Posted on 03/02/2009
This new day of “instant hits” can easily give us the perception that success is an overnight actuality. Artists hit the charts one day, appearing from near obscurity, and are soon forgotten… unless they can produce another hit, of course. As a producer, songwriter, singer, marketing specialist, scholar and now director, Ryan Leslie is already proving that he’s got staying power in the fickle music industry. His self-titled debut album was released in February, but the road to getting the project out was anything but a snap.

Posted on 02/22/2009
As we settle into 2009, many have left behind the memories of an old year and look ahead to the promise of the new. For a musical nomad like Somalia-born, Toronto dweller K'naan, the physical and creative journey is never-ending as he meshes the opportunities of his present globetrotting emcee status into a mosaic rife with the bloody images of the stricken homeland he left behind. Instead of collecting dust in the four years since his critically acclaimed debut, The Dusty Foot Philosopher, K’naan busied himself taking his eclectic message of peace to the world. With new experiences and insights, the constant wanderer drops another collection of passionate, thought-provoking songs on Troubadour.

Posted on 02/12/2009
As people instinctively travel the paths of rhythm, their quest can lead to any number of places. For some of us, however, the journey itself is the destination. So what happens once our favorite trails have become too worn to still wander astray, and our beloved excursions become mundane commutes? I’m a firm believer that the continuous rehashing of a classic record can lead to a deeper appreciation of the music. With that said, you’d be hard pressed to find too many diehard fans of A Tribe Called Quest who wouldn’t trade years worth of insight for the chance to hear those songs , 1nce again for the first time. Well, leave it to J.Period to punctuate our regularly scheduled (mid-night mar-aud-er) programs. I can think of few tasks more daunting than the quest to tweak Q-Tip’s most classic material, yet with The [Abstract] Best, J.Period might have just found a new road home.

Posted on 02/06/2009
Neo Soul stars all see the same living room. They see the same intimate cluster of grown folks, parents, aunts, uncles, and family friends, gathered by the turntable drinking cold ones in the evening after work. They see the same haloed stack of records—it includes Curtis Mayfield’s “Superfly,” Al Green “Simply Beautiful,” or maybe Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour.” With their own eyes, they witness the same joy, laughter, tears, and pain, which these cherished songs bring to this party of adults over and over again. These Neo Soul stars, from the time they utter their first note, share the same dream: to someday sing, die, and morph into one of those records that people enjoy, embrace, and need.