Anthony David - Words ft. India.Arie (video)

Apparently this joint is from 2008. I have no idea how it slipped passed my radar but at least, thanks to Nosh, I found it. It appears Anthony David is a soul singer from Atlanta, and this cut is from his album 'Acey Ducey'. He's also cousins with Shawn Stockman from Boyz II Men. Peep the 'Words' video and live performance, as well as the cut with Phontigga.

2010 Wrap Up

As with our 2009 wrap up, this is a bit late, but that's life. What we decided to do this year was rather than list everyone's answers to every category, I combined all the responses and made an overall list. And from the blog contributors/Fam members who hollered, it seems we all pretty much agreed. Peep the details after the jump...

Songs of the year Kanye West - Runaway Laws ft. Emilio Rojas and Big KRIT- Hold You Down (Remix) Angus & Julia Stone - Yellow Brick Road Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar Bruno Mars - Liquor Store Blues ft Damian Marley Miike Snow - Plastic Jungle Travie McCoy - Billionaire ft Bruno Mars Chris Brown & Tyga - Deuces Kanye West - See Me Now ft. Beyonce & Charlie Wilson Asking Alexandria - Final Episode (Let's Change The Channel)

Hip Hop Albums of the year Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (album of the year, hands down) Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon 2 Nas & Damien Marley - Distant Relatives Freeway and Jake One - Stimulus Package The Roots - How I Got Over The Roots and John Legend - Wake Up N.E.R.D. - Nothing Rick Ross - Teflon Don Statik Selektah and Termanology - 1982 Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot... The Son of Chico Dusty Celph Titled - Nineteen Ninety Now Shad - TSOL Kno - Death is Silent B.o.B. - B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray Black Milk - Album Of The Year Drake - Thank Me Later Eternia & MoSS - At Last Hezekiah - Conscious Porn Skyzoo & Illmind - Live From The Tape Deck Yelawolf - Trunk Muzik Cee & Bekah - The Soul Movement Originals

Albums of the year (other genres) These are pretty much in alphabetical order as I'm going through my iTunes to see what I was feeling in 2010: Aloe Blacc - Good Things Angus & Julia Stone - Down The Way The Black Keys - Brothers British India - Avalanche Bruno Mars - Doo Wops & Hooligans Cee-Lo - The Lady Killa Chromeo - Business Casual Dead Letter Circus - This Is The Warning Delphic - Acolyte Ellie Goulding - Lights Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part Two (Return Of The Ankh) The Foreign Exchange - Authenticity Jamie Lidell - Compass Karen Elson - The Ghost Who Walks Kids of 88 - Sugarpills Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can Miike Snow - Miike Snow Plan B - The Defamation of Strickland Banks RPA & The United Nations of Sound - RPA & The United Nations of Sound Tame Impala - Innerspeaker Tinie Tempah - Disc-Overy

Mixtapes of the year Wiz Khalifa - Kush and OJ Wale - More about Nothing Laws - 5:01 Overtime Freddie Gibbs- Str8 Killa No Filla Emilio Rojas- Life Without Shame Chris Brown & Tyga - Fan Of A Fan J. Cole - Friday Night Lights The Movement Fam - The Movement Fam LIVE @ The Evelyn Hotel (27th March 2010) Notion - On The Corner of Notion & 9th: A Tribute to 9th Wonder

Videos of the year Kanye West - Runaway Erykah Badu - Window Seat

Verse of the year Emilio Rojas - Hold You Down Remix Nobody even came anywhere near as dope as Emilio came on this joint. Incredible.

Show of the year These were my favourite shows in 2010, the year where I saw more shows than the last few years combined: Alexisonfire / Norma Jean / Four Year Strong (Sound Academy, Toronto) The Temper Trap (Festival Hall, Melbourne and Phoenix, Toronto) Florence & The Machine (Festival Hall, Melbourne) dead prez (The Espy, Melbourne) Mayer Hawthorne (The Corner Hotel, Melbourne / The Bowery Ballroom, New York) Asking Alexandria / Born of Osiris / All That Remains (Phoenix, Toronto) Dilated Peoples (The Espy, Melbourne) B.o.B. (Billboard, Melbourne) Richard Ashcroft (The Palace, Melbourne) John Mayer (Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne) Laura Marling (Hi-Fi Bar, Melbourne) Drake (Fox Theatre, Atlanta) Black Milk (Revival, Toronto) Emilio Rojas (A3C, Masquerade, Atlanta) Duck Down (CMJ Showcase, Le Poisson Rouge, New York) La Roux (Festival Hall, Melbourne) Angus & Julia Stone (The Palais, Melbourne and Bell House, Brooklyn) Paul Dempsey (CMJ, Rockwood Music Hall, New York and Ariel Hyatt's house, Brooklyn / Drake Underground, Toronto) Newton Faulkner (The Palais, Melbourne) British India (The Corner Hotel, Melbourne) Urthboy (The Corner Hotel, Melbourne) Jamie Lidell (The Corner Hotel, Melbourne)

