CHICAGO HOSTS AFRICA'S FINEST

At the beginning of the week, the windy city of Chicago, USA had the opportunity of hosting a group of very lively African guests courtesy of one of the worlds biggest music companies:- SONY Music and their affiliate RockStar4000. The African guests were none other than the members of the continent’s biggest super group – One8 who were in town to record some hits for their upcoming album plus to link up with one of the city’s major music names. The 8 acts who are some the best that their countries have produced on the musical map landed on American soil in style and pomp ready to get the work done.

First off, the One8 team arrived in Chicago to scan out the city and get everything rolling African style. They were soon followed by the artists who started flocking in from their countries. First to arrive were Uganda’s Navio with Zambia’s JK. They were followed by DRC’s golden child of song Fally Ipupa before everyone else slowly trickled in. Amani of Kenya and Nigeria’s 2Face were the last to arrive in Chicago where the rest of the group was already bonding and feeding off each others musical vibes. As soon as they were all on the ground, it was time to hit the studio where the music making began.

The vibe in that studio this whole week was so ecstatic it could have woken up great African music icons such as Fela Kuti and Miriam Makeba. Note that this is the first time a conscious effort has been made to bring together top African artists from different countries in one studio to make music that will be marketed all over the globe. Together, these young African artists witnessed and made history all at once. The studio was abuzz with different African vibes – Uganda’s Ugaflow, Ghana’s hip-life franco-hiphop of Gabon, DRC’s Lingala, Bongoflava of Tanzania, Boomba of Kenya and Naija swag.

This was a week for the whole group to learn each other’s music but also to fit in with each others’ vibes and feel each other. Being that that they were on foreign turf this was a perfect opportunity for all these musicians to bring out the best about their individual countries while taking tips from their counterparts. These being some of the best the continent has ever produced musically be prepared for some of the best music the continent has heard in a long time. The bomb video has been shot too. Keep here for more about ONE8, RockStar4000 and get a chance to hear the baddest African song.

www.myone8.com, www.facebook.com/one8, www.twitter.com/myone8, http://buddhablazeworld.blogspot.com, www.youtube.com/one8tv

THE BIRTH OF A MUSIC REVOLUTION IN AFRICA – ONE8

After weeks of speculation, 8 superstars from across Africa have united with one major megastar to form ONE8; the all star group to make the best music from Africa onto the global stage and connecting millions of fans through the universal language of music. Through the power of the universal language of music and combining genres, sounds, voices and audiences - while breaking down stereotypes, geographical borders and divisions - ONE8 is the ultimate music force that is single-handedly changing the face of the African music industry. ONE8 consists of the hottest African talent from eight major African countries.





The power and excitement around this collective of African stars is so big that ONE8 will be not only be joined by one of the biggest global megastars and icons in music for its first single and video, about to be recorded in Chicago, USA, but this superstar, who’s played a crucial role in defining R&B and Hip-Hop as we know it, will produce the song and video together with some of the biggest names in music and music video production in the world today.

This all star group ONE8 is produced and managed by the first major pan-African record label and 360 music company, ROCKSTAR4000 within the family of the world’s number 1 recording company Sony Music. Sony Music has delivered some of music’s biggest icons and pioneers in the history of music including the likes of Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, R Kelly, Alicia Keys, Usher, Christina Aguilera, Pink, Neil Diamond, Bruce Springsteen, Santana and Shakira to name a few. ONE8 is destined for greatness, shattering perceptions about African music as it builds networks and excitement across African and across the world.

ONE8 is a progressive, digital media driven project - driven by the passion of the artists to not only allow their fans access around the clock, but to give them the freedom to escape from their every day challenges and empowering their fans to be whatever they want to be through the power of music and the digital world - connecting them across cities, borders and continents.

All eight artists set off for the USA, fans will be connected with them around the clock through the website, mobile site or mobisite, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube and live webcasts from on-the road. Millions of fans will experience this music revolution and historic journey as it happens. Fans will experience their favorite stars up-close and personal and roam where no fan has roamed before, digital ALL ACCESS PASSES delivered personally by these superstars to their fans!

All the artists have worked together to create a song that is a truly Pan-African creation. The group will also shoot a video in Chicago which will be released globally with the first single in November, alongside a full album and DVD soon after.

