Features

The Ru Report #167

Still Shining Bright
Hip-hop veteran MC Lyte is shining brighter than ever before.

The Brooklyn-bred lyricist, who became the first female rap artist to go gold (with 1993's "Ruffneck"), is quite a viable commodity in and around the entertainment business – years after her last major record company release.

She has a few other "firsts" underway, which we are happy to be the first to official to report about.

Musically, her voice can be heard nearly every single day on a spirited Old Navy advertisement hawking colorful tunic tops. She also just wrapped a season on the popular UPN series, "Half & Half," portraying a no non-sense record company owner. And she recently added another feather to her cap as an author of the recently released inspirational tome "Just My Take."

"I made it for the teenagers and the ladies in their early twenties," MC Lyte (born Lana Moorer) told "The RU Report" this week. "By all means, anyone can read it but I believe it can be especially inspiring for young adults who have not received many words of advice concerning different topics."

"I try to keep journals but it's not an easy task when things are not going the way you want them to in your life, so I always wind up just sitting them down," she added. The book, available online at www.officialmclyte.com, is an inspired work from the groundbreaking lyricist who delivered such hip-hop classics as "I Cram To Understand U," "Cha Cha Cha," "Lyte As A Rock" and the Missy Elliott-produced "Cold Rock A Party."

According to Lyte, a special gift prompted her on the path to put her thoughts into literary form. "Well, one year I got a gift; it was a purple book with the word 'CREATE' on the top and that's just what I did for 80 days straight," she revealed. "I mean every single morning I would write whatever God put on my heart. A couple of years later a friend of mine was checking out some of the poems and suggested that I publish it. So basically, that's how it went down."

And never one to rest on her laurels, the 34-year old renaissance woman has just signed on to start working on a memoir--and unlike other celebrity literary projects, she assures us, that hers will not mince any words.

But that's not it.

This summer, the always bold and courageous MC Lyte will tread onto more uncharted territory with the unveiling of yet another new project in another new genre: The Lana Moorer Home Accessories Collection. That's pretty self-explanatory. Designed with William Kenney, the collection will consist of bath accessories (ranging from soap dishes to shower curtains) for the 2005 season and will progress to bedding in 2006.

We knew the phenomenal hip-hop woman could create … but not on such a grand scale. Who would've thunk it? "Yeah, I know huh," she beamed. "It's a great way for me to express myself. The line is to encourage young folks to take charge and make decisions as it pertains to their living space. There are pieces that are subtle and then there are pieces that reflect independence and forwardness."

So should Martha Stewart watch out?

"Absolutely!" she laughed, then continued, "nah, she's alright, but she caters to a completely different person."

The Huntersville, NC-based Cultural Accents (a division of Cultural Hangups, Inc.) has partnered with Lyte to develop a line of home accessories under her birth name. "We wanted to work with someone who was sophisticated, trend setting, well-recognized and had spiritual beliefs consistent with ours…and she was the perfect fit," commented Cynthia P. Ham, the President of Cultural Hangups, which is currently negotiating with retail chains such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Kmart and Lowe's.

Now that she just wrapped the multi-city Pantene Total You Tour with gospel superstar Yolanda Adams, poet laureate Nikki Giovanni and comedienne/radio personality Myra J, the newest announcement couldn't come at a better time. "It's been a great ride and I'm not jumping off the train just yet," she quipped. "It only feels like a natural progression for me to go into other realms, especially acting because I wanted to do that before I even wanted to rap."

Aside from the UPN foray, MC Lyte has also appeared in the Lifetime drama "Strong Medicine" and the independently released film "Civil Brand." She credits Hollywood hot-shot Yvette Lee Bowser (producer of TV shows "Half & Half" and "Living Single") for believing in her talents. "She has as always been a great supporter of mine. I had a recurring character on her last sitcom 'For Your Love' and now she has created this role just for me. It's great to have someone who believes in you." That boost has enabled Lyte to get great face time on the show, and she gets to flex her acting muscle in a role that she has a close affinity too. As record company head Kai Owens, MC Lyte gets to pay homage to a person that has been influential in her music career; legendary record company executive Sylvia Rhone, currently the President of Universal Motown. "She's the best teacher when it comes to a female exec," she said of the woman who guided her career through six major label album releases.

As far as the hip-hop music landscape is concerned, Lyte (who once stood at the forefront of the scene with other pioneers as Salt N' Pepa, Queen Latifah and YoYo) comments, "Everyone seems like they're scared to take chances and scared to make changes. If you're a female MC and are not part of a clique then you're not getting an opportunity. Even being part of a clique means nothing; still no guarantee you're going to hit."

Times have definitely changed.

