St. Louis, MO, 1/16/09 (Hip Hop PR Wire) — Royce 5'9" is lyricist and mic controller of the highest order with cosigns from hip-hop legends Eminem and DJ Premier, and he adds to his legacy Tuesday, January 20th with the release of a new mixtape, Growth & Patience: The Best Of Royce Volume 1. Linking up with fellow Midwesterner Trackstar The DJ, Detroit native Royce drops a collection of his grimiest lyrical gems for a diamond-in-the-rough compilation of tracks from his studio releases, featured appearances and previous mixtapes.

Brought to you by The Smoking Section, Growth & Patience is ether to strike the senses before Royce releases his highly anticipated 2009 solo-LP, Street Hop (M.I.C./One Records). His impressive history in the word-of-mouth world of mixtapes helped cultivate Royce's career — including Bar Exam 1, hosted by DJ Premier & *mixed* by Statik Selektah, Bar Exam 2 with DJ Green Lantern, and the smash Build & Destroy double-disc for Hiphopsite.com. Prolific, sharp-witted and tough, Royce is a monster on the mic, and Growth & Patience will serve as an audio testament to that end.

Reppin' St. Louis, Trackstar the DJ has cemented his legacy as a mixtape king — having released over 50 projects hosted by the likes of Lupe Fiasco, DJ Drama, Naledge of Kidz in the Hall, NYOil and now Royce 5'9". As an advocate for the lifestyle, Trackstar lives and embodies his mantra "hip-hop Needs Balance."

The Smoking Section (www.smokingsection.net) – At 225,000 unique page views a month, The Smoking Section is the foremost blog in trendsetting hip-hop culture. With artist interviews, music downloads & always sharp commentary, the TSS Crew makes sure that you respect their fresh.

Tracklisting

1.Take Em to Church
2.Let's Grow
3.I'm Me
4.I'm the King
5.Hip Hop
6.52 Bars
7.Blow Dat
8.Boom
9.Go Get Em
10.Ding
11.Independent's Day
12.Scary Movie pt 1
13.Scary Movie pt 2
14.Beef
15.Gangsta
16.Hit Em
17.I Owe You
18.Renegades
19.The Dream
20.Politics
21.Shake This
22.I & Me
23.Return of Malcolm
24.Motown 25
25.Royce is LIke
26.Been Shot Down

Growth & Patience: The Best Of Royce Volume I releases on Tuesday, January 20th, exclusively at The Smoking Section. For more information, visit www.smokingsection.net.

Press Contact:   
Gotty@smokingsection.net

Last Year's Win for Pantene Brings Grey Back to Cannes for a Song for CoverGirl

NEW YORK, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire/ — Grey New York, Procter & Gamble's U.S. advertising agency for its CoverGirl brand, announced today it is inviting delegates attending MIDEM's Annual Conference in Cannes to submit tracks for possible use as CoverGirl's anthem and potentially in CoverGirl's corporate communications including press events and sponsorship, and even a hit single in its own right. MIDEM is the world's largest music market and its 2009 Annual Conference is expected to gather nearly 10,000 attendees and 1,300 participants in events from all over the world. The conference will be taking place in Cannes, January 18-21.

"For the second year in a row, Grey and Procter & Gamble will converge with the global music industry at large," said Josh Rabinowitz, Grey New York's Senior Vice President/Director of Music. "For musicians and performers, advertising has become one of the best ways to get your music out there along with TV shows and video games. It's the new A&R."

Last year at MIDEM, P&G's Pantene brand and Grey selected an original song for Pantene advertising that launched in June. The song "Shine" was written and performed by unsigned New York artist Rosi Golan, who since then produced her first album, secured two song placements on prime time TV shows "Come Around" in Ghost Whisperer and "Been A Long Day" in One Tree Hill, — begins a 6 week national tour in March and secured premier placement on iTunes home page, music page and folk page.

For CoverGirl, Grey and P&G will evaluate submissions and create a Top 20 Playlist, which will be presented at an open listening session for all conference attendees on January 20 in Cannes. The CoverGirl listening session is one of three offered to delegates by MIDEM, which bills the listening sessions as onsite auditions for major video games, films and TV shows, and now advertising, with tangible results.

"CoverGirl, the number one cosmetic brand in America, is always looking for new ways help today's women rock their beauty," said Alice Ericsson, Grey's Executive Creative Director on CoverGirl. "Music is key to CoverGirl, and MIDEM provides a unique opportunity to access top international creative talent."

The MIDEM website http://midem.com/ lays out the brand's requirements for the winning song: any genre (rock, r&b, rap) as long as it is inspiring and motivating; helps women feel beautiful and encourages them to get out there and DO beautiful too (inspire women to make an entrance, make a difference, start a business, change the world!). Instructions for uploading songs and guidelines are at http://midem.greymusicnyc.com/ .

