Hip-Hop duo Kidz in the Hall, comprised of MC’s Double-0 and Naledge, are back at it with their third album “Land of Make Believe,” due out today (March 9). Remember we go way back with Double-O, so we had to give their new record a shout. Featuring production from super-producer Just Blaze , the Kidz also recruited MC Lyte, Marsha Ambrosius, Amanda Diva, Chip Tha Rapper, Donnis, and Colin Munroe. ” JukeBox,” their new video is currently spinning on MTV2 and the duo are in the midst of a 20 city tour, but Parlour caught up the guys to chat about more important things like unicorns, women-only clubs and Notorious B.I.G [RIP].

On their LP, “Land of Make Believe”…
Double-O: Land of Make Believe is the space between where you are and where you want to be. The space between your goal and where you stand  in your head, the dream is very real but its not realized yet. [The idea] applies to a lot of people.

Naledge: There are things that I envisioned would happen that actually have happened but not the way I dreamt. You want to be an overachiever but to what length would you go, and what sacrifice would you have to make before you look in the mirror and say ‘is this what I really want?’

On people’s misconceptions of their new  video for “Jukebox”…
Double-O: It’s  funny because when I saw a break down of the video — it was nowhere close to the treatment. Instead, it was like ‘really there’s a magical place with all girls?!’ The video is based on Naledge’s verses, which were about conversations between him and a female. (more…)

When I received the invite to this show, I was automatically intrigued. I wondered why there was a furry monster printed on it? Well, Rowley explains her FW10 range as the “chic monster-girl collection.” As you might have already guessed, the pieces are extra heavy on volume.  The FW10 garments include over-sized puff coats, silk dress with rouching, feather and fringe.  Take a peek! What do you think of it?

(more…)

Earlier, we featured Part One of our interview with Parlour Maven Vivian Scott Chew. Here is the second part of her interview where she speaks on everything from her favorite global artists to what it takes to work in international marketing and promotions. Enjoy!
.
Who are some of your favorite artists abroad?
Vivian Scott Chew: I can go territory by territory. In South Africa, I’m in love with a hip hop group called Hip Hop Pantsula. It’s actually one guy, but what I love about him is that he has taken hip hop to the tenth power. He’s got a full band, a chick on bass guitar, background singers and a horn section. I mean he really gives it to you.
.
Does he rhyme in English?
Yes, he does. But I will tell you what bothered me. I bought the record and he used the word ‘nigga’ in one of the songs.

Interesting…
Because he doesn’t see anything wrong with it because Americans use it and that bothered me. I was listening to his song on the plane coming back home from South Africa and went ‘wow, I see.’ If Americans only knew how much the rest of the world is watching us and I’m assuming that we finally got it when we saw the global reaction to President Obama becoming President. I met a woman in Paris, PR girl, who spoke English, very intelligent, and I said ‘OK, so we’re gonna meet up later’ and she said “Fo shizzle, my nizzle.” (more…)

You may see her touring with Kem in London, planning an event for Ledisi in Berlin or working with some of the top hip hop artists in South Africa. When it comes to international marketing and promotions, Ms. Vivian Scott Chew, a citizen of the world, knows what it takes and has a successful career to show for it. So far this year, Ms. Chew and her company Time Zone International co-promoted a show at London’s Bush Hall for Atlanta artist PJ Morton, attended the eleventh MIDEM Conference in Cannes France and worked with BeBe and CeCe Winans, after recently securing an international deal for their newest project.
.
For our first instillation of Parlour Mavens, a salute to amazing women who inspire us by breaking barriers and making all the right moves, I sat down with Ms. Chew to catch a glimpse of her career along with insight on what it takes to make it in the business of international marketing, management and promotions. Here is part one of our two-part interview. Enjoy.

-

Mahogs aka Sherry: After working in the music business for several years Stateside, what led you to move into the international market?

Vivian Scott Chew: It all started 11 years ago when I was running the Urban Music department at Epic Records. It became apparent that nobody was or [there was a lack of] focus on how urban artists can sell records globally. I decided as I was going into my 40th year at that time that I was not going to do anything that I did not have a passion for and that I did not love. I love to travel and I love music so I needed to figure out how I could fuse the two. I had a boss by the name of Hank Caldwell who hired me at Epic and basically gave me a lot of free reign. He was like, “Whatever you want this job to be, I’m here to support you.” (more…)

Last year we shared our best of the worst videos of 2008, and we enjoyed it so much, we decided to do it again! Only thing is, since hip-hop is shrinking like options on the infamous healthcare bill– keep trying Obama! — , we’ve decided to add R&B videos to the list too. Shall we begin with you Ms. Ciara? Yes…yes we shall… (more…)

Remember when we told you about The Hook Up? Since we are never they types to buy without trying, we called some friends and decided to take two of the purse hooks out for a little cocktail-driven Parlour test drive at The Bowery Electric here in NYC. Mawuse Ziegbe of AfriPop Magazine and Suemyra Shah, our future attorney both took time out of their busy schedules to see if the Hook-Up lives up to the Hype. They also had a little “morning after” time with their hooks, so we followed up with them to see if any magic had faded.

-

” I like it and I always carry it with me now in case I need it.”
- Suemyra

(more…)