Mya

Mya Makes the Most of Multiple Talents

2007-11-01T21:10:00-05:00

Mya is a darling of the fashion set and paparazzi; she’s a mainstay on red carpets, fashion shows and celebrity-centric blogs. But before Mya became a social fixture, she was a singer known for a voice as sweet as her bubbly disposition, and it’s to her musical roots that Mya returns with her fourth album, Liberation.

Nearly four years passed between Mya’s third album, the gold-selling Moodring, and Liberation, but in that time, Mya has done more than pose for pictures. In 2005, the singer started the Mya Arts Foundation, a group that does outreach work to inner-city kids through the arts and technology. She also became a Ford model in that year, and appeared in a variety of ad campaigns. Mya also lent her talents to charity efforts, including the all-star CDs Come Together Now and Forever in Our Hearts, works for victims of the 2004 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. Considering all this, in addition to the five film appearances since the release of Moodring, the fact that Mya has remained intent on releasing the frequently pushed back Liberation speaks to her dedication as an artists whose first love wasn’t always music.

Growing up in Maryland’s Prince George County near Washington, D.C., 28-year-old Mya Harrison was mostly absorbed in dance. She studied at the Dance Theater of Harlem under Savion Glover and at his encouragement performed a solo routine at the Kennedy Center. By 15, Mya landed her first job: dance instructor. She continued teaching dance throughout her teens and at 16 got her big break as one of the dancers and “posse” members on BET’s Teen Summit. She was also musically inclined, playing violin and singing as a child, and her father shopped a demo. By 19, Mya had released her first album, a self-titled debut featuring the singles “It’s All About Me,” and “Movin’ On,” both written by Sisqo, then of the group Dru Hill. Her album went platinum. She sang alongside Ol’ Dirty Bastard on the Grammy-nominated single “Ghetto Superstar” by Pras and her videos were in heavy rotation.

Fear of Flying, her second project, released in 2000, debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard 200. “The Best of Me,” the album’s lead single, featured rapper Jadakiss on one version and Jay-Z on another, and the song’s combination of a hip-hop break beat, big rap guns and Mya’s croons made it a hit. Fear of Flying became Mya’s second platinum project.

Mya soared higher in 2001, when she won a Grammy for her work on a remake of “Lady Marmalade,” from the soundtrack to the film Moulin Rouge, in which she appeared. Following that appearance, Mya took more roles, including Chicago in 2002, for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Moodring, Mya’s third project, arrived in 2003. It peaked higher than any other previous project, hitting #3 on the Billboard 200. Moodring, with “My Love is Like…Wo” and “Fallin’,” went gold, and the videos for those songs are still memorable for their conceptual originality and Mya’s dance skill. Given Mya’s great trajectory, her Liberation will likely be even more impressive.

Christina Aguilera Gets ‘Back to Basics’

2007-04-30T18:32:00-05:00

Given her all-conquering media presence, it’s hard to believe that Christina Aguilera’s current release, Back to Basics (RCA), is just her third English-language album of original material. Perhaps even more surprising is the fact that, after selling over 25 million albums worldwide with her brand of sultry dance-pop, the artist decided to go with a modern take on vintage jazz, soul and blues.

“This is a concept album that follows a bold vision,” she declares. “The touchstones are Billie Holiday, Otis Redding, Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald — what I used to call my ‘fun music’ when I was a little girl.”

A double album, Basics utilizes an orchestra, choir, string quartet and jazz horns throughout, ranging from a 1920s-style blues feel on “I Got Trouble” to the delicious Andrews Sisters-influenced “Candy Man” and the zoot-suit riot of “Ain’t No Other Man.”

But lest longtime fans fear that Aguilera’s trying to be the next Rosemary Clooney, there are still plenty of modern sounds, from the emotionally naked “Save Me from Myself” to the risqué “Nasty Naughty Boy” and the straight-ahead club track “Still Dirrty” (a reference to her previous ode to raunch, “Dirrty,” from the 2002 album Stripped). It’s been quite a journey from her early days as a member of “The New Mickey Mouse Club” (alongside fellow future stars Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears). Aguilera’s first self-titled album showed off her pipes and pop smarts via such instant hits as “Genie in a Bottle” and “What A Girl Wants,” while 2000’s My Kind of Christmas album was a strong seller.

