Tag Archives: Mark Ronson

Erykah Badu Hosts the Soul Train Awards 2015 on BET

Posted on November 28, 2015 | Leave a comment

Эрика Баду узлов Soul Train Awards этого года

On Sunday night, Erykah Badu hosts the “Soul Train Awards 2015” (BET at 8), featuring performances by R. Kelly, Tyrese, Boyz II Men, Brandy, Jazmine Sullivan and (here’s a throwback) Cameo. Jill Scott will receive the inaugural Lady of Soul Award. Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds will accept the evening’s Legend Award.

The highlight of the show would be The Weeknd, the R&B crooner, who’s having a phenomenal year thus far, nabbed five nominations and fellow artists Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson are also received five nods apiece.

Other nominees include Beyonce, Chris Brown, Jidenna and Tyrese who all grabbed four mentions respectively. Breakout R&B stars Alessia Cara, Jidenna, DeJ Loaf, Jussie Smollett and Tinashe will vie for the ‘Best New Artist’ trophy.

Nominees

Best New Artist

Alessia Cara
Dej Loaf
Jidenna
Jussie Smollett
Tinashe

Best R&B/Soul Male Artist

Chris Brown
D’Angelo
The Weeknd
Trey Songz
Tyrese

Centric Certified Award

Avant
Chrisette Michele
The Internet
Tyrese
Vivian Green

Video of the Year

Beyonce – “7/11″
Jidenna Ft. Roman Gianarthur – “Classic Man”
Kendrick Lamar – “Alright”
Mark Ronson Ft. Bruno Mars – “Uptown Funk”
The Weeknd – “Earned It” (From The Fifty Shades Of Grey soundtrack)

Best Gospel And/Or Inspirational Song

Erica Campbell – “More Love”
Fred Hammond Ft. Breeann Hammond – “I Will Trust”
Kirk Franklin – “Wanna Be Happy?”
Lecrae – “All I Need Is You”
Marvin Sapp – “Yes You Can”

Album of the Year

Chris Brown – X
D’Angelo and The Vanguard – Black Messiah
Jill Scott – Woman
The Weeknd – Beauty Behind the Madness
Tyrese – Black Rose

Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year

Big Sean Ft. Drake & Kanye West – “Blessings”
Big Sean Ft. E-40 – “IDFWU”
Fetty Wap – “Trap Queen”
Kendrick Lamar – “Alright”
Nicki Minaj Ft. Drake & Lil Wayne – “Truffle Butter”

Best R&B/Soul Female Artist

Beyonce
Janelle Monáe
Janet Jackson
Jill Scott
Tamar Braxton

Song of the Year

Common & John Legend — “Glory” (from the motion picture “Selma”)
Jidenna Ft. Roman Gianarthur — “Classic Man”
Mark Ronson Ft. Bruno Mars — “Uptown Funk”
Rihanna — “Bitch Better Have My Money”
The Weeknd – “Earned It” (From The Fifty Shades Of Grey soundtrack)

The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award

“Glory” (from the motion picture Selma) — written by: Lonnie Rashid Lynn, John Roger Stephens and Che Smith (Common & John Legend)
“Apparently” — written by: Jermaine L. Cole, Damon Coleman, Filippo Trecca (J.Cole)
“Uptown Funk” — written by: Mark Ronson, Rudolph Taylor, Lonnie Simmons, Philip Martin Lawrence II, Peter Gene Hernandez, Jeffrey Nath Bhasker, Nicholaus Joseph Williams, Devon Christopher Gallaspy, Robert Lynn Wilson, Charles K. Wilson, Ronnie Wilson (Mark Ronson Ft. Bruno Mars)
“Earned It” (from the “Fifty Shades Of Grey” soundtrack) — written by: Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, Ahmad “Belly” Balshe, Jason Quenneville, Stephan Moccio (The Weeknd)
“Shame” — written by: Warryn S. Campbell Ii, Sam Dees, Tyrese Darnell Gibson, Ron Kersey, De Wayne Julius Rogers (Tyrese)

Best Dance Performance

Beyonce – “7/11″
Chris Brown x Tyga – “Ayo”
Janelle Monae & Jidenna – “Yoga”
Mark Ronson Ft. Bruno Mars – “Uptown Funk”
Silent – “Watch Me” (“Whip/Nae Nae”)

Best Collaboration

Big Sean Ft. Drake & Kanye West – “Blessings”

Common & John Legend – “Glory” (from the motion picture Selma)
Mark Ronson Ft. Bruno Mars – “Uptown Funk”
Nicki Minaj Ft. Beyonce – “Feeling Myself”
Omarion Ft. Chris Brown & Jhene Aiko – “Post To Be”

A Heart-Braking Journey – The Life of Amy Winehouse

Posted on August 9, 2015 | Leave a comment

日本語

Документальный фильм о Эми Уайнхаус

“Amy” a British documentary film that depicts the life and death of singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, directed by renowned filmmaker Asif Kapadia released on July 3^rd in the United Kingdom and in the United States.

