Anthony Hamilton Releases Christmas Album, 'Home For The Holidays;' Prepares for Tour

Anthony Hamilton has released his first-ever Christmas album today. Titled Home For The Holidays, it's 14 songs that are a combination of the Grammy Award-winning singer covering holiday classics and performing original songs (six originals). He has guest appearances by Chaka Khan, Gavin DeGraw, and ZZ Ward, which reflect the many different sounds the album has, but it all comes together in a cohesive and soulful manner.

Home For The Holidays track listing:

1.  It’s Christmas
2.  Spend Christmas With You
3.  Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto
4.  Little Drummer Boy (Interlude)
5.  Little Drummer Boy
6.  Home For The Holidays feat. Gavin DeGraw
7.  ’Tis The Season
8.  What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas
9.  Coming Home
10. Away In A Manger (Interlude)
11. Away In A Manger feat. ZZ Ward
12. Please Come Home For Christmas
13. The Christmas Song feat. Chaka Khan
14. Spirit Of Love

I plan to buy the album by the Charlotte native, and so far this morning I've been streaming it on Spotify, which I've embedded below.

My first impressions of the album are that it's soulful, at times traditional and at times contemporary, with blends of R&B, blues, and gospel. My early favorites are track 9, "Coming Home," and track 14, "Spirit Of Love," which are both original songs. As for covers, my favorite so far is track 8, "What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas."

You can purchase the new album today on Amazon or iTunes for $9.99. I'm old-school when it comes to buying music--I still buy CDs--so I'll be copping it from Best Buy or Target (and then ripping it to MP3's later).

Also, the HamFam will be happy to know that Anthony is embarking on a 17-city Home For The Holidays Tour, beginning November 27 in Dallas and ending December 21 in Wallingford, Connecticut. The Carolinas dates are December 2 in Greenville, SC, December 3 in Durham, and December 12 in North Myrtle Beach.

For all things A.Ham, visit anthonyhamilton.com, Twitter @HamiltonAnthony, Facebook AnthonyHamiltonMusic, and Instagram @AnthonyHamiltonOfficial.

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Talking Charlotte -- and the Many Things to Do Here -- on 'Charlotte Talks'

I was a guest on Charlotte Talks on WFAE 90.7 FM yesterday morning, alongside fellow writer/journalist (and friend) Sarah Crosland. The show's topic was Stuff All Charlotteans Should Do, and it was derived from Sarah's new book, 100 Things to Do in Charlotte Before You Die, and Charlotte magazine's August cover story, "50 Things Every Charlottean Should Do," of which I was one of the writers.

During the hour-long radio show, host Mike Collins asked us about many of the numerous activities, events, and places that made our respective publications' lists. He engaged us in conversations that shed insight into just how vibrant this city is--the many great places to eat, drink, play, explore, be entertained, and more. It was fun talking about things to do in Charlotte, which is something I often do both in my work and personal life.

You can listen to the podcast of the October 13 episode by clicking here (or here on iTunes).

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Funk Fest Arrives in Charlotte this Weekend, Headlined by Outkast and LL Cool J

It's Charlotte's turn to be graced with the Outkast reunion tour, as the iconic hip-hop duo headlines Funk Fest Charlotte. The two-day music festival takes place Friday and Saturday, September 12 and 13 at Metrolina Expo, and while the concert lineup was announced a while ago--in addition to Outkast, there's B.O.B, Fantasia, LL Cool J, Ice Cube, The Roots, Salt-N-Pepa, and more--the show times have now been released.

Friday
Gates open 2 p.m.
Salt-N-Pepa - 4 p.m.
Fantasia - 5:30 p.m.
Doug E. Fresh - 7 p.m.
B.O.B - 8 p.m.
Outkast - 9:15 p.m.

Saturday
Gates open 1 p.m.
95 South and 69 Boyz - 3 p.m.
112 - 4 p.m.
War - 5:30 p.m.
The Roots - 7 p.m.
Ice Cube - 8:30 p.m.
LL Cool J - 10 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased online: general admission, one-day pass, $65; two-day pass, $100; VIP packages are available as well. Go to funkfestconcerts.com for complete details. You can also visit my Dusk Till Dawn blog later this week for a list of parties in Charlotte this weekend, including the official Funk Fest after-party, as this music festival is expected to bring a lot of excitement and out-of-towners to the city.

