Hip Hop Ruckus Exclusive Interview w/Dame of the Wylde Bunch

What's the deal, HipHopRuckus Fam. I had the awesome opportunity to interview my partna Dame today (Saturday, Sept. 16th), who's the Lead MC/producer of Cali's own The Wylde Bunch. The group is an unconventional 10-piece, trend-setting, alternative hip-hop group comprised of family and long-time friends.

HipHopRuckus: So Dame, What's the concept behind your name..The Wylde Bunch?

Dame: Well, Have you ever seen the Wild Bunch show?

HipHopRuckus: Yeah!

Dame: It's just like that. It's like controlled chaos on the stage.

HipHopRuckus: Damn, that's what's up! Yo, You grew up on the West Coast right?

Dame: Yes.

HipHopRuckus: What town are you reppin?

Dame: South Central, Los Angeles, California

HipHopRuckus: What gave you the inspiration to start a 10-person band?

Dame: Well, I was in a marching band since high school and I really loved the big band sound and I also loved hip hop. So basically I wanted to find a way to combine the two into a single sound, so therefore I wanted to a 10-person band that you see now.

HipHopRuckus: How long have you and the group been together?

Dame: For 10 years!

HipHopRuckus: Who are the members of the band and what do they contribute to the conglomerate?

Dame: Well here are the following members and they contributions. Well it's ...

Dame (Me)-MC/producer
Speedy - MC/producer
V-Ray - Bass Player
Pops - Guitar Player
Daniel - Keyboard Player
Corey - Horns
Janey - Horns/MC
Big Sexy - Background Vocalist
KinFolk - Background Vocalist
Ish - Drummer

HipHopRuckus: Who are some of the artist that you have worked with?

Dame: Omarion, John Legend, Martin Luther, Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire.

HipHopRuckus: Who are some people that you plan on working with in the future?

Dame: Pharrell, Robin Thicke, among others..

HipHopRuckus: When is your album coming out?

Dame: Spring 2007.

HipHopRuckus: Do you have any single coming out?

Dame: "DP", Mid-November 2006.

HipHopRuckus: Do you support the current Hyphy Movement?

Dame: Yes, Because it's the west coast version of the Snap Movement...Ya' know what I mean. I support it to the fullest! Basically we're down with whatever, we really don't want to fall, perse, in just one genre or a particular segment of hip hop or to be considered as purist. Our style is pretty much open to whatever.

HipHopRuckus: Who are some of the artist you listen to when you're just chilling?

Dame: Anything old school, John Legend, and Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Method Man.

HipHopRuckus: When do you plan on going on tour?

Dame: Yes, End of October mid of November 2006

HipHopRuckus: So you're doing a collabo with Fox Sports? How did that happen?

Dame: Jen and Surfdog records setup a meeting with Fox Sports. Everything came together, they wanted us to do some tracks for them. So we went the studio and produced the track "Yeah, Yeah, Stomp the Bleachers" We tweaked our tracks a little and it's being used now on as the anthem for FOX Sports College Football season of 2006.

HipHopRuckus: How would you describe your upcoming album and what can fans come to expect?

Dame: Well, it's goting to be the biggest album filled with substance. On this our second album, we really delve into our personal lives and delve into a deeper lives with this as opposed to our first album "Wild Times and Western High" in 2004 through Sony which was more about having fun. This album basically delves into who we are. It's basically an album of "Reflections".

HipHopRuckus: Well, I just want to thank your setting time out of your day to do this interview with HipHopRuckus. Peace Son!!

Dame: Awright then, I'll holla at you later. Peace!!

Contact Information
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/wyldebunch
BandSite: http://www.wyldebunch.com

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Biggest Midget in Action: LADY SOVEREIGN

Posted at 9/16/2006 10:15:00 AM

“Lady Sovereign, blah blah blah.” At this point, if you haven’t heard of Lady Sovereign, you’ve been living under an effing rock. The self-proclaimed ‘biggest midget in the game’ has gone from the bloggers’ champ to magazine-cover-vamp on both sides of the pond, having graced the covers of URB, The Fader, and i-D to name a few…and she hasn’t even put out an album.
The plus-sized hype surrounding this pint-sized 20-year-old hailing from Wembley, England is the subject of her new single, “Love Me Or Hate Me,” set to impact radio nationwide on August 7th. All punk-n-grime snot-nosed British attitude over an undeniable 808-fueled electro-pop-n-lock beat courtesy of NYC producer Dr. Luke, Lady Sov snarls on the chorus: “If you love me then, THANK YOU! If you hate me then, F#CK YOU!”

