Common, Chuck D & More For Harry Belafonte’s 94th Birthday Celebration

Posted on February 16, 2021 by Maria Jackson 27 Magazine

In celebration of legendary singer, songwriter, activist and actor Harry Belafonte‘s 94th birthday on March 1, a surprise live virtual party will be held on Sunday, February 28 at 7 PM ET.

The Gathering for Harry will feature performances & appearances from Common, Danny Glover, Chuck D, Bernie & Jane Sanders, Stacey Abrams, Aloe Blacc, Tamika D. Mallory, Rev. Al Sharpton, Jackie Cruz and more, benefitting nonprofit organization The Gathering for Justice, which Belafonte founded after witnessing a news report of a 5-year-old Black girl being handcuffed and arrested in her Florida classroom for “being unruly.”

The organization’s mission is to build a movement to end child incarceration while working to eliminate the racial inequities that permeate the justice system. Belafonte was a confidant of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a prominent force in ending South Africa’s oppressive apartheid regime and the release of his friend, Nelson Mandela. He’s also achieved EGOT status (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award) and his Calypso album was the 1st LP in history to sell more than one million copies

^Submitted

Igmar Thomas & the Revive Big Band Announces Crowdfunding Campaign (@IgmarThomas)

Posted on February 15, 2021 by Maria Jackson 27 Magazine

The Revive Big Band is announcing a major crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter launching in February coinciding with Black History Month, to fund the completion of its long-awaited debut album. Produced by Grammy Award Winner Nicholas Payton, the record is set to feature some of the most celebrated and recognized musicians today, such as Talib Kweli, Bilal, Terrace Martin, Cory Henry, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Jean Baylor, Sean Jones, among others.

Led by Igmar Thomas, current Band Director for Ms. Lauryn Hill and former bandleader for Nas, the 20+ piece big band combines jazz, hip-hop, funk, soul, blues & gospel, and is comprised of some of the most in-demand musicians today, including Ben Williams, Mark Whitfield, Marcus Strickland, Marquis Hill, Marc Cary, Raydar Ellis, Theo Croker, Jumaane Smith, Frank Lacy, to name a few. All-Stars in their own right, the band’s members have collectively garnered 27 Grammy nominations and 13 Grammy wins between them.

The band has been working on their 1st record for nearly 2 years, self-funding and recording the instrumentals necessary to bring on its special guests. Now recorded, the group is seeking to raise more than $80K to mix, master, record, market, license, and pay its core team and an array of special guests, who have already signed on to the project.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE & MAKE A PLEDGE

Rakim, Nas, H.E.R. & Others Featured On The New ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ Soundtrack

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Maria Jackson 27 Magazine

The American biographical drama film, Judas and the Black Messiah, which is directed and produced by Shaka King, is out now! The movie comes with a stunning soundtrack that features several top-tier hip-hop and r&b artists, namely: Rakim, Nas, H.E.R., Nipsey Hussle, Jay-Z, SiR and others.

‘Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album‘ comes to us courtesy of RCA Records – a division of Sony Music Entertainment. Click here to stream and download the full project from your preferred music platform.

Here Are Some Of The Nominees For The 52nd NAACP Image Awards (@naacpimageaward)

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Maria Jackson 27 Magazine

The 2021 NAACP Image Awards will simulcast across all ViacomCBS Networks including BET, CBS and MTV on Saturday, March 27th at 8:00 PM ET. Below are a list of the nominees for Outstanding Album, Outstanding New Artist, Outstanding Male Artist and Outstanding Female Artist. For additional categories visit the NAACP Image Awards’ official website.

Outstanding Album
Alicia
Alicia Keys

b7
Brandy

Bigger Love
John Legend

Chilombo
Jhené Aiko

The Wild Card
LEDISI

Outstanding New Artist
Chika
Doja Cat
D Smoke
Giveon
Skip Marley

Outstanding Male Artist
Big Sean
Black Thought
Charlie Wilson
Drake
John Legend

Outstanding Female Artist
Beyoncé
H.E.R.
Jazmine Sullivan
Ledisi
Alicia Keys

The 52nd NAACP Image Awards honors the accomplishments of BIPOC artists across TV, music, film and literature.

Canadian Hip-Hop Pioneer Maestro Fresh Wes Drops New Video “Drama” (@MaestroFreshWes)

Posted on February 6, 2021 by Maria Jackson 27 Magazine

A few days ago, Maestro Fresh Wes shared the official video for “Drama,” a song featured on his 2019 album “Champagne Campaign.” “Drama,” which is track number-one on the project, is a collaboration done with Tona.

Click here or on the image above to check out the video and remember to like, comment and share.

Kweli Is Making It Clear That NYC Is Still The Home Of Hip-Hop

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Maria Jackson 27 Magazine

On his newly released single with Diamond D, Talib Kweli is making it clear that New York is still the home of real hip-hop. The record which is titled “On Mamas” will be featured on the upcoming “Gotham” album, a collaborative project by both Talib Kweli and Diamond D.

The video for “On Mamas“ has cameo appearances by several hip-hop celebrities: Common, Doug E Fresh and others. Click here to stream and download the song from your preferred music platform.

Busta Rhymes Is Hip-Hop’s Energy King! (@BustaRhymes)

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Maria Jackson 27 Magazine

In the dancehall community recording artist Elephant Man is known as the energy king; I think that Busta Rhymes is the hip-hop equivalent of Elephant Man. Bussa Bus, as he is affectionately called, is one of the most entertaining, energetic and captivating rapper in all of hip-hop.

A few days ago he released the official video for the remix of “Czar.” The collaborative record features CJ and M.O.P.; and all the men were present for the video. Click here or on the image above to check out this clip and you will better understand why I am now labelling Busta Rhymes as hip-hop’s energy king.