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Kimora Returns For Third Season Of ‘Life in the Fab Lane’

The Style Network as ordered seven one-hour episodes of Kimora Lee Simmons’ TV show Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane.

 

The third season of the show features Simmons as she raises her family, while simultaneously acting as CEO of Baby Phat, a company started with ex-husband/Hip-Hop mogul Russell Simmons.

 

The premiere episode features Kimora in the final stages of her pregnancy, in addition to the birth of her son and third child Kenzo Lee, whose father is actor Djimon Hounsou.

 

As she celebrates the birth of her new son, Kimora must also finish remodeling her Beverly Hills home within the month.

 

The second episode features Kimora making final preparations for Fashion Week in New York, while attempting to help her girls go back to school, which is conveniently located in 3,000 miles away, in Los Angeles.

 

Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane premieres Sunday, March 21 at 9:00 PM.

 

A stand alone special will kick off the new season titled Kimora’s Home Movies: Baby Kenzo’s Birth.

 

The half-hour special debuts on Sunday, February 14 at 10:00 PM and features never before seen personal home videos documenting the birth of Kenzo Lee.

Former Bad Boy Producer Launches Artist Development Company

(AllHipHop News) Anthony “Scoe” Walker is set to utilize his near decade of experience as a Bad Boy producer and A&R to develop artists through the newly founded Temp Music Management.

 

With labels reticent to spending any money on new artist development, Walker’s company looks to assist new artists on industry protocols such as image consulting, production, and how to submit materials to labels.

 

Walker cultivated his career after arriving in New York from his native Lake Charles, LA.

 

After meeting with Bad Boy A&R Conrad Dimanche, he sold his first production track to Loon, and then moved on to work with 702, Tamia, Eightball & MJG, and Dream.

 

His work led to him handling A&R duties for Suavehouse’s Rick Ross LP Rise to Power. In Mario Winans and Conrad Dimanche, Walker retained two mentors that encouraged his vision to help new artists make a way in the ever-changing music industry.

 

“During my time producing records for Bad Boy, artist Mario Winans took me under his wing and showed me a lot of what I know now,” Walker stated to AllHipHop.com. “Relationships that I have forged with people like him and Conrad have been of insurmountable value to me, and I feel like I owe it to the next generation of music makers to share the knowledge I’ve gained.”

 

Temp Music Management purports to offer clients an extended network of music executives, lawyers, and producers for consultations to empower the artist(s) for an eventual major label meeting.

 

Contacts include executives from Shady Records (Senior A&R Director Riggs Morales), Suavehouse (Tony Draper), and Def Jam (VP of A&R Lenny Santiago).

 

Interested artists can view the Temp Music Management website at www.tempmusicmanagement.com. The site’s official launch will commence on February 7.

Hip-Hop Artist Cultural Exchange Program: A Historic Experience

Since January 15, Hip-Hop has undergone a groundbreaking experience—the forging of a two-week alliance between a popular South African Hip-Hop artist (Hip-Hop Pantsula) and an acclaimed American Hip-Hop artist (Asheru), to draw strength, inspiration, and vision from respective struggles and cultures. The exchange runs through January 28.

Hip-Hop Pantsula (HHP), also known as Jabba, is an MTV Africa Video of the Year award-winning artist whose work transcends genres and fields. He describes his style of music as “Motswako,” a Setswana word meaning “mixture”—the sum of many parts. HHP has collaborated with Nas and shared same stage with artists like Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, and Keith Murray.

Asheru is a Peabody award-winning MC who many know for rapping the opening theme of “The Boondocks”; but he’s also an educator, activist, and founder of Hip-Hop Educational Literacy Program ( H.E.L.P.), a pioneering literacy initiative incorporating Hip-Hop lyrics into curriculum to create culturally-relevant packages for inner-city and low-income kids.

The event is sponsored primarily by BloomBars (“You Bloom. We Bloom.”), a non-profit organization which utilizes art to transform lives and communities.

