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While on the set with Soledad O’Brien and after hearing testimony from former teacher Lang Boston, comedian, D.L. Hughley, begins to weep as he reminisces on what an an inspiration Lang has been to him while growing up.  “I was this close to never making it,” D.L. says through his tears.

Hughley, who is best known for his comedic work, as well the the hit television program, “The Hughleys”, was also formally a CNN host, and is now radio personality at Kiss-FM New York.

As the controversy surrounding HR 848 continues to cause a rip in relationship between artists and corporate radio, a call for the Performance Rights Act (aka Civil Rights for Musicians Act) has come into play, which closes the legal loophole that radio corporations and CEOs are using to ensure that African American artists receive fair pay for airplay.  Singer Dionne Warwick states that Radio CEO, Cathy Hughes is now very angry with her, other black recording artists, and civil rights leaders because they support it.

Dionne Warwick:
“I was surprised when Radio One’s Cathy Hughes added my name to the list of African American artists and civil rights activists she’s attacked in her vicious campaign against fairly compensating musicians for their work. Then again, since smearing African American leaders to protect her profits has become Ms. Hughes siren song, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised at all.”

[Huffington Post]

Tito Jackson, the second oldest of the Jackson 5, talks about his brother Michael with Kevin Frazier on the the program Entertainment Tonight.

Okay folks… it’s show time!

Kanye West has self-proclaimed himself “The New King of Pop.”

KANYE: “You know everyone loves and respects Michael but times change. It’s so sad to see Michael gone but it makes a path for a new King of Pop and I’m willing to take that on. There’s nobody who can match me in sales and in kanye west respect so it only makes sense for me to take over Michael’s crown and become the new King.

First there was Elvis, then there was Michael, now in the 21st century its Kanye’s time to rule. I have nothing but respect for Michael but someone needs to pick up where he left off and there’s nobody better than me to do that. I am the new King of Pop.”

Well… I’ve got to admit.  He definitely is a character.

dy2t85nxez

In this clip:

Dyme Piece with Nyreese
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLINH0kDO0c

Dear Journal
Gates, Crowley, President Obama

Bits & Pieces
Nas, Michael Vick, Sugar Bear, Solange

Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West Run This Town
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DosjqNM_rTM

Lee Fuller
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OJjsfZhm6o

Asadah’s Book - Beat Black Kids
http://beatblackkids.com

SISTAH POWER
http://www.sistahpowerunlimited.com

It all came back to me the other night when i was backstage at the 9:30 Club
in the dressing room with the original members of Trouble Funk.
I hadn’t seen many of them in years, especially James Avery who used to actually give me a ride
to practice at the Club Lebaron when we were Heavy Connection Band & Show.
It came back to me: it was James Avery’s camera that I first held onstage, yep, trying to get good pictures of JuJu,
James and the rest of the band.
There, in that moment, something was born but the journey, the process, is more important.
I can write about the moment and come close to getting it
but the journey just has too much d a m n “stick and move” in it to be communicated without
fabrication or sentimentality.
Ain’t nothing wore that a soft, ha ha, or sensitive photographer.
Photos are deadly fabrications, selective, framed truthful eternal lies.
As we approach TSE’s Pick of the Week #100,
I want to thank you, The TMOTT Community, for letting me lie to you with your truth.
It was fun; it was about growth and it was lots of eye & ear work.
Mugs just be grabbing me now expecting me to take their picture
and mail it to them.
The “service” thang is off the chain like I owe them something.
Folks love pictures, so I keeps it free.
I had a ball.
I have favorites.
I learned a ton.
I am grateful.
My pictures are not “gentrification glitter.’
PICK OF THE WEEK #100 WILL BE THE LAST ONE FROM THE GOOD TSE
as it is getting closer to time to organize them,
create the narrative, get the d a m n book out.
So many people helped and so many people let me close to them, thanks!
and I would like to save the real version of those thanks for the day when the book is in had
and the day that the photos are exhibited
in a gallery or museum. We’ll see.
A loose crew of us who we called “People in the Pocket Photographers” has emerged. We are small but we show
and get it in.
My replacement will be the very talented and bold
Sadrea Muhammed, more later.
Sadrea is a DC native and has worked with me on many Go-Go sneak-ins.
Yeah we just show up and start shooting,
so you won’t get all dressed up and s h i t.
Sadrea understands the real so Lead-Talkers leave your lipstick at home.
Her camera contains, captures and invents truth.
i will still be around; I ain’t shutting the shutter down.
The nothing I owe Go-Go
is a lot.
Thanks Pocket.

