Diddy, Jay Z, Mary, Beyonce, Kevin Liles-Team Obama Campaign Trail. Yes We Did!
Tag: Jay-Z
An Open Letter from Diddy, Jay Z, Mary J Blige, and Kevin Liles
Dear Young America,
WE ARE IN A STATE OF EMERGENCY!!! YOU MUST REGISTER TO VOTE BY MONDAY OCTOBER 6, 2008!!!!! We are only 31 days from the most important election of our lifetime. MONDAY OCTOBER 6, 2008 IS THE DEADLINE. We are at war, banks are closing, people are losing their jobs and houses every day. It is our responsibility to protect our futures. Time is running out. You must register by Monday October 6th. Barack Obama cannot win this election on his own; he needs our help. This election is about us. This election is about our children’s future. If you have not registered to vote, you are disrespecting everyone that sacrificed their lives for you to have this right. You are also disrespecting your future.
The time is NOW for us to use the voices with which God has blessed us. We need you to do all you can. Here is what we need to do:
1. Register to vote BY MONDAY, OCTOBER 6th 2008
2. Get as many people as you can to register with you
3. Go to the poll and vote on November 4th
Barack Obama said it best, “Eight is Enough.” No longer will we stand by and follow leadership with no regard for us and no accountability to us.
We can be the deciding factor in this election, but you must register to vote to make your voice heard. Who are we? We are young America. This is our moment of truth. Are you registered for change? October 6th is only a few days away.
Make sure that on November 4th, we are able to say that we did everything in our power to make sure that Barack Obama becomes the next President of the United States. We owe this to our children, our parents, our grandparents and ourselves. We need you to become a part of Team Obama. This is the most important election in our lifetime. REGISTER TO VOTE BY MONDAY OCTOBER 6th and VOTE TO MAKE HISTORY ON NOVEMBER 4th!!!!
Visit www.VoteForChange.com to register to vote TODAY
It is our duty to make our voices heard. STOP what you’re doing right now and lets REGISTER TO VOTE. Time is running out!!!!!!!!!
God Bless,
Sean “Diddy” Combs
Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter
Mary J. Blige
Kevin Liles
Jay-Z & Mary J. Blige – You’re All Welcome video
Gallagher brands Jay-Z ‘wrong for Glasto’
Rosie Swash
Monday April 14, 2008
Noel Gallagher has declared hip-hop “wrong” for the Glastonbury festival, claiming Jay-Z’s headline slot is one of the reasons tickets for this year’s event have been slow to sell.
In an interview with the BBC, the Oasis man said the festival was “built on a tradition of guitar music” which the rapper failed to fit into.
Asked by the interviewer what he made of Glastonbury’s failure to sell out, he responded: “Well, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Gallagher continued: “Sorry, but Jay-Z? Fucking no chance. Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music, do you know what I mean? Even when they throw the odd curveball in on a Sunday night and you go, Kylie Minogue? Don’t know about that.”
According to the BBC, Gallagher, whose band Oasis headlined the festival in 1995 and 2004, also said: “I’m not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. It’s wrong.”
Gallagher did not reveal the reasoning behind his statements, but was no doubt basing his comments on the many acts with a tradition of guitar music who have played the festival in recent years: acts which include Roots Manuva, the Marley family, Al Green, Mylo, MIA and Cypress Hill, who played the Pyramid stage in 2000. Not forgetting last year’s hugely successful guitar-based venture Africa Express and headlining indie act Shirley Bassey. (Ahem).
The decision to hand Jay-Z the headline slot at this year’s Glastonbury had already been the subject of criticism prior to Gallagher’s remarks, although objections were mainly confined to posts made on internet messageboards, which were subsequently reported on by tabloid newspapers.
Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis has confirmed that Jay Z will be playing the festival despite the bad coverage and told the Guardian that there were a number of reasons for slow ticket sales, predominantly the consistently appalling weather over the past few years. Eavis said the festival always attracted criticism for its headliners, but said “we have a responsibility to do something a bit different”.
Although a number of acts have already been confirmed for this year’s festival, including headliners Kings of Leon and the Verve, the full line-up will be revealed by guardian.co.uk/music at midnight on April 29. The Guardian are the official sponsors of Glastonbury festival, which takes place in Somerset from June 27-29.
Usher in the Studio with Jay-Z and Jermaine Dupri + More Love in the Club
Pemberton music fest brings Coldplay, Jay-Z to B.C.