When singer Amy Winehouse died in 2011 of alcohol poisoning at age 27, most people knew her as an inglorious train wreck, having witnessed her steady descent into self-destruction as if in real time. But Kapadia didn’t want it sound too karmic or Romantic, just tell the proper story of Amy.

Kapadia conducted more than 100 interviews with Winehouse’s friends and family including Amy’s ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil that combine to provide a narrative around the star’s life and is billed as “the singer in her own words”. The film shows extensive unseen footage and unheard tracks Winehouse had recorded in the years before she died.

It’s also an eye-opening revelation of Winehouse as not just a teetering torch singer defined by her Ronnie Spector beehive and Cleopatra makeup, but as a once-in-a-generation talent — Billie Holiday with a poet’s facility for wordplay and a Brill Building sense of structure. As “Amy” amply illustrates, Winehouse wrote and composed her own songs, with assistance from key collaborators like Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson. Like all great lyricists, she used personal struggle for artistic gain.

Maybe Winehouse wasn’t really ready for the stardom. “I don’t think I’m gonna be at all famous. I don’t think I could handle. I would probably go mad, you know what I mean? I would go mad,” she said in an interview.

One thing for sure is that she had her own style. “I don’t like to wear anything that anyone else is wearing because it’s very important for me to make a statement. I just like to mix it up and wear all different stuff together,” the singer once commented.

I was privileged to interview Amy Winehouse during her US tour in 2007 after a big success of “Back To Black” album. Winehouse was obviously nervous, exhibiting the slightly insecure demeanor but when she spotted a bartender of the hotel bar where this interview was conducted, she smiled at him yelling “hey baby, what’s up!”

That was around the time “Rehab” was hitting so hard in the U.S. , I asked why she became addicted to alcohol. “Well, everybody was drinking in London. All the girls drink at the party, you know nothing special……,” was her answer.

The film “Amy” was compiled with home movies and footage on the road taken by friends early in the film of Winehouse from her mid-teens to early 20s, clear-eyed and witty, innocently seductive in her charms, and possessed of a God-given talent (getting her first manager, Nick Shymansky, to cooperate was a breakthrough for the filmmaker). A rehearsal in the office of an Island Records executive when she was 18 — just Winehouse accompanying herself on acoustic guitar — suggests an artistry fully formed out of the gate. depicts Mitch Winehouse, Amy’s father, as putting her career before her health, and glomming onto her fame for personal gain. (He has denounced the film, alleging that it misrepresents his role in her career.)

“Amy” – now playing

DJ Hiro Life Celebration Party at Santos, NYC

Posted on December 21, 2013 | Leave a comment

DJ Hiro’s friends @ Santos by Kenny Rodriguez

DJ Hiro NYC

日本語

Feb. 17, 1968 – Dec. 3, 2013 – Rest in Peace

On Thursday, DJ Soul and a few friends were getting together at Santos Party House to celebrate the life of DJ Hiro. We’re also raising money to help cover the cost of his funeral. The event started at 8pm and lasted after 4am. I wanted to share the below message from Mike Saes. Well said.

DJ Hiro at Nell’s in 1998

I gotta say that I think that went better than expected. Not only cuz I never did an 8 hour dancathon before but really for the key word that Red Alert kept mentioning “VIBE”. It really brought back what NYC night life was all about, the merging of cultures, the dancing, the real music and not the hot new corny rap we get suffocated with in every club. Last night celebrated the DJ, not the hot bitches or the bottle poppers. It was a New York moment. For those that missed it… You got next year, for those that lived it…. We woke up feeling better than we have in a long long time. Though I spotted a few tears on Kaori’s face round 3:45, the night was all about love, love of music, love of old friends and love for our homie. He was in there holding us down.

Grandmaster Flash and Mark Ronson

All Star DJs

DJ Clark Kent

Masa, Taquana, Stretch, Kaori & friends

Props to all that made this epic event happen and especially to Soul who curated the perfect mix of mixers. I’m honored to have been at the best place on earth from 8pm to 4am. Next year we might have to start earlier and have a kids section so all the mothers can come out. I heard it was hard for them to get babysitters on a Thurs.

Peace, Mike Saes.