It was her appearance alongside Pink, Mya and Lil’ Kim on the Moulin Rouge cover of “Lady Marmalade,” however, that brought the former teen queen’s sexuality to the fore, something that was emphasized on Stripped. With Back to Basics, the artist reveals just how mature she’s become.

“When you’re 17-years-old, green and inexperienced, you’re grateful for any guidance and direction you can get,” she recalls. However, within a few years, “I felt trapped. I was under the thumb of people who were mostly interested in keeping me doing exactly the same thing.

“But I’m not blaming anyone,” she quickly adds. “You learn fast in this business and, once I knew where I wanted to go, I didn’t let anyone get in my way.”

The prolonged layoff after Stripped — combined with her 2005 marriage to music executive Jordan Bratman — helped re-energize her. “I needed a break,” she states. “I began realizing that I should be experiencing a bit more of life than TV and recording studios, hotels and green rooms.”

Good thing she caught her breath when she did: On the heels of Basics going straight to No. 1 on the Billboard chart, Aguilera’s currently in the midst of a world tour that will last at least through spring 2007.

“I’m driven,” she understates with a laugh.

Polow Da Don

2007-03-26T11:30:00-05:00

He might have one of the oddest names in the business, but Polow Da Don has quickly built a career that guarantees his moniker won’t be easily forgotten.

Emerging as the next hot super-producer, Polow began racking up credits in 2004, working on tracks by Mya and Will Smith. In 2005 he produced “DJ Play a Love Song” by Jamie Foxx and that same year, Ludacris’ “Pimpin’ All Over the World.” But 2006 shaped up to be his breakout year: When Black Eyed Peas star Fergie shouted “Polow!” on her single “London Bridge,” Polow graduated from a “who?” to a “who’s who.” Polow’s beats are sometimes just as left-field as his nom de plume; innovative songs to his credit include Kelis’s loopy, alarm-based jam “Blindfold Me,” and Ciara’s ’80s-inspired smash ”Promise.”

Based in Atlanta, Polow attended Morehouse College for a spell but left in his freshman year to join the rap group Jim Crow, which inked a deal with Sony and released two albums under the label, 1999’s Crow’s Nest and Right Quick in 2001.

Polow actually found himself in a bit of music-geek controversy in late 2005, when Fergie’s song “Glamorous” lifted several elements from a remix of Gwen Stefani’s “Luxurious.” Polow produced both tracks, yet his remix was never officially released, and when Fergie’s track surfaced it seemed like she was really, really “borrowing” from Gwen. Polow nonetheless escaped the brouhaha unscathed and went on to create more hits, including “Throw Some D’s” by Rich Boy.

A bit of an enigma (his minimalist MySpace page reads, “Don’t need to meet anyone, everyone wants to meet me”), Polow has created his own label, Zone 4 Inc. While the behind-the-scenes track master might maintain anonymity for a little while longer, another year like this one will no doubt turn Polow into a household name.

Pink Proves She’s No Stupid Girl

2006-06-12T18:00:01-05:00

Over the course of her brief but brilliant career, Pink has consistently reconciled flirty sexuality and soul-searching introspection. Composing and performing songs that run the gamut from dance hits ("Get This Party Started") to pop-soul ballads ("Family Portrait," "Just Like A Pill"), the Grammy-winning diva has set the standard for a savvy new brand of female pop celebrity.

So it comes as no surprise that Pink's new album, I'm Not Dead, laments the toll western culture is taking on her and the world. On the single "Stupid Girls," the singer weighs in on the current state of young womanhood, serving up caustic lyrics about girls who, "travel in packs of two or three/with their itsy-bitsy doggies and their teeny-weeny tees . . .

"What happened to the dreams of a girl president?," Pink croons righteously, "she's dancing in the video next to 50 Cent . . .where, oh where, have the smart people gone?"