Rookie of the year J. Cole Laws Freddie Gibbs

Overachiever of the year (artist that did way beyond what was expected) Wiz Khalifa I just can't understand this whole phenomenon. To me, his music is nothing short of average. I've tried on numerous occasions to get into the tunes but I can't. Definitely achieved way more than expected.

Underachiever of the year (artist that was expected to do a lot but didn't) Emilio Rojas His latest mixtape had a damn near superstar line up (production from J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, features from B.o.B., Killa Mike, Yelawolf, etc) and was presented by Travis Barker's clothing line yet it made minimal noise. Folks will wake up in 2011.

Biggest disappointments Drake - Thank Me Later and Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday Both of these albums were almost unprecedented in their anticipation, yet both were average at best. The still spawned hits but definitely let folks down; or perhaps the hype was just too much for them.

Producers of the year Kanye West (did you HEAR his album?) Statik Selektah (he grinds damn hard and is always consistently good) Tokyo Cigar Statik Selectah Buckwild Apollo Brown

Dopest artists discovered in 2010 (whether they debuted this year or not) I was MEGA late on a lot of aritsts, but 2010 was my year of discovery. I heard more new music in 2010 than ever before, and it honestly changed my life: J. Cole (Cyclops' inclusion) Laura Marling Angus & Julia Stone The Shins Alexisonfire Miike Snow The Temper Trap Florence & The Machine Paul Dempsey / Something For Kate Stone Temple Pilots Pretty Lights Ellie Goulding Pixies Passion Pit Parkway Drive Paramore Panic! At The Disco Muse Mazzy Star The Mars Volta Katie Noonan / George Joshua Radin James Morrison Doves The Dillinger Escape Plan Bertie Blackman Beirut

Movies of the year Stone Buried Unstoppable Twelve You Don’t know Jack The Killer Inside Me The Social Network

Predictions for 2011 Kanye will clean up at next years Grammys Music will continue to get better, just as it did in 2010 after a shitty 2009 British music will absolutely kill shit. Already artists like Jessie J, Jamie Woon and James Blake are making some serious noise with their unique sounds, including the relatively new genre of post-dub step.

J. Pinder - Upside Down (video)

I caught up and coming Seattle MC J. Pinder live at A3C in Atlanta a couple months back. I'd heard the name, but never heard the tunes. Dude was rocking to a fairly dead crowd, and managed to totally turn that shit, well, upside down (pun intended). And this was the joint that did it - 'Upside Down', which is a fucking incredible track with ridiculous production, dope hook and mean verses. I'm officially a fan. Shame I didn't get to holla at the dude in the A. Peep the video after the jump, as well as an older track off the Code Red EP entitled 'Three Words'. The album, Code Red 2.0, is due to drop January 25th, so cop that.

Poetree feat Headkrack - Musik Power (video)

Poetree is a talented producer out of the UK, and this cut, 'Musik Power' features the homie out of Atlanta, Headkrack, on vocals. Really dope joint, grab the album free from Poetree's site.

Emilio Rojas - To The Fullest ft Jaiden The Cure (video)

Y'all already know that Emilio is my favourite MC (alongside Phonte, of course), so I'm vibed as hell for his new project, 'Life Without Shame', presented by DJ Green Lantern again. I caught up with Emilio at A3C in Atlanta recently when he rocked some of the new joints from the tape, and it sounds fucking amazing.

Here's the video for the first single, 'To The Fullest' with vocalist Jaiden The Cure, directed by Court Dunn, who's incredible (we gotta work fam!). Not sure when the tape drops, but the pre-release party is tonight in Rochester, NY so it can't be far away...

