What's up everyone,

We have one of our first giveaways going on here at the official blog of the FuseBox Radio Broadcast, BlackRadioIsBack.com (yay!).

Thanks to the good folks over at Electronic Arts, we have two X-Box Games of Medal of Honor Airborne to giveaway to folks.

Just e-mail us at blackradioisback@gmail.com with your name and mailing address by 12 noon Eastern Standard Time (EST) on November 17, 2007 and we will pick the winners randomly.

That's all you have to do - who knows, you can get that Birthday/Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hanukah/Please Baby I'm Sorry Look What I Have For You/Whatever gift for someone for free and keep a little bit of paper money in the wallet.

Best of luck! :0)

Below is some information about the game:

Medal of Honor Airborne Website
Electronic Arts Website

Medal of Honor Airborne is set to redefine the series and will change the way shooters are played. Medal of Honor Airborne offers a dramatically different approach to FPS games with its unprecedented non-linear gameplay. For the first time in a FPS game, players airdrop into combat from a C-47 and land anywhere in an open battlefield. Conflict on the ground offers unprecedented tactical choice in vertical, open battle spaces with a wealth of attack routes and flanking opportunities.

The Medal of Honor Airborne development team continues to ensure that the ideals and integrity of the prestigious Congressional Medal of Honor are accurately reflected in the game. The producers sought counsel from numerous expert sources to make certain the game is historically accurate and as true to the WWII Airborne experience as possible.

Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino has scored the music for Medal of Honor Airborne. An esteemed composer for numerous film and TV projects such as “Lost”, “Alias,” M:i:III (2007), The Incredibles (2004), and most recently Ratatouille (2007), Giacchino has been repeatedly recognized for his contributions to theatrical composition and score. As the original composer and creator of the memorable theme music for the Medal of Honor series, he helped set the bar for using music to bring emotion into gaming. Giacchino’s extraordinary talents and musical sensibility have been utilized once again to bring a new dimension to the WWII FPS experience of Medal of Honor Airborne.

Developed at EA Los Angeles under the EA™ brand, Medal of Honor Airborne is rated ‘T’ for Teen by the ESRB. The Xbox 360 version has a US MSRP of $59.99 and US MSRP of $49.99 for the Windows PC version.

Update: Congrats to the first winners of the BlackRadioIsBack.com Giveaway - R. Foy in Ft. Washington, MD and R. Clarke of Washington, DC! Keep on the lookout for more giveaways coming in the future!


** NOTE - Just to be straight up, I'm rambling a bit on this - got inspired and it's quiet at the 9 to 5 today. **

The movie American Gangster has lots of music projects (Jay-Z, I see you), documentaries, books, etc. coming out of the woodwork, it seems.

I'm just hoping right now when I see the movie this weekend at the local movie theatre (where I'll be smuggling my snacks in my purse, since spending $5.00 for a microwaved big pretzel where you have to apply your own salt is NOT the business) that I won't be disappointed by at least the basics of good storytelling and whatnot and be entertained (which I'm sort of doubting since the actors, writers and directors with the project are top notch 99.9% of the time).

I have no problem admitting that I like a quality gangster and/or violence inspired movie - it would be crazy for me to front. It's all supposed to be entertainment and heck, I'm grown, so the "R" rating doesn't apply. Quality art is always appreciated and I'm a big artistic freedom sort of lady.

I'm personally concerned about something else a little bit deeper.

One of the things that's not really addressed terribly much with some of these sort of movies or other forms of media that cover Black Gangsters, Black Crime, etc. is the trickle down effect what happens to all of the surrounding parties by these actions - psychological, social, physical, etc. - from the family members of these folks committing crime, regular neighborhood people, etc.

Also, the reason why folks got into the business (whether right or wrong) and the circumstances of the world they were in gets glossed over or not touched at all, making it look like automatically, you deal and things shoot to the top with riches, b***hes, no snitches, etc. and become "SupaGangstaNegro".

No mention of economic circumstance, class issues, etc. that bring these things up in the first place most of the time as something to even consider dealing with. No mention of all of the pitfalls the game has on a real level (snitches, not being able to damned near trust anyone, especially when the money comes in, Hip-Hop Police on Local, State and Federal levels and whatnot).

It is garbage for these issues and scenarios to not get exposure like that for others to achieve understanding and to think that they can at least attempt to reduce the circumstances that drive folks to commit crime in the first place.