With its timely lyrics, "Stupid Girls" seems certain to click with fans who relate to Pink's struggle to remain genuine in an increasingly narcissistic world. "In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being sexy, feeling sexy, or dressing sexy," the singer writes on her website (www.pinkspage.com). "My point is only this — that 'SMART' and 'SEXY' are not oil and water. You don't need to dumb yourself down in order to be cute. You also don't have to have the latest $10,000 handbag to be cool."

"Stupid Girls" is one of the many highlights featured on I'm Not Dead, an album Blender magazine enthusiastically described as "supercharged." Like its predecessors Can't Take Me Home (2000), Missundaztood (2001) and Try This (2003), the new disc offers a revealing glimpse inside the psyche of a true pop iconoclast, as evidenced by songs like "I Got Money Now," "Conversations With My 13 Year-Old Self," and the scathingly political "Dear Mr. President."

I'm Not Dead takes its esteemed place alongside Pink's previous albums, all certified platinum, yielding the hit singles "There You Go," "Most Girls" and "Don't Let Me Get Me," among others. In spring 2001, Pink joined forces with dance-pop wunderkind Christina Aguilera, rapper Lil' Kim and r&b singer Mya for a remake of the 1975 LaBelle hit, "Lady Marmalade." Co-produced by Missy Elliott and Rockwilder, the song rocketed to the top of Billboard's Hot 100 chart, captured a Grammy and resulted in a tremendously popular video.

Pink made headlines recently when she married motocross/reality TV star Carey Hart. Fans can see her in Catacombs, the 2006 horror flick from the makers of the box-office smash, Saw.

With a blossoming professional career and a fairy-tale personal life, Pink seems to have it all. But the endearingly self-deprecating singer says appearances can be deceiving.

"To a certain extent I am proud of myself for keeping hold of my integrity and taking risks and not completely conforming," she writes on her website. "On the other hand, I am my own worst enemy, my own worst critic, and I am extremely hard on myself."

Rockwilder

2005-08-02T18:00:00-05:00

Producer Rockwilder earned his initial entrée into the music industry in the late 1990s by working with pal Redman. On discs like Muddy Waters and Busta Rhymes‘s When Disaster Strikes , Rockwilder showed a penchant for creating terrifically dark, slightly rock-influenced beats that perfectly complemented hardcore hip-hop’s somber themes.

The dawn of the new millennium saw Rockwilder venturing out of his musical comfort zone. He lightened his tone considerably by working on Janet Jackson‘s All For You and with the help of Missy Elliott, he turned the remake of LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade” (by Christina Aguilera, Pink, Mya and L'il Kim) into a saucy hit. That song, from the soundtrack to the film Moulin Rouge , got him in the business of creating top-notch movie soundtracks; he went on to make a veritable cottage industry of producing music for films, including Legally Blond, Scooby-Doo 2,Training Day and Friday After Next .

He has continued to diversify his repertoire since his original rap days. Now, his impressive series of collaborations includes r&b artists like Maxwell, Kelis, Me’Shell NdegeOcello and Destiny’s Child, who tapped him for a smooth, tingly re-mix of their hit “Bootylicious.” He’s even created beats for crossover sensations like JC Chasez and Pink.

Rockwilder, born Dana Stinson, has strayed from the hip-hop artist’s traditional trajectory. Urban enough to produce for Mobb Deep but upbeat enough to make Mya’s pop tunes, Rockwilder is proving to be an adept, versatile and creative musician who keeps breaking the mold.

Miri Ben-Ari

2005-05-11T18:00:00-05:00

The bow meets the beat with the music of Miri Ben-Ari, the violinist on Kanye West’s Grammy-nominated The College Drop Out , and a co-writer of West’s two-time Grammy-nominated hit “Jesus Walks.” For her Universal release, The Hip-Hop Violinist , Ben-Ari enlisted a role call of notable guest vocalists and rappers: Mya, Fabolous, Lil’ Mo, Twista, Pharoahe Monch, Musiq, E-40, T.I. and Joe Budden. She’s joined on her first single, “Sunshine to the Rain,” by two more familiar names, Scarface and Anthony Hamilton.

