Monthly Archives: April 2012

Chicago Police Department Bans L.E.P. Bogus Boys From House Of Blues Show

On Thursday, May 3rd, A$AP Rocky is scheduled to perform at the House Of Blues in Chicago. Chicago’s L.E.P. Bogus Boys had been confirmed to perform alongside A$AP Rocky, but have since found out that the Chicago Police Department has intervened and threatened to shut down the entire show if L.E.P. takes the stage.

Already, the news has taken the Windy City by storm. All day yesterday, L.E.P. Trended on Twitter in Chicago, and the story has caught the attention of the Chicago Tribune and Time Out Chicago, in addition to local Chicago television station WGN-TV. Yesterday, L.E.P.’s manager, E, took to Chicago radio, appearing as a guest on WGCI’s Tony Sculfield & The Morning Riot show to discuss the situation.

L.E.P., according to E, were initially informed of the ban via email correspondence from the show’s promoter. E went on to say that the ban has come down despite the fact that L.E.P. has already performed at the House Of Blues three times this year without incident, and he attributes the situation to the nervousness of the Chicago Police Department surrounding the recent rise of a number of Chicago street rappers.

The L.E.P. Bogus Boys are searching for more clarity, themselves, but while they continue to spread word of the situation, they don’t expect much cooperation or explanation from the Police Department. When asked if he thought the Police Department would be open to a sit-down with Chicago’s hip-hop community, E replied, “I’m almost sure they’ll try to blow us off,” and continued by saying, “They’re sending emails and envelopes, and by the time we get [to the venue] there’s 100 police officers saying that we can’t come out.”

For continued updates on the situation, follow the L.E.P. Bogus Boys on Twitter and Facebook.

40 Acres & A Mule Announce Theatrical Release of Spike Lee’s ‘Red Hook Summer’

40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks announced yesterday that the company will undertake its first independent distribution effort with founder Spike Lee‘s Brooklyn coming-of-age story, Red Hook Summer. 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks will partner with New York-based Variance Films for the theatrical release, which will begin August 10th, 2012 in New York City theaters, expanding to the top 30 markets throughout the month of August.

“From my very first joint back in 1986, SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT, I have been an independent filmmaker, and even today I still am,” said Spike Lee. “I’m elated to join forces with Variance Films for the independent distribution of my new joint Red Hook Summer. We look forward to getting this film into the marketplace, where we believe 100 percent that there is a starving audience for American independent films like Red Hook Summer.”   

The latest in Spike Lee’s “Chronicles of Brooklyn” (which also include She’s Gotta Have It, Do The Right Thing, Crooklyn, Clockers, and He Got Game), Red Hook Summer tells the story of Flik Royale, a sullen young boy from middle-class Atlanta who has come to spend the summer with his deeply religious grandfather, Bishop Enoch Rouse, in the housing projects of Red Hook. Having never met before, things quickly get off on the wrong foot as Bishop Enoch relentlessly attempts to convert Flik into a follower of Jesus Christ. Between his grandfather’s constant preaching and the culture shock of inner-city life, Flik’s summer appears to be a total disaster–until he meets Chazz Morningstar, a pretty girl his age, who shows Flik the brighter side of Brooklyn. Through her love and the love of his grandfather, Flik begins to realize that the world is a lot bigger, and perhaps a lot better, than he’d ever imagined.

For more information on the film, visit http://www.redhooksummer.com/

Kardashians In-store Appearance in Chicago

The infamous Kardashian sisters (Kim and Khloe) traveled to the windy city on April 20th for an in-store appearance at Sears Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, IL to promote their Kardashian Kollection. Fans began lining up for a chance to meet the sisters the night before and were not disappointed as the sister graciously signed autographs and took photos with their devoted fans.

Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller Announce Under the Influence of Music Tour

Magnetic rappers and live performers, Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller team-up for the Under the Influence of Music Tour with special guests Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q and Chevy Woods.  The Live Nation produced tour is scheduled to begin on July 26th in Cincinnati, at the Riverbend Music Center, with additional dates and opening acts to be announced soon. Tickets go on sale to the public on April 20th at 4:20pm local time at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com.

“I’m really excited for this tour, for the fans and as a fan of music myself.  It’s gonna be trippy!” said Khalifa.   “I’m excited to go on a tour like this because it brings a group of individuals together to move across the country as a unit to showcase great music,” adds Miller.

Beginning on Thursday, April 19th, fans who visit www.facebook.com/livenation and RSVP to the presale will have early access to tickets.  Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Tuesday, April 17th at 10am local time through Citi’s Private Pass Program.  For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com.  Citi is the official credit card of the Under the Influence of Music Tour .

Both Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller have tremendous live followings.  Wiz Khalifa has performed over 350 shows since the beginning of 2010 with major tours including “Deal or No Deal,” “Campus Consciousness” and last summer’s 45 date sell-out the “Rolling Papers Tour.”  He has also played at more than 50 universities and colleges over the past 14 months.  Major festival appearances include: Bonnaroo, Coachella, Bamboozle, Bumbershoot, Rock The Bells, Summer Camp, Soundset and more. 

