Slowly but surely, the buzz surrounding Aloe Blacc grows.

The west coast singer with Panamanian roots gained some notoriety for his 2006 album, Shine Through, and also for his song “I Need A Dollar” which served as the theme song for the HBO series “How To Make It In America.”

In this video, Aloe tackles Michael Jackson’s classic “Billie Jean” and gives it an incredibly bluesy feel!

RELATED: HOT OR NOT: Aloe Blacc “I Need A Dollar” (Theme From “How To Make It In America”)

RELATED: The Urban Daily’s Guide To Michael Jackson’s Albums

VIA: NewsOne.com

On Saturday, we celebrate Juneteenth, the day 145 years ago when news finally made its way to Texas that slavery was no longer the law of the land. It was on June 19th 1865 that Union soldiers arrived at Galveston, Texas with word that the Civil War had ended and that enslaved Africans in the region were free.

This occurred two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation since the measure had little impact on Texas given a lack of Union troops in the area to enforce it until the 1865 surrender of the Confederacy.

While we celebrate this fascinating bit of history and the newfound freedom of our ancestors in Texas this weekend, we also should acknowledge the recent threats to such freedoms that risk throwing us all back to a darker time in our country’s past.

Let me explain. Way back in the 19th Century –prior to Juneteenth– down in Texas, people of color were stopped when traveling away from the plantation and told to produce their papers showing that they’d been given permission to move about. Even if they had the correct papers, they were commonly harassed by authorities.

Sadly, here in the year 2010 –in so-called ‘post racial America’– the state of Texas is currently considering taking Arizona’s lead and introducing legislation where Texas authorities can, once again, stop, potentially harass, and ask people of color for their papers.

And those of you who think these disturbing legal measures don’t pertain to us as black folk best think again.

Celebrate Juneteenth in Charlotte.

Thelonious Monk is considered one of the giants in American music.  He is the second most recorded jazz composer and regarded as the founder of bebop, style of jazz characterized by fast tempo, instrumental virtuosity and improvisation based on the combination of harmonic structure and melody.

John Coltrane is one of the best American jazz saxophonist and composers. He helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz, a style not defined by traditional jazz techniques.

What do the two have in common besides their love for jazz and notable accomplishments as it relates to the music?

Both are from North Carolina.

Monk was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He and his family moved to Manhattan when he was four.  John Coltrane on the other hand was born in Hamlet, North Carolina and spent most of his childhood in High Point.  He moved to Philadelphia at age sixteen.

North Carolina’s jazz roots don’t stop with these two.  There were others:

spent most of his childhood in High Point, NC, before moving to Philadelphia when he was sixteen.

And he’s from North Carolina. Monk was born on October 10 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and moved to Manhattan when he was four.

• Bebop pioneer Max Roach was born in Newland, North Carolina, but like Monk, moved with his family to New York City when he was four.
• Tal Farlow is considered one of the top players during the 1950s.  He was born in Greensboro.
• Hard-bop saxophonists Lou Donaldson and Tina Brooks are also from North Carolina.  Donaldson from Badin and Brooks from Fayetteville.
• Hard-bop trumpeter Woody Shaw was born in Larinburg, pianist Billy Taylor is from Greenville (NC); and bassist Percy Heath from Wilmington.
• South Carolinian Dizzy Gillespie grew up just over the state line and attended school at the Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina.
• Billy Strayhorn spent some of his summers in Hillsborough, NC with his grandparents.

MoShay LaRen of Philly’s 107.9 WRNB spoke with singer Raheem Devaughn at the Soul Beach Music Festival in Aruba to get some clarity on his alleged beef with Lyfe Jennings. He admits that he isn’t sure how everything escalated but reveals that the two R&B singers will actually be touring together in the near future.

“Message to all the artists out there, don’t be a pawn…”–Raheem Devaughn

VIA: TheUrbanDaily.com

Have you ever noticed that celebrities always have beef, but never actually fight? We have witnessed celebrities refer to their enemy as “ugly, homosexual, a Tae-Bo h*e, negro, rat,” and other unmentionable things but nothing too physical ever happens(unless your 50 Cent and get shot).

There are 3 moves that you need (yup- only 3) to be a master fighter in “celebrity land.” I’ll even break them down for you:

Move #1- The Drink Throw

You don’t need to know how to fight but you do need to know how to order water( anything else would just be ridiculous). Here’s what you do:

- Invite your enemy to a sit down brunch.
- When the waiter comes by, order two drinks, one to throw and one to actually drink (stay hydrated).
- Wait until you have gotten into a heated argument, then grasp the cup in your hand, aim, draw back, and release with force.

