Sly Stone Reported As Homeless In Los Angeles

According to an article published hours ago by International Business Times, pioneering Soul/Funk musician and singer Sly Stone of Sly & The Family Stone is homeless and living in a van on the streets of Los Angeles. Click the link below to read the full article.

Soul Music Legend Sly Stone is Now Homeless in LA

Variety: Vinyl Presser Meets Growing Demand

This article on the Variety website was brought to my attention by my homie Buscrates, the Pittsburgh producer you're read about on here before. The article's focus is the rising sale of vinyl records here in the U.S. according to Soundscan ratings. Thanks to people like myself (yeah that's me in the pic digging in Detroit) and Buscrates, we're two of those who help in the continued growth of vinyl sales. Read the full article here: Vinyl Presser Meets Growing Demand.

Pioneer DJM-2000 Mixer

No, this is not a control panel ripped from a fighter jet. This is what I would think is Pioneer's answer to the Rane 68. This nifty mixer is loaded with many audio effects, tweaks and even sports a MIDI output. With the Pro DJ Link you can plug in up to four Pioneer CDJ's (the mixer is compatible with other CD players) AND two laptops ALL AT THE SAME TIME.



Features:

* Industry-first 5.8" full color multi-touch display

* Internal USB audio interface

* Pro DJ link that connects up to four CDJ-2000/900s

* Manipulate frequencies and alter sounds with EVOLVED BEAT EFFECTS

* INST FX (Instant Instrument Effect) allows effects to be applied intuitively
with a turn of the knob

* MIDI: Assign various DJM-2000 buttons to trigger other devices

* DOWNLOAD THE DJM-2000 PRODUCT SHEET

For more info and other products visit: PioneerDJusa.com

R.I.P. Gregory Isaacs

Gregory Isaacs
(July 15, 1951 – October 25, 2010)
Today we bid farewell to legendary Reggae singer/songwriter Gregory Isaacs. Isaacs was a pioneer of lovers rock with his recording of "My Only Lover", credited as being the first of its kind ever made. This came about after partnering with singer Errol Dunkley to form their own African Museum Records in 1973.

In 1982, Isaacs would go on to score a big hit with "Night Nurse", the title track on Night Nurse released on Island Records. This album would launch Isaacs into gaining a wider audience. Although the song didn't chart, it was a hit amongst DJs on the club scene. The late 80's and 90's would bring more success for Isaacs with recording "King Ruler Come Again" in 1984, Private Beach Party in 1985, and then to release "Rumors", the massive hit from Red Rose For Gregory in 1988, which was followed by further popular singles including "Mind Yu Dis", "Rough Neck", "Too Good To Be True", and "Report to Me".

Gregory Isaacs succumbed to cancer earlier today in his London home. A great voice that will be dearly missed.

The Foreign Exchange: Authenticity

YES! The wait is finally over because Authenticity is here. Right now, do yourself a favor and get this album NOW. It will also make a great gift for friends and family. It comes in a lovely fall foliage package and some great tunes that can be enjoyed for hours on end. Have your credit cards ready, log on to The Foreign Exchange Music or iTunes and purchase today. No operators are standing by. Follow them on Twitter: @FEOfficial. Enjoy!

ASCAP Mobile

Early this month ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) launched the ASCAP Mobile application for iPhone®, iPad® and iPod Touch®. The app will allow members to monitor their accounts while on the go. They plan to release versions of the app for Blackberry® and Android® (Droid) in the near future. Read more at ASCAP.com.

Uh oh...

After viewing this video short (courtesy of Forbez DVD), those were the first words to fling out of my mouth. We know about the tunes from the 80's when KRS-ONE of Boogie Down Productions mentioned the greats of early Hip-Hop from the Bronx in the 1970's who helped form the genre. Then went on to say "So you say that Hip-Hop had it's start out in Queens Bridge....if you pop that junk up in the Bronx you might not live..." on "South Bronx". Now the question is going to be asked worldwide (i'm sure) about where Hip-Hop REALLY started. As with other histories, after so much time and documentation, soon there is someone or some group to challenge the information. Then you have to come to an agreement suitable to all parties involved, which leads to the history books being re-written. Peep the video....

Chiggity-Check Yourself....Before You Wreck Yourself

James Brown and the JB's said it best, "Talkin' loud....and sayin' nothin'...". This is the case for many mainstream rappers and R&B singers these days. Yet they have the nerve to have huge egos to go along w/ sh-stuff I should put on side of the streets for the garbage man to collect. Anywho, here's a post about one of the biggest egos in mainstream, taken from Yahoo! on Kanye West. You can read more about the story here: Kanye West says 'South Park' put him in check. I hate I missed the show last night to get a good laugh at the expence of this idiot. But I can surely imagine how it was, since i'm a huge fan of the show.

R.I.P. to Tony D

The Hip-Hop community has lost another great. Anthony Depula, 42, known as "Tony D" and "Harvee Wallbanger" of Trenton, NJ, made his transition on Saturday evening April 4th after losing control of his vehicle and crashing, leaving him w/ severe neck injuries. Read the story here: The Times (NJ). Tony D is responsible for producing tracks for groups like Poor Righteous Teachers, Blaque Spurm, King Sun, YZ, Crusaders For Real Hip-Hop, and others, as well as producing his own albums. There were also reports of him being the producer for "O.P.P." by Naughty By Nature, and tracks for Heavy D, that he didn't recieve credit for, although the matters were settled out of court. For those reading this post, please take a moment of silence in honor of one we have lost. PEACE!

Where It All Began

As the saying goes, "better late than never", applies to this post. The building commonly known as the "Birthplace of Hip-Hop" located in Bronx, NYC at 1520 Sedgwick Ave., has been bought by a New York City developer. This is the same building where the "Father of Hip-Hop", DJ Kool Herc threw parties and did his style of mixing called the "merry-go-round", which consisted of the breakdown in popular dance tunes, later termed "breakbeats". With the way developers are grabbing up land for regentrification, who knows what might happen to this huge part of Hip-Hop history.