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Morning Show Update
March 12, 2007
Welcome to the Update
Freddie Bell, velvet morning voice talent is a mellifluous voice actor, broadcast-journalist, speaker and National Voice Actor. His vast voice over credits, include hosting several radio programs including the Tom Joyner Morning Show, The Love Train, It’s The Gospel in Tampa, The Freddie Bell Morning Show in radio on KSGS – 950AM, Solid Gold Soul in Minneapolis, plus This is Music, The Freddie Bell Countdown Show and The Minneapolis NAACP Community Affairs television Programs in Minneapolis.
Invite Freddie to your next event or seminar as a Keynote Speaker, covering topics including You Gotta Have H.E.A.R.T., Tuning In to R.A.D.I.O, Maximizing Your Potential, Imagination, The Secret Key To Success, Winning Through Community Service, Dreaming Your Way to Success and a variety of topics related to sales and sales management. Freddie shares ideas and techniques he used to propel Solid Gold Soul Radio into a household name and the launch of Totally Gospel radio in the Twin Cities. Call today for booking details. 888-639-9738.
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NOT OLD NEWS: JAMES BROWN IS STILL NOT BURIED!!
Celebrities are able to get everything they want, when they want it. Everything it seems — except buried!
If the 22 days it took to bury Anna Nicole Smith seemed somewhat twisted, what would James Brown think about the fact that 73 days since his December 25 death, he’s still not in the ground?! I feel good?! Get on up?!
So why the delay in putting the “sex machine” six feet under? With several paternity claims to be settled (sound familiar?), Brown’s trustees want DNA samples taken before the singer is entombed. Meanwhile, the decomposing Godfather of Soul is being held in a climate-controlled undisclosed location.
Even in death, Brown’s still the Hardest Working Man in Show Business!
50 CENT PLANNING TO RELEASE TWO SOLO ALBUMS WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR
Hip hop mogul 50 Cent is currently working on his third solo album, Before I Self Destruct, which he plans to release in June. So far the album features Justin Timberlake and tracks from Timberland and Rich Harrison. 50 Cent recently revealed to Blender that he plans to release another solo album of original material by February 2008.
The rapper signed a five album deal with Interscope Records which includes a greatest hits set so he would contractually be done by next February. He told Blender, “We’ll see if they give me $100 million dollars (to re-sign).”
Next up from 50 Cent’s G-Unit Records is Young Buck’s Buck The World which hits stores on March 20th. The latest single from the project is “Get Buck.”
ALCHEMIST WORKING ON NEW ALBUM
Producer and part-time rapper Alchemist is currently working on his second solo album. He’s hoping to release the set sometime this year but he’s trying to figure out how he can release the new album in conjunction with Prodigy’s forthcoming album, H.N.I.C.2. Alchemist told Allhiphop.com, “I can’t wait to put (my album) out, but I’m just putting the finishing touches on it. It’s definitely coming out in 2007. P’s coming out first, with the mixtape on March 27th. Shortly after that is going to be his album and I’m trying to figure out when I’m gonna drop mine and when he’s gonna drop his.”
Alchemist added: “The name of the album is called Chemical Warfare. It’s like the follow-up to the first album I dropped which is 1st Infantry.It basically pick sup where that leaves off.”
The producer explained: “I’m rapping a little bit more on the album cause I want to give people more of me and it’s hard to do that on a production album. If I do a song with an artist, I can’t really tell him what to rap about but when I’m on the song I can kinda float the boat in that direction, you know what I mean?’”
Alchemist is also working on music for Havoc’s solo debut.
JIM JONES CLEARED TO PLAY IN PROVIDENCE
The Diplomats’ Jim Jones’ got some good news on Wednesday, March 7th, when the city of Providence, Rhode Island approved a promoter’s license that will allow the city to host the Street Dream tour whose line-up includes Jones, Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Baby and Rich Boy.
Allhiphop.com reports that there were security concerns because of Jones’ affiliation with the Bloodz and the large Crip population in Providence, Rhode Island.
The license came with several stipulations including the presence of an additional small group of police, the prohibition of artists entering the venue until 10 minutes before the showtime or from appearing at post-show parties at nightclubs.
