Block Starz Music
Block Starz Music | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Founded | 2008 (2008) |
Founder | Bayer Mack Kai Denninger |
Distributor(s) | Select-O-Hits |
Genre | Various |
Country of origin | U.S. |
Location | Louisville, Kentucky Sarasota, Florida |
Official website | blockstarztv |
Block Starz Music is an American independent record label owned and operated by Bayer Mack. Its catalog includes independent releases by Machine Gun Kelly, Lega-C, Wiz Khalifa, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Big Sean, Rhymefest, and Ceddy Bu Rap Sumo.[1] The label also includes its subsidiaries such as the independent film and television production company Block Starz Music Television.[2]
History
2008–2009: Early years
Block Starz Music's first official mixtape, Suburban Empire by ex-VH1 reality show star John Brown, was released in early 2009. An alumnus of Ego Trip's The White Rapper Show, XXL Magazine put Brown "in the same category as Weird Al Yankovic" and lampooned the project.[3] The first Block Starz compilation, West Coast Block Starz, was released in early February 2009 and featured various new artists and guest appearances by Snoop Dogg, E-40, Keak da Sneak, and Daz Dillinger.[4][5]
In the summer of 2009, Block Starz partnered with Atlanta-based D-Lo Entertainment to release Certified, the debut mixtape from future Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta cast member Rasheeda.[6][7] The company would go on to have more success with the mixtape release What's High? by a nineteen-year-old Jewish rapper from Youngstown, OH named Throwback,[8] who at the time had the same manager as a then unsigned Wiz Khalifa. Block Starz Music quickly signed Throwback, who had recorded two songs with Khalifa, as its first official artist and began work on East Coast Block Starz in the fall of 2009.[9] Released on December 29 with the song "Was It" by Throwback featuring Wiz Khalifa as the lead single, East Coast Block Starz received generally favorable reviews,[10] though critics noted it had a decidedly more commercial slant than its predecessor.[11] In addition to "Was It", which benefited from the growing popularity of Wiz Khalifa, Boston native Supastar LT's collaboration, "I Love My City", with Kardinal Offishall and Red Cafe also became a popular-selling download from the project.
2010–2011: Rise of the brand
As part of a grassroots marketing effort to promote its brand and scout new talent, Block Starz began co-sponsoring regional music awards, beginning in February 2010 with the 4th Annual Pittsburgh Hip-Hop Awards[12] and later with the 3rd Annual South Carolina Music Awards held on July 10, 2010.[13] It was also during this time that the label came across a young, unsigned Cleveland, Ohio artist named Machine Gun Kelly, who had won "Best Performer" at the Ohio Hip-Hop Awards in 2009, and signed an agreement to release the rapper's single "Alice In Wonderland" as part of its upcoming Midwest Block Starz compilation.
On March 5, 2010, Block Starz announced that Grammy Award winner Rhymefest had signed on to the Midwest Block Starz project,[14] which by then already featured appearances by rappers Twista, Shawnna, and newcomer Big Sean.[15] Released on May 26, the compilation spawned a minor hit with Rhymefest's radio-friendly "Say Wassup" featuring Phonte of Little Brother, but "Alice In Wonderland" would go on to become the company's best-selling single to date, with the music video winning "Best Video" at the 2010 Ohio Hip-Hop Awards.[16]
Block Starz Music signed Topeka, Kansas rapper Mike Schpitz after his appearance on Midwest Block Starz and released his 11-track EP debut, Stanley Ipkiss: Year of the Nice Guy on August 3, 2010.[17] Inspired by Jim Carrey's character from the 1994 box office smash The Mask, critical response to project was mixed,[18] but the EP debuted in Amazon.com's Top 20 new Hip-Hop releases and Top 50 new Alternative releases in Germany, becoming the label's best-selling solo release to date.[19]
In April 2011, it was widely reported that Jay-Z had outbid executives at Universal Records and Jive Records to acquire Block Starz Music.[20][21][22]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3f/Rappers_Lega-C%2C_Machine_Gun_Kelly%2C_Cains_Ballroom%2C_Tulsa%2C_Oklahoma%2C_Mar_2012.jpg/220px-Rappers_Lega-C%2C_Machine_Gun_Kelly%2C_Cains_Ballroom%2C_Tulsa%2C_Oklahoma%2C_Mar_2012.jpg)
