'Almost Famous' — Charlotte a hit

It wasn’t too long ago that a young Atlanta, Ga., artist named B.o.B. used the ‘Almost Famous’ stage to help create a buzz that would soon overwhelm much of the U.S.

How ironic the day he dropped “The Adventures of Bobby Ray,” his first studio album under Grand Hustle Records, a new pack of hungry artists would attempt to use a similar route to their musical dreams.

Using Charlotte’s Bentley’s R.S.V.P. as their proposed launching point, several acts from the Carolinas and Virginia were given center stage to highlight their talents during ‘Almost Famous: Charlotte.’

Since 2004, ‘Almost Famous’ has been used as an avenue for emerging artists to prove themselves. It has been a place where the likes of B

.o.B., Myko Willie Joe and others took their initial steps toward stardom, using arguably Atlanta’s most celebrated artist showcase to do so.

Acts including B-Stacks, Tay-Tay, The Plug, Mica Swain, Derty Den, Maui, the Transfers, King Carter and Moe Diamondz did their part to further the legacy of the event, which hopefully will serve as a catapult to their landing lucrative major label deals.

In addition, “The Carolina King” DJ Chuck T was awarded the 2010 DJ of the Year award for his contributions to the music scene in the Carolinas as well as other portions of the country.

Sponsors for the event were Power 98 FM (Charlotte), Rolling Out, Creative Loafing, Port City Production, Publicity Stunt Marketing, Shebloggin.com, Truth DVD, Crowes Nest TV and Greenhitz.com.

‘Almost Famous’ was a production of Verseus Entertainment.

More pictures will be released soon... be sure to check for updates on Twitter... @thejournalist44

Skeptik Using "The Combine" As Personal Hip-Hop Breeding Ground

It's a place where names become known and millions of dollars made.
Now the combine is being used as a launching point for an Ohio hip-hop artist to present himself and his brand of music to a mass audience.
Skeptik's "The Combine" was released for the world's listening pleasure April 22. A 14-track mixtape mixed and mastered by Philadelphia's DJ GetEmKid, the talent believes the production is more of a showcase of his skills, letting listeners know what to expect from him when the lights shine brightest — or when it comes time to produce an album.
"'The Combine' is an idea I came up with a couple of months ago when I decided to do a mixtape," Skeptik said. "For those who don't know what the NFL Combine is, it is an event where the premier draft prospects run drills and skill tests for scouts to see if they want to draft them. These kinds of drills show skills but don't always accurately predict game-time performance.
"I view mixtapes in the same light; they may show off your skills but don't always project album quality. My free-verses are the same, showing I can rap my ass off but still are not an accurate indicator of what my album will sound like."
According to Skeptik, listeners will notice few changes from him, receiving the same sharp, direct flow and style that has become a staple in his music. "Not many surprises other than the fact that I've gotten A LOT better since my last mixtape (NoId3ntity). More of the same in the sense that its mixtape material and im just spittin, but my flow is tighter and my bars are tougher."
For the Columbus, Ohio, - based emcee, such toughness was wrought from hip-hop beginning as a release rather than a hobby as he struggled with behavioral issues in middle school.
"When I first started writing, it was poetry as a release," Skeptik said. "Throughout middle school I struggled with behavior issues and what not and I was always in trouble or on punishment. As a result I spent a lot of time in the house, I used that time to write and get shit off my chest."
Using every bar as a means to vent his emotions, the artist takes his turn rapping over hits like Drake's "Over" and Clipse's "Champion," adding a twist Skeptik said often is missing in today's music.
"Today there isn't much as far as hip-hop is concerned that inspires me; I draw inspiration from my life and my own beliefs and feelings and I channel them through my words," Skeptik said. "It's mainly because I'm in a place in life where the current "rap" music just doesnt cut it.
"I listen to music as a way to regulate my mood and to relax. None of this bullshit ass, popular ass rap music can do that for me. Dont get me wrong — I still bump some classics and a lot of Joe Budden — but as a whole, I listen to FAR more rock and alternative music on a daily basis."
With "The Combine" now released for everyone's entertainment, Skeptik is already looking ahead to his next project which he has entitled "Loose Leaf." The mixtape is expected to drop later this Spring.
"It's going to be like 'The Combine' but it will be more concept based 32's to help bridge the gap toward the album, which I'm looking to finish and release by late summer," the hip-hop talent said. "The album will be a crystal clear window into me and who I am, which is what I think music should be.
"Fuck a gimmick to sell records. Either you love me or you hate me... but it will be ME that you are judging."
To download "The Combine," visit: http://areyouaskeptik.com

