Mali Music: A Beat, A Melody, and A Smile

This week's artist values life tremendously. He aims to create a positive lifestyle and peace among people. So... without further ado, please allow me to introduce to you Mali Music!

Mali Music

Kortney Jamaal Pollard, born January 12, 1988 in Pheonix, Arizona is a singer, song writer, and producer that goes by the stage name Mali Music. Knowing at a young age he had a niche for music, he began playing the keyboard at the age of 11 at a church in Savannah, GA. He would play for hours in a packed church every Sunday. Said on his website, he realized then that his goal was to incite "physical, emotional, and spiritual change with nothing more than a beat, a melody, and a smile." He later says that he wanted to earn respect as an artist and wanted to give a great first impression. He has a wonderful story where there have been struggles and victories, but always a song. And that is how you get Mali Music.

Photo: Fulton55

Amplifying the Sound

After receiving recording equipment for his 15th birthday, he continued recording dozens of songs while trying to maintain his football status at his high school. Unlike most artist I've previously mentioned, he gained notoriety on ........ wait for it.......... MySpace! haha. Who knew? lol. He then began receiving booking offers from all over the country. After realizing what the audience wanted and needed, he released his first album in 2008 entitled The Coming, selling them from his garage. Known as one of the best underground artist, he later released his album, 2econd Coming, earning a lot of attention. Both albums being christian, holy filled, gospel music, my favorite song being "Yahweh", another name for Lord according to Agape Bible Studies, on his 2econd Coming album.

Changing his realm 

Recently, people have been in a bit of an uproar because Mali Music decided that it would be best if he broadened his music audience and go main stream. He did this by officially categorizing himself as a contemporary artist. His reasoning is simply because he wanted to reach a broader audience. To gospel artist, it kind of seems as if there is a ceiling, restricting them as to how far they can go to reach a certain audience. Mali Music wanted to broaden that audience. In an article from ChristianPost.com, he had said "I wanted to be able to have an opportunity to [reach] statuses with people I admire like your James Browns, Bob Marleys, and Michael Jacksons and in order to do it, I had to enter into the progessional industry that they were in... Not to succumb or to conform to them, but to inspire them, to be myself within and possibibly build a platform to make it easier for people with heart like me, people with songs like me, and people with the content like me in the future." It's not really like Mali Music was your traditional, old school, gospel artist anyways. He has always been the type to step out of the box and be his own, very realistic person. Having listened to some of his songs after going main stream, they still symbolize and inspire the same message. The song "Beautiful" has become very popular since being released in early March of 2014. 

Comment and let me know how you feel about his change in intended demographic? 

Like Music by Mali?

Please feel free to learn more about Mali Music by visiting any of his following social media outlets: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/malimusicnote

Instagram: https://instagram.com/malimusic/

Website: http://www.malimusicofficial.com

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl8Dam_LUrMLmbKyd21S3UA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaliMusic

Vevo: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl8Dam_LUrMLmbKyd21S3UA 

As always, please feel free to offer any up and coming artist that you are interested in!

Thanks a Mil' - Keep Up Your Trill

Gospel Gangstas: The Walls Group

Hello all! So this week, I've decided it was time to hop on the magic blog bus and take a little field trip. Today class, we are going to go to CHURCH. This group has a definite God given talent that is full of anointing. So buckle your seat belts and let's go!

Who are these saints? 

Together, Darrel, Rhea, Paco, and Ahjah Walls, make up the new gospel music sensation known as The Walls Group. Born to musically inclined parents, Roger and Alicia Walls, there was no way these four could resist their musical talents. If you enjoy some of their favorites, which include Kim Burrell, KiKi Sheard, The Soul Seekers, Mary Mary, and Dorinda Clark- Cole, then you will love them as well. Adding a young, soulful sound to the contemporary gospel vibe they've got going, and combining it with their love for the ministry and their family bond, is what has spiked the interest of so many worshipers.

Darrel

Age 19; Photo: Donna Shana

The oldest member of the singing group, Darrel McGlothen Walls, showed he had major musical inclinations at a very young age. After learning from a young lady from the Grace Memorial Church of God in Christ how to play the tambourine at the age of 1.5 years old, he could no longer part from his musical ways. Seeing his talent, a pastor friend allowed him to sing is first solo, Somebody's Knocking At Your Door, that solo started him off for real. At the age of four he began playing the drums and later continued to learn to play the organ and keyboard. Darrel now 23 years old, was a soprano until until the age of 13. Growing with his group, he now aspires to be a producer, spending most of his time now writing, recording, and of course singing. 

