JumpinJack AJ

I didn't realize it existed until the early-mid 2000's. I believe it was a rather limited release and that it was only released in one or two countries.

I've wanted this album for ages. It was released in 1998, but all of the music is from 1992 to 1995. It's a compilation of remixes from their previous albums. Normally it's priced really high since it was only released overseas, but when you posted this, I checked up on it and found one at a reasonable price, so I got it. Some of the best music from the 90's.

De La drops music, and I'm like "take my money," ...but I'm cool with free music too. LOL

I know there aren't many Madonna fans, but these are the two songs that leaked yesterday. I like this two better than the majority of the stuff on her past two albums. MADONNA - Rebel Heart (upcoming 2015 album) (2014) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSK2FNSJXEw

MADONNA - Wash All Over Me (her or Avicii's 2015 album) (2014) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCKl3EhV0VQ

BLACK MOON - Who Got Da Props? Enta Da Stage (1993)

Whoa, I just checked me email and they are giving the song away for free! You can get it here: http://www.wearedelasoul.com/products/51944-the-people-feat-chuck-d-digital-download?utm_source=Link+1&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=The+People

Prepare your ears for dopeness... For some reason I'm unable to copy and paste the article, so you can read about it here: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/premieres/de-la-soul-chuck-d-the-people-20141128

