Ok so there was no concert and we all know that, but we can only imagine the madness if there was! This Is It was a movie experience like no other. If anyone had any doubts Michale definitely still had “it”. The live footage filled you with anticipation for what is, was and would have been. Michael Jackson alongside director Kenny Ortega, all the musicians, dancers, costume designers, and other technicians were prepapring themselves for a concert of the likes which have never been seen before and which may not come for some time still in lieu of Michael’s untimely passing.

This Is It streams video footage throughout rehearsal of several of Michael Jackson’s number one hits. With each song we are given a trio down memory lane and a chance to hear Michael sing passionately and at times quite soulfully, remiss of his Motown roots. Often times Michael took us to “church” with these renditions causing all those in the rehearsal space to stand in ovation. He was warm and appeared to be genuinely encouraging to those who would be featured alongside him singing duets, guitar solos, and his dancers. He wanted each one to have their moment to shine, a privilege that was evident they all so desperately wanted and felt honored to be given.

What was also cherished about this film is that we got to see Michael, outside of the press conferences and Barbara Walters’ interviews. Down to earth and often times frank with his cohorts Michael knew how to get his point across whether it was about how a keyboard intro should sound, or how a guitar solo should be played. These moments also gave us the opportunity to see his musical genius as he was able to guide everyone often breaking out in spontaneous song to demonstrate a riff, etc.

We were also able to get a glimpse of what may have been his weakened state of health as he appeared thin and wasn’t able to always perform fully throughout a rehearsal number. Despite this he was able to always show his talent and his expansive imagination in the ideas he shared that were being worked on using green screens, Swaroski crystals, and other media to bring this once in a lifetime event to his fans and to the world.

On behalf of Micahel we here at RBMVibes invite you to let it simmer and then sizzle for about two hours, and if you don’t get that then you need to go check Michael. Tell him we sent you.

Source: New York Post “Reggae artist slashed with sword”

The Roc Nation showed who runs not only this town but the game itself with a stellar rendition of “Run this Town Tonite”. Rihanna looked wild good with those legs that seemed to go on forever…and the ovation that she received as she walked down the stairs reminded people that her star power is still in tact. Kanye followed with a quick two song set. He started with a very strong performance of “Stronger” (pardon the pun), but his rendition of “Good Life” was crazy. Who needed T-Pain as Big Homie provided excellent back-up vocals? What’s better is Jay was able to stand back and watch as Lil Bro did his thing. If any of you ever had little brother or sister you understand seeing them shine. That right there was an extremely special moment. Seeing the multitude throwing up the diamond reminded me of the ocean swaying back and forth in a rhythmic wave brought goosebumps to even my cynical arms.

But it wasn’t just the members of the R-O-C that lit up the night. John Mayer impressed those that still didn’t believe. His medley of hits that Jay-Z didn’t perform exhibited a personal talent and passion. Make no mistake, Mayer was feeling the music. Then craziness exploded when The Diva : Beyonce arrived from outer space to bring her boss to the stage. In case anyone thought that she wasnt still the official number one, they were left looking rather stupid. Pharrell, who also provided Jay with a great stable of tracks as one-half of The Neptunes, helped to electrify the crowd with the classic, “I Just Want to Love You (Give it To Me).” The blend of old and new school tracks was perfect, and there to top it all off was the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige. She went in with a performance straight off the “Reasonable Doubt” album. As soon as she came out for “Can’t Knock the Hustle” MJB started to feel it all the way up to her knee high boots.

Jay-Z also shined on his own. He had a hard body performance of “You Don’t Know” and the crowd was so into it you would of thought they were performing. As hard as he went, nothing was more Brooklyn (no disrespect to anyone not fron there) then when he played ” Hard Knock Life.” All he did wad remind people of the brilliance of taking Annie and turning it into a track that everyone could relate to from the hardest thug…to someone who who lost a loved one on 9/11. Lest you forget that the concert was for those lost in the the tragic events of that day, there were reminders. As Jay-Z played his poignant track ‘Forever Young” against a backdrop of the faces of those lost on this day as it scrolled om the towers, he brought tears to even the most hardened soul.