I don't know if that's the case yet with this movie and won't make assumptions, but have to be real where I hope it leans a bit more towards the Casino side of showing "where OK dudes become criminals for survival and have things go terribly wrong because of jacked up decisions and folks around them" than Scarface (which to this day while a decent movie, I still don't dig why Tony Montana gets all of the props - he got coked up to the gills, had his sister go loony and get killed, murdered his best friend on some Oedipal complex stuff and gets offed in the back by Sosa on some chill s*** after wilin' - but eh, that's another posting).

I just know what going to total extremes - excusing and lack of understanding anything that goes down - helps no one.

Black folks (heck, all folks) cannot just be straight up apologists for bugged out crime and criminality whether for popularity or wanting to go with the flow. As much as we know that the American Law System can be and has been corrupt towards People of Color, sometimes people just set up themselves on some foolishness, it's not just "the man", it's also YOU MAN not doing things proper and/or smart.

However, to just ignore the circumstances that crime rises from and why some of these criminal folks became what they are as well as why some are still looked up to today in regards to hustle, business, enterprise, etc. is not logical.

Sometimes it feels that some of our elders just go to the "young folks is crazy" defense without realizing (or wanting to acknowledge, depending on situation) that on some plane - directly at the home/neighborhood or indirect via other forms of media (what 20 year old you know is a head of a major broadcasting corporation, OK?), the youth are a reflection of what is passed down to us - the good, the bad and the extremely ugly. And somehow, not trying to bring the 15 - 35 demographic in the mix of things and conversation to change things is if nothing, a bit slow on the uptake. (After all, how can you have a meaningful conversation on Hip-Hop/Rap Influence and only have very few folks from the last 2 waves Hip-Hop generation involved?)

Anyhow, the point of all of this is, I'm just going to go ahead and from my viewpoint, break down what I feel are a good things to read and watch that show that Black Crime, its effects and what is really good - make your own decision on the path you take, agree with, not feel, whatever.

Magazines:

These excellent magazines put a great, direct and non-preachy/self-righteous focus on that - Don Diva, F.E.D.S. & AsIs. I'm sure there are more out, but I read these constantly.

Books:

I'll do the in depth reviews of these books soon in our BlackRadioIsBack.com "Read A Book" feature we'll be jumping off soon...just wanted to hit you w/ the covers and some basic info....

These books truly show how corrupt things can be in the criminal realm and how Black Criminality can really destroy a community from the inside out (outside forces are guaranteed to a degree, so why cut yourself, nah mean?).



Black Brothers, Inc. : The Violent Rise and Fall of Philadelphia's Black Mafia by Sean Patrick Griffin



Blue Rage, Black Redemption: A Memoir by Stanley Tookie Williams with foreword by Tavis Smiley


Television/DVD:



As much as some folks have various beefs and issues with BET a.k.a. Black Entertainment Television (some of which are extremely understandable), I can't front on the American Gangster Documentary Series from the past few seasons.

Personally, I think its the best programming that they're offering right now on the channel. In the span of one hour, you get a lot of information at a fast clip from credible sources on all sides telling a particular story of how what person came to be that criminal and the images that formed from that (family, friends, enemies, law enforcement, reporters, etc.).

I don't know if the D.C. Snipers episode is going to show again on the channel anytime soon, but that in a nutshell was an example of why this series is so important.

For one, its mad intelligent - you don't need to have poorly acted reenactments to tell a story and doesn't shy away from the facts that while most of these folks were enterprising in some ways (some on the level of genius), that it didn't come easy or without any negative effects on personal and other levels. Most of the time, the series is interviews along with pictures and maybe some extra video clips with Ving Rhames doing the authorative narration (them cancelling his Kojak series was just the wackness).

Also, the resources these directors, etc. get are pretty incredible. You do a documentary on Frank Lucas (have to tie this in back to American Gangster, the movie; this joint acutally premieres on BET on Wednesday, October 31, 2007) and being able to actually get him to talk about everything from prison openly and for the first time. You get the information about his heroin enterprise, his mentorship with famous Harlem Gangster "Bumpy" Johnson, how the game it made him rich, etc. that folks tend to expect and has its moments of excitement.

