Posts filed under 'Hip Hop'
If there were an organization called the National Association for the Advancement of Multi-Ethnic Music Video Hootchies, they would surely find great investment and reward in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, given that it would gainfully employ so much of their membership.
Brawny, testosteronized action flicks like this are always being accused, sometimes quite unfairly, of being unthinkingly misogynistic, but the third installment of The Fast and the Furious franchise tells us forthrightly what it thinks of women when, in the first 10 minutes of its perfunctory setup, it has the putative high school girlfriend of one character offer herself up by purring, “Why don’t you race for me?” and then has our lead character’s middle-aged mother winkingly come on to a police officer who’s arrested her son. Nice. I’m sure Betty Friedan would enthusiastically approve.
Much ass-slapping and ogling of micro-skirts ensues — as much as a PG-13 rating will allow, at any rate. If both completely conforming to audience expectation (for the randy party base) and finding new ways to tweak and/or subvert it are the two sometimes at-odds goals for genre cash-dashes of this ilk, Tokyo Drift arguably “succeeds” only in the first regard: staffed by a small army of sound mixers, sound editors, rotoscope artists and digital effects compositors, it’s a movie every bit as loud and predictably dreadful as one might imagine.
The story centers on Sean Boswell (Friday Night Lights’ Lucas Black), a headstrong Texas kid whose toothy grin always seems to get him in trouble with the jock boyfriends of every girl with which he flirts. Sean’s got a jones for racing, too, but his latest escapade ranks as a third strike, which causes that aforementioned floozy of a mother of his to ship Sean off to Japan to live with his estranged father, a career military man. Now a gaijin twice over, Sean hooks up with Army brat Twinkie (Bow Wow), and discovers the world of drift racing — comprised of hairpin turns and switchbacks born both of Tokyo’s cramped urban confines and winding mountain roads.
Sean disrespects the reigning king of this scene, D.K. (Brian Tee), by, yes, chatting up his girlfriend Neela (newcomer Nathalie Kelley). D.K. is the nephew of Kamata (Sonny Chiba), an underworld crime boss, but Sean doesn’t back down, accepting a race in which he borrows a car from Han (Sung Kang), D.K.’s friend and associate. Unfamiliar with drifting, Sean loses, wrecking the car in the process. Indebted to Han, he begins accompanying him on errands, winning over his trust and establishing a rapport with him. After Sean defends Twinkie from one of D.K.’s thugs and bests the same goon in a race, D.K. becomes even more furious (though not necessarily faster), setting up a final stakes race confrontation on a steep mountain descent.
While Black has some twangy charisma, he’s given precious little with which to work. Cellular scribe Chris Morgan’s screenplay is an exercise in pure functionality; two elementary school kids sitting next to me at a screening kept themselves busy between mouthfuls of popcorn and soda by predicting the call-and-response of dialogue. Combining CGI with practical stunt work, director Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow, Annapolis) brings a small measure of flash to some of the movie’s race sequences, but the spatial relationships so crucial to their understanding and emotional investment are lacking, and the gauzy nighttime setting of the penultimate showdown blunts its impact.
The film’s locale is somewhat novel, and Black — who’s all growed up and filled out from his Sling Blade days — certainly a serviceable guide. Still, I can’t think of a particularly compelling reason to see The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, though if an eager moviegoer does they’ll surely be rewarded with ample portions of the colorfully expected. But, you ask, aren’t films like these not designed for critics? On the one hand, yes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they need be so distressingly clichéd in their treatment of women and other supporting characters, and completely foreseeable in every other regard
June 16th, 2006
Hip-hop star Missy Elliott is to play the lead role in a film chronicling her life, Universal Pictures has announced. The film, which is untitled and in the development phase, will be produced by actor Robert De Niro through his company Tribeca Films.
Elliott, 34, who has won four Grammy awards during her career, is best known for her hit Get Ur Freak On.
She has released six solo albums and produced for artists including Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson.
The musician, who was born in Portland, Virginia, began her performing career with all-female singing group Sista.
She signed her first solo deal with Elektra Records on the condition that they would subsidise her own record label.
Other recording artists she has worked with include Whitney Houston and former Spice Girl Mel B.
