The haunting melody of Fallen Soldiers is still topping the charts while Duppy Know Who Fi Frighten breaking records in its rise to the top. And now, Sort Dem Out is a clear warning that DeMarco has become a dancehall star.

Twelve months ago, DeMarco was known more for his beats than his rhymes, but his collaboration with Star Kutt and subsequent synergy with Juke Boxx Productions has launched his career to a whole new level. The combined management team introduced the multi-talented artiste to the US based independent label, Koch. Koch boasts an eclectic list of acts but has a keen interest in urban reggae, signing acts like Sean Kingston, Foxy Brown and recently, DeMarco. The lucrative deal guarantees DeMarco world-wide distribution through global giant, Universal.

From an outside view, it may seem like an overnight success, but for DeMarco, the recognition is fair reward for years of dedicated effort. While living briefly in Baltimore and New York, DeMarco worked at odd jobs, struggling to earn money to buy equipment for his studio piece by piece building beats more for credit than cash. Before releasing his breakthrough hit, DeMarco collaborated with both hip hop and dancehall stars including Missy Elliots’ Soul Diggaz, Styles P of The Lox, Free from 106 and Park, Hot 97’s Jabba and Bounty Killer.

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Sitting across from a roaring fireplace one winter afternoon in Vail, Janet is curled up on a dark leather couch as she discusses the unlikely topic of Discipline, the title of her new album. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling window, long graceful branches of towering trees are heavy with snow. In the distance, a lift carries skiers up an imposing mountain awash in white. Janet’s wearing a midnight-black sweat suit, her hair pulled back to the nape of her neck. Her body language is relaxed and her eyes are smiling. She’s trim, and also a little hoarse, having just fought off a cold. The whisper-quiet texture of her voice adds to the intimacy of the conversation.

“Discipline has been much on my mind,” she says. “It’s the idea that unifies the songs on this record. As a concept, and even a lifestyle, discipline goes extremely deep. It can be applied to so much about ourselves. In my case, I see it as one of defining aspects of my character. Discipline was there for me from the start. But it was not until this record that I began to understand its full meaning.

“In putting Discipline out front-- as both the title of the album and title of a song about sexual surrender--I wanted to announce that I was venturing into new creative waters. That meant working with producers like Jermaine Dupri, Rodney Jerkins, and Ne-Yo, whose songs spoke to the immediacy of my emotions. Like all my records, this one, whether intentional or not, has autobiographical roots. It’s difficult for me to work any other way. I don’t feel it, if I don’t believe it, I can’t sing it.

Mary J. Blige
Geffen Records superstar and hit-making songwriter Mary J. Blige, is set to follow-up the most successful album of her career, the triple platinum The Breakthrough, with her eighth (8th) studio CD Growing Pains on Tuesday, December 18th, one week before Christmas.

Growing Pains includes her top ten single “Just Fine” which has become an instant favorite on radio enjoyed by over 20 million listeners. “Just Fine” is in heavy rotation on MTV, BET and VH-1, and Mary recently shot the video for her second single, “Work That,” which is currently featured in an Apple iPod commercial.

After selling over 40 million CDs and garnering six Grammy Awards during her phenomenal 15-year career, Mary is confident that her fans will not be disappointed with Growing Pains. “They’re going to get a sense of what my state of mind is and how I view the world,” she says. “And hopefully, most of all, they’re going to hear just the sincere honesty and love that I have for them.” She adds, “Growing Pains represents accepting that there’s pain that goes along with growing and change. No pain, no gain.”

In recent years there has been an increased inception of young female talent in the industry and with them came a fresh and candid approach to both dancehall and reggae music. There was Tami Chin and Brick N Lace, Alaine and Kris Kelli, Tesanne and now the 'rootsy' rebel for a cause empress Etana has risen in 2007 to take charge and prove herself as a credible reggae singer.

After gaining enormous exposure from her “Wrong Address” single in spring 2006 Etana has broadened her fan base with tracks like Warrior Love and the “cant water down or dilute” beautifully written Roots. Representing strong vocal presence and a never ending passion for live performances Etana has been on every major show locally since the beginning of the summer season. Not only has she been in demand locally but promoters from as far as Africa have been booking her to belt her signature notes.

