The ATL Report January 2007

ATL REPORT January 2007
By Kandis Knight

Welcome to 2007!

Here we go!

The holidays in Atlanta were a very touching experience. So to all the people who say the South is not running things…..ask yourself this question “what did the local artists in your city do to give back to the less fortunate during the Holidays?”

According to Break Magazine’s Mike Trammel, “The Hittmen DJ's raised over $45,000.00 worth of toys for their Toy's In The Hood Drive. ATL music industry people banded together to help the plight of the less fortunate. Hittmenn DJ Kaspa and the entire clique raised all of the donations with the help of So So Def and Jermaine Dupri, Franchize Boyz, Young Capone, Shonuff Recordings/Def Jam, Hoodlum,1972/Universal-Blak Jak, The Warner Brothers family, Crime Mobb / Hitt Afta Hitt-, FABO- WMG, the Whole Block Ent. - Yung Joc, Boyz N Da Hood and Gorilla Zoe. Mr. Collipark/Asylum/Interscope, the Kadillac Boyz and Pstones. Also many of the hot independents came to help like Yung Sean(Dior Shades), The Alliance(Tatted Up), E-Dubb ( Clap On Clap Off) Vawn feat Rock City. Lil Chuckie, Miranda. Also like to ATL’s 95.5 the Beat- Lee Cagle, Murph Dawg and WVEE V103- Reggie Rouse, Greg Street, Frank Ski, Wanda and Osei. Mr. Waters head of the AHA has now adopted Hittmenn Djs to do promotions throughout the circuit of all Housing Authorities. With the new Initiative "Kool Zones" in all schools as well!!!!

Also if you are an artist looking for some exposure, submit your tracks The Hustler's BREAK goes hard in January 07.... To be apart of the next Hustler's BREAK send inquiries and submissions to http://www2.blogger.com/ym/Compose?To=breakmagazine@gmail.com. Hustler’s Break will feature new/exclusive “super hot” music from some of your favorites, includingYoung Capone, Dem Franchise Boyz, Unk, Dolla and more...visit http://www.breakn2.com/ .

If you are an artist looking for exposure in Atlanta, there are some showcases that you definitely want to tap into. Check it out:


SUNDAY

DO IT DO IT SUNDAYS

EAST SIDE

POOLE PALACE

1395 Columbia Drive, Decatur GA 30030

MONDAY

HUSTLE AND FLOW MONDAYS
CLUB CRUCIAL

WESTSIDE

2517 Donald Lee Hollowell, Atlanta GA 30318

TUESDAY

SHOWTIME @ CLUB CRUCIAL

WESTSIDE
2517 Donald Lee Hollowell, Atlanta GA 30318

WEDNESDAY

AKINI DA BLACK MAC @ THE ROYAL PEACOCK

DOWNTOWN
186 Auburn Ave, Atlanta GA 30303

THURSDAY
20 GRAND
SOUTHSIDE

6147 Old National Drive, Atlanta GA 30349

SATURDAY

BABES
WESTSIDE

304 Fulton Industrial Cir SW, Atlanta GA 30336

So December was basically cut short by all of the holiday frenzy, but early on, Young Jeezy had his Cd Release party, and on Dec. 28th The DJ Scream "Heavy In The Streets" Celeb B-Day Bash! @ Club Mariachi took place. It featuring stellar performances by: Kadalack Boyz, Crime Mob, Killer Mike & The Grind Time Rap Gang & Yung Sean and The Rich Squad!

Coming up in January 2007

Don’t miss the Southern Entertainment Awards (SEA). Southern Entertaiment Awards were started in 2004, this year marks the 4th Anniversary. Over 2,500 people are expected to attend this event during the weekend of Jan 25-28, 2007 at The Grand Casino Resort in Tunica, MS. The Southern Ent Awards now covers all 11 states in the South: (TN, GA, OK, TX, MS, FL, AR, AL, NC SC and LA). Backed by almost 400 DJs and 200 Independent Record Labels. SEA represents the "Who's Who" of Entertainment in the South, and it has been noted in various magazine articles.

