Known as one of the hardest working women in show biz, Sy Smith has been on the move! Her third studio album, Conflict, which was released in 2008, is simply one of the many accomplishments in her roll of credentials. The beautiful, talented soul singer has since managed to shoot and release six videos, played in a number of cities alongside Chris Botti, performed as a soloist, and is currently the Secretary for the Los Angeles Chapter of The Recording Academy while working as a backing vocalist in this season’s American Idol. She does it, and she does it well!

I had a chance to catch up with Sy and get the goods on everything from her latest project to her love life! Check it out…

Krysten Hughes: What’s happening with the featured production and guest appearances on your latest project?

Sy Smith: I’m releasing an EP with progressive electronica/dance producer Mark de Clive Lowe in the late spring of 2010.  It’s really an interesting project for me, very upbeat, lots of technical vocal stuff, lyrics clearly indicating that I’m in love these days.  I’ve been wanting to do some progressive dance music, but I wanted to be sure that musically, the production was interesting and not sound like techno.  I’ve always loved that good ole’ Mark de Clive Lowe provided just that type of sound! Plus we did a remake of a UK cult classic of sorts called “Messages In The Stars” which is such a fun tune!

Krysten Hughes: So, you’re in love these days! Will there be marriage or children in the near future?

Sy Smith: Yes, I’m engaged! My fiance, Shawn Carter Peterson is an actor/filmmaker, and directed 3 of my videos. Children? Good grief. That’s going too far [Laughs].

Krysten Hughes: You recently went on the Mo’Nique Show, (which airs weeknights at 11 PM/10C on BET). What was that like?

Sy Smith: It was more fun than anything. Mo’ is such a lovely spirit and she’s so Baltimore, I love it! Her partner, Rodney, is hilarious! The band is killin’, I had a blast.

Krysten Hughes: Any regrets in the way you started out in the industry, or things that you would do over in terms of relationships with labels or music executives?

Sy Smith: Like I say in the song “Conflict” – I’m “trying to live without regrets.”  I am staying true to that.

Sy’s most recent video release from Conflict is “B-Side Love Affair”, a photo-animated piece directed and conceptualized by Phetogo Tshepo Mashasha of South Africa. I happen to love this video! Check it out!

Sy Smith: B-Side Love Affair from Phetogo Tshepo Mahasha on Vimeo.

Check out Sy Smith’s upcoming tour schedule:

April 6 – Osaka, Japan (w/ Chris Botti)

April 8 – Honolulu, HI (w/ Chris Botti)

April 15 – Los Angeles (Baldwin Hills Plaza – Center Court)

Earlier in the month we showed you a sneak peak video clip from Timeless: The Composer/Arranger Series, a 3 DVD Box Set concert series created by Mochilla to pay homage to arrangers and composers who have greatly contributed to hip hop music.

The Timeless DVD Box Set, which is currently available for pre-order, contains live performances by Ethiopian jazz musician Mulatu Astake, Brazilian jazz artist Arthur Verocai and a 60 piece orchestra composed and arranged by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson showcasing an assortment of J. Dilla’s music.

I was able to get an exclusive interview with Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on the making of Suite for Ma Dukes, the second installation of Timeless: The Composer/Arranger Series. Check it out here!

Krysten Hughes: How long did it take to prepare for Suite For Ma Dukes?

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson: A month before the performance, I was writing for 16-20 hours a day. The month before that I was writing about 10-15 hours a day. We had only two rehearsals as a group. A lot of people were not even aware of who J. Dilla was.

KH: Really?

MAF: I played [J Dilla’s] CD for people and told everyone about his life. Of the 60 people in the orchestra, a good 10 – 15 people had never even heard his name. A lot of people had heard the tracks that he produced, but didn’t know it was him.

KH: What were some of your favorite moments of Suite For Ma Dukes?

MAF: My favorite moment was giving Dilla’s mom a hug and seeing the smile on her face. She is a radiant person, like the sun. She’s a powerhouse – a very strong, jubilant and benevolent woman. Being able to hang with her brought tears to my eyes. She saw the DVD for the first time last week and she was crying. Mochilla went out to Detroit to give her the DVD. Seeing how intimately proud she was, for me that was the highlight. Same with Illa J, beyond words excited. He’s a beautiful cat also, that was a joy. It was an amazing blessing. Karriem Riggins being there was also a highlight for me, he is an absolutely sweet and humble person, a master. He was a humongous aspect of the success of the concert.