On September 1, 2011, the label announced the signing of Tulsa, Oklahoma rapper/singer/producer Lega-C,[23] whose viral YouTube video, "White Girl Raps Fast", would go on to generate millions of views at various popular music and entertainment websites online.[24][25][26] Seeking to capitalize off Lega-C's growing YouTube popularity, Block Starz Music announced the release of a video mixtape titled "Who Got Tha Heater" featuring eight freestyle remixes of popular singles by artists like Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Drake, Kanye West, and two original songs.[27][28] On December 5, 2011, in a statement released through her label, Lega-C confirmed the existence of a pornographic home video and pictures taken by an ex-boyfriend years earlier.[29]
On November 29, 2011, Block Starz Music released "Macho Man" by Delwin Tha Krazyman, which featured the national debut of 650-pound Plaquemine, Louisiana rapper Ceddy Bu Rap Sumo. Ceddybu also collaborated with Lega-C for track "Don't F Around" featured on the CD version of the female rapper's major indie debut Off My Medication.[30][31]
2012: Left Eye, "Bath Salts", Off My Medication
On February 9, 2012, Block Starz signed 16-year-old Auburn, New York rapper and Floyd Mayweather Jr. protégé Cameron Sanders, aka Young Siege, and announced plans to feature him on East Coast Block Starz 2. [32] On February 22, 2012, the label signed Bootleg of Flint, Michigan rap group The Dayton Family and unveiled the rapper's previously unreleased collaboration with Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes of TLC to commemorate the upcoming tenth anniversary of the pop star's death on April 25, 2002. Recorded a few months before her death, Left Eye's verse on the song "Fantasies" is the only 16-bar feature she ever recorded with another rapper.[33][34][35][36][37][38]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3d/Album_cover_for_Off_My_Medication%2C_Lega-C%2C_Jul_2012.jpg/220px-Album_cover_for_Off_My_Medication%2C_Lega-C%2C_Jul_2012.jpg)
Block Starz Music's newly signed satirical comedy rapper, Dickward Codgers, made national headlines in August 2012 with the release of his controversial music video, "Bath Salts", which featured what label executives deemed to be excessive drug references and graphic depictions of violence and was the company's first to carry an official disclaimer.[39]
Lega-C's debut album on Block Starz Music, titled Off My Medication, was released October 31, 2012.[40] The first music video from Off My Medication, "That Bitch", debuted online October 22 as a street release to the official radio single, "Speaking Sublimely", which features Wrekonize of Strange Music's acclaimed rap/rock band ¡Mayday!.[41][42] Reviews for the album have been positive, with critics declaring, "the Tulsa Twista is more than a one trick pony" and the release as "a collection of defiant grit anthems that exhibit how Lega-C continues to prove that looks can be deceiving". The album's sound has been praised as, "real rap; kinda West-Coastish from the late 90s but definitely 2012. Hard beats and a sleek, clean lyrical flow."[43][44][45] One day after the digital release of Off My Medication, it was announced that a CD version of the album would be distributed nationally by Select-O-Hits.[46][47]
2014 to present: Darrell Cole
In 2014, the label introduced Afro-Belgian rapper Darrell Cole and released the rapper's North American debut,"Swahili", the following year. On the song, Cole, who was born in London, England and raised in Sierra Leone, raps about the dual stigmatization Africans face in Europe and their homeland. In 2016, it was announced Darrell Cole had signed with Sony Music.[48][49]
Waffle House controversy
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/03/Rap_artist_J.R._Bricks_wearing_Block_Starz_Music_tee_shirt_in_front_of_a_Waffle_House_restaurant%2C_July_2011.jpg/220px-Rap_artist_J.R._Bricks_wearing_Block_Starz_Music_tee_shirt_in_front_of_a_Waffle_House_restaurant%2C_July_2011.jpg)
Less than a week after the July 20, 2011, digital release of "Waffle House", the debut single from newly signed Block Starz Music recording artist J.R. Bricks, legal counsel for WH Capital, LLC and Waffle House, Inc., owner and licensee of the Waffle House® trademarks respectively, issued a cease and desist letter to the label claiming improper and unauthorized usage.[50][51][52] In response, Block Starz Music changed the song's title to "After the Club". This sparked cries of racism by some in the online Hip-Hop community who saw the southern restaurant chain's move as an effort to distance itself from its, predominately black and Latino, early morning weekend customers.[53] In a statement to Billboard, a Waffle House spokesperson denied claims of racial or cultural discrimination saying, "We embrace all cultures within Waffle House. All you have to do is come eat with us and you see that."[54]
