TheUrbanian.com » Entertainment

Chris Webby’s Mixtape Release Party

Carissa Rossi — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:27:48 +0000

“The Chris Webby Mixtape Release Party was off the chain,” said Anthony Ando, Founder of The Kick Back Movement.

Chris Webby’s Mixtape Release Party at Marquee in NYC was packed with lines out the door the entire night. Many loyal and passionate fans came out to support their favorite white boy rapper.

Webby’s private table was flowing with bottles all night, but he spent most of the night making his way around the club to greet his fans.

“Just when things really started to pop off, Chris Webby turned it up a little. He rocked the mic with a much anticipated performance of some of his hottest fan favorites. The dancing crowd cheered and sang along with the drunken rapper, who somehow still managed to spit out every word of his lyrics with vigor,” said Anthony Ando.

Some said the sound quality could have been better, but when everybody in the crowd knows the words, it’s barely noticeable. What people learned from this party: Chris Webby was born to do this……..

Dexter Season 5 Trailer

Kenny — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 19:14:08 +0000

Pressure in my chest, breathing heavily, nearly sweating – this is me having just finished watching the Season 5 teaser trailer for ShowTime’s hit series Dexter. After following the show since it’s onset, I’ve forged a special place in my heart for America’s favorite serial killer.

Hyperboles aside, Dexter fans brace yourself for perhaps one of the most gripping series ever screened on television, and none Dexter fans you have until September 26th to bone up. Enjoy.

Soulja Boy Eyed for Plagiarism

Kenny — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:43:03 +0000

Years ago, when Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and spending an uncomfortable portion of your life in front of a screen wasn’t a concern, and you were wrapped up in high school busying yourself with after-school sitcoms, Nelly, and smoking in your car – one show reigned supreme, Malcolm in the Middle. Barring nostalgic conversations with friends and family, Malcolm has nearly fell off the face of the Earth, that is until now.

Having caught pieces of Soulja Boy’s Pretty Boy Swag on the radio, and in passing by, it wasn’t until tonight when I reluctantly listened to it through that I realized someone was plagiarized. Initially I wrote the track off as Soulja Boy simply just recording a track while winded from fleeing his mindless fans, but then it struck me - it was Malcolm in the Middle’s Stevie Kenerban.

Stevie was the very essence of America’s favorite wheel-chaired, quick-witted, sitcom star. Nearly always suffering from hyperventilation, Stevie coined the breathy technique delivery as his own. Soulja Boy simply repackaged it, and resold the world what he knew they’d already love – Stevie. Don’t believe us? It’s triggered a slew of YouTube videos dubbing the breath-technique back where it belongs, with Stevie.

Watch below. Reject Soulja Boy, reject plagiarism.

Bill Murray: A Genius

Bradley Kevin MacDonald — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:11:54 +0000

For someone who starred in comedies such as Stripes, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, and Caddyshack, Bill Murray has turned into quite the artsy-film type in his latter years. Along with the turn to the art films, Murray has also ditched having an agent, publicist, or manager. You’ll hear most people describe Murray as being elusive, and that’s because he is very much so.

In fact, he’s only had four interviews in the past 20 years (not including television appearances). In a way, he has turned into the film world’s Bob Dylan. He strays from the public eye, always delivers the best interviews, and you never know if he’s telling the truth.

Most recently, Murray sat down with GQ to discuss a wide, and fairly-odd string of topics. He talks about how he’s only seen one episode of Seinfeld, his thoughts about the movie Celtic Pride, and how he thought Garfield was a Coen brothers film.

At the end of the interview, it is revealed that Murray may or may not be walking around New York City, going up to someone and covering their eyes, saying “guess who” and when the person turns around he says: “No one will ever believe you.” Phenomenal.

Read the interview.

“If you’re talking about business, let’s talk about business, but I don’t want to hang out and bullshit.” ~ Bill Murray

The “Queen Bee” of Karmaloop TV

Carissa Rossi — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 23:06:12 +0000

The Urbanian calls Chelsea Mascari the “Queen Bee” of Karmaloop TV keep reading and you’ll know why…

Chelsea Mascari is one of the few individuals that helped start Karmaloop TV. Her role in Karmaloop TV is very versatile; she does a little bit of everything from producing, hosting, to marketing.

Chelsea got her foot in the door when she won the MTV 2 VJ contest in Boston. This got the attention of Greg Selkoe, CEO and owner of street wear retailer of Karmaloop.com. Chelsea was asked to jump on board and help launch Karmaloop TV. To this day, she is very grateful for this opportunity.