Raised in a small town near Tel-Aviv, Israel, when she served her mandatory military service in the Israeli army, Ben-Ari became entranced by the sounds of Charlie Parker and American jazz. She came to the U.S. to study at the Mannes School of Music in New York City and recorded a well-respected series of jazz albums before branching out into hip-hop and r&b.

An electrifying show with Wyclef John at Carnegie Hall and a breakthrough performance on NBC’s “Showtime at the Apollo,” plus writing, producing, arranging and performing all of the strings on the Kanye West project and guesting on West’s production of Twista and John Legend, quickly catapulted her into r&b consciousness. Performances with West on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno, “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “Last Call” with Carson Daly and “The Sharon Osborne Show” introduced her unique artistry into living rooms worldwide.

From Israel to the states, from classical to jazz and now to r&b and hip-hop, music is Miri Ben-Ari’s well-stamped passport. She may have a host of influential friends, but on The Hip-Hop Violinist , she’s definitely the one pulling the strings.

‘O Brother’ Soundtrack Rules 44th Annual Grammy Awards

2002-02-27T18:00:00-05:00

The soundtrack to the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? was the surprise winner at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, presented on February 27 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The multi-platinum album took home five Grammys including the coveted Album of The Year award, besting works by U2, Bob Dylan, OutKast and India.Arie. Produced by BMI songwriter/producer T Bone Burnett who was named Producer of the Year, the bluegrass soundtrack features BMI talents Norman Blake, The Cox Family, Fairfield Four, John Hartford, Alison Krauss, The Soggy Bottom Boys (featuring Dan Tyminski, Harley Allen and Pat Enright), Ralph Stanley, The Stanley Brothers and Gillian Welch. The album also won Best Compilation Soundtrack Album, Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" by the Soggy Bottom Boys, and Best Male Country Vocal for "O Death" by Ralph Stanley. It was 75-year-old Stanley's first Grammy.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Alison Krauss

Alison Krauss and her band Union Station were also among the night's top winners, picking up the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy for New Favorite and Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for "Lucky One." The track also won Best Country Song for songwriter Robert Lee Castleman.

BMI's Robbin Ahrold with John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants, winner of the Grammy for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or other Visual Media ("Boss of Me" from Malcolm in the Middle)

Other Country category winners included Best Country Instrumental Performance for the remake of the Earl Scruggs classic "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" from his latest CD, Earl Scruggs and Friends, adding to the seven out of eight Country Grammys earned by BMI stars. BMI songwriter/artists also made an impressive show in several other categories, including Jazz, Gospel, Latin and Blues.

Other BMI Grammy Award winners included two each for Mel Brooks, Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer, as well as a statuette each for Linkin Park for Best Hard Rock Performance, Enya for Best New Age Album, and Lil' Kim and Mya for Best Pop Collaboration on the remake of the Patti LaBelle classic "Lady Marmalade."

Complete List of BMI's Grammy Award Winners:

T Bone Burnett
Producer of the Year
Album of the Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
Best Compilation Soundtrack Album (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
Best Traditional Folk Album (Down From the Mountain)

Alison Krauss & Union Station
Album Of The Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
Best Country Performance by Duo or Group ("Lucky One")
Best Bluegrass Album (New Favorite)

The Soggy Bottom Boys (Dan Tyminski, Harley Allen and Pat Enright)
Album of the Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
Best Country Collaboration ("I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow")

Mel Brooks
Best Musical Show Album (The Producers)
Best Long Form Music Video ("Recording The Producers - A Musical Romp With Mel Brooks")

Bel� Fleck
Best Instrumental Arrangement (Claude Debussy "Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum" from Children's Corner)
Best Classical Crossover Album (Perpetual Motion)

Edgar Meyer
Best Instrumental Arrangement (Claude Debussy "Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum" from Children's Corner)
Best Classical Crossover Album (Perpetual Motion)

Ralph Stanley
Album Of The Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
Best Male Country Vocal Performance ("O Death")

Norman Blake
Album Of The Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)

The Cox Family
Album Of The Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)

Fairfield Four
Album Of The Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)

