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UK Sounds

Review: MIA @ The 9:30

Photo from suitablegirl’s Flickr photostream.

I’m not going to lie. Prior to this concert, I was a blatant MIA hater. It’s not that I hated MIA’s music or message as much as I hated the New York hipster press and the “MIA Will You Marry Me!” bloggers for pumping up some random chick just because she was “the next big thing,” without a critical look at who she was or what she represented.

Fortunately or unfortunately though, MIA has become an ambassador for UK hip hop in these United States, which is a task that East London superstar Dizzie Rascal or even The Streets’ Mike Skinner have failed to accomplish. With this ambassadorship comes responsibility, and MIA’s duty was to convince a somewhat skeptical US crowd that she could carry the torch.

I’ve stated from day one that I was dragged to the show against my own will. However, I was really curious to see if this chick could live up to the hype. I wasn’t really impressed with Arular, MIA’s critically acclaimed album, and I could care less about her mixtape with Diplo, Piracy Funds Terrorism.

I was in for a present surprise.
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Tags: Mandrill

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United Soul For The People

I walked into a reunion. Not just another concert. Not just another group. Hands in the air. The hypnotizing trance of a crowd of 100 plus bodies moving and grooving in the same soulful two-step. The supportive screams from friends, family, and a modest but dedicated fan base populating the front lines. They are gathered together in this room warm with love and good feeling, sending up mad energy to their brethren rocking out on stage. Everyone seems to be in sync, united in soul. At the World Café in Philadelphia, I was immersed into the world of United Soul, the next segment in the Philly soul saga.
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Tags: Mandrill

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Music News

Jackson Acquitted of Child Molestation

Pop superstar Michael Jackson was acquitted of charges against him in his child molestation trail. Jackson was found not guilty of all 10 counts against him, including four counts of committing a lewd act with a child, and four counts of providing alcohol to a minor to facilitate child molestation.

Jackson, who has always pledged his innocence, wiped a single tear from his face and proceeded to hug his head lawyer, after the jury read the announcement.

The verdict caps a wild and sensationalistic few months of this Jackson trial. During the trial, Jackson arrived to a courtroom late several times and was also hospitalized over the weekend. However, even these incidents could not sway the jury to convict Jackson.

Reaction to the verdict has been mixed. Even the jury had doubts that Jackson does not have a history of molesting children. “I can’t believe that this man could sleep in the same bedroom for 365 straight days and not do something more than just watch television and eat popcorn,” a juror told CNN.

Tags: Mandrill

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Interview: DJ Menelik

Atlanta's own DJ Menelik has been spinnin' tunes since the since the late 80's. Menelik has played for such celebs as Prince, The Neptunes, Janet Jackson, P Diddy, Lenny Kravitz, and Jermaine Dupri. Blending everything from Lil' John to Michael Jackson in his set, Menelik is known for known for his magnetic presence and fashion style.

How did you get started in the business?
I got into the business as a musician and a dancer.

You've worked for some heavy hitters. How did you get connected with P Diddy and Lenny Kravitz?

I worked around huge pop icons for years. I was heavily involved in the Atlanta nightlife as a dancer which led to working the doors at all the hotspots then DJing. One night Dallas Austin brought Diddy out to hear me DJ, now he???s a regular where I spin.

It seems that you have an excellent fashion style, who are your favorite designers or brands?

I???m a HUGE fan of Hedi Slimane and all the stuff he does for Dior. I was really into Tom Ford for Gucci for years. I also like Y-3 and Dsquared.

Any fashion tips for the fellas?

Yeah, trash the jerseys and long Ts!!! Eww! (I love that question).

Who or what are you musical influences?

The first would be Bruce Lee, Prince, Depeche Mode, Run DMC, Africa Bambata, Kraftwerk, Grandmaster Flash, Billy Idol, Jazzy Jeff, and Muhammad Ali. I admire there ability to translate their passions to the masses.
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Tags: Mandrill

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Hip-Hop, House/Electronic, Music News, New Music, Rock/Alternative, UK Sounds

Worldwide Winners Announced

Gilles Peterson if off the hook.

In addition to breaking The Roots, Sa’Ra, Dwele, Ty, and many more amazing acts, his Worldwide Radio show on BBC1 was one of the first DJ’s to play Amerie’s One Thing track on the radio in the UK, which forced her record company to push the once white label-status track as her first single.

Every so often, Peterson will feature the most popular alternative soul tracks in a show entitled Worldwide All Winners. The first All Winners Show in 2005 featured such notable acts as Roy Ayers, Faith Evans, Saul Williams, Common, and MF Doom to more underground acts, such as Blakai, Roman Flugel, and Dwight Trible.

Full Worldwide Winners after the jump:
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Tags: Mandrill

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Hip-Hop

Live From Iraq

4th25 - Live From Iraq
Buy from CD BABY.

‘No One Talks About What We’re Going Through … We’re Venting for Everybody,’

From the beginning, 4th25???s Live From Iraq lets America know that the images that we???re seeing on CNN are just a video game. This album gives us an unedited, unfiltered, and uncensored view of the daily life in Iraq. The raw lyrics and beats paint a dark, eerie picture of a war zone. You don’t see President “Mission Accomplished” Bush or Donald Rumsfeld talking about this.

4th25 (meaning fourth quarter) is the brainchild of First Cavalry Sergeant Neal Saunders, and the group is composed completely of American soldiers serving in Iraq. “No one talks about what we’re going through,??? Saunders says. ???Sure, there are generals on the TV, but they’re not speaking for us. We’re venting for everybody.”

Live From Iraq was written, composted and recorded completely in Baghdad in a makeshift hut, using recording equipment shipped from the States and cheap mattresses as sound insulation.

The lyrics, which reference getting shot at, paranoia, and losing close friends to violence, are remarkably similar to those life in the ‘hood. Newsweek puts it best when it states, ???Rap is becoming the pulse of the Iraq war, as the sounds of Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison were for Vietnam.??? In fact, hip hop has been a daily staple in wartime Iraq since day one, with rap battles and freestyle contests being held in the infamous Green Zone in central Baghdad.

All in all, this remarkable album makes most stateside hip hop sound like Disney. There???s no faking here. Unlike some rappers who live in expensive mansions and drive tricked out whips, these guys are living the rhymes that they write.

Tags: Mandrill

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The Couch Sessions Joins Music Blog Network

AO/The Couch Sessions offiically joined the Music Blog Network yesterday, along with such music sites as Stereogum and Blogcritics. Using our combined audience of over 2,000,000 monthly page views, the Music Blog Network will give advertisers a central area to market to music lovers using Blogads.

The Music Blog Network has already been mentioned at Philly.com and I Want Media, and the site has already been viewed by various movers and shakers in the music industry.

Full Press Release after the jump:
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Tags: Mandrill

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Seriously, What Do I Have to Do…..

….to get a reality show?

The Rev. Run is in the house. Run’s House, a reality show featuring the Rev. Run of Run DMC, his wife, Justine, and their five children, will premiere later this year on MTV, the network announced Monday.

At least its not an audition to fill the slot for the departed Jam Master Jay (like one reality show is doing), but do we really need to see what goes in in the life of Reverend Run? Unless he’s pullin’ a Dave Chappelle, I can’t see people caring about Run making an album or playing with his kids. Run will join other “day in the life” reality shows such as Meet the Barkers, Being Bobby Brown, and Chasing Farah. Wow.

And it’s going to be on MTV too. So now, 15 year old girls in Iowa will ask the question, “who in the hell is Run DMC?”

Tags: Mandrill

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