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Music Box Lunch Series and Free Fitness Sessions at Romare Bearden Park

Romare Bearden Park is a beaut, and has quickly proven to be a great addition to Uptown Charlotte. Operated by Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, and open since last fall, the urban park is really coming into its own, both in popularity with visitors and the programming it offers.

Credit: Derrick Montgomery/Flickr

There are three event series that have recently kicked off at the park that you'll be interested in, and each is free and open to the public, scheduled through September.

Music Box Lunch Series: Taking place Tuesdays and Fridays, noon to 1:30 p.m. Bring your lunch, grab a seat on a bench or at one of the patio tables, and enjoy live performances by local musicians and bands.

Party in the Park Series: Each Wednesday, 5:30-8:30 p.m., bring your folding chairs or blankets and get comfortable on the lawn after work, as local and regional bands perform live.

Fitness Program: This series is the most surprising--in a good way--because it's common to find music series going on at city parks, but to see a program that's addressing physical fitness is awesome. A variety of fitness sessions are offered Monday through Thursday, such as yoga/pilates, boot camp, and zumba.

Credit: James Willamor/Flickr

Credit: Instagram @paulbunyunbeardgang

As you can see from the photos I've embedded above, visitors of Romare Bearden Park (located at 300 S. Church Street, and across from the new BB&T Ballpark) often share their experiences on social media. You'll find several captivating photos posted on Instagram and Flickr.

Go to romarebeardenpark.charmeck.org for complete details, and follow on Twitter @rbeardenpark.

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'Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour' Hits Charlotte April 8-9, King of Pop's Music Is Alive and Well

In less than three months, we'll reach the five-year anniversary of Michael Jackson's death. He reigned as the King of Pop for decades during his lifetime, and because of the legacy of great music and memorable performances he left behind (not to mention previously unreleased music coming soon), he will forever be immortalized. So it's only fitting that when Cirque du Soleil partnered with the Estate of Michael Jackson and in the fall of 2011 launched a tour specially built on MJ's music and iconic dance moves, they titled it Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour. Already one of the top-ten grossing tours of all-time, it comes to Charlotte for two nights, April 8 and 9, at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour features nearly 50 international dancers, acrobats, and musicians, including four of the original band members who worked with Michael. It's presented in a rock concert format that "combines the excitement and innovation of Michael Jackson’s music and choreography with Cirque du Soleil’s unparalleled creativity," as the show's synopsis describes. They perform--on stage and soaring above it--to about 30 of MJ's greatest hits, including several of my favorites: "Billie Jean," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Man In the Mirror," "P.Y.T.," "Rock With You," "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," and many more. I almost want to bust out some of his dance moves just typing the names of those songs... shamone!

Photos courtesy of Cirque du Soleil.

The tour first came to the Queen City in March 2012, during its original North American run. By the end of that summer, it had moved on overseas and proceeded to spend the next year and a half entertaining audiences all over the world. It returned to the States about a month ago, and I'm looking forward to seeing it myself when it stops in Charlotte next week.

Tickets to the Charlotte shows are on sale, ranging from $58 to $172, and can be purchased by clicking here.

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Charlotte Woman Makes Her Way Backstage At 2 Chainz Concert and the Rapper Asks #IsThisYoThot

I stay away from blogging about ratchetness, and I don't think this is too ratchet, but I'm posting it because it involves a Charlotte woman. It also shows the perils of this everybody-wants-to-be-famous, social-media-fueled culture we're living in. The young lady who's receiving 15 minutes of fame is named Tina (whom I happen to sort of know, which is how I know she's a Charlottean). Rapper 2 Chainz was backstage at his concert in Charlotte when he discovered Tina had made her way back there among his entourage and friends. With a video camera rolling, 2 Chainz goes on a mission to find out who Tina is and who she's come to see, and he asks the question: "Is This Yo Thot?" For those of you unfamiliar, thot, or T.H.O.T., is one of the latest (disrespectful) hip hop slang terms and it stands for "that hoe over there."

2 Chainz performed in concert last Thursday at The Fillmore Charlotte, but his team just posted this footage on YouTube yesterday, and he shared it on Twitter then too. Subsequently, the #IsThisYoThot hashtag is blowing up (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram). 

In the three-minute video, as 2 Chainz proceeds to ask Tina to leave, he also informs her that "while you're back here, you're in a blog territory." To which Tina replies, "Oh sh#t, this is going on a blog for real?" But rather than let that embarrass her, the young socialite and social media darling (she posts photos of herself with celebrities quite often) takes the opportunity to tell potential viewers to follow her on Instagram @iluvtinaa.