June 16th, 2006
Rappers have long professed their love of drinking “Cristals by the bottle”, incorporating the champagne - which can sell for more than £700 - in lyrics and music videos.
But Louis Roederer, makers of the gold-labelled Cristal, have not welcomed their association with the “bling” lifestyle, provoking leading names in the rap music industry, including Jay-Z, the president of Def Jam records, to boycott the brand.
In a summer issue of The Economist, Frederic Rouzaud, the managing director of Louis Roederer, said the company viewed the affection for his company’s champagne from rappers and their fans with “curiosity and serenity”. When asked if the association with the “bling lifestyle” could be detrimental, Mr Rouzaud replied: “That’s a good question, but what can we do? We can’t forbid people from buying it. I’m sure Dom Perignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business.”
Yesterday, Jay-Z said he would pull Cristal from his chain of sports lounges - where bottles sell for £357 and £476 - and his Manhattan and Atlantic City clubs, as well as from his personal flutes, and replace it with Krug and Dom Perignon. He said: “It has come to my attention that the managing director of Cristal views the ‘hip-hop’ culture as unwelcome attention. I view his comments as racist and will no longer support any of his products through any of my various brands, including The 40/40 Club, nor in my personal life.”
However, it was not Mr Rouzaud, but the author of the article who used the phrase “unwelcome attention” that so angered the hip-hop artist. After quoting Mr Rouzaud, Gideon Rachman wrote: “Both Dom Perignon and Krug have had their share of unwelcome attention, too.”
Ron Berkowitz, Jay-Z’s agent, said his client remained offended. “They’re trying to distance themselves from the hip-hop community,” he said. “The hip-hop world certainly helped elevate the presence of Cristal. At the end of the day, isn’t the goal for any company to sell bottles?”
Cristal, which was created in 1876 for Tsar Alexander II of Russia, has been featured in hip-hop lyrics since the early 1990s. Kanye West, 50 Cent, Mos Def and Beenie Man have all referenced the brand. Jay-Z first mentioned the drink in 1996 on the song Can’t Knock the Hustle: “My motto, stack rocks like Colorado/Auto off the champagne, Cristals by the bottle.”
Boycotts by rappers have proved effective in the past. In 2003, Pepsi agreed to give £2.38m to charity after the Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons threatened a boycott. The drinks company had cancelled an advertising campaign by one of its rappers, Ludacris, after criticism over offensive language, in favour of an advert by the Osbourne family. Simmons said they were “no less vulgar”.
Rappers’ delight
Jay-Z “In My Lifetime”
Only pop and droppin Cristal’s down my throat, take a swigga
My style, ladies intoxicated by my profile
Your rollin with a pro with, money to blow child
Kanye West “Celebration”
You know what though? You my favorite accident
So go head pop some Cristal
For my newborn child cuz now y’all
50 Cent “The Hit”
When we came through the do’
I copped a case of Cristal, and copped one bottle of Mo
Mos Def “Got”
And while you Cristal sippin’, they rubbin’ up they mittens
With heat in mint condition to start the getti-gettin’
Beenie Man “Yagga Yo” (feat So Solid Crew)
When I’m down they will blaze trees wit me
Sip the Cristal cause life is easy
June 16th, 2006
US rapper DMX has been cautioned by police after being arrested at Heathrow Airport for abusing airline staff. The 35-year-old refused to co-operate on the American Airlines flight from New York after being asked to fasten his seatbelt on approaching London.
The flight’s captain alerted Heathrow police, who arrested the musician once the plane landed.
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman confirmed DMX - real name Earl Simmons - was later released with a caution.
DMX has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and will release his sixth solo album, Year of the Dog, Again, this summer.
Launch party
He is due to perform at a secret launch party in London on Tuesday.
DMX, who has also appeared in films including Romeo Must Die and Exit Wounds, was sentenced to seven days in prison in 2005 for colliding with two cars while driving with a suspended licence.
He received a 70-day sentence for a separate incidence of speeding while holding an invalid licence in December 2004.
In June 2004, he was arrested after crashing his car into a gate at New York’s JFK Airport and was handed a conditional discharge.
May 15th, 2006
Snoop Dogg has fessed up and accepted responsibility for threatening officers at London’s Heathrow airport last month.