To get in contact with Skeptik visit his Twitter page at @DontBeASkeptik

Almost Famous Showcase hits Charlotte 4-27

Several talents have used this show as a means to their dreams of making it big in the music industry. Hopefully these groups can use the stage at Almost Famous to take their careers to the next level.
Thanks to Mehka and the rest of the Invisible Man Management team for putting this show on. Charlotte, it's your time to shine! Follow Mehka on Twitter @Mehkavelli for further info on this event.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Mehka, invisiblemanmgmt@gmail.com

Charlotte NC will be the focal point of the music world April 27th 2010 when the Almost Famous Showcase hits the city! Already Atlanta's most celebrated artist showcase, the Almost Famous brand will take its show on the road this April landing in Charlotte. In the past then up and coming artists like B.o.B, Myko, Willie Joe and others have graced the stage for the Almost Famous. April 27th the legacy will extend to the Carolinas.
The show goes down at Bentleys RSVP in Charlotte North Carolina. B-Stacks, Tay-Tay, The Plug, Mica Swain, Derty Den, Maui, The Transfers, King Carter and Moe Diamondz will hit the stage in hopes of extending the great legacy of the Almost Famous.
Since July 2004, Almost Famous has established itself as the premiere talent showcase for exceptional emerging artists. To truly honor what the legacy has come to represent, the show will feature an awards ceremony and performances by alumni of the AF stage who have gone on to land lucrative major label deals.
Included on the roster of performers for the evening are Konvict Music/Interscope recording artist Rock City, new Sho’Nuff/Capitol signee Willie Joe, and Rebel Rock/Atlantic recording artist BOB.
Almost Famous Showcase-Charlotte will be held at Bentleys RSVP 305 w. 4th Street, Charlotte North Carolina hosted by "The Carolina King" Dj Chuck T and Power 98 personality A-Dot.

Burnside up to a lot of "Myschif"

Local talent Ryon "Myschif" Burnside (left) performs the song "Is It You?" along with fellow Winthrop University alumnus John "Dice" Ross during a recent performance at Apostrophe Lounge in Charlotte, N.C., one of several performances leading up to the release of his latest album, which is expected to drop this month.

By JOE L. HUGHES II
The Gaffney Ledger

Success is usually a long, winding process, reaping bountifully for those patient enough to wait on the "perfect" opportunity.
It has been more than 20 years since Blacksburg native Ryon Burnside met his first love; not in the form of a woman, but in a certain form of music — hip-hop.
"(Hip-hop) has been part of my life since I was seven years old," Burnside said. "It has always been a love of mine, I simply love to make music."
A true student of the music genre, he often listened to the likes of 2Pac, Kool G Rap and Jay-Z, paying them close attention in hope of instituting some of their ingredients into his own work.
Now Burnside is getting the opportunity to make his own impact.
Standing silently in the shadows until it was his turn to take the stage, Burnside — performing under the rap name "Myschif" — gently whispers a few words to a friend of his accompanying him to Charlotte's Apostrophe Lounge a few weeks ago.
"I've been doing quite a few performances lately trying to gauge the buzz in the streets; It's time to take this thing over," Burnside said. "People are in for a rude awakening."
A breath of fresh air may be better used to describe the local native's performance as he makes rounds promoting his SuperNova Records debut expected to be released this month.
Living in Rock Hill since graduating from Winthrop University several years ago, Burnside introduced himself to the Carolinas' music scene through his 2007 album named "Prophecy Fulfilled." During the project, he worked with artists from as far away as California and Puerto Rico, in addition to fellow Palmetto State talent Rudy Currence, who was recently signed to Disturbing Tha Peace Records.
"I wanted to make people think when they listen to my music," Burnside said. "Right now, music has no content and is teaching very little to our youth. But I go to the heart of the matter, taking thoughts and feelings from my inner being in hope that I can translate there are a number of ways to be successful rather than hustling.
"There are pros and cons to hustling. In my case, I was able to find out about the life, make changes and begin again."
The Blacksburg native used a similar concept as he worked on his second album, using lessons learned from his upcoming project which has yet to be titled.
"What I am trying to show in this album is that I'm growing first as a man, as well as an artist," Burnside said. "Since my first project I have become more wise, a bit more mature. Hopefully my audience can see this in my music."
Burnside recently released the lead single for the project, entitled "Fly It Out." The untitled album is expected to include collaborations with fellow SuperNova Records artists Overflow, Marioso and Uno, in addition to fellow Winthrop University alum John "Dice" Ross, who came together with Burnside to create the song "Is It You?"
"(Burnside) is definitely trying to make a name for himself; he's always working trying to see what ways he can get better," Burnside's label mate Overflow said. "I'm definitely eager for what the future holds."

