Duo Live & Billionz – World Go Round video

4th single from Duo Live & Billionz mixtape Malcolm & Lewis.

Ice Berg – Closer To My Dreams video

Directed by Justin Lopez & Matthew Hoyos.

Young Hash – Remedy video

Directed by Silas Luster.

ROLLING OUT MAGAZINE COVERS VETERAN R&B SINGER MONICA FOR THE SECOND WEEK OF NOVEMBER ISSUE

MONICA DISCUSSES WHY SHE’S “STILL STANDING”, LOVE, LIFE, PAST DEMONS, HER NEW BET REALITY SHOW AND HIGHLY ANTICIPATED SIXTH STUDIO ALBUM

MONICA’S INTIMATE ROLLING OUT MAGAZINE INTERVIEW HITS NEWSSTANDS NATIONWIDE ON NOVEMBER 5th, 2009

Atlanta bred R&B veteran singer Monica graces the cover of *rolling out Magazine dishing on her past, present, future, and highly anticipated new album. Bracing herself for the return into the public eye after a two year hiatus, Monica reintroduces herself to avid followers through her new reality show “Still Standing” on BET Network, which looks to translate the evolution of Monica as a person and more importantly the strength she’s gained over the years through tumultuous ups and downs in life.

Monica tells *rolling out Magazine that she withdrew from the spotlight during her careers prime after her boyfriend committed suicide in front of her in 2000; “I was the walking dead for a little while”, Monica disappearing from her fans and slipping into a depression. Today, Monica has titled the name of her BET reality show, single and album “Still Standing” as an emblem of her rescued faith in herself, life, and love. Monica states “Stop looking at what I used to do and look at what I’m doing now”, as she looks to reconnect with her fans and reclaim her position as the sensual songstress that she is.

Monica debuted into the world of R&B during the 90’s with the cult hit “Dont take it personal” which shot then 16 year Monica Arnold into the national arena with back-to-black platinum singles off her debut album”Miss Thang”. Partnering with then teen sensation, singer Brandy Norwood, Monica shot to the top of the Billboard charts for over 13 weeks with the duet “The Boy is Mine” which captured “Best R&B Performance Duo” for the 1997 Grammy Awards. Later releasing a lesser received third album, “All Eyez on Me”, Monica went into the studio for the 2003 follow-up “After The Storm” which turned out three successfully charted Billboard singles. Moving into 2006, Monica released “The Making of Me” with lead single “The Makings of You” a sample from legendary Curtis Mayfield, Monica debuting at #8 on the Billboard R&B Charts. Monica is the mother of two sons, Rodney III and Romello and is engaged to Atlanta rapper Rocko. The *rolling out Magazine interview with singer Monica will be on stands nationwide Thursday November 5th, 2009. Also, log onto www.rollingout.com for behind the scenes images of the shoot with Monica and accompanied video.

ABOUT rolling out MAGAZINE/ MEDIA

*rolling out Magazine, the largest free urban weekly, is a digital and physical weekly magazine that focuses on the black experience in response to entertainment, politics, fashion, culture, sports and lifestyle points of interest. Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, *rolling out Magazine positions itself as the voice of the African American experience in an unconventional form using the the newspaper platform as a market place to express urgency in reform for education, finances, entrepreneurship, and other issues prevalent in the black diaspora

OMARA PORTUONDO’S “GRACIAS” WINS THE LATIN GRAMMY FOR BEST CONTEMPORARY TROPICAL ALBUM

Illustrious Cuban singer Omara Portuondo has made history twice this year. In October, the remarkable vocalist, and only female star of the Buena Vista Social Club™, became one of the first Cuban artists in six years to obtain a visa to perform in the U.S., marking a cultural breakthrough in the strained relations between her homeland and the U.S.

On November 5, she also became the first Cuban resident to present at the 10th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards, where she delivered the prestigious Song of The Year award. She was honored again as the winner for Best Contemporary Tropical Album or “Mejor Álbum Tropical Contemporáneo” with her latest release Gracias produced by Montuno Productions and released on World Village.

Although Portuondo is a four-time Latin GRAMMY nominee, and won a “Prémio Música Brasileira” Brazilian Music Award last year for her duets album with Maria Bethania, as well as a Billboard Latin Music Award in 2005, this is her first GRAMMY award.

“I’m going to represent Cuba, because I think I’m going to be the only one that will be there,” Portuondo told the New York Daily News the day before the awards ceremony. “I’ll be there for all of the others.”

Portuondo performed two U.S. shows in October, for the first time since 2003, at UCLA’s Royce Hall and at the San Francisco Jazz Festival. Of her San Francisco show the Oakland Tribune wrote, “It’s impossible to say whether she handles the fast or slow numbers better. Whatever kind of song she’s singing at the time is the one that best suits her.” Portuondo returns in February of 2010 with concerts in Washington DC, Boston and New York City, among other major cities.

