Musiq Avenue

Glitz and Glamour Charity Ball

Mujay — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:26:37 +0000

Monica Ngoshi - We often track our progress through life against the milestones we encounter. These are important markers that only become meaningful when acknowledged and celebrated. On Saturday 20th March 2010, I will achieve a major milestone- I will be turning 40. While I want to take time to reflect and celebrate, I also want to give something back, by using my 40th as an opportunity to raise money for a cause that is very dear to my heart; that of children orphaned through HIV/AIDS.

About 40 Fun - 40 Fun is being set up as a series of events to celebrate the 40^th Birthday of Miss Monica Ngoshi and an opportunity to help raise funds for children and young people orphaned through HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe Specifically “Simbaredenga/Newstart Children’s Home”. It will help celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of children and young people who despite their experiences have overcome adversities. The aim of 40 Fun is to raise £5000 to assist with day to day running costs of the children’s home and to help with various initiatives to help make the children’s home financially self sufficient. For example, they would like to acquire a peanut butter making machine, from which the produce could be sold locally.

The Orphan Generation - In Zimbabwe alone there are over a million orphans from AIDS ( UNAIDS, WHO ). A generation of children growing up without their parents, leaving aged grandparents to try and support 10 or more grandchildren. Often, there are no surviving relatives and that is why Newstart Children’s Home was established.

The Zimbabwe Orphanage Project was started by Dr. and Mrs. Saleem Farag in
1999. The program was licensed by the Department of Social Welfare in 2000.
Today there are over 60 children in our home and our nursery for babies and
children under 5 years old has just received the first two abandoned
infants. Our Policy is to build gradually and implement each project only as
funds are available.

The Newstart Children’s Home is designed to take children from 5 to 18 years of age who have lost both parents and who have no one willing or able to care for them.

Children are provided with food, clothing, uniforms and tuition for school and a caring and safe environment, a chance to learn life skills and moral values.

The orphanage is designed to house 50 children. The boys wing and the girls wing are joined by the kitchen and living room.

No community is immune to the ravages of AIDS, no village free from its devastating effects. As members of the world community we are not exempt from the responsibilities this human tragedy brings. Spiritually, emotionally, physically, and medically it is one of the deadliest diseases, if not the deadliest, ever to strike the human race.

We must see that the story of AIDS is not about epidemiology, economics, or statistics. Rather, it is the story of guilt, pain, fear and neglect. In Africa the extended family has always been strong and has provided for orphan children. Now however, due to the magnitude of the epidemic there is no extended family to provide care.

Newstart can give them a chance, a home, and education and the emotional stability to grow up to become leaders in society.

Objectives of 40 Fun - We aim to raise awareness while celebrating this milestone, of the challenges faced by children and young people orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

Through 40 Fun, we aim to recognise achievements in young people despite the circumstances they have found themselves in the country.

We also hope to provide a platform for potential donors to make donations towards the work of volunteers supporting orphaned children and young people.

Glitz and Glamour Charity Ball will be held @
The Hilton Paddington Hotel
Great Western Suite
146 Praed Street
London
W2 1EE

Saturday 20th March 2010 at 19:30

Hosted by Comedian : Jeff Shuman

Dress Code: Black Tie

Three course dinner

£60 Single & £110 Couples

Live Music – Ciyo Quartet

U Zambezi arts dance group
http://www.luckymoyo.com/

Fashion Show By Mariama Tushemeriirwe
http://mariama.co.uk/index.htm

Auction – A Round Robin Trial Flying Lesson
http://www.leicesterairport.com/

Music Provided By MusiqAve Specialist in 80’s + 90’s Old Skool
http://musiqave.com/index.php

