BET Awards 2014 Winners List
It was a night full of electrifying performances, emotional speeches and unforgettable moments at the “BET Awards” ’14 — also known as the “Black World Cup,” according to hilarious host Chris Rock — which aired live from the Nokia Theatre at L.A. LIVE last night. Pharrell Williams opened the show with an energetic rendition of “Come Get It Bae” surrounded by a bevy of cheerleaders, and was joined by surprise performer and fellow Virginia native, the amazing Missy Elliott, who brought the crowd to their feet to “Pass That Dutch.” Williams became a familiar face on the stage after winning both “Best Male R&B/Pop Artist” and “Video of the Year,” and again coming on to present music icon Lionel Richie with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Young Money andBeyoncé took home the most trophies with three awards, as did acclaimed film “12 Years A Slave” which swept the film award categories. See the winners below: Best International Act: Africa Davido (Nigeria) Best International Act: UK Krept & Konan Best Female R&B/Pop Artist Beyoncé Best Male R&B/Pop Artist Pharrell Williams Best Group Young Money Best Collaboration Beyoncé f/ JAY Z – Drunk In Love Best Male Hip Hop Artist Drake Best Female Hip Hop Artist Nicki Minaj Video of the Year Pharrell Williams – Happy Video Director of the Year Hype Williams Best New Artist August Alsina Best Gospel Artist Tamela Mann Best Actress Lupita Nyong’o Best Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor YoungStars Award KeKe Palmer Best Movie 12 Years a Slave Subway Sportswoman of the Year Serena Williams Subway Sportsman of the Year Kevin Durant Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award August Alsina f/ Trinidad Jame$ – I Luv This Centric Award Jhené Aiko – The Worst FANdemonium Award Beyoncé Images from Getty...
Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Artist to watch in 2014
Non-commercial artists make the best music because it’s all about the art of telling stories. It’s all about the music and not the charts and sales. Vancouver Sleep Clinic is a project by 17 year old Tim Bettinson from Australia. The name itself conjures up imagery of long cold winters, of isolation and remoteness and the sometimes self-imposed reclusiveness in all of us as the days get shorter and we move into the bitter months ahead. Vancouver Sleep Clinic’s debut EP consists of soaring falsetto vocals built upon progressive synthetic instrumentation to create an ambient vessel of emotional connection. Bearing messages of sorrow, humility and hope above all else – songs are written from the heart alone. 1. Your voice/sound is so atmospheric, it sort of creates a scenario, like chilling at a balcony with a glass of wine reminiscing the good times you had with a lost lover. Is this your style of music? I suppose it could be something like that! Haha. I think the idea behind this project is for it to be completely open to each person’s individual interpretations. I’m not trying to define a specific sound or push a certain scenario, I just want to make music that I love and that I hope all people can connect with and relate to in their own situations. 2. Your melancholic vocals remind me of Bon Iver with a bit of London Grammar, yet you’re still different at the same time, who are your musical inspirations? I definitely take my musical inspirations from a wide variety of sources. I actually didn’t really draw my voice from anyone in particular – I’ve always felt most natural singing in falsetto so it’s just a sound that evolved over time. Musically I’ve been brought up listening to a lot of traditional folk, but more recently I’ve been loving the creativity of artists such as FKA Twigs, The Weeknd, The XX & Oliver Tank etc 3. When did you start making music? I’ve been fiddling around with instruments since I got my first drum kit at 6, but I’ve really only been taking my writing seriously for a year now! 4. What inspired the name VANCOUVER SLEEP CLINIC? I want my music to be able to help with relaxation & calming, so in essence that’s the sleep clinic part. And Vancouver is a beautiful place that I feel matches the atmosphere I want to create through the music. 5. You’re only 17 but your sound is matured, did you consciously choose this genre or it was influenced by the kind of music that you listen to? To be honest, I didn’t really have any vision for this...
