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Common and Pete Rock’s Collaboration Album ‘The Auditorium Vol. 1’ Is the Hip-Hop Album I Never Knew I Was Waiting For

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Panama Jackson theGrio.com

There was a time when the pairing of rapper Common and producer Pete Rock would have easily been my most anticipated album of the 12 months. Common, a Chicago rapper turned multi-dimensional rapper, has long been one in all the most beloved MCs in hip-hop; he commands the respect of his hip-hop peers and has produced quite a few commercially successful albums and songs. “Light,” Common’s track, produced by the late GOAT producer J Dilla, is now hip-hop canon.

Likewise, Pete Rock is one in all the most praised and respected producers of ’90s boom-bap, hip-hop. He too has productions at the level of the hip-hop canon; “They Remember You (TROY)” Pete’s record along with his former bandmate CL Smooth might be the best beat in hip-hop history. It’s my favorite record of all time, no matter genre, and while “best” of anything often becomes a matter of taste, there’s no conversation about best production without this song.

When the news broke that two of the best artists from the golden era of hip-hop were collaborating on a project — the recently released “The Auditorium Vol 1” — my interest was piqued. As some extent of reference, Nas is currently working on a collaboration with DJ Premier — clearly, the GOAT level artists of the 90s have decided to collaborate. Now, I need to admit that while my interest has piqued, I do have some reservations. Listen, I’m incredibly comfortable that so a lot of my favorite artists are still capable of make work and make a living off of hip-hop. Hip-hop fans my age (mid-40s) often complain about the newer era of hip-hop and rap music, or whether hip-hop is what younger individuals are doing. As might be the case with any genre of music, as newer and younger artists enter the arena, the sound changes and evolves, and the music becomes less consistent with previous generations. This also often signifies that when older people proceed to create, their work seems outdated and less interesting, even to the core audience.

While each Common and Pete Rock are accountable for classic material, I think it’s fair to say that their best days have been behind them for many years. I’m sure neither of their egos would allow them to confess it, but I am a consumer, fan, and sometimes apologist who still listens to Common’s Like Water for Chocolate (1999) and each of Pete’s instrumental albums like they got here out yesterday. I love these artists and haven’t been as involved with any of their recent output beyond just a few listens. I will all the time pay them respect by paying for his or her projects and downloading them and listening to them because I appreciate what they’ve given to the culture and to me as a fan.

So I got excited when the first album I heard from the duo, Wise Up , had a vintage feel but sounded the better of each: Common spitting with the same drive that’s kept him in so many conversations as one in all the best rappers, and Pete with the form of groove that just… works. It’s an indicator of the entire album — vintage but on-point Pete Rock production with a ton of melodies and basslines that feel as impressive in 2024 as they did in 1992. Common sounds inspired, too. It’s almost like Common and Pete decided to be their best possible selves for a dream collaboration that each hip-hop fan still arguing about the top 5 didn’t even know we would have liked.

For example, Pete may need my 4 favorite lines on the album when he starts rapping on “All Kinds of Ideas” with the words, “I’m a soul brotha uno, Black from the future/make beats on my table if I spoil my computer/I still make hits like I used to/keep your top 5, I’m God’s favorite manufacturer.” I can’t let you know how excited I am about that; Pete has never been my favorite producer on the mic, but lines like that put a smile on my face. Not to say that the beat itself is the form of production that has made Pete Rock my favorite producer in the genre. The entire project is filled with beats which can be different enough to indicate Pete’s range while still staying true to his talents. “Fortunate,” “Now and Then,” “When the Sun Shines Again,” and “Dreamin’,” amongst others, are the explanation why anytime Pete Rock is a component of a project, whether solo or with others, I need to a minimum of take heed to it. Pete gon’ Pete and that is excellent news for each hip-hop fan.

And then there’s Common. I’ve criticized Common as a rapper for years. Mainly because I think Common was, for some time, one in all the best rappers to ever do it. He was a minimum of a part of the conversation about the top 10 rappers to do it. But I felt like Common’s growing success had polished him just a little bit. One of my favorite things about Common has all the time been his willingness to talk truth to power, regardless of whose feathers it would irritate. That led to his high-profile feud with Ice Cube and led him to repeatedly call out rap and hip-hop as an entire for being “shiny suits.” But all that modified sooner or later as his platform and profile grew. That’s not a foul thing, and even unusual — no pun intended. I just think it sometimes made Common the least compelling a part of his own albums. Still a superb rapper and songwriter, just different. It looks as if a silly thing to complain about or indicate — far be it from me to need to stifle anyone’s growth and evolution — but the conversation surrounding Common has modified from legendary rapper to rap megastar, if that is smart. Namely, Common is only a Tony Award away from a highly coveted EGOT, having won an Emmy, multiple Grammys and an Oscarfirst rapper to do it.

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Common on “The Auditorium Vol. 1” feels like the perfect mix of the old Common who wanted you to care about his verses and the present Common who knows he’s one in all the best to ever play and has nothing to prove to anyone, like the Common in the song “To be” from his 2005 album of the same name. I found myself reconnecting with Common’s verses in a way I haven’t been shortly. Which may say more about me than him as a rapper, but that’s just the way it is. All I know is that I enjoyed listening to Common over this Pete production.

