Larry Cheeba is a force to be reckoned with. Hailing from New England, he is able to balanced both club bangers and street wise rap with an effort that will leave you breathless. From his ode to companionship in "Get Myself Together" to the survival anthem "Hunger Pains," Larry wraps the listener in his lyrical story telling that has been a long time coming.
I had a chance to sit down and enjoy some one on one time with him.
Cassandra: First off, let me just thank you for giving me the opportunity to pick your brain, to give the people here in Texas a chance to know you .
Larry Cheeba: No problem
C: Who do you list as your influences?
LC: There are so many who have influence me musically and still continue to. I would say Nas, Biggie, K Solo & EPMD. In my car right now, I am listening to Big Lou from Street Sweepers. He 's feature on one of my songs [Hunger Pains]. He's a great artist like myself.
C: As I was listening to "Get Myself Together" there was a strong vibe that this track was for a very special woman, who is she?
LC: [Chuckles] Honestly, the record is for the mother of my kids but the inspiration for this record originally came from Sandra Thomas. In essence it's directed towards all the strong women across the globe that have held a nigga down when no one else would. If you've been incarcerated before or have family or friends that have been incarcerated you know that it's an emotional roller coaster that makes u look at the people around u…. n also the people who are no longer around you. U begin to put a lot of things into perspective n u see who is genuinely there for u. I think a lot of people who been in this situation can relate whether that person was a friend, lover, or wife to some one that was locked up.
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1.12.2008
15 Minutes with Larry Cheeba
1.02.2008
Gucci Mane schooling the kiddies
Gucci Mane recently went and spoke at an ATL elementary. He voiced the importance of staying in school and getting good grades. He also rewarded the students with early Christmas gifts.
It's Cool to Be Smart:
“We just went to the kids and talked to the kids that get good grades and told [them] that I wanted to partner up with the school around the street from my house, an elementary school; they were having a lot of problems [with] a lot of the male students. I just wanted to talk to them to do better. Out of the 27 people that we got that were eligible to get toys, only nine of them were boys. I just wanted to challenge the little boys in the neighborhood to pay a little bit better [attention] to the books and stop fighting so much. I graduated from school and I definitely use school in my music so I try to just motivate them to do good; tell them it’s cool to be smart."
Respect Your Elders:
"My message was just to be respectful and disciplinary. With the kids down here they have a lot of disciplinary problems; keeping them in line so they can teach them. I wanted to tell them before they get to entrepreneurship they’re so young…respect these teachers. Listen to what they have to say. That’s the message that I was trying to get to them."
I think it is so important for artists to take time out and talk to the kids. A lot of kids do not have the parental guidance they need and tend to go somewhere else to get that.
Go over to AHH to read the rest.
12.14.2007
Will Smith on his sexiness, career moves, marriage secret
As a Sci Fi nerd, I am so excited about the release of I Am Legend. I came across the interview with Will Smith and director Francis Lawrence on AOL. It is about 10 minuted long, if you want to know some tidbits about Will's marriage, go to around the 8 minute mark.
11.19.2007
Alicia Keys covers Entertainment Weekly
Alicia Keys is on the cover of the November 23 issue of Entertainment Weekly. In an exclusive interview with EW, she opens up about hitting rock bottom, taking control of her career and getting a life.
On her newfound independence:
"I became brutally honest. I would go straight up to people and say, 'Guess what? This is over. So what's gonna happen from now on is this: If you're feeling that, great. if not, bye.' Some people didn't like it, and they didn't like me being so clear and set on what I wanted. But I found that I took their power away. Any power anyone ever had over me is gone...I'm at the point now like, F--- it. Who gives a s---? I don't really care what you think aboout me."
On the moment she realize she had hit rock bottom:
"I discovered a lot about myself that I didn't like. I would look in the mirror and I didn't know who that person was. I didn't like my eyes; I didn't like what they said. I couldn't sleep. I was uncomfortable all the time, and irritated and frustrated."
To read more of the interview and other features, pick up a copy of EW, on newsstands now.
10.25.2007
Queen Latifah loving her curves
"Beauty is not just a white girl. It's so many different flavors and shades," the 37-year-old rapper-actress tells People magazine in its latest issue. "It's good for regular girls because the meter (for beauty) has been a slim white girl."
"(In Hollywood) we've definitely gotten better with body type," she says. "It used to be just me! Now with Jennifer Hudson's success and America Ferrera, I got some successors to take the reins on this whole bodylicious thing."
Latifah describes herself as being voluptuous — "definitely curvaceous." (SOURCE)
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"I think I'm normal compared to the statistics," she says. "This is a big country nowadays."
