Hurricane Katrina through the eyes of BLACK PEOPLE : Trouble the Water

I just saw the MOST AMAZING movie today. Wasn't up for the movies today but got invited to IFC to see the movie "Trouble The Water" and didn't know what I was in for! This is the DOPEST movie i've seen ever!




Trouble the Water opens the day before Katrina makes landfall, just blocks away from the French Quarter but far from the New Orleans that tourists know. Kimberly Rivers Roberts is turning her video camera on herself and her 9th Ward neighbors trapped in the city. “It’s going to be a day to remember,” Kim says excitedly into her new camera as the storm is brewing. It’s her first time shooting video and it’s rough, jumpy but dense with reality. Kim’s playful home-grown newscast tone grinds against the audience’s knowledge that hell is just hours away. There is no way for the audience to warn her. And for New Orleans’ poor, there is nowhere to run.

As the hurricane begins to rage and the floodwaters fill their world and the screen, Kim and her husband Scott continue to film, documenting their harrowing voyage to higher ground and dramatic rescues of friends and neighbors.

Intertwining Kim and Scott’s insider’s view of Katrina and powerful video with a mix of verite and in-your-face filmmaking, Deal and Lessin follow their story through the storm and its aftermath, and into a new life. Along the way, they discover Kim’s musical talent as rap artist Black Kold Madina when she finds the only existing copy of her recorded music survived the storm with a relative in Memphis. Kim’s performance in that moment reveals not only devastating skills as a musician, but compacts her life story into explosive poetry that paints a devastating picture of poverty.



If you have not gone to seen this movie you need to RIGHT NOW!

You can find more info on specific theaters it will be playing in here at http://www.troublethewaterfilm.com

We're BACK!

I know I know i've been horrible at posting. But consider that NO MORE!

SO....Lets catch up!

1. I will be in Vegas for the New Media Expo and will be live blogging via twitter so follow me @cyberprurban

2. Our Cyber PR Urban website will be launching soon so with that will come an awesome contest giveaway too so stay tuned...

3. Our offices our MOVING from crowded Midtown Manhattan to Lovely Park Slope, Brooklyn so stay tuned for a full report on our new office digs coming soon!

4. Lastly we will be doing tons more emerging artist features, as well as spotlighting artists who are making changes to conform to this new digital music industry.

So since we've caught up with what's going on with Cyber PR Urban , lets catch up with the world of hip hop. This Week's Hip Hop Update is brought to you by JumpOff TV.

3rd Digital Press Conference for Social Media Makers, Bloggers, Podcasters, and DJ's

Would love to have any of my Urban Bloggers come through for this event all artists will be available for interview and all music is cleared to be put up on your blog just email me at christina@arielpublicity to RSVP!!!

Ariel Hyatt of Cyber PR, Lou Plaia of Reverb Nation, John Warden of Rive Video, & Jason Spiewak of Rock Ridge Music

Cordially invite you to our 3rd Digital Press Conference for Social Media Makers, Bloggers, Podcasters, and DJ's

Ariel, Lou, John, & Jason cordially invite you to an evening of drinks, snacks and EXCLUSIVE Interview Opportunities with artists from Cyber PR, Reverb Nation, Rive Video, and Rock Ridge Music. Bring your recording devices, cameras and laptops & come capture exclusive interviews, drops & station ID recordings, and impromptu jams with some select artists and musicians to be announced soon.

A few confirmed artists already: Charles Hamilton, Immortal Technique, Michael Lynche, and more to come!

Our Digital Press conferences are famous for being a great place to get hot material for all of your broadcasting pleasure.

Next Tuesday, July 15, 2008

4PM – 8 PM

Ariel’s Parents Fabulous NYC Home:
EMAIL ME FOR THE ADDRESS!
New York, NY 10024

Please RSVP and let me know if you will be attending!
Q: What is a Digital Press Conference?
A: It’s a party with content creation benefits !

The mission is simple: Invite bands and musicians and new media makers -bloggers, podcasters, Internet radio station programmers, vodcasters, video show creators, online freelancers and technology companies, music content companies, and freelancers to attend, eat, drink and meet each other face to face. It’s a great way to acknowledge hard working musicians and harder working new media makers in a social environment, and connect new media makers to artists face to face and if they feel so inclined they can capture exclusive material from artists. New media companies are also invited to show off their online platforms.

