This was a good time at the selection meetings in LA for Heineken’s Independent Achiever Awards. There were a lot of candidates in the major cities that made it rough for us to decide but I think we came out with the best for sure. It’s an honor to be amongst the likes of Brian Cox, Sylvia Rhone, Kedar Massenburg and my boy Kenny Burns.

Here are some pics from the meeting and there are more serious photos on this link to WireImages.

(left to right from the top: Jason Orr [FunkJazz Kafé®], Sylvia Rhone, Kedar Massenburg, Brian Michael Cox and Kenny Burns. Photos by Wire Images)

Here is info from Heineken’s press release:

The star-studded artist lineup for the Heineken Red Star Soul concert series, scheduled to kick-off August 6 at BOULEVARD3 in Los Angeles with performances by Ashanti and Goapele. Following the launch, Heineken Red Star Soul will continue throughout the fall and feature Grammy-nominees Raheem DeVaughn, Chrisette Michelle and Dwele as well as Lyfe Jennings, Bilal and Musiq Soulchild.

Scheduled locations, dates and artist lineup (subject to change) include:

– Dallas, Gilley’s, 8/13 - Raheem DeVaughn and Bryan-Michael Cox
– Atlanta, Opera, 8/20 - Lyfe Jennings and Bryan-Michael Cox
– Chicago, House of Blues, 8/27 - Dwele and Chrisette Michelle
– Detroit, Fillmore (formerly State Theater), 9/4 - Dwele and Estelle
– Cleveland, House of Blues, 9/10 - Lyfe Jennings and Bilal
– Washington, D.C., Ibiza, 9/17 - Raheem DeVaughn and Chrisette Michelle
– Philadelphia, World Cafe Live, 9/24 - Musiq Soulchild and Estelle
– New York, Mansion, 10/1 - Keyshia Cole and Raheem DeVaughn

Heineken Independent Achiever Award

Five of the leading voices in soul music convened Monday afternoon in Los Angeles to select the recipients of the 2008 Heineken Independent Achiever Award. The award, which will be presented at each Heineken Red Star Soul concert event, recognizes in each of nine recipients the virtues of hustle, integrity and drive while serving as an inspiration to others through their work in music.

The selection committee is comprised of President of Motown Records Sylvia Rhone, music industry veteran and neo-soul pioneer Kedar Massenburg, five-time Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox, lifestyle specialist Kenny Burns and founder of Atlanta’s FunkJazz Kafe and past recipient Jason Orr.

In 2007, Heineken tapped leading voices in soul and R&B music to serve as the selection committee for the Heineken Independent Achiever Award. Past recipients of the Heineken Independent Achiever Award include the late J. Dilla and Gerald Levert, New York icon Ralph McDaniels, Philadelphia’s DJ Jazzy Jeff, DeVaughn and Chicago super-producer No I.D. This year, Heineken welcomed back Cox, Burns and Orr to the Selection Committee while inviting icons Kedar Massenburg and Sylvia Rhone to the table for the
selection committee deliberation.

“I’m honored to be part of the Heineken Red Star Soul selection committee because I know all these amazing people are dedicated to opening doors for up-and-coming soul artists who don’t always get the exposure and support
they deserve,” said Cox.

Selection Committee

– Kedar Massenburg: Known for guiding the careers of Erykah Badu, D’Angelo and Robin Thicke, Kedar is considered by many to be the founding father of the “neo-soul” movement.

– Sylvia Rhone: President of Motown Records and established executive who has touched the careers of the music industry’s most widely-respected stars from the past thirty years including Yolanda Adams, En Vogue, the late Gerald Levert and Missy Elliott among others.

– Bryan-Michael Cox: Recipient of five GRAMMY Awards as a songwriter and producer, Cox has co-written and co-produced singles including Mariah Carey’s “Shake It Off”; Tamia’s “Still”; Fantasia’s “Only One U”; Mary J. Blige’s “Be Without You”; and Usher’s “Confessions, Pt. 2.” He is also breaking out as an artist and Heineken, continuing a tradition of supporting emerging artists, will feature Cox as a performer during Heineken Red Star Soul.

– Kenny Burns: Kenny has served as host of Heineken Red Star Soul for the past three years while also serving the same role on BET’s hit show, “Black Poker Stars Invitational.” Co-founder of men’s clothing company RyanKenny and former vice president at Def Jam, Kenny brings a wide range of experience and expertise to the deliberation.

