Let Erykah Badu look into your eyes for too long–goes the standing joke amongst the Okayplayer crew–and she will have you in her power. Consider us bewitched. We had the chance to sit down with Miss Badoula while she was here in New York for her lecture at Red Bull Music Academy and much like the RBMA audience we were by turns surprised, charmed and busting out laughing as she spoke on everything from her recent cameos on tracks from Janelle Monáe and Bonobo to her collaborative chemistry on new efforts with Thundercat to when we can expect a new Erykah Badu album (“You can expect it whenever you want to…”). Along the way she tells tales of eating and sleeping with mama’s actual gun by her side for several days to prepare for her role in Jeymes Samuel’s all-black-everything western They Die By Dawn and provides some hilarious behind the scenes DVD extras on the making of her “Window Seat” video–notorious for it’s public display of brown skin. But whether she is talking about nudity or about baring soul in the musical process, we predict Erykah Badu will have you under her spell right from the moment she introduces herself as “She ill” AKA “Green Eyes.” Watch below–but don’t look into those green eyes too long!

Videographer + Editor: Chinisha Scott

The post Erykah Badu Speaks On Movies, New Music, “Window Seat” + More | Okayplayer TV appeared first on Okayplayer.

Apollo Brown is back for more. Only a year removed from releasing two critically adored albums, the Detroit producer returns with not one but TWO new albums that are sure to continue his long-running winning stream. After working with the likes of O.C. and Guilty Simpson in 2012, he’s continued to work with hip-hop heavyweights with the release of his alternate version of Ghostface Killah’s “12 Reasons to Die.” The Brown Tape was originally issued only on cassette, but will get a full release in June. The Brown Tape–which Brown called the most challenging project he’s ever worked on–offers a more traditional sounding hip-hop album that stands nicely alongside Adrian Younge’s lush, orchestral version on the original.

Meanwhile, back in Detroit, Brown has also assembled a Little Brother-type group called Ugly Heroes, which consists of himself and two MCs – Detroit’s Red Pill and Chicago’s Verbal Kent. Brown said he wanted to do a project with two up-and-coming rapper–and also that he personally feels the album  is among his best work.

Okayplayer got a chance to chat with the Mello Music Group producer about the reaction to his two big LPs he released in 2012, how he landed the opportunity to work with Ghostface, the myth of an ugly hero, his tenth album and more. Read on, player (and hit the links below to cop Ugly Heroes, which dropped today).

>>>Purchase Ugly Heroes (via iTunes)

Okayplayer: Last year you had a couple of highly acclaimed albums (“Trophies” and “Dice Game”), do you think those releases put you more in the spotlight?

Apollo Brown: Yeah I would probably say so, doing a big release with O.C. and a big release with Guilty Simpson. I think I was already in the spotlight, but I think those kind of solidified my place in the game, especially dropping those two in the same year. And also getting critical acclaim and certain accolades like being number one of DJ Premier’s top (albums) list of the year.

OKP: You just dropped that remix album for Ghostface Killah’s 12 Reasons to Die, how did you get involved with that album?

AB: That’s the thing man, it’s not a remix album. Everybody thinks it’s a remix album, but when I did the album, it’s actually an official album. When I did the album, I didn’t even hear the original yet. It’s considered another version – an alternate version of the album. I basically created all of the beats around the words. Like most people do the opposite, you know spitting to the beats. Basically I’m making the beats around the words, and it was probably one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done because of the bar structure and the arrangements. It was crazy to do.

It’s definitely not a remix album. It’s just another version – the cassette tape version. It was crazy, making that album was one of the most difficult things ever. It came out good; people love it. I got a phone call one day from Soul Temple (Records), and they’ve enjoyed my music over the past few years, they thought I could be the perfect producer to complement Adrian Younge and come up with an alternate version. I took as a compliment because I’m a big fan of Adrian Younge and obviously a big fan of Ghost. I was just like, let’s do it man, and they gave me a short amount of time to get it done.

I didn’t hear the original version until after it came out, so it was interesting to hear his take on it, versus my own and it’s completely different. I think it was a good thing for the Ghost project.

