Introducing . . . The Read

Read
v. To tell someone about themselves, usually in a negative way e.g. 'I am going to read that bitch'

If you are not already familiar with this amazing weekly podcast then I am here to be of some assistance and introduce you to 'The Read'.
Every Thursday, Kid Fury, a popular entertainment blogger, and Crissle, his best friend, upload an hour long podcast to Soundcloud in which they voice their opinions on some of the weeks celebrity news - a segment entitled 'Hot Topics' - share some entertaining stories via listeners letters and let off some steam with their personal reads.
The Read has exploded in popularity since it began 20 or so weeks ago and now receives over 20,000 listens a week.

The success, in my opinion, stems from their natural chemistry as friends and as hosts along with their bitchy sense of humour which could cause as much controversy as it does entertain.
Although this may not be for everyone, it is definitely worth a listen - trust me, you will be hooked:

The Read: Luna Vs Serena

The Read: Paula's Best Dish

Should musicians be labelled 'role models' ?

                    

Whether it be self-proclaimed or not, many artists in the music industry are looked at as role models for children and young adults. But is this a fair label to attach to them ?

It's easy to understand why children look up to celebrities who are beautiful, talented, wealthy and often portrayed as having perfect lives. However, there is an uprising of parents who believe that there are more negative connotations attached to the celebrity lifestyle such as drinking, tattoos and promiscuity.
Rihanna has recently spoken out against accusations made by journalists about her being a 'bad role model' for young female fans of hers by stating that she has never claimed to be a role model and doesn't feel that she should have the responsibility of helping to raise other peoples children.
I can understand her point and agree that musicians, whose job it is to entertain the public not educate children, should not be criticised when they act in a way that may not be seen as 'responsible' in the eyes of parents. Rihanna is a young, childless female who makes music about love, sex and abuse which are all topics that aren't particularly aimed at twelve year olds so she isn't trying to appeal to the young and impressionable.
Her outspoken personality, provocative dancing and unique sense of style are quite clearly not appropriate for anyone below the age of sixteen; hence, why are adults allowing their child to listen to or watch Rihanna in the first place, especially if they feel that their child is easily influenced by other people.
If they have any issues with her lyrics or videos than it is easy to steer their child away from it - is it not the parents responsibility to filter the musical content that their child has access to ?

Furthermore, how can any person in the entertainment industry be titled a role model no matter how age appropriate they appear. Let's say, for example, Taylor Swift who presents herself as a good girl and doesn't seem to give parents any reason to accuse her of being a bad influence on their children. Although we don't see her partying, her music steers clear of parental advisory stickers and her red-carpet attire remains classy, she is still a 22 year old female. She is bound to mess up at some point - maybe she'll swear on stage or flash a bit of cleavage - somewhere along the line she will make a mistake as any human being does and seeing as she is in the public eye, we will all hear about it.
These celebrities have no control over natural human tendencies like messing up, but it is ultimately the media who make the final decision over whether to expose these flaws and share them with the rest of the world.
Ok, so maybe thanks to Twitter and Instagram, Rihanna and everyone else can make the decision whether or not to post a picture of themselves smoking weed or not but would anyone really hear about every picture uploaded and every tweet post if it wasn't for the blogs and magazines that exploit them and make headlines out of them.

Taking on the label of role model is a huge responsibility because it puts you on a pedestal so high that even the slightest wobble will open up the flood gates for attack...and nobody is perfect.
Obviously children are easily influenced by what they see in the media and you can't control absolutely everything that your child sees and hears; however, as a parent, it is your responsibility to raise your child to know right from wrong and not pass the responsibility on to the entertainment industry and the people within it.

Kanye West - Black Skinhead Official Video

Like much of Kanye's work, and life, I am left slightly confused by his new video for my favourite track off his latest album, Black Skinhead.
Within the first five seconds you will be shouting 'Illuminati' and by the end you will probably be left a little disappointed. The visuals are great, the song is great but it just doesn't really go anywhere...

Sony Music Work Experience

On the 8th of July 2013, I began a two week work placement at the highly respected Sony Music record label in London. Seeing as my interests lie in journalism and the media, I was placed in the press department and given my own desk and computer for my two week period with them.
Unlike most other placements I have read write up's on, there were no coffee runs or answering phone calls, although there was the occasional administrative errand, such as updating their mailing list and organising a magazine cupboard.
But there were many other far more exciting tasks along with a few perks of the job and an amazing canteen area where lunches varied from chicken & bacon burger with chips, jerk chicken and rice to spicy fajitas.
The added bonus of this particular placement was that, although unpaid, they did reimburse my travel expenses and lunch costs which roughly came to £80 a week.