The Street Dream Tour hits Providence, Rhode Island, on March 29th.
JERMAINE DUPRI RAKING IN THE ACCOLADES
Hip hop producer and executive Jermaine Dupri is slated to receive the Quincy Jones Lifetime Achievement Award this weekend at the 21st Annual Soul Train Music Awards. SOHH.com reports that Dupri will also be honored by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) on April 18th, as Songwriter of the Year Award during the 24th Annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards. Dupri will share the honor with his protege and writing partner Johnta Austin.
Last month Dupri was named president of Island Records Urban Music, a new division of the Island Def Jam Music Group. Dupri will report directly to Island Def Jam CEO LA Reid and Steve Bartels, President, Island Records/COO, Island Def Jam Music Group.
RHYMEFEST WORKING WITH LIL JON ON NEW ALBUM
Chicago-based rapper Rhymefest, whose real name is Che Smith, is working on his sophomore album, El Che, and he’s decided to work with Lil Jon. The rapper explained what it was like initially meeting with Lil Jon in Los Angeles. Rhymefest told Allhiphop.com, “They welcomed with me with open arms and even claimed to be fans of my music. When Lil Jon entered the studio, we began to discuss what it was I was looking for and what I believed I could add to his catalog.”
Lil Jon shared his thoughts on working with Rhymefest as well. He said, “It was cools as s**t to work with him. We both went into it not knowing what we would come out with. He played me some records and told me what he wanted and I banged the track out. And the rest is history. It’s a merger of our two distinct styles that I think people are gonna be surprised by what they hear.”
Rhymefest released his debut album, Blue Collar, in 2006. The rapper won a Grammy Award for co-writing “Jesus Walks” with Kanye West.
JOHN LEGEND SPEAKS OUT ON THE RECORD BUSINESS
Musician John Legend discusses the state of the music industry with other executives in a video on the FastCompany.com website. The clip is from a panel discussion held in New York based on an article titled “Way Behind The Music” from the February issue, which looks at how Legend, a former consultant to the Boston Consulting Group, has managed to create his own business model for managing his career by partnering with the MusicToday company. Legend was also on the cover of the February issue.
In the clip, Legend begins by explaining the difference between an artist’s goals and a record company’s goals. “All they do is sell records at the record label … The record business is not the music business. The record business is a component of the music business,” he says. “And we sell records but we sell a lot of other things. We sell tickets to shows, we sell fan club memberships. And those are not records.”
He continues, “So if the record company is only selling a record they’re only thinking about, how do we sell more of these and what are we gonna spend the money on to sell more of these pieces of plastic that contain our music? So the incentives aren’t there for them to maximize the fan relationship in the way that we are, because we have a long-term interest. We’re not trying to sell five albums — I’m thinking about this as a career, forever.”
To see the clip, go to fastcompany.com , scroll down and click on “The Future Of Music” video.
Legend’s debut, Get Lifted, and his sophomore set, Once Again, have earned the artist a total of six Grammy Awards, including a Best New Artist nod. Recently he revealed where he displays his golden gramophone trophies: “On my piano in my apartment in New York. Very simple place, but these things stand out, you know (laughs).”
R. KELLY TO ‘DOUBLE UP’ ON NEXT ALBUM
R. Kelly will release his new album, titled Double Up, on May 29th. The first official single is a remix version “I’m A Flirt,” of the Bow Wow hit he guests on, except his version will not feature Bow Wow. Kelly’s version features T.I. and T-Pain, and it’s the “Trapped In A Closet” star who has the single rights to the tune, which only appears as an unlisted bonus track on Bow Wow’s Price Of Fame album.
Double Up, which follows Kelly’s hugely successful TP3 Reloaded from 2005, will feature special guests Young Jeezy, Akon, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and Pharrell, and may include some other last-minute heavy hitters, according to MTV.com. For this set the hit- making singer, songwriter and producer reached out to other writers and producers, including Lil Ronnie, Sean Garrett, and duo The Runners.
As for the ongoing “Trapped In A Closet” saga, Kelly does not include any more chapters on this set. However, he will extend the storyline on an upcoming DVD set for July release.
