Tag Archive for 'Snoop Dogg'

MixMatchMusic Artist Update

published
on August 11, 2009
by
LG
in concert reviews, fans, and music
. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Summer concerts are in “full steam ahead”, “pedal to the metal”, “all systems go” phase at this juncture of the earth’s trip around the sun. Festivals are in full swing and summer concert tours are movin’ and shakin’. Speaking of, two MixMatchMusic artists in particular are sweeping the nation, rasta styleeee. John Brown’s Body and Slightly Stoopid are showing these fine states how summer can really be enjoyed, just chillaxin. I had the pleasure of checking out both in the last two weeks. Observe…

John Brown’s Body

John Brown’s Body took over Federal Hill at the 8×10 Club in Baltimore. The house was packed with people of all ages. No joke, I saw a variety of teens, 20 somethings and a handful of parental units decked out in tie dye having a blast. The crowd was friendly, excited and down to bounce to rasta beats. I gotta give it up to the opening act, Passafire who incidentally have a couple of local VA/MD boys in the band. I downright dug their style. It was more of an upbeat, rock/punk/particularly reggae mix. Each song was pretty different so I can’t really put them in one complete category. The keyboardist especially had a ton of energy, as did the whole band. They were a great set up for John Brown’s Body who completely blew me away as well. I was pleasantly surprised by how full their sound was. The band includes a trumpet, sax and trombone player which would bring great vibe to any venue. The lead singer has a captivating voice that puts you into a trance. Also, I’ve never seen a dude half bald, with dreads, kill a mic. I highly suggest checking out this tour if it comes to your city and you like reggae in the least bit. Find future dates HERE. They’ll even be in the UK!!

John Browns Body in Federal Hill, Baltimore

John Brown's Body in Federal Hill, Baltimore

Passafire, killin it!

Passafire, killin' it!

Slightly Stoopid

I’ll go ahead and say it, I’m stoopid for these guys. (Sorry, I had to go there.) I’ve been streaming them a lot lately and honestly, I’m digging the 2am remixes. But, uh, back to the lecture at hand, the Blazed and Confused tour, a whole different scene from the previous concert attended. First of all, the concert was at a beautiful outdoor venue tucked away in the trees of Colombia, MD called Merriweather Post Pavilion. LOVED attending a concert there. They had a great variety of drinks, food and entertainment on top of the actual concert. There’s a club on site for 21+ to get away and grab a drink as well as a music themed pinball arcade, waaaay cool. Second, I’d say the average age was a bit lower than what I’m used to. Slightly Stoopid/Snoop/Stephen Marley, keepin’ it real with the young’ins! As usual, Marley started it off with a crucial reggae style set to open the show. Then… Snoop D-O Double Gizzle hit the mic. He did a bunch of old school stuff which was exactly what the crowd (and myself) was hoping for. Also, Lady of Rage got on the mic and did an Afro Puff segment. Totally took me back to the good ol’ 90’s. Definitely a highlight of Snoop’s set as well as his official smoke break.

Blazed Individual

Blazed Individual

Snoop D-O Double G

Snoop D-O Double G

Slightly Stoopid came on stage with quite the set up. They had 2 large skulls on either side of the stage, lit up totem polls, a hazy Polynesian night themed backdrop, and an array of lighting that gave off a pretty stellar stony ambiance. The crowd was diggin’ their vibe and they often kicked it up a notch with some punk. These San Diegans definitely know how to please a stony crowd. Also, it’s pretty cool that they are headlining the tour.

Stoopid Set Up

Stoopid Set Up

Slightly Stoopid Set Up

Slightly Stoopid Set Up

Slightly Stoopid, kickin it up a knotch

Slightly Stoopid, kickin' it up a knotch

Enjoy the rest of the ’09 summer concerts! Please, you’re welcome to post your comments especially if you’ve checked out either or all of these artists!

Remix Slightly Stoopid in the "Blazed and Confused at 2 AM Remix Contest"

published
on July 15, 2009
by
Sandra
in collaboration, concert reviews, culture, DIY, genres, remix promotions, and remixing
. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

BlazedTourBanner

If you haven’t heard yet, there is a phenomenon happening right now that warrants your immediate attention. King of the West Coast, Snoop Dogg, has teamed up with San Diego’s genre-bending Slightly Stoopid for a mind blowing collaboration. They’ve thrown modern reggae great (and son of Bob), Stephen Marley, and seedy pop newcomer, Mickey Avalon, into the mix too. What we have here folks is the Blazed and Confused Tour (don’t forget to become a fan on Facebook). Here’s a little sneak peek:

Rick Florino of Artist Direct notes that at the Irvine show “Snoop closed off a fantastic set chanting ‘Peace and Love.’ There was something very ‘Woodstock’ about the whole set… There’s no segregation at a Snoop Dogg show and he delivers something for everybody. What’s more rock n’ roll than that?”

Each of these artists/groups has a unique sound and message, and yet their vibe and mindset is one and the same. Bob probably summed it up best with “One Love.”

