Sunday, October 31, 2010

Photos from One8 recording in chicago

2 Face and Fally Ipupa

Amani

Fally Ipupa

Fally Ipupa and Movaizhaleine

Amani and Navido

One8 artistes recording

One8 artistes recording

Alikiba

Amani

Fally Ipupa

Movaizhaleine

2 Face ever looking good

2 Face at the salon

2 Face shaving


Alikiba



Monday, October 25, 2010

THE BIRTH OF A MUSIC REVOLUTION IN AFRICA – ONE8

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8 SUPERSTARS FROM ACROSS AFRICA UNITE WITH ONE MAJOR GLOBAL MEGASTAR TO FORM ONE8 – THE ALL STAR GROUP TO TAKE THE BEST IN MUSIC FROM AFRICA ONTO THE GLOBAL STAGE, CONNECTING MILLIONS OF FANS THROUGH THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE OF MUSIC


The wait is over and a music revolution has begun -after weeks of speculation ONE8 is here!

Through the power of the universal language of music and combining genres, sounds, voices and audiences - while breaking down stereotypes, geographical borders and divisions - ONE8 is the ultimate music force that is single-handedly changing the face of the African music industry.

Planet music is the playground for ONE8 as the hottest African talent from eight major African countries joins forces to create an African supergroup unlike anything seen before.

The power and excitement around this collective of African stars is so big that ONE8 will be not only be joined by one of the biggest global megastars and icons in music for its first single and video, about to be recorded in Chicago, USA, but this superstar, who’s played a crucial role in defining R&B and Hip-Hop as we know it, will produce the song and video together with some of the biggest names in music and music video production in the world today.

This all star group ONE8 is produced and managed by the first major pan-African record label and 360 music company, ROCKSTAR4000 within the family of the world’s number 1 recording company Sony Music. Sony Music has delivered some of music’s biggest icons and pioneers and boasts a vast catalog of some of the most important recordings in the history of music including the likes of Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, R Kelly, Alicia Keys, Usher, Christina Aguilera, Pink, Neil Diamond, Bruce Springsteen, Santana, Shakira and Kings of Leon to name a few. ONE8 is destined for greatness, shattering perceptions about African music as it builds networks and excitement across the pan-African music landscape and across the world.

ONE8 is not only just another all-star lineup, but is a progressive, digital media driven project. It’s driven by the passion of the artists to not only allow their fans access around the clock, but to give them the freedom to escape from their every day challenges and empowering their fans to be whatever they want to be through the power of music and the digital world - connecting them across cities, borders and continents.

As all eight artists set off for the USA, fans will be connected with them around the clock through the website, mobile site or mobisite, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube and live webcasts from on-the road. Millions of fans will experience this music revolution and historic journey as it happens. Fans will experience their favorite stars up-close and personal and roam where no fan has roamed before, digital ALL ACCESS PASSES delivered personally by these superstars to their fans!

All the artists have worked together to create a song that is a truly Pan-African creation. The group will also shoot a video in Chicago which will be released globally with the first single in November, alongside a full album and DVD soon after.

You can follow ONE8 around the clock on the following official portals:

Website: www.myone8.com
Mobisite: myone8.mobi
Facebook: facebook.com/myone8
Twitter: twitter.com/myone8
YouTube: youtube.com/one8TV

Over the past few weeks rumours and speculations have been flying wildly across the internet as everyone tried to predict – or influence - who would be next join ONE8. The waiting is over; for the first time we can officially announce all of the superstars making up this group:

2Face: Nigeria
2Face started his musical career with BlackFace and the two of them formed the group Plantashun Boyz, a highly acclaimed group in their own right. However, 2Face has achieved most of his success as a solo artist and is now one of the most internationally recognized celebrities Nigeria has produced in recent years. 2005 saw 2Face become a household name when he took home an MTV Europe award for best African act, a Channel l Music Video Award for Best Male Video and Best African Video (both for "African Queen") and a Kora award for Revelation of the Year. Last year he took an MTV Africa Music Award for Best R&B and as he joins forces with the ONE8 project the sky is the limit for this amazingly talented artist.


