Friday, November 30, 2007

JAM Awards 07

As seen on www.DutchLabUSA.com


JAM Awards 07 Hammerstein Ballroom
The JMJ Foundation for Music was formed in honor of the late, legendary Jam Master Jay and his many contributions to the world of hip-hop. Built on the foundation of Jam Master Jay and Run-DMC, the pioneers of hip-hop, this star-studded entertainment special event's aim is to show the world "the most positive aspects of rap."


Snoop Dogg



Snoop Dogg



Snoop broke down the verse for Run DMC classics & then was assisted with a special appearance by non other than DMC...Classic moment of the old to the new moving together for the love of the MUSIC...







EPMD


LL COOL J

Foxx - M.O.P

The J.A.M. Awards & Concert was created by EPOP International Founder and CEO David Clark and "Kaves" - a New York graffiti legend and front-man for the band Lordz of Brooklyn. The event is presented by The Jam Master Jay Foundation for Music in partnership with EPOP International and supported by Adidas, The Fader and Hot 97.

Time To Stop All The Dying!!!!!

A Great Story! Pay Attention!!!!!

Thursday, November 29, 2007, 09:33 PM CST [General]
David Aldridge DJ Kut Blog

Time to stop all the dying By David Aldridge Inquirer Columnist

If you want to debate which quarterback is best for the Eagles, please, go read somebody else. This morning, I don't give a damn. My concern today is not whether Donovan starts Sunday but whether Dontae down the block is going to be alive in a year.Black men, I need your attention.This means you, Jimmy Rollins.Mr. Cosby, give me a minute.

I'm talking both to Beasley Reece and the guy who drives the downtown bus.

Will Smith and the electrician fixing the wiring at City Hall.

The pastor at the Baptist church.

The waiter at the Capital Grille.

The pilot behind the stick of the US Airways flight this morning.

The teacher in West Philly.

The barber in the first chair.

Mayor-elect Nutter.

The 14-year-old who thinks no one believes in him.

The painter.

The convict.

The gay guy.

The sergeant just back from Iraq.

The lieutenant who is going next week.

All of you. Listen up. I'm tired of seeing young black men go into the ground. Tired of seeing lives ruined by guns, and by drugs, and by bad choices, and by people like me who sit idly by while it happens, because it isn't happening to us. Rich men, poor men, athletes, beggars, journalists, L.A., D.C., Detroit,Chicago, it doesn't matter.

We are dying. I've just spent two days with the Redskins, who are trying to deal with the fact that one of their best players and team leaders, a young, complicated black man named Sean Taylor, is dead at 24, because someone broke into his home at 1:30 in the morning Monday and murdered him.There are those, including colleagues I respect, who say they're not surprised, and infer that Taylor had it coming, because he had had a beef with some bad people two years ago that led to brandished guns and cars shot full of holes. And, thus, it was inevitable that he had to die, like life is a Shakespearean play or something.

A Montague is dead; a Capulet must follow. It's in the script.

No, no, no. That is wrong.

As black men, we cannot allow ourselves to be defined by anyone - by the media or by ourselves - and accept the premise that one beginning means only one possible ending. Sean Taylor, while no saint, was not a "thug." He didn't grow up in the 'hood. He went to private schools before college. And even if he was a thug- whatever that is - or embraced that culture during one part of his life, that doesn't mean he deserved to die in front of his child and fiancée, in his home, bothering no one.

I'm angry that people cry about Sean Taylor's death because he was an outstanding football player, as if his death has extra meaning because he had great closing speed. This is not about sports. We have buried 200 Sean Taylors in this city this year. We don't know what would have come of their dreams and hopes. They deserve our tears, too, for they may have been anonymous to you, but they weren't to their mothers and fathers, their best friends and lovers, their teachers and mentors.

I'm angry that, as of 2004, according to the Centers for Disease Control, homicide is the No. 1 cause of death among black men ages of 15 to 34. I'm angry that the Justice Policy Institute found more black men in prison than in college. I'm angry that young brothers who like school and want to learn are accused of "acting white," and have to make the awful choice of sticking with their education or sticking with their boys.

