Billboard: Nate Dogg, the California rapper whose real name is Nathaniel D. Hale, died at the age of 41 on Tuesday (Mar. 15). The news was first reported by Long Beach, Calif. newspaper the Press-Telegram, which did not specify the cause of death.After showcasing his laid-back rapping/singing delivery on Dr. Dre's classic debut album "The Chronic," Nate Dogg was featured on Warren G's 1994 single "Regulate," which peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100. The song was the first of a number of hip-hop singles, including Dr. Dre's "The Next Episode," Fabolous' "Can't Deny It," Ludacris' "Area Codes" and Eminem's "Shake That," to feature a vocal hook from the rapper. He also spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 as a featured artist on 50 Cent's "21 Questions." Nate Dogg's most recent solo album, "Nate Dogg," was released in 2008.
Nate Dogg- the true original Godfather of " The Hook" R.I.P..
This Jewel Ms. Adele...Not only is she on her way to her first number one U.S Album, with the release of her second album "21" (Which is expected to shift around 300k) but get this folks...The album is actually really amazing! Weird huh? Adele sang her ass off from number 1. "Rolling In The Deep" to what made me stop in my tracks and give a nice size "WOOOOOW" track #3 "Turning Tables". This song, which is now categorized as "My song", starts off with a beautiful piano melody that gets so good, the blade that connects from shoulder to neck might give way, when the sweet soulfulness that is Adele comes to carefully message away the beautiful pain of a piano melody aided by wild violins throughout the Chorus and Bridge. (Oh its that good folks)
Adele's voice has grown so much from her last album to now. I remember asking "how can this woman grow coming out of the box with what some might consider a classic album?" I guess she showed me... check out "Turning Tables"... beautiful!
"Y'all Can Kiss My Indecisive Ass"- Glorious Quote From Dr. Dre
With Dr. Dre being on a serious hiatus for so long, some people thought this day would never come, But yesterday, Dr. Dre released his second single from the long awaited "Detox" titled "I Need A Doctor" featuring long time protege' Eminem, as well as new comer & multi-instrumental singer, songwriter and record producer Skylar Grey.
Not expecting too much from this video, being that now a days you have a big song and the video suffers, Dr.Dre knocked it out of the park in my opinion. The date at the beginning of the video (February 18th 2001), was the date that NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, known as "The Intimidator" for his aggressive driving style, was killed in a crash During the Daytona 500 race. The video goes on to not only show pivotal days from Dr. Dre's life, but also shows him learning how to basically "walk again within music" ending it at the grave site of Eric "Eazy-E" Wright" (If you don't know him, look him up)...very creative direction.
The moral of this video is... not only is Dr. Dre showing that he is "The musical Intimidator" but that he's starting from ground zero within his craft, which many of you know can bring much more freshness and creativeness to a project...this album could potentially be a wonderful thing for the music industry, and hopefully come at the perfect moment, check out the video Here....
After letting the state of this industry settle approaching the 3rd month of the year (along with last night's Grammy's) I'm having a moment where I feel the need to say what's needed to be said for a minute now...
So I've been gone from this site about 2 months now, returning every now and again to say hello or what not, But the reality of why I haven't been posting is because...well there's really nothing to talk about. This music industry has been at a nice size halt since around the end of November and I pose this question: Why the wait? From the outside looking in, it seems to me that "the powers that be" throughout this industry are waiting on some sort of "tag" to start the process of giving us what is suppose to be an endless supply of music, like we're not approaching the 3rd month of the year...to be even more basic, this music industry right now is the longest game of chess I've ever been in in my life..Make a move! Another way to look at it, A good friend of mine asked me "What if the movie industry decided to not make movies for 3 months?" or your favorite store decided they were going to take 3 months off from selling you clothing, food ect.. (crazy right?) that's us folks! Demand is what we need to find out how to get again. I for one think its puzzling that an industry that's rumored to be running short on money, has these big label Presidents that sit around and wait for another label to make a move, basically letting them know "its OK we can go make money now"- well how about I become that person...Folks we're going into the 3rd month of the year, music execs, its OK to give us what your paid to give...MUSIC!
on to the Grammy's- a night that's suppose to be the biggest night in music turns into one of the biggest disappointment's of the year..Why?