As part of the tour, Slightly Stoopid is hosting a remix contest for their song 2AM, a summertime reggae classic that will sooth your soul! Slightly Stoopid has loaded the stems to 2AM into MixMatchMusic’s Remix Wizard, and now all you pro and amateur musicians (and even nonmusicians) have the chance to create your own kickass remix of the song and share it with the world.

You have two options for making a remix: you can download the stems for free and use any software you want; or you can click on the MixMaker button on the widget to make a remix in MixMatchMusic’s simple online music editor. If you’ve never experienced remixing before, or just want to see how 2AM was made, check out the MixMaker! Either way, make sure to you upload your remix to the widget so that others can listen to, vote on, and share it. The contest starts July 15, 2009 at 2:00 AM and ends August 21, 2009.

There will be ONE winner picked by Slightly Stoopid, who will receive:

A set of the new Slightly Stoopid branded headphones, an autographed Stoopid poster, 2 tickets to the next Slightly Stoopid concert in your area, a limited edition Slightly Stoopid branded glass pipe, CDs of Slightly Stoopid’s entire discography & Chronichitis vinyl, and the Slightly Stoopid Live in San Diego DVD! Also – the winning remix might be posted for streaming on Slightly Stoopid’s Website, MySpace, thesixtyone, and Facebook (subject to Slightly Stoopid’s approval). Not bad, eh?

To get your creative juices flowing, here’s the official video for 2 a.m. Roll yourself a blunt and have a look and a listen. Then, enter the Blazed and Confused at 2AM Remix Contest here.

Dr. Dre – Detox, Intox

published
on August 7, 2008
by
ACtual
in collaboration, culture, music, and music business
. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

From the N.W.A. days to his tone setting 1992 gangsta rap album The Chronic and its follow-up, 1999’s The Chronic 2001, Dr. Dre has been innovative, imaginative and a savvy entrepreneur when it comes to his music, production and artist discovery. He even had the good sense to abandon the Death Row ship before it sank. But 7 years is a long time between first and second albums, and he’s trumped that now as it’s been 9 years since the second.

According to Dre, however, the long rumored final solo project he’s been working on for years, entitled Detox, is just around the corner. And in conjunction with Detox, Dre has teamed up with some liquor specialists to release a cognac, as well as sparkling flavored and regular flavored vodka. This type of collaboration is an interesting mixmatch of music and alcohol products, and embodies some of the themes we’ve been examining and discussing here at Evolving Music in terms of the new methods artists are using to cross-promote and increase revenue.

The good Doctor has announced that Detox, “in a perfect world,” would be released in November or December. The liquor company, Drinks America, has said they’re looking 60 days out for the release of the bottles. This would mirror the November release of 2001, set everything up for the holiday season, as well as bring much needed booze into the lives of so many sad souls around December. I can imagine sitting in my recliner, watching the rain hit my window as I bounce to Dre’s new beats and sip his cognac by the fire. There’s of course going to be some club hits on the album, and those’ll go nicely for all the go-goers slamming his flavored sparkling vodka, using it as an excuse to remove even more articles of clothing.

Two things I find humorous and interesting here….1) Marketing an album called Detox with beverages that get you intoxicated and 2) the marketing tie with alcohol when Dre’s history and previous albums speak to another substance of choice. I wonder if one of the sparkling vodka flavors will be “Grass.”

Death Row Records: Executed

published
on July 14, 2008
by
ACtual
in culture, genres, music, and music history
. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

It’s official… one of the biggest players at the forefront of the 1990’s Gangsta Rap movement has flatlined. In 1991, Dr. Dre and Suge Knight came together to form what was to be one of the most influential record labels of the time and genre in Death Row. Death Row not only launched Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, arguably one of the most important albums of the genre, but also provided the starting point for Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound (Daz and Kurupt) and 2Pac‘s All Eyez on Me…a bounty for Death Row bailing Pac out of jail.  At its peak, Death Row was the undisputed heavyweight when it came to Gangsta Rap.

Over the years, Death Row sold over 50 million units and banked somewhere in the range of 750 million dollars. However, after 1997, the majority of all of this profit was from the ownership of the master recordings from 2Pac, Dre and Snoop, and the company had grown stagnant in regards to new material. Further escalating their issues was the fact that Suge Knight, basically power hungry and still feeling like he owned the world, continued to alienate rappers and fans and failed to produce anything that could follow the success of Death Row’s formative years.

In addition, of the hundreds of millions of dollars Death Row produced, large portions were claimed in court lawsuits by people who provided start up money and were never given a share of the revenue This ended with Knight declaring bankruptcy (137M owed, only 4M in assets) and the record label was put up for auction Today, Death Row was purchased, masters and all for $24 million by Global Music Group.  GMG  dabbles in country, rock, R&B and now hip-hop and rap, as they have mentioned plans to sign new artists and release more vaulted 2Pac material.  When you think about the kind of revenue that these masters are still producing today, $24 million for the entire catalog seems like a steal Of course, you’re not getting much in the way of brand name recognition because rap fan’s memories are about as long as a radio single these days, but there has to be some future value from the old masters

Death Row Logo

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So, to Death Row Records, a leader in the changing face of rap music in the early 90s, Evolving Music wishes you a fond farewell, and a future with a global music conglomerate not unlike the major labels I deride on a regular basis.