Singles : Blackberry Smoke : Pretty Little Lie

Listen To Blackberry Smoke : Pretty Little Lie

Who Are Blackberry Smoke?

The members of Southern Rock quintet Blackberry Smoke are no strangers to hard work. Playing up to 250 dates each year, the guys are on the road more often than not, and they’ve seen tangible results of their labor. The band has toured with and befriended idols such as The Marshall Tucker Band, ZZ Top (with Billy Gibbons jamming with the band on a Florida stop), Lynyrd Skynyrd and George Jones. The band was even asked to play for Jones on his 80th birthday, not long after the country legend turned in a guest appearance on the band’s sophomore album. They’ve toured Europe thrice over, and had their songs featured in video games (EA Sports’ NASCAR 08) and films (Swing Vote), as well.

Mixing elements of gospel, bluegrass, arena rock, soul and more than a touch of outlaw country, Blackberry Smoke has earned a passionate fanbase that continues to grow as the band itself evolves. The band is as blue collar as the bandanas its members wear.

“Our fanbase is as organic as you can get,” says drummer Brit Turner. “Each fan has been won by live performance or good old word of mouth.”

In a little more than a decade together, Blackberry Smoke has released three full-length albums—including 2012’s The Whippoorwill, the band’s first for country megastar Zac Brown’s Southern Ground label—two EPs and a live DVD, Live at the Georgia Theatre, which serves as the perfect showcase for the band’s raucous, rockin’ good-times-for-all take on rock ’n’ roll. A chunk of the DVD’s concert footage has aired numerous times on Palladia, and the band also shot a DirecTV concert that has aired countless times.

Brit, along with singer and guitarist Charlie Starr, bassist and vocalist Richard Turner, guitarist and vocalist Paul Jackson and keyboardist Brandon Still, have slugged it out on the road for more than a decade, but now regularly sell out headline appearances across the country and overseas. The band’s audience, Brit says, feels like more than fans, which is appropriate given that their families are their biggest supporters. (A word to the wise: hitting on the pretty ladies in the front row might get you decked.)

Though these road dogs rarely have downtime, they recently managed to carve out enough time to record their newest batch of songs for The Whippoorwill, an album that serves as a platform for smart, battle-tested songwriting and for the band’s ability to leave audiences breathless.

Despite the additional resources at its fingertips, the band decided that The Whippoorwill would be largely an in-house affair—its own songs, done its own way. Consequently, the band is more excited for this album’s release than any effort thus far.

“I remember not being able to sleep well at night when we were making this new album,” Charlie recalls. “I was so excited about which songs we were going to cut the next day. After it’s done and we can hold it in our hands and be proud of it we know that there’s another one that will have to be made in the not too distant future, but it feels really good to have this one finished; we’re all really proud of it.”

With Zac Brown and the entire Southern Ground team behind them, Charlie and the boys are experiencing all the benefits of life on a larger label. For an already busy band, business is booming.

“The only time we stop or take any time off is when someone’s wife has a baby,” Charlie adds, chuckling. “So, we’ve had to come up with a fictitious band member whose fictitious wife is having a fictitious baby.”

Yet even though they have a wealth of experience under their belts, with the release of The Whippoorwill, the guys find themselves in uncharted territory.

“We’ve never done an album and actually planned a tour around it,” Charlie confesses. “It’s always been ‘tour constantly and whenever the album is done, it comes out.’ It’s a new thing for us to actually plan this far ahead.”

And while the recording process for The Whippoorwill might have afforded the band a few additional luxuries—“It was strange being able to go into a nice recording studio without having to not pay ourselves for awhile to get the money to do it,” Brit says—the band still found itself backs against the wall. Fortunately, that’s exactly where Blackberry Smoke seems to thrive.

“For all the planning ahead, we still had to get it done in four-and-a-half days, so it’s not like we had time to stretch out and find the most comfortable chair in the studio,” Charlie says. “In a perfect world, I’d like to take a little bit more time to record, but it’s not possible until they add more hours in the day and more days in the week. We’re used to doing it that way anyway.”

Regardless of whatever pressures the band might have been under while the red light was on in the studio, that stress isn’t evident on any of The Whippoorwill’s 13 tracks. For example, album opener, “Six Ways to Sunday,” is a footstomping tune that mirrors the song’s carefree attitude, and could be mistaken for an old Motown track at times. At the same time, the title track has the effortless blues approach of ’70s-era Pink Floyd, but with more grease. Nothing feels forced.

Indeed, the band’s history together gives them a natural chemistry when writing the songs that could easily find a home with a diverse set of audiences.

Straddling the line between paying homage to one’s heroes and blatant theft is a tricky business, but it’s a divide that the members of Blackberry Smoke traverse with ease. The band invites a few comparisons to the hallowed forefathers of Skynyrd, but don’t expect to hear the same worn out clichés in their songs that every other band with country, pop or rock leanings have already espoused.

“We’re not in the business of writing the same song over and over and over,” Charlie says bluntly.

Speaking of “over and over,” at many points it would have been easy for these blue-collar musicians to get tired of bashing out song after song in distant dives and hang it up, get straight jobs and rock out as weekend warriors—if at all. But despite some lean years, they kept building an audience and keeping up with wives, children and girlfriends from long distances. So what’s kept them so passionate?

As Brit Turner emphasizes, it’s not necessarily dreams of stardom. It’s simply the love of the game. “We love it or we wouldn’t do it.”


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Sources : Blackberry Smoke Photo | Listen To Pretty Little Lie | Blackberry Smoke Biography

Photos : Casey Abrams 

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Albums : Trapt : Reborn

Listen To Trapt : Reborn

Who Is Trapt?
Trapt is an American rock band that formed in Los Gatos, California in August 1997. The group is composed of lead singer Chris Taylor Brown, lead guitarist Travis Miguel, drummer Dylan Thomas Howard and bass guitarist Peter Charell. They have released six studio albums to date: Amalgamation (1999), Trapt (2002), Someone in Control (2005), Only Through the Pain (2008) No Apologies (2010) and Reborn (2013) . The band is based in Los Angeles. They are best known for their hit "Headstrong and " Sound Off."

The members of Trapt met in high school in the mid-'90s and shortly thereafter developed an act with Chris Taylor Brown (vocals), Simon Ormandy (guitar), Peter Charell (bass), and David Stege (drums). The band's first few rehearsals were in Ormandy's guesthouse, which had a party-like atmosphere with its loft overlooking the living room. They began playing at local venues in 1997 before any members had graduated high school. The band received a great response and a positive buzz soon started to grow. In 1998, still before graduation, they were already opening for up-and-coming fellow acts like Papa Roach. They recorded and released their first CD, Amalgamation in 1999, which they sold at their live shows. Their second release, the Glimpse EP, came in 2000, and another EP, 2001's self-titled Trapt, served as the band's demo. Between the strength of these releases and the successes in touring, they were able to garner major record label attention.

The band proceeded to sign with Warner Bros. Records and started recording their debut album, with Robin Diaz replacing Stege on the drums. On November 5, 2002 the band released their self-titled album, Trapt, which produced a total of three singles. In 2002 "Headstrong" was the first, and it reached No. 1 on both the Modern Rock Tracks and Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, as well as No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking their most successful single to date. The second single from the album, "Still Frame", also managed to achieve No. 1 spot on the US Mainstream Rock chart, and No. 3 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The third single, "Echo" peaked at No. 10 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The Trapt album was certified platinum by the RIAA. Although not a single, the last song on the album, "New Beginning", was featured in the film "Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler".