Don't Like 'Em... But They Earned It

Who knew pleasure could turn to pain so quickly?
In the aftermath of last April’s Final Four, one team – my North Carolina Tar Heels – stood head and shoulders above the rest of the college basketball world as national champions.
The Tar Heels had taken fans like myself on quite a roller coaster during the four-year stretch since the school last won an NCAA title in 2005. As a matter of fact, I can tell you exactly where I was for each of the program’s last four losses during March Madness to the likes of George Mason, Georgetown and Kansas, respectively.
However, looking on as the final seconds ticked off the clock in Detroit last year, all I could do was give a slight pump of the fist, happy at what the team had accomplished but also wary of what could happen the next year.
With the likes of Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington making the jump to pro ball, the thought of the uncertainty frightened me.
Little did I know 12 calendar months later my deepest fears in regard to college basketball would come to fruition.
Of course, this year’s band of Tar Heels was not expected to be as good as the national title-winning team preceding it. But who would have known the program would not even make the tournament to defend the crown it worked so hard for less than 365 days before?
Meanwhile, rival Duke was putting together a season for the books, though it was anything but expected. Be truthful, who figured the Blue Devils would be playing in the Final Four as the clock struck midnight, ringing in 2010?
I sure didn’t.
After all, this was the same team that had its toughness questioned following last season’s beatdown at the hands of Big East Conference powerhouse Villanova.
It had been nine years since Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski had taken his team back to college basketball’s promised land, led by the likes of future NBA talents Shane Battier, Chris Duhon, Mike Dunleavy and Jay Williams.
The legendary coach had not taken the program past the tournament’s round of 16 since 2004, the year Krzyzewski led the Blue Devils to the Final Four, losing to eventual national champion Connecticut.
No doubt, as the title drought continued, questions began to linger as to how long the coach would remain on the sideline at Durham, constantly rumored to be taking an NBA coaching job.
Instead the man nicknamed “Coach K” stayed; and for that he and his program were rewarded with a championship.
Let’s not get anything twisted; the thought of the Duke Blue Devils makes my stomach turn. But I have always had a measure of respect for Krzyzewski’s abilities as a coach and father figure to his players.
Through the years, no coach has done more with less than “Coach K,” taking teams laden with sub-par talent and turning them into a cohesive unit able to take on all comers. He also was an intricate part of their time at Duke, yielding lessons able to be used later in life.
To me, that’s what a coach is supposed to be. More than X’s and O’s, wins and losses; but someone who cares about what his players give on and off the court.
Without a doubt, I applaud Krzyzewski and his team for the victory, it was definitely well deserved.
I do find it rather hilarious that a great many March Madness enthusiasts (not necessarily college basketball fans) loathe the success of the program.
Sure, fans of Duke’s Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) rivals get a pass, why would they root for the Blue Devils? But with the school’s success on the hardwood this season, I decided to take a vested interest into why it is one of the most hated in sports.
Is it the fact the school is a perennial power? Possibly. Could it be the fact it is an established institution of higher learning? Maybe. Or could it be the “Cameron Crazies“ that fill Cameron Indoor Stadium for every Blue Devils’ basketball are that annoying?
Two of those are debatable, like the host of other questions I formulated trying to find an answer as to why an estimated (according to me, that is) 95 percent of sports fans loathe Duke. The last question, though “Dookies’ will not agree, is a fact.
A great many of my friends happen to be Duke fans, so I at least wanted to see exactly why people hate them so much. Looks like I have wound up with more questions than concrete answers.
Unfortunately, the Blue Devils took the college basketball world to hell in a hand basket for me with their national title game win. Hopefully, my North Carolina team can restore the universe back to its proper alignment, turning this purgatory I currently feel into a Carolina Blue Heaven.