Teedra Moses – Be Your Girl

Mujay — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:07:33 +0000

Toni Braxton New Album 4th May 2010

Mujay — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:15:14 +0000

With an impressive catalog of five albums (alongside 2003’s best-selling “Ultimate Collection”), Toni Braxton has built a worldwide base of music lovers since she first burst onto the contemporary music scene in 1991 with “Love Shoulda Brought You Home” (from the soundtrack of the hit movie “Boomerang”). As the “First Lady Of LaFace Records,” Toni’s creative partnership with Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds yielded a non-stop run of multi-platinum albums: 1993’s “Toni Braxton,” 1996’s “Secrets,” the 2000 set “The Heat,” 2001’s “Snowflakes” holiday album, and 2003’s highly personal and thought-provoking “More than a Woman,” which featured a number of songs written by Toni herself as well as production from the Neptunes and Rodney Jerkins, among others. With natural musical skills that were immediately evident when she started singing in church with her four sisters in Severn, Maryland, and inspired by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Anita Baker, Chaka Khan, and Whitney Houston, Toni had set her sights on a singing career from her earliest days. It was while studying to become a teacher at Bowie State University that she came to the attention of LaFace owners L.A. Reid and Babyface. Her decade with LaFace was filled with both accomplishment and challenge; while she constantly achieved chart success globally, racking up some 40 million worldwide sales through her five LaFace albums, Toni dealt with a much-publicized bankruptcy in 1997, which she recalled was “a major learning opportunity for me.” Resolved in 1998, Toni began her first Broadway run that year with a starring role in “Beauty & the Beast.” The 2000 success of “The Heat,” her third album, was typified by Top-10 status in over a dozen countries, including the U.S., France, Germany, Holland, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Hong Kong, South Africa, Greece, Denmark, Austria, Belgium, Israel, and Switzerland. The album’s gold single “He Wasn’t Man Enough” earned Toni a 2000 Grammy Award for “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance,” while the album won two American Music Awards.

http://www.tonibraxton.com/

Click here to view the embedded video.

Maxwell and Jill Scott are going on tour 2010

Mujay — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:22:53 +0000

Clear your calendars, Soul music lovers, because Maxwell and Jill Scott are going on tour! That’s right, y’all, this May though June, two of soul music faves are scheduled to go on a 20-city, U.S. arena tour. This is undoubtedly going to the concert tour of the year with these two superstars of Neo-Soul on one bill. This can truly be considered a co-headlining tour because both Jill and Max have deep catalogs to pull from and are seasoned performers. Word is that Jill will also be previewing new tracks from her upcoming summer release Light of the Sun, and maybe we’ll even get a sweet taste of blackSUMMERS’night from our main man. Dates and cities have not yet been announced.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Highlights Valentine 2010 Recorded live @ The Fluid Lounge Bar

Mujay — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:11:46 +0000

Recorded live @ The Fluid Lounge Bar:

A special thank you to everyone who attended our event on 13th February. Enjoy the music and the pictures we have uploaded for you and we hope to see you again @ our next event.

midnight star – wet my whistle

Mujay — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:39:45 +0000

Gina Thompson – Nobody Does It Better 1996

Mujay — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:18:20 +0000

Nobody Does it Better was a success, peaking at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and number 12 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The album itself peaked at number 36 on The Billboard 200 album chart, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 1998. Her song, “You Bring the Sunshine”, was produced by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and was included on the NBA @ 50 compilation album as the lead single. It peaked at number 53 on the Hot 100. Also in 1996 Thompson performed background vocals for the song “Cold Rock A Party” by MC Lyte featuring Missy Elliott and Puff Daddy. She also appeared on Lyte’s 1997 album Seven & Seven, on the track ‘It’s All Yours”. Later work included “Why Do Fools Fall in Love”, a re-imagining of the 1955 Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers hit of the same name. Thompson’s “Why Do Fools Fall in Love,” featuring Missy Elliott and rapper Mocha, was featured in the 1998 Lymon biopic Why Do Fools Fall in Love and its soundtrack. The singer also appeared on Missy Elliott’s second album, Da Real World. Thompson’s second album, If You Only Knew, was set to be released in September 21, 1999 on Elektra Records through Missy Elliott’s The Goldmind Inc. imprint. Two singles were released in advance of the album’s anticipated release date: “Ya Di Ya”, featuring Elliott, peaked at number 38 on the R&B chart, while “Caught Up”, featuring rapper Beanie Sigel, failed to chart. The album was shelved, and Thompson asked to be released from her contract. Thompson continued to perform as an independent artist, and began work on a third album in 2008. On July 28, 2008, Gina Thompson released a song “We Don’t Talk No More (Dancehall Remix)” which failed to chart due to lack of promotion. The song was released through Blue Mountain Records, and served as the lead single for her offical second studio album. On February 23, 2009, Gina Thompson released her second studio album, Missing You. The album was released as a digital download on online markets, while physical copies of the alum were released through Amazon. The album suffered the same fate as its lead single, where it failed to chart. While the album’s title track, “Missing You”, was set to be released as the second single, all future singles were cancelled, and Gina Thompson was ultimately dropped from Blue Mountain Records

Click here to view the embedded video.