It happened to me when I was 5. I've never gotten over it. How does one mend a heart broken by those who look most like him? I'm tired of nodding in agreement as I did yesterday when Brian Westbrook talked about how he has to be extra careful these days, because he knows that, all-pro or not, he's a target when he steps off the field, and his celebrity provides no shield."I feel as though everybody's vulnerable, to a certain extent," he said.

"You have to watch the company that you keep. You have to watch the situations that you put yourself in. . . . You can't put yourself in a situation where your friends are doing dirt or bad things, and then you hang around those people. 'Cause at some point, karma catches up with you."We can continue to throw our hands up and blame others or we can stop this genocide and deal with the recriminations later. In an otherwise demagogic campaign advertisement in 1964, Lyndon Johnson said, "These are the stakes. To make a world in which all of God's children can live or to go into the dark. We must either love each other or we must die.

"What's it gonna be?

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Hip Hop 4 Life Launches It's Much Anticipated Man UP! Program.

Hip Hop 4 Life's Man Up! Program.

On Nov 13th Hip Hop 4 Life, a non-profit youth empowerment organization, launched their much anticipated Man Up! program at Bread And Roses Integrated Arts High School in Harlem, NY on Tuesday. Celebrity hosts and supporters included DJ Khaled, Souljah Boy, Mike Jones, Ed Lover, actor Nicoye Banks, award winning music producer Kwame and celebrity fitness trainer Chris Sainsbury. The launch kicked off Hip Hop 4 Life and BET Rap-It-Up’s week-long series of HIV/AIDS Awareness empowerment forums throughout New York City and New Jersey selected high schools from November 13th through November 16th.

The discussion focused on topics that included the definition of a “Man”, vision-building, goal-setting, pursuit of education, relationships with and respect for young girls, HIV/AIDS awareness & prevention, the importance of abstinence & “safer” sex, and decision-making & choices.

Man Up! is a self-esteem and empowerment forum for young boys (ages 10-17). The program is devised to address issues of self-esteem, self-respect and respect for others, the transition from boyhood to manhood and the core Hip Hop 4 Life health topics. The program is chaired by award winning music producer, Kwame, and acclaimed film, television and stage actor and author of Letters To A Young Brother: Manifest Your Destiny, HILL HARPER. “I think more people should create such programs and events to build up our men of the future” says Hip Hop artist Jim Jones.

With statistics showing an alarming rate of Black males ages 18-24 years old with the highest homicide victimization and offending rates in each racial and gender group (Bureau of Justice 2005 Statistics), highest percentage of 19.5% for unemployment (Employment Status of the Civilian Non-institutional Population-2006), and only 77.4% Black males graduates from high school (U.S. Census Bureau-2005), Man Up! addresses these social issues to the forefront and offers alternate solutions .



The Hip Hop 4 Life and BET Rap-It-Up’s Empowerment Week schedule includes East Side High School in Newark, NJ on Wednesday, November 14th, Bronx Community High School on Thursday, November 15th, and will make its final stop at Erasmus High School in Brooklyn on Friday, November 16th. with special guests to include BET personality, Alesha Renee; R&B sensation, Sammie; Hip Hop Artist, Styles P; HIV/AIDS educator and activist, Marvelyn Brown.





ABOUT HIP HOP 4 LIFE
Hip Hop 4 Life is a not-for-profit youth empowerment organization founded by Tamekia Flowers-Holland and is Co-Managed by Tanisha Tate and Ianna Small. The organization is dedicated to engaging, educating and empowering young people to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Hip Hop 4 Life enlists health and entertainment industry professionals, recording artists, celebrities, and athletes to educate young people on health issues through interactive workshops, and empowerment seminars. Since its inception in 2003, Hip Hop 4 Life executed over 25 key workshops and events that have reached thousands of young people. Hip Hop 4 Life executes empowerment programs including Shades of Beauty for girls and Man UP! for boys in partnership with youth and community-based organizations nationwide. (http://www.hiphop4lifeonline.com/)

Friday, November 9, 2007

An Interview With Rikers, Marketing Director for Stall and Dean

Check out my man Rikers doin it big on the fashon tip!

