Marvin Gaye’s Family Files Countersuit Against Robin Thicke & EMI
GAYE FAMILY: ROBIN THICKE HAS A “MARVIN GAYE FIXATION”
Featured Videos
Marvin Gaye's Son Publicly Asks For Kidney Transplant
Marvin Gaye’s Son Publicly Asks For Kidney Transplant
Marvin Gaye's Family Turned Down Six-Figure Offer From Robin Thicke
Marvin Gaye’s Family Apparently Said No To Six Figure Offer From Robin Thicke
Marvin Gaye’s Son Speaks On Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” Lawsuit
Marvin Gaye III Says Robin Thicke Clearly Got His Inspiration From His Father
Robin Thicke, T.I. and Pharrell Fighting Marvin Gaye Estate Over “Blurred Lines”
Robin Thicke, T.I. and Pharrell Fighting Marvin Gaye Estate Over “Blurred Lines”
Robin Thicke, Pharrell, & T.I. Suing Marvin Gaye’s Family & Bridgeport Music Over “Blurred Lines”
Robin Thicke, T.I. & Pharrell To Marvin Gaye’s Family: You Don’t Own Soul Music
A Year After Death: Whitney Houston is Immortalized
When Whitney Houston was living she was the first female artist to debut #1 on Billboard Top 200, received over 400 awards, sold over 200 million records worldwide and is on the shortlist of the greatest singing voices ever recorded. She continues that dominance with a pre-Grammy tribute planned, being immortalized in wax and having the most popular love song. She is having the best week ever. On February 7, Harris Interactive survey’s poll on American’s favorite love songs resulted in Whitney Houston’s monumental classic “I Will Always Love You” being voted #1. The 1992 cultural smash hit from the soundtrack fro the movie The Bodyguard scored 38% of votes among adults and was the top pick of all widowed, divorced or separated Americans polled. Houston’s cover of country legend Dolly Parton’s 1974 song beat out other notable love songs such as Aerosmith’s “Dont Want to Miss A Thing”, Bee Gees’ “How Deep Is Your Love” and even Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On”. Madame Tussauds New York showcased four life-like wax statues of the late singer. Each will be installed in four Madam Tussaud locations: Washington, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York. The Washington D.C. figure will be of Houston performing the national anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl; Las Vegas will showcase Houston from her 1988 music video for “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”; the wax figure for Los Angeles will be of her from The Bodyguard; and New York gets the wax figure modeled off a 2009 photo shoot. Tonight (February 9), longtime friend and mentor of Whitney Houston, Clive Davis is planning a tribute to Houston at his annual pre-Grammy party. “(I am) going to do something to remind everybody that her talent lived among us and in so many people,” the iconic music mogul told People.com “It’s a different kind of opening. The opening has never been done before, with the kind of music that’s unprecedented.” There are no details yet on who is set to be apart of the tribute. [ALSO READ: Jordin Sparks Speaks On Working With Whitney Houston]
Modern Day Marvin Gaye? Meet Aloe Blacc
Really? A modern day Marvin Gaye? With pop-infused R&B dominating the radio waves, Aloe Blacc’s bringing back a sound many have missed. A sound that makes people feel empowered and ready to get up and do something. “I Need A Dollar”, the theme song for HBO’s big hit (now canceled) “How to Make it in America”, was written and performed by soul crooner Aloe Blacc. Now, he’s got a new video for his Marvin Gaye-inspired track, “You Make Me Smile”. “My purpose for music is positive social change,” says Orange County, California native. Overseas in France, Germany and the United Kingdom, Blacc’s already a hit, scoring gold status in all three countries. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j3em6RhvnQ&w=560&h=315] “You Make Me Smile” appears on Blacc’s 2010 album Good Things. Find more information on Aloe Blacc here.
Trey Songz, The Next Marvin Gaye?
R&B heartthrob Trey Songz is featured in the new issue of GQ magazine, which is on newsstands now. In the feature, titled “Trey Songz Gets It On,” the singer discusses his upcoming album Chapter V, as well as his approach to singing and songwriting. Trey said he was aiming to replicate the success of soul legend Marvin Gaye. “I could make a hundred ‘Bottoms Up’s,’ but they won’t change nobody’s life,” Trey told GQ. “Marvin Gaye sang love songs to a certain point, and then it was like ‘F*ck this, I’m not clean-cut no more. I’m putting this skully on… I’m doing whatever the f*ck I wanna do.” Check out more here.
10 Monuments of R&B/Soul/Spoken Word Who Impacted Hip-Hop History
FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH, WE SALUTE SOME MONUMENTS WHO HAVE IMPACTED HIP-HOP!
John Legend and Kennedy Center Pay Tribute to Marvin Gaye with New Program
Billboard is reporting that nine-time Grammy Award-winner John Legend surprised students at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday to shed light on his plans to start a Marvin Gaye-inspired program that encourages young artists to face social issues head-on through art. The idea comes from the late Marvin Gayes’ hit song “What’s Going On?”, and to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his death, they ask “What’s Going On… Now?” Legend entered the rehearsal room of the high school choir at the Duke Ellington High School of the Arts. “You sound good… Can I play with you?”, Legend asked as he sat next to a student on the piano bench and the entire room filled with admiration. One of Gaye’s most memorable Motown albums tackled issues including drug addiction, war, and poverty. Gaye performed the entire album in 1972 at the Kennedy Center – which was his first live performance in two years since the death of singer and friend, Tammi Terrell. Seventeen-year-old India Reynolds, a member of the Duke Ellington choir, said “If ‘What’s Going On’ came out yesterday, it still would have been a hit.” That statement holds true, as Legend and the choir sang, everyone knew every word as if the song was a newly released pop song on the radio. Legend stressed that his parents were big fans of Gaye’s tunes, which in turn, made him a part of his childhood. “Music right now… especially in hip hop, no one really wants to talk about poverty,” he told The Associated Press. “And if people did make (such music), would the audience respond in a way that would encourage more people to make it?” Darrell Ayers, the Kennedy Center’s vice president for education, stressed the importance of the arts as a way for students “to realize the impact the arts can have, not just to make you feel good but to make people think about things.” Students are encouraged to upload videos, photos, music, poems, or any recordings of creative expression to the project’s website. Two participants will win a free trip to Washington for the concert, and to perform with Legend and others. The project will culminate in two concerts at the Kennedy Center on May 3-4 with the National Symphony Orchestra.