Rhea

Age 15; Photo: Donna Shana

19 year old, Rhea Walls is the second oldest of the group. She is said to be very shy, but breaks out of her shell when killing that soprano. Joining her older brother, Rhea could soon match pitch before she could barely speak. Her inspiration is her older brother and followed in his footsteps by learning to play the piano. She increased her musical talents by developing a wonderful ear for the clarinet. Beyond her musical capabilities, she is also an amazing athlete. She has been very near to attending the Junior Olympics for the Carl Lewis Track Club - CL Stars. In addition to her music goals, she is hoping to one day bring home a gold. In the 2009- 2010 year she won district title in the 100 meter hurdles and the 300 meter hurdles. As if she isn't diverse enough, she actually aspires to become a dentist. Her spunky style and calming spirit makes a great addition to the team. 

Paco

Age 14; Photo: Donna Shana

A year younger than Rhea, Alic (Paco) Walls, is yet another soulful (and very attractive) addition to the gifted group. He has been known for his raspy voice that is often compared to that of his mother's raspy and hoarse tone. He is said to be chillax. He, as the rest of them, started off very early showing his natural born attraction to music. At the age of 7 MONTHS he was noticed by his parents in the car tapping his foot to a song playing on the radio, and of course they knew what was up. He soon joined his two older siblings as the alto and actually would steal the show with his charm and unique sound. When he was 13, he like many boys, struggled with his voice changing and now holds down tenor. He knows that he will one day become a pastor. He says that God actually spoke to him in a dream and told him that he would become the pastor of a mega- church one day.

Ahjah

Age 12; Photo: Donna Shana

The baby to the group, but not the baby out of her other seven siblings, is Ahjah Walls. She actually has a different beginning story than the others. When she was little, she loved songs and loved to sing, but the way her vibrato was set up, no one could understand why she was always just a little off. As a child, her vibrato was a little faster than the others and she just couldn't get a hold of it. Because of this, she actually took up gymnastics instead of singing. Now 17 years old, she has developed into an incredible alto. Her riffs and runs, similar to that of her brother, are amazing. She can emulate almost any artist. She aspires to become a famous cartoonist one day- drawing being one of her many talents. 

On the Rise 

      In an interview on September 29, 2014 with interviewer for Black Gospel, Christopher Heron, the group began to explain how their fame was never the intention. Ahjah explained it, saying "it kind of took off after we posted a reel on Facebook, and then someone took it off Facebook and then posted it on YouTube. After that everything just went crazy." At a young age, they were first known as The Walls Kids, and obviously aren't kids any longer. 

      The group is actually close friends with the very popular artist Kirk Franklin. They say he called their dad at home, and none of them could believe it. After a little convincing, they got on the phone, and had a normal conversation. They kept talking and kept in touch, and about a year later, they were signed to the large enterprise Fo Yo Soul Recordings. They have also developed a good relationship with gospel and contemporary artist Mali Music. 

Want to join the praise?

This young group has definitely been on the come up and just keep rising. With over 58 thousand YouTube subscribers, they have obtained quite the crowd. They released their first debut single in 2011, doing their own rendition of the song "Mighty You Are." They later released their first album entitled The Walls Group. Their latest album, Fast Forward, under their new record label was released in August of 2014. That album includes my favorite song of theirs, "Satisfied." 

On Friday, December 5th, 2014, they were given their first Grammy nomination for Best Gospel Performance/ Song for "Love on the Radio," another song on their latest album. 

If you enjoy their contemporary style and would like to see more of them, please visit their Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and website. 

Check them out and let me know if you decided to become a Wallower!

As always, please feel free to offer any up and coming artist that you are interested in!

Thanks a Mil' - Keep Up Your Trill

Jacquees Yeeeeaaahhhhh

Hey there music lovers, I've got a new hit for you this week. Ladies, you're going to love this one, but I would like to give all of you a pre-warning: HE IS MINE. LOL. But on the real, this dude has got some hot tunes so without further ado let me please introduce you to the world of Jacquees (Jah- qweese).

Young Boy from Decatur

Rodriguez "Jacquees" Broadnax gifted Atlanta, GA with his presence on April 15, 1994. Raised in east side Decatur, Georgia on Wesley Chapel Road after moving there at the age of nine, that is where his story began. He will tell you himself, as he did during his interview with R&B DJ Smallz, where he says, "you know once you get in the forth grade it's really time to start..." and proceeds to pound his chest as if toughening up. He continues in his interview to say that his favorite hangout in the A is all down Peter Street, with his favorite place to eat down there being Pearls Restaurant and Lounge. At that age, he realized his passion was singing and dancing. He continued by posting covers on YouTube and making school appearances as a guest and for talent shows. He found his inspirations at a young age, influenced by The Jacksons: The American Dream and various Temptation movies. As he grew more notoriety amoungst his YouTube fans, he developed a profile similar to the young Chris Brown.