Removal of CEO
On December 24, 2012, the label announced that its German chief executive officer, Kai Denninger, would no longer be with the company and that the label's founder and president, Bayer Mack, would take over Denninger's duties, effective immediately.[55]
"Kai Denninger will no longer be with the company," Mack said in a brief statement posted to his personal LinkedIn profile on Christmas Eve. "Kai was instrumental in helping us build the Block Starz Music brand. He will be greatly missed and we wish him nothing but the best in all his future endeavors."[56]
Block Starz Music Television
Origins
Block Starz Music Television LLC is an American independent film and television company based in Sarasota, Florida. The studio is best known for its documentary film The Czar of Black Hollywood,[57] as well as its leadership in developing and distributing online video and original web programming, like the documentary series Profiles of African-American Success. Block Starz Music Television was founded by independent record executive and filmmaker Bayer L. Mack as The BlockStarz.Tv Network in 2013 and organized as Block Starz Music Television LLC in 2014.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/11/Ceddy_Bu_Da_Rap_Sumo%2C_Shaquille_O%27neal_backstage%2C_Orlando%2C_Florida%2C_Sep_2012.jpg/220px-Ceddy_Bu_Da_Rap_Sumo%2C_Shaquille_O%27neal_backstage%2C_Orlando%2C_Florida%2C_Sep_2012.jpg)
In February 2013, after arranging for Block Starz Music artist Ceddy Bu Da Rap Sumo to appear on the TruTV comedy series Upload with Shaquille O'Neal,[58] the label announced the formation of the spinoff company The BlockStarz.Tv Network to produce an original web series around Ceddy Bu and other recording artists on the label's roster.[59] On January 3, 2014, it was reported that Ceddy Bu (born Cedrick Smith) was killed when a car he was a passenger in ran off the road and flipped.[60][61]
This Is Dante
On May 8, 2013, Block Starz Music Television co-produced "This Is Dante", a half-hour comedy web series that followed the misadventures of Bronx, NY native Dante Hillmedo (Andrew Hillmedo Jr.), an American actor, who most notably appeared in 2008's major motion picture Baby Mama starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and his struggles to launch a rap career.[62][63][64]
The Czar of Black Hollywood
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/76/Poster_for_the_2014_documentary_film_Oscar_Micheaux_The_Czar_of_Black_Hollywood.jpg/220px-Poster_for_the_2014_documentary_film_Oscar_Micheaux_The_Czar_of_Black_Hollywood.jpg)
The Czar of Black Hollywood is a 2014 documentary film chronicling the early life and career of African-American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux (1884–1951). Block Starz Music founder Bayer L. Mack conceived, wrote and produced the film about Micheaux using Library of Congress archived footage, photos, illustrations and vintage music. An eight-minute trailer premiered online March 31, 2014.[65]
The documentary is narrated by William Bell, features an original score by Nicholas Jones and art direction by Julie Anderson.[66]
On February 13, The Czar of Black Hollywood was announced by American radio host Tom Joyner on his nationally syndicated program, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, as part of its "Little Known Black History Fact" on Oscar Micheaux.[67]
In an April 2014 interview with The Washington Times, Block Starz Music founder Bayer L. Mack said that he read the 2007 biography Oscar Micheaux: The Great and Only by Patrick McGilligan and was inspired to produce The Czar of Black Hollywood because Micheaux's life mirrored his own.[68][69] In a June 2014 interview with The Huffington Post, Mack said he was shocked there "was virtually nothing out there about Micheaux's life" in spite of his historical significance.[70]
The film's executive producer, Frances Presley Rice, told the Sun Sentinel that Micheaux was the first "indie movie producer."[71]
Oscar Micheaux: The Czar of Black Hollywood had its official premiere on September 27, 2014, at the 99th Annual Association for the Study of African American Life and History Convention in Memphis, TN[72] and received a Best Independent Documentary nomination from The Foundation for the Advancement of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) at the 2015 Black Reel Awards.
