Nhojj LIVE @ Brooklyn Museum (Saturday, January 7th, 2012)

Nhojj

Brooklyn Museum

Nhojj January 07 Brooklyn, NY

The Brooklyn Museum is having a special "Out & Proud" Target First Saturday on January 7, 2012 to celebrate HIDE/SEEK: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture. Its the first major museum exhibition to explore how gender and sexual identity have shaped the creation of American portraiture.

OUTMusic Award winning artist Nhojj kicks off the Free evening @ 5 p.m. with a 50 minute set including his latest singles "Adam & Steve" and "He & Him."

His band includes:

John F Adams - Keys (played with Keith Sweat)

Marcelo Cardozo - Guitar

Clark Dark - Bass

Swiss Chris - Drums (played with John Legend)

Ishmael Jeffers, Cameron Bernard Jones, David Williams - Background Vocals

Seating is limited, so everyone is advised to arrive 30 minutes early.

www.brooklynmuseum.org/visit/first_saturdays.php

www.nhojj.com

Malachi Rivers Releases His debut single, Love & Music featuring U.K.'s Own Maria Bentley from His Forthcoming album Stereo Sound Escape

Natural gifts of artistic flare are rarely combined into one and allowed such vivid expressions of individuality as with the unique sound of Emcee, Malachi Rivers music. Behind a lion driven force to live out his dreams is the serene humility of a unique and ubiquitous individual.

Having toured the states and Europe with rising and notable Jazz star Marcus Strickland "Twi-Life" Group as the "God Voice" in support of their acclaimed live recorded album Open Reel Deck, Malachi developed the lyrical chops, musicality, and stage presence to hold down two to three shows a night. Working with such barrier breaking talent as Grammy Award winning rapper Cee-Knowledge aka Doodlebug of the Legendary Hip Hop Group Digable Planets, Spoken Word Star J.Ivy (Kanye West, Jay-Z, John Legend), and two breakthrough producers, Jazz trained female drummer turned producer JoVia Armstrong and House/Techno head Brandon Durrette, Malachi's debut album Stereo Sound Escapeembodies musicality, love, lyricism, and the privilege to hear music that crosses borders and not just the charts.

Born Greg Owens, Jr. In Prince George's County, Maryland, a suburb of Washington D.C., Malachi started from humble beginnings with a young mother and step-father who raised him to be a very spiritually aware, confident, and disciplined individual. "Growing up I saw it all drugs, abuse, you name it! However, when I heard music, especially Hip Hop, like Tribe, Digable Planets, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, and Arrested Development it was my escape. I started to feel like there was more to life than some of the things I saw. That's why I took on the name Malachi which means "my messenger" because I wanted to use music as away to get a message across. The last name Rivers came about because I wanted the message to flow like a river, sometimes its rough sometimes its smooth."

Malachi, began to take his love for music seriously auditioning and being accepted into a prestigious performing arts school in Maryland. Honing his craft vocally, Malachi studied Classical voice. "I was always told I had such a strong voice. I would sing Arias and Negro Spirituals all the time. Let's just say I was the young man who loved singing "Ol' Man River". After graduating Malachi, attended the University of Maryland where he developed an interest in spoken word poetry. Malachi, studied the craft, started a group with a female singer/poet and became one of the DMV's most dominant spoken word performers. Winning Slams, and performing alongside or for many outstanding performers including Saul Williams, Sonia Sanchez, Dick Gregory, and performing at the same spot on a weekly basis as R&B singer Raheem Devaughn.

After the group broke up, Malachi began to do some soul searching. Taking time away from the craft, Malachi enrolled in Broadcasting school, graduated, worked hard as an intern at Radio One in the DMV area and within a few months became the co-host of a talk show on a very new at the time XM Satellite Radio - "The Power". In less than a year Malachi was given his own show on XM Satellite Radio - "The Flow" called The "Nu Soul Lounge". The show played "Neo-Soul" Spoken Word, and "conscience" Hip Hop. Moreover, this was the blessing that got him back on track to his musical path. "I remember being behind the mic interviewing Dougie E. Fresh, and started "spittin" for him, being in a hotel room having a cypher with The Nappy Roots, being in a backstage dressing room rhyme fest with Eve and Beenie Man, vibing with India. Arie, talking to Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, John Legend, Q-Tip, and feeling like I never want this to end. So I left it all and moved to NYC to pursue my dreams as a emcee/poet."

