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VMA Nominations are Out!

It seems that Green Day, Gwen Stefani and Missy Elliot are the leaders in the MTV Video Music Award nominations .

Scheduled for August 28th, the VMAs will be hosted by non other that P. Diddy, who, according to the New York Daily News, is in the process of yet another name change. (You can send in your predictions for the Rap Mogul's new name and possibly win some money).

The list of Nominees after the jump
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Tags: Mandrill

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D???Angelo in Rehab

Two D'Angelo articles in a week? Well, ya boy has made news again.

According to the Chesterfield County, Virginia DA, Michael Eugene Archer (nee D???Angelo) has entered a rehab facility in Los Angeles for substance abuse.

The neo soul artist, who will collaborate with Common for and upcoming remix to the single “Go,” has been reclusive since his multiplatinum release Voodoo in 2000. However, the singer has had many run-ins with the law in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, with the most recent arrest coming this past January for disorderly conduct.

According to this article, D'Angelo is supposedly working on a new album, tentatively titled, “James River.”

Tags: Mandrill

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Usher's Bling Watch

Yo, I knew that whole “rap consciousness” movement that Kanye was trying to start wouldn't last long.

Usher's new bling watch, which he purchased in London recently, has 1106 diamonds, along with hundreds of rare yellow diamonds that create an image of his face in the center. According to SaveHipHop.org, the watch took almost seven months to make. The price tag runs at around one million dollars.

I wonder how many starving kids in Sierra Leone had to die for this watch. Oops, did I say that??

Tags: Mandrill

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MTV Unplugged Returns with Alicia Keys, Common, and Mos Def

MTV's Unplugged, the on again, off again, acoustic showcase is returning in September with an “inspired” performance by Alecia Keys.

“As a child, in my wildest dreams ??? and I dreamed so big ??? but you never think it's going to happen,” Keys tells MTV.Com.

The performance, which was taped last week but will air September 9th, includes collaborations with Common, Mos Def, and Maroon 5's Adam Levine. While she will be singing her classic tunes, such as “A Woman's Worth,” Alicia will also be covering the Rolling Stones classic, “Wild Horses,” and collaborating with Damien Marley for a special rendition of “Welcome to Jamrock.”

Instead of shooting at the MTV Studios, Keys' performance will take place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Although MTV's Unplugged was a staple of the early 90's alternative scene, the show has faltered to create buzz in recent years. The last memorable performance on the show was Jay-Z's 2001 unplugged set featuring the roots.

Tags: Mandrill

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Concert Review: Esthero at The 9:30 Club

This concert was 7 years in the making.

One would find it hard to believe that its been 7 whole years since Breath from Another, the legendary album that established Esthero as a soul superstar in her native Canada and around the world. Sometimes I wonder how many 7 year old children we have in America because of that album.

For me, personally, Breath From Another was my album of choice during the down periods of my life. Esthero's sweet soulful voice (which I would compare to Sade) has been there for me when times were rough, and I almost thought that this concert would be a sort of spiritual evolution of sorts.

However, Esthero has changed in the seven years since she released Breath. Although she's worked with such hip hop artists as Goodie Mob, Saul Williams, Cee-Lo, Mos Def, The Isley Brothers, and the Black Eyed Peas (pre-Fergie), her new album, Wikked Lil' Grrrls, ventures into a completely different direction–grrrl power pop.

So Esthero was put in a particular position this past Sunday night. How does this self-proclaimed “pirate pixie” satisfy her trip-hop/urban fan base while getting them to embrace her new direction?

Esthero figured out exactly how to accomplish this task. How? She got crunk.

I'm surprised I used Esthero and crunk in the same sentence, but the last time I was involved in a concert this rowdy was when I went to see Ludacris and Nelly. The love from the crowd was overwhelming and actually surprising at times. I would've have never expected an Esthero concert to be as raucous as it actually was. Also, there were a few fights and scuffles in the section that we were in, but it only added to the atmosphere of the show.
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Tags: Mandrill

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Verve Remixed Contest

The Couch Sessions is giving away two Verve Remixed 3 CDs in the month of July!

Since 2002, Verve Records has paired some of the world???s most adventurous DJs and producers with some of the best jazz musicians. Verve Remixed 3 digs deep into the legendary label's catalog of such legendary performers as Nina Simone, Billie Holiday , Sarah Vaughan, and Dinah Washington. Verve has assembled a talented array of DJs and Producers, including Danger Mouse, Lyrics Born, Carl Craig, and RJD2.