Keep your head up, Tina. Credit: Tina's Instagram

The video has also made its way onto WorldStarHipHop, where it is quickly approaching (and will surpass) one million views.

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Get Ready for 2013 Charlotte Sunset Jazz Festival - September 13 and 14

The annual Charlotte Sunset Jazz Festival takes place this weekend, offering you two days of fun and great music. Friday, September 13 features an indoor concert by Roy Ayers at Knight Theater in Uptown, for which there's an admission cost. And Saturday features the all-day, outdoor free concert at Symphony Park in SouthPark. The Charlotte Sunset Jazz Festival, now in its 22nd year and put on by Pride Magazine, is one of the signature events in the Queen City that help mark the unofficial beginning of fall.

Ayers is a soul and jazz legend from Los Angeles, who's considered by many to be the godfather of neo-soul. His more than 40 years as a musician, composer, and producer has influenced many contemporary artists in jazz, R&B, and hip hop. You can see him live this Friday, 8 p.m. at Knight Theater (430 S. Tryon St.). Tickets are $30-$59.50, available at carolinatix.org.

Roy Ayers. Credit: Facebook

Saturday's festival features fun for the whole family, and with it being free to attend makes it a true community event. You'll want to bring folding chairs and blankets (picnic baskets are allowed too) and grab a good spot on the lawn at Symphony Park (4400 Sharon Road)  for what should be great weather on Saturday. The concert lineup includes: saxophonist Dante Lewis (headliner), jazz bands Groove 8, Bam-Jazz, and Los Trabucos (Afro-Cuban), and vocalist Robyn Springer. The event begins at 2 p.m.

The outdoor concert at Symphony Park. Credit: facebook.com/sunsetjazzcharlotte

The festivities on Saturday also include a "Best Dressed At The Fest Contest," vendors, and prize giveaways. For more details, visit charlottesunsetjazzfestival.com.

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Jay Z's 'Magna Carter World Tour' Coming to Charlotte and Greensboro In January; Tickets On Sale Soon

Jay Z announced the North American leg of his Magna Carter World Tour today, a schedule of 34 dates in 33 cities (he's performing in his native Brooklyn twice). This Stateside tour--plus two Canadian dates--comes after his international run; it kicks off November 30 in St. Paul, Minnesota, and runs for two full months before wrapping up January 31 in State College, Pennsylvania. Close to home, this tour is doing something I don't recall a major hip hop concert arena tour ever doing: it's coming to both Charlotte and Greensboro.

The Magna Carter World Tour will stop into Time Warner Cable Arena in Uptown Charlotte on Saturday, January 4 (we get a weekend date!) and travels up to Greensboro Coliseum the next night. Despite Charlotte being the larger city and more of an attractive destination, Greensboro has a richer history of hip hop concert tour promoters choosing it over Charlotte. Most large hip hop arena tours--those going to 15,000-seat arenas or larger--usually only make one stop in North Carolina, and in fact tend to have one stop total between the two Carolinas. The notion is that people from around North Carolina will make the drive to the select city, as well as people from parts of South Carolina (South Carolinians also often go to the Atlanta tour stops).

That one North Carolina city has long been Greensboro. My hypothesis has always been that in the past tour promoters found Greensboro to be a stronger selling point for hip hop concerts, thanks largely to numerous colleges being located in the area. And for whatever reasons, in the past hip hop fans in Charlotte didn't tend to buy concert tickets in advance at the large numbers promoters wanna see.

I've seen Jay Z in concert twice in recent years, and both times I had to drive to Greensboro: his 2008 tour with Mary J. Blige, and his 2011 tour with Kanye West (not to mention, last weekend I went to Philadelphia for the music festival Jay Z curates). Speaking of Kanye, he announced his own tour yesterday, The Yeezus Tour. Kendrick Lamar will be his opening act. That tour isn't coming to either of the Carolinas though. The closest stop to Charlotte is Atlanta. The last time Kanye came to Charlotte was to Time Warner Cable Arena in 2008.

I'm happy that I'll be able to see Jay Z in Charlotte this time. And I'm extremely surprised that he's coming here in addition to playing in Greensboro. The two cities are about an hour and 45 minutes apart, which looks to be the shortest distance between any of the cities he's taking the tour to, except for, maybe, cities in California--he's playing five cities in that state on consecutive nights. But come on, that's Cali. It has a population the size of many countries.