The deep part to me while watching the advance was him breaking down how southern racism from his youth in the 1930s and 1940s affected him in a way to rebel against anything that resembled being subservient and poor and his reasoning to why after being on top, becoming cooperative with the federal government, essentially "snitching" on fellow drug lords and after a long stint in jail, still trying to get back in the life (and getting arrested again afterwards, now being a 75 year old man in prison).

Most of American Gangster series is like that - they try to get the word out of the person's own mouth of why certain things happened and if not them, the closet resources possible. No psychological or sociological stone is unturned, which sometimes, can make for uncomfortable but necessary viewing (poverty breeds bad situations, poor family situations can make things bad, there is a history of racism and prejudice in this country that is unnatural and sometimes fueled to continue by our own government, etc.).

This series is like a training manual for the armed forces - you will see everything that's good and make your own decision whether to sign the dotted line to get into the war (or how to avoid that entirely).

Peep a clip from the American Gangster First Season DVD Collection that's out here to get a basic idea of what this series is about.


Video Bonus: Frank Lucas, Jr. (the real son of drug dealer Frank Lucas, who the American Gangster movie is based off of) Music Video with Blue Magic (yup, the 70s group) - Blue Magic



Frank Lucas Jr. Website
Frank Lucas Jr. Interview about His Father and Other Subjects


If you haven't heard this Jay-Z American Gangster sampler LP already, click here to see what's good.

What do y'all think?

I'm waiting out the entire album to see what's up on the real...Jay-Z still needs to match Reasonable Doubt as an complete, conhesive dope album as far as I'm concerned.

The singles and leaks have been pretty decent to damned good range (definitely better than the joints from Kingdom Come), but that pattern happens in modern Hip-Hop/Rap pretty often.




Look, compared to some of the wack- invincible buck coon-foolery that comes out lately as Hip-Hop music (hell, even as Gangsta Rap), I like Tupac as much as the next woman.

Hell, I can even see why him and the Notorious B.I.G. are looked at as some of the greatest MCs of all time (well, for me, in the Gangsta Rap category, they might be top 50 overall).

But how many times can folks recycle his music releases?!?

Tupac in terms of multiple recycled music releases is coming to be our Beatles - whehter that's good or bad, I still don't know yet (lots of music recorded by an artist is nice, yet was it meant for everything to be heard by the masses?).

Granted, I'm happy that this isn't one of those random a** remix albums with beats and folks you KNOW the original artist wouldn't have dealt with on top of some of the songs sounding a hot desert mess (P. Diddy, aka Puffy, aka Sean Combs aka "Will Sell Biggie Voice Snippets for Child Support Payment Installments", I see you).

Now this is information being posted up because it looks like these two CDs (* sees folks either happy as hell or throwing things at the computer monitor *) will actually be good singles compliations for folks who just want the Tupac hits and solid songs without going through albums you may not care for along with some unreleased joints (face it, it happens, even with music artists we're crazy about - sometimes the album doesn't cut it and you just like a few songs).

Here's the Tracklisting:

THE BEST OF 2PAC - PT. 1: THUG
So Many Tears
Trapped
California Love - ORIGINAL MIX
How Do U Want It
I Ain’t Mad At Cha
2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted
Hail Mary
Changes
Unconditional Love
Resist The Temptation – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Dear Mama featuring Anthony Hamilton – NEW MIX

THE BEST OF 2PAC - PT. 2: LIFE
Definition of a Thug Nigga
Brenda’s Got A Baby
Keep Ya Head Up
When I Get Free
Until The End Of Time - RP REMIX
Never Call You Bitch Again
They Don’t Give A Fuck About Us
Still Ballin - NITTY REMIX
Ghetto Gospel
Dopefiend’s Diner – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Thugz Mansion ACOUSTIC REMIX – NEW REMIX

TRACKLISTING SUBJECT TO CHANGE

I really can't see Anthony Hamilton messing up "Dear Mama" so the remix tracks listed don't scare me so far, especially since there are not that many of them, thank goodness.

On top of that, one of the few remixes I was feeling the Thugz Mansion single acoustic joint when it came out originally, so its cool to see that up on there.

If folks want to pre-order this or check out more info, click here and here.
Leaders of the New School was a Hip-Hop group consisted of 3 Long Island MCs, Dinco D, Busta Rhymes & Charlie Brown and DJ Cut Monitor Milo.