OKP: Do you think that will open up opportunities to work with Ghost some more or other Wu-Tang members?

The post Apollo Brown On Working W/ Ghostface Killah + Ugly Heroes [The Okayplayer Interview] appeared first on Okayplayer.

Child Of Lov first grabbed hold of our ears last summer with the songs “Give Me” and “Rotisserie” (possibly [?] a psychedelic answer record to D’Angelo’s “Chicken Grease.”) Fast forward a few seasons and his Crying Thunder mixtape is taking the blogosphere by, um, storm. Okayplayer decided it was high time for The Child Of Lov to step from the shadows to reveal himself as Amsterdam producer Cole Williams– the mysterious musical phenom who had been releasing tracks from the comforts of his bedroom and relative anonymity until recently.

TCOL/Williams has emerged just as he prepares to release his forthcoming self-titled LP – a debut that takes the remnants of the mothership and attempts to launch them back into orbit with a future soul sound heavily influenced by the space bass of David Bowie’s extraterrestrial baritone, the nuances of Stevie Wonder’s inner visions and, yes, the birdgrease still dripping from D’Angelo’s groundbreaking works.  A self-taught musician, Williams applies his limitless ear and instrumental dexterity to the pads, keys and strings to create a percussively driven project that is fearless and emphatically experimental in nature.  This LP features MF DOOM, Thundercat and Damon Albarn in a mash of breakbeats, layered vocals and ballsy aesthetic that prove his aptitude for the electric will fuel his ascent.  The Child Of Lov’s arrival marks a renaissance of experimentalism in soul lead by his ghoulish gospel infused with a solid dose of junkyard funk.

So who is The Child Of Lov? Okayplayer got the mystery man on the phone from the Netherlands to find out. While we got very little of the man himself (for reasons still unclear, Williams spoke with digital distortion over his voice for the duration of the interview) he was gracious enough to give us a bit of insight into his creative process. Read on to discover more:

Okayplayer: How did you begin making music?

The Child Of Lov: I’m not from a musical family.  I’m not from one of those families where they gather around the piano and suddenly start singing.  There was a piano in the house, but nobody really played it.  It was more like a piece of furniture.  I had lessons when I was 7, but it was only for like half a year.  I didn’t really practice.  I liked it, but I didn’t like the practicing part of it.  I just wanted to have fun.  Then when I was about 14 or 15 I got into Fruityloops and started making beats.  At the same time my mom bought me a second-hand guitar that I really wanted for a long time.  I just started playing – sort of figuring out chords.  After the guitar, the piano was still in the house so I decided to try that as well.  That’s how the ball started rolling, really.  Later I bought a bass guitar.  That’s how it started, basically.

OKP: What took you from that point to where you are now?

TCOL: I remember when I was starting out making music.  I hadn’t really recorded anything yet, but I heard the Voodoo album – the D’Angelo album.  I was like, “This is really something else.”  I was really blown away by that album.  Emotionally – spiritually as well.  I just felt, “This is what it’s all about.”  Making my own music, I sort of wanted to recreate that.  That’s how it started.  Making these neo-soul kind of songs.

OKP: You mention D’Angelo.  What were your influences at the time? What inspires your sound now?

TCOL: N.E.R.D.  I bought the Fly Or Die record, which was really a great record.  I listened to a lot of Justified – the Justin Timberlake album that was out then.  Stevie Wonder.  At the same time I was also listening to jazz and sort of getting into Charlie Parker.  The last few years I’m really, really inspired by artists who try to cover a wide range of things.  I love Prince and The Beatles.  I’m listening to a lot of QUEEN, which I never thought I would.  And even D’Angelo.  I went to one of his shows – I think it was last year here in Amsterdam and he did a David Bowie cover.  He’s also done some Beatles covers as well.  He covers a pretty wide range too, I think.  He’s a great artist.

OKP: What was it like to work with DOOM, Thundercat and Damon Albarn?

The post Child Of Lov – An Introduction [First Look Fridays] appeared first on Okayplayer.

