Inside The BOX.: Amanda Diva
We caught up with Amanda Diva outside of U Street Music Hall a little while ago prior to her performance there, where we spoke to her somewhat extensively about her past, present and future in Hip-Hop. You can check out more from this artist at the links below, and if you haven’t checked it out already, her latest project, Madame Monochrome, is out now.
Official Website – Twitter (her Twitter page has since been changed to @AmandaSeales) – Facebook
Inside The BOX.: Jon Connor
Soooo this interview was done quite a while ago…..unfortunately, we never managed to find a copy editor to transcribe the entire interview, so, because it was such a good one (and with an extremely dope artist at that), we basically decided that the audio was good enough to enjoy. So enjoy.
We chatted it up with Flint, Michigan emcee Jon Connor about his entrance into the scene, influences, plans for takeover and more. Don’t expect this guy to get terminated (I’m sorry, I had to) anytime soon. After listening to the interview, check out more from this artist:
Inside The BOX.: Donell Jones
by Samantha Luck
Longing for the sultry, sensual R&B sounds of love, romance, courtship, and love-making? Fifteen years in, Donell Jones still has the remedy. Since his debut album, Heart, where he gave us the hit cover of Stevie Wonder’s ballad “Knocks Me Off My Feet,†to now with Lyrics, Jones shows us that good, honest, sexy music can never fade especially when it’s done on his terms.
I caught up with him after his Park Unplugged performance sponsored by The Park at Fourteenth and Beny Blaq Entertainment and here’s what he had to say.
Check out more after the jump.
Samantha Luck: Now that you aren’t with Jive, you are now with E1?
Donell Jones: E1 is my distributor and I’m on my own label, which is Candyman Music. [Lyrics] is my first album that I’ve put out on my own label. It’s been about four or five years.
It’s beautiful. It’s a hell of a lot more work, ya know, but it’s beautiful. One of the things I wanted to do in my career is have some ownership in what I make. And the other records that I’ve made, I don’t own them. I mean they’re my records, but I don’t have an ownership in those records. Moving forward…when guys write movies, they own those movies; so when I write a record, I want to own it.
What are your favorite songs to perform from this album?
“Love Like This,†and then “Just a Little†is one my favorites as well.
Since you’re Mr. R&B, what’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done?
You know, the song “Do You Wanna†was actually something that I did. Run bathwater, rose petals, the glass of wine–just have it set up before she gets home. I’m not gonna say that I’m super romantic but, sometimes I like to do things like that, just to throw her off. I’m a Gemini, so it’s hard to figure me out so, you know, I like to do small things just to keep the relationship spicy.
Check out more from Donell Jones:
Inside The BOX.: Freeway
We were lucky enough to catch up with the one and only Philly Freezer during his Indie Life Series tour stop at U Street Music Hall. Shoutout to Candace Nicole, SnCity & The Indie Life Series.
Inside The BOX.: DMV Followers
These dudes are taking over the city one Twitter follower at a time, point blank (and you know you’re doing something right when you catch Wale’s attention). Luckily, JukeBOX was able to catch up with them at the Stop The HIViolence: Interstate I95 tryouts (of which I believe they were judges) to talk to them briefly about the moves they have been making in the city and surrounding areas (not to mention down in Georgia as well). Take heed…this is how you grind.
Inside the BOX (Along With DDotOmen.com): Malice Of The Clipse
We caught up with Malice during his book signing for Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind & Naked at Commonwealth in DC. Shoutout to D-Dot Omen.
Inside The BOX.: Rye Rye
Baltimore native MC Rye Rye is nothing short of fresh. This female MC has been signed to artist M.I.A.’s label, XL Recordings. Not many MCs, let alone female MCs, have the opportunity to work with international superstars like M.I.A. She recently took some time to talk with JukeBOX’s own Eric B. about her music, city and mentor.
Rye Rye first started writing and rapping when she was only 15 after meeting DJ Blaqstarr, a Baltimore-rooted DJ, and getting the opportunity to rap for him over his voicemail. Her start to the rap game came with a chance; she took it and ran. With inspirations such as Missy Elliott, Nas, Jay-Z, Timberland, Destiny’s Child and Aayliah, Rye Rye describes her music as fun, electrifying and refreshing with heavy beats.
DJ Blaqstarr x Rye Rye – Shake It To The Ground
She is not shy about repping hard for Baltimore. When asked about putting her city on she says, “It’s very natural. I feel like I have to put on for the city because our city rarely gets recognition and for my situation to happen the way it did, I’m just very appreciative and I’m like, ‘I got to go for it because it’s not too many artists out of Baltimore really doing it.’†She said her whole purpose is to let people hear where her music comes from and how much her city inspires her music.