Khalifa has released three albums which have resonated with fans and critics across the country including Show and Prove (2006), Deal or No Deal (2009) and Rolling Papers (2011).  Khalifa’s megahit single from Rolling Papers, “Black and Yellow,” has sold over 3.6 million copies, for a total of more than 7 million singles sold from Rolling Papers alone, which was his Atlantic Records debut.  Khalifa also released a movie soundtrack with Snoop Dogg, “Mac & Devin Go To High School,” which featured the hit single “Young, Wild, and Free,” selling more than 2.5 million copies.

Mac Miller has performed more than 200 shows in 2011 with major tours including “The Incredibly Dope Tour” and last fall’s 80-date sold out U.S. “Blue Slide Park Tour.”  Miller is currently out on the first leg of his “Macadelic” tour where fans and critics alike have praised his live performances.  Like Khalifa, Miller has a loyal collegiate following having performed at 70 universities and colleges since the beginning of 2011.  His festival appearances include: Hang Out Fest, Bonnaroo, Paid Dues, Bamboozle, Rock The Bells, Roots Picnic, Governor’s Ball, Soundset and more.

Miller’s release of “Blue Slide Park” (Rostrum, 11/8/11) was the first indie #1 album debut since 1995. 

His debut digital only EP, “On And On And Beyond,” released in 2011, has sold 90,000 copies.  He also has two gold singles to his credit including “Knock, Knock” and “Donald Trump” with little to no radio airplay.

Under the Influence of Music Tour
July 26  Cincinnati, OH  Riverbend Music Center
July 27  Chicago, IL  First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
July 28  Indianapolis, IN  Klipsch Music Center
July 29  Toronto, ON  Molson Canadian Amphitheatre**
Aug. 1  Boston, MA  Comcast Center
Aug. 2  New York, NY  Nikon at Jones Beach Theater*
Aug. 3  Philadelphia, PA  Susquehanna Bank Center
Aug. 4  Pittsburgh, PA  First Niagara Pavilion
Aug. 5  Detroit, MI  DTE Energy Music Theatre
*Mac Miller is not confirmed for New York.
**School Boy Q is not confirmed for Toronto.

For additional information, please visit:  Ticketmaster.com, WizKhalifa.com and MacMillerOfficial.com.

 

Kanye West Changes Title of “Theraflu” to “Way Too Cold” Feat. DJ Khaled

Last week, Kanye West lit up the airwaves with a surprise Funkmaster Flex exclusive of his incendiary new track “Theraflu” through New York’s Hot 97. Within hours, the track and its vivid, revealing, personal lyrics had taken over the blogosphere, streets and clubs, inciting a firestorm in the press, both on and offline. Praised by fans and attacked by detractors, “Theraflu” ignited controversy the way only a new Kanye West track can.

Today, Kanye announces the creative decision to title the track ‘Way Too Cold’ feat. DJ Khaled.

Whether it’s been through his pioneering lifestyle blog, his unabashed, frequently controversial twitter feed, or his wildly popular “G.O.O.D. Fridays” download series, Kanye West has always used the online space – perhaps as well as any artist of his era – to give fans access to his creative world. Now, in an effort to bring his fans the freshest, most undiluted version of his music, Kanye will offer “Way Too Cold” for sale through his website kanyewest.com. This direct digital offering marks a first for West. The track will also be made available to all digital retailers and services.

The release of “Way Too Cold” only heightened the thirst for “Mercy,” the first track off of the upcoming G.O.O.D. Music project. On Thursday evening, ClearChannel stations nationwide were given a first pass at “Mercy,” resulting in hundreds of plays nationwide before the track dropped exclusively on iTunes at 12:01 Friday morning…G.O.O.D. Friday.

“Mercy” – featuring G.O.O.D. Music labelmates Big Sean and Pusha T, along with an all-star assist from 2 Chainz, arguably the hottest new artist coming out of the South – is the first single from the hotly anticipated G.O.O.D. Music album, which will see its release this summer. The project will mark the second official release through G.O.O.D. Music’s new venture with Def Jam Recordings, to be followed this year by Big Sean’s sophomore effort, Kanye West’s next solo album, and future releases from Pusha T, Q-Tip and many more.

Stay tuned for further details on the G.O.O.D. Music album in coming weeks, as well as info on the label’s burgeoning roster of talent, helmed by one of music’s greatest forces, Kanye West.

Kevin Hart at the Chicago Premier of the film “Think Like A Man”

Actor and comedian Kevin Hart attended the fan filled theaters at Showplace Icon on Roosevelt in Chicago for the premier of the film “Think Like A Man.”  UnRated Urban Magazine as well as all Chicago media lined up the red carpet arrival for Hart. 