Malachi delved right into the New York scene, with only $103 dollars in his pocket and a dream. Hitting up open mic spots and meeting an array of talent. Performing for a month in a musical at the legendary Nuyorican Poetry Cafe, frequenting the "mother of all open mics" Village Underground, and many other spots. "I remember studying what performers did to captivate an audience. By attending these spots it developed me even more as an artist."

Perhaps, even beyond the open mic scene the world of social media has done wonders for Malachi. "I've always been a person to network, so social media was a cinch for me." Through social media Malachi, met the man who he thanks as giving him the opportunity to perform at the legendary Blue Note Jazz Club and to see the world, Jazz star Marcus Strickland. Strickland discovered Malachi on Myspace and sought after his talents for his project. Malachi, was also able to meet U.K. soul singer Maria Bentley, who he has two songs with to date, JoVia the amazing female producer who produced three tracks off his forthcoming albumStereo Sound Escape, including his debut single Love & Music with Maria Bentley, and one of his Hip Hop inspirations Cee-Knowledge aka Doodlebug from Digable Planets, whom has blessed Malachi with a powerful collaboration.

"Working on the album Stereo Sound Escape has been the most rewarding part of my career
so far. To put it quite simply I just didn't give a damn about fitting into any sound. I think the album is more of an introduction of what I have to offer as an artist who uses music and words to convey feelings, versus fitting into any genre. It's all a part of who I am."

Hence, the album's name Stereo Sound Escape. "Traveling the world and performing, I was exposed to different sounds and musical elements. I wanted to be true to the sound that I know I can perform with my heart in it. Not what someone said is hot or the trend right now. I wanted to give myself and my listeners an okay, to step away from what we hear on the radio. If my music charts what a blessing, if it doesn't the blessing is still there because I am doing what I love."

“Through music we are able to find ourselves in some shape or form. We are able to visit a place that has been revealed to everyone. It's a special place that the person in the hood has visited, the rich socialite has nodded her head in, and the poor child looking for food has only imagined. However, it is the one place that we all cross paths, regardless of our life story.”

Malachi Rivers, is what you would call a true artist. As an emcee he is compelling and as a performer engaging. Beyond any musical genre. He performs what is in his heart and that alone is a major hit!

You can check out Malachi's new single, "Love & Music" at:

Soundcloud: Love & Music featuring Maria Bentley - Produced by JoVia

YouTube: Love & Music featuring Maria Bentley - Produced by JoVia

iTunes: Love & Music Featuring Maria Bentley - Produced by JoVia
Amazon: Love & Music Featuring Maria Bentley - Produced by JoVia

Jill Scott, 'Hidden Beach Presents: The Original Jill Scott From the Vault Vol. 1'

When Jill Scott emerged on the scene in 2000 with Who Is Jill Scott? Words + Sounds, Vol. 1, a heavy sigh swept across the country. It was the collective exhaling of thousands of women who'd found a kindred spirit; a home girl who understood the depths of their passion, pain, self-determination and other life challenges, housed within a refreshing sanctuary of R&B/soul, hip-hop, gospel and jazz. Scott still has the touch: The Light of the Sun, her first album for Blues Babe/Warner Bros., debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in June. But fans are in for an added treat with this collection from her former label. Comprising new tracks, alternate versions and bonus material recorded during her tenure with the label, the project (available in standard and deluxe editions) transcends the thrown-together, unfinished feeling frequently associated with from-the-vault projects. Hand-picked by Scott and Hidden Beach, standouts include the moving "Wake Up Baby," the empowering "I'm Prettier" and Scott's revamp of the Bill Withers classic "Lovely Day." The raw emotion and range of Scott's voice and her remarkable gift for wordplay are consistent throughout. It's the evolution of a career artist in the making.

