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Review: D'Nell - 1st Magic

The UK has been a consistent breeding ground for quality r&b for quite a few years now, producing artists and sounds better than most of the r&b heard on the radio stateside. 1st Magic is the first full length album from London r&b duo D'Nell - producer Dan Jones and singer Ellie Hajee - and it's certainly a keeper.

1st Magic was recorded entirely in the duo's studio apartment (what?!), yet it sounds as good - if not better - as anything done in a state-of-the-art recording booth. Ellie's soulful vocals are the perfect fit for Dan's hip-hop production, which is rife with obscure samples, horns, and just plain sick bass lines. The end result is r&b with more of an organic feel than that of D'Nell's U.S. contemporaries, with plenty of jazz and funk inflections to go around (ok, organic has to be the most overused word in all of musicdom, but hey, it fits in this case).

It always feels good to get your hands on some music that you know won't be a waste of IPod space. 1st Magic delivers the goods.

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Review: Femi Kuti: Live at the Shrine

In the late 60s, a new kind of music sprang out of the grounds of Africa. The music, called Afrobeat, was a merger of funk, jazz, and African rhythms, with politically charged lyrics. With inspiration from the Black Power movement taking place in the United States, Fela Kuti, the creator of Afrobeat used Afrobeat to counter the corruption and poverty taking place in his native Nigeria. Fela's anti-government music led to many riots and arrests during his 30 year career.

Fela Kuti died of AIDS in 1997.

His son, Femi, has taken up his father???s crusade to fight against government corruption. Femi has created the Africa Shrine in Lagos, Nigeria as a place to promote African unity and to give the youth of Africa a place to go and be inspired. Although the Shrine???s main function is as a concert hall, Femi also lives and records at the venue as well.

In 2004, a French Documentary crew went to Nigeria to film one of Femi's legendary Sunday concerts. However, Live at the Shrine is more than a concert CD. It includes an exclusive interview with Femi, as well as a taste of life in modern day Africa.
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Sound of Japone is Music To A Lounger's Ears

Just west of Dupont Circle, on P Street is Cafe Japone. A cozy restaurant/bar, Cafe Japone offers up some of the area's best sushi. It also offers up bad karaoke and on some occasions, comedy. But one of the nicest parts of Japone is the downstairs bar. Most don't even realize that it's there.

Once you enter the downstairs door, you pass through another small dining area before entering an exotically lit bar. It kinda makes you wonder if you slipped underwater (think of Superman's cave. It kinda feels like that). It is here that one of the sexiest house/drum & bass nights takes place.
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Tags: Mandrill

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Raccoons, bitches, and positive vibrations: A conversation with cosmic funk diva Sy Smith

Sy Smith is constantly on the move these days, spreading her funky soul sound across the music world. Indulge yourselves, as The Couch Sessions steal a few moments with the eccentric songstress.
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Tags: Mandrill

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News Update: August 10th

Wednesday's been a big day. Here's your news:

Rapper Beanie Sigel was released from a New Jersey prison yesterday. Sigel was in prison for federal gun and drug charges. He still faces a re-trial (which starts Sept. 19) for an attempted murder in Philly. His last album The B. Coming was recorded while he was locked up.

LLoyd Banks and Young Buck were both arrested after a Madison Square concert, on charges of gun possession. They were released with out bail on Tuesday.

A makeup artist has dropped a law suit against rapper Snoop Dogg. The woman alleged that she was drugged and raped by Snoop and others from his crew after he appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” two years ago.

For those who prefer to read the book before seeing the movie, rapper 50 Cent is promoting his tell all autobiography entitled From Pieces to Weight. The book is a retelling of “living the American Dream — get your start by selling crack cocaine, make your escape through hip-hop music, and once you've made it big, peddle sneakers.”

A man in Nebraska recently bought 30 bricks from the recently demolished Detroit Artillery Armory on Eight Mile in Oak Park, Detroit for $685. They were all signed by Eminem who grew up on Eight Mile (which y'all should know by now). The commemorative bricks were part of a fund-raiser for the rapper/producer's charity the Marshall Mathers Foundation as well as the Eight Mile Boulevard Association.

R&B artist Ciara is stealing all the awards. She has five nominations for the Lady Soul Train Awards. Soulstress Aretha Franklin will also be honored.

Director John Singleton explains how he tries to balance his “message movies” with his “popcorn movies”. His new movie Four Brothers opens this Friday.

Speaking of Four Brothers, rapper/actor Andre Benjamin talks about his new career in the movie business to The Associated Press.

That's it for the News Update today. Stay tuned!

Tags: Mandrill

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News Update: August 9th

Hi and welcome once again to another exciting edition of News Update. Let's get started mmkay?

Ja Rule became the first internationally well known rapper to perform in the Dominican Repiblic. His concert wow-ed 3000 fans. That was a far smaller crowd than promoters were hoping for (the estimated number was 20,000).

Rapper DMX was charged with violating his release terms that were part of a plea agreement. Whoopie. Another rapper is in trouble again with the law.