Cyber PR hosts Digital Press Conferences these 3-4 times a year and they are collaborations with other music companies who are involved with new media makers or represent artists looking to gain online exposure.

All things new in Hip Hop...

This weekly show documents anything new in Hip Hop from movies and music to fashion and gadgets. Hosted by Wahidah, the New Releases Show comes out every Thursday by Jump Off TV:

New Media Pioneer: Brandon Greene of VividNUrban Online Magazine

New Media Pioneer: Brandon Greene of VividNUrban Online Magazine

VividNUrban
http://www.thevmagazine.net
http://www.myspace.com/thevmag

VividNUrban Magazine is a magazine built for the Urban individual. Whether that individual is a musician, politician, teacher, athlete, doctor, athlete or any of the other tens of thousands of occupations that exist…VividNUrban has something for them. We hope to education, spark dialogue, and build the bridge between the gaps. We are Las Vegas premiere Urban Arts and Culture Magazine. Through commentary, and interviews we hope to establish relationships that will allow Vegas urbanites to explore collaboration opportunities in and out of the city. We hope to find not only beat makers and MC’s but promoters, organizers, teachers and DJ’s. We hope to serve as the voice of our constituency and speak truth to power in ways that are not only entertaining and thought provoking but showcase the Vivid light that shines through the urban life.

Q: How did VividNUrban Magazine come about?

A: VividNUrban came about as a result of me becoming frustrated with the existing media in my city of Las Vegas. I was an artist before I was a journalist and I have watched for years as artist after artist struggled to get the attention of the media and radio stations. Since I have degrees in computer graphics and film and I am currently pursuing my masters in Journalism and Media Studies, I decided that I would make my own lane and stop asking.

Q: VividNUrban was recently known as The V Magazine what caused the switch to the new name?

A: I typed V Magazine in a Google search engine to see if I showed up and discovered that there was a magazine in New York of the same title. I also decided that my focus would not just be music and Vegas but all the facets of Urban Culture including education, politics, community etc. Plus many times when you hear Urban you think rap. But there is a vitality that exists in Urban Communities and I wanted that light to shine so I made the V, Vivid.

Q: VividNUrban is known as the Las Vegas Premiere Urban Arts and Culture Magazine. How do you branch out to other things outside of Vegas on the site?

A: I am a member of the Hip Hop Congress, The Hip Hop Journalist Association, and The Association of Black Journalists. I am also still a hip-hop artist and graphic artist/videographer so I really just leverage the relationships and networking that I have to do on a constant basis to develop relationships with the members of my organizations and their cities/universities. It is my hope to eventually have writers in all metropolitan areas, which will make VividNUrban a snap shot of Urban America, it’s problems, discussions of solutions, and the art that emerges in the confusion.

Q: What are some of the new features that VividNUrban offers since it switched from the V Magazine?

A: VividNUrban is now a fully faceted site, offering history lessons in the “This Day” segment. Offering a look into the artists creative process in their own words in “In the studio” as well as discussions and articles on politics, education, and community issues. Here in Las Vegas I am a founding member of The Publishers Incubation Network (PIN) which allows me and other publishers to write and share articles with each other, sort of making us brother/sister publications.

Q: As digital media continues to take new norms all over the internet, what merits and downfalls do you see with this?

A: I think if it’s done right the internet publications are definitely beginning to hold their own and gain credibility. Major news organizations are scrambling to find qualified people who can take the old print mentality and convert in to the web. This is opening up incredible opportunities for young adults like myself, enabling us to start our own instead of having to be turned down by employers who love our education but are not willing to give us that entry level position. The downfall is that many print publications will be folding in the next couple of years, and that is very sad.

New Music Feature: Phashara

Phashara
Chicago, IL
Genre: Hip Hop / Rap, Urban
http://www.arielpublicity.net/clients/2462


Phashara (emcee & beatmaker) is the balance between aggressive golden age hip-hop and progressive melodious modern hip-hop. His style of vocal delivery is strong while his lyrical content is rather introspective and thought provoking. Phashara’s brand of vivid & soulful hip-hop is a throwback to a time when lyrics, chopped samples and drums that boom and bap were standard Emcee issue.

