had over 40 singles and produced up to five albums per year. He re-invented himself with his 1994 album Prayer, which stepped away from the slackness that gave him his initial fame. His latest albums are New York [2003], Round 1 [2005], and No More War [2019]. Yellowman was also a featured guest vocalist on the Run-DMC track "Roots Rap Reggae". Yellowman continues to perform internationally with his Sagittarius Band, and has toured through places such as Nigeria where he retains a following of fans, as well as Spain, Peru, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Britain, France, Kenya, the United States and Canada. He also featured on OPM's 2004 album, Forthemasses. In 2018, it was announced that he would be awarded the Order of Distinction [Officer Class] by the Jamaican government.
Foster's daughter Kareema followed him into a career in music.
In 1982, Yellowman was diagnosed with skin cancer, and was told that he only had three more years to live. However, this prognosis proved to be inaccurate, and after several surgeries Yellowman was able to continue his career. The cancer went into apparent remission during this time. In 1986 it was diagnosed that the cancer had spread to his jaw; Yellowman underwent very invasive jaw surgery to remove a malignant tumor. This surgery permanently disfigured Yellowman's face, as a large portion of the left side of his lower jaw had to be removed to successfully remove the tumor. The instrumental for Yellowman's 1982 "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng", the "Diseases" rhythm by "Junjo" Lawes, has been sampled and imitated repeatedly since its original release. The original version of this rhythm was performed by Alton Ellis for a song called "Mad, Mad, Mad" produced by Coxsone Dodd in 1967. Coxsone Dodd had already released two dub cuts, "Talking Dub" and "Lusaka", plus a 1980 cut by Jennifer Lara, "Hurt So Good." This rhythm came to be known as the 'Diseases' rhythm after Michigan and Smiley recorded their song, Diseases, with Henry Junjo Lawes in 1981. "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng" was remade by Beenie Man and released on July 3, 2020. Yellowman said of the release, "I wish somebody else did do Zungguzungguguzungguzeng, maybe Shaggy or Sean Paul….Me nuh even hear it." The vocal melody of "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng" has also been sampled heavily in various reggae and hip hop songs.
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowman
“Mother Nature” is published right before Julian Marley’s European tour. European tour that will among other festivals in the Europe perform in “Nisville Jazz Festival” in Niš, Serbia. Single “Mother Nature” talks about the ongoing problem in the world and not just about the nature’s desecration and it’s resource exploitation, pollution and what not… but also about economical slavery and debt. --- Jah Tooth
Courtesy: https://www.reggaeneracija.me/2020/06/brand-new-single-julian-marley-junior-reid-mother-nature/
Artists and activists assemble to learn, to heal, and to raise awareness for the Equal Justice Initiative.
Bear Witness, Take Action is a 2020 American teleconference that livestreamed on YouTube on June 13, 2020, as part of a YouTube Original programming supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in correspondence with the George Floyd protests. It gathers notable people of color in the United States such as Patrisse Cullors, Rashad Robinson, Alicia Garza, Prince Ea, John Legend, etc., and hosted by Keke Palmer and Common. The one-and-a-half-hour long livestream centers around the history and experiences as people of color in America, as well as exploring ways to raise awareness and end the long inequality. On November 17, 2020, it was announced that a second teleconference titled Bear Witness, Take Action 2: Continuing The Movement will premiere on December 5, 2020.
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_Witness,_Take_Action
Recorded in his hometown of Detroit, KEM's Tiny Desk performance is light, welcoming and beautifully decorated. So is his music. After almost 20 years of recording R&B hits like "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "Love Calls," he still comforts my soul with his sultry voice and simple, yet satisfying melodies. Fans have been waiting since 2014 for a new album and it finally dropped earlier this year. Love Always Wins is filled with his signature romantic style. With accompaniments by veteran musicians, Michael "Nomad" Ripoll on guitar and David McMurray on saxophone, we get to hear three songs from the album in this lovely set. The first, "Friend Today," poignantly articulates a love for our fellow humans: "There's a roll like thunder / They killing our babies, Lord / They headed straight for the border / And we can no longer ignore it." KEM wrote "Not Before You," a classic romantic love song, as a dedication to his wife, Erica. "Lonely" ends the set with an upbeat, hopeful vibe: "There's a life waiting for you / In your brokenness." It's an affirmation that personal struggles can end in true happiness. --- Suraya Mohamed NPR Music
James Walter Castor [January 23, 1940 – January 16, 2012] was an American funk, R&B, and soul musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he is credited with vocals, saxophone and composition. He is best known for songs such as "It's Just Begun", "Bertha Butt Boogie", and the biggest hit single, million-seller "Troglodyte [Cave Man]."