Before releasing their next full-length album, the band released a self-titled three-track EP, released March 30, 2004, that included live versions of the "Made of Glass" and "Echo" tracks from their debut album, as well as a previously unreleased non-LP track, "Promise".

Their second full length album, titled Someone in Control, was released September 13, 2005. It produced three singles for the band: "Stand Up", "Waiting", and "Disconnected (Out of Touch)". While these singles didn't do as well as those released from the first album, "Stand Up" still reached No. 3 on the US Mainstream Rock chart. In support of this album, Trapt toured with Thousand Foot Krutch, Silvertide, Chevelle, Three Days Grace, Nickelback, and others.

Their live album titled Trapt Live!, was released September 18, 2007. The album featured two new studio songs ("Stay Alive" and "Everything to Lose") as well as live versions of nine songs from their earlier records. On March 7, 2008, it was announced that lead guitarist Simon Ormandy had parted ways with the band. He was replaced by Robb Torres. Despite rumors indicating otherwise, Ormandy's departure was amicable, and Chris Taylor Brown continues to speak highly of Ormandy to the media, while promoting Torres as the new guitarist. On March 8, 2008, Trapt released "Who's Going Home With You Tonight?" on the band's website, a song from their then-upcoming studio album entitled Only Through the Pain. The band also posted four other songs from the upcoming album: "Black Rose," "Contagious," "Wasteland," and "Ready When You Are". On April 15, 2008, Trapt announced they would be touring as part of Mötley Crüe's Crüe Fest along with Buckcherry, Papa Roach and Sixx:A.M.. The tour began July 1, 2008 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

On June 10, 2008, Trapt released "Who's Going Home with You Tonight?" as a single. They also recorded a music video for the song. On July 1, 2008 "Who's Going Home with You Tonight?" was released as part of the weekly downloadable content for the Rock Band game series. Only Through the Pain was released on August 5, 2008. Trapt toured in support of the album by opening for Hinder on the Jägermeister Music Tour with Rev Theory. In March 2009, Trapt started the Contagious Tour, also featuring Red, Halestorm, Inept and Since October at several shows. "Contagious" was the album's second and last single, and was also available as a free playable track in the iPhone and iPod Touch game Tap Tap Revenge 2.

In March 2010 Trapt said they were wrapping up the recording process of their new record with producer Johnny K. No Apologies was released on October 12, 2010. The first single, "Sound Off", was available on iTunes July 20, 2010. Another song, "Stranger In the Mirror", was released for free from the band's Facebook page August 11, 2010.

In September 2010, three songs—"Drama Queen," "No Apologies," and "Storyteller"—were made available on the band's website, along with the cover art for "No Apologies". A digital-only download bonus track, "Head Up High," was released exclusively to those who pre-ordered the record from the official website.

On October 25, 2011, Cleopatra Records and Trapt released a compilation album called Headstrong. It featured re-recorded versions of songs, demo tracks, remixes, and acoustic versions of "Headstrong" and "Echo."

On January 24, 2012 Aaron "Monty" Montgomery left the band. Dylan Thomas Howard played drums for the remainder of Trapt's January shows and will be joining Trapt on their April and May 2012 tour, and will also be providing all of his drum skills in the upcoming new record. Trapt released a new single "Bring It", which now has a new re-mastered version featuring Dylan Howard on drums, which is being released to radio as the official 1st single. A video for "Bring It" is available on YouTube. The new record, Reborn, is due out November 20 of 2012 as stated on their official Facebook page over the Labor Day weekend of 2012. Six songs have been confirmed for Reborn: "Bring It", "Too Close", "Eye of the Storm", "Livewire (Light Me Up)", "Experience", & "Love Hate Relationship."

A link was posted on lead singer Chris Taylor Brown's personal Facebook page on September 10, 2012 giving fans a two song medley for a limited time only of the songs "Experience & Love Hate Relationship", stating that it was only for his personal page supporters as a thank you for doing so. On September 11, 2012, Trapt posted again a two song medley on Trapts Official Facebook page, that consisted of the track "Livewire" & "Love Hate Relationship" as a thank you to fans for helping "Bring It" on its journey through radio. The band also announced this would be their first independent release, opting out from major record labels as they decided to do everything on their own.

By late October 2012, the band had announced that once again the release date for their 5th studio album would once again be pushed back until January 22, 2013 through EMI Records. This marked the second time the band pushed the release date back.

Throughout the months of October, November & December 2012, the band released two music videos for Reborn singles "Bring It" & "Love Hate Relationship", and third video for "Livewire" has also been confirmed. New pictures of the band and album were also posted on the bands official Facebook page. The band had also announced a Youtube contest entitled "Match That Riff", which is set to take place on January 21st, the day before the albums release.

By January 17th 2013, rumor had been surfacing that Robb Torres had left the band and replaced with Atreyu guitarist Travis Miguiel. Thus was mostly due to a new band picture lacking Robb Torres and replaced with Travis instead. The band had announced that Travis would take part in the REBORN tour but never mentioned about Robb's departure. The rumors came to and end when Robb Torres posted via his Facebook page the following : "Friends and fans! I will no longer be playing guitar with Trapt. Its been a great 5 year run but now it's time to move on to a new chapter. There is definitely more music and shows coming shortly so keep checking back here for updates. Im currently in the studio working on a album for you guys. Stay tuned for more details. Peace be with you all and happy 2013!!Love ya!"

The band has began its first leg of the REBORN tour starting January 18th, 2013 with new guitarist Travis Miguiel, and will wrap up February 10th at Clifton Park NY. More dates are expected to be announced. TRAPT released their 5th studio album REBORN on Tuesday January 22nd, 2013. (Read More)

Reborn Review 
I praised Trapt's last record "No Apologies" for being a kid friendly hard-rock romp that is perfect for the weight-room. I also mentioned that the album was NOT going to turn any new ears towards the band. Trapt is one of those groups you need to have a taste for. You either like them or you don't. With each subsequent release after their debut record (Featuring the song we all love or hate: Headstrong), the band has done very little to change their sound. They've always been ALL ABOUT developing their sound. With the exception of their best release "Someone in Control," Trapt have done very little to reach out to new listeners. Let's be honest...When I say Trapt, you probably think of ESPN, the song Headstrong and you make a sour face. Trapt does that to people. It's easy to hate the band because of Headstrong and how overplayed and incredibly dated the song really is. This time, however, Trapt is "Reborn" and for the first time EVER, I think they might finally turn a few heads! This is a very good rock album!