Media Files (Windows Media Player):

• Video: “Fever” ??? Adam Freeland remix ??? Sarah Vaughan
• RJD2 - “The Gentle Rain”
• Adam Freeland - “Fever”
• Brazilian Girls - “Just One of Those Things”
• Max Sedgley - “Peter Gunn”

To enter, please send an email to articleonline@gmail.com with your Name, Email, and Location (city, state, country). Contest Ends on July 25th, 2005. Winners will be selected by a random drawing. ONE ENTRY PER EMAIL ADDRESS, PLEASE!

More info on Verve Remixed series can be found here.

Tags: Mandrill

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East Coast Flava/West Coast Flava

Tonight, yours truly be sitting at home watching Entourage and recovering from an interesting Thursday night (CHEERS, BITCHES! - inside joke) by consuming lots of water and crackers. However, for those who did'nt party it up last night, I do want to let ya'll know about some DC themed parties happening tonight on both coasts.

East Coast: Krunk (pictured above) is celebrating its 2 year anniversary party tonight and DJ Jesse Tittsworth (along with DJ Dave Nada, Tamu) and company will be pulling out all the stops. If ya don't know, Krunk is DC's best hip hop party, by far, featuring turntables, rap battles (think 8 Mile) and live performances. The Cover is only $5 and its at the Metro accessible Singapore Bistro in Dupont. Miss Hipstah and crew will be there.

West Coast: Out on the West Coast and miss your taste of DC Go-Go? DC native, Sy Smith and her band Deeznuts will be bringin' a taste of DC to the West Coast. The concert takes place at the Temple Bar in Santa Monica and the cover is $10.

Tags: Mandrill

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Review: Slick & Rose Objects in the Mirror

This Atlanta-based duo has got to be one of the South's best-kept secrets. With phat bass lines and simple yet highly catchy beats, Nikki Slick and Sabrina Rose will catch you off guard. At first glance, you might brush them off as another wannabe girlie soul troupe. But once you hear the beat and the sultry voices on the first track (”Space”) and you're hooked. You're foot will be tapping. You're head will be nodding and by the time you get to the fourth track (”Love Is”), you'll be wondering why you haven't heard of Slick & Rose before.

The tracks blend well together. The beats are pretty fresh. They have tracks with beatboxer and underground MC Dres tha Beatnik. They even have Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest backing them up on their track “U Know U Want It”.

The two came together in 2000, in what would seem like an odd coupling. Nikki Slick hails from Mobile, Alabama (Stone, that's your peoples) while Sabina Rose was raised in the “concrete jungle” of New York City. With influences that range from Southern gospel to Jamaican dub, it's easy to see how their music could be considered eclectic.

Slick & Rose's sound has soul, yet can be defined as hip hop. It got them on the OkayPlayer tour in Japan, and on stage with the likes of Common, Kanye, Chingy, Anthony David and Slum Village. Already they have fans in Europe, (Denmark in particular) and the Far East (Not only did they tour Japan on the OkayPLayer tour, but their album was originally released there in 2003).

To find out more about Slick & Rose, go to their official website.

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D???Angelo???s a ???Go???

Just in case anyone???s wondering where he???s been, soulster D???Angelo will be featured on the upcoming remix to Go, the second single from Common???s current album Be, according to MTV.com. D???Angelo has been fairly incognito in recent years ??? we haven???t heard anything from him since his 2002 collaboration with Raphael Saadiq on the track You Should be Here (from the latter artist's Instant Vintage LP). Of course, there was that little incident last November involving D???Angelo???s arrest for drug possession and driving under the influence, but that doesn???t count.

D???Angelo - long considered a leader in the “neo-soul” movement - first made a name for himself with 1995???s electric Brown Sugar LP, followed by the Grammy award-winning Voodoo in 2000. It would be nice to think that this is his first step toward a long overdue return.

Now, if only someone could get Lauryn Hill back on track….

Tags: Mandrill

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Underground Soul: Dwele

HoneySoul has an audio interview with the one and only Dwele. Haven't heard of him? Well, dude has been throwin' down with Slum Village and Platinum Pied Pipers/Bling 47 for a while now.

I first found out about Dwele from Giles Peterson's Worldwide radio show on BBC1. The dude was on that show almost every week and his track, “Subject” was a Worldwide Winner in 2003.

Dwele's debut, Subject, was one of the hottest albums of 2003 and is a must own for any R&B fan. Unfortunately, Dwele has been below the surface ever since. Could 2005 be his year?

Tags: Mandrill

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