The star of "Chicago" and other films says she had elective breast-reduction surgery in 2003 to alleviate years of back and shoulder pain.
"I didn't want to get it. But I had lost 25 pounds and my breasts didn’t go anywhere! I was still carrying that load," she tells the magazine.
However, "I didn't quite want them to be this small," she laughs.
Before surgery, Latifah says she was "an E or an F cup. I was pretty big. Now I’m like a DD. I wanted to be a triple. They took one D too many! So that was hard to deal with. ... I missed my old look."
Latifah says she isn't interested in more surgery.
"There are people who love (plastic surgery) and want to cut and chop anything. I'm like, `Y'all are crazy!'"
10.16.2007
9.27.2007
Timbaland calls Dr. Dre His "Daddy"; Talks Jay-Z, Missy Elliot
On Dr. Dre:
I gotta go against my daddy," he said Friday from the ABC studios in New York, where the super-producer is filming a guest spot for the soap opera "One Life to Live." "I call [Dr.] Dre my daddy. To make it be some talk, I gotta go against my big brother. He's my big brother. [Who are] the two quarterbacks? Peyton Manning and Eli? When they have to go against each other, it's like, 'Do I really wanna go against my big brother?' Dre is my mentor. That would drive people to the stores. Like, 'Oh snap, Tim and Dre!' That would be big. I asked Jay-Z who he would go against. He said, 'The only person I would go against is my other homeboy: my friend Eminem."
On Jay-Z:
"He wants me to do the next single," Tim said. "He just does it for fun. We talked about [his next album]. He says it's just a hobby, ain't nothing else to do. When a person tells you that, what you supposed to say? 'You crazy'? He said, 'I don't wait for nothing. I'm there. I'm doing it for the love of music.' What am I supposed to say? 'You wack for doing it'? ... Some people think Jay fell off. Or he's just over people's head. I think that's what it is. That's another thing: It could hurt him or it could make him be not the legend he is. That's the only thing I'm scared of for my friend."
On Missy:
"I probably won't do the whole thing 'cause I gotta get my own thing up and poppin'," he said, referring to his Mosley Music Group label. "I can't make [Missy's recording home] Atlantic [Records] money. Nothing personal. We had a time and a crazy run, but I gotta get my own indie label poppin'."
9.12.2007
Myspace Interview: 50 Cent
As I was checking Myspace, I came across this recently added interview. It seems as if 50 is using every piece of media to get people to buy his album. In an exclusive 5-part interview with Julio G (includes a foreword with Tom), 50 Cent speaks about his new album, The Game, Lil Kim, Eminem and more.
Part 1 of myspace interview : 50 talks about new album Curtis
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Cassandra: Well I can certainly relate to this track.
LC: That is the sort of reaction I want. I am bringing real life situations to my music that people can relate to. I am currently working on a video to Get Myself which will be released in the spring. It is going to be a beautiful thing.
C: From your last album, Destined for Greatness, to your latest, Tha Product, in what ways have you grown as an artist?
LC: I am more business-keened. With Destined, I had a great vision to make good music but did not have the business knowledge to really push it. With Tha Product, I am more business-keened and the material speaks for itself. I aint gotta hype it up. Artistically the people are gonna love this album.
C: Obama or Hilary in '08:
LC: Obama
C: Why?
LC: I want to see the brother win. I like a lot of his views and what he has to say. Don't get me wrong, Hilary is great candidate considering she's had the experience of being in the white house, but in my opinion, Obama is what we need.
C: As you have read and seen on TV, Obama has a lot of naysayers in the black community. Some are saying he is not black enough.
LC: With anything, you are going to have haters. If you are trying to accomplish something and you don't have haters, then you are not doing something right. I think the real question is …what would be considered black enuf & would Black America be ready to stand by what that is…
C: What advice do you have for CB readers who want to break into the music business?
LC: Stay on your Grind, stick to your craft & invest in yourself. Go hard and put your whole heart into it. Nothing is handed out in this industry for free. I have worked with many in this industry and it is not easy.
C: When it is all said and done and you have hung up your mic for the last time, what do you want to be remembered for the most? What do you want your legacy to be?
LC: I want them to know I put my all in it – my heart n I was one the best(if not the best to ever do it from New England). This is a very dog eat dog industry and many great artists from my area never got the respect they deserved or get forgotten. I want to be remembered that I stayed on my grind n went hard for my city. When Jay-Z went into and out of retirement, people looked at what he accomplished. I just want to be remembered and acknowledged for what I have accomplished for Worcester. Shout out to everybody in the 508 showin support "THE PRODUCT" is coming!!!
To learn more about Larry Cheeba, check him out on Myspace
Larry Cheeba - Hunger Pains
Larry Cheeba - Get Myself Together