Discography
Albums
- BSM-1000: West Coast Block Starz – Various Artists
- BSM-1001: East Coast Block Starz – Various Artists
- BSM-1002: Midwest Block Starz – Various Artists
- BSM-1003: Top Model Super Fashion – The NUV
- BSM-1004: Stanley Ipkiss: Year of the Nice Guy – Mike Schpitz
- BSM-1005: The Ripple Effect – Ragz Mo' Rocka
- BSM-1006: She Got Next 2011 – Various Artists
- BSM-1007: Digital Money – Money First
- BSM-1008: Down South Block Starz – Various Artists
- BSM-1009: Soul: Best of the Block Vol.1 – Various Artists
- BSM-1010: The Manual Procedures – Boom Blake
- BSM-1011: Off My Medication – Lega-C
Singles
- BSM-0100: "Alice In Wonderland" – Machine Gun Kelly
- BSM-0101: "Was It" – Throwback ft. Wiz Khalifa
- BSM-0102: "Catch Me" – Barbara Kiss
- BSM-0103: "Where We Started" – Life Size Ghost
- BSM-0104: "Ima Be Okay" – Nicole Michelle
- BSM-0105: "Shoe Fetish" – Shelly B
- BSM-0106: "Thought I Had It All" – Illa Scorsese ft. Lela Bizz & Cakes
- BSM-0107: "Waffle House" – J.R. Bricks
- BSM-0108: "After The Club" – J.R. Bricks
- BSM-0109: "Got It On Lock" – Boom Blake
- BSM-0110: "White Girl Raps Fast" – Lega-C
- BSM-0111: "Who Got Tha Heater" – Lega-C
- BSM-0112: "Macho Man" – Delwin Tha Krazyman ft. Ceddy Bu & Hollyhood Bay Bay
- BSM-0113: "Fuck Em All" – Lega-C
- BSM-0114: "Fantasies" – Bootleg (of The Dayton Family) ft. Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes
- BSM-0115: "We Doin' It" – Loced Out Ent. ft. Lil Young & Tum Tum
- BSM-0116: "Wilt Chamberlain" – Boom Blake
- BSM-0117: "Bath Salts" – Dickward Codgers
- BSM-0118: "Swahili" – Darrell Cole
References
- ^ "Block Starz Music Llc". blockstarzmusic.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "Block Starz Music Is First Record Label To Launch Online TV Network | Radiofacts.com | Music, DJs, Radio Stations, R&B, Hip Hop". Radiofacts.com. May 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "John Brown: Suburban Empire". Xxlmag.Com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "Yo! Raps Magazine | REVIEWS: West Coast Block Starz". yoraps.com. February 19, 2009. Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "various artists :: West Coast Block Starz :: Block Starz Music". Rapreviews.com. March 17, 2009. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ Carter, Aleesha (July 29, 2009). "Atlanta's Boss Chick Rasheeda & Block Starz Music Drop New Official Mixtape "Certified"". ThisIs50.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Rasheeda & Block Starz Released Official Mixtape". Global Grind. July 28, 2009. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Unsigned Bands: Throwback". Hightimes.Com. Archived from the original on November 23, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ Hatfield, Quinton (December 28, 2009). "Block Starz Music Releases Second Album In Coastal Series | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Archived from the original on April 20, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ Gibson, Luke (January 21, 2010). "Various Artists – East Coast Block Starz | Read Hip Hop Reviews, Rap Reviews & Hip Hop Album Reviews". HipHop DX. Archived from the original on April 20, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "various artists :: East Coast Block Starz :: Block Starz Music". Rapreviews.com. January 12, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ Mervis, Scott (February 4, 2010). "X-Clan reunion highlights hip-hop awards". Post-gazette.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "2010 Video Nominees". Scmusicawards.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ Ortiz, Edwin (March 5, 2010). "DX News Bits: Block Starz Music, Kurupt, Lil Wayne | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Archived from the original on April 20, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "various artists :: Midwest Block Starz :: Block Starz Music". Rapreviews.com. May 25, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "2010 Ohio Hip Hop Awards Winners List". Mannywallace.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "Stanley Ipkiss: Year Of The Nice Guy EP". Chicago.thedelimagazine.com. July 6, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "Stanley Ipkiss: Year of the Nice Guy". Shakefire.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "Yo! Raps Magazine | NEXT 2 BLOW: Mike Schpitz Likes Being A White Rapper". yoraps.com. September 27, 2010. Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "The NYC Power List". The Hollywood Reporter. April 20, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Jay-Z Is Expanding His Empire Further". PerezHilton.com. May 4, 2011. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ Account (April 4, 2011). "Jay Z | Jay-jay Z Acquires Independent German Label". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Block Starz Music Signs 'White Girl Raps Fast' Youtube Sensation, Lega-C". Mi2N.com. February 12, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ Nme.Com. "NME Videos". Nme.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Lega-C - White Girl Raps Fast". YouTube. June 11, 2011. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "This Chick Got Bars: White Girl Raps Fast! | New Video". Worldstarhiphop.com. September 3, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "おまとめローンのデメリットとは|オリックス銀行カードローンはパート主婦も利用可能と判明した". Juicyjofthree6mafia.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Lega-C – She Will (Freestyle) [Video] · HipHopCanada.com · Canadian Hip-Hop News, Rap Music". Hiphopcanada.com. October 31, 2011. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Gather Celeb News Essential | Gather". Archived from the original on November 7, 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