– Jason Orr: Founder of Atlanta’s FunkJazz Kafé and 2006 recipient of the Heineken Independent Achiever Award. Orr has produced and directed music videos for the likes of Meshell Ndegeocello, Dionne Farris and British soul legend, Omar. Orr has also consulted and developed career strategies and marketing solutions with the likes of Meshell Ndegeocello, DJ Toomp (producer for T.I., Kanye West, Jay Z and Mariah Carey) Loose Ends, Lil’ Louis, Dionne Farris, Caron Wheeler and Joi. He has produced music on forthcoming records with N’Dea Davenport (Brand New Heavies), Caron Wheeler (Soul II Soul), Loose Ends and his own music project (with Lil Jon producer, Craig Love), Soul Of Earth.

“We’re thrilled to have the leading voices in the music industry working together to identify individuals working hard to get the best out of themselves and inspire others to succeed,” said one Heineken Brand Manager. “Heineken has a passion for music and for celebrating both on-stage and behind the scenes success. Through the distinguished selection committee, we are able to recognize truly deserving individuals working in music.”

About Heineken’s Support of Music

Heineken Red Star Soul is a proprietary event demonstrating Heineken’s continued commitment to bringing consumers innovative and electrifying musical experiences. In addition to Heineken Red Star Soul and the Heineken Independent Achiever Award, the brand recently announced a two-year sponsorship agreement with the legendary Apollo Theater and the creation of the Heineken New Legends Concert Series (a program using the FunkJazz Kafe business model). The series, which kicked off in February with two performances by Philadelphia collective The Roots, will serve as a new cornerstone of the theater’s annual performance schedule. For years, Heineken has also been involved with Premiere Latin music events, artists and causes including the Billboard Latin Music Conference and Awards, the Latin Grammy Awards, Coachella and Street Scene.

Note for FJK readers: Heineken does not sponsor or support FunkJazz Kafe Arts & Music Festivals. Thanks for your inquiries.

Atlanta Soul Scene Reborn

By Joel Rose

Boooooooo! Poor journalism at it’s finest. Anyone who’s lived in Atlanta for the past 14 years and been to FJK will read this and wonder how can you not mention FunkJazz Kafé Arts & Music Festival when talking about the Atlanta soul scene? This was truely an outsiders view that didn’t really understand true movements. At least they did mention some family favorites but their report was narrow and decieving. Thumbs down. Read it for youself.

Just to answer it for all our friends and family of FunkJazz Kafé and the Atlanta live soul-jazz community who know and recognize Lil John as a scene starter and a legendary musician, Lil John is marrying Jill Scott. Congratulations to our dear brother. This was on his myspace blog:

Yes it’s true, we’re engaged!

Saturday, July 05, 2008

So i know yall have been wondering about the rumors of me and Jill Scott becoming engaged. Well you’re hearing it from the horses mouth, well i’m not a horse but anyway… Yes we are engaged! And we are very excited about it. The only problem that i have been having with it is how the media has been portraying me as this young drummer that basically has no history whatsoever outside of playing with Jill. And not to belittle anything about playing with Jill because i have ALWAYS wanted to work with my fellow Philadelphian and soul sister, but they know nothing about what i have accomplished on my own as a touring musician, session player, a producer, singer ; ), and a mentor to many musicians that are in the professional arena now. Not to brag or anything because that is totally out of my character, because i always feel that your gift will make room for you, but it feels really bad to be diminished from what you’ve worked so hard for, to just a young drummer that has only played with one artist his whole 36 years of living. I am just hoping that the media does recognize my accomplishments and not just the fact that i’m going to marry the great Jill Scott, who i am sooo proud of and proud to share the rest of my life with ; ) This is a prime example of not believing everything you hear or read in the media, if you’re not careful they will try and make you or break you no matter who you are. And futhermore to you people out there that are taking shots at me and my baby, i think you should all get a life and stop hating on good people that are trying to make a difference in this world, its not fair and its not nice, thank you! And my name is spelled Lil John Roberts, and i am not the freagin rapper!

Lil John on the last Janet Jackson tour.

Lil John Roberts with PRINCE

(DJs Jamal Ahmed, Ken Rye, Ken Batie [RIP] and India Arie)

And he’s killing them. He left the station a couple of weeks ago. I reached him today. He said he simply wasn’t getting paid enough. He worked at WCLK for 13 years, the afternoon shift the past year and a half. WCLK in recent years has been struggling with fundraising, missing pledge drive goals. The growing strength of commercial rival smooth jazz station 107.5 hasn’t helped.

