THE EMPIRE “WE CAN MAKE IT”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGxe7jFnYN4 please spread the link!!

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The Underground Experience is looking indie artists who want a chance to take their careers to the next level entering this showcase/compettion gives your chance to have:

1. A spot on a nationally distributed an reviewed mixtape
2. A video of your performance
3. Online radio play
4. Bill listing in ads pushing the event

FOR THE WINNING ARTISTS OR GROUP

1. Professional Press kit
2. Studio Time
3. Single Deal & Nationwide push
4. Radio & Magazine Interviews

Contact James”Mistajay” Genwright II

NCCCEO2@ YAHOO.COM with contact info for other entrance fee payment options or send $400 thru paypal to NCCCEO@YAHOO.COM deadline is September 3^rd 2010

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From: Cody <myspace.com/451525861>

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To: The Empire  from cody

CodyCody Griffith

6/29/2010 8:44 PM

message to hip hop stuck to me man. it reminds me of i use to love H.E.R by common but you guys made it your own. some rappers nowadays could take some advice from you guys. keep making music and im gonna listen. hip hop def needs the integrity and passion it use to have. thanks for the add guys. i enjoyed the quick listen. will def listen more

thanks for the love from all our supporters y’all keep us pluging away!!

~mistajay~

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Hip-hop icon Keith “Guru” Elam died Monday as a result of cancer-related causes, MTV reports. He was 43 years old.

Guru was hospitalized in March, and while some outlets reported that he suffered a heart attack, it was never confirmed.

Guru’s friend and partner Solar released a statement following his passing. “The world has lost one of the best MCs and hip-hop icons of all-time-my loyal best friend, partner, and brother, Guru,” Solar wrote, according to MTV. “Guru has been battling cancer for well over a year and has lost his battle! This is a matter that Guru wanted private until he could beat it, but tragically, this did not happen. The cancer took him. Now the world has lost a great man a true genius.”

Solar said Guru wrote a letter before his passing. “I, Guru, am writing this letter to my fans, friends and loved ones around the world,” the letter said. “I have had a long battle with cancer and have succumbed to the disease. I have suffered with this illness for over a year. I have exhausted all medical options.”

The letter also addressed Guru’s concern for continuing his philanthropic efforts. “I have a non-profit organization called Each One Counts dedicated to carrying on my charitable work on behalf of abused and disadvantaged children from around the world and also to educate and research a cure for this terrible disease that took my life. I write this with tears in my eyes, not of sorrow but of joy for what a wonderful life I have enjoyed and how many great people I have had the pleasure of meeting.”

In the message, Guru credited Solar for his support. “My loyal best friend, partner, and brother, Solar, has been at my side through it all and has been made my health proxy by myself on all matters relating to myself. He has been with me by my side on my many hospital stays, operations, doctors visits and stayed with me at my home and cared for me when I could not care for myself. Solar and his family is my family and I love them dearly and I expect my family, friends and fans to respect that, regardless to anybody’s feelings on the matter. It is my wish that counts. This being said I am survived by the love of my life, my sun KC, who I trust will be looked after by Solar and his family as their own. Any awards or tributes should be accepted, organized approved by Solar on behalf [of] myself and my son until he is of age to except on his own.”

The note also makes controversial references to DJ Premiere. “I do not wish my ex-DJ to have anything to do with my name likeness, events, tributes etc. connected in anyway to my situation including any use of my name or circumstance for any reason and I have instructed my lawyers to enforce this,” the letter said. “I had nothing to do with him in life for 7 years and want nothing to do with him in death. Solar has my life story and is well informed on my family situation, as well as the real reason for separating from my ex-DJ.

“As the sole founder of Gang Starr, I am very proud of what Gang Starr has meant to the music world and fans. I equally am proud of my Jazzmatazz series and as the father of Hip-Hop/Jazz. I am proud of my leadership and pioneering efforts on Jazzmatazz 4 for reinvigorating the Hip-hop/Jazz genre in a time when music quality has reached an all time low. Solar and I have toured in places that I have never been before with Gang Starr or Jazzmatazz and we gained a reputation for being the best on the planet at Hip-Hop/Jazz, as well as the biggest and most influential Hip-Hop/Jazz record with Jazzmatazz 4 of the decade to now.