A show is not a show in NY unless there is an appearance by Diddy. The last set of energy that he brought to the crowd before the show was over the top. All in all it was probably oe of the greaest shows ever performed. The energy amidst the somber atmosphere proved that in a nutshell.

Everyone who saw it will have their favorite moment at concert, whether it be a song or even when he got on the cat with the milkman outfit. Now he is known as the God MC but he showed his omnipotence when he remembered people from previous shows he performed. Now you tell me that isnt God-like?

Watch the concert below and give us your opinion….did you think it was worth an encore?

Every item listed above indicates the time and location of a crash by one of the four flights involved in the September 11th, 2001 attacks on the United States of America. We here at RBMVibes envourage everyone today to take some time to mourn, reflect, and be positively responsive. Please feel free to share your thoughts and become aware of others’.

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Recent updates:

• Memorial at Ground Zero slated to be completed by August 2011
• 9/11 Health bill, named after first responder Detective James Zadroga, sitting in committee with U.S. House of Representatives.  Many suffered complications after the attack, especially related to dust inhilation from debris  Debate still remains as to whether or not center ailments should be covered above and beyond what most health insurance typically defines as reasonable and whether or not the government should enforce/supplement such coverage.
• Pentagon Memorial opened 9/11/2008.
• 9.5 million to be paid to eight landowners to complete 9/11 memorila inSomerset COunty, Pennsylvania
• Jay-Z to host charity concert with 100% proceeds to be donated to families of New York firefighters and police officers affexcted by the events of that day.

Once again here at RBMVibes we find ourselves in a somber mood. Amidst the revelry of the approaching Labor Day weekend we take time out to mourn with the international music community at the loss of Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson. The timing couldn’t be more ironical as Steely, the other half of the iconic Steely and Clevie production team out of Jamaica, West Indies, has worked with some of reggaes most influential artists who we will celebrate with this Labor Day weekend.

Steely first entered the music scenes as a keyboard player. He played with the Roots Radix Band for artists such as Gregory Isaacs. He has successfully worked for over 30 years in the industry shaping what we know today as dancehall. However, he is not defined by this work solely as he has worked with international artists such as the BackStreet Boys.

According to the Jamaica Observer, Steely died from complications related to pneumonia in a New York hospital. He had most recently recovered from a kidney transplant and complications related to that procedure as well. This all happened in less than a year as the kidney transplant was only done last December 2008. Steely laid to his final rest on Tuesday, September 1, 2009. He was only in his 50’s.

Artists are reaching out with their condolences from Jamaica and here in the States. Posts can be found on the web pages of artists like Sean Paul. Well wishes from radio personalities, such as Steelie Bashment-a selector named after being inspired by Steely- can be found as well in numerous blogs and on Twitter by artists like Wyclef Jean. Here at RBMVibes we sincerely say rest in peace.

For those of you who don’t feel you know his work here are a few of Steely and Clevie’s hits:

Steely and Clevie’s Taxi Riddim

DJ AM, a 36 year old Philadelphia native, emerged on the music scene as part of the hip hop/rock band Crazy Town which in 2001 had a number one hit “Butterfly” on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. DJ AM went on to collaborate musically with Papa Roach, Madonna, Will Smith, Shifty Shellshock of Crazy Town, Jay- Z and Travis Barker of Blink 182 and +44. He also was a much sought after DJ for celebrity parties and has played for events hosted by Jim Carrey, Aston Kutcher and Demi Moore, Kate Hudson, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, Leonardo DiCapricio, and Ben Stiller. Professionally DJ AM played for a year at Las Vegas’ Pure Nightclub inside of Caesar’s Palace. He played a major role in the opening of a nightclub by the name of Dusk in Caesar’s Atlantic City. DJ AM was part owner of the LAX nightclub in Los Angeles, California. In 2009 he became the regular Friday night DJ for Rain nightclub in Las Vegas, Nevada.

