Author: JD
MUSICALLY YOURS: SHANTI DAS
So So… I DEFinitely don’t feel inclined to write about too many of my experiences in this music game because now-a-days, I am not easily impressed or excited. And as a music executive over the past 20 years, well I guess I have seen a lot! This week Jermaine Dupri (JD) began celebrating his 20th Anniversary of So So Def recordings and it all culminated last night with a concert at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA. I attended the pre reception for press with my client/host Joe Clair and got to see a few of the acts. We then proceeded to enter the venue. I did have a press pass to go backstage, but I chose to chill in the audience as a FAN. Now I have known Jermaine since high school (went to my first Jack the Rapper conference with him!) and watched him grow into one of the top producers and visionaries in the music business. I knew this show would be hot, but it exceeded ALL expectations!! I missed Kris Kross (bummer) but got to see members of Xscape performing (they still got it), songstress Dondria, the EVER soulful group Jagged Edge, Da Brat (hit after hit), Bow Wow flowing for the ladies, and the amazing Anthony Hamilton. There was a segment of the show that featured a DJ battle if you will, between JD and the most crunk Lil Jon, where they had various acts come out performing songs to get the crowd hyped. This was so HOT, especially for me being from the A and living through the golden era of the music coming out of ATL (90s/early 2000s). The true A- town crowd turned all the way up to the Youngbloodz, Dem Franchise Boys, Bonecrusher, and Zae (Thyow), and then they let out the arsenal: Nelly hit the stage looking most fit, then Ludacris, then Usher then Brooklyn’s finest Jigga Man! It was unreal!!! We were witnessing history on that stage! JD had a hand in some of the Biggest songs/artists careers certainly in my lifetime. It’s too many songs to name, but those guys had the crowd on fire & jammin’ (yea ATL I said jammin’) to everything from “Yea” to “Confessions” to “Welcome to Atlanta” to “Money Ain’t A Thang” to “N in Paris”!!!” This night was not only historic in it’s musical sense, but it was historic for a young girl from the S.W.A.T.S of Atlanta being a fan first and a sister second. I have grown up in the music biz with these artists and watched them ALL soar to unthinkable heights! The night was capped off with one of music’s Icons, Mariah Carey wishing JD a happy 20th on stage with a cake! If you missed this show, all I can say is I am so sorry. It will go down as one of those moments when you say…”I was there to witness the sheer magic of JD’s 20th anniversary.” To Jermaine Dupri, all of the staff at So So Def and original crew of Judy Lane, I salute you on your 20th Anniversary! Poet W.H. Auden once said, “Music is the best means we have of digesting time.” JD thanks for taking us through some of the BEST musical moments in our time! Musically yours, Shanti “Shoestring” Das
LTL PHOTO: So So Def Castle
#SOSODEF20
LTL PHOTO: LIFERS
THIS IS WHAT GLOBAL14 IS ALL ABOUT, BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER AND BECOMING REAL FRIENDS, NOT JUST FOLLOWERS From right to left @shamiekab, @mzelan ,me , @1angelltl, @cherylp, @Jay , @ocean8ltl ,@Jennben ,@collinsg14 and not photoed @goldenfleece
Google Chromebook Pixel
COMPETITION FOR APPLE ? Introducing the Chrombook Pixel, Google‘s answer to Apple‘s MacBook Air/Retina. The Chromebook Pixel features a machined aluminum body: “vents are hidden, screws invisible, and the speakers seamlessly tucked away behind the backlit keyboard.” Open and close the lid with a single finger thanks to a “finely tuned piano hinge that’s engineered to augment the range of the two Wi-Fi antennas and as a heatsink to help keep the machine cool.” Boasting 4.3 million pixels, the Pixel brings you “crisp text, vivid colors, and extra wide viewing angles.” The 12.85” screen has the highest pixel density of any laptop. A 0.55mm layer of touch-enabled Gorilla Glass fused directly to the screen gives you “smooth interactions while preserving picture clarity.” An integrated HD webcam, microphone array, and active noise cancellation help ensure that video and audio are “lifelike.” Multi-finger touch, natural scrolling, and all the other gestures you would expect are smooth and precise on the etched glass touchpad. For more information, please visit Google’s official Chromebook Pixel website.
Jermaine Dupri Hosts Private So So Def 20th Anniversary Dinner In ATL
Jermaine Dupri kicked off the So So Def 20th Anniversary Weekend last night by treating his So So Def roster to an intimate dinner at a top secret location in Atlanta. Dupri toasted the company’s milestone alongside his artists Bow Wow, Chris Kelly (Kris Kross), Da Brat, Jagged Edge, LaTocha and Tamika Scott (Xscape), Dondria, Bonecrusher, Youngbloodz, Dem Franchize Boyz, and Fresco Kane. “This is my way of saying thank you for helping me build the So So Def empire,” continued Dupri. “This is a historical moment, so tonight I’m celebrating you. Sit back, relax…I’m gonna serve you. But enjoy it, because that will never happen again!” The event served as an anniversary dinner, reunion and meet-and-greet for many of the artists. “In all these years, this is the first time that Bow Wow and Chris Kelly have ever met,” announced Dupri during the dinner. “Bow Wow is a product of Kris Kross, so the fact that we can bring everyone together like this means a lot.” The night’s event served as a precursor for the So So Def 20th Anniversary Concert this Saturday, February 23 at the Fox Theatre Atlanta.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Just make up your mind at the very outset that your work is going to stand for quality… that you are going to stamp a superior quality upon everything that goes out of your hands, that whatever you do shall bear the hallmark of excellence.” -Orison Swett Marden