Credit: Instagram.com/kodaklens

I'm curious to see whether the two North Carolina shows sell out. One thing is for sure, if you plan to go, you need to be aggressive next week when tickets go on sale. When tickets for popular concerts go on sale online, people often complain that they can't find any available tickets on the official seller's website within minutes of the sale start time. In addition to ticket brokers snatching up a lot of them to later resell at higher prices on sites like StubHub and Craigslist, I learned from a 60 Minutes segment (and this NPR story) that there usually aren't nearly as many tickets on sale to the public on the start date as you might think. Oftentimes, only about 20 percent of the tickets are available because the majority have already been sold days before through presale via the ticket site, artist fan clubs, and credit card promotions.

Live Nation is producing the Magna Carter World Tour, and tickets for all dates will go on sale Thursday, September 12 at 10 a.m. (EST) at LiveNation.com and Ticketmaster.com. But pay attention to the presale info. You can sign up now for early access to presale tickets that will be available on Wednesday, September 11; there's also a presale offer available that day through Facebook. And if you're a Citi card member, you can buy presale tickets beginning Monday, September 9 at 10 a.m. through Citi’s Private Pass Program. If you haven't learned from past experiences, those presale options are where a lot of the tickets, particularly the best seats, are snatched up.

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Drake's 'Would You Like A Tour' Stops In Charlotte Nov. 2; Tickets Go On Sale June 28

One of the biggest artists in the music biz today, hip hop star Drake, recently announced his Would You Like A Tour, a concert trek that features fellow chart-toppers Miguel and Future. The tour begins with its North American dates on September 25, running for two months and stopping in more than 40 cities. It comes to Charlotte on Saturday, November 2, to Time Warner Cable Arena. Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 28 at 10 a.m., prices ranging from $62.95 to $117.40 (includes fees).

Drake brought his Club Paradise Tour to Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in May 2012. And, most recently, he came to Charlotte in early March to host a weekend of parties during CIAA Week. Even with his frequency to the Queen City, you can count on his November stop here, and this new tour as a whole, to be a big draw because he plans to release his next album, Nothing Was The Same, on September 17. Drake's albums are always filled with instant radio hits, club bangers, and fan favorites, so audiences will be eager to see him perform his new material when the tour kicks off a week after his new album drops. And by the time he comes to Charlotte, fans will know many of the new songs word for word.

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Who's Going to Make a Lot of Money Off of StubHub? This Guy

While in a slumber one morning this week, I heard on the local news that Time Warner Cable Arena would be welcoming its 10 millionth guest during an upcoming event. Then last night while I was watching the Charlotte Bobcats vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game, Bobcats sideline reporter Stephanie Ready interviewed Brandon Bolin, who a few nights earlier had become that 10 millionth guy, along with his wife Alicia. Stephanie explained that when the Bolins entered the arena on Tuesday to attend the Bon Jovi concert, their lucky timing means they'll be attending many more events in the coming year--for free.

Credit: Bobcats.com

As the 10 millionth visitor to the seven-and-a-half-year-old arena, Brandon has won two tickets to every public event to be held at TWC Arena for one year, including Bobcats and Charlotte Checkers season tickets for the remainder of this season and all of next season. There are also a number of concerts scheduled at the arena in coming months that the Bolins will be treated to, including Pink, Taylor Swift, Eric Clapton, New Kids on the Block with 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men, Fleetwood Mac, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, and more.

Looks like this lucky couple will be enjoying a lot of complimentary date nights over the next year, as well as some easy cash from StubHub.

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CIAA Week 2013 Is Here—B-ball, Parties, Celebrities

The 2013 CIAA Tournament kicks off tomorrow (Tuesday, February 26) at Time Warner Cable Arena in Uptown, featuring 22 basketball games over five days between the men's and women's teams of the 12 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) colleges. But if you know anything about CIAA Week in Charlotte, you also know it means hundreds of parties (by individual promoters), dozens of celebrities coming to town, and tens of thousands of visitors—many of whom are coming to party.