Analogy- To go to a dance during the school year dressed down to impress..OK but going to your Senior prom in the same attire?
We in this music industry DEMAND so much "respect" but as the saying goes you get what you give. How can we fly anywhere in this musical bubble, if we don't respect what's ours in the form of Tom Ford?
Performers at this year's Grammy's with the exception of a few were quite lazy...They put the camera on Beyonce' and I wanted to throw a leotard and heels at her, Praying that she would save this second rate musical assembly, with the infamous Bob Dylan damn near tripping over cellos and banjos, stage hands running wild all night, camera angles basically showing the audience when we're suppose to be watching Skylar Grey, Eminem and Dr. Dre or B.o.B Janelle Monae' and Bruno Mars go in on a wonderful performances....Music's biggest night Folks...
So I'll end this rant, and get off my soapbox, but I'll end with this : since you guys only have 10 months now to try and gain what we pray for at the end of the year and that's at least a percentage up from the previous...Sober up people because it looks like we have a long road ahead of us. (OH! SAU I love you guys ;)
2011 is a couple hours away let's get ready to TOAST IT UP PEOPLE!!! BE SAFE!...Look out for SAU to return mid January...But until then...(This guy Marty James sounds good on this song right?)
As we stated Avril Lavigne is back with her upcoming album "Goodbye Lullaby" Slated for release March 2011. Her first single from the album titled "What The Hell" Avril explains is her least personal song from the album.
“My first single off this record is called: ‘What The Hell’. This song is the least personal song to me off this album. It’s a fun and funny anthem. It has a broad message about personal freedom. It is the most pop track on the record.”
Check out a 30 second clip of "What The Hell" below...
"Dare You To Move" is a single by the alternative Rock band Switchfoot, which peaked at #17 on the Hot 100 charts, becoming Switchfoot's second top twenty single, surpassing the success of their breakthrough single, "Meant to Live." Their album "The Beautiful Letdown" eventually went Gold but left behind at # 17 was this awesome soaring single that welcomed us to the planet, and welcomed us to existence. Wonderful single...
The duo that won season 2 of "Can You Duet" (Meghan Linsey and boyfriend, Joshua Scott Jones) wants to do it again with their new single "Last Night Again". In this Grease inspired video set in a bowling alley, the duo play the cat and mouse game and look great doing it! Check it out above... Very Catchy tune!
Singer, Songwriter, actor...and just plain ol' Genius. Prince Rogers Nelson, Aka Prince, stepped on the scene of music in 1978 and took our breath away with his "In your face style". Now known as "One of the most commercially successful artist of the last 20 years, producing ten platinum albums, and thirty Top 40 singles during his career, There seems to be no stopping him now. Releasing album after album, Tour after tour more than 100 million records sold...The living legend, there is only one Prince....
Ms.A: What an honor to have to here today Prince! I want to start off by thanking you for allowing me to press your buttons LOL
Prince: LOL your welcome Ms.A, if I was gonna sit down and have a chat with anybody in this day and age it would be you
Ms.A: Why thank you so much!
Prince: Salutations SAU!
Ms.A: So during this interview I want to get to know a lot of things most people wouldn't actually know about you how's that?
Prince: Sounds great you guys want to take a dive into my purple lair of paradise? Then so be it
Ms.A: So in the beginning 76' to be exact, you created a demo tape in a Minneapolis studio if you can remember back to that point in your beginning, what type of music/sound did that demo hold?
Prince: 76', that was a pretty long time ago I forget I'm that old sometimes Ms.A but the music that holds is more than just a sound, it was my life at the time.I knew I wanted to do nothing other than music, I was so passionate about and that was my love.I remember that demo was very Raw because I was not a polished artist in any since of the word, but I knew that this was my heart and soul in this demo it was all that I could possibly do with my life.If I had to do anything else I would have died on the inside.But to put into words best I can about it I thought was a very 'rock and roll' distinctive sound that I was trying to reach on that demo and I think I reached it in my rawest form.
