Heather Faison

(PHOTO CREDIT: LaVan Anderson)

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Published: Phrequency.com

D’Angelo was supposed to be the star. The oiled down, chiseled singer was crowned the king of neo-soul while a little-known Anthony Hamilton sang background on his 2000 Voodoo tour. Yet even in the shadows, Hamilton’s earthy vocals were undeniable and gave him staying power, while today conversations of his former mentor start with, “What ever happened to…”

With a Grammy for his duet with R&B legend Al Green, a devoted fanbase, and his latest album debuting No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, Hamilton is headlining his own “Playin’ it Cool” tour with Musiq Soulchild and Chrisette Michele.

“Me and Musiq had done shows together before and it was a great turn out so we just felt good about it and we felt like with Chrisette Michele being a lady – as classy as she is – that would bring a nice something to it,” explained Hamilton, who will make a stop at Tower Theater in Upper Darby Tuesday. “I’m the older guy but we all just have a mutual respect for one another.”

With the storytelling chops of Bill Withers, Hamilton’s music causes you to listen with all five senses – from his mama falling asleep in her work clothes in “Mama Knew Love” to the “Cornbread, Fish and Collard Greens” that were a staple growing up in his native North Carolina.

His latest album, “Point of It All” features production from Philly songwriter James Poyser and Amy Winehouse partner Salaam Remi. The result: A throwback sound suited for modern sensibilities.

Hamilton says he’s already finished about a dozen tracks for his next album – slated for an early 2010 release – and is mixing up his sound, experimenting with blues, rock and even country. A sonic gamble he says his fans will embrace.

“Musically, the Grammy was a nice notch on my belt to allow other people to see your talent. It feels good to have it but it feels good to have a fanbase. So I guess I’m growing and I feel like I’m solid in my space,” said Hamilton in his southern drawl. “I’m still putting songs that I love and songs that speak to me on the album.”

For “Point of It All,” Hamilton – whose collaborations include country star John Rich, Keyshia Cole, Young Jeezy and Santana – trimmed the guests to rapper David Banner for the single “Cool.”

At the top of his guest appearance wish list is B.B. King, says Hamilton, and if he could hop into a time machine “I would have loved to work with Marvin Gaye and Nat King Cole. … We would have done something different.”

As for his definition of “cool,” the laid-back soul singer says: “Cool is comfort; being comfortable in whatever space you’re in. Cool is the ability to handle situations under pressure and make the best of it.”

Written by Heather Faison
Thursday, April 16, 2009

Published: The Philadelphia Tribune

Outside The University of the Arts, irate pedestrians struggled with oversized umbrellas, losing the battle against the cruel winds and rain, while students, artists and admirers of poet Sonia Sanchez struggled to keep their composure inside the Center City performing arts hub.

Sanchez choked back tears after reading from her seminal work “Does Your House Have Lions?” a moving narrative on the turbulent relationship between her family and her brother, who died of AIDS in the early ’90s.

As she spoke, her memories tumbled into each other: rescuing her brother from New York City bars, her being locked in a closet by her stepmother and making peace with her father before his last breath.

Audience members quickly wiped tears from the corners of their eyes at Wednesday’s UArts sponsored discussion.

Faculty and students of the school are bringing the 1998 account of her brother’s struggle with sexuality, alienation from his family and eventual reconciliation to the stage Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Merriam Theater.

“It’s always a joy to see it staged, to see people acting, to give some words to the actor,” said Sanchez during an interview with the Tribune prior to her UArts appearance. “And to see them perform is like something else, I mean it’s like amazing to see that kind of talent up on stage. I look forward to seeing it because it’s like an urban opera.”

A poet, author and playwright, Sanchez has affected the literary world with her blunt social commentary on race discrimination and sexism. On stage she is a force; her spoken word performance is an unpredictable mix of John Coltrane, Black vernacular and ancestral chanting.