JK: Zambia
JK is currently Zambia’s leading superstar artist with a sound just perfect for mixing with other artists and styles. His Afro-centric signature sound of Rhumba-meets-reggae-meets-R&B have made him a household name in his native country. Being lauded as the man who singlehandedly put the fire for Zambian music back into the hearts of Africans, JK’s star continues to rise, seeing him regularly touring the continent and Europe. As part of the ONE8 group, his style will engrave Zambia firmly on the musical map.

Navio: Uganda
One of Uganda’s most awarded hip-hop artists, Navio has been on the forefront of the countries hip-hop genre for more than 10 years making huge strides in pushing the genre’s accessibility in Eastern Africa. Originally from the rap group Klear Kut, Navio became an overnight sensation, winning awards and topping charts until 2009, when he decided to pursue a solo career. Navio is adamant he will continue to develop the East African hip hop sound and will definitely bring a passionate and creative style to the ONE8 project.




Amani: Kenya
Amani is one of the most talented and beautiful female stars ever to come out of Kenya. Her name is a Swahili word that literally means peace and tranquility, and the soothing sounds of Amani’s music reflect exactly that. Amani’s soothing music is urban and African, uplifting with unforgettable melodies that showcase both Amani’s vocal and song-writing talents. This talent has not gone unrecognised in the awards category with Amani having won numerous awards including the Kenya Kisima Award in 2006 for Best Female Artist and Best Collaboration, and in 2007 for Best Female Boomba Artist. Amani has also been nominated for a Channel O video award in 2008 for Best Female Artist East Africa. In 2009 she won the MTV African Music Award (MAMA) for Best Female Artist Pan Africa alongside a slew of nominations at the 2009 Channel O Music Awards.


Alikiba: Tanzania
The king of Bongo Flava, Alikiba is Tanzania’s biggest superstar artist. With his first album only being released in 2008, he has exploded into one of the biggest African artists, across the continent and internationally. With the origins lying in Caribbean music, Bongo Flava is a happy, danceable style that brings parties to life and lifts moods effortlessly. Having a debut album be the top selling album in the whole of East Africa, Alikiba is no stranger to success and is looking forward to bringing his positive energy to the ONE8 project.


4x4: Ghana
4X4 (Pronounced ‘four-ex-four’) is a hip-life trio mentored by hip-life duo Buk Bak (Bright and Rooney). They released their first album ‘Siklitele’ in 2003, followed by a second album ‘Contestant Number 1’ in 2007. As great role models to the youth in Ghana, the members of 4x4 have worked extremely hard to get where they are today. Their latest album, Hotgirls.com is a blend of foreign touch (hip hop style) but with a local dialect and dancehall flavours. Their great example to the youth mixed with their pride for their country will see 4x4 fit perfectly into the One8 group.

Fally Ipupa: DRC
One of the biggest and most talented superstars from the African continent today, Ipupa Nsimba aka Fally Ipupa is a singer, songwriter and respected guitarist who was born and raised in Kinshasa, DRC. His silky smooth voice soon reached the hearts of many, both in DRC and internationally, due to his blend of various musical styles including soukous, ndombolo, pop and R&B. In 2007 Fally was acknowledged by his peers in the music industry when he won the Best Male Artist Cesaire Award and Best Artist or Group from Central Africa in the continental Kora Awards. His creative spirit, incredible talent and youthful passion make Fally Ipupa a valuable part of the ONE8 group. Fally is well traveled and has toured extensively in Africa and the rest of the world. It was recently announced that he will perform later this year at the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA) in Lagos, Nigeria

Movaizhaleine: Gabon
One of the continents most successful rap stories, ex-pats Movaizhaleine, now residing in Paris, France, have taken the African rap flag and are flying it high across the world for Gabon, and indeed the rest of the continent. Consisting of two young conscientious rappers, Lord Ekomy Ndong and Maat Seigneur Lion, the group, also affectionately known as MH, began rapping together when still at high school - highly influenced by the activism on the continent at the time. With four top selling albums under their belts and more than a hundred spectacular showcases in Africa and France, the group is still growing from strength to strength. Joining the ONE8 group is a natural move for these pan-African music-cultural leaders.

