BOYWONDER FEATURE:THE END OF FLOETRY?

News reached the Boywonder office today that Marsha Ambrose, the songstress from Floetry is planning to go solo and has signed an album deal with Dr Dre’s Aftermath label. The two are said to be in the studio working on her yet to be named solo album. However, the neo soul duo have not broken up, with Ambrose stating that they will still be recording albums together.

This story made Boywonder think further into this phenomenon and ask the question about whether or not it is possible for groups to records solo and collectively?

Case study 1: the now defunct Destiny’s Child took a break during the ending of 2001 which enabled Michelle, Kelly and Beyonce to record three solo albums, the result of which catapulted Beyonce to world wide fame more so then her counterparts. True to form, amidst rumours of an impending break up, they hurriedly regrouped in 2005 to record their fourth and final album as a group ‘Destiny Fulfilled’ and are now expected to pursue solo projects.


Case study 2: N.E.R.D was formed by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes along with mutual friend Shae Haley as a mix of hip hop and soulful rock. Their debut album ‘In Search Of..’ earned them an annual shortlist music prize and spawned the club hit ‘lap dance’. However, N.E.R.D front man Pharrell has cast doubts over whether they will get back together due to label woos and with Pharrell looking set to release his debut solo album later this year, it seems that he has all but forgotten about N.E.R.D


Case study 3: involves an example of when it does work and involves Outkast. Outkast were thrust into mainstream dominance with ‘Ms. Jackson’, the second single from their double Grammy award winning album ‘Stankonia’. (try saying that three times in a row!) However, for their fourth album, in a move that proved to be as original as their music, they each put out solo albums that was packaged as a single album. The hugely successful ‘Speakerboxxx/The Love Below’ is only one of three hip hop albums to go diamond and with their new album entitled ‘Idlewild’ intended for release this year we can safely assume that all is well with them.

So the verdict is still out as to whether Marsha going solo will spell the end for a duo that has accumulated seven Grammy nominations, most recently for best urban/alternative performance for ‘SupaStar’, but here is hoping that they stay together.

BOYWONDER OVER AND OUT!

WHERE BOYWONDER WILL BE THIS WEEKEND!

It seems when it comes to repping their endz, East London is far ahead in terms of artists, venues and general impact on the Grime/UKG/G-Hop scene and everyone who went to ‘Straight Outta Bethnal' on Friday will definitely know what I’m on about.

Once again, this Saturday 28th will see East London doing what they do best and will be holding a talent showcase. Eastside Records in association with Ghetto Poet’s Promotions are presenting ‘The Eastside Stories Showcase' with live PA’s from Soundbwoy Ent, Choong Family, Boy Blue and many others.


Venue: Stratford Circus

Address: Theatre Square, London E15 1BX

Door time: Doors open at 7pm, Show starts at 8pm

Admission: £5 in advance, £8 on the door

Dress code: Come as you are !!!

For further information call the ticket hotline on 07904027203 or 07947802482.

BOYWONDER OVER AND OUT!

KANO SHOWCASE REVIEW!!

Carlings adverts are very popular and go along the lines of “Carling don’t do…. but if we did, it would be the best…. in the world!” So with that in mind, as January the 12th approached, I eagerly anticipated what they had to offer. Carling, was holding an exclusive guestlist only showcase for three of the hottest acts from 2005 in an event entitled ‘Carling New Kings’. It was held at the Islington academy and featured a line up of Kano, The Magic Numbers and Graham Coxon. Now some of you reading this might be a bit puzzled as to who the last two names were, and no!, they are not some underground grime artists, but very popular indie groups. The event was to be filmed for channel four’s “4 music” so as 7.30 drew it was left to the host for the night, Edith Bowman to introduce Kano as the first act.