The rapper “accepted a caution for a Section Four Public Order Act matter, using threatening words or behavior,” according to the Associated Press. In other words, Snoop said he’s sorry and no further action will be taken against him.
Snoop had gotten into a bit of trouble when he and five other men in his entourage were arrested on charges of violent disorder and starting a brawl when they were refused entry into the first-class lounge of British Airways. All of the men spent the night in jail and several of the officers involved in the altercation received minor injuries.
While Snoop has made good with the police, he continues to be banned from British Airways.
May 11th, 2006
Hip-hop MC and producer Jay Dee (also known as J Dilla), a founding member of the Detroit rap outfit Slum Village, died Friday morning of kidney failure at his home in Los Angeles, officials at his record label said Friday evening.
Born James Yancey, he was a nationally influential producer and a champion of Detroit’s urban music scene. When hip-hop was largely being dominated by the East and West coasts, he put a distinct Detroit sound on many national acts.
He celebrated his 32nd birthday Tuesday with a new album release, “Donuts.”
“Jay Dee was the man with the beats,” said Mark Hicks, who has been on the Detroit hip-hop scene since the early 1990s and is a former manager of the group D12. Hicks got the word that Jay Dee died from Detroit rapper Proof, who sent him a message via his Blackberry.
“I remember when he was selling beats back in ’95, ’96 for like 100 or 200 bucks,” Hicks said. Beats are the instrumental tracks that form the backbone of hip-hop music.
“Everybody went to him. He was selective. Even back then, you could see him being a producer in the long run just on how he made the music He took the artists and said, ‘This is how you should lyrically say this.’ He was a prodigy.” If you saw him in the studio, it was like he was the man.”
Guided by an encyclopedic ear and a jazz musician’s touch, he molded a signature style that blended hip-hop street bounce with a progressive flair. Live instruments were digitally processed into strange new tones, and vintage soul samples mixed with obscure rock records, with his own warm synthesizer lines layered on top.
“He invented the sound of Detroit hip-hop,” said Waverly Alford, the Detroit rapper known as King Gordy. “He was Detroit hip-hop.”
Jay Dee worked with artists like A Tribe Called Quest, Common, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo and Janet Jackson. Even so, he retained a distinct underground attitude.
He recorded in Detroit, Los Angeles and New York.
In a statement, Peter Adarkwah, founder of BBE Records, said he was deeply saddened to learn of his death. “Jay was one of my favorite hip-hop producers of all time. His passion for music was a rare thing amongst people in the music industry. His music and presence will be sorely missed for many years to come.”
BBE was to release Jay Dee’s “The Shining” a follow-up to 2001’s “Welcome To Detroit” in June of this year.
“It’s a hell of a loss,” said Wayne Washington, who raps under the name Wayneeack X. “He was talented with a capital T. His sound was hard, but there was feeling behind it. It had your head knocking, but it made you think too.”
Jay Dee rarely gave interviews, preferring to stay out of the spotlight. The music community knew, however, that he had health problems. Last year in an interview with the hip-hop magazine XXL, he denied reports that he had been in a coma, but said he spent two months in a hospital’s ICU “with all types of tubes.”
He told the magazine, “I went overseas for two weeks and was eating all this crazy … food. As soon as I got back, I had the flu or something, and I had to check myself into the hospital.” He said the doctors discovered that, “I had a ruptured kidney and was malnourished from not eating the right kind of food. It was real simple, but it ended with me being in the hospital.”
Always the producer, he had a friend bring him a sound system and some vinyl so he could make beats in the hospital.
Denaun Porter, a sought-after producer in his own right, has said that Jay Dee influenced him to pursue his career. Like others who would go on to become members of Detroit’s hip-hop elite, Porter was hanging out in the mid-1990s at the Hip Hop Shop. The clothing store on Detroit’s west side hosted open mic shows and became an epicenter of the city’s emerging hip-hop scene.
Porter said it wasn’t until 1996 that he got serious about making music for a living. That’s when he saw Jay Dee come to the shop in a money green Jaguar. “I never knew anybody that wasn’t a drug dealer drive a car like that,” Porter said. “I liked that life a little more.”
Jay Dee Dee’s musical production came from humble beginnings. He started humbly, making beats on a tape deck. In 1992, Amp Fiddler taught him how to work an MPC-60, an electronic drum machine commonly used in R&B and hip-hop music.
