News Archive
BMI is proud to continue its support of the Sundance Institute Film Music & Sound Design Lab for more than two decades. The Lab returns to the Skywalker Sound legendary facilities for the seventh year from July 9-22. This year’s international group of fellows include Ho-Ling Tang, Jorge Aragón Brito,…
Indie Spotlight: DJ Kalkutta
Who is DJ Kalkutta? To put it simply, a talented New York-based turntablist and producer affectionately referred to as Bollywood Barbie, whose real life “Cinderella story” only adds to her intrigue. Born in Calcutta (Kolkata), India, her birthparents surrendered her to a Mother Teresa-founded orphanage when she was just 2…
Ecstatic and Inspired, Mos Def Does It Again
Perhaps the only development more surprising than Mos Def’s re-ascension to the hip-hop summit — some 10 years after Black Star, his collaboration with Talib Kweli, foreshadowed icon status — is the fact that he’s one of the first artists ever to have an album released as a T-shirt. Yes,…
BMI & Los Angeles Times Announce 2nd Annual ‘How I Wrote The Song’ Panel
Marquee Lineup Includes Rodney Jerkins, Chris Daughtry, Mos Def, Ben Moody, Polow Da Don, Anthony Hamilton and Brian Howes BMI will pair with the Los Angeles Times to present the second annual “How I Wrote the Song” panel Saturday, February 9, from 1p.m. until 3p.m., at the Key Club in…
Stones Throw Records Celebrates Decade of Innovative Hip-Hop
The November edition of BMI's "Pick of the Month" proved to be a historical moment for celebrated DJ/producer Peanut Butter Wolf and artists on his Stones Throw Records label. The monthly BMI showcase did double duty as a 10th Anniversary party for the hip-hop imprint and its cohorts,…
Mieka Pauley
Her voice ranges from haunting, delicate beauty to an explosion of shattering, soaring soul. Her lyrics bloom from a place of uncompromising honesty and raw emotion, wise beyond her years. Her roots are the blues, classic soul and R&B, rock, gospel and folk, and the result is a personal brand…
For Kanye West, Music is Medicine
Declaring on national television that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” might be a career-killer for most artists — but most artists aren’t Kanye West. The 28-year-old hip-hop superstar’s ubiquitous single “Gold Digger” (featuring some Ray Charles-ish backing vocals from friend Jamie Foxx)…
For Kanye West, Music Is Medicine
Declaring on national television that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” might be a career-killer for most artists — but most artists aren’t Kanye West. The 28-year-old hip-hop superstar’s ubiquitous single “Gold Digger” (featuring some Ray Charles-ish backing vocals from friend
Newcomer John Legend Living Up to His Name
BMI congratulates neo-soul artist John Legend, whose major-label debut Get Lifted opened this week at No. 1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 7 on the Top 200 chart. The singer/songwriter/pianist, who has worked with various artists including Janet Jackson, the Black…
Les Nubians
For the commercial side of the industry, World music often is difficult to market because it’s hard to categorize. But diversity is precisely the aim of Les Nubians, the French recording act whose songs cross myriad creative lines. Even their lyrics possess that hard-to-pin-down feature. To some, their music…