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Castor
James Dewitt Yancey [February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006] better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer and rapper who emerged in the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan, as one third of the acclaimed music group Slum Village. He was also a member of the Soulquarians, an influential musical collective active during the late 1990s and early 2000s. His obituary at NPR stated that he "was one of the music industry's most influential hip-hop artists." He is considered by some as the "godfather of lo-fi hip hop".
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J_Dilla
Sean Duval Price [March 17, 1972 – August 8, 2015] was an American rapper and member of the hip hop collective Boot Camp Clik. He was half of the duo Heltah Skeltah, performing under the name Ruckus [sometimes abbreviated as Ruck], along with partner Rock.
A member of the underground hip hop collective Boot Camp Clik, Price first appeared on Smif-N-Wessun's 1995 album Dah Shinin'. He would soon resurface in 1996 as one half of the critically acclaimed Brooklyn duo Heltah Skeltah, who released their debut album Nocturnal on Duck Down Records that year. Heltah Skeltah would go on to release two more albums, 1998's Magnum Force and 2008's D.I.R.T.. In the 2000s, Price established himself as a strong force in the underground hip hop community. In 2005, he released his first solo album Monkey Barz, to critical acclaim. He followed this in 2007 with Jesus Price Supastar and Mic Tyson in 2012. Songs in the Key of Price, a mixtape recorded before Price's death, was released posthumously on August 21, 2015. In 2011, Price was a judge on the Ultimate MC TV show alongside Royce da 5'9", Organik, Planet Asia, and Pharoahe Monch. Price was interviewed on the online series Grand Angel TV in 2008 and 2010, with Paid Dues performance footage alongside Boot Camp Clik and Dru Ha, respectively. In 2011, he formed the group Random Axe with Guilty Simpson and producer Black Milk. He had a planned collaborative album with rapper Ill Bill in the works, called The Pill.
On August 8, 2015, Price died at the age of 43. Details were not immediately available, but a statement from his reps confirmed his death, while adding that he died in his sleep. "It is with beyond a heavy heart that Duck Down Music is sadly confirming that Sean Price passed away early this morning in his Brooklyn apartment, Saturday, August 8th, 2015," read the statement. "The cause of death is currently unknown, but it was reported that he died in his sleep. He's survived by his three children."
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Price
“Beautiful Revolution Pt. 1. is affirmation. It's recognition. It's elevation. It's music to go with a movement. Because the truth is, there is still so much work to do." --- Common
PJ a.k.a. Paris Jones is a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter and producer from Greensboro, NC. Jones began her career as a songwriter, and has written for Wiz Khalifa, Usher, Chris Brown, Charlie Puth & Fantasia. She categorizes her sound as "Come Up Music", and doesn't hold herself to one specific genre. PJ released her Atlantic Records five-song debut EP, Walking Around Pools, in March 2015. On July 15, 2016, she released her debut album, Rare, which has features from G.Eazy and Ty Dolla $ign.
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PJ_(singer)
Michael Samuel Kiwanuka [born 3 May 1987] is a British singer-songwriter and record producer who is signed with Polydor Records. His 2012 debut album, Home Again, went gold in the United Kingdom and his second album, Love & Hate, debuted in 2016 at number one. He has been nominated for numerous honours, including the Brit Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards, and BBC Music Awards. In January 2012, he won the BBC's Sound of 2012, and in September 2020, he won the Mercury Prize.
Courtesy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhKMsubj3bg&t=660s
Tonight it's all about Sade! Live sets from her first one after recording her first album in '83, Montreux in '84, London in '85, San Diego in '93, and ending in 2011.