All of the aforementioned acts, if still recording, have gone the independent route, or have flourished in other genres (Latifah in jazz, Salt in gospel). We're talking about folks who have garnered millions of dollars in revenues for major record labels. "The respect for artists has always been wishy-washy throughout time," Lyte continued. "Once you get to know the game, you either stay in and play it or you get out and play your own way."

So what's next on the horizon for this Bright Shining Lyte?

"I'm opening a new and used clothing boutique in LA. It should be fun, doing the construction part of it now. There's power in producing TV and film projects and I want to get my hands wet with that. Whatever God has me to do, I WILL."

With Godspeed!

Video View
Just out on home video format is "Chappelle's Show: Season 2 Uncensored"(Paramount), from this generation's most popular funnyman Dave Chappelle. Although for a brief spell, no one seemed to know what happened to The Talented Mr. Chappelle, his halting of the production of his Comedy Central show didn't stop the momentum of the season two DVD package to wane. As a matter of fact, the 3-disc boxed set has broken both the first day and seven-day sales records for TV on DVD titles with close to 500,000 units sold on its May 24 release date and over 1.2 million units sold during its first seven days in the marketplace. According to a spokesperson for Comedy Central, the first day sales of "Chappelle's Show: Season 2 Uncensored" eclipsed week one sales of "Seinfeld: The Complete Fourth Season" DVD. Featuring 13 outrageous episodes, "…Uncensored" is chock full of rich bonus material totaling over two hours and includes: audio commentary on five episodes by Mr. Chappelle and series co-creator and executive producer Neal Brennan. Other bonus footage includes extra Chappelle stand-up material, The Rick James Extended Interview; Charlie Murphy's Rick James memories, two unaired Charlie Murphy's "True Hollywood Stories," and a 71-minute deleted scenes/blooper reel which features audio commentary by Mr. Chappelle and Mr. Brennan. Special guest appearances by Wayne Brady, Jim Breuer, Nick Cannon, Guillermo Diaz, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Griffin, Ron Jeremy, Lil' Jon, John Mayer, Q-Tip and Joe Rogan are also included, along with musical performances by Erykah Badu, Common, Mos Def, Snoop Dogg, ?uest Love, Kanye West and Wyclef Jean.

Next week will see the release of the 10th Anniversary Edition of "Casino" (Universal), the riveting and decadent story of "made men" in Sin City starring Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone--who snagged an Academy Award nomination for her career-defining role. The Martin Scorsese-helmed project (he co-wrote and directed the flick) also features memorable supporting performances from James Woods, Don Rickles, Alan King, Kevin Pollak, L.Q. Jones and Frank Vincent. Like "Scarface," "Casino" has become a favorite of the hip-hop generation. Numerous top-selling acts have paid homage to the film through their music videos, album covers and song lyrics. Among them are Nas, whose music video for the song "Street Dreams" is a re-enactment of "Casino" with the rapper in the role of Ace Rothstein, and The Firm, whose cover for the CD "The Album" replicates the "Casino" movie poster in minute detail. The Queens, NY-reared rap God has described the film as "one of the greatest ever." Other legendary artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Jay Z, Ice T, Jadakiss, 2Pac, Scarface, and Kool G. Rap have made reference to the film and its characters in their raps. The DVD is loaded with nearly two hours of all-new, fascinating bonus material, offering viewers an "eye-in-the-sky" view into the making of the film and the indulgent city it depicts. Features iclude The Story; The Cast & Characters; The Look; After the Filming; Vegas & the Mob; Great Mob Writers; commentary by Mr. Scorsese, Ms. Stone, Nicholas Pileggi and more.

Also coming… Sam Jackson's star turn in "Coach Carter," a modern-day take on "Lean On Me"--one of my all time favorite flicks--hits the racks on June 21. The Thomas Carter-directed drama is inspired by the real life story of a high school basketball coach who benches his entire team. One of the best films I've seen this year, "Coach Carter" did great numbers at the box-office, hitting the #1 spot during its first week of release in January. Special features include Coach Carter: The Man Behind the Movie and Fast Break at Richmond High, six deleted scenes and the music video "Hope" by Twista featuring Faith Evans.

Stuff
On June 12, BET Jazz will air "Sounds Of Harlem," a salute to the musical legacy of New York's culturally rich community of Harlem, The one-hour program promises to look at the past, present, and future contributions that Harlem has made, and continues to make to the American entertainment landscape. According to a rep, the show –which was co-produced by the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce--will feature commentary from U.S. Congressman Charles B. Rangel, business titan Percy E. Sutton, Bill Cosby, Maya Angelou, Wynton Marsalis, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Ed Bradley, Harry Smith, Arthur Mitchell, Joe Sample, Tamara Tunie, Paquito Rivera, and Arturo O'Farrill amongst others. … Premiere jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis is confirmed to address the senior class of Frank Sinatra School of the Arts (FSSA) at graduation ceremonies to be held on June 27. Welcoming Mr. Marsalis to the event will be music legend Tony Bennett, who was the guiding force behind establishing the school, which opened in 2001. With an enrollment of 532 students, the school is currently housed in 100,000 square feet of converted space on two floors with an atrium located at Thomson Avenue in Long Island City. A permanent site for the school is planned in Mr. Bennett's hometown of Astoria, Queens, adjacent to the Kaufman Astoria Studios complex. Construction on the permanent building is planned for July of 2005 and is expected to be open for students in September 2007. The graduation ceremonies will be held at the Main Stage Theatre of LaGuardia Community College (Building E) in Long Island City, NY. Jerry Seinfeld was last year's keynote speaker.