Legend—rather Asheru’s account—has it that John R. Chambers, founder of BloomBars, visited South Africa recently, and met with HHP, whose music he was familiar with. Chambers returned home and announced to Asheru: “I met a guy over there who is just like you. You got to meet this Brother”

Initially, a mere meeting of the minds was to take place and, perhaps, artistic collaboration between the two. But Chambers’ vision grew more expansive into a comprehensive two-week schedule to include intense traveling, performance, literacy activism, HIV/Aids awareness presentations, educational workshops, and more—with Asheru serving as guide and ambassador.

Asheru shared a telling experience from last Friday which gives some insight into why such an event is worth doing: “We actually had dinner over at the [South African] ambassador’s house last night. The ambassador has three young children, and all three of them knew who this guy was. [HHP] walking into their house was like Jay-Z walking into your house. They were going crazy. I couldn’t believe it.”

Life for Jabba for the next two weeks would include performing alongside the likes of KRS-One, Jean Grae, Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, Grand Puba, and Pharoahe Monch, meeting pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa and DJ Kool Herc, and speaking to youth about literacy and education. He would also be touring art centers, hosting jam sessions, lecturing at colleges and universities, fundraising for HIV/Aids causes and victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti, and much more—with a film crew documenting each step through.

And many of the artists have been thrilled to take part. “Pharoahe Monch heard about it, Rahzel (formerly of The Roots) heard about it, and instantly said, ‘I want to be down.’ So, I just think it’s really dope that’s he getting that reception,” said Asheru, who described HHP in very complimentary terms: “In his heart, he’s a good brother—very, very humble.”

It was about 12:40 PM when I spoke with HHP on Sunday. He had just woken up following a 4 a.m. jam session with his band and Asheru. He apologized for the slight delay, explaining he was now “operating on different time zones and calendars.”

“We left S.A. just when the sun was going down, and the sun has been up for another 22 hours—[it’s] just like another world,” he joked.

The partnership with BloomBars is perfect because, in his origin town, “rain is the most important” element. “Rain is as important as electricity to the [Western] world.” And BloomBars is particularly invested in “planting the right seeds to make the tree grow.” But seed and rain alone are insufficient. A number of other factors must work in sync for a tree to sprout from seed stage and provide life to its surroundings. HHP uses this metaphor to explain how even the negative and misplaced feedback Hip-Hop often catches from unenlightened critics can—and should—be used as natural fertilizers to bolster the germinating (artistic) process. “We take negativity and turn it into something else,” says HHP.

But he’s thrilled to be involved in this experience which he recently described as a “small step for me but a giant step for Africa.” This border-crossing is significant because, “when you come through, you’re not just one person: you’re representing those who came before you, you’re representing those coming after you. You, yourself, are an ancestor. So, you have to always be connected.” And it’s critical to dispel all the “misconceptions” about African Hip-Hop or, more accurately, Hip-Hop made in Africa. For genuine exchange to take place, HHP sees it important to educate “people about where we come from first.” In that sense, “it’s a true cultural experience—we’re learning something about this side and [presenting] an idea of what’s going on over there.”

Hip-Hop in South Africa and in other parts of Africa is indefinable, he explains—“very broad.” Much of it arose from arms struggle and tribal wars, eventually taking flesh in forms of escapism—ways to push back and, if possible, blot out memories of a traumatic past. But artists gradually collected records and rhythms “from different genres and different countries, and mashed it up to make one dope sound.”

Unfortunately, not many overseas know of this history or how to engage it.

“There are so many misconceptions,” says HHP. Many believe Hip-Hop made in Africa is “still in its indigenous format.” While this may be true in part, Hip-Hop on the continent has also “elevated to different levels.”

And in an age when “musicians are more famous than presidents,” it’s critical that artists take seriously their responsibility to educate as much as they entertain; to gather as much misery surrounds them and “make something meaningful out of it.”

