On her first American tour in six years, Tina Turner comes to the UNO Lakefront Arena on Saturday, August 18, along with special guest Chris Isaak. Her tour coincides with the release of What’s Love Got To Do With It on Virgin Records and a movie based on her autobiography of the same title. The album features three new songs, “I Don’ Wanna Fight,” “Stay Awhile” and “Why Must We Wait Until Tonight,” plus some fresh interpretations of her classic hits.
Tickets for her New Orleans show are on sale now.
They left New Orleans with little money and dreams of becoming national recording artists. Four years later, they’ve got a new name, The Real Seduction (formerly Seduction), a new home in Los Angeles, and a new deal with Atlantic Records. Their first single, “Ain’t Nuthin’ Wrong,” from their debut LP It’s Real, was released in June. Stacey Branden, Tracey Branden, Dennis Gordon and Lawrence Pierce IV won’t forget where they came from, though. They laugh when telling the story about the time they got to the airport and Tracey couldn’t afford a plane ticket, so they sang until they raised $182.
Since leaving New Orleans, the group toured with MC Hammer and performed twice on The Arsenio Hall Show. They describe their sound as “new-wop” music with style, class, and sex appeal. The album has an R&B, crossover, doo-wop flavor. From “This Is What I Would Do,” which features all live instruments, to “Missing”, a public service announcement about missing children, the album displays their versatility. “30 Minute Love Caper” is an acapella song that ends with a message to the record industry, “You better start looking for talent in New Orleans.” The group’s long term goal is to be the first New Orleans group of young guys to win a Grammy for R&B and pop.
The Real Seduction will be in New Orleans this month to host a homecoming/release party and to enjoy some gumbo, crawfish and red beans—three things they say they miss most about being away from home.
Get ready all you humpin’ people. There’s a new dance coming soon to a dance floor near you. It’s “The Hump Dance,” written and produced by who else but the Hump-Dogg. “Everybody can do it—just like doing the twist,” says Aaron Williams, Mr. Hump-Dogg himself. Williams says he was looking for a new summer dance, so he made one up, and recorded his first 12″ on his Baton Rouge label, Rizing Star Records. Williams and co-workers Swamp Dogg and MC World are also producing projects on Ndescent Xposure, MC Chile and the Koncret Jungo, and the Bottom Posse.
Joe Blakk (Joseph Francois) is one of the latest local rappers to capitalize on the Showboys’ “Drag Rap (Triggerman)” beat. Blakk sampled it on his 12″ “It Ain’t Where Ya From” (produced by Ice Mike), one of the hottest local rap songs this summer. Blakk picked “It Ain’t…” as the first release from his label, Mercenary Records, because he wanted to build a home following.
For some reason, many New Orleans rap fans have adopted the “Drag Rap” beat as a local theme song. So rappers like Blakk use the beat to get strong local support, which translates into radio airplay and record sales. It also sets the stage for original, more creative releases later on. Blakk’s second release from the 12″ is “Enemy to Officer Friendly.”
Ruffhouse/Columbia Records releases the new Kris Kross album Da Bomb this month. Kris Kross kick off a 50-city U.S. tour in the coming weeks; it includes a New Orleans stop on September 30.
The Black Assassins released their 12″ “Cop Dies in the Line of Duty” and “Hostile Takeover” on Power Steering/Serial Assassin Records. Flx 1 (Guy Grant), Bomb Threat (Jay T. Sibley) and Cee Snipa (Carl Clark) were first featured on Percussion Incorporated’s LP, doing the rap on “Freeman of Color.”