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Full song preview for “Detox” by NY r&b recording artist (yours truly) Monique Baines. Written by Kenyon Hurtem and track produced by Triple A. New to my page, watch webisodes of “the Mo Show” by clicking links on the right. Video coming soon!

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Thx for stopping by! xo

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I’ve been approved by Kickstarter.com to raise $ to finish my album. I only receive the funds if I reach my goal by June 1st. For all who believe in me, please visit HERE and donate. Everyone gets something in return for their contribution. For example $1 – free download – $10 – Digital Copy of my Album, $20 – a copy of my album and free tickets to a show. I need your help, and thank you in advance.

For more info visit my KICK STARTER here! THANK YOU! xo

This project can be finished within 2 months, with YOUR help! Thank you so much

Monique

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Kenyon Hurt is amazingly talented and dedicated to his craft. I definitely look forward to creating some more hits with him, but in the mean time check out how we worked in the studio to create Pin Code and Detox. Video courtesy of Glass Eye Media.

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences made more than 30 modifications to the awards on Wednesday, April 7, a move which Stoute has referred to as “a step in the right direction, but still a Band-Aid on the problem.”

On the contrary, the newly restructured Grammys will be cutting down the amount of hip-hop and R&B awards, eliminating gender distinctions in the R&B categories and merging Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Performance for a Duo or Group into one category.

By consolidating the male and female R&B awards, they have cut the number of R&B awards presented by half, ensuring that, despite Stoute’s claims, hip-hop and R&B artists will be walking away with even fewer awards next year.

Meanwhile, the classical and American roots music genres have had an equal amount of categories trimmed without the support of a former industry heavyweight, losing four awards in each division.

At the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards earlier this year, Jay-Z won for Best Rap Performance for a Duo or Group for his work alongside Swizz Beatz on the track ‘On to the Next One.’ Eminem won Best Rap Solo Performance for ‘Not Afraid,’ a song off his Best Rap Album win, ‘Recovery.’ According to the recent change in awards categories, only one of the two would have walked away with a golden award under the new revisions had the new categories been put into effect this year.

Source

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edited by VMB Productions

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Iconic vocalist Etta James, best known for the song ‘At Last,’ is battling leukemia, the Associated Press reports. According to documents filed by her husband Artis Mills,  the 72-year-old has been undergoing treatments for Leukemia and suffers from dementia.

African American singer Etta James (born 1938), whose career has spanned more than 50 years, has overcome many obstacles to establish herself as a powerful voice whose abilities span styles as diverse as blues, soul, jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues, and rock. She truly defies categorization.

James began her long career as a singer early, singing doo-wop as a teenager in the 1950s. She has endured highs and lows, hampering her own success at times through a reckless existence that included heroin abuse, but she ultimately conquered her addiction, redirected her struggles back into her music, and became an R&B legend. She has enjoyed equal success crooning blues ballads, belting out rhythm and blues and rock and roll, or interpreting jazz. While the ease with which she can navigate these various styles demonstrates her impressive skill, it has also served to confound the music industry as to how to categorize her. In the late 20th century and into the next, James has finally been widely acknowledged as one of the most talented singers of her era.

Sang Gospel at Age Five

James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles, California, on January 25, 1938. Dorothy, her mother, was just fourteen years old when she gave birth to James, and she never overtly named the father. In her 1995 autobiography, Rage to Survive, James expressed her suspicion that her father was pool shark Minnesota Fats. Despite being a mother, Dorothy Hawkins continued to lead a life that included an active nightlife and some run-ins with the law; because of this, James’s care was left largely to relatives and friends, including a middle-aged couple by the name of Rogers. James and her foster mother, Lula “Mama Lu” Rogers, became particularly close. By the age of five, James was living with her grandparents in Los Angeles. It was at this time, while singing solos with the St. Paul Baptist Church’s Echoes of Eden choir under the direction of musical director James Earle Hines, that she began to get attention for her powerful voice. Soon she began performing gospel on a local radio broadcast.

