| FCN 06/11/2002 |
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| Related Links: | GwenLasterMusic.com |
| Powerbroker Entertainment | |
| Chuck D's RapStation.com |
Independence Day
A sampling of the very best in independent music
by Michelle Muhammad
You won�t find it on MTV, MTV2, BET or VH1. You may however find it on your local radio station. I am talking about the very best in independent music. Many great artists never land a record deal with one of the major record companies, but they continue to work hard and put out good music on their own. If they are lucky enough to sell a significant amount of records, they can gain the attention of sound scan, thereby getting noticed by the recording industry.
The Final Call receives hundreds of tapes from artists and would be artists that want to get recognitions of sorts. A lot of them are good, and some of them are bad. We would like to commend all of you for being persistent and passionate about following your dreams. Our staff here at The Final Call had the pleasure of sifting through all of the cassettes, disks and press kits that we have gotten in recent months. Here we are showcasing some of best that our office has received.
One such release we received was from Tone (Rone) Epinger of Chicago. Tone Rone � The Album is a great piece of work. If given the chance, Rone can stand with the best of today�s hip hop artists. Stand out cuts include "Speed it up, Slow it down," "Somethin� Personal," and "Welcome 2 Da War." One other such stand out song is "Stick and Move" where he says, "Now who�s on crack?/ Now who�s on dope?/ I never get high. I don�t know why my enemies lie/ Son I�m into Nas and I wake up in the hand�s of God/ think about it." This would be a refreshing addition to the sex, drugs and money-obsessed world of hip hop.
Deon Muhammad (a.k.a. Deon Clark) of Washington D.C., is a great
guitarist. His soulful melodic sounds can be heard all throughout his debut CD
Clean Cutt. Not only is Deon a master guitarist, he recorded, produced
and engineered the entire project in addition to playing all instruments on the
disk (guitars, bass, keyboards, trumpet and congas). On the 10-track disc there
are many good songs to choose from including "Tania�s Bell," "Cleanly Fresh"
and "Summer Nights." There are songs on this album that can play on any
smooth jazz channel across the country.
Powerbroker
Entertainment Positive Hip Hop has a powerful new
release titled Kamp Fire The Blazin� compilation which features Leon
Dagga, The Bringa, Kamal Supreme, Redgirl, Cartier and more. One of the tightest
songs is Revolutionary Art by Kamal Supreme. It�s a cross between Busta
Rhymes and Public Enemy. It has that banging beat for the streets that you can
nod your head to and an enlightening message for the people. Leon Dagga was
featured on Chuck D�s Rapstation.com and was artist of the month on
hiphoppalace.com because of his song "Keep Your Head Strong" which is
dedicated to his daughter and all the children of the world. Redgirl has a song
called "I just wanna� stay the same" which is about being and loving
yourself. Wu-Tang Clan is not the only hot crew to come out of Jersey, look out
for these very talented artists.
When first listening to jazz violinist
Gwen Laster�s CD I
Hear You Smiling, you are immediately drawn into her world. This is one of
the best jazz CD�s of this year. Her violin is soothing and captivating at best.
The native New Yorker was most recently featured on multi-platinum recording artist Shaggy�s hit single "It Wasn�t Me" off of his album Hot Shot, Alicia Keys� remix of "Falling" from the Ali soundtrack and the Angie Stone track "Bottles and Can�s" from Mahogany Soul.
Gwen�s first CD Sneak Preview was released in January 2000. This latest effort is absolutely fantastic and can be listened to from beginning to end. Her exquisite violin and lush vocals can be heard on "Send Love to the Equation" and the title track "I Hear You Smiling." Other exceptional tunes are "Rasputin�s Runnin," "Arisin�" and "Jacmel."
Let�s support our own. Look out for these rising stars at a record store near you.
(Michelle Muhammad may be reached via her email address at: [email protected]).