Sustaining Market Share: Stall and Dean Uncovered An interview with Rikers, Marketing Director for Stall and Dean/ Rucker Clothing on FashionLedge.com (www.FashionLedge.com).
Interviewed by Kenyatta D. Pious


This is quite monumental, Stall and Dean is sort of the god-father of athletic Apparel! My first baseball cap was manufactured by Stall and Dean, but I will be honest to say that for some time I equated the company with hats and those awesome nostalgic varsity jackets, nothing else - - I did not appreciate its rich history and savvy alliances that have allowed Stall and Dean to sustain and continue to grow its market share.

Explain a little bit about Stall and Dean's space in the apparel business? Stall and Dean officially went in business in 1898. In the early stages of the company, Stall and Dean was really a manufacturing company. We manufactured everything from catalogs, gloves, cleats, baseball bats, football helmets, etc. Stall and Dean was also one of the first companies to manufacture Jerseys for the NHL. Possessing the original catalogs and having access to these authentic historical items allows us to always have fresh, original apparel to offer to the marketplace and our consumer.

How often are new collections churned out? We work on collections months in advance, we may alter a few styles, but our designers basically turn out 5 deliveries a year.
If you had to pick one thing that you don’t like about Stall and Dean, what would it be? Good question, I will be sending out my bio after this answer [laughing], I would want to go back to producing baseball and basketball jerseys and make them web only specials or sporting good accounts exclusively.

The Rucker collection is a great move. Nothing says basketball like NY’s Rucker park. What exactly is Stall and Dean doing as part of this deal? Is it for a couple of years or did Stall and Dean buy the exclusive rights to Rucker? We do have the license for Rucker, which was established 1946 and is the oldest known basketball tourney. It actually shares the same birth year as the NBA. The deal we have with Rucker is for apparel, but Rucker has many options as well. Rucker is the only black owned company that has its own basketball with Spaulding (official NBA ball). Rucker also has a movie on the table and is constantly taking offers for its own official shoe deal. We all share in the vision of Rucker, but that's because we look at our infrastructure as a family and not as a business.




Are there other deals on the plate? We are close to doing a licensing deal with Pabst Blue Ribbon, they are one of the oldest brewing companies in the country, dating back almost 160 years. They own around 13 brands including Colt 45 and Iron City. When we consider a deal, we look at tradition and heritage, marketability and will it be a great relationship for Stall and Dean.



What other licenses do you have? Besides Rucker, we own Draper and Maynard. They have a legacy as long as Stall and Dean's. You can web search/ eBay them to see some of the items and the dates. We also have the rights to do the Ivy League schools as well as Oxford university clothing.

What sells the most and why? Hard to say honestly, in regards to Stall and Dean, we're known to have the hottest jackets and one of the best in the marketplace...that's based on quality and our design team, which does an excellent job. In doing so our outwear is insane! We do shirts on a very limited basis, but if we push tops as much we will be an all around company.

Who is your biggest competitor, if any? Hmmm, good question. I think Jay (Z) cleaned that up for the most part...haha. In caps, its New Era of course, but we have by far one of the best caps in the entire market. We use a 40% wool blend that prevents shrinkage and it sustains its hold well. Outerwear, none really, basketball jerseys it'll probably be Adidas, but again we use a unique fabric in our jersey production. Baseball jerseys, none... Our flannel jersey is almost similar in quality to the jerseys the legends played in such as Satchel Paige, Ty Cobb, Jackie Robinson, etc.