But in person, Sanchez is warm. She addresses strangers as “my dear sister” and “my brother,” instantly adopting them into her family. With her loosely locked grey hair wrapped in Kente cloth, Sanchez is the epitome of the wise grandmother, always two steps ahead. Read the rest of this entry »

The Philadelphia Tribune

Published: Friday, March 27, 2009

Bow Wow just can’t seem to shake his teenybopper image. Even after dropping the ubiquitous “lil’” from his name and scalping his cornrows, his fan base is still largely the “106 & Park” crowd that first saw him as a hazel-eyed kid Crip-walking in oversized jeans.

On the diminutive rapper’s upcoming release “New Jack City Part 2,” he aims to change this perception with a glaring parental advisory sticker — a first on any Bow Wow album. Now guest stars like T.I., Nelly and T-Pain can spew profanities without caution.

“A lot of times when I get these guys to get on the album, I always gotta censor out stuff. I feel like I’m cheating my fans because my fans are T.I. fans and Lil’ Wayne fans,” says Bow Wow, who celebrated his 22nd birthday this month. “This album, I wanted to take a leap and let them come on and approach my album in the same way they would approach their own.”

Slumped down in the chair with a black windbreaker pulled over his red New Era cap, Bow Wow took a quick break Monday on the promo tour for his seventh release, before heading to Haverford High School to greet a mob of screaming students.

For these listeners, the rapper will release two edited versions of “New Jack” next Tuesday, with bonus tracks.

“When I go to the studio, I don’t feel like, ‘Oh, I have to make this record for the kids’ or ‘I have to make this one for the adults.’ I go to the studio and just do what comes naturally.”

Bow Wow’s boisterous raps usually revolve around big money (“under 21 with a black card”), big cars (“something like a NASCAR”) and “Big Girls.”

“New Jack” is much of the same, except more curse words and sexual references (“Pole In My Basement”). In “Been Doin’ This,” Bow Wow is angling more aggressively for respect from his peers and critics.

“If you wanna claim to be the king of the teen era or whatever it is, you gotta put in more work. Until you’ve done that then you’re not considered that thing. I don’t care if you dropped one album and you make the kids go crazy,” says the rapper, who was discovered by Snoop Dogg at age 5.

“You gotta do eight arena tours, sell out the Garden (Madison Square Garden) seven times,” he challenged. Bow Wow headlined the wildly successful “Scream” tours, with singers Chris Brown and Omarion.

Mentor and So So Def CEO Jermaine Dupri re-connects with his protégé as executive producer. The two have knocked heads over creative differences on previous projects. Dupri opted out of Bow Wow’s “Face-Off” collaboration with Omarion, which received limp radio-play.

“He knows me. He knows my work. He knows the type of records that are right for me, the type of records that’s wrong for me. He’s the only person who can give me that formula,” says Bow Wow, who shared his admiration for Dupri on “Rock The Mic.”

Recent moves in his career have signaled a shift in ambition from the rap stage to Hollywood. In his role on the HBO series “Entourage,” Bow Wow, born Shad Moss, plays a hot-tempered, up-and-coming comedian. The “Roll Bounce” star told fans on his YouTube channel that “New Jack” might be his last album.

“I only have one more album contractually with Columbia Records — no telling what I’ll do with that. At this time, I feel like with 17 years of nonstop music … I gotta show Hollywood and dedicate my time to them just as much as I did with the music game.”

When the conversation turned to his role in the upcoming film “Hurricane Season,” Bow Wow straightened his posture and flashed his hallmark smile. The budding actor joins Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson and Isaiah Washington in the movie based on the true story of a Louisiana coach (Whitaker) who leads his team to a state championship a year after Hurricane Katrina left the state in ruins.

“I play a character named Gary. And basically, I’m the point guard and I’m like the rock and soul of the team. I’m the more serious guy on the team, believe it or not, keeping everybody together.”

The film, slated for release this summer, captures the tension between the students displaced by Katrina. “A lot of the kids went down to Atlanta and Houston; a lot of them didn’t get along and we actually relived those situations in the movie,” including a fight scene where Bow Wow’s character gets his nose broken after a run-in with some kids from Houston.

After working with Whitaker, Bow Wow says his eyes are set on an Oscar. He may sound more like a young Denzel than the next Jay-Z, but his competitive attitude is strictly hip-hop. “First day on the set, you met each other — hello, how you doing? — But after that, I’m tryna outshine everybody on camera.”