03 Apr Lionel C. Martin: A Pioneer In Visual Production | InTheVisuals
Before there was Hype Williams, Little X and Benny Boom, there was Lionel C. Martin.
From 1987 to present, Martin’s videography reads like a scroll of all of the great talents of the past 25 years in urban and popular music. Martin is responsible for giving urban music videos life and authenticity at a time where Hip Hop and R&B desperately needed a pioneer to deliver a quality product for the world to see. Martin has produced videos for TLC, Stevie Wonder, R. Kelly, Public Enemy, Bell Biv Devoe, Big Daddy Kane, Jay-Z, Keith Sweat, Toni Braxton, Boyz II Men, SWV, En Vogue, MC Shan, Jodeci, Mariah Carey, Jill Scott, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Notorious B.I.G., Father MC, Hi-Five, Tupac, N’Sync, Backstreet Boys and many more.
Martin, a native of Queens, NY, was a trailblazing force in the 1980s when he helped launch the Video Music Box channel with his childhood friend, Ralph McDaniels in 1984. The Video Music Box channel was only seen in the Tri-State area at the time. The Tri-State area consists of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Martin was one of the first hosts on the show and his moniker was (The VidKid). The channel would play every Hip Hop video from the popular artists of the time period.
After its inaugural year, Martin devised an idea to expand the channel’s brand and this move helped to make the channel achieve legendary status. Martin alongside McDaniels made the decision to travel extensively through the emerging hip-hop scene to cover parties and shows to illustrate the influence that Hip Hop culture was having on New York City and the surrounding areas. It would prove to be pivotal in shaping the career path of Martin.
During this time, the Video Music Box channel was the only Hip Hop program in syndication on public television in the United States. It gave a voice and face to a culture that would begin to dominate the mainstream in the forthcoming years. Whilst working on the Video Music Box channel, Martin would see the types of videos that would come in from the artists and thought that the Hip Hop culture needed to have better representation for the art form. This is where his voyage of directing music videos begins.
Recently, SoulCulture sat down to talk with Martin about his contributions to urban music videos, behind the scene stories and the importance of maintaining pride in urban culture.
25 Oct En Vogue: The Girl Group Ideal | Live Review
Come on, admit it. If you are a female of a certain age you wanted to be a member of En Vogue just like I did when I was little.
They are the girl group ideal; one of the best that ever recorded. A quartet of talented, gorgeous women whose looks and voices complemented each other so well as they sang in close, often quite complex, harmonies.
Maybe EV helped to kick start my lifelong fascination with airtight harmony. I recall when I first heard debut single ‘Hold On’ circa 1989, courtesy of Tim Westwood’s Saturday evening show on Capital FM. The track was avant garde yet sort of vintage. This classic/modern fusion was to become trademark En Vogue. ‘Hold On’ rocked my world and that of many others. The playground soon teemed with dodgy renditions.
Despite being ‘manufactured’ after an open audition held in the late '80s by production team Foster & McElroy, you would think En Vogue had sung together all their lives. They sounded like four variations of the same voice; something usually only bands comprised of childhood friends could manage.
Amongst the many harmony groups of the 1990s they stood out as the premiere female outfit; the men had Boyz II Men leading the pack, the women had En Vogue. Plus there was none of this lead-singer-with-glorified-backing-vocalists rubbish that was the downfall of other bands (I’m looking at you Miss Ross, Gamble, Knowles etc). Solo spots were an egalitarian affair with En Vogue. They also mastered the (not smutty but) sexy-sophisticated image like no other girl group then or since.
25 Oct En Vogue: The Girl Group Ideal | Live Review
Come on, admit it. If you are a female of a certain age you wanted to be a member of En Vogue just like I did when I was little.
They are the girl group ideal; one of the best that ever recorded. A quartet of talented, gorgeous women whose looks and voices complemented each other so well as they sang in close, often quite complex, harmonies.
Maybe EV helped to kick start my lifelong fascination with airtight harmony. I recall when I first heard debut single ‘Hold On’ circa 1989, courtesy of Tim Westwood’s Saturday evening show on Capital FM. The track was avant garde yet sort of vintage. This classic/modern fusion was to become trademark En Vogue. ‘Hold On’ rocked my world and that of many others. The playground soon teemed with dodgy renditions.
Despite being ‘manufactured’ after an open audition held in the late '80s by production team Foster & McElroy, you would think En Vogue had sung together all their lives. They sounded like four variations of the same voice; something usually only bands comprised of childhood friends could manage.
Amongst the many harmony groups of the 1990s they stood out as the premiere female outfit; the men had Boyz II Men leading the pack, the women had En Vogue. Plus there was none of this lead-singer-with-glorified-backing-vocalists rubbish that was the downfall of other bands (I’m looking at you Miss Ross, Gamble, Knowles etc). Solo spots were an egalitarian affair with En Vogue. They also mastered the (not smutty but) sexy-sophisticated image like no other girl group then or since.