SAVE THE DATE: Dorinda Clark-Cole on Monday, August 15th at the SINGERS Lounge

DISCOVER THE CLARK SISTERS on TV ONE's "Unsung"

The 5th Annual Harlem International Street Fair this Saturday

Faison Firehouse Theatre and APAC Present

The 5^th Annual International Street Fair
Saturday July 23, 2011 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Faison Firehouse Theatre in association with The American Performing Arts Collaborative (APAC) invite you to celebrate the 5^th Annual Harlem International Street Fair Saturday July 23rd from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

During the event, 124th Street between Morningside and St. Nicholas Aves. will be closed off from traffic. The day will be jammed packed with events ranging from live performances, talent shows, and street vendors from local businesses.

International Jazz, R&B Recording Artist and Harlem Native Alyson Williams will host fair this year. Last year’s event brought some 2000 people throughout the day sharing in the fair with highlight of Gayle King line dancing with the Respect Project Kids. This year Faison expects more than 3,000 people to attend the event. The impetus for the street fair is to showcase all the talent and opportunities in the neighborhood in a very organic setting.

The fair is the brainstorm of George Faison, world renowned choreographer who won a Tony award for The Wiz in 1975 and an Emmy award for The Josephine Baker Story in 1991. In 1997 he co-founded the American Performing Arts Collaborative, and the Faison Firehouse Theatre. Faison has worked with such emerging talent such as S. Epatha Merkerson, Debbie Allen, Stephanie Mills, Phylicia Rashad, Eartha Robinson, Gary DeLoatch, Shedrack Anderson, Jackee and Hinton Battle among others. www.faisonfirehouse.org

Words from Dr. Maya Angelou

Harlem World Magazine will be the media sponsor, and the Firehouse’s planning partners include: Lotus Music and Dance, HAI, Scotty’s Antiques, Ryan Health Center, Hue-Man Bookstore, New Light Baptist Church, Mannie Wilson Senior Towers, HSCA Harlem School of the Arts, The Respect Project, United House of Prayer Brass Band, Church of Master and Take A Bow Performing Arts Group. Invited guests include New York City Council member Inez Dickens, New York State Senator Bill Perkins, R&B singer Alyson Williams and a host of other celebrities, officials, and community churches and organizations.

Words from George Faison

THERE IS STILL TIME TO REGISTER AS A VENDOR

For more information about the event, registering as a vendor or talent applications please contact Tad Schnugg at (212) 665-7716 or Tschnugg@faisonfirehouse.org.

For more information on the Faison Firehouse Theater click here

Photos:

Top Right: George Faison, Alyson Williams & Charles Rangel

Bottom Left: George Faison & Gayle King

Introducing Frank Ocean: Nostalgia, Ultra

By Steven Hyden March 15, 2011

Much like the ’80s BMW on the cover of his debut album, Nostalgia, Ultra, gifted singer-songwriter Frank Ocean apparently is out of touch with the times. That doesn’t jibe with his résumé, a seemingly impeccable combination of mainstream R&B credentials (he’s co-written songs for John Legend and Justin Bieber) and underground cool (he’s associated with outlaw hip-hop collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All). But after going nowhere as a solo artist signed to Island Def Jam, Ocean decided to post Nostalgia, Ultra as a free download last month. Hearing the record, it’s no shock that Ocean’s label didn’t know what to do with him. Nostalgia is a moody, frequently downbeat character study, a sort of musical version of the Reagan-era confessional Less Than Zero.

Ocean presents himself as a troubled guy in his early 20s who does cocaine for breakfast (as he sings over an aestheticized shuffle supplied by superstar producer Tricky Stewart on “Novacane”) and can’t decide whether to rue or revel in his conflicted feelings about women (the hit-single-in-waiting “Songs For Women”). Sampling world-class sulkers like Coldplay and Radiohead, as well as Stanley Kubrick’s queasy dissection of marriage, Eyes Wide Shut, Ocean saves his boldest move for the 7-minute epic “American Wedding,” fantasizing about his nuptials as the ultimate hymn of coke-addled self-absorption, The Eagles’ “Hotel California,” plays out in its entirety. Like the rest of Nostalgia, it’s dark, playful, a little tasteless, and absolutely riveting.

