Actor, activist and educator are some of they words that are commonly used to describe Bill Cosby, but starting on Monday, you can add Hip-Hop music producer.

Cosby along with his band, the Cosnarati, will present State of Emergency, a conscious rap compilation addressing the issues of crime, teenage pregnancy, respecting women, education and other themes important to Cosby.

From ABC News:

Presented in association with Ustream, the town hall (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT) will air on urban radio station Web sites across the country, on Cosby’s Facebook page (http://facebook.com/billcosby ) and on BillCosby.com.

Hosted by comedian/actor/educator/author Cosby and the Cosnarati Band, the event will include the band’s first public performance of several songs from “Emergency.” Those songs will be available at digital retailers Tuesday (October 20); the album’s physical and digital release is November 24.

Kudos to Bill Cosby for trying to make a difference.

By Sherri L. Smith, BlackWeb20.com

So apparently it’s okay to start rocking 80s throwback fashions. From that shag that Kanye was rocking awhile back to will.i.am’s  asymmetrical cut that has the makings of an undercover gumby, the 80s are slowly encroaching on the new millennium. What’s next, a resurgence of jheri curls? I shudder at the thought.

I do however welcome tech that gives respect to predecessors, but keeps its outlook forward. That’s why I’m feeling Altec Lansing’s latest release, the Mix iMT800. Even though its designed to look like a 90s era boombox, it still takes me back to the days of Adidas with fat laces, Kangols, and gold dookie chains (Eighties babies stand up!) when I was snaking and wopping with the best of them. And with that in mind, Altec Lansing does a serious best of both worlds thing with this release.

The Mix might be one of the biggest portable iPod/iPhone docks on the market right now but there’s a method to its madness. The system delivers thunderous knock via the XdB Bass-enhanced 5.25-inch side-firing subwoofer but the mids and highs aren’t lost thanks to the custom drivers and the two 1-inch horn-loaded polypropylene tweeters. Audioheads can customize thier sound via the 7-band equalizer. The psuedo-boombox also get digtal FM radio and has a LCD display so you always know what’s on.

One of the best features excluding sound quality has to be the ability to let friends blast their jams using one of the two AUX in jacks to hook up their devices. In addition, the Mix ensures you never miss an important call choosing to pause the music until you handle your business. The Mix runs on AC power but can get about 30 hours of party with eight D cell batteries.

Retailing for $299, the Altec Lansing Mix iMT800 is a great gadget for those of us with old school sensibilities and new world order vision.

BlackWeb20.com covers website and application launches; culturally relevant Internet industry news; and mainstream Internet industry news from an African-American perspective.  They also analyze emerging web trends and how they apply to web properties that target African-Americans or African-American culture.

By Sherri L. Smith, BlackWeb20.com

2009 must be the year of the producer/DJ because it seems that a new gadget debuts every month for those that get geeked at the sight of a turntable and some vinyl. The latest edition to the growing line of DJ technology is a mouse, the DJ Mouse to be exact. Created by Chinese company DJ Tech, the DJ Mouse is the first of its kind and is “fully designed and made for all DJ applications.”

The mouse has different sections that control the different effects available. Left clicking on the mouse allows users to play samples and loops, drap and drop songs to the playlist, and access and activate affects while right clicking toggles loops, sets the sync and downbeat, and memorizes cue points. There is also a Jog wheel that controls all the faders and crossfaders as well as scratches. Speaking of scratching, there is also a Scratch wheel that allows instant access to the scratch effect, just in case you get the urge to switch things up during a set.

Designed to work with the Mac and PC-friendly Deckadance software. This software allows users to take mp3 files and scratch, loop, and fade to their heart’s content. Deckadance comes with 6 signature effects and has an automatic BPM so you never have to worry about synching up your beats.

The aluminum and rubber mouse is a little hefty at 120 g, but might be a viable piece of tech for the DJ-in-training. USB powered with a simple interface, the $79 price tag is a steal.

