Lupe’s 3rd album LASERS will be in stores March 8th, 2011!

So Sad. Prayers go out to her family! Teena was a true musical talent…

R&B singer Teena Marie was found dead in her California home on Sunday morning, according to numerous reports.

The singer-songwriter was 54.

Teena Marie was born Marie Christine Brockert and rose to fame thanks to her partnership with the late funk legend Rick James.

The soulful singer was best known for her hits such as “Lovergirl” and racked up 13 studio albums, six of which went platinum on the U.S. R&B charts.

The cause of the singer’s death was not immediately known but CNN reported that the singer suffered a seizure while watching a movie.

Eerily on Christmas Day the singer tweeted a Sarah Vaughan song lyric: “May you never grow old, and may I never die.”

The reaction to her death spread quickly across the music and social media world.

Legendary R&B singer Eddie Levert told CNN that “A lot of black people swore by her and believed in her, as far as her music was concerned.”

Fans also mourned the singer’s death.

“The girl could sing,” one fan wrote on Facebook. “I mean she could ‘throw down’. I have to give her her props!”

Source

Fire and Desire.Portuguese Love. Square Biz.Lovergirl…all classics. For those of you unfamiliar with Teena and her music, get educated after the jump

It’s officially winter today and as a treat, the Chicago winds deliver another gem for the hip-hop heads.  Windy City wordsmith, S-Preme, came through to talk about  Vincent Van Gogh (Ye, take note, he spelled it right), spazzing out, and the difference between being a musician and making music.  He’s not famous but he’s making his name known.  Read the interview after the jump…  

SNF: What or who was your inspiration to do music and what motivates you to continue?

S-Preme:  Honestly, Vincent Van Gogh and Jean-Michel Basquiat. As strange as that sounds I began my artistic life as a visual artist, painting and drawing. Those two are my absolute favorites. Eventually I veered away from visual art and music began to be the way I expressed myself. Really, what motivated is the people around me and the encouragement I get from friends and family. That and a genuine love for making music.

SNF:  Was there a particular opportunity that you feel really propelled your career?

S-Preme:  Meeting my current team. Shoutout to JRoc ya dig! Actually the homegirl Kaycee introduced me to him, he’s gotten me a lot of opportunities, as well as my man Rhymestyle who’s responsible for some of my dopest records. Meeting my homie BluBlockr…because you aren’t ready for what we are gonna do, AND without him the WWE situation wouldn’t have went down and that’s gotten me a lot of looks!

SNF:  What qualities and characteristics do you hope people will associate with your name and music?

S-Preme:  Uninhibited. Lyrical. Quality. Timeless.

SNF:  You did an interview back in November for MTV’s music blog where they spotlight emerging artists. The title of the series is “Needle in a Haystack”. What does this mean? Why do you think you were chosen?

S-Preme:  To me it means I’m at the bottom of the mountain. As dope as it was and as honored as I am it really serves as a reminder of how far I have to go to make any kind of mark on the music scene. I think the song “Popular” is bigger than I ever thought it’d be and I think it’s undeniably dope, lol. The song just brings back nostalgia from the Soopa production (not to mention sampling Wicked) and the flow and all that just makes it ill, and it was already getting looks on Ourstage.

SNF:  I know you’re an up-and-coming artist and still have many songs to create throughout your career but what has been your favorite record to date? From a songwriting, production or recording standpoint are there any special memories attached to the song?

S-Preme:  My absolute favorite record is “Clear” from the Sicktape: Volume Two. It’s my most vulnerable state, and my most emotionally expressive record. Anyone who listens can feel the emotion from the production (AmpLive) to the hook I sang and  so forth.

SNF:  You’re about to go out on tour; what would be the perfect line up of artists that you hit the road with?

S-Preme:  Well if I was a superstar it’d be Kanye and Lupe but…if I were to tour RIGHT NOW, I’d want my new homies The Cranberry Show (from Milwaukee, WI)! Their energy and presence is just insane. If the crowds and scene were right I’d love to have Krewella with me as well! Yuuup!

SNF:  You recently released the S-Prodigy EP which is a mash up of your lyrics over The Prodigy’s instrumentals. This project is different from what you’ve done in the past; you definitely went outside of the box. You stated on your blog (before the release) that “S-Prodigy is becoming really socially and politically charged” that expressing those thoughts in your music was “a new experiment”. Can you explain this a little; what made you decide to “open up” more for this project? And secondly, why did you decide to rhyme over electronic beats this time around?

S-Preme:  Really it was just me being totally honest in music. Not trying to fit into any specific box. I decided to open up just because the Sicktape was a “story” and now I got to just GO! I think the electronic beats are more to my tempo…I always like to just GO and GO fast…it’s probably the West-side in me, and these beats are far more suited to that style and really let me just spaz the f*** out!

