Grammys 2011: Q & A with Clive Davis

12 feb 2011, 05:46



[/p]Every year during the Grammy Awards, Clive Davis party is the coveted place to be for A-List celebrities. New artist granted the luxury to perform receive an introduction to the upper echelon of the industry followed by a successful career.[/p]The L.A. Times did a Q&A with Mr. Davis where he talked about in the state of the industry and if CD's were a thing of the past, Alicia Keys introduction to the industry and who is on his RSVP list for this year's Grammy.[/p]

The Grammy Awards give the industry a chance to celebrate its successes, so with that in mind, what do you think is going right in the much beleaguered business today?

There certainly is freshness: There is, and has been, the emergence of Lady Gaga; when you look and you see the great album Eminem did, there certainly have been some very strong records that have come out in the past year.

What are the issues that concern you the most?

We’ve got to make sure that music is not homogenized, that music does not exist only to fit into a radio format — which is just encouraging rhythm and tempo and discouraging artistry.... We’ve got to be careful that we not just concentrate on having hit records but that we launch the careers of stars. That’s what the business has always been for me: equal parts discovery of new artists like Whitney or Alicia, but also showing, in effect, how long a career can last. If you begin with a young Aretha or Luther [Vandross] or Rod [Stewart], if they are only allowed to make records that fit into a dance tempo radio format, you can’t do that. I would welcome more diversity. No one’s trying to stem the tide of newness and freshness, but we’ve got to make sure we’ve got the opportunity to build new artists that have careers that will last 10, 20, 30 or 40 years.

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Conventional wisdom says the CD is dying, the album format is pass?nd the individual track you can download from iTunes is king. Do you buy into that line of thinking?

This is certainly a very challenging and tough time for music based upon the transition to digital overall. We just have to make sure we don’t just become that industry convert to singles and abandon albums. We need the full panoply, we still need the great album artists, whether historically that’s been the Who or Pink Floyd or Bruce Springsteen. With some of the new artists like Arcade Fire and Mumford & Sons, I’m hopeful we’re not going to be that homogenized. It’s more difficult for the unique artist to break through today, [but] I have confidence the situation will right itself…. I have overall confidence that music is playing a vital part in more lives than ever.

Your annual pre-Grammy Awards party has typically offered testament to the notion of stylistic diversity. Can you give us a sampling of who’s onboard this year?

I’m looking at the RSVP list and it goes from Akon to Earth, Wind & Fire and Jeff Beck, Sacha Baron Cohen, Keyshia Cole and Jermaine Dupri, Berry Gordy, Quincy Jones, Dr. Luke, Whitney Houston, Magic Johnson … and that’s just up to the Js.

Do you strive to keep upping the ante each year, and what can you tell us about what’s in store Saturday night?

Historically, I’ve always started my shows with a rock artist, whether we’re going back to the Foo Fighters or Velvet Revolver or Kings of Leon. I think it’s important to showcase the diversity of music and also salute and welcome new artists…. [In the past] we’ve put together Alicia and Aretha, Lou Reed and Rod Stewart, and last year we had Fergie and Slash doing a Guns N’ Roses song. It’s the unexpected; it’s really sharing the music that I love…. It is a healthy diversity that showcases great talent that lifts people out of their chairs all night long. That’s always been my criterion: You don’t slacken the pace. Every artist that performs, you want them to lift everyone up out of their chair. For 35 years, it seems to be working.

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Mara Hruby- “Is This Love”

12 feb 2011, 05:02



Most often talent is defined by popularity, especially in a celebrity driven culture. The obsession with today's popular viral video, facebook and twitter followers can fuel ones immense popularity while talent is at an all-time low.[/p]Nevertheless, there is a glowing songstress by the name of Mara Hruby, with a distinctive talent that seems to be a rarity in the musical landscape called the entertainment business. The 22 year-old Oakland native is now working her way up the industry ladder diligently and we are honored to have her talent showcase here at RashaEntertainment.com [/p]


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Erykah Badu – “Gone Baby, Don’t Be Long” (VIDEO)

11 feb 2011, 19:41



Erykah Badu or DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown, when she is manning the wheels of steels just released a new visual for "Gone Baby, Don’t Be Long” off New Amerykah Part Two: Return Of The Ankh.