The Brand New Heavies are back, baby. They never really left, of course, but with two new singles–”Sunshine” and “Addicted”– featuring “Never Stop” singer N’Dea Davenport at the helm after an extended hiatus from the studio, it feels like everything Heavy is new again. Longtime Okayplayers will of course remember BNH best from their breakout jam and the incredibly seminal Heavy Rhyme Experience project featuring Guru, Grand Puba, Masta Ace and grip more of rap’s most versatile mic controllers–a concept collaboration that arguably introduced the idea of blending rap and live music (sounds like someone you know?) for the very first time. But true Heavies will already have dunked their trunks the whole catalog of the funk that never forgets. When we heard that those two shots were the first of a new Heavies album–the appropriately named Forward–we knew Okayplayer had to be the ones to tell the world. Without further ado, stream The Brand New Heavies’ new full-length Forward right here, and read on to get the story of its birth from Heavy drummer, keyboardist, writer, vocalist and producer Jan Kincaid–not to mention some tantalizing tidbits about a Heavy Rhyme Experience 2 (read below!).

Okayplayer: How does it feel to be back? We know you guys have always been making music but the recent material with N’Dea Davenport certainly feels like a reunion to those of us who’ve been fans from the “Never Stop” days–what’s the mood

Jan Kincaid: It feels great to be “back”…the main thing to be aware of here is we are a working, rolling band. Although its taken us way too long to get this release out, we haven’t stopped being on the road (the world’s a big place) writing, jamming and living, starting families, re-shaping our business and all that good stuff.

So when it came time to get into the studio there was a lot of frustration built up to let out, fuel for the fire so to speak. A lot has changed in the musical landscape–not all of it good–and we felt it was long overdue for a brand new classic from the Heavies, with a few twists here and there.

We’ve never stopped working with N’Dea but as is the way in most artists’ lives we all work on other things and with other people too, it’s very healthy and you learn a lot from the process. When “Sunlight” surfaced as a track early on in the album process, N’Dea was the obvious choice to sing a soaring disco opus and she nails it. Other tracks too like “Addicted,” “Remember” and “T.T.M.U” also were crying out for her trademark skills. One thing about the Heavies is we have always been keen to explore and evolve our sound through collaboration and using all of our collective talents.To this end we also hooked up with a seriously talented British vocalist, Dawn Joseph who contributes on four cuts too, and has also been doing great work live. I also sing on three cuts: “Heaven”; “On The One” and “One More For The Road” and Simon weighs in on the remaining vocal tracks.

The vibe overall was great, we are excited again and feel very strong creatively–partly through frustration at where music is at, partly through honing our craft and taking on the life experiences that shape any creative person..hence the name FORWARD.

OKP: We know getting this album made was a bit of a journey–how did Forward come about? Maybe you can update us on the runnings since the Dunk Your Trunk instrumental album…

JK: This album came about as it was way overdue and we couldn’t deny our fans or ourselves any longer…we set up a new studio and it was ON. We jammed, went through tons of jams,wrote songs,got inspired and tapped in to our creative pool of contributing musicians, horns, etc. who are all old friends and part of the family. It shaped up pretty quickly to be honest and we were left scratching our heads as to what took us so long in the first
place. But we are really proud of it and feel it was worth the wait–but we’re definitely not gonna wait that long again!

The post Brand New Heavies – Forward [The Okayplayer Interview] appeared first on Okayplayer.

Talib Kweli, hip-hop legend, takes us behind the scenes of not one but two video shoots in our latest episode of Okayplayer TV. Ebony man, Apollo legend and the black in Black Star, Kweli dropped his 5th solo album Prisoner of Conscious this past Tuesday, May 7th. On Monday, May 6th, Okayplayer spent the day with Kweli on his pre-album release grind, just to get a feel for what his life is like. If it’s Monday, Kweli must be a) receiving an honorary plaque from the Brooklyn Music School, b) lowriding through Bed-Stuy c) chopping it up about pregnancy sex and other serious topics with personality jock Lord Sear on his Sirius XM radio show and then d) heading back to BK for a greenscreen shoot with rapper-turnt-director R.A. The Rugged Man.