Baltimore is just one of her inspirations. M.I.A. has provided inspiration and tutelage, since Rye Rye began working on her album in 2009. M.I.A. wanted to meet her after hearing a song she had done with DJ Blaqstarr and just like that M.I.A. invited Rye Rye to open one of her shows. After blowing the audience away, M.I.A. then asked her to open for the rest of her tour. She said she’s humbled by being able to work with and have a mentor like M.I.A.
Rye Rye x M.I.A. – Sunshine
One of the things Rye Rye is thankful for is the preparation M.I.A. provided. She was encouraged to work harder and prove herself more since she is a female mainstream artist. She explained that sometimes as a female MC you have to exploit yourself and do things you wouldn’t normally do to start you career, but she has been able to avoid it by being an apprentice to M.I.A. and being what she calls “DJ Friendly†and cool with producers. Studio time with M.I.A. and her producers is a relaxed atmosphere where “everybody [does] their own thing.â€
This vibrant young woman has worked with the likes of Tyga of Young Money and Pharrell Williams and aspires to work with Missy Elliott. Her main thing is getting her album out for her fans. Rye Rye is a one-of-a-kind artist who loves her fans and clearly makes music because of them. The future looks bright for this young star. I see her doing big things. Look out for her.
Inside The BOX.: Ryan Leslie
Video courtesy of Beats & Ballads/Beny Blaq Entertainment
Q&A with Ryan Leslie by Samantha Luck
I would sit for long lengths of time and soak in the creativity that poured from Ryan Leslie’s videos featured on his YouTube channel. To watch him jump in and out of studio booths and onto various instruments as he gathered just the right ingredients to whip up an irresistible sound was downright addictive. Not only did he (as a one-man show) provide melodies and harmonies that appealed to a very large audience (see the number of viewers per video), he exuded a contagious motivating determination that with heart, talent, tenacity, brain power and a sprinkle of charisma, barriers couldn’t stand in his way. He is a living example that artistic freedom is not only possible but extremely attractive and lucrative.
Check out my conversation with Ryan Leslie after his captivating performance for The Park Unplugged show sponsored by The Park at Fourteenth and Beny Blaq Entertainment.
Read more after the jump.
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| Photo credit: TBD.com |

Ryan Leslie: I just feel like in today’s day and age, especially for young people that are making music, the traditional distribution methods are antiquated. The internet allows you to have direct access and channel distribution to your audience, and I want to be able to exploit that and be as creatively free as I want to be. And so that independence allows me to be unrestricted in my creative expression.
My favorite song already on Les Is More is “Maybachs and Diamonds.†It’s just so sweet (super smile).
Oh wow. Thank you so much.
It is! And you’re welcome.
I didn’t know that. I would’ve done it tonight.
Awww, I almost shouted it out but…So are you in love right now or is that past experience?
I was in love when I wrote the record and I’m still in love…and when it goes sour—there’s also a record called “Joan of Arc†on the album and that’s about the experience of when it all breaks down. And there’s a reference to Napoleon in that record and it’s like you understand that you have your faults and you may fight for something, and sometimes it falls apart and you get exiled. So, this record is probably the realest album I’ve ever written; and it’s coming from real experience.
Last question. In the name of JukeBOX, what album are you really into right now?
I’m loving that Frank Ocean mixtape. I think if all goes well, I’ll be working with him; and in a couple of weeks, I’m going out to do Coachella out in California. Then we’re supposed to get in the studio together.
Inside The BOX.: Audra The Rapper
Carrie L. sits down with one of the latest Maybach Music signees, Audra The Rapper, following her performance and meet and greet in DC.
Inside The BOX.: Emanny
Samantha Luck sits down with up and coming singer, songwriter and producer Emanny on the set of his and KingPen Slim’s videoshoot for ‘Goosebumps’.
Inside The BOX.: Teedra Moses
Samantha Luck sits down with Teedra Moses before she goes on to perform at The Park at 14th in DC. Courtesy of Beny Blaq Entertainment.
Inside The BOX.: Roc Mikey
Make sure you cop his latest album, Gameface. Need help? Click here.
Inside The BOX.: Raekwon
Live from Direct Drive Record Pool at U Street Music Hall in DC. Shout out to DTLR.
Inside The BOX.: Que Tha Future
Que: Up Close and Personal
by Samantha Luck
If you weren’t at The Park at Fourteenth to see Que, formerly of Day26, showcase his talents solo, then you missed a good show. The talented singer, sans his former band mates, held his own on stage belting out songs from his new mixtape Guitar Her. Only backed by the harmonies of the keys, an acoustic guitar, and two songbirds, Que gave us an intimate view of his evolution as a man and as a solo artist in the Guitar Her Unplugged show, sponsored by Ciroc.