Great interview. I didn't know they were the first signed to A Touch of Jazz. I think this is the first time they've ever shared that. Zhane seemed to have a love/hate relationship with "Ring My Bell." I remember talking about it early in their career fondly, but a little later they talked about it reluctantly. I think they got caught up in the talk that JJ+FP was too accessible to the mainstream at that particular time. I'm glad that that it's being mentioned in a better light now. Here's the full article if anyone wants to read the whole thing... Nineties R&B group Zhané celebrates twentieth anniversary of debut album, Pronounced Jah-nay For Pronounced Jah-nay's twentieth anniversary, we spoke with Renee Neufville about recording one of the more definitive R&B albums from the 1990s. by Chris Williams By the mid 1990s, there was an assortment of R&B groups dominating the musical landscape. On the campus of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, two young women were on the verge of staking their claim amongst R&B music’s elite. After a chance meeting with Benny Medina, Renee Neufville and Jean Norris decided to join forces to form a dynamic songwriting tandem. As a result, their debut album achieved platinum success. On February 15, 1994, Pronounced Jah-nay was released by Motown Records. Riding the wave from their overwhelming smash hit, “Hey Mr. D.J.,” Zhane ushered in a new, refreshing sound to rival their contemporaries. For the album’s twentieth anniversary, I spoke with Neufville about recording one of the more definitive R&B albums from the 1990s. What is the story behind the forming of the duo? We were the first artists signed to A Touch of Jazz by Jazzy Jeff. We were students at Temple University. We met Jazzy Jeff because we were students in Philadelphia, and we would enter talent shows to pay our bills. Word got to him that there were these girls at Temple University who could sing. Somebody introduced us to him, and he took us under his wing and formed A Touch of Jazz production company. While we were working with Jazzy Jeff, he was working with Will Smith on their Homebase album, which went platinum. During that time, Will Smith was going back and forth to California because he was pursuing an acting career. So Quincy Jones and Benny Medina were very instrumental in that transition for Will. With the amount of hours that my partner Jean and I spent at the studio, we in turn got to meet Benny Medina. Benny Medina saw us play and sing when we were separate artists, but we were roommates, too. He suggested to us that we should become a group. So – we said OK, and that’s how we became a group. It was Benny Medina’s idea. This happened during a random sighting at a studio. During that time, it was rare to see two women as a duo. Can you explain the process that Jean and you went through to become a group, since you were solo artists in the beginning? How long did it take you all to get acclimated to each other’s styles to make it work? It didn’t take us long because we were roommates. We spent all our time together as roommates. There wasn’t a learning curve at all. Earlier you were going to speak about your group’s look, and how it was so different from the norm back then. It’s one of the many things that made you all stand out besides the fact you were a duo. Well, prior to the 1990s, most of the girl groups had a uniform, homogenous look. I was 5’9 ½ and my partner, Jean was 5’2. I knew that aesthetically we were different. I was dark-skinned and thin, and she was light-skinned. So I tried to think of a way for us to have a look that would make sense for people to accept. I suggested that we would keep our hair cropped. I told Jean to cut her hair low and I would wear mine low as finger waves. So that way, aesthetically, it would be something that would tie us together. And, she agreed. How did you come up with the group name? We were presented with a contract, and I’m not sure where Jean was at the time, but I was sitting at my kitchen table trying to figure out how we were going to sign this contract. At this time, we were just recording material, and we weren’t really thinking about the name. I sat down at my kitchen table in Brooklyn. I took out a piece of paper, and I started jotting down names. I tried different names like Nah-jay, Fade to Black, and many others. I remember brainstorming about it by myself knowing that we had to sign this contract, but we didn’t have a group name yet. When I thought of Jah-nay, at first, it was a combination of her name and mine because they’re both French names. I used the J from her name and added to my –nay sound at the end of my name. However, I thought to myself that, if we happen to be famous one day, and we do autographs, the Z would look better. That’s how I came up with the name, and then I told Jean later. She agreed that it was a good name. The sound emanating from this album was much different than what was popular during that time period. What direction were you trying to go in with the sound of the album? To be honest, we didn’t sit down and think about a direction for the sound. We just recorded song after song after song, and then at the end of that process, the album was complete. But the influences for most of the hit records from that album stemmed from my childhood in Brooklyn. In the 70s and 80s, I was exposed to music from Patrice Rushen, Atlantic Starr, and Loose Ends. I loved the vibes from those records. It was my thing. I loved that classic sound. To me, it was easier to not start a trend, but trying to create a classic sound. The appeal of a classic record is infinite. If you look at today’s market, vintage happens to be popular amongst the younger generation. Everyone likes to go back to what is classic. The music from the 70s and 80s, which is so soulful, is what I listened to in New York City. Were you influenced by any of the music your contemporaries were releasing during the making of this album? Yes. Definitely! When N’Dea Davenport came out with that Brand New Heavies album, it was a breath of fresh air. The sound was cutting edge. It wasn’t a New Jack Swing sound. We came from the New Jack Swing era, but our music wasn’t New Jack Swing. We had more of a London, rare groove, soul, jazzy feel. I loved the Brand New Heavies stylistically and visually. They were somewhat of an influence because they were trying to push the envelope and going against the grain of the New Jack Swing sound. They were trying to have a more individual sound. I felt like, back then, the artists coming out of London definitely approached their music with a very individualistic mindset. Of course there was music that we loved, but didn’t sound like ours. Mary J. Blige’s album came out a year or two before ours. Mint Condition was hitting big. We loved and respected those artists. What was the creative dynamic that existed between Jean and you while you were constructing this album? For the most part, on this album, there were certain songs that were 100 percent us. We were both musicians. Some of those songs were written in the music hall at Temple University on a piano. For the hit records that were released, they were produced by Kay Gee from Naughty by Nature. He would provide us with a cassette tape with a bunch of instrumentals on it, and send us home with it. We would go back and forth from Philadelphia to New Jersey. Both Jean and I would have a cassette of those beats. Whoever wrote lyrics to those tracks, we would move forward with it. It just so happened that I was writing prolifically at that time, and Kay Gee liked it and it worked. Writing is where my heart is. I would write the lyrics to the songs. I would write the arrangements. I would teach Jean her parts within a song, and we would record it. We recorded our songs in a studio in northern New Jersey. At that time, Naughty by Nature was starting to hit, and it was at the beginning of their careers. So Kay Gee didn’t have his own facility, yet. He was working out of a spot off of Route 1 and 9 near Jersey City. We would go back and forth from Philadelphia on the weekends. We would take the Amtrak train every Friday night to Newark, and he would pick us up and put us in a hotel. Then, we would go into the studio first thing on Saturday morning and work all day. We would work on Sunday, too and head back to Philadelphia on Sunday night. He did this for a long time until the album was done. Most of our friends at Temple University didn’t even know. It wasn’t the popular thing to record records back then. Getting into the music business seem far removed from most people’s realities at that time. It wasn’t as accessible as it became later on. We were still living in the dream. We didn’t understand what was happening. We didn’t know what was going to be the outcome. We didn’t know if people were going to understand us because we were so different than what was out in the mainstream. We just took a chance, and that’s what youth allows you to do. The groove between Jean and I was that the tonality of our voices were very compatible. I wrote a lot of harmonies back then. So when we got together and did a song, our harmonies almost sounded like one voice. She had a lot of highs in her voice, and naturally, I had a lot of lows in mine. So together, it really worked sonically, and we lived together. You know when you live together with someone for a long time you start to sound like them — that’s what was happening. If one of us picked up the phone, the person on the other end couldn’t tell if it was me or Jean. Our connection was seamless. How long did it take for you to start and finish this album? The process took from 1990 through 1992. What is the background story of you getting signed to Motown Records? The song “Hey Mr. D.J.” was one of the many tunes we recorded for the album. Kay Gee was doing some work for a compilation album called Roll Wit Tha Flava under Flavor Unit Records, which was run by Queen Latifah. Queen Latifah essentially signed us into the business. We came into the business under Flavor Unit for that one song. She did Kay Gee a favor by putting that record on the compilation album to give his group, us, Zhane, a little bit of shine. It turned out that song was the breakout hit from the album. Back then, deejays weren’t dictated to as to what to play. So when the deejays got the promo