- ^ "Macho Man (feat. Ceddy Bu Rap Sumo) - Single by Delwin tha Krazyman on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. November 29, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "ceddybu da rap sumo and delwin the krazyman on upload with shaq on trutv". YouTube. April 9, 2013. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Auburn rapper Young Siege signs to Block Starz | Citizen Pop". Auburnpub.com. February 9, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "New Music: Unreleased Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes Track w/ Bootleg "Fantasies" | UrbanBridgez.com | Urban E-Zine". UrbanBridgez.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Bootleg (of The Dayton Family) f. Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes - Fantasies". HipHopDX. February 22, 2012. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "[Singles] Bootleg (Of the Dayton Family) f. Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes - "Fantasies" | Hot 108 Jamz". Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
- ^ Mike Winslow (April 24, 2012). "Hip-Hop News, Rumors, Rap Music & Videos |AllHipHop » T-Boz, Chilli Talk Left Eye; Unreleased Track Feat. Dayton Family Hits Net". AllHipHop.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "New song featuring Left Eye released on eve of death anniversary". San Francisco Chronicle. April 24, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ Schroeder, Audra (August 21, 2012). "Video: Dallas "Comedy Rap" Artist Dickward Codgers Decides The World Needs A Song About Bath Salts | Dallas Observer". Blogs.dallasobserver.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "The Source - Video: Lega-C - White Girl Raps Fast". Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
- ^ "Lega-C – "That Bitch"". Faygoluvers. October 22, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ carolann (October 24, 2012). "Lega-C Gets Bloody In Disturbing New Music Video "That Bitch"". Siccness.net. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Lega-C :: Off My Medication :: Block Starz Music". Rapreviews.com. October 23, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Yo! Raps Magazine is under construction". Archived from the original on February 10, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Home". Select-O-Hits. June 20, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Select-O-Hits - Rapper, singer, songwriter and record..." Facebook. November 1, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Darrell Cole Signs a Deal with Sony Music". September 10, 2016.
- ^ "Mi2N.com - Darrell Cole's "Swahili" Fights Negative African Stereotypes". www.mi2n.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014.
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ Slind, Victoria (August 22, 2011). "Louboutin, Waffle House, Davis, Levi,: Intellectual Property". Bloomberg. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ Rahman, Ray (August 4, 2011). "The James Weird Awards: Drunk Mayors, Waffle House Rappers, and More Breastaurants! – Grub Street New York". Newyork.grubstreet.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "Waffle House Wants No Part Of Hip-Hop'S "After The Club" Business?". Mi2N.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "Waffle House Claims Trademark Infringement Against Rapper J.R. Bricks' 'Waffle House' Song". Billboard.biz. August 4, 2011. Archived from the original on August 24, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- ^ "Block Starz Music Parts Ways With CEO, Launches New Indie Music & Television Website". Mi2N.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Profile | LinkedIn". Archived from the original on January 10, 2013.
- ^ "The Czar of Black Hollywood (2014)". IMDb.com. December 24, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "upload wit shaq with ceddybu and delwin on trutv". YouTube. January 14, 2014. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ sryon (December 31, 2012). "DX News Bits: MC Eiht Prepares EP, Block Starz Music Launches New Website, Rise-Ascend & Direction Lead Petition". HipHopDX.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ Cheryl Mercedes (January 3, 2014). "Plaquemine rapper dies in car crash - WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports". Wafb.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ Yohance Kyles (January 6, 2014). "Hip-Hop News, Rumors, Rap Music & Videos |AllHipHop » Rapper Ceddy Bu Killed In Car Accident". AllHipHop.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "'This is Dante' Starring Dante Hillmedo Debuts on Blockstarz.TV". EURweb.com. February 18, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "This Is Dante (2013)". IMDb.com. May 8, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Dante's struggles for comedy series - Entertainment". JamaicaObserver.com. May 23, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "New Documentary Underway on America's First Black Filmmaker Oscar Micheaux". Broadwayworld.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Black Royalty! Meet 'The Czar of Black Hollywood' (Watch)". EURweb.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ Taylor, Erica L. (February 13, 2014). "Little Known Black History Fact: Oscar Micheaux". Black America Web. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Black side of silver screen: Filmmaker Oscar Micheaux paved his own path to Hollywood". The Washington Times. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Love of history spurred rap mogul Bayer L. Mack to make Micheaux documentary". The Washington Times. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "New Documentary About Black Filmmaker Oscar Micheaux". Huffingtonpost.com. June 5, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Boca Black Film Festival aims to feature Florida's homegrown talent - tribunedigital-sunsentinel". Articles.sun-sentinel.com. July 10, 2014. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Oscar Micheaux: Homesteader, Bestselling Author, Filmmaker". America Comes Alive. February 23, 1945. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
External links
- Official website