Courtesy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfFvSSRx9jA
Atlantic Starr is the self-titled debut album by R&B/funk band Atlantic Starr. Produced by Bobby Eli, founding member and lead guitarist of Philadelphia studio group MFSB. The nine-piece band had an impressive showing on the Billboard R&B charts with "Stand Up", "Keep It Comin'", "(I'll Never Miss) The Love I Never Had" and "With Your Love I Come Alive".
Cookin' Soul is a Spanish producer-DJs duo known separately as Big Size and Zock. Producing work since around 2005, the two have developed a strong presence in the mixtape circuit in the US, according to El País.
Never Too Much is the debut solo studio album by American singer Luther Vandross. It was released by Epic Records on August 12, 1981. Composed by Vandross himself, the album reached number 19 on the US Billboard 200, also peaking at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America [RIAA]. Never Too Much earned Vandross two Grammy Award nominations in 1982, including Best New Artist and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male. The album's title track topped the Black Singles chart for two weeks. Vandross's rendition of Dionne Warwick's 1964 "A House Is Not a Home" became one of his signature songs, and received attention for its transformation into an "epic", since its duration was extended to seven minutes. In 2020, the album was ranked number 362 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Too_Much_(album)
"What About Your Friends" is TLC's third single from their debut album, Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip. It reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the group's third consecutive top-ten single. The single was released in August 28, 1992.
"What About Your Friends" was written by Dallas Austin and TLC member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and features lead vocals by T-Boz. The song samples Blues & Pants by James Brown.
The main performance scenes of the video are the girls walking in an alley surrounded by backup dancers, underneath a bridge, on an outside staircase, on an apartment roof, in a slushie bar and wearing graffiti clothes in front of a graffiti-covered wall. Two versions of the video were made: one focuses on more of the performance shots of the girls and scenes of them infiltrating a stylish fashion show, while the other features scenes of a party in a big park where the girls are being very happy, dancing and having fun with their friends and some family members; including a scene of them reprising their roles as hillbillies from the "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" video at the end. Jermaine Dupri makes a cameo appearance.
The song reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the group's third consecutive top ten single, and reached No. 2 on the Hot R&B Singles chart, behind "Games" by Chuckii Booker. The single was certified gold by the RIAA. In the United Kingdom, "What About Your Friends" peaked at No. 59.
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_About_Your_Friends
Slave was an American Ohio-based funk band popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist Steve Washington, born in New Jersey, attended East Orange High School, and was one of the first users of the "electric trumpet". He and Trombonist Floyd Miller formed the group in Dayton, Ohio in 1975.
During late 1975 and spring of 1976, trombonist Floyd Miller teamed with trumpeter Steve Washington to form Slave. The original line-up included Tom Lockett Jr. [tenor and alto sax], Carter Bradley [keyboards], Mark Adams [bass], Mark "Drac" Hicks [lead and rhythm guitar, background vocals], Danny Webster [rhythm and lead guitar, lead and background vocals], Orion "Bimmy" Wilhoite [alto and tenor sax] and Tim "Tiny" Dozier [drums]. They scored their first big hit with the single "Slide" in 1977 for Cotillion Records, which is the label they remained with until 1984. In 1978 Slave's sound changed slightly when drummer/percussionist Steve Arrington, along with vocalists Starleana Young, Curt Jones, and keyboardist Ray Turner joined the band. Arrington ultimately replaced Miller and Webster as lead vocalist. Other Top Ten R&B hits were "Just a Touch of Love" in 1979, "Watching You" in 1980, and "Snap Shot" in 1981. They added Charles Carter on sax and brother Sam Carter on keyboards. Starleana Young, Steve Washington, Curt Jones and Lockett departed to form Aurra in 1981. Slave added Roger Parker, Delbert Taylor, Jr., and Kevin Johnson as replacements. Arrington himself left in 1982 after the Showtime album. The band continued on, though not as successfully, into the mid 1990s. The group moved to Atlantic Records for one LP [New Plateau] in 1984, then switched to the Atlanta-based Ichiban Records the following year, releasing Unchained at Last in late 1985. Despite scoring a couple of minor hits on the R&B chart from this album the following year and another minor hit from their 1987 follow-up album, Make Believe, Slave could not recapture the commercial success they had enjoyed in their heyday. Rhino issued Stellar Fungk: The Best of Slave Featuring Steve Arrington, an anthology of their finest cuts, in 1994.