copies of Roll Wit Tha Flava, which had Fu-Schnickens, Freddie Foxx, Queen Latifah, Naughty by Nature, and many other great artists, they, for some reason, decided on their own to play our first single. So our first single ended up being forced to be our first single because the record label couldn’t ignore any longer the success that was bubbling up from the underground. So they jumped on it. That’s when Zhane’s career started. We had to rush our album, and we had to get a record deal because the song took off. We hadn’t finished recording songs for the album yet. The song was climbing up the charts. We were playing in everyone’s car. People were requesting us to perform across the country, so we had to strike when the iron was hot. Our album wasn’t done, and we didn’t have a follow up tune to that song. I wrote that song in my bedroom while sitting on the floor. I remember presenting it to Kay Gee. I told him I had this song called “Hey Mr. D.J.” I told him it reminded me of when I had block parties on my block back in Brooklyn. When I sang it to him, he laughed at me. [laughing] He thought it was a joke. But we recorded it, and everyone seemed to love it. So imagine that “Hey Mr. D.J.” was a hit, there’s this group that no one has ever seen before, there’s no video for the song, the album isn’t done, and we hadn’t sign to a record label for a full length album yet. There was a bidding war for us. We ended up signing to Motown Records. Queen Latifah’s mother was very instrumental in terms of us being signed because she was the first person we met. She told us that we needed to meet her daughter Dana. When we met Dana, she said, “I want to sign your group.” Kay Gee said, “Cool.” And we were on Flavor Unit Records. After that, there was a bidding war for the group. We went with Motown for the album deal. The album was released in the first quarter of 1994. It was the fastest gold-selling album in the history of Motown Records. It went gold overnight. I remember being under a lot of pressure because we needed a song to segue from “Hey Mr. D.J.” into everything else that was on the album. We needed a song that had a similar feel and rhythm, but we didn’t. So Kay Gee sampled Patrice Rushen’s “Haven’t You Heard.” He slowed it down, and he sent us the cassette. I went into the basement, and overnight I wrote “Groove Thang.” He listened to it, and he told us this would be our second single and now, we could release the album. After “Groove Thang,” we released “Sending My Love.” Everything happened so, organically. A lot of the process was capitalizing on the opportunities as they came. Once we realized that the audience was responding to the music with this energy, it was important for the label and Kay Gee that we continued that. It has stood the test of time because these songs are still played pretty much everyday in New York City, which is amazing and a blessing. How many songs did you record for this album? Every song that you heard on the album is how many we recorded for it. [laughing] It wasn’t like we went into the studio, hung out, and got a big budget to record the album. We went in and recorded the songs. Then, we would come back the next week, and do the same thing. When we had enough songs to make a record, we put it out. Every song we recorded made the album. We had a small budget for the album. We weren’t proven artists, yet. Kay Gee was basically taking a chance with us. He just had a whim that this would work because he liked it. He followed his own instincts. Queen Latifah followed her instincts. When I was writing these tunes, I was following my instincts. Jean followed her instincts. Patrice Rushen was our blueprint. Take me through the creative process in making each song for the album? On “Vibe” we used a sample from George Benson’s “Love X Love” record. The chord changes were very jazzy because George Benson’s background is in jazz guitar. This song was written for the people. It wasn’t about love or a critical situation. It wasn’t personalized. It was basically a song to the people telling them to keep their mind in a state of Zen and stay optimistic and be open to life. It’s one of those songs that sounds like background music, but feels like a glass of cool water when you hear it. I remember WBLS at the time was called “The Vibe.” So – when radio stations got the album, they were told to start playing the second single “Groove Thang,” but WBLS decided to play what they wanted to play, which was this song. It caused a bit of drama with the record label because they liked to keep everything uniform throughout the market. WBLS wanted to do their own thing. They coined that song as their theme record. Between commercial breaks, they would use our song. I do remember that. I remember writing “Sending My Love” when I was coming home from college on the New Jersey transit bus. I was going to my brother’s house in Philly. “Sending My Love” was a song I wrote for my boyfriend at the time. We had a long distance relationship. He lived in the next town over but it was still long distance. He was my first love. I thought about Stephanie Mills and the way her lyrics were written. Her words were so poetic and visual. I sat on the bus and said to myself, “If I could mail my heart right to you, I would.” And that was the first line to “Sending My Love.” “I would pack it up, seal it tight, and send it overnight.” To me, that’s how grown folks used to talk to each other when they fell in love. The studio that we worked out of in New Jersey was run by a guy named Dave Bellochio, and Dave played keys. I think Dave and Kay Gee came together, and Kay Gee would get on the MPC and he would make a break beat. The break beat that was used for “Sending My Love” has been used by EPMD and Jodeci. It’s a very common break beat. Dave would add some color and chords on it. Kay Gee always loved hearing the keys, and the track is very simple. Kay Gee comes from a hardcore hip-hop background, and Zhane’s sound along with Kay Gee’s edge was a very nice marriage. A lot of guys who were into hip-hop could relate to it because it wasn’t too soft or too sweet. With “Sending My Love,” Kay Gee made sure that the balance was there. He sent the track to us and I came up with the song. “Sweet Taste of Love” was written at Presser Hall in the music department at Temple University in one of their practice rooms. This song was also written for my first love. “Changes” was also written about my first love. It was written over the summer of 1989. I was working at the Department of Social Services on 98 Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn. I was a clerk there. I would type out all the welfare checks for the recipients. I remember being at work writing down lyrics to this song because he and I might of had a quarrel. It’s your first love. There’s distance and you’re missing each other. I felt like he was putting me through a lot of changes. When I got home, we had an upright piano in the living room, and I wrote the chords to it and I put the poem I wrote to the chords. It was one of the first tunes Jazzy Jeff had heard when we met him. These were songs that I came to Temple with. I’m going to let you guess who “You’re Sorry Now” is about. [laughing] He cheated on me. It was my first love, and my first heartache all in one. They always say love can do one of two things: it can break you or you can make beautiful music out of it. I used music at that time as a diary. It was my way of dealing with my life. “Love Me Today” was a song that was written about love lost. It was a rebound situation where you’ve broken up with someone you love because you felt like you had to. However, you’re not ready to let go of one another. So there’s a tug of war that goes on between the two of you and some days you want to forget about everything and tell them love me today and make love to me right now. It’s a real feeling. We’ve all been there. “Off My Mind” was a song where I was feeling feelings for the very first time in my life. This song was that moment where I was trying to be so strong, but I had to be honest with myself that I’m extremely vulnerable and I’m weak, and I can be as strong as an oak tree or I can bend like a willow. “Off My Mind” was a song written in three movements. It started off like a slow ballad and then it went into what we call in jazz, a swing rhythm, and after that, it goes into a classical arpeggio without the drum machine. I have to be thankful for this relationship. It was me on the piano. We hired an acoustic bassist and trumpeter. We had live drums. We cut the record so we could have a jazz record on there. It was a very emotional tune. “La La La” was a song that Jean and I wrote together. We were in Presser Hall. Jean played the piano. We sat beside each other at the piano, and we would vibe together between classes and this song came out. It was a combination of whoever she was dating at the time, and the same guy I was dating. “For a Reason” was a song that Jean wrote. It was a time where our years at Temple were over, and life as we knew it, was pretty much over. We were embarking on this new journey with the music business. This was unmarked territory for us. “For a Reason” was really about the transition from college to this new world from adolescence to adulthood. As you look back 20 years later, how do feel about the impact the album has made on popular culture? I’ll never get over the feeling of hearing our songs on the radio for the first time. Every time I hear them, it’s like the first time. It’s a feeling I’ll never get over having. One thing I can say is during the peak of our success, I was fully aware of the blessing that it was and the importance and rarity of it. I never took that opportunity for granted. So now, when I hear our songs, I feel very proud of the material, and the mark that was made. I’m grateful to know that once my soul leaves the physical body, the music will outlive all of us. It’s one of the biggest gifts I could ever imagine receiving because life is so short. This is the legacy we’ve left behind. We came up in a time when classic music was being made. Not just hit records, but records that will be played forever. The music industry has changed so much. I don’t know if that formula is there anymore to make a classic record that will last 60 years from now. I’ll always love the music we created.