His expectations for the cultural exchange program are ambitious and almost utopian: “I’m hoping people would become open to each other. We were open to American music; we were open to English music for the longest time—(even) when we didn’t understand what they were saying. I’m only starting to understand more, now that I’ve become more fluent in English—like, wow, Biggie was saying that?”

The more those in the Western world listen to Hip-Hop made in Africa—whether understanding all the words or not—“the more it’ll ring in their heads.” Far from condescension, fans and artists need to “consume it, because there’ll be a time when you’ll understand what we are saying.”

This would bring into fruition the creation of a global Hip-Hop community that breaks down borders and barriers; that bypasses parochialism and provincialism; that transcends limits and languages.

As Asheru put it, “we both grew up on Hip-Hop—but just in two different parts of the world.”

For more info, visit:  http://www.bloombars.com/

http://www.wethewilling.org/

http://www.edlyrics.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/BloomBars

Japanese Monks Use Hip-Hop To Recruit New Members

(AllHipHop News) A group of Monks in Japan are using Hip-Hop music to attract new followers to the Buddhist religion.

 

The Buddhist monks refer to their style of teaching as Buddhism 2010 in an article on CNN.

 

The new style of monks have dropped traditional Buddhist chants and have incorporated rap and Hip-Hop as a way to introduce new people to the faith.

 

“Getting the young people back to religion is key to Buddhism’s survival,” Kansho “Mr. Happiness” Tagai told CNN. “In Japan, it’s a religion in crisis.”

 

The monks are also putting a spin on traditional Buddhist temples to attract young people, by serving alcohol while they teach.

 

They reason that their followers talk at ease in a bar like setting, as opposed to the traditional temple, because they are disconnected with modern times.

 

According to Tagai, Monks’ new recruiting technique are paying off.

 

“Twice as many people, especially the young, are now visiting the temple,” Tagai said. “Other monks are even calling me up for advice.”

Rapper Lupe Fiasco Assists Democrat Running For Obama’s Vacant Seat

(AllHipHop News) Hip-Hop star Lupe Fiasco could help determine who sits in the controversial vacant seat left by President Obama.

 

The rapper will perform at a fundraiser for Chicago Urban League Chief Cheryle Jackson, who is one of five democratic hopefuls running for the seat in the February 2 primary.

 

The seat was held by ousted Governor Rod. Blagojevich, who was impeached and removed from office twice for trying to sell Obama’s seat.

 

Cheryle Jackson, who was Blagojevich’s press secretary during his initial inauguration, left the governor’s office to head up the Chicago Urban League.

 

“I am running to fight for our families and to help our communities all around the state of Illinois prosper, particularly at a time of such tough economic declines,” Jackson said during a press conference. “The people of Illinois deserve an honest, independent broker and a bold advocate in Congress who is a problem solver and not another politician.”

 

Lupe will perform at the Shrine Chicago in support of Jackson on January 28.

Diddy To Host Super B-Day For Son, Justin

(AllHipHop News) Sean “Diddy” Combs’ son Justin will be featured on an upcoming edition of MTV’s reality show “My Super Sweet 16.”

 

The show features the children of various moguls and celebrities celebrating their birthdays in lavish style.

 

Artists like Bow Wow, Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em, Meagan Goode, Allen Iverson, Fabolous, Chris Brown and Sean Kingston have been featured on the show.

 

The elder Combs is throwing Justin a “Prince of New York” birthday party that will include guests like Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown, Floyd Mayweather, Lil Kim, Jay-Z and Beyonce.

 

Diddy, who recently celebrated his own 40th birthday, is also asking patrons of the party to donate money to the relief effort for Haiti. Justin is Diddy’s eldest son.

 

The mogul named his popular eatery “Justin’s” after his son and one of his publishing companies is also set up under Justin Combs Publishing.

 

The event, which is being produced by famed event planner Bronson Van Wyck, is slated to take place this Saturday (January 23) at M2 Ultra Lounge in Manhattan.

 

Justin’s “My Super Sweet 16” will air in March.