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave_(band)
Myron Lavell Avant [born April 26, 1978], also known as Avant, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and a stage-play actor, born in Cleveland, Ohio. He is known for his songs "Separated", "Read Your Mind", and "Makin' Good Love". He has produced three Platinum-selling albums. He has released 15 singles and 7 albums.
Avant has five siblings and he is the youngest of them all. He did not belong to a wealthy family and grew up watching his mother struggle to provide the best to her children. His mother encouraged him to improve his music skills by playing classic R&B artists like Smokey Robinson, The Supremes, and Marvin Gaye. He was passionate about music since his childhood. He pursued acting during his high school education at Cleveland School of the Arts. After graduating from high school, he worked a few factory jobs.
Avant began writing songs at the age of 14. He independently released his debut single "Separated" in 1998. It was a song based on a failed romantic relationship. The single created a buzz and was played on the radio. It helped him land a deal at Magic Johnson Music. In 2000, he released his debut album, My Thoughts, which sold more than 1.3 million copies in the United States and 4.4 million worldwide. It was released by MCA Records. His debut album featured a duet with the 1983 René & Angela ballad "My First Love". It reached the top 5 of the R&B charat and helped boost Wyatt's career. He released his second album, Ecstasy, in 2002. It featured another of his top ten hits, "Makin' Good Love". His third album, Private Room, was released in 2003, and reached number four on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. A track from the album, "Read Your Mind", was ranked 13th on the Hot 100. A remix featuring Snoop Dogg appeared on the promotional vinyl and was released on September 30, 2003. In 2006, Avant released his fourth album Director, which topped the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. Its lead single, "When It Hurts", reached number 91 on the Hot 100. Avant was featured in the remix of Lloyd Banks' song "Karma" from the 2004 album The Hunger for More. He also made a cameo appearance in the 2004 feature film BarberShop 2: Back in Business. His self-titled fifth album, Avant, was released on December 9, 2008. Avant later signed to Verve Forecast and released his sixth studio album The Letter [formerly titled Wake Up] on December 21, 2010, featuring production from the likes of The Pentagon; Mike City; Marshall Leathers; and Kajun. Avant cites R. Kelly as his biggest influence and inspiration. His eighth album The VIII was released on September 25, 2015. In 2019, Avant returned with the single "Not Gone Lose" and signed a label deal to release the album Can We Fall in Love, which was released in July 2020.
Avant was nominated for Best R&B/Soul Single at the Soul Train Music Awards in 2001 for his debut single, "Separated". He was again nominated for Best R&B/Soul Single at the Soul Train Music Awards in 2007 for his single, "4 Minutes".
Avant suffers from lupus and has taken up a vegan diet to help manage its effects.
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avant_(singer)
Ascending R&B talent Tiana Major9 welcomes us into her South London home with a band she assembled for her Tiny Desk [home] concert. Tiana gained the music world’s attention in August when Adele took to Instagram to call the song “Same Space?” “absolutely stunning!!” [The post was liked more than 430,000 times.] I was lucky enough to witness a private Tiana showcase in Los Angeles several months earlier, where I was moved by the refined nature of her voice. She begins her Tiny Desk with an ending of sorts: the devastating “Collide,” written for the final sequence of Lena Waithe’s critically acclaimed film Queen & Slim. Later, she shows off her range and timbre on “Think About You,” a stunning love song that infuses elements of jazz, alternative R&B and her Jamaican roots. The sweetness in its refrain “I need more hours in the day … just to think about you” feels like a blueprint for how to spend the third wave of quarantine. --- Courtesy: Abby O'Neill NPR Music
"Smooth Criminal" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his seventh studio album Bad [1987]. It was written by Jackson, and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. It was released as the album's seventh single on November 14, 1988. It features a fast beat with lyrics about a woman who has been attacked in her apartment by a "smooth criminal". The refrain "Annie, are you OK?" was inspired by Resusci Anne, a dummy used in CPR training. "Smooth Criminal" peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the sixth top 10 single from Bad. It also peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart. It was certified 2x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America [RIAA]. The song reached number one in Belgium, Iceland, the Netherlands and Spain. Though "Smooth Criminal" was not one of the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, in retrospective reviews it has been regarded as one of the best songs on Bad and one of Jackson's signature songs. It has appeared on numerous greatest hits albums and was performed on all of Jackson's solo tours. The music video for "Smooth Criminal" premiered on MTV on October 13, 1988. The video is the centerpiece of the 1988 film Moonwalker. The 1930s influenced setting and Jackson's white suit and fedora pays tribute to the Fred Astaire musical comedy film The Band Wagon. In the video, Jackson and the dancers perform an "anti-gravity lean" that appears physically impossible. "Smooth Criminal" was re-released in 2006 as a single as a part of Jackson's Visionary: The Video Singles boxset. Rolling Stone ranked the song sixth on their list of the 50 Best Michael Jackson Songs, writing that it was "his best blend of R&B groove and rock edginess, and a turning point in his shift toward darker, harder-edged material".
