Drake continued with this third installment in his “In the AM” series, following “9AM In Dallas” and “5AM In Toronto”. This hook-less track features Drake attacking several figures in the rap game for four minutes straight.
Slaight Family Foundation announces $7M in donations to seven Canadian NGOs
The Slaight Family Foundation today announced that it will donate $7 million to support seven Canadian non-governmental organizations. The donation will be split equally among all seven groups, which include Stephen Lewis Foundation, War Child, Free The Children, Right To Play, Human Rights Watch, Partners In Health Canada, and World Vision.
The donations aim to support Canada’s efforts in global humanitarianism. The work of these NGOs will be supported over the next four years as they aim to create change in seven unique ways across the globe.
“The work these seven NGOs are doing is critically important. When we were selecting different organizations to partner with, it really came down to the versatility of these projects and the need for change in these regions,” saidGary Slaight, President and CEO of Slaight Family Foundation. “We hope these gifts will benefit many people for years to come, and that we inspire others to support humanitarianism efforts on a global scale.”
The gifts were announced today at an event hosted by the Slaight Family Foundation. Leaders in Canadian humanitarianism and business leaders were also present. Chief executive officers from all seven NGOs spoke about the importance of these gifts and the projects they will support.
“The work that we do as humanitarians is only made possible by the generosity of others. The generosity we’ve seen from the Slaight Family Foundation is an inspiring example of those who want to make a difference in the world,” saidDave Toycen, President and CEO of World Vision. “At the end of the day, our dream is to change the lives of women, men and children around the world, and these donations help make that dream a reality.”
The donations announced today will fund seven special projects in different regions throughout the globe. Each project will touch a different group of equally important recipients, including women and children in Thailand, grandmothers and orphans in sub-Saharan Africa, and victims of war and human rights violations in Cambodia and beyond.
The Slaight Family Foundation Gifts, in detail:
Stephen Lewis Foundation
Support to grandmothers raising children orphaned by AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa
The Stephen Lewis Foundation will continue to work with grassroots organizations to improve the livelihood and security of grandmothers raising children orphaned by AIDS. Support will be provided through food security, income-generation opportunities, and housing for grandmothers and orphans in their care, as well as national convenings of grandmother groups in Uganda, Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania.
War Child
Justice support to abused mothers and children in war torn countries
Support for mothers and children that have experienced abandonment and violence inflicted by war is critical. War Child aims to expand current justice programs to additional war torn countries where the need it evident. These programs rebuild legal structures, provide access to free legal counsel and ensure authorities understand the meaning of rights.
Free The Children
Agriculture and food security in Kenya
This project focuses on community based support for 2,000 farmers in 20 Kenyan communities through training and resource availability. Agricultural education will be offered through school based support, which will focus on training and support work on farms, agricultural clubs, and construction of school based green houses for school and home consumption.
Right To Play
Child centered learning in Thailand
To help with the physical, emotional and social wellbeing of children in Thailand, Right To Play will focus on improving life skills through sport and play based learning activities. The donation will improve access to teachers and volunteers and increase the capacity to incorporate play into school activities.
Human Rights Watch
Access to clean water and sanitation in Thailand
Developing expertise on rights to clean water and sanitation is the focus of this project. Increasing women’s rights and developing sophisticated methodologies for documenting economic, social and culture rights will assist in gaining access to clean water and sanitation.
Partners In Health Canada
First residencies in emergency medicine in Haiti
Over the next five years, Partners In Health will train 18 residents in emergency medical care to help assist with trauma, triage and disaster relief in Haiti. Processes will also be set up to ensure a transfer of skills to other medical professionals in the area.
World Vision
Protecting human rights in Cambodia
World Vision will work to prevent human rights violations in Cambodia through education and assistance. Work will focus on advocating new policy initiatives to government, raising the profile of human rights issues within Cambodia, and helping victims of human rights injustice transition back into the community.
Andy Kim Gets It Right On Having Friends In The Music Industry
I always thought my career at the beginning was more about courage than talent. It went from a dream to being in an environment with Jeff and Lieber & Stoller and Don Kirshner and Phil Spector – my transistor radio came to life. But for all the hits I had at the time – with John Lennon giving me my gold record for ‘Rock Me Gently’ – you get lost in the fact that you have so many friends. It wasn’t reality. You’re on the Billboard charts? You got tons of friends. Not on the charts? People don’t call you back. – Andy Kim, Rolling Stone
The Swedes have the best way of teaching kids about sex
Into the cartoon world we go, the Swedes have created a sex education video that is utterly untamed and fun to watch. Heck, it might even be tremendously educational, if I could understand the language. But I’m going to guess it’s all correct – look how happy and catchy that little tune is – it must be true!
https://youtu.be/50mtASxdnow
For Your Inner Bruce Lee: Nunchucks iPhone Case
Sad enough for the 12-year-old or Bruce Lee inside all of us, there are all too few opportunities to whip around a pair of nunchucks in contemporary adult society.
Until now.