Day one was not as overwhelming as I had anticipated even though within the first hour of being in the building I ran into Example who was strolling casually down a corridor having just signed to Sony records.
I was given a quick tour of the building, which I mastered the lay out of by day three, and introduced to the team of people I would be working with for the next fourteen days.
On the press team there are only seven people, which surprised me seeing as Sony is such a huge company with hundreds of artists under their belt (Beyonce, Olly Murs, One Direction, J Cole and Justin Timberlake to name a few) so controlling the media coverage and exposure of all these artists is no mean feat.
Over the two week period I learnt exactly what their job entails and the sheer pressure they are under as new artists get signed and albums get released. It is their job to get the artists on magazine covers, in newspapers, on television and spread the word throughout the web in order to promote singles, music videos and shows.

Within the first week at Sony I had met Jahmene Douglas and Union J, X Factor 2012 contestants, and had been a part of Newton Faulkner's live documentary, Studio Zoo, as I accompanied his publicist to his house for a couple of interviews.
I had helped myself to a dozen or so CD's, a perk of the job which gained me quite a few friends, enjoyed free fry-ups and smoothies and got an exclusive look at a music video unseen by anyone else.
Of course, I had work to do too, as well as the early mornings, hour-long commute through London during peak hours and, being the hottest period London has seen for years, miss out on the sunshine; it all just seemed like a minuscule sacrifice I had to make in order to be a part of an amazing, once in a lifetime experience.

By the second week, I was bracing myself for the work to pile up and the idealised work environment I had become accustomed to to shatter before me - no job can really be this great, surely. But nothing changed.
Once again I shared a building with some huge stars - Miley Cyrus was spotted by someone on my last day and I saw Little Mix in the canteen - and got to hear unreleased music whilst eating delicious food and doing a bit of administrative work on my computer.
But the highlight of my work placement came on Tuesday, when I was invited to spend the day on the set of a photo shoot for a brand new teen girl group, Neon Jungle.
Although it was not a glamorous studio or a well-known magazine - we had to provide our own food so I took a trip to McDonalds to grab lunch for everyone - it was still an enjoyable day and made a nice change to get out of the office.I also got to meet the four girls that make up the band and see what it's like to be a girl group member for a day - oh, and I got a free ride across London in an Addison Lee car!
There were also some opportunities I missed out on, for example a free backstage pass to a Ke$ha concert and meeting Simon Cowell; however, I was lucky enough to have the experiences that I did, so I can't be too disappointed.

All in all, the placement confirmed and increased my passion to work in the music industry whether it be as a journalist or as a publicist or even in some other department of the Sony Music company. I loved every second of my time there and I am looking into going back in the near future.
I have gained some useful contacts, a stand-out addition to my CV and inside knowledge that can only help me on the pursuit of my career path, so I can safely say that this work experience has helped me and created some unforgettable memories that I'm glad I could share with you.

Artist of the Week : A$AP Ferg

As part of the ASAP Mob, A$AP Ferg already has a huge following and a lot to live up to following the success of fellow ASAP member, A$AP Rocky.
Ferg already gave us a taste of his sound with his big debut track, Work, and he hopes to have an even bigger hit with his follow up song, Shabba.
Although the song could be regarded as lyrically weak and hugely annoying, there is no doubt that it is catchy and you will find yourself humming (or rapping) 'sha-shabba ranks, one gold tooth like I'm sha-shabba ranks' after hearing it a couple of times. It is likely to become a club favourite in the coming months so you may as well get accustomed to it now:
Shabba

The Music Behind Love And Hip Hop ATL

If, like me, you enjoy the ratchet going-on's in Mona-Scott Young's 'Love And Hip Hop' franchise it can be hard to even remember why on earth these people are on the tv and what they have to do with the world of hip hop. There is the occasional back drop of a showcase or dance rehearsal and the ever present mention of 'going to the studio' but we rarely actually hear the outcome of these sessions.
So for those of you who are usually left wondering where all this top secret music is and which of these Love And Hip Hop Atlanta cast members actually have any talent, look no further than my quick run-down of the key musical players and their work.

Joseline Hernandez
The Puerto Rican princess was a central character for much of the first season and her notorious studio sessions with Stebbie may have actually led to records being made amongst other things.
She has finally dropped a video for one of her songs 'Mi Colta' but no word yet on whether this will be released as a single.
Throughout the hip-hop influenced track, she raps in Spanish about something or other, and in the video...well not a lot happens really.
As much as I am a fan of Joseline and her fiery personality, as expected, her music doesn't quite cut it amongst the rest of the music industry lead female players such as Nicki Minaj and Rihanna.
It does, however, have great production (applaudes Stevie J) and I'm sure this won't stop her from unleashing an album and more tracks in the coming months.
Mi Colta

