The first volume of the Urban Voice series in the United Kingdom was recently released, with a variety of Hip-Hop, R&B, Jazz and Gospel artists.Urban Voice UK was set up five years ago in conjunction with the government, to help change the outlook of youth in areas where gun crime is prevalent.The goal of the program is to encourage UK talent and to help guide those at risk of social exclusion and to provide an opportunity to those focusing their energy into the arts.The 17-track album features contributions from Floetry, 57th Dynasty, Ms. Dynamite, Tippa Irie, Cassius Henry and other unsigned acts from the United Kingdom.The Urban Voice UK project was conceived as a result of a 2002 New Year’s Eve shooting in Birmingham between rival gangs that left two girls, 15 and 17-years-old, dead.The album is funded by the Association of London Government, DISARM and the Government Office For London.One interesting track, “Bring The Family Back,” is a remake of Billy Paul’s#### by the same name. The song features The Brovahood, a collective of artists that includes Iceberg Slimm, Tippa Irie, Cassius Henry, Roachford, Wayne Williams and the founder of Urban Voice, Tony Biola.Urban voice UK hopes to launch the “Singers’ Paradise” seminars throughout the city, between June and December 2004, that will be supported by a variety of celebrities to offer insight about the music industry.