I love her albums too, but her overly sexy moments come off as forced. J. Lo may be confident in herself, but it seems like an popular female artist has to wear what she's wearing. It's unfortunate that everyone plays along.

Dawn Robinson, Maxine Jones unhappy about ‘An EnVogue Christmas’ Nov 25, 2014 By Tracy Scott Lifetime aired a made-for-TV Christmas movie Saturday, featuring ‘90s R&B group EnVogue, excluding original member Dawn Robinson, and the former “R&B Divas: LA” star was none too pleased. Dawn threatened to sue the network for airing the An EnVogue Christmas, starring Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron and newer member Genelle Williams,” according to TMZ. According to reports, Dawn has no rights to the EnVogue name, but wanted her character included in the film, in which she expressed little confidence. “I have no interest in watching it. It looks horrible. I’m sad for them,” she told TMZ, referencing Lifetime’s much-criticized Aaliyah biopic. “I’m extremely worried that this is going to be a train wreck.” Apparently, original member Maxine Jones was equally perturbed by the Lifetime film, though, she isn’t planning to file any lawsuits. I think it’s wack,” Maxine told the HipHopSocialite earlier this month. “I don’t like it when I’m watching them; I don’t. I don’t because I feel like they’re calling themselves EnVogue, and they’re not.” Even though she’s given up any legal claim to the EnVogue name, Maxine doesn’t like the feeling of being replaced in a group she helped make a success. “It’s supposed to be an EnVogue reunion. It’s two of them there,” she said. “You think you can just get somebody off the street and call it a freakin’ reunion? I don’t think so.” Even though an honest-to-goodness EnVogue reunion would include Terry, Cindy, Maxine and Dawn, Maxine said she’s not too sure that would work either. “I have tried everything in my power to work with Dawn,” she said of the former Lucy Pearl singer who spent one season on “R&B Divas: LA.” "She’s talented and beautiful. There’s not a question about that, but the girl is looney. That’s what I’ll say about it,” Maxine said. “I’m not trying anymore; I’m done. That’s never going to happen ever again.” An EnVogue Christmas airs Wednesday, Nov. 26, at 6 p.m. EST and twice in December. http://s2smagazine.com/2014/11/25/dawn-robinson-maxine-jones-unhappy-about-an-envogue-christmas/

