NEW VIDEO: DWELE - I'M CHEATIN'

Revered neo-soul singer and songwriter Dwele is gearig up to release his third studio album "Sketches of a Man" on June 24th. Peep the video for his latest single "I'm Cheatin'".

From the sound of it, the song tells of a man who loves his girlfriend’s conservative side as well as her care-free side and dreams of cheating on one with the other as if they were two different people. “It’s based on a true story that I put a spin on. Unless you really pay attention, you might get the wrong idea,” Dwele admits.

NEW VIDEO: SOLANGE - I DECIDED

A couple of weeks back we announced that Solange (Beyonce's baby sister) was working on her sophomore album. The lil' bits that we heard of her album were enough to get us amped.

This is the video for her latest single "I Decided". I think homegirl has skills that should not be slept on. For those of you who would like to get to know the cute and talented singer better, check out her entertaining new blog: HADLEYSTREETJOURNAL.COM.

Her album, SoL-Angel & the Hadley Street Dreams is set to hit stores August 26th.

A TOAST TO OBAMA

A very funny comedian once said that a black man will never make it to the White House in this lifetime unless if he was a gardener or a cleaner. At the time, those words echoed a sentiment that was shared by any person with a fair ounce of logic.

But lo and behold, a miracle in the form of Barack Hussein Obama has just made history by becoming the first black American to ever receive the official nomination to become the President of the United States.

Early this morning, the Associated Press broke a story saying that Senator Hillary Clinton announced that she will officially concede to Senator and Presidential hopeful Barack Obama tonight in the run for the Democratic nomination –once he reaches the proper number of delegates he needs to officially get the nod.

AP’s updated report indicates that the Democratic Party has officially given Barack Obama the nomination after their tallying of delegates. It’s now a race for the White House between 46 year old Obama, 71 year old John McCain and candidates of other parties.

Mad props to Obama for making history and for having the audacity to dream this big.

LIRA FEATURES ON "GIRLFRIENDS" SOUNDTRACK

Lira is living proof that artists need to be true to themselves and their art at all times. Ever since she left 999 Music, where the dictatorial Arthur forced her to sing bubblegum R&B music, she has achieved nothing but career milestones by simply making music that fits her essence.

First her 2007 album “Feel Good” received rave reviews and was certified gold. Secondly, her singles “Ixesha” and “Feel Good” shot to the top of the charts on radio stations and video channels across the country. To add to that, the humble songstress also wowed audiences with captivating performances at major festivals in SA and around the world.

2008 is also proving to be equally fruitful for her. She scooped up two awards at the prestigious MTN SAMA Awards in March. As if that is not sweet enough, word has just come out that the reworked version of her smash hit “Feel Good” has been included on the soundtrack album for the popular US sitcom “Girfriends”.

The singer’s song will be ensconced in a collection that also includes contributions from Grammy-winning artists such as Erykah Badu, Amy Winehouse, Mary J Blige, Chaka Khan and Corinne bailey Rae.

This is a definite milestone for Lira and we at Encore congratulate her for this momentous feat.

NAS' NEW ALBUM COVER

When Nas announced on MTV a couple of months ago that his new album will be titled NIGGER, there was a loud uproar from the black community. Leaders like Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson were quick to condemn the popular rapper's move. Although she didn't release a statement on the issue, I'm sure Oprah must have been turning awkardly in her oversized bed in Chicago at the prospect of such a mainstream parade of the 'highly offensive' N-word.

On the flip side, peeps such as Ice Cube, LL Cool J and even his boss, LA Reid, came in support of him concluding that Nas must have something meaingful and powerul to say by using such a strong word for an album title.

Months later, it seems like Uncle Sam has successully clamped down on this tentative move. Nas' album will no longer be called "Nigger", it will simply be self-titled.
And for shock effect, the Queensbridge rapper has also changed the cover artwork for his album; it now depicts his back with the letter "N" written with marks from whips (slave whips I suppose). Interesting!

He premiered the video for his new single "You can be a nigga too" in New York recently; we should be able to upload it on Encore for your convenience at the soonest.

NERD - SEEING SOUNDS

For all those out there who are tired of the regular hip hop diet that is fed to us by mainstream radio, the good fellas of N*E*R*D have finally released their third album "Seeing Sounds".

The consensus among music pundits is that the Virgina natives have cooked up a masterpiece of an album that enthusiastically fuses elements of funk, hip hop, rock and electro to psychedllic results. This album should be in Encore's posession soon so expect a kick-ass review.

JIGGA INTERVIEW

Here's a cool recent interview of the Jiggaman. He talks about his upcoming gigs in the UK, amongst other things. Dude's got a fresh outlook towards life!