John Hartford
Album Of The Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)

Gillian Welch
Album Of The Year (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)

Lil’ Kim
Best Pop Collaboration ("Lady Marmalade")

Mya
Best Pop Collaboration ("Lady Marmalade")

Brian Eno (PRS), producer
Record Of The Year ("Walk On")

Eric Clapton (PRS)
Best Pop Instrumental Performance ("Reptile")

Janet Jackson
Best Dance Recording ("All For You")

Sade (PRS)
Best Pop Vocal Album (Lover's Rock)

Harry Connick, Jr.
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (Songs I Heard)

Lucinda Williams
Best Female Rock Vocal Performance ("Get Right With God")

Linkin Park
Best Hard Rock Performance ("Crawling")

Scott Underwood (Train)
Best Rock Song ("Drops of Jupiter")

Dolly Parton
Best Female Country Vocal Performance ("Shine")

Earl Scruggs
Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Foggy Mountain Breakdown")

Glen Duncan
Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Foggy Mountain Breakdown")

Randy Scruggs
Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Foggy Mountain Breakdown")

Vince Gill
Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Foggy Mountain Breakdown")

Marty Stuart
Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Foggy Mountain Breakdown")

Gary Scruggs
Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Foggy Mountain Breakdown")

Albert Lee
Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Foggy Mountain Breakdown")

Jerry Douglas
Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Foggy Mountain Breakdown")

Robert Lee Castleman
Best Country Song ("Lonely One")

Enya (IMRO)
Best New Age Album (A Day Without Rain)

Michael Brecker
Best Jazz Instrumental Solo ("Chan's Song")

Sonny Rollins
Best Jazz Instrumental Album (This Is What I Do)

Charlie Haden
Best Latin Jazz Album (Nocturne)

DC Talk
Best Rock Gospel Album (Solo)

CeCe Winans
Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album (CeCe Winans)

The Blind Boys of Alabama
Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album (Spirit of the Century)

Yolanda Adams
Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album (The Experience)

Freddy Fender
Best Latin Pop Album (La Musica De Baldemar Huerta)

Robert Blades
Best Salsa Album (Encore)

Ram�n Ayala y Sus Bravos Del Norte
Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album (En Vivo...El Hombre Y Su Musica)

Jimmie Vaughan
Best Traditional Blues Album (Do You Get The Blues?)

Delbert McClinton
Best Contemporary Blues Album (Nothing Personal)

Verdell Primeaux
Best Native American Music Album (Bless the People - Harmonized Peyote Songs)

Johnny Mike
Best Native American Music Album (Bless the People - Harmonized Peyote Songs)

Jimmy Sturr
Best Polka Album (Gone Polka)

John Flansburgh
Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or other Visual Media ("Boss of Me" from Malcolm in the Middle)

John Linnell
Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or other Visual Media ("Boss of Me" from Malcolm in the Middle)

Deep Dish
Best Remixed Recording ("Thank You" [Deep Dish Vocal Remix])

Larry Combs
Best Instrumental Soloist (Strauss Wind Concertos)

Christopher Rouse
Best Classical Contemporary Composition ("Rouse: Concert De Gaud� For Guitar And Orchestra")

Chris Thile
Best Classical Crossover Album (Perpetual Motion)

Bootsy Collins
Best Short Form Music Video ("Weapon of Choice")

Wade Robson

2001-07-11T18:00:00-05:00

Choreographer, dancer, teacher, music producer, director, actor, songwriter and recording artist: Does the title "entertainer" have room for all these roles? It does for Wade Robson.

Robson began his career imitating Michael Jackson, and has now advanced to choreographing and remixing for Britney Spears's recent Pepsi commercial as well as her videos, live tours, and awards show performances. Other musicians who benefit from his talent and creative vision include his idol and mentor Michael Jackson, Mandy Moore, Usher, Mya, Pink, Tyrese, Janet Jackson, Youngstown and other notable artists. His latest efforts consist of helping *NSYNC develop their new album Celebrity and 2001 Pop Odyssey Tour. He co-wrote and produced several of the tracks, like the ballad "Gone," but Robson won't remain content with enhancing other artists' careers; he wants his time in the limelight as well.