Around 1988, Jay Dee formed Slum Village with Baatin and T3, friends from Pershing High School. Even though he left the group after their first national album, (“Fantastic Vol. 2,” released in 2000), they remained friends and he even produced later tracks for Slum Village.
The group now consists of rappers Elzhi and T3. Both are out of the country, and couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
“Slum Village, man, they were doing their thing,’’ said Terry Scott of Tonya’s Music, a mom-and-pop shop on Detroit’s east side. “He was a pretty hot producer here in Detroit, the first big thing to come out of Detroit as far as producers.
“He was very young. I met him a couple of times. He came in the shop. For a brother like that to die at a young age, that’s sad. This is a loss to Detroit.”
Brian (B.Kyle) Atkins, a longtime documentarian of the hip-hop group the Roots, reported on the Stones Throw Records Web site that a memorial service will be Tuesday in Los Angeles. A Detroit service may be scheduled later.
technorati tags: Jay Dee, J Dilla, Dead, producer, hip hop mc
February 13th, 2006
Backstage after Wednesday’s Grammys, Kanye West was all hug and kisses, smiles and high-fives.
It’s expected behavior for that scene, but not from the man who just lost Album of the Year after loudly declaring, “If I don’t win Album of the Year, I’m gonna really have a problem with that”.
So what happened?
Well, his show-stealing performance, for one.
“I would have been more disappointed if I didn’t have a good performance and I had won Album of the Year,” West said. “The performance, that’s what it’s about, the entertainment and people having a good time. I just want to see the black colleges right now. I just want to go onto MySpace right now and see what people are saying.”
West, who did win three golden gramophones (Best Rap Album for Late Registration, Best Rap Solo Performance for “Gold Digger” and Best Rap Song for “Diamonds From Sierra Leone”), also offered an apparently satisfying reason for Album of the Year going to U2’s How to Dismantle and Atomic Bomb.
“Um, can we say vote splitting?” he said, referring to the concern he addressed the day nominees were announced: that he and Mariah Carey would split votes between the urban music fans in the Recording Academy.
“But that is my boy, Bono,” he continued. “He has taught me a lot about carrying the fame with grace. And the first thing I thought is, ‘Let’s go back to the studio, let’s go.’ It’s good for me, I’m happy, because I have accomplished so much in the last two years, all the way from running the [G.O.O.D.] label to being the artist that you [go to when you] run out of things to do. So now it’s like, ‘OK, we didn’t get the Album of the Year. Let’s go [try again].’ John Legend, Jon Brion, anyone named John, let’s go.”
Perhaps next time he can use the other two notecards he made for Wednesday in case he returned to the podium. After the first one, which read, “THANK YOU LIST,” he had “PEOPLE I FORGOT” and, for Album of the Year, “I TOLD YOU SO!,” he revealed backstage.
West, who crashed MTV News’ interview with John Legend, said it was actually Legend’s win for Best New Artist that he was most excited about. And between his and Legend’s other wins, both their performances and the “Touch the Sky” video debuting earlier that day, the smiles and high-fives were easily justified.
“If you mix the entertainment level of ‘The New Workout Plan’ [video] with the art level of like the black-and-white ‘Heard ‘Em Say’ video, that’s what you get with ‘Touch the Sky,’ ” he boasted of the clip.
As for Legend, his Grammy wins also made him anxious to return to the studio.
“This has inspired me,” he said. “I want to top this last album. I want to do better. I’m inspired, I’m ready to write. I’ve been on the road for a long time, I’m ready to get back into the studio.”
And like they have for his mentor, the Grammy wins are working magic for his ego.
“I am more famous now,” he said. “And that means more money
technorati tags: Kanye West, Grammys, awards, the grammy awards
February 12th, 2006
Kanye West has been chosen to reinterpret the classic “Mission: Impossible” theme song for the third installment in the Tom Cruise film franchise, which opens May 5 in U.S. theaters.
The theme was previously performed by the U2 rhythm section of Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton for the 1996 original, and by Limp Bizkit for the 2000 sequel.
