Monthly Archives: October 2011

MUST SEE: Pariah

A rousing success at the 2011 Sundance and Toronto Film Festivals, the contemporary drama Pariah is the feature-length expansion of writer/director Dee Rees’ award-winning 2007 short film Pariah. Spike Lee is among the feature’s executive producers. At Sundance, cinematographer Bradford Young was honored with the [U.S. Dramatic Competition] Excellence in Cinematography Award.

Adepero Oduye, who had earlier starred in the short film, portrays Alike (pronouncedah-lee-kay), a 17-year-old African-American woman who lives with her parents Audrey and Arthur (Kim Wayans and Charles Parnell) and younger sister Sharonda (Sahra Mellesse) in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood. She has a flair for poetry, and is a good student at her local high school.

 Alike is quietly but firmly embracing her identity as a lesbian. With the sometimes boisterous support of her best friend, out lesbian Laura (Pernell Walker), Alike is especially eager to find a girlfriend. At home, her parents’ marriage is strained and there is further tension in the household whenever Alike’s development becomes a topic of discussion. Pressed by her mother into making the acquaintance of a colleague’s daughter, Bina (Aasha Davis), Alike finds Bina to be unexpectedly refreshing to socialize with.

Wondering how much she can confide in her family, Alike strives to get through adolescence with grace, humor, and tenacity – sometimes succeeding, sometimes not, but always moving forward.   

Connect with Pariah:

http://www.pariahmovie.com   

http://www.facebook.com/pariahthemovie 

 

Rahsaan Patterson Latest Project bleuphoria & Single Crazy (Baby)

Soul innovator Rahsaan Patterson continues to push the boundaries of soul music with the release of his latest project, bleuphoria (July 19), that will coincide with intimate, cross-country promotional performances this summer.   After receiving the 2008 BETJ Virtual Award and being honored as  Soul Tracks Artist of the Year, Rahsaan’s musical talents have touched more than 10 million CDs sold to date and continues to capture a whole new legion of fans with his electrifying, soul-stirring ballads. 

His latest effort, bleuphoria, takes listeners on a sonic ride showcasing Rahsaan’s diversity in music genres from gospel to classic R&B soul to new age funk but also dissects the transcendence of an artist who conquers personal fears and artistic growth unfolding-beautifully through every song. Filled with signature Rahsaan infinite octave-ranging ballads (Goodbyeand Miss You), hypnotic mid-tempo tracks (Stay With Me, 6 AM and first single Easier Said Than Done), funk-drenched club grooves (Ghost featuring Jody Watley) and genre-bending studio experiments (Crazy [Baby] and Mountain Top), bleuphoria is yet another testament of why Rahsaan decided to move in front of the microphone after years of being a successful songwriter.

“This album is a summation of my worldly experiences and really offers musical insight into my journey and what has influenced and inspired me over the years,” says Rahsaan. “Of course I’m rooted in classic R&B soul but I’m so much more than one category and this album is the proof.”

An equally talented songwriter, Rahsaan has written hit songs for and collaborated with Brandy, Van Hunt, Ledisi and Lalah Hathaway.  bleuphoria follows the New York-bred, Los Angeles-based singer’s 2008 The Ultimate Gift, 2007 Wine and Spirits, 2005 After Hours, 1999 Love in Stereo and 1997 self-titled, acclaimed debut, Rahsaan Patterson.  A respected musician within the industry, an array of renowned recording artists lend their talents on bleuphoria including Jody Watley, the legendary Tata Vega, gospel great Andrae Crouch and his choir, Shanice Wilson, Lalah Hathaway and Faith Evans, further solidifying its importance in the ever evolving genre of soul 

Just in time for summer, Rahsaan will be visiting various cities in the U.S. including Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, San Francisco  and Baltimore performing songs from bleuphoria for intimate venues and various music festivals.

 
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Rapper TYGA Mentors Chicago’s Youth

Grammy-nominated pop/rap artist TYGA, also known as Michael Stevenson, came to Chicago last month to empower under-privileged and economically challenged youth as part of his R.O.A.R (Reach Out And Represent) Youth Empowerment Campaign.

On September 23, 2011, TYGA came to Bogan High School as part of the La Belle Vie foundation BULU (Be U Love U) program. He spoke with over 500 youth in each city and present VIP packages to select youth who are nominated by the staff for meeting criteria in three critical areas; attendance, grades and behaviour.

TYGA, an acronym for Thank You God Always, is an American rapper whose album No Introduction debuted in 2008. He has worked with Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne and Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz. He received much acclaim for his Grammy-nominated song with Chris Brown, Deuces, and hit song Coconut Juice, featuring his cousin Travis from Gym Class Heroes. TYGA is now receiving acclaim and admiration for his R.O.A.R youth empowerment campaign, which provides a unique, once in a lifetime opportunity to under-privileged youth.

Developed and supported by the La Belle Vie Foundation, the collaborative BULU/ R.O.A.R. Campaign, is designed to acknowledge and eradicate the damaging impact that media, violence, drug involvement, poor decision-making skills and a lack of education impose on the self-esteems of young people and ultimately their futures.

BULU’s goal is to celebrate youth and achievement by bringing notable successful personalities from similar backgrounds to youth via motivational speaking, providing a tangible mentoring, leadership and empowerment component.

TYGA is thrilled to partner again with Chris Brown before the launch of their highly anticipated F.A.M.E tour with Kelly Roland and T-Pain that started on September 12, 2011 in Toronto. The tour will hit 28 U.S. cities.

During the F.A.M.E. tour, R.O.A.R. and BULU will select a school in each of the 28 tour cities – – engaging at least 2000 youth per city in schools and over 7 million fans per city via his social media platforms.

During the assembly, TYGA gave students the unadulterated truth about the focus and determination that it really takes to accomplish their goals, as well as address the importance of education, anti-drug, anti- violence and achievement despite the challenges.

In an attempt to offset the high drop rates among Black and Latino students and to bring attention to the importance of going to college, TYGA is sponsoring 15 “TYGA SCHOLARS” in each city where a R.O.A.R event is scheduled in a high school. TYGA SCHOLARS will be senior high school students who have been selected by their school administrators to complete the EDU, Inc. COMMON BLACK COLLEGE APPLICATION “for free”. The EDU, Inc. The application allows students to apply to 35 HBCUs at the same time. The use of the EDU, Inc. Application increases the educational options of students by allowing them to receive acceptance letters, financial aid packages and scholarship offers from several different colleges.  

TYGA’s programs R.O.A.R., in partnership with BULU exemplifies a commitment to making a difference in the lives of under-privileged and economically challenged youth through education, mentoring and empowerment. To date, BULU has serviced over 10,000 youth nationwide.

Photos by Joshua Smith