Monday, October 18, 2010

4x4

4x4 is made up of strangely named trio consisting of Captain Planet, Fresh Prince and Abortion. Captain Planet's real name is Sylvanus Dodji Jeoffrey and Abortion was christened Raphael Edem Avornyo. Fresh Prince’s real name is Prince Tamakloe.

4X4 is a rap group mentored by hip-life duo Buk Bak (Bright and Rooney). They released their first album ‘Siklitele’ in 2003, followed by a second album ‘Contestant Number 1’ in 2007. The group explain that they choose the name 4×4 because the whole crew was elevated by four minds: Bright, Ronny, Captain Planet and Abortion.
4X4, was initially a duo, later bringing Fresh Prince (Prince Tamakloe) on board to feature on their 2007 hit ‘HotGirls.com’ eventually joining the group permanently to make it a trio.
Under the watchful eye of Ronnie Coches and Bright Bling Sparkles (Buk Bak) the group has made a massive name for themselves in the Ghanaian music scene.

Captain Planet is the first person to rap in Ghanaian vernacular languages which include Akuapem, Twi, Ga, Ewe, and Pidgin English.

Abortion, who is a ragga artist, started rapping with a group called Kokorokoo in high school which featured Ghana's premier Akuapem rapper, Pope Skinnie. Captain Planet also started rapping in secondary school with a group called the Wu Clan. He was discovered by Buk Bak after being featured on a television programme called Kiddafest.
As great role models to the youth in Ghana, the members of 4x4 have worked extremely hard to get where they are today. Captain Planet has a degree in Advanced Marketing while Abortion studied his dream career of being an architect at ATTC.

Their latest album, Hotgirls.com is a blend of foreign touch (hip hop style) but with a local dialect and dancehall flavour. Speaking to Ghanaian media, they stated that ‘we have introduced this new blend of foreign touch (hip hop style) with local dialect and dancehall to sound different, more productive and very hot. The album is going to be launched in some tertiary institutions like University of Ghana, Legon, Kwame Nkrumah of Science and Technology and Cape Coast University.”
“We have decided to launch the album in tertiary institutions because our target audience are the youth and the best place to reach their hearts is to be at their doorsteps in their various institutions”, they said.
We are sure that their great example to the youth mixed with their pride for their country will see 4x4 fit perfectly into the One8 project.

Alikiba


When it comes to the Tanzanian music style of Bongo Flava, (a combination of hip hop and traditional East African music), one man is at the top of the food chain. He goes by the name Alikiba and he is fast becoming an internationally recognised star. Alikiba’s Bongo Flava style is largely influenced “Zouk” music which has it’s origins in the Caribbean Islands. “Zouk” means “party” or “festival” in Antillean Creole and that is exactly what the music of Alikiba is all about.

Alikiba’s first album was released in 2008 and shortly after it hit shelves the album became one the top selling albums in East Africa. Its main feature was the hit “Cinderella,” the popularity of which propelled him on a whirlwind tour of the UK and the US.

In 2009 Alikiba released his second album entitled “Ali K 4Real” which saw him nominated for two extremely prestigious awards in the UK. The first award that the Swahili speaking artist was recognised for was the Best East African Artist at the African Music Awards for 2009. Alikiba was then nominated for Best International Act at the BEFFTA Awards, (Black Entertainment, Film, Fashion, Television and Arts Awards) which was held at the London Hilton Metropol.

With a career on the rise, Alikiba will bring a unique style and flair to the ONE8 music project.

Amani


Amani is one of the most talented and beautiful singing stars ever to come out of Kenya. Her name is a Swahili word that literally means peace and tranquillity, and the soothing sounds of Amani’s music reflect exactly that.

Amani, then still known as Cecilia Wairimu, started performing at an early age in church talent shows and was already writing her own songs by the time she was in primary school. By the time she was in high school she had already recorded her first single.

In 1999 she had her first radio hit, with the massive track Move On, one of the first home grown Kenyan songs to reach number one all major local radio charts. She followed up on this success with a collaboration with top Kenyan artist Nameless, and the song Ninanoki became an instant classic across East Africa.