You can follow ONE8 around the clock on the following official portals:
www.myone8.com, www.facebook.com/myone8, www.twitter.com/myone8, http://buddhablazeworld.blogspot.com, www.youtube.com/one8tv, www.myone8.mobi

NIGERIA’S 2FACE IS THE BIGGEST NAME ON ONE8

SONY Music and Rock4000 must be rejoicing after news that Nigeria’s biggest musical sensation 2Face Idibia was joining Africa’s musical super group One 8. 2Face being Nigeria’s top musical artist is also one of Africa’s most successful musicians to hit the airwaves in the past decade or so. With his widely popular music and immense talent, he joins the ranks of Kenya’s Amani, Uganda’s Navio, Zambia’s JK, Ghana’s 4 × 4, Gabon’s Movaizhaleine, DRC Congo’s Fally Ipupa and Tanzania’s Ali Kiba.



2Face was originally a member of the duo Plantashun Boyz with his partner BlackFace who he had attended college with. His name 2Face in how own words refers to ‘the outside and inside’: “when you first see me you see the outside but when you get to know me, you see the inside,” he says. After a couple of years the Plantashun Boyz went their separate ways but came together again in 2007 to record the highly acclaimed album Plan B.

2Face, has however achieved most of his success as a solo artist and is now one of the most internationally recognized celebrities Nigeria has produced in recent years. 2005 saw 2Face become a household name when he took home an MTV Europe Award for Best African Act, a Channel O Music Video Award for Best Male Video and Best African Video (both for "African Queen") and a Kora Award for Revelation of the Year. His video for African Queen was also the first video to be played on MTV Base. The song ‘African Queen’ was also featured in the Hollywood feature film Phat Girlz.



In 2006 and 2007, 2Face won a MOBO award for Best African Act, a special recognition award at the Hip Hop World Awards, Channel O Music Video Award for Best African Pop for the Song ‘Ole’ and a Channel O Music Video Award for Best West African for the song ‘Ole’. He won the Nigeria Entertainment Award for Special Recognition as Nigeria’s Breakthrough Artist of the Year. In 2008 he won a Nigerian Music Award for Album of the Year and R&B Song of the Year and a World Music Award for Best Nigerian Act.

Last year he took an MTV Africa Music Award for Best R&B and as he joins forces with the ONE8 project the sky is the limit for this amazingly talented artist.

www.myone8.com, www.facebook.com/one8, www.twitter.com/myone8, http://buddhablazeworld.blogspot.com, www.youtube.com/one8tv

ONE8: KENYAN SINGER AMANI IS NOW IN THE AFRICAN SUPER GROUP

There was excitement at SONY’s Rock4000 as Kenya’s chart topping songstress Amani joined the super African music group; - One8. This makes her the first lady of the One 8 group that consists of only male artists including Navio from Uganda, JK from Zambia, 4 × 4 from Ghana, Movaizhaleine from Gabon, Fally Ipupa from Congo DRC and Ali Kiba from Tanzania. Amani whose name means peace in Swahili is the seventh member of this extensive African music group that is bound to shake up the entertainment landscape in Africa very soon.



Born Cecilia Wairimu, Amani started performing at an early age in church talent shows and was already writing her own songs by the time she was in primary school. She recorded her first single while in high school. In 1999 she had her first radio hit, with the massive track ‘Move On’, one of the first home grown Kenyan songs to reach number one all major local radio charts. She followed up on this success with a collaboration with top Kenyan artist Nameless, and the hit track Ninanoki which became an instant classic across East Africa.

Amani wasn’t done with releasing hits, in 2004 another collaboration, with Big Pin and Pantonee gave Amani another hit with ‘Talk to You’, a song that became the most requested across Kenyan radio that year. The song topped all the charts and saw Amani’s sound developing into a richer and more accessible R & B style. Her highly anticipated debut album, Amani was released in 2006, soon followed with the release of her sophomore Tamani in 2007, both being awarded and becoming critically acclaimed across the region and continent.



Amani’s soothing music is urban and African, uplifting with unforgettable melodies that showcase both Amani’s vocal and song-writing talents. She has been awarded for Kisima Awards Best Female Artist 2006 and Best Collaboration, and in 2007 for Best Female Boomba Artist. Amani has also been nominated for a Channel O video award in 2008 for Best Female Artist East Africa. She won the MTV African Music Award for Best Female Artist 2009 alongside a slew of nominations at the 2009 Channel O Music Awards.

