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Entertainment
“Nas” Returns, Will
Success Follow?
By Shekeria Smith
Staff Writer
Finally, the Pulitzer Prize
Committee awarded a special Pulitzer
to Edward Kennedy "Duke"
Ellington, the great American
composer and musical icon who died
in 1974.
"He was a little disappointed,
actually very disappointed, when he
didn't win one during his lifetime,
and he always shrugged it off by
saying, 'Maybe God thinks I'm too
young.'" said Mercedes Ellington, the
late composer's granddaughter at the
April ceremony to announce the
winners.
The special music citation was given
posthumously on the centennial of
Ellington's birthday.
The Pulitzer board said the award
musical genius, which aesthetically
evoked the principles of democracy
through the medium of jazz and thus
made an indelible contribution to art
and culture."
"It just shows that Duke Ellington's
music is timeless and still lives in the
present," said jazz trumpeter Wynton
Marsalis, himself a Pulitzer winner.
"Even though it was awarded
posthumously, his music is still very
alive and vibrant and meaningful
today."
Mr. Marsalis is the director of New
York's Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
which is saluting the work of the
famous composer throughout the
year.
Ellington was the most famous of
Monday's honorees, which included a
kindergarten teacher, a former poet
laureate and a highly respected essay
By: Ronel Brewer
Arts and Entertainment Editor
First he was "Illmatic" then "It Was
Written", now he simply says "I Am!"
This quiet, mild-mannered man has
focused his career on changing the
shape and sound of rap. He has
brought an unsurpassed level of
artistic innovation, transformation,
and liberation to the world of Hip-
Hop. He gained national attention in
the rap world when he dropped his
debut album "Illmatic" in 1994, which
featured intricate poetic verses
detailing street dynamics and ghetto
tracails. His lyrical ability brought the
best out of others. In the song "Life' ",
25 year-old Nasir Jones brought
another artist to the forefront of the
industry, doing a duet with AZ. Their
styles paralleled each other so much
that you may not have been able to
tell who was who. Two years later,
Nas (aka "Nas Escobar") reappeared
on the scene with a mafioso style
which left a yellow brick road for
others to follow. "It Was Written"
balanced material excess with
knowledge of self. Now in 1999, Nas
presents (along with his clothing line,
Willie Esco) "I Am."
Nas has never had a problem
gaining the of respect of other
rappers. He's never been known as a
maker of "Feel Good Music." His
lyrics tend to amaze people while his
tounge twists smooth sounds. His
lyrics can be read from the sheet like
poetry. Being backed by some of the
music industries top production
virtuosos like Timberland, DJ Premier
and the Track Masters, Nas has a style
all his own.
As the deaths of Tupac Shakur and
Notorious B.I.G. affected the whole
world of hip-hop, they also had their
affect on Nas. On his latest album,
Nas dedicates a track to the two
deceased rap icons titled: "We Will
Survive." The entire album merges the
sounds of the east and west coasts,
while attempting top remove the
senseless wall that separates this
musical world. Nas and fellow rap
artist "Scareface" trade verses on the
track "Favor for Favor." Then, he
surprised all his followers with a track
featuring "Mr. Feel Good" himself.
Puff Daddy. That in itself speaks
volumes for the unity and solidarity
in the current climate of hip-hop. Like
the Berlin Wall, so falls the division
between "east coast vs. west coast" or
"underground vs. commercial rap."
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The Associated Press
Duke Ellington
Finally, A Special Pulitzer
Prize For Duke Ellington
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NAS
Photo Courtesy of Columbia Records/
Sony Music inc.
was given "in recognition of his writer.
Los Angeles-based Dance Theatre Performs
By: Shekeria Smith huge Moore Hall Auditorium crowd.
Staff Writer Applause and laughter filled the air
On Friday, March 26, 1999, the Los as the youth-oriented dance ensem-
Angeles-based Lula Washington ble performed over six song and
Dance Theatre performed before a dance selections.