The Movement Fam's A3C and CMJ Wrap Up

Aight, so we're a bit delayed on this one. But y'all can forgive us. We'd never been to anything like this before, and the shit is hard work. Seriously. Networking. Trying to talk to that producer/MC/DJ/industry dude without looking or sounding like a groupie or a new jack. Yelling over loud music all night. Up early and paying attention to panels all day. It's a full time job doing this shit. But we ain't complaining; both of these conferences were some of the most amazing experiences we've had thus far with music, and in 2011, we finna be rockin' shows there, beleeeeedat. We kicked off Atlanta by scoring tickets to the Drake show at the Fox Theatre. Bonus. Notion and I walked into a room full of people rapping every word to a Soulja Boy song. Oh-kay. Five minutes after we got in there, Drake started so it was perfect timing. Apparently Tyga opened, so we prolly didn't miss much. The crowd, mostly women and their generally less-than-enthusiastic partners, stood up pretty much the whole time and there was a lot of screaming. Drizzy did most of the joints I wanted to hear bar 'Say What's Real'. 'Forever' was dope; he even brought Young Jeezy and The-Dream out for their respective collaborations (I have no idea what they are), and the pyrotechnics for 'Fireworks' were awesome. Great show.

So A3C (it stands for All 3 Coasts, for those who ain't know. I didn't til recently) kicked off on Thursday at the Masquerade complex in East Atlanta. The venue was dope as it had about 5 stages with either performances, demonstrations or panels on at any given time, so there was never a moment of boredom. We finally got to meet a gang of folks we'd built with over the years but never met in person (as well as a bunch of folks we respect and have admired for years), including North Carolina producer S.T.T.R.E.S.S. (below with The Fam), Kevin Nottingham, Dasha, Hassahn, Emilio Rojas, Hezekiah, Donwill and Von Pea of Tanya Morgan, Che Grand, Big Dho, Chaundon, J The S, DJ Evil Dee, DJ Z of DJ Booth.net, Crooked I, El Da Sensei, Illmaculate, Laws, The Bodega Brovas, Khrysis and a gang more.

Day 1 was the 9th Wonder interview by Dres The Beatnik, and included guests and collaborators Buckshot and Murs. It was an awesome insight into 9th's work ethic, inspirations and methods. The rest of the night included performances from Jamla artists like Skyzoo, The Away Team, Rapsody, Big Reemo, Murs and Jean Grae. And of course, DJ Evil Dee was on the mix (c'mon kick it!).

Day 2 was full of more shows and informative panels. The two main showcases we caught were Kevin Nottingham's and DJ Booth's. Kev's included dope sets from HiPNOTT Records artists like Jermside, Nobody Famous and the Hall of Justus cats headlined and tore it down (Rapper Big Pooh, Chaundon, Jozeemo and Joe Scudda). DJ Booth's showcase had sets from cats like J The S, Emilio Rojas, Cyhi The Prince, Laws, Exile and Crooked I. We ventured inside to catch Illmaculate's set, followed by Seattle native J. Pinder, both of whom murked it.

Nosh even caught Mr Douthit to get a quick photo and pass on a copy of his tribute mixtape to the man himself. And we also managed to chill with Crooked I for a while and explain our move to Canada from Australia to pursue our music, which he said he really respected and that we'll be successful with that sort of determination, belief and passion. That really meant a lot coming from him. Great dude.

Day 3 was just as hectic. More panels in the early afternoon and the weather was gorgeous. Atlanta turned it on for us, we were drinking beers in the sun; it felt like home. More networking and more shows, including Torae, Sha Stimuli, Lessondary Crew (Jermiside, Von Pea, Donwill and Che Grand), Reks and Statik Selektah, the big homies The Bodega Brovas (Traviii 7th, Keynote and Headkrack), Hezekiah and horn section 'Me So Horny' (who KILLED it), The Artifacts, Emilio Rojas, Camp Lo and Rhymefest. All up, it was an amazing festival and we'll be there next year for sure.

After a quick couple days in Toronto to do some laundry and re-pack, we were on the bus to New York City to catch CMJ (College Music Journal). Yet another amazing experience; though a little different than A3C in the sense that it was general music business across all genres rather than strictly Hip Hop. We chilled for a couple days to check out the city as it was VP's first time, but Notion and I caught the David Icke lecture on the Sunday before booking it to the Mayer Hawthorne show downtown at the Bowery Ballroom, missing half his set. We got to hang with the homie Cyclops too, which was dope.

CMJ started on the Tuesday, and it was full on. The panels went from 11am to 4.45pm every day, with only 15 minutes break between each one, where we had to fit in any quick chats to panelists and toilet breaks before heading to the next panel and trying to get there early to ensure a seat. It was like being back at Uni. But the information we gathered was absolutely incredible, and the people we met will definitely be either long term friends or business associates.