Ms.A: After the ball began to roll with your career, the one of the first steps an artist usually goes for is creating an image. As hard as it is now a days to stand out amongst the crowd of other artists and find their own "Niche", your image absolutely stood out and made its mark on pop culture as a whole. what do you think it was and still is about your image that made that connection with your audience during the crazy 80's?
Prince: I think my image was definitely helpful in the crazy 80's, but I'm a crazy man so me and the 80's made love and berth a beautiful child as well as in the 90's.You know I was who I was, I'm not a gimmick that someone put together in a label office, this is me and thankfully I came up in a time when artist had more 'say so' in there career than they do now, so I think it was just totally meant to be that the connection between me and the fans were going to be, there (the 80's) it was almost like soul mates you know? When there's true love and passion coming from 2 people, that's how I feel me and the fans in the 80's were.But not to understate the passion and honesty in my music which also allowed a connection to the fans, they could relate back to what I was talking about
Ms.A: in 82' you released the double album1999' which sold well over 3 million albums and peaked at #9 on the charts. Your video for "Little Red Corvette" was one of the first of two videos played on a major music network, the other being Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean". At that point when you and Michael Jackson were basically going head to head was there any actual "Musical Beef" with you two?
Prince: LOL, Now I wont say if we had a musical beef for real or not I think that's one of the musical industry's greatest wise tales, and I hope that its still talked about 40 years from now or 100 years from now. I will say I have so much love for Michael and I really really miss him and he was gone far to soon.He was the King and a musical talent that none of us has ever witnessed before. I will give a little hint our "Beef" till this day is still influencing different situations in the music as we speak... what did you think of our musical beef Ms.A? I would love to hear your thoughts on it
Ms.A: Well of course I was very small around that time but growing up I always had something in me that wanted to know about each and every musical genius that has paved the way for so many to do what they do today...realizing that the media and certain other outlets began this "Beef" was actually brilliant in some aspects because it put music from two wonderful artists to the forefront, each and every person listening to the next single you guys put out to see if there was some form of a hint and also plain and simple the music was actually good.
Prince: Your mom let you listen to me when you were younger? Michael was always more PG than I was...
Ms.A: LOL I love it
Prince: But there couldn't be 2 of him I had to go on and I did not mind playing the freaky bedroom guy it was more fun that way anyway! Great Answer by the way Ms.A
Ms.A: On to one of my favorites The infamous "Purple Rain"
Prince: uh oh now!
Ms.A: 13 million + albums sold, 24 weeks at #1, and a Movie of the same title that made headlines left and right...Now Of course millions of questions pop into my mind but the first has to be What in the hell kind of place were you in during that amazing time in your career?
Prince: Honestly, I spent a lot of that time high Ms.A, I was dealing with a personal struggle of mine.So my life was a struggle at that point I lost a true love in my life, I had family issues and I was losing it and when I made that album it was an out for me, it was a release. It let go of my inner fears and desires and worries I attribute that album to me being alive today, I really do. While I was in it, I did not enjoy my time in that moment, but now I can sit back and say that was a hell of a run that I had, and I'm so fortunate and blessed, and I'm even more thankful for that album because I'm still alive!
Ms.A: So I'll name a song from the album you give us a little insight into what that song actually means, starting with "The Beautiful Ones"
Prince: When I was writing that song I was in love and dating a woman and she was a beautiful woman but ugly soul.Her friends would encourage her to do better than me and they would call themselves "the beautiful ones" with there nose in the air so that's where a lot that song came from because of my inspiration from them.
Ms.A: "I Would Die For You"
Prince: You see its a trend man, this same woman really fucked me up man but I'm thankful for the inspiration!
Ms.A: LMAO!!
