Jam Sessions * Makin' Trax * Artists Features and more.
Blue Panther Media presents...
Jam Sessions
Tru & Livin’
Jam Sessions the live music performance show brought to you by Blue Panther Media opens episode 1 with a performance by the Hip Hop group Tru & Livin’ recorded live at Four Eyes Studio in Beaumont, Texas. Artists Grizzileo Tha Great, and QB Tha Playground Legend are masterful on the mic laying down two classic original tracks “Underground 409” and “Still Do It”. The video was filmed and directed by the one and only Pantha Tha Tractitioner.
Conversations
H.E.R. Talks Black Music Icons & Cooks Authentic Filipino Dishes
It’s already been a solid year for rising R&B star H.E.R., who just came off five Grammy nominations for her 2019 release, I Used to Know Her. Now, she’s celebrating Black History Month with Google by reflecting on her upbringing in a Black and Filipino household and its effect on her career. She linked up with Genius’ Rob Markman at Filipino restaurant Kabayan Authentic in Queens, NYC, for an in-depth conversation
The Lab
Rapping, deconstructed: The best rhymers of all time
Here’s how some of the greatest rappers make rhymes.
From the simple nursery rhyme–like bars of Kurtis Blow’s “The Breaks” to the smooth East Coast flow of Notorious B.I.G.’s hit song “Hypnotize” to the speedy delivery of Kendrick Lamar’s “Rigamortis,” rhyming in rap music has not only evolved, it’s gotten better. The video above explores how some of the greatest rappers of all time create memorable, lyrically dense rhymes.
Killed It
The O’Jays perform Stairway To Heaven
PhillySound on Soul Train presents: “Stairway to Heaven” by The O’Jays the Philadelphia International Records artists. You expect artists to get up on Soul Train and just lip synch their hits for the kiddies, grab the cash and ghost. But the O’Jays absolutely “Kill It,” leaving no doubt why they are legendary.
Then & Now (September 1973/2023)
Covers
Because
In the early hours of February 4, 1999, an unarmed 23-year-old Guinean student named Amadou Diallo (born September 2, 1975) was fired upon with 41 rounds and shot a total of 19 times by four New York City Police Department plainclothes officers. Carroll later claimed to have mistaken him for a rape suspect from one year earlier.
The four officers, who were part of the now-defunct Street Crime Unit were charged with second-degree murder and acquitted at trial. A firestorm of controversy erupted after the event. Springsteen wrote the song “41 Shots” BECAUSE of the incident and received death threats from police who warned him not to perform it. He did and the rest is history.
Showcase
Samara Joy
With her upcoming Verve Records debut, Linger Awhile, 22-year-old Samara Joy makes her case to join the likes of Sarah, Ella, and Billie as the next mononymous jazz singing sensation recorded by the venerable label. Her voice, rich and velvety yet precociously refined, has already earned her fans like Anita Baker and Regina King, appearances on the TODAY Show and millions of likes on TikTok — cementing her status as perhaps the first Gen Z jazz singing star. On Linger Awhile, Samara will introduce that massive audience to a slew of classic standards several times older than she is through her timeless, irresistible sound. The world was introduced to the smooth sounds of Samara Joy at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards when she took home two Grammys, including the highly coveted Best New Artist. She released her self-titled new album, “Samara Joy,” in 2021. But it was her sophomore album, “Linger Awhile,” released a year later that got her two Grammy wins, for Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album.
