MMF Celebrates Black History in Music — Feb. 22

Today I wanted to explore some artists that may not even be known of or recognized and one of those are violin duo, Black Violin.

Black Violin consists of viola/violin players Will B and Kev Marcus who met in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida while playing in the high school orchestra. After graduating college they teamed up and became the hip-hop violin duo known as Black Violin. They have performed for the President, hit Broadway, and even took to the Billboard Awards stage in 2004 with Alicia Keys to perform ‘Karma’ and even teaming up with Gym Class Heroes to perform ‘Stereo Heart’ for VH1s Unplugged.

One of their most recent covers and my personal fav is Bruno Mars’, ‘Locked Out of Heaven’ mashed up with Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It.’

Over the course of a decade the duo has performed approximately 200 shows in 49 states and 36 countries. On top of working with Alicia Keys and Gym Class Heroes they have collaborated with: P. Diddy, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Tom Petty, Aerosmith, Aretha Franklin, and The Eagles.

Black Violin is all about overcoming your obstacles and staying strong. It takes 10 years to become an overnight sensation. This is just the beginning for us. Our best selling point is, we could be anywhere in the world before any kind of audience, when we pull out our instruments, people stop what they’re doing and watch. We’re looking to break out of our own box and grow the brand. We’re living proof that people can overcome their obstacles and triumph. This is something new and fresh. We want people to see what we’re all about.

Wil B – Black Violin

Brit Awards 2014, The Performances

The Brit Awards aired for the first time via YouTube today, February 19, 2014.

Here’s a look at the performances:

Beyoncé took to the stage to perform her track, ‘XO,’ and it was turned down set compared to that of her Grammy performance. She lit up the room with her dress and set. No dancing, just singing. Classic Beyoncé and a very nice dress might I add. I wasn’t a huge fan of her Grammy performance, but this was quite nice.

Bruno Mars also took to the stage to perform “Treasure.’ I still am in AWE over his Superbowl performance and his set at the Brit Awards is his usual set for the track. He had his Hooligans doing their thing and I loved their casual attire. Congrats to Bruno for taking home International Male Solo Artist.

Katy Perry took to the stage to perform ‘Dark Horse’ without Juicy J and the set was very similar to that of her Grammy performance. The main difference was the Egyptian theme which comes from her video that is set to debut tomorrow, 2.20.14. I must say that at first I HATED this song, but since I’ve heard it over & over it’s grown on me and being the 3rd song she’s released from her album, it’s my favorite. Expect a video review.

Pharrell ended the show with Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ before segueing into his Oscar-nominated track, ‘Happy.’ He had a choir, doo-wop dancers and his infamous hat. The one from NBA All-Star Weekend in RED is by far the best statement. The audio in this performance was better as well because during the All-Star performance I could not hear anything. Kudos to Pharrell for reinventing his career. His new album, G I R L, is due out March 3rd.

To see the full list of winners click here.

Bruno Mars Sets Super Bowl Halftime Ratings!

Bruno Mars TORE DOWN the stage at Met Life Stadium last night for the Super Bowl XLVII Halftime show. Check my review here. Well the ratings are in and Bruno has the most-watched halftime show in Super Bowl HISTORY! He topped both Madonna’s (114 million) and Beyoncé’s (110.8 million) halftime ratings with a staggering number of his own, 115.3 million views. The game itself was the most watched event in U.S. television history with 115.5 million views, so prop to Bruno for being just as much the center of attention. On top of that he became the YOUNGEST performer to headline a Super Bowl at 28 years old.

CONGRATS BRUNO!!!

Bruno Mars, Super Bowl XLVIII, Halftime Review

Let me first start by saying that I was semi-excited to know Bruno was performing at the Super Bowl, but I did raise my eyebrows at the fact that he would be bringing out the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Now, nothing against their music I was just curious to how it would all pan out.

Bruno Mars, Moonshine Jungle Tour, to Feature Pharrell x Aloe Blacc

Bruno hits the Super Bowl Halftime stage in a few weeks, but will be kicking off his North American leg of his Moonshine Jungle Tour beginning in April. His special guests this time around are Pharrell and Aloe Blacc. The tour schedule will reveal who will be features at which dates.

Read more to see if he’s coming to a city near you.