Also don’t miss KE Consulting’s huge One Year Anniversary party at the Tupac Shakur Center on January 16th.

The evening will be filled with free food, free drinks, celebrities, models, media, music, gift bags and a kick ass time! This is an exclusive invitation only event and your RSVP is required no later than 1/15/07. Please send your name and your guests names to ke.consulting@gmail.com and put in the subject line of your email KE RSVP. If you have any questions or special needs, please feel free to contact Kim at 404-246-7266. Further details below:

Date: January 16, 2007
Location: Tupac Amaru Shakur Center
Address: 5616 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain GA 30083
Time: 8 p.m. - 1 a.m.
Red Carpet: Duration of Event

www.keconsultingonline.com
www.myspace.com/keconsulting

Up and Coming, a premiere ATL Newtorking event was held in early December at Sugarhill in Atlanta’s Underground. Up and Coming is a must for business professionals here in Atlanta, everybody and their mamma was there! To become a part of this event or to find out more information log on to http://www.rashaentertainment.com/

New Year’s anyone? There were parties galore!!!! Please visit http://www.nightlifelink.com/ for the biggest selection of ATL New Year’s pics!!!! Some of my favorites….because who wants to carry a camera around on New Years???

(l pic) Someone look familiar?

(r pic) Jeezy New Year’s at The Compound !!!! Tha place to be!!!

Happy New Year…..and February’s ATL Report will feature so much more as we head into spring in the ATL!!!!!

The ATL Report December 2006

THE ATL REPORT
December 2006
By Kandis Knight

Welcome to the second installment of the ATL Report! Of course, this month’s ATL Report is all about The Bet Hip-Hop Awards! Leading up to the BET Hip-Hop Awards weekend here in Atlanta, was crazy! One could not ignore the energy and excitement, Atlanta was fueled by star power!

However, there were mixed opinions about the way everything went down. Some Atlanta power players were really pissed off that a lot of organizations and Atlanta based media outlets were not invited to the event. Many people said VH1 Hip-Hop Honors kept it more “real”. Hopefully next year BET will step up their game.

My week started with the honor of interviewing the Godmother of Soul, Ms. Patti LaBelle. The grand diva said some poignant and timely things. I will save the political commentary for last. Ms. LaBelle gave a big thumbs up to Ms. Beyonce’ Knowles. LaBelle had a lot to say about Beyonce’ and why she believes Beyonce’ has a right to claim the title “The Hottest Chick in The Game”.



Ms. LaBelle went on to say, “Beyonce’ is a complete artist. She is a performer who truly can perform.” The Godmother of Soul said a lot of females in the industry right now can barely sing so when someone like Beyonce’ comes along who can sing, dance and perform she is definitely going to take over. Case in point. Basically, Patti is tellin’ B’s haters to step to the left, to the left!!!!!



Another interesting point Ms. LaBelle touched upon was how legends like herself, Aretha Franklin, and Gladys Knight never had to take their clothes off to sell records. She challenged young “up and coming” female artists to let their real talent be the focus.

On the political tip, Ms. LaBelle talked about the need for Barak Obama to run for office. Going on the record saying she will personally support him or someone just “like him” who is passionate about the plight of the common people.



One of my favorite female artists has always has been Lil’ Moe. I love her voice and the way she cradles her notes. Naturally I was ecstatic when Lil’ Moe agreed to an on the spot interview that lasted over 30 minutes. Lil’ Moe talked about the double standards that exist in the hip-hop industry. She talked about how record labels can really mess things up for an artist. Lil’ Moe is passionate and promised she will be coming back stronger than ever. Her energy confirmed this, she is on a mission. Wait until you hear who she has been working with!

Finally….the icing on top of my cake, was found on the top of the Buckhead Intercontinental hotel in the suite of one of hip-hop’s beloved. Of course I am talking about the Diamond Princess, Miss Trina. She is so cool to hang out with! My girl, Isis (Word On Tha Streetz Magazine), is literally the word on the streets down here in da A. Isis knows people! The interviews will be running soon.











