Black Celebrity Star Profile:9ice

9ice: (born Abolore Adegbola Akande on January 17, 1980) is a Nigerian musician.
9ice performed at the Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Tribute concert (singing "Gongo Aso") in London on June 27, 2008.
At the March 2008 edition of the Hip Hop World Awards held in Nigeria, 9ice won the Revelation of the Year award and the Best Male Vocal Performer. A month later at the first Soundcity Music Video Awards, 9ice was nominated in the category of Best New Artiste. 9ice's biggest single is entitled "Gongo Aso

Biography

9ice is a south-westerner from Ogbomoso in Oyo State but he grew up in the district of Bariga in Lagos. 9ice attended Abeokuta Primary School and CMS Grammar School, and dropped out from his Law course at the Lagos State University to concentrate on music. He grew up in a polygamous home of five wives and nine children. His parents found about his singing career a year after it started around 2000. Before then, 9ice wrote his own songs dating back to when he was just 14 years old. It is worth noting that as a big fan of Pasuma Wonder, he kick-started his singing career with Fuji music. He is also a big fan of Obesere, popularly known as Oba Alashakasha - the sleaze king of fuji music in Nigeria

Influence

9ice’s style was largely shaped by his 75 year-old grandmother who he claimed taught him all he came to know about the culture, and the use of the language of Yoruba. In his words, 'she hardly says anything without using proverbs or anecdotes to drive home her points. So, when I was trying to be creative with my music, I thought of doing something different and that is why I make use of deep Yoruba words in my songs…'

Early Career

After recording his first demo, 9ice joined a group called Mysterious Boys with whom he did a couple of tracks before going on the form his own, now defunct, group Abinibi. Having recorded his first demo titled Risi De Alagbaja in 1996 and his first solo song, Little Money in 2000, 9ice had to wait till 2005 before himself and his music started gaining recognition in the Nigerian music market.
The first major break for 9ice then came after he featured in 2Shotz’s Make Dem Talk. It was not long after then that 9ice officially released the first single, Little Money, off his Certificate album. After signing with Edge Records in 2006, 9ice produced Ganja Man which was released in the December of that year. The reggae tone and playful style of the song made it an instant hit

Solo album and sophomore break

9ice followed 'Ganja Man' with the single 'Gongo Aso' which became the title of his sophomore album. In that effort, 9ice recorded songs covering success, originality, partying and women, as well as themes on the institution of marriage and gratitude

Live Shows

Since late 2007 9ice has featured prominently across Nigerian campuses in the Soundcity/MTN Campus Blast tours.

His Style

9ice is known for his use of Yoruba language in his music. Non-Yoruba listeners may be excluded from his music. He seeks to keep a balance between keeping a wider fan base and maintaining his originality. 9ice compares himself to "Youssou N'Dour" who has won a couple of Grammy with music recorded in his mother tongue, and Yvonne Chaka-Chaka whose music has also embraced her language. He has been quoted as saying 'English Language has been imposed on us but God graciously gave Yoruba language to us.’ 9ice also performed live in Cyprus at Lions garden where many if not all the Nigerian students where in attendance.
discography Certificate (2006) Gongo aso (2008)

Awards

2008 MOBO Awards - Best African Act
2008 MTV Africa Music Awards - Best hiphop

Black Celebrity Star Profile:Tu Face Idibia

Birth name: Innocent Ujah Idibia
Also known as: 2 Face
Born:Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria
Origin:Otukpo, Benue State, Nigeria
Genre(s):R&B, Nigerian hip hop
Occupation(s):Singer-songwriter
Years active:1996–present
Label(s): Hypertek
Website:http://www.2faceidibiaonline.net/

Tu Face Idibia hails from the Idoma ethnic group in the southern part of Benue State, in central Nigeria.He attended Mount Saint Gabriel's Secondary School in Makurdi,Benue State. He schooled briefly in the Institute of Management & Technology, IMT, Enugu, one of the country's foremost higher institute of learning where he did his preliminary National Diploma course in Business Administration. Though, he didn't finish but would hone his skills in music by performing in shows and parties organised by the IMT and some other schools like University of Science & Technology, Enugu (ESUT) and University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC).

