http://www.thechar1ottepost.com
CJiarlotte IPost
THURSDAY JUNE 30, 2005
D Lyfe’s story
Section
Talented R&B singer talks about life and love for making music
PHOTO/WADE NASH
Singer Lyfe Jennings said he iearned to piay the guitar whiie he was in prison for being “in the wrong piace at the wrong
time in the wrong state of mind.”
By Cheri.s F. Hodges
c!iensJiodges&lliccliarlor!eposr.com
His stage name is Lyfe,
but he was bom Chester
Jennings.
The self-tai:^ht, 26-year-
old musician doesn’t look
Afu-Ra
gets to
‘State of
the Arts’
Afu-Ra
State Of The Arts
Various Records
Life Force Records
like yoiu typical R&B singer.
There are no flashy suits, no
processed waves in his hair,
and no bhng - just a guitar
and the tmth.
When Lyfe stepped on stage
last Saturday at Ovens Audi
torium, he looked more like
a rapper than sir^er, but
when he started singing
about loyalty and love, there
was no doubt that everyone
was looking at a star on the
rise.
Lyfe’s musical career
began as a boy in a chiu*ch
choir in Tbledo. Music was
his escape and soon led him
to join The Dotsons, a young
group that infused the tal-
See LYFE/2D
Charlotte comic goes
solo on national stage
‘dreamgirls’
Audition
for movie
version of
play '
By Cheri.s F. Hodges
cliensJiodges^lliecliarlo!tepost.cc
Are you the next Jennifer
Holiday?
Do you have a voice that
will knock someone out?
Then the makers of the
movie “Dreamgirls” is look
up for you.
Casting directors Debra
Zane and Jay Binder, 'Will be
holding opjen auditions for a
plus-sized Afiican American
woman, with a huge gospel
belt voice with gi’eat power
and range.
The actress will play the
leading rale of Effie White
and should be m her early to
late 20s.
The auditions will take
place at the Omni Hotel at
CNN Center in Atlanta on
July 16. Check-iii begins at
10 a.m. and will be on a first
come, fii'st serve basis.
Check in time cut-off is 1
Dave Maitin is a bad boy and he
hkes it.
Martin will appear oh Sean “P.
Diddy” Combs’ HBO series “The
Bad Boys of Comedy” on Friday
The comic, who started as a
singer, is excited by an opportuni
ty to show his skills in fi*ont of a
national audience. Martin’s road
to comedy started when he was
with his R&B group, Debonair.
“I was always the ham, joking
with the crowd to keep the energy
level right between selections,” he
said. ‘Whenever we did inter
views I was the one (who did the
talking). People that really know
me, would say I don’t know what’s
going to happen with the group,
but if it doesn’t work out then you
should look into doing some stand
up.”
Maiiin said he blew it off at
first, because he was focused on
singing. But then the New Edi
tion thing happened, and
Debonair bi’oke up.
‘While I was working on the
I’ecord deal, I had an airport shut
tle van and when I would take
people back and forth. I’d be in
there actii^ stupid,” he said. “And
people would ask me if I had ever
done stand up.”
Since everyone around him was
sowing the seeds of stand-up,
Martin decided to try his hand at
it.
After taking a year off to decide
if he wanted to seek a solo record
deal or go into stand-up, Martin
secretly went to the Comedy Zone
to try out his act.
“I didn’t even tell my fiiends. If I
was going to get booed then I was
going to get booed by myself,” he
said.
In 2001, he did the Comedy
Zone and won its amateur night.
Since Martin had a taste of
comedic success, he wanted moie
and began laying the groimdwork
that would take him to New York
and give him a chance to meet
Combs.
Martin did shows at colleges,
ofoied for other comics and per-
See COMIC/2D
Afu-Ra continues to bubble
under the rap scene, just
brushing success. He’s got
somewhat of an under
ground following but he may
be ready to smface to com-
memal success with “State
of The Arts.”
It’s the same kind of stuff
he’s been doing since 1994 -
mixing East CoEist with hip
hop and haidcore to shape
his distinct sound. But
there’s a more earnest
attempt to please the masses
without sacrificing artistic
integrity
There’s a host of guest
aiiists as weU as uncredited
samples. Afu-Ra uses both
masterfully You never get
the feeling either idea was an
afterthought. Even the sam
ples seem to be carefully
thought out. He uses The
Mighty Clouds of Joy’s
“Mighty Cloud Of Joy” for
the spunky “God of Rap.” He
dips into the sample vault
just as deep on “Pusha” (fea
turing Royce Da 5’9) by using
Lament Dozier’s “Peddling
Music On The Side.” Talk
about obscui’e.