Gracias, which was also awarded the Cubadisco 2009 Grand Prix in May, is Portuondo’s third solo album, and it marks a professional musical career spanning 60 years. The New York Times declared that at 79 “her voice …is rich, shapely, dynamic, and still sultry”, and the Los Angeles Times called her “still a vibrant contemporary performer”. She first found fame in her home country with Las D’Aida quartet, and throughout the 1970s and ’80s was a highly acclaimed solo vocalist. It was the Buena Vista Social Club™, however, that launched her into worldwide fame, along with such major figures as Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González and Compay Segundo.

Gracias was produced by Alê Siqueira, with musical direction from Swami Jr., and it features “some striking collaborations” (Songlines), with such guest artists as Jorge Drexler, Richard Bona, Cachaíto López, Chico Buarque and Chucho Valdés. It is a special gift from the artist to herself and to the songwriters for whom she feels the highest regard. As the Montreal Gazette writes, it is “a highly personal collection of ballads… she packs a lot of feeling into this tender and nostalgic album.” These are the songs she has always longed to sing.

OMARA PORTUONDO Tour Dates 2010

February

24 – Washington, DC – Lisner Auditorium
26 – Boston, MA – Harvard University Sanders Theater
27 – New York, NY – Town Hall

More Dates TBA

Rap-stress, Mia X, finally returns to the limelight after an over ten year absence!

Mia X, nee’ Mia Young, was the very first female emcee inked to Master P’s mid-nineties powerhouse imprint, No Limit Records. From 1995 to ‘98, Mia released three acclaimed solo albums; Good Girl Gone Bad, the gold certified Unlady Like, and her third and final effort, Mama Drama, before graciously bowing out of the rap game altogether.

Unfortunately, during her musical hiatus, Mia suffered several personal setbacks; primarily the unexpected and tragic passing of both her mother and father, as well as the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Suddenly, she was left to care for not only her own children, but also her youngest sister, Ashley, who thanks to Mia’s undying love and support, recently graduated from L.S.U. Medical with honors.

Although the self-proclaimed ‘Unlady Like Diva’ briefly returned in 2006 with “Verbal Assault,” a track produced by Donald XL Robertson that appeared on the popular Southern Smoke mix-tape series, and a pair of songs on C-Murder’s Screamin’ 4 Vengeance in ‘08, no project ever materialized. Now, that is all about to change!

Mia X’ highly anticipated, fourth studio LP, Betty Rocka Locksmith, which she is currently finishing up work on, is being introduced by its first two offerings; the radio ready, “1 Life 1 Love,” which she’ll be shooting a video for soon, and “Get Da Paper,” an ode to eighties Hip-Hop.

Betty Rocka Locksmith is currently scheduled to be released in February 2010.

Ryan Leslie is back after with his second album just nine months after his self-titled debut. Granted, Ryan Leslie was received quite well by critics, but wasn’t exactly a chart-shattering record like something Ne-Yo would have been expected to conjure up.  Just like the first album, Transition is a one-man show in terms of songwriting and production, although I would venture to say that this is only a slight improvement. Listening to the album, you get the feeling that the level of Ryan Leslie’s musicality is higher than what his two albums so far have revealed it to be; other than a few standout tracks like “Addicted” and “You’re Not My Girl” (the lead single), he’s somehow failed to make a splash in the urban scene. Is he just out of sync with what kind of music is hot right now? Or is it because so-called R&B fans are hopping on every auto-tuned song that sounds hot in the club when everyone’s tipsy?

Transition has a couple of playlist-worthy tunes, but most of it is midtempo fare that is so chill and laid-back that it risks sounding just bland. Songs like “Never Gonna Break Up” and “Is It Real Love?” would fall under this category, although oddly enough, the instrumentation on “I Choose You” is so sparse that the song itself is really allowed to shine through – until you realize about a minute into the song that the repetitiveness actually isn’t going anywhere. There are definitely Stevie-Wonder-influenced moments, with breezy synths on songs like “To the Top,” but after the first few minutes into the album, you can see why R-Les can’t find his place in the club – the only exception may be “You’re Not My Girl,” which has a thumping beat that sets it apart from the rest of the album. Other tracks that save the album from downright mediocrity include the island-flavoured “Nothing” and “All My Love,” which has an insanely catchy hook.

If this album is proof of anything, it is that Ryan Leslie has heaps of talent. Unfortunately, he just needs to harness it better and channel it into a larger variety of songs so he can branch out from the laid-back-midtempo-ballad sound. A club-banger or two along with a couple truly soulful slow jams would have definitely raised Transition from a decent/good album to a smash record.

Curren$y – Life Under The Scope video

Directed by Mr. Michael Eaton.

Max B – All My Days video

Directed by Masar.

50 Cent – Stretch video (Crime Wave Part 2)