Balance f/ Greenspan and Rain “I’m Here Now” music video from In Yo FACE Filmworks on Vimeo.

Absolutely LOVE this video! Features my client Greenspan and it’s a classic Hip Hop Record..where can you go wrong? The record is produced by Trak Lordz and was also featured on AllHipHop.com last month as a Heater of the Day.

Last night, DTLR presented the Direct Record Pool Listening Lounge at U St Music Hall. It featured Roc Nation artist J.Cole who hails from NC. It was an INCREDIBLE turn out! Baltimore & DC under one roof was a great loook! I hope they decide to this every month. With all of the music dropping, I know it can be done. Check out the photos below taken by LaVan Anderson..the BEST!

J.Cole & Ian (Suite Nation)

From Left: India, Jay, Raheem DeVaughn, ME & Whitefolkz

J.Cole being interviewed by Aladdin (WPGC)

J.Cole addressing the crowd

To view the rest of the pictures please click the link HERE. The dude definitely had some BANGERS last night and can’t wait till the project drops!

CONGRATS to the client Mark Milly! He released his first EP yesterday. The project is entirely produced by a NJ producer by the name of Probz. It’s a 6 track personal look into his life, a further look into what kind of artist he is. Please take a listen & download for FREE by clicking the link below.

Link: http://markmilly.bandcamp.com/

Yes! It is that time again folks! I love restaurant week..LOL. Why? You get to dine at the finest gourmet spots at a great cost! So celebrate your birthday’s, have mroe business meetings and just plain ol fun during that week! To view the complete list of resturants and to make reservations, please click the link below.

I just LOVE OpenTable.com!

DC Restaurant Week: Click HERE

This is my first time doing a post like this, but as soon as I watched this video, I knew I have to share with my readers. This has to be one of the most moving speech’s that I have heard in awhile. The young man, speaks of his troubles in his life and all of his trials & tribulations in life but he did not give up. He now has over 1 million dollars of scholorships funds! Everything will be taken care of for his undergrate & graduate studies.

So like many of us on any given day you may need that extra push, that extra word that will let you know tomorrow will be a brighter day. Please click the link below. Very moving..

http://www.apsk12.org/media/VIDEO_pages/BTW_val2010.html

New music from Bei Maejor, from his upcoming free mixtape, “u?op ?p?sdn (Upside Down)”.
 
“Gamez,” featuring Keri Hilson, is the first offering from the project, which is hosted by Clinton Sparks and features a flurry of features.

Bei wrote and produced the mixtape all on his own, and it will be available for download within the coming weeks.

To Download “Gamez” please click HERE

Welcome to the FIRST installment of “Unsigned Spotlight” on Candice Nicole in the City. I decided to add this feature on my site because I personally know a lot of independent artists and also felt there was a need for an outlet for them. I willl feature “Unsigned Spotlight” every Tuesday & Thursday, so if you are interested, please email me at candicenicolepr@gmail.com or visit the above tab listed at “Unsigned Spotlight” for details/rates.

With that said, I was able to sit down with the spoken word duo Archie the Messenger & Lyrical the Lyricist. I can say that I have seen these two in action and if you are ever able to see them LIVE, please do so. Very entertaining body of work, one that will definitely leave you thinking. Let’s check them out! Also, make sure to click “Continue Reading”, special listening treat for you!

1. How long have Archie the Messenger & Lyrical the lyricist been together?

We met in 2002 at Morgan State after being introduced by a mutual friend
in the poetry scene. There was a bit of friendly rivalry between us when we first met, but we were forced together to represent our school in a state-wide slam. That was spring 2003. It was a 3-round competition, each of us took a round, and for the third round decided to take two poems we
wrote and perform them together. We got a perfect score, but lost the slam due to going over time. But we’ve been performing together ever since then. So in a sense, this was the birth of Writing4MyLife, us as a tandem.

2. With the success of the hip hop era, how would you describe the relationship between hip hop & spoken word?

The two have been intertwined since hip hop’s conception. Hip hop’s early
musical influences came from soul, disco and rhythm & blues, but the heart of hip hop, which is the content, the message, was influenced by spoken word artist like the Last Poets and Gill Scott-Heron. The relationship between the two has existed before we even thought about performing. The
Community of hip-hop’s content, the spoken word of it,  is what has given it universal appeal. In our work, we plan to use this strong relationship. We have written spoken word plays that follow the stories presented on our albums. So not only do we create music that you can really enjoy, but we
have plays that embody our music that you can enjoy as well. It’s just something we think is different, fresh and new for the people.

3. What have been the challenges up to this point with being a spoken word
artist?

While the content of hip-hop might be the heart of the culture, spoke word
as its own craft is greatly overlooked in America. It has gained significant notoriety with the likes of Def Poetry Jam and some other nation-wide programs, but its still an untapped market. There are no
record companies beating down our doors, no music videos, no band we can join, generally every bit of exposure we can get is from paths we’re blazing ourselves. We follow the blueprint of underground success from poets before us, but there are a handful of spoken word artist who have made a national impact, let alone a global impact, and for the few that have, they’ve done it on their own.

Continue Reading…