Amy O’Brian, Vancouver Sun
Published: Thursday, March 13, 2008
The quiet town of Pemberton will be a lot louder for three days this summer when a major music festival lands in the Pemberton Valley, bringing with it bands such as Coldplay, Nine Inch Nails and the Tragically Hip.
More than 50 musical acts are scheduled to appear at the expansive outdoor venue, attracting about 40,000 people to the bucolic mountain town north of Whistler. Jay-Z, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Black Mountain, Death Cab for Cutie and My Morning Jacket are also listed in the impressive lineup.
Inspired by the success of other large-scale outdoor music festivals such as England’s Glastonbury Festival, California’s Coachella Festival, and Washington’s Sasquatch Music Festival, the Pemberton Festival will have on-site camping, food, a farmer’s market, attractions for kids, a medical clinic and more. The site is located just off Highway 99, close to central Pemberton.
Three-day passes go on sale March 28 at 10 a.m. and will cost $239.50. No single-day passes will be available. The festival will take place July 25, 26 and 27.
News of the festival was leaked today by Billboard.com, a music industry website. The festival was supposed to be announced this morning by selected radio stations.
Shane Bourbonnais, president of concert production company Live Nation, spoke to The Vancouver Sun this afternoon from Pemberton, where he was preparing to meet with residents and local officials later in the day to discuss the festival.
Bourbonnais said he first approached Pemberton Village officials and the community last October to propose the idea of the major festival.
“The people of Pemberton have opened up their arms and welcomed us right from the beginning, which makes it a lot easier to put on an event like us,” he said.
“The setting is second to none and with the proximity to Whistler and the new highway, there are so many things going for Pemberton right now.”
Coldplay – a British band that has sold more than 30 million albums – is releasing a new album in May, but Pemberton is the only festival they will play at this summer, Bourbonnais said.
Attracting bands to the festival – once organizers had been given the go-ahead by RCMP, transportation authorities, health authorities and others – was fairly easy, he added.
“One of the great things about this festival site is, it’s incredibly beautiful. I don’t think there’s a festival site that can compare to this one. You’re at the base of Mount Currie, you’re 25 minutes from world-class Whistler,” he said.
“Festivals are becoming very popular and bands really like to play festivals because there are great audiences and there’s great camaraderie among the bands.
“You start to get a couple of bands and then next thing you know, another band hears about it, and another band hears about it and instead of us making the calls, they’re starting to call us.”
It helped, of course, the Live Nation has a good track record in this region and that Bourbonnais has been working with Coldplay since the band was playing the Commodore.
Bourbonnais said some of the bands are planning vacations around the festival and he hopes festival-goers will also take advantage of the outdoor activities available in the region.
Live Nation is dedicated to making this a green festival, meaning those who carpool with four or more people will get free parking, and hydro-electric energy will be the main power source. Local farmers will benefit from the event through the farmers market and an effort will be made by the festival to serve local produce wherever possible.
About 20,000 tent campers can be accommodated on the 360-acre site and there will also be an RV park. For those who prefer to have a roof over their head and a bed under their back, there are plenty of hotel and motel rooms in the village of Pemberton and down the highway in Whistler.
Bourbonnais said he hopes to make the festival an annual event and added there is room for growth in the future. About 37,000 people at this summer’s festival will be ticket-holders, while the remaining 3,000 will be volunteers and support workers, but that will be just 60 to 70 per cent of the festival’s allowed capacity.
To compare numbers, capacity at the Coachella Festival is about 60,000. Capacity at Tennessee’s Bonnaroo Festival is about 70,000, and capacity at the Sasquatch Festival in the Gorge is about 20,000.
For the full festival lineup and information on buying tickets, go to www.pembertonfestival.com.
Jay-Z – I Know featuring Pharrell video
Directed By Philip Andelman and featuring Actress Zöe Kravitz
CNBC Report on Jay-Z/Apple Partnership
JAY-Z APPROVED ARTIST, PITTSBURGH SLIM RELEASE DEBUT ALBUM, TASTEMAKER IN STORES NOW
Tastemaker the debut album from Def Jam artist Pittsburgh Slim is now available in stores and on iTunes. The album features the hit single “Girls Kiss Girls”. Be sure to pick up your copy today!
PITTSBURGH SLIM FEATURED ON AOL POPEATER
Why He’s About to Pop: Growing up, Pittsburgh Slim split his devotion between Run D.M.C. and Nirvana. Slim began rapping at the age of 12, all the while playing guitar in several post-punk bands. The eclecticism helped shape his unique sound which finds the Pennsylvania native laying smooth rhymes over mashed-up beats that sample everyone from Devo to Rihanna. This fresh spin caught the ear of rap mogul Jay-Z, who made the artist an offer he couldn’t refuse. Now on Def Jam, Slim is releasing his debut album, ‘Tastemaker,’ which thoroughly spans his affinity for old-school hip-hop and rock. The first single, “Girls Kiss Girls,’ is already making waves online for Slim’s lyrical candor and, well, scintillating friends.”