For Sov, it was a quick leap from bloggers’ pet to critic’s darling. The press has been voracious, heaping praise on Lady Sov to the tune of “The Queen of U.K. Grime,” to “Hip-Hop’s great white hope,” even likening her to a female Eminem. Sovereign may respond to such comparisons with a hearty “Eff Off!,” but the hype did earn her a now legendary, if somewhat maligned, audition, and deal, with Def Jam President and CEO, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. “Sovereign is a pure entertainer,” says Carter. Sovereign’s rapid-fire flow and in-your-face attitude may have caught the ear of some major players, but it certainly didn’t happen overnight.

From growing up in Chalkhill Estates – one of North London’s rougher housing developments - to dropping out of school as a teen and working odd jobs to support a growing passion for American rap and the U.K.’s burgeoning grime scene, to battling in underground London clubs and pushing her homemade recordings on the internet, Sovereign’s shown a tenacity for self-promotion as vicious as her mic skills. Taking the internet-age approach to punk rock’s DIY aesthetic, Sov promoted her homemade rhymes through her page on facepix.com, an early version of myspace. The internet helped connect Sov to others in the grime scene around the world, and it was through the blogspace that her tracks like “Random” and “Ch-Ching” first got noticed by tastemakers stateside. Today she remains true to those beginnings: she manages her myspace page - where she’s had some 750,000 music listens - herself, communicating directly with her 38,000-plus friends.

Having just come off a round of successful U.S performances including the Coachella and Intonation festivals and a national tour in support of The Streets, Sov returned this summer to headline NYC’s Central Park Summerstage on July 30, and appeared at the Lollapalooza and Bumbershoot festivals.

Lady Sovereign’s long-awaited worldwide debut album, Public Warning, is now set for an October release. Stay tuned for more foul-mouthed info on the ‘biggest midget in the game’…

Oh, and “F#CK YOU

AUDIO:
Lady Sovereign - LOVE ME OR HATE ME (Dirty)

Lady Sovereign Tour Dates
10/23 - Montreal (Club Soda)
10/24 - Toronto (Opera House Concert Venue)
10/26 - Boston (Paradise Rock Club)
10/28 - Washington, DC (9:30 Club)
10/29 - New York City (Bowery Ballroom)
10/30 - New York City (Bowery Ballroom)
11/1 - Philadelphia (Starlight Ballroom)
11/3 - Detroit (St. Andrews Hall)
11/4 - Chicago (Metro)
11/5 - Minneapolis (The Varsity Theater)
11/7 - Boulder, CO (Fox Theater & Cafe)
11/10 - Vancouver, BC (Commodore Ballroom)
11/11 - Seattle (Neumos)
11/12 - Portland, OR (Wonder Ballroom)
11/14 - San Francisco (Club Mezzanine)
11/15 - Los Angeles (El Rey Theatre)
11/18 - Las Vegas (Beauty Bar)
11/19 - San Diego, CA (House Of Blues)
11/22 - Dallas, TX (Gypsy Tea Room & Ballroom)
11/23 - Austin, TX (The Parish)
11/24 - Houston, TX (Meridian Red Room)
11/26 - New Orleans (The Parish)
11/27 - Tallahassee, FL (The Beta Bar)
11/28 - Miami (Studio A)
11/30 - St. Petersburg, FL (The State Theater)
12/1 - Atlanta (The Loft)

Source: CornerStonePromotion.Com

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Diddy in Your Town - PRESS PLAY In Stores October 17th!

Posted at 9/16/2006 03:14:00 AM

Here are tour dates for Diddys' "Press Play" Tour
Monday, September 18 - Philadelphia
Tuesday, September 19 - Baltimore, DC
Wednesday, September 20 - DC/Richmond/Norfolk
Thursday, September 21 - Raleigh/Greensboro
Friday, September 22 - Atlanta
Saturday, September 23 - Atlanta
Tuesday, September 26 - Minneapolis
Wednesday, September 27 - Los Angeles
Monday, October 2 - New York
Thursday, October 5 - Boston/Hartford/Providence
Tuesday, October 10 - Seattle
Wednesday, October 11 - San Fran/Sacramento
Thursday - October 12 - Las Vegas
Friday, October 13 - Chicago

Source: AtlanticRecords.Com

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FAT JOE AND TERROR SQUAD TEAM WITH EMI’s IMPERIAL AND VIRGIN RECORDS FOR FAT JOE’S NEW ALBUM ME, MYSELF & I.

Posted at 9/16/2006 03:05:00 AM

Virgin Records and Imperial Records, the urban label development unit of EMI’s Caroline distribution, are scheduled to release Terror Squads’ new album from hip-hop icon Fat Joe, Me, Myself & I. The album, slated for November 14, 2006 release, will be marketed and distributed with an innovative mix of indie and major label partners within EMI Music, tapping Imperial’s marketing and promotion expertise, with the powerhouse backing of Virgin Records for mainstream distribution and marketing

Me, Myself & Iis Fat Joe’s seventh album and his first in conjunction with EMI, who will also release the album under license worldwide. Fat Joe’s records as a solo artist and with Terror Squad have sold more than 4 million records worldwide. He also launched the career of his protégé, Big Pun, whose debut record; Capitol Punishment sold in excess of 1.5 million copies, making Big Pun the first Latin rapper to sell over one million units.

