Music business entrepreneur, Executive Producer, Hip Hop star and recently appointed Celebrity Ambassador to the U.N in Ghana D-Black has signed to Rockstar 4000 Music Entertainment - the African continent’s first Pan African 360 Music & Entertainment Company and Record Label.
The deal with Rockstar 4000 begins this month and will see D-Black in an exclusive worldwide digital distribution deal, having his music made available commercially to a global audience of millions. Rockstar 4000 Music Entertainment, through its exclusive Pan African partnership with Sony Music Entertainment Africa, will distribute D-Black’s music and video catalogue to hundreds of digital storefronts worldwide, including major digital music services like iTunes®, Amazon MP3, Napster, eMusic, Rhapsody, Beatport, YouTube, Vevo, Zune, MySpace Music, Spotify, SKY, Juno Download, Boomkat, and Turntable Lab and mobile carriers and outlets such as Verizon Wireless, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and Nokia (to name a few) via Sony Music’s San Francisco-based digital distributor IODA.
“D-Black’s single and video SOMEBODY says it all and there’s more to come. D-Black is true talent and Rockstar by soul and we are truly excited about the future partnership and allowing the world to be part of D-Black’s music” says the CEO & Founder of Rockstar 4000, Jandre Louw.
“I want to be able to put Ghanaian hip-hop music on the map across Africa and internationally making it accessible for fans across the continent and the world to appreciate and the partnership with Rockstar 4000 Music Entertainment makes this a historic moment and platform to achieve this vision”, says D-Black.
Dubbed as the King of GH-Rap and an African Hip-Hop Star. He goes by the birth name Desmond Kwesi Blackmore, better known as D-Black. D-black is a music business entrepreneur /executive producer and Hip Hop artist from Ghana. He loves listening to and producing great music. D-Black runs his own marketing & advertising firm called ‘Black Avenue Works’, specializing in corporate and product advertising and marketing as well as corporate & social events. He also created Black Avenue Music in Ghana as a subsidiary of Black Avenue Works which operates as an Indie Record Label and Distribution outlet in Ghana.
Since December 2008, D-Black released three major singles from his joint album ‘Target Practice’ with ex-big brother Africa housemate, Kwaku-T. The self-produced album which was marketed by his Black Avenue Works firm boasted the singles ‘Move’ which was nominated in the Best West African Category at the 2009 Channel O Music Awards in South Africa for ‘Breathe’ feat. ‘Jay So’ and ‘Bust ma brain’ respectively. D-Black and Kwaku-t duo were the first and only hip-hop artists to be nominated for a Ghana Music Award in its eleven year history, rapping in English, with their music Video ‘Breathe’ directed by Gyo of Phamous Philms winning the Best Video of the Year Award 2010 and nominated for Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year. His award winning video ‘Breathe’ was also nominated for Best African Video at the Museke Africa Music Awards 2010.
D-Black released a 21-track solo album with music he wrote and recorded influenced by his own life-experiences and the music he loves hence the album’s title “Music , Love & Life. “This album should last me a while because I want to contribute to the wrapping up of albums from my label’s Artists including R&B / Soul singer, producer, instrumentalist Sammie Blacc and 17 year old new age MC, Dee-Money”, says D-black.
“Music is my first love and this album is music from the heart, mind and soul,” D-Black says. “I believe in African unity and collaborations so this album has a lot of collabo’s with artists from around the world” he adds.
Featured on this album include Wyclef Jean (Haiti / USA), Khuli Chana (South Africa), Tay Grin (Malawi), Segal (Gabon), Buffalo Souljah (Zimbabwe), STL (Kenya), 2 Face Idibia (Nigeria), Sauce Kid (Nigeria), M.I (Nigeria), Zeus (Botswana) and from Ghana - Dr.Cryme, Reggie Rockstone, Sante, X.O, Ayigbe Edem, Tinny, Sarkodie, Kwaku-t, Guru, Iwan, Efya, Samini and Kwabena Kwabena. Prominent
producers on the album include Bad Boy Entertainment’s Coptic, Kwam1, Piesie, Killmatic, Jay Sleek (Nigeria), Sammi Blacc, Jay So, M.A. , Q.C Funk, Bra Kevin, Female producer, Chantelle Myers , Green Gaffacci , Dr.EL, Jounide and Waxi of Sound Republic.
Recently appointed Celebrity Ambassador to the U.N in Ghana, D-Black also recently collaborated with 2 face Idibia (Nigeria), J-town and Kwaku-t on ‘STOP IT’, a song delved around the realization of the United Nations Millennium Developmental Goals - HIV/AIDS awareness, Poverty and Domestic Violence/Women Empowerment. D-Black sees this song as his message to society, Ghanaians, Africans and the world as a whole.
