AHHA: What’s the funniest thing that a heckler has ever said to you? Jalen: ‘Who’s your daddy?’ – because my daddy, for NBA fans, was the number-one pick in the 1967 draft, a guy named Jimmy Walker. Anybody that knows that also knows that I’ve never met him still to this day. Hopefully we’ll meet. […]

Every part of the music industry is a hustle—from starting a group to managing an artist, to being put on as a hair stylist. And what about poppin’, twisting and “one-two” steppin’ to the hottest southern anthems coming out of the South? Devyne Stephens knows the all-around hustle better than most. His road to success […]

It was apparent from the 2003 release of his official debut album Subject that pure harmony pumped through the veins of Detroit’s own Dwele. Whether blessing cameos through singing or production, or engaging in his own recordings, he is proof that soul wasn’t left in the ‘70s. Born Andwele Gardner [Swahili for “God has brought […]

When you think of Brooklyn, New York, you think of the raw and gritty streets that reared emcees like the Notorious B.I.G, Lil’ Kim, Foxy Brown and Jay-Z. Although she is from the streets, Deemi is not an emcee – and she’s definitely not your usual R&B diva. Born and raised in Bedford Stuyvesant, the […]

Prior to her U.S. relocation, 17-year-old Rihanna was enjoying the mild comforts of island life in her native Barbados. Then, the green-eyed soulstress met a record producer, landed a deal on the spot after auditioning for Jay-Z, and created one of the hottest singles of the summer, “Pon de Replay”. Now she’s prepared to keep […]

When Eric Roberson is recording, even his family has a hard time reaching him. The singer/songwriter has been spending weeks at a time burrowed in his New Jersey in-house studio, putting together what may be one of the most anticipated independent R&B albums of 2006. While some still scratch their heads when they hear his […]

Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds is a soft-spoken man. You have to press your ear into the receiver to hear his whisper, yet when he’s belting out his hits on stage he seems to be a completely different person. While being timid is part of his persona, being a smooth operator on stage is part of his […]

From http://www.cia.gov The definition of a refugee according to a United Nations Convention is “a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail himself/herself […]

Damian Marley has been making beautiful music for awhile now, but lately that music has become a thunderous roar. With the release of his searing single, “Welcome to Jamrock”, Jr. Gong has rekindled the mainstream Reggae movement and stirred hearts with his vivid depictions of a ravaged Jamaica much different than the turquoise waters and […]

There are vixens and there are hustlers. Tiara, the epitome of the internet dream girl, happens to be a little of both. She has appeared in multiple videos for the likes of G-Unit, Kanye West, and The Terror Squad, and has been raking in dough from websites featuring her own images as the main attraction. […]

You don’t have to just grind – you can skate out of the hood too. North Philadelphia’s skateboard dynamo Stevie Williams has been doing just that since turning pro as an adolescent. Fine tuning his trade in Philly’s infamous Love Park [where skating is now banned], Williams quickly ascended to be one of street skating’s […]

AHHA: So how did you get back into the game? Stevie: I went back to Cali and filmed the best stuff I could possible think of, being as creative as I can. I apologized to a lot of people, started praying, started focusing and I took my tape down to LA. I went to the […]

Alfonzo Hunter is ready to give the masses another chance to head to the club, party and drink some Bacardi, but he is no new kid on the block when it comes to the music industry. Under the helm of Eric Sermon’s Def Squad Records, Hunter released his nearly gold 1996 debut Blacka Da Berry […]

The debut single from Trey Songz, “Just Gotta Make It”, has been in heavy rotation since it hit radio and BET video shows, but the Petersburg, Virginia native has been around for a while now. By the time he was only 15, Trey Songz had won over 20 talent contests in his hometown area. It […]

When you first hear Raheem DeVaughn, you can easily imagine a man beyond his years singing the songs. Whether the topic is love or his feelings about issues of the world, Raheem’s voice has the power to make you believe him. The son of noted jazz musician Abdul Wadud, Raheem has been a fan of […]

The controversy surrounding R. Kelly is still a sensitive issue for many people. With a very public arrest haunting him, most people wondered whether such an influential musical icon would be able to shake off the stigma to win back fans and return to the top where his slow, sexual grooves once dominated. Like him, […]

Wendy Williams has forged her own path in radio show entertainment by dishing the latest dirt on celebrities, including herself. From battling a weight issue to a drug addiction, she has seen and been through it all. Since her first appearance on the radio nearly 20 years ago, Wendy’s main focus is to bring her […]

In the ‘hood and abroad, John Singleton is a legend—the man responsible for bringing such classic characters as Ice Cube’s Doughboy from Boyz n the Hood and Tupac’s Lucky in Poetic Justice to the big screen, while placing much-needed emphasis on the poignant tales the inner city has to offer. While some Hollywood heads might […]

When she first came on the scene three years ago with her first album Denials, Delusions, and Decisions, Jaguar Wright found herself aligned with a debatable category of music labeled Neo-Soul. You might remember seeing her on stage with one of Hip-Hop’s most intriguing groups, The Roots, or maybe you remember how she kicked out […]

From the first time Buju Banton crossed the Caribbean Sea to find success in America, he has beaten a unique path. Most of his peers crafted Dancehall anthems that still get the party started in any urban nightclub, leaving the “culture”, or more conscious – almost religious – music to the elders who had toiled […]