Migs Baeza “To me, AJM represents a family of talented musicians and music lovers who want to share their vision with the public; a family that does not want to focus on the monetary gain, but rather on the music; a family that acknowledges the importance of different kinds of music; a family that inspires.”The sixteen year old producer and record label executive, Miguel “Migs” Baeza has a relatively unusual story. Migs has already worked on tracks featuring such artists as chart-topping Grammy award winner R&B singer, Ashanti and hip-hop sensation, Flo-Rida. The track, “Let’s Do Something Crazy,” which was made by Migs at age fifteen, will be the first single from The Vault. AJM Records’ upcoming release, The Vault, features twelve tracks of un-released Ashanti material. Migs was handpicked to produce, “Let’s Do Something Crazy.” In addition to composing, Migs plays the guitar, piano, keyboards, and the drums. Migs’ tracks transcend genres. “My travels abroad have given me the virtue of being open minded and to have the utmost respect for all that other cultures bring to the world. I think this comes out in my music.” Apart from music, Migs is a scholar, varsity athlete, a member of his high school student council and on track to become an Eagle Scout this year. Press Listening Session for Ashanti’s New Release“Migs gets an all-star turnout at the listening session for Ashanti’s new release, “The Vault”, at Chung King Studios.”
New Single Released “Migs Produces new single for Ashanti featuring Flo Rida, called, “Let’s Do Something Crazy.” He was also hand-picked to produce two other songs on the album: “Satisfy”, and “Gotta Get Out (remix)”.
Migs is Interviewed by CW11 News See it here: YouTube
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Ashanti Grammy award winning Ashanti blasted into the urban music scene in 2002, topping the charts with multiple singles at once. She quickly became a sensation, gracing the covers of magazines and dominating urban radio. Ashanti built her reputation with duets, where she would complement a popular rapper -- Ja Rule ("Always on Time"), Fat Joe ("What's Luv?"), the Notorious B.I.G. ("Unfoolish") --
contrasting the tough-guy male perspective with her own.
Ashanti's overnight jump to superstardom was initially helmed by Mario Baeza Owner and CEO of AJM Records and Linda Berk, Ashanti’s co-manager. Baeza, the successful New York attorney, banker and entrepreneur, took notice of Ashanti initially because of her beauty, and singing, only to realize she was a very talented songwriter. His decision to distribute Ashanti through Def Jam and have Irv Gotti Executive Produce her music was a stroke a genius! It didn't take the young vocalist long to make a name for herself though; her debut album topped the Billboard album charts just as her debut solo single, ("Foolish,") was topping the Hot 100 chart. Her presence was inescapable. A duet with Ja Rule, "Always on Time," hit number one on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in early 2002 just as a duet with Fat Joe, "What's Luv?," was creeping toward the same number one position. These two airplay-heavy singles set the stage perfectly for Ashanti's self-titled debut release. The album's lead single, "Foolish," raced up the Hot 100 chart, entering the Top Ten in March alongside "Always on Time" and "What's Luv?," Soon after, Ashanti's album debuted at number one on the album chart, selling an astounding 500,000 plus copies in its first week. She was the first artist to have four songs in the top ten on Billboard’s Hot 100 ("Always on Time" with Ja Rule, "Foolish", "What’s Luv?" with Fat Joe and "Ain’t it Funny" (remix) for Jennifer Lopez.) With all her chart-topping, Ashanti set some sales records and her success continued. A remix of her song "Foolish," titled "Unfoolish," that featured the Notorious B.I.G. and again overtook urban radio, where no artist was more omnipresent throughout 2002 than Ashanti. She returned the following year with Chapter II, which likewise topped the Billboard album chart on the heels of its hot lead single, "Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)". A Christmas album followed late that year, and Concrete Rose appeared in December 2004. Ashanti has worked with some of the industry’s best — writing lyrics and singing hooks that helped their records reach the top of the music charts. Along the way, Ashanti has amassed numerous industry awards and honors, most notably a Grammy for Best Contemporary R&B Album in 2002. |
BeNY Tight lyrics, true artistry and a message. After over a decade in the industry and a growing reputation in the underground hip hop scene, BeNY is ready to dominate the airwaves with his raw, descriptive style and thought-provoking lyrics that come at you in both English and Spanish!