Kano arrived in a blaze of lighting effects wearing a Muhammad Ali inspired “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” t-shirt which proved true to form as he wasted no time waxing lyrical on tracks from his ‘Home Sweet Home’ debut album. The MOBO ‘best newcomer’ award winner took us through singles such as p’s and q’s, nite nite, typical me and reload it, as well as his new single ‘brown eyes’. The general consensus of the largely indie crowd in attendance was how clear Kano sounded however, when it was time for Ghetto to spit on the mic, I’m sure that they weren’t thinking the same(lol). At first I was a bit surprised at Kano’s appearance in this line up until I realised that Kano makes a good representative to the masses who are largely unaware of the UKG scene because of his cross over appeal and part commerciality in his lyrical content. His delivery is very non-confrontational, safe and relatable, which meant that he could easily fit into such an event with ease.

After Kano, it was the turn of the brother, sister combination of The Magic Numbers to rock a very amped up crowd. Their performance, in a similar vein to Kano’s was not to hardcore to loose my interests but firmly in the middle and we were soon skankin out to their tunes. Unfortunately we didn’t stay long enough to catch Graham Coxon but if he was any good as the previous two acts then I’m sure it would have been a great performance all round. Overall, the showcase was not quite what their television adverts promised but was extremely enjoyable at that, with Kano being my definite highlight of the night.
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BOYWONDER INTRODUCES......

We at Boywonder Ent are always striving to look for new potential and provide people with a means in which they can showcase there work and ideas. With that in mind we like to formally welcome Lynnike Redway (sorry about baiting your second name lol) to our blogspot as a writer. Lynnike is big in the game and writes for ‘whats poppin’ magazine and will make a good addition our team. And here is her club review of where she went on NYE, so tell us what you think.

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On Saturday 31st December, we saw Smoove and Girls, Girls, Girls join forces to bring us the most talked about New Years Eve rave ever. With some of the hottest and most legendary DJ’s lined up, and a nightclub which could easily accommodate 2500 people, it was plain to see that Eros would be the only place to be to celebrate the new year. I knew it was going to be a big night, but absolutely nothing could have prepared me for the shock I received when I saw the length of the tickets queue. To say it was long would have been an understatement. I was just lucky I didn’t have to wait in it.

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Inside the club, spirits were high, as were the levels of alcohol, and everybody appeared to be having fun. The ladies were looking lovely and it was evident that many had made that extra special effort for New Years. Not forgetting the gents, because they too were representing and looking stylish, with the exception of a few (of course). The all important midnight countdown was one to remember, as we were shown images of Big Ben on two large screens, which emerged from the ceiling. The moment the clock struck midnight, loud and excited cheers bellowed throughout the club, and everybody was smiling as they toasted the New Year

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The DJ line up was endless, with the likes of Hotsteppa, Entertainment Family and Elliot Ness showcasing their musical skills on the decks, and keeping the ravers bubbling until the early hours of 2006. The biggest tunes from the past and the present were played, and they covered all musical genres, even incorporating a bit of funky house and rare groove. The old school garage set was most impressive, as it really did take you back in the day and make you reminisce. The downside of the night was the fact that certain ravers were clearly there to make trouble and cause fights. But inspite of this, the night was still a huge success and was very enjoyable. *********8/10

Lynnike

CHOICE FM ONE DAY SPECTACULAR!!!

It seems that Choice FM are bringing their A- game at the end of the month with a one day spectacular that will see US artist Ne-Yo performing at the Choice FM Junior -Jam and then at Saturdays’ Choice in Eros nightclub.

The UK’s no1 for hip hop and RnB will be bringing Ne-Yo over on his first visit to UK shores on the 28th January, where he be performing tracks from his ‘in my words’ debut album such as ‘stay’ and ‘so sick’. I would advise that you get your tickets in advance because this is gonna be a big night.

For more info, click on the link to the Choice FM on the right of the page.

BOYWONDER - OVER AND OUT!

HAPPY 2006 FROM BOYWONDER ENT!!

Boywonder Ent would like to wish everyone a HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!

BWE New Years Resolutions:

• To start making serious moves towards expanding and developing Boywonder Ent
• To get more recognition as an entertainment company
• To get a dot.com website address that will enable us to move forward and post more content
• To hopefully hold the officially launch party for our venture