Capital Hip Hop Soul: DJ Alexei Mashes Up The Fugees, 15 Years Later

How disappointing it was to hear that Russian-born producer DJ Alexei left his recent home-base in Washington DC to take his musical aspirations to New York City, but, alas, so it is. But, while DJ Alexei-- who has worked with DMV top acts like the imcomprable KUKU (who is now in Paris-- oh la la) and was part of the now defunct hip-hop duo Fly Gypsy, he is proud to announce the release of his latest project, Alexei Presents ... Drizzy Settles the Score, a mashup album that pairs Drake with a hip-hop classic, The Score by The Fugees. The mashup marks 15 years since the release of The Score.

“The Score is easily my favorite hip-hop album of all time and I still listen to it regularly, often before I sit down to work on my own music,” says Alexei. “To keep it exciting after 15 years, I decided to spice it up a bit. The Score has texture and soul that you don’t find much in today’s production. Put that and Drake together, and you have an incredibly fun listen.”

While we here at Liberated Muse can't say we are the biggest fans of mainstream acts like Drake-- we produce the indie music festival The Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest that showcases acts of superior yet often overlooked talents for God's sake-- but, definitely are fans of Alexei and can guarantee this new mix is a winner.
Download the mix at www.djalexi.com

Liberated Muse Left Oxon Hill Public Library "Running: AMOK"

Thanks to all who supported our Spring Season Preview show yesterday at Oxon Hill Public Library in Oxon Hill, MD. Special thanks to author Karen Minors who provided the $25 Gift Card that was raffled and to guitarist DL who provided the music support during the concert after the preview. Additional thanks to William Honablew for providing all of the photos below:

After the preview show, our talented cast performed some of their original music, with Nia Simmons performing a song in tribute to legend Teena Marie.

Congratulations to Nas Salud for winning the $25 gift card and to Cynthia Johnson for winning the pair of tickets to a Running: AMOK show of her choice. We will have give-aways leading up to our May run, so keep coming back for updates and news!

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Running: AMOK is a spirited stage play written by performance artist Khadijah Ali-Coleman about one of the most life-changing experiences a woman may face– sometimes willingly, sometimes while screaming and kicking, and always without a user-friendly manual. Featuring original music and honest dialogue, Running: AMOK will leave you laughing, singing-along and contemplating the miracle of sychronicity, for sometimes it just takes one person to enter your life and change your whole perspective on things. Music composed by Gary Young with noted additional songs appearing after the 2010 season composed by Ben "Hook" Dawson.The show Running:AMOK appeared in the 2010 Capital Fringe Festival in Washington DC and featured singer/actresses Dionne, Quineice, Teisha Marie and Anonamas. The 2011 cast includes singers/actresses Colie Williams, Deja Belle, Nia Simmons and  Rayona L. Young. Quineice and Lyn Artope return this season, reprising their original roles.

Our Spring 2011 Season Sat, March 26 @ 2pm Oxon Hill Public Library FREE Preview/Staged Reading http://www.amokrunning.wordpress.com/ for more info Sun, May 15 @ 7pm Germano's Traittoria Baltimore, MD $15 (Cabaret performance of play's songs) Tues, May 17 @ 8pm The Corner Store Washington, DC $10 in advance $15 door Full Staged Play Thurs, May 19-Sat, May 21 The Bonifant Theater Silver Spring, MD Ticket prices and times TBA Visit the play's website HERE to buy tickets!

Capital Hip Hop Soul: Teisha Marie (@teishamarie) is The Girl From Nowhere

Teisha Marie is one of our absolute favorite artists at Liberated Muse. She first appeared in our 2009 book tour show at the Artomatic before headlining as a featured act at our 2nd Annual Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest later that year. Her voice is pure beauty and we were thankful to have her as one of our original cast members to debut our first Liberated Muse Production of the play "Running: AMOK" in the 2010 Capital Fringe Fest. 

That's right. She acts. She sings. She writes. She's a multi-instrumentalist. The list seems to go on and on. Before even reaching 30, Teisha Marie has garnered a strong following with her debut LP Addicted to Life and has shared the stage with a whole host of phenomenal neo-soul acts, including the likes of Carmen Rodgers, Deborah Bond, Angela Johnson, and more.

