Mumbai is a hub of contemporary culture in India, yet children of the slums rarely have a chance to interact or actively participate in the cultural expression that streams from across the globe. These children spend most of their lives between over-crowded classrooms and jobs that do not recognize or value their individual strength and character. Tiny Drops aims to bridge this class-divided gap, allowing children to break through a rigid socio-cultural wall, and to give these children a greater sense of dynamic purpose in their lives.

Our goal is to create a space for children to be active participants in creating culture on their own terms and to use it to transform their communities. At the same time, we stress the importance of attaining a basic education as a means of connecting with an ever-evolving and empowered global youth culture that is located both virtually and on-the-ground.

Hip Hop is rooted in the alternative expression of oppressed people in the Bronx and New York City, and has rapidly traveled across the globe to be uplifted by communities in Brazil, Palestine, South Africa, and beyond. It is a global youth culture that connects young people who struggle daily and historically with multiple oppressions and offers an outlet and a larger global movement for identity formation.

Tiny Drops derives its name from the beginnings of rain in a monsoon city -- drop by drop, the water accumulates, until it becomes a flood that can sweep up the whole community in its arms. In such a way, Tiny Drops aspires to encourage children to manifest their individual potential -- whether as a life-long source of personal delight or in order to connect it with a collective purpose and expression.

Detroit based producer Apollo Brown and Atlanta based rapper Boog Brown are at it again. The pair’s first collaborations resulted in the enchanting mixtape The Grind Season Vol. 1, a tantalizing taste of what was soon to come. The wait will finally be over when the duo release their first full-length album Brown Study on September 28, 2010, via Mello Music Group. The long-awaited album will feature the likes of Miz Korona, Invincible, Kam Moye, and Kenn Starr.

The first single off of Brown Study is the sensual “Just Be,” an intimate whisper that floats over Apollo Brown’s shimmering samples and passionate groove, inspiring the intense pleasures of living in the present and savoring every moment. Boog expressed that desire, advising us to “Live in the moment. In all things, intimacy, joy, pain, hurt, loss, gain, triumph. All of that -- be in it. Feel it, because it’s the fabric of life. Blink and it's gone.” Powerful and vibrant lyrics such as “Enraptured in the scent/ This is bliss at length/ From start to the finish/ Euphoric/ Absorbed in the ebullience/ Elegant every sense awakened” meld with Apollo’s sampled soft horns, sweeping strings, and chimes, echoing his thought that "'Just Be' is one of those songs that exude passion and feeling. We don't have a lot of true feeling in the music now days. Emcees and producers shouldn't be afraid to express themselves exactly how they please.”

Boog Brown and Apollo Brown’s album Brown Study will be available September 28th via Mello Music Group. Download Boog Brown & Apollo Brown's "Just Be" here: (right click & save as)

http://media.audibletreats.com/Boog_Brown_and_Apollo_Brown-Just_Be.mp3

Boog Brown & Apollo Brown - Just Be