Wyclef is taking us back to the Carnival! His new album Carnival II (Memoirs of an Immigrant) hits stores November 6. The first single "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)" features everybody's favorite featured artists Akon and Lil' Wayne.

About Wyclef Jean

Wyclef Jean (born October 17, 1972) is a rapper, producer, and member of the superstar hip hop trio The Fugees, known now for a series of high-profile hit singles.

Born in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, Jean moved to Brooklyn when he was nine, then to Northern New Jersey, where he began playing the guitar and studying jazz in high school. In 1987, Jean, his friend Prakazrel Michel (Pras) and his classmate, Lauryn Hill, formed a group called the Tranzlator Crew before becoming The Fugees.

The Fugees signed to Ruffhouse Records and released their debut, Blunted on Reality, but the album was panned and sold poorly. Their eclectic follow-up, The Score, however, sold over 17 million copies worldwide and turned the trio into international superstars. Jean soon announced plans to begin a solo career with 1997's Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival Featuring the Refugee All-Stars (more typically called simply The Carnival). The album's guests included Hill and Pras along with Jean's siblings, the I Threes (back-up vocals for Bob Marley), Neville Brothers and Celia Cruz. The album was a major hit, as were two singles: "We Trying to Stay Alive" (adapted from The Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive") and "Gone 'Til November" (recorded with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra).

One time trio, Brick&Lace has emerged stronger, sexier and sassier than ever as the stylish twosome of Nailah and Nyanda. Former member, Tasha resigned from the frontlines but remains with the group as part of their strong support structure.

In their new sleeker form, the ladies, continue to entertain by capturing characteristics from genres such as reggae, dancehall, hip hop, old soul, and R&B.

Indeed, who they are is evident in their moniker: “Our mother came up with the name ‘Lace’ and we immediately liked it,” explains the incisively passionate Nyanda. “But we still felt that there was an edge missing, so I came up with ‘Brick.’ It has stuck with us ever since and has evolved with us.”

They say that change can be a good thing. Just ask Kelly Rowland, a founding member of Destiny's Child, the top-selling female recording group of all-time, and a best-selling Grammy-winning solo artist in her own right.

By 2006, Destiny's Child had wrapped the group's "Destiny Fulfilled" farewell tour and Kelly Rowland -- who'd successfully debuted as a solo artist in 2002 with a global smash album, Simply Deep, and a chart-topping Grammy-winning hit single, "Dilemma" --decided to record her second solo album, a collection of new songs reflecting who she was and where she was going as a woman and as an artist.

The result, Ms. Kelly is the long-awaited successor to Rowland's best-selling 2002 solo debut album, Simply Deep, which has sold more than 2.5 copies worldwide, debut at ..1 in the UK and Australia. Simply Deep showcased the smash hit, "Dilemma," Kelly's duet with the rapper Nelly, which earned the Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2003 and spent 10 weeks at ..1 on the Hot 100.

Those who have survived the night’s unforgiving darkness cherish basking in the light of dawn, in the warm promise of a new day. Every so often, in the world of music, an act emerges like a beacon of light, proudly proclaiming its uniqueness, its disinterest in the norm, and its potential for sparking a sonic revolution. In 2007, just like with The Fugees and the Black Eyed Peas, a new era in urban music will be ushered in thanks to a group fittingly known as The DEY. Composed of Divine, Élan, and Yeyo (DEY), the bilingual Latino trio fuses hip-hop, R&B, pop, and Afro-Latino influences for a unique, singing/rapping fusion-heavy sound that celebrates Latinos’ rich cultural heritage while also inviting non-Latinos to share in the festivities. Their innovative Epic Records debut promises to unify English-only, Spanish-only, and bilingual Latinos, and to address the interests and concerns of today’s generations of multicultural urbanites.

URGE: How much did the success of "My Love" affect you going in this direction?

T.I.: It had no determination on the concept of the album. It was a wonderful collaboration. One of my favorites, but I was already in line with how I wanted to do the next album at that time. It wasn't like, "Oh, since I got the opportunity to be a big pop star let me." I don't make my music like that.