The reason "Reborn" resonates so well with me is because it is a 'grow-up' album. How does one grow up? The answer is independence. We're all adults at age 18, but we're not truly grown-ups until we have the ability to support ourselves. Do we make enough money? Can we take care of ourselves? Can we attract a spouse? Being independent is how we come into our own. With "Reborn," Trapt is independent. They didn't have a label or a true producer holding their hands through the production of this album. Songs like Living in the Eye of the Storm, Bring It and Too Close have been around for almost a full year. Bring It was a stand-alone single and Trapt didn't even write the latter two songs. They were written by Chris Taylor Brown. They booted their label and producers and broke away from their restrictions and began to go their own way. You can tell they were frantic about how to make this thing; half of these songs weren't even supposed to be on the record. They flung themselves into the wild and produced a wonderful result. They did some weird things, they definitely struggled and even lost their guitarist to bigger and better things. It is just a wonderful thing that "Reborn" was able to turn out this well. And it shows a lot about their talents. In a strange way, this could arguably be their best work.

Reborn is a mixed bag of experimentation and a few nods to the past. Bring It is a sensational opener and first single. It has such a heavy fist bumping chorus that we're bound to hear on Sports Center someday soon. Love Hate Relationship blends well with their catalog and doesn't overstay its welcome as the longest song on the album. It's a decently written song with a very softly sung and catchy verses and slightly heavier chorus. Most songs on the record follow this formula. Experience is the first of a few experimental tracks along with Strength In Numbers, Get Out of Your Own Way and especially When it Rains. It's a far more slow moving song than we are used to hearing from Trapt. The chorus is a sweet sounding proclamation: "Experience it all/I found a risk worth taking/Right or wrong/It's my line to cross. Strength in Numbers seems a bit corny at first, but it's actually a very nice fight song about going up a against the system. It's essentially a very GOOD B-Side to the song Sound Off from "No Apologies" in it's lyrical content. Get Out Of Your Own Way is the best of these slower songs. Again, the verses are catchy and melodic. I love the guitar work in this song. The soft verses and heavy hitting chorus very formulaic but still well executed as Brown sings "I have a feeling that you want more" and then hits you with "You fight in vain/Get out of your own way." I love how each song is atmospheric and full of little bells and whistles that leave you wondering about what will come next. The intros seem to contrast the songs entirely, but it still works to build a mood for each song. I think Living in the Eye of the Storm is the new Land of Confusion. It's probably their best song. It's very deep, thought provoking and executed in a wonderful way. I love the bridge as Brown sings "I know I've got to be strong/but it's hard to hold on and on and on and on." His voice sounds so sad. Livewire (Light Me Up) is the weakest song on the album, lyrically...but it has so much energy. This will be a wonderful song to hear live. For fans of the bands previous album "No Apologies," Livewire hits hard with an excellent pre-chorus and chorus. I LOVE how brilliant this song is in its simplicity. It should have been a single. You're No Angel is a good closer to the record. The song is a little more of what we've come to expect from the band. Too Close and Going Under and sound a little more like their older work. This is great news for fans. There's really NOTHING to hate on this album! Too Close is a bit average but not skippable. There are no filler tracks on this album. Everything stands out. The lyrics are very deep and there is no foul language. The music rocks! Kids will love it, adults CAN love it and ESPN will probably be playing a few of these songs for years to come!


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Eats : USA : NY : New York : Famous Joe's Pizza

About Famous Joe's Pizza 

New Yorkers are sticklers for food traditions, so when Joe's Pizza, a Greenwich Village institution, closed in early 2005, pizzaphiles all over the city went into a panic. It didn't matter that a few doors down on Carmine Street, another Joe's Pizza run by Joe Pasquale, the same Joe of Joe's of Bleecker, was continuing to serve the exact same pizza in similarly shabby-tight quarters—it just wasn't the same. Unless you are one of those traditionalists, the Joe's on Carmine will more than suffice. It's the epitome of what a slice is supposed to taste like: thin-crusted, with the proper balance of bold sauce and cheese that tastes like cheese, not rubber. Joe's also bakes Sicilian slices and pies, but he doesn't do fancy pie concoctions, heroes, garlic knots, or other diversions. What you get is uncomplicated, solid, and very comforting pizza. And because Joe's is so popular, the pizza turns over quickly, which guarantees a fresh slice. Be prepared to wait on line during busy evening hours. You probably won't get a seat inside the tiny pizzeria, but take your slice outside and eat it like a real New Yorker.

Famous Joe's Pizza Review By David C. : Sugar Land, TX

Pizza by the slice. I grew up in Jersey so I understand pizza by the slice. There's no such thing in Houston unless you count Sbarro's and a chain that's now-called Russow's Pizza or something but was formerly New York Pizzeria: "We do pizza by the slice."

Stopped by here, stumbled in, after getting miserably lost. I was trying to meet up a guy who was selling me a tuxedo blazer - "Do you know Joe's Pizza?" No, I'm not from here. "Right by the Subway stop, there's people everywhere." To me, that sounds like he's describing EVERYWHERE IN NEW YORK. So we're looking all over for Joe's Pizza, walking past all these interesting places--I'm assuming this is NYU collegetown-- I do a double-take at Minneta Tavern, finally end up on a street corner where I just call the dude and tell him to meet us up. 

We meet, he leaves, Now I'm carrying around a suit jacket, we're lost, I feel like I look like a dick, and we turn a corner and see Joe's Pizza dead ahead. 

This could have been summed up in a paragraph: just quality New York pizza. It's like a quality New York bagel. Unheard of down here. I had a slice of Sicilian, the rectangle cut for the noobs, and we brought back 3 slices to take uptown. I didn't reheat, and still thought it was pretty great. I think they tried to reheat, and ended up burning them a bit. 

I'd kill for a Joe's Pizza down here or in Colorado. Would undoubtedly be even more amazing with a prescribed, medicinal leaf. 

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Address 7 Carmine St  New York, NY 10014 | Phone (212) 366-1182 

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Hotels : USA : AZ : Phoenix : Arizona Biltmore Resort And Spa

One of the only existing luxury hotels in the world with a Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced design, The Arizona Biltmore has been an Arizona landmark since its opening on Feb. 23, 1929 when it was crowned "The Jewel of the Desert." The resort was designed by Albert Chase McArthur, a Harvard graduate, who had studied under Frank Lloyd Wright from 1907 - 1909 in Chicago.

Perhaps the most obvious and dramatic design link to Wright is the use of indigenous materials that led to the creation of the "Biltmore Block." The pre-cast concrete blocks were molded on-site and used in the total construction of the resort. Designed by McArthur and sculpted by Emry Kopta, a prominent southwestern sculptor, the "Biltmore Block" features a geometric pattern that is said to represent a freshly cut palm tree.

Did you know that the famed song composer Irving Berlin penned many tunes, including "White Christmas" while sitting poolside at the Arizona Biltmore?

The pool was first built by the Wrigleys in 1930 and was host to diving competitions as well as fashion shows. Marilyn Monroe called this her favorite pool.

In 1930, when the estimated $1 million construction cost doubled, Chicago chewing gum magnate William Wrigley, Jr., one of the original investors in the project, became the sole owner. Over the next 44 years, the Wrigley family owned and operated the Arizona Biltmore and it became world renowned as the preferred luxury oasis for celebrities, heads of state, captains of industry and other famous travelers.

In May of 1973, the Wrigley family sold the Biltmore to Talley Industries, which closed the resort for renovations that summer. During the installation of a new sprinkler system, a welding torch ignited a fire which resulted in $2.5M in damages. Taliesin Associated Architects (of Taliesin West) was commissioned to design and supervise the construction of the damaged floors, and a renovation of the resort. As in 1929, concrete blocks were molded on-site; patterns from the early 1920s were woven into carpets ordered from Ireland, and designs for furniture, fabrics and murals were selected with the integrity of the architecture in mind. The project was completed in a record 82 days and the result was a finer, more complete hotel than had previously existed.

