Trevor Horn-Yiannis Kotsiras-Tarkan-Katia Pass The Flame 10633
Sting-Mariza A Thousand Years 10634
Macy Gray-Keziah Jones Oh Yeah 10628
Moby-Public Enemy MKLVKWR 10629
The Urban Takeover What with the hits, the crossover appeal, global superstars and ground breaking new sounds...urban is here and here to stay!
Urban Music (rap, garage, soul, hip-hop) has come along way in more recent times. It's no longer a case of scanning pirate stations in your local area to hear the latest urban hits. National radio jockeys like Jo Whiley, Zane Lowe and Steve Lamacq now play an integral part in breaking urban artists by championing the music in the same way pirates have always done. Superstar DJ's have become superstar producers i.e Neptunes, Dr Dre and Kanye West and the boundaries have disappeared. Chris Martin of Coldplay collaborated with Jamelia (See It In A Boy's Eyes) and The Streets (Dry Your Eyes) this year whilst Ms Dynamite penned a track for Kylie's latest album.
British urban heavyweights such as Joss Stone, Jamelia, The Streets, Beverley Knight and Dizzee Rascal have made an unmistakable impact on the popular music scene. They are finally giving their US counterparts something to talk about with their unique localised sound, that is not trying to be American...stemming from a belief in what they are doing. A belief, that has seen the UK music industry invest more in UK talent. Gone are the days of dropping acts after the release of one single, acts are getting a chance to develop and create their own style of music whether it be grime (Wiley, Roll Deep) and Dizzee) or hip hop soul stylings from Estelle who's been waiting an eternity to show what she is made of!
Everywhere you turn someone is being influenced by urban music whether it be TV commercials, Limp Bizkit, Britney, Justin or even the comical Goldie Lookin' Chain! Never in a million years would black music fans expect the MOBO's to be going strong almost ten years on and more significantly transmitting live to million of viewers on the BBC! (Whilst The Urban Music awards look set to continue to bring up the best sounds at street level). The demographic is no longer segregated to one cultural group. Urban musicians are even holding their own at festivals that were previously for indie kids or hard rockers alone! Beverley Knight tore it up at Glastonbury whilst The Roots received rapturous applause at Reading Festival.
The appeal of hip-hop and soul is now a permanent fixture of mainstream culture...Joss Stone has become an over night success on both sides of the Atlantic with a sultry brand of classic soul and at just 17 years old has topped the UK album charts and performed with James Brown, Smokey Robinson, Elton John whilst her debut album was written by the amazing Betty Wright.
Ms Dynamite and Dizzee Rascal have done the unthinkable and beaten top rock bands to the coveted Mercury Prize. Not forgetting what our US counterparts have done for urban music...Usher, Alicia Keys, Nelly, Outkast, Beyonce, Eminem stand shoulder to shoulder with rock and pop superstars whilst beating them at their own game with multi-award winning albums. Newcomers like Kevin Mark Trail (formerly of The Streets fame), Jentina, Jay Sean and Houston have been making moves to keep the scene going whilst others just keep rejuvenating the scene. 3 Of A Kind proved critics wrong when they said Garage was dead. "Baby Cakes" was a top chart and airplay hit and proved that 'it aint over till the fat lady sings'! Labels are even taking a chance on broken beat which has always remained underground...until Shy FX hit the top echelons of the UK charts with "Shake Your Body". Bugz in the Attic bring the love whilst multi-dimensional producer IG Culture of the enigmatic New Sector Movements has broken barriers to bring nu soul and broken beat to the forefront of the nations conscious.
This begs the question has urban music become pop music and why has it taken so damn long to get here? As Public Enemy put it "It's Takes A Nation Of Million To Hold Us Back" and the chains are have been shattered!
Protection - we do a lot of it these days. Sun cream for our skin, sunglasses for our eyes, condoms for you know where - but do you remember to protect your hearing?
Click to find all the information you need to look after your hearing now so you can enjoy music for years to come
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Coldplay Take on the World and Win ... Now Download the ...
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