I must say, I have crazy respect for these two. Everyone forgets that this topic is tied closely to Hip-Hop culture, which SHOULD be the fire behind the music...a fire that has been nearly dead for a long time. Their presence and support is a reminder of what Hip-Hop is.... Q-Tip And Macklemore Hit The Front Lines In Protest Of Ferguson Decision Iyana Robertson Posted November 25, 2014 The failure of the Ferguson grand jury to indict Darren Wilson in the killing of Mike Brown last night (Nov. 24) brought about emotional reactions across the Internet and in the nation’s streets. As a slew celebrities took to their social network accounts with solidarity, support, condolences and urges for peace, Q-Tip and Macklemore got up and got out. Q-Tip was vocal on his Twitter account following the Ferguson decision. Noting a lack of “value for black life,” the rapper expressed his discontent online, but took his stance a step further. Hitting the streets of New York City, The Abstract led protesters in a chant of “Whose streets? Our streets” (above). SEE ALSO: #Ferguson Critics Roundtable: Is Hip-Hop Doing Enough? Also taking to Twitter was Macklemore. Bashing the Ferguson decision as one that “protects white supremacy,” the Seattle-bred rapper turned words into action as well. He hit the streets of his city to join protesters. http://www.vibe.com/article/q-tip-macklemore-ferguson-protests?utm_source=sc-fb&utm_medium=ref&utm_campaign=Ferguson