The first night we caught the New Zealand showcase at Le Poisson Rouge, where we saw awesome bands like Street Chant, Ruby Frost and Kids of 88, saw Blonde Summer over at Kenny's Castaway (where Bruce Springsteen apparently did his first ever gig), and then back to LPR for the Duck Down vs Blacksmith Showcase. It was Duck Down's 15 Year Anniversary so they went all out. The 16 year old in me lost my fucking shit when every Duck Down artist (with the exception of Louieville Sluggah pretty much) rocked the stage, performing classics like 'Le Fleh, Le Flah, Eshkoshka', 'Operation Lockdown', 'I Gotcha Opin' and more. Incredible. The newly signed Black Rob even came through to perform 'Whoa'. No words.

The Blacksmith kids killed it too. Jean Grae and Mela Machinko, Pharoahe Monch and Strong Arm Steady did an awesome job. We bailed after SAS so I'm not sure who else rocked, but it was an incredible night.

The rest of the week consisted of panels until Friday and shows every night. The soul showcase with Eric Roberson was amazing, the international showcase at 92Y Tribeca was really interesting, we even caught Aussies Paul Dempsey (from Something For Kate) and Angus & Julia Stone doing their thing. Israeli electro artist Onili was awesome, as was closing night with Foreign Exchange (who had Darien Brockington and Zo rocking with them all night, and they even brought out Rapper Big Pooh and Jesse Boykins III). Shouts to the big homie outta Jersey, Mike Philson, who we connected with. So after two weeks of shows every night and early mornings at panels, we're absolutely shambles. Now it's time to re-up, consolidate the networks and use the new info we learned. Until next year...

Eminem on 60 Minutes

There's been a fair bit of noise about Em's interview on 60 Minutes, so here it is. Peep the info after the jump. PS. Apologies for the lack of posts. A3C has kicked our ass, but has been the best experience of our careers thus far. We'll do a proper wrap up in the coming days, we just winding down in ATL for a bit.

'CBS’ “60 Minutes” chronicled Eminem’s rise from being bullied in school to becoming the biggest-selling artist of the decade. Journalist Anderson Cooper followed Em to Detroit, visiting his old 8 Mile stomping grounds, an underground club where he battled, his private recording studio, and one of his sold-out concerts at Detroit’s Comerica Park.

Marshall Mathers told Anderson how he stores all his lyrics on notepads (aka “stacking ammo”), not being interested in meeting his father, refraining from using profanity in his house, being two hours away from dying of a drug overdose, and commencing with his first stadium show since being sober.

Em hopes his story can help others weather the storm. “If I can help people that have been through a similar situation, then why not?” he said.'

Yelawolf live in Atlanta

This dude is DOPE. We about to cop tickets to see him in Toronto later this month, and this video shows why we vibed. Check out Yelawolf on Twitter, too.

Artist Feature: J-Mar

Atlanta. Seattle. St Louis. J-Mar has resided in all of these cities, and their style, attitude and swag is evident in his music. Most folks may not know the name, so I'ma let the man himself tell y'all...

Cee: What up man, how you doing?
J-Mar: I'm good dog, just livin' this North West life.

Cee: Aight, so you represent Seattle, one of my favourite cities in the US for sure. Even though Seattle is on the West, do you think you guys get excluded from general West coast conversations?
J-Mar: In some ways I think we get excluded. I think it's mainly from the people who ain't on West Coast. When you think of the West a lotta people associate that with palm trees, Cali life. But cats in Cali if they're real for the most part, they know what's up and they put us in the mix. We along wit it, we're bangin', ridin' low low's, ol' school Chevy's, the whole nine.

Cee: Does Seattle have a certain sound with regard to Hip Hop, as y'all did for the grunge movement?
J-Mar: Yeah I think Seattle's hip hop sound is MCs busting over real smooth, cool out joints. That's when hip hop is at it's best out here.

Cee: Tell me about your latest album.
J-Mar: My newest project is called 'Be A G About It'. It has all kinds a features on there, including West Coast legends such as C-Bo and Marvalous. 'Be A G About It', the the phrase is somethang our camp tries to stay true to. It means to handle your business accordingly whether you are the street hustler on the corner or the business executive. Be a G about yours and handle your business.

Cee: What were some of your inspirations?
J-Mar: As far as inspirations go, my cousin Yougn was the first one who pushed me to start rapping for real. We formed a group called North West Heathens. As rappers go, I would have to say Brotha Lynch Hung. He was my favorite rapper growing up but as I traveled around I grew to like artists such as TI and Obie Trice.

Cee: What sets you apart from the masses of MCs these days?
J-Mar: I think what sets me apart from most MCs is my diversity. I have lived in so many different areas in the States that I just naturally picked some of their styles and that especially held true with music. From Atlanta to St Louis back to Seattle, I'm able to tell stories that can relate to all urban living, no matter were you come from.