Moving on

Due to the success of the popular films, Showtime is creating a series based on the Barbershop movies.

Def Jam is releasing an album entitled “Def Jazz”. Looks pretty good.

And finally, pop singer Sinead O'Connor is following Willie Nelson's footsteps. She's releasing a reggae album on her Chocolate and Vanilla label (This is me shuddering uncontrollably).

“To me, I have not made a reggae record, I've made a Rasta record,” O'Connor said Monday night at a Kingston launch party for “Thrown Down Your Arms,” scheduled to be released in September.

Who's next? Neil Diamond sings Bob Marley's Greatest Hits? Barry Manilow and Barrington Levy duets? FOR THE LOVE OF JAH, MAKE IT STOP!!!!

That's it for the News Update today. Sayonara bitches!

Tags: Mandrill

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New Music: Jennifer Johns

When profiling new artists, I hate trying to compare them to a well-known and established musician, especially when a new artist is paving their own role in the music industry.

So I’ll try not to compare Oakland native Jennifer Johns to Kelis.

Oops. My bad.

But comparing Ms. Johns to Kelis is not a bad thing at all. Jennifer is a part of the new “space funk” movement, being pioneered by other California starlets such as Sy Smith and J*Davey. Her soulful R&B and 808 beats to create an interesting musical combination. In fact, she calls her music “heavyelectromagnetic.” However, you can't describe the music on John's CD, heavyelectromagneticsoularpoeticjunglehop, you just have to listen.

Like many soul pioneers, Johns has been in the music game for many years. Jennifer's music combines her love of jazz, spoken word, and hip hop. She even released her debut CD on her own label, Nayo Movement Music.

• Jennifer Johns - Ghetto Stories (5MB MP3)

More information can be found here. Tracks to watch: “heavyelectromagneticsoularpoeticjunglehop,” “Do You Believe in Love”

Tags: Mandrill

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Independent Film

Movie Preview: Oldboy

With the lack of quality films coming from Hollywood, no wonder many of my friends have turned to Asia for inspiration. There are the Kung-Fu movies, such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, however Asian cinema is much more than that.

Take Infernal Affairs, Ringu (The Ring), or Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. I’ll throw Battle Royale (one of the worst films ever made) in there just cause it was different. No wonder Hollywood is looking East. Hong Kong hit, Infernal Affairs is going to be remade, American style this summer with Martin Scorsese at the helm and Jack Nicholson as the lead, replacing all of the Asian characters with Irish-American gangsters. Sigh.

The latest film set to be pimped remade by Hollywood is Oldboy, Chan-wook Park’s revenge thriller. In the movie, a man is imprisoned for 15 years and upon his release, he must figure out how who is captor was, and he only has 5 days. During these 5 days, this former businessman, husband, and father extracts revenge (Kill Bill style) on all who were responsible for his incarceration.

Okay, the plot doesn???t sound like much, but I’ve been assured by some friends that this movie is off the hook, so of course, I’m eagerly awaiting the North American DVD release on August 23rd.

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Beloved Cuban Singer Dies

Buena Vista Social Club singer Ibrahim Ferrer has died. He was 78.

A singer of the traditional Cuban “son” music, Ferrer was well known in the US mostly due to the 1999 movie Buena Vista Social Club directed by Wim Wenders. Famous for his style and attitude, Ferrer worked with numerous musicians, including Orishas and Gorillaz. His music has also been referenced by other artists. His own album Buena Vista Social Club Presents: Ibrahim Ferrer came out in 1999 soon after the film.

Two other members of the Buena Vista Social Club, Compay Segundo and Ruben Gonzalez died in 2003.

Tags: Mandrill

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News Update: Weekend Edition

Hello and welcome to a very special weekend edition of News Update.

Rapper Foxy Brown (seen here with Wyclef Jean) is once again refusing a plea bargin from the Manhatten District Attorney's office. It's one that could keep her out of jail. She's charged with assault, attempted assault and harrassment due to an incident that occured at the Bloomies Nail salon last August. The explanation for her refusal:

“She didn't commit any misdemeanor,” said her lawyer, Joseph Tacopina. “That's the bottom line.”

For those of you Being Bobby Brown junkies, good news: Bravo is adding two more episodes to this season.

Death Row Records founder “Suge” Knight fined $691 in California for making an illegal U-turn and driving without insurance. There was a drug charge against him (he had some weed on him) but that was dropped.

A photographer was shot with a BB Gun while hiding outside a Malibu home where it was alleged Britney Spears was attending a bridal shower. The shooter still has not been identified.

20 year old Paul Rodriguez Jr. (son of actor/comedian Paul Rodriguez) is now the Street Skateboarding King for the second time. He won the title at both last year's X-Games as well as this years.

Pharrell is now working with blue-eyed soulster Thicke. Their upcoming track “Wanna Love You Girl” is (according to them) “guaranteed to get you naked”.

And finally, if anyone is interested, here is a list of the winners from the 2005 Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards.

That's it for the weekend update. Hipstah is iz-out!

Tags: Mandrill

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