His major breakthrough in the IMT was composing and singing the jingles in the famous radio show GB Fan Club in Enugu State Broadcasting Services (ESBS)in 1996. He then relocated to Lagos and joined up with his ex-IMT mate BlackFace and Faze to form Plantashun Boyz[1] He started calling himself "2Face" in 1996. "The name to me just refers to the outside and inside: when you first see me you see the outside but when you get to know me, you see the inside" he said in an interview with the BBC.

His award winning hit track African Queen was used as the sound track of the 2006 comedy film, Phat Girlz [2]. This made him even more recognized internationally.
The Plantashun Boyz came together briefly in 2007 to record an album which they titled 'Plan B'.[3]

He also released a promotion album in 2008 which has spawned a Hit Enter the Place though one of his least successful hits ever, did well in some charts. The Promo CD is said to have faced distribution and sales problems, going unnoticed in some areas of the country.It has led to the shift of the release date of the album from 2008 to 2009 instead of the proposed release date announced in 2007.

Black Celebrity Queen: Lil Kim Sued

An upstart record company is suing raunchy rap diva Lil’ Kim for million, saying she tried to weasel her way out of a contract. In response to Brookland Media’s suit, a Manhattan judge this week temporarily barred her from recording for any other companies. The suit accuses Lil’ Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, of stiffing Brookland after the company says it signed her to a exclusive recording deal.

The suit says Lil’ Kim is “known in the music industry for her extravagant and costly excesses.” “Surprise, surprise, an artist of superstar stature wants to protect her image,” McMillan said.Jonathan Davis, a lawyer for Brookland Media, declined to comment, while McMillan said some sort of truce is likely. “We’ll work it out around a conference table, in front of a judge or over some martinis,” he said.

Source: Bossip

Keri Hilson's New Album

Keri Hilson On New Album:

In A Perfect World - Keri Hilson was pictured at the Radio WGCI Coca Cola Lounge in Chicago last night.Hilson talked to The Associated Press today about her new album “In a Perfect World …” and writing songs for Mary J. Blige, Britney Spears,and Omarion.

Being that you’ve written songs for others, how was it different writing for your own album?

I guess for myself I can be a little less inhibited. I don’t have to wonder and guess or assume how I feel about a certain situation – I know what it is that I want to say, so it doesn’t have to pass inspection

How did the delays for the album’s release affect the music?

In the interim while you’re trying to choose tracks, things do get kind of shuffled around. It’s a good thing because it allows you to listen to records a little longer and live with them, and you’re not making rush decisions trying to hurry up and close the album.

Was there any fear you could get stuck being a songwriter only?

Although I was content, I was a little unfulfilled that I wasn’t performing as well. So I didn’t pursue the artist thing after groups I was in disbanded, I just didn’t. I kind of always knew it would come back around, the chance and the opportunity would reach me and that I would be ready.

Natalie Mejia And Chris Brown Dating

Natalie Mejia And Chris Brown Dating

- Chris Brown’s new girlfriend named Natalie Mejia is speaking to Radar about her man.Mejia who is a member of The CW’s Girlicious, was seen with Brown on Saturday in Los Angeles, visiting a Sunset Blvd tattoo parlor.Meija said:

She would not elaborate on her and Brown’s initial meeting or courtship thus far but wrote on her MySpace page:

“Life is too short to wake-up in the morning with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don’t and believe everything happens for a reason.”

Natalie Mejia ’s bio:

Mejia is of Mexican descent and was born in West Covina, California. She’s been home schooled since the age of 9 and simultaneously studied at Millennium Dance Complex, which has famous alums like Britney Spears.
She counts two girl grous on her resume, Cherri (2001-2003) and Breathe (2005-2007), getting her big break when cast the Pussycat Dolls Presents: Girlicious, a reality show spearheaded by choreographer Robin Antin.

Akon's Konfidence Foundation

Akon

R&B singer/producer Akon founded the Konfidence Foundation to increase public awareness of the conditions in Africa and to provide underprivileged African youth with access to learning and recreational environments equipped with modern technology, educational materials, recreational resources, and health and wellness services.

The foundation concentrates their efforts in Senegal, in hopes that it will one day serve as the international platform to empower individuals, communities, and nations with the tools needed to build the Africa of tomorrow.

Akon recently partnered with singer Peter Buffet on the relaunch of the website, Is There Something I Can Do? Visit website here.

Buffet (center) and Akon also participated in the United Nations' 2009 commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, on March 25, 2009 in NYC.