Category Archives: Uncategorized

Joelle Lamarre talks Leontyne Price ‘The Violet Hour’ and 3Arts

Posted on by
Reply
Joelle Lamarre as Leontyne Price in “The Violet Hour (Photo credit: Eddy “Precise” Lamarre)

Joelle Lamarre is a world renowned soprano. Her voice is emotional, powerful and clear. Her performances around the world have been met with great praise and acclaim. In the summer of 2019 Lamarre made her debut in California when she joined The Long Beach Opera for the World Premier of Anthony Davis Central Park Five.The Singerprenuer reviewed, “… with Joelle Lamarre expertly lending her exquisite soprano to play mother to two of the boys, as well as singing the role of the crime’s victim from offstage.”

In 2017 Lamarre created The Violet Hour. The Violet Hour explores the career of Leontyne Price the internationally acclaimed soprano who was the first African American to become a leading performer at the Metropolitan Opera. Lamarre explores Price from her early life up until her final performance of the opera Aida at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1985.

In February of 2020, Lamarre launched a campaign with 3Arts to raise funds in order bring her play The Viiolet Hour to a wider audience via a new cast, crew and new producers.

We spoke to Lamarre about The Violet Hour and why its important to share the story of Leontyne Price.

Why did you write The Violet Hour?

The independence of being a black woman in the 50’s and 60’s in the United States is so important to me. It’s important to express, show and to allow other people to understand what it means to be a single, black and a female entrepreneur. Leontyne Price is the epitome of that and it need to be shared.

What is the importance of this workshop you are creating?

I want to honor Leontyne, but I felt something was missing in the first iteration of the show. So I asked myself: How can I get Leontyne’s story to the level of excellence that she so deserves? What is next for The Violet Hour? 

So I was given an opportunity with 3Arts to have a campaign, and raise $5,000 and 3Arts matches 1/3 of that $5,000.  With funding from this campaign, I’ll assemble workshop readings with professional teams to refine and mount the piece. The first phase will be with a dramaturg, director, and music director to help shape the script and notate changes. Then I’ll hire a cast of singers and actors to learn the piece as key performers. Finally, I’ll bring the crew together for an open-book performance that will be documented and presented to possible producers. This will help expand people’s knowledge of Leontyne’s extraordinary contributions to opera and the music industry in this country.

Talk about the representation of Black faces in Opera. Why is it necessary?

As an artist, Leontyne Price had a larger-than-life presence and a regal demeanor that inspired and touched people deeply, including myself. Early in my career I used to study performance recordings and interviews she gave. I knew I wanted to do a recital one day to honor her, but her story was also important to me as a single, Black woman, and entrepreneur. For me, Leontyne is the epitome of that. 

The Violet Hour production traces Leontyne’s extraordinary journey from the beginning of her career to her final performance of Aida at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1985. For this performance she received a 42-minute standing ovation, the longest in the Met’s history. This piece is ready to be a complete dramatic work that reveals the full scope of Leontyne’s power and what it is to be a live artist of her caliber.

What’s next for you?

This work. My job right now is not to give up on making this show better and to continue to connect my work of the Violet hour with an audience that will appreciate the art that she brought to this world.  My intention is to have a workshop where I’m able to discuss the development, growth and how I can work to make this experience a loving, fulfilling experience that is full of understanding, empathy, compassion, and  complexity. 

What words do you have for those looking to go into theatre?

So here is what I have to share: it’s important when you’re trying to do or go somewhere in your career to really ask yourself how is it that I want to move in my career? Where do I see myself going? because if you can find that, then you can create steps to get to that.-

-Precise

Stream “I’m Dreaming (Don’t Wake Me)” by Precise below.

Megan Thee Stallion and G-Eazy are all about the swirl

Posted on by
Reply
Meehan Thee Stallion (Photo source: instagram @theestallion)

Megan Thee Stallion and G-Eazy just added a little spice to Black History Month.

A video is circulating on Twitter showing the two artists hugged up intimately. G-Eazy is sucking Megan’s face, then the camera pans to reveal Megan’s leg wrapped around him.

Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but Black Twitter is interpreting the moment as a relationship and they are not feeling it.

The tone of this backlash seems to have a lot to do with the interracial makeup of this alleged couple.

In recent memory, Megan has been romantically linked with Trey Songz and Moneybagg Yo, the latter of whom is rumored to be dating G-Herbo’s ex-girlfriend, Ari Fletcher. Megan’s decision to move on was inevitable, but the way she did it shook up the internet — a stark contrast to the way she shook up cyberspace with “Hot Girl Summer.”

Interracial relationships are not new to the music industry. Kanye West and Kim Kardashian and John Legend and Chrissy Teigen are two outwardly happy couples that are thriving. Can Megan Thee Stallion follow that trend without ticking off all of Black Twitter? Well, that remains to be seen.