Rising Up 

Photo: Livemixtapes

 As his nickname continued its trend, Jacquees also gained his fame on YouTube. In 2007 he was  introduced to his manager Orlando Grind, who introduced him to Russel "Block" Simmons, the founder and CEO of Block Entertainment.
Unfortunately, that wasn't his home. Signing with  that company required him to blend in and become  someone he was not. Their focus was rap, while  Jacquees is about appealing to the ladies through  R&B and R&B soul.




It wasn't until two years later when his talent was  truly recognized by the business; they then began to change their focus. During this time Jacquees was hanging out with people such as Jody Breeze who actually took him to the strip club at 14 -there's your fun fact for the day :)-. His new exposure, to those who didn't have big booties, but big voices, gained him even more notoriety, which led to creating his first single "Krazy" featuring the amazing artist T.I. He then continued to release his first EP entitled  I am Jacquees and mixtapes Round of Applause,  Fan Affiliated, and Quemix. 

How Bout Now?

Increasing in fame, lately Jacquees released his second EP entitled "19" on March 25, 2014. This album reached #3 on the iTunes R&B & Soul charts, and #15 on the Billboard charts for R&B Albums. That EP included featured artist such as, Chris Brown, Rich Homie Quan, Lloyd, and Trinidad James. As of January of 2015, he has acquired 25 million views on YouTube. Jacquees is on the rise to fame now signed with the big time company named Cash Money Records officially making himself apart of Rich Gang. This company is currently signed with the big dogs Ace Hood, Christina Millian, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Tyga, Paris Hilton, Juvenile, and Kevin Rudolf. His latest mixtape release, entitled Quemix 2, has now gained him more fame, doing remixes of popular songs such as "How Bout Now" by Drake and "Drunk Texting" by Chris Brown feat. Jhene Aiko.

Photo: TP

Photo: Pinterest

YOU DIG?

You think you can ride with Jaquees? Check him out! His soul-reaching, mesmerizing voice needs a bit more loving.  If you'd like to vibe with him and watch him grow as an artist, check him out on his YouTube Channel, Twitter, Vine, SoundCloud, and Facebook.

Click on the videos and links and tell me what you guys think :)

Also, feel free to offer any up and coming artist that you are interested in!

Thanks A Mil' - Keep Up Your Trill

Tori Kelly: Vibrant, Pretty, and can SANG

Who is this shining star?

Victoria Loren Kelly, better known as Tori Kelly, is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist born December 14, 1992 in Wildomar, California. Being in a household where all genres of music was emboldened, Kelly began her musical career very young.

According to the Tori Kelly Music website,  she began singing as early as three years old, took up the drums at the age of 12, and later asked for the music production software Logic for her fifteenth birthday. As a child, she was featured once on the show Star Search and twice on the show America's Most Talented Kids; my personal favorite out of the two being her first performance on America's Most Talented Kids.

Kelly continued her search for fame by posting up YouTube video covers. Gaining more and more recognition, she then auditioned for season 9 of American Idol and made it to Hollywood, but didn't make it to the top 24 after the beginning the elimination process.  

Rising to the top

Although not gaining complete fame off of those shows, Kelly continued her dreams and was encouraged by her previous, not failures, but lessons. As social media grows larger, she as many stars do, finally gained fame off of her cover of Frank Ocean's single Thinking Bout You featuring her beat boxing friend Angie Girl. The cover now has over 22 million views. It's a very unique version of the song that shows off her soulful vibe, as well as, her super vocal skills. Others, such as myself, joined the hip Vine App and saw her personal rendition of the right way to tell someone good morning (shown above).  

Who is she now?

If you're wondering whether or not she is your type (and yes, despite Rae Shummurd's claim, you do have a type LOL) let me first tell you what her type is. Although creating her own music and sound, performing a lot of covers didn't allow for her to truly show who she is. Now, performing live with stars such as Ariana Grande and Professor Green, she has definitely began to create quite the name for herself. Her first album was released in 2012 titled Homemade Songs, being that all of the songs on that album where... homemade. So creative right? Her latest hit is her single entitled Nobody Love. This single has let her completely break free of her shell and rise as The Tori Kelly. 

Like what you see?

If Tori Kelly's sense of style, with a mix of hip hop, pop, and everyday finessing, is something you think you'd be about, you can catch up with her on the multiple social networks these youngins have got going now adays. You can find her on her YouTube channel, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, or website. If you ask me, she is just what I look for on days that I want to jam and chill at the same-same time! 

Try her out a bit and tell me what you guys think :) 

Also, feel free to offer any up and coming artist that you are interested in!

Thanks A Mil' - Keep Up Your Trill