Here in Atlanta there are several DJ cliques who get mad love and respect. One of these cliques are The Hittmenn DJs. Leading up to the BET Hip-Hop Awards, the Hittmenn Djs threw the massive Powerball Mansion Party/Kaspa’s Birthday. Yung Joc, Khao (Grand Hustle), Nephu, and Young Capone were a few of the celebrity guests. It was a packed house and we partied hard. There was an open bar and all the food you could ever want. Of course the ladies were looking fly! There were beautiful models everywhere dressed in the most ornate outfits you can imagine. This was definitely a thumbs up event!













The BET Awards were also an amazing spectacle. Did you see the DJ Unk performance of “Walk It Out”? Definitely one of my favorite personal highlights! The Monday following the BET Awards the treats did not show any sign of letting up. I got up early phone call and the next thing I know I was as the Grand Hustle Offices gearing up to go to the T.I./Grand Hustle FREE Concert at ATL’s Underground. There were thousands of fans and Grand Hustle rocked the city literally shutting down traffic for hours!!!!

Following the Free T.I. Concert, we drove to a recording studio in remote Atlanta where we met up with BET Access Granted, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, T.I., Young Dro, and the entire Grand Hustle Family for the shooting of the Jim Jones “Ballin” Remix Video. This track is on fire!! Cuz we BALLIN’!

Wrapping up the entire week up was the Tupac Cd Release party at The NEW Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts in Stone Mountain, GA. This was a bitter sweet event of course. I fought back tears on several occasions just thinking about how much Pac’s music meant to me personally. I was honored to interview Tupac’s uncle, Shorty B. This man is one of the best authorities around to give the real scoop on Tupac, the man, the legend. Much love to Ms. Afeni Shakur for birthing Tupac into this world twice, once biologically and now through the vision of his arts center. There is a rumor that a recording facility will be added on soon so young musicians can be trained. Beautiful.

Before November ended, I had a chance to slip in one more exclusive event. The Lil’ Scrappy CD Release party. Scrappy’s party was off the chain and his new album is full of twists and turns and some bangers! The liquor was free, next time you are at a bar…..order a Crunk Bomb. We had them all night long! (Crunk Juice mixed with Patron).

There was so much star power in the city leading up to the BET Hip-Hop Awards that even the Atlanta Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce is stepping up its entertainment committee efforts. I am serving on the Fulton County lead group and if you want to play an instrumental role in shaping the entertainment industry here in Atlanta, please reach out to me. There are opportunities galore! I’d love to welcome you to the family.

The ATL Report November 2006

November 2006
By Kandis Knight


Hey ATL REPORT supporters and friends! My name is Kandis Knight, I recently moved to Atlanta from the Midwest and I am pleased to be a resource to Atlanta musicians, promoters, labels etc.! Please follow me on my journey as I get acquainted with your beautiful city. It promises to be a fun ride!

So here I am, in Atlanta. I am single, sexy and free. And Atlanta is turning me out indeed! You can’t come to Atlanta and not upgrade your swag… I got the ATL bounce thing going on. Haha! So time for business…what’s hot in Atlanta? With so many people making “The Great Black Exodus” to the ATL, I wanted to share my experience from a newcomer’s perspective.

There are countless opportunities so read between the lines! Feel free to contact me with your cross promotional ideas! I am a great networker and publicist!

Think of The ATL Report as more than a column, it is a resource. This column is syndicated in several magazines and on several websites. Ya girl is on the streets, up in the hood, all in the studios, off in the clubs researching and networking with some of Atlanta’s stunnas. (*whispers “this is what I do!”).

I am blessed to be working closely with one of Atlanta’s most powerful music empires, T.I.’s Grand Hustle label. Of course I will keep you informed on what the camp is working on, but for starters look for, T.I.’s new film company, a new magazine called Dapper (kinda like Yellow Rat Bastard in NYC), and a clothing line called Akoo. Also, Grand Hustle’s Big Kuntry is heating up the charts with his latest release. Oooohhhweeee, these southern KINGS izzz on a mission!

Also, if you are feeling a little frisky, don’t forget to check out Grand Hustle strip club nights, Monday nights at Magic City and Wednesday nights at Body Tap!