Cee: What other projects are you working on?
J-Mar: Currently I'm working on my mixtape which is set to hit the streets within the next couple weeks. It's called 'Elevator Music (Next Level pt 1)'. Also I'm working on my new hip hop/jazz album called 'The Cognac Lounge' with the hit single 'Pimp Shake'.

Cee: Have you been touring or doing any shows lately?
J-Mar: Yeah I just got off the Prenuptial Agreement tour with J Stalin and San Gin. And I'm doing a show in Seattle with B-Legit from E-40s The Click on May 6th.

Cee: Ever been to Australia?
J-Mar: No, never been to Australia but I would love to come over there to rock a show and kick it with the locals.

Cee: Outside of Hip Hop, what artists have been catching your ear and inspiring you?
J-Mar: I love R&B. Keri Hilson is doing her thang. Neo soul artists like Dwele, Lauryn Hill, Corinne Bailey-Rae and Jill Scott.

Cee: Hit me with some contact details so the people can get at you!
J-Mar: You can find me and my music on iTunes, Rhapsody, CD Baby, MySpace.com/du4self and look for Du4self on Facebook.

Cee: Thanks for your time!
J-Mar: Thank you. Appreciate it, continue to do your thang and don't forget to be a G about it the whole time.

Movin' Up From Down Under Loud.com Blog #7

We took a bit of a pause from the Loud blogs lately...bringing it back...second last one I wrote too...

Week #7: Locking It In

Things were looking pretty good. We’d heard back from most folks that our contacts put us in touch with by mid to late June, and already we’d locked in a mainstream radio spot in Seattle; College radio, hair braiding session and a photo shoot in Toronto; a podcast and recording session in Oakland; a session with a bass player and an MC (Jermiside from the Lessondary Crew) in Atlanta; possible radio and shows in Denver; possible shows and studio sessions in Minneapolis; possible shows in Jacksonville; and a meeting with Eternia and an influential gentleman in New York (who happened to get us this very blog). We were vibed.

Now that we had enough information to start booking the trip, we skedaddled off to the travel agent to lock this bitch down. We knew that the earlier we booked our flights, the cheaper it would be, but it was hard because we didn’t know where we were going until we had confirmation from enough folks – and even then, some of the confirmations were sketchy at best.

So we rocked up to the travel agent all excited. Here’s how it went down (dramatic license, of course, has been taken):

Travel Agent: So, where do you guys wanna go?
Cee: Um, pretty much San Francisco, LA, Toronto, New York, Atlanta, Seattle, maybe Denver, maybe Jacksonville, maybe Miami. I think.
Travel Agent: Ooookay. Do you know how long you need to be in each city and the dates you want to go there?
Cee: Not really.
Travel Agent: Riiiight.

I think she wasn’t too pleased to have our custom that day. But I gotta shout her out, she was great. It came down to this: in order to get cheaper flights, we had to lock something in soon. And if we went to too many cities, the trip would be stupid rushed and the internal flights would cost a fortune. Plus, we only had five weeks in total, instead of the original six, as Bekah’s work were being assholes and refused to give her the extra time off. So we had to make a call. We ended up cutting Denver as it would have taken a lot more work to arrange shows; we cut Jacksonville as the city is so small, we’d be smarter to concentrate our energy elsewhere; same deal with Minneapolis; and we hadn’t hooked anything up in Miami as yet so that one was reluctantly let go.

Even though it was tough, we now had a basic itinerary. Boom. As long as we had tentative dates locked in, we were good. So long story short, after a bit of shuffling around and triple and quadruple confirmations, we managed to book all the flights. The only thing was if we were going to change a single flight, it would cost us hundreds of dollars. So if shit fell through, we were going anyway. Such is the wonderful ways of the international – and US domestic - airline restrictions. And I realised after that the flight from ATL to NY was on a small ass plane – I don’t fucks with small planes. We wanted to change it; we couldn’t without paying. I said we’d get a Delta flight instead and just miss the original flight, but if we did that, the rest of the onward flights would be cancelled as it was part of the package. Goddamnit.

But once we had the tickets in our hands, we were truly excited. This was real; it was actually happening. It felt like a dream, as I had literally had dreams of being in Canada quite often since being back in Melbourne, and going back overseas – this time, strictly for music – was a sign that we’d been working hard enough to get to this level. And not only were we doing this, we were doing it all off our own back. One hundred percent independent. Man, we were proud as hell.