TSE

Former boxing champion Vernon Forrest was shot and killed during an apparent robbery in Atlanta, police said Sunday.

According to WSB Radio in Atlanta, Forrest, who was 38, was shot seven or eight times during a chase of at least two men. The dilemma began when the men attempted to steal his Jaguar as he was in an gas station putting air in his tires.

More info in clip below.

On Friday, July 24, author E. Lynn Harris passed away.  According to the Arkansas Times, Harris’ personal assistant confirmed that his health had declined.  However, he would not provide any details of the cause. Harris was probably most known for his best-selling novels such as “Invisible Life” depicted African-American gay community in a unique way and exposed the down-low phenomenon of athletes.

Raised in Little Rock, the renowned author attended the University of Arkansa, and later returned to teach adjunct courses in the English department last fall.

Harris was 54 years old.

[ more info ]

In this clip:

The Ghetto Cooking Show
http://www.youtube.com/user/theghettocookingshow

Michael Jackson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8V6VcxUW7U

Wisdom Speaks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRDlo6j1gW4

Rare Essence
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/welcome-to-the-re-party

Good Enough Mother
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PORgyCp1Mg

Wisdom Speeks (who we most commonly love as Whop N Em) continues to represent DC through a music style that touches the conscious soul.  Check out the video clip above as they ‘crankingly’ spearhead as the new face and sound of the new DC-5 Lottery game.  So just “Throw Ya Head Back” and get into the groove.

And yes, folks.  They’re still wearing his sunglasses!

This is just a little something in a song that was given as a gift to me, which touched me in a spiritual way, and I wanted to share with you. Mainly because this is an excellent example of the uplifting and encouragement that can and does happen.

Basically, this tune that I love to play was sent to the wonderful Ms Samaria Graham (Actress/Singer), who put her words and sang to it, and sent it back to me. I felt so moved by it that I wanted to attach it with images, via video clip, and share it with you. And with her permission, I did so. Not only that, but it’s something that I will cherish with me for the rest of my life.

The music is played by DC Go-Go Band Rare Essence.
The words and singing by Samaria Graham.
Because at the end of the day, to me, it’s all about the sharing, enlightening, encouraging, lifting, and relaying of LOVE!

Thank you, Samaria!
Love, Kato

SAMARIA GRAHAM
http://www.facebook.com/pages/SAMARIA…

RARE ESSENCE
http://www.facebook.com/RareEssenceBand

TMOTTMEDIA
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid…

On tonight’s broadcast of “The Late Show with David Letterman,” Ex-Beatles Paul McCartney talks about his rift with the late Michael Jackson.

Taped earlier today at The Ed Sullivan Theater – where the Beatles made their American debut in 1964 to launch the “British Invasion” – McCartney explained that he and Jackson “fell apart” over the Beatles catalog, which the King of Pop snagged only after McCartney told him that he planned on purchasing it himself.

The year was 1985. Jackson and McCartney had just recorded two songs together, “The Girl is Mine” for Michael’s “Thriller” album and “Say Say Say” for Paul’s “Tug of War.” Jackson, one day, asked the Beatles singer to explain the value of artists owning their own music publishing rights.

In the tutorial, McCartney mentioned he was planning to buy rights to the Beatles music at an upcoming auction. McCartney said Jackson commented that he would buy the rights first. McCartney laughed it off as a joke.

Cut to the auction, where McCartney found out that his buddy paid $47.5 million to outbid him for the catalog. Adding insult to injury, the moonwalker then turned around a few years later and sold the rights to Sony for $95 million.

According to McCartney, Jackson informed him, “That’s just business, Paul.”

“We’ve never kind of got to it, and I thought ‘hmmm,’ so we kind of drifted apart,” the 66-year-old told Letterman, but then added that “there was no big bustup.”

He then said Jackson “was a lovely man, massively talented, and we miss him.”

[ Source ]

At its annual convention this week, the NAACP endorsed Rep. John Conyers’ HR 848. In the resolution entitled “NAACP Celebrates the On-Going Legacy of Congressman John Conyers, Jr.” the organization said HR 848 is a civil rights issue: “We did not wage a civil rights movement to enable a few rich African American millionaires exploit and hoodwink African-American musicians.”

