Volume 2, Issue #2

LITTLE EGYPT

Straight out of Crown Heights Brooklyn, NY comes five men who have been writing and performing hip hop since the days of the Sugarhill Gang. Their love for the music goes back 20+ years. With a sizzling combination of crazy beats over battle-tested rhymes Visual Poetics, Taajwan, Forge, Bravestar and Khordz all make up this authentic hip hop group LITTLE EGYPT.

They are taking their audience back to a time when hip hop stood for something strong and positive. They are currently in the studio working on their second album; their first album “Straight Out the Sands” is available in stores and on their website www.littleegypt-ny.com.

5 facts about Little Egypt:

1. Although they define their music as straight up hip-hop, their music comprises some elements of everything. They write and produce all their songs and their live performances are one of the most energized and poetically adept shows today. Anyone that really understands hip-hop will walk away being completely blown away.

2. They have tour extensively both domestically and internationally, spreading their message of true hip-hop in as far away places as Poland, Brazil and Canada. Poland was an unexpected highlight for them as they had no idea that a polish audience would have such a love for non-commercial hip hop.

3. Although the majors have big dollars behind them, Little Egypt forsees problems that taking that route. Artists that are not nainstream and more underground like the indie route because the mainstream route can be incredibly challenging, and time consuming. and you can get caught up in the business part of the music business and get away from the creative. In the meantime they have chosen to go the independent route and stay focused on the music to make sure they get their message out to their audiences in as timely a manner as possible.

4. They say their worst experiences have to do with going out on the road to venues where they may have 5 people in the audience because of lack of promotion, but they say that they always turn situations like that into a positive, because no matter what-they will always perform a show even if they have only 2 people that are there that want to listen, be entertained and learn. The process is about genuine love for their art.

5. Their advice to artists, as a group that has been in the game for a long time, is to always recognize yourself and your audience; as an artist you have to always touch your audience and stay true to them while at the same time never becoming bigger than them. As a part of a group, you also have to trust your team implicitly, you must trust the flow between each of you and know that you have each other’s back. There is no place and no time for petty issues that can supercede the bigger message you are trying to get out.

TAMIA

Canadian native and Grammy nominated artist (4 times) Tamia has long been known as a sultry and sophisticated singer. Tamia has been able to mix her undeniable sexiness with a girl next-door quality that is appealing to both a pop and r&b audience.

With the April release of her third CD "MORE", Tamia continues to serve up a potpourri of parts of her makeup to her audience, some that will be familiar to you and some that may surprise you. Tamia is also going to be touring on several dates with Missy Elliott and Beyonce beginning next month. Tamia worked with producers Babyface, Trackmasters and Shep Crawford (who produced her hit “Stranger in My House”) on this album. Tamia is a wife, a mother and most importantly a woman who has created what she pens her boldest and most mature album yet.

5 questions for Tamia:

1. What is different about this album then the rest? “I’m feeling real good about where I am. I think I’ve just gotten a hold of my life more. I’ve become a mother in the past year, among other things. I’m more confident in the decisions I make in my personal life and regarding my music career. This is my third album overall. I’ve grown. There’s boldness when you are maturing. You say what you mean and you mean what you say.”

2. You are known for your ballads, but ballads oftentimes aren't what radio is looking for. How do you balance the two issues? “I think because R&B got so club oriented there was a stigma about ballads for a while. But I have always loved a good ballad. They can be so passionate and a good vocalist gets to really show their chops on a good one. I grew up doing talent shows and listening to the great singers, so ballads have always been a huge part of what I’m about. I feel like I had to display what I feel for them on this album.”

3. There is a song titled "SMILE" on your new album that is very thoughtful about the intricacies of the record business. What were you trying to say with this? “Smile is about those times you feel you have to put on a pretty face in front of everyone. When everyone thinks they know who you are. They don’t realize the ups and downs and that sometimes you do have to paste that smile on your face to get through. A lot of people think this business is all about the makeup and beautiful clothes but they don’t always understand what you went through to get to this point."

4. What is one of your goals with this new album? “I really want to go out and perform these songs. You know have a real band. It is one area where I didn’t concentrate on enough last time. If I have to go in my own closet for the outfits, put on my own makeup, and drive the van myself, I’m going to do it. I think people are hungering for live songs, real melodies and instruments, the whole thing. The showmanship of it all, the live feel, the changing it up every night, that’s what I really, really love.”

5. You seem very proud of this album. Any last thoughts? “It was a great experience. My goal is always to do better than the last project, but with the new album I think everything is in the right place now.”

Whoa! Sex and the City is over, the Sopranos are back, Mel Gibson’s controversial film The Passion of the Christ and the soundtrack are both #1 in their respective categories, Annie Lenox won an Oscar for her song “Into the West” from The Lord of the Rings soundtrack and last, but definitely not least Tyra Banks has embarked upon a singing career! What is going on?

The entertainment world is definitely in a state of chaos and confusion! Lots of happenings these days…it seems the dust is finally starting to clear from the mergers of last year-the executives at the major labels like Sony and WMG are being fired, hired and reshuffled. Maybe this house cleaning is something that should have happened years ago. It seems like the industry has finally awakened from their long slumber on the business end to try and support the changing wants of the record buying public. The fact that the 16year old artist Joss Stone is MTV’s buzzworthy artist says a lot. A 16year old white british soul singer who sings blues being on MTV? What’s going on? The audience is changing and wants something different, authentic and talented. Amidst all this, it is noteworthy that record sales are still going up, Norah Jones is quickly approaching the 2million mark in sales and is still #1 after just three weeks, and the finals of American Idol will soon be upon us! There are lots of music executives that are walking around without jobs or will soon be looking for jobs; hopefully some of them will take this opportunity to take some of the good that they learned in the majors to go out and create new shops, create some new models for distribution, some new rules for recognizing talent, some new ways to be a part of the game because there are some incredibly smart and creative people out there.

Springtime is here and time for renewal, rebirth and reinvention. Sometimes you have no choice but to shed the layers and put your blinders on to reach your own personal goals, it is your time and you really have one chance in this lifetime to make it happen. It has been a long winter, but it is now time to get your hustle on and get that demo done or work on your business plan or continue your live shows to develop a better stage presence-whatever it takes, get going with it. It is so interesting that so often the one who wins is the one who has a self-confidence that is indestructible, a belief in themselves that can even sometimes overlay their actual talent. It’s all about perception in this industry, so if you can get just one person to buy into you, you’re halfway there. If by chance you get the right person to believe in you, then you’re 90% there. The other 10%? Well, you know-luck, timing and whatever other intangibles make this crazy world of music and entertainment work the way it does.

Q: Which is better a Major Label or an Indie (independent) Label?

-- Dee Buzz, Wrecking Crew

A: Quite frankly, the two are very similar. In fact, in many cases Indie labels are smaller subsidiaries owned by larger labels. However these two entities have distinct qualities, characteristics and personalities. Understanding these differences are the key to determining which is type of label is right for you.

Indie labels tend to focus on very specific genres and sounds. They leverage their expertise to help push that sound at the college and/or street level. This in turn is a great method to generate initial buzz for a new group or artists. Indie labels also have smaller staffs and some groups like the attention of being the number 1 item at their label. However, Indie labels don't have financial muscle of their large more established breathen.

The larger labels have the financial clout to market and sell millions of albums before they're off the press. They also have huge, influential staffs that can turn around tasks in a significantly shorter time span. However, what the majors offer in terms of financial capability can be compromised if your group isn't ready to move mountains. In other words, if your one of your goals is a sustained music career, moving a mountain in the short term may turn out a 1 hit wonder. And well you know the rest...

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