I've got a feeling about this game...

Just like a breeze in the wind, the football season has again drifted by all too quickly.
It seems just only yesterday that me and a couple of buddies were giving predictions in August about the upcoming season, in each case hoping the best for our teams and the worst for rival football squads.
Beginning in the heat of summer, coaches and players endure sweltering temperatures that cause most of us to flee inside for shelter under the air condition unit. There is not a wasted moment during these sessions, used to drill players of their roles within the team's general scheme.
It is at these times, when the lights are a bit dim and few are watching that the game's best look over hours worth of game film and repetition in an effort to give their best when the eyes of millions are focused on their every movement.
For the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, players on both teams have waited an entire season and for that matter their lives for the opportunity to proclaim with teammates they are undoubtedly the best in their profession. Both spending most of the season without a loss to their name, this Sunday should be a day many of us should remember.
However, the lead-up to one of our nation's unofficial holidays has been anything but eventful. Well, maybe a part such disappointment could be the fact my team is not involved in the festivities that has me a bit down for this year's game?
After a bit of soul searching, that was not the reason for my "Super Bowl blues." In year's past, including last year's epic game between Pittsburgh and Arizona, the allure of the game was something that kept me from doing much of anything.
Much of the week leading up to the game was spent checking out game Web sites, the opinions of experts, and sometimes even seeing what was going on in the host city just in case I needed a mental retreat and decided to make the drive to what for a few days is the world's biggest party.
There has been little of that this week, with my need for coverage of the game limited to the rare few times I'm in front of the television set. The thought of driving to Miami to partake in this year's festivities even proves to be draining, me still having bad memories of driving there a few years ago (...what a boring trip!).
However, the last time I had a feeling like this was in 1999, as the John Elway and the Denver Broncos prepared to face the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII in of all ironies, the site of this year's game, Sun Life Stadium in Miami.
Making it back to football's grandest stage for the second year in a row, the Broncos were forced to earn their way to the Super Bowl, overcoming a second half deficit to defeat the Jets. Though winning his first title only 365 days earlier, Elway was looking to join the NFL's list of quarterbacks to lead their teams to multiple championship rings, an elite fraternity consisting of only seven at the time.
Opposing the Broncos on that day was Atlanta, which after years of inferiority were finally able to test its mettle against the NFL's best. Unexpected to make a Super Bowl run prior to the season, the Falcons rode the wings of a 13-3 record to the playoffs, defeating longtime rival San Francisco in the divisional round and getting more than a little bit of help to win the NFC title against Minnesota, which broke a number of records en route to a 15-1 mark, also a league best.
Atlanta, a city that never sleeps and sure knows how to party, was gearing up for a festival that would end days after the victory parade.
Nothing intrigued me about the Super Bowl matchup that year, for some reason feeling the game would not live up to all the hype being bestowed upon it. Sure enough, I was right.
Elway led the Broncos to a 34-19 dismantling of the Falcons, during which the future hall of famer would pass for 336 yards and a touchdown. He would run in another, capping off a magnificent career.
It may not be 1999, but history finds ways to repeat itself. If I'm correct, we're in for one boring Super Sunday.
Similar to Elway, momentum has been building that Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning belongs in the conversation as one of the best to ever play the game. Almost sure to hold every NFL passing record by the time his days on the gridiron are through, the only thing left for him to do is accomplish the feat of winning multiple Super Bowl titles.
Winning his first ring three years earlier in the same stadium as this year's event, Manning only needs a win to help cement his legacy as one of the game's elite, finding himself in a situation similar to Elway 11 years earlier.
In Manning's way stands the New Orleans Saints, who march into Miami for the chance at its first championship. Like their division rival Atlanta, the Saints struggled for years, one of the NFL's worst teams for a number of years.
Just a few years after Hurricane Katrina laid waste to New Orleans, the football team has been a much needed breath of fresh air for the city. Enjoying a 13-3 season that saw the Saints earn the NFC's top seed, the squad easily ran through Arizona before getting a lot of help from the Minnesota Vikings in the conference championship game to earn a shot at the Vince Lombardi Trophy on Sunday.
Should New Orleans come out of Miami victorious, the city's French Quarter will likely have a party the equivalent of 10 Mardi Gras'.
But if the wheels of time remain in sync, those watching the game on riverboats floating along the Mississippi River will leave a bit disappointed. Hopefully, my belief of how this game will end turns out wrong; after all, people didn't spend hundreds worth in dollars preparing for a lackluster Super Bowl.
Just don't be mad if this game does not wind up as hoped; after all you were warned.
By the way, my prediction is Colts, 31-20.

