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Lil ½ Dead’s 1994 album “The Dead Has Arisen” is one of the most well-produced West Coast albums that almost no one has heard

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thegrio.com, lil half dead, death row records, 90s hip hop, snoop dogg

I actually have a friend who, while in college, would buy any CD (remember that?) by any artist he had even heard a little bit about. Said artist’s talent was less necessary than supporting various homies and fans of superstar rappers and singers. As a collective, all my friends joked that he was the only one that actually bought Young Turk’s debut album (Hot Boy that Lil Wayne, Juvenile or BG – no shade), Young & Thuggin’ – the album title I had to envision out. (Which is saying something, considering the 1999-2000 debut albums by Cash Money Records artists were a banger.)

Either way, while I often added fun or two to the joke session, I could only be so amused; in highschool, I used to be that friend who bought all the artists’ albums that no one else was buying. I could not help myself; I had such a voracious appetite for music that I had to listen to every thing, even when I had no idea who the artist was, but possibly indirectly they jogged my memory of an artist I would know – especially if he was from the West Coast. I used to be a fanatic about West Coast artists and NWA. While the listening experience for these albums is very different at this point in my life, albums like “The Chronic” by Dr. Dre, Ice Cube’s “Death Certificate”, DJ Quik’s “Safe +Sound”, etc. were my absolute favorites to hearken to Do. Each of these albums still holds spots on my list of favorite albums of all time.

Each of these albums often featured artists or groups who made songs that were cool enough for a verse, but whose subsequent albums weren’t excellent. I do know this because like I said, I purchased ALL of their records, especially the ones related to DJ Quik. Well, it’s getting worse; I used to be so immersed in the sound and music of that era that even the mention of it by one of these artists made me buy the album.

This is how I discovered myself in a small group of individuals who bought the debut album by Lil ½ Dead, rapper and comrade of Snoop Dogg and Dogg Pound from Long Beach, California. I used to be minding my very own little business in October 1994, either at Sam Goody or one of Huntsville’s other now-defunct record stores, Madison Square Mall in Alabama, after I got here across “The Dead Has Arisen.” I learned Lil ½ Dead’s name from a Snoop Dogg verse “The Boy from the Little Ghetto” from the album Dr. Dre “The Chronic”. I suppose I didn’t know if it was the same one, but what number of rappers will be called Lil ½ Dead, right?

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I had the lowest expectations for the album. First, I only knew his name; I didn’t actually hear his voice, much less a verse from him. I didn’t know what I used to be getting, but I assumed it will be the same West Coast G-funk sound that was in vogue at the time.

What I heard knocked me off my feet.

While Lil ½ Dead is funny, even funny as a rapper, the lyrics throughout the album are full of house parties, gang shootings, rampant violence and misogyny; mainly every thing most west coast Los Angeles albums were stuffed with at the time. While this is not a great thing, it was normal in that era. Lil ½ Dead is neither great nor terrible as a rapper, but a serviceable voice and guide to an otherwise true gem of an album.

The production on this album is amazing. Controlled entirely by Tracy Kenrick AND Courtney Branch — two producers I learned produced songs from a litany of my favorite 90s West Coast albums — the entire album is full of smooth, soulful productions that I’ve never heard before. There is not a single beat on the entire album that might be considered even average; The fact that Snoop (or anyone from that era) didn’t hear this album and ask to play on every beat is surprising to me. I’ve been working on this album for 30 years and I’m still amazed at how well it is produced.

If Dr. Dre worked with Tracy and Courtney to combine this album and run it through the Death Row publicity machine, I actually have no doubt that “The Dead Has Arisen” could be as successful as any Tha Dogg Pound or Warren G album, all you Lil ½ Dead homies . In fact, one of the biggest questions I’ve asked myself over the years is why none of these collaborators were featured on this album. Perhaps it was produced and finished on the side and everybody was delighted after the fact.

For example, one of my favorite hip-hop beats ever (and I’m not exaggerating) is on this album: “East, West”. This beat is literally perfect. If Dr. Dre used this beat on “The Chronic”, I’m sure we might speak about this song in the same breath as “Dre Day” and “Nuthin’ But a G Thang”. From the single “12 Pacofdoja” to the Roy Ayers sampling of “That’s What You Get,” each beat hits the spot perfectly, perfect for driving around in a low-rider or minivan.