You can see the start of the infamous energy that Busta Rhymes is known for (good for those seeing a concert and future videos, bad if you were getting a beatdown by a over 6 foot tall fellow of the Five Percent Nation/member of the Nation of Gods & Earths) by checking out these videos.

I liked this particular era because you could be a bit goofy and acutally have FUN in a video as a Black Man without too many cats testing one's sense of self (not coon-y, there is a difference).

It seems at times in mainstream media if you're not a Black Man with an apparently botoxed-in scowl or ice grill, folks don't consider folks to be "real" at any age (or too real - but that's a whole other rant for another day much less how Black Women are portrayed and I don't have that much free time at the 9 to 5 today at the present).

The album this first video came from, A Future Without A Past, was released in 1991 and is a definitive classic to me. It's a little bit dated more so for the interludes (Homeroom, Lunchroom and Afterschool?) than the beats, which are still on point and crazy today.

Leaders of the New School only released one more album (T.I.M.E.) before breaking up with a lot of animosity amongst each other (the foundation reason for why no one really has expressed all of the details as of the date of this posting, but who knows?) and each member going solo, with Busta Rhymes being the most commerically successful with mulitple solo and group releases.

As you see in the video, Busta in the past 16 years (DAMN, time flies) has gone on the LL Cool J workout regimen and bulked up like a mofo. He's still a beast on the mic but his music is definitely less fun than it used to me - he's been through a bit the past few years besides getting older, so perhaps that happens.

Here goes the videos, ladies and gents:

Leaders Of The New School - Case Of The P.T.A.



Leaders of the New School - Sobb Story



Bonus Video (one of the best posse cuts of ALL TIME in Hip-Hop): A Tribe Called Quest feat. Leaders of the New School - Scenario



Leaders of the New School Wikipedia Listing

Dinco D MySpace Page

Busta Rhymes Website

Can't find a website for Charlie Brown yet...if folks know, let's a sis know!





This the FuseBox Radio Broadcast with DJ Fusion & Jon Judah for the weeks of October 24, 2007 with some new and classic Hip-Hop & Soul music and commentary.

Feel free to check out some recent episodes of the syndiated FuseBox Radio Broadcast here on BlackRadioIsBack.com - all of the shows are clean/radio friendly.

FuseBox Radio Playlist for Week of October 24, 2007 (in no particular order)

Nas/Surviving the Times/Ill Will Music Group
Kamikaze/Take Me Away/OurGlass Ent.
Amp Fiddler feat. Corrine Bailey Rae/If I Don't (Tyler McFerrin RMX)/Fontana Distribution
Jay-Z/Roc Boyz/Rocafella
MC Lyte/Beautiful/White Label
Me'Shell Ngedocello/Soul Spaceship/EMarcy Records
CunninLynguists feat. Witchdoctor & Phonte/Yellow Line/APOS Music
Pete Rock/Till I Retire/Nature Sounds
DJ Statik Slektah feat. Talib Kweli, Consequence and Termanology/Express Yourself 08/Showoff & Brick Records
R.E.U.B./Hip-Hop/Heaven on Earth Entertainment
Billie Holiday/All of Me (Charles Feelgood and GIL RMX)/Columbia Legacy
Nicolay & Kay feat. Oh No & The Love Bugz/Tight Eyes/Nicolay Music
Prince Ali feat. Keith Murray, Planet Asia & Casual/The Majors/Hiero Imperium
M.I.A. feat. Bun B & Rich Boy/Paper Planes RMX/XL & Interscope
Lejon feat. Talib Kweli/What Would I Do/Urban Law Recordings
Ghostface feat. DJ Kid Capri/Celebrate/Def Jam
Alica Keys feat. Junior Reid/No One (Reggae RMX)/J Records
P. Batters feat. John Doe & Joezeemo/The Pride/Stress Music Inc.
Bossman/When Will It Be Over (Jena 6)/White Label
Clan Destined/Never Always/Domination Recordings
Ann Nesby/I Can't Explain It/Shanachie

Flashback Joints On Blast The Air (Put Together By Jon Judah & DJ Fusion of The FuseBox, joints we haven't played in a while on the show - weeks, months, years - or just wanted to reminisce on):

DJ Fusion Flashback Tracks:
None

PLUS Special Secret Jon Judah Master Mix w/ Old School Classics and MySpace.com Independent Music Finds

Subscribe to The FuseBox Radio Broadcast Updates In A Feeder


Hip-Hop MCs who are blantantly from the Washington, DC Metro area just seem to get a bad hand in things on the music business end and/or end up having skirt on the independent circut for abnormally long periods of time no matter how quality the music is (Asheru, Wale, etc.).