I'm a fan of Jennifer Lopez and Ariana Grande. I can't say I follow Bette Midler, but I recognize her as a legend (even though she did that horrible cover of TLC's "Waterfalls"). I actually like the point she's making though... Bette Midler Says Ariana Grande Looks 'Ridiculous' Trying to Be Sexy By Katie Atkinson | November 24, 2014 9:04 PM EST Ariana Grande performs onstage at the 2014 American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 23, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. 'You don't have to make a whore out of yourself to get ahead,' Midler says in U.K. interview. So what did Bette Midler think about those AMAs on Sunday night? According to a new interview with the U.K.'s Telegraph, she probably didn't think too highly of it -- not with all the sheer outfits, booty rubbing and a double dose of Ariana Grande performances. Bette Midler Scores Fifth Straight Decade of Top 10 Debuts Let's hear what Bette had to say: "It's always surprising to see someone like Ariana Grande with that silly high voice, a very wholesome voice, slithering around on a couch looking so ridiculous. I mean, it's silly beyond belief and I don't know who's telling her to do it. I wish they'd stop. But it's not my business, I'm not her mother. Or her manager. Maybe they tell them that's what you've got to do. Sex sells. Sex has always sold." From the sound of it, Midler wouldn't be too fond of Jennifer Lopez and Iggy Azalea's "Booty" video and AMA performance either. "Apparently people really like to pretend they're having sex," she said. "They really like to slap each other's butts. I mean, don't ask me. It's beyond me. I'm too old. I don't know what the end game is going to be. I don't know where you go from all that sex in your 20s. I don't know how you sustain it." She capped her diatribe off with this bit of advice: "Trust your talent. You don't have to make a whore out of yourself to get ahead. You really don't." http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6327695/ariana-grande-bette-midler-whore-telegraph?facebook_20141125

I like it. I just hope the album dips into some more soul, or a fuller sound. The auto tune at the beginning of Romeo's verse is a little annoying, but doesn't last long. If anything, I know Brakes will be happy to hear this.

Premiere: Immature 'Let Me Find Out' VIBE Posted November 24, 2014 VIBE.com presents the world premiere of Immature's (Marques "Batman" Houston) (Jerome "Romeo" Jones) and (Kelton "LDB" Kessee) new single, "Let Me Find Out." The group is back in full force and plans to work on a new album and tour in the near future. "We wanted to give our fans and new comers a few free songs in 2014 to hear our new direction and sound. The first one is called "Let Me Find Out" produced by T Black The Hitmaker. We are so excited to bring our dedicated fans a tour and album." --Immature. http://www.vibe.com/article/premiere-immature-let-me-find-out?utm_source=sc-fb&utm_medium=ref&utm_campaign=Immature

RAMPAGE + BILLY LAWRENCE - Take It To The Streets Scout's Honor By Way of Blood (1997) This album was one of my favs back in the day. It was time to dust it off...

JOHN REUBEN - Miserable Exaggeration Word of Mouth (2007)

What? I thought the show was doing well?