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_Criminal
In the village of Normal Valley, a small child is scared by the ghost stories and tricks of Maestro [Michael Jackson], a magician who lives on the outskirts of town. The Mayor (also Jackson) leads a group of outraged villagers to Maestro's spooky mansion, where he demands the mysterious outsider leave town. Instead, Maestro challenges the Mayor to a scare-off, delighting the children and parents with a series of tricks and musical numbers, performed with help from some ghosts.
Featured Songs: Is It Scary, 2 Bad, Ghosts
Tierra Umi Wilson [born February 9, 1999] is an American singer and songwriter. Born in Seattle, Washington, she attended the University of Southern California, but dropped out in 2019 in order to pursue music. She is best known for her 2018 song "Remember Me", which has over 50 million streams on Spotify. She also accompanied Conan Gray as an opening act on his Comfort Crowd Tour in 2019.
Wilson was born in Seattle in 1999 to an African-American father and a Japanese mother. Her mother taught her how to read, write, and speak Japanese. Wilson's mother plays piano and her father plays the drums. UMI started writing music when she was 4 or 5, with a songwriting journal. Throughout high school, she was involved in DECA [Distributive Education Clubs of America] and her track team at Tahoma High School in Maple Valley. She then studied at University of Southern California before dropping out in 2019 to pursue music. In high school, she discovered YouTube beats and started writing to tracks. She would record the songs with a USB mic and upload them to SoundCloud and YouTube. She soon started to get copyrighted on SoundCloud by posting covers of other songs. This made her start writing and posting her own originals.
In 2017, UMI released five singles before her four-track debut EP, Interlude. This led to making it onto Spotify’s Fresh Finds Best of 2017 playlist. She opened for rapper ODIE in Los Angeles. UMI's most popular release to date is "Remember Me". She has over 21 million views on YouTube and 53 million plays on Spotify. UMI debuted “Remember Me” with a music video, highlighting universalism by portraying couples of different race, class, and sexual orientation. She said, “the message in the video, for me, is that no matter who you love or how you love, we all hurt the same in the end.”
She released the Balance EP on May 17, 2019, which included the songs “Ordinary” and “Down To Earth.” On October 30, 2019, she released her EP, 'Love Language' On June 21, 2020, she released her EP, "Introspection".
UMI has cited her biggest musical influences as Frank Ocean, D'Angelo, Jhené Aiko and SZA. She grew up listening to R&B, soul, gospel and Japanese pop/rock. UMI has been described by Vogue as having a "lo-fi, alternative, laid back, R&B style".
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UMI_(singer)
Earlier this year, when it was clear that 2020 was a year like no other, I was inspired to find a way to help people around the world. Remember the time, when they smiled more. When they sang louder, when they danced harder. I wanted to connect people to their musical heroes in a more intimate way than ever before, and in turn, pay homage to the heroes around the world.
With Pass The Mic: Volume One, I celebrated my heroes of soul music from the 1970s and 1980s. With Pass The Mic: Volume Two, I celebrated my hip hop heroes of the golden era. With Pass The Mic: Volume Three, the celebration of my musical heroes continues.