If it’s Monday OKP TV must be–mostly–just trying to keep up with Kweli’s hectic schedule of appearances and video shoots without collapsing. Along the way, Kweli exchanged a pound with some old fans, minted some new ones and got caught in the middle of an argument about the rap legacy of Brooklyn versus Long Island. What we did is get Kweli’s thoughts on the “human mic” footage of his appearance at #Occupy in Zucotti Park (which gave the album it’s intro) give y’all some exclusive behind the scenes of  three separate shoots for two different videos–”Human Mic” and “Hamster Wheel,” respectively.  Watch all that goodness below and then scroll down for the original Zucotti Park footage–also shot by go-to Okayplayer/LargeUp shooter Kevin Ornelas. When you’ve done all that, support Brooklyn and independent hip-hop and hit the link cop Prisoner Of Conscious:

>>>Purchase Prisoner Of Conscious (via iTunes)

Producer: Allison Swank
Videographers + Editors:
(Collabo!) + Kevin Ornelas Films

The post Talib Kweli – A Day In The Life Of A ‘Prisoner Of Conscious’ [Okayplayer TV] appeared first on Okayplayer.

The emotionally-driven future soul of Danish duo Quadron makes a return with their impending LP Avalanche, on Vested In Culture/Epic Records.  The new album follows the success of their self-titled 2010 debut and a subsequent move to Los Angeles to pursue their sound outside of the more limited confines of producer Robin Hannibal’s Copenhagen bedroom, where they first began recording.  Driven by the infectious lead single, “Hey Love,” Quadron’s latest project proves that they are in no way enslaved by their sound, though they retain a fierce dedication to it – a trait also exemplified by the sonically deviant side projects that Coco O. and Robin Hannibal have lent themselves to, including Rhye and Boom Clap Bachelors.  As much a pair of risk-takers as they are unabashed purists, the duo remains rooted in the deep bass and melodic gilding that framed Coco’s 90s r&b-inspired vocal so perfectly on their cinematically driven debut – an acutely unique project that went on to garner a cult following and widespread critical acclaim.  Committed to creating good music above all else, they return with a release that stands to fulfill that promise as they build upon the lush production at the core of their aesthetic.  As the June 4^th release date approaches, Quadron drops a bit of insight on sound and a hint of what’s to come.

Okayplayer: How did Quadron come to exist?  Please talk a bit about how you met and began making music.

Coco O: We met in Copenhagen, Denmark where both of us are from.  A mutual friend introduced us at a record store Robin used to manage.  We became friends and most importantly we became music partners by working slowly on different songs and different projects.  Then suddenly we had some material that sounded like something else, so we decided to form a group and put it out.

OKP: Do you ever disagree on the direction of your sound?  How do you resolve creative differences?

Robin Hannibal: Yes, but I think the overall direction is always there.  Most of the time it’s the smaller things.  We’re both so passionate about this project and the songs and everything in it.  Sometimes you get emotionally attached to different parts of the song.  You don’t always see the final composition the same way to begin with.  But I do feel the songs that end up being the best ones are the ones where we had the same vision or the same direction.  I think we also learn a lot from disagreeing.  We learn a lot from hearing other people’s viewpoints.  I think we both appreciate each other’s opinions a lot.  I feel like we’ve come to an understanding.  We try out any ideas one of us has to see if it works or not, because we trust each other’s taste.  Then, also if it’s not your idea but it’s the best of the ideas, we’re both good at saying “That idea was better.”

CO: I think it’s very normal to disagree in all relationships, but it’s getting to be that we share the same taste more and more these days.  So, it’s getting easier.

OKP: It has been 4 years since your self-titled debut.  How do you feel about the Quadron LP, looking back on it?

CO: I really still love it.  I’ve been touring with these songs.  When we made these songs it was very important for us that the music had more to it.  To have interesting melodies.  For it to be interesting to us for a longer period of time.  I think we really succeeded in that since I’m not tired of the songs yet.  I still really enjoy performing them and sometimes if somebody’s playing our album I get excited, like “Oh, that sounds really, really good.”