“The work I have done with Solar represents a legacy far beyond its time. And we as a team were not afraid to push the envelope. To me this is what true artists do! As men of honor we stood tall in the face of small-mindedness, greed, and ignorance. As we fought for music and integrity at the cost of not earning millions and for this I will always be happy and proud, and would like to thank the million fans who have seen us perform over the years from all over the world. The work I have done with Solar represents a legacy far beyond its time and is my most creative and experimental to date. I hope that our music will receive the attention it deserves as it is some of the best work I have done and represents some of the best years of my life.”

As the duo Gang Starr with DJ Premiere, the group released its most successful album in 1998, Moment Of Truth. They emerged in the ‘80s and were featured in Spike Lee’s movie Mo Betta Blues. Gang Starr released its last album, The Ownerz, in 2003.

He was an inspiration and he will be missed……GURU our thanks for your influence and heavy presence in hip-hop.

~THE EMPIRE~

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Princeton, New Jersey (CNN) — All around the world this weekend, Christians are celebrating Easter. For them, this holiest of days announces that death does not have the final word and that eternal life awaits those who would just believe.

Sunday also marks the anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s death. Forty-two years ago, an assassin’s bullet took his life as he struggled to secure the promises of American democracy for the children of slaves. His sacrifice, along with countless others, helped usher in a new chapter in American life — one that prepared the way for the election of our nation’s first African-American president.

Every now and again, the convergence of significant historical moments occasions a time for serious reflection. How might we think about the significance of the resurrection of Jesus and the martyrdom of Martin Luther King, Jr. to the lives we currently live as Americans? What lessons does Easter hold for us? And what does remembering King’s death teach us?

On April 27, 1957, Dr. King delivered an Easter sermon titled, “Questions that Easter Answers.” For him, Easter settled the mystery of death and secured for us the importance of living a life in light of those forces that go beyond our physical experience. We are not simply biological processes. Instead, King argued, Easter cries out to us about the importance of the unseen and of the personality, those “spiritual forces that are eternal and not merely these material things that we look about and see.”

We matter. Our hopes and aspirations, our joys and triumphs matter. Not because of something we have actually done, but rather, because of an inheritance borne on a cross on Calvary. King understood Easter’s answer to the significance of human action in the world. “There is a faith, there is love, there is hope, there is something beyond the external that will stand through the ages.”

This view holds off the notion that life has no meaning or is doomed to end in shipwreck. The fact that so many have lost their jobs, their homes, their dreams in these difficult times confirms for us that life carries with it a ‘Good Friday’ experience — that darkness and disappointment can be constant companions.

“But thank God the crucifixion was not the last act in that great and powerful drama,” King preached. “There is another act. And it is something that we sing out and cry and ring out today. Thank God a day came when Good Friday had to pass.”

For King, Easter teaches us that death does not have the last word; that invisible forces are more real than the shadows that we currently inhabit; and that the darkness of Good Friday may be necessary but will eventually pass away.

Easter ultimately demonstrates that “love is the most powerful force in the universe,” said King. And this insight reaches beyond Christians to all of us, no matter what we believe.

Here, love isn’t some sentimental notion; instead, it involves risks, daring and growth — a surrender to that feature of human personality that can cause us to sacrifice our lives in defense of it. Love conquers cowardice. It shatters hubris and crushes the illusions of death. It fortifies the soul amid the darkness of the hour; it calls us to bear witness and to suffer, if necessary, the consequences.

The mindless chatter of today distracts us from the power of love. Instead, we are mired in the sundry politics of Washington, or we are content to spew venom at our opponents. Mean-spiritedness carries the day. But Easter, if I understand King correctly, teaches us to love and to witness the miracle of the resurrection before the powers that be, no matter the consequences.

“It says to us,” King preached, “that love is the most durable power in the world” and is stronger “than all of the military giants, all of the nations that base their way on military power.” Such a conviction led him on April 4, 1967, a year before he was killed, to condemn the Vietnam War and to say that America was “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world.”

The fact that Easter falls this year on the anniversary of Dr. King’s death highlights the true lesson of this holiest of days. We are not to sit idly by because Easter proclaims the victory.