Like I've done the last few years, I've once again compiled a comprehensive list of CIAA Week parties and events for CharlotteMagazine.com. You'll find lists, organized by day, of 200 events featuring everything from the actual CIAA basketball games, to networking events, to fraternity, sorority, and alumni mixers, to fashion events and concerts, to the three-day CIAA Toyota Fan Experience, a film festival, and parties, parties, parties. Many of those parties are featuring some of your favorite hip hop and R&B artists—either hosting or performing—including Drake, 2 Chainz, T.I., Fabolous, Chris Brown, Jermaine Dupri, Juicy J, Juelz Santana, Joe Budden, Future, Ludacris, Young Jeezy, Trey Songz, Monica, Chaka Khan, Anthony Hamilton, and dozens more. Yes, that's all going down this week and weekend in Charlotte.

Visit www.CharlotteMagazine.com/CIAA for the best CIAA Week/CIAA Weekend guide you'll find on the 'net.

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Beyoncé Announces 'The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour,' Coming to Charlotte in July

The greatest musician, performer, and entertainer of the last 10-plus years (give Bey her props), Beyoncé has announced her first tour since 2009. Paying homage to her life as Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter's wife, she's dubbed the multi-country, multi-city outing "The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour." After a highly anticipated and strongly delivered Super Bowl XLVII halftime performance last night, a couple of weeks after singing the national anthem at the Presidential Inauguration, a documentary about her life and career airing on HBO in less than two weeks, and a planned new album that is reportedly on the way, this is truly shaping up to be the Year of the Bey.

Credit: iam.beyonce.com

Beyoncé's world tour begins in Europe where she kicks it off in Serbia on April 15 and will play 24 shows across the continent through the end of May. She then returns stateside where she'll open the North American leg at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on June 28. A month later, on July 27, "The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour" stops into Charlotte at Time Warner Cable Arena. She'll wrap up the 22-city U.S. and Canada run a week later, ending August 3 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn a.k.a the House that Jay-Z built (Jay is a part-owner of the Brooklyn Nets NBA team that plays there). The world tour is expected to run for almost an entire year, with dates to be announced later for Latin America, Australia, and Asia.

Beyoncé's 2013 concert in Charlotte will be on a coveted Saturday night. Tickets for that tour stop go on sale February 15 at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster.com, with prices ranging from $47 to $252.

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Rick Ross Thinks He's Big Meech, Larry Hoover; Media Thinks He's Scared of Gangs; I Think It's About Sales

Chart-topping and recently Grammy-nominated rapper Rick Ross's street cred is taking a beating today. Yesterday afternoon, Live Nation announced that The Maybach Music Group tour concerts, featuring Ross, Meek Mill, Wale, and Machine Gun Kelly, scheduled for Friday, December 7 at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro and Saturday, December 8 at Bojangles’ Coliseum here in Charlotte have been cancelled. Though Live Nation didn't give an explanation, other than to say that tickets would be refunded, media outlets began to link the North Carolina show cancellations to ongoing and recent death threats made against the rapper by a gang known as the Gangster Disciples.

I'm not going to get into what the alleged beef is about (you can watch a couple of the many Gangster Disciples' YouTube video threats against Ross by clicking here and here), but what's interesting is how several leading news/entertainment websites began running the headlines last evening on through today, that are some variation of "Rick Ross Cancels North Carolina Tour Dates After Death Threats." You can find the articles at MTV, Rolling Stone, E!, XXL, Vibe, just to name a few. Most of them took the early reports by NBC Charlotte (WCNC) / The Charlotte Observer and ran with them.

And they're all giving the gang members too much credit.

After the news broke, awesome FOX Charlotte anchor Morgan Fogarty emailed me yesterday and asked if I would comment on Ross cancelling his North Carolina shows, for a story on her 10 p.m. newscast. I met Morgan and her cameraman in Uptown shortly before 6 p.m. to tape the interview (she also interviewed Power 98's Nolimit Larry). Even though I was just learning of the shows' cancellation like everyone else, my experience in covering entertainment led me to doubt that the concerts were being cancelled because of the threats made by gang members.

Are gangs to be taken seriously? Yes. Are the Gangster Disciples scary? Absolutely. But they've been posting those videos threatening Rick Ross since at least back in October. And the concerts in North Carolina didn't get cancelled until this week, a couple days before they were scheduled to take place. Sounds fishy.

When I talked to Morgan last evening, I told her, among other things (this blog allows me to elaborate more than TV soundbites), I believed the promoter cancelled the shows because of low ticket sales. My assumption was that because Ross, Meek, and Wale have been to Charlotte and Greensboro several times in the past year, the concerts that were planned for this weekend probably weren't drawing much interest.