Felix Cruz was born in New York City. The son of Dominican immigrants, he started rapping on the streets of the Bronx and in local talent shows. He placed second for two year in a row as part of the rap group Arsonist and soon became a local freestyle favorite. Dubbed BeNY Blanco because of his physical resemblance to John Leguizamo’s character in Carlito’s Way, BeNY burst onto New York’s underground hip-hop scene with his explicit narratives and intelligent freestyle. BeNY performed regularly at legendary Lyricist Lounge and built a following by appearing on mix tapes and doing shows. His explosive delivery caught the attention of industry insiders as BeNY made appearances in the The Source Magazine, XXL, Urban City Magazine and House of Roses.
In 2001, BeNY signed with Eso Music Group, Willie Eso’s record label and began showcasing his talent in several shows in the tri-state area. He has performed on stage with Eminem and opened for Mobb Deep at Club Beach in Las Vegas and Juvenile at the Civic Center in Louisiana. In 2001, BeNY won Freestyle Friday on BET’s 106 and Park and performed at the Magic Convention . He has worked with some of hip hop’s hottest producer including Trackmasters, Nutty, Curt Gowdy, Ruff Ryders and DJ Enuff and has done guest spots on commercials for Anheuser Busch and Tropical Rhythms with Shaggy, as well as videos by Michael Jackson “They Don’t Really Care Bout Us” and Juvenile “U Get it from Your Momma.”
Soon after, BeNY’s management at the time, Notable Entertainment, challenged him to records in his native Spanish. The result was ground-breaking. BeNY quickly penned Spanish Ebonics and several other songs, and recorded a number of promos in English and Spanish for Hot 97 radio in New York City, catapulting him to the elite group of bilingual rappers that celebrate their Latino heritage.
BeNY is currently in the studio completing his debut album with a guest appearance from the Latin king Willie Colon and other guests that will make Latino pees proud and have the rest of the hip hop community go “Woah”! Signed to AJM Records, the label that introduced the world to R&B superstar Ashanti, BeNY’s debut single will hit the streets soon.
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Graciela Graciela: first lady of Latin Jazz Latin Beat Magazine, Oct, 2005 by Jesse Varela
In May of 1943, Graciela returned to New York City to fill in for her brother, Frank "Machito" Grillo, who was drafted into the U.S. Army. When she arrived, the orchestra was the house band at La Conga Club in Manhattan and had added singer Polito Galindez from Puerto Rico. They were broadcasting through radio station WOR and had a buzz going as one of the most popular bands in the city. "La Conga was a good club on 53rd St.," recalls Graciela. "Everybody would come out and dance to Mario Bauzá's Afro-Cuban jazz. We were always called The Afro-Cubans, but it was Mario who said we should put Machito's name in front. People make the mistake of thinking that Machito was the director. He was just a singer. It was Mario who ran the band and married jazz with Afro-Cuban music." Bauzá dreamed of a big band fusing the rhythmic fire of Afro-Cuban music with hip North American jazz. Bauzá landed in Harlem at age 19 in the midst of an artistic renaissance. He made important contributions as a reed player and trumpeter, with Chick Webb, Cab Calloway and Don Redman. "Directly, Mario helped many artists get started in their careers, like Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Tito Puente and Ella Fitzgerald," adds Graciela about her brother-in-law. It was Mario who invited Machito to come to NYC in 1937. Married to Estela (Machito and Graciela's sister), Bauzá hoped the two could start a band. That would not happen until a few years later. Early on, Machito sang with Las Estrellas Habaneras and recorded on coro (vocal chorus) with El Conjunto Moderno in 1938. His first sides as a lead vocalist were with Noro Morales, Conjunto Caney, Augusto Coen, and Xavier Cugat. By 1940, Machito was a force to contend with. He was with La Siboney when he started getting offers for gigs. He formed a small combo but soon began to assemble an orchestra. Bauzá joined the band as its musical director in 1941 and