Look To The Stars News: Nas

VH1 Divas Bring Soul To Charity

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:30:00 +0000

VH1’s beloved franchise VH1 Divas paid tribute to the great cities of soul music last night, including Chicago, Detroit, London, Memphis and Philadelphia.

The all-star diva roster included Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson, Florence + The Machine, Jennifer Hudson, Jessie J and Jill Scott, accompanied by one of the most exciting groups of modern soul, The Roots, with Questlove and Adam Blackstone as musical directors.

In addition to the Divas, the evening included an incredible line-up of performers including Chaka Khan, Erykah Badu, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Boyz II Men, Estelle, Marsha Ambrosius, Travie McCoy, Mavis Staples, Wanda Jackson, Martha Reeves and Ledisi. Presenters were Dolly Parton, Queen Latifah, Terrence Howard, Nas, Common, Sherri Shepherd, La La Anthony, and Archie Panjabi.

VH1 Divas To Pay Tribute To Amy Winehouse

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:05:00 +0000

VH1’s beloved, popular franchise, “VH1 Divas,” has announced a special tribute to Amy Winehouse at this year’s VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul with performances by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine) and Wanda Jackson.

“VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul” premieres Monday, December 19 at 9 PM/8c on VH1.

The tribute will reflect Winehouse’s contribution to modern, London soul music. Some highlights of the tribute will include Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings performing “You Know I’m No Good,” and Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine) and Wanda Jackson will perform her song “Back to Black.” The Dap-Kings contributed a number of tracks for Winehouse’s Grammy Award-winning album “Back to Black.” In addition, Nas, who collaborated with Winehouse on the first single of her current posthumous album, will introduce the tribute medley.

UNICEF Celebrates George Harrison's Charity Concert For Bangladesh

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0000

On the 40th anniversary of George Harrison’s groundbreaking Concert for Bangladesh, the first major celebrity charity concert for a humanitarian cause, the music community is coming together yet again for UNICEF, this time to help provide emergency relief for children in famine and drought-affected regions in the Horn of Africa.

UNICEF is calling the situation in the Horn of Africa the “worst humanitarian emergency in the world,” with Somalia being the epicenter of the crisis.

To pay tribute to the Concert for Bangladesh and its organizers George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, this August has been designated as the “Month of Giving.” During the Month of Giving all donations to the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF will benefit UNICEF’s life-saving programs for children in the Horn of Africa. To jump start this fundraising initiative, the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF, which was founded by Olivia Harrison, wife of the late George Harrison, is immediately releasing $1 million to UNICEF for emergency efforts there.

Kanye West Takes To Stage At Charity Event

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:30:00 +0000

The Common Ground Foundation held its second annual “Common & Friends” concert at the famed Hollywood Palladium on Saturday night. The show raised funds for the foundation, created by Grammy-Award winning hip-hop artist and actor, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, best known as Common.

The concert featured live performances from Common, The Roots, Nas, De La Soul, Ludacris, Queen Latifah, Kanye West, Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Heavy D, while Freddy Rodriguez, Garth Trinidad, Rasual Butler, Toccara Jones, Serena Williams, Amber Rose, Erica Hubbard, Alyssa Milano, Eva Amurri and Ian Ziering were all in attendance to support the Common Ground Foundation.

“I am very grateful and thankful to all who attended and supported the 2nd annual Common Ground Foundation event. To all the gifted artists that participated – I thank you for giving your time, energy, and creativity,” said Common. “To all the sponsors, thank you for your ongoing commitment to the progress of the future of our youth. God bless… Love.”

Ludacris Joins Common For Charity Hip Hop Concert

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:30:00 +0000

The Common Ground Foundation has announced the second annual “Common & Friends” concert to be held at the famed Hollywood Palladium on September 26, 2009.

The show will raise funds for the foundation, created by actor and hip-hop artist, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, best known as Common. Tickets are available through Live Nation, and the show will feature live performances from Common, Ludacris, Nas, The Roots, De La Soul and many special guests. Tickets are $100 for general admission and $200 for VIP Balcony seating. All proceeds will benefit the Common Ground Foundation.

“For the second year in a row Common and the biggest artists in hip-hop will come out and lend their support for the Common Ground Foundation,” said Executive Director, Jodie Blum. “With proceeds from this amazing event, we are able to raise much needed funds to empower youth in the United States.”

Joss Stone Gets Rolling For Peace Day

Tue, 05 May 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger is set to record a song with soul singer Joss Stone for charity.

The pair first recorded together in 2004 on a track called Lonely Without You, for Jude Law’s movie remake Alfie. They are now set to contribute another song to an album being released to coincide with the United Nations’ International Day of Peace on 21 September.

“Joss and Mick hit it off when they worked with producer Dave Stewart on the Alfie soundtrack,” a source told Britain’s The Sun newspaper. “So they were hoping to collaborate again. When this project was suggested they were keen to get on board, especially considering the glittering cast of other musicians involved.”

NAS Joins Bob Marley's Son For Charity Record

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Rapper NAS and reggae star Damian ‘Junior Gong’ Marley have teamed up to record “Distant Relative” – a collaborative album due for release in June (09). And the dynamic duo will be donating all proceeds from this upcoming album to help build a school in the Congo. 

“We’re trying to have a sound that’s reminiscent of both of us, but not exactly like either,” Marley told Rolling Stone.

Both artists were motivated to pay tribute to their cultural roots, so we can certainly expect music with flair coming from Bob Marley’s son and NAS. “A lot of charity albums come off corny. We want this to be something you’d play in your car,” said Marley.

Youssou N'Dour Launches Charity Album

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:30:00 +0000

Global non-profit IntraHealth International is partnering with Grammy Award-winning artist Youssou N’Dour on a charity album titled “OPEN Remix” benefiting a new initiative created to address critical health issues in Africa by putting the latest open source software technologies directly in the hands of health workers.

Nas, Duncan Sheik and Peter Buck of R.E.M. are among the headliners donating remixes of N’Dour’s song “Wake Up” to raise funds and visibility for the IntraHealth OPEN Initiative.

Starting February 11th and rolling through spring, free downloads of the songs will be available with a suggested donation through distribution partners including Rhapsody, iLike, Amazon MP3, and through IntraHealth’s website.