When this joint dropped back in the day, folks from the "ur-ee-a" (area for non-southern accented folks) were kind of amped to not just see a female MC, but a sis on top of that (this period of the 1990s was starting the decline of female MCs who were on that garbage in the mainstream Hip-Hop scene) doing her thing.

The bass on this joint will still rattle the whip kind of hard, the beat was cool and the song had a message on top of things that didn't get to preachy or pedantic - all good, I say.

As far as I know, Nonchalant didn't do another album after her first one, the Until the Day LP, but hip me to it if y'all know something.

How SCARY this joint was made during my last year of high school (class of 1996, Oxon Hill H.S., yeah)...

Nonchalant - 5 O'Clock in the Morning



Nonchalant Wikipedia Listing


One of the best songs these folks have ever done to me...dope production by 4th Disciple and mad feeling portrayed with all of the MCs.

Sometimes the offshoot Wu-Tang Clan groups/Wu-Fam get a bad wrap (and depending on the releases, sometimes a bit deserved), but all of Killarmy's albums were very solid to me and I still bump those joints every once in a while.

They were really underrated for that grimy street 1990s NYC style Hip-Hop vibe.

This track was off of their last release, Fear, Love & War on Loud Records.

What y'all think?

Killarmy - Feel It



Bonus Video: Killarmy - Wake Up



Killarmy Wikipedia Webiste Listing

Some Member Websites I Could Find (Couldn't Find All of Them...Will Update When I Find Them Out):

4th Disciple Website
Baretta 9 Website
9th Prince Website
Killa Sin Website
Islord Website
Dom Pachino Website


From CrackSpace.com (take the source it as it is * shrugs *)

I wonder how folks even lined this convo up...this is crazy random as all hell (though maybe not really, with both the Mr. Untouchable and American Gangster movies coming out soon).

The bad/interesting (depending on your viewpoint) thing about this entire exchange is, what makes you take these cats less seriously then some old fogies on Fox News or whatever who are pretty much just talking s*** on a humbug too?


I recieved this press release today and being one who appreciates the foundations of Black Music, it's pretty hot that Stax Records (record label home of such classic Black Music artists such as Issac Hayes, Otis Redding, Booker T. & the MGs, etc.) currently has out some documentary and live concert DVDs.

We'll be doing reviews and some giveaways of these joints on BlackRadioIsBack.com soon...in the meantime, check out the press release description and the video promotional streams we have (shouts to Gibran & The Room Service Group folks for the hookup):

Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story Promo Trailer - Windows Media Player

Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story Promo Trailer - RealPlayer

From the Press Release:

To celebrate their 50th anniversary, Stax Records is proud to present a trilogy of DVD's, documenting the influential artists and timeline of Stax Records. Starting with the "Dreams to Remember : The Legacy of Otis Redding" DVD, which features a wealth of staggering performances, re-mastered sound and video as well as in-depth interviews with those who helped Otis write and create his incredible music. Following up is the "Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story" DVD, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. "Respect Yourself" provides a first-hand account of what really happened on the streets and behind the doors from celebrated musicians such as Issac Hayes, Brooker T. Jones, Steve Cooper and a whole list of others. Lastly, the "Stax/ Volt Revue-live in Norway 1967" DVD, marks the first-ever official release of this historic concert.

Dreams To Remember: The Legacy Of Otis Redding features classic performances with re-mastered sound and video as well as in-depth interviews with those who helped Otis write and create his incredible music with stirring reminiscences from his wife Zelma and daughter Karla. Also interviewed are Steve Cropper, who co- wrote with Otis and played guitar on virtually every record he made at Stax; Wayne Jackson, the trumpet player for the Mar-Keys/Memphis Horns who also played on most of Otis' recordings, and Jim Stewart, the founder of Stax Records, who gave his first interview in 13 years for this DVD. These tender and insightful interviews paint a portrait of Otis as an amazing singer, artist, songwriter, and family man. The story begins with memories of his first amateur talent contests and concludes with the touching recollections of the final days leading up to the tragic plane crash on December 10, 1967.