Prince: I was so in love that I would die for her, and I was trying to tell her that, and one day I did and sang this song for her before anybody heard it Ms.A she called me crazy and laughed and said I wouldn't die for you so stop singing that rubbish...CRAZY BITCH! oh well
Ms.A: Obviously there's no getting around the big beast in the room, which is the title track "Purple Rain" Now Prince....
Prince: LMFAO I knew Ms.A was bold enough to go here...
Ms.A: Now I'm going here with my eyes closed SAU...Prince what is the meaning of that damn "Purple Rain"?
Prince: What does it mean to you? Purple Rain means whatever you want it to mean.Its interchangeable to every person that ever hears that record.Because my meaning of it is not your meaning of it, and yours is not the same as the next person. So its not fair to put one entire meaning behind a song like that. As long as you know when it comes on its time to put your mother fuckin lighters up!
Prince: I can never disclose what it means to me that's like a person who has a crush on a celebrity and they get the chance to sleep with them.....9 times out of 10 you will be disappointed at the end. So I'm taking that one with me Ms.A but I want it to mean whatever it means to you and that goes for every person that hears it.
Ms.A: That's understandable...SAU we'll take it
Prince: LOL but maybe one day over some hot tea in Minnesota me and you can have a private conversation about it and break down the song but the world is not ready for that.
Ms.A: So who are some of your favorite artists out now?
Prince: My favorite artist now? I don't have many but I love my Queen Beyonce! I serve in her kingdom it is her world! I love that woman she I can go on for 10 more minutes but I love that woman! I'm a fan of B.o.B I like what he is doing and Nicki Minaj intrigues me I have one eye on her...
Prince: I love Kem, and I'm a huge Sara Bareilles fan I love her sound and honesty and raw emotion
Ms.A: Now on to more recent news you recently made headlines by saying "the Internet is over" explaining that certain avenues for music won't pay you in advance for your records but get pretty upset when they can't have it. Can you elaborate a little bit more on your opinion about the Internet being "Over"?
Prince: The Internet is over and is trash other than your site Ms.A, that's the only thing keeping it honest a little.The Internet as far as being over I was using in terms of the music industry.The Internet has been nothing but bad just plain BAD. They rob our music and post it on the Internet for free I compare that to you cant just go to a dealership and take a BMW when you want, but you can just rob our music when that cost us money to put it out? A radio single nowadays can cost almost $1 million dollars after you pay producers writers etc... and all that is asked to pay is .99 cents for you to enjoy it forever, is that to much to ask? Of course its a numbers game for the artist, you want 2 million people to pay .99 cents so you can make some money, I know that, but the Internet allows you to just take it and that is wrong. I know that you don't get enough credit for this, but you don't post alternative links to download peoples music and I love that! Thank you for having a heart. Now on to Steve Jobs (who I think is the devil on earth) he does not want to pay us upfront for our music, but uses our names to promote his program iTunes, where we get smaller cuts of the pie than on any service.A new single is $1.29 the artist and labels are only getting .80 cents that they have to divide with writers and producers.Apple is getting almost .40 cents! How is that fair when most likely the artist who made the song will get less than that when the royalties are cut? On amazon they take a far less price, but Apple is over the market share because they have the money to promote more than amazon and that's not fair to artist! We're playing by this man's RULES and its not right! I refuse to do so.Than you can pay $1.29 for a song called the "Stanky Leg" but there gonna price it same as a Bob Dylan song? not fair at all and Apple is bullshit The Internet is over!
Ms.A: That takes me to the next question No Stress, No Charts, No piracy" is what your quoted as saying about the 2.5 million albums distributed for free among the U.K of "20ten" what was your reasoning for this?
Prince: They were gonna steal it anyway, and I don't like anybody taking anything out of my pocket! I rather give it away.I wont stop doing what I love I wont stop making music so I have to adapt. Soon all artist are going to have to make money on tour, selling records will be extinct really soon, the album will truly be just to promote your tour like a club flyer handout for a party. Its sad to say but that's where were headed
Ms.A: Speaking of Touring what are your expectations going into this "Welcome to America" Tour?
