Two nights ago at the Nokia Theater in Times Square, Power 105.1’s DJ Self held his second 80’s babies concert. Performances included N.O.R.E., SWV, and Jagged Edge. Great way of bridging the new to the old.

Here’s more footage from Bobby Ray’s gig  at S.O.B.’s Tuesday night. Up top, he performs B.o.B. Presents The Adventures of Bobby Ray’s first single. Down bottom, more clips from the show.

11/28/09 Da Stash (Kazi Whispers and I) will be performing at Marfa Lounge @ 24 1st Ave. Manhattan.

I rock the SP-606 Sampler live, Kazi rocks the mic- big fun NYC

Reunited and it feels so good. Last night on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, Black Star performed “History” off Mighty Mos’ Ecstatic.

Props: Jose3030

Tuesday night, S.O.B.’s was the place to be as Bobby Ray did his thing for Hot 97’s “Who’s Next” showcase. You heard Julie, B.o.B.’s going straight to the top.

Props: Lowkey

Earlier: B.o.B. x Bruno Mars “Nothin On You”

So Saturday night before I hit the AMA’s, I was in the Yay Area for the final date of the “How The West Was One” Tour. Although the homie Nipsey Hussle got tangled with the jakes, I still had a good ole time. Here’s Mr. David Blake runnin’ through his classic “Born and Raised In Compton”. After the jump, another one of his biggest hits, “Tonight”.

This poster is fucking awesome!!! I’m gonna be going to this show too.

Aretha Franklin is another favourite of Soulussion

Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist commonly referred to as “The Queen of Soul”. Although renowned for her soul recordings, Franklin is also adept at jazz, rock, blues, pop, R&B and Gospel music. In 2008, the American music magazine Rolling Stone ranked Franklin #1 on its list of The Greatest Singers of All Time.

Franklin is one of the most honored artists by the Grammy Awards, with 18 Grammys to date, which include the Living Legend Grammy and the Lifetime Achievement Grammy. She has scored a total of 20 #1 singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, one of which also became her first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100: “Respect” (1967). “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” (1987), a duet with George Michael, became her second #1 on the latter chart. Since 1961, Franklin has scored a total of 45 “Top 40″ hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In 1987, Franklin became the first female artist to be entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Franklin was the only featured singer at the 2009 Presidential inauguration ceremony for Barack Obama.

Soulussion really enjoy playing the music of James Brown.

James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006), originally James Joseph Brown, Jr., also known as “The Godfather of Soul”, was an American entertainer. He is recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century popular music and was renowned for his vocals and feverish dancing. He was also called “the hardest working man in show business”.

As a prolific singer, songwriter, dancer and bandleader, Brown was a pivotal force in the music industry. He left his mark on numerous artists. Brown’s music also left its mark on the rhythms of African popular music, such as afrobeat, jùjú and mbalax, and provided a template for go-go music.

Brown began his professional music career in 1956 and rose to fame during the late 1950s and early 1960s on the strength of his thrilling live performances and string of smash hits. In spite of various personal problems and setbacks he continued to score hits in every decade through the 1980s. In addition to his acclaim in music, Brown was also a presence in American political affairs during the 1960s and 1970s.

Brown was recognized by numerous titles, including Soul Brother Number One, Sex Machine, Mr. Dynamite, The Hardest Working Man in Show Business, The King of Funk, Minister of The New New Super Heavy Funk, Mr. Please Please Please Please Her, I Feel Good, and foremost The Godfather of Soul. In the song “Sweet Soul Music” by Arthur Conley, he is described as the King of Soul.

Soulussion are proud to announce their next gig. After getting the crowd at the Cramond Brig up and dancing into the wee small hours and begging for more, Soulussion move south to inject some soul and funk into the lives of the residents of the Scottish Borders.

On Saturday 21st November 2009 they will appear at the St Ronans Hotel in Innerleithen, near Peebles. Innerleithen is perfectly situated to give the good people of Selkirk, Clovenfords, Galasheils, Walkerburn, Peebles and Cadrona the chance to enjoy some authentic soul music with barn-storming vocals and backing from the Soul Power Horns.

Make your Saturday Night one to remember and come and join us for what is sure to be a great evening of live music.

Soulussion and the St Ronans Hotel look forward to seeing you on Saturday 21st November 2009.

Soulussion are influenced by many great soul artists, and one of our favourites is Wilson Pickett.

Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American R&B/rock and roll and soul singer and songwriter known for his raw, raspy, passionate vocal delivery.

