Happy Holidays

Its that time of year again. Cinnamon and marshmallows scent fill the air right alongside grandmas fresh baked pies. The holiday music is playing while we rush to and fro doing our last minute shopping errands before Christmas Day. Some of us haven't even prepared for new years yet. But most folks are beyond eager to put this year 2020 behind us. If you are stumped for last minute ideas here's a list of some of my favorite Etsy Stores:

Tell me which stores you would shop at below in the comments! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Midweek Prediction

This week's prediction goes to this talented little man. He has moves like he was born in the 80's. I think he might be the next super choreographer with moves that even would impress Michael Jackson.

A post shared by A.B. tha God (@radio_ruckus) on Mar 19, 2018 at 5:26pm PDT

reblogged from Instagram

Midweek Prediction

It's almost like music trends have a way of  coming back around full circle just like fashion. Recently record players and vinyl have been a new found hype. But did you know tape players are now a thing? That's right cassette players are coming back in style. My prediction is it won't be long before walkmans are back in style. Take a look at this 2018 version of a tape player below.

Monday Madness

In this latest edition I discovered these handsome brothers dancing to a trance mix of  Dej Loaf's "Try Me". Not a fan of trance? Don't be fooled this dubstep hiphop infused remix will have you instantly hooked. Their choreography displays more precision than a your favorite barbers razor. Yes these fellas are that sharp! Watch how they create illusions of all sorts of lines. Their strong arms jut straight out, diagonal, up and down all with perfectly timed movements. These male dancers have more rhythm than the beat itself. Take a look below.

Monday Madness

Every monday there will be new posts featuring mind blowing videos. The most shocking, funny and jaw dropping content will be found right here starting January 2018. If you want to know whats trending and controversial in entertainment be sure to keep your eye on this page.

New Year

Thank you for visiting the blog. This site is currently under construction. Please check back often for updates in the newest trends in entertainment. In the meantime check out these new videos below. And as always remember where you seen it first!

Michael Jackson Puppet

Press Play

Charlotte's Own Hit Maker

Ty Statz better known as "The Hit Maker" showed out with another banging hit this past weekend during Juneteenth festival in Charlotte, NC. The dope performance took place in the heart of Plaza Midwood. The crowd was blown away the moment the beat dropped and “Man of The Year” was blasting bass from the speakers. It’s the latest release from Ty Statz’s newly anticipated album titled “The Hit Maker”.  

Man of The Year performance on June 17, 2017 Juneteenth Festival

Ty Statz recently joined forces with Five Star Empire record label. His new venture is a major step up but Ty has been rapping since grade school days. Way back as a teenager he played football but exercising his lyrical mouthpiece was his favorite sport. He started out traveling across the state to compete in battle rap ciphers. Word traveled fast that Ty Statz was doing numbers and knocking his competition out the ring with crazy punch lines . He battled other rappers on mics across the country including venues in North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina & New York.  Ty began getting more invites to travel to bigger places including a personal invitation from Free of 106 & Park.  Due to high school obligations the young Ty was forced to turn down that opportunity to perform at 106 & Park. Soon after, he realized that winning rap competitions was not enough to fulfill his music goals.  He craved a challenge to take him to the next level of his music career. That was the gateway moment that led him to begin writing and recording professional music at the studio level. 

Ty and the hypeman Rehearse at the studio before his performances

Since focusing on studio recordings Ty Statz has performed his hit records on tour at countless concerts and festivals in the south east. He recently opened up for Nas, Meek Mill, Fabolous, and Celebrity Basketball Games. 

Currently Ty Statz records in Charlotte, NC at Hitmaker Music Group studios. (HMG)  For more information contact Ty on the links below.

www.tystatz.com 

Follow Ty Statz on Facebook

Ty Statz on Apple Music

Whats Next

King Kong VS Godzilla vs King Callis 

King Callis is on the rise in 704 although he originally hails from Ohio, that doesn't stop the self proclaimed King from putting flame on the Queen City of Charlotte. During his recent performance at Area 15, he lit up the stage with his thought provoking music.

 In today's mainstream urban culture, it can be challenge for hiphop artists to sway a crowd of millennials without trap music.  Despite this obstacle, King Callis delivers crowd pleasers time and time again. How does he do it? Maybe its his impeccable rhyme patterns. Or maybe its the seamless production with beats that propel every instrument in harmonic unison with the young Kings voice. Take a listen to some of his previous songs below.  

[Spoiler Alert]  But first, take a sneak peak of his latest track list for the EP set to be released very soon on Feb.19, 2017.

 Much more is on the radar so stay tuned.

Check back for updates as we continue to enhance our site.