Entertainment One Garners 33 Nominations For 2015 Stellar Gospel Music Awards
Entertainment One Music (eOne Music) marks a momentous year delivering a broad range of chart-topping hits over the past year – garnering 33 Stellar Awards nominations across 19 categories for 6 artists – from nominations for Artist of the Year and Song of the Year, to Female Vocalist of the Year, CD of the Year, Music Video of the Year, and more, for the upcoming 2015 Stellar Gospel Music Awards. Creating a powerful repertoire, Erica Campbell, Ricky Dillard, James Fortune, Donald Lawrence, William McDowell, and Michelle Williams have continued to inspire fans across the world with their latest hit releases, encompassing diverse sounds from contemporary gospel and urban inspirational, to the sounds of choir and praise and worship. Multiple Stellar Award-winner and esteemed Bishop Paul S. Morton will also be honored with a special award, receiving the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s show.
Phil Thornton, eOne Music Vice President and General Manager, Urban Inspirational, says: “We are honored that eOne Music has received 33 nominations for this year’s Stellar Awards! We are thrilled to congratulate Erica Campbell, Ricky Dillard, James Fortune, Donald Lawrence, William McDowell, and Michelle Williams on the recognition across multiple categories supporting their work over this past year, and also celebrate Bishop Paul S. Morton’s special honors on receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award. Their work has been filled with many milestones and they continue to inspire us all with their prolific creative gifts and powerful music ministry.”
The incomparable Stellar Award-winning choir master Ricky Dillard garners 10 Stellar Awards nominations for his acclaimed release with New G, the 25th anniversary Ricky Dillard & New G live album Amazing. Featuring the #1 hit single “Amazing” – one of the biggest songs of the year which has remained atop the Gospel radio chart for over 7 months – Dillard’s #1 Gospel album receives nominations in the categories of Artist of the Year, Song of the Year for the single “Amazing,” Male Vocalist of the Year, CD of the Year, Choir of the Year, Producer of the Year, Traditional Male Vocalist of the Year, Traditional CD of the Year, Traditional Choir of the Year, and Recorded Music Packaging of the Year.
Making a splash with her first solo record, Mary Mary’s Erica Campbell branched out with the chart-topping release of her highly-anticipated solo album Help. Continuing to garner accolades for her #1 Gospel album, Campbell’s award-winning album receives 10 Stellar Awards nominations in the categories of Artist of the Year, Song of the Year for the single “Help” (ft. Lecrae), Female Vocalist of the Year, CD of the Year, Producer of the Year (for album producer Warryn Campbell), Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year, Contemporary CD of the Year, Urban/Inspirational/Instrumental Single/Performance of the Year for the single “Help” (ft. Lecrae), Music Video of the Year for the single “Help” (ft. Lecrae), and Recorded Music Packaging of the Year.
Award-winning songstress Michelle Williams racks up 4 Stellar Award nominations for her hit album Journey to Freedom, her fourth solo album. Garnering nominations in the categories of Song of the Year for the chart-topping #1 Gospel single “Say Yes” (ft. Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland), Female Vocalist of the Year, Urban/Inspirational/Instrumental Single/Performance of the Year for “Say Yes” (ft. Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland), and Music Video of the Year for “Say Yes” (ft. Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland), Williams continued to challenge musical conventions as a singer, songwriter and producer, with indelible vocals and global beats on additional songs such as “If We Had Your Eyes” (ft. Fantasia), “Free,” “Fire,” and more.
The release of the live album Live Through It, from the award-winning James Fortune & FIYA, garners 3 Stellar Awards nominations, in the categories of Group/Duo of the Year, Contemporary Group/Duo of the Year, and Urban/Inspirational/Instrumental Single/Performance of the Year for the hit single “Live Through It.” Fortune’s chart-topping album also features the songs “Forever,” “Never Forsake Me,” “Best Praise,” and more on the two-disc set.
Stellar Award-winning artist, producer and songwriter Donald Lawrence racks up 3 Stellar Awards nominations surrounding his acclaimed #1 Gospel album, Best for Last. Nominated in the categories of Group/Duo of the Year, Contemporary Group/Duo of the Year, and Contemporary Male Vocalist of the Year, Lawrence’s 20-year anniversary live album showcases the dynamic talents that have garnered him abundant recognition among peers and fans as one of the industry’s most prolific artists, continuing to make an indelible mark with hit songs such as “The Gift,” “There Remaineth a Rest” (ft. the Tri-City Singers), and “Best for Last” (ft. Yolanda Adams).
Bringing fans another chart-topping hit, award-winning worship leader William McDowell enveloped listeners in a live worship experience with the two-disc release of Withholding Nothing. Featuring his first-ever combined CD/DVD collection including the hits “Withholding Nothing,” “My Heart Sings,” and more on his third album, McDowell is nominated for 3 Stellar Awards in the categories of Traditional Male Vocalist of the Year, Traditional CD of the Year, and Praise and Worship CD of the Year.
