They helped bring hip-hop to the mainstream, revitalized the career of Aerosmith and now, Run-DMC could be headed to Broadway.

Paula Wagner, the veteran Hollywood producer, said that her Chestnut Ridge Productions company was working with the rappers Joseph Simmons (known as Run) and Darryl McDaniels (DMC) as well as the estate of Jason Mizell (Jam Master Jay) to produce a stage musical about Run-DMC, the seminal hip-hop group.

“Their work speaks to everybody,” Ms. Wagner said in a telephone interview, “and the story of their rise to fame is innately theatrical.”

Founded by Mr. Simmons, Mr. McDaniels and Mr. Mizell in Hollis, Queens, in the early 1980s, Run-DMC became one of the first rap acts to reach a mass audience, selling millions of copies of albums like “King of Rock” and “Raising Hell,” as well as a ubiquitous 1986 remake of the Aerosmith song “Walk This Way.” The band continued to tour off and on for years, and was on the verge of a reunion in 2002 when Mr. Mizell was shot and killed in his recording studio in Jamaica, Queens.

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Paula Wagner will produce the Run-DMC musical.
Ms. Wagner is best known for her long association with Tom Cruise, having worked as his agent, a producer of several of his films (including the “Mission: Impossible” movies and “War of the Worlds”) and the chief executive of his revived United Artists studio. She began her career on stage as a 13-year-old actor at the Youngstown Theater in Ohio. She earned her B.F.A. in theater at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, has published plays of her own and performed at the Yale Repertory Theater.

Ms. Wagner said she was also a lifelong Run-DMC fan. “Their lyrics and their music is infectious,” she said. “It’s vibrant, it’s alive. Who they are and what they did was a culturally defining moment. It embraced everybody.”

Ms. Wagner acknowledged that her film-producing experience was no guarantee that she could execute a stage musical, and she said she was talking to other producers and potential team members to help bring the project to Broadway. “I have a number of good friends,” she said, “and I think I will be turning to all my friends.”

She said that in addition to the original Run-DMC songs that would be featured in the show, Mr. Simmons and Mr. McDaniels might provide new material or that an outside composer might “very possibly” provide songs.

Ms. Wagner said there was no timetable for the Run-DMC project to come to Broadway, and no specific shows that it was seeking to emulate

Accompanying the album is the video expose "WE THE PEOPLE" You Can View At The End Of This Article!

New Album In Stores February 23rd on Bucktown USA Ent/Duck Down Music in Honor of Black History Month

By definition a GENERAL is the highest commissioned rank in the Army. One who holds this rank does so because of experience, attention to detail and an all-encompassing skill to lead. A General must make the tough and decisive decisions putting his squad before the well-being of himself.

It is by no coincidence that Steele of Smif N Wessun has been assigned the rank of GENERAL STEELE. A proven veteran of the Boot Camp Clik and 1/2 of the famed rap duo, Smif N Wessun, General Steele is prepping his second installment of the Amerikkka's Nightmare series, entitled CHILDREN OF WAR. The 12 track history lesson is in stores world-wide February 23rd.

Amerikkka's Nightmare Part 2 highlights change that must occur in our great Nation. General Steele states: "America the beautiful has an ugly past. It is the people who live in this great country who have struggled relentlessly to establish this country under the basic common human & constitutional rights that all people should have. These rights have at times been suppressed and our vision of a "land of the free" has been compromised. Some people are complacent with the state of our nation, others are speaking out."

Through freedom of speech, General Steele has converted his mode of expression into song found within the messages in Amerikkka's Nightmare Part 2 - Children of War. Tracks such as "Cry Freedom" featuring Dead Prez resonate through the speakers as General Steele proclaims that whatever doesn't kill you only makes you more strong. "Blood/Sweat/Tears Of Joy/I Cry Freedom/Life Is A Sacrifice Of Our Freedom/You Can't Deny Freedom/Remove Anything In the Way of Our Freedom/I was Blind/But I Opened My Eyes and Cried Freedom!"

Accompanying the album is the video expose "WE THE PEOPLE" which features artists & community activists living in America who express their views on the current situation of our nation.

http://www.guerillaunion.com/paiddues/

Murs in association with Guerilla Union are proud to announce the 2010 Paid Dues Festival line up. It is the biggest showcase of Independent Hip Hop talent in the festival's rich history. Over 25 acts on two stages will be performing on Saturday, April 3rd at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, CA. Tickets will go on-sale this Saturday, February 6th at 10:00am.

Murs is excited to announce Paid Dues 2010!

PAID DUES FESTIVAL | MySpace Music Videos

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First video off Their 2009 album, PB&J. "Know This" featuring Scar. Production by Alex Adiels.
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Since the recent tragedy that has befallen the proud and persevering nation of Haiti, there has been an outpouring of support followed by a few disturbing falsities being spread about the history of the island and its people. I wrote the following to shed some light on events during and around the Haitian Revolution. Please remember memorizing and reiterating should never pass for learning. Deciphering the significance of individuals and events is what truly teaches us not just about history, but also about ourselves.

There is a wide spectrum of beliefs behind what has caused Haiti to suffer ceaselessly over the years. Some see the problem as being mostly political, bad governance, modern day colonialism, and the perceived necessity to make an example to the world of what a successful slave revolution will get you. There are even those on the fringe who cling to an ancient superstition that the island was freed by a mythological pact with Satan. In order to shed light on the issue I am forced to go back in time. Obviously not to the beginning of occupational history, but far enough to give others a realistic perspective on Haiti and it’s struggle.
http://indigenist.blogspot.com/2010....on.html

Los Angeles emcee Murs and North Carolina producer 9th Wonder have a critically-acclaimed history of doing full-length projects together. Dating back to 2004’s Murs 3:16, the duo has executed three total albums (2006’s Murray’s Revenge, and 2008’s Sweet Lord, initially a pay-what-you-want digital release)

Late last week, Prefix Magazine pointed out that Murs quietly announced the latest in the series. The Living Legends emcee had tweeted that the next joint effort is set to release on March 30. Reportedly titled ForNever, this will be the fourth in the series.