Matty B Brings All the Hottest Hits to the Schoolyard

What’s his name? It’s Matty B, and he’s is anything but your average seven-year-old from Atlanta.

This kid has taken over the Internet in a big way and is the newest viral sensation, re-inventing such hits as Eminem’s “I Love the Way You Lie,” Mike Posner’s “Cooler Than Me,” Ke$ha’s “We R Who We R”, and even Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair". The pint-sized, blond hair, blue-eyed second grader with enormous talent has gotten nationwide recognition for bringing hip hop to the playground population. At such a young age, there is a lot to look forward to in the development of Matty’s career. Having already appeared on the “Wendy Williams Show,” rest assured there will soon be Matty B music streaming from more places than YouTube.

Check out his latest offering, just released -- a redo of fellow youngster Justin Bieber's new hit “Pray”:

Check out www.youtube.com/mattybraps to see many more music videos from Matty B. You know you can’t resist!

Hoodie Buddie is the New BFF for Portable Music Lovers

 

iPods are great, but too often iPods and clothing just don't mix. The sheer mechanics of keeping your earplugs tangle-free and your iPod out of dropping or snatching sight can be a pain. Don't even get me started on the whole threading-from-underneath-and-out-the-top-of-your-shirt thing...

Fortunately, I recently discovered the Hoodie Buddie, a relationship where form truly follows function. In the front pocket of this new must-have hoodie there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack which connects to your MP3, iPod, smartphone, or anything with the appropriate outlet. Once you are all plugged in, the next step to enjoying your jams is inserting the BUILT-IN earphones, which are attached to the ends of the drawstrings of the hood and into your ears. And there you have it -- Tangle and Drop-free!

If you are now thinking of all the time you've "accidentally" forgotten to remove your iPod during washing and ended up with a soggy MP3 player and ruined earbuds, well, check this out -- the Hoodie Buddie is machine-washable! Sounds almost too good to be true, right? Well, it’s not -- Along with producing a sustainable product, there are an array of colors and styles to choose from for men and women. There is even a Hoodie Buddie collection featuring Betty White where you can wear her face around while proceeds help benefit the Morris Animal Foundation.

Hoodie Buddie puts it best: “Just remember -- We are all connected, and united we rock.”

The Dr. is Back!

For ten years, we have been patiently waiting for “the one and only D-R-E” to make his solo return back to the forefront of the music scene. Though, he has being doing good by his fans and looking out for us by pairing up with Jimmy Iovine and, more recently, Lady Gaga, not to mention giving us music lovers a better way to listen to music through his high performance headphones and sound transmission company, Beats by Dr. Dre  (because “people aren’t hearing all the music”). But we still missed the creative lyricist that is Dr. Dre. Now the long wait is over.



The first single from his highly anticipated album, Detox, is a pulsating jam called "Kush", which gives us a taste of what to expect once the full album is released in early 2011. This track is destined to be a hit, not the least of which because it features long time friend and collaborator, Snoop Dogg, and singing sensation, Akon. Doing it up right with his legendary producing skills, this album will be anything but a detox and more like an addiction, and "Kush" is the gateway drug!



If you haven’t already, listen to “Kush” and see for yourself on Dre's Website.

Keeping an Eye on "Little Big Star" Charice

She may only stand 5 feet tall, but you can't underestimate the mighty large talent that is Charice Pempengco, or just Charice for short. If you aren’t familiar with the name by now, then let me catch you up to speed on what you've been missing.

Hailing from the Philippines, Charice made quite the name for herself after competing in the Filipino equivalent of "American Idol" in a series called "Little Big Star" in 2005, soon becoming an Internet and YouTube sensation. Her quickly rising fame brought her to the U.S. for the first time in 2007, where she performed on "The Ellen Degeneres Show". Not too long after, Oprah came calling and dubbed her “the most talented girl in the world” (as reported by Wes Ferguson back in June), and we all know there is no arguing with Oprah!

Charice recently secured herself in pop culture history as the reoccurring character Sunny Corazon on the hit show "Glee", and for her to be portrayed as stiff competition for the incomparable Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), you know there is something special going on. Check out her now infamous throwdown with "Rachel" below:

She's still focused on her music career though, and “Pyramid”, the first single off of her latest album, Charice, hit #1 on the U.S. Dance charts this year. We expect more great things from her in the near future!

VV Brown Helps Kick Off the Holiday Season

When Brit songstress VV Brown first visited me in the YH Studio, she was already setting trends with her signature “VV roll” and carrying around her  “VV one-string” guitar, and now she makes up 1/5 of the Marks & Spencer campaign as an “M&S girl”, alongside veteran supermodel, Twiggy, and Australian singer, Dannii Minogue, to get the holiday season in full swing.

As you guys know, our TVs are already starting to be flooded by those commercials aimed at putting us in the shopping mood. I always look forward to seeing how creatively these commercials can get me up and into the stores, and this commercial from Marks & Spencer, one of the leading retailers in the U.K. (think the British version of Macy’s), caught my attention. Featuring the talents of our girl VV, the spot involves some slick dance numbers while re-creating some of our favorite scenes from movie musicals and music videos including Chicago and Grease, all set to the disco classic “You Should Be Dancing” by the Bee Gees. The winter holidays just got smokin’ hot!

Check out the super fun video below:

The EC Twins: Ear Candy for Electronic Music Lovers

It could easily be said that the growing popularity and love for house music here in the U.S. can be credited to two of the most important figures in electronica, and chances are you might not even know their names: brothers Allister Blackham and Marc Sean Blackham, who together make up The EC Twins, are widely considered not only  pioneers of the genre but its most loyal ambassadors too.

No strangers to the scene, these DJs are named after a prosperous club they ran over in the U.K. called Eye Candy. After acquiring a global fan base, the EC Twins have had no problem filling dance floors in underground clubs, at exclusive events, and everywhere else in between. As producers, remixers, and DJs, these guys have promoted a sound that makes a party well worth attending. If you’ve recently gotten your groove on at any hot clubs in L.A. such as Haute or Guys & Dolls, chances are the Blackham brothers are to thank for those tunes.

Having previously taken L.A. by storm with their goal of creating “nice and fresh house music,” the EC Twins say it best: “Long live house music!”

Check them out on MySpace and follow on Twitter.