Robson's first foray as a musician in the youthful rap group Quo left him unenthusiastic about returning to the recording studio as a performer, but seven years can transform apathy into aspiration. Describing himself as an edgier Will Smith, Robson draws on his experiences with hip-hop, r&b and rap to create a pop sound rivaling those of his current clients. The album will debut once his demanding schedule allows him to finish it.

As for the future, Robson hints at directing movies and possibly bringing the musical to a broader audience. But for now, the pop world has a hold of this 18-year-old entertainer and won't let go anytime soon.

At BMI, Black Music Month Is Celebrated All Year Long

2001-06-12T18:00:00-05:00

At BMI, Black Music Month Is Celebrated All Year Long

By Rob Patterson

From the dawning days of rhythm & blues through today's multifaceted urban music scene, BMI has been at the forefront of music from the African American tradition, styles and community. A continuity of teamwork between BMI and Black music-makers extends from Aretha Franklin to Janet Jackson, from Motown hitmakers Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier & Brian Holland to R. Kelly, and from Miles Davis to Terence Blanchard.

B.B. King

Busta Rhymes

Janet Jackson

Eminem

When r&b, in its formative years, was the province of budding independent labels, small publishers, and adventurous radio stations, BMI opened its ranks to the musical movement when the existing performing rights organization failed to recognize the legitimacy and potential brewing in Black American music. The considerable fact that 90 percent of the R&B Foundation's Pioneer Awards have been bestowed on BMI artists attests to BMI's historical commitment to Black music.

The BMI Black music rosters reads like a musical honor role: Jazz giants such as Billie Holiday, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Dinah Washington and John Coltrane; blues icons like Leadbelly, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and T-Bone Walker; r&b pacesetters such as Ray Charles, Fats Domino and James Brown; soul sisters Etta James, Irma Thomas and Diana Ross; rock pioneers like Chuck Berry and Little Richard.

Mya

R. Kelly

Snoop Dogg

Toni Braxton

The BMI bloodlines can be traced from then to now, from Carla Thomas to Donna Summer to Vanessa Williams, from Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff to LA Reid and Babyface, from Otis Redding to Michael Jackson. And if you check this space 20 or 30 years from now, the odds say its likely that BMI's contemporary urban music artists will be just as legendary and influential as those BMI has represented throughout the history of Black popular music in America.

In a sense, the pages have already been written by today's BMI star talents. Mariah Carey has proven herself a formidable and enduring presence in popular music, while Macy Gray is arising to help bring soul back to its rightful place of presence in urban music. Kevin Eubanks delivers sublime new variations of the jazz guitar heritage to millions on The Tonight Show, and Joshua Redman redefines the notion of young jazz giant for a new millennium. Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Lil' Kim continue to push the hip-hop envelope, while Kirk Franklin and Winans Phase 2 keep the gospel spirit alive.

But it's not just the marquee names that make these exciting times for BMI's urban music roster. And even some of BMI's team whose work happens primarily behind the scenes are earning public note on the level of the artists they work with. Producer, songwriter, keyboardist and remixer Dallas Austin launched Monica and TLC, and counts Michael Jackson, Madonna, Boyz II Men and Aretha Franklin among his credits. Such musical versatility and vision continues with such recording and writing powerhouses as Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis, Master P, Tim & Bob, SoulShock & Karlin, Jean Claude 'Poke' Olivier of The Track Masters, Organized Noise, Teddy Bishop and Cory Rooney - all drawing from a differing wealth of musical wells and creating new and innovative musical moments.

Hip-hop remains a powerfully progressive and sometimes provocative movement in modern popular music. Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes and Goodie Mob keep it real, and the beats and themes will surely remain hard in the hands of such acts as Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, Ja Rule, Mos Def, Trick Daddy, Silkk the Shocker, JT Money, Kurupt and J-Shin. At the same time, acts like The Roots, Black Eyed Peas, Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek and Spooks infuse a rich mixture of styles into the hip-hop genre. Once the sound of the street, just as r&b had been, hip-hop is now an integral part of contemporary culture. And its Caribbean cousin dancehall is also claiming the attention of the public ear thanks to Buju Banton.