Wendy Williams, the general manager, is trying to find ways to broaden the appeal of the music mix and strengthen its radio signal. “We’re not so far in left field” as the station used to be, she said. Ken Batie, who were popular jock there from the late 1980s through 2005, both were kingpins of experimentation and broke a ton of new soul aritsts such as India.Arie, Icognito, Anthony David, Meshell Ndegeocello, Omar and Kem in a blend with Herbie Hancock, Donald Byrd, Grant Green and many other jazz legends. At his departure, a blogger on ajc.com said this: “This was progressive music. Positive music. Music that anyone could vibe too. I’ll miss the rotation of Miles, Jill Scott, Gil Scott, D-Influence, Omar, Swing-Out Sister, Kool and the Gang, Donald Byrd, Jerry Gonzales and the verb re-mix classics, i.e. Sara and Carmen all in one set. No where in the country, nor for that matter in the world, does anyone spin like that.” Glad you’re back Brother Jamal.

His show, “The Soul Of Jazz”, is on weekdays 3pm-6pm WCLK –Atlanta, GA

I HAVE TO SAY THAT IT’S A COMPLIMENT AND HONOR WHEN MY FRIENDS IN THE BUSINESS TAKE HEED TO MY ADVISE. EVEN IF IT STICKS YEARS LATER. SOMETIMES THE ROAD TRAVELED IS THE BEST TEACHER. MUCH LOVE TO BROTHER VAN…A MODERN PIONEER.

I SAW THIS ON HIS MYSPACE BLOG AND I HAD TO SHARE IT. I FEEL IT MAY PROVIDE SOME INSITE FROM SOMEONE WHO IS WELL WORTH MORE RECOGNITION BUT FOUND THEMSELVES WITHIN THE MOST CHALLENGING LANDSCAPE THE MUSIC BUSINESS HAS EVER EXPERIENCED. ENJOY, BECAUSE HE’S VERY ELLOQUENT WITH THE WAY HE TELLS THIS STORY. ALSO SEE THE POST WE SUBMITTED IF HE EVER DECIDES TO APPROVE IT. I SPOKE ABOUT HOW I REFLECT ON THAT CONVERSATION ALL THE TIME BECAUSE IT ALL ACTUALLY BECAME A REALITY FOR THE MUSIC BUSINESS.

HERE’S THE VAN HUNT BLOG POST ON MYSPACE

06/30/08 12:34AM

“Pitchman”

The times, they are a’ changin’. but, i’m usually the last to be convinced. it’s part stubbornness; and, part laziness; . . and, ok, it’s part narcissism, too.

as a rule, i always assume that people do not know what they are talking about. therefore, 10 years ago — when my closest friend rode up to my porch on horseback screaming, “the internet is coming! The internet is coming!” — i loped back into my house,
pressed play on the vcr (leaving the tv volume muted; because i generally only like the visuals in movies. not the dialogue) fired up my 4-track recorder and
continued to work out the guitar part on a soon to be titled ditty. “what difference does it make? the only thing that matters is the quality of my work.” i
muttered while i fought off a developing sense of doom. when that same friend returned — this time on a donkey — he warned “you will be one of the last recording artists signed to a major record label deal.” i said “look! i don’t know whether you want to be Paul Revere or the Headless Horseman, but would you please stop interrupting me?” he continued. “you’d better start getting all of your content together. start collecting your fan email. get on-line and start blogging.” i said “thank you, Nostradamus” and slammed the door. i walked his words to the back of my head. I shot them and left them for dead. but, like a true anecdotal tale, my friend’s words have come back to haunt me. as i play catch up to musicians who have become full-time bloggers and cyber store managers, his warnings exact a heavy and settling revenge. i was, indeed, amongst the last
exodus of record label artists who signaled the final gasp of the industry as we knew it and suddenly found themselves “free.” but, i’d never felt enslaved in the first place; so, i’d never yearned for freedom. Not the kind of freedom i find myself surrounded by,
today. it is a liberation that came without revolt. I am more an adult orphan than i am revolutionary. i was content strategically battling “executives” — 50 year
old sycophants — over the direction of my music. but, now, with the “middleman removed, i find my music in the throes of a riot. close enough to touch thousands
of frenzied, starving artists, who were always there, but have now moved in and become e-tailers and computer gypsys and make up the crowded kiosks in the digital bizarre that is the internet. i stumble on into the carnival with my wares and speculate about
its chances of being heard over OR under the cacophony of the market. the police have gone. they escaped peril and are now limited to patroling the perimeters
of the chaos. there are no standards and no quality control. i’ve opted to move my music out of the music section of the free market; because there’s no longer much music IN the music section of the free market. I might as well set up shop in the laptop section of the
free market; or the starbucks or pinkberry section. there’s more foot traffic there. it is a near desultory awareness to find my career left at the mercy of the musical tastes of “foot traffic.”
ironically, it is where i always told those 50 year old record label executives that my music should be judged. but, i never imagined that as my own defense attorney i would be setting myself free to be my own pitchman. i thought my work would suffice as its own advertising. but, the work is not all that matters.
it’s just all that matters TO ME. if i want to get top dollar for my art (or ANY kind of dollar for that matter) then i must not only create art. i must now produce, market, promote, manufacture and distribute. . . art.