BlackWeb20.com covers website and application launches; culturally relevant Internet industry news; and mainstream Internet industry news from an African-American perspective.  They also analyze emerging web trends and how they apply to web properties that target African-Americans or African-American culture.

By Sherri L. Smith, BlackWeb20.com

Music apps are always fun. They combine two of our greatest loves — music and tech. But as our tech gets more sophisticated, it’s not enough just to listen to our favorite tracks, we want to make our own knockin’ beats. With increasing amounts of developers putting out sofware willing to oblige our fancy, those big name music producers may need to watch their back. IK Multimedia, maker of music programs Total Studio 2 and AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix has announced the release of a new application for iPhone and iPod Touch. Groovemaker is an application that lets fans of Hip-Hop, Electronic, and Dance music take the reins and create their own knocking beats.

A full port of the original Mac/PC version, lucky users get to play with the the eight available tracks along with an extensive gathering of loops.  Creating full length tracks is as simple as dragging and dropping loops. Just about everything can be tweaked including tempo and volume. Users can isolate various parts of the tracks, increasing and decreasing values to their liking. All changes occur in real time so you don’t have to keep stopping and starting to figure out how your new composition sounds.

And thanks to IK Multimedia’s patented “groove technology” aspiring djs and producers can remix all the loops and tracks with the touch of a button creating millions of possibilities. Currently there are four versions of Groovemaker. FREE features House and Hip-Hop music, Club has Techno, House, and Trance while Groovemaker Hip-Hop and House feature those genres exclusively. Groovemaker Hip-Hop and Trance are $9.99 each while Club is avialable for $4.99 and FREE is well, free!

Tracks made on the Groovemaker can be uploaded onto your computer as high quality WAV files that can be shared with other music lovers. Challenge your peeps to a beat battle — hottest track wins or just keep your creations to yourself and wait for the day you can get it in front of the right person and achieve superstar status. Hey, it could happen.

BlackWeb20.com covers website and application launches; culturally relevant Internet industry news; and mainstream Internet industry news from an African-American perspective.  They also analyze emerging web trends and how they apply to web properties that target African-Americans or African-American culture.

By Sherri L. Smith, BlackWeb20.com

Hip hop is big business. Everyone’s getting fat off of the proverbial teat that is hip hop. Despite all this money floating around, the genre is still underserved when it comes to equipment. Beatmakers have been forced to make lemonade out of lemons, having to adapt hardware and software to their needs. Thankfully, this will no longer be a problem thanks to the Beat Kangz.

The Beat Kangz is a three man production team that has earned countless awards for their stellar work producing tracks for countless independent and big name artists including The Roots and KRS-One. They also create beats for ad and media agencies. But aside from being music geniuses, the Kangz are huge techies.

In 2005, they created the  Zoom SB-246 Streetboxx™, a rhythm machine that has been the company’s biggest seller. Refusing to rest on their laurels, the Kangz, comprised of president Aja “A.J.A” Emmanuel and vice-presidents Luke “Boom Bap” Jackson and Reavis “Rev” Mitchell, are releasing their latest and greatest gear that has the potential to change both the music and music equipment industries in a big way.

Set to launch in October, The Beat Kangz have developed the BEAT THANG, a portable beat machine designed specifically for hip hop and electronic music. Weighing in at a mere five pounds, the 11 x 8 x 4 inch device weighs about as much as your average laptop and can fit in a suitcase, a book bag, or “a big ole purse” according to Rev. Taking two years from drawing board to production, the BEAT THANG is a culmination of three disparate musical viewpoints combined with a dedication to creating a product that will best serve the music community, which is a huge deal to the partners.

Boom states, “We’re going to do one thing that the industry doesn’t do because when we’re talking about for us, by us, we’re not just talking about black people. We’re talking about musicians. We’re talking about creative people no matter what color shape or size they come in.”