In 1975, under Talley Industries' ownership, the first major expansion took place with the opening of the 90-room Paradise Wing. This expansion continued over the next seven years with the addition of the 120-room Valley Wing and a 39,000-square-foot Conference Center in 1979. In 1982, the 109-room Terrace Court opened. Another renovation was completed in 1987 which included the remodeling of 120 guestrooms throughout the main building in addition to the East and Garden Wings. A year later, the historic cottages were also refurbished.

The most comprehensive renovation to date began when the previous owner, Grossman Company Properties, a Phoenix based development firm, purchased the resort in 1992 and began a three-phase, $50 million project which was completed in January 1996. Refurbished by Barry Design Associates of Los Angeles, guest rooms and suites pay homage to Frank Lloyd Wright in their mission-style furnishings, desert palette (tones of beige, sand, and ivory) and lamps which recall a 1930s flair. The Villas, a luxury residential complex was added along with restaurants, a state-of-the-art kitchen and the Paradise Pool complex featuring a 92-foot-long water slide and 23 cabanas. New meeting space included the Pavilion, a 15,000 square-foot facility. An 18-hole championship putting course was also added.

In January 1998, a 20,000 square-foot Arizona Biltmore Spa, fitness center and full-service beauty salon opened. The newest addition, the new Arizona Wing, featured 120 new guest rooms, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and two new meeting rooms. The Arizona Wing was completely renovated in March of 2009 to become Ocatilla at Arizona Biltmore, a "hotel within the hotel". The Arizona Biltmore boasts 740 guest rooms and is one of the largest hotels in Arizona.

With the opening of the Frank Lloyd Wright Ballroom in July, 2003, the Arizona Biltmore became one of Arizona’s largest meeting and event venues. The new ballroom, the state’s second largest hotel ballroom with 25,000 square feet, was the highlight of a $25 million renovation and expansion of the meeting facilities that increased dedicated indoor function space to more than 100,000 square feet. The project also included converting the tented Pavilion into the 15,000-square-foot McArthur Ballroom. Both new facilities were constructed in the original Wright style.

Thanks to conscientious owners who have been committed to preserving its architectural integrity, the resort is, in many ways, more "Wrightian" than when it was built. And, throughout the years, the Arizona Biltmore has set the standard for elegance and style. It continues to attract celebrities and dignitaries from around the world and is frequently honored with awards and accolades, including the Urban Land Institute "Heritage Award of Excellence" which the resort received for its architectural integrity, landscaping, and above all, quality of service.

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Address 2400 East Missouri, Phoenix, Arizona 85016 | Phone (602) 955-6600

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Gadgets : Lenovo ThinkPad Helix Ultrabook

The first laptop I owned was a ThinkPad T20, and the next one may very likely be the ThinkPad Helix which Lenovo unveiled at CES 2013. In a sea of touch-inspired Windows 8 hardware, it’s the first ultrabook convertible with a form factor that gets everything right.

The first batch of Windows 8 ultrabooks get high marks for their inspired designs, but aren’t quite flexible enough to truly be BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) solutions. Lenovo’s own IdeaPad Yoga came close, but the sensation of feeling the keyboard underneath your fingers when transformed into tablet mode was slightly jarring. Dell‘s XPS 12 solved that problem with its clever rotating hinge design, but I wanted the ability to remove the tablet display entirely from both of those products.

Enter the ThinkPad Helix with its “rip and flip” design. Aside from its pedigree of simply being a ThinkPad (I will forever prefer that red TrackPoint to any other pointing device, and their keyboards are exceptional), it improves on the Yoga by boasting a detachable keyboard dock. The 11.6″ display can then be removed and used as a standalone tablet with 1920 x 1080 resolution. The dock interface also allows the Helix to enter “Stand Mode” and collapse all the way down on top of the keyboard — covering it, which was my sole complaint with the IdeaPad Yoga.

Aside from its versatility, the Helix has plenty going for it in the specs department. It has mini DisplayPort and mini-HDMI out to satisfy both business users and home consumers. It will ship with 3rd generation Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 processors and up to a 256GB SSD (Solid State Drive).

Connectivity seems guaranteed with 3G, 4G, or 4G LTE SIM card slots.

The Helix even includes NFC and a digitizer pen that supports Windows 8 gestures and converts your handwritten notes into digital text.

Combined battery usage is rated at 10 hours — 5 hours from the tablet battery, and an additional 5 with the keyboard dock.

Aside from the tech specs, the ThinkPad Helix packs in all of the security and manageability features one expects from Lenovo, and even though the company seems to be marketing this toward business users, the Helix hits every checkbox on my wishlist for a reliable productivity and writing machine.

The ThinkPad Helix should launch sometime in February at an entry MSRP of $1499.


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"Sometimes you need to step outside, get some air and remind yourself of who you are and who you want to be." - Rita Ora

Who Is Rita Ora?

If there is a sense when Rita Ora walks into a room that a star has already been ordained from above then nobody appears to have told the young Londoner and future pop princess herself. She has not an air or a grace about her. She greets the bar staff dotted in the hostelries of her neighborhood like old friends, mostly because they are. She bumps knuckles with the coat check chicks and management with the same egalitarian smile. Friends stop by for a brief ‘Hi’. Strangers look on with a discernible, barely contained ‘wow’. There is no mistaking the fact that Saturday night in Notting Hill is brightened by a touch of Rita’s special aura. She might not have been born this way, but she was recognizably named it. 

Buzz acts come and go, but the pertinent feeling amongst those that have heard the results of her knockout first round in the recording studio as a bona fide solo star, accompanied by a blue chip roster of production hands, is that the effect Rita Ora has locally is about to translate to the upper terrains of the global pop market. A composite of street-smarts of the metropolitan life she was schooled in and pure, urgent, otherworldly star quality, she makes for a brilliantly contradictory mix. 

Rita is one of the few British female singers that has emerged singing the opening bars of her career ready for world star status. So why is she so palpably shy of celebrating herself? "Because, you know what? I might seem confident about all this. It might be all I’ve ever wanted. It might even be all I’m ever any good at. But I am still really, really nervous about it all." 

The fact that she has already made British chart history as the vocalist on one of the first ever drum and bass number one singles here, DJ Fresh’s "Hot Right Now", is almost brushed aside. "That was Fresh’s triumph," she gifts the producer, though it's clear her soaring vocals lend the propulsive tune a hefty portion of its personality. "He started a tiny drum and bass record label back in the day, now here he is with its first number one? That’s incredible for him. He owns that."

Regardless, the breakout smash success of her first number one looks very much like the dress rehearsal, the overture or prelude to the main act: Rita Ora solo. If "Hot Right Now" has temporarily rocked the British pop chart, her solo material is about to blow its mind. 

Rita Ora began singing as at age six. This is where the magic started: "What drew me most to singing was the fact that I could make a noise that made me feel good about myself. I used to sing poems. It was just about doing something that inspired a reaction. It was about self-esteem, even back then, at a young age. I made a noise, the reaction was positive. Simple as that. I could sing my feelings. It was a new, exciting way of expressing myself. This brand new communication device. I understood the power of it straight away." 