Updates Coming Soon

We have many new projects we've been hiding under our umbrella. Please check back often as we will slowly unleash these acts one by one in the next few hours and days. Let the count down begin.

 5...4...3...2...1 Happy NEW YEAR!!!!

Photo Courtesy of The Telegraph

It is Chinese New Year after all.

 

"Why the wait" ? Some of you may be wondering- Although its been weeks since we last did a feature , please be rest assured that we have several multi-talented artists whom we are currently working with behind the scenes. Dropping it all on you now would be overwhelmig so we are doing this in bits in pieces. To say the least we are pacing ourselves in preparation of stories that may potentially break the internet. We are under construction, so as we tune our station please stay tuned.

Stay tuned

704 Poppin with Cashmerely

 What's Popping with Cashmerely

Its always refreshing to hear new instrumentals dubbed with dope lyrics. Nothing gets a party started like booming bass and hard kicks of sound from 808 drums and beats. And those are exactly the sounds you'll hear on Cashmerely's newest release. Cashmerely is a rapper based out of Charlotte, NC. He recently joined forces to collaborate as a new member of Brick Squad Boyz. Some of his newest projects include "Road To Riches and Diamond Rings" and "Don't Forget the Dots". Some of his collaborations include work with Jus Joose and  J Pierce, to name a few. Want more details on what's really popping?  Check out the video to see what happened when our host, "Rae" had a second to catch up Cashmerely. Rae even asked questions on how politics effect HipHop. Watch the video but be sure to grab your drink and popcorn first!

Like what you just saw? Loved it? Hated it? We want your feedback in the comments below:

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Charlotte Comicon featuring Wolly V.

Check out the action packed art displayed at this special convention for comic book fanatics. The Charlotte Comicon convention was held at the Embassy Suites hotel On August 7th,2016. We got a sneak peak of the action heroes and villains coming to life! Vibrant dressed cosplay performers were fully energized and ready to take on the mission. The awards ceremony would later decide which cosplay character had best embodied the comic book spirit. DC Comics and Marvel Comics are two of the most popular comics brand. However there are few new kids on the Block - such as Wolly Vinyl.  In this issue we were well prepared to capture every villain behind our camera lenses!

The crowd was blown away by this cosplay character ingeniously disguised as Mystique from Xmen.

Up first, viewers get a chance to hear first-hand from a local comic book artist. We got an opportunity to interview Wolly Vinyl live and direct. Hear what he has to say about the status of historic art districts with regard to city developers.

 

To contact Wolly visit www.rebelstarstudios.net

 Above: A full view of Wolly's illustrations at the convention.

Next, Wolly shows our Host a sketch he's doing commissioned by a parent for an ill child.

 

On our way to Wolly V's display our host bumped into a well suited StarWars character.

Above: Video shows political showdown between the Joker and The Penguin.

Marvelous costume execution by this Walking Dead cosplay character.

A Virginia based artist displays his Anti Trump art illustrations.

To our surprise many of the attendees were not Charlotte residents. Shown in the photo above, one artist had traveled all the the way from Virginia for our comicCon. If you like polictical art stay tuned for more commentary on "Anti Trump" Art. As the election date grows closer we will continue to give you more insight to how art and life impact each other.

Plus in our next blog we'll explore costumes to give you a head start on Halloween 2016 trends. In the comment section below tell us which cosplay characters you liked the most - or as Wolly calls them "Champions."

Written by: SM Editorial Staff @rae_desgisns on Instagram
Photography by: Shotbydb @ShotbyDB on Instagram
Featured Artist: Wolly V @wollyv on Instagram

Listening Party For Kings in the Queen City -

     EP Release Party In the Queen City

The Queen City has been hiding a secret in its underground world. Several lyrical kings came out  from hiding this past Sunday night.  A plethora of dope MC's graced the stages of NoDa with rhymes sharp enough to pierce even the coldest hearts, ears and minds.  The crowd was tough but the  lyrics were smooth.

The "Awakaned King" EP Release event put on a diverse showcase of talent. There were performances by local artists including, Jerell, Phaze Gawd, Jay Pluss, Quent Young, Moe Reese, Hollywood, Yung Citizen and Sani Solo. A jazz band known as "The Free Will Project" also provided musical variety throughout the evening. Early in the evening King Callis set the mood as the host of the show.

 Jerell headlined the event but being the cool collected king that he is, he saved the best for last. Quent Young and Jerell are members of a group known as "The Port" Click below to hear these artist on Soundcloud.

True music lovers can appreciate The Ports strides in soulful music which instruments and lyrics pay respect to earlier forms of HipHop that have fallen by the way side. The lyricism displayed in the two songs above are in stark contrast to mainstream trap music. Although hood inspired trap anthems may serve a purpose in their own right, there's no comparison  to creative lyrics that uplift a community. ... Stay tuned for more footage from this event.

