Lhasa. De cara a la pared

Her story begins in Big Indian, a tiny village perched among the Catskill Mountains, although she didn't stay there long. Lhasa's (full name Lhasa de Sela) idealistic and unconventional parents rejected routine and stability, preferring to follow life wherever it might lead them.

For seven years, the family would crisscross the United States and Mexico in a converted school bus, Lhasa's first chapter in a long experience of the road. Her father was a writer and teacher who would work in construction or picking fruit, when he had to; her mother was a photographer.

Traveling with them and her three sisters, it was her early contacts with books, fairy tales, radio drama and passing landscapes that shaped her imagination. Even at the time, she knew how lucky she was to be spending her childhood as she was, although the freedom entailed uncertainty, as well.

The soundtrack to those years was a medley of the American and Mexican classics loved by her father, and the Latin, Arab, Eastern European and Asian music her mother would listen to.

San Francisco, mid 1980s. At 13, Lhasa took to the stage of a Greek cafe to sing Billie Holliday ballads and Mexican tunes a cappella. There, she gradually discovered the power of her voice to convey thoughts and emotions she was only beginning to experience herself.

Six years later, the road led north, to Montreal. It was there that she met guitarist and producer Yves Desrosiers. For close to five years, they performed together in downtown bars, a collaboration that evolved into original material that eventually took form in La Llorona, an album that centered on the persona of a tearful siren of Aztec mythology who would bewitch men with her heartrending melodies. Infused with a certain nouvelle nostalgic, the album exuded the fragrances of Mexico and the colors of the Romany, full of sensuality and striking instrumentation. Released in February 1997, the Spanish-language album was immediately recognized for its sparkling originality. Hundreds of thousands worldwide were transported by the even, throaty voice that delivered such mysterious poetry above the rich arrangements, heady like incense.

The first influence was in Quebec, where Lhasa began to fill halls and ultimately win the "Felix" for "Artiste quebecois - musique de monde" in 1997. Then followed the rest of Canada, where she went platinum, selling 110,000 albums and winning a Juno for Best Global Artist, in 1998. Then came the U.S. and Europe, especially France, where La Llorona went "triple disc d'or," with 300,000 flying off the shelves.

Lhasa and her band toured relentlessly for several years, throughout Europe and North America, where her concerts were as acclaimed as the album had been. The demand for live appearances steadily increased. On the eve of the 21st Century, Lhasa decided to take a break from touring and consider what might be next. Realizing that she needed to distance herself from her life as a singer, she decided to travel to France to fulfill her childhood dream of performing with her three sisters, all circus performers. They met up in Bourgogne and created a show together, which premiered in the summer of 1999. The contrast between the life of a touring musician who sees the world fly by with never the time to savor the places and people along the way and the circus life, traveling in the company of family and friends, sharing trailers and assembling and dismantling the big top and bleachers, provided a welcome opportunity for the singer to replenish her inner resources.

When the circus tour had ended, Lhasa arrived at a new chapter in her life: Marseilles, the ancient port city, where half the titles for her new album would be born. In 2002, back in Montreal where her career had begun, she re-united with Francois Lalonde, drummer, percussionist and sound engineer on La Llorona, and Jean Massicotte, pianist who had also contributed to the mixing of her first release. They were to co-produce her second album, The Living Road.

Where La Llorona revolves around a mythical siren, The Living Road centers on the metaphor of life as a road. A gathering of original titles sung in Spanish, English and French, the album bridges physical distances as it links the musical traditions of the present and the past. "That's what inspires each of the songs on the album," says Lhasa. "The mysterious force that doesn't let us box ourselves in, that compels us to keep changing. The road is alive, we can't freeze or stop it. And we know we can't."

Nina Simone - Feeling Good

Six Feet Under, accompanied by Nina Simone ))Good show, good singer. Pretty video. Good morning, Internet!

Madredeus

Let us then speak of a journey.

We already know how it all began. The luminous, delicate days, the days of anticipation, the days of certainty still linger in the memory. The moment when, about fifteen years ago, two musicians set forth to find a common destiny, to make true a dream that burned inside them, and yet wasn't found on the music they were creating separately. In those freewheeling days and nights of 1985, Pedro Ayres Magalhaes and Rodrigo Leao were merely chasing the noblest and most common of all dreams: to create the music that haunted them inside, a fragile, ideal sound made of acoustic guitars and so much feeling, so near and yet thought unreachable.

