Ryan Bowser, also known as GHOST

http://www.discogs.com/artist/206615-Ryan-Bowser

Ryan Bowser, also known as GHOST, began producing from a skating-rink recording studio in his hometown, St. Louis. He sold tracks to local artist such as the St. Lunatics and can be heard singing background on their Free City Album on Groovin Tonight Featuring Brian McKnight. This was just the beginning of Ryans country grammar. The placement lead to co-writing and producing for Arista Recording artist, Toya. He produced over 50 percent of the album including her most popular hit I DO! The single and debut album 'Toya', sold approximately 400,000 copies but thats not all. In 2001 Ryans remake of Patti Labelles Love Need and Want You transformed into Dilemma and was featured on Nellys album, Nellyville. The single landed at 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks, Hot Rap Tracks and on the Hot 100 as the first rap song to hold the 1 spot for 12 consecutive weeks earning a Grammy for Best R&B and Rap Collaboration. Dilemma now sits at 64 on Billboards Greatest Songs Of All Time and is the most successful song of Nelly's career, giving him his first number-one single in many countries, such as Australia, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States. Dilemma was nominated twice for Best Music Video at the 2003 Soul Train Awards and MTV Music Video Awards.

Ryans success led him to producing for Rock City, Monica, 112, Mario, Miss Penelope, J-Kwon, SunNy, T. Waters, Rubben Studdard, Trina, Paul Wall, Ma$e, Pretty Ricky, Q. Parker, SnL, J.R. Get Money, London, Mika Means, and Q Da Kid, including chart hitting singles like Take It Slow (O'Ryan), My Baby (Bow Wow feat. Jagged Edge), Dat Boy Chevy (Noah Atl Soundtrack), Bobbin My Head, Ball Out/500 1's (Blak Jak feat T-Pain), and scoring his first movie "4 Minutes". Not only is Ryan Bowser a music Producer, he's a musical genius known to the industry as GHOST.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GhostMusic

Superstar-rihanna-shares-nude-pics-

It’s nothing new for R&B diva Rihanna to be seen all over the web, but lately even more of Rihanna can be seen online.  Depending on what day you are online you can catch Rihanna either topless or bottomless. 

Today, we have Rihanna both topless and bottomless.  I think I just heard the sound of multiple jaws hitting the floor.  Earlier today RiRi surprised fans by sharing her unclothed pics via her Instagram and Twitter accounts.   The pictures are from a photo shoot for French magazine Lui.

Instagram quickly took down the pictures as it violated their rules of conduct.  The pictures still appear on Twitter, but no need to check, because we have them right here for you.

Styles P Releases New LP “Phantom And The Ghost

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Yesterday one third of the illest trio to ever do it released a new album.  Yonkers rapper Styles P dropped his new retail album entitled Phantom And The Ghost and it could have not been at a better time.  Known for repping the streets, Styles P continues to stay true and proves that you don’t have to sell your soul to sell albums.

For this indie album Styles P enlist the help of his comrades Jadakiss and Sheek Louch, along with Rocko, Vado, Raheem DeVaughn, Chris Rivers (Big Pun‘s son), and more.  This album really goes in.  I mean, honestly, you can never go wrong with Styles P over a Vinny Idol beat, but you should already know that.  Emcees don’t typically stay relevant over the twenty-year span that the Lox have been doing it. Think about every rapper that has come and gone in the last twenty-years and yet the LOX stay solid.  Other production for this album comes from Harry Fraud, Joe Milly, Buda Da Future, and more.

Styles P is a true emcee, so it’s great to actually hear bars that speak measures.  The lead single “Sour” is evidence enough that the real is back.  “Sour” features Jadakiss and Rocko and is one of my favorite tracks off of the 12-track LP.  

Check out the album in its entirety along with bonus tracks: Stream & Download. 

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How to Craft Your Music's Story?

“We were a band of white boys from Ohio that hitch-hiked our way to New York to try and make it big. Needless to say, by the time we arrived we were completely broke. We had nothing but the gear we hadn’t pawned yet and the clothes on our back. So when it came to finding a place to stay we were limited by the budget of what we were able to scrape together by busking in front of Yankee Stadium and ‘donating’ plasma.

Our first stroke of luck came in the form of a cab driver that was inspired by our tenacity and offered us the spare room in his townhouse in Queens. So we found ourselves the proverbial ‘fish out of water’ in a neighborhood that was racially, culturally, and financially worlds away from anything we had ever known.

Honestly, we were scared and intimidated. We really weren’t sure we were in a position to find any success in such unfamiliar territory. What we discovered was that music is a bond that builds bridges across unknown expanses. Beyond the differences separating us from the community that had taken us in, we realized that we were all blue-collared Americans looking to blow off steam after a hard day’s work.

We quickly established a reputation as the neighborhood good-time band by playing house parties and getting paid with fried chicken and cheap liquor. And from there it snowballed into steady gigs at the hottest clubs in the city and a national touring circuit that took us places we never imagined. We became more than just a band of musicians. We became cross-cultural ambassadors for sonic manipulation!”

It’s true that there are bands out there whose music is so compelling and instantly connects with such a mass audience that the story doesn’t matter. But that’s a one-in-a-million shot. You would be better off buying a lottery ticket. But then you’d have a story to tell.

The truth of the matter is that if you want to take a proactive approach to getting attention for your music you have to think about that kind of stuff. Whether you are looking for some press or simply to connect on a deeper level with your fans, your story matters.

That’s right. Not only do you have to write and record the songs, but you also have to tell an engaging story.

What stories are people looking for?