In 2004 another collaboration, this time with Big Pin and Pantonee gave Amani another hit with Talk to You, a song that became the most requested song on Kenyan radio that year. The song topped all the charts and saw Amani’s sound developing into a richer and more accessible R & B style.

Her debut album, Amani was released in 2006, soon followed with the release of Tamani in 2007, both being awarded and acclaimed across the continent.

Amani’s soothing music is urban and African, uplifting with unforgettable melodies that showcase both Amani’s vocal and song-writing talents.

This talent has not gone unrecognised in the awards category with Amani having won numerous awards including the Kenya Kisima Award in 2006 for Best Female Artist and Best Collaboration, and in 2007 for Best Female Boomba Artist. Amani has also been nominated for a Channel O video award in 2008 for Best Female Artist East Africa. In 2009 she won the MTV African Music Award for Best Female Artist alongside a slew of nominations at the 2009 Channel O Music Awards.

Amani has toured the world having played concerts in Norway in 2007, in Germany in 2008 at the Zanzibar International Film Festival, for the president of Ghana and even in San Diego, California during a US tour in 2008.

Amani’s unique East African R & B and her undeniable style bring an uplifting and soulful feel to the ONE8 group.

Fally Ipupa



Ipupa Nsimba aka Fally Ipupa is a singer, songwriter and respected guitarist who was born and raised in Kingshasa, DRC. Like many young performers of his generation, music was not considered more than a hobby and studies were forced to take priority over the young man’s passion.
At a young age the singer started playing invarious small groups on Congolese streets until he was eventually noticed by the acclaimed group Quartier Latin, who scooped him up to play guitar for them.
Over the next ten years he honed his craft under the watchful eye of his mentor, Koffi Olomide. Fally ended up composing two of Koffi’s biggest hits, namely Eternellement on the album Force De Frappe in 2001 and Ko Ko Ko Ko on the album Affaire d’Etat. This fast rocketed him to the position of band composer despite his young age.
Fally, as a young star, was still curious with his musical style and craved creativity and change. His influences and creative spirit saw him dreaming of creating a new sound. Feeling the constraints of Latin Quarter, he eventually had to break free in order to pursue a solo career.
A wise decision it was. His first solo album was released in 2006 and Droit Chemin sold over 100 000 units, spawning the hits Droit Chemin, Liputa and Kidiamfuka.
In 2007 Fally was acknowledged by his peers in the music industry when he won the Best Male Artist Cesaire Award and Best Artist or Group from Central Africa in the continental Kora Awards.
Fally Ipupa’s career had just started. His silky smooth voice soon reached the hearts of many, both in DRC and internationally, due to his blend of various musical styles including soukous, ndombolo, pop and R&B. In 2009, his album Arsenal de Belles Mélodies received much media attention and rave reviews, with hits like Chaise Electrique, a duet performed with Olivia from the group G-Unit.



That same year, he participated in the “MTV Awards Made in Africa”, where he performed his hit Bicarbonate for millions of viewers.
Fally is the first Congolese artist of his generation to attempt an adventurous musical career which combines innovation and tradition. His fans and media alike have named him a prodigy who lives for his time without forgetting his roots.
It’s this créative spirit, incredible talent and youthful passion that makes him a perfect addition to the ONE8 team.

INCEPTION 2

OK this is a continuation of my inception post..
i am writing this .......
ok on my bed in school..
this is how im sure im not dreaming..im in school..with the noise,troubles,hunger etc
btw b4 comin to school,itravelled to abuja..thn is i wanted to travel around that time to abuja but put if off for reasons so when i saw myself at the airport and about to board a cab..i convinced myself i wasnt dreamin. i slapped,pinched myself and did not wake up so i was convinced i wasnt dreaming..
then i started to ask..
y did u come?
what r u lookin for?
dint find a single answer to this questions..
so i was annoyed beyond beyond..
got to my hotel..checked in and checked out immediately..
got to the airport and went back to lagos
then got to my house......
just to wake up as my roommates entered the room and i found out i was dreaming...
there was this total body relieve and ease of tension through me...
i stand to doubt that i wasnt incepted...
ok bye....