RH: Sometimes I’m really impressed when I hear it.  I think, “Did we do that 4 years ago?  It sounds really, really good!” I think that if you really put in the work, you’re thinking about the longevity of it while you make it, and make sure you put everything into it, then it’s at least possible that it’ll stand the test of time.  That it can be something that you’ll appreciate further down the line because you kept working on it, you kept honing it, you kept reciting it.  That’s also how I feel about this new album that we worked on for several years.  We picked the very best songs that we both really felt attached to – the ones we felt really succeeded in conveying the vision that we had for it, and we put everything into it.  We revised them so many times.  They’ve gone through so many different processes and rewrites and rearrangements and re-recordings and everything.  When you’re doing it sometimes you feel like it’s so much work and so bothersome, but it’s really worth it once you’re done.

CO: Yeah.  Hard work pays off.

OKP: Would you have done anything differently?  If so, what?

CO: Of course.  I feel there’s a bunch of things I could have done different, but I think that’s also the value in it.  That you did it.  You did exactly that.  It’s there.  It happened at that time for those reasons.  Now, when I hear the vocals I’ll be like “I could have done a bit more here or there”, but I also just love it for what it is.  I think it has great value and you can always change stuff, but sometimes I think it’s more of an art not to (do that) and just accept it for what it is.

OKP: Did you expect the record to be so well received when you were working on it?  What do you think made it so special?

The post The Okayplayer Interview: Robin Hannibal + Coco O. Are Quadron appeared first on Okayplayer.

Although you probably know him best (and miss him most) as the bone-chilling, bone-cracking Chris Partlow from HBO’s hit series The Wire, Nigerian-American actor Gbenga Akinnagbe is proving himself to be an extraordinary renaissance man. When not out getting snatched by the po-po for standing against stop-n-frisk or engaged in a maniacal athletic pursuit, you may just find Gbenga waxing poetic about Liberated People – his new T-shirt line that brings liberation and global justice issues to the foreground. We caught up with him in conjunction with the release of the Liberated People line in the Okayplayer shop, just ahead of the official invite-only Liberated People launch tomorrow at Ms. Lily’s (where we hear The Wire will be nicely represented).

Most of your fans know you from The Wire or the other shows/movies you’ve been apart of, what led you from acting to fashion?
Gbenga Akinnagbe: I’m constantly learning things [and am] addicted to information, actually. But, I kind of underestimated the power of t-shirts… everyone wears them and everyone looks at what’s on a t-shirt. People very much wear them as representations of who they are and what they’re thinking and how they’re feeling and what’s going on in their life —  t-shirts have an incredible power. So I was like, let me see if I can do something that is expressive, that is artistic, that is important. Who knows if this line will achieve those things, but that’s the premise and the bones of Liberated People, so hopefully it will resonate with other people the way it has with me.

Tell me about your vision for the website. When we’ve spoken before, you mentioned you guys would be doing some pretty interesting things there.
GA: My vision for weareliberated.com is to be a multimedia platform, where you can buy our shirts [and] you can comment on the shirts — I don’t want to say chat rooms, but there will be chat rooms, I don’t know what the new age term for that is now. We hope to create somewhere where people can talk about anything they want [and] express themselves about anything – what’s going on in the world politically and otherwise. I want it to be an arena where thoughts are discussed, beautiful thoughts, ugly thoughts, disturbing thoughts. Where anyone and everyone can go there, all our brothers and sisters, whoever.

To go there and to have an open forum and speak about who they are. Aside from that were people can go there and talk about there own personal liberation dates and share their stories. One of the biggest elements to the website that I’m most excited about is live streaming from classrooms around the country, where people can watch classrooms and learn from classrooms, on their own, any time of the day. Be inside a classroom at Princeton, be inside a classroom wherever we can build these partnerships, stream this education. To me everyone should have access. A lot of the difference between the haves and the have-nots is access, so I’d like weareliberated.com to be a bridge for access.

I understand that Liberated People is also donating some of the proceeds from the sales of the t-shirts to non-profits. Can you talk about that?
GA: The inaugural non-profit that Liberated People will work with is called “Beat the Streets” which is dear to me because it takes kids off the streets from inner city Baltimore and puts them on the wrestling mat. It teaches them character and what self accomplishment feels like which can be the key to literally saving their lives because of where they are. It’s what saved me -– they beat up their minds and their bodies and what’s left is a much stronger person. So we’re working with them now.

