New music from arguably the city’s most slept on soul vocalists, Melanie Durrant, who’s currently working on an album with Slakah The Beatchild set for a Spring release.

Here’s the first song from the project:

Melanie Durrant – Lifted (produced by Slakah The Beatchild)

Melanie Durrant – Lifted (Acapella)

Melanie Durrant – Lifted (Instrumental)

Previously: VIDEO: Slakah the Beatchild previews new music from Melanie Durrant and more!

Local jazz emporium The Trane Studio offered up a heavy dose of the fresh and new last Friday as it hosted the premier showcase for upstart series ‘Serious People’ with High Ass Standards. Despite the deceptively high-brow moniker, all attitudes and pretentions were definitely checked at the door as enthusiastic attendees packed the cozy Bathurst St. venue for a night of forward-thinking experimentalism.

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Via 2DBz! Pretty self-explanatory. Enjoy.

DOWNLOAD: Drake – Successful (Unreleased Verse)

Ironic use of the word siren. Via 2DBz:

The Source Magazine, the leading publication of Hip-Hop music, culture, and politics releases its Jan/Feb issue (#236)…The Source Mind Squad enlists celebrity stylist Misa Hylton to style Grammy-award nominated R&B siren, Melanie Fiona for a six-page fashion spread “If I Was Your Girlfriend” [pg.76].

The Source Magazine’s Jan/Feb issue will be on newsstands nationwide January 20th. It will include a “Save The Date” events calendar to guide readers to the best events, tours and special dates in 2010.

Gee Wunder chops it up with Mayhem about professionalism in the music biz, his new projects and more!

Motive Music Co., HipHopCanada.com and Mani Designs are proud to present Gee Wunders Jewels a new online blog and accompanying webisode series. Host: Artist/Producer Gee Wunder.

D-Sisive kicks off 2009 with ANOTHER release. This guy’s output volume over the past year and change is exactly how it needs to be in today’s ADD world. Here’s words from D himself:

Dear friends,

This is my official press release. For IMMEDIATE RELEASE. Weird.

My label (urbnet) usually takes care of these things. Take a few paragraphs from my bio. Add a sentence describing whatever it is they’re trying to promote. Throw in a quote that I spend hours carefully crafting. Bam! Press release.

Not this time. I wanted to write it myself.

Many things inspired me in 2009, but not all moved me the way Anvil! The Story of Anvil (documentary) and Dead Man’s Bones (LP) did. I knew I had to involve the two in my own work, somehow. And here it is.

‘Anvil’ is an updated ‘Brian Wilson’, combined with samples from the documentary, Anvil!, over the composition ‘Werewolf Head’. One delicious lawsuit waiting to happen. If you haven’t seen Anvil, please do. If you haven’t heard Dead Man’s Bones, please do.

Anvil Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF4H8lB2Y_o
Dead Man’s Bones: http://www.myspace.com/deadmansbones

Hope you enjoy the song. And thank you for making 2009 an incredible year.

Sincerely,
Derek Christoff (aka. D-Sisive)

Ps. Rappers…It’s OK to compliment other rappers.

MixedBy:Muneshine@TheBakkery
RecordedBy:FreshKils@TheKilzone
ArtworkBy:MichaelLylloff
Management:AdamSewellForRiotRockManagement
D-Sisive.com
Myspace.com/dsisive
Twitter.com/dsisive
Facebook: D-Sisive
Urbnet.com/dsisive

DedicatedTo:DennisHopper

DOWNLOAD: D-Sisive – Anvil

ATTENTION ALL CANADIAN URBAN MUSIC ARTISTS!!!
UMAC WANTS TO KNOW WHAT YOU’RE SAYIN’!

For Immediate Release
January 8^th, 2010

Toronto – UMAC The Urban Music Association of Canada is kicking off 2010 with our first event of the year at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, Urban X-Posure: SoWhatChuSayin’? on February 13^th, 2010.

UX: SoWhatChuSayin’? is a multi-platform event focused on Hip Hop and Spoken Word being actively used as art forms for social change. It’s a day where consciousness in rap music and spoken word gets rewarded! Literally!!!

UX: SoWhatChuSayin’? will be comprised of an artist showcase / contest, awarding the most talented conscious wordsmiths and raptivist rhymers who can perform the best positive lyrical expressions with swag.  Lending to the excitement is a cash prize, which will be divided between the top 3 finalists. There will be also be an open infotainment forum in The Round that features organizations who marry art with commerce and activism.   Youth will have an opportunity to get involved with various organizations across the city.  Event highlights will be broadcast live-to-air on the Mixtape Massacre Show on CKLN 88.1 FM.  The entrance fee is $5 for non-UMAC members; free for current UMAC members.

To audition as a performer for UX: SoWhatChuSayin’?, simply send in one socially conscious mp3, a short 100-word bio, a head shot and your contact information, as well as $25 for solo artists and $50 for groups who are current UMAC members or $35 for solo artists and $65 for groups who are non-UMAC members.

Submissions can be sent to submissions@umacunited.com. Payment can be made by PayPal and online banking Interac only. For those who absolutely need to send hard copy submissions, inclusive of applicable payment via money order can do so at UMAC, 675 King Street West, Suite 210, Toronto, M5V 1M9.

Call for submissions begin Friday January 8^th, and ends Sunday January 17^th at 11:59pm.

UX: SoWhatChuSayin’? takes place on Saturday February 13^th, 2010 at 2pm inside The Brigantine Room, Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West.

Come out & show your support!!!

UMAC… Where Positivity in Music Happens!!!

Download HERE!

Fresh off his feature on Luu Breeze’s “Stick For Love Pt.2” (Vote for it on The MCC); new music from Show Stephens “So Amazing”.

Enjoy.

http://www.getritemusicgroup.com

Peep a live performance/interview courtesy of Ill Cause TV after the jump!

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Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick!

Melanie Fiona Looks Forward To ‘Empowering’ Tour With Alicia Keys.

‘I feel like us collaborating on a tour is going to be really strong,’ the Grammy-nominated newcomer says. For a lot of musicians, performing in front of a packed Apollo Theater crowd is a dream come true. Newcomer Melanie Fiona was able to scratch one more dream off her list after performing there with Alicia Keys on Thursday night.

“I’ve admired Alicia Keys since before I got into the music industry, just everything she represents as a female artist,” said Fiona, who is gearing up to tour North America with her role model. “I feel like us collaborating on a tour is going to be really strong, really empowering and what a great show, so I’m really excited.”

Read full article here.

For a lot of musicians, performing in front of a packed Apollo Theater crowd is a dream come true. Newcomer Melanie Fiona was able to scratch one more dream off her list after

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performing there with Alicia Keys on Thursday night.

Hello All. Going back to the days where I Produced as well as rhymed, here’s a nice remix I cheffed up for the Classic Nas track ‘It Ain’t Hard to Tell.’ Also, for those who have a wide spectrum of musical tastes, here’s the Fat Thursday (Dj Fase and Phat Tony) Jazzanova “I Can See” Remix with myself on the verse. Good Vibes.

Indeed.

NAS – It Ain’t Hard to Tell (THEO3 Remix)

http://www.zshare.net/audio/708705530fe63161/

JAZZANOVA – I Can See (FAT THURSDAY remix w/Theo3) 

http://www.divshare.com/download/6574254-ba9

Previously: NEWS: Theology 3’s “Featuring No Features” gets Exclaim! review + more!