Prince: OH! I have high expectations, very high because I want it to be a different show every night, so if you come to a Boston show it wont be the same in New York. I feel my fans deserve that. I have a lot of old school fans that have written to my label saying there taking off and following the tour to every stop and today's kids are not like that.So I want to give my true fans something to remember that they wont forget and put on a show only Prince can
Ms.A: Prince my leader of the purple underground of which I am a card holder..Thank you so much for having this sit down with me, I have a wonderful time picking at you! LOL thank you for putting up with me!
Prince: Awww Ms.A Your welcome, I had so much fun thank you Thank you SAU!
Now with all the promotion "Last Train To Paris" has gotten over the last month, yesterday I took to listening to this album full on, and I have to say...It's not as bad as I was going into it thinking it would be. I actually found myself nodding to at least 5 songs. Their new single "Ass On The Floor" produced by Swizz Beats is actually one of my favorites the beat knocks without a doubt...
Many remember Shabba Ranks as the hardcore "Mr. Loverman" but looking deeper into his collection of material, "House Call" Featuring Maxi Priest, released in 91' was one that you couldn't help but feel the colors of Black, yellow,and green flowing through your veins. "House Call" reached number 31 on the UK charts and #37 in the US.
Listening to R.Kelly's latest effort "Love Letter" last night, with every effortless track that succumbs you into the mood of the entire record, I realized this is worth every cent of $9.99. Getting to track 12 "Music Must be A lady" took my breath away! With the ever growing control of Kelly's vocals (just as Marvin Gaye's "Its too late") this track is absolutely beautiful. Taking the term music as if it were a woman, R.Kelly proceeds to take our ears on a journey, with just a slight composition in the back, showing off each piece of melody this melodic track possesses. This album does in fact take R&B to another level...Check out the song below
As we get closer to the New Year, we all know much much music is on its way. One of the most highly anticipated albums include Coldplay's 4th coming album, which is the follow up to their last album "Viva La Vida". In an interview with BBC we got just a little bit closer to knowing the actual concept behind the band's next album:
"It's from the point of view of two people who are a bit lost," Chris Martin told the BBC. "Two like-minded outsiders who meet in a very difficult environment and therefore have a journey together."
He added: "It's a concept album but it's supposed to be very personal within a big framework. Does that make sense?"
Martin also admitted his bandmates - guitarist Johnny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion - can be tough in their views on his songwriting, although he insists that their methods produce results.
He explained: "Jonny [Buckland] is delightful, he's the easiest to convince. It's when you have to take a verse to Guy [Berryman] or Will [Champion] that things become very tearful. You can forget there are other people in the world.
"I'm so lucky that we have that group, in as much as there are a lot of people who don't like us in the world, but there would be a lot more without this filtering system. Think of the rubbish that doesn't get out, if you don't like the stuff that does."
Coldplay's as-yet-untitled LP is slated for release next year.
Going into the New Year with a new single from their highly anticipated album "Come Around Sundown" Kings Of Leon release "Pyro" to the world, as their next official single. Quoted as saying this is their "Most difficult song to play live", As usual this band knocks it out the park with the visual.
It looks like Lil Wayne isn't just sitting around being that we get to finally hear the first single from his next album titled "The Carter IV". The single which features new Young Money Signee Corey Gunz samples "Day-O" AKA "The Banana Boat Song" sung by Harry Belafonte...SAU Whatcha think?...
Man...R.Kelly has took his vocal ability to the next level with this new song "When A Woman Loves", and to perform it flawlessly each and every time he does it is amazing to me. Check R.Kelly out on the Jimmy Fallon Show...
From the symbol placed last week, of course all of you guys got it and an interview with the ONE AND ONLY Prince will be here next week. Talking about everything from his beginnings, through "Purple Rain", and what he thinks about many other topics..This is without a doubt my most meaningful interview ever!! Check it out next week guys!