In the "Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story" DVD, 1957, a square, white bank teller who knew nothing about African- American music launched a record label with only a tape recorder in a barn on the outskirts of Memphis, Tennessee. Over the next two decades, the racially-integrated Stax studio - which had moved to a theater in South Memphis by 1960 - would produce a string of hits that defined the "Memphis Sound": "Soul Man," ", (Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay," ", Green Onions," ", Midnight Hour," ", I'll Take You There," ", Respect Yourself," ", Theme from Shaft,"'Shaft', and many more. "We were so busy working and having fun that we didn't realize the impact that we were creating at the time," says Stax superstar Isaac Hayes. Stax Records would become one of the largest and most successful black-owned companies in the nation and a virtual soundtrack to the Civil Rights movement before succumbing in 1975 to financial and legal battles. The film will detail the story behind the legendary label that launched a who's-who of soul music greats: Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, the Staple Singers, Isaac Hayes, Eddie Floyd, Carla and Rufus Thomas, Albert King, and Booker T. and the MGs, to name a just a few.

"The Stax/Volt Revue Live In Norway 1967" DVD features for the first time on this 75- minute concert DVD are 18 classic full-length performances by some of the greatest soul artists of all time. Highlights include an amazing five-song set by the great Otis Redding and a blistering four songs by Sam & Dave. Also featured are performances by the legendary Booker T & the MGs, Arthur Conley, Eddie Floyd, and the Mar-Keys. Issued with the full cooperation of the artists or their estates, this DVD captures the Stax/Volt Revue on an amazing night during one of most legendary and important concert tours of the last five decades. Otis Redding delivers jaw-dropping versions of "Shake," "Satisfaction," the only known filmed concert performance of "Fa-Fa-Fa- Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" and a six-minute version of "Try A Little Tenderness" in which he comes back for four encores. Sam & Dave show why they were nicknamed "Double Dynamite," with powerful performances of "Hold On! I'm Comin'," "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" and a chilling version of "You Don't Know Like I Know." Other highlights include Booker T & The MGs' scorching rendition of "Green Onions," Arthur Conley's definitive version of his big hit "Sweet Soul Music," Eddie Floyd's soulful "Raise Your Hand," and the Mar-Keys' grooving take on their top-five hit "Last Night."
Yes, I'm going way back on folks with this one to when TV was only in black and white...my Mom's and 'em days...LOL

I was up late on night watching PBS after working a night shift a few years back (yes, my life can be a thrill a minute at times) and they had this special on about Dinah Shore.

Being a popular culture history geek and there being nothing on my cable system around 1 in the morning, I decided to watch until sleep took over.

One of the things I thought was pretty cool was the fact she had a lot of Black Music talent on her show (especially at that time frame) and that one of the people she admired and was sweating HARD was jazz singer and legend (even then) Ella Fitzgerald.

Some good person on Youtube liked the jazzy duet action they did on the show like me, so I wanted to share it with y'all.

Harmonizing is a part of a good duet...take notes, especially since this was before Pro Tools, Multi-Tracking, 21st Century Studio Magic, etc.

* side eyes Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony *



Bonus: Gospel Great Mahalia Jackson and Dinah Shore Doing "Down By the Riverside" Duet on another Dinah Shore show

This is a new video from the latest of Jazzamattaz music series done by Guru (Gang Starr) along with Superproducer Solar, Jazzmatazz Volume 4: The Hip Hop Jazz Messenger: Back to the Future (7 Grand Records), featuring Slum Village...

The overall album is pretty fly, featuring folks such as Common, Slum Village, Vivian Green, Bobby Valentino, Kem, Damien Marley, Raheem Devaughn, Dionne Farris and plenty others.

What do you all think?




7 Grand Records Website
FuseBox Radio Broadcast with Guru and Superproducer Solar Interview - August 22, 2007
I find these joints pretty funny...and the fact that "Hip-Hop Police" with Slick Rick is fire (as well as other tracks I've heard from the release so far), I'll post these joints up for folks. What do you all think?