What’s the future for Liberated People?
GA: I’m really excited about this t-shirt line. I’m really excited about the messages. We are evolving. I think what’s different about Liberated People is we’re not coming out as a finished product even though I think the t-shirts are pretty hot.

Dope man. One last question. What are you listening to now?
GA: That Frank Ocean album is hot! I listen to it over and over again.

The post OKP Style: Gbenga Akinnagbe On His New ‘Liberated People’ Line [Interview] appeared first on Okayplayer.

Back by popular demand, FELA! The Musical is making a second round of appearances in Los Angeles, prompting legendary L.A. radio station KCRW to dig in their audio vaults for some vintage Fela Kuti interview clips to commemorate the event. In 1986, KCRW’s Tom Schnabel profiled the afrobeat pioneer, but the interview was two years delayed due to Fela’s arrest at the Lagos Airport on trumped-up currency violation charges prior to departing for the United States. It was his 451st court appearance in ten years. When he finally arrived back in Los Angeles after serving a partial sentence, Kuti took to the KCRW airwaves to discuss the incident:

“The whole thing of the government then was that people like me should be incarcerated, that was the policy then.” – Fela Kuti

Schnabel also remembers fondly a Fela Kuti performance at the Greek Theater (or was it the Wadsworth? asks the author – such details are hard to keep track of when recalling a legacy as large as The Black President’s) where Fela’s bevy of wives – 27 to be exact – took to the stage in a clothed display of their, shall we say, “assets.” Visionary musician, activist, troublemaker – Fela was all of those things, but perhaps was none of those things if not a lover of the female form. Never one to conform to institutional pressures from society, Fela explained to Schnabel why he felt marriage imposed upon his personal freedom (peep the chuckle in response to his wives possibly exercising that same freedom).

You can head over to KCRW’s Rhythm Planet blog to read/listed to the rest of Tom Schnabel’s heartfelt and thoughtful remembrance of Fela Kuti. FELA! will be in Los Angeles once again from April 26 – May 5. Grab your tickets below.

>>>FELA! at the Ahmanson Theater, Los Angeles [TICKETS]

The post FELA! Returns to LA, KCRW Remembers [Interview Audio + Fela! Tour Dates] appeared first on Okayplayer.

Writer/director Adam Leon was gracious enough to discuss his critically acclaimed independent feature Gimme The Loot; a narrative that follows teens Sophia and Malcolm–played by Tashiana Washington and Ty Hickson respectively–on their quest to make history by tagging up the Mets apple. The story chronicles the obstacles they face in search of the $500 it will take for them to gain access to the ballpark and subsequent infamy as the greatest graf-writers of all-time. Adam Leon wrote and directed the feature, which follows his 2009 debut short Killer–a collaboration from Leon and co-director Jack Pettibone Riccobono. Killer dives lens-first down the rabbit hole of ballsy adolescence in search of the immortality that seems to lie just beyond the grasp of a group of teens writing and running amok during the late 80s in New York City; the era is knowingly captured by the cinematographic choices that dictate the look and feel of the short.

With Gimme The Loot, Leon channels the graffiti writers who inspired him during his work on Killer for his feature directorial debut – this film following two teens from the Bronx turned everyday action heros as Sophia and Malcolm hop buildings, evade cops and run for their lives in an effort to make history in the span of one summer. As Gimme The Loot continues to garner attention and honors from SXSW to Cannes–and well-placed fans like Wyatt Cenac, who encouraged Okayplayer to check this film out–it would appear that Malcolm and Sophia are not the only ones prepping to make a major name for themselves.

Okayplayer: Gimme The Loot is your first film since the 2009 short, Killer. What made the two experiences distinct?

Adam Leon: The films are tonally different. That carried over to the production for each film. Gimme The Loot is a much more fun story. It was a lot more fun making the feature. One was also shot in the summer, the other was not. There are other differences.