SNF:  I read this particular phrase on your blog that I’m sure a lot of people can relate to, “Making music is easy. Being a musician is hard”. Can you explain your reasoning behind this?

S-Preme:  Anyone can make music. I mean, as long as there is some type of talent or skill or even a love of it can just decide to make music. Being a musician, on the other hand, is opening yourself to the harsh criticisms of the real world. It means you have to measure up to expectations and in the case of the “industry” you have to fulfill obligations. Balancing the love of music and the “job” of music is a constant battle.

SNF:  What can we look forward to with Everyone Loves Everything? Can you give us any teasers?

S-Preme:  Chikapow! EVERYONE LOVES EVERYTHING!?!?! Expect dope shit! LOL really, expect honest music, but BIG quality epic shit. It’s gonna be an experimental process of self-discovery as I create it, but I know from the two songs I have been working on so far with BluBlockr (SUPER PRODUCER!) are absurdly dope! The sound is a mix of ALL my influences.

SNF:  Thank you for allowing us to delve deeper into who S-Preme is. I’m sure your fans will appreciate all that you’ve had to say here. Now, for those who may not be familiar with you and your music where can they find you? (social networks, websites, blog, music sites etc.)

S-Preme:  Well first of all thanks for having ME. I appreciate it, ya dig? you can ALWAYS find me at twitter.com/spreme @spreme. My website is s-preme.com find me on facebook.com/s.prememusic and check my blog at blog.s-preme.com! Stay tuned for real though, cuz big BIG shit is coming!

Make sure ya’ll check him out.  I must say that his blog is very interesting for those who are into art as well as music.

Here’s some footage of of El performing at the Essence Music Festival this past summer. Lately I have been on an El DeBarge “kick” solely based off his latest release “Second Chance”, which earned his 2 grammy nominations. I have ALWAYS been a DeBarge fan, this track right here being one of my favorites…

ULTIMATE R&B RECORD YALL! If you are not familiar with El then I suggest you go do some searching on Youtube. Matter of fact to get you started, you can head over to one of my favorite blogs All Soul and Funk where they have all of the DeBarge albums uploaded. THEN after you do that, go out and PURCHASE El’s current project “Second Chance” Trust me you WON’T regret it…BEST R&B ALBUM OF 2010 YEAH I SAID IT!

Be sure to check out All This Love For El for all the latest updates on El DeBarge

^ Dee-1 Right Above It Freestyle

Recently, we got the chance to chop it up New Orleans newcomer Dee-1. Dee talks about his musical influences, wanting to play for the NBA,  his hometown sound “Bounce” music, his single “Jay, 50, Weezy”, and Britney Spears?? Peep the interview after the jump…

SNF :Introduce yourself to my readers, for those who may not be familiar with you.

Dee-1: I am Dee-1, also known as The One Man Army. I’m on a mission to affect lives and communities in a positive way. And I’m what happens when soul meets swag.

SNF: Now you’re from New Orleans, a city that is known for its “Bounce” music, how has being from New Orleans influenced you as an artist and would you consider your sound to New Orleans “Bounce”?

Dee-1: New Orleans gave me my flavor. It automatically makes me stand out because New Orleans is unlike any other place on earth, and so are the people. Bounce music revolves around uptempo “triggerman” beats and nonstop dancing. I am not a “Bounce” artist, but I have an appreciation for Bounce music because I grew up around it and every girl I ever knew from New Orleans loved to dance to bounce music. And I enjoyed watching that. Lol.

SNF: Who were some of your musical influences growing up and what made you want to pursue music as a career?

Dee-1: My main musical influences growing up were Tupac, Nas, DMX, Mac (from No Limit Records), Cash Money Records, and Lauryn Hill. I wanted to pursue a career in music once I got to college (LSU) and gave up on my other passion, which was to go to the NBA. I was real good in high school, but when I got to college I realized I wasn’t NBA caliber, so I picked up hip hop. At first it was a hobby, then as people started to tell me I was good, it grew into something I wanted to do on a professional scale.

SNF: Being from Louisiana myself I know that we are big on family! So how does your family feel about your success so far and what would they tell us about your growth in music?

Dee-1: They would tell you that at first I used to hide my music from them and they didn’t even know I had started rapping. I was embarrassed at first because my family’s opinion of me is very important, and when they think of rappers they have a negative perception. I did not want them to think I was “just another rapper talking about the same stuff as everybody else,” but they started to see me in magazines or their friends at work would tell them that their kids were fans of me, and my parents were like “HUH? Fans of who?” So I had to have that talk with them and introduce them to Dee-1. But now my parents are my biggest supporters. I think they would tell you that they are really proud of me. They see how much time, energy, and money I have put into music. I have given up all stability that I had in my life behind chasing this dream, so they respect that.

Dee-1 ft. Kade “Cherries and Strawberries”

SNF: ShesNotFamous is all about bringing people the “Best in what’s NEXT” with that being said, what about your music makes you the next best thing?