I still hearken to this album purely for the production quality. It’s reminiscent of the same conversations New York hip-hop artists are having about Group Home’s “Livin’ Proof,” where the conversation often centers on what might have been if higher rappers had these beats. The beats on The Dead Has Arisen are so good that I can not help but wonder what this album might have been in the lyrical hands of Death Row’s more popular talent.

But what is life without a little bit wonder? What I do know is that Lil ½ Dead, a rapper that the overwhelming majority of people either do not know or have already forgotten, still has one of the best-produced albums of all time, even 30 years later and 1000’s of years later. and 1000’s of albums were created. That’s a feat in itself; I still return and hearken to “The Dead Has Arisen” since it sounded SO good in 1994 and 30 years later it hasn’t lost any of its musical luster.


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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More proof that you’re old: Mary J. Blige’s “My Life” album debuted 30 years ago

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mary j blige, mary j blige my life, 90s music,

I actually remember November 1994. I used to be a sophomore in highschool and was still very clumsy and goofy. I hadn’t yet experienced what anyone would call a growth spurt, as evidenced by the very fact that my younger sister (three years younger) was taller than me. At this point in my life, I assumed I used to be destined to be certain I had a terrific personality that would give me a romantic future. I used to be told about one young student who was in love with me, but being 15 and never big, I didn’t really trust in my ability to pursue a dating life. In 1994, I saw myself because the Steve Urkel with no unreachable neighbor.

In 1994, I had a real love: music. I kept buying cassettes and compact discs; there was at all times music around me. Listening to the newest music from anyone and everybody was my hobby. Mary J. Blige was one in every of those artists that I used to be an enormous fan of. I mean, everyone really was. Her album “What’s the 411?” was released in July 1992, so when school began in August, it was one in every of those albums that everyone was talking about. “True Love” and him one other hip-hop remix the most popular songs were on fire and you can start an impromptu jam session in my middle school dining room by simply saying “true love” out loud.

(*30*)

To say that the anticipation for Mary’s second album was enormous can be the understatement of the yr. I still remember being blown away by the music video for the primary single “Be Happy” on MTV and BET’s “Video Soul”. I remember this mainly because I used to be so frightened about Mary’s life standing on those rocks. Of course she survived the video session, but I used to be very concerned for her safety. I could not imagine life without Mary. I purchased this single and mainly burned a hole in it.

Then got here the monster single “I’m Goin’ Down.” The remake of Rose Royce’s single from the movie “Car Wash” (titled “I’m Going Down”) had all of the black girls in my highschool able to break up with their boyfriends so that they too could sing about it lost love – teenage hormones cause strange problems. Let me just say this for the record: Mary’s version of this song is totally amazing. Her performance on the album is known; you can hear all the experience through her vocals.

(*30*)

If Mary stopped making music at this point, she would already be a legend, I actually consider that. But this whole album is a radiator from start to complete. Even today, once I hearken to “My Life”, my search ends in failure; “My Life” is largely a consolation at this point in my life. From “You Bring Me Joy” to the title track to the ultimate minute of “I Never Wanna Live Without You,” this album is a portal back in time to a version of me that was interested by what life had to supply. I used to be given the vocal type of Mary J. Blige to soundtrack this journey.

It’s also crazy to think about it this manner: “My Life” got here out at a time in my life once I was already driving a automotive. Sure, I used to be 15, but my father also let me drive himself, my siblings, and my friends wherever we would have liked to go because he got bored with running errands. We just agreed that if I got pulled over, he would not know I used to be taking the automotive. Coincidentally, although I used to be in a position to use the automotive at no cost for a solid yr before I could even apply for a driving license, I failed my driving test the primary time I took it on my sixteenth birthday. You’ve never seen a father more lost and upset in his son than my father was that day. We now call my father’s facial expressions “core memory.”

If you’re reading this because you’ve got seen the words of Mary J. Blige and “My Life,” you then, like me, are in a phase of life where you’re continually reminded that you’re not only getting old, but you might actually be old. I will not be old as hell, but I’m too old to be within the club, you realize?

