SoulBounce.com

Pause For A Cause

When Bad Performances Happen to Good Causes

The cause? A great one. The song? An empowering one. The live performance? A ridiculous one.

After reading about this in the comments section on the "Freedom" post last week, I would be remiss not to mention the song "Just Stand Up!" It stands as a great example of #3 on that list but cannot be compared to or contrasted with "Freedom" outright. It does deserve its own post, though. The performance video of "Just Stand Up!" during the this past Friday night's Stand Up to Cancer telethon after the bounce.

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Ro  |  09/08/2008 at 1:40 PM  |  Leave a Comment  |  Permalink

Video SoulBounce

The Retro Kidz are Fresh for '88 in '08

I don't know what I was thinking, but I didn't realize that The Retro Kidz a) were a rap group, 2) did anything other than show up for photo ops and video shoots and III) were anything more than a gimmick who happened to get a lot of press. But consider me corrected after I peeped their video for their song "New Era" over the weekend. These guys and a gal are doing way more than sporting dookie ropes, high-top fades, stonewashed denim and shell-toe Adidas. They are a troop of rapping and dancing young heads who pay their respects to the golden era of hip hop in all that they do. This can clearly be seen in the video for "New Era," which is a bright, bold retro romp and looks like something you would have seen The Mayor Chris Thomas or Donnie Simpson introducing on their respective BET video shows back in the day. I would have liked to have heard more from the crew's female emcee, 1st Lady, but perhaps she'll get a chance to shine on their other material. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go practice my Kid 'N Play Kickstep. I've gotten a little rusty in 20 years.



The Retro Kidz [MySpace]
"New Era" [iTunes]

Butta  |  09/08/2008 at 12:15 PM  |  Comments (4)  |  Permalink

Video SoulBounce

Estelle's 'American Boy' Gets Remade Before It Gets Old...But It's A Good Thing

We recently made mention of chanteuse Jazmine Sullivan's remakes of some of her latest tracks, which I found particularly interesting because, by my best approximation, remakes are usually done within a year or two of the release of the original. With YouTube's reign over DIY video production and "old school" now literally meaning "two weeks ago," no longer does an original need time to marinate in its own juices before someone else can put their own seasonings on it. Enter Sam Sparro, whose video below I just peeped on Afrobella's blog. I had no idea who this dude was until I checked his album, which is a bit 21st century disco-synth-pop in its approach (think Jamiroquai's Dynamite). His remake of Estelle's "American Boy" is pretty solid, although my side-eye was all aflutter after he added a superfluous and weak rap in the middle of the song. And those white sunglasses are killing me. However, he does seem to shine when infusing this track with a nicely done falsetto towards the end. How fun is it to find unexpected new music?

ill Mami  |  09/08/2008 at 11:30 AM  |  Comments (1)  |  Permalink

Media Watch

The LA Times Explores 'Retro-Futurism' in Contemporary R&B

The Los Angeles Times posted a fairly interesting article on its site dedicated to contemporary R&B this past Sunday entitled "Ne-Yo, Keri Hilson and the style that lasts: R&B." Once getting beyond the first few paragraphs of flowery descriptors and release dates for upcoming albums from Ne-Yo and Keri Hilson, the article opens into an examination of one of the reasons R&B is the "style that lasts:" retro-futurism. At superficial glance this term seems an adequate definition for the contemporary influx of disparate sounds in R&B. Perhaps a great example of this idea is the current tour that joins Raphael Saadiq and Janelle Monáe, representing traditionalism (possible neologism: retro-ism) and futurism respectively.

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Ro  |  09/08/2008 at 11:00 AM  |  Comments (1)  |  Permalink

Soul On Film

Will 'Soul Men' Be The Real Deal?

Now that the trailer for the upcoming Bernie Mac/Samuel L. Jackson film Soul Men has been officially released, and we get a chance to see the stars in action, all of the sadness surrounding the deaths of both Mac and soul legend Isaac Hayes can somewhat be replaced with a celebration of one of their final pieces of work (Mac did complete another film, the Robin Williams comedy Old Dogs, which is due next year). And better yet, the discussion can begin as to whether the film will actually be any good. In case you aren't aware, Soul Men is the story of two estranged soul singers (Jackson and Mac) who reunite to honor their deceased band leader. The band's name? The Real Deal. Last month, in an interview with USA Today, director Malcolm Lee said he felt the pressure of "creating a fitting farewell" to the actors. After peeping the trailer, I'm actually looking forward to paying the money to see the film when it hits theaters November 14th. Check it below and let us know if you think the film will be the real deal.

Harlem  |  09/08/2008 at 10:30 AM  |  Leave a Comment  |  Permalink

Morning Soul

Morning Soul: Get You Alone

 

ill Mami  |  09/08/2008 at 10:00 AM  |  Comments (5)  |  Permalink

SoulTube

From the Comfort of the SoulBounce Couch: Live-Blogging the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards

8:00   Welcome to the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards Live-Blog. C'mon and join me in my misery.