Phashara (pronounced fah-shuh-rah) born to an afroed soul cat & sophisticated lady, Phasha spent the 1st couple of years of his life in Chicago’s Martin Luther King Plaza on the west side of Chicago. His Mom & Dad both sang with reputable choirs and gospal acts, his Uncle is a Jazz Trumpeter. Needless to say, the musical influences in his life were many and varied. “I can remember hearing Rappers Delight by the Sugar Hill Gang and The Breaks by Kurtis Blow when I was like 4 or 5 years old. My Mom would play those joints all of the time. But I’d also be like “Ma play this…” holding up the Minnie Ripperten joint where she has the blue jean coveralls on with the ice cream cone. So I really grew up listening to Hip-Hop and Soul music. Soul and Hip-Hop are like the sound track to my life” he says of his early influences.


Check Him Out:
http://phashara.com/
http://www.myspace.com/phashara

Christina’s Lucky 7

7 Urban Social Networking Websites you SHOULD be on in 2008!

1. XXL Block Talk
http://www.xxlblocktalk.com/
XXL Block Talk gives members the opportunity to post their own blogs and profiles, also gives daily updated videos of artists interviewed in the magazine. This site is great because it gives members the chance to connect with “the global hip-hop community.”

2. Block Savvy
http://www.blocksavvy.com
Block Savvy is a one-stop shop where you can do all your online business - communicate with friends, build social networks, play games, import photos and videos from Flickr.com and YouTube.com, even import your profile data from MySpace. Created by former Roc-A-Fella Exec Damon Dash, you will frequently find exclusives available to members like Jim Jones own Byrdgang Channel.

3. Allhiphop
http://www.allhiphop.com
AllHipHop.com is the most widely read Hip-Hop entity in the world, reaching millions of unique visitors per month. AllHipHop.com has been delivering daily news alerts to music industry tastemakers and hip-hop lovers two-way pagers, cellphones and email addresses since 1998. The Allhiphop community forums offer an excellent place to discuss entertainment, have collective arguments, and musical conversations, and showcase your own talent.

4. Reverb Nation
http://www.reverbnation.com
ReverbNation.com - Designed for artists. Deep, empowering stats and information on your fan base help you make decisions on where to tour and how effectively you are growing your business. Keep your page up to date and export pieces of it to other sites - imagine only having to enter shows one time for all your web locations! And GREAT WIDGETS GALORE!

5. Facebook
http://www.facebook.com
Facebook.com will be rolling out artist pages VERY SOON and you should not miss out on this! Facebook is a social utility that connects you with the people around you. Upload photos • get the latest news from your friends •post videos on your profile • tag your friends • use privacy settings to control who sees your info • join a network to see people who live, study, or work around you (and you can promote show here too!)
Friend Christina: Search For: Ariel Publicity / Christina Duren

6. BlackPlanet
http://www.blackplanet.com
BlackPlanet is the largest online community for African Americans. It is your online source for African American news, community, technology, culture, music, entertainment, and more. BlackPlanet.com is your place to meet and connect with African Americans around the country. Chat or post photos and videos to share your black experience. Look for other African Americans who are sharing theirs—even if you’re searching for news about what’s hot in music, fashion, sports and events or looking for the buzz in music, business, politics and trends.

And Luck Number #7.. RapSpace
http:// www.rapspace.tv/
RapSpace is the world's first and only broadband hangout for the hip hop community. It gives members their own personal online video recording studio and can lay down your rhymes to our beats. With talent scouts surfing the site artists can showcase their skills and be discovered.

HERE’S TO YOUR SUCCESS!!!

This list is a gift from Ariel Publicity & Cyber PR:
Creating Affordable Music Publicity & Internet Music Promotion Campaigns that place artists on Internet Radio Stations, Social Networking Sites, Podcasts, Online Magazines, Blogs, Vlogs, Audioblogs, Zines, Music Directories, Video Sites & Lifestyle Sites. We also handle tour publicity for
musicians on the road.

Sign UP for our free bi-monthly newsletter Sound Advice and get more free
bonus materials at our site.

www.arielpublicity.com
Contact@arielpublicty.com