Review: The Acer Aspire S7
IT Maestro Starter of Conversations & Talent seeker at Discovery Ultrabooks are nothing new. Ever since Apple famously launched the MacBook Air in 2008, PC enthusiasts were chomping at their collective bit to get a similar device for their Windows needs. Fast forward a few years and most of the manufacturers offer an ultrabook alternative to the ‘cult of the Mac’. Whether it is a ThinkPad, ATIV Book or VAIO, an XPS, Spectre, or Portege, few have successfully been able to get the balance between performance and portability just right. Cynics might add the hefty price of these machines but given that it is competing with Apple products in both the looks and functionality departments, I tend to be a bit more forgiving when it comes to budget. That doesn’t mean I’ll be lining up any time soon to buy one, but there are plenty of people who can afford to spend good money on these expensive toys. Be that as it may, the Acer Aspire S7 ultrabook might just be the one to change my mind (if not the size of my available budget). It might seem trite to say that this is not your typical ultrabook but just one look at the S7 should be enough to show it. It is thin, it is light, and it is an absolute beauty to look at. Featuring an aluminium unibody, it is less than 13mm ‘thick’ making it one of the thinnest ultrabooks around. In terms of weight, well, it is completely negligible as traditional pen and paper notebooks feel heavier to carry around. Some users who are not fans of Windows 8 might baulk at the idea of using the operating system on such a beautiful device but the performance you get from the S7 using both the keyboard and touchscreen make these arguments irrelevant. While I am used to using Windows 8 in ‘desktop mode’ almost exclusively, having a powerful touchscreen device made for a very pleasant (and intuitive) experience. The battery life of approximately five hours might not be enough for some of the more power-hungry users, but it is a small price to pay considering the processing power of the S7. In addition, the fact that it is such a thin machine means the keyboard is quite flat on the surface when you type. Of course, this criticism is true for any ultrabook but it still takes a while to get used to typing with a slightly different wrist position than usual. This is a minor issue as you are bound to get into the swing of things within a few days of use. An...
Nicki Minaj is coming to S.A in September
TribeOne Festival announced Nicki Minaj today as one of the headlining acts where she will be performing on the Diamonds Stage. The TribeOne Dinokeng Festival, being held from 26-28th September 2014, will be a first of its kind not just for South Africa, but Africa itself. With a line-up featuring over 150 artists performing on three main stages, it is already being billed as Africa’s biggest festival! The festival will see the historic diamond-mining town of Cullinan, in the City of Tshwane in South Africa being taken over for the first musical journey of its kind on African shores. International, African and local South African artists will perform for an expected crowd of over 100,000 attendees. Minaj has earned numerous awards including seven BET AWARDS, four American Music Awards, one MTV European Music Award, Two American Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, and Billboard’s 2011 Rising Star award. “To say we are thrilled to have such an amazing talent and global megastar such as Nicki Minaj take centre stage at TribeOne Dinokeng this year in the amazing City of Tshwane is a complete understatement. Fans have so much in store for them not only with Nicki’s first ever performance on the shores of the African continent but Nicki is preparing for an incredible new live performance set just for the legions of music-Tribes transcending the Cradle of Music in Tshwane this year at TribeOne,” says Jandre Louw, Founder and CEO of TribeOne Festivals and...
It’s time to take a break from Neighbourgoods Market, The Sheds@1Fox is opening soon.
Exciting news for Jozi likers and hipsters, there’s a new lifestyle, food and wine market opening in October. The new venue will rise from the once abandoned industrial site between Fox and Main streets in Ferreirasdorp. Once completed, it will be known as The Sheds@1Fox, named for the old storage sheds in the area. It is being developed and renovated by the Johannesburg Land Company. One section of the site will be converted into a food and design emporium, while the others will be regenerated in phases. From 1 October, a temporary section will be opened till after Christmas, from Thursdays to Sundays. However, from 2015 more permanent fixtures will be added. In his book Johannesburg Ten Ahead, published in 2011, Gerald Garner writes: “The inner city of Johannesburg is undoubtedly at the forefront of the formation of the new South African society. Little wonder then that here you will find an incredibly energetic city with a pulse that is unmatched anywhere else on Earth.” He continues: “In the past decade the Johannesburg Development Agency, as one of the City of Johannesburg’s agencies – together with the rest of the municipality as well as countless private sector and community role players – has achieved an astonishing feat. “What was once regarded as an inner city on a slippery slope of irreversible decline has now been resurrected. It now proudly assumes its rightful place as a shining beacon of what can be achieved in South Africa.” Source:...
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