What’s certain is that Megan and G-Eazy’s alleged relationship is not revolutionary. We will have to stay tuned to see how this plays out.

Stream “A Killer Joe” by Precise

Lupe feeds Chicago “Food and Liquor” at The Riviera

Gallery

Posted on by

This gallery contains 13 photos.

On November 21, 2019 Lupe Fiasco came back home to Chicago to celebrate his classic debut Food and Liquor. The celebration was held at The Riviera Theatre courtesy of The Red Bull Music Festival. Take a look at a few … Continue reading →

The top 5 rap songs that sampled Aretha Franklin

Posted on by
Reply

Aretha Franklin’s rap influence (Artwork by Eddy “Precise” Lamarre)

The world is celebrating Aretha Franklin because of who she is and what she represents to music and Black culture. Her talent has stretched across many genres of music and affected many soundscapes. Rap music is not absent from that discussion. Many of the driving rhythms and melodic music of Franklin’s have added to the tapestry of this art form we call rap and the culture of hip-hop. Let’s take a look at the top five rap songs to sample The Queen of Soul.

While the world is singing “Respect,” arguably Aretha Franklin’s greatest hit, the song that resonates with this writer is “Rock Steady.” The rhythm is timeless and has made for one of the perfect breakbeats for rap.

EPMD sampled “Rock Steady” on their classic release Strictly Business in the song “I’m Housin.” The funk is preserved and still remains hip-hop.

 

Ms. Franklin’s song “One Step Ahead” is an ode to avoiding heartbreak and preserving a love.

Ayatollah produced “Ms Fat Booty” which contains elements of “One Step Ahead” for Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, and appears on his album Black On Both Sides. This song is arguably Yasiin’s biggest hit. The song tells the story of a young brother shooting his shot to a beautiful woman.

The way Aretha addressed the subject of love you can tell that it comes from a heartfelt and emotional place. Her song “Call Me” is a song of anticipation, a song where you find a woman yearning for her love just by asking for a phone call.

The Kanye West-produced “Selfish” borrowed a bit from “Call Me” for Slum Village’s album Detroit Deli. Slum approaches their song as a moment to praise all the beautiful women they love. Kanye makes sure not to miss out on this dope production with his own verse. “This one here is a heat rock spit like a beat box the way the beat rocks new version of Pete Rock.”

On “Young Gifted and Black” we find Aretha steeped in her gospel roots. She celebrates the beauty of Blackness at time when Black Power was the mantra of the culture.

DJ Premier sampled the song for Gang Starr’s Daily Operation album on a 30-second joint called “92 Interlude.” I always felt like that would be an awesome song. Most recently you can find the vibe on the 9th Wonder-produced “Laila’s Wisdom.” It appears on Rapsody’s debut project by the same name.

“Oh Baby” is yet another song where we find the Queen lamenting over love.

The producer Ski skillfully plants her vocals across the production of Jay-Z’s song “In My Lifetime (Big Jaz Radio Mix) from The Streets is Watching soundtrack. This is rap at its essence, and the soul was able to traverse the genres effortlessly.

 

-Precise

Stream/Buy “That Ol’ Boom Bap” by Precise

What do Kanye and Wyoming have in common?

Posted on by
1

After the all the rants, drama, racial tension and MAGA hats dozens of influencers and media have descended upon Wyoming to listen to Kanye’s newest project. The release is also being streamed on an app called WAV. The stream started at 9pm CST. If you were expecting music you were disappointed. The stream focused on the Wyoming landscape with horses in the background while you listened to crackiling a campfire.

Chris Rock introduced Kanye with a few jokes and mentioned that hip-hop is the first art form created by free black men. He also said that Kanye has taken full advantage of his freedom and to listen to the project without prejudice.

The name of the project is Ye and the first lyric you hear behind a brooding vamp is “The most beautiful thoughts are beside the darkest. Today I seriously thought about killing you. Premeditated murder.” The production is classic Kanye and lyrically it plays like a journal he has been keeping for the past few months. A few well placed lines speaking on current issues lace the project. “Russell Simmons wanna pray for me too. But imma pray for him cause he got #metoo I wonder what if that happened to #metoo”

The inspirational Kanye that we all know and love enters with a Slick Rick sample assisted by the unmistakable vocals of Charlie Wilson. The campfire is LIT literally and figuratively and all of the people who flew out to hear the project seem pleased and content under the Wyoming sky.

Considering that Kanye has spent the last year in Utah and Wyoming it makes more sense why he has been espousing these middle America sentiments. He doesn’t get a pass for it, it just makes sense. When it all comes down to it when it comes to Kanye its all about the music and always has been.

