Keyshia Cole Sets October 7 Release Date For Point Of No Return

Multi-platinum recording artist Keyshia Cole will release her sixth studio album, Point Of No Return, on October 7. The album features her sexy new single “She” which depicts Cole’s commitment to self love. Among the guest artists featured on the album are Wale, Future, 2 Chainz, Juicy J, andAugust Alsina. Prominent producers on Point Of No Return are Mike WiLL (Miley Cyrus,Kanye West, Rihanna, 2 Chainz, Juicy J, Lil Wayne), Stargate (Beyonce, Rihanna), DJ Mustard (YG, 2 Chainz).

With two top-rated series under her belt at BET Networks, Cole returns this fall with her new show “THE UNTITLED KEYSHIA COLE PROJECT” This 6-episode docu-series reveals her continued struggles with the real-life issues that face all of us including career complications, marital strife, and motherhood challenges. Laced with humor, drama and a hefty dose of love, the series will document Keyshia’s painful setbacks and personal victories as she continues to defy her critics.

Revolt Music Conference Unveils Programming Line-Up

REVOLT TV unveiled additional speakers and panel names for the inaugural REVOLT Music Conference taking place Thursday October 16^th through Sunday, October 19^th at Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel in Miami Beach, FL. Speaker names, panels and registration information is now available on the conference site: http://www.revoltmusicconference.com/.

In addition to Clear Channel Chairman/CEO and MTV co-founder Bob Pittman providing a keynote address, marketing and technology industry veterans joining the inaugural conference as panelists include:

Frank Cooper, Chief Marketing Officer at PepsiCo
Rio Caraeff, CEO of VEVO
Bob Moczydlowsky, Head of Music at Twitter
Kevin McGurn, Chief Revenue Officer at Shazam
Josh Rabinowitz, EVP Director Of Music at GREY
Omar Johnson, EVP Marketing at Beats by Dre
Britt Morgan-Saks, Head of Artist Services at Spotify
Lee “Q” O’Denat, Founder of World Star Hip Hop
Necole Bitchie, Blogger and Founder of Necole Bitchie

“It’s an honor to have executives from the most influential companies joining us at our inaugural conference to discuss the importance of music to their brands and customers,” said REVOLT TV Vice Chairman and Conference Chair Andre Harrell. “We look forward to them sharing their insights and expertise with our audience and breaking down topics such as the business of celebrity, the influence of social media and what brands truly want from artists.”

Confirmed panels include:

The State of Women in Music
Shaking up the balance of power in the music industry, these successful women are leading the charge in the C-suite as managers and as leaders. Learn from their secrets of success in navigating the changing music industry.

Social Media: Influence, Currency and Monetization
A strong point of view and consistency are two elements in a winning social media strategy. Learn how you and your brand can get traction in social media, leading to monetization.

Disruptors: The New Record Business
Technology, media and social media have disrupted the record business. Learn how and why you should care about where the record business is going and who is in control.

The Lost Art Form of A&R
The ability to spot talent and surround them with people to help facilitate the artist vision is core to A&R. Hear lessons for developing and working with talent in the age of social media, digital sales and global branding.

How to Start Your Own Independent Label
With so many artists crowding the music landscape, it is necessary to take matters into your own hands in order to break through the noise. Learn from experts in building a brand independently (pros, cons, financials and pitfalls), and hear how brands can best work with independent artists/labels.

Coming to America: EDM
From underground culture in Europe, electronic dance music has breathed new life into American clubs, commercials and concerts. Hear why the fan army is growing with an EDM festival coming to a city near you.

The Business of Music Publishing
#newrules in music publishing are being written by these leaders that are at the top of their game. Hear lessons for how they achieved success and steward hits for others and what’s next for the future of subscription radio.

360 Degrees of the Music Business
Managers share secrets of building businesses around artists, extending their brands beyond tracks, albums, and concerts and turning them into products.

