Guru of Gangstarr and, more recently, 7 Grand fame is re-releasing the last installment of his Jazzmatazz series Timebomb: Back To The Future. While the critically acclaimed emcee’s health has been making headlines of late, his Jazzmatazz series has been praised by Hip Hop fans and Jazz aficionados alike. Past installments have included collaborations with Donald Byrd, Ramsey Lewis and Roy Ayers, and Timebomb includes features from Common, Damian Marley and his 7 Grand partner Solar. Timebomb: Back To The Future is available for a limited time as a free download here.
In other news, a study by the Wall Street Journal lists the Black Eyed Peas as “America’s Most Corporate Band.” The article chronicles how the Peas developed corporate partnerships with Blackberry, Levi’s, Bacardi and a host of other companies and corporations to boost both their earnings and awareness.
“I consider us a brand,” will.i.am told the Journal. “A brand always has stylized decks, from colors to fonts. Here’s our demographic. Here’s the reach. Here’s the potential. Here’s how the consumer will benefit from the collaboration.”
Finally, acclaimed HBO series and Hip Hop favorite “The Wire” will be integrated into the curriculum at some colleges. NPR reports Harvard, Duke and the University of California at Berkeley will all offer courses built around the show.
“I think most people look at television as escapist, as lowbrow, as consumerist and not something worth in-depth study,” says Jason Mittell, who will also be teaching a Wire-inspired class at Vermont’s Middlebury College. Mittell told NPR.org that The Wire deserved consideration as a work of popular culture much like Dickens or Hitchcock.