Those were the early days. Those were the days of Madredeus.

This music's long journey found a definitive form when the voice was found. Teresa Salgueiro was the perfect heart for the group's melodies and words. When the first album -- 1987's "Os Dias da Madredeus", recorded at the Xabregas Convent church -- was released, many realised they were witnessing something unique and universal. Serene, ethereal songs, carrying a whispering, almost secret "Portugueseness", songs we all knew but whose shape we'd never been able to imagine, presented first to a circle of friends and only later, almost shyly, opening for concerts by Sйtima Legiao.

The Portuguese received them warmly and spontaneously; the opinions were split evenly between passionate fascination and quasi-religious reverence. It was then understood the extraordinary journey of Madredeus had begun.

From "Existir" (1990) onwards, Madredeus traveled with their music to other lands, lands that recognised easily and applauded the emotions and stories the group conveys. The language may not always be understood, but Madredeus have a strange alchemy that manages to make unique feelings universally shared.

1993 was the year the group went truly global, with concert appointments spreading throughout the world. Madredeus were no longer Portugal's own, but remained stubbornly Portuguese through and through.

1994's "O Espнrito da Paz" perfectly condenses the travel notes the musicians collated over the previous year. In its songs' stillness and transparency can be seen a quest for universal values as seen through a Portuguese heart. And it is this calling -- sometimes mistaken for a mission -- that Madredeus will perfect and crystallise to its boundaries in their subsequent records and itineraries: 1995's "Ainda", the soundtrack to Wim Wenders' film "Lisbon Story", seizes a filmic, luminous Lisbon that belongs anywhere in the world; and 1997's "O Paraнso" looks to share a dreamy state of grace, showing the way to a secret, greater dimension whose door is left wide open for all to cross.

"O Paraнso" is Madredeus' latest studio album of new material (it was followed by "O Porto", capturing a live concert in Oporto). Beyond its expected local success, it has sold in significant quantities in many other countries, as indeed all of the group's record catalogue: each of their albums has sold half a million copies worldwide. The journey has had its share of troubles, now left behind (Rodrigo Leao, Gabriel Gomes and Francisco Ribeiro have left; Josй Peixoto on guitar, Carlos Maria Trindade on synthesizer and Fernando Jъdice on acoustic bass guitar have joined), but the essence of Madredeus has remained unaltered.

The "Paraнso" world tour has again confirmed Madredeus' privileged musical status, and the unquestionable musical heritage that makes up their songs. One of their most notable stage highlights has been a performance in the Vatican Christmas Concert attended by Pope John Paul II.

A new honour was bestowed upon them in 1999, as the Federal Government of Mexico City invited them to perform at the Plaza Zуcalo, the Mexican capital's main cathedral square. The band performed for 80,000 people in a recital appropriately titled "a song for hope and peace".

‘Movimento’ (Movement) is the new album from Madredeus: sixteen new songs, sixteen new landscapes, sixteen new passions tailor-made by hand for Teresa Salgueiro's crystalline voice. Sixteen new tales of the Spirit and of the Heart, continuing Madredeus's pledge to travel everywhere and share their unique, beautiful music with the world.

‘Movimento’ is also more than a new movement in the Madredeus symphony: all the musicians have contributed material to the album, strengthening the band's unity through the diversity of their shared experiences.

Movimento moves into your life on April 9th, 2001 and will be premiered for the world press during its initial Portuguese shows this April. We are sure you will treasure it at least as much as you did their previous albums.