After two listens it is safe to say Kanye delivered once again. He has captured the attention of the world and given an insightful heartfelt and honest project. Fresh off of Pusha T destroying Drake the G.O.O.D music wave continues rise with the release of Ye. Cudi and Kanye are up next. Lets see how he will top this release.

-Precise

Why is Rhymefest mad? What did Kanye say about the youth?

Posted on by
Reply

Screen Shot 2018-05-26 at 4.20.41 PM

Photo source: instagram @rhymefest

The internet is a blaze once again. Per usual Kanye West finds himself in the middle of the heat. His Good Music CEO and artist Pusha T recently dropped his 7 track album Daytona. The project is a solid effort, but just like anything else these days a few lines are chosen and become the focal point of the project. Pusha takes a jab at the streaming king Drake on his song “Infared” “Niggas beats is bangin’, nigga, ya hooks did it The lyric pennin’ equal the Trumps winnin’ The bigger question is how the Russians did it It was written like Nas but it came from Quentin”

That specific lyric alludes to the fact that Drake has a few hired pens out here helping him write his verses. Drake in true champagne papi fashion responds with “Duppy Freestyle” where he goes in on Push and Kanye equally. “Must’ve had your Infrared wrong, now your head in the beam Y’all are the spitting image of whatever jealousy breeds Don’t push me when I’m in album mode You not even top 5 as far as your label talent goes You send shots, well, I got to challenge those But I bring Calicos to the Alamo I could never have a Virgil in my circle and hold him back ’cause he makes me nervous I wanna see my brothers flourish to their higher purpose”

Drake managed to become the newest trending topic on twitter and all of his loyal fans have claimed victory. This is great for hip-hop, but something else has arisen from this battle.

Rhymefest, Kanye’s estranged friend and co-writer of “Jesus Walks” from Ye’s college drop out chimed in to the battle because he feels that Kanye has abandoned Chicago and the not-for-profit created in the name of Kanye’s late mother Donda’s House.

https://twitter.com/rhymefest/status/1000407022960029696?s=21

In response to Drake saying in his battle that he will send Kanye and invoice. He actually did send him an invoice by the way. Rhymefest had this to say.

https://twitter.com/rhymefest/status/1000407777288781824?s=21

Then in a tweet that has since been deleted Rhymefest shares what Kanye thinks about Chicago youth.

This has definitely opened up some doors and is shining the light on a foundation that was created to showcase the best of Chicago and add value to the lives of the youth. Donda’s recently put out a statement asking for people to not confuse Kanye’s statements with the mission of the foundation.

-Precise

Why Malcolm X is not Killmonger

Posted on by
Reply

When I was growing up I would hear the name Malcolm X and immediately think radical revolutionary, “By any means necessary” and that he was the total opposite of Dr. King. What many of us fail to see is that Malcolm X is an example of growth and spiritual awareness. His journey was public and he was brave enough to share it with the world.

We do a disservice to the legacy of Malcolm when we liken what he has done or his stance to fictional characters. In the spotlight of the Marvel blockbuster Black Panther there are those who liken the anti-hero Killmonger portrayed by Michael B. Jordan as a representation of Malcolm. Killmonger may have a passion for his people but he is fueled by vengeance and is a murderer. That was not Malcolm.

Upon his return from Mecca, Malcolm became enlightened and recognized that spiritually we are one under the umbrella of the creator. This did not make him less adamant about fighting for freedom for our people, it provided insight and made him aware that this fight for freedom is for ALL people.

50 years ago Malcolm X was murdered in Harlem. We remember this day with reverence and insight. Physically he is not with us but the spirit of his enlightenment, his courage to challenge the status quo and stand by his ideals will always be with us. We honor him for this. Thank you Malcolm.

-Precise

Listen/Buy “Speak Life” by Precise

Chicago rapper Fredo Santana dead at 27

Posted on by
1

Fredo

Fredo Santana – (Photo source: instagram – @fredosantanassr)

Chicago rapper Fredo Santana has died at the age of 27. In October of 2017 Fredo whose real name is Derrick Coleman announced on Instagram that he was hospitalized due to kidney failure.

“Been in here since Friday doctor say a n***a had kidney failure an liver failure,” he wrote. “I’m getting back to normal sorry to all my fans turbo bandana will not be dropping tomorrow due to my health issues thanks for everyone who prayed for a n***a I wouldn’t wish this on my worse enemy.”

Fredo is the cousin of fellow rapper Cheif Keef and rose to prominence in 2012. Fredo was in the process of recording and dropping his latest effort Walking Legend 2.He released his latest mixtape Fredo Kruger 2 in the fall of last year.

TMZ reported that Fredo was found dead on the floor of his LA home by his girlfriend. News of Fredo’s death has swept social media.