R&B has always boasted its powerful cadre of female singers. And just as Carla Thomas, Martha Reeves and Jodi Whatley established their voices as trademarks, so have the women like Brandy, Toni Braxton and Faith Evans. Rising to join them are such soul sisters as Angie Stone, Mya, Sunshine Anderson and Aaliyah, while R&B brothers such as Eric Benet and Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes stir up new soul traditions for today's urban music fans as Clyde McPhatter, Sam Moore and Aaron Neville have before them. The girl group traditions forged by The Shirelles and The Supremes find modern expression in the "new jill flava" of Total.

As the recent Ken Burns documentary demonstrated, jazz is one of the richest skeins in the American cultural tapestry. BMI has been a consistent presence in jazz, from Lionel Hampton to Coleman Hawkins to Herbie Hancock to Roy Hargrove. Today, Terence Blanchard, Christian McBride, Kevin Eubanks and Bilal maintain the instrumental and compositional greatness of jazz music for the genre's future.

Spirituals have always been an essential element in Black music and BMI's mission, thanks to everyone from James Ingram to The Fairfield Four. And perhaps nobody has had a more profound impact on contemporary music and the popularity of spiritual sounds than minister, songwriter, producer and visionary Kirk Franklin. In the past, one could make similar claims for The Winans, and the family tradition forged there is carried on by Winans Phase 2. The ears reached by these artists are now opening as well to such rising talents as Yolanda Adams and Trin-i-tee 5:7.

Such diversity, commercial impact, innovation and encouragement of burgeoning styles and new artists has been a hallmark of BMI's commitment to Black music from the time that "race music" became rhythm & blues, and on through soul, funk and disco right up to rap and new jack swing. As BMI salutes tradition through its longtime support of the R&B Foundation, it also helps create the future that is urban music in all its breadth and creativity. Because at BMI, Black Music Month is celebrated 12 months a year.

Mya

2000-10-31T17:00:00-05:00

Multi-talented and drop-dead gorgeous, Mya takes the concept of "old-school" to stratospheric extremes. Toeing the line between saucy femininity and no-nonsense assuredness, the sultry singer is a formally trained dancer who even incorporates tap dancing into her live performances. Mya is so old school, she's practically vaudevillian.

Given her risk-taking penchant, it comes as a surprise that Mya's hotly anticipated sophomore CD is titled Fear of Flying. Though the title suggests a certain demureness, the album's tracks are more confident than Mya's acclaimed debut tunes. Her current single, "Case of the Ex (Whatcha Gonna Do)," recently cracked the coveted Top 10 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart. The remainder of the album features songs co-written by Mya and guest performances by Beenie Man and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. Fear of Flying is the sound of a budding composer and song stylist discovering her creative voice.

For Mya, Fear of Flying represents a musical promise fulfilled. The singer burst on the R&B scene in 1998 with a self-titled album that spawned three hit singles, including "It's All About Me" (a duet with Sisqo, which also earned a Soul Train nomination), "Movin' On" (featuring rapper Silkk the Shocker) and "My First Night with You." She won further attention with "Ghetto Supastar" from the Bulworth soundtrack. The single, which also featured Pras and ODB, went Top 10 worldwide, as did her collaboration with BLACKstreet ,"Take Me There," from the Rugrats movie soundtrack.

Following the release of her platinum-certified, self-titled 1998 debut album, Mya toured as part of the rap-oriented "Smokin' Grooves" tour. That was followed by main stage performances on the 1999 Lilith Fair tour, where Mya shared the stage with female rock and folk acts. "The feedback from the audiences was really good and I met a lot of great artists from all different genres of music," Mya said.

Since her debut, Mya has served as a print spokeswoman for Bongo jeans, and has even had a Tommy Hilfiger lipstick shade named after her. She also serves on the advisory board of the "Secret to Self-Esteem" program, which is dedicated to easing girls entry into womanhood. "I've realized that I can . . . present a sassy image but not have to sell my soul," Mya says.