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 See More of Antoine @ myspace.com/antoinecarter and add him to your friends! Click here to preview Antoine's CD, and/or purchase Antoine Carter's Album, "In Love and War" at TheGoodzOnline.com or at the following stores @ CD Baby ~ Antoine Carter, "In Love and War" @ Digstation ~ Antoine Carter, "In Love and War" @ iTunes ~ Antoine Carter, "In Love and War"  Look for "In Love and War" coming soon to these following online stores! Chondo, Tradebit, Napster, Apple iTunes, Audio Lunchbox, GroupieTunes, Ruckus, Verizon, PayPlay, MusicIsHere, BuyMusic, Inprodicon, and GreatIndieMusic
In light of all the headlines that Kanye West has grabbed in the last week, I only saw it fitting that I pick his new single "Love Lockdown" for Sunday Selection. It never crossed my mind that I’d be doing a write-up on Kanye on the Alternative side of AHH. But then again, he’s so unpredictable I should have figured one day I would. Back in '03, I remember interviewing Kanye the summer before College Dropout was released - before he was a household name - which was actually one of the goals he spoke to me about in the interview. He’d just finished filming the video for "Through The Wire" and talked about how making a star out of his artist John Legend was his priority, how he wanted to start a record company called G.O.O.D Music, and how he planned to change the game. He even spoke about his future album titles: College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation, and Good Ass Job. Thinking back, I was very fortunate to have had a conversation with Kanye about what he wanted to do and watch all of it come true. Time has really done wonders for him, and as I review my interviews over the years, I will say that one is very special. Being from Chicago, I loved the notion that 'Ye was from here and left the city to pursue his dreams. He was a very humble person then, but look at him now! Did y’all catch the fight with the paparazzi at LAX? I’m sure you did. Classic…Classic Kanye West. You know when he makes a statement he makes a statement! After all, who gets into a scuffle at the airport on September 11th? Only Kanye. And here we are five years later…with "Love Lockdown," Kanye’s debut as a "rappa ternt sanga." Has he taken voice lessons? Or is he just going with the flow and singing from the heart with no formal training? Well whatever route he’s taken, he’s turned on the Auto-Tune for assistance, and personally I think he could fair without it. Just think about when he harmonized and sang the hook for "Spaceship" on College Dropout. I loved the way his voice sounded then, it was natural and wholesome. The Auto-Tune takes away from hearing the pain he speaks about in "Love Lockdown." And speaking of pain, I wonder what sparked "Love Lockdown." Is he speaking of his love of music or maybe his love for an ex-lover? Well whatever it is, it was enough for him to sing about it. I can’t say "Love Lockdown" is hot like fire, but it peaks my interest about his new album 808’s and Heartbreak. How has Kanye’s singing debut moved you? Tell me how you feel. Until next week, y’all enjoy this week’s Sunday Selection - "Love Lockdown"
The Last Word: Chris Brown Writes For Britney Spears, Pussycat Dolls Say No to Stripping, and Beyonce Talks Her Role As Etta James Congratulations go out to Usher, who is expecting his second child with wife Tameka Foster. Shout out to the sounding boards for making me realize that honest people still exist in the world today. Ladies and Gents...the Last Word for the week ending Sept. 12, 2008: 1. Chris Brown Moonlights For Britney Spears As things go now, life is good for if you’re Chris Brown. And while impressive singing and dancing skills are things that garner new fans, Brown is exercising his other talent, songwriting. In Last Week’s Word, I mentioned how Shaggy wanted to do a song with Britney Spears. Now it seems like the feeling is contagious, as Mr. Brown is putting his songwriting skills to use in hopes that the MTV VMA winner will record one of his compositions. "I actually wrote a couple songs for her now," Brown told the Associated Press. And while the crooner admits that executives at his record label have heard and love what he’s put together, Britney has yet to lend an ear. Take note, Miss Spears: The song he wrote for rumored girlfriend Rihanna, "Disturbia," proved to be a winner by reaching Number One on the Billboard 100. Britney take note:Three Moonmen are cool, but a hit song and album keeps you in the mix. And Brown is determined to make the cut as he said "...if she doesn't, oh well, we'll go back in the studio and still do some more records for her." Although I hope Chris makes Britney’s final song list, he could come up short. Spears has already passed up chances for a solid comeback by turning down a collaboration with former beau Justin Timberlake. Maybe she’ll have a change of heart and give Brown a shot. Hopefully, Rihanna won’t be too "disturbed" with having someone else reap the benefits of her man’s talent. Then again, it could make for an interesting triangle. Rihanna vs. Britney. My money’s on Ri-Ri. 2. Beyonce Shoots for Icon Status; Plans a Dark Surprise for Movie Fans As far as female singers go, very few can dominate the scene like Beyonce. When she goes all out, she goes all out. So what happens when being, as Jay-Z, proclaimed "the hottest chick in the game" wears out its welcome? I guess you shoot for higher heights that go beyond the tunes you sing. "I’m over being a pop star. I don’t wanna be a hot girl. I wanna be iconic," B told Marie Claire magazine as she acknowledged that she has "accomplished a lot." "I feel like I’m highly respected, which is more important than any award or any amount of records. And I feel like there comes a point when being a pop star is not enough." OK. The pop star thing is wearing thin, but that obviously hasn’t stopped Miss Knowles from prepping the release of her third solo album, which hits stores Nov. 18. And if your Beyonce fix still isn’t satisfied, then you can see her on the big screen as the wife of a stalking target when Obsessed comes to theaters on