began to refine it into the Afro-Cuban jazz aggregation of his dreams. "Mario did everything," declares Graciela. "He chose the songs and prepared everything for our shows and recordings. Machito and I could sing just about anything he asked. He developed our repertoire by searching out great songs and finding talented arrangers to adapt them to our sound. Everybody always acknowledges Machito, but it was Mario Bauzá who shaped the band." Having worked in the top Harlem nightclubs with top-flight bands, Bauzá learned to use the entire orchestra as his palate. The way he spread the singers and instrumentalists throughout a set provided an entertaining variety for the audience. Graciela was a hue all her own as a featured vocalist and a great counterpoint to her brother. "We used to change up the music--bolero, guaracha, chachachá--so that the whole world could dance to something," she explains. "When we played real upbeat material I noticed some people sat down but they had already danced a few numbers. We even played a pasodoble now and then. You never knew when there was going to be a Spaniard in the audience." Llegó Dieguito, Quién Paró La Rumba, A Quili Quilito, La Peleona, El Marañón, Coco, and Rié, No Llora Má, are songs she recorded during Machito's absence. In her late 20s, she was vibrant and cut through the big band with a clear voice and strong delivery that more than ably expressed the songs. "I learned that to sing you have to put alma (soul) into it." Machito was discharged in October of 1943, and returned as the band was entering a new phase. Tanga, a Bauzá composition considered the first authentic Afro-Cuban jazz recording, drew the attention of countless musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Kenton, among others. Largely instrumental, it was upbeat and danceable, and attracted dancers from diverse racial and ethnic groups. "People appreciated what we did back then. During the war wherever we performed the lines were tremendous. It only cost a few dollars to hear three orchestras. Now what do you get for $25? People would leave their change just to rush in and be inside dancing. We also played in the finest jazz clubs." Machito & The Afro-Cubans broke the color line working at a variety of nightclubs and dancehalls at a time of institutionalized segregation. They played all around NYC for a diverse spectrum of people. From uptown clubs like La Conga and Park Plaza, to jazz joints like The Royal Roost, Bop City and Birdland, as well as Harlem hotspots like the Apollo Theatre and Savoy Ballroom. "We set a record when we played at The Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. We also played all the jazz clubs for the 'americanos,' as well as every sector of Puerto Rican society in NYC. We used to do annual dances for the postal workers, police, and other organizations until we started traveling and could no longer fit in the dates." Around 1945-47, Graciela did several sides with Machito for Verne Records. Highlights include ¿Donde Va María?, Guampampiro, Siguiéndote, Qué No Se Acabe el Bongó!, ¿Que Tal te Va?, and Mi Cerebro (which would evolve into Si, Si, No, No). Her style at that point in her career was well defined and confident. It was at the Palladium Ballroom (at West 53rd St. & Broadway), where Graciela would stand out as part of the Machito Orchestra during an era that can only be described as a golden age. "The Home of the Mambo" opened in 1949 under Federico Pagani's promotion. It was the Big Three--Machito, Tito Puente, Tito Rodríguez--who shared the spotlight and kept the place packed. However, it was the Machito band that first brought Latin music into the hall in the late 1940s. "I remember Mario worked out a deal with the owner of the Palladium, who was also the manager for Chick Webb's band, where we did a Sunday matinee there. Mario got Chano Pozo's permission to call it the Bien Bien Club. There was a line of people that went around the block. The coat check room was so small in the winter that people would check their coats at the hotel across the street and rush over to dance." COPYRIGHT 2005 Latin Beat Magazine COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group |
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