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Volume 2, Issue #12 |
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Industry
Resource Top 5 Songs
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Billboard's
Top New Artist |
1.
J. Hill, VITAL
TIME |
1.
The Alchemist, 1st Infantry
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2.
Vivienne, Hold Me Down |
2.
Crossfade, Crossfade
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3.
The Believers, You Believe
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3.
Colonel Claypool's Bucket Of Bernie Brains,
The Big Eyeball In The Sky
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4.
Angela Shella, Winter Turn
June |
4.
Skye Sweetnam, Noise From The
Basement
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5.
J. Hill, One Last Cry
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5.
The Black Keys, Rubber Factory
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 Chief
After introducing himself to the reggae scene with
two creative mixed tapes, Brooklyn’s own Chief
has teamed up with DJ V-Smoove and will unleash his
third installment “T.O.N.Y” [Taking over
New York] in November. The tape is a creative and
stimulating mega-mix that should land Chief, a.k.a.
Orrann James, a major label deal. The 23-year-old
carefully blends dancehall and R&B for a unique
reggae sound that that mirrors the Caribbean/American
lifestyle. Besides singing, he also writes, produces,
and arranges his own music. Originally born in Antigua,
he has earned himself a strong fan base through songs
like "I Want Your Body" and "Extraordinary"
which have resulted in appearances on I.F.-TV and
Soundwave Television.
Five Questions for Jason Tripp:
1) How did reggae music find its
way into your life? “When I was real young my
sister use to play it. I really started liking it
and learned the words to several songs. Then as I
got older, I started writing my own ones. ”
2) When did you start to realize
the potential of your skills?
“When I was at South Shore H.S. [Brooklyn] I
started doing shows in the lunchroom with some of
the dj equipment I had. My friends would come get
me out of my classes and bring me to the cafeteria
so I could perform. I saw that there could be a future
in what I was doing.”
3) Your new record “T.O.N.Y.”
acts like a best of compilation. Was that the intention?
“Yeah. It’s like a combination of my first
two mixed tapes, but a lot tighter. I’m really
excited about it. I had like 50 tracks to pick from.
I feel I’ve gotten better and this record will
show that.”
4) Is mixing R&B and dancehall
music as difficult as I think it is? “What you
have to do is make sure the beat you choose is friendly
for both. And it has to be laid back. You can’t
just attack the beat. You have to go slow. I find
ways for it to work by adding string arrangements
and ad libbing.”
5) Besides Bob Marley, who has influenced
millions of reggae musicians, which artists did you
find yourself listening to? “Sizzla is phenomenal.
When I was 16 I listened to his conscious messages
about God and religion. Bounty Killer is another big
influence. I seen him perform one time and he was
unbelievable. Watching him perform really got me hyped.
I knew reggae was for me.”
----Joseph Barracato
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Slim
Thug
Just how hot is Slim Thug? Consider his clout to be
so strong that multi-platinum producers The Neptunes
were so eager to sign the Houston rapper to their
Star Trak/Geffen label that they are going to still
allow him to release independent material through
his hometown Boss Hogg Outlawz tag. His major label
debut “Already Platinum” will be just
that in a short time after its late November/early
December release. The Neptunes laced nine of its tracks,
while Jazze Pha, who seems to be everywhere these
days, cranked out a handful.
Five Facts About Slim Thug:
1) His first appearance came on the
mix tape "Swisha House ‘98". Michael
Watts, who founded Swisha House, recruited Slim and
knew immediately he would become a superstar. The
two started selling mix tapes and doing shows together
and not before long saw a pretty nice profit.
2) In Houston, Slim broke down a
North and South side divider that didn’t allow
rappers to travel away from their neck of the woods.
Slim, who was from the North side, became only one
of the few lyricists who could stray across the boarder
and spit with other rappers and crews on the South
side of the city.
3) The 23-year-old became a business
man and an entrepreneur in 2000 when he set out and
created his own record label, Boss Hogg Outlawz. Slim
used his experience in selling mix tapes and hustling
to quickly master all the finer points of the music
business. He was able to find talent, manufacture
it and distribute it to the masses. Slim realized
his dream wasn’t only about being a rapper alone
as he became very interested in all the behind-the-scenes
work.
4) He previously worked with The
Neptunes in more ways than one. First, the two met
when Pharrell would come into town for shows and promotional
appearances. He ended up doing a song with Fam-Lay
(also on Star Track) and Pharrell, who loved what
he heard, eventually signed him. The other would be
the fact Slim had already dropped several freestyles
over Neptunes-produced instrumentals on his first
three mix tapes (Boss Hogg Outlawz, The Big Unit,
and The Boyz-N-Blue).
5) Slim currently tops a a long list
of talented MC’s that hail from Houston including
Scarface, the Geto Boys, DJ Screw and ‘Face.
He lists Scareface as a major influence and looks
towards a friendly rivalry with ‘Face in the
upcoming year.
----Joseph Barracato
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Corgan Wanders Long Road To Freedom
Instead of teaming with an unbelievably talented and
proven band, Billy Corgan has decided to shy away
from the recent trend of merging and just finished
recording his solo debut album that is due out in
the spring. The untitled, 15-track record was produced
by Ben Harris and mixed by Alan Moulder, who previously
worked with Corgan and his former band The Smashing
Pumpkins. But why would he try it on his own? Former
Stone Temple Pilot frontman Scott Weiland hooked up
with the remaining member of Guns ‘N Roses after
a long divorce from Axl Rose and has enjoyed some
unexpected success with Velvet Revolver, whose debut
album “Contraband” is on the verge of
going platinum. And Chris Cornell, who found a life
after Soundgarden parted ways, rejuvenated his career
with Audioslave: the defunct Rage Against The Machine
minus Zach De La Rocha.
One reason he decided on the solo approach is there
aren’t any kick ass, musically gifted bands
listed on ebay. The other, and main one, is no one
has been able to match his creativity over the last
five years. He found The Pumpkins moving into a direction
he didn’t want to turn and his second attempt
at the group thing “Zwan”, died after
one disappointing record. Now, with no one to answer
to but himself, Corgan has gone on to say that he
is very excited about the new album, which is being
mixed as we speak, and feels that he has devised something
fresh and resounding. Those comments bring back memories
of The Pumpkins 1995 double-album “Mellon Collie
and the Infinite Sadness”, that rescued music
from post-grunge depression and reminded people what
true rock was supposed to sound like again.
Besides the new record, Corgan is also set to release
his first book of
poetry “Blinking With Fists,“ through
Faber and Faber. The 83-page hard cover volume will
feature such multipage entries as “The Poetry
of My Heart“ and the brief “I Choose“.
He is also at work on his first novel for the same
company. Corgan finally seems happy again. All by
himself.
----Joseph Barracato
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