Too many Christians take comfort in the wrong-headed idea that all is settled because Jesus rose from the dead. Martin Luther King, Jr’s death suggests otherwise. His was a life given in love and in devotion to justice. Are we, Christian or not, as committed? To stopping war? To ending poverty? To fighting for the most vulnerable among us? Or, are we content to rest in the illusion that salvation is guaranteed?

Our lives, if we are to be saved, must stand as a testament to that legacy which, beyond our doing, is inescapable. Cowardice and complicity must die in us. And we must rise again to “love” a new world into existence.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Eddie S. Glaude.

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http://carolinablew.blogspot.com/2010/03/empire-bio.html

more love from the blog-set thanks Carolina blew!!!

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Malcolm X (pronounced /ˈmælkəm ˈɛks/) (born Malcolm Little; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965), also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz^[1] (Arabic: الحاجّ مالك الشباز‎), was an African-American Muslim minister, public speaker, and human rights activist.^[2][3][4][5] To his admirers, he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans.^[6] His detractors accused him of preaching racism, black supremacy, antisemitism, and violence.^{[7][8][9][10][11]} He has been described as one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history.^[12][13][14]

Malcolm X was born in Omaha, Nebraska. By the time he was thirteen, his father had died and his mother had been committed to a mental hospital. His childhood, including his father’s lessons concerning black pride and self-reliance and his own experiences concerning race, played a significant role in Malcolm X’s adult life. After living in a series of foster homes, Malcolm X became involved in hustling and other criminal activities in Boston and New York. In 1946, Malcolm X was sentenced to eight to ten years in prison.

While in prison, Malcolm X became a member of the Nation of Islam. After his parole in 1952, he became one of the Nation’s leaders and chief spokesmen. For nearly a dozen years, he was the public face of the Nation of Islam. Tension between Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad, head of the Nation of Islam, led to Malcolm X’s departure from the organization in March 1964.

After leaving the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X became a Sunni Muslim and made a pilgrimage to Mecca, after which he disavowed racism. He traveled extensively throughout Africa and the Middle East. He founded Muslim Mosque, Inc., a religious organization, and the secular, black nationalist Organization of Afro-American Unity. Less than a year after he left the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X was assassinated while giving a speech in New York.

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CLICK ON THE DAM LINK IF YOU ARE AN ARTIST AND YOU DON’T DO THIS WHAT ARE YOU DOING IT FOR? BUT BEFORE YOU DO THAT CHECK THIS OUT.
MAKING A GOOD PRESS KIT
Your press kit can make you or break you. Many record labels and members of the media receive hundreds of press kits daily of artists wanting an article written about them, a review, or a record deal. Remember when creating your press kit, it is just as important as a good demo, because if you do not take your press kit seriously then why should they take you seriously? Make your press kit interesting and to the point no one has time for a biography the size of a book or a lot of information that is not needed. We will give you the basics and some extra’s as well as tips for creating your press kit.
8×10 Photos:
Your press kit should contain at least one with a maximum of three, 8×10 photos, preferably one in color and one in black and white. These photos should be printed on glossy photo paper at a high quality. Many media sources will scan directly from the photo to put in their magazine, etc while some will call or email for photos to be sent.
Biography:
The biography should be attention catching and informative but no one is interesting enough for an A&R or writer of a magazine to spend time reading three to four pages. Keep your biography to one to two pages maximum.
Demo/Album:
This is an essential part of your press kit. If an album you should include one copy of the album, if demo please include three tracks minimum and five maximum with your best cut first. On the demo you should include you bands name and contact information.
Contact Information:
Now you might be wondering why we would put this but you would be surprised how many demo’s and press kits are sent without any contact information or the information is very hard to find. When you send out your press kit make sure you provide contact information on each piece in it (CD, Biography, Photo, etc.).
* Envelope:
With a stack of 100 envelopes on a desk you want to make sure yours stands out. With stickers from your band on the back or front or just making it professional is a chance that yours might not get thrown away with the rest of the brown envelopes written on by a sharpie.
*Press Clippings:
If you have already obtained press you should include a few copies of the clippings in with your press kit, including features, good reviews, and whatever else you might have that was positive press. The larger the press you were featured in the more likely you will get a call back and be taken more seriously.

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