Monthly Archives: May 2011

Keishera James

Looking at Keishera James, you can tell that there is something about her. Sitting in class, she speaks with an energy, a confident air and an enthusiasm for learning. But going to a transit-oriented college like Baruch, it is difficult to get to know the life under those first impressions. Fortunately, this time I was able to learn about the exciting life of one of Baruch’s most accomplished artists.

James, who was born in Jamaica, exudes the diva presence of singers who came before her like Tina Turner and Whitney Houston, who are two of her idols. However, her raspy alto voice is reminiscent of singers like Anita Baker and Tracy Chapman, one of the artists who helped James to overcome her past fear of her own voice.

“One of major inspirations to become a songwriter was Tracy Chapman because of the way she writes… she didn’t look like the ordinary pop star but her delivery was so powerful and her subject matters were something you could relate to, or if you could not relate, you could picture it…”

And James’ music is similar in that it is a great mixture of soulful, sensual, honest emotion with a laid-back and cool flow harkening back to Quiet Storm soul and R&B music of the late 70s to early 90s. The hint of her Jamaican accent coming through her songs also provides a distinct vocal touch.

On her own since 16, James’ voice and songs have taken her to several places, like London, Paris and of course, New York City, and she will be taking a semester off from school to go to Berlin to continue her career. However, the road to becoming a star has not always been easy. “It’s a hard road to travel because because there are a lot of talented people, especially in New York City. Every other person is a star…” James even wrote a song about it, called “Wanna Be a Rockstar,” in which she sings, “Everybody wanna be a rockstar/don’t nobody have to work for it/some wanna be an overnight superstar/but you and me we have to work for it.”

James continued that there are also a lot of fickle people who do not keep promises and it is hard to find the key people who will recognize you, but she believes in persistence, taking initiative and having encouraging friends. These three things have helped her to have a number of memorable moments, such as a hit song in Europe with Shaggy called “It Feels Right,” and opening for rapper Common in front of a crowd of 25,000 at the Fort Greene Festival in Brooklyn.

Other memorable moments from her career was dancing with David Beckham at a night club (“he was very polite, very nice”), meeting with Ahmet Ertugun before he died, and interviewing De La Soul and Anthony B. During the past two years, she has gone back to school, first at the New York City College of Technology and now at Baruch, which she attended to prove she could get in and is majoring now in Liberal Arts. However, it seems that this interview has influenced her to do an ad-hoc major in music and journalism.

Royalty Network, who signed James in 2007 to their music publishing company had these words to say about her then, “Keishera’s on her way to proving her ability to stand out as a writer and artist. Since her recent introduction to the business, she’s already appeared alongside Shaggy, and #1 Reggae act in France, Lord Kossity. ….while this star-in-the-making hopes to open minds with her unique vocals and reggae-soul fusion, ultimately, she just wants to make good music.”

In an interview with The Grio, singer and producer Teddy Riley commented on how some of the recent R&B music lacked substance, but now it’s starting to come back. Mary J. Blige made a similar comment in an MTV interview last year. James wants to bring as Blige says that “healing power” back to R&B music.

Planning on creating a style of her own, taking soul and infusing it with a little of rock and reggae, James will be releasing three singles, “Rockstar,” “Say What’s On Your Mind,” and “Think of Me,” soon. Asked how she describes her music, James responded, “Passionate! …My music is my salvation… music has transformed any situation…sometimes it’s just hard; fear sets in when you are a musician and you are creative a lot, and it helps to quiet the mind from all the chatter, doubts and fears…music is a remedy for anything.”

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Luck is said to be when preparation meets opportunity. That saying rings true for how Tech Chambers met C-Style to form New Rap City.

One day while hanging out with one of his friends at their house Tech Chambers heard

Tech Chambers From New Rap City

music coming from a back room. Curious to find out who the rapper was he asked his friend. To his amazement he found out that the person on the track was sitting in that same room.

Two weeks after meeting each other they entered their first competition which they won.

Raised in Harlem the music of New Rap City reflects the desires, struggles and hopes for the future of both C-Style & Tech Chambers. Having both lived less than idea childhoods listening to rap and hip-hop was a way they could both escape the hardships of life.

