Rumours and newsagent inquiries say that the German Soul/Black music magazine S.O.U.L. has finished and that there will be no new issue for Jan./Feb. 2003 published anymore. Keep updated with news about the mag at this website.

New Black music station in the UK is launched on Aug. 16, 2002. Click here for the BBC 1Xtra website ...

Soul link of the month: www.soulwalking.co.uk.   [more links below]

Kam, CEO of Here After Records, has decided to take a stance and commit to making lyrics that challenge the American government to truly investigate the crisis of so-called terrorism, here in America and abroad. As Minister Farrakhan travels in the middle east seeking peace, Kam and his entire record label has expressed their support for one of the most dangerous missions performed by a Black Man. Kam points out, "When Martin Luther King Jr. wanted peace and an end to war, shortly after the government killed him. I stand 100% behind Minister Farrakhan, our entire staff love a man that speaks the truth."

Kam, also a member of the Nation of Islam has come under scrutiny for his controversial stance. He has been banned from night clubs, radio stations, and by certain politicians. Yet, he still intends on continuing with the upcoming CD «The Self». At the Hip-Hop summit, Minister Farrakhan asked all the hip hop artists to talk beyond superficial, and delve deeper into politics and the world around them. Kam has done that and more.           

It hasn't been since Public Enemy that Black Women were Black Queens. Lately, all what is to hear is lyrics that bash Black Women, by calling them chicken head, hoe or bitch. Well guess what ladies? Kam, former protegé of Ice Cube, has decided to take a stand to support Black Women all over the planet earth. His upcoming CD «The Self» takes a direct hit into the entertainment industry, by not only refusing to support artists who continue to exploit Black Women, but going even further and challenging those artists to make respective music about "Queens" or get verbally blasted on.             

Kam calls on all Black Women to address their self esteem issues by learning to love themselves in spite of what the media tries to enforce upon them, and despite what the society tries to convey. He points out, "Historically, the Black Woman's body was used to enrich this horrific systematic institution called slavery. And now they doing the same thing, instead of the auction block, its in the videos". Finally, Sistahs, you can cheer because Black Women are more than body parts in Kam's upcoming CD. Not only does he believe that Black Women are the Black Man's heaven, he also considers Black Women to be their saving grace.           

«The Self» is due out by Here After Records in February 2003.

The Sci-Fi channel www.scifi.com is to launch the epic story «Maatkara» officially on June 28th, an on-line animated series, which chronicles the adventures of an Egyptian princess, Maat (Amel Larrieux). Maatkara's narratives are culled from Egyptian mythology and combine both the futuristic themes related through science fiction storytelling and the historical themes recounted from ancient Egypt. Log on to experience Maat's quest to save earth and bring freedom to her people via Macromedia Flash animation.

In the early and mid-1990s, Amel Larrieux was the lead singer and co-writer for the New York-based duo Groove Theory The other half was Bryce Wilson. Their self-titled debut album eventually went gold, but remained the only release (Oct. 1995) except a 12" «4 Shure», released in Sep. 2000. Earlier that year Amel released her first solo album called «Infinite Possibilities»
Meanwhile Amel co-wrote and performed the song "I Don't Know Why" on Soulives new album entitled «Next» on Blue Note Records. Look out for Amel Larrieux's new album «Bravebird» scheduled for release in March 2003.

Might just be that by nature Amel is simply a caring individual or perhaps it is being a mother that has developed her strong sense of responsibility. Whatever the case, Amel speaks in a powerful tone against the corruption of humanity. "I have this real sense of urgency about our children," she says, "that nobody's thinking about them." And she's absolutely right. No one thinks about our children when they are writing these sexually explicit lyrics and how it will make a very strong impact on their lives.

Book review: R&B (Rhythm & Business): The Political Economy of Black Music
Public Enemy's Chuck D, author Norman Kelley, and other journalists and musicians combine forces to examine how black music has been developed, marketed, and distributed within the structure of American capitalism. The anthology dissects contemporary trends in the music industry, and explores how blacks have historically interacted with the business as artists, business-people, and consumers.

R&B also considers how the changes and developments within the music business - from the frontier of digital technology to the consolidation of the giant music conglomerates - might affect the future roles of African-Americans in the industry.