OKP: Did any of the obstacles you dealt with on the first film prepare you for the full-length feature production?

AL: I had worked on a feature before – even the short Killer was a full production. I learned a lot dealing with non-professional teen actors and shooting in New York City. I think there were a lot of obstacles in the earlier production that prepared me for the larger feature production.

OKP: Did the end product match the vision you had for the film at the beginning of production?

AL: The movie we ended up with is a movie we’re very proud of. People on the team say all the time that this is the movie we set out to make. At it’s core, this is exactly what we were trying to do.

OKP: What were some of the biggest obstacles you faced in getting the production off the ground?

AL: The biggest challenges were financing; building and getting the cast together. It is harder for investors to take a chance on novice feature filmmakers. We were able to build a cast, crew and a team of investors that has turned into a great support system for the film.

OKP: What inspired you to do a film about graffiti writers?

AL: I was inspired by graffiti writers I knew. By the idea of them taking serious physical and legal risks to express themselves without being in it for any monetary gain. It reminded me of an urban adventure story and I felt like that was a good starting point for the narrative to take place.

OKP: What has been the most gratifying thing about the experience thus far?

AL: Making the movie. Completing the production from start to finish has been the best thing by far. It was difficult to pull off. Getting it done was such a sense of accomplishment. Of course there was also the opportunity for theatrical release and Cannes was a dream come true, but nothing compares to doing the work itself.

OKP: Have you received any surprising feedback from audiences? If so, what?

AL: I think any of the surprises have been positive. We have been able to take the movie around the world – to take audiences around the world along for the ride. Watching them pick up on great performances from the actors and identify with the nuances of teenage life in the U.S. has been priceless. We have been really lucky to reach people in that way.

OKP: What were some of the most difficult and/or proudest moments you shared with your actors and crew?

AL: We spent a lot of time together with the actors in rehearsal. It was very difficult in some ways to get to the point where the actors and the material clicked. Those moments where they clicked in and really took ownership of the material – when it began to take on a life of it’s own – those were the best moments. I am proud of them. I think they are tremendous. They were truly able to tell the story we wanted to tell.

The post Pass The Popcorn: OKP Interviews ‘Gimme The Loot’ Director Adam Leon appeared first on Okayplayer.

Theophilus London dropped “Rio“–his new song with The Menahan Street Band–on us, right before heading out for his live set at the first weekend of Coachella.While there the singer and young style icon sat down for an on camera chat with Fuse TV, in which he revealed some details about his upcoming album, spoke about working with Peter Fox on a 90s-inspired dancehall track and the intense trip to Brazil (“I got chased by gangsters on the beach and got prepped up by all these crazy girls…”) which is immortalized on “Rio.” I’m such a fan of the track myself that I managed to get Theoph on the phone about the time he was rehearsing his live set last week to speak a little about how the making of the track came about and what it portends for the sound of the new album. Here are the salient points and quotes from both interviews:

- The album is finished or near-finished and is tentatively called Vibezz. According to Theophilus it’s coming out :

“Definitely this year, in September.”

- Vibezz features tracks made with Peter Fox and Thomas Brenneck from Menahan Street Band and Budos Band:

“I met Thomas Brenneck through Mark Ronson (Brenneck played on Amy Winehouse’s classic Back To Black LP, among other Ronson-affiliated projects-ed.) and we made “Calypso Blues” and “No Particular One” together. When I got back from Brazil I knew I wanted to make a song about it, so I called him up and we wrote it together.”

- At Coachella:

“I’m playing with a live band, I’ll have 4 musicians on keys on stage with me. We were in the studio last night, doing rehearsals with Omar [Edwards]–he’s Jay-Z‘s musical director–I’m really excited about it.”

- The sound of Vibezz:

“It’ll be more organic, more analog and progressive—it still has a club element but I would never make another record like my first record. That was a certain chapter in my life and my career and now this is the next evolution.”

>>>Purchase “Rio” on iTunes

Watch the full Fuse TV interview below:

The post Theophilus London Announces New LP ‘Vibezz’ + Talks Brazil + Live Bands appeared first on Okayplayer.