Fortunately, nonetheless, my journey so far in my life includes a number of the best works of musical art in existence, similar to Mary J. Blige’s 1994 album “My Life.” This album – just like the profession of its lead voice, Mary J. Blige – brings me joy.


Panama Jackson theGrio.com

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Daughter of Trump supporter Hulk Hogan distances herself from family years later following racist tirade from her dad who called her then-black boyfriend the N-word

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Hulk Hogan and his daughter Brooke have never had any problems in public.

The former “Hogan Knows Best” singer and reality star remained by her father’s side even after making a career-ruining sex tape that captured her father cheating on her mother, Linda Hogan, and in addition included a racist tirade a few black man Brooke was dating at the time time.

However, it looks like the “Brooke Knows Best” star has had enough and now decides that overall, it is best for her to maintain a ways between her and her family.

There is renewed interest in Hulk Hogan’s relationship along with his daughter Brooke. (Photos: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images; mizzhogan/Instagram)

Her Instagram name is MizzHogan. However, she is currently known on the Internet under the surname Oleksy, the surname of her husband, former NHL player Steven Oleksy, and she or he doesn’t follow anyone from her family on web sites, including her father, mother and brother Nick Hogan. Instagram. But her father follows her brother.

While neither party has publicly revealed any details, there appears to have been something of a rift between Brooke and her family when many individuals noticed she was absent from her father’s wedding to his third wife, Sky Daily, in September 2023.

Immediately after the wedding, she wrote a message to followers on her website: “As many of you realize, I value my privacy, but unfortunately many media are guessing why I didn’t attend my father’s third wedding. Rather than leave it to speculation, I made a decision it could be higher to wrap all of it up here.

Brooke admitted that “the dynamics of the family unit constantly change over the years.”

“That being said, my family has experienced A LOT of change,” she continued. “With all of this happening in the public eye, I had to learn how to best cope with the changes that were coming, which was difficult to say the least.”

“In my own journey towards healing and happiness, I have chosen to create some distance between myself and my family and focus on the people and things that heal my heart and are consistent with my personal beliefs, goals and values,” she concluded, before finally wishing her dad “healthily”.

Hogan is suing Gawker Media LLC for releasing a 2012 sex tape that appears to feature him and the wife of radio host Bubba the Love Sponge. In the same video, Hogan used the N-word in reference to his daughter Brooke’s then-black boyfriend while admitting he was a “racist.”

“I don’t know if Brooke fucked a black man’s son,” Hulk said in a report published by Radar on the Internet in 2012. “I mean, I haven’t got double standards. I mean, I’m a racist to some extent, motherfucking n-rs. But in terms of nice people and shit and whatever.

He allegedly continued, “I mean, I’d moderately she was going to fuck some n***a than if she was going to marry a 6-foot n***a value 100 million dollars! Like a basketball player! I assume we’re all a bit racist. The fucking king of n—r.

Renewed interest in Hulk and Brooke’s relationship he resurfaced because of Wrestling Inc’s report on the father and daughter, which fans reacted to in the comments of the article.

One person said: “For her to really distance herself from him, maybe more was said and not on the video. Why would you be so strong to defend him only to distance yourself later? It seems there’s more to it. What’s even sadder is that if you say something that’s outside of your personal norm, you’re screwed. People will never just give up. As long as people remember it, it’s always there. Hogan said some stupid things about it and people may not have forgotten by the time this article came out, but now they’re reminded of it again.”

The person continued: “I ponder how much dirt the people writing these articles have and the way they might feel if the public was continually reminded of this?

Coming to Brooke’s defense, a second person added: “Looks like Brooke is getting old. She just decided to live her life and check out to achieve success. Easy to say. Well, she would not have develop into famous if it weren’t for her father. Of course, good point. But most individuals are on this position. Especially when he’s younger, he tries various things. How it’s. He seems to generally enjoy being out of the highlight. Good for her.

A 3rd added: “I hope they will heal the rift that exists between them. “I wouldn’t want to be separated from my son or daughter when they become adults.”

During 2015 sit down on “Entertainment Tonight,” Brooke defended the former skilled wrestler, assuring viewers that her father “wasn’t a racist.”