Rita was born the second of two girls in war-torn Kosovo at the start of the 90s. Her mother, father and elder sister decamped to London before her first birthday. "I wasn’t made to feel aware of what we had come from," she says, "but obviously when you grow up you get to learn something of what your parents went through to get you where you are today. I owe them everything."

Guided by her innate performance instinct, as well as her developing and hugely impressive powerhouse vocal range, she began dipping her toes into the local music industry in West London as an early teen. She managed to keep one step ahead of the stop-starts and false alarms of anyone treading tentatively into the shark pond of the London creative elite, enjoying notable highs. 

Rita has a natural propensity toward mixing street-beats with pop. Her music is the contents of her young brain spilling out into song. The sounds she heard on the streets of Notting Hill, the brassy calypso and raga of Carnival mingling with the ringtone pop emanating from fast food joints; the splash and funk of the locale’s black music history engaging with the elegant noise of gentrification. If she sounds black and white, hard and soft, rich and poor, it is because her world is full of those competing factions too. She just learned to set it all to song. "My first record," she says, "had to sound exactly like my life." 

Equally, her brilliantly developing sense of style is a dynamic and deliberate mismatch of high and low fashion. A ball-gown, Louis Vuitton shoes and a biker jacket make perfect sense to Rita’s unique fashion instinct. Costume jewelry is interchangeable with opulent bling. She says working with a stylist "is just like playing dressing up with your friends before you go for a night out, with a few more contacts." Rita love to rock platinum blonde hair. At the prospect of going brunette, she recalls: "I tried a wig on in Top Shop recently and just thought, never again." She also loves her signature red lipstick, and was delighted to see young fans at her recent London showcase who had already caught on to her signature red smackers. "They were all rocking red lipstick on the front row! Yes. Fierce." 

Though Rita is signed to a modeling agency, it is clearly in music where she is about to shine. Her debut UK single "R.I.P." is a thrusting, compelling ode to lost love. Sitting around the peripheral borders of pop, R&B, rock, rave and dusted off with a sugar-coating of immaculate heartbreak, "R.I.P." thunders upon the very first listen. It was written by the current master-craftsman of relationship drama, hip hop connoisseur, Drake: "I had the hugest crush on Drake," she gushes. "Then I met him, sweetest guy ever and it evolved into a great friendship. I can’t believe he gave me such a great song!" The song was produced by the titans of underground/overground crossover British dance, Chase and Status and also features a guest rap from that pocket dynamo, Tinie Tempah. "I wanted to keep it British," Rita explains. "I need to rep for the UK!" Yet for all its invincible, diamond-plated credentials, this is very much Rita Ora’s opening shot, and she really does own it. 

Rita’s debut U.S. single, “How We Do (Party),” is an infectious pop-rock party anthem paired with her stunning vocals. The single first premiered on New York’s Z100 on March 23rd and quickly became Just Jared & KIIS FM’s Pick of the Week. Lyrically, “How We Do (Party)” celebrates being young and having fun, as Rita sings, “We're tearing up the town, 'cause that's just how we do" over production duo The Runners' irresistible guitar and drum driven beats. Rita and The Runners have created one of the most addictive tunes of 2012, and "How We Do (Party)" is sure to be an essential on every playlist this summer. "I had to learn my pop instinct," she says. "The lyrics had to be tough because the song is so immediate. I wanted that twist. This is about the feeling of waking up in the morning and wanting to take another whiskey shot," she says, looking embarrassed for all of five seconds, "We’ve all been there. Haven’t we?"

There’s plenty more where that came from. Rita Ora has fashioned a debut album that is ready to stake its claim on the world stage. She has become a huge priority for JAY Z’s Roc Nation. The music icon introduced her personally to the American public with a surprise visit to one of the US’s premier radio stations Z100 earlier this year. "I was so nervous!’ she enthuses "but so excited too!".

The superstar cast of artists that have lined up to work with her reads like an award ceremony of modern urban musical excellence, from the left-field margins right to the heart of mainstream, including Diplo, Switch, Stargate, and The-Dream, in addition to Chase & Status and Drake. The result is a monopoly stronghold on future pop supremacy. "I can’t believe how lucky I’ve been," she says, "that these people have even given me the time of day, let alone clicked with me in making my album." She name drops "Rock The Life" – a ridiculously catchy, mid-tempo R&B growler – and the beautifully delivered ballad, "Love and War" as her other album favorites, before the world picks its own. 

It’s time for Rita Ora to dive in headfirst and see how her unique talent plays out. With support slots on the DJ Fresh and Coldplay tours this year she’s ready. ‘I am so nervous,’ she repeats. ‘Now is when I’m put to the test. I don’t even know what to expect. I have to dive in. I’ve just got to do it.’

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Interviews : Whitney Houston's Brother Makes a Shocking Revelation

For years, rumor had it that Bobby Brown had introduced Whitney Houston to drugs — but Michael Houston, one of the singer's two older brothers, has revealed to Oprah Winfrey that the real story was quite different.

It's a story that has Michael Houston "living, but not alive" since his younger sister's death almost a year ago.

"I feel responsible for what I let go so far," he told Oprah in a Monday interview on OWN that primarily featured mother Cissy Houston, who has a new tell-all memoir out. In that book, Cissy says she didn't understand her children doing drugs then, and she doesn't understand it now.

Said Michael Houston, "We were always, you know, being together most of the time, and her following behind me -- I taught her to drive. We played together -- everything that you do together as you're growing up -- and then when you get into drugs, you do that together too, and it just got out of hand."

Then Oprah presented what she called "the big question": Did he introduce her to drugs?

"I would say, yeah, we did everything together, so once I was into that, then she followed suit," he said.

"So was the first time she tried freebasing cocaine, or cocaine, crack, whatever ... are you the one who introduced it to her?" Winfrey pressed. 

"I think probably the first time we ever, she ever did it was probably, you know -- but you gotta understand, at the time, the '80s, it was acceptable.... In the entertainment industry it was just like, available. It wasn't like a bad word like it is now. You know what I'm saying? We didn't know. We just didn't know."

He said Whitney was in her late 20s, already famous, had money and was traveling around when they started doing drugs, long before her 1992 marriage to Brown. 

"So the first time she did it, it was you, so that's the demon you live with," Winfrey said.

"Every day," Houston said. "Every day. That's something I've got to live with for the rest of my life."

Whitney Houston accidentally drowned Feb. 11, 2012, in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel the day before the Grammy Awards. The cause of death was given as drowning and effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use. Traces of cocaine, marijuana, Xanax, Flexeril and Benadryl were found in her system.

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Sources : Whitney Houston Photo | Whitney Houston's Brother Makes a Shocking Revelation - Oprah's Next Chapter - Oprah Winfrey Network Video  | Whitney Houston's brother Michael admits starting her on drugs Article

Photos : Nicki Minaj

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Videos : Three Days Grace : Chalk Outline

Shocker Alert!

Shocker alert! Frontman Adam Gontier has resigned from Three Days Grace just weeks prior to their upcoming co-headlining tour with Shinedown. The band has replaced Gontier with My Darkest Days singer Matt Walst for the trek.