v h .

i’m 10 songs in to the new album. website is up. won’t be long, now, before the sign on the store says “open.”

Oh, I forgot to share this with ya’ll. While visiting New York for Lil Louis’ CD preview of “Two Sides To Every Story” (more on that in a later post), I fell into one of those infamous “Wonderful” parties. This is the kind of luck I want to keep going. Imagine coming to a “Wonderful” party with Bobbito and Spinna on deck and the legendary Master Blaster himself shows up? What a night! Peep the photos below courtesy of Lafotographease Imagery. See more photos of the affair on their site. And thanks Stevie, you are truly “Wonderful”.

Hit this LINK

Ever thought that you would see the day when the Godfathers’ estate would be auctioned off?

*Christie’s is putting up for auction some 320 items belonging to the late Godfather of Soul James Brown on July 17.

Among the belongings to be offered at “The James Brown Collection” auction are some of his instruments, hand-written lyrics, awards and grooming artifacts. The entire event is expected to gross about $1 million, reports Reuters.

The sale will include photos and letters from Presidents Reagan and Bush, as well as a Republican Presidential Task Force Card priced at $200 to $300.

A leather belt with a red-and-silver rhinestone buckle reading “Sex Machine” and tooled “We Love You James, Blue Express” is seen fetching $2,000 to $3,000. Brown’s Kennedy Center Honor from 2003 ($10,000 to $15,000) and his 1986 Grammy Award for “Living in America” ($15,000 to $20,000). His jumpsuits, many priced around $5,000, are grouped with other clothing in the sale catalogue by color.

Brown’s Yamaha baby grand piano and his Hammond B-3 electric organ with Leslie speakers are each expected to fetch $15,000 to $20,000. His jumpsuits, many priced around $5,000, are grouped with other clothing in the sale catalogue by color.

Less expensive items include photos, hand-written notes and letters estimated at a few hundred dollars. Other lots such as an engraved silver plate, or sets of cufflinks and studs, are similarly priced.

The sale also includes rollers, picks, hair products and a dome hair dryer from the salon in Brown’s South Carolina home. Furniture, sunglasses, hats, scarves, bow ties and shoes round out the collection.

Woooowwwww!!!!!!

Peep this story.

*Grammy winner Amy Winehouse has issued a public apology for a racially-offensive song she sang in a home video that somehow made its way to the Web site of a British tabloid.

In the clip, Winehouse, 24, changes the lyrics to the popular children’s song “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” to “Blacks, Pakis, Gooks and Nips. On the word “Nips,” she pulls her eyes into slits. She also sings the lyrics: “And deaf and dumb and blind and gay.”

The scenes were filmed by Winehouse’s currently-jailed husband Blake Fielder-Civil, and the video was reportedly given to tabloid News of the World by a former friend determined to show how Fielder-Civil manipulates his wife, according to the British tabloid.

Still photos from the footage also show Winehouse and Fielder-Civil swapping white tablets from mouth to mouth. Another photo catches Winehouse clutching what News of the World says is a homemade crack pipe.

Appearing before the paparazzi outside of her London home, Winehouse apologized for the footage, adding: “I don’t want to play anything down, but I’m the least racist person going.”

VIDEO

APOLOGY

Here’s an interesting story I wanted to share with ya’ll. I don’t have the source now so just google it. Knowledge is power.

*Pioneering South African rapper Tiny Motho Silumo was shot to death outside of his apartment in Johannesburg. Police arrested four men aged 31-44, in connection with the murder. Silumo toured with his brother, producer Richard Silumo, and reggae singer and cousin Lucky Dube, who were members of a group called The Love Brothers, which was formed in 1982. Dube was also gunned down in Johannesburg in October of 2007. Silumo’s death has been described as a great loss to the local music community.