Rapper Silky Slim (Ramona Mark) took a gamble when she quit her job as a stock clerk at Walmart to pursue a music career. That gamble paid off, and the result was a record deal with Profile Records. Sean Ross, A&R Manager for Profile Records, says he first heard about Silky in a telephone conversation with a local radio programmer. Ross then contacted Silky’s agent to get a copy of Silky’s debut 12″, “Sister Sister,” which was released in February. He brought the song to an A&R meeting, and the staff liked it. “The appeal of ‘Sister Sister’ is whether you like it or not, you still remember it 24 hours later,” says Ross.
By mid summer, Silky had signed a 12″ deal (with an LP option based an 12″ sales) with profile. The 12″ was released nationally on September 20.
It’s receiving airplay on stations in Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, and Florida.
At first Silky didn’t take rapping seriously, she says. It was just a hobby that offered her the opportunity to make some extra money. Lured by a $500 cash prize, she entered a radio station rap contest and won first place. After winning the contest, she decided to pursue a rap career. She signed with local label Mugz Records and recorded the two versions of “Sister Sister.”
The Batiste Brothers traveled to Japan in October to perform at the Sunset 99 Live Festival. The group played three times, and before it was over they had the Japanese second lining with umbrellas. David Batiste says the response was so great that festival officials are considering featuring New Orleans artists exclusively next year. The Batiste Brothers made their first trip to Japan in April, when they performed for the Mayor of Kobe and 2,000 of his friends. They also showcased their music at a ribbon cutting ceremony in preparation for the Kobe Urban Resort Fair. The fair is scheduled for September and October of 1993 and will feature music and arts and crafts.
David says the group was impressed with the royal treatment they received in Japan. Their roughest adjustment to Japanese culture was getting used to the food. Eating sushi didn’t come naturally to the New Orleans natives, but they managed. “We drank two or three bottles of sake, and then we could eat,” says Batiste.
Plan B.E. is in the studio working on a four song demo. All five members will sing lead on the R&B and gospel songs. Linda Castle, Plan B.E.’s manager, says the group wants to put New Orleans on the map and do what Jodeci and Boyz II Men have done for their hometowns. The group’s repertoire includes R&B hits “End of the Road” (Boyz II Men), “Come and Talk to Me” (Jodeci), and “If I Ever Fall in Love” (Shai). They also perform gospel, jazz and hip-hop.
In brief: Local label Lamina Records releases 12″s on rap artists…MC “J” releases a 12″ with cuts “5-O’s on My Back” and “Rest in Peace”…Mia X releases “Ask Them Suckas” on 12″ … II Marx of Terra releases an EP with cuts “Witness the Strength” and “Dead or Alive”. All songs were recorded at RDM Studio on the Westbank. RDM is owned by J. “Diamond” Washington, president of Lamina Records. Washington wrote the music and engineered MC Thick’s “What the Fellas Be Yellin’ (Marrero)” and Everlasting Hitman’s “Bounce Baby Bounce.”