A brief posting at the band’s website reveals that Gontier has left the group effective immediately citing a health issue for his exit. The band’s bassist, Brad Walst, stated in a press release, “We were surprised and distressed by Adam’s sudden departure. We are however very excited for this upcoming tour and to have my brother Matt stepping in as lead singer.”

Three Days Grace, with Matt Walst on vocals, are still on schedule to kick off their co-headlining tour with Shinedown on Feb. 1 in Moline, Ill. At present, the tour runs through March 30 in Fargo, N.D. No further info was given as to the health issue that led to Gontier’s exit.

The news comes as a major surprise, as Three Days Grace are one of rock radio’s most successful bands over the past decade, and recently scored a chart-topping single with ‘Chalk Outline’ off their latest album ‘Transit of Venus.’ They’re currently heating up radio again with their new single ‘The High Road.’

The move also puts My Darkest Days‘ future in a different perspective. The band revealed just last week that guitarist Sal Costa had left the group, but that they were beginning work on their next studio album. With Matt Walst jumping over to Three Days Grace in Gontier’s absence, it is not known how that will affect My Darkest Days.

Three Days Grace have also posted audio of Matt Walst performing with the group to give an idea of what the singer switch will sound like. Listen in the sound files posted at the bottom of this story.

Update: Three Days Grace provided further explanation about the singer change late Wednesday (Jan. 9). The full statement can be read below:

We appreciate everyone’s concern about Three Days Grace. We found out on December 21st that Adam wished to resign from the band. In a letter to us Adam indicated that he was resigning from the band due to a non life threatening health issue and wanted the band to continue moving forward without him. We were as shocked as many of you were to hear the news. Three Days Grace has always been and will continue to be not only our job but our passion. Instead of cancelling the tour, we felt an obligation to you, the fans, to forge ahead and put on the best show we can. Brad recently reached out to his brother Matt Walst, lead singer for ‘My Darkest Days’ to fill in for the tour dates already announced. We’ve been hanging out and rehearsing with Matt and look forward to rocking the stage in a few weeks! As of right now, Matt’s role is temporary and as far as the future and beyond this tour, we are taking it one day at a time. – 3DG

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Photos : Linkin Park


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Videos : Trinidad James Feat Forte Bowie : Southside

Following the success of his ‘All Gold Everything’, Trinidad James looks to keep the momentum going by dropping his latest visual for ‘Southside’. Directed by Decatur Dan. This is off his “Dont Be S.A.F.E.” mixtape out now iTunes.


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Photos : Future

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Bars+Lounges : Uk : London : Balham : The 3 Monkeys Bar

About The 3 Monkeys Bar
We’ll speak or hear no evil of this cheeky wee monkey down deepest Balham way, a permanent venue from pop-up festival bar specialists, Peppermint. The combination of quality cocktails and karaoke in a sound-proofed disco den kitted out by industry leader Lucky Voice is a winning combo aimed at wannabe divas, and everything on the 75-strong drinks list is available on a ‘2-for-1’ basis from 4-8pm Tues-Sat and all day Sunday. Order classics such as aviation, blood and sand, bramble, Tom Collins and ‘dangerous’ Long Island iced tea, or sip a paradise martini (Hendrick’s gin, coconut water and ginger syrup). If you think hazelnut-flavoured Frangelico is the bee’s knees, try it in monkey’s nuts (a mix also involving Monkey Shoulder blended whisky, lemon juice and sugar).

The 3 Monkeys Bar Review By Nabeeldo : London
Indubitably becoming one of the best bars in south London let alone balham. Knowledge intellect and a drive to keeping the atmosphere light and breezy being the key ingredients to the serious vibe they are creating here. If you want to party come.. If you want to chill in a seat and party then let me see those fingers.


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Address 5 Fernlea Rd, London SW12 9RT, Balham

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Videos: Brad Paisley : Southern Comfort Zone

A Southern Comfort Zone
If ever an artist has earned the right to title an album This Is Country Music, it’s Brad Paisley.  It’s not because he’s the Country Music Association’s reigning Entertainer of the Year or because his H2O Tour was 2010’s top country trek in attendance or because he’s sold more than 12 million albums and scored 18 #1 hits at country radio.

It’s not because he’s been performing professionally since he was 13 as a regular on Wheeling, West Virginia’s famed Jamboree USA, becoming the youngest person ever inducted into the Jamboree Hall of Fame.  It’s not because he’s won 14 CMA Awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year three times or because of the record-setting five consecutive Academy of Country Music Male Vocalist honors that count among his 14 ACM wins.

Paisley’s ninth studio album is titled This Is Country Music because this is the singer/songwriter/guitar virtuoso’s heartfelt homage to the music he’s loved since childhood.  It’s a multi-faceted tribute to all the elements that embody country music from the young artist who single-handedly made Grand Ole Opry legend Little Jimmy Dickens cool to a new generation of country fans and who collaborated with the late Buck Owens, providing him with his only CMA Award win.  Paisley’s well-documented march toward stardom has been an inclusive journey that has taken many of his heroes with him along the way.

He continues to do that on This Is Country Music.  The title track and lead single name checks some of the format’s legendary hits such as George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried” and Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line.”  “The first song written for this album was ‘This Is Country Music,’” he says.  “If you are going to call an album ‘This Is Country Music,’ the last thing I want to do is have somebody listen to it and have them say to themselves, ‘No, it’s not.’  So in many ways, this is the ‘countriest’ album I’ve done.  The heart of it is totally country.  I even threw a song out on this project that I loved, that could land on a future project, because it didn’t say ‘this is country music’ to me.

The album’s second hit single, “Old Alabama,” finds Paisley not only sampling Alabama’s classic hit “Mountain Music,” but reuniting Randy Owen, Jeff Cook and Teddy Gentry to perform on the track.  “It’s really a combination of what they do and what I do, which is not hard because I’ve ripped them off so many times over the years,” Paisley says with a smile.  “They’ve been a major inspiration to me.  I saw them play live many, many times.  I remember going to the Civic Arena in Wheeling when they played and their opening acts were Clint Black and Lorrie Morgan.  They were one of the first arena acts in country music.  They were the first to really bring semi-tractor trailers down the road and have a big production.”

Alabama is an obvious influence for a country musician who came of age in the ‘80s, but on This Is Country Music, the three-time GRAMMY® winner paints a more expansive, textured portrait of the genre he loves.  “I’m trying to do something brand new utilizing the influences that made me who I am,” Paisley says.  “Some of them are not necessarily right within country music, but they are more important to modern country than you might think.  There are influences that come into play like Eric Clapton.  When I try to play or harness anything that has some soul to it, I’m usually channeling him . . . Don Henley and the stuff that The Eagles did in the ‘70s, they are responsible for what you hear on country radio now.”  

Paisley wrote or co-wrote 12 of the album’s 15 tracks, recruiting an eclectic cadre of special guests, including Henley, Clint Eastwood, Sheryl Crow, Marty Stuart, Carl Jackson, Carrie Underwood and Blake Shelton.  Henley lends his distinctive vocals to “Love Her Like She’s Leavin’.”  “It’s a real romantic song, and it feels like something that either he would have written or his band, The Eagles, would have done,” says Paisley.  “So I thought he would be the perfect voice on the song.”