What do you like/ hate about the current fashion industry/ trends? What I hate is that every Tom, Dick and Mary think they can start a clothing line. Many do not use anything creative, they just attempt to knock off something they wear and call it their own. Also, poor quality in the market place - -in the manufacturing they put forth zero effort, charge the customer insane prices and wonder why their product isn't selling. It's like music: for every Madonna there are a dozen Ashlees, or for every Jay, there are a hundred whack MCs. What I like about [the industry], is that the youth keep the market hot. Currently, the youth are anti establishment for the most part. They'll go to boutiques, grab something clean and move on. The white tee's are ok, but after I see a white tee and black jeans, I get a migraine after the 10th set. I don't like the $400 shoe, but I like that the market wants something fresh and different.

How is Stall and Dean and/ or individual collections marketed? Stall and Dean and Rucker, for the most part, do not use advertisement on a large scale. We are a three century old company and we let the product sale itself. We use a lot of grassroots methods in our approach to gain new consumers, but we don't use models, etc. We just let the product speak for itself.

Who are the core clients of Stall and Dean? Do you see this changing and/ or who do you wish to target? Odd speaking, we basically do not have a core client, but we are heavily embraced by the Urban Community. Maybe its our grassroots approach to what we do on the daily basis, but we just attempt to keep the best quality on the market, that's from the initial stitch to final product. The people who want something original, if it's sneaker fanatics, cap lovers, to those loving just something hot and clean, they share the company and direction with us.

Anything else you want to add? Well, with the Rucker, we were part of the initial Elite 24, which brought the top 24 high school players in the country to Rucker park. Rucker also sponsors High school teams including perennial New York and National power Boys and Girls high. We also do Wadleigh, Cardozo, Kennedy in the Bronx and Philly Prep Charter.With Rucker we're also petitioning a campaign to have Holcomb Rucker nominated to the NBA Hall of Fame for his contributions to Basketball. With the Rucker foundation we will be renovating basketball courts, fund raising for schools and other avenues to be more community aware.


For more info: RikersMarketing Director Stall and Dean;Rucker President G.I.T. Recordswww.Myspace.com/Rikers357 www.stallanddean.com

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

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Monday, November 5, 2007

Industry Mogul Jeff Sledge Speaks On The State Of Rap Music!

I was reading this article that was sent to me by Dj Kut and was compelled to share. Jeff Sledge can certainly brag of his longevity in this game. So suffice it to say, that a lot of this article is more of his professional opinion than personal opinion. It is certainly food for thought!

Enjoy....

SheNotes
***********************

The Good Old Days

by Jeff Sledge

"The Good Old Days, The Good Old Days... Everyone is talking about the
good old days"—Gladys Knight

First off, I'm gonna start this by saying that I've been working in
the music business since 1989. I have been a rap head all my teenage
and adult life. I'm a born and raised NY'er. Slick Rick is in my top 5
mc's of all time. I A/R'ed Return Of the Boom Bap (KRS-ONE), Midnight
Marauders (TRIBE), Iron Man (Ghostface's first album), and signed
Keith Murray, amongst a whole bunch of other shit. I feel like I need
to say all of that before anyone tries to question my positions (no
homo).

I HATE the state of NY rap music today. I hate it because it's corny
and boring as shit. Everyone is waiting for things to come BACK but
time doesn't move backwards. Ever. Not even for rap music. NY used to
be the most progressive place for rap music. But since about 2000 it's
been in a tie for the most unprogressive place for rap (tied with the
southern California, where they still make G Funk records).

There are several factors for this terrible state we're in. Today boys
and girls, I'm going to discuss two of them:

NY RADIO AND NY CLUBS

The radio and club scene in NY is terrible. The main reason I say that
is because NY radio and NY clubs play waaaaayyyyyy too many old songs
all the time. This is pretty much the only market in the U.S. of A
where this happens. You hear Biggie, Mobb Deep, and old Jay songs in
rotation on the radio like they just came out. When you go to a club
in NY it's guaranteed that there will be either an extensive old
school set or you'll basically just hear "classics" all night long.
What this does is stunt the creativity of the youth. All they hear is
old music so that's what they end up recreating. Most of the demos I
get from NY kids are slow and grimy and sound like they would've come
out in 1994. And they are always SHOCKED(!), SHOCKED, that no one
outside of their borough likes their music.