TLC - Baby-Baby-Baby Crazy Sexy Hit: The Very Best of TLC 2007 (1992)

Yeah, I mostly thought the Biggie Duets album was horrible, but I remember loving the one with Faith. Faith isn't one of those artists who's like "Rihanna's hot right now, I'll make music that sounds like her's," so I'm sure this'll be good.

Agreed. If I had to rank the best R-N-B/Soul female group of all time, it'd be En Vogue. The voices and they way they blend are perfect. Back up with their looks and style...they have the total package. They just can't all get on the same page.

Considering she'll be "working on it." It'll be her piecing together his raps with her music. I wasn't a huge Bad Boy fan (other than Craig Mack, Faith, and Total), but when I look back on the brand, I like the nostalgia. It'd be nice if she nods back to the sound of 90's R&B and Hip-Hop for the project...and include Puffy, if he can pull it off.

Faith Evans Announces Duet Album With The Notorious B.I.G November 18, 2014 by Tanay Hudson (@NYStateofMind2) After the release of her sixth album, Incomparable, Faith Evans will be headed back to the studio for a special collaboration. In an interview with HipHollywood, the “Love Like This” singer revealed that she is planning to release a duet album with her late husband, the Notorious B.I.G. The potential title of the project is The King and I. The former Bad Boy singer says this is something she has been thinking about doing for many years. “I finally got all my ducks in a row to make it happen,” she said. When asked what kind of tone the album will have she replied, “Think Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole.” Faith hopes to drop the album next year. Check a video with an interview about it here: http://allhiphop.com/2014/11/18/faith-evans-notorious-big-duet-album/ ----------------------------------------------------- I was never a huge Notorious B.I.G. fan, but I've always been a big fan of Faith's. This has my interest.