James visited her mother, whom she addressed using her first name, when Dorothy Hawkins showed up every month or so. In her autobiography James described the weekends when she would go to the boarding house where Hawkins was staying. Watching her mother dress to go out at night while listening to Billie Holiday on the phonograph, the young girl admired her mother’s beauty and confidence and thought she was a movie star.

When James was 12, Mama Lu Rogers suffered a series of strokes and died, leaving James to go live with Hawkins on Polk Street in San Francisco. In Rage to Survive, James confessed that San Francisco brought out her wild side, and she became involved with girl gangs. Life with her mother was unpredictable, and she was rebellious, untamable, and wanted to cause a fuss. She also wanted to be a star. James turned to music for refuge, and when she was fourteen she formed the Creolettes with two other girls. They tracked down Johnny Otis, a bandleader and promoter, when he was playing at the Fillmore. On the strength of the Creolettes’ audition for him, Otis arranged for the girls to tour. Because of James’s age, however, Otis needed parental permission for her to travel. Hawkins was said to be in jail at the time, so James forged her mother’s signature.

Had First R&B Hit

Otis renamed the group the Peaches and reversed Jamesetta’s name, creating the stage name that has endured to this day. The girls started off earning ten dollars per night for their work with Otis’s revue. James first recorded with the Peaches in 1955 on the Modern Records label. The song was her own composition and was called “Roll with Me Henry,” a coarse response to a song by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters called “Work with Me Annie.” The song was rechristened a less-racy “The Wallflower” and became a top-ten hit on the rhythm and blues charts. It became an even bigger sensation when Georgia Gibbs, a white singer, subsequently recorded it under the title “Dance with Me Henry.” Although James collected her share of the royalties for this version, the fact that another singer enjoyed more fame for her song irked her.

In 1955 James had another hit on the Modern label, “Good Rockin’ Daddy.” It became apparent that her talent overshadowed that of her friends, and she separated from the Peaches. Over the ensuing few years James, who was also known as Miss Peaches, toured the country on bills with stars such as Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Marvin Gaye, zydeco accordionist Clifton Chenier, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Minnie Riperton, and Chuck Berry. While on the road, she encountered a wide range of responses, from admiration to racism and intimidation. She found herself performing before large, eager crowds, even though her fame had dimmed somewhat since her 1955 hits. One of the highlights of this time was when James shared the stage with Billie Holiday and Count Basie as part of an National Broadcasting Company radio show in New York called Jazz Plus Blues Equals Soul. The performance occurred in the late 1950s, near the end of Holiday’s life. In her autobiography James describes Holiday as looking old, tired, and weak, with swollen hands and feet. The encounter stayed with James, who, despite Holiday’s physical challenges, saw in the singer a strong and uncompromising survivor – qualities she also saw in her mother Dorothy.

As the 1950s ended, James was often on the road and broke. But her fortunes began to turn after she arrived in Chicago, where she drew the attention of Leonard Chess and signed on with his label, Chess Records. Chess was just starting to earn recognition with artists like Berry and Diddley. In the early 1960s, James began a prolific period and became one of R&B’s most successful singers. With producer Jerry Wexler, she recorded jazz tunes and soul ballads and ran up a string of hits for Chess’s subsidiary label, Argo, such as “At Last” – which peaked at number two on the R&B chart in 1961 – “My Dearest Darling,” “Trust Me,” and “All I Could Do Was Cry.” In 1962 her “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” was the most successful of her three hits that year, charting at number four. She also did some duets with her boyfriend, Harvey Fuqua, lead singer for the Moonglows. James’s broad stylistic range was demonstrated in the material she recorded at this time, which included straight blues, romantic ballads, and pop. Blues-rock great Janis Joplin, who was influenced by James, even dropped by one of her recording sessions to observe the veteran blues singer.

Struggled with Drug Addiction

While Chess helped revitalize James’s career, the company also exploited her, as it did many other artists. Royalties were withheld and the company was known to seize the publishing rights to artists’ original material. James was living at the Sutherland Hotel, an historic and inexpensive hotel, along with other artists who were headed for stardom, including Marvin Gaye, Fuqua, and Curtis Mayfield. In her autobiography she admitted to being unhappy and restless during this time, in part due to a lack of input in the recording process. She complained that Wexler and Allen Toussaint, who produced her record Changes, while extremely talented, were both controlling. She felt there was too much tinkering and direction. Despite favorable critical reviews for the recordings she produced, James felt on edge in the studio.

By the time she was 21, James was addicted to heroin, and she struggled in relationships with abusive and violent men. Her addiction was so disruptive that she stopped recording almost completely between 1964 and 1966, but then pulled herself together enough to record Call My Name, an acclaimed blues album. She also recorded some duets with a childhood friend, Sugar Pie DeSanto, which resulted in the hit song “In the Basement.” In 1967 James went to work for Alabama’s Fame Studios, where she recorded a classic album that was well received; Tell Mama contains the standout ballad “I’d Rather Go Blind.” Despite her hits, however, James was generally unknown outside the black population and a group of white rockers. In addition to Joplin, James influenced Rod Stewart and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones with her sincere, all-out style.

Although life for James was out of control by the early 1970s, she was able to arrive at live performances and recording sessions when necessary. To support her burgeoning heroin habit, she indulged in petty crime, including writing bad checks and forging prescriptions. She was even known to steal from friends and associates at times. In 1974, facing several years in prison, James finally entered a drug rehabilitation program as a resident at Tarzana Psychiatric Hospital, just outside of Los Angeles, California.

Rebuilt Career, Earned Awards and Honors

Ultimately, James was able to win out over her addiction, and then slowly began to rebuild her career. She busied herself with performances in small venues, often singing at gay clubs during the early 1980s. In her autobiography she credited these jobs giving her the encouragement to keep her going and noted that gay people related to her style. Struggling to pull her career together, James hopped from record label to record label, including Warner Bros., where she worked with Wexler, and T-Electric, where she worked with Toussaint. At Fantasy in 1986 she teamed with tenor sax legend Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson and recorded two outstanding jazz albums, Blues in the Night and The Late Show. She was also affiliated with the Island and Elektra labels. James then toured with the Rolling Stones and performed at blues and jazz festivals, with the result that white listeners finally began to buy her albums. She sang during the Olympic opening ceremony in 1984, and her debut hit “The Wallflower” became part of the soundtrack to the hugely popular movie Back to the Future. The singer even made some guest appearances on television programs.

James went for seven years without a recording contract, then in 1988 she released Seven-Year Itch with Island. The next year she received the W. C. Handy Award and the Rhythm and Blues Foundation’s Pioneer of the Year Award, and in 1990 the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) honored her with two awards: an Image Award and an award for best blues artist for her album Stickin’ to My Guns.

James continued recording at a furious pace and by the 1990s was considered an R&B legend. Her vaulted status was confirmed with her 1991 induction into the Bay Area Blues Society Hall of Fame and her 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1994 she began to work with producer John Snyder at Private Music and released the critically acclaimed Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday, winning a Grammy Award for best jazz vocal in 1995.

During the 1990s James lived on a ranch in Southern California with her husband, Artis Mills, whom she had married in 1969, and her two sons, Donto and Sametto, as well as the family’s nine dogs. By m id-decade she entered one of her career’s most prolific phases. Mystery Lady followed on the heels of both Etta James Live from San Francisco and her autobiography, which was followed by Time after Time in 1995.

James’s star kept rising into the next century. In 2001 she was inducted into the Blues Foundation’s Hall of Fame, and on April 18, 2003, James was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Later that same year she won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, then returned for another Grammy in February 2004 for her self-produced album Let’s Roll. Her 2004 recording, Blues to the Bone, is a compilation of her favorite blues classics, such as Muddy Waters’s “Got My Mojo Working” and Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightnin’.” James has also benefitted from being able to turn her career into a family affair; she often works with her sons, who back her and produce her recordings.

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Some of her lesser known songs:

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This one sounds like the same group that produced the Temptations…

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Naughty Naughty

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Read on to find out more about this multi-talented artist and his team. Also I’d like to comment on how much content The BeatBanggahz team has for viewing (videos, remixes, music, behind the scene etc) on their numerous websites. Another element that helps to increase your internet buzz!

MB: How long has music been your muse? What made you want to pursue music professionally?
SN: Music has been my muse since I was in the second grade and I sang my first solo at a school concert, it was a song called “Getting to know you”, I knew at that point that I enjoyed expressing myself creatively, and I enjoyed the attention and positive feedback from being good at my talent.

When I got a bit older, I had gotten accepted to a music camp (Iowa Music Camp), co-wrote & composed my school song, won 3^rd place in a songwriting competition sponsored by BMG (Bertelsmann Music Group), opened up with my singing group Reality for Hezekiah walker at the McDonalds Gospel fest at Madison Square Garden and won many talent shows (all before the age of 18). I Figured I may just have a future in music, and if I applied myself I could go ALL THE WAY.

MB: I contacted you on ReverbNation because you have the #1 buzz in NY right now, What do you feel drove you to the top?
SN: One of my short term goals was to become to NY, what QuestLove from The Roots is to Philadelphia. I knew that if as a brand, I could become one of the most well-known personalities & talents in the NY music scene, it would not only enable me to further carry my production company, but become more empowered and self-reliant. I didn’t want to stop at being a local celebrity though; I understood that before I could become a regional to eventually national and international brand, I would have to start my campaign where I live. Thanks again to the power of the internet though, I have been able to turn my local celebrity in the NY music scene as well as respect and reputation in the music industry as a whole, to gain a broader audience. Our fan base currently stretches from NY, to other states, and overseas.

MB: I read in your bio that you’ve worked with some A-List artists, can you comment on any one particular artist you enjoyed working with?
SN: I enjoyed working with Trey Songz, we actually met when he 1^st came up from Virginia to record in New York with Troy Taylor back in 2002. Because we met while he was still unsigned and a teenager going through artist development, our relationship is a lot different than most producers have with him. We have seen and have been a part of his growth, and were there before and during his transition from unsigned recording demos, to becoming a signed artist and then a superstar. So we saw the process first hand and know the type of work and dedication that goes into gaining that kind of Success. Plus, working with Trey definitely helped hone our skills as producers and I believe we improved his skills as an artist through our production and direction. To this day, when fans talk about Trey Songz 1^st album “I Gotta Make it” our songs “In The Middle” and “Hating Love” are mentioned as (The Best Songs) on that album, which is Amazing!

Another artist was Lil Mo; she has always been one of my idols as a singer, songwriter & performer. So actually working with her in the studio was, a dream come true. We worked with her at the beginning of our career and we really clicked from day one. She has been like a big sister and mentor to me all these years.

MB: In what ways had Lil Mo been a mentor to you?

SN: Lil Mo actually lead a viral marketing campaign Confessions of The BeatBanggahz that I put together for our 2009 Producer of The Year nomination and her participation was integral to us gaining the amount of votes that we did. And it subsequently lead to us winning the award for 2009 Producer of The Year. This year I decided to try my hand at my own Artistry, and I have been putting out r&b remixes to popular hip-hop/r&b songs (Beamer, Benz or Bentley, Find Your Love, Loving You No More). After gaining much success with this, Lil Mo once again came and was a blessing to us, as she got my “Loving You No More” (R&B Remix) played on WPGC Radio, featured on the Front page to the WPGC website as well as feature my remix on her Upcoming Mixtape “Honey Child Entertainment Presents” hosted by DJ Redz. In a sense, she legitimized my career as a producer and also my own artistry and we are forever grateful.