Paisley first met Eastwood at the White House during a Kennedy Center Honors reception.  The legendary actor and his wife, Dina, then enlisted Brad to perform for one of their charity events in California.  “When I was working on this record, and we wrote this instrumental, I had Eastwood in mind,” Paisley says of the tune he co-wrote with Robert Arthur and Kendal Marcy.  “We started writing what felt like a western, and I thought we could call this ‘Eastwood.’”

In addition to always including an instrumental on every album, Paisley is also known for recording a gospel song on every album since his 1999 Arista Nashville debut, Who Needs Pictures.  This time around he revives the classic “Life’s Railway to Heaven,” the first song he ever sang in church when he was nine years old.  “I had Marty Stuart, Sheryl Crow and Carl Jackson all singing harmonies on that,” says Paisley, for whom 2011 marked his 10th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.  “It turned out great.  Wait until you hear their harmonies.”

On This Is Country Music, Paisley once again works with longtime producer Frank Rogers and co-writes with such frequent collaborators as Lee Thomas Miller, Ashley Gorley, Tim Owens, Kelley Lovelace and Chris DuBois.  He and DuBois wrote the title track and penned more verses than would fit into a radio single, so Paisley opted to use some of the extra verses as intros for other songs throughout the record.  The result is a wonderful narrative thread that gives the album an even more cohesive feel, like a great movie reeling with a vibrant cast of characters such as the girl who is “Working on a Tan,” an energetic ode to summer that finds Paisley channeling surf guitar legend Dick Dale.

“A Man Don’t Have to Die” is a sobering tale that many people will find easily relatable about living in difficult times.  “One of Those Lives” is a poignant song about a childhood cancer.  “New Favorite Memory” is a sexy number about falling in love with someone all over again during an unexpected moment.

This Is Country Music also includes duets with two of Paisley’s fellow country hitmakers, Carrie Underwood and Blake Shelton.  “It’s a fun song about getting somebody off your mind,” Paisley says of “Don’t Drink the Water,” a duet with Shelton, who will be joining him this summer on his H2O II: Wetter & Wilder World Tour.  He and Underwood join forces on the incredible ballad “Remind Me,” about a couple looking to rekindle the spark in a relationship.  “It’s a song about the conversation a couple would have.  It could be seven months into the relationship or it could be seven years, but everybody’s been there,” Paisley says.  “I love the honesty about that song.”

Paisley and Underwood had previously teamed on “Oh Love,” a track from his 2007 album, 5th Gear, and the two friends have hosted the last three CMA Awards telecasts.  “There is no limit to how high she can sing.  She’s amazing,” Paisley says.  “I asked, ‘Is there any note you can’t hit?’  And she said, ‘I don’t know,’ and I was playing it for her, and I said, ‘How about high G,’ and she went, ‘Yeah, I can hit that.’  There’s honestly nobody better, and her instincts were perfect, too.  When she came in to sing, every take was perfect.  She 100% nailed it every time.”

In recording This Is Country Music, Paisley’s goal was not only to sonically capture the varied tones and textures of country music, but to lyrically reflect the lives of the people who love it.  “There are stories and observations in songs like ‘A Man Don’t Have to Die.’  I didn’t write that song, but I heard it and instantly said, ‘This is exactly where I want to go with this album,’ because it is absolute reality for some people,” he notes.  “In the title track, when I sing ‘This is real.  This is your life in a song,’ not every one of these songs will be you at this moment, but several, I guarantee, will be.  If they aren’t right now, a lot of them have the potential to be a story that applies to your life.  That’s our job in country music.”


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Sources : Brad Paisley Photo | Southern Comfort Zone Video | Brad Paisley Biography

Videos : Dizzee Rascal : Bassline Junkie

The Bassline Junkie

Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is an English rapper, MC, songwriter and record producer with African roots in Ghana and Nigeria. His music is a blend of grime, garage, hip hop, rap, electronic and R&B. Best known for his number-one hits "Dance wiv Me," "Bonkers," "Holiday," "Dirtee Disco" & "Shout," his debut album, Boy in da Corner, won him the 2003 Mercury Prize. Follow-up albums Showtime, Maths + English and Tongue n' Cheek have all been critically acclaimed and certified gold, the last going platinum for sales exceeding 300,000 units in the United Kingdom.

Mills' Nigerian father died when he was young, and he was raised in Bow, in the East End of London in a single-parent family by his Ghanaian mother Priscilla, about whom he says: "I had issues as a kid. I was violent and disruptive. The way my mum helped was by finding me a different school every time I got kicked out, always fighting to keep me in the school system."

He attended a series of schools in East London, and was expelled from four of them, including St Paul's Way Community School he also went to Langdon Park Secondary School in east london.  – it was a teacher who first called him "Rascal."[8] Cagey about exactly what Mills'youthful "madnesses" entailed, in early interviews he mentioned fighting with teachers, stealing cars and robbing pizza delivery men.[7] In the fifth school he was excluded from all classes except music. He also used to attend YATI (Young Actors Theatre Islington).

He began making music on the school's computer, encouraged by a music teacher, Mr Smith, and during the summer holidays attended a music workshop organised by Tower Hamlets Summer University of which he is now a patron. His mother bought him his first turntables.

He was a childhood friend of Nigerian footballer Danny Shittu, whom Mills described as "like a big brother."

Dizzee Rascal once told author Ben Thompson in an interview with the Sunday's Observer magazine that “everything I do is for the music – I want to master it like Bruce Lee mastered martial arts."

His music is a mixture of UK Garage and hip-hop beats with an extremely broad palette of influences, ranging from metal guitars to drill and bass synth lines, eclectic samples and even Japanese court music. Dizzee Rascal also makes extensive use of un-coupled octuplets and double and triple couplets in his machine-gun-paced staccato lyrics. Like most grime artists, he uses "beats born of ringtones, video games and staticky pirate-radio sounds" Dizzee's tracks are traditional grime in that the beats are often asymmetrical and make it difficult to dance to his music. His vocal performance is also distinctive; he uses a fast style of rapping which blends elements from garage MCing, conventional rap, grime and ragga. He raps about the same issues a confused generation of youth tends to; broken family, faithless mentors and a lack of support. Dizzee's videos are similar to many grime and garage artists in the UK. They are frenetic and fast, often matching the speed of the rapping; this is especially visible in the videos to "Fix Up, Look Sharp" and "I Luv U." Although his fast style of rapping and his subject matter are nothing more than ordinary in the UK, Dizzee Rascal's diversity nonetheless separates him from other UK rappers. In his song "Brand New Day," Dizzee Rascal used "flat, punching out riddims into cheap PC software, beats born of ringtones, video games, and staticky pirate-radio sounds."In "Jus' a Rascal," he uses "T.O.K.'s hysterical dancehall harmonies, a synthesised guitar line halfway between death metal and English Beat, stuttering Southern hi-hats and a kick drum retarded to a crawl."

