(In photo: Liberated Muse's Moon with Bangladesh from the Bangladesh Project)
Friday's benefit concert "To Haiti, With Love" was a great success as folks attended to hear the soulful sounds of Liberated Muse artists Anonamas ft/ the Bangladesh Project, Dee Dee Kirby, Teisha Marie, Quineice & Gary Young, and the lyricism of Enoch 7th Prophet and Head-Roc. About $300 was raised in donations in addition to canned goods donated for Haiti relief.
(In Photo: Dee Dee Kirby performs Erykah Badu and Jill Scott covers in addition to some original tunes)
(In photo: Enoch 7th Prophet shares his "overstanding" as he demonstrates skills on the drums at one point during his performance. His performance was high energy and deep)
(In photo: Anonamas with the Bangladesh Project closed the show with some fierce instrumentation and tight lyrics)
(In photo: The artist Choke painted this beautiful portrait during the show and sold many of her art collectibles.)
With African American marriage numbers at an all time low and African American divorce numbers at an all time high the hopes of positive, lasting, relationships look bleak until now. Executive Producers Lamar and Ronnie Tyler bring real married couples to the screen to chronicle the greatest love stories ever told. These real couples explain how their marriages had a direct impact on their lives. Featuring candid and transparent looks inside of the hardships, trials, and ultimate success stories of these amazing couples, YOU SAVED ME offers an unprecedented look inside of real relationships and what is required to sustain them.
Lamar and Ronnie Tyler are Essence.com bloggers and co-creators of the largest independent site on the web that specifically deals with marriage and parenting in the black community, called www.BlackandMarriedWithKids.com (BMWK). They recently produced and directed the Amazon.com bestselling documentary Happily Ever After: A Positive Image of Black Marriage. The film has inspired a Facebook fan page with over 30 thousand fans in just 7 months which includes over 400 pictures that couples have uploaded themselves to prove that successful African American marriages do exist.
The Tyler’s were recently selected by Essence as a Power Couple on The Move on a short list of 23 couples that included names like the Obamas, Will and Jada Smith and Jay-Z and Beyonce. They have also appeared on both local and nationally syndicated radio, television and print media outlets.
So, as promised, here is our Cupid's Hunt Playlist that features artists from our Liberated Muse network with a few mainstream artists thrown in for added flavor.
The Playlist features:
Moon of wwww.LiberatedMuse.com - "Welcome to Cupid's Hunt Podcast Collaboration" Sucker Jimmy's Best Punch ft. Jymeice- "Emotional (Remix)" *Ndambi- "The One" Cry- "And I" Dee Stone Band- "Sweet" Stone/Wright- "Falling" Gary Young ft/Karla Chisolm- "One More Night" Heidi Martin- "Love for Sale" Kuku-"Unexpected Pleasures" Kuku-"After and Then (Revisited)" *Q-Tip ft. Raphaael Saadiq- "We Fight-Love" Musiq Soulchild- "Until" Table 4 5ive- "Ms. Fedora" Mama Moon- "Hotel Lobby" Substantial & Chew Fu- "Make Love" E the R & B Rockstar- "Could I" Teisha Marie- "Awaken" Phreaknahdo (ft. Quiniece Clarkson & Zakia Moon)- "I'm High" Anonamas- "Bodee Heat" *Ledisi- "Love Never Changes"
All of the artists above-- with the exception of the starred artists, are members of the online community http://www.liberatedmuse.com/. Aren't they amazing!? Special thanks to Liberated Muse membe DJ Vinnie who added the starred tracks for our listening pleasure. If you'd like more music from any of the artists featured in this playlist, you can visit their pages on http://www.liberatedmuse.com/ to connect directly with them. Support quality indie music!
Liberated Muse member Tgrundy is a long-time music expert came up with the wonderful collaborative day of music commemorating love on Valentine's Day. This collaboration, Cupid's Hunt 2010 is when podcasters, bloggers, dj's -- and others throughout cyberspace, create playlists of some of their favorite love songs. This year, here are some picks I picked on behalf of Liberated Muse. These songs will be up until tomorrow, Valentine's Eve. On Valentine's Day, I am going to add some indie acts from our http://www.liberatedmuse.com/ site. Make sure you come back to see who we pick! Enjoy!
-Moon
LOVE CONVERSATIONS Playlist
Jose James- Love Conversations Lenny Kravitz- Thinking of You Sucker Jimmy's Best Punch ft. Zakia Moon- I'm Open Now Jose James-Save Your Love For Me Goapele- First Love Sade-Soldier of Love Goapele- Romantic Van Hunt-Your Love Jill Scott- He Loves Me Kindred- Stars Gary Young- The Toad Wants to Be a Prince Teena Marie- Main Squeeze Rufus ft. Chaka Kahn- Magic In Your Eyes Teena Marie- Wild Horses
Click HERE to visit other sites that are part of the Cupid's Hunt Collaboration.
There seems to be tons of new music being dropped by artists we know and love, including yesterday's new music drop from Sade and Jaheim and upcoming CD releases we will soon get from the likes of Faith Evans and Mariah Carey to the newly reunited group Groove Theory.
Here at Liberated Muse, we always like to spread the word about acts that may not be as well-known as the names above, but who are bringing the fire with new music that stretches the confines of the box. Check them out! (Both reviews can be read in their original post at www.Soulbounce.com).
MEGAN LIVINGSTON
I came across the music of Labtekwon after a chance meeting on Facebook in 2008 and was totally dazzled by the lyrical prowess of this quirky Hip-Hop MC who is the epitome of originality and out-of-the-box ingenuity. His video for "Activator" was an immediate favorite but it was the video for "Tao of Slick" that I enjoyed most of all, particularly feeling the lyrics of the female vocalist on his track, New Jersey native Megan Livingston aka Hazel Black. Her vocal stylings--reminiscent of Amel Larrieux with a kiss of Sy Smith--were instantly alluring yet lulling.
So, how happy I was to be tagged in a Facebook posting by Labtekwon sharing his friend Megan's foray into the indie music scene as a solo artist. He shot and edited her first solo video in his abstract style that has become his visual trademark. The song, "The One," from her forthcoming CD Black Beckee (Ankh Ba Records) is a melodious masterpiece. Still channeling the spirit that fills Mrs. Larrieux, Megan's pretty crystal clear vocals glide over the rich jazzy music landscape composed by Thur Deephrey.
"The daughter of a Nigerian father and a German mother, Nneka Egbuna was born in Warri, Oil City in the Delta region of Nigeria at the height of its new found wealth in the mid 70s," reads the bio on her website. But, while her biracial heritage and looks that resemble Amel Larrieux could easily cast her away as a wanna-be clone of the Groove Theory songstress, Nneka comes strong with a sound, personality and flavor all her own. If she reminds you of anyone, it is probably Floetry's Natalie Stewart once she starts breaking into rhyming like on the track "Showing Love" and her accented vocals tear into the track.
Yes, she raps. She is a musician, singer AND rhymer, and she handles all three with finesse.
Her new 12-track CD Concrete Jungle is an aural ride. With ease, she navigates the genres of Reggae, Rock, Acoustic Soul and Hip Hop. And, on this disc, Fela's Afrobeat lives. Few artists can succeed at this without sounding like a garbled mess--most have their schtick and stick to it. But,not Nneka. She doesn't have only one thing/sound that she does well. She seems to be mastering most genres pretty damn well.
(In photo: Liberated Muse's Moon with Bangladesh from the Bangladesh Project)
(In Photo: Dee Dee Kirby performs Erykah Badu and Jill Scott covers in addition to some original tunes)
(In photo: Enoch 7th Prophet shares his "overstanding" as he demonstrates skills on the drums at one point during his performance. His performance was high energy and deep)
(In photo: Anonamas with the Bangladesh Project closed the show with some fierce instrumentation and tight lyrics)