Feb. 27. In the meantime, Knowles’ much talked about role as legendary blues singer Etta James in Cadillac Records is also slated to come out, although no release date has been announced as of yet. We know that she’ll have the vocal chops to pull off the role, but Beyonce had a different reason for wanting to portray James, who was known to have had a decade-long heroin addiction. "I’ve been saying for a long time that I wanted to do something dark," B said as she believes that "people are going to be very shocked. It’s the complete opposite of me. It was very emotionally draining. I was exhausted." At the pace she’s going, icon status may not be too far off. Just remember to keep the darkness on screen. A fine and sunny Beyonce beats the anti-B anytime. We have enough of those running around with Miss Winehouse. Maybe B can finally get the Oscar status that Jennifer Hudson beat her to. We’ll see. 3. Color Me Badd Singer Belts Out Jailhouse Song Back in the ‘90s Color Me Badd had hit songs, screaming fans and awards to boot. What a difference time makes, as the group’s lead singer Bryan Abrams is attracting screams. But for a different reason. According to NewsOK.com, the 38-year-old singer was arrested last week on charges of public drunkenness and domestic abuse. A police report noted that the authorities answered a call at a restaurant regarding a drunken man causing a disturbance. Abrams is accused of punching a woman in the nose and threatening her, saying "I'ma kill you. You and me. You and me," according to the report, which stated that a strong odor of alcohol was on Abrams’ breath and cites a waiter who saw Abrams hit the woman in the face. Officers also noted Abrams’ slurred speech and "random sentence fragments" as the singer spoke with them. The police report goes on to say that the victim agreed to press assault and battery charges against Abrams, who now sits in an Oklahoma County jail cell after being booked. First Milli Vanili, now Color Me Badd. Is there no group safe from post fame disaster? Makes you wonder what will become of the members of Pretty Ricky. Ten years from now will we see those guys caught up in some scandal involving ex-managers, women and alcohol? Sounds like a job for VH1. (Sounds like VH1 needs to get up on the hotline). 4. Pussycat Dolls Reject Stripper Label; Plan Semi-Biographical Musical Whether you love them or hate them, you have to admit that the Pussycat Dolls are sexy. And that’s good. But don’t let that be the only thing you notice, as PCD member Kimberly Wyatt slammed critics who can’t get past the collective’s sexy image. "I get upset at the way some people talk about us. They dismiss us as if we're strippers, but we're not like that at all. I've trained for this all my life. I did tap-dancing, jazz and ballet," Wyatt said as she relented that her and her groupmates are constantly put in "some sort of box." "With us, that box is always marked 'raunchy'. But the most important thing to me is that I am honest and feel good about myself. If people insist on calling me raunchy, well, then maybe I am raunchy. But I'm comfortable with who I am and how I present myself." In other PCD news, the group is reportedly in talks to star in a musical based on their journey to music stardom. "The Pussycat Dolls are getting a lot of film scripts to look through at the moment," a source told Musicnews.com. "It's going to be semi-biographical, about their rise to fame, with loads of dancing and singing." And there you have it. While I hear what she’s saying, what do you expect from a group spawned from a Los Angeles-based burlesque troupe? The singing wasn’t the first thing I noticed when I saw their first video. Maybe they should set a new trend and go conservative for the next album. It may not be as eye catching, but the talent will definitely shine through. They can sing, you know. I’m pretty sure PCD will do just fine on just talent alone. In today’s music scene, that’s all that really matters, isn’t it, Meeoooow. 5. Jennifer Lopez Ensures Pregnancy Again and Again and Again If one pregnancy test doesn’t do it, take a few more. That’s what Jennifer Lopez did as she took 20 tests to make sure that she was with child. All this after feeling "a flutter" during a hair and make-up session As a result, J. Lo stocked up on pregnancy tests at the local pharmacy and even got her husband Marc Anthony to pee on a stick to make doubly sure they were expecting. Why you ask? "I needed to see what a negative looked like." Lopez said. For J. Lo, reading is fundamental. I’m sure it describes a negative on the side of the box. I’m so glad she played it safe. And all it took was 20 pregnancy tests. I know she wanted to be sure she’s having a kid, but wouldn’t it have been simpler for J. Lo to just go on Maury. You could’ve gotten confirmation within an hour and not have wasted time with all those tests. Not to mention an expert that would’ve given you stats and other facts to help you. Makes you wonder how many tests would’ve been done if it was Diddy’s baby, not Marc’s she was carrying. Can you picture Puffy taking a home pregnancy test for his lady? Love will truly make you do some weird things. Go figure. In Other Words... * Grammy-Award winning singer/songwriter James Ingram will release his debut gospel album Stand (In The Light). The 10-song release will include gospel standards "Blessed Assurance," and "Everything Must Change," along with new tracks "Don’t Let Go," "No Place Like Home." and the first single, "Mercy," which features Debbie Allen. * New music isn’t the only thing fans can expect from Eric Benet’s forthcoming album Love & Life. The singer’s 16-year-old daughter India, makes her official singing debut on the project’s first single. "You're the Only One." A video of the pair singing the song is up on YouTube. * Blues legend BB King is providing an up-close look at his life and music career with his new public museum. The BB King Museum + Delta Interpretive Center is scheduled to open Saturday (Sept. 13) in Indianla, Mississippi – the town where King worked picking cotton as a boy. A good number of items at the museum is taken from King’s personal collection.