Stevie J
Three time Grammy award winner and successful songwriter are probably not the first thoughts that come to mind when you hear the name Stevie J. Stevie is probably always going to be more known for his misogynistic and shameless antics on Love and Hip Hop than he will for his production on a lot of great music even though he has worked with some of the best including P Diddy, Notorious B.I.G and Mariah Carey.
Having now decided to attach himself to the hot mess that is Joseline Hernandez, his reputation in the music industry is most probably irreparable.
But let's take a look at some of his wiser career choices back in the 90's and early noughties.
I Still Believe - Mariah Carey
Mo Money Mo Problems - The Notorious B.I.G
Spendin' Money - R Kelly



K. Michelle

In my opinion, the most talented and respectable artist to emerge from the franchise. Putting her temper and big mouth aside, K seems on the way to finally achieving a successful career within the music industry with an album set for mid August release and millions of Youtube hits on her latest tracks.
The track which caught my attention the most was her recent single, V.S.O.P, which showcased her flawless vocals along with a smooth and soulful beat and cute lyrics. I'm excited to see what's next for this R'n'b diva...
V.S.O.P

Rasheeda

As much as I wanted Rasheeda and her music to be good, I couldn't perform the impossible and make my ears enjoy it. Although some of her tracks are arguably catchy and could find their way into the mainstream, she doesn't have the lyrical ability to compete with Nicki, the dramatic production to go head to head with Azealia Banks, the sex appeal of Iggy Azalea or the admirable attitude of Lil Kim.
Therefore, she can only hope for one breakthrough hit and a few features before accepting the fact that her husband, Kirk, will always be more famous for cheating on her than she will be for her music career.
Hit It From The Back

Lil Scrappy

He seems to spend more time arguing with his on-off girlfriend/babymother and entertaining his slightly insane mum than he does making any music these days.
But only a few years ago Lil' Scrappy was on the rise musically with a few hits under his belt including 'Money In The Bank' which peaked at number 28 and 'No Problem', where did it all go wrong ?
Maybe signing up for a trashy reality show didn't help his career as much as he had hoped since all his releases over the past year have barely reached over 250,000 Youtube views and Momma Dee is clearly outshining him in the media.
Money In The Bank

Karlie Redd


I argued as to whether or not it was even worth including Karlie in this list but seeing as she is a listed cast member and does like to go on about her 'music' (at one point she claimed to be signed to Cash Money Records) I felt that she deserves at the very least a mention.
So here is her mention, I have nothing more to say about her futile attempts at a rap career.
Louie, Prada, Gucci

Bashment Round-Up

Seeing as Bashment is one of my favourite genres and particularly appropriate for summer jam sessions in the park and carnival season, here are some of my favourite new tracks that, if you haven't already, you should get familiar with:

Pull Up To Mi Bumper
Konshens has another club classic on his hands, following the massive success of Stop Sign he, yet again, brings us a strong beat and catchy hook that will certainly have you wining in the club.

Unruly Rave
Very reminiscent of the huge 2011 hit, Summertime by Vybz Kartel, Popcaan provides us with a quite tame summer sound that has already made its way on to Radio 1xtra's playlist.

Bruki
Aidonia is doing what he, and many recent Bashment hits, does best in this catchy rave track which is likely to be heard at Notting Hill Carnival. He provides a repetitive hook, 'bruki, bruki, bruki, bruki, bruki, bruki, bruki ' a video of twerkers and his instantly recognisable voice to a solid dancehall beat.

Artist of the Week: Neon Jungle

This fun and down-to-earth (having met them they really are genuine and sweet girls) British quartet only formed at the start of the year but they have all the ingredients for a successful girl group. Pretty. Check. All get along. Check. Likeable. Check.
They have an uptempo debut single, Trouble (out 1st September), and an exciting video which hit the web just last week and already has almost 250,000 views. Alongside all of this, they have two things that a lot of girl groups have fallen flat on in the past and that is talent and personality which are sure to be displayed in the album out next year.
Their debut single, Trouble, has slowly started hitting the airwaves and gained a massively positive response thanks to its catchy hook, playful lyrics and unforgettable beat - it seems they have a hit on their hands.
Jess, Amira, Asami and Shereen may only be 16-20 years of age but they certainly don't seem it with their infectious attitude and strong work ethic, I have a feeling they will be around for a while yet.
If you haven't already, make sure you check out their video on vevo and follow them on Twitter - @neonjunglemusic

Welcome

Brand new blog that is purely about music and, more specifically, new artists/bands/albums/songs etc.
Not so much reviews but just my way of letting you know what you should be listening to and who you should be looking out for.
Exclusive music video break-downs, weekly song and album write-ups and every Friday, artist of the week where I will introduce you to a band/artist you probably don't know about but really should!

Enjoy xx