Leela James – My Soul (Release Date 1st June 2010)

Mujay — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:55:20 +0000

My Soul, set for release on June 1, 2010, marks Leela James’ debut on Stax Records, a division of Concord Music Group. The move to Stax – the legendary home of some of the greatest soul and R&B artists of the past half-century – is a fitting destination for a vocalist who has committed herself to preserving the soul tradition. “The title of the album pretty much says it all,” she explains. “I just wanted to go into the studio and do what moved me at the time, and not think about it too much or not allow it to be something that was too planned. That’s what great soul music has always been about from the very beginning – something very raw, very authentic and very true.” The first single off My Soul is “Tell Me You Love Me,” a track that James co-wrote with Andrea Martin and Gordon Williams. The track was produced by rap and hip-hop producer Gerrard Baker (Toni Braxton, Billy Crawford, Masta Ace), who deftly inserts a sample of James riffing on a line from “Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye,” the classic ballad made popular among soul audiences by the Manhattans in 1978. “This is one of my favorite tracks on the record,” says James. “It’s a song about someone who’s really trying to make love work, which is the same message you hear in ‘Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye.’ Great songs are great songs, no matter when they’re recorded, or by whom. And sometimes two great songs blend together well, like they do here.” Other noteworthy tracks on My Soul include the churning opener, “Ain’t New To This” (also produced by Baker), a proud and defiant declaration of survival in the minefield known as the music business; and the bouncy “Party All Night,” penned by James and produced by Carl “Chucky” Thompson, who previously worked with Leela on 2005’s Change Is Gonna Come. Other notable producers on that debut record were Kanye West and Commissioner Gordon among others. Thompson also handled the production of “Mr. Incredible, Ms. Unforgettable,” a sultry duet between James and vocalist Raheem DeVaughn. “Raheem and I are good friends, and we’d been talking for some time about doing something together,” says James. “We finally happened to be in the same place at the same time, and we just made it happen. It really wasn’t something that we planned. It was just something spontaneous that took its own course.” Aside from Baker and Thompson, James enlists the services of a number of other producers on My Soul, including Kadis & Sean (”So Cold”), Carvin & Ivan (”It’s Over,” “If It’s Wrong”), Steven “Supe” White (”The Fact Is”), Ray Murray (”I Want It All”) and Butter (”Supa Luva”). While James may have been surrounded by talent in the making of My Soul, the record is ultimately her personal statement – not just about the music’s rich past but about its present and its future as well. Her arrival at Stax may position her among legends, but she’s well aware that she still has much to do and say. “To be on the premier soul label is a validation of what I’ve accomplished with my music and what I stand for,” she says. “I’ve always been a champion for this music. This album is my version of soul. It’s my experience of soul. It’s what soul means to me, and I want to share it with you.” http://www.leelajames.com/

Click here to view the embedded video.

Keith Sweat – Twisted

Mujay — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:34:43 +0000

The Good News And The Bad News About Faith Evans’ Return

Mujay — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:02:43 +0000

As the title of this entry suggests, there’s good and bad news when it comes to Faith Evans‘ impending return to the scene. On the one hand, we have finally gotten confirmation that Faith is coming back with new music this year. That’s right, the other First Lady has been busy recording new music and has struck a deal with independent label E1 Music, formerly Koch Records, who has given Evans her own imprint, Prolific Music Group. That, my friends, would be your cue to break out into a happy dance. When I sat down to interview producer Chucky Thompson for the Men Love Mary project, we had a little listening party afterward and he played some new tracks that he’d been working on with Faith. Believe me when I say that that was some of the best music I’ve heard from her since Faithfully. Her voice sounded as good as it did back in the day and each song had “hit” written all over it. If any of that music that I heard that night ends up on her new disc, then Faith will be the cream that rises to the top of 2010’s R&B/Soul offerings. However, aside from this glorious news, there is another piece to the puzzle of Faith’s comeback that gives me pause: she has a reality show in the works. Heavy sigh. As if her 2008 biography Keep the Faith wasn’t enough of a glimpse into her life and times, now cameras will catch it all–or at least what she wants us to see–in a reality show entitled It’s All About Faith produced by E1 Television. Heavier sigh. Don’t get me wrong, despite my better judgment, I am quite the reality television aficionado when it comes to shows centering on urban music stars. From Bobby and Whitney, to Keyshia Cole, to Diddy, to Monica, to Ray J, to Fantasia, to Pepa–I have spent countless hours being mindlessly entertained by their shenanigans. But most of my time has been spent clowning these people and those that they surround themselves with and their ridiculous antics. I won’t lie, it makes for good television and hilarious roasting sessions on Twitter, but at what cost? Living with Bobby Brown was the worst thing that could have ever happened to Whitney Houston. Keyshia Cole was overshadowed by her biologically-related buffoons on The Way It Is. And I’d rather watch fruit rot than be subject to the bore of Monica: Still Standing. It’s anyone’s guess at this point what Faith’s reality show will bring to the already crowded table, but it’s my sincere hope that it paints her in a positive light, is more about music than a minstrel show and is uckery-fay free. But one thing I do know for sure is that whenever Faith sees Lil Kim she probably laughs all the way to the mirror.

Click here to view the embedded video.