K’naan made the Fillmore at Irving Plaza the first stop of his US tour on March 31^st, a clear, warm spring night in New York City. The slender, Somali-born rapper quietly strode into the music scene in 2005 with his first album, The Dusty Foot Philosopher. In five years, that quiet has become a roar evidenced by the sold-out show filled with his loyal fans.

The crowd became restless at 11pm chanting “K’naan!” to get the show started. The lights dimmed, then the hall exploded with the sound of electric guitars and people cheering as the leather clad, fedora topped K’naan appeared rhyming the opening verses of ABC’s. Read the rest of this entry »

Funk-rockers, Bad Rabbits, hit The Studio at Webster Hall in NYC March 29th with their amazingly contagious enthusiasm in tow. They opened for Foxy Shazam, just downstairs from Webster Hall’s main entrance in the epitome of a rock club – dark and youthfully rebellious, the perfect setting for a band that refuses to be confined. The diverse crowd moved in unison to the music, a fusion of rock attitude with a generous helping of ‘80s Cameo-esque synth funk.

Fresh off a stint at the SXSW festival, the guys played for hipsters, metal and hip-hop heads alike, garnering the same reaction from each – pure joy. Their sound reflects the group’s varied backgrounds and tastes in music. This “new” band out of Boston has been playing in various incarnations over the past ten years, emerging as Bad Rabbits two years ago. Their debut EP, Stick Up Kids, was released with support from online streetwear company, Karmaloop. Read the rest of this entry »

The 10th National Black Writer’s Conference (NBWC) will be held at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, NY from March 25 to March 28, 2010. This year’s conference, Then We Heard Thunder: Black Writers Reconstructing Memories and Lighting the Way, will host 80 authors, editors and literary agents spanning North America, Europe, Africa and the Carribean to discuss the history of the Black literary tradition and the future course of contemporary writers. Chaired by the acclaimed Toni Morrison, the conference will honor Amiri Baraka, Kamau Braithwaite and Dr. Edison O. Jackson.

In a celebration of the written and spoken word, Jill Newman Productions will present a concert featuring poet/musician Gil Scott Heron, rapper Talib Kweli and renowned jazz saxophonist, Gary Bartz on Friday, March 26, 2010 at Littlefield in Brooklyn. Says Bartz about the intergenerational collaboration session, “….music doesn’t belong to any one person. It belongs to the people, to everybody.”

They say opposites attract and with Warner Bros. Records’ dynamic duo Nikki & Rich it couldn’t be truer. Californian, Nikki Leonti, got her chops singing in her father’s church while NY native, Rich Velonskis aka Rich Skillz, made his name as a  producer making music for Eve, Robin Thicke, and Ludacris. But what first appears an obstacle is exactly what makes them special.

Their introduction  in 2007 didn’t pan out as planned, but in December 2008  the unlikely duo joined forces again and they’ve made beautiful music since. Nikki’s full, vibrant voice reminiscent of ‘60s girl groups and dynamic songwriting coupled with the energy of Rich’s tracks merge to create an ebullient modern take on the classic sound. Even the most melancholy lyrics are made light and effervescent in their hands.

Nikki & Rich’s debut album, set to be released this year, is led with the single Cat & Mouse.

Boogie Blind spins / Photo Credit: Malik Yusef

BB Kings was host to the consummate backpacker’s dream last Wednesday night when the Ultimate Breaks and Beats Tour DJs brought the story of hip-hop to life. Down the stairs into the main performance space the usual suspects you’d expect to find at a show like this were represented in force along with the old heads, the guys who supported the music before it even had a name.

The night, hosted by Ultimate Breaks and Beats (UBB) co-founder Louis “Breakbeat Lou” Flores, featured 3 generations of legendary DJs including Grand Wizzard Theodore, Eddie B Swift, Steve Dee, Evil Dee, Mr. Walt, Lord Finesse, Kenny Dope, and DJ Mocha, among others.

What I thought would be a simple review of a tour launch party turned into something much greater than I’d imagined once I had the chance to sit and talk with the DJs slated to spin. Onstage, each delivered 9-minute bite sized sets throughout the night that took the audience back to an era where hip-hop was pure and organic. Read the rest of this entry »

The cold weather was no deterrent to the hundreds attending the sold out Chrisette Michele show Friday night presented by Centric at BB Kings. Once safely nestled in the warm ,dark space, the largely standing room crowd was undaunted, they stood rapt for the nearly two hour set. For someone like me, new to her music, it was surprising to see fans spanning such a wide age range for such a young singer.

After a couple of opening acts, the audience roars when the golden voiced 27-year-old makes it to the stage. They roar even louder when she begins with break-up anthem Epiphany, the title track off her sophomore album on Island Def Jam. Chrisette is clad in a liquid silver dress and white top and with the sweet face of a cherub she’s almost angelic. Her love for touring is obvious, she certainly knows how to capture her audience. At once coquette, comedienne, sage and girl next door, she flirted, emoted, radiated and boy did she sing! She even led the crowd in an enthusiastically received scat lesson.