And, quoting from the lyrics of "O Pastor": if Madredeus are a dream that ends late, then why should we want to wake up? 

from http://www.madredeus.com

Jay Chou-Huo Yuan Chia

Do you like kung fu? Do enjoy hip hop? What about Chinese opera? If all of the above appeal to you, then you've got to listen to Jay Chou's latest EP, Huo Yuan Chia. Chou's songs create visual imagery that is rich with cultural influences and beauty. In the song "Huo Yuan Chia", Chou has incorporated Chinese musical instruments like the "gu zheng", flute and drums, along with a special rhythm unique to Chinese kung fu. He mixes these intrinsically Chinese elements with hip hop music and the singing techniques of Chinese opera to create a strong, impressive climax to this song. After listening to the CD, you'll feel like you've just done a routine of the "Huo-style Fist", as every cell in your body electrified by the rhythm. Dancing is irrestible when you listen to this release. --By Nelson Huang, translated by Cara Steenstra

Sergent Garcia - Long time

From the multicultural breeding ground of Paris, Sergent Garcia conjures up a powerful concoction of Cuban Timba, Son, Afro-Cuban Jazz, Dancehall Reggae, Soul, rap and Ska. Singing primarily in Spanish (but also in French and English), Garcia's lyrics assault racism, the military, police, and nationalism while joyfully embracing African spirituality and espousing social righteousness. Anchored by a deep rhythm section of congas, timbales, drums, percussion, fat bass, and jazzy piano, the horns -- saxophone, trumpet, and trombone -- swing tightly and soulfully. A young Cuban rapper/backing singer and a funky female vocalist compliment Garcia's energetic leads; the outfit also uses Moog synthesizer, flute, and DJ scratching. A successful mix of diverse elements of the African diaspora, Garcia and his crew have been known to get their audiences jumping and singing along ecstatically.

DAMIAN "JR. GONG" MARLEY

DAMIAN "JR. GONG" MARLEY BIO:

The bustling Halfway Tree area of Kingston, Jamaica is the geographic intersection of the city's uptown and downtown areas, the meeting ground of Kingston's privileged and it's poor. Damian Marley, the son of Reggae icon Bob Marley and Jamaica's 1977 Miss World Cindy Breakspeare is the offspring of a union between two distinctive and disparate worlds. Damian calls his new album "HALFWAY TREE" because "my father is from the country and the ghetto and my mother is from uptown so I come like a half way tree, like a bridge because I can relate to both sides. "HALFWAY TREE" is the first release from the recently signed distribution deal between Motown Records and Ghetto Youths International.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica on July 21, 1978, Damian Robert Nesta Marley a.k.a. "Junior Gong", Bob's youngest son, began performing as a child as the vocalist for a group called The Shepherds. Comprised of other well-known Reggae artists children including Shiah Coore (son of Third World guitarist Cat Coore) and Yashema Beth McGregor, the daughter of Freddie McGregor and Judy Mowatt, The Shepherds performed at several shows in Jamaica including the Reggae Sunsplash music festival in 1992.

After The Shepherds' demise, Damian turned his vocal talents to deejaying (the Jamaican equivalent of rapping). In 1993 Damian's debut single "Deejay Degree" was released on Tuff Gong Records (the label founded by Bob Marley) and the following year he released "Sexy Girls On My Mind" for the Main Street label.

Damian's next release 1995's "School Controversy" was featured on the Epic/Sony Wonder compilation, "POSITIVELY REGGAE" with all sales proceeds going to Jamaica's Leaf of Life Foundation, an organization which assists children who are HIV positive. Although he was still a teenager, Damian was selected as the "POSITIVELY REGGAE" spokesperson, a role that introduced him to the international press and record buying public. The same year Damian performed at select dates on the Shabba Ranks World Unity tour and with his brother Julian performed at Jamaica's Reggae Sunfest and Sunsplash festivals.

Damian was a high school student when he began recording "MR. MARLEY" at the Marley Music 48 track-recording studio. Produced by Stephen Marley (head of the Marley Boyz production team), "MR. MARLEY" delivered a fusion of contemporary Reggae grooves and infectious dancehall rhythms alongside tough edged hip-hop beats, an ideal complement for Damian's versatile deejay-rap style. The album included several updates of Bob Marley classics as well as the single "Me Name Junior Gong" which went to the number one in Hawaii and held that position for several weeks. "When we went to Hawaii in 1997," Damian recalls, "we had three songs on the charts there: 'Me Name Junior Gong,' 'One Cup of Coffee' and 'Now You Know,' a tune from Julian's debut album." Damian and Julian's burgeoning popularity earned them featured appearances on the 1997 travelling alternative rock festival Lollapalooza which provided invaluable exposure among a new sector of music fans.