Dizzee Rascal worked closely with his mentor Wiley, who created one of the first grime tracks, called "Eskimo."[14] Grime is today still considered underground, despite Dizzee's large mainstream exposure. Dizzee's DJ, DJ Semtex, says, "the biggest conflict I have is with major labels because they still don’t get it."Andy Bennett and Jon Stratton highlight in the book Britpop and the English Music Tradition (2010) how Rascal alongside Sway and M.I.A. created music that explored new soundscapes with new technologies, with lyrics expressing anger at Britain's "racialized" subordination of minority groups and that the innovation that generates new musical forms like grime and dubstep that are, inevitably, politically engaged. The chart success of grime-influenced artists like Rascal is heralded as a signal in the way that white Britons are adapting to a new multicultural and plural musical mix in contrast to previous bands.

Experimenting with his decks and styles, he became an amateur DJ, making occasional appearances on a local pirate radio station. Aged 16, he self-produced his first single, "I Luv U." In 2002, he jointly formed the Roll Deep Crew, a 13-piece garage collective, with former school friends. Signed by the XL record label, he signed an additional solo deal.

During his early career, Dizzee worked with his mentor Wiley to create the song 'We Ain't Having It' (which never got released on any albums) and also rapped on some 'Sidewinder' recordings. He made some instrumentals including 'Go' and 'Ho' and 'Streetfighter' which used some music from a video game. Dizzee had an ongoing feud, from late 2002, with fellow popular underground Grime MC Crazy Titch, which began when a fight broke out between the pair during a set on the popular pirate radio station Deja Ju FM. The set which features many seminal early Grime artists was filmed, which was rare for the era, and has accumulated over a million views on YouTube and resulted in the two exchanging diss tracks. Since his incarceration on murder charges in 2005 Crazy Titch has said he no longer has any issues with Dizzee Rascal who has not since commented on the affair. There has been some suggestion, however, that the chorus of Dizzee Rascal's hit song Bonkers references Crazy Titch's incarceration.

After winning a Sidewinder Award for Best Newcomer MC in 2002, in June 2003 the re-recorded and re-produced by Jacob Freitt single I Luv U was released, becoming a Top 30 hit single.

Dizzee was a judge in the Sky1 show Must Be The Music. (Read More)

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Videos : Vato Gonzalez Ft. Lethal Bizzle & Donae'O : Not A Saint

Who Is Vato Gonzalez?

Vato Gonzalez (born June 6, 1983 as Björn Franken) is a Dutch record producer, songwriter, artist, DJ, who is signed to Levels Recordings/Ministry of Sound. He is considered to be the originator of a house music movement known as 'dirty house' and best known for his single Badman Riddim (Jump) (featuring Foreign Beggars), which reached #7 on the UK Singles Chart after a release on June 19, 2011.

Franken was born in Spijkenisse, Netherlands. As a teenager he developed an interest in graphic design before he started to focus on making music.

Between 2007 and 2009 Franken released 5 mixtapes in the 'Dirty House' series, the second of which contained the song Badman Riddim. It was around the time of this release he and this song started to gain mainstream attention.

Badman Riddim, in addition to a vocal version which featured UK hip-hop/grime/dubstep group Foreign Beggars and was given the new title Badman Riddim (Jump), began to start gaining airplay from some BBC Radio 1 DJs in the UK in late 2010. As attention for the single started to grow Franken was signed to Ministry of Sound and a music video was made for the song. The single was released in the UK on June 19, 2011 and entered the UK Singles Chart at #7, the first hit in the country for both acts involved. (Read More)

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Singles : Droideka : Get Hyper

Listen To Droideka : Get Hyper

Who Is Droideka?

Droideka is an 18 year old dubstep/dnb/drumstep maker from Cambridge, UK. He uses Ableton Live 8, Axiom Pro 25 + Novation Launchpad, comment, follow, like on facebook, check out my youtube channel, tell your friends, etc. if you like what i do :)


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Videos : Elephant Man : Bad Wi Bad 

Who Is Elephant Man?

Elephant Man, also known as the Energy God (born O'Neil Bryan; 11 September 1975; Kingston, Jamaica) is a dancehall musician

Bryan's stagename stemmed from his large ears, which led to the nickname Dumbo in his youth. He started out his musical career as a member of the Scare Dem Crew, later continuing as a solo artist. He was later characterised for several trademarks, such as his dyed yellow-orange hair, his unique low-key voice, and his stage performance, which included jumping and running, or even climbing on stage props and monitors. His acoustic trademark is marked by a light lisp.

Bryan had his first international recognition when he and Puma settled a contract for using his single "All Out" for its Olympics commercial campaign in 2004.

He also had a song called "Willie Bounce" that appeared on several mixtapes in early 2006. It sampled the first few bars from "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor.

Recently, Bryan signed with New York-based label Bad Boy Records and released Let's Get Physical on 6 November 2007. The first single is called "Five-O" and features Wyclef Jean. Another track on the album will feature Diddy and Busta Rhymes, and it was produced by Cipha Sounds and Solitair.

Many of his songs are found on various Riddim Driven albums by VP Records and Greensleeves Records's Rhythm Album series. He performs on popular riddims such as "Diwali", "Coolie", "Stepz", and "Bubble Up".

The Gully Creeper dance, for which Bryan created a song, was danced by Usain Bolt at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing after winning the gold medal and breaking a world record in the 200 meter sprint. (Read More)

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Sources : Elephant Man Photo | Bad Wi Bad Video | Elephant Man Biography

Who Is Juicy J?

Jordan Michael Houston (born April 5, 1975), better known by his stage name Juicy J, is an American rapper, record producer and Academy Award-winning songwriter. He is a member of the duo Three 6 Mafia and is currently signed to Taylor Gang Records. He has released two solo studio albums with a third, Stay Trippy coming in early 2013.

He is best known as co-founder and member of the group Three 6 Mafia. He is also the younger brother of fellow member, Project Pat. His second solo album, Hustle Till I Die, was released June 16, 2009. He won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp".

From 2009 through 2011, Juicy J moved away from Three 6 Mafia becoming more of a solo act. During this time he frequently collaborated with Wiz Khalifa appearing on many of his mixtapes and released some of his own including Blue Dream & Lean. In December 2011 Juicy J confirmed rumors that he was the newest member of Wiz Khalifa's "Taylor Gang." He is featured with other members of Taylor Gang on the cover of Source Magazine's May 2012 issue. In 2012 he released his chart topping single, "Bandz A Make Her Dance", which features 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne. It was created in a two bedroom apartment in Washington, DC. The song has peaked at #32 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

In an interview in November 2012 Juicy announced that his third studio album Stay Trippy will be released in the March of 2013. He indicated an interest in working with Nas, Dr. Dre and Jay-Z on the album. Announced guest features to be included on the album are Wiz Khalifa, The Weeknd, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Project Pat, Bei Maejor, Young Jeezy, Big Sean, DJ Paul. The album will also feature production from frequent collaborators Lex Luger, Sonny Digital, Mike WiLL Made It, Dr. Luke, Crazy Mike and Juicy J himself. Juicy will perform at the 2013 Paid Dues festival on March 30, 2013.

Juicy J is notable for his crunk style of rapping, highlighted by his "heavy-breathing" and "stomping" background sound effects. Juicy J's production style is characterized by fast-rolling high hats, sharp snares, and deep cinematic bass. He also incorporates samples from classic soul artists such as Willie Hutch, David Ruffin, and Isaac Hayes.

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Sources : Juicy J Photo | She Dancin Video | Juicy J Biography