The BEAT THANG is also eco-friendly, powered with rechargable batteries that give the device approximately six hours of beatmaking fury. The hardware is crammed with over 3000 sounds and 200 beats, kits and loops, perfect for the budding producer to create that next big sound that the industry is constantly questing for. You need strings, congas, and bass? Look no further, the Kangz have you covered. Aja declares, “You can score a film with it. You can make hip hop with it. You can make any genre.” Retailing at $999, the BEAT THANG is a beatmaker’s dream come true.

There’s also BEAT THANG Virtual, a standalone software that operates independently of the hardware. Available now at a wallet-friendly $149, Virtual can do everything the hardware can do.  The low price point was done with the younger audience in mind. Aja explains, “So the 16-year-old just starting out could afford it. It’s quality enough for the most serious of pros, but we designed where it would be affordable and easy to use so even ten years olds could get on it and make beats.”

The software is stored on a 2GB USB key that allows for easy sharing between collaborators. Simply drag and drop the files you want onto a friend’s comp and they can add their unique touches to the track which is directly related to how the Beat Kangz operate.

With a backgrounds in funk, classical music and Computer Science, each member of the triumperant has their own approach to making music, but at the end of the day, they “come together like the Voltron Force” and make noteworthy music and business decisions.

But still the Kangz have more to share with the musicians of the world. To supplement the filet mignon they’re serving up, the Kangz are offering up some caviar in the form of an iTunes app that is set to debut in the app store at an undisclosed date. The app acts as a player for your Beat Thangz tracks, allowing users to separate a track into it’s individual parts, which users can then mute and increase volume as they please. The biggest draw of the app has to be the 20 royalty-free tracks mixed and produced by Grammy-winning producer Commissioner Gordon Williams who’s worked with Jay-Z, Lauryn Hill, Kanye West, and Amy Winehouse to name a few. Perfect for a cyphers, writing session, or making beats the app will only set you back $3. If an artist makes a hit of the app, the Kangz just want one thing — give them a shout out when you get that award.

BlackWeb20.com covers website and application launches; culturally relevant Internet industry news; and mainstream Internet industry news from an African-American perspective.  They also analyze emerging web trends and how they apply to web properties that target African-Americans or African-American culture.

By Sherri L. Smith, BlackWeb20.com

Rap mogul Diddy is known for being the king of the remix, but if the folks at Moderati have anything to say about it that will soon change. The mobile app company that brought you the pyromaniac-friendly virtual Zippo Lighter app for iPhone has unveiled Romplr, a new music application. So what makes this app so special? Well, Romplr lets users take a track and create their own unique remix. The mixes are created via eight built-in loops and seven samples. Users are also given three tracks to mix per song. Wannabe remixers also control the length of the mix with a minumum time of 30 secs or a maximum of 3 minutes. After the mixes are created, they can be shared with friends via email, Facebook, or rompler.com, the online community for fans of the app.

At launch, people looking to take control of the music can let their creative juices flow, experimenting on Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em’s “Turn My Swag On.” (A side note: Love him or hate him, you have to respect the polarizing artist’s masterful grasp of using the online space to keep his name in the media and his pockets fat.) Rompler Dance is also set to launch this week. The dance version of the app will feature three original tracks that users can add their unique flavor to.

The app is currently retailing for $5 in the Apple iTunes store. Unfortunately, the app is currently only available for the iPhone, but never fear, Romplr will be coming to Android, Blackberry, and other mobile app stores at a later date.

BlackWeb20.com covers website and application launches; culturally relevant Internet industry news; and mainstream Internet industry news from an African-American perspective.  They also analyze emerging web trends and how they apply to web properties that target African-Americans or African-American culture.

