It's break time ya'll!!!

Hey everyone. So after that speed profile writing I did for the wonderful ladies of Perfect Attendance and Fadia Kader, I had to come to a stop. It killed me for a second, but it made me realize how much I love to lose sleep over writing, good music, and helping others become successful at what they love to do. So with that said, I need to take a massive, but not long, break from the blog to gather the new things I want to bring to my readers. The MSD Profiles really gave me a great spot to pursue interviewing more artists and getting more people out there. You will be able to download the playlists. I have some new staples that will be on the site like "Pole Trax", "Live and Direct", and more. I will be back in full force on January 18th! The release date of the SMKA Mixtape!!! Coming February 7th, MSD Profiles the lineup for the Bilal show on February 12th at Centerstage. I got some heat for ya'll. In the meantime, catch up on youe new year, check out former playlists, give me feedback on previous posts, and slide by my Twitter. I love ya'll and I know you love me. Peace.

MSD Profile - iYana

Historically black colleges and universities continue to produce talented African American students every decade. While many hip hop artists are not college educated and do not promote any type of education in their performance, Iyana tells it like it is with her Spelman college degree in the frame. “I recently graduated from Spelman College with an English degree,” she mentions. Her degree from a top women’s college gives her an outlet to do freelance editorials and playwright work, but still remain true to her passion and gift of words. And having that loner, stoner, rolling stone identity is what defines her musical expression. “That phrase is just a play on words. It is representative of my introverted nature that allows me space to create and express myself. Rolling stone is a representation of how I feel about my music. As I grow older I evolve, so does my music,” she begins. YaNi. Yana. Yan-Star. Blues babi. Brown eyed bandit. Rebel with applause. The wicked word wizard has many nicknames from her supporters and those in her circle, but gaining those Atlanta individuals to have her back entailed hard work through her live performances and networking. “I gained fans andsupporters in Atlanta by performing at Apache Cafe, Sugarhill, the 40 Watt, in the AUC, at Georgia State, Agnes Scott College, UGA, and coffee shops throughout the city. At Spelman I gained a name for myself as a hip hop/spoken word artist. The AUC had been a firm base of support in past years,” Iyana says. At the Perfect Attendance showcase this weekend, some audience members only expect to hear some good music and have some drinks; however, Iyana’s performance may be significant to the Jerry Springer show circa the late 90s. “On January 2nd, you can expect objects to fly in the air!” she exclaims. It is her initial involvement with Fadia Kader that came from her name being thrown in the air from several projects. “I’ve been in Atlanta for a while, from Spelman, I worked with Jaspects on their second album as well as their most recent album. In addition, a rapper named Small Eyez put me on his project “Vipassana.” The rest is sort of history.” And this history consists of many of the other Perfect Attendance performers. She’s freestyled with Corinne Stevie on a regular, Eva Kennedy has commended her on past performances, and Khaos Da Rapper cooked for her. “I’m very cool with Corinne Stevie, we've free styled a couple times at my house. Eva has seen me perform with Jaspects at Sugarhill in 2008. Khaos makes a mean turkey burger!” Iyana adds. Iyana’s activism through her music is admirable. Her work with The Promiscuity Project in Michigan was a presentation of safe sex and protecting one’s body through films and live performances. The project allowed for the performance of a track that has a deeper meaning than its name. “I loved being a part of this project because I was able to share my song "Rushin Roulette" as a form of activism. The song centers around using protection, men on the down low, and having children out of wedlock. In this song I speak to my listeners on several levels about the importance of knowing your status and forming healthy relationships,” she informs us. Things we can expect from Iyana in 2010 are an international tour and some filming. “I’m doing it on a whole other level. I will be in Holland and Czech Republic on my European tour entitled "The Peace Chronicles". I leave the states on January 19th. I am in the beginning stages of a mini-documentary that will be entitled "Love Lost:Stories of Unrequited Love and Loss". But what she can expect in 2010 is more recognition of her industry twin. “At least twice a day I am told I look like Erykah Badu,” she laughs but loves. Iyana believes Erykah Badu said it best, “Change is inevitable and the music I make is ever-changing.” Rushin' Roulette Iyana is on Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. So get to know her and check her out!