About Grey

Grey New York is the flagship and largest office of Grey, a unit of Grey Group http://www.grey.com/. Grey Group ranks among the largest global communications companies. Its parent company is WPP (NASDAQ:WPPGY) . Grey New York's blue-chip client roster includes many of the world's best known companies: Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Diageo, Darden Restaurants, Wyeth, Canon, 3M, Eli Lilly, Dairy Queen and E*Trade.

Source: Grey

CONTACT: Chris Brown of Grey Group, +1-212-546-2231, cell,
+1-917-691-0481

Web Site: http://midem.greymusicnyc.com/

GRANDMASTER FLASH RELEASES FIRST STUDIO ALBUM IN OVER 20 YEARS

1/15/09 (Hip Hop PR Wire) — On March 3rd, 2009, legendary hip hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash releases 'The Bridge' on Adrenaline City Entertainment via Strut, his first high profile studio album since his final recordings for Elektra back in 1987. "As a DJ, I've been blessed to see many different people, places and styles. The album title represents all the bridges I've crossed worldwide," explains Flash. "The bridges of time, cultures and colour, the bridges of hip hop, funk, pop, rock, jazz, punk, disco and R&B."

Recorded at Flash's own Adrenaline Lab studio in New York during 2007-2008, the over-riding theme of the album is the global language of hip hop. "Wherever I travel as a DJ, I see the incredible power of this artform," Flash explains. "I am constantly amazed by it. That's the line that runs through the album – we speak many languages and come from many cultures but, wherever I go in the world, there is one universal culture of hip hop."

Based on this theme, Flash features the track 'We Speak Hip Hop' as a centrepiece, bringing together a multi-national tag team consisting of four MCs rapping in their own languages. KASE-O (from Spanish crew Violadores Del Verso), MACCHO (from Ozrosaurus , Japan ), ABASS ( Senegal ) and AFASI (from Afasi & Filthy , Sweden ) trade verses for the first track of its kind. "I used one of my main battle breaks from back in the day for this one and I chose MCs who had the right flow," continues Flash. "It wasn't about finding the biggest names – some of the guys are known widely in their own country, some are more underground. It was more about the right chemistry. KRS ONE glues this one together with the main hook and the final verse."

Throughout the album, Flash mixes up the flow and features some heavyweight guests and intriguing collaborations. Familiar faces appearing on the album include BUSTA RHYMES on the X-rated special, 'Bounce Back', A Tribe Called Quest frontman Q-TIP, alongside Will Smith collaborator KEL SPENCER and JUMZ on the poetic 'Shine All Day' and SNOOP DOGG alongside mixtape hero RED CAFÉ and LYN CARTER on the bumpin', mid-tempo swayer, 'Swagger'.

The original hip hop teacher KRS-ONE imagines a world without hip hop on the hilarious and insightful 'What If?' – "No Will Smith, no Queen Latifah / There'd only be tight jeans and black sneakers!" BIG DADDY KANE gets funky with hot new female Philadelphia MC HEDONIS DA AMAZON on the steamy mid-tempo jam 'When I Get There'; on 'Those Chix', Flash sets up an all-female soundclash between MTV favourite BYATA, HEDONIS DA AMAZON and electro queen PRINCESS SUPERSTAR for a Miami bass-style party joint; he presents his son, J-FLO on his debut recording alongside Def Jam MC LORDIKIM ALLAH and ALMIGHTY THOR on the raucous 'I Got Sumtin' To Say'; and Lost Boyz' MR. CHEEKS teams up with old skool heroes GRANDMASTER CAZ of Cold Crush Brothers and TITO of Fearless Four swapping bars on 'Can I Take You Higher'.

For all fans of his turntable work, Flash features two DJ tracks: "I have one called 'Here Comes My DJ' featuring DJ KOOL who barks out commands," explains Flash. "Kool goes way back – he was by far the first to do that full volume party MC style. I also have a track with SUPERNAT called 'Tribute To The Breakdancer' which is a party break. It's one for the floor and I read out a roll call of the real pioneers of the artform right at the start of the track. Some of those guys never get mentioned in the history books."

"As well as making an album for hip hop fans, I want this release to set the record straight," says Flash. "There's still confusion about who I am and what I do. A lot of people still think that I'm an MC – I am a DJ and a producer. This album contains a lot of the elements from the many countries and cultures I have experienced from pop to underground, from alternative to mainstream."