Bekah and I spent the next couple months slowly booking accommodation whenever we were bored at work and wanted to handle biz (I don’t work where I did at the time of planning the trip so I can say it lol), with the assistance of DJ Grain in the ATL sector. So things were looking good…

Plug of the week: The kid Steve Duck at GroundUpHipHop.com has supported The Fam since the jump, lacing the artwork for ‘The Soul Movement Volume 1’ and even doing the Cee & Bekah logo. He hooked us up with a lil download section on GroundUp for our latest projects:

Notion – World Domi-NoTiOn (http://www.grounduphiphop.com/2008/09/14/notion-world-domi-notion-mixtape/)
Cee & Bekah – The Soul Movement Volume 2 (http://www.planeturban.com.au/download_mixtapes/cee_and_bekah_soul_movement_vol_2)

So until next time, listen to Esthero. She’s a trip. It’s like Portishead, Stephanie McKay and Jill Scott had a lovechild that was reared on Nine Inch Nails and copious amounts of marijuana. It’s good.

Blessings,
Cee.
The Movement Fam.

J. Cole and B.o.B. - Gladiators (live in Atlanta)

Dig this track and dig this show. Wish this sorta shit happened Down Under.

Artist Feature: Tim Williams

In our travels around the USA in 2008, we were lucky enough to get to hang with, and record with, musician Tim Williams in Atlanta, GA. Tim is an extremely talented musician, who astounded us by playing a right handed bass upside down. Amazing. Tim recently released his album 'Sunny Day', and we managed to catch up with him to find out about it.

Cee: Hey Tim, how's things man?
Tim: I'm doing great!

Cee: Give the people a bit of background on yourself.
Tim: I'm originally from the coast of Mobile,AL. I presently live in Atlanta,GA. I started in music at the age of 10 playing the trombone. I switch to bass in college after my room mate showed me the fingering. I recently release my jazz cd Sunny Day. The cd is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/twilliamstunes.

Cee: When we met in Atlanta in 2008, you knocked out some basslines for us and I still can't get over the fact that you play lefthanded on a righthanded bass!! How did you manage to learn to play upside down?
Tim: When I started playing bass I taught my self how to play on a right handed bass because I did not have my own. I got so comfortable playing it upside down that I really don't think about it. Even though I'm lefthanded; if you gave me a lefthanded bass I probably would not be able to play it.

Cee: Alright, so you've just released your new album, Sunny Day. Tell us about that.
Tim: Sunny Day is a combination of contemporary, latin, reggae and traditional jazz mixed with R&B vocals. I have a group of talented musicians playing on the cd. The instruments include me on bass as well as sax, flute, trumpet, keyboards, drums and guitar.

Roderick A. Smith on sax and flute
Cedric Young on trumpet
Tony Carter and Charles Brown on keyboards
Edgar Clay on drums
Nathaniel Williams on guitar
Serretha Ransom on vocals
Sylvette Parker-Monroe on vocals
David Barnes on vocals
Victor Speakman and Andrea Smith on vocals

Cee: Was this a long time in the making?
Tim: I wrote some of the music several years ago but it only took us a couple of months to record it.

Cee: Who are you main inspirations musically?
Tim: A couple of my inspirations musically would be Stevie Wonder, Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire, jazz artist Grover Washington, Joe Sample and Stanley Clark.

Cee: You recently performed at Bay Fest, tell us about that experience.
Tim: Performing at Bay Fest was a great experience; they have thousands who attend the event anually.

Cee: You've opened for some big names in your time, how has that shaped your music?
Tim: Opening up for R&B Funk groups like The Commodores, The Bar-Kay's and Con Funk Shun was great. I grew up listening to their music. It was an awesome experience!

Cee: What's the plans from here?
Tim: My plans for now is to continue promoting the cd by touring and air play on the radio.

Cee: Hit us with some contact information where the fans can hear your music and buy the album!!
Tim: My music can be heard at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/twilliamstunes. The music can be bought at this link also. I can be contacted at thetimwilliamsproject@yahoo.com.

Drake LIVE in Atlanta!

Studio43 Films Presents: DRAKE from KENNY BURNS on Vimeo.

Model Mondays Feature: Tamarah Purifoy

This week I am proud to present Ms. Tamarah Purifoy, a young woman that has been on the grind since the age of 16 trying to achieve her goal of becoming more than a model - a SUPERMODEL. But after realizing that an education is the only guarantee in life, she decided to take a break from modeling and focus on her studies. After completing her studies, she decided to move from Milwaukee to Atlanta in order to be in a location that would help her be in a position where she could make some moves in the industry. After moving, things picked up quickly and the networking opportunities and work steadily increased. Ms. Purifoy is now a promotional model for Remy Martin Cognac and been able to meet celebs very few "regular" folks could dream of meeting. In 09, Tamarah plans to work harder than ever to achieve her goal of becoming a household name.