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Erykah Badu - Gone Baby, Don't be Long

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Congresswoman Upset With Pepsi’s Super Bowl Ad

11 feb 2011, 17:21



As African-American's oftentimes we are overly sensitive to our portrayal due to our past history of being vilified in the media. The depiction of men being sex-crazed brutes who lust after angelic looking white women is well documented in Hollywood. So I understand the need for us to be portrayed in a positive light. Nevertheless, every year Super Bowl commercials are mad to be funny and entertaining.[/p]U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) did not see laughter in the popular Pepsi ad that aired during Super Bowl Sunday. She went as far as taking her complaints to the House floor to express her distaste with Pepsi Max’s “Love Hurts” ad.[/p]“In this month of African-American history where we’re trying to celebrate what is good and great, it certainly seems ridiculous that Pepsi would utilize this kind of humor. It was not humorous. It was demeaning — an African-American woman throwing something at an African-American male and winding up hitting a Caucasian woman.”[/p]She went on to say: “I think that we can come together in a much better way, sell Pepsi, and as well talk about good nutrition. But, frankly, I consider this insulting, and so did many other women of all colors.  That is why I’m so disappointed with the Pepsi advertisement that showed a demeaning role for African American women, in an ad that showed a can being thrown and being utilized to wound someone else or hit someone else…”[/p]What you think?[/p]


You can watch it here:

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Video: VH1?s “Love & Hip Hop” Trailer

11 feb 2011, 16:02



[/p]The widespread ignorance and buffoonery on Reality T.V. continues to feed America's insatiable appetite for anything anti-social. The latest pseudo celebrities to join the ranks  are Olivia (former G-Unit girl), Chrissy Lampkin (Jim Jones), Emily Bustamente (Fabolous), Somaya Reece (Joe Budden) and Mashonda (Swizz Beatz). The show premieres on March 15th.[/p]


Love & HipHop Trailer
Uploaded by yardie4lifever2. - More video blogs and vloggers.

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Baby Responds To Jay-Z – Baby Money Comment

11 feb 2011, 15:02



After winning a million dollar bet on the Super Bowl, rapper Birdman took to his twitter page to send subliminal shots at Jay-Z, who deliberately downplayed the financial status of the Cash Money Records, CEO.

N-ggas fantasize about the shit that I do daily like
These rappers rap about all the shit that I do really
I’m like really half a billi n-gga
Really you got baby money
Keep it real with n-ggas
N-ggas aint got my lady money[/p] [/p]

I wonder how much of the cash prize is he going to donate to help hip-hop founding father Kool Herc

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New Video: F-Mills “DEVIL IN A NEW DRESS”

10 feb 2011, 22:48



[/p]The rhyme talent of F-Mills become more evident with each release off the highly popular mixtape series consisting of original songs and tracks with a few remixes here and there.  The Chi-town native's punchline heavy flow meshes perfectly over the hypnotic drums of the Kanye produced track "Devil In A New Dress". [/p]

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Tyler Perry: On Why It Took 35 Years ?For Colored Girls? To Become A Movie

10 feb 2011, 08:10



[/p]Tyler Perry speaks about the importance of a film like "For Colored Girls" and how he did not want anyone to be disappointed from it.[/p]via: Rolling Out[/p]Had there been no Madea, had there been no Meet The Brown, had there been no House of Payne then "For Colored Girls" would not have happen. What people do not understand is you must build a brand and make it profitable, before Hollywood would allow you to do a film like this. That is why it took "For Colored Girls" 35 years to make.[/p] Related posts TYLER PERRY'S "I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF" (May 14, 2009)">TYLER PERRY'S "I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF" (0) Tyler Perry's $41 Million Reign at The Boxoffice (February 23, 2009)">Tyler Perry's $41 Million Reign at The Boxoffice (0) Tyler Perry Unveils New Studio (October 5, 2008)">Tyler Perry Unveils New Studio (0) Tyler Perry Takes Stand In Copyright Lawsuit (December 5, 2008)">Tyler Perry Takes Stand In Copyright Lawsuit (0) Tyler Perry Scold Latecomers During Play (February 11, 2010)">Tyler Perry Scold Latecomers During Play (0)