Meanwhile the rest of the country is moving forward and progressing in
another direction. Now, I'm not saying that everything coming out
today is good or high quality because that would be a lie. BUT what I
am saying is at least the youth around the country (i.e. outside of
NY) are doing their own thing and trying to create their own sound.
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. But at least they are
trying. That comes from radio and clubs in other markets playing new
music all the time. So kids end up creating music that has a new twist
to it instead of recycling. I have more confidence that the next
classic rap album will come out of the South before the East Coast.

Think about it...Rap kids in NY still get excited when Mobb Deep or
Nas comes out with a new album. I mean no disrespect to either one of
those artists (I'm a fan of both) but those two are artists that have
been making records for almost 15 years now. NY'ers have had no one
come out in the new millennium to be excited for. At some point it's
not them; it's us.

RAP'S NEW GENERATION.......GAP

The other issue is rap, in general, is suffering from a generation
gap. Most of the people who are in power positions in the rap game—be
it execs, writers, radio programmers, or television people—they/we all
come from a certain age and perspective. Many of the same artists get
major press, many times undeservedly so. They get huge pushes from
labels based on old successes. Meanwhile, an artist like Soulja Boy
can seemingly sneak up out of nowhere and make a major impact. The
funny thing is Soulja Boy didn't come from nowhere. He has been around
on YouTube for about 2 years creating a groundswell of kids who are
riding for him. His success reminds me of No Limit or Cash Money,
where the hip-hop intelligentsia had no idea what or who those crews
were when they busted on the scene because they were so far up their
own asses that they were blindsided by those labels' success. Ignoring
the fact that they had been selling serious amounts of records and
doing tons of shows before they got major label deals.

In this case, the elder statesmen are ignoring the youth. They dismiss
their music as silly and juvenile while the youth galvanize themselves
and support their artists. The conversation I have with some of my
peers about an artist like Soulja Boy follows the same bullshit that
the old music execs used to say about rap music.

Rap is a young man's game. Even all the greats made their best albums
when they were either teenagers or in their early twenties. The youth
movement is what drives hip-hop and instead of being shunned and
dismissed as bullshit, it should be nurtured.

That's all for now Boys and Girls. Till next time.

***Jeff Sledge currently holds the weighty title of Senior Director, Jive
Records. Do yourself a favor, DO NOT send him your demo if it's slow
and grimy.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Top Ten Rappers Turned Actors

BIG CED's Top Ten Rappers Turned Actors
as seen on The Industry CoSign (http://www.theindustrycosign.com/)

As I was watching Law and Order: SUV the other night, the episode that Ludacris was on, I had to commend him on his acting skills. So this brought a topic to mind. Who are the Top Ten rappers turned actors. So, I decided to do a list and see if you agree or can add others to it. Keep in mind that I am only listing 10 although I can probably give you as many as 20, just off the top of my head!

Keep in mind that I do know there are some that are coming up now that could conceivably make and even top this list, but as of this writing, I stand by my choices! Prove me wrong!!!

In no particular order (or maybe it is…..)

Mark Wahlberg aka Marky Mark- Now you can’t front, you couldn’t stand Marky Mark or his damn Funky Bunch but this Boston Beantown resident does his thing in the acting realm! I am quite sure that most of you didn’t even realize that Mark Wahlberg was indeed Marky Mark. Check out Four Brothers, The Departed, The Italian Job and Three Kings.

Chris Bridges aka Ludacris- As I mentioned above, Luda did a great job on that Law and Order episode as Darius Parker, relative of another Top Ten entry, Ice T. Although he doesn’t have an extensive acting resume, I think he will be one of the great rappers who is also a great actor in years to come. Check out Crash, Hustle and Flow and 2 Fast 2 Furious.