ABOUT “Think Like A Man”
Based on Steve Harvey’s best-selling book, Think Like a Man follows four interconnected and diverse men whose love lives are shaken up after the ladies they are pursuing buy Harvey’s book and start taking his advice to heart. When the band of brothers realize they have been betrayed by one of their own, they conspire using the book’s insider information to turn the tables and teach the women a lesson of their own. The movie is directed by Tim Story and written by Keith Merryman & David A. Newman.
The all-star cast includes: Kevin Hart (Laugh At My Pain), Taraji P. Henson ( TV’s Person Of Interest, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Michael Ealy (Takers), Meagan Good (Jumping The Broom), Terrence J (TV’s 106 & Park), Romany Malco (The 40 Year Old Virgin), Regina Hall (Scary Movie series), Gabrielle Union (Good Deeds) and Jerry Ferrara (TV’s Entourage).

Screen Gems’ THINK LIKE A MAN opens in theaters on Friday, April 20, 2012

In addition to doing the film premier, Kevin Hart, is on the road with his new tour “Let Me Explain.” The tour will take Hart to 90 cities in the U.S., and internationally to cities in Europe and Africa. Next on April 27, 2012, Hart can be seen in Universal’s Nick Stoller comedy Five Year Engagement by producer Judd Apatow.

Photo by Raymond Boyd

Grammy Award-Winning Artist Seal Announces Summer North American Tour

On the heels of sold out European and Australian tours, Multi-Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Sealannounced today that he will embark on a North American tour this summer. Seal will hit major cities across the US and Canada including LA, New York, Nashville and Montreal.  Fresh off of touring in Australia, Seal is bringing his talents back to North America to perform fan favorites and songs from his eighth studio album, Soul 2, which debuted in the Top 10 on the Billboard charts.

 

The tour kicks off on July 6th in Montreal, QC and tickets are available beginning Friday, April 6th at www.ticketmaster.com or visit www.seal.com for more information.

“I love my fans and I love the connection I have with them when I perform live,” said Seal. “I can’t wait to bring this show to North America.”

 

Soul 2 finds Seal joining forces once again with legendary producer Trevor Horn (Seal, Seal II, Human Being) who shares production duties on the album with Soul producer David Foster (Soul, Commitment). This time Seal brings his silky, inimitable voice to a lush collection of romantic soul classics primarily from the ’70s, including those by Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers, Al Green, and Teddy Pendergrass, among others.

Over the course of a remarkable career that spans more than two decades, Seal has won four Grammy Awards and sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, enjoying success across numerous genres of music. His emotional, romantic love songs, such as “Prayer For the Dying,” the Grammy Award-winning “Kiss From A Rose,” and “Don’t Cry” (all from 1994’s Seal II), and “Love’s Divine” (from 2003’s Seal IV), delighted fans and earned him critical acclaim.

 

He has also seen great success in the dance/pop music world beginning with his roots in Britain’s house music/rave scene with his debut 1991 album and returning to those roots with 2007’s dancefloor-friendly System. In September 2010, Seal released his seventh studio album Commitment, which peaked at No. 11 on the U.K. chart giving Seal his fifth Top 20 album in his native Britain.

 

TOUR DATES

July 6                     Montreal, QC                                     Montreal Jazz Festival/PdA

July 7                     Orillia, ON                                            Casino Rama

July 10                   Vienna, VA                                         Wolf Trap

July 11                   Mashantucket, CT                           MGM Grand at Foxwoods

July 13                   Cohasset, MA                                    South Shore Music Circus

July 14                   Hyannis, MA                                      Cape Cod Melody Tent

July 17                   New York, NY                                    Beacon Theatre

July 18                   New York, NY                                    Beacon Theatre

July 21                   Cleveland Heights, OH                   Cain Park

July 22                   Highland Park, IL                               Ravinia Festival

July 27                   Memphis, TN                                     Live at The Garden

July 28                   Atlanta, GA                                         Chastain Park Amphitheater

July 29                   Nashville, TN                                      Tennessee Performing Arts Center

July 31                   St. Louis, MO                                     The Fabulous Fox Theatre

Aug 1                     Tulsa, OK                                             Brady Theater

Aug 3                     Tucson, AZ                                          Anselmo Valencia Amphitheater

Aug 4                     Las Vegas, NV                                    The Pearl

Aug 6                     San Diego, CA                                    Humphreys

Aug 7                     Los Angeles, CA                                Nokia Theatre at L.A. LIVE

Aug 9                     Santa Ynez, CA                                  The Chumash Casino Resort

Aug 11                  Santa Rosa, CA                                  Wells Fargo Center

Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap hits theaters June 15th

Ice-T takes us on an intimate journey into the heart and soul of hip-hop with the legends of rap music. This performance documentary goes beyond the stardom and the bling to explore what goes on inside the minds, and erupts from the lips, of the grandmasters of rap. Recognized as the godfather of Gangsta rap, Ice-T is granted unparalleled access to the personal lives of the masters of this artform that he credits for saving his life. Interspersed with the performers’ insightful, touching, and often funny revelations are classic raps, freestyle rhymes, and never before heard a cappellas straight from the mouths of the creators. What emerges is a better understanding of, and a tribute to, an original American art form that brought poetry to a new generation.

For more info, visit theartofrap.com, www.facebook.com/ArtofRap and www.twitter.com/artofrap