There has yet to be an announcement on which label will release the “M:I III” soundtrack. The previous albums in the series have sold a combined 2 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
February 9th, 2006
Winners at Wednesday’s 48th Annual Grammy Awards:
Album of the Year: “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,” U2.
Record of the Year: “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” Green Day.
New Artist: John Legend
Male R&B Vocal Performance: “Ordinary People,” John Legend.
Pop Vocal Album: “Breakaway,” Kelly Clarkson.
Rap/Sung Collaboration: “Numb/Encore,” Jay-Z featuring Linkin Park.
Song of the Year: “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own,” U2.
Female Pop Vocal Performance: “Since U Been Gone,” Kelly Clarkson.
Country Album: “Lonely Runs Both Ways,” Alison Krauss and Union Station.
Rap Album: “Late Registration,” Kanye West.
Rock Album: “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,” U2.
Rap Solo Performance: “Gold Digger,” Kanye West.
Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: “Don’t Phunk With My Heart,” The Black Eyed Peas.
Rap Song: “Diamonds From Sierra Leone,” D. Harris and Kanye West.
Solo Rock Vocal Performance: “Devils & Dust,” Bruce Springsteen.
Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own,” U2.
Hard Rock Performance: “B.Y.O.B.,” System of a Down.
Metal Performance: “Before I Forget,” Slipknot.
Rock Instrumental Performance: “69 Freedom Special,” Les Paul and Friends.
Rock Song: “City of Blinding Lights, U2, (U2).
Alternative Music Album: “Get Behind Me Satan,” The White Stripes.
Female R&B Vocal Performance: “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey.
R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: “So Amazing,” Beyonce and Stevie Wonder.
Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: “A House Is Not a Home,” Aretha Franklin.
Urban/Alternative Performance: “Welcome to Jamrock,” Damian Marley.
R&B Song: “We Belong Together,” J. Austin, M. Carey, J. Dupri & M. Seal, (D. Bristol, K. Edmonds, S. Johnson, P. Moten, S. Sully & B. Womack, (Mariah Carey).
R&B Album: “Get Lifted,” John Legend.
Contemporary R&B Album: “The Emancipation of Mimi,” Mariah Carey.
Male Pop Vocal Performance: “From the Bottom of My Heart,” Stevie Wonder.
Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: “This Love,” Maroon 5.
Pop Collaboration With Vocals: “Feel Good Inc.,” Gorillaz Featuring De La Soul.
Pop Instrumental Performance: “Caravan,” Les Paul.
Pop Instrumental Album: “At This Time,” Burt Bacharach.
Traditional Pop Vocal Album: “The Art of Romance,” Tony Bennett.
Female Country Vocal Performance: “The Connection,” Emmylou Harris.
Male Country Vocal Performance: “You’ll Think of Me,” Keith Urban.
Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: “Restless,” Alison Krauss and Union Station.
Country Collaboration With Vocals: “Like We Never Loved at All,” Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.
Country Instrumental Performance: “Unionhouse Branch,” Alison Krauss and Union Station.
Country Song: “Bless the Broken Road,” Bobby Boyd, Jeff Hanna and Marcus Hummon, (Rascal Flatts).
Latin Pop Album: “Escucha,” Laura Pausini.
Latin Rock/Alternative Album: “Fijacion Oral Vol. 1,” Shakira.
Traditional Tropical Latin Album: “Bebo De Cuba,” Bebo Valdes.
Salsa/Merengue Album: “Son Del Alma,” Willy Chirino.
Mexican/Mexican-American Album: “Mexico En La Piel,” Luis Miguel.
Tejano Album: “Chicanisimo,” Little Joe Y La Familia.
Engineered Album, Classical: “Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets,” Da-Hong Seetoo, engineer (Emerson String Quartet).
Producer of the Year, Classical: Tim Handley.
Classical Album: “Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and of Experience,” Leonard Slatkin, conductor (Christine Brewer and Joan Morris, University of Michigan School of Music Symphony Orchestra).
Orchestral Performance: “Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13,” Mariss Jansons, conductor (Sergei Aleksashkin, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus).
Opera Recording: “Verdi: Falstaff,” Sir Colin Davis, conductor (London Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra).