“I do not support what he said. But he’s my dad. I really like him,” she said in the video. “When you’re angry, when you’re at the worst point in your life and you’re angry at someone, you just choose words that don’t fit the situation just to air out your shorts and that’s all. Because I looked at the transcripts and thought, “Yeah, he’s pissed.” But it’s not him. He’s not a racist.”

Brooke continued, “I feel sorry for the dad, but I also feel sorry for the African-American fans and stuff because they do not know that he didn’t mean it. He takes responsibility for it and knows that he thinks, “I fucked up.” These are the consequences of what is going on.

But this wasn’t her father’s first racist tirade or his first utterance of something that shocked the world. Hogan’s biopic was cut short days after he threatened Vice President Kamala Harris in August at an event in Ohio promoting his “Real American Beer” brand.

“Do you want me to hit someone? Do you want me to punch Kamala Harris? I said, “Do you want me to punch Kamala Harris?” Hogan said to the large audience before mentioning one of his signature wrestling moves. “Do you want me to let go of Kamala’s leg?”

The longtime Donald Trump supporter continued to mock her heritage with hand gestures and mispronounced Harris’ name.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Boyz II Men brings their untold story to the big screen – Essence

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Denise Truscello/Getty Images

Boyz II Men, the Philadelphia-born vocal group that defined an era with wealthy harmonies and timeless ballads like “End of the Road” and “On Bended Knee,” are finally ready to tell their story on their own terms. The 4-time Grammy Award winner is working on a biographical film that can chronicle their thirty-yr profession, a journey stuffed with chart success, brotherhood and the behind-the-scenes struggles that shaped their music.

He announced the project for the first time can be produced in association with Compelling Pictures and Primary Wave and executive produced by Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman and Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men. Compelling Pictures also releases an in-depth documentary about the group’s unparalleled dominance in the Nineties and 2000s and its continued relevance today.

“We have been waiting to find the right partners who understand our story and are willing to tell the story,” Nathan Morris shared in a press release. “Denis and Jeff at Compelling Pictures understood us from day one.”

Denis O’Sullivan () and Jeff Kalligheri (), who will produce the biopic, are in preliminary talks with screenwriters and directors to speed up the implementation of the project. The film, containing a wealthy catalog of Boyz II Men’s hits, shows the group’s path from their debut album (1991) to their current status as music icons.

“I grew up a huge Boyz II Men fan and have spent the last few years getting to know and become friends with the boys, and it’s a huge honor to help bring their unique and untold story to the big screen,” said O’Sullivan and Kalligheri. “We are thrilled to showcase the brotherhood and camaraderie, as well as the challenges and conflict, the humor and heartbreak, that accompanied the unparalleled success that Nate, Shawn, Wanya and Mike worked so hard to achieve. We think audiences everywhere will want to sing along to a sexy, fun, aspirational and uplifting celebration of friendship and artistic partnership that has stood the test of time.”

The film’s production team consists of heavyweights. O’Sullivan and Kalligheri were joined by Larry Mestel of Primary Wave, Joe Mulvihill of The Mulvi Group and Jeremy M. Rosen of Roxwell Films. Mulvihill, who has managed the group for greater than 20 years, added: “Having been with them for over 22 years, I have seen the ups and downs and all the deep emotional turmoil among people. I think people will be pleasantly surprised when they see something behind the curtain.”

More than thirty years after their debut, they continue to be the best-selling R&B group of all time, with over 60 million albums sold worldwide. The group recently celebrated one other milestone by headlining a sold-out, three-night run at the Hollywood Bowl – a triumphant return to the venue where they once performed as openers early in their profession. Thanks to hits comparable to “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” and the record-breaking collaboration with Mariah Carey “One Sweet Day”, the group can be remembered by fans for a very long time.

“Boyz II Men are one of the most influential bands of their generation. They are one of the few who transcend genre and format,” Mestel said.

As the production ramps up, fans can expect a soulful and celebratory take a look at the group’s meteoric rise and the bond that united them. As O’Sullivan and Kalligheri joked, it is a story stuffed with “doom-doom-doom-da-da” moments which are each excruciating and uplifting.

From daytime to sold-out arena nights, Boyz II Men’s journey to the big screen can be an eventful one.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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