GoOd cHaRLoTtE...

The East Coast post-grunge quartet Good Charlotte is just barely distinctive from the likes of corporate alternative rockers Blink-182 and Third Eye Blind, but the fresh five faces composing this quintet from Maryland first started off in 1996, practically shy of strumming a chord. Vocalist Joel Madden and his twin brother guitarist Benji, who never sang or played an instrument in their lives, were instantly inspired to form a band after seeing the Beastie Boys on their 1995 Ill Communication tour. They soon formed Good Charlotte with high school chums Paul (bass) and Aaron (drums), and Billy (guitar) was added later. They all had a passion for the energetic elements spawned from '70s punk rock, but also sentimental enough for killer ballads found in mainstream corporate rock. Quickly, the band made a name for themselves in and around the D.C. area, playing the WHFS annual rock show HFSFestival in 1998 and 1999. A year later, Good Charlotte issued their self-titled debut on Epic. The Madden brothers scored a gig as MTV VJ's and soon were all over the network's late night rock show All Things Rock. This promotion helped the band greatly, as they spent time behind the scenes writing songs for the new album. By the fall of 2002, Good Charlotte was ready to release The Young and the Hopeless. "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and "Anthem" catapulted the band into the mainstream in 2003 and shared dates with New Found Glory for the third annual Civic Tour were equally successful. In 2004, the band returned with The Chronicles of Life and Death. MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
Group Members:Benji MaddenJoel MaddenBillyPaulAaron

Saturday, July 23, 2005
~*AkON

To understand where AKON is right now is just half the equation. The other half lies in where he came from: this young artist possesses a unique history. A Senegalese African, AKON moved to the United States when he was seven. His family is headed by legendary percussionist and jazz musician Mor Thiam, whose expertise for playing the Djembe, a traditional African drum, has been touted as "unrivaled." Being brought up in an environment that treasures the true artistic value of musicianship and revels in the mastering of instrumental skill has had a momentous affect on AKON. It was AKON's deep rooted love and passion for music, evolving from filial admiration, which allowed him to turn his life around, despite his trouble as a youth residing in New Jersey. AKON began playing several different percussion instruments and eventually embraced hip-hop music and culture, despite his initial disdain for the genre. "When I first heard hip-hop I thought it was rubbish because I didn't understand the concept of people talking over music," AKON recalls, "But as I started growing up, living a little and listening to the lyrics, I realized that I was going through a lot of stuff these rappers were talking about and I could relate."

50 cEnT

More so than any other music since the blues, hip-hop is all about stories. And its stories are both criminal minded and grand, making them enthralling and unbelievable, but also making them only as interesting and convincing as the teller. That's why, despite being blackballed by the industry, without a major-label recording contract, heads still gravitated to Jamaica, Queens' realest son, 50 Cent, like the planets to the sun. 50 Cent, born Curtis Jackson 26 years ago, is the real deal, the genuine article. He's a man of the streets, intimately familiar with its codes and its violence, but still, 50, an incredibly intelligent and deliberate man, holds himself with a regal air as if above the pettiness which surrounds him. Couple his true-life hardship with his knack for addictive, syrupy hooks, it's clear that 50 has exactly what it takes to ride down the road to riches and diamond rings. 50 is real, so he does real things.

~*hIP hOP..*~

~* EMINEM...rOx!

The average rapper wouldn't be able to grace the pages of Rap Pages, VIBE, Rolling Stone, Spin, The Source, URB and Stress and go on a national tour months before their major-label debut album is released. Then again, Eminem isn't an average rapper. He's phenomenal.
The impending release of the The Slim Shady LP, his first set on Aftermath/Interscope Records, already has underground hip-hop heads fiending for Eminem. Chock full of dazzling lyrical escapades that delve into the mind of a violently warped and vulgar yet extremely talented wordsmith, the 14-cut collection contains some of the most memorable and demented lyrics ever recorded.
For Eminem, his potentially controversial and undoubtedly offensive songs will strike a chord with a multitude of hip-hop loyalists who believe they have little to lose and everything to gain.