Dee-1: Music is just people finding new ways to say the same things. With that being said, there has never been another rapper who has my combination of skills, personality, upbringing, and overall purpose. Since I’m not a clone of anyone else, Dee-1′s music and whole image naturally stands out. I’m 1 of 1.

SNF: “Jay, 50, Weezy” sounds almost as if it is a letter written to these artist is that how you intended for it to come across? What was the inspiration behind it and the point where you thought “I’ve had enough! Let me get this off my chest…”?

Dee-1: I was teaching middle school when I wrote that song. I had students everyday who would learn rap lyrics waaaaaayyyy before they would learn their school lessons, so I knew that people like Jay, 50, and Weezy could use the platform that they have to make a more positive impact on our community and our kids. These are not your kids or my kids, they’re OUR kids and this is OUR future. I honestly don’t think that some rappers “get it” so I don’t fault them. But I honestly think that those three gentlemen do “get it.”

SNF: What has been some of the audience’s responses from that record? Has either Jay, 50, or Weezy reached out to you in any way?

Dee-1: The response has been phenomenal from the people. The video has over 250,000 total views and it has been added to MTV JAMS and made the MTV2 Suckerfree Countdown several weeks in a row. It has opened up my music to a much larger audience, so I’m very thankful. To answer your other question….. NO. Jay, 50, or Weezy have not reached out in any way.

SNF: Alright here’s a question I always ask people in interview, Whats currently playing in your ipod and what would find surprised to see in there?

Dee-1: I’m bumping this new Dee-1 “I Hope They Hear Me Vol 2″ trying to decide which songs to put on there and which ones to hold on to. It’ll be out in January, so I have to decide quickly. I’m also bumping Joe Budden Mood Muzik 4.

SNF: Tell us about your current projects and also what we can expect to hear from you in the future.

Dee-1: My next video I’m releasing is for my single “One Man Army.” I’m also releasing a new mixtape “I Hope They Hear Me 1.5″ this week, which is just an appetizer until I release the big one..… “I Hope They Hear Me Vol 2.”

SNF: Any Shout outs?

Dee-1: God, my family, my team, and all my fans. And lastly all the One Man Armies and One Woman Armies out there who are playing their part to spread knowledge and positive energy throughout the world. We need it…. and the battle continues

GET TO KNOW DEE-1 TIME! He had to pick the one he prefers and he can’t say both or neither thats cheating! lol

#TEAM...

Michael Jackson or Prince?   MIKE!!!

Nicki or Kim?  NICKI. Those voices are hilarious.

Biggie or 2pac? PAC! I’m listening to Pac RIGHT NOW!

Q-Tip or Lupe Fiasco? LUPE. I would love to collab with him one day.

Britney Spears or Lady Gaga? Britney. She’s from Louisiana. Gotta rock with the hometeam.

Would you rather rock…

Jheri Curl or mullet? Jheri Curl…. (I always thought it was spelled Jerry Curl, LOL… I might rock a mullet  instead just because i don’t like the way “Jheri” is spelled. Real talk.)

Reeboks or Adidas? in 2011? Adidas. in 1998? Reebok. Reebok “Souljas” were a must if you were a kid in New Orleans.

FUBU or Karl Kani? FUBU!!!!! I never owned any Kani. I have plenty stories about what I did to get my hands on enough money to buy FUBU shirts and jerseys… That’ll be in the next interview we do…

Thank you to Dee-1 and his entire team for sitting down with us! For more information on Dee-1, visit his website www.dee1music.com. You can also find Dee-1 on Twitter.

I’m really feeling this track right here yall. This is David Dallas. A hip-hop sensation from New Zealand and as announced yesterday the latest to join the Duck Down squad (Click here to hear more about their collab). There’s just something so old school about this kid I just can’t even begin to describe. All I know is that the dude is DOPE and I suggest that yall check out more of his music.

For more information and to see more videos from David Dallas…click here

With this, I present to you a FreEP from one of my favorite artists, S-Preme. The native Chicagoan has taken nine beats from the infamous Prodigy and added his own funk of lyricism to it.

Hosted by: DJ Booth and presented by Dope Couture I present to you, S-Prodigy. Enjoy.

ShesNotFamous will be joining the cast of MINDFUCK radio! The show will begin airing on January 4th, 2011 from 10pm-12am EST on www.wwradio.net (blaze.wwradio.net) The Blaze! Her segment “10 minutes of fame w/ ShesNotFamous” will spotlight signed AND unsigned talent. You can send your music to be considered for the segment at shesnotfamous@mindfuckradio.com

MINDFUCK radio Pre-Launch Commercial

Be sure to follow ShesNotFamous and the entire MindFuck radio cast on TWITTER!

@shesnotfamous

@cymandye

@mshollywood313

@djlonnieb