Another music update is here…………Hello!

Shouts to my man, THE man, Jay-Z, who is the subject of Zach O’Malley Greenburg’s newest book, Empire State of Mind- How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner To Corner Office, released earlier this month.



The book sheds some new light on Jay-Z, revealing many things that fans probably could not have known otherwise. HipHopDX compiled a list of 10 facts from the book that were new Jay Z knowledge, acknowledging that there are many more in the book.

A few of those 10 are below:

4. During his Def Jam presidency, Jay-Z helped collaborators The Roots clear a Radiohead sample, just hours before the clearance had to be made. Jay accomplished this through his direct relationship with the British band.

7. Jay-Z invested in Carol's Daughter, a cosmetics line. While we hear about various Jay backings, this one slipped under the Hip Hop radar.

8. Jason Kidd was the first person that suggested to Jay-Z that he explore New Jersey Nets ownership. Count it.

Nice! When you finish reading Decoded, this should definitely be your next stop!




Congratulations as well to Drake!

It has been announced that the talented HipHop/R&B artist will receive the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame Hal David Starlight Award, given out to artists “who have impacted the music industry to some capacity with their songwriting”.

In addition to writing his own songs, Drake has written for Lil Wayne as well as Jamie Foxx, Alicia Keys, and Rihanna.

The 42nd annual awards ceremony will be held on June 16 at New York’s Marriott Marquis Hotel.




Janet Jackson was photographed promoting her new self-help book, True You: A Guide to Finding and Loving Yourself, earlier this week in New York City. The book was released on February 15, 2011 and topped the New York Times Bestseller List earlier this month.

In the book Janet spekas on her fluctuating weight and self-image issues, and uses her experience to help others.

Switching gears now to Japan…………….



The music industry's response to scenes like these is always an uplifting one, and Japan’s case is no different, thankfully.

Sony Entertainment Music, EMI Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group have all come together to create an all-star album to help raise money for Japan. The compilation will have 38 songs, and went on sale this Friday for $9.99, with ALL proceeds going to the Japanese Red Cross Society.

Click here for the official tracklisting......

You can buy it on Itunes, with a physical CD release to come out early next month.
And I will see you all next week!!!!

Video

Moving to entertainment, on Monday night Dancing with the Stars contestant Petra Nemcova dedicated her first dance to the victims of Japan and everyone affected by the situation there. The foxtrot that she performed received a score of only 18/30, but its significance was much more. While practicing for the season premiere, Petra learned of the Japan earthquake and tsunami and, as a victim of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, was especially touched, finding it hard to continue practicing.

A video of her performance and the tough road leading up to it is below:

She stated in an interview that “There are many stories of hope and loved ones being found”, and encouraged the people of Japan not to lose hope. Her performance was well received by the crowd.

This HOT chick……….no, excuse me, BEAUTIFUL WOMAN, otherwise known as Petra Nemcova, on Monday dedicated her first performance on the new season of Dancing with the Stars to the people and victims of Japan.

Big ups to her for doing that, even though her dance received only an 18/30. Where’s the heart of the judges?!?!? Harsh critics.

Petra was actually rehearsing her foxtrot for Monday’s show on March 11^th when she first heard news of the Tsunami.

"My heart was breaking knowing what people in Japan are going through, and I would like to dedicate this foxtrot to every person who has been suffering in Japan and every person who has been impacted by this tragedy" she said, adding that it was hard to focus on dancing when there was so much suffering in the country (Digital Spy Television).

A slideshow of pictures from her performance and some practice shots is below:

Petra has a special connection to what is currently happening in Japan, as she was vacationing in Thailand when a tsunami hit there in 2004, breaking her pelvis bone in 4 places and losing her fiancé, as she described on the show Monday night.

I, personally, loved the dance and song. Very smooth, elegant, and with special minute.

Pray for Japan!

Below are a few other forms of this story laid out for my class…………

A Survivor’s Tribute

In wake of the disastrous that struck Japan (and therefore the world) on March 11, 2011, Czech Republic supermodel Petra Nemcova on Monday dedicated her first routine on the new season of Dancing with the Stars to all of the victims and people of Japan, and everyone affected by what happened there.

The performance was a fox-trot dance to the tune of Nora Jones’ “Don’t Know Why I Didn’t Come”, and despite the special dedication of the song, she received only a 18/30, which placed her behind the likes of Chelsea Kane, Hines Ward, Romeo, Ralph Macchio, Chris Jericho, and Kirstie Alley, who all received higher scores.

Petra’s explained on the episode which aired Monday, March 21^st that she was rehearsing the foxtrot for the season opener when she heard news of the Earthquake and Tsunami. She was immediately devastated and the episode shows footage of her crying and struggling throughout her practice.

“My heart was breaking knowing what people in Japan are going through. I would like to dedicate this foxtrot to every person who has been suffering in Japan and every person who has been impacted by this tragedy."

Petra has a personal connection to this tragedy, as she was a victim in the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami that rocked Thailand, Sri Lanka and parts of India and Indonesia. Petra was on vacation with her then fiancé Simon Atlee in Thailand just one day after Christmas when the deadly wave hit, killing Petra’s fiancé, who drowned, and nearly killing her. She held on to the top of the palm tree for 8 hours to avoid drowning, but in the course of that time had her pelvis bone broken 4 times as a result of debris that was flying through the air and the sheer force and power of the water.

When speaking of the Tsunami on Good Morning America in 2005, she described part of her experience this way:

"In that moment, the power of the water was bringing all the fallen trees, all the broken buildings and all the wood. It was such a strong current, you couldn't do anything. You just had to go with it. Just water rolling and rolling, and when you close your eyes, just water. I couldn't move my legs, I couldn't do anything. I wished I could help. There were so many people with horrible injuries, with blood everywhere. It was like a war movie. There might be pieces of bone stuck to my organs."

A terrible story to have to tell, and one not unlike that which some people recovering in Japan unfortunately have.

The 9.0 earthquake that took place in Japan on March 11, 2011, was then followed by a Tsunami minutes later that caused waves up to 23.6 meters tall to crash onto Japan’s homeland, with the epicenter being just east of the Oshika Peninsula of Tohoku, Japan.

The disaster has claimed more than 10,000 lives, and left thousands more injured and without homes or water or electricity.

Petra believes yet and still in the people though:

"One thing is true - don't give up. There are many stories of hope and loved ones being found… One thing which I have seen personally amongst the disasters is that there is so much unconditional love with people being willing to sacrifice their own lives for others."

Disasters bring out the best in all of us for the most part, and we can only hope that in the midst of this tragedy that the trend continues.

Radio

On Monday, Petra Nemcova, a Czech Republic supermodel who lost her husband and broke her pelvis during Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004, dedicated her first routine for the new season of Dancing with the Stars to the people and victims of Japan in wake of their recent Earthquake and Tsunami.