DJ AM had overcome many obstacles prior to his un-expected death. He was a recovering crack addict and also had previously fought with weight issues, which he sought to rectify by having gastric bypass surgery. In 2008 he was seriously injured after being involved in a Learjet crash that left both him and Travis Barker critically injured and the two pilots and two additional passengers dead.

Romantically DJ AM was linked to Nicole Richie to whom he was engaged, and Mandy Moore with whom he remained close to after their breakup.

DJ AM an avid “sneakerhead” owned hundreds of sneakers, primarily Nikes, and has recounted his love of Air Jordan’s and even did a Cameo on Entourage in which he bested a character on the show to getting a pair of premium kicks.

Immediately after reports of his death Twitter, Facebook, the press all ran condolescences from his peers including Shanna Moakler, former Playmate and the ex wife of Travis Barker, DJ Samantha Ronson, Lindsay Lohan, Diddy and John Mayer, just to name a few.

Video with Travis Barker

News Coverage of Near Fatal Crash

Sneaks Collection

Last weekend was no exception and the good folk here at RBMVibes got down and funky at Aya Higuma’s 5th Annual Reggae Fest in Manhattan’s Union Square. The concert was made to benefit Music Goes Green, and the talent there was nothing but red hot. Fresh Baked Goods featured artist, King David performed in the middle of the show and the crowd was hyped. He worked up the audience as he sang his tunes “Love” and “Timeless.” All those who passed through were blessed with a free cd copy of his music and several folks requested signatures and pictures with the rising star. Never say RBMVibes hasn’t put you on.

While King David was definitely a highlight of the concert, the other performers kept the show sizzling. If you wanted a spotlight on who is on the up and up in the music world, this was the place to be. Another standout performance was definitely Jason Lyrics whose sweet voice accompanied some cover tracks that sounded as good as any original. Don’t be surpised if you see him in a video tomorrow. 56CityRecords had everyone waving, rocking and declaring Brooklyn love in the middle of Manhattan. If you know anything about New York borough beef, that’s a real accomplishment. Dub poet Infinity also stood out, bringing a different vibe and sensiblity– but showing no matter the tune or flow music has the ability to unite across cultures. We’re also sure no one will forget the lady dancer, but she wasn’t on the schedule, so really it’s your loss.

Missed out on the good times? Don’t worry. Stay tuned with RBMVibes for more King David exclusives, event information, pictures and video recaps.

New York is home to several free concert series such as the Martin Luther King Jr. series in Brooklyn, SummerStage in Manhattan, etc. It’s a great way to bring past, present, and future talents to the forefront while giving true New Yorkers what they love best, something for free! RBMVibes doesn’t hesitate to mooch off the kindness of strangers and have attended our fare share so far this summer. Here’s a “who’s who” of artists we have seen, missed, and are looking forward to with a lil’ taste of why they are worth withstanding heat advisories(but don’t follow our example)….

CELEBRATE BROOKLYN: Saturday, August 8th (Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY)
BIG DADDY KANE (pardon the video quality but it had to be ol’ school to truly capture why we rate this MC)

SUMMERSTAGE: Sunday, August 9th (Central Park, New York, NY)
JAZMINE SULLIVAN

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. CNCERT SERIES: Monday, August 24th (Brooklyn, NY)
SEAN PAUL

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. CONCERT SERIES: Monday, June 27th (Brooklyn, NY)
CHARLIE WILSON (This is why he deserves to be family, watch here for more from Uncle Charlie)

In 2007 Caribbean Connection TV brought us a nice little video on the Jamaican heroes.

National Anthem

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Really? Who’s (except for Selita and Chritina) mad at Nick Canon? Ever?