Snoop Dogg Granted Australian Visa By Christie Eliezer, Melbourne  The Australian government has granted a full visa to Snoop Dogg, allowing the Long Beach-based rapper to go ahead with his Australian tour. The five-city "The West Coast Originals" arena tour also stars Ice Cube and Bone Thugs n Harmony and kicks off at Brisbane Entertainment Centre October 29. Andrew McManus, Melbourne-based managing director of promoter Andrew McManus Presents said in a statement today (Sept. 12), "I'm pleased the Immigration Department has shown common sense and allowed Snoop's tour to go ahead." McManus previously told Billboard.biz that Snoop Dogg had been, as per its policy, given provisional approval by the Department of Immigration. It was undertaking the next step, a full investigation into his character, when media reports claimed the visa had already been approved, and quoted crime victim groups demanding the government overturn the visa. As a result, the Immigration Department decided on a more thorough character analysis before granting full approval. Snoop Dogg visited Australia in 1998, 2006 and early 2007. He withdrew his application for a visa to Australia last year to co-host the MTV Australia awards in Sydney when he failed to pass the character requirements for a visa, after pleading no contest to gun and drug charges in the United States. Actor Russell Crowe and high profile TV personality Eddie McGuire wrote letters to support the rapper's visa application. Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, is also undertaking workshops in Sydney for indigenous youth to warn them against drugs and guns, and urge them to stay in school. According to a statement from the Immigration Department, "Mr Broadus will need to abide by Australia's laws and he will be formally counseled before his arrival about his visa conditions and our expectations relating to his conduct."
He arrived with Haitian-born singer Wyclef Jean to hand out rice, beans and cooking oil in Cabaret, a town that saw 60 people die in flash floods when Ike grazed Haiti last week. Things got rough when the truck carrying 300 bags of food ran into a ditch, forcing the rest of the caravan to stop. Hundreds of Haitians mobbed an SUV carrying the celebrities, chanting "Wyclef!" "I want to see Wyclef because he is my artist," said Jean Sadrac, an unemployed 25-year-old. "I want Wyclef to help me with money or water." Jean clambered onto the roof of the SUV to calm the crowd, while bodyguards helped Damon make his way toward the truck with the food. He reached it easily; nobody recognized him. Damon said he enjoyed being in a place where few people have seen his movies. "It's nice, it's really easy to move through a crowd like this," Damon told The Associated Press, grinning wryly as he watched Jean talk to the crowd. About 20 people from Jean's Yele Haiti charity formed a barrier around the back of the food truck, which leaned perilously to one side. The distribution took place right there. Damon tossed the bags to Jean, who placed them on the heads of women as they approached one by one. Outside the human chain, one young man jumped up and down, waving a DVD of "The Bourne Ultimatum" that he had retrieved from his house after finally recognizing Damon, who laughed and nodded. The two stars then walked to a nearby church where about 600 people were sheltered. They knelt to talk to an emaciated, elderly man lying on the muddy floor before they began serving food. Damon poured red vegetable sauce over plates of rice that Jean handed out to people. Damon and Jean encouraged more people to help the United Nations raise more than US$100 million for an estimated 800,000 Haitians in need of aid after four devastating tropical storms and hurricanes since mid-August. "What I'm doing, I'm doing from the heart because I love Haiti," Jean said. Jean, who moved from Haiti to Brooklyn as a child and leapt to fame with The Fugees, has often brought his famous friends to draw attention to the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt visited with his charity in 2006. "Hopefully we can make enough noise that people will pay attention," Damon told reporters earlier at a news conference in the capital, Port-au-Prince. "I truly believe in the people of my country." |
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