Press and fans alike want to know what makes you stand out, what makes you unique. You’re awesome voice and catchy melodies are actually pretty much meaningless. That stuff is white noise because it doesn’t separate you from the competition. That’s not to say that skills don’t matter. Your musical ability is the first thing you must master on your way to becoming a professional musician. However, it is the context with which your present your music that will give you the edge when it comes to getting the gigs, fans, and attention you will need in order to sustain your career.

The good news is that the stories are already there. All you have to do is develop the narrative. Think about that throughout your creation process so that it doesn’t sneak up on you. What you will discover is that you have a way to present your music with context.

Did your crazy producer help you develop your sound by locking you in a basement full of vinyl and throwing hammers at you? Did your neighbor call the cops on you because of your noisy rehearsals, thus inspiring you to steal his girlfriend and write a song about it? Was growing up next to the airport the catalyst for your love of tube screamers? Did a spiritual journey to the homeland shape your vision of the world? The key is that you have to dig deeper than, “We showed up in New York and paid our dues.”

The stories are imbedded in your life, your music, your career, your lyrics, and your inspiration. All you have to do is apply a simple process to formalize the narrative. Then you can string a thread from all of those pieces that illustrates an overview of your entire career and creates a philosophy that resonates deeply with your fans.

Try this:

Go though every song you have ever written or played and ponder the most interesting thing about each one. It could be something you are doing musically, a technique you are using, your inspiration, or an idea you are trying to articulate with the song. It could have something to do with the instrumentation, the lyrics, the arrangements, the context of the music, or the band dynamics when you recorded the song. It could be about the traditions that you are drawing from, adapting, or changing. It could be an experience from your tour or feedback from a fan. Well, I think you get the idea.

For each song, write that singular element on a post-it note and stick it on your wall. Then rearrange, expand, and rearticulate the narrative as your catalogue grows and your music matures.

Love & Hip Hop Atlanta season 3 is on its way and the trailer

Love & Hip Hop Atlanta season 3 is on its way and the trailer for it is right here!  Love and Hip Hop Atlanta gives viewers a taste of the hip hop world seen through the eyes of several women involved in the industry and it never fails to entertain.  Many reality television shows forget to be real, but LHHA gives audiences a true look behind closed doors.

Season 3 clearly shows that there are levels to these seasons.  This season is filled with drama, love triangles, babies, and a sex-tape.  Yes, I said a sex-tape.  Mimi Faust and boyfriend Nikko Smith are giving fans an even deeper look into their lives with their homemade sex-tape that will be released by the same company that made Kim Kardashian a star, Vivid Entertainment.

Joining the cast this season is Waka Flocka and his fiance Tammy Rivera.  Also expect to see Karlie Redd‘s new man, Yung Joc adding to the drama.

Love & Hip Hop Atlanta Season 3 premieres Monday, May 5th at 8 p.m. ET. 

- See more at: http://hiphopenquirer.com/love-and-hip-hop-atlanta-season-3-trailer-video/#sthash.vAtdTMfF.dpuf

The Bar-Kay's are back in full effect... Come check them out

Where there’s smoke there’s fire,” the saying goes. But where there’s smoke and fire, it just might be a live performance by a certain funkomatic group of Memphians who have been setting audiences ablaze for the past five decades. THE BAR-KAYS BIO Fire, smoke, vibrant costuming, and even a live, 12-foot python snake are all just part of what’s in store for audiences these days at a typical stage performance by the Bar-Kays.  Spontaneity and excitement has been a trademark of the group ever since their inception in the late 60’s. 

Today’s Bar-Kays have boosted their high-energy act into an even higher gear for the new millennium crowd.  An energy that’s equally present on their upcoming new CD. While the musical tastes of the fans have evolved many times since the band’s origination, the Bar-Kays have proven no strangers to evolution. Beginning as a house band with Stax Records in Memphis in 1966, their potent, dynamic sound would carry them to a chart-topping perch the very next year with their first smash single, “SOUL FINGER.” It was that dynamism that landed them the spot as the backup group for the legendary soul singer, “Otis Redding,” on his final worldwide tour. That tour, however, was to have a disastrous finale, as Otis Redding and four members of the band would perish in a tragic plane accident. The young surviving members, James Alexander and Ben Cauley, then reformed the band, with the help of Allen Jones who later became their producer and manager.  In the rebuilding process, there would be no diminishing of the standards of showmanship and professionalism.  Among those recruited would be Larry Dodson, who would evolve into not only another pillar of the band (as well as lead singer), but the corner stone of their future. Soon the new Bar-Kays were the premier house band for Stax Records playing on millions of records behind such artists as Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, Eddie Floyd, The Emotions, The Dramatics, Albert King, and Isaac Hayes which includes “Hot Buttered Soul” “Black Moses” and the Grammy Award winning album “Shaft.” Throughout the 70’s they would be backing some of the most distinguished names in R&B music.  

However, “The Bar-Kays” ran a string of their own hits pioneering a trail in the “Funk” music genre including, “SHAKE YOUR RUMP TO THE FUNK,” “ATTITUDE,” “MOVE YOUR BOOGIE BODY,” “SEX-O-MATIC,” “ANTICIPATION,” “FREAKSHOW ON THE DANCE FLOOR,” “HIT AND RUN,” “SHE TALKS TO ME WITH HER BODY,” “TOO HOT TO STOP,” and many other hit singles. In the late 80’s, after over twenty years of grueling demands, James Alexander left the Bar-Kays to form his own promotion company.  Shortly thereafter, producer/manager Allen Jones passed away. The Bar-Kays decided to take a hiatus from radio and just travel and perform abroad. It was in 1991, that Alexander and Dodson, would join forces once again to record again. They went to great lengths to insure that it retained the freshness 

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