I know about the Charlotte visits particularly well--heck, Ross and Meek performed at Bojangles' in March while the 2012 CIAA Tournament was in town, when Ross also proceeded to host at least four Charlotte parties over three days. Then Ross returned to Charlotte in June, when he headlined the 2012 Dub Show Tour at Charlotte Convention Center, and hosted an after-party at Club 935. So he's saturated this market all by himself. Not to mention, his MMG artist Meek Mill was a part of Drake's Club Paradise Tour that stopped at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in May. Wale also had a concert during CIAA Weekend in March at The Fillmore.

Morgan Fogarty interviewing me.

One other thing. You might recall that last year rapper Waka Flocka Flame had his tour bus shot up while he was in Charlotte. Three months later he was back here performing at the Dub Show Tour and hosting an after-party. That led me to ask, "Why, Waka?"

Some might say, Waka came to Charlotte when it was potentially dangerous, but Ross didn't. In hip hop, street credibility is (foolishly) all-too important. The difference here, however, is the money. Low ticket sales led to the cancellation of the North Carolina shows for this weekend, and I don't care how many news headlines claim the contrary. Ross, who was also scheduled to host an after-party this Saturday night at Club 935, is being clowned by many people on social media sites for the cancellations. He hasn't commented on the controversy yet, other than this tweet last night:

North Carolina I wuz so excited to perform tomorro wit #MMG Promoters cancelled show but I'll be Back ASAP. #luv
— TEFLON DON (@rickyrozay) December 7, 2012

Most importantly, as I often say, the hip hop community (primarily, the African-American race) needs to once and for all stop condoning and supporting the violence in hip hop music's lyrics, videos, and culture. I've been a fan of hip hop forever, and always will be. Have I ever bought a Rick Ross album? No. Have I ever bought a Waka Flaka album? No. And I don't plan to. Hip hop isn't the blame for all violence that goes on in the culture, and people are absolutely responsible for their individual actions. But you'd be a fool to ignore the correlations between what goes on in hip hop music and what takes place in the streets.

Because album sales have decreased dramatically over the last six or seven years, artists are hitting the road more and more because concerts are one of the ways they continue to successfully make money. Though the decrease in album sales is largely attributed to Internet piracy and a new generation of fans who, when they decide to pay for music, prefer to buy single songs online (mp3s) as oppose to whole albums, no genre of music has seen its album sales decline as much as hip hop. I'd like to believe that fans--many of whom aren't African-American--are being turned off by all of the ignorant talk, drug references, glorification of violence, and misogyny towards women. And it might finally be also affecting the turnout at concerts.

Waka Flaka was scheduled to perform at The Fillmore just last month, but that show was cancelled too.

By the way, if you don't understand the first part of the headline of this blog post, watch this Rick Ross music video. 

UPDATE 12/11/12
Rick Ross spoke at-length about the cancelled tour dates and situation with the Gangster Disciples in this interview with 99 Jamz radio station in his hometown of Miami. In summary, he explains that he cancelled the tour dates because of a promoter who wasn't handling business effectively and not because of gang threats. He makes it clear that he isn't scared--he's a bawse, he says repeatedly. "I was just in Chicago a week and a half ago. That's the birthplace of the G.D.s. And if I'll go to Chicago to handle my business like I did, I have no problem going to North Carolina or South Carolina.... I'm certified worldwide. I can put a thousand gangsters in any hood. But that ain't what I'm here for. I'm here to make stars, I'm here to make icons, I'm here to break records. I'm here to be Grammy nominated," he says.

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Kendrick Lamar Brings Out J. Cole During BET Music Matters Tour Stop In Charlotte

What happens when Compton, California and Fayetteville, North Carolina connect over hip hop? See the video below (NSFW: explicit lyrics). Kendrick Lamar brought out J. Cole for a surprised appearance Tuesday night during the BET Music Matters Tour stop at The Fillmore Charlotte. In addition to performing "Nobody's Perfect," my favorite song off of Cole World: The Sideline Story, J. Cole also launched into a freestyle.

Speaking of J. Cole and BET, the Fayetteville native/Roc Nation star has been nominated for six BET Hip Hop Awards: Best Collabo ("Nobody's Perfect" featuring Missy Elliott), Best Live Performer, Lyricist of the Year, Producer of the Year, MVP of the Year, and CD of the Year. The BET Hip Hop Awards show airs Tuesday, October 9 at 8 p.m. on BET.