KH: You’re also featured on the Mulatu Astake and Arthur Verocai DVDs. Tell me about your roles in those performances.

MAF: I was a part of the orchestra and a co-producer and co-music director of those as well. I was the main person helping Mochilla put everything together, and again hand selected the orchestra, most were all friends. A couple had been recommended, but most were friends

KH: What new projects are you working on?

MAF: With Mochilla we are trying to do the next Suite For Ma Dukes concert, we’re just waiting on funding. Other than that, I am constantly recording and writing. I’m featured on Flying Lotus new album for Warp Records, also Erykah Badu’s new album and Bilal’s new album. Will.I.Am is starting a series called Do What You Love, he started the whole series with me, a one man orchestra, and I am playing all the parts and conducting it and he’s going to be slicing it for a Blackberry commercial.

Timeless: The Composer/Arranger Series Limited Edition DVD Box Set will be available April 2010 via Mochilla.

Rapper Murs, along with Hip Hop producer The Alchemist, Kurupt, Quincy Jones III (QD3) and U-N-I are just some of the names that have been supporting LYVEF in their efforts to promote awareness to the Hip Hop generation across the country.

Currently, the League of Young  Voters Education Fund is running 2010 Census field campaigns in Florida, Nevada, Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania. For more information about the organization and the Census campaign near you visit http://youngvoter.org or follow TheLeague99 on Twitter.

Check out “Numbers Don’t Lie” – SXSW RESPECT THE WEST

Click here to view the embedded video.

Seba Jun, whose name spelled backwards is his alias, was at best, a musical extraordinaire. He’s worked with many notable artists from CL Smooth to Dwele, showcasing his electronica jazz hop beats arranged and composed with a Japanese musical style. Ambitious, Nujabes was the owner of the Shibuya record stores and multiple record labels including the independent label Hydeout Productions which he founded in 2003.

Forever a fan, Nujabes will be remembered across the world through his soulful melodies which touched the lives of many. R.I.P.

To purchase the music of Nujabes click here.

In January Little Brother announced that the upcoming LP, Leftback, will be their final album. I was too salty when I found out! Anyone that knows me knows that I have always been the biggest Little Brother supporter. The North Carolina duo had me at The Listening with songs like “Speed”, “Whatever You Say” and “The Get-Up”. To this day Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh (and even 9th Wonder who exited) remain one of my favorite groups in Hip Hop… ever.

I was able to catch up with Phonte and talk about Little Brother’s retirement, get the truth about why 9th Wonder bounced, and find out what’s next for the Grammy nominated Foreign Exchange.

Krysten Hughes: So, Little Brother recently announced that Leftback will be the group’s final studio album. Why did you guys decide to break up?

Phonte: Well, it wasn’t a break up. Me and Pooh aren’t beefin’, we just wanted to go out on our terms. We have taken the Little Brother brand creatively as far as we could take it. We just really wanted to end it on our own terms and end it with class.

KH: Why did 9th Wonder leave the group?

Phonte: He left for personal reasons. His sound was something that we had kind of grown out of, but more so personal reasons. We were no longer friends. Our friendship had deteriorated. We were young dudes, like brothers when we first started. Once that relationship deteriorates, the music is no longer the same so we decided to part ways.

KH: What’s next for Phonte as a solo artist?

Phonte: Just working on a new Foreign Exchange record with Nicolay. We are working on a new album. We also just finished up an album with Yahzarah, out May 4 on the Foreign Exchange music label. I will probably put a solo album out next year.

KH: Are you going to be focusing more on the singing or emceeing.

Phonte: There’s gonna be a little bit of both, but for a solo album I might focus more on the rap side. I also will have some songwriting and singing too, to give people the full experience of what I like to do musically.

KH: Any last words?

Phonte: Thank you to all the people that support me, Foreign Exchange and the Foreign Exchange family, all of us. I sincerely appreciate it.

For more information about Foreign Exchange or to see Soul Sessions interview with Foreign Exchange click here.

Little Brother’s Leftback LP is slated for release April 20, 2010.

The music of legendary Ethiopian jazz musician Mulatu Astake is being celebrated in Timeless: The Composer/Arranger Series, a 3 DVD Box Set concert series created by Mochilla to pay homage to arrangers and composers who have greatly contributed to hip hop music.

Mulatu Astake’s live performance dates back to February 1, 2009 when he performed at the sold-out Luckman Fine Arts Complex in Los Angeles alongside jazz veterans Bennie Maupin, Azar Lawrence and Phil Ranelin.