Maxine Jones On En Vogue: "I Can't Work With Those Chicks"; Calls Dawn Robinson "Looney" Find channel in my area Maxine Jones On En Vogue: "I Can't Work With Those Chicks"; Calls Dawn Robinson "Looney" The estranged member of the hit R&B quartet talks betrayal, her financial status, group in-fighting, and why she will never work with the ladies again Justin Dwayne Joseph Posted: 11/17/2014 04:20 PM EST If you were holding on to the dream of a reunion of the original members of En Vogue---Give It Up, Turn It Loose. The past few years have been a rocky road for the once platinum selling R&B quartet: Two members were dismissed, management issues plagued the group, and a verdict was handed down in a lawsuit that left two members stripped of their rights to use the group's name professionally. In an interview with Juicy Magazine, ex-member Maxine Jones, 52, is speaking out against her former groupmates Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron---who are currently touring as a trio using the group's moniker alongside new member Rhona Bennett---and Dawn Robinson ("She's Looney"). ON LOSING THE RIGHT TO USE THE EN VOGUE NAME TO HER FORMER GROUP MATES, CINDY HERRON AND TERRY ELLIS: “It’s been difficult, and it’s been difficult mainly because I feel like all the years I spent there and what I helped to build – you know, 30 million records sold – and what my input…and to just have nothing to show for it. For a long time…it’s been two-and-a-half, going on three-years now since this whole thing happened, but I was mostly angry for most of that time. It’s not until this year really that I totally embraced the idea of putting it behind me and starting out on my own and starting from scratch. Before that, my mind was in the mode that I’m still in a group, I’m not giving up, I’m going to get some more girls, and I’m going to go out there, and I’m going to be in this En Vogue too. I am a third, I own a third, [and I] own a right to use the name too. That’s how it was originally – that trademark has my name on it too in the Library of Congress. My name is on that trademark, and so that was the thing. It was a big deal to me to first of all, to be forced out, and then my intellectual property to be taken away from me. It just really, honestly, pissed me off.” ON APPEALING THE DECISION THAT STRIPPED HER OF THE RIGHT TO USE THE EN VOGUE NAME: “The battle is not over because they’ve won with an arbitrator, and to me, the whole hearing was not fair, unfair to me totally, and so I’m appealing it. Now my case is going before the appellate. The appellate has viewed it and decided it’s worthy of them ruling on. So that’s where it is right now. I’m not giving up --- It’s my legacy. I’ve put in the time, I’ve put in the work, I’ve earned the right, and I’m not giving it up easy.” ON FEELING BETRAYED BY CINDY AND TERRY: “Yeah, I totally feel betrayed by them, and I feel like what they did to me, I wouldn’t have expected it from them, and I wouldn’t have dreamt of doing that to them, so I’m hurt. At first I was very, very hurt, and then it went to anger, and it’s still a little bit of all of that there. Before I felt like it was paralyzing – I felt devastated, but not anymore. I’m able to move forward, and I’m grateful for that. ON DISAGREEMENTS ABOUT MANAGEMENT AND THE GROUP BEING DOOMED FROM THE START: “It’s a bigger issue [than management]…The problem, is really one of the girls had been screwing around with one of the producers. We were put together by two producers [Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy], and Terry started sleeping with one of the guys almost from the beginning, and that just kind of devastated us. We were never a unit. When we were re-negotiating our contracts and trying to make it better for ourselves, I remember just going to him and telling him that I made my decision, I was going to stick with the group. And I’ll never forget what he told me because it’s just so true, and it’s still true to this day. He said to me: ‘You are no f*cking group! Can’t you see that? ...Dawn is crazy, she’s all over the place…Cindy don’t have a damn clue, and I got your partner Terry in my back pocket. How you going to call yourself a group when I got your partners, she’s supposed to be your partner Max, and she’s in my back pocket. I’m trying to tell you Max, you’re just going to be left ass out.’ And that’s the dynamic of this group, that’s always been the dynamic. I’m always the one that’s the easily replaceable one. HER FINANCIAL STATUS WHEN SHE LEFT EN VOGUE: “When I officially left the group, it wasn’t bad at that point, but it certainly got bad because of course I had no income. It got bad once I lost the arbitrator’s ruling because it totally stopped me from working. Before that, it wasn’t bad because just like Terry and Cindy were going out and calling themselves the whole group, I was doing the same thing, and nobody had a problem. It’s the name, you know, that name and what we built. The reputation behind it, and nobody cared really. As long as they could use that name, it was going to draw the fans out, you know. Once the arbitrator’s ruling came, it just totally stopped me from being able to go out using the name En Vogue, and they said I couldn’t have the name En Vogue, I had to say ‘formerly of’. Terry, Cindy, and their attorneys, anytime a promoter tried to book me and even say Maxine Jones, formerly of En Vogue, they were intimidating them, and telling them they were going to be sued just by having the name En Vogue in the caption. It basically scared away anyone who wanted to hire me.” ON THE UPCOMING LIFETIME MOVIE, AN EN VOGUE CHRISTMAS: “Yeah I heard about it. I think it’s wack, and then I saw the trailer… I don’t like it when I’m watching them, I don’t. I don’t because I feel like they’ve calling themselves En Vogue, and they’re not. They’re on Lifetime, and it’s supposed to be, an En Vogue reunion. It’s two of them there, and what, you think you can just get somebody off the street and call it a freakin’ reunion? I don’t think so.” “It’s not a reunion that’s for sure. I don’t know what it is, and to me, it doesn’t make them look good, and that’s why I don’t mind doing these interviews because to me, I just want everybody to know it’s just Terry and Cindy and some other chick [bennett, pictured above R). ON DAWN ROBINSON BEING “LOONEY”: “I have tried everything in my power to work with Dawn ’cause she’s talented and beautiful – there’s not a question about that, but the girl is looney. That’s what I’ll say about it, okay. And I’m not trying anymore, I’m done. That’s never going to happen either again.” ON THE POSSIBILITY OF HER REUNITING WITH THE LADIES: “There’s no way. I can’t work alongside those chicks and they tried to see to it that I ended up with zero, with nothing, and totally devastated. No. I will not stand alongside those girls and get on stage with them, no.” (Photo: C Brandon/Redferns/Getty Images) http://www.centrictv.com/music/articles/2014/11/17/maxine-jones-on-en-vogue-i-can-t-work-with-those-chicks-calls-dawn-robinson-looney.html

NICK LACHEY - Falling Slowly Soundtrack of My Life (2014)