This year, Teisha (pronounced Tea-e-sha) promises to drop new music and tells us what she has in store for us sound-wise. Here's a taste of the interview with her that will be published in its entirety on SoulTrain.com later this month.

LiberatedMuse: Teisha, how would you describe your music to those who are reading about you for the first time?

Teisha Marie: I would say it’s like tasting candy for the first time. You know, you eat a piece of candy, you may or may not like it but there is some part of it you like, whether you like the whole part or not. It’s an experience that you just have to sit down and listen to. A lot of people  have said it’s a good album to listen to when cleaning the house (laughs)

LiberatedMuse:  Tell us more about your new project you're working on.

Teisha Marie: This album is for the person who likes to put their iPod on shuffle. It’s not necessary a different genre of music, but my delivery will be different. The album is called The Girl From Nowhere, based on my experience as an Air Force brat. People always ask “where are you from” and “what do you do” and I never felt like I was from anywhere. I guess I identify with the South the most.   It’s from feeling like the outsider a lot of time—alienation and the strength you find in being different and how in your difference you aren’t alone. It’s for people who like quirky and different styles. The topics are different on this one, but my fans will like it.

LiberatedMuse: Sounds out-of-the-box. As an indie artist, who have been some of your idols and role models in the industry?

Teisha Marie: (laughs) Hmmm. People who have been doing this for a long time—people like Stevie Wonder, Anita Baker—people who just made their music and didn’t have to explain themselves. People who did it because they need to release emotions. I really like what Janelle Monae is doing. I got nervous when she signed with Bad Boy but she’s really retained her sense of self. Of course, Eric Roberson—he’s like the champion of indie artists. He shows it’s possible to be indie and maintain your independence and be successful and not sell out who you are.

LiberatedMuse:  You are a gifted songwriter who captures life's dialogue in prose through song. What inspires you to write? Will this new album reflect something new?

Teisha Marie: I could be walking in the grocery store and hear a mom talking to her daughter and that could inspire a song. Sometimes it just comes from TV, sometimes its just life. I wrote a song on Addicted to Life called “Inner Truth” about a guy battling with his sexuality and another verse about a girl not feeling love that was from my own life so it come s from wherever  I am in the moment. “King of Negativity” has come out of being angry and another song  coming up on the new album called “Walk Your Own Road” about an ex- boyfriend who would just call around the same time each month until I had to just tell him to step-off (laughs).

LiberatedMuse: What are your thoughts about how music can impact the world today?

Teisha Marie: I think that music is a great unifier. For the people who are protesting all around the world, I know that there is some song that is propelling them forward. There is so much negative music out that I think that a little more positive music put in the world can change the world for the better. 

LiberatedMuse: What message do you want to send to your fans who may want to follow in your footsteps?

Teisha Marie: I would say “Do Not Give Up”. That’s number one. Number two would be “Stay Open”. Opportunities can come from anywhere. For the two years I’ve been doing this, I’ve been meeting some interesting people from all over the world. I’m appreciative of that. I can not stress this enough—“Do not give up”. 

LiberatedMuse: Is there anything you would like the readers to know about you?

Teisha Marie: I’m a very genuine person who sometimes wears my heart on my sleeve and I’m very passionate about things. So, if you follow me on twitter and I’m throwing out random thoughts and stuff, be sure to answer back. 

-Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman

Be sure to stay tuned  for the full interview with Teisha Marie on SoulTrain.com later this month. Read more articles on music talent here.

We Want to Help You Contact Those Impacted By the Tsunami

A tsunami emanating from the massive earthquake that hit Japan was roaring toward the United States on Friday morning, with huge waves expected to hit Hawaii and California.
Coastal evacuations were ordered in Hawaii, and tsunami warnings were issued along the West Coast, from central California to Alaska. A tsunami warning directs residents of low-lying regions to move inland and to higher ground.

Officials in Southern California closed beaches as a precaution, prohibiting swimming, surfing and fishing off the coast. Experts said that they did not expect flooding and did not call for mandatory evacuations. But they warned that there could be large waves and unusual changes in the currents for several hours. Several schools in the beach areas also planned to close Friday.

Liberated Muse Productions would like to send heartfelt prayers toward those impacted by today's tsunami. Please update us with any news regarding the tsunami-- if you are trying to locate someone, send a message to someone, etc. and we will post on Twitter and Facebook to our audience.

Be Well.