In the five years since "MR. MARLEY's" release, Damian has matured as a performer, songwriter, recording artist and Rastafarian, his unwavering convictions reflected throughout his new album. Stephen Marley produced "HALFWAY TREE" for Marley Boyz productions; Stephen's previous production achievements are crowned by 1999's critically acclaimed "CHANT DOWN BABYLON" featuring Bob Marley in duets with a galaxy of hip hop's brightest stars and selling more than 1 million copies worldwide. Stephen's innovative approach to "HALFWAY TREE" incorporates spoken word introductions and dramatic vignettes as song interludes, creating a conceptual cohesiveness lacking from most Jamaican albums. Stephen also adapts traditional Reggae elements (forceful drum and basslines, committed social commentary) to 21st century hip hop's synthesized beats and sometimes defiant stances while utilizing the talents of Jamaican singers, deejays and musicians alongside American rappers, each underscoring Damian's impassioned delivery.

A spoken intro by Bunny Wailer (of the original Wailers), the ghetto grammar of Jamaican deejay Bounty Killer, Treach of rap group Naughty By Nature and Damain's blistering vocal beats unite in their criticism of the "Educated Fools" who continue to brainwash the youth. Stephen's sung vocals are looped around Damian's deejaying on the haunting "It Was Written", complemented by the combustible talents of Dancehall's arsonist Capleton who along with rapper Dragon assists in burning (lyrical) fire upon the oppressors. The pulse of classical Reggae's drum and bass enhances Damian's sing-jay style throughout "More Justice", a condemnation of the suppression of the Rastafarian sacred herb marijuana. Contemporary percussion patterns inspired by ancestral African drumming provides the sturdy musical foundation for "Give Dem Some Way" which fully supports Damian's hard edged, fast past verse.

A hardcore Jamaican dancehall vibe is represented in "Mi Blenda", a recipe for natural viagra (or Jamaican "strong back") which might be necessary to satisfy the two women Damian is "Stuck In Between". "Where Is The Love?" conveys a responsible approach to relationships with Ruff Ryders Eve providing a succinct rap aimed at those who engage in irresponsible sex: "I wish you cats would understand procreation instead of using it as recreation." Damian abandons those "just for one night fun things" as "an indecent something" on "Still Searching" while the rollicking "Cool and Dandy" with deejay Daddigan is a tribute to the fit and bouncy girls. "She Needs My Love" boasts Jamaica's premier drum and bass duo Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare and their La Trenggae (Latin Flavored Reggae) fusion accentuating Junior Gong's vigorous rhymes. "Stand A Chance" with Stephen on harmonica, Treach's rap and the harmonizing of Jamaican singer Yami Bolo is a modern roots Reggae gem shimmering with an inherited Rastafarian spirit. Stephen is assisted on the title track production by New York producer Swizz Beats (Kaseem Dean) who has constructed rhythms for rappers including DMX, Busta Rhymes and Jay-Z.

Bob Marley's music is also featured on "HALFWAY TREE." "Could You Be Loved" is metamorphosed into "And Be Loved" with samples from the 1979 original woven into Damian's dazzling deejaying and the impressive rap from an upcoming artist called Izzy. The Wailers 1973 masterpiece of suppressed anger "Slave Driver" becomes "Catch A Fire" with Stephen duplicating Bob's original vocals and Damian's chanting providing a bold critique on guns, drugs and other forms of mental slavery. Bob reiterated "none but ourselves can free our mind" and Damian raps "if dem could, dem would tax you for saliva, how much more mus' we die for?"

With the release of "HALFWAY TREE" on Ghetto Youths International/Motown, Damian presents his bold musical identity to the global community, updating the Marley musical legacy for the 21st century.