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The Democratic National Convention Has Arrived

It's been more than a year and a half--19 months to be exact--since Charlotte won the bid to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention. All of the hard work and planning from DNCC and Host Committee staffs, volunteers, local businesses, media, and everyone in between, comes to fruition as the festivities begin.

For the past year, on Charlotte magazine's "The DNC In The CLT" blog, I've been chronicling what Charlotte has done to prepare for hosting the convention, in which President Barack Obama will formally accept the Democratic Party's nomination for reelection. This week, there will be more activity than ever on the DNC blog, with Charlotte magazine staffers contributing, and you can check out all of the magazine's related coverage at www.charlottemagazine.com/dnc.

Time Warner Cable Arena, where the major television news networks will broadcast this week, has been transformed into the Democrats' mecca for the convention. 
Credit: facebook.com/demconvention. 

One particular blog post you'll want to check out, if you haven't already, is a list of dozens of DNC Week events I compiled that are open to the public, ranging from free events like Monday's CarolinaFest in Uptown, to Tuesday's party at The Westin with President Bill Clinton and will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas for $150 a ticket, to Wednesday's Victory reception at Dressler's (where I'm being honored with a Rising Star award), put on by the Young and Powerful Group, to closing night of the Democratic National Convention at Bank of America Stadium where President Obama will speak, but not until after the crowd is entertained by Foo Fighters, Mary J. Blige, Earth, Wind and Fire, James Taylor, Marc Anthony, and more. It's all on this list.

And finally, you can check me out on a couple of television appearances this week, sharing my insight about the Democratic National Convention. Watch me Monday, September 3, shortly after 6:30 a.m., on WCNC NewsChannel 36 (Charlotte’s NBC station), on the morning show. And Tuesday, I'll make an appearance on WCNC's Charlotte Today, which airs at 11 a.m. Set your DVR!

My appearance a week and a half ago on WCNC's morning show.

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National Poetry Slam 2012 Kicks Off in Charlotte

Charlotte has one of the top slam poetry communities in the country. SlamCharlotte won the National Poetry Slam in 2007 (host city: Austin, Texas) and 2008 (Madison, Wisconsin), but it's been a four-year drought since the spoken-word crown has belonged to the Queen City. Well now the home team, led by well-known slammaster Bluz, gets to go for it on their own turf. National Poetry Slam 2012 is underway in Charlotte now through Saturday, August 11.

Credit: Facebook

The annual competition, now in its 23rd year, officially kicks off today, but there were some registration and welcome events held yesterday afternoon and evening as many of the expected 400 poets began arriving to Charlotte. They represent 72 teams from across North America (United States and Canada) and will compete in 46 bouts over five days. If you aren't familiar with slam poetry, it, essentially, is competitive performance poetry. Performers use a combination of poetry, storytelling, songwriting, theatre, stand-up comedy, and anything else dramatic and engaging to go for the high score of 10 from judges.

Most of the National Poetry Slam 2012 events are open to the public (see schedule); some, like the workshops, are free, while others, like the bouts, cost $7 to attend. Among the nearly 50 events on the schedule, most are taking place at theaters, museums, and galleries throughout Uptown, and there are also a few social events like parties, a movie showcase, and a picnic. If you happen to be in Uptown late this afternoon, there's an event you'll want to check out. A poetic flash mob is scheduled to take place at 5:15 p.m. at the corners of Trade and Tryon Streets.

Visit nps2012charlotte.com for all the details. You can also follow on Facebook and Twitter (hashtag: #NPSCLT2012).

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Madonna Brings '2012 World Tour' to Charlotte November 15; Tickets Go on Sale March 5

The Madonna 2012 World Tour was announced yesterday by Live Nation, just one day after the legendary singer performed at halftime of Super Bowl XLVI, in front of the largest television audience in American history. My personal opinions about the NFL's selection of halftime performers over the past decade aside, I'm happy that Madonna is bringing her tour to Charlotte on November 15, to Time Warner Cable Arena. Major tours such as this have a habit of skipping over Charlotte. It should be noted, however, that Charlotte is one of only two Southeastern U.S. stops of the 26 North American cities on this tour--the other being Atlanta two days later, which is when the tour concludes (though it's common for these tours to add dates and cities midway).

