|
|
| AFRO MUSIC ARTICLES LIBRARY |
| |
 |
|
 |
|
(October 29, 2009) - It seemed the audience had reached an orgasmic catharsis. Panties of all sizes sailed across the y-shaped stage illuminated by crimson stage lights and couples undulated their hips in a seductive exchange only soul music can induce.
(October 21, 2009) - Kevon Edmonds, brother of superstar singer/songwriter Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and member of the group After Seven, hopes to use his personal life to inspire the world through music.
(October 7, 2009) - Twenty-one year-old Washingtonian David E. Beats is on his way to fame, thanks to a unique combination of rapping, producing and guitar playing.
(October 7, 2009) - Like a long-lost lover singer Maxwell courted the audience gathered at the Verizon Center last Friday night, slithering across the Y-shaped stage, gyrating against the microphone stand and crooning in that signature falsetto that has been the soundtrack for many a bedroom dance.
(September 29, 2009) - Local blogs and Web sites have been abuzz with talk of RAtheMC, a 23-year-old hip hop aficionado determined to be the District’s first female rap sensation.
(September 24, 2009) - Beckoning the spirit of Trinidad and Tobago’s placid seashores and the jovial atmosphere of Carnival season, the East of the River Boys & Girls Steelband has brought a taste of the Caribbean to Washington, D.C., for 16 years.
(September 16, 2009) - Hundreds of giddy teenage girls recently flooded urban retailer DTLR in the Mall at Prince George’s to catch a glimpse of R&B crooner and Virginia native Trey Songz as he promoted his new album, Ready.
(September 1, 2009) - Singer, songwriter and rookie actress LeToya Luckett, formerly of bestselling girl group Destiny's Child, recently stopped by retailer DTLR in the Mall at Prince George’s to promote the release of her sophomore album Lady Love.
(August 23, 2009) - It's tough to pinpoint what Stephens does to take an artist's promising career to the next level. That's because he doesn't specialize in just one thing.
(August 5, 2009) - Vocalist Lisa Lisa, Ms. “All Cried Out,” is back after 15 years away from the game with a new album, sound and TV deals on the horizon.
(July 21, 2009) - The Capital Hip Hop Soul Festival is at it again with more local talent who serve hip-hop with a twist.
(July 14, 2009) - Khalil Ismail is certainly not against hip-hop music. He’s also not a big advocate of censorship.
(July 9, 2009) - Raheem DeVaughn, pegged the crown jewel of Washington, D.C.’s burgeoning music scene, has been making waves since he exploded on the R&B/neo soul soundscape in 2005 with The Love Experience.
(June 17, 2009) - Platinum-selling singer, producer, songwriter and record label founder Anthony Hamilton, is preparing to light up the stage in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore once again. The last time Hamilton was in the region was in November of 2008 with the first leg of his “Playin’ It Cool” tour.
(May 27, 2009) - Will Downing, the music veteran with the rich baritone vocals, is back with his sixth studio album, Classique.
(May 27, 2009) - It’s probably unfair for any artist to be put in a box, especially since art is supposed to be free of limitations. But today’s fickle music industry often demands clear definition and precise genres.
(May 13, 2009) - The life of an entertainer can be very overwhelming at times. The constant traveling from one city to another, sound checks, performances, after party appearances, and spending months and countless hours recording in the studio.
(May 13, 2009) - Some might say singer D. Woods, formerly of popular girl group Danity Kane, is trying---in vain--- to stretch her 15 minutes of fame found on MTV’s “Making the Band.” But a glimpse at the mocha-skinned artist’s extensive resume would stunt the most vicious naysayers.
(May 5, 2009) - At one point, David Chance (formerly of the R&B group Ruff Endz) was one of the voices behind such hits such as “No More” and “Someone to Love You,” which took him and his partner Dante Jordan a long way from their meager beginnings in West Baltimore’s Edmondson Village.
(April 1, 2009) - Over the past 36 years, Rockefeller Drug Laws, which were instated by former New York State Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller, have enforced strict mandatory jail sentences --up to 15 years -- for first-time and non-violent drug offenders.
(April 1, 2009) - Just a month shy of marking eight years away from the music industry, 1990’s R&B sensation, Case is back and ready to reclaim his spot on the soul train.
(April 1, 2009) - British soul star Omar is packing his bags and rehearsing from sunrise to sunset in preparation to cross the seas and rock Washington, D.C.’s Warehouse District.
(April 1, 2009) - On April 4, the legendary Bobby Womack will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, making him the first Cleveland native to be inducted as an individual performer.
(April 1, 2009) - As Detroit’s venerable Motown Record’s marks i’s 50th anniversary, music lovers reflect on the whirlwind life and tragic death of legendary crooner Marvin Gaye. April 2 marks what would have been the District native’s 70th birthday...
(March 19, 2009) - Fledgling label, Stadium Entertainment Corp. has forged an exclusive U.S. distribution agreement with EMI’s Music Services Unit to do something no company has done before—give most of their profits to charity.
(March 4, 2009) - Beautiful, strong, intelligent and fearless are just a few words that would describe rapper/actress Yolanda “Yo-Yo” Whitaker. Since her debut album, Make Way for the Mother lode, was released in 1991 and her countless appearances and roles in film and television, Yo-Yo has been unstoppable.