When I was about six years old, the sounds, energy, and flavor of hip hop transformed R&B forever, and a result, some of the most infectious, most funky, most universal, most classic records were created. If you’re like me, you had a dance routine to every one of these songs. If you’re like me, you know the words to every one of these songs. If you’re like me, these artists are your heroes too. So turn your speakers up loud. Turn your speakers up proud. Allow this music take you back to that special place. And remember the time. --- DJ Cassidy
With PASS THE MIC: VOLUME TWO, in association with Rock The Bells, I hope to continue that tradition, this time by uniting my Hip Hop heroes. You see, without these artists you’re about to see, I do not exist. As a child, they influenced the way I walked, the way I talked, the way I danced, the way I dressed, the way I thought, the way I fought. I am a deejay because of them. I am me, because of them. I am here, because they were there. I am forever grateful to my Hip Hop heroes for their decades of music, culture, urgency, and inspiration, and with them, I celebrate the heroes around the world. --- DJ Cassidy
Billy Lawrence [born May 3, 1971, in Boca Raton, Florida] is an American R&B/soul singer-songwriter, record producer and arranger.
At the beginning of May, in the heat of the quarantine, I was FaceTiming with my friend and mentor, Verdine White of Earth Wind & Fire. While catching up, Earth Wind’s classic record, “That’s The Way Of The World,” came on my speakers. Hearing that song, while on the phone with Verdine, struck a chord and sent chills down my spine. I thought about how fortunate I was to have relationships with so many of my musical heroes. I wondered if I could find a way to share that special feeling with people, so I sat at my turntables and began Zooming with my favorite Soul artists from the 1970s and 1980s. They each sang along to their classic records, literally passing the mic from one home to the next, in effort to honor and uplift the heroes around the world on the frontlines of health, freedom, and justice. The result was PASS THE MIC, featuring my legendary R&B heroes - Philip Bailey and Verdine White of Earth Wind & Fire, Siedah Garrett, Patrice Rushen, Deniece Williams, Ray Parker Jr, Ricky Bell of New Edition, Bobby Brown, Jeff Redd, Meli'sa Morgan, Robert “Kool” Bell and Khalis Bayyan of Kool & The Gang, Steve Arrington, Marcus Miller, Cheryl Lynn, and Howard Hewett of Shalamar --- DJ Cassidy
Paul Blake [19 October 1965 – 18 May 2017], better known as Frankie Paul, was a Jamaican dancehall reggae artist. Born blind, he has been dubbed by some 'The Jamaican Stevie Wonder'.
Born in Jamaica in 1965, Blake was born blind but as a child had his sight partially restored by an operation on a hospital ship. He sang for, and impressed Stevie Wonder when Wonder visited the school that Blake attended, prompting him to pursue a singing career. Adopting the stage name Frankie Paul, he first found fame in the early 1980s, and he recorded prolifically throughout the decade. He recorded for virtually every producer/studio in Jamaica at some time, and was known to release several albums a year. Notable works of Frankie Paul include the popular "Sara" and "Worries in the Dance". Paul resided in The Gambia from 1994. In January 2016 he underwent surgery to amputate a foot and part of his leg. Frankie Paul died on 18 May 2017 at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica.
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Paul
*Tag someone you know that 💚💛❤️"LOVES"❤️💛💚 Bob Marley & The Wailers and/or Stevie Wonder's 🎶 Music 🎶 and would've most definitely been front row center at a concert where Bob, Peter, Bunny, Stevie, and Third World were all the headliners of the show ??? Did you know that in 1975 Bob Marley & The Wailers, Stevie Wonder & Wonder Love, and Third World teamed up for a fundraiser concert called "The Wonder Dream Concert" which raised over $23,000💰 for The Jamaica School for The Blind? Well, we are re-creating that concert with a roots reggae DJ session via #FacebookLive !!! THIS SATURDAY NIGHT Oct. 24, 2020 at 9:00 pm EST here on @CuscoReggaeMusicPeru with D J Ras Imon & Majestic Sounds International and in the same spirit of "The Wonder Dream Concert" we're raising 💰 for Center for the Visually Impaired (CVI) Atlanta, GA at https://cviga.org/donate-to-cvi/ !!! This will surely be a lotta fun and is for a very worthy cause, Don't Miss, Mark you Calendars, Oct. 24, 2020 9:00pm EST !!!
Courtesy: DJ Ras Imon