Fat Joe’s album marks the first project for Imperial, the newly-formed, urban indie label and marketing unit of Caroline Distribution. Urban music veteran Neil Levine, who was tapped by EMI earlier this year to run Imperial, will spearhead the marketing and promotion efforts for the album. The unit’s name was inspired by Imperial Records, an EMI label which operated in the 1950’s and featured artists such as Fats Domino on its roster.

Fat Joe The Don, AKA Joe Cartagena, has ridiculous street credentials, critical acclaim and commercial success with numerous albums and smash singles: albums, Represent, Don Cartagena, Jealous Ones Envy, Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.), Loyalty, and All Or Nothing. Some of his singles include “What’s Love (featuring Ashanti),” “We Thuggin,’” featuring R. Kelly and “Get It Poppin,’” featuring Nelly. Other singles include “Lean Back” (Terror Squad), which earned a Grammy® nomination for best performance by a rap group or duo, “Let Me Take You Home,” “Firewater” and numerous collaborations with other multi-platinum artists such as P. Diddy, Raekwon. Foxxy Brown, Eminem, KRS-One, LL Cool J and many others. Fat Joe is also a founding member of the legendary Diggin’ In The Crates Crew with Big L and Lord Finesse. Fat Joe has been a mentor to many of today’s most notable MCs such as (Remy Ma) and the innovative Hip Hop trend setter was recently the first rapper to ever host New York City’s Puerto Rican Parade.

Imperial will work closely with Terror Squad Entertainment and Virgin Records on the marketing and promotion of the album, which includes appearances from some of the hottest MCs in hip hop right now, including The Game and Lil' Wayne. The album features such heavy hitting producers as Grammy® award winning, multiplatinum hit maker Scott Storch, DJ Khaled, The Runners, LV and Nujersy Devil. The album’s first single, “Make It Rain” is produced by Storch.

Fat Joe said: “Terror Squad Entertainment is so happy to be in the independent world right now and we’re going to do amazing things. We are excited to be working with Neil Levine, Imperial, Caroline and the Virgin and EMI family. I am so happy to be in control of my career.”

Lee Trink, GM and EVP of Virgin Records said: "Fat Joe is one of the most beloved and respected hip-hop icons in music today. It's rare to have an artist who is so credible in the streets and so successful in the mainstream. We are proud to welcome him to the Virgin Records family."

GM and Senior VP of Imperial Records Neil Levine said: “I am very happy about the opportunity to be able to help launch such an important project with Terror Squad, Caroline and Virgin Records. I think this will be a major album to set the tone for the type of quality music that Imperial is going to stand behind and an important front runner as an example of the great working relationship that Imperial, Caroline and Virgin, EMI will have with each other.”

Source: ThinkTankMktg.com

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AKON SCORES BIG WITH NEW SINGLE “SMACK THAT”

Posted at 9/16/2006 02:56:00 AM

Multi-platinum selling singer/songwriter/producer Akon scores big with his new single, “Smack That,” featuring Eminem with the #1 Most Added song at Rhythmic and Crossover this week at radio. In addition to the #1 status, on Akon’s myspace page (myspace.com/akon), “Smack That” has been listened to over 1 million times in just two weeks. His sophomore release, Konvicted, is set to be in stores on November 21.

Konvicted, almost entirely produced by Akon, features guest appearances by aforementioned Eminem (Em produced “Smack That”), Akon’s artist T-Pain, Snoop Dogg and Styles P.

Akon scored unprecedented success, both here and abroad, with his multi-format smash hit singles “Locked Up” and “Lonely” off of his multi-platinum debut release of Trouble in 2004. “Lonely” stayed on the Billboard “Hot 100” chart for 3 months and was the #1 song in the UK along with his album (it also scored well in territories as diverse as Japan and Australia). “Locked Up” was a Top 5 single throughout the world.

The talented singer/songwriter/producer established himself as the premiere production and writing wizard over the past couple of years. He has produced, written, and/or appeared on hit songs for Young Jeezy (“Soul Survivor” was also written by Akon), Elton John, R. Kelly, Gwen Stefani, Beenie Man and T-Pain.

With the success of a multi-platinum record under his belt and with his artist T-Pain on Jive Records, Akon recently secured a label deal through Interscope Records called Konlive Records where one of his acts will include Chilli from super girl group, TLC. His 1st release on Konlive is due early 2007.

Not one to put all of his eggs in the music basket, the Senegalese-born star, has also established a diamond supply and mining company called Aliaune that supplies diamonds to dealers across the world. He is also working on his clothing line as well as a movie project based on his own inspirational story.