A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, and frequently crossed over to the pop charts as well. Among his best known hits are “In The Midnight Hour” (which he co-wrote), “Land of 1,000 Dances”, “Mustang Sally”, and “Funky Broadway”.

The impact of Pickett’s songwriting and recording led to his 1991 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Pickett was also a popular songwriter, as songs he wrote were recorded by artists like Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, the Grateful Dead, Booker T. & the MGs, Genesis, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Hootie & the Blowfish, Echo & the Bunnymen, Roxy Music, Bruce Springsteen, Los Lobos, The Jam and Ani DiFranco, among others.

Several years after his release from jail, Pickett returned to the studio and received a Grammy nomination for the 1999 album It’s Harder Now. The comeback also resulted in his being honored as Soul/Blues Male Artist of the Year by the Blues Foundation in Memphis. It’s Harder Now was voted Comeback Blues Album of the Year and Soul/Blues Album of the Year.

In 2003, he co-starred in the D.A. Pennebaker-directed documentary “Only the Strong Survive,” a selection of both the 2002 Cannes and Sundance Film Festivals. In 2003, Pickett was also a judge for the 2nd annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists’ careers.

Pickett spent the twilight of his career playing dozens of concert dates a year until 2004, when he began suffering from health problems. While in the hospital, he returned to his spiritual roots and told his sister that he wanted to record a gospel album. But, sadly, he never recovered.

Pickett died of a heart attack January 19, 2006 in the hospital near his Ashburn, Virginia home and was buried in Louisville, Kentucky. Pickett’s long-time friend, Little Richard, spoke about him and preached briefly at the funeral. Pickett spent many years in Louisville when his mother moved there from Alabama. He is considered an honorary son of the city. His funeral procession was flanked by well wishers welcoming him home.

He was remembered on March 20, 2006, at NYC’s B.B. King Blues Club with performances by the Commitments, his long-term backing band the Midnight Movers, soul singer Bruce “Big Daddy” Wayne, and Southside Johnny Lyon in front of an audience that included many members of his family, including two brothers.

Soulussion are very proud to announce a gig at the newly refurbished Cramond Brig, Queensferry Road, Edinburgh. Starting at 9:30pm on Saturday 7th November 2009 they will play a set of popular tunes and all time soul classics.

Why not come early and enjoy a delicious meal from the Cramond Brig’s new menu, complemented by a bottle of wine from their extensive list?

Soulussion and the team at the Cramond Brig look forward to welcoming you to an evening of great food, fine wine and top class entertainment.

ExclusiveAccess captured the sand nigga’s birthday bash last night at Club Mansion in Miami. Hopefully, this cost less than $3 million. More clips of the festivities after the jump.

While Alicia was on Today, Robyn was doing her promo moves too on Good Morning America. Topic at hand? You guessed it: Rated R.

American Music Awards 2009 Lady GaGa

Lady GaGa bricht wieder alle Rekorde mit ihrem Auftritt bei den American Music Awards 2009 (AMA). Ihr Outfit das an Aliens erinnert und dann zertrümmert sie noch einen Glaskasten um auf einem brennenden Piano zu spielen.

Video Link : http://24stundenyoutube.blogspot.com/2009/11/lady-gaga-live-american-music-awards.html

As previously reported, 50 Cent’s MySpace Music Release Party went down last night at NY’s Highline Ballroom. After Fif performs “Do You Think About Me,” the Broad Street Bully takes the stage and rocks “I Go Off”.

About an hour ago, Alicia peformed “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart” at 1 Rockefeller Plaza in NYC. The Element of Freedom will be let loose December 15th.

Last week Trey and Drake patent their inventions at the Asu Fox Theatre in California. Ask your girlfriend if it’s the real McCoy.

Sermon

By Jesseca Bagherpour

Thursday night began with a manic rush from the DayBowBow meeting at Sweetwater in Denton to The Mountain Goats show at the Granada in Dallas. I probably pushed my Cutlass Ciera a bit too hard because I didn’t want to miss seeing Final Fantasy (aka Owen Pallett) once again. He played at Hailey’s in 2007, but I couldn’t go because I was sick and I was determined to catch at least half of his set this time. But unless he only played four songs, I didn’t meet that goal. I didn’t count on the Granada being packed, leaving the spots in the neighborhood where I normally park completely full (I eventually parked in front of Buffalo Exchange, which I assume was all right since they were closed and my car was still there when the show ended).