(February 24, 2009) - President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have garnered a great deal of notice for the love they affectionately display for one another in public. Pictures of their love have graced the cover of just about every major magazine. However, there exists a contention of music lovers who authentically believe...
(February 24, 2008) - Known for his politically-charged music and vestment in the Black community, rapper and political activist Chuck D has been fusing social concerns with rap music since the 1980s. His lyrics addressed socially taboo issues such as race, sex , police brutality and African American’s own hostility toward one another.
(February 12, 2009) - Known as the “wickedest band alive” by legions of music lovers in the District area, go-go band Rare Essence has maintained a steady following for decades with their blend of R&B, funk, hip hop and rollicking go-go rhythms.
(February 12, 2009) - Cable network’s station TV One will continue their February lineup of “Our History Month” programming this week with the film Let Freedom Sing: How Music Inspired the Civil Rights Movement, hosted by Academy Award-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr.
(February 4, 2009) - Ashford and Simpson, the superstar music duo of the 1970s, are still solid as husband and wife and music royalty.
(January 20, 2009) - Rappers, songwriters, producers and the creative minds behind the scenes of the hip hop culture worked overtime to encourage the youth of America to get out and “Barack the vote.”
(January 6, 2009) - R&B vocalist Syleena Johnson is back with a new attitude and a new outlook on life. After ending her nine-year business relationship with Jive Records due to poor promotions, Johnson has finally rebounded with her fourth studio album Labor Pains.
(December 16, 2008) - John Legend is well on his way to earning his name. It’s been a while since the then-Kanye West sidekick emerged from behind the scenes as the voice on the hook of Slum Village’s “Selfish.” Now, three albums and several Grammy awards later, Legend is at the top of his game,...
(November 25, 2008) - Think about iconic movie, music and television stars, even those entertainers of the Civil Rights Movement, and you’ll probably mention a handful of celebrity elites lauded in film and literature for decades.
(November 19, 2008) - There are some names that are synonymous with reggae music—Bob Marley, Dennis Brown and Peter Tosh. But when it comes to lover’s rock—the kind of reggae music that speaks to love, lust and romance—Beres Hammond stands alone.
(November 12, 2008) - The nation capital’s own Green Tea has been making her mark on the underground DMV (D.C., Maryland and Virginia) arts scene since December of 2004. With just four years actively promoting her music, the 28-year-old songster has crafted two CDs and a music video. Her songs speak of her faith with God, her triumph over poverty, and they encourage her listeners to strive for new heights.
(October 22, 2008) - Rapper Lil’ Wayne was named lyricist of the year at the recent BET Hip-Hop Awards taping in Atlanta on Saturday. The diminutive artist has had a whirlwind year, earning top slots on music charts with single “Lollipop.”
(October 14, 2008) - Natalie Stewart, formerly the hip-hop element of the now defunct neo-soul group Floetry, returns with a new sound and solo album. When does a fighter stop fighting? When is the desire to press ahead paramount over everything else?
(October 7, 2008) - Budding musicians cite Aretha Franklin as the driving force behind their musical passion. Famed artists say they are awed, even humbled in the presence of such a formidable vocal giant, a soul-music aficionado.
(August 20, 2008) - Lee Young, a jazz drummer, recording artist and producer who played with Duke Ellington and other greats and became the first African American to work as a Hollywood studio staff musician, has died. He was 94.
(August 19, 2008) - It’s amazing how learning the lyrics to the most popular songs on the radio can be easier and much more enjoyable than learning the lackluster things that we need to succeed in everyday life. But thanks to D.C. native Alex “Alleycat” Nesmith, learning the bare necessities will soon become just as fun as a Friday night party.
(August 13, 2008) - Soulful singer Mary J. Blige has been slapped with a $2 million federal suit claiming music for “Work That,” a track from her latest platinum-selling album Growing Pains, is stolen.
(August 6, 2008) - Songs leaked from R. Kelly’s upcoming album 12 Play 4th Quarter are making headlines for their sexually-charged lyrics. Having just been acquitted of child pornography charges,...
(August 2, 2008) - Following her two highly successful albums with her husband, Kenny Lattimore, Chante Moore returns with her long awaited first solo CD in nearly a decade, Love The Woman, released June 17th on Peak Records.
(July 23, 2008) - Declaring himself “The Soul Prince” maybe a little premature, but soul vocalist, Calvin Richardson, is definitely showcasing his vocal ability on his latest soulful creation, When Love Comes.
(June 24, 2008) - Pianist Herbie Hancock was recently honored as musician of the year at the Jazz Awards. This comes only months after he snagged the best album title for “River: The Joni Letters” at the Grammy’s.
(June 19, 2008) - The 30th Anniversary of the Playboy Jazz Festival was a potpourri of sounds and styles as some of the finest names in jazz showcased the many variations of jazz.
(June 12, 2008) - When Dianne Reeves’ sings, her voice melts into the resonance of the piano and dissolves in the timbre of the acoustic guitar. And ultimately, she achieves what few singers have done or attempted to do--- she becomes invisible.
(June 12, 2008) - At 26, Joseph Young is showing African Americans the possible avenues of a career in classical music. The Charleston, S.C.-native is the first-ever conducting fellow with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and Peabody Institute, a two-year program that includes on-site training with the BSO and academic studies at Peabody and Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|