D-Black, a Channel O 2009 Music Video Awards Nominee, Ghana Music Awards 2010 nominee and winner and 2010 Museke African Music Awards nominee has shared the stage with the likes of Jay-Z, Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Omarion, Ja Rule, Sway, Donaeo, Lethal B, Stevie Wonder and others in his brief career to date.
He was recently featured on BET (BLACK ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION) as one of the premiere Ghanaian hip-hop artists along with Kwaku-t as well as Tuface Idibia from Nigeria. D-Black is also the first rapper selected to be on the first ever African “Bet Hip hop Awards Cypher” to be aired in October at the 2010 BET HIPHOP AWARDS.
The extremely industrious CEO of Ghanaian based Record Label, Marketing & Distribution firm Black Avenue Muzik, Works is an artist, rapper and also just graduated from the University of Ghana, Legon where he studied Theatre Arts/ Film Directing and Music. He’s acted in TV series “All that Glitters” and “Home Sweet Home” and is also set to begin filming this first ever Movie “7 P.M” written by Jounide El- Mahmoud. A Reality Show titled “The Life & Rhymes Of D-Black & Kwaku-t” is also in the works.
D-Black is all set to release his debut solo album titled 'Music, Love & Life' on the 24th of September 2010 on his Black Avenue Muzik Label and as an exclusive worldwide digital release through Rockstar 4000. The Album’s first single and video titled ‘Somebody’ was officially released in June 2010 and premiered as an EXCLUSIVE on MTV base across Africa. The song ‘Somebody’ made it into the Ghanaian top 10 Charts on 9 Radio stations within only 3 weeks since release.
The developments underscore Rockstar 4000 and Sony Music's commitment to expanding music service capabilities to a Pan African music community. Sony Music currently provides sales and marketing services to independent labels and artists, across Africa through its exclusive partnership with Rockstar 4000. The service is further bolstered by the addition of the services of IODA that brings its proven digital distribution platform for the independent sector into the mix. With distinct areas of expertise and market focus, Rockstar 4000 and IODA will build on their complementary technologies and resource increasing the scope of sales and promotional opportunities that each currently offers its existing and growing customer base across Africa and worldwide. Both companies will also leverage the global marketing and financial strength of Sony Music to continue expanding their businesses and providing best in class service.
Follow D-Black and Rockstar 4000 on:
Website: www.rockstar4000.com | D-Black's Rockstar Profile
Rockstar on FACEBOOK | Rockstar on TWITTER | Rockstar on FLICKR | Rockstar on YOUTUBE
Sony Music: www.sonymusic.co.za
IODA: www.iodalliance.com
ROCKSTAR 4000 TANZANIA:
Ruddy Kwakye
e-mail: ruddy@rockstar4000.com
Phone: +233 (0) 244 659 800
WORLDWIDE & HEAD OFFICE:
Press and Media: media@rockstar4000.com
Artist Bookings: bookings@rockstar4000.com
Other Queries: support@rockstar4000.com
ABOUT SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT:
Sony Music Entertainment is a global recorded music company with a roster of current artists that includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars. The company boasts a vast catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. It is home to premier record labels representing music from every genre, including American Recordings, Arista Nashville, Arista Records, Aware, Battery Records, Beach Street Records, Black Seal, BNA Records, Cinematic, Columbia Nashville, Columbia Records, Epic Records, Essential Records, Flicker Records, Fo-Yo Soul, GospoCentric, Hitz Committee Entertainment, J Records, Jive Records, LaFace Records, Legacy Recordings, Masterworks, Polo Grounds, RCA Records, RCA Nashville, RCA Red Seal, RCA Victor, Reunion Records, Slightly Dangerous, Sony Classical, Sony Music Latin, Star Time International, Verity Records, and Volcano Entertainment. Sony Music Entertainment is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corp., an Official Partner of FIFA and of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africaâ„¢.
ABOUT ROCKSTAR 4000 MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT:
Rockstar 4000 is the first Pan African 360 music and entertainment production, content and events company. It is home to a roster of current artists across the African continent that includes a broad array of Africa’s superstars from the vast spectrum of music genres that influence the African continent’s music trends...
World-class, pan-African experiences on a local level!
Rockstar 4000 provides brands an unrivalled mix & reach of the best entertainment based experiences from around the world and across Africa on a local level! The,Rockstar 4000 brand essence is aspiration! Though its core business is music, live events, brand experiences, brand content, talent & music management, Rockstar 4000 is an offering that extends beyond the functional levels of excellence in its delivery to connect emotionally with audiences through what matters to them most - Music! Lifestyle! Bands! Being