I, along with millions of other Americans, was completely shocked at the passing of DJ Am last Friday, August 28. I had heard his name previously and new he was in the hip dj crowd, but had never exposed myself to his creative interpretation of music. After his passing, I wanted to listen to some of his work and downloaded Fix Your Face Volume 2, a mixtape that he and Travis Barker released. First, I must make note that the mixtape was free but you had to “pay” to get it by sending a tweet. Definitely a savvy social media move! Back to the music – this mixtape has to be the BEST mixtape I have ever heard! NO LIE! Never have I heard a mixtape in which the dj goes from The Beatles to Biggie to Warren G to Metallica to Jay-Z to The Mamas and The Papas to Lil John + more. I’ve been listening to Fix Your Face Vol 2. nonstop for the last few days and every time I feel as though I need to be in a club with some strobe lights – and I don’t even go out! It was only natural that I had to go back and download Fix You Face Vol.1 too!

Another part of my research informed me that DJ AM, Adam Goldstein back then, was a member of the group Crazy Town. Their most popular single was Butterfly and was one of my jams back in the day. It’s super ironic that in the Butterfly video, one of the band members was rockin a D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) T-shirt :/ DJ AM had previously been addicted to crocaine and ecstacy as was currently working on his own drug recovery series for MTV called Gone Too Far. This whole story is so sad, but serves as an example for other people who struggle with drug addictions. I want to celebrate not only DJ AM’s life, but the impact he has and will continue to have on people’s lives.

We can celebrate the music too! The following is a produced video of TRV$DJAM (Travis Barker + DJ AM) from Fix Your Face Volume 1 = absolutely amazing talent!

Today I saw a commercial for VH1 DIVAS 2009 that will premier on September 17, 2009. VH1 DIVAS, originally airing anually from 1998-2004, was created to raise money for Save the Music (I wonder if VH1 heard my request for a return of Save the Music!?!). After a five year hiatus, the series will return to feature 8 top female performers. It seems as though this time around, all of the performers are in their youth or early adulthood. Granted only 6 artists have been confirmed: Kelly Clarkson, Leona Lewis, Adele, Miley Cyrus, Jordin Sparks, and Jennifer Hudson, but the remaining two better be veterans for this to be a “divas” show! And by veteran I mean the artist better have had at least 3 albums, 5 top 10 hits, and a number one single! That’s the definition of a veteran! We’ll see if VH1 passes my test for the remaining DIVAS – I doubt it, but it’s still nice to have a taste of the old VH1 back instead of all the whack, non-entertaining, low quality shows they feature during their normal programming hours! VH1 DIVAS is a start, but the channel has a long way to go…

For some reason, I have been thinking about VH1’s Save the Music for the last couple of days. I remember years ago when the foundation was founded and televised concerts were held to promote the foundation’s purpose. I specifically remember when *N Sync and Gloria Estefan performed Music of My Heart at a STM concert in the early 2000s. (Hey – I was a fan of boy bands. Don’t hold it against me!) As I sit here, I wonder why I have not heard about any recent concerts. After looking at the STM Twitter profile, I found a link to the Save the Music website and found out there are a list of cities that will host a summer tour. But, the tour is not televised! I realize that the foundation’s current strategy may be somewhat different than the previous strategy as it appears that the foundation relies heavily on donations and percentages of artist ticket sales. However, there are so many people that know nothing about Save the Music and it is time to get the word out!

I am personally thankful for the music programs that were offered in the schools I attended. I know for a fact that being in band helped mold me into the person I am today. Playing in my middle and high school bands taught me to be competitive, increased my math abilities, and enhanced my skills as a team player, among other things. I made a commitment years ago that I will give back and donate time and money to my high school band in years to come. I was quite young when I made that decision, but I realized the importance of music in a child’s life. My conclusion came partly from my own experiences and the presence of Save the Music.

Now it is Save the Music’s responsibily to promote their goals and purpose to a younger generation of music lovers and future influencers. After all, these are the individuals who require the educational programs and will give back when they are older and able.