The New Deal: Brands and Artists
Music is a bridge, and marketers have worked with artists as talent, spokespeople, and creative directors to create and move product. Learn what senior marketers think about the new relationship between brands and artists.

Designed to inspire thought-provoking discussions about navigating and understanding the evolution of the music business, the conference will combine education and entertainment over the course of two and a half days for 500 industry executives and 100 students, as well as a remote audience through the recently launched REVOLT TV iOS and iPhone apps.

Individuals can now register for conference packages, which include access to panels, artist showcases, pool parties, a gala awards dinner, and weekend access to one of America’s top clubs, LIV. The REVOLT Music Conference is being produced by BMF Media.

Other panelists previously announced include L.A. Reid, Chairman and CEO, Epic Records;Julie Greenwald, Group Chairman/COO, Atlantic Records; Guy Oseary, Partner, Untitled Entertainment and Manager; Rodney Jerkins, Songwriter, Producer, and Musician; Dallas Austin, Songwriter, Producer, and Musician; Jon Platt, President at Warner/ Chappel Music; and Rob Stone, Co-founder, The Fader.

To register or learn more about the conference, visit http://www.revoltmusicconference.com/.

Sean “Diddy” Combs Brings The Inaugural REVOLT Music Conference to Miami Oct. 16 – 19, 2014

REVOLT TV announced it will host their first annual REVOLT Music Conference (RMC) Thursday, October 16^th through Sunday, October 19^th at Fontainebleau Miami Beach in Miami Beach, FL. The curated, weekend-long experience will pair technology leaders and brand marketers with influencers, music executives, songwriters, producers and artists, all with the intention of understanding and navigating the evolution of the music business.

“Arguably the most luxurious hotel on all of Miami Beach, Fontainebleau Miami Beach has a dynamic music history – from Frank Sinatra to Elvis Presley to Neil Young – making it the perfect backdrop for our inaugural conference,” said REVOLT Vice Chairman and Conference Chair Andre Harrell.

“Music plays a significant role in our heritage, from first opening in 1954 to our incredible Fontainebleau BleauLive concert series of today, and we’re delighted to have been selected as the home of the inaugural music conference and welcome REVOLT, business influencers and their guests to our hotel,” stated Fontainebleau Miami Beach Vice President of Sales & Marketing Scott Flexman.

Featuring eight panels with over 35 influential speakers and eight artists showcases across three days of programming and two nights of events, the inaugural conference along the shores of Florida’s most pristine beach will provide attendees the opportunity to immerse themselves in the ins-and-outs of the industry alongside some of the biggest names in music. Panelists will be announced on a rolling basis through August with artist showcases to be revealed in September.

Starting today, individuals can register for conference packages, which include access to panels, artist showcases, pool parties, a gala dinner, an awards dinner and entree into one of America’s top clubs, LIV.

“We are honored to take part in the first REVOLT Music Conference and look forward to providing a world class experience to some of the biggest influencers in the music industry,” says LIV Operating Partner Dave Grutman.

Registration and Conference Information: http://www.revoltmusicconference.com/

ABOUT REVOLT MEDIA & TV
REVOLT is the new #1 name in music. Focused on expertly curating the best of the best in music and engaging youth in social conversation, the multi-genre, multi-platform network offers breaking music news, videos, artist interviews, exclusive performances, and original programming. Attracting over 50 million young adults through television, digital properties, social and mobile, REVOLT is accessible 24/7 – anytime, anywhere, any screen. Launched in broadcast in October 2013, REVOLT is available on Time Warner Cable, Comcast and Century Link in over 40 of the top 50 U.S. markets including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Boston, Atlanta, and DC.

Black Milk Reveals Cover Art and Release Date For If There’s A Hell Below

“I’m never one to say which album of mine is the best, that’s for the fans to decide,” says critically acclaimed rapper/producer Black Milk, “but at this point I feel like I’m making the best music of my career on a creative level and on a technical level. I think you’ll hear that in this new album.” If There’s A Hell Below will be released on October 28th via Black’s independent label, Computer Ugly.