Tracey Morrow aka Ice T- For a man to be labeled a pimp and was responsible for a group that made a song called Cop Killer, his most memorable roles are that of a cop. But that’s the trademark of an actor, to play a character that isn’t in your everyday being. Now, I have to admit, seeing him in New Jack City, gave me pains as I just KNEW this would be his last acting job (don’t front, you thought the same thing!), but lo and behold, he is still around and has turned into a decent actor. (I KNOW some of you will disagree!). Check out his stints on New York Undercover, Trespass and Ricochet.

O’Shea Jackson aka Ice Cube- Amerikkka’s Most Wanted had a great start with his starring role in John Singleton’s debut movie, Boyz N Da Hood. From Cube’s performance in this movie, you knew he would continue on this path but I didn’t realize he would actually become a major player in Hollywood! Check out Barbershop 1 and 2, Friday, Next Friday and Friday After Next and All About The Benjamins.

Dana Owens aka Queen Latifah- Now I am sure that 99.4% of you will agree with me when I state that Queen Latifah is one of the best and most positive images Hip-Hop can lay claim to! This multi-talented woman has shown that the many hats she wears are worn well. Her body of work speaks for itself, even a brief appearance in Juice. Check out Beauty Shop, Chicago and The Bone Collector.

Will Smith aka Fresh Prince- Who would have figured that a skinny big-eared rapping kid from Philly would end up making more money per movie than a more accomplished and trained actor such as Denzel Washington. Yes, Hip-Hop’s own Fresh Prince, who admittedly went through his first million as fast as he made it, catapulted himself into Hollywood’s stratosphere by being himself on his own self-titled TV show and took that charm and character to make himself an unlikely movie star. Check out The Pursuit of Happyness, Hitch and Six Degrees of Separation.

James Todd Smith aka LL Cool Jay- In Krush Groove, he couldn’t live without his radio, but he has proven otherwise as he has risen to stay on top of his game in the cross section of Hollywood and HollyHood. The man who has been around (As a recording artist) longer than the likes of Public Enemy, EPMD and The Beastie Boys, still has a grip on some roles in Hollywood. One of the very few recording artists to star in his own sitcom, he is still recording AND filming. Talk about a legend! Check out In Too Deep, Halloween H2O and Deliver Us From Eva.

Darryl Mitchell aka Chill- I am quite positive you didn’t know Chill was part of the Uptown group, Groove B. Chill back when people were just finding out about Heavy D and The Boyz, Teddy Riley and Al B. Sure!. This rapper turned actor has starred in more TV series than any rapper alive (to my knowledge)! An unfortunate accident didn’t stop him from acting either, which makes his feat an even more accomplished one! Check out House Party 1 and 2, The John Larroquette Show and Veronica’s Closet.

Calvin Broadus aka Snoop Dogg- This man is another multi-talented, everywhere seen type of guy that exudes attention in whatever he is involved in! His laid-back persona and pimp talk is always ready to be displayed whether film, commercial, records or video! Check out Soul Plane (ok, maybe not Soul Plane), Starsky and Hutch and The Wash.

Earl Simmons aka DMX- Dark Man X has made a transition from rapper to actor, though his recent ‘driving’ and alleged ‘drug use’ may have hampered his ability to directly compete for the jobs that some on this list are getting. Check out Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds and Belly.

I know most of you are screaming, ‘But what about Tupac? I do agree, but since his death shortchanged his career, I thought I would keep it to the ones I listed.

And for real fans of rappers/actors, I am sure a few of you will ask about Mos Def, who I feel is the second best rapper/actor behind Mark Wahlberg (Yes, I CED it, Marky Mark!). For those who don’t know, Mos Def was actually an actor (God Bless The Child- 1988) BEFORE he became a rapper…. So, he wasn’t included on my list…

And, yes, I am sure I missed a few, this is where you come in! And on a sad note, I feel T.I. was next up on this list. Hopefully, he has great lawyers, otherwise……