On March 30, 2010, fans will be able to experience his greatness from that evening with the upcoming Timeless DVD Box Set release which also contains live performances by Brazilian jazz artist Arthur Verocai and a 60 piece orchestra composed and arranged by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson showcasing an assortment of J. Dilla’s music.

Tomorrow, check out our exclusive interview with Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on the making of Suite for Ma Dukes, the second installation of Timeless: The Composer/Arranger Series.

In the meantime, click here for a sneak peak video clip from Timeless and Mp3 download of one of Mulatu Astake’s most commemorated pieces titled “Yekermo Sew”.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hip Hop collective LiveSoul has been taking over the west coast one mixtape at a time. The trio, currently based in Las Vegas, is combined of two emcees from southern California and a lyricist slash deejay straight from Detroit. As a group, Akili, Tariq Star, and Khaaliq Asil, also known as DJ Slimm, have opened up for artists like Little Brother and Lupe Fiasco, and performed alongside musicians such as Goapele and Dead Prez. If you don’t know by now, you betta’ ask somebody! I had a chance to catch up with the guys and get down to the nitty gritty. Check it out!

KRYSTEN HUGHES: What new projects are you working on?

TARIQ STAR: We are currently working on a new album which features production from myself, Akili, our newest member Khaaliq Asil, and N.R.

KHAALIQ ASIL: I have a solo album coming in the spring with a mixtape out now [click here]. I also have a new project called Runaway Slaves coming soon.

KH: How did LiveSoul come to be?

AKILI: Tariq and I met at a friend’s show over 7 years ago and the energy was magnetic cause it was my first time meeting someone in Vegas who is not only into the same music but also born and raised in southern California such as myself. So being that we both vibed with each other as artists, linking up and becoming LiveSoul was inevitable. I met Slimm over 8 years ago as a solo artist trying to be heard, and at the time he was grinding as a DJ so whenever we meet it was all love. N.R., who is Slimm’s brother, he’s dope with the MPC and Triton so he’s a part of the movement.

KH: You guys are crazy on the beats. What instruments do you guys use?

KA: MPC Triton MV800 is one. We love including live instruments when we can.

TS: I use various M-Audio keyboards, MPC 2000XL and MPD24-32, and Roland MV8000.

KH: You’re music is also soulful. What genre of music do you consider your work to be and who is your audience?

TS: Hip Hop and Rap. Our audience consists of anyone who appreciates good music in general.

AKILI: But we do everything for our audience and we love making all types of music.

KH: What live performance experience have you had as a group?

TS: We’ve had the pleasure of opening up shows for Little Brother and Lupe Fiasco, and performing alongside Wordsworth, Goapele, Asheru, Oddissee, Nice and Smooth, One Be Lo, Dead Prez and Immortal Technique. We have also done various local venues here in Las Vegas over the years to help establish our following.

KA: I love performing. I’ve performed pretty much all over Vegas, but my most memorable are opening up for Lil Wayne with my group Pacific Time Zone.

KH: What image do you think your music conveys?

AKILI: Positivity. I truly try to speak to our youth through music being that they are gonna be the ones responsible for the continued growth of Hip Hop.

KA: Life, love, struggle, pain, dedication, integrity, fun, humility…

KH: Any last words?

KA: Thank you for this opportunity, thank you to those who read this interview and peace to every man, woman, child.

AKILI: We coming.

TS: Look out for the album coming soon, 2010.

Remember, the Census forms will be in your mailbox by mid March and it only takes 10 minutes to answer the 10 questions, and mail it back in with the included prepaid postage envelope.

Check out DJ Shakes On A Plane: Numbers Don’t Lie – Census Web PSA Promo.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Last week on our Sub Centric blog, we brought to you part one and part two of the Dilla Day Documentary put together by Stussy clothing brand to celebrate the life of the late, great, Hip Hop producer, James Dewitt Yancey, better known as J Dilla, or Jay Dee.

In addition to the three part documentary, Stussy released a limited edition tee shirt produced in conjunction with Stones Throw and the Dilla Estate. I was able to attend one of the release parties coined “Dilla Day” at the Stussy store in Las Vegas when the tee shirt was first presented (pictured below).

DJ Phoreyz (pictured below) was on the ones and twos all night, spinning classic Dilla joints as the hipster west coast crowd piled inside Stussy. Other in-store locations where the “Dilla Day” release event went down included Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Vancouver and Toronto.