In The Know

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Mos Def * Na'sha * The Isley Brothers *Mekhi Phifer * Earth, Wind & Fire * Lenny Kravitz

Mos Def * Na'sha * The Isley Brothers
Mekhi Phifer * Earth, Wind & Fire * Lenny Kravitz

Multi-talented Mos Def is currently out on the road co-headlining the PlayStation® Presents Breed Love Odyssey tour with Talib Kweli. Presented by House Of Blues, the tour is hitting intimate club settings and is accompanied by an eclectic line-up of up-and-coming hip-hop artists including Pharoahe Monch and Jean Grae. The tour made its first stop in Sacramento on October 28 and will conclude in New York City in December.
Def has been tapped to co-star as Wemba in Journey to the End of the Night. The film also stars Brendan Fraser, Scott Glenn, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Alice Braga. The film just wrapped shooting in Brazil. Written and directed by Eric Eason, Journey to the End of the Night is a story of a father and son separately planning to escape the desolation of their lives through a lurid underworld. Mos will next be seen on the big screen starring alongside Bruce Willis in the thriller 16 Blocks. The film is set for release in early 2006. Def is also set to release a new album in the spring of 2006.

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New R&B vocalist Na'sha released her stunning debut album My Story on September 20th, 2005 via Pure Records. This solid release conjures the pop of Whitney Houston & soul of Mary J. Blige and, at the same time, incorporates a modern, dance sound on some of the tracks. Her first single, "Fire," features Shaggy on the remix that is burning up radio stations across the country. He is featured on another track on the album, as is Cash Money alum B.G., and she is featured on two tracks on Shaggy's latest release Clothes Drop. Na'sha made her national TV debut with Shaggy on The Tonight Show and The Late Late Show filling in for Olivia on his first single "Wild 2Nite."

Na'sha is featured in the soon to be released Lion's Gate film In The Mix. She has contributed two songs- "Fire" and "Saturday"- for the romantic comedy that features Usher in his first starring role. The movie bows nationally November 23rd. Na'sha made her national solo television debut on Soul Train this past weekend. She performed her first single "Fire," an ode to the dance floor and the party atmosphere her music inspires. www.na-sha.com

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Over the course of nearly a half-century, The Isley Brothers have gone from gritty R&B to Motown soul to blistering funk. Now, for the first time ever, all the magic that is the Isley Bros. is captured in stunning High Definition video with 5.1 Surround Sound on a brand new DVD entitled Summer Breeze- Greatest Hits Live to be released November 15th! Spearheaded by Ron Isley's smooth vocals and Ernie Isley's hard-edged guitar leads, the Brothers burn up the stage, cruising through such standards like "It's Your Thing," "Who's That Lady," "Twist and Shout" and of course the classic "Shout." Filmed earlier this year, the DVD includes candid interviews with both Ron and Ernie, describing the long history of the band and its success, the stories behind the songwriting, and offering other insights into a band that has long influenced audiences and musicians alike.

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Mekhi Phifer recently completed directing his first film Easier, Softer Way in which he also stars alongside Danny Masterson, Darrell Hammond, Ashley Scott, John C. McGinley, Ronnie Warner, Terry Crews and Mo Collins. The film, being produced by Phifer and Warner's Facilitator Films banner, follows two hapless pot heads unintentionally involved in a scheme to rip off a mysterious character called Big Daddy (played by Phifer) after the duo sours on rehab. Mekhi Phifer can currently be seen starring as Dr. Gregory Pratt on NBC's top-rated drama ER, for which he received two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Phifer is also making several guest star appearances on the new season of the critically acclaimed HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm which premiered on September 25th on HBO.

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Legendary band Earth, Wind & Fire released their 23rd career album, Illumination, through Sanctuary Records Group on September 20, 2005. The album debuted at # 32 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart, marking it as their highest debut in 20 years. Anchored by founding members Maurice White, Philip Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson, Illumination offers an array of stellar producers and guest artists that have appreciated and gleaned profound inspiration from Earth, Wind & Fire's extraordinary career. For Illumination's star-studded track, EWF bounces to the ATL for the hip hop-laced party joint "This Is How I Feel," produced by Organized Noize, featuring rapper Big Boi of OutKast, singers Sleepy Brown and Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child in a duet with EWF lead singer Philip Bailey. Crooner Brian McKnight's fusion of key elements from past Earth, Wind & Fire's classic ballads creates his own epic, "To You." Acclaimed female poetry/soul duo Floetry bring their conscience cleansing balm to the soothing motivator "Elevated" (produced by Darren Henson and Keith Pelzer). R&B futurist Vikter Duplaix laces the joyously tropical instrumental "Liberation," which features tantalizing bursts of EWF's wondrous wordless vocal melodies. The group's new album has been supported by a series of high profile television appearances including history making performance opening the 2005 Emmys, performing on Ellen Degeneres first ever LIVE edition of her talk show and opening and closing BET's 25th Anniversary Celebration. The group is scheduled to perform on Late Night With Jimmy Kimmel, NBC's McCormick's presents Earth, Wind & Fire Tribute On Ice and NBC's annual tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center this November. www.earthwindandfire.com

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On November 8th, Lenny Kravitz will release a special collectors' version of his Greatest Hits collection (Virgin Records), which has gone eight-times platinum worldwide, in conjunction with his fall tour with Aerosmith. The limited tour edition CD & DVD retrospective will feature 17 classic songs from Kravitz's remarkable career, including "Let Love Rule," "Fly Away," "It Ain't Over Til It's Over," plus 2 new additions to the package, "Where Are We Runnin'?" and "Dig In." The 2-disc commemorative set also will include 6 of Kravitz's groundbreaking videos, such as "Are You Gonna Go My Way" and "American Woman."
Kravitz has also announced the formation of Kravitz Design, a design consulting firm focusing on commercial, residential and product design. Moving into the field of design consultant was a natural step for Kravitz, an avid lover of architecture and interiors. This admiration led Kravitz to collaborate on the design of several of his personal properties that have been featured in Interior Design, Metropolis, Harpers Bazaar, Vogue and The New York Times Magazine. Kravitz plans to release a new studio album in 2006. www.lennykravitz.com

For more information on any of these artists, please contact KSA Public Relations p: 212-582-5400

Carleen Donovan x207 Ben-David Fenwick x224 Megan Moffett x214
carleend@ksapublicity.com bfenwick@ksapublicity.com meganm@ksapublicity.com

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