This information about the album follows the announcement of U.S. and Europe tours, and also the release of “What It’s Worth”, the first single from the album. “Detroit’s New Dance Show” is the second track to be released from the album, featuring thumping, dark electronic production layered beneath pitch-lowered vocals on the chorus, with some hard-hitting lyrics in the verses. The “new-wave-tinged rocker,” as Okayplayer dubbed it, pays homage to a television series that aired in Black’s hometown of Detroit back in 1988 called “The New Dance Show.” “If There’s A Hell a Below isn’t as dark as No Poison No Paradise but it is somewhat of a continuation of that album,” he explains. “I’m still giving you a glimpse of different struggles for the point of view of an inner city youth but rhyming in different patterns over instrumentals that sound different from anything I’ve done in the past.”

Black Milk will be touring this August with his Loops Don’t Lie Tour, which will feature the Detroit native performing live beat sets. The tour will stop in five U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Charlotte, and Tampa. Soon after, the multi-talented artist will be heading to Europe with his four-person live band for the Black Milk Live With Nat Turner Tour. This segment of the tour includes dates in major cities such as London and Amsterdam, and three dates in Germany, before returning back to the U.S. Speaking on his previous tour, LA Weekly shares praises, saying “Master of Ceremonies Black Milk was expertly both directing and starring in this show.”

Purchase tickets for Black Milk’s tour: http://blackmilk.biz/tours/

Purchase “Detroit’s New Dance Show”: http://blackmilk.bandcamp.com/track/detroits-new-dance-show-2

Listen to “Detroit’s New Dance Show”: https://soundcloud.com/blackmilkofficial/detroits-new-dance-show

Black Milk’s Loops Don’t Lie Tour:

Aug 6 – Asheville, NC – One Stop

Aug 7 – Atlanta, GA – 529

Aug 8 – Charlotte, NC – Snug Harbor

Aug 9 – Jacksonville, Fl – Rain Dogs

Aug 10 – Tampa, FL – The Orpheum

Black Milk With Live Band Nat Turner Europe Tour:

Aug 21 – London, United Kingdom – Jazz Cafe

Aug 22 – Hradec Králové, Czech Republic – Hip Hop Kemp Festival

Aug 23 – Orpund, Switzerland – Royal Arena Festival

Aug 24 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso

Aug 27 – Berlin, Germany – Cassiopeia

Aug 28 – Gent, Belgium – Dok

Aug 29 – Munster, Germany – Hot Jazz Club

Aug 31 – Riverview, MI – Rocky’s Pub
Sept 27 – Austin, TX – Red 7 (Black Milk Beat Set at Weird City Fest)
Oct 17 – New York, NY – Studio at Webster Hall

Tickets: http://blackmilk.biz/tours/

The Autobiography of Rick James Now Available

Rick James and acclaimed music biographer David Ritz met in 1979 in Marvin Gaye’s studio while Ritz was interviewing Gaye for a biography. Intrigued, James urged Ritz to interview him, too, for a biography. Decades of those interviews and research have become GLOW: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF RICK JAMES (Atria Hardcover; 978-1-4767-6414-6; July 8, 2014; $26), a posthumously published memoir-in James’s own words-of the tumultuous life of the disco-age music superstar.

Famous for his shamelessly raunchy dance songs, Rick James never made a secret of his sex- and drug-loving lifestyle. In GLOW, he narrates his life from the setting of Folsom Prison, where he spent time in the 1990s as part of his sentence for assault and kidnapping. There, he met a fellow inmate named Brother Guru, and GLOW is written as a conversation with Guru, whose probing questions forced James to assess his past behavior.

Little James Ambrose Johnson was a voracious reader and musical prodigy whose mother worked as a cleaning lady and ran numbers at night to support her eight kids in Buffalo, New York. Noticing his interest in music, she sneaked him into nightclubs-where, hidden underneath cocktail tables, he was mesmerized by the performances of jazz musicians such as Etta James and Miles Davis. Years later, he would wander to Toronto, where he ended up playing with Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, and then California, to ultimately create music that led him to become a household name in the 1980s with hit songs like “Super Freak,” “Mary Jane,” and “17.” Later in life, his unstoppable addictions to sex and drugs led him to prison.