8:04   The 2008 VMA Opening Act is so far, so dry.

8:04   Oh look, there's T.I. Is that velvet?

8:05   Sway is in a helicopter high above the action. He's chatting with Katy Perry. Yawn.

8:08   Am I supposed to know who Tokio Hotel is?

8:09   Hold up. That's a dude? The lead singer from Tokio Hotel looks like the love child of old boy from Dead or Alive and Boy George.

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Butta  |  09/07/2008 at 11:18 PM  |  Comments (47)  |  Permalink

Admin Announcements, SoulTube

Tune In TONIGHT! SoulBounce to Live-Blog the 2008 MTV VMA's

Against my better judgment, I, Butta, have made an 11th hour decision to live-blog the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. This will be my first time live-blogging any fare from MTV for SoulBounce, because, in all honesty, they cater to a different audience than we do. But with guests such as John Legend, Lupe Fiasco and Leona Lewis scheduled to appear alongside Ciara, Lil Wayne and T-Pain, the potential for some uckeryfay to pop off is so there. And with Kanye West ending his three-minute boycott and closing the show with a new song, it will be worth watching just to see what he comes with. I'm praying for a hissy fit!

Come back tonight around 8 PM EST for my loose red carpet coverage, then the real party starts at 9 PM. Now let me go get my mind right for what I'll be subjecting myself to this evening. The things I do for you all! Remember this at Christmas.

Butta  |  09/07/2008 at 4:00 PM  |  Comments (5)  |  Permalink

Diggin' in the Crates

Diggin' In Robin Thicke's Crates

With all this recent racial drama surrounding Robin Thicke I'm gonna do something radical right now and talk about the man's music. Imagine that! Regardless of what else is going on, his upcoming CD, Something Else, is one of the most anticipated releases this month. Although we have to wait until the end of the month -- September 30th to be exact -- to get the hot product in our hands, all indications point to it being well worth the wait. While we chill (and enjoy releases from a cavalcade of other artists over the next few weeks), I thought I would dig into my Thicke collection and share this cut that surfaced a couple years ago but never got released, which isn't uncommon but is still a head-scratcher. From what I understand, "In My Dreams" was originally supposed to find a spot on The Evolution of Robin Thicke but for whatever reason it wasn't included. As you'll hear when you press play, Robin straight channels the spirit of Prince on this one -- high heels and all. Being a Prince lover, I actually enjoyed hearing Thicke pay homage to his Purpleness musically and with certain vocal effects. It's unfortunate that the track didn't make Evolution, but it probably wouldn't have fit into the overall tone of the album with its strong '80s vibe. It might have made a good B-side, though. Oh, they don't make those anymore, do they?

Robin Thicke: "In My Dreams"

Butta  |  09/05/2008 at 6:00 PM  |  Comments (5)  |  Permalink

A Soulful Noise

What Was to Blame For Michael's Absence at the BMI Awards Last Night?

Last night the Jacksons were awarded the lifetime achievement BMI Icon award during the BMI Urban Awards ceremony held in Beverly Hills. Tito, Jackie, Marlon, Jermaine and Jackie were all in attendance. The ever elusive Michael, however, was nowhere to be found. When asked about where his brother was, Marlon responded:

"I don't know...I think he's in Egypt riding a camel or something."

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Ro  |  09/05/2008 at 5:00 PM  |  Comments (2)  |  Permalink

A Soulful Noise

Janet and Label Turn a 'Def' Ear to One Another

How fitting is it that Janet Jackson added LL Cool J, another Def Jam artist and one due to depart, to her tour? They should almost be calling it the "Eff Def Jam" tour, since Janet has recently revealed "I don't know what the future holds between the two of us. I can't say if we'll be working with them in the future." What, exactly, is going on in the great Towers of Def Jam? And what were Def Jam and Janet expecting from each other? To get by on reputation alone? I'll be the first to submit that it wasn't just someone that didn't do his/her job, it was everyone. Why was Discipline released so quickly after 20YO? Why were Jimmy & Terry not involved? Why was the "Feedback" video so bloody awful and why was "LUV" not released as a single/video? The execution and promotion of Discipline should be used as an example of what not to do when you want an established artist to be profitable. Love you, Penny, but that whole thing was bad business all around. [SR]

nOvaMatic  |  09/05/2008 at 3:32 PM  |  Comments (16)  |  Permalink

Video SoulBounce

New Videos From Strong Arm Steady, Big Pooh & Heltah Skeltah

This week's videos are all for the hip-hop heads. Strong Arm Steady reps lovely for the city of lost angels, while Big Pooh of Little Brother fame holds it down for North Cacalacky and Heltah Skeltah got the city that never sleeps on lock. Enjoy the visuals and keep bouncin'!

Strong Arm Steady: "Can't Let Go"

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Butta  |  09/05/2008 at 2:00 PM  |  Comments (1)  |  Permalink