Lil B the Based God had this to say via Twitter

“Let one off in the air for fredo santana !! For life they cudnt stop that man SSR for life CHICAGO for life Chief Keef chop durk Reese Gino sd the whole Chicago what it do joe we living it up joe Chicago joe for life too fredo”

There is speculation that the drug known as “Lean” which has been known to cause seizures was the source of Fredo’s health problems. Fredo eluded to his drug use and mentioned that he may go to rehab because of it. “Hopefully I can be the face to sho n***as to slow down an we got our whole life ahead of us fuck being rock stars gettin high I got ptsd,” he said. “I was running from my old life tryna get high didn’t want to face them demons…I’m getting help I might just go to rehab.” he said on Twitter

Fredo is survived by his son Legend who was born last year.

-Precise

Buy/Listen to “Speak Life” by Precise

My Top 5 Rap Albums of 2017

Posted on by
Reply

This year was great for the culture of hip-hop via rap music. We witnessed the emergence of women who rap, an increase in social commentary and an all-out assault on depression with an emphasis on living your best life. The five projects that made the top 5 best rap album list for 2017 encompass all of that and more. Check out the list. Let me know what you think.

1. Jay-Z – 4:44

Jay-Z continues to hold the torch and consistently moves into space where it can be argued that he is the best to ever do this rap thing. 4:44 is viewed by many as Jay’s response to his wife Beyoncé’s telling release Lemonade. Jay mentioned in an interview with Elliot Wilson on Tidal that they were working on both projects at the same time and Beyoncé’s took precedent. Regardless of how it happened, 4:44, in this writer’s humble opinion, is Jay-Z’s best work. He speaks clearly to his peers. He challenges his own sensibilities and is as vulnerable as a bragging rapper can be. The production provided by Chicago native NO ID provides a bed of lush samples and rhythms that pull the listener into the insightful bars. The most ingenious aspect of the project was the rollout. Every week a new visual was attached to one of the songs on the album tackling racism “The Story of Oj” and Black men’s mental health witnessed in the title track “4:44.”

2. Rapsody – Laila’s Wisdom

Rapsody is nobody’s female rapper. She an emcee’s emcee and her project Laila’s Wisdom forces you to take notice. The 9th Wonder produced project is a Golden Age nod with a millennial vision. Her project has been nominated for “Best Rap Album Of The Year” at the 2018 Grammys and she has a legitimate chance at winning. Rapsody does everything right. She can be miss rappity rap, give you a love song and a complete story filled with irony and metaphors. Her song “Ridin” featuring GQ feels like a ride through your nearest hood on a beautiful day. As the song rides along, Busta Rhymes comes out of nowhere to continue with the feel-good vibe. The Jamla artist has been prevalent in recent years on many of her peers’ releases and she always represents solidly. Her wordplay and the way she can stretch out a metaphor is uncanny.

3. Tyler The Creator – Flower Boy

Odd Future impresario Tyler the Creator delivered a project in Flower Boy that is sonically above his peers and musically continues to stretch the boundaries. This is not new to Tyler; however, this project feels like a culmination into what could possibly be his magnum opus. The gritty song “Pothole” featuring Jaden Smith on the chorus harkens back to the original odd futuresque style that is irreverent and bold. The song “Boredom” that was featured on Issa Rae’s hit show Insecure opened a door into Tyler’s production skill. The track takes its time and allows Tyler’s gravely deep voice to live between the sounds. The song itself is inspirational in that it compels the listener to get off their ass and get busy doing something. Live your life.

4. Kendrick Lamar – Damn 

Kendrick followed up his undeniable revolutionary classic with an introspective, honest and highly personal release in Damn. He has firmly held his ground as the thought leader of his generation. He boldly tells his peers to be humble and gives insight into his deepest thoughts when it comes to religion and love. “Element” stands out as a song where he just let’s loose and makes it clear who he is and where he comes from. “DUCKWORTH” is the most telling song on the project, as it basically tells the story of Kendrick’s life before his conception. It speaks to how life can conspire in your favor when you pay attention.

5. Big Sean – I Decided

Big Sean has been able to deliver witty bars since his emergence in rap. His project I Decided is a spiritual experience. The album starts off with an elderly man lamenting on his life and feeling like he should have taken another direction in his life. Big Sean open on “The Light” saying, “I spent my whole life trying to find the light at the end of the tunnel / I should have realized that it was inside.” Chicago crooner Jeremih fills up the space of the sparse track with a falsetto soul reminding all that no one can stop your shine. Out of all the projects that made this list, this is probably the one (with the exception of 4:44) that spoke to me the most. The Metro Boomin produced “Bounce Back” is a reminder to keep pushing even after taking a loss. Big Sean is about shining that light and spreading that positivity, and that’s what’s up.

That’s my list. It’s dope, right? What are your top 5 for 2017? Share in the comments

Buy/Listen to “Speak Life” by Precise