PITTSBURGH SLIM “Girls Kiss Girls” Video: (over 760,000 plays to date)
Flash –
Windows Media
BIO
Hip-hop stories never begin in Pittsburgh.
They also rarely involve stories featuring both Jay-Z and Nirvana. And, while we’re at it, it’s rare that Penthouse models, underground mash-up tapes, mid-90s Bronx rappers Camp Lo and New Wave geeks Devo all coalesce in one person’s background.
So, meet Pittsburgh Slim. He’s different. And he’s different at a time when the music industry could really, really use something special and unique. And fun.
Pittsburgh Slim–named after legendary pimp/author Iceberg Slim, as referenced in Jay-Z’s “Kingdom Come” (“Where’s Iceberg Slim/he was the coldest cat…”)–was always an anomaly. He rocked the 412, literally. Growing up in the Steel City, Slim had a duel career going, rapping from the age of 12 on…and playing guitar in a variety of post-punk bands, all indebted to the warped noise assaults of Nirvana and Jesus Lizard.
Slim had no problems meshing his two worlds. Apparently, the music world didn’t either, as his first group became the ‘burgh’s go-to opening act for some of rap’s biggest names, including Jurassic 5, Nelly, 50 Cent and Ludacris. When they hit town to play the Pavilion or the Arena, Slim and his crew were inevitably the opening act. They even had a local hit or two – songs that somehow got play on alternative, rock and urban radio.
But Pittsburgh can only lead you so far. Despite his group being, as Slim put it, “the Run-DMC of the city,” it was time to move on. So Slim split, spending his time between New York and Los Angeles, recording, re-inventing himself, making mixtapes, searching for both inspiration and a deal.
Slim wasn’t doing what everyone was doing. He was, in his words, mixing “80s pop, some rock’n’roll flavor, and hip-hop beats.” His reference points ranged from Camp Lo to Devo, from Nirvana to Rihanna. “In a way, I’m kind of like a mash-up artist,” he says. “This isn’t traditional in any sense.” He laughs. “I can rap over a Yaz song or a lunch room table beat.”
[Slim actually has a mixtape–Downtown Wednesday Night –that sees him rapping over everything from the aforementioned Yaz to the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Lenny Kravitz and Metallica. Good luck finding it…but do check out his MySpace page to hear a not-quite-cleared take on “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” As Slim puts it, “Dave and Courtney cleared the sample for me…but the publishing people didn’t. Oh well.”]
Fortunately, the industry was looking for something new. An old-fashioned bidding war erupted. After receiving three offers from major labels, a last-minute request came in from Jay-Z. “On that Friday, he knew nothing about me,” says Slim. “But he heard my stuff, over the weekend, and came back with the best offer.”
So, what exactly did they hear in that brief time to elicit such response? You can find the results on Tastemaker, Slim’s major label debut. The album reflects his love of classic hip-hop and rock, and features the work of some of today’s hottest producers (Wyclef Jean, Toby Gad and DJ Toomp, among others). “It’s an album of singles,” says Slim. “No album cuts. This is fun shit for the clubs — I work my stuff at a higher speed than traditional hip-hop.”
One song you may already know is “Girls Kiss Girls.” It’s the one that caught Jay-Z’s ears – and it’s hard not to hear why, given the song’s relatively simple but brilliant concept, its infectious electro-pop beat and, well, Slim himself, who turns what could be something crass into something funny, sexy and, for lack of better description, “I-can’t-get-this-chorus-out-of-my-head.” [The video, featuring Penthouse cover model Krista Anye, is sort of eye-catching, too.]
“That song is the culmination of my years of rapping…and watching Internet porn,” he says (jokingly?). “Look, I could date a girl who lives in Soho, a Suicide Girl, or an Eryka Badu coffeeshop type. I’m not a douche bag. I just had this great idea for a song, that’s all, and I knew where I wanted it to go.”
So, in the end, who is Pittsburgh Slim? There’s no real comparison, but the rapper offers up one thought. “I think my shit will hit across the board,” he says. “There’s very few artists out with that appeal, but I think I can accomplish that, too.”
Jay-Z interview with Charlie Rose – full