Good Works
Hollywood starlets Vivica A. Fox and Tamala Jones, basketball stars Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Kenyon Martin and hip-hoppers Lil' Mo, and Fabolous are on board to join "BET Style" host Big Tigger (nee Dorian Morgan) for his 4th Annual Celebrity Classic, which takes place next weekend in the nation's capital. The annual event, presented by XM Satellite Radio and Big Tigger's Street Corner Foundation, Inc., is designed to both raise funds for and heighten public awareness of HIV/AIDS. According to event organizers, the festivities will include a youth sports festival, a celebrity panel discussion, a cocktail party and silent auction, a pre-party testing initiative, a WPGC block party and a host of celebrity parties. The goal of the celebrity weekend is to distribute a minimum $100,000 worth of grants and donations to deserving grassroots charitable organizations including Pediatric AIDS/HIV Care and Metro TeenAIDS.

The incomparable Kimora Lee Simmons will be in the company of Macy Gray, Serena Williams, Christina Aguilera, Rebecca Romijn, Kelis, Carmen Elektra, Elle McPherson, Heidi Klum, Pamela Anderson and Nicky and Paris Hilton for a new coffee table book titled "4 Inches." All of the ladies are naked… nude… bare. With the exception of some Cartier jewels, some nice props and Jimmy Choo shoes, Mrs. Russell Simmons are among the 44 women using their star power to raise funds and awareness for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The brainchild of Tamara Mellon, president & founder of Jimmy Choo, "4 Inches" features some of the world's most beautiful women, artistically photographed by the renowned female photographers such as Mary McCartney, Sam Taylor-Wood and Ellen von Unwerth. Mr. John wrote the Foreword to the book, which also features an image of Duchess Of York Sarah Ferguson and Spice Girl Victoria Beckham. The book was published by the London based Scriptum Editions. On May 25th, the book launched in London with an auction of select images from the book, raising a whopping $2.4 million. "4 Inches" will launch in the US on June 16 when additional photographs will be auctioned by Christie's at the Cartier Mansion in New York City. Christie's New York will hold a preview of the photographs from June 11-June 14, which will be open to the public. Auctions to follow in Los Angeles (June 21) and Hong Kong.

Congratulations are in order
Well an early one that is … for hip-hop media power couple Danyel Smith and Elliott Wilson--who are set to tie the knot this weekend in Los Angeles. The soon to be Mrs. Elliot Wilson, a transplant from the Bay Area, is the former editor in chief of "Vibe" magazine and currently a writer-at-large for Time, Inc. The future groom is the editor of the fast-growing hip-hop magazine "XXL" and a former staffer of "The Source."

Ms. Smith, who was previously married to acclaimed photographer Carl Posey, authored the best-selling novel "More Like Wrestling," which is now in paperback. Her new novel, "Bliss," is due out next month via Crown/Random House and centers on the music industry. CNN Correspondent and fellow author Toure, who recently wed his longtime gal pal in Miami, commented: "For the last decade, Danyel Smith has had a front row seat for all the craziness of the record business. She knows how fly it all was, and she knows where the bodies are buried." And best-selling pop singer/songwriter Mariah Carey added, "The music business can be an enchanted snake pit, but Danyel tells her heroine's story with an insider's knowledge, with power, and most of all, with emotion."

This is all great timing for Ms. Smith who also served, briefly, as R&B editor of "Billboard" magazine in the mid 1990s. And there's chatter that she's up for the editor-in-chief post at "Essence" magazine--which was recently vacated by longtime staffer Diane Weathers.

All of this momentum proves that there are second (and even third) acts for folks in the business. I wish the future newlyweds the best of luck.

If you don't know, now you know!

Notable/Quotable
"In terms of your life, if you start to exploit it, then what's real, and what's not? What's yours, and what isn't?"
--Academy Award winning actress Nicole Kidman on photographic publicity stunts of a romantic nature between two celebrities.

©2005 The Ru Report™. All Rights Reserved~~Daniels-Goldstein, P.O. Box #25 Bushkill PA 18324

Message Karu F Daniels or email him directly at therureport@aol.com