Choral Performance: “Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and of Experience,” Leonard Slatkin, conductor (Christine Brewer, Measha Brueggergosman, Ilana Davidson, Nmon Ford, Linda Hohenfeld, Joan Morris, Carmen Pelton, Marietta Simpson and Thomas Young, Michigan State University Children’s Choir, University of Michigan Chamber Choir, University of Michigan Orpheus Singers, University of Michigan University Choir and University Musical Society Choral Union, University of Michigan School of Music Symphony Orchestra).
Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra): “Beethoven: Piano Cons. Nos. 2 & 3,” Claudio Abbado, conductor; Martha Argerich (Mahler Chamber Orchestra).
Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra): “Scriabin, Medtner, Stravinsky,” Evgeny Kissin.
Chamber Music Performance: “Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets,” Emerson String Quartet.
Small Ensemble Performance: “Boulez: Le Marteau Sans Maitre, Derive 1 & 2,” Pierre Boulez, conductor, Hilary Summers, Ensemble Intercontemporain.
Classical Vocal Performance: “Bach: Cantatas,” Thomas Quasthoff (Rainer Kussmaul, Members of the RIAS Chamber Choir, Berlin Baroque Soloists).
Classical Contemporary Composition: “Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and of Experience,” William Bolcom (Leonard Slatkin).
Classical Crossover Album: “4 plus Four,” Turtle Island String Quartet and Ying Quartet.
Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: “Ray,” Ray Charles.
Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: “Ray,” Craig Armstrong, composer.
Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: “Believe,” Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri, songwriters, from “The Polar Express.”
Instrumental Composition: “Into the Light,” Billy Childs, composer.
Instrumental Arrangement: “The Incredits,” Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Various Artists).
Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): “What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life?” Billy Childs, Gil Goldstein and Heitor Pereira, arrangers (Chris Botti and Sting).
Traditional Blues Album: “80,” B.B. King and Friends.
Traditional Folk Album: “Fiddler’s Green,” Tim O’Brien.
Contemporary Folk Album: “Fair & Square,” John Prine.
Native American Music Album: “Sacred Ground A Tribute to Mother Earth,” Various Artists.
Hawaiian Music Album: “Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Vol. 1,” Various Artists.
Reggae Album: “Welcome to Jamrock,” Damian Marley.
Traditional World Music Album: “In the Heart of the Moon,” Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate.
Contemporary World Music Album: “Eletracustico,” Gilberto Gil.
Polka Album: “Shake, Rattle and Polka!” Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra.
Musical Album for Children: “Songs From the Neighborhood The Music of Mister Rogers,” Various Artists.
Spoken Word Album for Children: “Marlo Thomas & Friends: Thanks & Giving All Year Long,” Various Artists.
Spoken Word Album: “Dreams From My Father,” Sen. Barack Obama.
Comedy Album: “Never Scared,” Chris Rock.
Musical Show Album: “Monty Python’s Spamalot.”
Gospel Performance: “Pray,” CeCe Winans.
Rock Gospel Song: “Be Blessed,” Yolanda Adams, James Harris III, Terry Lewis and James Q. Wright, (Yolanda Adams).
Rock Gospel Album: “Until My Heart Caves In,” Audio Adrenaline.
Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: “Lifesong,” Casting Crowns.
Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Album: “Rock of Ages … Hymns & Faith,” Amy Grant.
Contemporary Soul Gospel Album: “Purified,” CeCe Winans.
Gospel Choir or Gospel Chorus: “One Voice,” Gladys Knight, choir director.
New Age Album: “Silver Solstice,” Paul Winter Consort.
Jazz Vocal Album: “Good Night, and Good Luck,” Dianne Reeves.
Jazz Instrumental Solo: “Why Was I Born?” Sonny Rollins.
Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group: “Beyond the Sound Barrier,” Wayne Shorter Quartet.
Contemporary Jazz Album: “The Way Up,” Pat Metheny Group.
Large Jazz Ensemble Album: “Overtime,” Dave Holland Big Band.
Latin Jazz Album: “Listen Here!” Eddie Palmieri.
Traditional Soul Gospel Album: “Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs,” Donnie McClurkin.
Dance Recording: “Galvanize,” The Chemical Brothers featuring Q-Tip.
Electronic/Dance Album: “Push the Button,” The Chemical Brothers.
Bluegrass Album: “The Company We Keep,” The Del McCoury Band.