In the pages of GLOW, readers learn of Rick James’s connection with dozens of music industry icons, including David Crosby, Marvin Gaye, Berry Gordy, Teena Marie, Prince, Diana Ross, Stephen Stills, Steven Tyler, and Stevie Wonder. He describes his epiphany, as a young man, at seeing John Coltrane and Jackie Wilson on the same night; explains the inspiration behind many of the tracks on his albums; shares how Stevie Wonder was the one who suggested he change his name to Rick James; reveals that the story crediting Diana Ross with discovering the Jackson 5 was fabricated-and who really discovered them; admits that he had several secret overdoses and sought one of the many Beverly Hills “Dr. Feelgoods” to prescribe pain pills; and regrets how he ruined a precious sketch of himself just created by the great artist Salvador Dali.

In GLOW, Rick James describes himself as “A rebel, a renegade, and artist-singer-writer-producer-bandleader intent on branding my identity in the most dramatic terms. My music was about me-a man deep into drugs, sex, and funk.” Yet, despite his bad boy behavior, Rick James was an undeniable talent and a unique, unforgettable human being. His “glow” was an overriding quality that one of his mentors saw in him-and one that will stay with readers who taste this wildly entertaining, profound autobiography of the man who left an indelible mark on American popular music.

RICK JAMES (1948-2004) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, best known for popularizing funk music in the late 1970s and early 1980s with million-selling hits.

For more info, visit http://www.defmix.com.

New Album “Bridges” by singer-songwriter Joe NOW AVAILABLE

The eleventh studio album “Bridges” by Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Joe arrives in stores today. Described as a therapeutic retrospect, “Bridges” takes a look into the multi-talented singer, songwriter-producer’s outlook on life’s relationship endeavors and where they have taken him. Derek “DOA” Allen (Tyrese, Wale, Smokey Norful), Edrick Miles (Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne), Gerald Isaac (Mary J. Blige, Mario, Angie Stone) and Taj Jackson (Ne-Yo, Monica, Janet Jackson) are among the producers and songwriters. Album collaborations include Kelly Rowland and 50 Cent.

On BRIDGES, Joe again brings to the forefront the elegant simplicity and amazing vocals that have made him one of music’s most accomplished and popular singers with a strong foothold in today’s R&B music. Songs like “Sex Ain’t A Weapon,” with its strong shuffle beat reminiscent of Marvin Gaye, keeps you grooving on the subject matter of the women who choose to hold back or deprive their man of lovin.’ A Queen B should never hold back the honey…not later but sooner girl you’ll hear the rumor that other fish been swimming around in your sea.”

Then there’s the powerful and thought-provoking ballad “If You Lose Her.” The song positions Joe as a spokesman encouraging guys or the gambling man to think about the consequence of neglect through their own selfish pleasures, placing them at the very cusp of losing a good woman. If you lose her, there’ll be a hole in your soul, no grave deep enough to bury the pain….Other songs include the future ladies anthem “First Lady,” “The Rest Will Follow,” the party driven “Take It To The House,” “Blame Her Broken Heart On Me,” and the eloquent soul-stirring ballad “Till The Rope Gives Way.

Joe, who has collaborated with some of today’s most contemporary artists, will be on a national and international tour in support of BRIDGES. He will perform his hit single, “Love & Sex Pt. 2,” in addition to his other hit songs that include: “All The Things (Your Man Won’t Do),” “All That I Am,” “No One Comes Close,” “Love Scene,” and “I Wanna Know.”

