15 May Looking For Myself: Jared Evan talks industry politics, discovering Hip-Hop, Boom Bap & Blues
"I’m a classic rock kid that fell in love with Hip-Hop."
There was a time that Jared Evan was considered a high priority artist by Jimmy Iovine, signed to Interscope Records via Polow Da Don’s Zone 4 imprint in 2009. After a mountain of money was poured into his development, some moderate success, a mixtape, a couple of singles and a few high profile tours later, label restrictions on his creativity choked the the singer, songwriter, rapper and producer and Evan departed the majors for a dose of fresh air and the chance to do things independently. Finding himself during this time, he seems to have now unlocked his true musical potential. Moving more away from the rap pretty boy image Interscope tried to market him with, Evan’s recent material boasts copious amounts of heart, soul and a dash of rock - with love for bands such as the Beatles and Led Zeppelin - plus a generous helping of Hip-Hop. Sitting down with SoulCulture, Jared Evan talks industry politics, musical growth and the creative process behind his recent collaborative effort with Statik Selektah, Boom Bap & Blues [read our review here]. The indie grind isn’t an easy one but, with hard work and determination, resetting the career clock isn’t always a bad move - or so Jared tells us...19 Apr Obie Trice discusses Bottoms Up album, reconnecting with Eminem + Black Market Entertainment
It may have been his former labelmate and longtime friend Eminem who asked the masses to "guess who's back" with his 2002 hit single "Without Me", but it's Obie Trice who's answering the question a decade later. Nearly six years had passed since one of Detroit's foremost rappers delivered a studio album, the last being 2006's Second Round's On Me, and the hiatus is attributed to both personal and business matters (i.e., a loss of faith in then-distributors Interscope coupled with the devastating passing of one of Obie's closest friends, Proof).
26 Aug Still Spittin’: Rah Digga Interview
In an environment where image and visibility are as vital as an artist’s output, allowing ten years to pass before delivering new material to a fickle audience can be considered assisted suicide. A fan’s deaf ears and blind eyes amass dust as swiftly as a shelved album and undoubtedly ensure label limbo in the afterlife.
On the other hand, an emcee with the ability to “spit a million rhymes in 240 seconds” can remain relevant when everyone else has long been forgotten. Rah Digga is that class of emcee and Soul Culture recently spoke with her about her Classic album, giving back to the community and why loving your craft is ultimately more important than sales.
22 Aug Jay-Z ‘Decoded’ Hits Bookshelves In November | News/Pre-Order
Hip Hop legend-in-action [and seemingly the modern blueprint for every other new emcee that emerges] Jay-Z has collaborated with respected journalist and former editor of The Source, Dream Hampton, on a new book titled Decoded - set for international release this November.
Throughout its 336 pages the hardcover, illustrated book mixes first-person memoir - tracing Jigga's life from Brooklyn's Marcy Projects his now legendary status in Hip Hop and music history - with 'detailed discussions of his most famous and provocative lyrics'.
Alongside interviews with his friends, family and the rapper himself, Decoded will also explore Jay-Z's creative process.
05 Aug Arrested Development: Filling A Void In The Industry
Since the group’s founding in 1988, Arrested Development has been blessing the world with their infectious melodies and grooves. Their first album, 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days...in the Life was released in 1992. The album’s title was a reflection on how long it took them to establish a record deal. During the same year, they became one of the major success stories in the music industry.
Founded in Atlanta by rapper Speech and DJ Headliner, the group were described by Rolling Stone as a “progressive rap collective fusing soul, blues, Hip Hop, and Sly & the Family Stone-influenced funk with political, socially conscious lyrics.” At that time, they mutually agreed to make the transition to a more positive, Afrocentric theme after hearing the legendary Public Enemy.
This album went onto spawn the hit single "Tennessee," a strongly spiritual track that hit #7 on the US pop charts and #3 on the R&B charts and sparked the album to sell over four million copies. The two follow-up singles, "People Everyday" (a rewrite of Sly and the Family Stone’s "Everyday People") and "Mr. Wendal" performed extraordinarily well. With accolades pouring in from all sides, Arrested Development ended up winning Grammys for Best Rap Album and Best New Artist, going on to be named Rolling Stone's Band of the Year. After breaking up in 1996, the group reunited in 2000 and since then they’ve been releasing music internationally.
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of speaking to Speech, co-founding member of Arrested Development about what the group has been up to recently and to speak on their brand new album, Strong.
05 Aug Dwele: Neo Soul Pigeon-holes, Online Connections & Dirty Laundry
Four albums deep and on the promo run for his latest LP, W.ants W.orld W.omen, this week SoulCulture caught up with a certain Mr Andwele "Dwele" Gardner.
He needs little introduction; something of a figurehead for today's Soul music - "neo" or otherwise - the Detroit-based singer, songwriter and producer became a staple voice in the next soul wave ever since his first single "Find A Way" dropped in 2003 from his debut release on Virgin Records, Subject.
Today's subjects are the pros and cons of being accessible online - namely, how the singer reacts to blunt fan feedback on Twitter and how social networking sites present useful opportunities for him to connect with those who'd like to work with him, with no other means of contacting him.
He also talks about his feelings on watching the current sagas among his friends and several time collaborators Slum Village unfold publicly online.
But first, we start with the new album....
27 Jul Antoine Fuqua: “America is beat up, confused”
On the eve of the worldwide release of Brooklyn's Finest, SoulCulture's Hugo Salvaterra delved into the cinematic motivations of director Antoine Fuqua - exploring why he wants to tell us another Street story and its contrast with other projects, his choice of actors and his perspective on America. From Hollywood L.A. to London, let's gets into Antoine Fuqua's mind…
Hugo Salvaterra: First of all, after the success of Training Day why another movie in the same genre, why would you want to explore that again after all the accolades that you got?
Antoine Fuqua:
26 Jul Stir It Up: Rohan Marley fulfills his father’s farming dream with Marley Coffee
Ten years ago, Rohan Marley, Co-Founder and CEO of Marley Coffee, set out to fulfill one of the visions left by his late father to establish a business centered on giving back to the underprivileged and voiceless. Bob Marley always said he wanted to return to farming one day after his music career was completed, but he never had the opportunity after his passing in early 1981. Here is where the story of Marley Coffee begins.
25 Jul Keith Sweat On Staying Relevant & The Decline Of Soulful R&B
You’d be hard pressed to find anybody that didn’t know Keith Sweat – if not the man, then definitely the music. Play “Nobody” or “Twisted” to an unassuming ear and it will no doubt be followed by cries of, “I used to LOVE this song!”...