When I finally walked into the auditorium of the Granada, I could tell the end of Final Fantasy’s set was drawing near. I had a ticket for one of the seated sections, but I stayed glued to the back wall during those two last precious songs(not counting the five he played with the Mountain Goats). For 10 glorious minutes I got to witness Pallett’s brilliance. My eyes never left the stage and the serene smile never left my face as he played “This Lamb Sells Condos” and “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt”. The violin loops and accompanying vocals (I’ve tried to find who is backing him on this tour, but I’m still not certain) sounded perfect. Although not everyone in the audience was impressed, most people were. I hope I get another chance to see him live, because I’m sure a full Final Fantasy set is incredible.

When I finally found my seat, I had a few minutes to relax before The Mountain Goats played. Having never seen the band live, I had no idea what to expect. I thought I was in for a relaxed, low-key evening, which I would have welcomed after the stress of my drive. I thought I would simply watch in rapt attention as the band played, like I did with Pallett. I thought wrong. And I realized it the second the Mountain Goats ran out on stage, Shellac blasting, the audience screaming and applauding. The band was clearly fired up to perform.

From the opener, an upbeat and amped-up version of “1 Samuel 15:23″, through to the encore, the band never lost momentum. In particular, lead singer/founder John Darnielle and bassist Peter Hughes were in high spirits. Darnielle’s infectious smile never left his face and it prompted one especially vocal audience member to tell him, “You have a great smile.” Darnielle’s interaction with the fans was, and I assume always is, a huge part of the performance. He told lengthy, but always amusing, stories about each song he played (at one point, Darnielle asked the audience if they were tired of his long stories and when people began chanting, “Stories! Stories!”, he got his answer).
He also had witty responses for audience outbursts. After his introduction to “Enoch 18:14″ (“This song is a bonus track on The Life of the World to Come. The book it gets its name from is a bonus track to the Bible.”), a spectator yelled “You’re beautiful”. His response: “Thanks, but my Bible is more beautiful.”

Darnielle’s lyrics are full of religious references, especially references to Christianity. From what I can gather, from articles and the Mountain Goats official forum (which Darnielle moderates and regularly participates in), he’s an agnostic/former Catholic who is fascinated by religion, particularly Catholicism because of the ritual of it. I can relate to Darnielle and probably appreciate the lyrics because I too am an agnostic (formerly a devout protestant) who finds religion beautiful and intriguing despite not believing in God. He’s also just a damn fine lyricist who can turn a song about the Toad in Super Mario Brothers (“Thank You, Mario! But Our Princess is in Another Castle”) into a beautiful, yet tongue-in-cheek, ballad.

The entire set was amazing, but a few songs stood out for me. “See America Right” is a raw rock tune with a catchy guitar hook. I loved seeing the middle-aged, meek-looking Darnielle get pumped with this one, slamming his head to the beat, dancing and screaming. “Cotton”, a much slower-tempo song, had perhaps the most gorgeous vocal and guitar harmonies of the night. Darnielle reached the height of audience interaction during “Against Pollution”. With neither guitar nor keyboard to play, he walked to the edge of the stage and leaned towards the audience, in true rock star form. And of course the night ended with a sing-along rendition of “No Children”. I normally hate when musicians prompt sing-alongs, but it’s a favorite song of mine and the positive vibes filling the venue had long ago overcome me, so I joined in.

The sheer talent of the Mountain Goats, as well as their obvious passion for playing in front of an audience, ceaselessly impressed me. They are true showmen, especially the charismatic Darnielle. I’m definitely catching this band every chance I get. Along with Wilco, Spoon and a few others, they’re now on my list of acts I will never tire of seeing live.

With 9th Wonder kicking things off, here’s Snoop debuting his single “I Wanna Rock” on his How The West Was One tour. Sounds like a banger. Malice N Wonderland drops December 8th.

OS

While performing her new single, “Loubitons” last night at the AMA’s, Jenny from the block fell on her money maker at the 3:00 mark. Luckily, she had something to fall back on.

Former Marcy Projects hallway loiterer won an American Music Award tonight for Best Rap/Hip-Hop Male artist. (As if, there were any female nominees). Reminder: Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t.

Em and 50 appeared tonight at the AMA’s and performed tracks off Relapse and More Than A Game soundtrack. Relapse: The Refill drops December 21st.

With A-Rod giving the introduction, Jigga Man and AK performed the number one record in the country tonight at the American Music Awards. Personally, Part 2 sounds better than the original.