The RZA is slated for the big screen and a little music in 2009. The Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA says he’ll mark 2009 with a big-time film and music project, reports AllHip-Hop.com.  RZA is featured on Afro Samurai: The Resurrection, which is to be released on Jan. 27 as the soundtrack to season 2 of the critically acclaimed animated series Afro Samurai. Voiced by Academy Award-nominee Samuel L. Jackson, the series debuted in 2006 on Spike TV and went on to become the best-selling anime DVD release of 2007, the Web site repots. The project will mark RZA’s second full-length album for the series. In summer, 2009, RZA’s talents will be featured on the big screen with a role in The Funny People, an upcoming comedy from writer/director Judd Apatow (”The 40-Year Old Virgin,” “Knocked Up”).

Yung Joc signs another act to his Swagg Team label. Atlanta rapper Yung Joc has signed the second act to his Swagg Team Entertainment imprint, reports AllHipHop.com. The Grammy-nominated artist has picked up the Dallas-based GS Boys, who have generated an impressive Web following for their single “Stanky Leg,” the Web site reports.

A little music does the heart good. Keep the gospel playing on your iPod or throw on a little Beyoncé and sit back and relax, knowing that your blood vessels are expanding wide open, letting the blood flow freely.  Turns out that hearing a joyful noise does the heart good. In fact, nothing could be healthier for your heart, a new study suggests. “Listening to music that makes you feel good may also be a good preventive measure for heart health,” said study author Dr. Michael Miller, director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center, in Baltimore. “There’s no downside. It’s simple, economic and it may pay off dividends in regard to a healthy heart.” Dr. Carl Lavie, medical director of cardiac rehabilitation and prevention director of the Stress Testing Laboratory at the Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute in New Orleans, also told HealthDay: “Although this was just [a short-term] study, it suggests that laughter and listening to relaxing music may provide cardio-protection or be heart-healthy. I suspect that the authors are correct in this theory. But the important thing to know is whether regular performance of this or similar activity would have long-term benefits on the cardiovascular system, similar to… such things as regular aerobic exercise that has been extensively studied and proved to have substantial long-term benefits.” Previous studies had found that music could affect heart rate and blood pressure. Prayer has also been shown to improve cardiac performance. And Miller’s group previously found that laughter improved vascular health.
  

Can you tell if he’s HIV-positive? A new feature at BET.com asks if you can tell by looking at someone whether he or she is HIV-positive. “Are You Positive?” provides information about HIV and AIDS as well as HIV-testing information and a site locater as part of a special feature that appears in advance of the BET News special of the same name. To find out more, go to BET.com/lifestyle.
(www.bet.com/lifestyle/bodysoul)

Actor is confirmed to play ancient Egyptian ruler.
Will Smith will portray Last Pharaoh. Will Smith is set to take on one of his most challenging roles in the film The Last Pharaoh. After earlier reports surfaced of his interest in the role about the ancient Egyptian ruler Taharqa, Variety.com confirms that Braveheart writer Randall Wallace is taking on the screenplay at Smith’s behest. Taharqa ruled Egypt from 690 B.C. to 664 B.C. and became known for his fierce battles with Assyrian king Esarhaddon.

Shhhh! Not while he’s trying to sing!
Actor hushes fans at performance. Terrence Howard takes his newfound music career seriously, according to Web reports. The Oscar-nominated actor whose new CD, Shine It Through, was recently released reportedly shushed a couple of fans at his New York performance last week. The star appeared at “The Beat of Chic,” an event for special invited guests at Bloomingdale’s department store, and was reportedly annoyed by the constant chatter of two women in the front row. “Obviously you two are talking about something that’s more important than my music,” Howard is said to have announced. “Why don’t you share it?” After the man who rapped the words “whoop dat trick” in the film Hustle & Flow stuck the mic in their faces, the ladies apparently decided to shut it up. But it’s not only the two front-row spectators who’ve been underwhelmed with Howard’s musical debut: Fan feedback on the CD has been less than favorable.

Soulja Boy returns for sophomore set. Ringtone leader Soulja Boy talks about the Ice T beef, working with Bow Wow and his new album, iSoulja Boy at Music News.

Check out The Dream’s road to success. The Dream is an All-American triple threat. Read about his journey to the top here!