“I always yearned for something bigger growing up which drove me to keep trying and trying until it happened,” said Chelsea.

By surprise Karmaloop TV is run by only four people, Chelsea being the only female. Chelsea said she has an awesome relationship with her fellow co- workers; Gabe Freedman (camera man), Jack Cearnal (editor), and Julian Wadsworth (director/host). They are pioneers of stimulating pop culture, fashion, and music among today’s youth.

The combination of these four people, some good production chops, and drive are all Karmaloop TV needed to get going.

Karmaloop TV is 100% homegrown and from these modest roots, they’ve established a firm foothold in the hip hop world. They have cultivated strong relationships with many of the celebrities that influence verge culture such as Clinton Sparks, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, M.I.A, Danny Boyle, and Keri Hilson.

“The fact that we produce all of our own content in-house and land all our interviews on our own is something we take pride in,” said Chelsea.

Currently Karmaloop TV is in the works of launching a multi-platform cable channel that will bring back the interest of 18-24 year olds to TV. It will be the first network that will target the “verge culture.”

“We want our viewers to reclaim TV, our demographic has been ignored and it’s time to change that,” said Chelsea.

Karmaloop TV’s cable channel will feature cutting edge music, fashion, design, and other forms of lifestyle and entertainment. It will veer away from the current reality show trends like “Teen Mom” and “Sweet 16.”

The Urbanian believes this new network can change the standards for TV. A channel that focuses on underground music, fashion, multicultural lifestyles, and daily news is the perfect mix to capture the attention of the twenty-something market.

To see more of Karmaloop TV check out:

http://www.karmalooptv.com/

youtube.com/karmalooptv

twitter.com/karmalooptv

vimeo.com/karmalooptv

facebook.com/karmaloop

Carissa Rossi

Travel Back to When the Internet Was Boring

Bradley Kevin MacDonald — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 16:27:40 +0000

Middle Men is a film that is set in 1995, when the internet was just a little baby with a big open canvas of opportunity for people to capitalize on.

Considering I was just 10-years-old in 1995 and that we didn’t even get a computer in my house until I was in the 8th grade, I really can’t say what the internet was like back in the ye olde times.

The film stars Luke Wilson as Jack Harris, the man who brought porn to the internet. The film is set to release Aug. 6, but the Red-Band trailer is out now. Judging by this trailer the film seems very man-friendly – lots of boobs and lots of swearing.

Watch the trailer below

Chris Webby fills us in on “The Underclassmen”

Carissa Rossi — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:02:26 +0000

Chris Webby talks to The Urbanian about his upcoming mix-tape that drops this Wednesday (July 14, 2010). He also said he’s a Facebook addict and we can call him whatever we please, check it out…

The Urbanian: We called you a rapper in our first interview, what is your view on the “rapper tag”?

Chris Webby: You can call me whatever you please. Rapper, artist, grilled cheese enthusiast, occasional birdwatcher. I wear many hats. At the end of the day I like to consider myself a hybrid of this new school college boy movement and pure bred hip hop.

TU: What is the name of your upcoming mix-tape? What did you do differently slash keep the same from your last mix-tape?

CW: The name is “The Underclassman”, which is more or less a reference to the XXL freshman class of rappers every year. Being that I still haven’t made that, I suppose that makes me an underclassman in the game. I did a lot differently with this one, though. Aside from just being in a better studio, I tried to combine as many different sounds as possible so if the listener doesn’t like track 4 for example, there’s a good chance track 5 will be right up their alley, ya know?

TU: Oh we know

TU: What is your favorite song you have produced so far?

CW: Oh god… that’s a tough one. Last Chance is definitely up there for me, but that one holds some personal meaning. I wrote that the day I got bailed out of jail. One of my producers, Shota Ike, heard about me getting in trouble and made that beat specially for me for when I got out. It was just me venting about what was on my mind at that fucked up point in my life. I also really like the way Finally Moving came out.

TU: What is the proudest moment in your career so far…. (we asked you this last time… anything new happen since the last time we asked)?

CW: I feel like every time I have a show that is my biggest yet, it takes over as proudest moment. Just seeing all those people who took time out of their week to come see my skinny, white ass rap on stage is a crazy concept to me. You have no idea how great it feels to see hundreds of people singing along to every word of your song. Especially when I do La La La… I barely had to even rap into the mic at the last show because everyone was screaming out every lyric.