Without rain, there could not be a rainbow

(Published in The Gaffney Ledger Dec. 24, 2009)


R.I.P. Georgia Mae Robinson and Jordan Smith. Both of you made an impact on my life through your kindness and love for others.

The two of you will reside in my heart until I take my last breath.
I’m usually not one to listen to the superstitions of old that are rattled around by my mother-in-law, grandmother or other relatives.
For some reason Christmas Day last year was different. Fatigued from driving seemingly every stretch of highway in the Palmetto State, I slithered myself onto my mother-in-law’s couch, enjoying the company of friends and family.
The sun glistened as I attempted to take a brief nap, before the snooze alarm — also known as my wife — woke me up to ask — well, better yet, tell — me to perform some sort of task around the house.
However, it was my mother in-law who woke me up on this occasion, reminding us of a myth passed along to her from ancestors.
“Oh my goodness, it’s warm and the sun is shining brightly this Christmas,” she said. “When this happens the devil must be at work, the cemetery must be full of open graves.”
Throughout my life I’ve heard various superstitions, some foolish and many that have stuck with me for years. For example, don’t expect me to sit idle if you run a broom across my feet while trying to sweep the floor or split the pole — seriously, you’ll get either an evil look from me or be grossed out by what I will do next; just a warning.
Many times I take these superstitions with a grain of salt, like dust blown away in the winds of thought swirling in my brain. But for some reason, this one just wouldn’t go away.
In fact, it’s stuck with me throughout the year, hence my reason for writing this column.
In March, my wife’s grandmother passed away from Alzheimer’s Disease years after being diagnosed with the ailment. The pain of her loss still stings to this day, wondering sometimes at family gatherings when she was going to poke her face around the corner and say something we would all laugh about days later.
Little did I know this would be the beginning of sorrows for not only me, but Cherokee County and the world, losing one person after another in 2009.
No doubt, death is something we all will experience, and at some point each of us must deal with the loss of a loved one. But 2009 seemed like a torrential downpour, knocking all of us to our knees and revealing to us that we are mortal, consisting merely of flesh and bone.
Many of us locked our doors this summer, afraid to wander too far from our homes and businesses as 41- year-old Patrick Burris went on a killing spree that took the lives of five people: Kline Cash, Hazel Linder, Gena Linder Parker, and Stephen and Abby Tyler.
Shortly after we were able to dry up our tears from our neighbors’ lives being snatched from them all too soon, we would again mourn the loss of another of our own, Marine Lance. Cpl. Chris Fowlkes, killed in Afghanistan while fighting for the freedoms all of us enjoy.
Many others were lost this year, some of the names we know, others who were complete strangers.
Working here at The Gaffney Ledger, my peers and I rotate weekends hoping to keep a close eye on everything happening in Cherokee County. Before leaving on Friday, at some point one of us will tell the other, “Hope things are quiet this weekend.”
Unfortunately, all too often we would arrive at the office and find out this community had lost another of its members — someone’s mother, father, brother, sister, neighbor or friend.
Similarly, we saw this in sports and entertainment, with the likes of Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Chris Henry, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, actor Alaina Reed Hall and a number of others.
The beat kept rolling for me as well, losing one of my college buddies in a horrific car crash. Lost at a time when everything was seemingly going right for him, it definitely was easy for me to look to God and ask “Why?”
In the aftermath of this summer’s killing spree, local Fellowship of Christian Athletes director Pierre Salmon said he felt a storm approaching, and pain would be on the way. Toward the end of the conversation, he told me that despite such loss, there would be so much more this community would gain.
Without rain, there could not be a rainbow. Though our tears are heavy and pain of losing a loved one persists, God encourages us to hold on, using Him as a source of strength even when it seems we have nothing to live for.
This year, the undertaker was too busy for my liking. Next year, let’s make his job difficult.
In 2010, use the memory of lost loved ones to motivate you to become a better person — not only in your eyes, but in those of other people.
In place of tears, lift your voices and enjoy every moment. Live life like today is your last day.

Joe L. Hughes II (joe@gaffneyledger.com) writes feature and enterprise stories for The Gaffney Ledger.