Speaking of Pete producing (again), one in all his calling cards has all the time been using snippets of songs at the starting of records. The most famous example is The Beginning of The End “She promised me” which opens “They Reminisce Over You (TROY)”. On “The Auditorium Vol. 1”, Pete follows the same practice, but places snippets of songs at the end of the records, which either open the next song or end the previous one. I do not know, but I’m glad the snippets are there, adding to the vintage feel I have for the record.

The Auditorium Vol. 1 just isn’t an ideal record, but perfection is overrated and should never be the enemy of excellent. Two of the most respected talents in hip-hop history have created an album I didn’t know I’d be serious about in 2024. But not only am I interested, they’ve released a project that’s value listening to over and another time, not simply because it jogs my memory of 1997, but because, because it seems, 1997 still sounds amazing in 2024.

I hope Pete and Common still have loads of ideas, because if that’s the case, I’ll be waiting for the next installment in the middle of an auditorium.


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Whitney Houston’s Epic 1994 South Africa Performance to Be Released as Concert Film

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Whitney Houston, theGrio.com

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Whitney Houston The epic South African concert, which took place on the heels of President Nelson Mandela’s groundbreaking election, will hit cinemas this fall.

Houston’s 1994 performance was fully remastered and released in cinemas under the title “The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban)” according to a press release released Tuesday by several associates, including Houston’s heirs, Sony Music Entertainment and Trafalgar Releasing.

The limited theatrical release will begin on October 23 and can include: a never-before-seen performance by the late singer from Durban, South Africa. The project will precede a brand new live album, The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban) , which will probably be released on November 8.

“She loved South Africa, she loved the people and she loved Nelson Mandela,” he said. Pat HoustonThe singer’s sister-in-law and executor of her estate in Houston, who’s executive producing the concert film. “This concert is one of the most important concerts of her career. On this important 30th anniversary, we are thrilled to be able to share this film not only with her fans, but also with the people of South Africa and their next generation.”

In 1994, Houston performed three concert events in South Africa, including Durban at Kings Park Stadium, Johannesburg and Cape Town. Her performances took place within the newly unified post-apartheid country following Mandela’s historic election victory.

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The concert events attracted over 200,000 attendees in a show crammed with celebrations of freedom, hope and unity. Proceeds from her concert events went to quite a few local kid’s charities in South Africa through her foundation.

Houston’s performance has been remastered in 4K for the film, together with enhanced audio. The concert film will probably be shown in nearly 900 theaters in greater than 25 countries.

“It was my first time in South Africa, and I don’t think I was really prepared for how this trip would change me forever,” said Rickey Minor, a three-time Emmy Award winner who served as Houston’s musical director for 25 years. “The energy was electric and the audience was incredible as we celebrated the end of apartheid. Whitney shared her love and shone her light.”

Earlier that yr, Houston won three Grammy Awards, including album of the yr for the soundtrack to “The Bodyguard.” She won record of the yr and best female pop vocal performance for the smash hit “ I will always love you.”

Houston was certainly one of the world’s best-selling artists thanks to her effortless, powerful vocals rooted within the black church but made palatable to the masses by her pop persona. She sold greater than 200 million records worldwide over her 25-year profession and won six Grammy Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards and two Emmys before her death in 2012.

Houston’s live album will feature a few of her biggest hits from ” I need to dance with someone (who loves me)How will I do know?I even have nothing “And” The greatest love of all It will also feature the unreleased song “Love Is”.

“The message of hope and unity from the performance in Durban, South Africa, is still as relevant today as it was 30 years ago,” said Marc Allenby, CEO of Trafalgar Releasing. “Fans will be thrilled to see how powerful it is on the big screen.”

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Yolanda Adams is still dealing with the blessing with ‘Sunny Days,’ her first studio album in almost 13 years

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NEW YORK (AP) — If happiness is a journey, not a destination, then Yolanda Adams has used her faith and smiles to sustain her spirits through life’s ups and downs.

“I think I was born with that happiness gene that people talk about,” the gospel star said. “I want people to leave here feeling like they’re better than they are… I’ve had days when I’ve been up, I’ve had days when I’ve been down. But at the end of the day, the one lesson I’ve learned in every single one of those scenarios is that this too shall pass.”

That theme continues throughout her latest album, “Sunny Days,” her first studio project in nearly 13 years.

“The way you look at anything has a lot to do with how you deal with it,” said the booming-voiced four-time Grammy Award winner.

The 15-track project was six years in the making, delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and her role in the television series “Kingdom Business”.

“Sunny Days” is a piece written and produced by gospel music giant Donald Lawrence and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewiswhose work on Babyface also contributed to the delay. The album is promoted by the song “Church Doors”, which after only one week reached number 9 on Billboard magazine’s Hot Gospel Songs chart.

As he has throughout his profession, Adams uses his musical gift of encouragement on songs like the title track “Blessings” and “Powerful,” which has a spoken-word intro: (*13*)

“I try to be the best cheerleader I can be for everyone in my life,” the former elementary school teacher said. “You know how The Lion King says, ‘Simba, remember who you are.’ That’s what it’s all about: You are powerful.”