JOSS STONE ANNOUNCES US TOUR DATES
Soul singer and songwriter Joss Stone has just announced North American tour dates in support of her upcoming sophomore release, Introducing Joss Stone. The tour kicks off April 27th in Connecticut and includes performances at the Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans and at New York’s annual Summerstage concert series in Central Park, before winding up on June 13th in Virginia.
Introducing Joss Stone was produced chiefly by Raphael Saadiq, with lyrics written or co- written by Stone. Fugees singer Lauryn Hill and rapper Common also contribute. “It’s the first album that is truly me,” said the 19-year-old singer. “These are my words and this is who I am as an artist.”
Introducing Joss Stone will be released by Virgin Records on March 20th and coincides with her scheduled appearance on NBC’s Today Show. Stone is also slated to be the first artist featured on VH1’s new series, VH1 Album Autopsy, which goes behind-the-scenes of the making and launch of the album.
The album’s first single, “Tell Me ‘Bout It,” was released in February. Stone says she wrote the single out of frustration with the men in her life, and that she writes best about real situations: “I was just tired of men being worthless, so I wrote that song. With me, I need to think of a story, or a situation, or something so I can write about it. Before I start writing a song, it can’t just be ‘Tell me about it, tell me how you feel, I like you ’cause you’re cute’ kind of thing. That’s easy to do and that’s kind of obvious, but when I’m thinking about it when I’m writing it’s like, there’s a story to it.”
Joss Stone Tour Dates: April 27 – Mashantucket, CT – Foxwoods Resort & Casino
April 30 – Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
May 6 – New Orleans, LA – Jazz & Heritage Festival
May 9 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
May 12 – Alpine, CA – Viejas Concerts in the Park
May 15 – San Francisco, CA – Warfield Theatre
May 18 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
May 21 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
May 24 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
May 27 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
May 30 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
June 2 – Toronto, ON – Kool Haus
June 5 – Montreal, QC – Metropolis
June 8 – New York, NY – Central Park Summerstage
June 11 – Boston, MA – Avalon Ballroom
June 13 – Vienna, VA – The Filene Center
AIDS FRONT AND CENTER IN HBO’S ‘LIFE SUPPORT’
Queen Latifah takes a break from light- hearted fare like Ice Age and Beauty Shop to star in the HBO movie Life Support. The drama stars Latifah as Ana Willis, an HIV-positive former drug addict who dedicates her life to helping others with the disease.
Ana counsels sick men and women through their difficult ordeals, including Omari, a teenager born with AIDS that can’t seem to get his act together. Evan Ross, the youngest child of singer Diana Ross, plays Omari and said Life Support gives a different view of how AIDS affects people’s friends and families: “I feel like it was great as an actor to be on the other side of it and as a person because I got to see it from a different side, and hopefully people get to see that. And I really want people to see how it affects other people. How having the disease can affect not only the person but everybody around them. It’s a sad story basically showing the harsher side and bringing awareness.”
Queen Latifah did Life Support in part because she’s lost cousins to AIDS — one through a blood transfusion and another through intravenous drug use.
MORE ON NBA’S CARMELO ANTHONY & MTV VJ LALA WELCOME BABY BOY
Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony and his girlfriend, MTV VJ LaLa Vazquez, announced the birth of their son, Kiyan, on Wednesday, March 7th. The little boy was born at 1:35 p.m. at Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree, Colorado, weighing in at 5 lbs., 9 oz. and measuring 18 inches long.
According to the couple’s statement, both mom and baby are doing well and surrounded by immediate family.
The couple, who got engaged at Christmas in 2004, plan to be married soon.
AFRICAN BIOLOGICAL FATHER ASKS MADONNA FOR VISIT WITH SON
Madonna’s adoption of her African-born son David has been fraught with controversy and now his biological father has again made demands. When the singer and her husband Guy Ritchie go to Malawi to open the $2.92 million Kabbalah Center that she’s funding, Yohane Banda hopes to meet the one-year-old that he gave up for adoption. According to AllHeadlineNews.com, he said, “I can’t wait to hold him in my arms again. I want to see if he still recognizes me after all this time. I want to see if he still looks like me with all the British food he is eating.”