With a prolific global ministry, Bishop Paul S. Morton pastors one of the country’s largest church organizations, as founder and bishop of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, and has released 10 albums in his multiple Stellar Award-winning recording career. For his influential work in ministry, Bishop Morton will be the special 2015 recipient of the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Stellar Awards.
The upcoming 30th Stellar Gospel Music Awards will take place at a new venue for 2015, with a live taping at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on March 28, 2015.
19 Photos Proving Canadians Are The Greatest People On Earth
Canadians are all so very sorry.
And to show you how sorry they are, they’ll draw some cute pictures for you.
Canadians ask nicely.
Canadians will always look out for you.
Especially if you’re an animal.
And even if Canadians did something stupid the night before.
Or if you did something stupid the night before.
Canadians always make sure everything is ok.
Canadian kids are ok! And their restuatants even discount your food for you.
Exactly.
Oh, come on! How can you be mad at them?
…even if they’re doing something illegal in the eyes of the law.
But that’s because the Canadian police are too busy having fun and building relationships.
See? I told you.
Their buses? Apologetic for causing traffic.
And the protests are pretty calm.
Nobody behind the cash at your store? No problem! Canadians will leave the money for you.
And Canadian businesses are thankful for your business.
And will help you out. Always.
How Pixar made its first blockbuster, Toy Story
From The Verge:
Pete Docter was a writer on that film and a key part of Pixar’s original brain trust: a core group of writers, animators, and directors that steered the company’s creative direction. He went on to direct Monsters, Inc. and Up and told the audience that he just finished his latest film — the surreal mindtrip Inside Out — last Friday.
Pixar’s first run of films were nearly universally acclaimed for their attention to story and character — so much so that the studio has endured some warranted criticism in the last few years for a decline in quality. (Catmull and Lasseter began splitting their time between Pixar and Disney Animation Studios in 2006, and subsequent projects like Cars 2, Monsters University, and Brave haven’t been held in the same high regard.) But as Docter told it, the now-lauded writing instincts of the original team nearly led to Toy Story being cancelled outright.
During the writing and storyboarding process, Disney executives were concerned that the characters were too wholesome, leading to a reimagining that made the Woody character “a bit of a jerk.” After a disastrous storyboard reel screening, Disney executives wanted to call the movie off and move the Pixar team to LA.
“Somebody said, ‘Give us three months and we’re just gonna go for broke,'” Docter recalled. “‘If we’re gonna go down, let’s at least go down doing what we believe in.’ And so we took three months and boarded like the wind. I don’t think we actually finished the whole film, but we did re-board it to [the point] that they saw a little potential there and didn’t shut down the project.”
As we all know now, the movie did move forward, and got a boost with the addition of A-list actors like Tom Hanks voicing the characters. (“He basically got the job because of Turner & Hooch, where [he freaks out about the dog eating the car],” Docter said. “We were like, ‘Okay, that’s the guy.’”) Clearly bullish on the long-term prospects of computer-animated films, CEO Steve Jobs took Pixar public one week after the movie’s release, and Toy Story ended up making over $191 million in the US alone.
One Night Only: Led Zeppelin on the movie screens
The greatest band in rock ‘n roll history will be back on the big screen for an incredible one-night event on Monday, March 30. The second in the Fathom Events Classic Music Series, Led Zeppelin spans the entire live concert career and captures the sound and fury of the band on stage. This exclusive cinema event will give fans a larger-than-life concert experience featuring legendary live performances from London’s Royal Albert Hall in January 1970, their historic dates at New York’s Madison Square Garden in July 1973, their triumphant five-night run at London’s Earl’s Court in May 1975, and their record-breaking shows at England’s Knebworth Festival in August 1979.
Led Zeppelin continues to be honored for its pivotal role in music history. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, and a year later was awarded with the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm. Founding members Jones, Page and Plant – along with Jason Bonham, the son of John Bonham – took the stage at London’s O2 Arena in 2007 to headline a tribute concert for Ahmet Ertegun, a dear friend and Atlantic Records’ founder. The band was honored for its lifetime contribution to American culture at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012. In January of 2014, the band won their first ever Grammy award as Celebration Day, which captured their live performance at the Ertegun tribute concert, was named Best Rock Album.
Click here to buy tickets.
Streaming Income Overtakes CDs in the US
From Music Business Worldwide:
According to new RIAA stats, the retail value of the US industry fell under $7bn in the year, to $6.97bn. Although essentially flat, that’s less than half the pre-Napster industry high of $14.6 billion in 1999.
Interestingly, streaming income, which rose 3.2% to $1.87bn, overtook CD income for the first time – which fell 12.7% to $1.85bn.
Paid subscription was up 25% to $799.1m, while ad-supported ‘freemium’ revenues – including YouTube – increased 34% to $294.8m.
SoundExchange collections from streaming personalised radio services such as Sirius XM and Pandora, were up 31% to $773.4m.
The dominant format in the US continues to be downloads. In 2014, combined downloads of singles and albums took around $2.6 billion, down 8.5% on 2013.
Vinyl albums shot up 49.4% to $314.9m.
Music Business Worldwide