“When We Pray” – Produced by Jam and Lewis, who rose to fame after working with stars including Janet Jackson, Babyface, Usher and Mary J. Blige — it’s about putting faith into motion. Adams says she has a “lifelong bond” with the duo.

“We write together. We laugh, we cry,” said Adams, 63. “We talk about the problems of the world together and how we can create great music that can make people not only aware of the blessings of their lives but aware of the space they’re in right now.”

Named the #1 Gospel Artist of the 2000s by Billboard, Adams has produced iconic hits resembling “The Battle is the Lord’s,” “I’m Gonna Be Ready,” “In the Midst of It All” and “Be Blessed,” in addition to hits with Jam and Lewis: “Never Give Up” and “Open My Heart,” the latter from her Grammy Award-winning 1999 album Mountain High … Valley Low.

“Open My Heart,” which the late Luther Vandross privately championed when his record company desired to release a special single, reached unprecedented heights, crossing over to R&B radio and peaking at No. 57 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

“I was in the middle of making a business decision that didn’t just affect my family. It affected everyone on the road with me,” Adams said, reflecting on the inspiration for the song. “I’m sitting here today because I made the right decision.”

The Texas Southern graduate starred in the BET+ drama Kingdom Business, currently in its second season, as Denita, a gospel star and music executive determined to guard her family’s secrets. While Adams enjoys playing a personality who is very different from herself, she says it’s been a challenge for some fans.

“I lost a couple of fans who were like, ‘You didn’t have to swear,’” she explained that while she had no input into the script, her character is believable because churchgoers aren’t perfect. “When people are dealing with life, it can make you say things you wouldn’t normally say. And I really hope people take away from ‘Kingdom Business’ this: If you were the person you were trying to judge… how would you feel?”

Adams is currently on the 33-date Kirk Franklin Reunion Tour, which features fellow gospel titans Fred Hammond, Marvin Sapp and The Clark Sisters. While gospel has all the time been her passion, she is open to performing a secular R&B song and has spoken to Stevie Wonder a few duet and helping him with a possible gospel project.

For now, nonetheless, she is focused on getting the message of her book “Sunny Days” across, but she won’t measure its success by the variety of copies sold, but by the variety of hearts touched.

“When I hear your testimony and hear how music was a part of your life, it just makes me more accountable: ‘Yes, I have to keep making this music! I have to keep making good music! OK God, give me some good things so I can keep blessing people.'”

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Janet Jackson recalls another major wardrobe mishap she experienced on stage

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Janet Jackson, Rhythm Nation, Janet Jackson style, theGrio.com

Janet Jackson once almost showed her full moon to the Queen of England.

The 58-year-old music icon opened up about an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction she had within the ’90s, in addition to a few of her most memorable fashion moments. British Vogue. When the “That’s the Way Love Goes” singer stepped out for a photograph in her iconic “Rhythm Nation” jumpsuit, she said, “Funny story about that jumpsuit: I was performing for the Queen of England and we were playing ‘Rhythm Nation.’ And sure enough, as soon as I crouched down, my pants ripped right down my ass crack. And I mean that very seriously.”

Jackson was in disbelief, she said, adding: “I thought, ‘Oh my God.’ And then I started feeling air in there, so I knew it had actually happened.”

She coped with the style faux pas by never turning her back on the Queen. When the choreography required her to show, she said, “I just looked straight ahead.”

“Can you imagine what it would be like if I showed myself to her for even a second?” she asked.

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Elsewhere within the film, Jackson takes viewers on a journey through her childhood looks within the Nineteen Seventies to her more memorable stage looks from throughout her epic entertainment profession. She admits that she was a tomboy who often needed to argue her viewpoint when it got here to her mother’s clothing decisions. She preferred wearing suits and trousers, while her mother favored dresses and colours like pink.

But, Jackson noted with a sly smile, “I’ve gotten my way in a lot of cases.”

She added: “It was just about being myself and being comfortable.”

In another photo from her teens on the American Music Awards, she wears a red ruffled taffeta dress and a pair of hoop earrings, one in all which has a key hanging from it. She explained that since she didn’t carry a key chain, she needed to get creative when it got here to keeping her keys on her person.

“I was in charge of the animals, and we had animals: giraffes, mouflon sheep, pheasants, toucans, cockatoos, dogs,” she said, adding: “That’s why I kept the key there.”

She also noted that she hadn’t seen the dress for the reason that ’80s, when her older sister LaToya wore it herself.

“Sisters,” she said with fun.

The video ends with a scene from her current tour designed by Tom Browne.

“There are certain designers who are just brilliant to me. Thom is right up there. He’s a genius and he did this for me on tour,” she noted of the designer she called a friend.

“I think he did it, but he did it, and I did it,” she said of the tuxedo jumpsuit look.

Discussing the present tour and her fans, the music legend said, “You know, it’s people who have grown up with my music since the beginning and their kids. It just lets me know that my music has stood the test of time, which would be any artist’s dream.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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