Ismael Lo - Baykat

Ismael Lo was born into a Muslim family in Rufisque, Senegal, the son of a Senegalese father and Nigerian mother. His first few years were spent in Niger. His father had two wives and between them they had 18 children. Lo is the only one who became a musician. He loved music from an early age and got his start playing a homemade one-string guitar. Early American influences included Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Etta James, and he learned their songs by listening to the radio. At first he only played for the joy of it and never considered performing, but then an older brother, who owned a club, asked him to play on a local television show. Lo said no the first time, and continued to study decorating and painting at a trade school, but a few months later he reconsidered and appeared on the show. He was an instant hit and this inspired him to think about performing full-time. In 1979, a singer/songwriter invited him to play in a band, called Super Diamono ? a super group, , that played mbalax-blues. Lo, with his talent for guitar playing and song writing, quickly established himself as a key figure in the band and soon became the second lead singer, backup singer and rhythm guitarist. By the early '80s he found himself wanting to launch a solo career, but felt like he would leave a gaping hole in the band that could destroy it. In 1984, the pressure became too much and he left for Spain to do some painting. He began recording as a solo artist upon his return. Ismael Lo participates in creating an acute awareness of the hiv virus and the havoc it causes in Africa. He produced and acted in a mini-movie regarding the issue.

To date he remains actively involved in sensitising and informing Africa on the epidemic. Among his many talents besides singing are; painting, writing and acting.

Stephen Marley feat. Damian Marley "The Traffic Jam"

Stephen Marley, Mind Control

If you think you don't know the music of Stephen Marley, you do-you just don't realize it. A member of the celebrated Marley sibling group The Melody Makers since the age of seven, the Grammy winning producer, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist has also been the driving creative force behind the music of his brothers. Stephen's production, performance and writing credits recently earned him two Grammys-giving him a total of five: more than any other Marley family member or reggae artist in history.

Born in 1972, the second son of Bob Marley, Stephen was dancing and singing onstage during his father and The Wailers' live shows (alongside older siblings Ziggy and Cedella) by the time he was old enough to walk. As a young boy, he stayed at home-as Ziggy and Cedella entered school-where he would shadow his father, mimic his speech and quickly fall in love with such future reggae anthems as "Lively Up Yourself." At seven, he began learning guitar on a nylon-stringed acoustic.

In 1979, he made his official debut when he, Ziggy, Cedella and Sharon-collectively known as The Melody Makers-cut their first single, "Children Playing in the Streets," followed in 1985 by their debut LP, Play the Game Right. Over the next decade, the group would follow in their father's footsteps, racking up Grammy awards and bringing conscious songs and one-love rhythms to every corner of the globe.

With his highly anticipated debut album, not only does the sound and soul of Stephen Marley come into vivid focus, but the 34 year-old artist is now inevitably stepping to center stage for the first time in his 27 year career. Appropriately, Mind Control is all Stephen and a cornucopia of the sounds and styles that he loves: a blend of reggae, rock, R&B, nyabinghi rhythms, flamenco and hip-hop. It's an album with the grit and flavor to rock old-school Kingston sound systems and slippery, waxed Miami Range Rovers alike.

Featuring cameos from roots-rock star Ben Harper, hip-hop hero Mos Def and younger brother Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, it's a collection of songs that range from conscious critiques of society ("Mind Control") and politics ("Chase Dem"), to the sweet and open-hearted ("Hey Baby"), to the simple and fun (the sexy, club-rocking, Latin-tinged grinder "Let Her Dance," which features Maya Azucena & Illestr8).

"My joy and my pain, this is me," Marley says, humbly. "It's a page from my book: Every page tells a story, but at the same time is a continuation of the page before it or the page to come. This is just one page."

The album's breezy, horn-spiced title track casts a light on a modern day form of slavery, its words conscious, its groove monstrous: "That song is about subliminal slavery, hi-tech slavery, subliminal suppression," says Stephen. "It holds you down, it holds a man down from being wholesome." It's a call to arms for us to take back our lives, free our minds, regain our spiritual souls and think for ourselves: "Don't let them mold your mind/They wanna control mankind/Seems like their only intention is to exploit the Earth."

Tapping into the disillusionment triggered by elected leaders in both the U.S. and Jamaican governments, the vintage, easy-skanking roots reggae of "Chase Dem" rips into the insincere, crooked politicians by shouting "run them away." If the balance of Mind Control sounds wholly created in the 21st Century, "Chase Dem" blasts out of the subwoofers like a long lost jewel from Bob himself. With that song, Stephen says, "It's like me post a bill saying, 'Just say no to politics.'"

