Dr. Cornel West's upcoming album, "Never Forget: A Journey of Revelations," touches down at a time when renewed debate over hip-hop lyrics and video imaging is still swirling post-Don Imus.
Due in stores June 19, "Never Forget" will be the first release on Hidden Beach's new Hidden Beach Forum label. Tapping into R&B/hip-hop's historical role as a social force, the recording is the brainchild of Black Men Who Mean Business, an organization established by West, his brother Clifton and songwriter/producer Mike Dailey.
Prince, Talib Kweli, OutKast's Andre 3000, KRS-One, Rhymefest, the late Gerald Levert and Killer Mike are just some of the R&B/hip-hop artists featured on the disc who musically tackle such subjects as the events of Sept. 11, 2001, racial profiling, the Bush administration and the "N-word."
"It isn't a commentary on hip-hop. And I'm not coming in as a hip-hop scholar or critic," West tells Billboard. "This is an attempt to go back to hip-hop's prophetic roots, which are about truth-telling, exposing lies and having fun. It's what I call a danceable education or a singing paideia, the Greek word for deep education. If there is one person whose spirit I try to embody on this CD, it's Curtis Mayfield. His music is about love and freedom and really informs.
"This is a very political album that doesn't pull any punches," he continues. "There are critiques of the Bush administration as well as of unaccountable corporate power, unaccountable police power and homophobia. We're trying to get young people to wake up and recognize they're part of a great tradition of struggle, to become organized and fight for freedom and justice."
Although West says he is "unabashedly of the Motown, Philly Sound, Mayfield generation," he adds, "I've never met Lupe Fiasco, but I like that brother. Oh, lord, he's a free, young brother who honestly speaks his mind. That brother hits American terrorism, the American empire and still talks about his skateboard. I love that kind of freedom because, in the end, we've all got to be ourselves and that takes courage."
Here is the track list for "Never Forget":
"Bushanomics," featuring Talib Kweli
"America," featuring Black Thought, Rah Digga, Iriz & Lucky Witherspoon
"Still Here"
"Dear Mr. Man," featuring Prince
"911"
"N Word," featuring Tavis Smiley & Michael Eric Dyson
"Welcome to Chi," featuring Rhymefest, Neo-Abassy & Malik Yosef
"Mr. President," featuring KRS-One & M-1
"Keep It PI," featuring Killer Mike, Doey, Roc & Lucky Witherspoon
"Chronometrophobia," featuring Andre 3000
"Gonne Be Alright," featuring Dave Hollister & Chuckii Booker
"Matter Of," featuring Lenny Williams
"Soul Sista," featuring Daryl Moore
"The Man's Gonna Getcha," featuring Gerald Levert
source: www.billboard.com
"Outkast is one of the reasons why I'm in Atlanta, you dig me? I remember driving to Atlanta in '94 with my pop, first listening to Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. I've been a fan ever since. So 13 years later, to be in a position to have who I consider the greatest group of all time on my album, it's a blessing," he noted.
"Months ago, even before 'Idlewild,' I was in the process of working on a mixtape with them. We had been talking back and forth, and it came to the point where they was like, 'Dram, we want to do it, it's just a lot going on, but you got us on your album.' You can't beat that. My intention from the beginning was to have Outkast sound like people love to hear Outkast. They're so respected and artistic, and they go in so many directions, and I love that. But for me, I was trying to get Outkast back to that ATL type of sound — that core sound that they come up with."
source: www.HipHopDX.com
World Premiere
Featuring Big Boi of OutKast as well as artists of Purple Ribbon Entertainment
Choreography by Lauri Stallings
April 10 – 13, 2008
We are very excited to announce that in the spring of 2008 Atlanta Ballet will present a world premiere collaboration featuring Big Boi of OutKast as well as artists of Purple Ribbon Entertainment and the cutting-edge-style of choreographer-in-residence Lauri Stallings. Daring, progressive and soulful, these very talented artists will perform a stunning collaborative piece, LIVE on stage with Atlanta Ballet's exquisite dancers.
Big Boi is part of OutKast, the Atlanta-based super duo that has pushed hip-hop by expanding its musical boundaries through their unique blend of jazz, blues, soul, rock and world music for the past ten years, and has kept the world on its ear.
Choreographer Lauri Stallings has been named by Dance Magazine as one of the 25 to watch in 2007. Her work for Atlanta Ballet has included The Great Gatsby , co-choreographed with artistic director John McFall and the world premieres bekken / the drum also waltzes and Shoo Pah Minor .
Single tickets will go on sale mid-August.
source: http://www.atlantaballet.com
Myrna "Peach" Brown, who led the Atlanta funk-soul band Whild Peach with guitarist David Whild, passed away from breast cancer April 1.
Whild Peach's name may be unfamiliar, but most everyone has heard its music. As a much underrated member of the Dungeon Family, Whild Peach contributed to most of OutKast's albums (with "I Like the Way You Move" and "Liberation" being two major highlights), Killer Mike's Monster and Goodie Mob's Still Standing. The group played on tracks for Pink, Raphael Saddiq, Macy Gray and TLC. Whild Peach also released several CDs of original material, including last year's Greatest Hits Volume One.
"She had been battling breast cancer for the past 11 years, but very few knew about it. ... She wanted to be treated like she was living, not dying," wrote friend and fellow funk goddess Joi in a post on her MySpace page. She went on to call Peach "the baddest fucking singer and performer that this planet has ever seen."
"She had a powerful voice. You couldn't help but pay attention when you heard her," says Carmen Lovelace, Whild Peach's manager. "She was the epitome of funk and rock 'n' roll."
Whild Peach plans to stay together and tour the West Coast this summer. It held an impromptu wake at Sugarhill on April 3, but Lovelace says the group plans to do a proper memorial and tribute for Peach in the near future. "It's hard on all of us. She was a star, and she was everything," she says. "But we've got to move on."
source: http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/