Alyson Williams sings The Blues at world famous Sugar Bar

Check out the new show Every Tuesday with Alyson Williams' "Nuttin but the Blues" at Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The show is amazing!!! Alyson is introduced by owner Nick Ashford who stops by each table to greet the guests and then he introduced the Back Alley Players.

This is my first time hearing Alyson singing a cabaret of all blues numbers. It was a wonderful evening with the bonus contributions of Ms. Valerie Simpson if you are lucky and she is in town. Great place for out of town friends and family. A wonderful holiday treat that you will really enjoy!

Video courtesy of Zenbiz Travel

Sade - US Summer Tour of 2011

Sade Exclusive Pre-sale Code to be announced on Nov 11 at 10AM PST, Presale: Nov 12 at 10AM PST - Nov 14 at 10PM PST
Public Onsale: Nov 15

"Like" Sade's page for updates on this event: http://on.fb.me/SadeFB, Soldier of Love Available Now http://bit.ly/SadeAlbum

Following the platinum selling success of Soldier of Love, Sade announces their highly anticipated return to the world's stage. The North American leg begins on June 16th, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland at the 1st Mariner Arena. Tickets go on sale in select markets beginning October 16th at LiveNation.com with additional dates to be announced soon.

Sade will perform songs from their collection of timeless hits including songs from their critically acclaimed album, Soldier of Love which secured the # 1 album spot upon its release in February. Selling over a million copies to-date, Soldier of Love spent three weeks in the number one spot taking its rightful place among the collection of iconic Sade albums.

Sade will perform over 50 concerts in top arenas across North America, in an effort to reach her vast and loyal fan base. Their classic sound set to haunting, unmistakable vocals creates the most intimate of concert experiences in a way that only an unforgettable Sade performance can. Sade performed for more than 1,000,000 fans during her last tour in 2001.

06/16 Baltimore, MD - 1st Mariner Arena

06/19 Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Arena

06/21 Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum

06/24 East Rutherford, NJ - Izod Center

06/28 Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre

06/30 Montreal, QC - Bell Centre

07/06 Boston, MA - TD Garden

08/05 Chicago, IL - United Center

08/06 Chicago, IL - United Center

08/19 Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center

08/20 Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center

08/25 San Jose, CA - HP Pavillion

08/27 Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena

08/30 Anaheim, CA - Honda Center

Additional dates will be announced in the following markets soon: Atlanta, GA; Charlotte, NC; Calgary, AB; Cleveland, OH; Dallas, TX; Detroit, MI; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Houston, TX; Kansas City, MO; Las Vegas, NV; Louisville, KY; Memphis, TN; Milwaukee, WI; New Orleans, LA; Oakland, CA; Orlando, FL; Phoenix, AZ; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR; Sacramento, CA; San Diego, CA; San Jose, CA; Seattle, WA; St Paul, MN; Vancouver, BC.

Kanye West's "Runaway": Reaction & Review

By J9 of J9's MusicLife

Just in case you missed it, last Saturday, October 23, Kanye West premiered his highly anticipated 35 minute video, locking down three major TV stations MTV, MTV2, and BET. This video's soundtrack was tracks from his upcoming album My Dark and Twisted Fantasy due for release on Monday, November 22, 2010.

Listen to Kanye explain the symbolism in the video:

ChinaBabe's Take:  This video is mostly a beautiful piece of abstract moving art with Selita Ebanks as the center of attraction.  I understand the phoenix represents his career and the rise from the ashes.  I even understand the dinner scene, being the "last supper" symbolizing his rebirth and renewed spirits.  There are great touches of brilliance moving toward genius throughout this short film. However, I believe that the genius will be lost to most people because of the cocky arrogance that is Kanye West. In some ways, I don't think that this production was completely necessary.  There were times where I just thought this is a bit much...but in true Kanye form, he was pleased with himself.  Kanye is beyond talented but this film will just be 35 minutes of confusion to most people...

To read the entire article, visit J9's MusicLife.