For Those Who Can't Sleep On Hip Hop
When it comes to the pinnacle of entertainment, Mr. O'Shea Jackson, better known as Ice Cube to the world, arrived quite a while ago. As a performer, he's transcended from Hip Hop legend to movie star, all while maintaining credibility in both worlds. As an entertainment entrepreneur, he's successfully conquered the music, film, and now television industries. Counting the "Friday" and "Barbershop" movies, "Are We There Yet" is his third franchise film. This time, he's delivered one of his popular major motion picture properties to TV. The family-oriented sitcom stars Terry Crews (known best as Chris Rock's father on "Everybody ...
Insomniac Magazine recently participated in an interview with Julian Lennon to discuss his new release and a brand new company called theRevolution LLC. Lennon and music industry professionals Michael Birch (sold Bebo to AOL for $850 million) and Todd Meaghe (created the first 50/50 artist music store) started the company as a new approach to releasing music and working with artists. The company scouts talent, and then helps set up these artists with their own businesses. The company assists the artists with a variety of business endeavors including: finance, development, digital and physical distribution, promotion, and other important aspects ...
KILLAH PRIEST: AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME WITH LATEST "OFFERING" By Khalid Strickland a.k.a. Dirty Angel Brooklyn wins again. After their legendary movement avalanched hip-hop’s landscape, the Wu-Tang Clan assisted a lion’s share of rappers who have gained notoriety on their own merit. Killah Priest, hailing from Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, is one of these alumni. Priest (as he prefers being called now) made his memorable debut in 1994 on “6 Feet Deep”, the first LP by The Gravediggaz (a group spearheaded by Wu-Tang Clan leader The RZA). In 1995, he appeared on two classic Wu-Tang solo albums: “Liquid Swords” by The GZA and ...
Get your single or album covered in Insomniac. Within the review we will include your artwork and a link to your site. Only $19.99 for your single or $49.99 for your album. Album review Single review Why pay for a review? This guarantees that your release is reviewed within InsomniacMagazine.com. Insomniac has been online since the later ‘90s. (Note: we always reserve the right to refuse coverage of any release that we decide is not appropriate for the site. If this were to happen, we will of course refund the amount paid.) Back to the question at hand: Why pay for a review? ...
Sharon Jones is one of the most inspirational artists on the show circuit. It’s not just her soulful voice, nor is it her hard and heavy dancing on stage, nor her soothing retro sounds that are reminiscent of class acts such as ‘60’s female groups The Shirelles, The Marvelettes, The Dixie Cups, and others, that makes her such a powerful inspiration. Even Jones’ uncanny, pure energy and movements, that seem to be channeled from the late James Brown, don't make her such a rousing figure. The inspiration is her story: A struggling singer who worked at a state prison as ...
Merry Miller is an extraordinary artist and businesswoman. Don’t take my word for it, she was named in Crain's New York Business magazine “40 Under 40” issue. She is the former Executive Vice President of Programming at the Learning Annex, and instrumental in building the organization’s revenue from $3 million to $100 million in three years. During that time, she coordinated visits from the who’s who of business and entertainment. She’s coordinated visits from some of the biggest leaders in the business, from Donald Trump to Russell Simmons. If that’s not impressive enough, Elle magazine named her one of the ...
In a day and age of commodity artists who are forgotten shortly after a year or so of a radio hit, and in an environment where hit artists of yesteryear are remembered only by those who were raised on their sounds, it is rare to find an artist who continues to resonate with new and old audiences decades after launching their career. Teena Marie stepped on the scene in ’79 and continues to touch music fans with her amazingly soulful voice. Not only has her music swept her fans off of their feet for years, but she has also influenced new ...
Place your music-related press release on InsomniacMagazine.com for only $19.99. With this service you can include one image in your music based press release and two links to your website, social networking page, or link promotional downloads on your site. The press release submitted cannot exceed 500 words and will include your heading as the title of the post on InsomniacMagazine.com. Press releases will contain a note stating that they have been sponsored by contributor. Insomniac Magazine has been online for well over a decade and features interviews and coverage including some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, and media. ...
In 1992, Speech, along with his group Arrested Development, went on to receive countless accolades including two Grammy Awards and being named Band of the Year by Rolling Stone Magazine for the ground breaking “3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in the Life of…” The album launched the band into stardom with constant video and radio rotation for their hit "Tennessee," and later for singles "People Everyday" and "Mr. Wendal." The funky and soulful blend of Hip Hop and R&B delivered socially conscious music in a manner that was palatable to the masses. Despite being adorned with admiration by ...
Although Charlie Murphy has appeared in countless films since the late ‘80s, there’s no getting around that most fans started to really get to know him during and after his appearances on The Dave Chappelle Show. Charlie’s skits, some based on his telling of real-life encounters with celebrities while he worked security in the early days of his younger brother’s career, have become larger than the show itself. Plays of some of Charlie’s segments on Chappelle’s show have exceeded the million-view mark on Youtube.com. There are very few people who follow pop culture that haven’t heard the words “I’m ...
WITH A FRESH START, STYLES P READIES "SUPER" NEW ALBUM By Khalid Strickland a.k.a. Dirty Angel The streets may now rejoice... When I first interviewed Styles P, around this same time last year coincidentally, the self-proclaimed “hardest rapper out” wasn’t in the best of moods. Although Styles’ sophomore album, “Time is Money”, was set to be released on Interscope Records, the moment was bittersweet. That’s because his excellent solo debut album, “A Gangster and a Gentleman”, had been released four years earlier in 2002. With the airtight singles like “Good Times” and “The Life” (featuring Pharaoh Monch) getting burn on the airwaves, Styles ...
