A Long Come-Up For Electronica

Je’Ri Allah, also known as the MC Jay Electronica, is a New Orleans native that finally hit it big time.

He got into rap when he was just 9 years-old, when he heard rapper “Radio” for the first time. That was the moment he knew he wanted to be a rapper, according to Dream Hampton.

At 18, Electronica decided to follow his dream and move to what he called “Rapland”. However, his bus trip to New York City was cut short when he arrived in Atlanta for a pit stop. He got off the bus and did not get back on, said Dream Hampton.

Electronica moved around a lot in the years to follow between Atlanta, New York, Detroit, and Denver, said StarPulse.com.

In 2005, Electronica met Erykah Badu who used him to launch her label, Control Freaq.

His track received a lot of good feedback on MySpace; so good, in fact, Electronica had to disable his page, said Dream Hampton.

He then produced his track, “Act 1”, a rhyme written over the soundtrack for the film, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”.

In 2009, Electronica released a track that got him mainstream attention, and put at No. 86 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart, said Billboard.

He signed with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation the following year.

Billboard further explains that “music moguls like Diddy and his baby-mother Erykah Badu [are] calling him the most exciting thing to happen to hip-hop in a long while.”

Electronica’s Debut Delayed

The young and talented rapper, Jay Electronica, has signed with Roc Nation and now, the public patiently awaits his next album.

The album is finished but has not been released yet. The release date is still unknown.

HipHop DX quoted an interview with ?uestlove from The Roots giving incite on Jay Electronica’s album. He said that Jay-Z calls Electronica’s album his “favorite of 2012.” However, the album is lacking a single.

This could be the reason why the album has been delayed.

According to RapRadar.com, the album may never debut.

Prefix Magazine found album artwork that was made for this album before Electronica was signed to Roc Nation. Will this artwork still be used is unknown.

If Electronica’s music is foreign, here is his song “The Announcement”.

Jay Electronica – The Announcement

Kendrick Lamar: Enough Said

Kendrick Lamar, a 23 year old rapper from Compton, is an artist that, if you have not heard of him, must be listened to. His incredible, metaphoric lyricism and unique choked-up sound has jump started this rapper’s career, and will only keep pushing him forward.

Lamar’s early life in Compton was far from easy but he lived a good life. He had good grades in school and his parents taught him life lessons that he applies to his career, according to the Kendrick Lamar fansite.

At age 16, Lamar got his chance with DudeDawg, chief financial officer of Top Dawg Entertainment.

Overtime, Lamar has worked with artists such as Snoop Dogg and was mentored by hip-hop legend Dr. Dre.

Lamar has recently performed in Dallas and San Francisco.

His inspiration, according to the fansite, is Tupac whom he often compares himself.

Behind the Scenes: Violence Awareness Concert

Lion Media put on a successful show last night in the Ware Center. The Violence Awareness concert had a huge turnout.

It was only 6:30 p.m. and the line to get into the concert stretched from the back door of the theatre to the front door of the Ware Center. When the doors finally opened, it wasn’t long before every seat was filled as Lincoln students waited for the curtains to open.

Before the show, I caught up with Crush Records, the young artists whose song “#Team Cake” is raving through Lincoln’s campus. The young men, Fats and Barz, 16 and 21, are both Chester, Penn. natives who have only been rapping together for a year.

Though young, their rhymes are mature beyond their ages. “That’s the talent we were blessed with,” said Barz in the dressing room.

Lincoln responded well to the young MC’s. With the curtain closed they asked the crowd, “Who’s with team cake?” The audience responded with loud cheering and the curtains opened.

They did a couple of their own remixes to well-known hip-hop instrumentals such as Meek Mill “House Party”.

The two interacted with the audience, even doing the kid and play dance on stage. Their stage presence was amazing and they had such confidence as they performed their rhymes.

The last song they performed was “#TeamCake” which got the audience on their feet. They left the Lincoln students wanting more.

Other artists, such as Walt Anderson, a young R&B artist, also left lasting impressions. The other artists that performed include, Nudelphia and Mack Al-Friqi from Lincoln University, as well as Chase Allen, and Lee Mazin.

Lion Media Violence Awareness Fest

Lincoln University’s Lion Media is teaming up with Power 99FM to put on a concert tonight to spread awareness about violence in nearby urban areas, said Ashley Simms, Media Manager at Lincoln University.

The concert will include performances by both on-campus and off-campus artists. The on-campus artists include Mack Al-Friqi and Nudelphia.

