Meet Chaz. Some of you may be familiar with this singer/actor from his various movie and television roles from throughout the years; including, ‘The Game’, cult classic ‘The Temptations’, ‘7th Heaven’ and more.
He recently wrapped up a stellar Broadway-starring role as Harpo opposite Fantasia in Oprah Winfrey’s “The Color Purple,” and is now ready to showcase his talents on his debut album, “The First One.”
The lead single is “By My Side” and the singer recently opening up on his writing style and technique. Chaz describes himself as a “feel” writer and singer. “I write based on the feeling and energy of the moment,” he explains. “If that’s not there, then my creativity will be forced and I can’t live with that. The melody and lyrics have to be married to each other. It’s hard to produce a song I feel doesn’t make sense.”
Take a listen to his song “By My Side” and view the video when you keep reading.
Meet D.A. Wallach and Maxwell Drummey, who make up the duo, Chester French. These two Harvard graduates wrote, arranged, produced and engineered their album, tentatively titled Love the Future in their dorm’s basement. Last December, their demo found its way around the industry and got them attracting offers from heavyweights like Kanye West, Jermaine Dupri, Pharrell Williams and Jimmy Iovine.
Mika Means is 1/3 of the songwriting, producing and performing threesome, The Girls Club. You’ve never heard her music, but you’ve heard some songs that she’s penned. Mika has worked with artists Kelis, Mya, 3LW, Lloyd, and Usher, as well as producers like Polow Da Don and Bangladesh. But now she’s stepping out on her own and trying her luck. “Spend Ya Money” is a playful, mid-tempo track that speaks to a woman who knows what her man wants, but all she wants to do is spend his money.
When I first heard the track, the production put me in the mindset of “Soulja Girl.” The song is very radio-ready. I’ve seen Mika perform before, so I know this girl can sing. I’m thinking that the vocoder effect that T-Pain is most popular for using is just something to get her familiarized with radio. “Spend Ya Money” has been all over the radio here in Atlanta, after popular DJ Greg Street premiered it.
Say hello to Stacy Epps. When I first heard her, of course the first influence that popped into my mind was Amel Larrieux, of whom I happen to be a big fan of. Stacy, who would never denounce hip hop as her first love, rattles of the names of KRS 1, MC Lyte and Queen Latifah as some of her main influences.
Her first single, “Floatin’” is a mellow, grooving track that has been getting a lot of love as of late. Her album is slated to drop in July, and will be what Stacy calls a “truly independent venture.”
London is one of the newest signees to Motown Universal and his been grinding for a long time to get his spot. This is his new single, “One 2 Many,” which is slated to hit radio soon. “One 2 Many” is an uptempo track that sort of puts me in the mindset of “Lost In Love” by Polow Da Don’s boy group, i15 with its hard guitar and drum pattern.
London has impressive many label executives with his live performances and showcases, so it seems as though big things are in place for the young crooner.
Meet Kameron Corvet. This Louisiana and Ohio native is currently creating a growing buzz down in Atlanta. His music was forwarded to us after a visitor saw him live at a recent showcase and was blown away.
Corvet, who says he “benefited from a heavy musical background in which the majority of his family members played and instrument, sung or did both,” was recently featured on the soundtrack for BET’s independent film Blackout. His musical influences? Prince, Jim Morrison, Led Zepplin, James Brown, D’Angelo, Jimi Hendrix and more. Make sure you give him a listen and look out for him in the future.
Meet Outasight. Born and raised in Yonkers, New York, Outasight (Richard Andrew) was brought up by a mother who decorated the walls with records and a father who was always playing the guitar. “Constantly moving from apartment to apartment never really gave me a true sense of home, but I always found comfort in music,” says the rapper/singer. He cites his influences as: Stevie Wonder, Mos Def, Marvin Gaye and The Beetles.
Currently an emerging talent in the hip-hop scene (he has opened for artists such as Me’Shell Ndegeocello and Dead Prez), you should definitely look out for more of his music in the future..
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