Urban Music Guide

Legendary music executive and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy is to be honored at the Urban Network Music-Entertainment Summit scheduled fro March 14, 2009 at the Pacific Palms Resort in California. The Urban Network will be honoring him for his role in the industry as one of the pioneers and legends, bringing music to the masses and to the hearts and minds of all who have loved the sound. Motown has in it’s 50 year history, been the bastion of the world’s urban music industry and has brought more artists to light of the people who would have otherwise been unnoticed. It has also been host to many of today’s stars where their careers were launched and flourished.
Most if not all of the record industry’s leaders will be in attendance and the event will be hosted by who else but Danny Glover who himself is one of the legends, from another front but with close ties to the industry. The event is expected to be one of the most anticipated for the music industry as it hails one of it’s greatest legends.

With the 2008 event a success, Austin Texas would gain be hosting next year’s Urban Music Festival. Though the fan numbers are low, it differentiates from other music festivals for it allows people to go in as in and even bring in their kids with no worry of any incidents. Music lovers from Texas came as 16 acts took the stage including some acts from local youth groups and school bands. The adverse weather didn’t stop thousands from watching and they simply had fun with the family and kids according to the organizers. People and groups have already made known their participation in the upcoming event in April 2009 such as Ray Parker Jr, Chaka Khan, Angie stone, The O’Jays, Trey Songz, Mint Condition and Trey Osborne with more expected to sign up. With the recession on everybody’s nerves, people actually love such events to take some time off the regular duties of everyday life. Check out their web site for more information and updates on the upcoming family event.

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Chris Brown has closely collaborated with the two hottest female artists to date at the MTV Video Music Awards. Firstly is Rihanna and now its Britney Spears. Chris Brown won the Best Male Video with his ‘With You’ clip. He wrote ‘Disturbia’, which was performed by his rumored girlfriend, Rihanna in the shows opening. Now it is said that Mr. Brown, the 19 year old, singer and songwriter is working closely with Britney Spears to make songs that she might record soon. He already has composed a couple of songs for Britney now, but Spears has yet to listen to them. It is to note that Britney and Chris are under the same label. Chris Brown is in demand, he is to appear on an upcoming track by Ludacris.

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Hip hop is slowly dying and the rapper, Tupac Shakur’s influence on the urban music business will ultimately be the name of the disease that is killing it. This deviant power was first strengthened by the rising fame and glory that 2pac reached worldwide through his stories of life as a thug within his writings and originals. Added to the fact that this violent persona in his real life. This has encouraged real life thugs and gang members. They idolize these figures because they relate with the person and fellow thugs in the neighborhood. It would not be fair to put all the blame on Tupac alone. This problem has been brewing long before his rise to fame. As this started with N.W.A. with their their explicit tales of drug dealing,gangster wars and murder. This gave voice to the true gangsters everywhere. The group grew popular and gained fame and respect. The same respect thugs want to have in the neighborhood. If they cant get that respect, they often resort to violence.

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P.Diddy in Style

When it comes to style there just a few rappers out there who can surpass P. Diddy. The rap music mogul has a reputation for enjoying the finest things and dressing in style. Take for example his newest ad for CIROC Vodka, being labelled as the new generation’s Rat Pack. The location of the filming for this advertisement was in the Hollywood home of one of P. Diddy’s heroes, Frank Sinatra. The advert shows P.Diddy and his guests having an intimate dinner party. Diddy dons an elegant suit and bow tie while sipping a glass of CIROC Vodka. It is known to the rap music industry that he defined sophisticated partying as a lifestyle .

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They say all respectable things come to an end. And this week, one or our most much-loved iconic screen stars left Hollywood’s constellation. Let us take a moment to remember Paul Newman (1925-2008), one of the older generation’s certified major star. He died at home due to complications arising from cancer.

The younger generation may only know him as the voice of Doc Hudson from the Disney-Pixar movie Cars, since he had retired from film, but he is most remembered for his classic performances like Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, opposite Robert Redford. He is also a genuine philanthropist, founding Newman’s Own, a line of food products that donates all proceeds of the sale to charity. Too, he and wife, actress Joanne Woodward, is hailed as one of the most stellar examples of marriage, having achieved 50 years together, in a world where marriage is often transitory and fleeting.

Good night, sweet prince.

The Black Eyed Peas (BEP) are an American hip hop/pop group from Los Angeles, California composed of four members named will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo, and Fergie. The group enjoyed worldwide success after their 2003 album, Elephunk.Here are the lyrics of 10 of their blockbuster hit songs:My HumpsWhere is the Love?Pump itLet’s Get it StartedDon’t Phunk With My HeartShut upDon’t LieHey MamaBebot Gone Going

One of the most famous and well-known R & B Artists is Stevie Wonder (Steveland Judkins was born prematurely in Saginaw, Michigan to Lula Mae Hardaway on May 13, 1950. It is thought that he received excessive oxygen in his incubator which led to retinopathy of prematurity, a destructive ocular disorder affecting the retina, characterized by abnormal growth of blood vessels, scarring, and sometimes retinal detachment. Mrs. Hardaway instructed her other children (there would eventually be four boys and one girl in the home) to treat Steveland the same as any other child, and not to tease or over-assist him because of his blindness.) He has already been awarded for having the Best R & B Song in 1974 entitled “Superstition“.

If you think television contests like “Making the Band”, will get you nowhere, then think again. Making the Band 3 winners, an all female group named “Danity Kane”, topped the charts for two times in a row. Formed by veteran musician Sean “Diddy” Combs, the all female group has indeed proven that with the right amount of talent combined with the right knowledge on what’s “in” and “hot” in today’s entertainment world, any performer can go a long way. Compared to previous “Making the Band” winners like O-Town (Making the Band 1) and Da Band (Making the Band 2), Danity Kane is surely a one-hit-wonder.

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Do you really think people don’t miss the uber schmaltzy and uber mushy songs of boy bands and girl bands? Think twice. When the Spice girls got back together for a one-time world tour last year, it proved that people STILL want to hear their sappy songs and reminisce the good old times. Now, another groupie wants to join the “bring back the old times” phenomenon: the New Kids On The Block. Yes, even though their youngest member is already turning 30 next year, they still want to get back to whatever they have left in the music industry. NKOTB as a group has sold a total of 70 million albums worldwide during the peak of their careers and became the icons of other teeny-bopper boy bands such as Backstreet Boys and NSYNC.

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