De La Soul Is Not Dead (Documentary Trailer) [Video]

Coming straight outta Amityville, Long Island, the seminal hip hop trio De La Soul — comprised of MCs Posdnuos, Trugoy the Dove, and DJ Maseo, plus visionary producer Prince Paul — changed the sound of rap forever. De La’s innovative use of eclectic samples, bugged-out album skits, and multi-layered lyrical wordplay left a stamp on the music that will never die. Their “Buddy” remix became ground zero for the birth of the Native Tongues movement, helping launch the careers of A Tribe Called Quest and giving further shine to rising talents Queen Latifah, Monie Love, and The Jungle Brothers. Last Friday, De La Soul dropped “and the Anonymous Nobody…”, their first album in 12 years, and also the first album by any major rap group to be fully funded by crowd-sourcing. Their Kickstarter raised over $600,000—by far the biggest budget they’ve ever seen for an album. This phenomenal show of support is a testament to the fierce loyalty of De La’s devoted fanbase. But that’s not the only reason it’s a big year for Plugs One, Two and Three. Mass Appeal is releasing a documentary online called De La Soul Is Not Dead. The short film not only looks into the history of De La Soul, but also explores the nagging legal and sample clearance issues that has prevented them from releasing their classic albums such as De La Soul Is Dead (1991) and Stakes is High (1996) on digital platforms like iTunes, Apple Music, or Spotify. Due to this

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Checl Out The First Trailer For The 2Pac Biopic, “All Eyez On Me” [Video]

Tupac Amaru Shakur would have celebrated his 45th birthday today (June 16th), had it not been for that fateful and tragic night of September 13th, 1996. His legacy, however, has cemented him as one of the greatest rappers of all time. A film based on his life, All Eyez On Me, recently wrapped shooting and currently in post-production, however, and the first teaser trailer for it has finally been released. Produced by Morgan Creek Productions and directed by Benny Boom, the film stars Danai Gurira, Kat Graham, Jamal Woolard (who played The Notorious B.I.G in his respective biopic, Notorious), and first-time actor Demetrius Shipp Jr. who bears a startlingly uncanny resemblance to ‘Pac (as can be seen in the 60-second teaser). While it only shows bits and pieces of the film, it shows brief glimpses of his childhood, his Death Row days, and more. via 2DBZ

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Michael Jackson’s Journey From Motown To Off The Wall (Showtime Documentary) (Trailer) [Video]

Don’t miss the premiere of Showtime’s Documentary Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off The Wall Friday, February 5th. The film focuses on a rarely examined chapter of Jackson’s career as he evolves from the lead singer of Jackson 5 to a solo artist recording what will become his breakthrough, seminal 1979 pop record, Off The Wall. Audiences will travel with the global superstar as he strikes a new path with CBS Records, first with his brothers as The Jacksons and then stepping out on his own to create his own music with his own team. This illuminating portrait traces how an earnest, passionate, hard-working young man becomes the “King of Pop.” MICHAEL JACKSON’S JOURNEY FROM MOTOWN TO OFF THE WALL contains a wealth of footage, including material from Michael’s personal archive, and in his own words. The documentary also includes interviews with prominent entertainment and sports stars including Lee Daniels, The Weeknd, Pharrell Williams, Kobe Bryant, Misty Copeland, Mark Ronson, John Legend, Questlove, L.A. Reid, and more, as well as his parents Katherine and Joe Jackson, and his brothers Jackie and Marlon Jackson. Off The Wall created a whole new category in pop music. Written by Michael Jackson, the first single from Off The Wall, “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” earned Jackson his first Grammy® and was his first single to hit No. 1 in the U.S. and internationally as a solo artist. The album was an enormous commercial success; as of 2014 it is certified eight times

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