URGE: What opportunities have opened up for you since "My Love"?

TI.: Believe it or not, man, I was doin' pretty well before "My Love." [Laughs.] I always like to think that I bring just as much to the table as I take away. I don't think JT needed me no more than I needed him.

URGE: At the BET Awards you were very vocal in emphasizing that it's unfair to blame rappers for how their musical content influences children.

It didn't take the rapper MIMS long to come up with the title for his debut album. Both of his parents died by the time he was 13, and it was his love for and dedication to music that kept him focused on success and out of trouble. That's why the Washington Heights, New York, rapper named his first album Music Is My Savior. The title carries additional weight, too. "If you think of Music Is My Savior as an acronym, it stands for my last name, which is Mims," says the rapper, born Shawn Mims. "I wanted to be a little clever about it."

Clever also describes MIMS' smash single "This Is Why I'm Hot." It makes a certain amount of sense that the cut -- a skeletal, braggadocio club track that gives nods to classic New York rap, Midwest Hip-Hop, the Southern rap scene and the hyphy movement -- has become so popular in clubs and on the radio. The song's producers, the up-and-coming The Blackout Movement, double as DJs. "They understand what the mentality of a DJ is and that's where we broke the record, the mixshows," MIMS explains. "The DJs broke the record, and when a DJ creates a record and another DJ listens to it, they have a connection. I think that's why a lot of DJs appreciated it."

There are no mirrors or tricks here, no sleight of hand. When J. Holiday talks earnestly of “following my dreams” and “being in love with music,” it’s not a deliberately sympathetic portrayal by a partial writer. In fact, J.’s talent is matched - in rarity and intensity - only by his enthusiasm. His candor and vulnerability are refreshing, given the static, formulaic state of R&B. The question most are asking, though, is where did J. Holiday come from?

The answer is short, but runs deep: D.C. And while D.C.’s trademark sounds breed musicianship - “so many talented cats playing go-go or in church” - the city remains untapped.” And home, for J. Holiday, is where the art is. He was born into a musical family; mother Frances, one of 11 siblings, sang gospel with her 5 sisters, while his older sister supplied backing vocals for Crystal Waters. “Music was always around me and I just wanted to do it,” he recalls. But his first performances were as much coercion as inspiration: “When I was nine or ten years old, my older male cousins would always tell me to sing to girls passing by on the street. It was later that I realized they were exploiting me.” So by age ten, J. Holiday was finding his voice. Within a year, however, he was struggling to find his way. “My Pops died when I was eleven,” he states flatly. “He was sick and didn’t tell nobody. Not even my Mom. She never knew what was going on until he died.”

Ever since Eve broke on the scene in 1999 she’s had a knack for making stardom look easy. Grammy Award winner. Check. Starring in blockbuster films. Check. Achieving elite status as a fashion icon. Check. The “blonde bombshell” is a triple threat entertainer in the truest sense of the term. And one of the reasons you can’t take your eyes off of her is your ears. In an era when success in hip-hop is built on the portentous hype of saving the genre from imminent gloom and doom or testosterone driven beef, Eve remains a bankable star who grabs your attention with her consummate talent for crafting infectious hits. She’s proof positive that hip-hop doesn’t need to be saved or resurrected; it just needs a woman’s touch every now and then.

Hence, following a successful four-year takeover of the Hollywood and fashion scene, Eve is set to drop Here I Am, a more mature and adventurous album, one she calls her best effort to date. “This is the album I’ve always wanted to make,” she says. “In the past my albums have had a heavy male influence. Not this time. This one represents the woman I am today.” And there’s no doubt that the woman who brought us hits like “What Ya Want,” and “Let Me Blow Ya Mind,” is supremely confident that a mass variety of music lovers not just the hip-hop faithful will appreciate were she’s coming from this time around. “I didn’t just cater to a rap audience with this album,” she says. “I can go to the Pop Top 40 with this because it’s far more universal than anything I’ve done. You’re going to pay attention to me because it’s different.”