If you are a DJ interested in having your next mix CD hosted by Grand Hustle’s own, Alfamega, ya* ought ta* shoot me an email. Alfamega’s album is in the works and will be released in 2007 if not sooner. His mix CD, appropriately titled The Grand Hustle Muscle, is set to be released in November 2006. He will host the first 50 djs mix cds for FREE so hurry up! Visit www.grandhustle.com or www.alfamegamusic.com if you want to hear some of Alfamega’s music.

Be prepared, he is compared to Tupac and Biggie. This Gemini Trinity thing I heard about. I didn’t know BOTH Tupac and Biggie were Geminis? So is Faith Evans. So is Alfamega and he is completing this Gemini Trinity…interesting, get ready! He already has the industry buzzing of bidding WAR! Oh shit! J

If you are a savvy business owner, Atlanta’s thriving entertainment market must be one of your targets. If you want to tap into Atlanta’s entertainment market, one way to do so is to sponsor an event. Trippin On Tuesdays at the Uptown Comedy Corner is hosted by comedian Lil’ Duval and is a show packed solid with celebrities and lots of Atlanta’s beautiful people! It’s typical to bump into stars like T.I., Tiny, Young Dro, Alfamega, Avant, Carl Thomas, Jagged Edge every week!

I encourage you to get your promotional materials together and drop me an email. It is important to get your promotional material in front of this captive audience. J

The industry is wondering how much longer the south, especially Atlanta, will be running hip-hop. Since “snap music” is dying, Atlanta producers have been busy looking for the next “big thing”. Randy “Exclusive” Roper, freelance music journalist and Editor-In-Chief of Urban Pages Magazine had this to say, “Atlanta has been booming with talented artists, year after year and I don't see that stopping anytime soon,” explains Mr. Exclusive.

“I have my eyes on CTE's Slick Pulla. Slick Pulla is southern and lyrical. He's going to kill it. Young Dro just dropped and his style is so different, and his wordplay is crazy. He's going to be around for awhile. Another one to watch is Yola, "I Ain't Gon Let Up" and you can't front on cats like DJ Unk, Baby D and K-Rab. They are doing what they do, and doing well. But to me Jody Breeze has the biggest chance to be a star when his time comes. The Aphilliates Music Group has one of the biggest foundations as a label. There label's lead artist, Willie The Kid has the lyrics, style and swagger to be a star. He's incredible. Da Replacementz are ill, they're the future of rap duos.”
In tha’ A you can catch a lot of music personalities looking fresh to death cliqued up in the strip clubs. Honestly, they are just like regular nightclubs in other parts of the country. One of my first stops when I got to Atlanta was to see my cousin at the world famous Body Tap. On any given night you can catch celebrities in the house. Chef KC is the Head Chef so if you ever visit Body Tap, remember to try Chef KC’s Lemon Pepper Chicken wings. They are crack!

If you just want to know what is going down in Atlanta, my boy B is really doin’ it at www.blackatlanta.com . Black Atlanta.com is the premiere website for Atlanta’s black market. It is definitely a sleeping giant, soon to awake, I suggest you jump on board NOW! Keep your eyes glued to this website.

If you are an artist and you feel you are ready to take your talent to the next level, just contact my guy B. Rich. B. Rich is a person in Atlanta you want to contact if you want to showcase your talent. B. Rich has talent showcases across Atlanta damn near every night of the week but make sure to get an Atlanta insider’s opinion of your music before you submit it so you don’t get laughed at and blacklisted.

Go to www.brichentertainment.com.

I recently took a position with the Atlanta Black Chamber of Commerce so now I am rubbing elbows with the BIG people down here who sign all the checks. If you have any business you’d like to introduce to the Atlanta Black Chamber of Commerce, let me be your advocate. Send me an email theatlreport@yahoo.com.

To sponsor the ATL Report, to ask questions, to be featured or to provide news and gossip tips, please hit ya girl up! Much love from the trenches of Atlanta!

Also, if you are a magazine or website interested in syndicating this column, please hit me up! I am in for the loooong haul!

theatlreport@yahoo.com

Also check out my guy www.jahcure.com ! FREE JAH CURE!!!