Amani has toured the world having played concerts in Norway in 2007, in Germany in 2008 at the Zanzibar International Film Festival, for the president of Ghana and even in San Diego, California during a US tour in 2008. Amani’s unique East African R & B and her undeniable style bring an uplifting and soulful feel to the ONE8 group.

www.myone8.com, www.facebook.com/one8, www.twitter.com/myone8, http://buddhablazeworld.blogspot.com, www.youtube.com/one8tv

DRC'S FALLY IPUPA IS IN ONE 8

The African super group One 8 continues to become as diverse as ever with the addition of a very talented musician from Congo DRC called Fally Ipupa. Born Ipupa Nsimba, Fally is a singer, songwriter and respected guitarist who was born and raised in Kinshasa, DRC. Like many young performers of his generation, music was not considered more than a hobby and studies were forced to take priority over the young man’s passion.



At a young age the singer started playing in various small groups on Congolese streets until he was eventually noticed by the acclaimed group Quartier Latin, who scooped him up to play guitar for them. Over the next ten years he honed his craft under the watchful eye of his mentor, Koffi Olomide. Fally ended up composing two of Koffi’s biggest hits, namely ‘Eternellement’ on the album Force De Frappe in 2001 and ‘Ko Ko Ko Ko’ on the album Affaire d’Etat. This fast rocketed him to the position of band composer despite a young age.

Fally’s influences and creative spirit saw him dreaming of creating a new sound. Feeling the constraints of Latin Quarter, he eventually had to break free in order to pursue a solo career. His first solo album was released in 2006 and Droit Chemin sold over 100,000 units, spawning the hits ‘Droit Chemin’, ‘Liputa’ and ‘Kidiamfuka’. In 2007 Fally was acknowledged by his peers in the music industry when he won the Best Male Artist Cesaire Award and Best Artist or Group from Central Africa in the continental Kora Awards.



Fally Ipupa’s silky smooth voice soon reached the hearts of many, both in DRC and internationally, due to his blend of various musical styles including soukous, ndombolo, pop and R&B. In 2009, his album Arsenal de Belles Mélodies received much media attention and rare reviews, with hits like ‘Chaise Electrique’, a duet performed with Olivia from the group G-Unit.

That same year, he participated in the “MTV Awards Made in Africa”, where he performed his hit ‘Bicarbonate’ for millions of viewers. Fally is the first Congolese artist of his generation to attempt an adventurous musical career which combines innovation and tradition. His fans and media alike have named him a prodigy who lives for his time without forgetting his roots. It’s this créative spirit, incredible talent and youthful passion that makes him a perfect addition to the ONE8 team.

www.myone8.com, www.facebook.com/one8, www.twitter.com/myone8, http://buddhablazeworld.blogspot.com, www.youtube.com/one8tv

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ONE8: AFRICA’S SUPER GROUP CONTINUES TO GROW WINGS

When SONY affiliate record label ROCK 4000 decided to form an African super group of musicians called One8, they must have had in perspective the enormous appetite of the average African music lover. Since they started signing artists a few weeks ago they have acquired artistes with diverse styles and from totally different countries. The latest catch in the race to form this African super group of artists is a Paris based hip-hop duo from Gabon called Movaizhaleine.



Movaizhaleine affectionately known as MH is a duo influenced by activism for Africa and they are strong believers in the rehabilitation of history. Their debut album Mission and second album Mission Akomplie were great successes all over Gabon proving the duo had what it takes to achieve more across the African continent. Their third album On Detient La Harpe Sacree was a best selling record that put their name firmly on the music map. Their fourth album TOME 2 contained a political track ‘Nous’ which won the Video of the Year at MTV Mama Music Awards 2008. MH hold an annual event in Gabon called Le Show Du Pays (The Show of the Nation) which reaffirms the values of conscious hip-hop. They bring cultural diversity to One8. Check out their video: www.youtube.com/one8tv



They join Uganda’s top hip-hop artist Navio (Daniel Kigozi) who’s been on the scene for ten years with a group of five rappers called Klear Kut. First produced by top producer Steve Jean, Klear Kut made a name for themselves with the single ‘Nothing Wrong Wit A Lil Doe’ winning critical acclaim throughout Uganda. They were the first hip-hop group in Uganda to be accepted into the mainstream and have stayed there ever since. Klear Kut’s first album Klear Kut had major hits including the single ‘All I Wanna Know’ featuring Juliana. The video for this track pioneered earned Klear Kut an award nomination for Most Promising Group at KORA All Music Awards 2002. In 2003 Klear Kut won the Best Hip Hop Group award at Uganda’s Pearl of Africa Music Awards. Navio’s has moved to pursue a solo career to expose his Uga-flow style with a debut album Half the Legend establishing him into the biggest names in the East African hip-hop. Check out his video: www.youtube.com/one8tv