The softer and sweeter side of Stephen is also on full display in the album. A smooth, smart slab of hip-hop featuring a dose of Brooklyn flow courtesy of Mos Def on the album's first single, "Hey Baby," is based on a song Stephen would sing to his children to keep them from being sad while he was on tour with The Melody Makers: "Hey baby/ don't you worry/ even though the road is rocky/ I'll be coming home to you again." The hypnotic "Lonely Avenue," is a sweet, harmony vocal- and organ-soaked take on the Ray Charles classic-done Marley style. "I'm a big fan of Ray," says Marley. "I couldn't tell you the first time I heard him, but I could tell ya what I remember is hearing him and feeling him in pain." Blending modern sounds with classic roots vibes, Mind Control finds Stephen carrying the Marley legacy even further into the future with such samples as the smart piece of the Martina Topley Bird song "Sandpaper Kisses" heard throughout "You're Gonna Leave."

The album includes a trilogy of sorts ("Officer Jimmy Interlude," "The Traffic Jam," featuring Damian, and "Iron Bars," featuring brother Julian Marley, Mr. Cheeks & Spragga Benz) inspired by the few hours that Stephen and Julian spent in a Tallahassee jail in 2002 for marijuana possession: On "Iron Bars"-the song in which he sings "Let me out!/Let me out!/I'm an angry lion!"-Stephen asks himself, "What am I doing here, among the wolves? For some herb? It's like I'm a murderer. Ya know what I mean? Ya make me feel like I'm a murderer, for some herb, where, ya know, it's my culture."

The genre-meshing "Fed Up" is a flute-led lament of romantic missteps-"She said, 'How could you treat me this way?'/What we had was more than words could say"-while the album closing "Inna Di Red," featuring Ben Harper, is a thoughtful, shaker-dusted meditation on inner peace.

In addition to recording his debut album, Stephen has been hunkered down in the studio serving as the secret weapon behind both of Damian's past two Grammy winners as well as behind the Ghetto Youths International and Tuff Gong imprints. In addition to executive producing 1999's lauded, star-studded tribute to his father, Chant Down Babylon, his production skills can be heard on albums by Buju Banton, brothers Julian and Ziggy, Spearhead, Eve, Erykah Badu, Capleton and Mr. Cheeks. He's performed as a vocalist, percussionist or guitarist on albums by all the above, as well as albums by Eric Clapton and others. Marley continues to work on new music for all of his brothers. If they felt it important to carry on their father's legacy, it's not something that Stephen-nor his brothers-think much about anymore. "That work has been done", he says. "We are the legacy now."

Stephen also embarked on two U.S. concert tours this year, including the acclaimed "Bob Marley Roots, Rock Reggae Festival," where brothers Stephen and Ziggy Marley joined together for the first time ever with reggae pioneer Bunny Wailer.

Stephen has built and laid the foundations for a full-blown Marley family renaissance and with Mind Control, Stephen has achieved that: It's an album full of confidence and diversity in styles and emotion. "I don't want to be just another artist. I want to make a statement, and to continue this legacy, this musical legacy, with my family. Just like my brothers... I aspire to be a reckoning force, when you hear my name, you know quality comes with that: good music, good message, good vibe."

http://web.stephenmarleymusic.com/

Hilltop Hoods

History

The group formed in 1991 when MCs Suffa and Pressure met at Blackwood High School. They joined up with DJ Debris through a mutual friend and formed the basis for the group. Early on in the history of the Hilltop Hoods DJ Next did all of the scratches and regularly competed in the local DMC tournaments. In the late 1990's DJ Next chose to pursue a different career path after the release of A Matter of Time and moved to Sydney. DJ Debris who was previously producer became the main DJ. DJ Next remains in contact with the Hilltop Hoods.

Influences include American hip hop artists such as KRS-One, Gang Starr and Public Enemy, although the Hilltop Hoods rap with their native Australian accents.

Their name comes from a suburb in south-eastern Adelaide known by the local youth as the Hilltop, where Suffa and Pressure were raised. The name "Hilltop Hoods" was suggested by local rapper, Flak, of the Cross Bred Mongrels in a Coles carpark.