Backed by the 5-piece band, New Genesis, the first half of the show consisted of mainly urban pop  like Epiphany and Mr. Right, the second was firmly rooted in her background of down home gospel and classic jazz with Fragile and Love is You. There aren’t too many artists that this can be said about, but this girl has an old soul. She takes you to another era evoking Ella and Billie, their legacy pouring out of her and through the room. Her fans feel it, too, as they sing along completely immersed in the moment.

The room is half full an hour and a half before VV Brown is set to hit the stage. Last night’s guest DJ, Ge-ology, fills the air with his signature soul sound. If you’ve never been to the Hiro, that’s quite a bit of air to fill. It’s a huge Japanese inspired ballroom illuminated in red with enormous chochin paper lanterns traditionally found at festivals and outside of inns. For a relatively unknown artist, this is a pretty large venue for one of her first performances in New York City.

Though her name isn’t familiar to most Americans, her songs can be heard on episodes of quite a few hit television shows like Ugly Betty and CSI:NY. The past two years have been a whirlwind for the British singer/songwriter. She’s toured across the UK, playing major venues and festivals. This tour of the US is to promote her debut album, Traveling Like the Light (Capitol Records), slated for release in March. By the time the band appears and the statuesque VV Brown emerges onto the stage channeling Mardi Gras with an enormous multi-hued feathered headdress, the place is packed. The festival energy she evokes from the week’s celebrations surges through the crowd. She breaks immediately into Game Over banging a tom drum with one hand and holding a megaphone in the other.

The mask comes off shortly after and her excitement is palpable. She’s comfortable with the crowd, chatting easily between songs giving the audience insight into each one. She prefaces Back in Time, an epic almost tragic song with how she finds Einstein “hot’ and her wish for a time machine just to meet him, later dedicating Leave to her ex-boyfriend who was a “complete arsehole.” In the midst of her hour-long electronic/50s bebop inspired set ,she expresses a love for all music classical to hip-hop then rips into a soulful rendition of Drake’s Best I Ever Had. She even raps and quite impressively, her flow and tone reminiscent of classic Lauryn Hill.

She then launches into Crying Blood a fun song belying its angst-filled lyrics. Midway through the song she heats the room up further, breaking it down reggae-style in honor of her Caribbean heritage (Brown’s father and mother are Puerto Rican and Jamaican, respectively). After she performs her last song of the night, Shark in the Water, people mill around a bit hoping she returns to bless them with her joyous sound and warm, rich voice. It’s not surprising, VV Brown certainly brings light, something much needed during these dark days.

In celebration of Black History Month, CentricTV is turning the reins over to you, the readers. We’re digging into the vaults for your favorite videos so comment with requests for the following categories:

Back in the The Day – Old School Hip Hop

Grooving Goodies - Classic Neo Soul

Dance Dance Dance – 90’s Dance music

Videos featuring Hot Guys

Videos with Vivacious Vixens

Get your requests in soon and often! The top videos will be featured right here throughout the month.

In a world fascinated more with style than substance, Nigerian singer/songwriter Nneka stands apart. I had the opportunity to see for myself at an intimate acoustic performance hosted by Suite903 last night at the Cornerstone/Fader offices in New York. Unlike the current crop of female performers, she is more Afro-bohemian than couture glam. She is petite, unassuming and could even be described as delicate, but appearances are deceiving. While she comes across as self-effacing and unashamed about showing her vulnerability, she is dauntlessly political. Her lyrics speak the truth about things that most would rather leave unsaid. Her unapologetic mix of music and politics is reminiscent of famed Nigerian musician, Fela Kuti.

Well known in Nigeria and Europe, her new album, Concrete Jungle (Decon/Epic), was released Tuesday marking her debut in the US market. She describes her sound as simple, experiential and honest. Pain is an inspiration, though she’s quick to explain that the cross-genre album also includes upbeat songs of hope and love.  Her writing is reflective and getting noticed around the world. Nneka won Best African Act at Britain’s 2009 Music of African Origin (MOBO) Awards, was selected by SPIN as one of their 10 to Watch in 2010, named Rolling Stone’s 2010 Breaking Artist, and as of last night, featured on The Late Show with David Letterman.

She has said that she aims to “Africanize America” with this album, using her music as a means to humanize Africa rather than reinforcing its depiction as a continent of poverty ravaged by war and plagued with AIDS. Her goal is to enlighten people to the fact that despite those very real issues, the people are resilient and able to live full lives with joy. There is talk that she is now included in what’s being called the New African Renaissance, encompassing the Broadway sensation Fela! and the popularity of artists like K’naan. She accepts this distinction as long as it allows her to message to be truly heard.

Nneka’s multi-city Concrete Jungle Tour runs until the middle of February. She will return to the US in March to perform at the 2010 South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.