Another member of the group is Zambia’s biggest super star JK also known as Jordan Katembula. He has single handedly changed the way changed the way Zambian music is viewed. Starting out in professionally in 1997 performing for several bands, he eventually dropped his self-titled solo album in the year 2000. Containing hits such as ‘Nkafikilisha’ and ‘Balekuzembeleka’ he stamped his name firmly as Zambia’s number one young artist. JK has released another three more albums which have a rhumba meet reggae and Rn’B feel to it and appealing to both older and young fans. He continues to pack sold out concert halls in Zambia. Check out his video: www.youtube.com/one8tv


Another member of One8 is Tanzanian heartthrob Ali Kiba, a major singer at the top of the food chain of a genre called Bongo Flava (combination of hip-hop and Tanzanian Rn’B). In east Africa Ali Kiba is known everywhere and his music plays widely amongst the youth and the wazees (elders). Bongo Flava is an easy to dance to genre which sounds much like RnB or slow hip-hop and highly influenced by Zouk. Bongo Flava contains mostly of romantic lyrics but some songs have a positive message to society. Some Bongo Flava is just plain naughty and has an extreme party vibe to it. Bongo Flava is Tanzania’s youth expression and one artist that fully embodies the spirit of Tanzania is Ali Kiba. His debut album Cindarella hit the stores in 2008 and contained widely selling hit ‘Cinderella’ which put him firmly on the map of the East African music scene. This album saw him performing all over East Africa and he performed to east African crowds in UK and United States. In 2009 he released his second album Ali K 4 Real that has seen him earn plenty of awards locally and internationally including Best East African Artist at the African Music Awards in London, UK. With a career on the rise, Alikiba brings a unique style and flair to the ONE8 music project.

Ghanaian hip-life trio 4×4 is another member of the One8 group, they released their first album Siklitele in 2003, followed by a second album Contestant Number 1 in 2007. 4×4 has made a massive name for themselves in the Ghanaian music scene because the combine raga, rap and hip-life. They are great role models to the youth in Ghana, 4x4 have worked extremely hard to get where they are today. Their latest album, Hotgirls.com is a blend of foreign touch (hip hop style) but with a local dialect and dancehall flavour. Speaking to Ghanaian media, they stated that “we have introduced this new blend of foreign touch (hip hop style) with local dialect and dancehall to sound different, more productive and very hot.” It is evident these black stars are very passionate about music and the youth; they seem to perfectly fit into the One8 project.



Those are five artists that form One8 currently and the search is on for three more artists to complete the total number of eight. It is said that One8 producers were spotted in Kenya and Nigeria scouting for talent and it has yet to be proven who joins this prestigious group. In Kenya my guess would be Wyre and Nigeria it would be 2Face Idibia but that’s just me guessing. Once the group is complete they combine genres, sounds, voices and audiences to record a super hit with a top American producer based in Chicago this will be the most memorable recording venture ever embarked on in Africa. The track drop in November courtesy of SONY and Rock 4000 Records, who will be next to join this group? Watch this space.

www.myone8.com, www.facebook.com/one8, www.twitter.com/myone8, http://buddhablazeworld.blogspot.com, www.youtube.com/one8tv

One8 - African Music Supper Group

Over the last decade or so, the African music industry has been on an upward rise; never before has there been such promise in the said form of expression. Individual countries such as South Africa, Tanzania, Angola, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana have produced numerous stars but we haven't witnessed that many inter-border collaborations. Because the scene is still young in pretty much every one of these African countries, the scene has been developing on its own without fiscal support from any major. No one has been able to step to the game to unite it.

At least 10 years in the music and arts industry and I've just realized that the only one holding us back is the inability to work together as an African industry. They say that sometimes when you don't expect a thing to happen that's when things actually start happening. So when I heard that SONY affiliate music label Rock 4000 was putting together a super African music group called One8 I was so elated beyond words because this should've happened a few years back. To make it even better is that one of my favorite artists Navio from Uganda was on that list.

Navio is joined by R&B star JK from Zambia, Bongo Flava King Ali Kiba from Tanzania and Ghana's 4 by 4. All these artists who are very talented and popular in their home countries will come together to form the super group One8 for more info visit: www.myone8.com It's about to go down proper! The word is that they are all working some major collaborations and in the next few hours their producer will be annouunced. He is none other than a mysterious producer from the windy city of Chicago. Ur guess is as good as mine. Keep it here for more info as I get it.