Mint Museum's The Dog Days of Summer

Like most new comers to Charlotte, North Carolina you may be caught off guard by the sweltering hot temperatures the region is experiencing. In the last few days temperatures soared in the upper 90's with heat indexes ranging from 100-105. According to Local Weather on Fox WCCB .  It's official these are the dog days of summer.  It can be a challenge to find events that are both fun and cool - in the literal sense staying cool and being "cool" in the month of July is almost impossible. But if you ask a few local families how they find refuge on Dog Days you may be surprised to hear that they do anything but lay around in the dog house. This past Sunday many families took to the Mint Museum for fun indoor activities. The Mint Museum is located on South Tryon Street in Charlotte NC. The Museum hosts many interactive events throughout the summer to encourage creativity during the dreaded summer heat.

Pictured here: A local art Instructor,  Raed Al- Rawi, teaches dog sketching techniques.

There were many hands on craft activities for patrons to try out.  Kids and adults choose from activity stations including a drawing class and picture frame making. Participants were shown how to create miniature picture frames adorned with dog motifs. Colorful paints, stickers, and shinny buttons were scattered along the table. Moms and dads, sisters and brothers can be seen creating arts and crafts. Trips to the museum can be a fun way to enhance family bonding.  A large crowd of over 100 people were busy moving to and fro the many activity stations in the atrium.

Nearby, in a separate space next to the atrium, little yoga enthusiasts could be found practicing poses. The yoga instructor, Margaret Maurice, was very patient when leading the youth in exercise and meditation. She gave a demo on breathing exercises that the kids really enjoyed. Considering the animal theme, its no wonder the "Downward facing dog"  was everyone's favorite yoga pose. After the yoga practice, the instructor led a children's story time.

Seen here: Margaret Maurice, the instuctor shows a young girl the Downward Facing Dog pose.

Children take a breather during story time.

After exploring the activities the museum goers were encouraged to go on a scavenger hunt to find dog themed paintings throughout the gallery. The Mint museum's collection has four floors full of art ranging from contemporary paintings to classic ceramic sculptures. Various styles and perspectives from artists of all backgrounds can be found in the collection. Anyone who is looking for a different way to cool off this summer should definitely consider taking a look at the Mint's current exhibit.

Following the crafty activities patrons flock to the upstairs galleries.

A glimpse of the sculptures on the 3rd floor.

A patron admires a life-size sculpture on the 4th floor at the Mint Museum.

-Southern Miss

Too Saxy for the Sidewalk

If you live in a big city chances are you have been stopped by the pushy panhandlers and sidewalk beggars on your way to work. Perhaps you were speed walking across a busy intersection during rush hour, while bombarded with the nerve wrecking sounds of car horns and angry taxi drivers. With so much commotion, somehow you didn't notice that one sidewalk musician whose tunes created harmony amidst the bustling traffic. Of course, when you're running late for a meeting or a Carolina's Panthers Game  it's easy to have tunnel vision, and even tunnel hearing, for that matter. Cautious drivers like myself might turn the music volume down when they're parallel parking. But if you have ever been lucky enough to be cruising in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina when Will "Saxman" Smith is performing its almost impossible not to stop and stare when you hear his vibrant melodies.

Will "Saxman" Smith is a multi-talented artist with inspiration ranging from Prince and John Coltrane, to Kenny G. His roaring saxophone horns have been known to literally stop traffic like a 18 wheeler.


 He carries his favorite instrument with him almost everywhere he goes.  Saxman plays an array of classic jazz and old school R&B melodies but he doesn't rest there. In his spare time he also produces music and writes catchy lyrics. One of the best qualities about Saxman is that he never limits himself to any one particular style. In-fact, when he's not performing he can be found in the studio engineering dope EDM and House tracks.  He is a producer at heart who loves to perform his remixes with saxophone accompaniments masterfully over familiar pop hits. He ingeniously plays his saxophone over popular rock and hip-hop beats that captivate and shock unexpected passerby's time and time again. Its no surprise that quite a few party promoters and talent scouts have hunted him down for bookings at esteemed venues. Will Saxman has performed at many places in Charlotte, NC including: Celebs, Evening Muse, Kalu, Spirit Square, The Chop Shop, The  Holtan Theatre Arena, Red@28th and other highly sought after stages outside of the Carolina's, just to name a few.

SaxMan performing on stage  at Evening Muse.

Although he mainly appears as a solo act Saxman doesn't shy away from opportunities to collaborate. He's been featured on many projects including Power98 radio station, Eric Benet, Maya Angelou, Shina London and the poet Blues. This list is only a fraction of the immense platforms this artist has touched.