Tracklisting:
1. Future Teller
2. Dilemma
3. Do a Little Dance
4. If You Lose Her
5. Sex Ain’t a Weapon
6. Love & Sex, Pt. 2 feat. Kelly Rowland
7. Blame Her Broken Heart on Me
8. First Lady
9. Take It 2 The House
10. Till the Rope Gives Way
11. The Rest Will Follow
12. Mary Jane (Remix) feat 50 Cent
13. Bridges
14. Love Sex Hollywood
15. For Love
16. Love Undefeated

Racial Satire “Dear White People” Hits Theaters This Fall

DEAR WHITE PEOPLE follows the stories of four black students at Winchester University, where a riot breaks out over a popular ‘African American’ themed party thrown by a white fraternity. With tongue planted firmly in cheek, the film explores racial identity in ‘post-racial’ America while weaving a universal story of forging one’s unique path in the world.

Dear White People stars rising talents Tyler James Williams (“Everybody Hates Chris,” Peeples), Tessa Thompson (For Colored Girls, “Veronica Mars”), Teyonah Parris (“Mad Men,” They Came Together), Brandon P. Bell (“Hollywood Heights”), Kyle Gallner (A Nightmare on Elm Street, CBGB), Malcolm Barrett (The Hurt Locker), Brittany Curran (“Chicago Fire”), Marque Richardson (“The Newsroom”) and Dennis Haysbert (“24,” Far From Heaven). Dear White People hits theaters October 17^th.

For more information, visit http://dearwhitepeoplemovie.com

Mike Epps Late Night Comedy Tour Leaves Chicago Winded

By Sommer Thornton

Photos by Dan Locke

Mike Epps rolled his successful Late Night Comedy Tour into Chicago for two shows at the Arie Crown Theater April 19. Fans packed the theater for grown & sexy late laughs. The show featured Mike Epps and two opening acts. One of the openers was Chicago native, Kenny Howell. Howell got the audience warmed up quickly with his stories of his childhood growing up in the Robert Taylor projects. Howell was felt by the entire audience, many who are very familiar with growing up in the 80’s on the West side of Chi-town. The crowd was gasping when Howell joked about ex-cons working in the kitchen in Church’s Chicken, and about the dos and don’ts of receiving fellatio without messing up a woman’s hair.

Mike Epps, best known for movies like Sparkle, Next Friday, and his hosting of Shaquille O’Neal’s comedy shows hit the stage a little before midnight getting right into what he does best, making fun of people. Epps joked that some audience members were taking unauthorized photos with prepaid “Boost mobile phones”. Epps even paused the show to threaten a nearby press photographer saying, “If I find out you’re not in my camp, we’re f-in you up.” Mike Epps spared no punches talking about many of his celebrity friends and frenemies like rapper Rick Ross, Miley Cyrus, R. Kelly’s lisp, and even Bernie Mac. Epps had nothing but nice things to say about the late comedian, even sharing some of Mac’s invaluable advice to him.

One part that was absolutely hilarious was when Epps touched on the controversy with his daughter, who publically called him a deadbeat dad. While Epps said he loved his daughter dearly, he joked that her mother coerced her to publically condemn him, and that he himself is to blame for getting a mechanic pregnant in the first place. Epps joked that back-in-the-day; he slept with any woman that wanted him, which was most times women he wouldn’t look twice at now.

This was one of the funniest comedy shows I’ve seen this year. Mike Epps kept the crowd roaring non-stop. And he brings his funny friends along for the ride. With a successful career in stand-up under his belt along with a few serious roles in big films; Epps proves that he not just a punchline, but a versatile and very funny entertainer.

Budweiser Made in America” Music Festival Expands In 2014

Shawn “JAY Z” Carter, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, Budweiser and United Way of Greater Los Angeles are bringing the spirit of “Budweiser Made In America,”to Los Angeles during the 2014 Labor Day weekend. The two-day music festival began in Philadelphia on Labor Day weekend 2012 to benefit United Way of Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey and United Way of Lancaster County, and this year will deliver twice the amount of music. Live Nation will produce both the Philadelphia and Los Angeles two-day music festivals, delivering must-see performances on both coasts. Details and lineups for both festival locations will be announced at a later date.