Off-campus artists include Latif, Lee Mazin, Regular Reese, Chase Allen and Crush Records.

The show will be hosted by Lincoln University’s own Lynn Shirley and Rich Lancester.

The concert will take place tonight at Lincoln University’s Ware Center Theatre. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the concert begins at 7:30 p.m.

Bad Boy, MGK, on the Rise

The 21 year-old Ohio rapper, Richard Colson Baker, better known as “Machine Gun Kelly“, can definitely back up the bad boy persona he gives off.

However, even with CBS News reporting his two arrests for misdemeanors, one in August of 2011 and another just earlier this year, MGK’s career is rising fast.

The young artist, signed with Bad Boy Entertainment, is performing at the MTVU’s Woodie Awards Festival in Austin, TX currently going on right now. It can be watched via live stream on the MTVU website.

MGK is also nominated for the Breaking Woodie Award, an award to recognize the audience’s favorite up-and-coming artists. Other nominees include A$AP Rocky, Azealia Banks, Charlie XCX, and many more.

The Breaking Woodie Award would only be an addition to the other recognitions this young Ohio rapper has received. Fuse says that he has been voted MTV’s 2011 Breakthrough MC and one of the Top Freshman of 2012 by XXL Magazine.

Currently, MGK has released a track featuring Mystikal that has received much positive feedback from the public, according to Fuse. He is also working with DMX on a new track.

Talent Right Under Your Nose

As a student at Lincoln University, I see, first hand, a side of Lincoln students that most teachers and authority figures do not. It is almost surprising how much talent is on this campus that most people do not know.

Singers, songwriters, musicians, producers, and more all walk the halls of the academic buildings striving to achieve a degree in business, science, mass communications or in another bachelor program. After class, however, their inner artist arises to create music like no one has ever heard before.

Everyday students such as Mike Drayton or Noni Fernandez (both of which happen to be receiving their degree in the humanities) transform into their alter-egos, “NishoSoul” and “The Village Kid“, to create and perform soulful renditions of their everyday life through music. 

Once in a while, these students get their chances to shine in small talent shows and showcases put on by their peers in student organizations. Just recently, Swing Phi Swing Social Fellowship, Inc held a hiphop showcase that highlighted a little of Lincoln’s talent, including Raheem Ali. The showcase also included artists from near by communities such as Cypher Clique from Dover, Del.

SoundCentricity is all about unrefined talent and my fellow peers are the exact definition of that. It is time that we take a deeper look into the raw talent scattered throughout Lincoln University’s campus.

Sisterly Love is Taking Over Facebook

With views that exceed 5.2 million, VanJess’ YouTube channel has been racking up the subscribers.

Ivana and Jessica Nwokike are sisters, 15 months apart, that love to sing. “We definitely grew up singing, and we don’t remember a time we weren’t trying to sing,” the two told Gossip on This in early 2010. They have much more success since then but are still unsigned.

The two have a unique style to their music. They have been described as two that “sing with new flavor” by many of their fans. They are influenced by artists such as Beyonce, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Tina Turner, and more, according to their Facebook band page.

The sisters are only looking for more opportunities to get better. The fan site quotes them saying, “Check us out and let us know what you think of us so we can keep getting better!” It continues on to show their humility with the two saying, “Thanks to all our subscribers, and everyone else for supporting us by watching our vids!”

If you have any inquiries about contacting the sisters, contact Victor Murgatroyd at VM@CoolLavaManagement.com.

Getting Ready for the Biggest Night in Indie Music: 2012 Woodies Awards

It is the biggest night for independent artists and this year it is bigger than ever.

The 2012 MTVU Woodies Awards are striking up buzz everywhere. A highly anticipated event, the Woodies highlights Indie music with nominees and award winners chosen by college students.

This year, MTV has decided to take the award show a bit further by adding a 5 city tour and a festival leading up to the event.

The first ever Woodies Awards Tour is headlining Young Giant, whose had two singles that reached the Top 10 on the Modern Rock Charts. They also performed in the 2011 MTV Music Video Awards, according to the MTV website. The tour also has special guest Walk the Moon, who was featured in the CMJ showcase for MTV Hive.

Following the tour, on March 15 in Austin, artists such as Wall paper, Walk the Moon, and others will perform at the first Woodies Awards Festival, which will also be aired on MTV.

The Woodies Awards are March 18th at 8 p.m. and will be aired on MTVU. For more information, check out the MTVU Woodies Awards Website.