Read more.

Longtime Panther wider receiver Muhsin Muhammad announced his retirement from the NFL this afternoon at Bank of America Stadium.

“Even in the bad times, I had fun entertaining and serving this community,” Muhammad said during the press conference, according to news reports. “My fans have supported me here. This city, this state has supported me from the day I walked in the door. … It’s been a great ride.”

VIA: NewYorkTimes and NewsOne.com

A new study shows that more and more black men are marrying women of other races. In fact, more than 1 in 5 black men who wed (22 percent) married a nonblack woman in 2008. This compares with about 9 percent of black women, and represents a significant increase for black men — from 15.7 percent in 2000 and 7.9 percent in 1980.

Sociologists said the rate of black men marrying women of other races further reduces the already-shrunken pool of potential partners for black women seeking a black husband.

Read more.

The way things go now is- just add a wack rapper on a track and you have a remix. That wasn’t the case back when Diddy was Puffy, or Timbaland didn’t have muscles, and JD had braids. There are plenty of producers we could have picked to go against each other, but these are three elite executives that have shown consistency over a long period of time.

We chose three of the producers best remixes and pinned them up against each other.

P.Diddy

“Take That”

Diddy said he “invented the remix” but he probably invented it just as much as Trey Songz “Invented Sex.” You can’t deny that he has contributed some of the greatest remixes in music history though. P.Diddy didn’t create the beats for these songs but he hand a handful to do with remixing them. Let’s listen to some…

One More Chance Remix

Honey Remix- Mariah Carey ft Puff Daddy & The Family

Flava In Your Ear-Craig Mack, Biggie, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes

Diddy went in on “One More Chance,” the remix is 10x better than the original could ever be!

Timbaland

Timbaland was just honored by VH1 at the Hip Hop Honors: Dirty South for his outstanding work in music. Timbaland’s sound has been described as futuristic and refreshing. He uses beats and mixes that aren’t normally paired to give you a sound that isn’t normally heard. Let’s get into his remixes…

Get Your Freak On Remix- Missy ft. Nelly Furtado

Hot Like Fire Remix- Aaliyah ft Missy Elliot & Timbaland

Bounce Remix From Step Up 2 Soundtrack

“Bounce” has one of the craziest beats I have ever heard, this is getting hard…

Jermaine Dupri

Jermaine Dupri was also honored at Vh1’s Hip Hop Honors: Dirty South. He said he came up with the name So So Def during the 90’s when everything out was “Def” even Def Jam.  He put the So So in front of it because he said he was just so much “defer” than anyone out. Honestly speaking- his music is definitely hot! Last but not least here’s JD’s remixes…

Let’s Get married Remix- Jagged Edge ft. Run DMC

Sleeping In my Bed- So So Def Remix- Dru Hill ft Jermaine Dupri & Da Brat

Welcome To Atlanta Remix- Jermaine Dupri ft. Ludacris, P.Diddy, Murphy Lee, Snoop Dogg

I don’t know, that “Welcome To Atlanta Remix” is tough!

The winner is… You Decide!

Lil’ Kim Twitter Page Blasts Diddy & Nicki Minaj

Video: VH1 Hip-Hop Honors Tribute

VIA: HuffingtonPost.com

Will, Jada, Jaden, Willow and Trey stepped out as a family for the preview of Jaden’s highly-anticipated remake of the 1984’s “Karate Kid.” In standard Smith Family fashion, the group was dressed to the nines … including baby Willow.

Williow, 9, was sporting a style that some have commented wasn’t age appropriate.  Do you think combination of her hairstyle and combat boots cheetah print jacket and pants made Willow look older than 9? Was it an age appropriate?

VIA: TheUrbanDaily.com

emember these ladies?  The group’s name originally was an acronym for the five ladies who made up the group – Juana, Juanita, Fatima Ann Dania, and were backed by Clarence “DJ Train” Lars. Later the group dropped Juanita and Fatima and added another rapper, with these changes J.J. Fad stood for Just Jammin’ Fresh And Def.

J.J. Fad gained popularity with the new line-up that included rappers (pictured above): MC J.B. (Juana Burns), Baby-D (Dania Birks), and Sassy C. (Michelle Franklin).

The group’s only Top 40 hit was 1988’s “Supersonic,” which made J.J. Fad the first female rap group to earn a Grammy nomination. Their second album did not fare as well and the group disbanded shortly after.

The ladies went on to pursue other careers, but today, 22 years after their debut, the ladies have reunited and are planning to head out on tour with other 80’s hip-hop legends The Fat Boys and Kid & Play.