Chamillionaire's Evening News - Hip-Hop



Chamillionaire's Evening News - 911



Chamillionaire's Evening News - The "N" Word



Chamillionaire's Evening News - Iraq



Bonus: Chamillionaire feat. Slick Rick - Hip-Hop Police




Chamillionaire Official Website
Chamillionaire MySpace





This the FuseBox Radio Broadcast with DJ Fusion & Jon Judah for the weeks of October 17, 2007 with some new and classic Hip-Hop & Soul music and commentary (about Mychael Bell of the Jena 6 being put back in jail, "Fiascogate" with Lupe Fiasco and A Tribe Called Quest from the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors, review of the Salt-N-Pepa Show, T.I.'s arrest by the ATF for illegal weapons, KeKe Palmer controversy of not hyping up her album due to it not being "urban" enough or sexy, etc.).

Feel free to check out some recent episodes of the syndiated FuseBox Radio Broadcast here on BlackRadioIsBack.com - all of the shows are clean/radio friendly.

FuseBox Radio Playlist & Charts for Week of October 17, 2007 (in no particular order)

Nas/Surviving the Times/Ill Will Music Group
CunninLynguists feat. Witchdoctor & Phonte/Yellow Line/APOS Music
Mary J. Blige/Just Fine/UMG
R.E.U.B./Hip-Hop/Heaven on Earth Entertainment
The Away Team/Greedy/Hall of Justus
DJ Statik Slektah feat. Talib Kweli, Consequence and Termanology/Express Yourself 08/Showoff & Brick Records
JoJo Pelligrino/5 Corners/E. Nicks Management
Jay-Z/Roc Boyz/Rocafella
S.O.U.L. Purpose/Concrete Jungle/white label
Prince Ali feat. Keith Murray, Planet Asia & Casual/The Majors/Hiero Imperium
MC Lyte/Beautiful/White Label
Me'Shell Ngedocello/Soul Spaceship/EMarcy Records
Kamikaze/Take Me Away/OurGlass Ent.
Sadat X & Scienz of Life/Haven't You Heard/Beatvizion
Amp Fiddler feat. Corrine Bailey Rae/If I Don't (Tyler McFerrin RMX)/Fontana Distribution
Billie Holiday/All of Me (Charles Feelgood and GIL RMX)/Columbia Legacy
Pete Rock/Till I Retire/Nature Sounds
J. Dilla feat. MF Doom & Guilty Simpson/Mash's Revenge/Stones Throw
Kickdoe Thugz feat. Bun B & Lil Ronnie/Superstar/Kickdoe Thugs Ent.
Ludacris feat. Bun B & Rick Ross/Down in the Dirty/DTP & Def Jam
Snype Life feat. Sheek Louch & St. Laz/Street Life/354 Entertainment
Vandal/Future Friends/MySpace.com white label
Nicolay & Kay feat. Oh No & The Love Bugz/Tight Eyes/Nicolay Music
Bizz feat. Omilio Sparks/Get It Closer/Blackglobe Records

Flashback Joints On Blast The Air (Put Together By Jon Judah & DJ Fusion of The FuseBox, joints we haven't played in a while on the show - weeks, months, years - or just wanted to reminisce on):

DJ Fusion Flashback Tracks:
None

PLUS Special Secret Jon Judah Master Mix w/ Old School Classics and MySpace.com Independent Music Finds

Subscribe to The FuseBox Radio Broadcast Updates In A Feeder
You damned near can't go to a reggae party and not hear this joint (or the riddim) somewhere in the mix...classic dancehall joint.




Chaka Demus & The Pliers Wikipedia Listing

All of the CD Covers Are A Bit of a Mess, So I Just Chose This One


This picture will always amuse me, it just screams, "I have professionally arched eyebrows because I'm Gangsta Like That...G-G-G-Unit!"

50 Cent didn't make his numbers on the Curtis LP and Lil' Kim needs to get some publicity back on the scene, so here goes the the collabo we've been sooooo eagerly anticipating for since the last one, “Wanna Lick (Magic Stick Part 2)".

* crickets *

I hope y'all know I'm being sarcastic.

Well anyway, here it is...what do you think? (shouts to Str8HipHop.com for hitting me w/ the info earlier today)

What y'all think? Good in the club, the whip, trash bin status?


I love how since characters like Tyler Perry have blown up in the mainstream (you get that Oprah spotlight, you might as well be able to purchase 300 thread count toilet paper with all of the money you're getting), the "lets put as many random Black Actors/Actresses/Singers as possible" mentality now seems to be the thing to do without folks even blinking an eye.