There are a few sexual ref
erences and some profanity,
but Afu-Ra tends to be more
concerned with other topics.
He’s much Hke most hip-hop
artists who tend to rap for
the love, not the shock value.
Theie’s the machismo factor
and “my skills” thing, but
most of this stuff is non-
offensive to the casual listen-
er. The CD’s best song is the
bouncy “Deal Vfit It” which
features Kardinal Offishall
and Jahdon.
Even if this CD doesn’t
break out, Afu-Ra’s core fans
should be happy It’s a solid
piece of hip hop and that’s
saying a lot in these days of
commercial exploitation.
Ratings
PHOTO/ WADE NASH
Comic Dave Martin will appear on HBO's Bad
Boys of Comedy this week.
Classic;
Excellent; ^
if*
*
Good
Fair
Why?
No stars - A
Looking for something to do? Charlotte options plentiful
p.m.
For more information, contact
Tamils Valleh or Jeremv Rich at
(323) 965-0800.
Chens F. Hodges
By Chens F Hodges
cherts Jiod^es®tliecliarhltepo$Uom
Evei*ybody always says
that there isn’t anything to
do in Charlotte. But tRis
summer theie is. From con
certs to parties, there’s an
event that appeals to
almost everyone.
For the music lover:
• July is the montli of
music. Uber sista group Des
tiny’s Child win stop in Cliar-
lotte as part of their farewell
tour, Beyonce and ‘them’ will
play Verizon Wireless
Amphitheater on July 22.
The following night, the
Sugar Water Festival star
ring Queen Latifiah, Erjkah
Badu and Jill Scott comes to
town. Floetry which is reach
ing John Legend status, will
make their third appearance
in Charlotte to open the show.
Tickets can be purchased
through Ticketmaster by call
ing (704) 522-6500.
• On July 16 at the ^dsu]ite
Theatre, located at 1615 Eliz
abeth Ave., Keb Dai^e, a DJ
fix)m the UK, will put his
skills on display Tickets are
$15 at the door and tiiere wdl
be a live jazz performance
fiom the AfixgEizziacs.
• The And 1 Mixtape Tbur
2005 comes to the Charlotte
Coliseiun on July 21. Get
ready for hip hop and basket
ball, as the tour makes its
stop in the Queen CTty
Want to party?
• Executive Entertainment
and Cuzneity Entertainment
will host tile fourth annual
‘White Affair,” at the South-
park Hyatt on July 16.
Tbny Vfilliams of Executive
Entertainment said “you
never know who you might
see at the White Affair.”
‘We cater to the 25-and-up
crowd. We want people to
Please see LOTS/2D
MOVIE REVIEW
‘Rize’ and shine: Hip-hop documentary doesn’t clown around
By Dwight Brown
.y.^TIOS'.AL .VEnSP^PF.R
PVBUSHERS ssoci.mos'
“If you’re diowning and you
see a board, you get on it.” So
says Tbmmy Johnson a black
street clown who travels
through depressed South
Central L.A. neighborhoods
encouraging kids to dance
their butts off and stay out of
trouble.
Chit of the ashes of the 1992
Rodney King riots, Tbmmy
invented “clowning” — hip
hop dancii^ with a lot of
shaking. It’s an urban elbdi-.
CXires the ^etto blues.
Rapid-fire gyrations. Paint
ed clown faces. “Clownii^, “
for kids and teens, becomes a
healthy, aerobic diversion
fix)m gang wars, drugs and
social tils. When clowning
evolves ^ into “krumping,”
shaking booty, bobbing heads
and quaking shoulders
becomes a competitive art
form. High-voltage dance-offs
attract throngs; krumping
stars are bom and they are as
sassy, self-confident and self-
possessed as movie stars with
names like Lil C, Tight Eyez,
Ms. Prissy and El Nino.
On the surface, Rize is a
carefree look at a budding
dance craze. Under close
scmtlny this enlightening
film archives the latest evolu
tion of traditional, kinetic
Afiican dance. On view is our
heritage. Dance as a founda
tion of a society Dance as a
community event. Dance
teUir^ stories.
Bmtally honest interviews
range from tales of woe,
building self-confidence and
unabashed ambition. But
just under the tough, know-
it-all facades are vulnerable
children trying to stay one
step ahead of the poverty
devil.
Fashion photographer
turned documentary director
David La Chapelle guides
this project with great sensi
tivity and an artist’s keen
eye. He perfectly fi'ames the
dancing and has an excellent
sense of composition.
The black brown and tan
skin is incandescent. The
musical score makes your
toes tap. Your booty won’t sit
still in the seat.
/
V .
' Pit*
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
Dancers in the movie “Rize” show a style of dance called
“clowning.”
mmo