At an early age C-Style, who is now 26, new that being in the world of rap and hip-hop was exactly where he was supposed to be. At nine years old he began to record himself on his karaoke machine.  With the help of his karaoke machine he made his first mix tape which he titled “In the Time of Crisis.”

By the time he got to high school he was selling CD’s in the hallways. The title of the CD was “The Resume.”

Tech Chambers, who is now 25, grew up in a family where both of his parents were addicted to drugs and his father was truly never around. His brother dropped out of school to get a job and support the family.

The earliest memory he had surrounding music was his brother rapping “Children’s Story” from Slick Rick to him so that he could fall asleep.

C-Style was not available for an interview, but his partner Tech Chambers spoke about the path of the duo and their new album.

When asked about what makes their music different from the rap music that is out there today Tech Chambers said that it was their versatility and their ability to hit multiple different genres and markets. He said “we can use street music, we can do commercial music, we can do dance music, party music. It doesn’t matter it depends on how we feel when the beat is on.”

When it comes to their music they say that they are trying to show people that there are other ways to express oneself other than violence. “If you listen to it it’s not ‘I’ma shoot you in the head, I’ma rape your mother’ kind of music. We inspire people.”

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Tech Chambers says that his biggest influence, when it comes to music, is Tupac:

“Because he elevated rap to what it is today. Without him, and unfortunately without Biggie [Smalls], rap music wouldn’t have had as strong of an impact as it has. He wasn’t afraid to be versatile. He could make a song like “Ambitious as a Ridah” where he’s talking about being a real dude and doing what he has to do to make it then he can make a song like “Brenda’s Got a Baby”, “Keep Ya Head Up”, “Bomb First” and “Dear Mama” where he’s talking to his mother. His versatility made him shine out through everything else.”

On the website ReverbNation the music of New Rap City is described as “a mix between 50 cent and Cassidy with the chemistry of Redman and Method Man.”

So far they have entered 39 competitions. They have won 37 of them. The biggest monetary award that they have received is 500 dollars. They worked with Paul Wall and DJ Jeevus in the production of their first album. The largest crowd they have performed in front of was 400 people.

ReverbNation goes on to say that for winning a showcase “their grand prize was a mix tape hosted by the Rap Champ Paul Wall, a slot of the highly acclaimed hip hop website www.allhiphop.com and an album release party in the heart of Manhattan.”

With a song like “Pick Up a Book” New Rap City rap about learning through education and striving to be someone good in life. Letting young people now that it is your intellect and not your “street swagga” that gets you places.

However those positive words get drowned out when in songs like “Goldfish” and “It Don’t Make You a MC” the ‘n’ word is used repeatably. I am not here to argue about the meaning of the ‘n’ word or if it has changed, what I am saying is that these guys have major talent and great beats and lyrics, but the overuse of the ‘n’ word makes it so that is all you hear when you listen.

I am aware that many rappers use that word the way the stereotypical person from the Vally uses “like”, however aren’t they trying to be different?

If that word wasn’t said so much their message would come through much clearer.

On their Facebook page they have 32 ‘Likes’, on Myspace they have 99 friends and on Twitter they have 120 followers.

They have performed at Club Element, Sultra Lounge and the Secret Lounge.

Tech Chambers wants many more things in the future. He wants to go into acting, producing, directing and writing: “anything where I can express myself in; that I can turn my talent outward for people to recognize.”

The duo is currently working on a new, as of yet untitled, album. Some of the issues that they touch on in the new album have to do with the status of the music industry.

One aspect is what they see as the radio being one-sided. “You could listen to the radio for five days straight and it will be the same ten artists all day and that’s not exciting” says Tech Chambers.

They also discuss the issue of how, in their opinion, when it comes to the music business it is not talent that gets you noticed, but who you know. If you are not lucky to know anyone in the business then you will be “sitting at home working at Home Depot.”

“The first album was just me letting you know I was here. This album is letting you know that I am serious about making an imprint. I don’t want to be one of those rappers that you see everyday that come out with a hit then two years later they don’t have no more music on the radio cause they just stopped their inspiration’s gone.”

When asked if there was anything else he wanted to say his final words were “watch me.”