A prime example of that is described below from the press release:

Father Of Lies
IN STORES 10/30
CodeBlack Entertainment / Dan Garcia Films
http://myspace.com/fatherofliesdvd

Synopsis

Father of Lies is a classic story of good vs. evil. Bishop Calvin Jacobs (Clifton Powell) is a well-meaning pastor whose drive and passion raised the profile of his church through serving his the needs of the congregation. Fortune takes a sudden turn one day during a board meeting, in which it is discovered that the church's funds have been mysteriously depleted. With the church's existence in danger, he is forced to resort to desperate means to save his church community. He accepts a high-stakes loan from an international tycoon, who is involved in more than just normal business practices. Setting off a chain of events that involve international political scandal and even the death of one of the church's leaders, the Bishop calls on the higher power to rise above these struggles.

Cast:
DMX
Vivica A. Fox
Clifton Powell
Veronica Berry
Clyde Jones

Genre: Thriller
Running Time: 1 Hour , 42 minutes
Rating: NR


Hm.

I'm not mad at everyone trying to eat with this and at first impression, story line doesn't sound terribly bugged out (though if DMX is the international tycoon, I will be ready to fall out).

Long as this movie it's not as bad as hot a** mess Gang of Roses (what happens when keeping it real with Stacey Dash, Bobby Brown, Lil' Kim, Macy Gray and Lisa Raye in a Black western goes terribly wrong), then I will be peace with this.
Some of the BlackRadioIsBack.com staff was at the sol-out Rutgers University stop for the Cartoon Network Adult Swim Tour with Ghostface (Wu-tang Clan) and Witchdoctor (Dungeon Family) on October 4, 2007.

It was a pretty good show overall, I have to say. If anything, on some levels it was a study of opposites in performance styles.

Witchdoctor - besides brining out Khujo Goodie from Goodie Mob up on the stage for a few joints - did his entire set by himself along with his backup tracks. He was definitely into his set and getting people to participate, running through a lot of new songs from his upcoming release, Diary of an American Witchdoctor, and doing various tracks from his mixtape series, independent releases and music from his first Dungeon Family release and some collabo verses.

The crowd seemed to dig him overall, but there was bit of that rude impatience (Whiny Person in Crowd: "This dude is wack, I don't know who he is, I want to see Ghoooostfaaaace") that popped up here and there in comments that I heard.

Ghostface, on the other hand, seemed like he had the entire world on during his stage set - mixtape DJ/producer J-Love, Theordore Unit, his sons and various miscellaneous folks. For those who have seen some Wu-Tang Clan and Wu-Fam shows, typical amount of mad folks on stage.

Ghostface runs his show like a machine - you know he's being doing his thing for a minute, but yet, the show still has a crazy spontaneous feel - from inviting MCs in the crowd on the mic (most were not the business but there were a few decent ones)m inviting ladies to dance on stage, doing the tribute to O.D.B., inviting his sons to spit (they declined) and other things. Just about all of his catalog was covered (I would have liked more music from Ironman, but eh) and there was constant energy throughout the show from both him and Theordore Unit.

Some things that made this concert overall quality:

1. No lipsynching and/or having the artist's peoples on stage do the entire songs (I don't go to concerts to see karoke, much less w/ Hip-Hop shows)

2. Professionalism - folks came to perform and impress

3. Folks with a catalog of music to go off of (not saying that new artists can't do a dope show at all, but it would be like comparing Musiq Soulchild show to a Stevie Wonder concert, one is good to great and one is CLASSIC)

If it comes through your area, is it worth spending your hard earned dollars for?
Yes indeedy. :)

Here are some pics below from the BlackRadioIsBack.com crew at the show and website links to the artists...enjoy!

Ghostface Killah MySpace - Check Some Music
Witchdoctor MySpace - Check Some Music













Here are some of the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors Pics of Snoop Dogg, A Tribe Called Quest, KRS-One, Salt-N-Pepa, Busy Bee, Whodini, Consequence, Ice-T, Harvey Keitel (random as hell, but he was there), Chris Rock, Teddy Riley, Andre Harrell, Fab 5 Freddy, Kerry Washingtion, Missy Elliot and Charlie Ahern that were taken by the BlackRadioIsBack.com crew when we were there...enjoy!