Although David was adopted from an orphanage, the fact that he has a living relative has caused Madonna to become tangled in the red tape of Malawi laws. She and Ritchie have to wait up to 18 months before the process is finalized.
Madonna has also come under fire for her disuse of carseats for her children. When leaving the Kabbalah Centre in Los Angeles recently, her kids piled into their Escalade and she sat in the middle row with David on her lap, a source told US Weekly. On Wednesday (March 7th), she repeated the error, this time with son Rocco not properly secured. Her reps deny this, claiming that “proper security measures are always taken for Madonna’s children.”
SPIKE LEE MARATHON ON STARZ IN BLACK MARKS DIRECTOR’S 50TH BIRTHDAY
Cable network Starz In Black will celebrate noted director Spike Lee’s 50th birthday later this month with a 24-hour marathon of his movies. The director marks the milestone of March 20th, the day that the network will kick off the movie marathon as well as air exclusive interview segments with Lee, who discusses his craft and his career as a writer, director, actor, producer, author and entrepreneur. The marathon will feature several of Lee’s films, including School Daze, Crooklyn, Bamboozled, Summer of Sam, and Girl 6. Also being shown will be the Starz Original documentary, A Huey P. Newton Story.
“Spike Lee is undoubtedly one of the most important filmmakers of his generation,” said Starz Entertainment VP Jonathan Shair. “Starz In Black is extremely proud to pay homage to this extraordinary director who has not only revolutionized filmmaking, but has had, and continues to have, a major impact on the presence of African Americans in cinema.”
BOW WOW GETS DOWN TO BUSSINESS, INVESTING IN NBA TEAM
Music may be Bow Wow’s present occupation, but the rapper is laying the groundwork for life beyond the mic with various business ventures.
Among those is Prestigious, a shoe store he co-owns with Atlanta radio personality Greg Street. The store is the first taste of business success away from the music industry for Bow Wow, who plans on opening another sneaker store, franchising his first McDonalds and sharing ownership of an NBA basketball team. “I cant say what team yet, but its definitely gonna go down with a certain NBA team,” Bow Wow told AllHipHop.com.
The rapper hinted that news about the investment will be made public at the end of next month.
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Black History Fact
In 1931, Walter F. White was named NAACP Executive Secretary.
In 1957, “I’m Walkin’” by Fats Domino entered the Top 40 chart.
In 1957, “Blue Monday” by Fats Domino peaked at Number Five on the pop chart.
In 1959, “Charlie Brown” by the Coasters peaked at Number Two on the pop chart.
In 1961, the Supremes released their first single, “I Want A Guy”/”Never Again.”
In 1963, “He’s So Fine” by the Chiffons entered the Top 40 chart.
n 1966, Andrew F. Brimmer became the first black governor of the Federal Reserve Board.
In 1968, “Walk Away Renee” by the Four Tops peaked at Number 14 on the pop chart.
In 1974, “Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me” by Gladys Knight & the Pips entered the Top 40 chart.
In 1974, “Boogie Down” by Eddie Kendricks peaked at Number Two on the pop chart.
In 1974, “Jungle Boogie” by Kool & the Gang peaked at Number Four on the pop chart.
In 1976, Barry White’s Greatest Hits was certified gold.
In 1976, Will O’ The Wisp by Leon Russell was certified gold.
In 1977, This Is Niecy by Deniece Williams was certified gold
In 1985, “Missing You” by Diana Ross entered the Top 40 chart.
In 1985, “Rhythm Of The Night” by DeBarge entered the Top 40 chart.
In 1985, “Misled” by Kool & the Gang peaked at Number 10 on the pop chart.
In 1985, “The Borderlines” by Jeffrey Osborne peaked at Number 38 on the pop chart.
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Celebrity Birthdays
• Emmanuel Lewis, actor (Webster), 36
• Corey “C-Murder” Miller, rapper, 36
• Jeffrey Osborne, R&B singer, 59
• Charmain Elaine Sylvers, member of the Sylvers, 53
• Bow Wow, rapper and actor, 20
• Chingy, rapper, 27
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Words To the Wise
Dream big dreams
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Contact Information
Freddie Bell
PO Box 390521
Minneapolis, MN 55439
fbellsolidgoldsoul@gmail.com
888-639-9738
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