“Budweiser Made In America” will be the first American festival to run simultaneously on both coasts. Performances from both “Budweiser Made In America” sites will be available for fans to view with live-streaming.

With the addition of the west coast festival, JAY Z, Live Nation, Budweiser and United Way are committed to improving lives and strengthening local communities in Los Angeles County. United Way will invest the funds raised to ensure more people have the opportunity to reach their potential–through quality schools, good jobs and stable housing. The “Budweiser Made In America” Festival provides the perfect crescendo to summer and coincides with the culmination of “Summer of Success,” a multi-pronged approach by Mayor Garcetti to advance youth during the school break by providing them jobs, learning opportunities, and extended programming at City of Los Angeles parks and recreational facilities.

Budweiser, JAY Z and this festival embody the American spirit and enhance the ongoing partnership between the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and the City of Los Angeles.

The Philadelphia site will benefit United Ways in Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey and Lancaster County, Penn. The primary goal of this music festival is to have a positive impact on the communities involved. As a result, the money invested into these communities will positively impact the education, income and health of the most vulnerable and needy citizens in these regions.

As a result of last year’s “Budweiser Made In America” Festival, United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey is investing $300,000 in education and talent development initiatives to enhance cradle-to-career education that ensures all students graduate high school college–and career-ready and equips individuals with the job skills and training they need to secure work that provides a family-sustaining income.

The festival also enabled United Way of Lancaster County to invest an additional $100,000 in programs and services that support learning success across the education continuum.

WHEN:

Labor Day Weekend 2014, Aug. 30-31

WHERE:

The Los Angeles “Budweiser Made In America” Festival will take place on Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles. The Philadelphia festival site will remain on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

TICKET PURCHASE:

2 Day Early Bird presale tickets are available now at www.livenation.com

2 Day Early Bird tickets for Philadelphia are $99.50 and Los Angeles are $125.

Additional on sale information will be announced.

ONGOING FESTIVAL INFORMATION:

The festivals site, www.madeinamericafest.com will be updated with general information.

Tamar Braxton, K. Michelle And Wale Among Performers For Soul Train Awards 2013

Jennifer Hudson , Tamar Braxton , Smokey Robinson , K. Michelle, Ron Isley , Wale, Eric Benet , Candice Glover , Kem, Chrisette Michele, Bobby Caldwell and Joss Stone will be hitting the stage as performers for SOUL TRAIN AWARDS 2013. This year’s show pays homage to the soul soundtrack of the 90’s, allowing fans to reminisce on a decade of influential black cinema and music. Charged with keeping the party going throughout the night are Grammy Award winning producers 1500 or Nothin’ and legendary keyboardist Greg Phillinganes who have both been tapped as music directors for the show. As previously announced, comedian and actor Anthony Anderson will host the event in Las Vegas on November 8th, which will air on CENTRIC and BET, December 1, 2013 at 8PM ET/PT.

“We are gearing up for a big show this year, and the performers set to take the stage are just the beginning of what’s to come. I hope everyone is ready because Centric is bringing the party to Las Vegascome November 8th,” said Paxton Baker, General Manager and Executive Vice President, CENTRIC. “We are forever grateful for the involvement of so many amazing performers and their loyalty to the Soul Train and Centric brands. Music is the core of Centric’s DNA and our diverse roster of new talent and legendary artists display our continued commitment to providing quality programming for soul music lovers.”

For the first time, SOUL TRAIN AWARDS 2013 will be held at the Orleans Arena, one of the nation’s leading mid-size arenas. Also marking a first for the award show is the addition of a second stage, which will feature a rotating mix of celebrity DJs. Hip-hop sensation Kendrick Lamar leads this year’s nominations with six nominations across multiple categories, including: Best New Artist, Album of the Year and Song of the Year. Tied with five nominations each are Miguel, Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke,Chris Brown, Tamar Braxton and Janelle Monae.