DJ Grain: What's your name?
Tamarah: Tamarah.

DJ Grain: Where are you from?
Tamarah: I'm from Milwaukee, Wisconsin but I live in Atlanta now.

DJ Grain: How many years have you been modeling?
Tamarah: I've been modeling since I was 16yrs old but took a break and I've been back for almost 3yrs.

DJ Grain: What are the misconceptions people commonly have about models that are untrue?
Tamarah: That we all have the same mind frame. I always have to let people know that I'm not the average model and that there's so much more to me than my photos.

DJ Grain: What shows, videos, magazines, etc. have you been featured in?
Tamarah: I've been featured on BET's "Black Carpet, Hell Date" and I was also featured on BET.com as the B-Girl of the week, "Atlanta Homicide". Video's I've done are Nelly - "Let it Go", Case - "Lovely", Dream ft Dear Jayne - "Fall Back". Print work I've been featured in are "Upscale Mag", Print Ad for "Miller Lite Beer", Urban Curves, and I'm the cover girl for the latest issue of "Omigawd Mag." I've also been featured on a few online sites as well.

DJ Grain: What photographers have you worked with?
Tamarah: Allen Cooley, Tim Rogers, D.Austin, Ralph Lenard, and James Rich just to name a few.

DJ Grain: What photographers would you like to work with?
Tamarah: Oh my gosh, I have to work with Leo Marshall, Derrick Blanks, and Hannibal just to name a few.

DJ Grain: Can you describe the grind of a model trying to break into the industry?
Tamarah: A model trying to break into the industry always has to be on the grind. That means you have to eat, sleep, and breathe this industry, it has to be the last thing you think about before you go to sleep and the first thing you think about when you wake up. You have to stay trying to meet new people, networking letting people know that you're serious about what you're trying to do and not just talking about it. I send out tons of emails everyday with my pictures to people that can take me to the next level. My motto is you have to be a hustler - No Grind, No Shine.

DJ Grain: Any words for the ladies out there that have aspirations of entering the modeling industry?
Tamarah: If you're serious about it, do your research, don't just talk about it. Know what category of modeling you fall in, where you can be the most successful in. Use the resources that surround you everyday as networking tools, like the internet. Also if this is your dream, know that it's not going to happen over night but if you have faith and believe you can do anything you put your mind to.

DJ Grain: How can people contact you for booking?
Tamarah: Serious inquires only can contact me at Modeltamarah@gmail.com or my MySpace.

T.I. sentenced to a year on weapons charges

An Atlanta judge has sentenced T.I. to one year and a day behind bars on federal weapons charges.

He will have between 30 and 60 days to report to prison. He already has completed about 1,000 hours of community service and has warned youths about the pitfalls of guns, drugs, violence. He will need to complete 470 more hours. Damn.

T.I. pleaded guilty last March after he was arrested in 2007, attempting to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers. The arrest happened blocks away from where he was to headline the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta hours later.

Here's what T.I. said about the sentence:

"It brings me great pleasure and honor to say to you today that I have begun to close this chapter in my life with, of course, the help and blessings of the U.S. attorneys and the courts of the U.S. government.

Although I am not thrilled about my next year and a day, I am pleased that I am beginning the process of putting this all behind me. Thank you and I apologize to my family, to the young men, young women that I mentor. I hope that I can keep at least one, if not a million or more, from going down a similar path. I just want to say thank you."

Damn man, an entertainer of his stature with that many, and those type of guns, musta been into some shit. Nice one Clifford. But somehow I think he'll be makin' millions whilst he's in there. Lucky muhhfucka.

Model Mondays Feature: Arkeedah McCormick

This week it is my pleasure to present Ms. Arkeedah, reppin the ATL to the fullest. She represents a different type of model that a lot of folks may not be so familiar with. Besides doing runway shows and promotional events, she is a 'hair model'. These fearless young ladies that are hair models are a unique group, they have to trust that the individual doing their hair will do a good job and not have them looking jacked up in front of audience. Ms. Arkeedah took some time out of her busy schedule to chat with me about the modeling industry and drop some knowledge for young ladies thinking of being models. Check out the interview below.

DJ Grain: Where are you from?
Arkeedah: Atlanta, GA.

DJ Grain: How many years have you been modeling?
Arkeedah: 3 years.

DJ Grain: What are the misconceptions people commonly have about models that are untrue?
Arkeedah: The most common one I deal with is people automatically assume I have an attitude, but when people get to know me, they find out I’m a pretty cool person.