MB: At this point in your career, when writing or producing for an artist, do you work directly with the artist in the studio?
SN: Most of the time, yes we (BeatBanggahz) are very hands on and part of the creative process from start to finish. But thanks to the power & reach of the internet we are able to collaborate nationally and internationally with artists that otherwise would have been difficult to work with. I think that email, phone calls combined with online programs such as Skype, iChat and OoVoo make Long distance collaboration a lot more effective & efficient. With video chat you can speak face to face with people that are 1,000’s of miles away even in other countries and still maintain that personal and candid feel you would get from being in the same room. Some of the artists we have worked with from other regions lately include Alphacat Iman Crosson, Lisa Lavie, Jimmie Reign and 80Six Music Group. All of them living in all parts of the country, yet we are able to connect and not only make great music, but cross market each other’s brands to our respective audience. So, although I will always say that the best way to collaborate is actually in the studio together, we have definitely adapted to how technology is moving and how to best utilize its power and potential.

MB: That’s some great advice, the fact that you use technology like Oovoo and Skype to close the gap of distance when it comes to being creative. Is there any other advice you’d like to give to musicians striving to make it in this tough industry?
SN: The industry can be tough if it is your main and only means to success. You have to be able to define all of your revenue streams without depending on the Mainstream market. Determine who your target demographic is, what they want and how you are going to give that to them in a way that is different for your brand. Next, you have to create unique content that is competitive and market and promote it to your audience. If you can successfully do that, you will find success with, or without “the industry”. As a matter of fact, if you can successfully do this, “the industry” may just come to you.

MB: How did you learn to play the piano?
SN: I actually taught myself to play the piano “by ear”. I got accepted to a performing arts school PS Repertory Company as a Vocal major. While in that school, I got exposed to so many different musicians and I realized that in order to be successful & have more longevity I would have to become more skilled musically. I would listen to songs on the radio, and I would try 2 memorize them and replay the chords and melodies I heard when I got to school the next day on the piano. During lunch, after school, and between classes I would practice whenever I could.

MB: Indy or major?
SN: At this point, it’s less about the choice of staying independent or going major, and more about creating & maintaining a highly successful brand that is in touch with what the people want and providing them with good quality content. I believe that you don’t need to have major backing to be successful; success comes from setting goals, your own personal and professional goals, and meeting them. And that is what BeatBanggahz is known for doing, time and time again.

MB: Do you have anything coming out with major artists that have your stamp on it? (Writing, production, features?)
SN: At the moment, my “Loving You No More” (R&B Remix) is being featured on “The Godmother” Lil Mo’s mixtape, she is releasing it through her label Honey Child Entertainment, and there have been talks that she may release her Album Syndicated: The Lil Mo Hour independently soon. My team BeatBanggahz produced a song called “You Must Really Love Me” for the album in 2004, and it may now finally see the light of day.  We also have a record we produced for Grammy Winning Singer/Songwriter Gordon Chambers, called “Sincere” on his 3^rd solo album that is being released in Japan through a Licensing deal. Gordon has already been performing the record regionally and its quickly becoming a fan favorite. So, we’re really excited about that project, as it’s our 3^rd project we have worked on this year in Japan.

MB: Lastly, what can we expect from you in the near future?

SN: You can expect consistency and great content. I think one of the reasons why our brand is relevant and has such a strong, core fan base. Our fans know that they can count on us for exactly what we promise to deliver, GOOD MUSIC. What we have coming in the future will be a bigger extension of what has already been established. Expect a multimedia experience that will stimulate your senses and remember why you fell in love with music in the 1^st place. We are definitely carrying the torch from the previous generation’s expectation for greatness. Rest assured, as long as SteffNasty & BeatBanggahz are around, the Legacy that Michael Jackson, Tupac, John Lennon and others left, is still alive and strong with us.

Visit SteffNasty on his REVERBNATION profile here

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