Recordings and Collaborations

The Hilltop Hoods have released five successful recordings - Back Once Again (EP - 1997), A Matter of Time (LP - 1999), Left Foot, Right Foot (LP - 2001), The Calling (LP - 2003) and The Hard Road (LP - 2006). Aside from their own instalments, the Hilltop Hoods have featured on a number of compilation albums, including Obesecity and Culture of Kings Vol. 1 & 2, and have collaborated with Australian hip hop scene musicians including Koolism, Mass MC, Pegz, Muphin, Layla, Hyjak and DJ Bonez.

The group released their fourth album The Hard Road on April 1st in 2006 which features the single Clown Prince and guest verses from New York rapper Omni and British MC's Mystro and Braintax. The album debuted at number one on the ARIA charts, and was the first Australian hip hop album to do so. The track The Blue Blooded is a collaboration of Australian MC's featuring the Funkoars, Hau from Koolism, Mortar, Vents, Drapht, Muphin, Pegz and Robby Balboa.

On the 27th of April the Hilltop Hoods performed at the Bass in the Grass music festival in Darwin alongside fellow hip hop group, The Herd. This was also the day in which the Hilltop Hoods released their second single from their new album The Hard Road. The videoclip features members from the Certified Wise crew, of which the Hilltop Hoods are members.

In 2006 a green vinyl version of their 1997 EP, Back Once Again, sold for $950 on eBay, a first for any Australian hip hop act.[citation needed]

Following the success of The Hard Road tour in early 2006, the Hilltop Hoods have begun their second national tour for 2006 called The Stopping All Stations tour which will travel to more regional areas as well as the capital cities. Their support acts are Koolism & UK MC Mystro.

In late 2006, the Hilltop Hoods released their third single from "The Hard Road" the track "What a Great Night" the videoclip for the song shows the group at a club with camera shots panning up and down to reveal a new location. It used advanced special effects and is of the most expensive videoclips for an Australian hip hop group, mirroring the group rise in success and popularity.

They performed the Homebake Festival in late 2006.

On May 12 2007, the Hoods will be releasing their new album 'The Hard Road Restrung' which will be a remix of their previous album The Hard Road featuring the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Okwerdz. It will also include a unheard bonus track.

Tiken Jah Fakoly

Tiken Jah was born into a family of griots and christened Doumbia Moussa Fakoly on June 23, 1968 in Odienné, north-western Côte d'Ivoire. He discovered reggae at an early age, assembling his first group, Djelys, in 1987. He became well-known at a regional level, but would soon ascend to national recognition.

Concerned by the social and political evolution of his country, it was not long before Tiken Jah was writing incisive works on the political environment in Côte d'Ivoire. One such work was on the death of Félix Houphouët-Boigny in 1993, which resulted in a surge of popularity amongst the nation's youth. In 1998, Fakoly made his first international appearance in Paris.

Tiken Jah Fakoly plays music "to wake up the consciences". His music speaks about many injustices done to the people of his country, and those over Africa. As such, African listeners feel a deep affinity with his lyrics as Fakoly speaks for people whom are under oppression. This connection has helped make Tiken Jah Fakoly a much-listened artist throughout both Europe and Africa. (from Wiki)

His site http://www.tikenjah.net/

LA CAUTION - The A La Menthe

La Caution is a french alternative rap duo based in Noisy-Le-Sec (93)(Paris suburb), composed by two brothers from moroccan origins Hi-Tekk & Nikkfurie.
They built a strong reputation in concerts, with mixtapes and different projects before the release of their first album ''Asphalte Hurlante'' (with Dj Fab as third member), this album created a real sensation, the mark of La Caution was made.
A few years later, the instrumental version of their track ''The A La Menthe'' will be part of the movie ''Ocean's 12''. But even if for some people the discover of this title is a surprise, in france everyone is waiting for their new double album ''Peines de Maures/Arc-en-ciel Pour Daltoniens'' (2005) (label: Kerozen).
This is the confirmation for the group. Acclaimed by several webzines as the best french rap album of the year 2005.

their site : http://www.la-caution.net