DJ Grain: What shows, videos, magazines, etc. have you been featured in?
Arkeedah: Maxim, Online Bonus Babe 2007, MTV’s Yo Momma Extra 03-2007, Aanaya Couture Fashion Show July 19 2007, Bronner Brother’s FHI Heat Hair Show Technical Model 8-20-2007, Milky Way Hair Battle Model 8-04-2008, Mychael Knight Model for Fall Line Presentation 2008,Karl Kani New Face Top 20 Finalist, and Hotlanta Hair Directory Volume 5.

DJ Grain: What photographers have you worked with?
Arkeedah: Reggie Anderson, Sta'fon Shamayim, and Precise.

DJ Grain: What photographers would you like to work with?
Arkeedah: I would love to work with Derek Blanks and Leo Marshall.

DJ Grain: Can you describe the grind of a model trying to break into the industry?
Arkeedah: One word, HUSTLE. Webster definition: promote energetically and aggressive. You have to know where you want to go, and have a plan on how to get there.

DJ Grain: Any words for the ladies out there that have aspirations of entering the modeling industry?
Arkeedah: Stay motivated and if you have the drive to pursue it, then do it!

DJ Grain: How can people contact you for booking?
Arkeedah: I can be reached via email @ Arkeedah McCormick

The Movement Fam Model Feature: Regina Ross

The grind-a-holic Ms. Regina Ross has taken a minute out of her busy schedule to chop it up with ya main man DJ Grain. Not only is she a model but she also a student and CEO of a magazine publication that focuses on spoken word poetry.

DJ Grain: Where are you from?
Regina Ross: I am from South Carolina, born in a town called Sumter and raised in the capitol, which is Columbia.

DJ Grain: How many years have you been modeling?
Regina Ross: I have been modeling for 15 years.

DJ Grain: What are the misconceptions people commonly have about models that are untrue?
Regina Ross: Some misconceptions that people may have about models is we are not very intellectual and that we have to be a certain size or height. Models come in all shapes and sizes, I consider a model a person who has something to market physically or mentality wise. I myself have many talents. I write poetry and I am in the process of publishing my own magazine for spoken word artist. Poets Serenity is one of my biggest projects because I have been writing much longer than modeling. I am also going to school for Medical Billing and Coding, which is a stable career choice I have made to maintain learning something new in the medical field, as it consistently changes all the time.

DJ Grain: What shows, videos, magazines, etc. have you been featured in?
Regina Ross: Some of the shows I have been involved in was as a promotional model for a show Dungeon Family's own Backbone did back in South Carolina at the Coliseum; I was a featured model for a show UrbMob did at Lotus Lounge for new and upcoming artists. I also did a commercial for Pin Strikes Bowling Alley, MTV's Album release party for T.I. at the Velvet Room. Fashion shows by Elegante, House of Style By Monique, LaChic Hair Studio, BBK Apparrel, Ruff Ryders Film Casting for The System Within, Black Experience Magazine, and various modeling competitions by international model and talent search companies.

DJ Grain: What photographers have you worked with?
Regina Ross: I have worked recently with Thad Fauster, D. Divine, J.W. Enterprises, JandD Images, K. Jones, Glamour Shots Promotional Model, and the list goes on...

DJ Grain: What photographers would you like to work with?
Regina Ross: I would love to work with Essence Magazine, Elite, Sean John, Baby Phat, Whilemenia, Black Barbies, Sean Anthony Photography, Leo Marshall, Ms. B. Breezy, XOXO. I would like to work with so many people, it would probably take all day to just name them all. But I would most definitely love to work with some of the top marketing agencies.

DJ Grain: Can you describe the grind of a model trying to break into the industry?
Regina Ross: The grind of modeling is persistence and taking the time out to go out and network and market yourself, so people can get a feel of your personality because they are not always looking for that look - sometimes they want to see what your personality is like. And I feel like if you're a go getter than you can reach the goals you set. Going on photo shoots, open calls, networking, and just putting your foot forward to the work you have already invested time into. I feel like you can only do what God will allow you to do at that moment in your life, but patience and persistence will pay off eventually.

DJ Grain: Any words for the ladies out there that have aspirations of entering the modeling industry?
Regina Ross: Simply to just know God has your back and have faith. If you're a single parent and out here trying to do your thing, keep pushing and keep praying. I know what it's like, God is not blind and definitely not asleep. Stick with your dreams and don't give up when it gets hard you get stronger, and you learn to be thankful for the good and the bad to cherish and endure all the blessings he has in store for you as you go through all the trials.

Contact info:
Regina Ross Myspace
modelreginaross@live.com