Read more after the jump.
Dressed in a Yankee-fitted, white unbuttoned button-up over a black V-neck T-shirt, dark denim jeans, and Chucks, Que exuded cool, chill, relaxed. He simply asked the audience, “Can I sing for ya?” And that’s exactly what he did.
He started with the mixtape’s opener “Guitar Her” with the lyrics, “Got a mean walk, got a mean voice, got six ladies callin’, got a make a choice.” Hmmmm, ok, I hear you, Que. Talk about confidence. He definitely displayed plenty in front of the crowd, some of which watched him on “Making The Band,” where at times he seemed unsure of himself. I asked Que about the man he is now compared to the man he was on the show.
“The Que you saw on the show didn’t know how to handle business,” he said. “The only thing that’s changed is that I’m growing into the man God wants me to be.”
The show continued as he sang the very sexual “Hair Ruff.” I heard a lady audience member ask, “Wait, what did he say?,” as if she couldn’t believe her ears. Well, the chorus goes: “I see you looking back at me, but you ain’t going nowhere ’cause I got you by the hair.” Grown-up Que, indeed!
Que continued and softened it up a bit with a track he said is his favorite, “Free Falling,” a duet with Dawn of Diddy-Dirty Money. She was not in the building, but R&B singer Desiree Jordan, who opened for Que, sang the powerful love song with him instead.
The range of Que’s music went from fast and “poppy” to soft and sensual. He explained to me that this new sound of his is “acoustic R&B, pop, soulful. I would say it’s R&B, pop, all those things, because I don’t want it to be just inside the box.”
After introducing the audience to a few more tracks off his new project, including his hit single “Medicine,” he closed with a humble “I hope you guys enjoyed it.”
The crowd screamed like they really did enjoy the show and this new Que. He enjoyed it as well. “It was amazing and it felt really good to get everything out,” Que said once his performance was over.
Even after the TV show, the controversy, his personal struggles becoming public, and the disbandment, I asked Que what keeps him going, to which he replied, “God. My family. Just having faith in myself. When you believe in yourself, nobody can take that away from you. Nobody can take your faith away from you.”
Inside The BOX.: Miguel
It’s one thing to catch Miguel opening for Usher on the “OMG” Tour, but it’s another to watch him light up the stage when the show is all his. All by himself, Miguel put on a show that not only entertained, but captivated and inspired. The intimate atmosphere that the Birchmere in Alexandria, V.A., provided was a nice setting for an almost personal interaction with a rising star whose talent and skill seemed beyond his years.
Watching Miguel and his band perform songs from his debut album, some of which are “Sure Thing,” “All I Want Is You,” and “Teach Me,” was like watching a rock, R&B, pop, soul concert all in one. The mixture of the many genres married so well, I had the feeling of “Wow, this is so different, but I love it.” And it didn’t hurt that he’s an attractive, confident man who writes some very swoon worthy music-lyrics that make you say, “Wait, what? Run that back.”
I would have to say what struck me the most about this superstar in the making, was the level of assurance that it’s better to be himself than to try to fit in. Miguel is unquestionably comfortable in his own skin, and his uniqueness permeates throughout his music and performances as he wraps the audience up and takes them on a ride through his mind, heart, and soul.
Check out my interview with Miguel as he gives us the scoop on what it means to be “eclectric,” what he needs in a woman, and how it feels to be a Grammy-nominated artist at the beginning of his amazing career.
Inside The BOX.: Tre (Of UCB)
Inside The BOX.: Mz Sasha
We caught up with The Board Administration’s Mz Sasha during their media day event.
Inside The BOX.: DJ 5’9
We caught up with Fat Trel’s DJ, DJ 5’9, during The Board Administration’s media event at their studio.
Inside The BOX.: Holleywood
Live from Commonwealth in Adams Morgan, we speak to up-and-coming emcee/producer/engineer/anything-you-can-do extraordinaire Holleywood about his career aspirations in the music game.
Inside The BOX.: DC Hot Ones
Live from Gudda Musik studios, our interview with one of DC’s finest in Hip-Hop, DC Hot Ones. Shout out to I Got It 4 Free.
Inside The BOX.: Dwayne Everett
We caught up with up and coming DC emcee Dwayne Everett on U Street to speak to him about the power moves he’s making in Hip-Hop both within the city and beyond. The movement continues.
Inside The BOX.: Yung Richie P
We caught up with one of Uptown’s finest to speak with him on his hot single, ‘Racks‘, that’s currently in the streets (which features Jim Jones) as well as his upcoming projects. The movement continues.