I saw this LG sponsored commercial earlier and thought it was representative of the passion, love, and dedication for music that Save the Music fosters.

I am here to confirm that I have one of the best jobs in the world. I absolutely love what I do! For those of you who do not know, I am a social media strategist and I specialize in blogger outreach and producing content. This Monday I had the pleasure of attending the SCAD Style Etoile Awards Gala to see five fashion luminaries be honored in New York city. My team was on site to execute behind the scenes interviews and live stream the awards in addition to inviting bloggers to cover the event. Honorees included hip hop mogul and designer Russell Simmons, Tony Award-winning Broadway costume designer William Ivey Long, Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion editor Robin Givhan, actress and philanthropist Cornelia Guest, and New York City Planning Director Amanda Burden.

As a musicfan, you can assume that I almost passed out when Russell Simmons came in to be interviewed. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity! This time last year I was finishing my senior year in college, and currently one year later I’m live streaming an event that featured Russell Simmons. I think I’m doing pretty good if you ask me! I uploaded the video of Russell’s interview on YouTube and I wanted to feature the original video on my blog, but the file is too big In the interview, Russell shares his thoughts on the cultivation of creativity as the most important thing in the education process. Also, I think it’s pretty cool that Uncle Russ was extremely interested in what Sherri and I were doing in the room as Sherri was filming the interview on the Flip cam and I was manning the chat room while Twittering.

Russell: I think you need to get on Twitter! Julie’s on Twitter, but I know you could be a leader in the space! If Diddy has almost 275k followers, I KNOW you can have double that! Hit me up at erica.hartfield@gmail.com if you need some assistance in setting up your account!

For everyone else: enjoy the video!

By chance I turned to An Evening of Stars: A Tribute to Patti Labelle this evening and I was immediately hooked. There were numerous performances including those by Fantasia, Wayne Brady, LeToya, and Yolanda Adams but undeniably, my most favorite performance was Brian McKnight’s rendition of If Only You Knew. It is remarkable that Patti has been singing for 40+ years and has had notable success with countless singles. Patti Labelle is the depiction of who a female artist should aspire to emulate. Not only is she a fabulous singer with natural talent but she is a mentor to numerous individuals as they call her ‘Momma Patti’ and she has always given back to her community. I’m glad that Patti continues to leave her mark on the world and people have realized her contributions while she is still alive versus people typically recognizing one’s influence on the world after they pass away. Today we will celebrate the life and accomplishments of Patti Labelle and we wish her continued success. Say her name: Patti! Patti!

Happy New Year everyone! May 2009 bring you many blessings and happiness!

I’m back snitches! I have been EXTREMELY busy at work and also blogging on BlackWeb2.0, so 6inchvinyl has suffered a little bit  I’m back to writing because I love music and I feel that this is my release in my stressful, demanding life. I saw a few tweets this past weekend such as R.I.P. Rap City. Now, I never watch BET but I find it amazing that 1. I missed the announcement that the show was cancelled and 2. That BET would be bold enough to completely do away with the show. Looking on the BET website, I saw a few videos of the finle and I did not realize how much history from the last two decades involving music could be found on Rap City – especially when I was listening to Hanson and N Sync growing up! I have always been amazed at the lack of appeal that BET has because the programming on the channel has declined in value over the years and the corresponding website for the channel is not up to par. Honestly, while some may view this as a sad time and may have withdrawals of rap and hip-hop videos, this was a good move for the channel! BET needs to totally be re-branded and it will take dramatic steps like cancelling shows to get viewers on board. In the early years of Rap City, the host of Teen Summit became the host of the show. Teen Summit was cancelled also, but I believe that shows that aid African Americans and provide information and/or show educated African Americans in a positive way is the type of programming BET needs to move towards. Brothers to Brutha, a show that recently premiered on BET, is one expample and it will take shows such as this to get the channel to meet the level of programming that is needed for positive progression.