Contemporary Blues Album: “Cost of Living,” Delbert McClinton.
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Steve Lillywhite.
Short Form Music Video: “Control,” Missy Elliott Featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop.
Best Long Form Music Video: “No Direction Home” (Bob Dylan).
Recording Package: “The Forgotten Arm,” Aimee Mann and Gail Marowitz, art directors (Aimee Mann).
Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: “The Legend,” Ian Cuttler, art director (Johnny Cash).
Album Notes: “The Complete Library of Congress Recordings by Alan Lomax,” John Szwed, album notes writer (Jelly Roll Morton).
Historical Album: “The Complete Library of Congress Recordings by Alan Lomax,” Jeffrey Greenberg and Anna Lomax Wood, compilation producers (Jelly Roll Morton).
Engineered Album, Non-Classical: “Back Home,” Alan Douglas and Mick Guzauski, engineers (Eric Clapton).
Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: “Superfly (Louie Vega EOL Mix),” Louie Vega, remixer (Curtis Mayfield).
Surround Sound Album: “Brothers in Arms 20th Anniversary Edition,” Chuck Ainlay, Bob Ludwig, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits).
technorati tags: Awards, Grammys, 48th annual, winners, music awards
February 9th, 2006
Police detectives want to question Busta Rhymes about the fatal shooting that took place outside a warehouse where the rapper was filming a video early Sunday morning. A member of Rhymes’ security staff, Israel Ramirez, 29, was shot once in the chest by an unidentified assailant outside a warehouse in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, New York, and was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital.
According to an Associated Press report, Rhymes was among several possible witnesses who left the scene of the murder before police arrived, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told reporters Monday (February 6).
“We believe Busta Rhymes may have been on the street when the shooting took place,” Kelly said. Rhymes declined comment through a spokesperson.
Rhymes, Missy Elliott and G-Unit’s Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo were preparing to begin filming inside the building when violence occurred outside the building at around 1:30 a.m., according to the AP. Police believe an argument that began inside the warehouse “moved to the street,” Kelly said. “There was some pushing and shoving going on when an individual took out a gun and fired at least eight shots.” Ramirez, the father of three, was the only person hit, according to police.
According to a witness who requested anonymity, the video shoot — where as many as 500 people had gathered, according to police — was already filled with tension due to long-simmering conflicts between some of the rap crews on the set whose members were gathered for cameos.
Arguments between some of the rivals had erupted before the shooting took place.
The witness said G-Unit member Tony Yayo was on the set and apparently exchanged insulting words with producer Swizz Beatz and members of the Ruff Ryders camp. “Yayo was talking sh– to Swizz Beatz, Dee and Waah [Darrin and Joaquin Dean, CEOs of Ruff Ryders Entertainment],” the witness said. “Then Yayo started talking to Busta, saying, ‘My bad, I’m not trying to disrespect you. I ain’t gonna make it hot.’ ”
Relations have been tense between the G-Unit and Ruff Ryders artist Jadakiss, as well as Cassidy, who is signed with Beatz’s Full Surface label.
The witness said Ramirez was not thought to have been involved with the tensions on the set. He had been hired to handle Rhymes’ jewelry for the shoot.
Among the other artists on hand at various times throughout Saturday to appear in the video, which was for the remix of Busta’s track “Touch It,” were Mary J. Blige, DMX and boxers Ronald “Winky” Wright and Felix Trinidad.
Police impounded a car near the shooting that was hit by gunfire and recovered a semiautomatic pistol in an empty lot nearby that they suspect had been used in the murder, according to the New York Police Department spokesperson. Police have not announced a suspect or motive in the shooting.
Yayo, whose real name is Marvin Bernard, denies any involvement in the shooting, said his lawyer, Scott Leemon, according to AP. In a letter to prosecutors, Leemon said his client would refuse to voluntarily answer any questions from law enforcement.
“Please make sure he is not contacted and/or harassed by NYPD,” the letter said.
A spokesperson for Interscope Records, Rhymes and Yayo’s label, had no comment. Calls to Rhymes’ management and attorney for comment were not returned at press time.
technorati tags: Busta Rhymes, Police, Shooting, Missy Elliot, G-Unit, Llyod Banks, Tony Yayo
February 8th, 2006
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