AUDIO: Smack That feat. Eminem
(Windows)
Listen

(Real)
Listen

Source: ThinkTankMktg.Com

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Friday, September 15, 2006   MUSIC |  VIDEOS |  INTERVIEWS  | NEW ARTIST  | HOME

DIDDY SETS MARATHON CROSS-COUNTRY PROMO RUN

Posted at 9/15/2006 01:58:00 PM

Bad Boy Records founder, CEO and recording artist Diddy has unveiled plans for a sleepless, event-jammed, cross-country promotional tour heralding the impending arrival of his eagerly awaited new album, "Press Play," due in stores on October 17th. Beginning September 18th in Philadelphia, Diddy will barnstorm America, traveling to cities from coast-to-coast in an itinerary of marathon endurance.

Included in the non-stop schedule will be special "Press Play" listening parties hosted by multi-format radio stations in major markets. Throughout the month-long run, Diddy will also be honored by mayors and other local officials. In some cities, Diddy will be awarded the prestigious "Key to the City," while in others, a proclamation of "Diddy Day" will be announced to celebrate his visit.

In addition, the "Press Play" tour will include a series of "Diddy High" events, where he will visit high schools in a number of cities, including Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Norfolk, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and others. In speaking with students, he will address such themes as "No Excuses," "How To Make It Happen," "Press Play On Your Life," and "Empowerment."

Among the highlights of the promo trek will be "Diddy Satellite Radio," a two-hour session on XM Radio slated for September 19th; "Breakfast with Diddy" extravaganzas at an array of high-profile morning shows; a taping of the nationally syndicated American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest; and a pair of very special "Bad Boy Weekend" events in Atlanta (September 22nd through 24th) and Washington, DC (October 6th through 8th). In every market visited, Diddy will spend time meeting and greeting lucky winners of various station-sponsored contests.

The "Press Play" promotional tour will wrap up on October 16th with Diddy's return to his home base of New York City. A number of interviews and events are slated for the album's street date, including visits to such influential Big Apple stations as Hot 97, Z100, and Power 105.

Source: AtlanticRecords.Com

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T.I. on Cover of V Style

Posted at 9/15/2006 10:59:00 AM

T.I. graces the cover of V Style, Vibe Magazine's fall male fashion supplement. The issue will be poly bagged with Vibe's October issue and distributed to male subscribers only.

Source: AtlanticRecords.Com

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Red BC One Hosted by Rahzel from the Roots DVD In Stores Now!!

Posted at 9/15/2006 10:54:00 AM

Rhino Entertainment and Destroy Entertainment have signed a distribution deal that will bring bc oNE straight into the major DVD home video market, Pay per View, Digital Download and Broadcast.

Destroy released BC ONE on September 12, 2006. The title takes you inside the world of dancing that showcases the worlds best individuals battling it out through four rounds of heart-stopping tricks, spins and unbelievable dance moves. You have never seen human bodies maneuver like this before! Discover the fun of the B-Boy movement that America has embraced. Hip-hop culture is growing, so be apart of its history! Be sure to check out the bonus footage that has an interview with Martha Cooper, the first to document the growth of the B-Boy movement from the 70’s.

In the mobile space, video ringers, wallpapers and more from the Red Bull BC ONE release are available for download via PSMS by texting DESTROY to 74466*. More information about all Destroy mobile products can be found at www.destroynetwork.com.

Source: ThinkTankMktg.Com

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Gucci Mane's Growth Has Made Him Hard To Kill

Posted at 9/15/2006 10:23:00 AM

After the success of the single, "Icy," in 2005, Gucci Mane is determined to come back hard. This time around he is Hard To Kill, playing off the highly publicized drama the rapper's been through -- his murder trial and beef with Young Jeezy.

According to the rapper's record label, Big Cat Records, the new album shows Gucci Mane's growth over the past year.

"With all that Gucci Mane has seen and been through in this past year, this album shows how much he has grown lyrically," said Big Cat Records' President, Mel Breeden. "We named the project Hard To Kill because of all of the drama that has surrounded Gucci's career and he pulled through it all. Now he's back. HARD TO KILL!!! Although we had big success with 'Icy,' there is a lot more to the story now."

On the new album, Gucci invites fans into his life like a reality show, up close and personal. The rapper takes you down the road of experiences including his time on lockdown, how he pulled through it and the issues that still plague him today.

The album features collaborations from Gucci's label mates Black Magic and Young Snead, while most of the production was handled by various up-and-coming producers.

Gucci's hit single, "Icy," enjoyed heavy rotation globally during its run, helping fuel sales of his debut, Trap House. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard Charts for Independent Albums and remained in the Top 20 for eight weeks.

Hard To Kill is slated for release October 10, through Big Cat/Tommy Boy Entertainment.

Source: BallerStatus.Net