Grandmaster Flash is one of the undisputed pioneers of hip hop. He is recognized worldwide as the first DJ to make the turntables an instrument, famously developing his 'Quick Mix Theory' mix techniques during the '70s which are now used by DJs the world over. Through his fabled block parties and, later, live shows and releases with The Furious Five, Flash was responsible for recording the first live DJ mix to be committed to wax and for masterminding groundbreaking live sets that lifted the bar for hip hop. Through his work, hip hop was first taken seriously as a sustainable artform that could both pack a lyrical punch and pull audiences on a par with traditional mainstream rock and pop acts.

Grandmaster Flash 'The Bridge' is released on March 3rd, 2009. In June 2008, the autobiography 'The Adventures Of Grandmaster Flash: My Life, My Beats' was published by Random House, written by Flash himself and top author David Ritz. The book provides a valuable insight into Flash's early years growing up in the Bronx and his personal experience at the advent of hip hop culture.

Flash was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame during 2007. He endorses and uses the Tractor Scratch digital vinyl system – "the analogue inventor has gone digital".

Album:

GRANDMASTER FLASH – THE BRIDGE

Label: Adrenaline Entertainment / Strut

Release date: March 3rd, 2009

www.strut-records.com

Tracks:

1. INTRO

2. SHINE ALL DAY feat. Q-Tip, Kel Spencer & Jumz

3. WE SPEAK HIP HOP feat. KRS One, Afasi, Kase-O, Maccho & Abass

4. HERE COMES MY DJ feat. DJ Kool & DJ Demo

5. BOUNCE BACK feat. Busta Rhymes

6. SWAGGER feat. Red Café, Snoop Dogg & Lyn Carter

7. WHAT IF feat. KRS-One

8. INTERLUDE

9. TRIBUTE TO THE BREAKDANCER feat. Supernat

10. CAN I TAKE YOU HIGHER feat. Mr Cheeks, Grandmaster Caz & Tito

11. GROWN & SEXY feat. Lordikim Allah

12. WHEN I GET THERE feat. Big Daddy Kane & Hedonis Da Amazon

13. INTERLUDE

14. I GOT SUMTHIN' TO SAY feat. Lord Ikim Allah, J-Flo & Almighty Thor

15. UNPREDICTABLE feat. Syndee & Big Daddy Kane

16. THOSE CHIX feat. Byata, Princess Superstar & Hedonis Da Amazon

17. BRONX BOMBERS feat. Lordikim Allah, Almighty Thor & Mann Child

18. OUTRO

19. OH MAN (Intro)

20. OH MAN feat. Syndee & Natacha Atlas

Lynnette E. Mimiasie
RED – A Division of Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
79 Fifth Avenue
15th Floor
New York, NY 10003
212-404-0772 phone
212-404-0619 fax

Lynnette_Mimiasie@redmusic.com primary
Lynnette.Mimiasie@sonymusic.com secondary
REDMusic.com
REDurbanmusic.com

Seattle, WA, 1/15/09 (Hip Hop PR Wire) — R&B/Hip Hop duo Steelo will perform at the MLK Executive's Awards for Excellence in Hip Hop & Musica Festival, hosted by KUBE 93FM and Musica Entertainment. The awards show will be held Saturday, January 17, 2009, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Columbia City Theatre located at 4916 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98118.

The event will be broadcast live on www.kube93.com and on multiple hip-hop and civic sites via www.synclive.com.

Tickets start at $10.00 and are available at www.brownpapertickets.com

The Annual MLK Executive's Awards for Excellence in Hip Hop ceremony acknowledges and honors innovative performances, community service and entrepreneurial achievement by locally based members of the hip hop community who have had a significant impact.

The event is in conjunction with KUBE 93 fm, Seattle's #1 home for hip hop and R&B (Clear Channel) and MUSICA Entertainment, a not for profit organization which presents events and programming that focus on cultural awareness, musical expression, social engagement and on literacy, health, education and safety.

Steelo has been nominated for both their professional accomplishments and their work with local schools through the Steelo Student Empowerment Program. Known for their balance of hip-hop and R&B, Steelo's music is a lyrical fashion show of urban-pop styles that boasts vibrant colors and modern cuts. The group draws its name from the Spanish word estilo, which means style and the urban slang steelo, with the same connotation.

Steelo's first single "Let It Roll" earned over 400 national radio spins and their second single "Make Up My Mind' reached #1 on the National College Radio charts (RapAttackLives.com). The music video has played on NBC Mun2 and Foot Locker TV, as well as many regional and Internet shows. Steelo will release their debut album "Music" in Spring 2009.

Media Contact:

Amalia Martino
(425) 361-2754 office
(510) 435-7474 cell
amalia@blueshoesmedia.com

BlueShoes Media is a Seattle-based entertainment publicity firm with national clientele. http://www.blueshoesmedia.com