TU: What are your top 3 favorite hip hop web sites?

CW: Whoever supports Chris Webby is a favorite of mine. This whole blog world is still kind of foreign to me. Aside from hip hop sites, I am admittedly a bit of a Facebook addict.

TU: Where are your upcoming shows?

CW: I don’t even know my schedule off the top, but if people want to come out I suggest they follow the fan page because I post all show info on there.

TU: What message can you give younger rappers who are trying to master the grind?

CW: A message to rappers, eh? I think the thing these kids don’t understand is how long it really takes to master your craft. This did not happen overnight for me. I have been rapping more or less every day for the past 11 years. But now with some of these “ringtone rap sensations,” these kids think they can just be a rapper. Listen, if you love it and honestly feel passionate about it like I do.. keep at it every day. Practice makes dope. Remember that. If your in it for the money and the groupies… go get a new hobby. Cuz if your unlucky enough to end up in a cypher with someone who eat, sleeps, and shits hip hop, we will make you look very stupid. Holler.

More on Chris Webby:

http://www.thechriswebby.com

http://www.youtube.com/fortheburbs

http://www.twitter.com/chriswebby

http://www.facebook.com/chriswebby

Carissa Rossi

Interview with Zack Zalon on Hello Music Part: 2

Carissa Rossi — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 21:54:59 +0000

The Urbanian got a chance to speak with Zack Zalon one of the founders of Hello Music. Keep reading to see some never before questions asked by us…..

The Urbanian: Why the name Hello Music? What is the meaning behind it?

Zack Zalon: That’s a great question – and you’re the first to ask! We looked for quite a while for a service name that reflected the spirit of what we’re focusing on. Overall, there is a huge gap between musicians and opportunities. That’s what we’re focused on, bringing those together and making a meaningful difference in the lives of our artists. Our entire motivation is to add value to an artist’s career, whether it’s by getting them a record deal, getting them played on internet radio, licensing their content to a commercial, or even just saving them money on a guitar. We believe that the name Hello Music says it all. It’s us saying hello to new artists and new content, and a way to pass that along to our partners, to get them to say ‘hello’ to that new music as well.

TU: Hello Music has defined itself as one of the prominent web sites of its kind. Any archrivals?

ZZ: I don’t think so. We look at other services in the marketplace as natural partners, not as competition. We’re really focused on the A&R side of the business, and this is a part of the business that we think we are very unique in – we listen to every one of the songs that artists upload, and we use the information from that screening to help us to find great opportunities for our artists. There are plenty of great companies doing other valuable work on behalf of the ‘unaffiliated’ artist, and we like how an ecosystem is emerging that can really benefit artists.

TU: Your music library gets wiped tomorrow, you can salvage one album, name it?

ZZ: No chance I can narrow it to just one album – if my music library gets wiped I’ll just listen to more Hello Music artists.

TU: Views on current programming on MTV? Is it dead?

ZZ: I don’t think so. I think that people will still watch music videos, online and on their TV sets. I believe that things are transitioning in the music business and in the way that consumers connect with their music, but it’s not necessarily going to kill what has worked for decades, it’s just going to change it.

TU: How the idea of HelloMusic.com popped into your head?

ZZ: Hello Music has been in our heads for a long time. Brendon Cassidy (my business partner) and I were at a startup called Farmclub over a decade ago. This was an early service for getting artists signed through the internet – we really believed in the idea and never let go of the vision that the web would ultimately be the primary tool for finding and supporting the music stars of tomorrow. The timing was off then – far too early. We waited until we felt the timing was right, which we obviously believe it is today.

TU: As a former struggling artist, how would a web site like this benefit you?

ZZ: There are so many ways that Hello Music can help artists, so many opportunities that we didn’t have when I was playing professionally. Think about it – an artist can simply upload their music for free, we send them back a genuine A&R feedback form on their music, we can get their music played on Yahoo Radio, we can get them licensed through Getty Images/Pump Audio, we can get them distributed on Slacker Radio, or get their music on iTunes through Tunecore. This list goes on… we’ll have hundreds of opportunities over time that will benefit artists in literally countless ways. It would have been great to have had Hello Music when I was playing, but it’s tremendously rewarding to be able to help artists on this side of the business now.

New artists check it out:

http://www.hellomusic.com/

Carissa Rossi

Emmys: Lost vs. Dexter

Bradley Kevin MacDonald — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:54:50 +0000

* Warning: Major spoilers in this post. Proceed at your own caution.