Aston "FamilyMan" Barrett, the bassist for the legendary Wailers is responsible for the basslines and other creative elements on many of Bob Marley and the Wailers' classic songs. We discuss his thoughts about why Bob Marley and The Wailers' music continues to resonate with fans decades after its creation. He also discusses his thoughts on current state of music, and how he met and started working with Bob Marley. Yvad, the Wailers' Band's new vocalist shares his views on the power of Bob Marley and the Wailers' music. Whether you're a musician or an artist, if you aspire to have a ...
In this segment, Speech delves into his experiences with records labels and the music business. He also provides advice for artists seeking to succeed within the music industry. Make sure to read and listen to the first segment of Insomniac Magazine’s interview with Speech, where he discusses his thoughts on authenticity in Hip Hop. – Israel Vasquetelle
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For immediate release:
Hip Hop group Premavara Family has just released a brand new track entitled “The Streets.” Initially released in Stockholm, Sweden, “The Streets” is now available globally on iTunes. “The Streets” is the single for the upcoming “premAmerica” full-length record due out in November.
“The Streets” features Hip Hop veteran and Wu-Tang member U-God as well as Blackkey aka Flow. While discussing his upcoming album and current single, producer and group founder Premavara issued a thank you to all of the participants in making the record, and to all of the groups supporters. The talented producers is hard at work on a variety of projects, however, is proud of The Premavara Family and looks forward to releasing their new album.
“The Streets” features a hypnotic melody, classic down-tempo Hip Hop percussion, reggaesque chorus, and solid vocals. Download a copy on 
or visit The Premavara Family online
This press release is sponsored by Premavara Records.
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In 1992, Speech, along with his group Arrested Development, went on to receive countless accolades including two Grammy Awards and being named Band of the Year by Rolling Stone Magazine for the ground breaking “3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in the Life of…” The album launched the band into stardom with constant video and radio rotation for their hit “Tennessee,” and later for singles “People Everyday” and “Mr. Wendal.” The funky and soulful blend of Hip Hop and R&B delivered socially conscious music in a manner that was palatable to the masses. Despite being adorned with admiration by both the industry and audiences, at least in the United States, Arrested Development didn’t maintain the spotlight for long. When the band’s subsequent releases didn’t attain the level of success of the debut, they didn’t fade into oblivion, instead, Speech focused on a new market that embraced the band as their own music stars. Both as a solo artist and as the leader of Arrested Development, Speech has lived the reality of being big in Japan.
In this interview, Speech talks about Arrested Development’s interesting story into stardom in the U.S. and abroad. We also delve deep into the lack of progression within Hip Hop, and he also discusses the perils and rewards of the music industry.
Part 1-
(images SpeechMusic.com)
Similar story: Insomniac Magazine talks Hip Hop and entertainment industry with Ice Cube.
interview -I. Vasquetelle
Make sure to listen to the second portion of this interview where Speech discusses the business of music.
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Your name is Premavara, however, your group is also called The Premavara Family.
That’s correct, and that family currently consists of Eagle (emcee) and Premavara (myself). I’m the producer, singer, beat maker, engineer, and play live instrumentations. We also have Blackkey aka Flow of Sweden. Two new members are earning their stripes: A.D.D (Audio Devestit, Disorder) and KIDCRAZE aka LOZ.
How did you come up with your artistic name?
I’m Italian. My last name being LacoVARA, the Premavara came from Primavera sauce, so Premavara stuck. Plus I wanted to embrace the people I work with as a Coaliliton or a Musical family.
Can you talk about what makes the Premavara Family unique as a band?
We are TRUE Hip Hop in the vein of A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Mos Def, in the sense that we don’t talk about what we don’t have like “Ice” rims, girls…well some girls. We don’t talk about clichés like cars, money, glam, pipe dreams. That is not us. We talk about the now, our real lives and struggles on a day to day basis whether it be drug addiction or being less fortunate and having no money. It’s a hard life to live that’s for sure, but I’m not crying, I’m climbing. [click to continue…]
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It’s no secret that Howard Stern is one of the most successful media personalities of all time. He’s broken new ground on many levels. In many ways Stern invented reality programming. He’s always made his life, and the lives of those that work with him, an open book. This approach has made his show immensely entertaining to millions around the country for nearly three decades. A big part of his success is that he took many risks throughout his career. This innovation has paid off. He could have easily stayed on terrestrial radio, instead he ventured off to new mediums. For the last four years, Stern has maintained two channels on Sirius XM satellite radio. He’s also launched his own cable on-demand network appropriately named Howard TV. The network runs edited video segments from the radio show, as well as original programming. Many of these programs feature antics from behind the scenes at the show. However, one program is a fictitious account of what happens off the air. The concept for the program was conceived by one of The Stern Show’s producers, Sal “The Stock Broker” Governale.
Sal Governale was once a stockbroker who spent much of his time listening, calling, and pranking on The Stern Show. His dedication paid off when he was hired by Stern as a producer. Besides coming up with content for the Howard Stern Radio Show, he has also tried his hand at developing programming for Howard TV. “Show In The Hall” is his creation. It’s a program that is based on made-up accounts of what happens on the hallways of the show- between, during, and after its airing. The program is mostly unscripted and has a “Curb Your Enthusiasm” feel. Here, the Stern staffer answers questions about his role on both “The Howard Stern Show” and Howard TV. [click to continue…]
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