Now mind you, this is the exact same issue that Cathy Hughes of Radio One is currently running her “Reality Radio” series, which claims that if HR 848 is passed, not only will this “kill Black radio”, but “the RIAA will get paid and only half will go to artists”.

Although some say that in reality, the real issue seems to be that this is an issue that has come back to haunt the very same decisions of syndication format that no longer serves local communities. That these owners in opposition are calling out for help from a community they have not truly served, but instead used the sweat equity of the talent (air personalities,sales,etc.), rarely contributing any real money or time themselves.

What exactly is House Resolution (HR) 848?
Plainly put, HR 848 will allow performers to get paid when their songs are played on the radio. The United States is among only a handful of nations — including China, North Korea and Iran — that do not pay royalties to performers. All other nations pay royalties to both the songwriter and performer of music.

Let’s see how this one plays out (to be continued…)

BSoul.tv delivers. In this rare clip, Joe Jackson is appearing on an episode of Soul Train and sharing, with Don Cornelius, footage of intimate home video yard party moments at the Jackson home. Seen in this clip are people such as Redd Roxx, Junior Walker, Eddie Kendricks and others.

Sending out a condolence to Al Goodman (of Ray Goodman & Brown aka The Moments) who lost his brother Benny Goodman.

The 1984 Pepsi commercial shoot video has been obtained by Us Magazine. In this clip you can see the actual tragic pyrotechnic accident that resulted in Jackson’s head catching on fire.

There are two takes. In the first take, the explosion goes off as planned. In the second take, you noticed that the explosion takes place a little too early. While Michael’s head is engulfed in flames, which he first does not realize and continues performing, the stage crew rushes to put the flames out.

Jackson donated the $1.5 million settlement he obtained from Pepsi after the accident to the Brotman Memorial Hospital in Culver City, California, to establish the Michael Jackson Burn Center for Children.

In this clip:

Soul Train
http://www.youtube.com/soultrain
http://www.globalimageworks.com

DJ NGA Dave
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?i…

The Crank Brothers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cYLLP…

My man Denzel shakes ‘em off and handles the flow like a pro.  Take a look at how cool he kicks it as the paparazzi tries to entice him into making comments regarding Micheal Jackson and the Lakers, yet he does greet some fans.

Recent reports from the National Journal’s Congress Daily is stating that the Lanham based urban radio giant Radio One had come under the House Judiciary Committee’s fire for their refusal to testify at a hearing billed as a forum for the purpose of examining plummeting advertising revenues, increasing media consolidation, and a pending legislation that would put an end to long standing copyright royalty exemption for over the air radio.  Something that broadcasters are opposed to.

On Thursday, July 9, 2009, Chairman John Conyers and other members of the Judiciary scolded Radio One found Cathy Hughes and her son, Alfred Liggens (CEO) for being no shows.  Other critics of the bill are said to include Reverend Al Sharpton (National Action Network), Reverend Jesse Jackson (Rainbow Push Coalition), Tom Joyner (Syndicated Radio Host), and David Honig (Minority Media and Telecommunication Council).  Locally, Radio One owns WKYS, WERQ, WOL, WOLB, WYCB, WPRS, WWIN-AM/FM, and WMMJ.

By Kato Hammond

Something that many people had been calling about for the longest time is finally coming into surface.  And fans will now have to opportunity to add yet another classic series into their DVD library collection.  What am I talking about?  Soul Train!

One year after host producer and owner Don Cornelius’ selling of the franchise to Madvision Entertainment (Soul Train Holdings), the launching of a comprehensive marketing campaign to license the over 1100 hours of archived footage has been granted.

It is with no question that the 35 year run covers a deep rooted history of Black American pop culture in its rawest form that no other show has been able to successfully duplicated.  We’re talking about a program that covered acts from BT Express, to The O’Jays, to The Jackson 5, to James Brown, to Barry White, to Switch, to The Sylvers, to Berry Wright, to Patti Labelle, to Joe Tex, the The Sytlistics, to The Commodores, to Herbie Hancock, to The Brothers Johnson, to Stevie Wonder, to Aretha Franklin, to Rufus, to Herald Melvin and the Blue Notes, etc…  I swear I could go on for ever and ever with this list.

Fans can now currently visit the Soul Train YouTube channel, as well as globalimageworks.com to view many of the clips.  BET’s new Centric channel will also be licensing many episodes, as well as a documentary of the show is currently in development for VH1.

I don’t know what you are going to do, but I’ll be standing in line for mine.

It’s about damn time!

Check out clip below: