Downtime

On Downtime until Mon. Jan. 5.....Happy New Year!

Marsha Ambrosius "Yours Truly" Mixtape

This is for all you Floetry fans who have been wondering what the songstress has been up. She's signed to Dre's Aftermath Records and has a new mixtape with Don Cannon.

Tracklist…

01. Intro
02. Sunshine (feat. Little Brother)
03. Dat Shit (feat. Busta Rhymes)
04. R.I.P. (It’s Over)
05. Murdah (feat. The Game)
06. Forget About You
07. Get You Right
08. Impossible
09. Cloud 9
10. I Lost You
11. Interlude (Some Type Of Way)
12. Co-Star
13. Start…Finish
14. Take Care

Download "Yours Truly"

Pikahsso & Tahiti team up to become AwkQuarius

I've known these guys for a long time and not one day of that time have they not been in the lab creating something new to wow the population here in Dallas. Their new project AwkQuarius is oh so soulfully funky and quirky. As some of you know they were in the phenomenally fun, short-lived and sonically gifted group P.P.T. They decided to go in different directions with Picnic going ahead with his hot production and collaborations. He has been in the lab with Niro and performed with Astronautalis.

Tahiti and Pikahsso are wonderfully matched because Tahiti has the visuals on lock for anything that they can think of and Pikahsso's brain never shuts down. I love these guys so much because they are fearless when it comes to their music and the unique way they both are on the grind to share the music they create. Here's the definition of AwkQuarius and the videos they've created to set up their upcoming album. If you live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area they will be performing at Rubber Gloves in Denton Jan. 23rd. Check them out on myspace where they've debuted their new single "Lets Hit The Town" produced by K-Phlx, Bass By Semaj aka Chicken Neck Of Rubba Rode, Lead Guitar by Ken Shimamoto, Mixed & Engineered by Ty Macklin. If you Twitter, Pikahsso lives there and I think we may have to put him in Twitter rehab soon.


Awkquarius "- An awkward funk hop duo from Dallas TX, whose birthdays fall under the same zodiac sign of Aquarius. The two combine, the ultra strange Brain Phunk vocals of Pikahsso Allen Poe and the self deprecating hip hop lyrics of the King of Whack, Tahiti, to form the best in awkward reality music. Formally of the hit group P.P.T. and winners of the Dallas Mavericks playoff song in '06, Pikahsso and Tahiti bring the phunk in a super star awkward style as only they can do! Look out for the breathtaking Debut album coming soon! AwkQuarius began on July 31st 2008.


Check them out on youtube at www.youtube.com/whackpiktures

27th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Announced

I just heard the City of Dallas' 27th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration and Awards Banquet will be held on the evening of Saturday, January 17, 2009 at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel. This year's banquet theme is: Remember! Celebrate! Act! The Dream Continues. . .

The keynote speaker will be best-selling author, child psychiatrist, and former script consultant to NBC's The Cosby Show, Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D. of Harvard Medical School. Entertainment will be provided by R&B duo Yarbrough and Peoples. I'm going to encourage them to include more Dallas talent as the entertainment. We have Carmen Rodgers, Geno Young, G.R.I.T.Z and Ivory Jean who could really represent the them they have. This is one I won't miss.

Terrell Owens Birthday Bash & Fundraiser

Last night was one of the coldest nights we've had in Dallas in a long time, but Terrell Owen's 35th birthday bash was warm and fun. My favorite celebrity news personality Gary with the T of the nationally syndicated Rickey Smiley Morning Show was gracious enough to allow me to attend the event as his guest. If any one has heard Gary in the morning you know I had a blast. Gary was there as part of the press so we arrived early and he worked hard. Amoung the guests he interviewed were Dallas mayor Tom Leppart, Solange, comedian Guy Torrey, Real House Wives of Atlanta Lisa & Ed Hartwell, Toccara/ANTM and Jill Jones/Girlfriends just to name a few. Cowboys on had that I knew with my none football watching self were: Bradie James, Roy Williams (new WR), Greg Ellis, my play cousin Patrick Crayton and his beautiful wife Najiyyah and Terrance Newman. Terrell arrived with his beautiful mother, sisters and brothers to end the press time and then everyone went downstairs to enjoy dinner and the auction. Guy Torrey co-hosted the auction with Terrell which was hilarious. The thing that struck me about Terrell at this event was he's not what the media portrays him to be. He was very humble, friendly, funny and seemed to be having a great time. It was a great event to have in Dallas in benefited 81 deserving Dallas families. Good times were had by all and I know alot people were able to get their end of the year networking game on. I people watched because my shoes were giving me the business.

Other folks in the house were comedian Nanette Lee, Pastor Rickey Rush, Dion & Pilar Sanders, Tanikia Smith, Case, Common, actress Kim Whitley, Real Housewives of Atlanta favorite NeNe Leakes, comedian Dee Ellis, DJ Ro Parrish, Redrick Johnson/Pride 13 Media, Melyssa Ford & Carl Anthony Payne...I know I'm missing someone. I'll update if I remember. Ahh...Ludacris closed the event out with a performance. It was great to Chaka & the DTP family. Atlanta was in the house for Terrell's event.

Erykah Badu tops the AP's Top 10 albums of the Year.

Erykah Badu, Estelle and Sia lead AP's top 10 albums of the year
By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY | AP Music Writer
8:24 AM EST, December 12, 2008
Yes, our top 10 albums list does contain some of the usual suspects — Kanye, Taylor, Lil Wayne. But it also features artists who have yet to realize their platinum peak, and others who are firmly entrenched in alternative scene. They all have one thing in common — they created the best CDs of year. Here's a rundown of music's elite.

1. Erykah Badu, "New Amerykah, Part One (4th World War)": It's been five years since Badu made any musical statement of merit. The "Worldwide Underground" EP was her last project and it barely met the gold standard she set with her first two amazing albums. But Badu, one of R&B's most creative voices, returned to form with "New Amerykah," which played like an eclectic, absorbing jam session. We are already desperately awaiting part two.

2. Estelle, "Shine a Light": This British singer-rapper-songwriter made her mark with "American Boy," an upbeat jam aided by a Kanye West appearance. The CD is a true reflection of Estelle — gritty, funny and full of sass. From slow R&B grooves to reggae jams, Estelle entertains throughout. She's the year's brightest new talent — which makes her omission in the Grammy best new artist category even more surprising.

3. Sia, "Some People Have Real Problems": Sia's album was morose, depressing and full of despair — yet undeniably beautiful and captivating. You'll find yourself sucked into her tales of heartbreak — and you won't want to leave them either.

4. Kanye West, "808s & Heartbreak": It's a testament to West's amazing talent that he could release an album as uneven as "808s" and still make an impressive artistic statement. West poured his heartache over his breakup with his fiancee and the death of his mother into Auto-tune and an 808 machine, but the results were hardly sterile or mechanical: It was perhaps the most emotional CD of his young career (and given his penchant for displaying his feelings, that's saying a lot). While his singing experiment strikes off-key moments with relentless moroseness, it's still a passionate CD that touches your heart — and makes you grudgingly acknowledge he might indeed be the voice of this generation.

5. Jazmine Sullivan, "Fearless": Comparisons to Lauryn Hill were a bit over the top. But make no mistake, Sullivan — whose husky voice recalls that of Hill — is a talent on the rise, as seen by her great debut, "Fearless." Songs like "Lions, Tigers &
Bears" and "Call Me Guilty" show a gift for storytelling and writing flair. On second thought, maybe those Hill comparisons aren't so far off.

6. Lil Wayne, "Tha Carter III": The best rapper in the game doles out such a dizzying array of one-liners, puns and cracks, it's hard to catch them all on the first listen — which is why this album remained on heavy rotation all year. Lil Wayne had plenty of help from guest stars ranging from T-Pain to Jay-Z, but it was Wayne's wit, enhanced by some killer grooves, that kept us entranced. There's a reason why he seemed to be everywhere this year — we just couldn't get enough of him.

7. Taylor Swift, "Fearless": An album title isn't the only thing Swift and Sullivan share. Like Sullivan, Swift has an amazing gift as a songwriter, weaving tales rich with detail and emotion. Her CD is further enhanced when you realize that she's still a teen — and has many great albums in her future.

8. Anthony Hamilton, "The Point of it All": Hamilton's old-time soul sound never gets old because he knows what it takes to sound classic instead of simply "retro." It boils down to top-notch songs and an amazing voice, and Hamilton has both.

9. My Morning Jacket, "Evil Urges": The group retooled its jam-band sound with a tighter, rhythmic CD, but still retained its experimental vibe. The Jim James-led band delivered a CD that explores different styles — from funk to rock to soul to a bit of country twang — that still sounds cohesive.

10. Mariah Carey, "EMC2": Wait — Mariah released an album this year? You'd be forgiven if that was your first thought, because this album disappeared almost as fast as "Glitter" after she became Mrs. Nick Cannon. But it deserved to stay around longer. Like its predecessor, "The Emancipation of Mimi," it has the right mix of party jams, torch songs and touching ballads.

Honorable mentions: N.E.R.D., "Seeing Sounds"; Katy Perry, "One of the Boys"; Al Green, "Lay It Down"; Pink, "Funhouse"; Lizz Wright, "The Orchard."

Tony Williams set to release "King or the Fool"

Oklahoma native and Dallas resident Tony Williams is set to release his debut album "King or the Fool" in ealy 2009. In addition to working on his album this past year, Tony worked on Kanye West's "808s & Heartbreak" and Common's "Universal Mind Control". His collaboration with Jay Z on the single "History" has garnered a big buzz on the internet and east coast radio stations.

"History" w/Jay Z


My Family "History" Portwood Williams Sr.
A line from Kanye's "Never Let Me Down"
I get down for my grandfatha who took my mama
made her sit in that seat where white
folks aint want us to eat
at the tender age of 6 she was arrested for the sit-ins
with that in my blood i was born to be different




Tony Williams
The dawn of a new era has begun and all things under the sun are being exposed to the soulful voice of Tony Williams. With countless collaborative presentations and memorable melodies, this "Old School Soul" singer is "the future," in an industry full of cookie cutter vocalists. The supportive voice behind Grammy Award winning superstar Kanye West, is now coming to the forefront as a musician destined for success. With his involvement in 2004’s "The College Dropout," 2005’s "Late Registration" and 2007’s "Graduation," Tony is destined to captivate the hearts of many. In dedication to the great voices before him, Tony creates the thread that forever loops in the hearts of fans across the world. HE IS TONY WILLIAMS- the future of Soul. Click here for his full bio.

Tony will be embarking on a promotional tour to promote his new album in January so stay tuned to his myspace page for upcoming event information.