This past television season rendered plenty of surprising twists, heartbreaks, and tension. Our emotional states were mostly left dangling on the edge due to Dexter and Lost.

Lost’s final season definitely garnered the biggest buzz going into this season; however, Dexter, a show that was a bit under the radar, hit its stride with its fourth season and easily broke through as one of television’s must-watch shows.

Helped by John Lithgow’s guest-starring arc as the Trinity Killer, and the writers’ gutsy move of killing off the beloved Rita, Dexter managed to captivate people and switch the buzz from the coming Lost season to oh-my-god-what-are-they-going-to-do-next-season Dexter talk.

With so much Dexter intensity, Lost still didn’t go down without a fight. Faced with the impossible of pleasing every fan the show garnered throughout its six years, Lost turned our attention to the biggest mystery of all: Love.

With a bright shining light opening up to the unknown, and all our favorite castaways sitting together while embracing one another, we saw the mentality of live together, or die alone switch to: live together, die together. In short, Lost taught us shit happens, but most importantly, love happens.

These two unique shows – one making us root for the serial killer and the other delving into mythology, religion, science, life, and love far beyond television’s typical nimble mindset – are set to collide at this year’s Emmy’s on August 29.

Sure, there are a few other shows in the running for Outstanding Drama Series – Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Good Wife, and Tru Blood.

While I’m not a regular viewer of Breaking Bad nor Mad Men, I’m able to recognize they are both good shows. As for Tru Blood, Twilight has ruined any hope for me to take a vampire-related show seriously ever again. People say zombies are played out, well vampires are even further played out.

Even with quality shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men in the drama race as well, it is my opinion the stage has been set for Dexter and Lost. Dexter for it throwing down one of the biggest twists in television history, and Lost for it being one of the most-talked about shows ever and its bittersweet conclusion.

I think Michael C. Hall (Dexter) is a lock for Outstanding Actor and Lithgow (Dexter) for Guest Actor, Terry O’Quinn (yes he does deserve to win again for Lost) is for Supporting Actor, and yes, I do believe Lost will take home Outstanding Drama Series.

Lost is the complete package: acting, music, writing, suspense, drama, character development, and its sad, but happy conclusion. Winning for its final season would make it a full-circle Emmy journey, since its only series Emmy win came after its first season.

While I’m sure not everyone will agree with these thoughts, this is what I would love to see happen – Lost to win again. As much as I love Dexter, it’s become apparent to me that the show has set itself up for plenty of other chances to win. After this Emmy presentation there will be no more Lost, and for the show to reach its full conclusion, it needs to win.

—-

You can contact Brad at brad@theurbanian.com

The Urbanian checks back with Isaac Simons

Carissa Rossi — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:34:47 +0000

The road to success in the music industry is not an easy one. No two artists find it in the same way, and most abandon their dreams long before reaching their goals.

I’ve been following Isaac Simons’ journey for a number of months now (see my earlier article on him: http://theurbanian.com/2010/05/18/new-artist-isaac-simons-straight-from-socal-check-him-out/) and he seems undaunted by the task at hand.

Producing songs with his small band and shooting videos with the same group, Isaac has created a notable buzz within the past months and has recently joined The Station, theYoutube empire which hosts such internet celebrities as Kassem G and Shay Carl, among others.

About the growing exposure, Isaac seems unfazed.

“It’s still the same game we’re playing. Making the music which moves us and then sharing it with the public. When we go play on the streets or in parks or at house parties, it’s still one-on-one. It’s still a small, intimate audience getting to know us.”

House parties and college shows have made up the brunt of the last few months for Isaac and his band. Traveling up and down the west coast, they played a string of sororities and fraternity shows and a long list of house parties. “Anywhere we could play, we did.” Isaac explains. “Sometimes two shows in one night. We’d finish one party and someone would approach us asking us to play at another event later that night. Truth is, anywhere where there are 50 people in a room who want to hear me play, I’ll go.”

To back up his promise, Isaac is currently gearing up for yet another tour, trying to shoot as many videos and record as many tracks as possible before hitting the road again.

To add to his journey and get one-on-one with Isaac, write bookisaac@gmail.com

And if you’re new to the music, start with his hilarious video covering Michael Buble (one of my favorites) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqbmqbRtFto&feature=channel and then check out the links below.

http://www.youtube.com/SimonsIsaac

http://www.facebook.com/isaacsimons

http://www.twitter.com/isaacsimons

http://www.isaacsimons.com

Carissa Rossi