Credit: madonna.com

The 2012 World Tour kicks off May 29 in Tel Aviv, Israel (there are 26 European cities on the tour as well) before beginning its North American run in late August. The tickets for the Charlotte stop go on sale to the general public March 5 through Ticketmaster.com. If you're a member of Madonna's Icon fan club or are interested in VIP packages, you can buy tickets nearly a week earlier beginning February 28.

Click here to read the official tour press release. The Material Girl will release her new album, MDNA, on March 26. You can pre-order it now on iTunes.

Does anyone know when's the last time Madonna performed in Charlotte? Or is this her first concert here?

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Happy Birthday Anthony Hamilton and J. Cole!

Singer Anthony Hamilton and rapper J. Cole have more than just their musical talents and North Carolina roots in common. They also share January 28 as their birthdays. Happy birthday, fellas, and keep repping for N.C.--Charlotte and Fayetteville, respectively!

J. Cole turns 27 today. Another important date on his calendar is February 12 at the Grammy Awards (8 p.m., CBS), where he's nominated for Best New Artist along with The Band Perry, Bon Iver, Nicki Minaj, and Skrillex. Anthony is 41 today and while he already has a Grammy trophy on his mantle, he's performing this year at the Grammy In The Schools Live! concert February 8 at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

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Anthony Hamilton Goes 'Back To Love' December 13

Grammy Award-winning, platinum-selling recording artist Anthony Hamilton is releasing his next album, Back To Love, on December 13. It'll be the Charlotte singer's fourth studio album and he's putting it out exactly three years after his last album, 2008's The Point of It All.

The first single from Back To Love is "Woo", which finds Anthony in awe of a woman he meets, singing in his usual soulful tone. "Ooh girl, you're so bad. [Woo woo ooh ooh.] But it feels so good," he croons on the chorus. He shot the video for "Woo" on Friday and posted a couple of camera phone photos to his Facebook page.

Anthony Hamilton on the set Friday for his new music video, "Woo".

Back To Love features songwriting and production by industry legends Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Salaam Remi, Dre & Vidal, and Anthony himself. You can pre-order the new album by clicking here, which includes an instant MP3 download of “Woo”.

And you can see him in concert when he brings The Woo Tour home to The Fillmore Charlotte on November 30. Tickets are $45 to $55. His website, www.anthonyhamilton.com, is currently raffling off tickets to select concert dates. Click here to see photos, by my friend and colleague Jon Strayhorn, from when Anthony last performed at The Fillmore in March.

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Halloween, Jay and 'Ye, and Demons

It's Halloween weekend. If you're a kid, you're probably getting your costume ready to go trick-or-treating. If you're an adult, you're probably getting your costume ready to go clubbing. For all you Grown People in Charlotte, I've got you covered. Over on my Dusk Till Dawn nightlife blog on CharlotteMagazine.com, I've compiled a list of 20 of the best Halloween parties taking place through Monday. Since the majority of the Halloween parties are going on tonight (I've listed nearly a dozen for Saturday night alone), I wanted to drop this quick note to direct you to the list.

I probably won't have time to partake in any Halloween fun this weekend because I'm headed to Columbia today to see family, and then to Greensboro tomorrow to see Jay and 'Ye. Yes sir, my brother and I are going to the Watch The Throne concert Sunday. As if it wasn't cool enough that Jay-Z and Kanye West, my two favorite rappers, made an entire album together, now I get to see them in what could be the concert of the year. Since the tour just kicked off last night in Atlanta, we'll be among the first to see it.

This will be my second time seeing Jay-Z in concert--the first was also in Greensboro in 2008 when he toured with Mary J. Blige (I wish he'd start choosing to tour in Charlotte). But this will be my first time seeing Kanye in concert--I didn't see him when he came to Charlotte in 2008 with his Glow in the Dark Tour, but I was lucky enough to go to the official after-party that night at what was then HOM nightclub.

Back to Halloween, if you're looking to be frightened and to get in the spirit (or for the spirit to get in you), check out these short Demon Cam video clips. FOX Charlotte weatherman Reg Taylor created these demonic visuals of his fellow news anchors with the Demon Cam app on his phone and posted them onto his Facebook page. It's amazing what you can do with smart phone apps these days. In the videos below, you'll see Morgan Fogarty (who's also on the cover of Creative Loafing's Halloween-themed issue this week), Ramona Holloway, and Reg each transform into demons.

Morgan

Ramona

Reg

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