MSD Profiles - Lyric Jones

Every artist has those embarrassing facts about them that they hate to love but share with their fans and haters alike. Lyric Jones is just gonna say it. “I usually don’t tell many people this because it sounds bad but it’s really not,” she starts and it gets better. “I really didn’t start seriously writing rhymes until Lil’ Bow Wow. “And I was a little girl so I had a crush on him too. I used to rewrite his verses how a girl would say it. Of course I was better though. People were just not ready,” her up North accent takes over. And they’re still not ready for the makeover Lyric Jones is giving the industry. “When I was first getting into music and I decided that I really want to do this I was fourteen, fifteen years old. There was no real female representation then. As I got older I realized that it hasn’t changed. The hip hop community feels the same. Deep down we all want the Lauryn Hills back and Lil Kim back as a role model. That’s what I mean by makeover. Just bring it authentic. The industry is full of people who are not real.” The former Berklee School of Music student shows the real musicianship that she wants to see in the industry in everything she does. A jazz drummer, vocalist, and rapper, her knowledge of instrumentalism and lyricism lie mostly in her relationship with a Boston rapper and college credits. “Radar was a rapper I met when I was fifteen while dating a guy at Berklee. He’s taught me everything I know since then.” He convinced her to add Jones to her name, become an emcee, and become extremely knowledgeable about the industry she wants to change. “The City Music program is in the Berklee music program here in Boston. I started in my sophomore year in high school. I was fifteen around Berklee students that were twenty-one. These were my friends and they taught me a lot of what I know. I learned so much,” she explains. It’s her acquaintances with music and words that gets her compared to the same three talented emcees. “Queen Latifah. Lauryn Hill. MC Lyte. I can see me in Queen Latifah. She just said “Fuck it, I wanna do jazz!” and Queen is a role model. I can see Lauryn Hill too. She sings, she raps, the content. And MC Lyte has a great delivery,” Jones says. Vocally, her voice can remind you of Jill Scott, Anita Baker, and other soul favorites that she hopes to emulate. Simply knowing somebody through somebody put her on with the Perfect Attendance showcase indefinitely. “Twitter really helps. I’m following Fadia Kader was tweeting heavy during A3C and to SMKA. I know 808 Blake from SMKA through school at UGA. Daru, a good friend of mine from Berklee is in Brittany Bosco’s band. So I was familiar with Fadia through several people. Fort Knox may have put her up on me, but she called me three hours before the showcase photo shoot and that was it.” And keeping that buzz in Atlanta going is important to her cause at times it can be hard to keep a singing crowd and a rapping crowd entertained at the same time. “I was having a dilemma of how to engage my audiences. I have two different audiences. I have a super soul/r&b audience and a thorough boom back hip hop audience and of course the audience that will rock with me whatever. The shows I’m getting asked to do sometimes segregate my audiences. That’s why I like Perfect Attendance; I can do what I want.” In 2011, she’s gonna keep doing what she wants to make sure everyone continues to have a’ jones for lyrics’. The phrase that is a play on her name says more about her love for what she does and can do. “It has a meaning of my love for words, my love for playing with words. Either you’re gonna love my music or you’re gonna love me. And who wouldn’t love me I’m undeniable!” Until that year from now, no upcoming project is more important than her broadcast journalism degree from University of Georgia. “2010 is really blank slate. Everybody got these big plans. New decade, but in 2010, I’m just trying to graduate. I’m looking more forward to 2011.” But before 2011, you will hear some mixtapes and collaborations from lady Lyric that will bring a wow factor through your speakers. “I’m always looking for that wow factor. Stuff has to be inspiring, it can’t just be good. If I have the wow factor in the track, then I have the wow factor in the verse. Then I can get the “What did she just say?!” bring it back. She said bring it back. Sunshine Nothing Hindering Me More Jones for you at her Official website, MySpace Music Page, and Twitter.