Music Spotlight: A Moment With Ms. "Fat Belly Bella", Mother, Musician, Midwife, Erykah Badu

The Red Bull Music Academy recently caught up with Ms. Badu, neé "Badoula" (now a certified midwife and longtime home birth advocate) on which album she deems worth risking her life, hypothetically, for. Check out her session of "Rescued From the Fire". Personally, if I had to choose one album to rescue from imminent destruction it would be Van Hunt's self-titled debut, Van Hunt. A classic in my eyes (and ears). Which album would Badu pluck from the flames? Watch her video below.

Rescued From The Fire #27: Erykah Badu from Red Bull Music Academy on Vimeo.

For more on her new endeavor as midwife and doula, watch Badu's interview with TheGrio's Chika Oduah.

Upcoming: Ava DuVernay's Second Independent Release, "Middle of Nowhere"

Following the 2011 release of her critically acclaimed and feature independent film, I Will Follow director/producer Ava DuVernay prepares for the screening of her latest work, Middle of Nowhere. DuVernay's second feature film, Middle of Nowhere narrates the internal and external conflict of a young black woman (Emayatzy Corinealdi) and her struggles to cope with her incarcerated husband. Like her previous work, Middle of Nowhere explores the hardships of coping with absence, love, repentance and self identity. Also starring in the film are David Oyelowo, Sharon Lawrence, Lorraine Toussaint, Edwina Findley, and Omari Hardwick.

DuVernay's works have come to be known for their emotive subject matter, specifically that depicting life through an African American perspective. She hopes that viewers take from the film, if anything, an affecting remnant. In a recent interview with IndieWire she confesses, "Success for me is for someone to think about the characters, a line they say, a scene they live in, a look on their face, the next day or the following week. Whatever you think about it, just think about it. Just feel something."

Middle of Nowhere will premiere at the annual Sundance Film Festival, Jan. 19th, 2012.

Links:
http://www.avaduvernay.com/ 
twitter.com/AVADVA 
twitter.com/MiddleNowhere 
www.facebook.com/MiddleofNowhereMovie

The Lady-Boys Are Back In Town! RuPaul and Co. Gear Up For Season 4 of Drag Race!

Who will be this season's next drag superstar? For those of you not familiar with the obsession that is RuPaul's Drag Race (airing on Logo and VH1), think America's Next Top Model meets The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Make sense? Either way, newcomers and repeat offenders alike should stay tuned for a face beating, wig chucking, lip-syncing, pump stomping new season of Sir/Madame RuPaul's Drag Race. Check out the trailer for season four (coming January 2012) below! I have one thing to say, "You better work!"

Tags: RuPaul's Drag Race, RuPaul, Logo: Fierce TV

Get More: Video & Movies, Logo: Fierce TV

Watch the promo videos for the girls here.

Links:
RuPaul's Drag Race - Facebook 
RuPaul's Drag Race - Twitter 

Upcoming: Documentary Film, "Black Girl in Surburbia"

The black suburbanite  - a cultural/socio-economic phenomenon? What does it mean to be black and living in a predominately white neighborhood? Upcoming documentary Black Girl in Suburbia (directed by Melissa Lowery) explores the lives of black women and their experiences living in white communities. Coincidentally, many of these women face adversity not only within their residence, but also amongst the extended African-American community. Lowery investigates the communal, cultural and personal impact on minority women in the suburban setting. “Too white to be black and too black to be white” - does anyone have the right to delegate identity?

Watch the introduction for Black Girl in Suburbia (slated for a summer 2012 release) by director Melissa Lowery and the trailer for the documentary below. For more information on the film visit blackgirlinsuburbia.com and Black Girl in Suburbia on Facebook.

[good] music: "I Know You Got Soul...", Funk/R&B/Soul Mixes Presented by DJ MetroGnome

Hailing from Indianapolis, Indiana is resident disc jockey/mix master DJ MetroGnome. With more than a few mixes under his belt, Metrognome honed his skills on the 1's and 2's in the early 2000s (he credits DJ Topspeed as one of his musical influences). Since then, the midwest turntablist has spun records locally and out-of-state and helmed his own independent enterprise, Tick Tock Media and Promotions. MetroGnome's mixes Soul Supreme Vol. I and Soul Supreme Vol. II, as well as his latest compilation Revisited: Paying Homage to the Art of the Edit (a collection of soul, funk and disco cuts) are available for download here.

From Common to Curtis Mayfield, MetroGnome has a flair for the classics of soul, blues, R&B, boogie and hip-hop. The best thing to come out of Circle City since Steak n' Shake, MetroGnome's mixes are always worth the listen and guaranteed for heavy rotation in your stereo (or computer - I'm a PC, are you?). In the age of the iPod and Macbook Pro, we're fortunate to have reputable deejays still in the mix and doing what they do best. Support your local DJ and the next one over.

Stay tuned for more mixes from DJ MetroGnome, coming soon!

Soul Supreme Vol. I 

Soul Supreme v1 by DJMetroGnome

Soul Supreme Vol. II

  Soul Supreme v1 by DJMetroGnome

Links:

DJ MetroGnome - Tumblr

DJ MetroGnome - MySpace

DJ MetroGnome - Twitter

DJ MetroGnome - Facebook

Tick Tock Media - MySpace

Entertainment: An Over/Under Session With Flying Lotus and Thundercat for Pitchfork TV

Check out the latest episode of Pitchfork TV's Over/Under session with artists Flying Lotus and Thundercat (of Brainfeeder). Listen to their quirky/insightful commentary on everything from Bob Ross to flossing. The Joy of Painting - grossly underrated.

Links: 

Pitchfork - Official website

Flying Lotus - Official wesbite

Warp Records - Flying Lotus

Flying Lotus - Myspace
Pitchfork - Thundercat

Thundercat - Twitter 

Brainfeeder - Thunder Cat: The Golden Age of Apocolypse 

New Release: "BLACK", Miki Vale and Kandi Cole Are 50|50

Directed and edited by Live Free Productions, "BLACK" is the latest video drop from Oxnard, CA emcee Miki Vale and LA's own Kandi Cole. Featured on Cole's collaborative mixtape, Works Well With Others (available for download here), Cole and Vale combine forces to deliver a message of empowerment, with the lyrics to suite. This is the type of song that raises fists in the air - and no, not the kind made notorious by the Jersey Shore #fistpump - but the type that incites revolution. Together Vale and Cole are 50|50 and one-hundred percent unadulterated soul.

Look out for more upcoming projects from 50|50. Listen to "BLACK" and download the track below.

Links:

Kandi Cole

Kandi Cole - Official wesbite

Kandi Cole - Twitter 

Kandi Cole - Myspace

Miki Vale

Miki Vale - Sleeping Giant Music 

Miki Vale -Twitter 

Miki Vale - Facebook 

Miki Vale - Myspace